盲人之国

失落的山谷

The Lost Valley

在厄瓜多尔安第斯山最荒野的地方，有一个失落的山谷。人们叫它盲人之国。

In the wildest part of the Andes of Ecuador, there is a lost mountain valley. People call it the Country of the Blind.

很久以前，人们还可以走到那里，但是穿过峡谷的路非常可怕。几个秘鲁家庭走了那条路，想逃开一个残忍的统治者。

Long ago, men could still get there, but the way through the gorges was terrible. A few families from Peru went that way to escape from a cruel ruler.

这些移民在山谷里过得很好，但是有一件事破坏了他们的幸福。一种奇怪的病来到他们中间，所有新出生的孩子都是盲的。

These settlers did very well in the valley, but one thing spoiled their happiness. A strange disease came to them, and all their new babies were blind.

于是一个年轻人沿着峡谷往下走，想去找人帮忙。路又长又危险，他自己的眼睛也已经很弱了。在山下的世界里，他找到了一位神父。

So one young man went back down the gorge to find help. The way was long and dangerous, and his own eyes were already weak. In the lower world he found a priest.

这个年轻人又瘦又被太阳晒黑了。他的手紧紧拿着帽子。他对山下世界的生活一点也不懂。

The young man was thin and brown from the sun. His hands held his hat tightly. He knew nothing about life in the lower world.

“神父，我们上去的时候，我还是个小孩，”他说，“他们把我和一个大包绑在一只羊驼旁边。我们的山谷什么都有，人要的东西都有。我们有甜水、好草和很好吃的水果。松树林挡住了雪崩，那里从来不下雨，也不下雪。”

“I was a small child when we went up there, Father,” he said. “They tied me to a llama beside a big bag. Our valley has everything that a man can want. We have sweet water, rich grass and wonderful fruit. Pine forests hold back the avalanches, and it never rains or snows.”

“那你为什么来这里？”神父问。

“Then why are you here?” the priest asked.

“因为一种奇怪的病来到了我们那里，我们新出生的孩子都是盲的。我们去的时候没有带神父，也没有建教堂。我想这就是原因。”

“Because a strange disease came to us, and our new babies are blind. We came without a priest, and we built no church. I think that is the reason.”

那个时候，人们不知道病是怎么传开的。

In those days, people knew nothing about how a disease travels.

“我们需要一座教堂，”年轻人说，“它要漂亮，也要便宜，但最重要的是它要真的有用。我们还需要圣物和祈祷。”

“We need a church,” the young man said. “It must be beautiful and cheap, but above all it must really work. We need holy things and prayers too.”

他从包里拿出一块银条。“这个可以付钱，”他说。

He took a bar of silver out of his bag. “This can pay for it,” he said.

“这块银子是从哪里来的？”神父问。

“And where does this silver come from?” the priest asked.

“我们的山谷里没有银子，”年轻人很快地说，“一点银子也没有，神父。我们把所有的钱放在一起，因为我们在那上面需要的很少。”

“There is no silver in our valley,” the young man said quickly. “No silver at all, Father. We put all our money together, because we need very little up there.”