本帖最后由 ヮ成熟、羙° 于 2014-6-7 22:29 编辑
诺瑞丁和波斯美人（3） 荷叶/译 这一年里，诺瑞丁除了享乐，无所事事，散尽了他父亲辛辛苦苦挣来的财产。这一年还没有过完，有一天，他们正在吃饭，这时听到敲门声。奴隶已经都被打发掉，诺瑞丁自己去开门，他的一个朋友和他同时站起来，诺瑞丁挡在他前面。发现不速之客是管家，他出去后，关上了门。他朋友想知道他们之间发生了什么事，便躲在窗帘后，听到了下面的话： “老爷，”管家说：“我万分抱歉来打扰您。但我一早就预料到的事发生了。你给我的作为你的花销的那笔钱一点也没剩下，你所有的收入来源也没有了，都已被你转给了别人。如果你想让我继续为您服务，请给我提供必要的资金，否则我必须辞职。” 诺瑞丁惊愕地一句话也答不出来。 躲在窗帘后偷听的朋友立刻把这话传给了所有人。 “如果这样的话，”他们说：“我们必须停止到这里来。” 当诺瑞丁再进来时，尽管他在极力掩饰，大家还是清楚地看出，他们听到的是事实。朋友们一个接一个地站起来，找了不同地借口，离开了这里，霎时，就只剩下他一个人，尽管他从没有怀疑过朋友的坚定。随后，他去见波斯美人，向她吐露了管家的声明，并对自己的疏忽深表歉意。 “如果早点听你的建议，美人，”他说：“这一切就不会发生。但至少有一点值得安慰，那就是我把家财花在朋友身上了，在需要时他们不会抛弃我的。明天我去找他们，他们当中总会有人借给我一笔钱，足够做点什么生意。” 因此，第二天清晨，他便去找十个朋友，他们都住在同一条街上。他先敲了第一家，也是为首的那一家的门，开门的奴隶让他在门厅里等，自己去向主人通报。“诺瑞丁，”他清楚地听到朋友大声说道：“每次他来，都告诉他我不在家。”第二家门口，第三家门口，所有十家门口都发生了同样的事。受到羞辱的诺瑞丁认识到他交错了朋友，但太晚了。这些人在他需要时都抛弃了他。悲痛欲绝，他回到波斯美人身边寻求安慰。 “唉，老爷，”她说：“你终于相信我所说的是真的了。现在除了卖掉奴隶和家具已经没有其它办法了。” 然后，他先卖掉了奴隶，靠这项收益维持了一段时间。此后又卖掉了家俱，由于许多家俱都很值钱，这足够他过了一些时候。最后，这项收入也没有了，他再次咨询波斯美人。 “老爷，”她说：“我知道你故去的元老父亲买我时花了一万个金币，虽然现在我已不值那么多钱，但仍然能卖个好价钱。因此，不要犹豫，把我卖掉，用你得到的钱到一个遥远的小镇上去重新创业。” “美人，”诺瑞丁回答：“我怎能做出这样卑鄙的事呢？我爱你超过我的生命，我绝不会与你分开。” “老爷，”她回答：“我知道你很爱我，我对你的爱也一样，但在残酷的现实面前，这是唯一的补救办法。” 诺瑞丁最后相信了她的话，答应了，犹犹豫豫地把她带到了奴隶市场，去见一个叫哈吉哈桑的奴隶贩子，他询问她的身价。 哈吉哈桑把她带到一个单独的房间，揭开面纱一看，惊叫道：“老爷，这不是你父亲花一万金币买得那个奴隶吗？” 一听到确实如此，他答应为她赢得最高身价。他把波斯美人单独锁在一个房间里，出去寻找买奴隶的商人，向他们宣布他找到了最有价值的奴隶，请他们来估个价。这些商人一看到波斯美人，一致同意少了四千金币不能出手。哈吉哈桑随后为她关了门，开始标价出售，大喊：“谁花四千金币买这个波斯奴隶？” 在商人们出价以前，扫乌依正好路过，判断这一定是一个超级美人，骑马到哈吉哈桑面前，要求见一个这个奴隶。当时的习俗是不能让私人竞标者见到奴隶，但因为没人敢得罪元老，就同意了他的要求。 扫乌依一看到波斯美人，立刻被她的美貌所迷倒，立刻想占有她。他并不知她的主人是诺瑞丁，他让哈吉哈桑把他的主人找来，想立刻敲定。 哈吉哈桑随后找来诺瑞丁，告诉他，他的奴隶卖亏了。如果扫乌依买了她，他有可能不付钱。“你务必做的是，”他说：“就是假装其实你并不真想卖掉你的奴隶，只是一怒之下才发誓这样做。当我把她似乎在你的同意下送给扫乌依时，你一定要在这时闯进来，拳打脚踢，把她领走。” 诺瑞丁按哈吉哈桑的计策而行，这令扫乌依非常愤怒，他骑着马冲向他，想尽力把波斯美人抢走。诺瑞丁放开美人，抓住了扫乌依的马缰绳，在过路人的掌声鼓励下，把他拖下来，暴打一顿，丢在排水沟里，他身上流着血。然后，带上波斯美人，在人们的欢呼声中回了家。人们如此憎恨扫乌依，没人出面干涉，也不允许他的奴隶保护他。 扫乌依从头到脚沾满了污泥，身上流着血，由两个奴隶搀扶着，直奔王宫，要求晋见国王。他向国王这样叙述了事情发生的经过： 附：原文 Noureddin and the Fair Persian 3 Throughout one entire yearNoureddin did nothing but amuse himself, and dissipate the wealth his father had taken such pains to acquire. The year had barely elapsed, when one day, as they sat attable, there came a knock at the door. The slaves having been sent away,Noureddin went to open it himself. One of his friends had risen at the same time, but Noureddin was before him, and finding the intruder to be the steward,he went out and closed the door. The friend, curious to hear what passedbetween them, hid himself behind the hangings, and heard the followingwords: "My lord," said the steward, "I beg a thousand pardons for interrupting you, but what I havelong foreseen has taken place. Nothing remains of the sums you gave me for your expenses, and all other sources of income are also at end, having been transferred by you to others. If you wish me to remain in your service, furnish me with the necessary funds, else I must withdraw." So great was Noureddin's consternation that he had not a word to say inreply. The friend, who had been listening behind the curtain, immediately hastened to communicate the news to the rest ofthe company. "If this is so," theysaid, "we must cease to come here." Noureddin re-entering at thatmoment, they plainly saw, in spite of his efforts to dissemble, that what they had heard was the truth. One by one they rose, and each with a different excuse left the room, till presently he found himself alone, though little suspectingthe resolution his friends had taken. Then, seeing the beautiful Persian, he confided to her the statement of the steward, with many expressions of regretfor his own carelessness. "Had I but followed your advice, beautiful Persian," he said, "all this would not havehappened, but at least I have this consolation, that I have spent my fortune inthe company of friends who will not desert me in an hour of need. To-morrow Iwill go to them, and amongst them they will lend me a sum sufficient to start in some business." Accordingly next morning earlyNoureddin went to seek his ten friends, who all lived in the same street.Knocking at the door of the first and chief, the slave who opened it left him to wait in a hall while he announced his visit to his master."Noureddin!" he