西方世界广为流传的小故事，通常用语通俗易懂，说理深刻。读后能够令人掩卷沉思，思考其中的独到意蕴和内涵。其中，《萨马拉之约》就是难得的精品之一。通过一个简单的小故事，却说出了有关生死之道，经略人生的大道理。使人读起来欲罢不能，读完后爱不释手，真真有一种“听君一席话，胜读十年书”的感慨了（中文部分为本人试译，见笑，呵呵！）

 

"The Appointment in Samarra"

  The Speaker is Death

   There was a merchant in Bagdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling,and said, Master, just now when I was in the market I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to samarra and there Death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the market place and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, "why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning?" "that was not a threatening gesture," I said, "it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Bagdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra."

 

 萨马拉之约   

叙述者：死神

    从前在巴格达有一位商人。一天，他派自己的仆人到集市上去买些日用品。稍顷，仆人回来了，脸色苍白，浑身发抖对他说道:"主人，刚才我在集市上的时候，觉得有位妇人从背后狠狠地推了我一下。我回头一看，是死神在推我。她正看着我并且冲我做了一个恶狠狠的手势！请把你的马借给我，我要骑马远离这座城市，躲开这个宿命。我要去萨马拉，这样死神就找不到我了！”商人把自己的马借给了仆人，仆人快马加鞭，疾驰而去。商人就自己来到了集市上，他看见我站在人群中就走过来问道：“今天早上你看见我的仆人的时候，为什么要对他做出恐吓性的手势？”“那绝对没有任何的恶意”，我回答道“那只是我的惊讶之举。我看见他在巴格达，觉得十分惊讶，因为今天晚上，我应该在萨马拉与他相见！”