The Shepherd’s¹⁾ Daughter

 

It is the opinion of my grandmother，God bless her，that all men should labour，and at the table，a moment ago，she said to me ：You must learn to do some good work，the ma king of some item useful to man，something out of clay，or out of wood，or metal，or cloth．It is not proper for a young man to be ignorant²⁾ of an honourable craft³⁾．Is there anything you can make？Can you make a simple table，a chair，a plain dish，a rug，a coffee pot？If there anything you can do？

And my grandmother looked at me with anger．I know，she said，you are supposed to be a writer，and I suppose you are．You certainly smoke enough cigarettes to be anything，and the whole house is full of the smoke，but you must learn to make solid things，things that can be used，that can be seen and touched．

There was a king of the Persians，said my grandmother，and he had a son，and this son fell in love with a shepherd’s daughter．He went to his father and he said，My Lord，I love a shepherd’s daughter，and I would have her for my wife．And the king said，I am king and you are my son，and when I die you shall be king，how can it be that you would marry the daughter of a shepherd？And the son said，My Lord，I do not know but I know that I love this girl and would have her for my queen．

The king saw that his son’s love for the girl was from God，and he said，I will send a message to her．And he called a messenger to him and he said，Go to the shepherd’ s daughter and say that my son loves her and would have her for his wife．And the messenger went to the girl and he said，The king’s son loves you and would have you for his wife．And the girl said，What labour does he do？And the messenger said，Why，he is the son of the king；he does no labour．And the girl said，He must learn to do some labour．And the messenger returned to the king and spoke the words of the shepherd’s daughter．

The king said to his son，The shepherd’s daughter wishes you to learn some craft．Would you still have her for your wife？And t he son said，Yes，I will learn to weave straw rugs．And the boy was taught to weave rugs⁴⁾ of straw，in patterns and in colours and with ornamental⁵⁾ designs，and at the end of three days he was making very fine straw rugs，and the messenger returned to the shepherd’s daughter，and he said，These rugs of straw are the work of the king’s son．And the girl went with the messenger to the king’s palace，and she became the wife of the king’s son．

One day，said my grandmother，the king’s son was walking through the streets of Baghdad，and he came upon an eating place which was so clean and cool that he entered it and sat at a table．

This place，said my grandmother，was a place of thieves and murderers，and they took the king’s son and placed him in a large dungeon where many great men of the city were being held，and the thieves and murderers were killing the fattest of the men and fee ding them to the leanest of them，and making sport of it．The king’s son was of the leanest of the men，and it was not known that he was the son of the king of the Persians，so his life was s pared，and he said to the thieves and murderers，I am a weaver of straw rugs and these rugs have great value．And they brought him straw and asked him to weave and in three days he weaved three rugs，and he said，Carry these to the palace of the king of the Persians，and for each rug he will give you a hundred gold pieces of money．And the rugs were carried to the palace of the king，and when the king saw the rugs he saw that they were the work of his son and he took the rugs to the shepherd’s daughter and he said，These rugs were brought to the palace and they are the work of my son who is lost．And the shepherd’s daughter took each rug and looked at it closely and in the design of each rug she saw in the written language of the Persians a message from her husband，and she related this message to the king．

And the king，said my grandmother，sent many soldiers to the place of the thieves and murderers，and the soldiers rescued⁶⁾ all the captives⁷⁾ and killed all the thieves and murderers，and the king’s son was returned safely to the palace of his father，and to the company of his wife，the little shepherd’ s daughter．And when the boy went into the palace and saw again his wife，he humbled himself before her and he embraced her feet，and he said，My love，it is because of you that I am alive，and the king was greatly pleased with the shepherd’s daughter．

Now，said my grandmother，do you see why every man should learn an honourable craft？

I see very clearly，I said，and as soon as I earn enough money to buy a saw and a hammer and a piece of lumber I shall do my best to make a simple chair or a shelf for books．

 

□by William Saroyan

 

牧羊人的女儿

 

