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"Don't think about what you've left behind," the alchemist said to the boy as they began to ride across the sands of the desert.
“不要再想过去的事情了。”当他们在沙漠中策马前行的时候，炼金术士说道。
"Everything is written in the Soul of the World, and there it will stay forever."
“一切都已铭刻在世界之魂上，并将永世长存。”
"Men dream more about coming home than about leaving," the boy said.
“人们更多的是梦想归来，而不是离去，”圣地亚哥说道。
He was already reaccustomed to desert's silence.
他已经重新习惯了沙漠的寂静。
"If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil.
“如果你碰到的是用纯净物质制成的东西，它将永远不会腐朽。
And one can always come back.
而你总有一天会回来。
If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return."
如果你碰到的仅仅是像行星爆炸那样一闪即逝的东西，那么返回的时候你将两手空空。”
The man was speaking the language of alchemy.
他讲的是炼金术的术语。
But the boy knew that he was referring to Fatima.
但是男孩明白他指的是法蒂玛。
It was difficult not to think about what he had left behind.
不去想过去发生的事情是很难做到的。
The desert, with its endless monotony, put him to dreaming.
沙漠的景色几乎一成不变，往往使人浮想联翩。
The boy could still see the palm trees, the wells, and the face of the woman he loved.
男孩仍然看得到那些椰枣树、那些水井，以及心爱女人的脸庞。
He could see the Englishman at his experiments, and the camel driver who was a teacher without realizing it.
他看得到正在做实验的英国人，还有那个不知道自己是老师的赶驼人。
Maybe the alchemist has never been in love, the boy thought.
也许炼金术士从来没有恋爱过，男孩心想。
The alchemist rode in front, with the falcon on his shoulder.
炼金术士骑着马走在他前面，肩头站着猎鹰。
The bird knew the language of the desert well, and whenever they stopped, he flew off in search of game.
猎鹰非常熟悉沙漠的语言，每当他们停下来的时候，它就飞出去寻找食物。
On the first day he returned with a rabbit, and on the second with two birds.
第一天，猎鹰带回来一只野兔，第二天，带回来两只鸟。
At night, they spread their sleeping gear and kept their fires hidden.
夜晚，他们便铺开毛毯，并不点篝火。
The desert nights were cold, and were becoming darker and darker as the phases of the moon passed.
沙漠的夜晚十分寒冷，月亮缩小了，天空随之变得更加黑暗。
They went on for a week, speaking only of the precautions they needed to follow in order to avoid the battles between the tribes.
他们默默地走了一个星期，期间只交谈了几次，都是关于小心避开部落战争这个必要话题。
The war continued, and at times the wind carried the sweet, sickly smell of blood.
战争仍在继续，有时风会带来甜丝丝的血腥味儿。
Battles had been fought nearby, and the wind reminded the boy that there was the language of omens, always ready to show him what his eyes had failed to observe.
这表明附近曾发生过一场激烈的战斗，风让男孩想起，曾经有预兆显现，预兆总会把男孩的眼睛看不到的东西随时揭示出来。
