第28章 澤德田野

一個旅行者在澤德的大路上，遇到一個住在附近村子裡的人，旅行者用手指點著一大片田野，問那人道："這可是國王阿赫蘭姆打敗敵人的古戰場？"那人答道："這兒從來沒有做過戰場。這片田野裡一度聳立著偉大的紮德城，這座城市已燒成灰燼了。不過，它現在是一片沃野，可不是嗎？"旅行者和那人便分別了。 旅行者走了不到半英里，又遇到一個人，旅行者又指點著田野問道："這就是偉大的澤德城一度聳立的地方？"那人答道："這個地方從來不曾有過城市。不過這兒倒有過一個修道院，南國的老百姓把它毀了。" 不久，就在這條扎德的大路上，旅行者又遇到了第三個人，他再一次指點著大片田野，問道："這兒果真是一度矗立著一個大修道院的地方嗎？"可是那人答道："這一帶從來不曾有過修道院，不過，我們的父輩和我們的老祖宗們倒告訴過我們，曾經有一顆大流星掉在這片田野裡。"

旅行者心中詫異，繼續向前走去。他遇見一個很老的老人，便施禮問道："閣下，我在這條大路上遇到三個住在附近一帶的人，我向每個人都打聽過這片田野的情況，每個人都否認了別人所說的話，每個人都講了一個別人沒講過的新的傳說。" 於是老人抬起頭來，回答道："我的朋友，這些人中，每個人告訴你的都是確實如此的情況，但我們幾乎沒有人能把分歧的論據加到一起從中得出正確的結論來的。" The Field Of Zaad Upon the road of Zaad a traveller met a man who lived in a nearby village, and the traveller, pointing with his hand to a vast field, asked the man saying, "Was not this the battle-ground where King Ahlam overcame his enemies?"

And the man answered and said, "This has never been a battle-ground. There once stood on this field the great city of Zaad, and it was burnt down to ashes. But now it is a good field, is it not?" And the traveller and the man parted. Not a half mile farther the traveller met another man, and pointing to the field again, he said, "So that is where the great city of Zaad once stood?

And the man said, "There has never been a city in this place. But once there was a monastery here, and it was destroyed by the people of the South Country." Shortly after, on that very road of Zaad, the traveller met a third man, and pointing once more to the vast field he said, "Is it not true that this is the place where once there stood a great monastery?"

But the man answered, "There has never been a monastery in this neighbourhood, but our fathers and our forefathers have told us that once there fell a great meteor on this field." Then the traveller walked on, wondering in his heart. And he met a very old man, and saluting his he said, "Sir, upon this road I have met three men who live in the neighbourhood and I have asked each of them about this field, and each one denied what the other had said, and each one told me a new tale that the other had not told."

Then the old man raised his head, and answered, "My friend, each and every one of these men told you what was indeed so; but few of us are able to add fact to different fact and make a truth thereof."