10. Night 8

国王执意要处死贤者，那么，贤者会束手就擒吗？

"Sister? Tell the tale."

Pearls, thought Scheherazade, let them roll from my lips.

"Fisherman," said the jinni, "your tale fascinates me. Let me out of this jar so I can hear better."

fascinate，使着迷

The fisherman laughed. "I won't be tricked. Listen."

SAGE DUBAN RUSHED TO THE PALACE AT KING YUNAN'S SUMMONS. "Today you will die," said King Yunan.

summon，召唤

The sage was aghast at the injustice. "Please, King Yunan, if you spare me, the Almighty will reward you. If you destroy me, the Almighty will punish you."

aghast，惊骇的

"SAGE DUBAN SAID TO KING YUNAN WHAT I SAID TO YOU," said the fisherman.

"I noticed," said the jinni. "But..."

"Listen! Let me finish the tale."

THE EXECUTIONER RAISED HIS SWORD.

executioner，刽子手

Sage Duban cried, "Injustice as bad as in the tale of the reward of the crocodile."

"I don't know that story," said King Yunan. "Tell it."

"Not now. I can't think. Let me prepare for death. I'll give alms to the poor and bring back a medical book, full of secrets. If you open it to the sixth leaf, read the third line, and address my severed head, it will answer any question — with knowledge from this world and the other side."

severed，被切断的

When Sage Duban returned, he poured powder on a platter.

"Place my head here. Then open this book and ask what you wish?" The executioner sliced off Sage Duban's head. He pressed it onto the powder. Sage Duban's eyes opened. "Now, Your Majesty."

The king opened the book. But the pages were stuck together. He licked his finger to separate them. He licked his finger over and over as he pawed pages. All were blank. The king felt light-headed. He swayed. "Ah," said Sage Duban. "Listen to my verse."

light-headed，头晕的

       This king could have grown old and fat.

Instead, he dies pitiless; tit for tat.

The king fell dead from the poison on the pages. Sage Duban's head also died.

poison，毒药

"See?" said the fisherman. "When you show mercy, things go better for you."

"I was wrong," said the jinni. "Kindness is the rule, even to those who wrong you. Do not do to me what Imama did to Atika."

"I don't know that tale."

"I can't tell it now. I can hardly breathe," said the jinni. "But I pledge that if you release me, I will do you no harm. To the contrary, I will make you rich."

pledge，答应

The fisherman knelt and intoned his evening prayers. The jinni was right: Kindness was the rule. He set the jinni free.

intone，吟诵

The jinni kicked back into the sea. "Follow me." He led the fisherman over a mountain and to a lake. He told him to cast his net, for he would catch fish in many colors to sell to the king for untold riches. Then the jinni kicked the earth and it swallowed him.

Morning came. And you know very well what Dinarzad and Shah Rayar and Scheherazade did. None of them knew how long this ruse could go on — because by now all three knew it was a ruse. 

ruse，诡计

Wolves toy with shepherds, thought Scheherazade.

Wolves toy with shepherds，狼逗牧羊人/猫捉老鼠

Is this husband-king a wolf? But the answer mattered not.

The ruse would go on for at least one more night. 

One more night, one more dawn, one more hope.

To be continued...

Scherazade的诡计，什么时候会被戳破？或者，国王舍得戳破吗？