泽德田野

一个旅行者在泽德的大路上，遇到一个住在附近村子里的人，旅行者用手指点着一大片田野，问那人道："这可是国王阿赫兰姆打败敌人的古战场？"那人答道："这儿从来没有做过战场。这片田野里一度耸立着伟大的扎德城，这座城市已烧成灰烬了。不过，它现在是一片沃野，可不是吗？"旅行者和那人便分别了。

旅行者走了不到半英里，又遇到一个人，旅行者又指点着田野问道："这就是伟大的泽德城一度耸立的地方？"那人答道："这个地方从来不曾有过城市。不过这儿倒有过一个修道院，南国的老百姓把它毁了。"

不久，就在这条扎德的大路上，旅行者又遇到了第三个人，他再一次指点着大片田野，问道："这儿果真是一度矗立着一个大修道院的地方吗？"可是那人答道："这一带从来不曾有过修道院，不过，我们的父辈和我们的老祖宗们倒告诉过我们，曾经有一颗大流星掉在这片田野里。"

旅行者心中诧异，继续向前走去。他遇见一个很老的老人，便施礼问道："阁下，我在这条大路上遇到三个住在附近一带的人，我向每个人都打听过这片田野的情况，每个人都否认了别人所说的话，每个人都讲了一个别人没讲过的新的传说。"

于是老人抬起头来，回答道："我的朋友，这些人中，每个人告诉你的都是确实如此的情况，但我们几乎没有人能把分歧的论据加到一起从中得出正确的结论来的。"

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."