双语格林童话:教父(1)
教父
The Godfather
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
A poor man had so many children that he had already asked everyone in the world to be godfather, and when still another child was born, no one else was left whom he could ask. He did not know what to do, and, in his sorrow, he lay down and fell asleep. Then he dreamed that he should go outside the gate and ask the first person he met to be godfather. When he awoke he decided to obey his dream, and he went outside the gate and asked the first person who came his way to be godfather.
从前有个人,他孩子太多,已经请过世界上所有的人当孩子们的教父了。可又有个孩子即将出世,显然没人可请了,他不知道如何是好,只好疲惫地躺下睡了。梦中他梦见自己出了门,请遇到的第一个人当孩子的教父。醒来时他决定照梦中的指点办,因而出了大门,在那儿碰到一个陌生人,於是请他当教父。
The stranger gave him a little bottle of water, and said, "This is miraculous water. You can heal the sick with it. But you must see where Death is standing. If he is standing by the patient's head, give the patient some of the water and he will be healed, but if Death is standing by his feet all efforts will be in vain, for then the sick man must die."
很多年后,教父送给教子一杯水,告诉他:「这是杯神水,可以治好任何人的病。不过你要看清死神站在病人的哪一头,如果站在病人头前,给病人喝点这种水,他就会痊癒;如果他站在病人脚后,一切努力都将白费,他必死无疑。」
From this time forth, the man could always say whether a patient could be saved or not. He became famous for his skill, and earned a great deal of money. Once he was called in to the king's child, and when he entered, he saw Death standing by the child's head, and he cured it with the water. The same thing happened a second time, but the third time Death was standing by its feet, so the child had to die.
从此,教子就能判断病人是否有救,并因此出了名,也挣了大钱。有一次国王请他去给他孩子治病,他看到死神站在孩子头前,就用神水治好了孩子的病;第二次也是这样。第三次死神站到了孩子脚边,他便知道孩子非死不可了。
Now the man wanted to visit his godfather one time and tell him what had happened with the water. He entered the house, but the strangest things were going on there. On the first flight of stairs, the dustpan and the broom were fighting, and violently hitting one other.
有一次他想见见这位教父,告诉他自己用神水取得的成就。当他来到教父家时,看到了世界上最古怪的事:扫把和铁锹在头一段楼梯上吵架,并且猛打对方。
(编辑:joice)