然而,摩西还会遇到其他奇特的事情,这些事情会耗尽他的耐心:"于是两人继续前行,直到遇见一个少年,[那智者]便将他杀了。"(第74节)
There are, however, other strange events awaiting Moses which would exhaust his patience: “And so the two went on until they met a certain young man. [The sage] slew him.” (Verse 74)
第一件事使船只及其乘客面临确定的风险。现在又发生了一起公然的谋杀：一个年轻人在没有任何挑衅或理由的情况下被杀害。这已超出了穆萨（Moses）所能忍耐的限度，尽管他先前已作出承诺，不会质问他所见到的任何事情。因此，"穆萨说：'你竟杀害了一个无辜的人，而他并没有杀人，你这样做太可怕了。'"（第74节）
The first action exposed the boat and its passengers to certain risks. Now there is the blatant murder of a young man without provocation or justification. This was too much for Moses to tolerate patiently, despite all the promises he had given not to question anything he saw. Hence, “Moses exclaimed: ‘Have you killed an innocent man with no cause of just retribution for murder? Foul indeed is that which you have perpetrated.’” (Verse 74)
这表明穆萨并没有忘记自己的承诺。他很可能记得，但目睹一桩谋杀时，却无法保持沉默。在他看来，那个年轻人是无辜的，他并没有犯下任何足以被杀的罪行。
This suggests that Moses was not unmindful of his promise. He probably remembered it, but felt unable to keep quiet when he witnessed a murder. To him, the young man was innocent. He had not perpetrated anything to justify his killing.
他或许甚至还未成年，因此他不能为任何过错承担责任。
He was perhaps even under age, so that he could not be held accountable for any misdeeds.
再一次,这位智者提醒穆萨他所立的条件和穆萨所作的承诺,同时也提到他一开始所说的话:“我不是已经对你说过,你不能对我有耐心吗?”(第75节)然而这一次,智者更进一步,提醒穆萨这些话是他亲自对他说的:“我不是已经对你说过……”因此,这一预先的警告是直接针对穆萨本人的,但他并未被说服。他曾请求做这人的同伴,并接受了他的条件。
Once again the sage reminds Moses of the condition he has made and the promises Moses has given, referring also to what he said in the first place: “Did I not make it clear to you that you would not be able to have patience with me?” (Verse 75) This time, however, the sage goes further and reminds Moses that he said all this to him personally: “Did I not make it clear to you...” So the early warning was addressed to Moses personally, but he was not convinced. He had sought to be the man’s companion accepting his conditions.
再一次,穆萨反思自己,知道自己已经两次违背了承诺,尽管受到提醒仍然忘记。他的悔意使他过于抱歉,以至于剥夺了自己与这位智者长期同行的任何可能。他只给自己最后一次机会:“穆萨说:如果我再问你什么,你就不要让我跟随你;那时你就已经从我这里得到足够的借口了。”(第76节)
Again Moses reflects, knowing that he has broken his promises twice, forgetting it despite reminders. His regret makes him too apologetic, depriving himself of any possibility of a lengthy companionship with the sage. He gives himself only one last chance: “Moses said: If ever I question you again, do not keep me in your company; for then you would have had enough excuses from me.” (Verse 76)
这就引出了第三个也是最后一个场景:“于是两人继续前行,直到他们来到一个城镇,他们向那里的居民索要食物,但居民拒绝接待他们。他们在那里发现一堵将要倒塌的墙,[那位智者]便将它修好了。”(第77节)两人饥肠辘辘,却来到了一个居民极其不好客的城镇。
This brings us to the third and last scene: “And so the two went on until they came to a town, where they asked its people for food, but they refused them all hospitality. There they found a wall on the point of falling down, and [the sage] rebuilt it.” (Verse 77) The two are hungry but find themselves in a town whose population are extremely inhospitable.
他们既不接待客人，也不周济贫困饥饿的人。然而，那人在那里发现一堵快要倒塌的墙。阿拉伯原文 yurīdu an yanqadda 更加生动，使这堵墙几乎像一个有意志的生灵，仿佛它自己想要倒下。
They receive no guests and give nothing to the poor and hungry. Yet the man finds a wall there about to fall down. The Arabic text, yurīdu an yanqadda, is more vivid, making the wall almost like a living creature with a will that makes it want to fall.
然而这个陌生人却在徒劳地忙于重建那堵墙。
Yet this stranger occupies himself with rebuilding the wall for nothing.
穆萨觉得这种情形充满了讽刺意味。那个陌生人为何要在一座拒绝给他们哪怕一点食物、也毫无款待之意的城镇里，费尽力气去重建一堵墙呢？他至少应该要求一些报酬，这样他们就能买些食物来吃了。穆萨说："如果你愿意，本可以因你所做的事而取得报酬。"（第77节）
Moses finds the situation full of irony. Why should such a stranger exert so much effort in rebuilding a wall in a town where they were denied even a little food and all hospitality? He should have at least demanded some money for his labours and then they could have bought some food to eat. He says: “Had you wished, you could have taken payment for what you did.” (Verse 77)
这标志着这段不太可能的同行关系就此结束。穆萨再也没有任何借口可以提出：“[那位智者]说：这就是你我分道扬镳的时候了。现在我要为你解释那些你无法忍耐的事情的真正含义。”（第78节）
This signalled the end of this unlikely companionship. Moses no longer had any excuse to offer: “[The sage] replied: This is the parting of ways between me and you. Now I shall explain to you the real meaning of all [those events] which you were unable to bear with patience.” (Verse 78)
到目前为止，穆萨以及所有关注这段故事的人，都经历了一连串的意外，却没有任何迹象表明它们的含义或目的。
Up to this point Moses, as well as everyone following the story, have been subjected to a series of surprises with no indication as to their meaning or purpose.
我们的反应与穆萨（摩西）的反应相同。我们甚至不知道那位做出如此非凡之举的人是谁。《古兰经》没有告诉我们他的名字，仿佛有意加深我们周围那种困惑的氛围。但知道他的名字又能增添什么呢？这位智者只是代表了更高的神圣智慧，这种智慧并不把结果系于其直接的原因。它旨在说明，存在着我们可能一无所知的目的。因此，不让我们知道他的名字，恰与他所代表的抽象概念相契合。
Our response is the same as that of Moses. We do not even know who the person was who did such singular acts. The Qur’ān does not tell us his name, in order to add to the general air of bafflement surrounding us. But what would his name add? The sage simply represents higher divine wisdom which does not attach results to their immediate causes. It aims to explain that there are objectives of which we may know nothing about. Hence, keeping his name from us fits in well with the abstract concept he represents.
此外,更高的力量从一开始就主导着故事的发展。穆萨(Moses)急切地想要见到这个人,以至于他一路跋涉,直到筋疲力尽。
Furthermore, higher forces dictate the development of the story right from the beginning. Moses is so keen to meet this man, he travels until he is totally worn out.
但是他的仆人把他们的食物留在了他们歇息的那块岩石旁。正是这份健忘,促使他们折返,却恰好在那一处找到了那个人。若他们继续赶路,就会与他错过。整个氛围都笼罩在神秘之中,那个人的名字也是如此。
But his servant leaves their food at the rock where they stopped to rest. But his forgetfulness is the cause of their return only to find the man at that very spot. Had they travelled on, they would have missed him. The whole atmosphere is shrouded in secrecy, just like the man’s name.