第41章 耳聾的女人

從前，有個富翁，他有個年輕的妻子，她是個一點兒也聽不見的石聾子。 一天早晨，他們正吃著早餐的時候，她對她的丈夫說道："昨天我去逛了市場，那兒陳列著大馬士革來的綢緞衣裳，印度來的頭巾，波斯來的項鍊，也門來的手銀。看來商隊剛把這些東西販運到我們這個城市裡來呢。可你瞧瞧我吧，穿得破破爛爛的，還算是富翁的妻子哩。那些美麗的衣飾，我想要買幾件。" 丈夫還在忙於喝他那早晨的咖啡，說道："我的親愛的，沒有理由不讓你上街買你心愛的一切東西啊。" 那耳聾的妻子接著說道："不！你總是說不，不。難道我必須穿得破破爛爛的出現在我們的朋友面前，給你的財富和我的親屬丟臉嗎？"丈夫說："我並沒有說不啊，你不妨自由自在地到市場上去，把運到我們城裡來的最美麗的衣裳和珠寶買回來。"

然而，妻子又猜錯了丈夫的話，她說道："在所有的富翁中間，你是最吝嗇的。一切美麗可愛的東西，你總是不肯給我買的；而其他跟我年齡彷彿的女人，都穿得漂漂亮亮的在城中花園裡散步。" 她哭起來了。她的淚水落到胸膛上時，她又重新大聲說道："我要買件衣服或是買粒寶石時，你總是對我說不，不！"於是丈夫被感動了，他站起身來，從他的錢袋裡拿出一把金幣放在她的面前，用一種和藹可親的聲音說道："到市場上去吧，我的親愛的，把你想買的東西都買回來吧。" 從那一天起，那耳聾的年輕妻子，什麼時候想買什麼東西，總是珠淚盈眶地出現在丈夫的面前，丈夫總是默默地拿出一把金幣來，放在她的衣兜里。

卻說機緣湊巧，這年輕女人同一個青年男子戀愛起來了；那青年男子有個外出長途旅行的習慣。每逢他外出旅行時，她往往坐在窗畔哭泣。 她的丈夫看見她這樣哭泣時，他往往在心裡說道："街上一定又有新的南隊來了，街上一定又有綢緞衣裳和稀世珍寶了。 " 他往往拿出一把金幣，放在她的面前。 She Who Was Deaf 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 casment 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.