[睡前故事之轻松学英文]三片羽毛2

在上一期的故事中我们讲到，国王有三个儿子，他想要确定由哪个儿子来继承王位，于是让三个儿子顺着三片羽毛的方向去寻找最漂亮的毯子，小儿子在蟾蜍的帮助下带回了一条精美绝伦的毯子。两个哥哥不服气，要求国王再提出一个条件。 Then the father said, "He who brings me the most beautiful ring shall inherit the kingdom," and led the three brothers out, and blew into the air three feathers, which they were to follow. Those of the two eldest again went east and west, and Simpleton's feather flew straight up, and fell down near the door into the earth. Then he went down again to the fat toad, and told her that he wanted the most beautiful ring. She at once ordered her great box to be brought, and gave him a ring out of it, which sparkled with jewels, and was so beautiful that no goldsmith on earth would have been able to make it. The two eldest laughed at Simpleton for going to seek a golden ring. They gave themselves no trouble, but knocked the nails out of an old carriage-ring, and took it to the King; but when Simpleton produced his golden ring, his father again said, "The kingdom belongs to him." The two eldest did not cease from tormenting the King until he made a third condition, and declared that the one who brought the most beautiful woman home, should have the kingdom. He again blew the three feathers into the air, and they flew as before. 于是国王说：“谁能找回来最漂亮的戒指，谁就能继承王位。” 说着又将三个儿子带到了外面，把三片羽毛吹向空中，让他们跟着羽毛所指的方向去寻找。两个哥哥分别往东边和西边走去，而小呆瓜的羽毛又是朝上升起之后落到原地。于是，他又去找大蟾蜍，说他需要一枚世界上最漂亮的戒指。大蟾蜍吩咐搬来大箱子，从里面取出一枚镶满了宝石的戒指，其工艺之精湛，是世界上任何工匠都做不出来的。哥哥们只是讥笑去寻找戒指的小呆瓜，而自己却懒得去找．随便把一个旧车轮上的钉子拆下来，拿回去给了国王。当小呆瓜将金戒指拿给国王时，国王又说“王位属于小王子。”可两个哥哥仍不甘心，他们没完没了地纠缠国王，非让他答应再出一个条件。还说看谁带回家的姑娘最漂亮谁就能继承王位。国王又把三片羽毛吹向空中，羽毛仍然像往常一样飞向了三个方向。 Then Simpleton without more ado went down to the fat toad, and said, "I am to take home the most beautiful woman!" "Oh," answered the toad, "the most beautiful woman! She is not at hand at the moment, but still you shall have her." She gave him a yellow turnip which had been hollowed out, to which six mice were harnessed. Then Simpleton said quite mournfully, "What am I to do with that?- The toad answered, "Just put one of my little toads into it." Then he seized one at random out of the circle, and put her into the yellow coach, but hardly was she seated inside it than she turned into a wonderfully beautiful maiden, and the turnip into a coach, and the six mice into horses. So he kissed her, and drove off quickly with the horses, and took her to the King. His brothers came afterwards; they had given themselves no trouble at all to seek beautiful girls, but had brought with them the first peasant women they chanced to meet. When the King saw them he said, "After my death the kingdom belongs to my youngest son." But the two eldest deafened the King's ears afresh with their clamour, "We cannot consent to Simpleton's being King," and demanded that the one whose wife could leap through a ring which hung in the centre of the hall should have the preference. They thought, "The peasant women can do that easily; they are strong enough, but the delicate maiden will jump herself to death." The aged King agreed likewise to this. Then the two peasant women jumped, and jumped through the ring, but were so stout that they fell, and their coarse arms and legs broke in two. And then the pretty maiden whom Simpleton had brought with him, sprang, and sprang through as lightly as a deer, and all opposition had to cease. So he received the crown, and has ruled wisely for a length of time. 于是小呆瓜径直去找大蟾蜍，说：“我要把世界上最美丽的姑娘带回家！”“啊，”大蟾蜍说，“最漂亮的姑娘！这可不容易办到，不过，我还是会让你得到她的。”蟾蜍拿出一根由六只小老鼠拉着的空心黄萝卜交给他。小呆瓜无可奈何地说：“我拿这些有什么用呢？”大蟾蜍说：“抓只小蟾蜍放进去就行了。”他随手抓了一只放了进去，那小蟾蜍还没坐下，就立刻变成了一位美丽非凡的姑娘，而萝卜变成了真正的马车，六只小老鼠变成了六匹骏马。小呆瓜亲了亲姑娘，立刻驾着马车回来见国王。他的两个哥哥随后也回来了，他们不愿意多费力气去寻找漂亮姑娘．而是把最先遇到的农家姑娘带了回来。国王看了看，说：“我死后王位由小王子继承。”谁知两个哥哥还是不肯让国王的耳朵清净，吵闹着说：“我们不同意小呆瓜当国王！”他们提出要求，谁带来的姑娘能跳过大厅中央挂着的那个圆圈，谁就能继承王位。他们暗想：“农家姑娘身强力壮，跳过那圈子肯定不成问题，而那柔弱的小姐准会摔死。”国王没办法，只好同意了。首先是两个农家姑娘跳，她们从圆圈中间跳了过去，但是都笨拙得摔断了胳膊和腿；轮到小呆瓜带来的漂亮小姐，只见她轻轻一跃就过去了，轻盈得像只小鹿。这下子谁都无话可说了。小呆瓜继承了王位用智慧统治了这个王国很久，很久。