舞蹈家

舞蹈家

从前，有个舞蹈家，带着她的音乐师，来到别尔卡沙的王子的宫廷。她被准许入宫，她就按着诗琴、长笛和齐特拉琴的音乐，在王子的面前跳起舞来。

她跳着火焰的舞蹈，剑和矛的舞蹈；她跳着繁星之舞和宇宙空间之舞；然后她又跳着风中花齐之舞。

跳罢了舞，她站在王子的宝座之前，向王子鞠躬致意。王子吩咐她站得近一些，然后对她说道："美丽的妇人，优雅和赏心悦目的女儿，你的舞艺究竟学自何方？你是怎样以你的节奏和你的韵律，驾驭一切自然力的？"舞蹈家再次向王子鞠躬致意，然后回答道："伟大而仁慈的王子殿下，我不晓得怎样答复你的垂询，我只知道这一点：哲学家的灵魂居住在他的头脑里，诗人的灵魂深藏在他的内心里，歌唱家的灵魂回荡在他的喉咙里，可是，舞蹈家的灵魂流贯于她的全身。"

The Dancer

Once there came to the court of the Prince of Birkasha a dancer with her musicians. And she was admitted to the court, and she danced before the prince to the music the lute and the flute and the zither.

She danced the dance of flames, and the dance of swords and spears; she danced the dance of stars and the dance of space. And then she danced the dance of flowers in the wind.

After this she stood before the throne of the prince and bowed her body before him. And the prince bade her to come nearer, and he said unto her, "Beautiful woman, daughter of grace and delight, whence comes your art? And how is it that you command all the elements in your rhythms and your rhymes?"

And the dancer bowed again before the prince, and she answered, "Mighty and gracious Majesty, I know not the answer to your questionings. Only this I know: The philosophers soul dwells in his head, the poets soul is in the heart; the singers soul lingers about his throat, but the soul of the dancer abides in all her body."