heard him exclaim quite audibly. "Tell him,every time he calls, that I am not at home." The same thing happened atthe second door, and also at the third, and so on with all the ten. Noureddin,much mortified, recognised too late that he had confided in false friends, who abandoned him in his hour of need. Overwhelmed with grief, he sought consolation from the beautiful Persian. "Alas, my lord," shesaid, "at last you are convinced of the truth of what I foretold. There isnow no other resource left but to sell your slaves and your furniture." First then he sold the slaves, andsubsisted for a time on the proceeds, after that the furniture was sold, and as much of it was valuable it sufficed for some time. Finally this resource also came to an end, and again he sought counsel from the beautiful Persian. "CharmingPersian," answered Noureddin, "how could I be guilty of suchbaseness? I would die rather than part from you whom I love better than my life." "My lord," she replied,"I am well aware of your love for me, which is only equalled by mine foryou, but a cruel necessity obliges us to seek the only remedy." "My lord," she said,"I know that the late vizir, your father, bought me for 10,000 gold pieces,and though I have diminished in value since, I should still fetch a large sum.Do not therefore hesitate to sell me, and with the money you obtain go andestablish yourself in business in some distant town." Noureddin, convinced at length ofthe truth of her words, yielded, and reluctantly led her to the slave market,where, showing her to a dealer named Hagi Hassan, he inquired her value. Taking them into a room apart,Hagi Hassan exclaimed as soon as she had unveiled, "My lord, is not this the slave your father bought for 10,000 pieces?" On learning that it was so, he promised to obtain the highest possible price for her. Leaving the beautifulPersian shut up in the room alone, he went ont to seek the slave merchants,announcing to them that he had found the pearl among slaves, and asking them tocome and put a value upon her. As soon as they saw her they agreed that lessthan 4,000 gold pieces could not be asked. Hagi Hassan, then closing the door upon her, began to offer her for sale--calling out: "Who will bid 4,000 gold pieces for the Persian slave?" Before any of the merchants had bid,Saouy happened to pass that way, and judging that it must be a slave ofextraordinary beauty, rode up to Hagi Hassan and desired to see her. Now it was not the custom to show a slave to a private bidder, but as no one dared to disobey the vizir his request was granted. As soon as Saouy saw the Persian he was so struck by her beauty, that he immediately wished to possess her, and not knowing that she belonged to Noureddin, he desired Hagi Hassan to send forthe owner and to conclude the bargain at once. Hagi Hassan then sought Noureddin,and told him that his slave was going far below her value, and that if Saouy bought her he was capable of not paying the money. "What you must do," he said, "is to pretend that you had no real intention of selling your slave, and only swore you would in a fit of anger against her.When I present her to Saouy as if with your consent you must step in, and with blows begin to lead her away." Noureddin did as Hagi Hassan advised, to the great wrath of Saouy, who riding straight at him endeavoured to take the beautiful Persian from him by force. Noureddin letting her go, seized Saouy's horse by the bridle, and, encouraged by the applause of the bystanders,dragged him to the ground, beat him severely, and left him in the gutterstreaming with blood. Then, taking the beautiful Persian, he returned home amidst the acclamationsof the people, who detested Saouyso much that they would neither interfere in his behalf nor allow his slaves toprotect him. Covered from head to foot with mire and streaming with blood he rose, and leaning on two of his slaves went straight tothe palace, where he demanded an audience of the king, to whom he related what had taken place in these words: | 
发表于 2014-6-6 19:23:14
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