牧羊少年奇幻之旅

保羅·科埃略（Paulo Coelho）1947年出生于里約熱內(nèi)盧市一個(gè)中產(chǎn)階級(jí)家庭，少年時(shí)期便立志成為一名職業(yè)作家。受到《一千零一夜》中一個(gè)故事的啟發(fā)，保羅·科埃略創(chuàng)作出版了寓言故事《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》（又譯《煉金術(shù)士》）。這本書(shū)是保羅最成功的作品，為他贏得了無(wú)數(shù)獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)。

《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》講述的是人生的尋夢(mèng)歷程：西班牙牧羊少年圣地亞哥做了兩次同樣的夢(mèng)，夢(mèng)見(jiàn)他能在埃及金字塔附近找到一批埋藏的珍寶。他跨海來(lái)到非洲，穿越一望無(wú)際的撒哈拉大沙漠，一路奇遇迭起，最后他終于看到了金字塔，并悟出了珍寶的藏身之地。《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》是一部關(guān)于追求夢(mèng)想、完善人生的寓言故事，充滿(mǎn)神秘色彩而又不脫離實(shí)際。少年雖然得到神的啟發(fā)和幫助，但一路上仍然要經(jīng)歷無(wú)數(shù)劫難和誘惑才最終找到寶藏。這部富有強(qiáng)烈象征色彩的作品在世界各地受到盛贊，也是惟一一本譯本語(yǔ)種超過(guò)《圣經(jīng)》的書(shū)。對(duì)寓言故事的解讀，從來(lái)就沒(méi)有統(tǒng)一的答案，但似乎許多讀過(guò)這本書(shū)的人都會(huì)被震撼、感動(dòng)或從中獲得啟發(fā)，在實(shí)現(xiàn)夢(mèng)想的道路上重新獲得勇氣，這也正是這本書(shū)成為傳世經(jīng)典、被無(wú)數(shù)人推崇的原因吧。

文章節(jié)選自第二章，少年因向往游歷各地而當(dāng)了一名牧羊人，他兩次做夢(mèng)看到自己在金字塔下找到寶藏，但他對(duì)此感到懷疑，沒(méi)有動(dòng)搖要當(dāng)一個(gè)自由快樂(lè)的牧羊人的決心。他正準(zhǔn)備到一個(gè)商人家賣(mài)羊毛，這時(shí)，撒冷之王出現(xiàn)了……

When you want something， all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

“What was going on？ Are you really the King of Salem？” the boy asked， awed and embarrassed. “Why would a king be talking with a shepherd？”

“For several reasons. But let us say that the most important is that you have succeeded in discovering your destiny.”

The boy didn’t know what a person’s“destiny” was.

“It’s what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone， when they are young， knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives， everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream， and to 1）yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But， as time passes， a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny. It’s a force that appears to be negative， but actually shows you how to realize your destiny. It prepares your spirit and your will， because there is one great truth on this planet： whoever you are， or whatever it is that you do， when you really want something， it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.”

“Even when all you want to do is travel？ Or marry the daughter of a textile merchant？”

“Yes， or even search for treasure. The soul of the world is nourished by people’s happiness and also by unhappiness， envy， and jealousy. To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation. All things are one. And， when you want something， all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

“Why do you tend a flock of sheep？” he asked.

“Because I like to travel.”

The old man pointed to a baker standing in his shop window at one corner of the plaza. “When he was a child， that man wanted to travel， too. But he decided first to buy his bakery and put some money aside. ”

“He should have decided to become a shepherd，” the boy said.

“Well， he thought about that，” the old man said. “But bakers are more important people than shepherds. Bakers have homes， while shepherds sleep out in the open. Parents would rather see their children marry bakers than shepherds.”

The boy felt a pang in his heart， thinking about the merchant’s daughter. There was surely a baker in her town.

The old man continued， “In the long run， what people think about shepherds and bakers becomes more important for them than their own destinies.”

The old man 2）leafed through the book， and fell to reading a page he came to. The boy waited， and then interrupted the old man just as he himself had been interrupted， “Why are you telling me all this？”

“Because you are trying to realize your destiny. And you are at the point where you’re about to give it all up.”

“And that’s when you always appear on the scene？”

“Not always in this way， but I always appear in one form or another. Sometimes I appear in the form of a solution， or a good idea. At other times， at a crucial moment， I make it easier for things to happen. There are other things I do， too， but most of the time people don’t realize I’ve done them.”

The boy reminded the old man that he had said something about hidden treasure.

“Treasure is uncovered by the force of flowing water， and it is buried by the same currents，” said the old man. “If you want to learn about your own treasure， you will have to give me one-tenth of your flock.”

“What about one-tenth of my treasure？”

The old man looked disappointed. “If you start out by promising what you don’t even have yet， you’ll lose your desire to work toward getting it.”

“怎么回事，你真的是撒冷之王嗎？