我祖母，上帝保佑她，认为所有的人都应当劳动，刚才在吃饭时她对我说，你必须学会做一些好事，用粘土、木头、金属或布匹做材料，制作一种对人类有用的东西。青年人应该掌握一门体面的手艺。你能制作什么吗？能制做一张简单的桌子、一把椅子、一个普通的盘子、一条毯子或者一把咖啡壶吗？你能干什么呢？

祖母生气地看着我，她说，我知道你期望当个作家，我看你该，你吸了那么多香烟，也没干出点儿名堂，看你抽得满屋子都是烟。但你必须学着做点实在的东西，有用的、看得见摸得着的东西。

祖母说，从前波斯有一个国王，他有个儿子，儿子爱上了一个牧羊人的女儿。于是他去见父亲说，父王，我爱上了一个牧羊人的女儿，我想娶她为妻。国王说，我是国王，你是我的儿子，我死后你要继位，你怎么能娶一个牧羊人的女儿呢？儿子说，父王，我也不明白，我只知道我爱这个姑娘，将来要让她当王后。

国王明白了他儿子爱那个姑娘是接受了神的旨意，他说，我要给她送个口信。于是他叫来信使说，到牧羊人女儿那儿去说，我儿子喜欢她，想要娶她为妻。信使去见那个姑娘说，国王的儿子喜欢你，想要娶你为妻。姑娘问道，他做什么活计？信使说，什么？他是国王的儿子，什么活也不做。姑娘说，他必须学会做一种活计。信使回来向国王汇报了牧羊人女儿所说的话。

国王对他的儿子说，牧羊人女儿要你学会一种手艺，你还想娶她为妻吗？儿子说，想，我打算学习编织稻草席子。于是这个男孩学习用稻草编织各种花样各种颜色并有装饰图案的席子。三天之后，他已在编织挺不错的草席了。信使又去见牧羊人女儿，他说，这些席子是国王儿子的作品。于是这个姑娘跟着信使到了王宫，和国王儿子结为夫妻。

祖母说，有一天国王的儿子在巴格达街上游逛，见到一个饭铺又干净又凉爽，他便走进去，在一张饭桌旁坐了下来。

祖母说，这个饭铺是强盗和杀人犯藏身之处，他们把国王的儿子抓起来，关进了一个很大的地牢。城里的许多大人物也关在这里。强盗和杀人犯把这些人里最胖的杀了，供给其中最瘦的人吃，拿这个当儿戏。国王的儿子是其中最瘦的，而且他们不知道他是波斯国王的儿子，因此保住了性命。他对强盗和杀人犯说，我是稻草席子编织工，编的席子很值钱。于是他们弄来一些稻草要他编织。三天之后他编成了三条席子，他说，把这些席子送到波斯国王的宫里去，每条席子会给１００块金元。席子送到了王宫，国王看到席子知道了是他儿子编的。他把席子拿给牧羊人女儿，说这些席子送到宫里来了，是我失踪儿子的制品。牧羊人女儿极其仔细地查看每条席子，发现在每条席子的图案里有她丈夫用波斯语写的信，她把信的内容讲给了国王。

祖母说，国王派了许多士兵到强盗和杀人犯藏身的地方，杀掉了所有的强盗和杀人犯，把所有被囚禁的人都解救出来。国王的儿子安全地返回他父亲的宫里，和妻子---可爱的牧羊人女儿获得团圆。当他走进王宫又见到妻子时，他走上前去谦恭地抱住她的双脚说，亲爱的，就是因为有你我现在还活着。国王对牧羊人女儿非常满意。

祖母说，现在你明白为什么每个人都应该学会一项体面的手艺了吗？

我说，我彻底明白了，等我挣够了钱买到一把锯子、一个锤子和一块木料后，我就好好地做一把简单的椅子和一个书架。

NOTE 注释：

 

shepherd [5FepEd] n. 牧羊人

ignorant [5i^nErEnt] adj. 无知的

craft [krB:ft] n. 工艺, 手艺

rug [rQ^] n. (小)地毯, 垫子，席子

ornamental [7C:nE5mentl] adj. 装饰性的, 装饰的, 装饰用的

rescue [5reskju:] vt. 援救, 营救

captive [5kAptiv] n. 俘虏