萨白尼人的绝笔 The Sabanians' Last Words

某位古代居民留下的刻字石板，记载了名为萨白尼的城邦融入奥赫玛前的最后时刻。 A slate left behind by some ancient resident, recording the final moments before the city-state of Sabany was assimilated into Okhema.

「你在做什么？」就在刚才，我那兄弟这样问我。于是我回答：「哦，只是收拾东西而已。」

"What are you doing?" That was what my brother asked me just now. So I replied: "Oh, I'm just packing up some stuff."

他不会同意我现在要做的事——身为族长，他要带领我们离开故乡、投奔圣城，这是躲避黑潮的唯一办法。而我要写点东西，趁我还是萨白尼人时为我的城邦留下些什么。

He won't approve of what I'm about to do — as the high elder, he wants to lead us away from our homeland and seek refuge in the holy city. That is the only way to escape the black tide. Meanwhile, I have to write something while I'm still a Sabanian to leave something behind for my city-state.

萨白尼人有什么特征呢？我们的脸并不比别人更白或更黑，身材也不像山之民那样高大。奥赫玛人总是夸我们手巧、擅长建造宏伟的建筑，但奥赫玛人也能建起云石天宫那样的奇观。我们似乎没什么特别……

What traits do the Sabanians have? Our faces aren't in a different color, and our physiques aren't burly like the Mountain Dwellers. The Okhemans often praise us for our deftness and proficiency in raising majestic buildings, but they can also build something as grandiose as the Marmoreal Palace. It doesn't seem like we're anything special...

那我们为什么要自称萨白尼人？等光历翻过上千年后，又有什么能证明我们曾经存在？我不知道。如果我是个学者，或许我能说出一长串历史，再掏出许多文献来论证我们其实是吉奥里亚或者其他某个神的眷属。但我只是个普通的砌砖匠，在盖房子的闲暇学会了写字而已。

Then why do we call ourselves the Sabanians? When a millennium elapses on the Light Calendar, how can we prove our existence? I don't know. If I were a scholar, I might be able to regale a long span of history, then whip out numerous artifacts that prove that we were once kin to Georios or some other god. But I am but an ordinary bricklayer who learned how to write while I wasn't building houses.

不过说到盖房子，我确实有些经验：只要把红泥、沙子和碎靛石以1：4：7的比例混合，你就能得到理想的建筑材料。产物在湿润时像泥土一样柔软，凝固后又像金属一样坚硬——但你必须在凝固前完成塑形，一经干燥就不可更改。我靠这玩意弄出了真正的穹顶。

But speaking of building houses, I can speak on that with some authority: As long as you mix red clay, sand, and crushed indigo stone in a 1:4:7 ratio, you will get the optimal construction material. It is supple as earth when wet, and hard as steel when hardened — but you must finish your shape before it hardens, or it'll be too late when it dries. I built an actual vault based on this sole learning.

…或许这就够了？虽然我没学问，写不出什么壮阔史诗，但至少我留下了一份配方。如果一个城邦连可以传给后人的配方都留不下，那它才是真的消失了。

...Perhaps this is enough? I may not be knowledgeable, and am unable to pen epic sagas, but at least I can leave behind a formula. If a city-state can't even leave behind a formula for its descendants, then it is truly gone.

啊，哥哥在催我，去往圣城的队伍很快就要出发。等抵达之后，我们会学习奥赫玛的文化，融入他们的生活、成为他们的一员。萨白尼人的时间将在这里定格。

Ah, my older brother is telling me to hurry up. The holy city squad is setting off very soon. When we arrive, we will learn Okhema's culture, integrate ourselves into their lives, and become one of them. The time of Sabanians will end here.

那就写到这里吧。

I will finish my writing here.

或许将来的某天，黑潮退去，幸存的人们会回到故土，孩子的孩子会知晓我们的一切，并在我留下的刻字石板前流泪…但我没法看到。

Maybe one day in the future, when the black tide ebbs, I hope people will return to their hometowns, the children of my children will learn everything about us, and they will shed tears where I left this carved slate... even if I won't be able to witness it.

希望那时的我们还能造出穹顶。

I pray that when that day arrives, we will still be able to construct a dome.