t naught shall erase it.”
And the other man said, “And I too wrote a line upon the sand, but it was at low tide, and the waves of the vast sea washed it away. But tell me, what did you write?”
And the first man answered and said, “I wrote this:‘I am he who is.’ But what did you write?”
And the other man said, “This I wrote: ‘I am but a drop of this great ocean.’”
三件礼物
从前，毕查尔城住着一位仁慈的王子，他深受臣民的爱戴和敬仰。
但有一个穷得丁当响的人总是尖刻地反对王子，他到处诋毁王子。
王子很清楚这件事，但他还是隐忍着。
最后，他想起了这个人。一个冬天的晚上，王子的仆人带着一袋面粉，一袋肥皂和一块糖来到这个人的门前。
仆人说：“王子送你这些礼物作为纪念。”
这人得意了，他觉得这是王子向他表示敬意，于是扬扬得意地去见主教大人，告诉他王子的所作所为，又说：“难道你没看到王子多么渴望得到我的友善吗？”
但主教说：“多么英明的王子啊，你真是少见多怪。他这是打暗语呢，面粉是指你空空的肚子，肥皂是要你洗洗肮脏的外表，而糖会让你刻薄的舌头变甜些。”
打那天起，此人自惭形秽，他对王子的恨更甚从前，甚至也恨向他揭露王子用意的主教。
然而，从此以后，他三缄其口了。
The Three Gifts
Once in the city of Becharre there lived a gracious prince who was loved and honored by all his subjects.
But there was one exceedingly poor man who was bitter against the prince, and who wagged continually a pestilent tongue in his dispraise.
The prince knew this, yet he was patient.
But at last he bethought him, and upon a wintry night there came to the door of the man a servant of the prince, bearing a sack of flour, a bag of soap and a cone of sugar.
And the servant said,“The prince sends you these gifts in token of remembrance.”
The man was elated, for he thought the gifts were an homage from the prince. And in his pride he went to the bishop and told him what the prince had done, saying,“Can you not see how the prince desires my goodwill?”
But the bishop said,“Oh, how wise a prince, and how little you understand. He speaks in symbols. The flour is for your empty stomach; the soap is for your dirty hide; and the sugar is to sweeten your bitter tongue.”
From that day forward the man became shy even of himself. His hatred of the prince was greater than ever, and even more he hated the bishop who had revealed the prince unto him.
流浪者 第三章（2）
But thereafter he kept silent.
和平与战争
三只狗一边晒着太阳，一边聊天。第一只狗想入非非地说：“要一直生活在狗国里该多棒啊。想想我们自由自在地在海底、地面，甚至天空中旅游多悠哉啊，思量一下这些让我们舒适安逸的发明，甚至还能抚慰我们的眼睛、耳朵和鼻子呢。”
第二只狗发话了：“我们更加关注艺术了，对着月亮狂吠时就能比我们的祖先有节奏多了。凝望自己水中的倒影时就能看得比我们的祖先清楚多了。”
第三只狗也开口了：“我最感兴趣的，最迷惑的还是狗世界里的和平安宁。”
正在那时，三只狗睁眼瞧了瞧，瞧！捉狗人正围拢过来。⊕⊕文⊕檔⊕共⊕享⊕與⊕在⊕線⊕閱⊕讀⊕
三只狗蹿起来，沿着大街狂奔而下。第三只狗边跑边说：“看在上帝的分上，快逃命吧。文明就在身后呢。”
Peace and War
Three dogs were basking in the sun and conversing. The first dog said dreamily, “It is indeed wondrous to be living in this day of dogdom. Consider the ease with which we travel under the sea, upon the earth and even in the sky. And meditate for a moment upon the inventions brought forth for the comfort of dogs, even for our eyes and ears and noses.”
And the second dog spoke and he said,“We are more heedful of the arts. We bark at the moon more rhythmically than did our forefathers. And when we gaze at ourselves in the water we see that our features are clearer than the features of yesterday.”
Then the third dog spoke and said,“But what interests me most and beguiles my mind is the tranquil understanding existing between dogdoms.”
At that very moment they looked, and, the dog-catcher was approaching.
The three dogs sprang up and scampered down the street, and as they ran the third dog said,“For God’s sake, run for your lives. Civilization is after us.”
Three dogs were basking in the sun and conversing. The first dog said dreamily, “It is indeed wondrous to be living in this day of dogdom. Consider the ease with which we travel under the sea, upon the earth and even in the sky. And meditate for a moment upon the inventions brought forth for the comfort of dogs, even for our eyes and ears and noses.”
And the second dog spoke and he said,“We are more heedful of the arts. We bark at the moon more rhythmically than did our forefathers. And when we gaze at ourselves in the water we see that our features are clearer than the features of yesterday.”
Then the third dog spoke and said,“But what interests me most and beguiles my mind is the tranquil understanding existing between dogdoms.”
At tha