She Who Was Deaf耳聋的女人

耳聋的女人She Who Was Deaf

纪伯伦

Once there lived a rich man who had a young wife, and she was stone deaf.

And upon a morning when they were breaking their feast, she spoke to him and she said, "Yesterday I visited the market place, and there were exhibited silken raiment from Damascus, and coverchiefs from India, necklaces from Persia, and bracelets from Yamman. It seems that the caravans had but just brought these things to our city. And now behold me, in rags, yet the wife of a rich man. I would have some of those beautiful things."

The husband, still busy with his morning coffee said, "My dear, there is no reason why you should not go down to the Street and buy all that your heart may desire."

And the deaf wife said, "'No!' You always say, 'No, no.' Must I needs appear in tatters among our friends to shame your wealth and my people?" And the husband said, "I did not say, 'No.' You may go forth freely to the market place and purchase the most beautiful apparel and jewels that have come to our city." But again the wife mis-read his words, and she replied, "Of all rich men you are the most miserly. You would deny me everything of beauty and loveliness, while other women of my age walk the gardens of the city clothed in rich raiment." And she began to weep. And as her tears fell upon her breast she cried out again, "You always say, 'Nay, nay' to me when I desire a garment or a jewel."

Then the husband was moved, and he stood up and took out of his purse a handful of gold and placed it before her, saying in a kindly voice, "Go down to the market place, my dear, and buy all that you will."

From that day onward the deaf young wife, whenever she desired anything, would appear before her husband with a pearly tear in her eye, and he in silence would take out a handful of gold and place it in her lap. Now, it changed that the young woman fell in love with a youth whose habit it was to make long journeys. And whenever he was away she would sit in her casement and weep.

When her husband found her thus weeping, he would say in his heart, "There must be some new caravan, and some silken garments and rare jewels in the Street."

And he would take a handful of gold and place it before her.

从前，有个富翁，他有个年轻的妻子，她是个一点儿也听不见的石聋子。

一天早晨，他们正吃着早餐的时候，她对她的丈夫说道："昨天我去逛了市场，那儿陈列着大马士革来的绸缎衣裳，印度来的头巾，波斯来的项链，也门来的手银。看来商队刚把这些东西贩运到我们这个城市里来呢。可你瞧瞧我吧，穿得破破烂烂的，还算是富翁的妻子哩。那些美丽的衣饰，我想要买几件。"

丈夫还在忙于喝他那早晨的咖啡，说道："我的亲爱的，没有理由不让你上街买你心爱的一切东西啊。"

那耳聋的妻子接着说道："'不！'你总是说'不，不。'难道我必须穿得破破烂烂的出现在我们的朋友面前，给你的财富和我的亲属丢脸吗？"丈夫说："我并没有说'不'啊，你不妨自由自在地到市场上去，把运到我们城里来的最美丽的衣裳和珠宝买回来。"

然而，妻子又猜错了丈夫的话，她说道："在所有的富翁中间，你是最吝啬的。一切美丽可爱的东西，你总是不肯给我买的；而其他跟我年龄仿佛的女人，都穿得漂漂亮亮的在城中花园里散步。"

她哭起来了。她的泪水落到胸膛上时，她又重新大声说道："我要买件衣服或是买粒宝石时，你总是对我说'不，不！'"于是丈夫被感动了，他站起身来，从他的钱袋里拿出一把金币放在她的面前，用一种和蔼可亲的声音说道："到市场上去吧，我的亲爱的，把你想买的东西都买回来吧。"

从那一天起，那耳聋的年轻妻子，什么时候想买什么东西，总是珠泪盈眶地出现在丈夫的面前，丈夫总是默默地拿出一把金币来，放在她的衣兜里。

却说机缘凑巧，这年轻女人同一个青年男子恋爱起来了；那青年男子有个外出长途旅行的习惯。每逢他外出旅行时，她往往坐在窗畔哭泣。

她的丈夫看见她这样哭泣时，他往往在心里说道："街上一定又有新的南队来了，街上一定又有绸缎衣裳和稀世珍宝了。"

他往往拿出一把金币，放在她的面前。