English Original
For the space of three years he wandered over the world, and in the world there was neither love nor loving-kindness nor charity for him, but it was even such a world as he had made for himself in the days of his great pride.
And one evening he came to the gate of a strong-walled city that stood by a river, and, weary and footsore though he was, he made to enter in. But the soldiers who stood on guard dropped their halberts across the entrance, and said roughly to him, 'What is thy business in the city?'
'I am seeking for my mother,' he answered, 'and I pray ye to suffer me to pass, for it may be that she is in this city.'
But they mocked at him, and one of them wagged a black beard, and set down his shield and cried, 'Of a truth, thy mother will not be merry when she sees thee, for thou art more ill-favoured than the toad of the marsh, or the adder that crawls in the fen. Get thee gone. Get thee gone. Thy mother dwells not in this city.'
And another, who held a yellow banner in his hand, said to him, 'Who is thy mother, and wherefore art thou seeking for her?'
And he answered, 'My mother is a beggar even as I am, and I have treated her evilly, and I pray ye to suffer me to pass that she may give me her forgiveness, if it be that she tarrieth in this city.' But they would not, and pricked him with their spears.
And, as he turned away weeping, one whose armour was inlaid with gilt flowers, and on whose helmet couched a lion that had wings, came up and made enquiry of the soldiers who it was who had sought entrance. And they said to him, 'It is a beggar and the child of a beggar, and we have driven him away.'
'Nay,' he cried, laughing, 'but we will sell the foul thing for a slave, and his price shall be the price of a bowl of sweet wine.'
And an old and evil-visaged man who was passing by called out, and said, 'I will buy him for that price,' and, when he had paid the price, he took the Star-Child by the hand and led him into the city.
And after that they had gone through many streets they came to a little door that was set in a wall that was covered with a pomegranate tree. And the old man touched the door with a ring of graved jasper and it opened, and they went down five steps of brass into a garden filled with black poppies and green jars of burnt clay. And the old man took then from his turban a scarf of figured silk, and bound with it the eyes of the Star-Child, and drave him in front of him. And when the scarf was taken off his eyes, the Star-Child found himself in a dungeon, that was lit by a lantern of horn.
And the old man set before him some mouldy bread on a trencher and said, 'Eat,' and some brackish water in a cup and said, 'Drink,' and when he had eaten and drunk, the old man went out, locking the door behind him and fastening it with an iron chain.
And on the morrow the old man, who was indeed the subtlest of the magicians of Libya and had learned his art from one who dwelt in the tombs of the Nile, came in to him and frowned at him, and said, 'In a wood that is nigh to the gate of this city of Giaours there are three pieces of gold. One is of white gold, and another is of yellow gold, and the gold of the third one is red. To-day thou shalt bring me the piece of white gold, and if thou bringest it not back, I will beat thee with a hundred stripes. Get thee away quickly, and at sunset I will be waiting for thee at the door of the garden. See that thou bringest the white gold, or it shall go in with thee, for thou art my slave, and I have bought thee for the price of a bowl of sweet wine.' And he bound the eyes of the Star-Child with the scarf of figured silk, and led him through the house, and through the garden of poppies, and up the five steps of brass. And having opened the little door with his ring he set him in the street.
And the Star-Child went out of the gate of the city, and came to the wood of which the Magician had spoken to him.
中文翻译
他在世间流浪了三年，这世间对他既无爱，也无仁慈，更无怜悯。这世界，正是他在昔日极度傲慢时为自己造就的世界。
一天傍晚，他来到一座坚固城墙的城门前，城墙坐落于河边。尽管他疲惫不堪、双脚酸痛，仍试图进城。但站岗的士兵将戟交叉拦在入口，粗鲁地问他：“你进城有何事？”
“我在寻找我的母亲，”他答道，“恳求你们让我通过，也许她就在这城里。”
但他们嘲笑他。其中一个士兵抖动着黑胡子，放下盾牌喊道：“说真的，你母亲见到你绝不会高兴，因为你比沼泽里的癞蛤蟆或泥潭中爬行的毒蛇还要丑陋。滚开，滚开。你母亲不住在这城里。”
另一个手持黄旗的士兵问他：“你母亲是谁？你为何寻找她？”
他回答：“我母亲和我一样是个乞丐，我曾恶劣地对待她。如果她在这城里逗留，我恳求你们让我通过，好让她能宽恕我。”但他们不肯，还用长矛刺他。
当他转身哭泣时，一个盔甲上镶嵌着镀金花朵、头盔上卧着一只有翅膀的狮子的军官走上前来，询问士兵是谁想进城。士兵们告诉他：“是个乞丐，乞丐的孩子，我们已经把他赶走了。”
“不，”军官大笑着说，“我们可以把这肮脏的东西卖作奴隶，他的价格就值一碗甜酒。”
一个路过的、面容邪恶的老人喊道：“我出这个价买他。”付了钱后，他牵着星孩的手，带他进了城。
他们穿过许多街道后，来到一扇小门前，门嵌在一面墙上，墙上爬满了石榴树。老人用一枚刻有碧玉的戒指碰了碰门，门开了。他们走下五级黄铜台阶，进入一个花园，园中种满了黑色罂粟，摆着绿色陶罐。老人从缠头巾中取出一条花纹丝巾，用它蒙住星孩的眼睛，驱赶着他往前走。当丝巾从眼睛上取下时，星孩发现自己身处一个地牢，地牢由一盏牛角灯笼照亮。
老人在他面前的木盘上放了些发霉的面包，说：“吃吧。”又递给他一杯含盐的水，说：“喝吧。”等他吃喝完毕，老人走了出去，锁上门，并用铁链加固。
第二天，这位老人——他实际上是利比亚最狡猾的魔法师，师从一位居住在尼罗河墓穴中的人——走进来，对他皱起眉头，说道：“在这座异教徒城市城门附近的树林里，有三块金子。一块是白金，另一块是黄金，第三块是红金。今天你必须把那块白金给我带回来，如果你带不回来，我就用一百鞭子抽你。快滚，日落时分我会在花园门口等你。记住，必须带回白金，否则有你好看，因为你是我的奴隶，我用一碗甜酒的价钱买了你。”他用那条花纹丝巾蒙住星孩的眼睛，领着他穿过房子，穿过罂粟花园，走上那五级黄铜台阶。用戒指打开小门后，把他放在了街上。
星孩走出城门，来到了魔法师对他提到的那片树林。