美人鱼与男孩 | The Mermaid and the Boy
美人鱼与男孩 | The Mermaid and the Boy
作者：安德鲁·朗格
by Andrew Lang
很久很久以前，一位国王统治着一个海边的国家。
Long, long ago, there lived a king who ruled over a country by the sea.
国王结婚一年左右，生活在远处群岛的一些臣民发生叛乱，反对他的统治，因此他需要离开妻子，亲自去解决他们的纷争。
When he had been married about a year, some of his subjects, inhabiting a distant group of islands, revolted against his laws, and it became needful for him to leave his wife and go in person to settle their disputes.
王后担心会出事，恳求国王留在家里，但是国王告诉她，只有他能解决问题。于是第二天早上，国王升起了帆，踏上了航程。
The queen feared that some ill would come of it, and implored him to stay at home, but he told her that nobody could do his work for him, and the next morning the sails were spread, and the king started on his voyage.
大船驶出没多远就撞上礁石，船身很快被卡在礁石上，进退两难，船员们竭尽全力也没法再让船从礁石上下来。
The vessel had not gone very far when she ran upon a rock, and stuck so fast in a cleft that the strength of the whole crew could not get her off again.
更糟的是，当时还起风了，可以肯定，几小时内，大船就会被撞碎，所有人都会被淹死。这时，他们突然看见一只美人鱼在浪头上跳舞，那些浪头随时能吞掉他们。
To make matters worse, the wind was rising too, and it was quite plain that in a few hours the ship would be dashed to pieces and everybody would be drowned, when suddenly the form of a mermaid was seen dancing on the waves which threatened every moment to overwhelm them.
“你们要想活命的话，就只有一个办法，”美人鱼一边在水里上下浮动，一边对国王说，“你得发誓会把自己生的第一个孩子给我，我就会救你。”
‘There is only one way to free yourselves,’ she said to the king, bobbing up and down in the water as she spoke, ‘and that is to give me your solemn word that you will deliver to me the first child that is born to you.’
国王对这个提议犹豫了。
The king hesitated at this proposal.
他希望有朝一日，家里能有孩子，但是得交出自己的继承人才能保住性命，这让他很苦恼；可就在这时，一个巨浪猛地击在船的一侧，随从们纷纷跪下来求他救救他们。
He hoped that some day he might have children in his home, and the thought that he must yield up the heir to his crown wa but just then a huge wave broke with great force on the ship’s side, and his men fell on their knees and entreated him to save them.
于是他发了誓，这时，一个浪托起大船，使船离开了礁石，再次回到宽阔的海面上。
So he promised, and this time a wave lifted the vessel clean off the rocks, and she was in the open sea once more.
平定岛上事务所花的时间比国王预计的要长，数月之后，他才回到自己的宫殿。
The affairs of the islands took longer to settle than the king had expected, and some months passed away before he returned to his palace.
在离开的日子里，他的儿子出生了，国王非常高兴，以至于完全忘了美人鱼，忘了大船的安全是牺牲王子换来的。
In his absence a son had been born to him, and so great was his joy that he quite forgot the mermaid and the price he had paid for the safety of his ship.
可是，随着时光流逝，婴儿长成一个优秀的男孩，国王也记起了那件事，一天，他把整件事告诉了王后。
But as the years went on, and the baby grew into a fine big boy, the remembrance of it came back, and one day he told the queen the whole story.
从那时起，他们就不再快乐。
From that moment the happiness of both their lives was ruined.
每晚他们睡觉时，都会担心早上起床后孩子的房间是空的。他们日日把孩子带在身边，认为他会在眼前被抢走。
Every night they went to bed wondering if they should find his room empty in the morning, and every day they kept him by their sides, expecting him to be snatched away before their very eyes.
最后，国王觉得不能再这样下去，于是他对妻子说：
At last the king felt that this state of things could not continue, and he said to his wife:
“毕竟，世上最蠢的举动，就是把孩子留在这个地方，因为美人鱼知道能在这里找到他。
‘After all, the most foolish thing in the world one can do is to keep the boy here in exactly the place in which the mermaid will seek him.
我们给他吃的，送他出游，也许，如果美人鱼来找他，她会看中其他的孩子。”
Let us give him food and send him on his travels, and perhaps, if the mermaid ever blocs come to seek him, she may be content with some other child.’
这个计划看起来英明无比，王后同意了。
And the queen agreed that his plan seemed the wisest.
他们把孩子叫来，国王把之前给王后说的远航的故事讲给他听。
So the boy was called, and his father told him the story of the voyage, as he had told his mother before him.
王子迫切地听着，一想到能独自出去见见世面就高兴了起来。他一点儿也不害怕，因为尽管他已经十六岁了，却鲜有机会走出皇家花园，独自散步。
The prince listened eagerly, and was delighted to think that he was to go away all by himself to see the world, and was not in
for though he was now sixteen, he had scarcely been allowed to walk alone beyond the palace gardens.
他急忙作些准备，脱掉自己的丝绒外套，换上一件绿色衣服，没要王后给他的装食物的漂亮袋子，却在肩上扛了一个老式的皮背包，和他见过的其他游客打扮得一样。
He began busily to make his preparations, and took off his smart velvet coat, putting on instead one of green cloth, while he refused a beautiful bag which the queen offered him to hold his food, and slung a leather knapsack over his shoulders instead, just as he had seen other travellers do.
然后他与父母告别，踏上旅途。
Then he bade farewell to his parents and went his way.
他走了一整天，津津有味地欣赏奇异的鸟儿和其他动物，有的横冲过男孩走的小路，有的在一株灌木后面冲他唧唧叫。
All through the day he walked, watching with interest the strange birds and animals that darted across his path in the forest or peeped at him from behind a bush.
但是，当夜晚降临时，他觉得很累，于是他边走边寻找可以睡觉的地方。
But as evening drew on he became tired, and looked about as he walked for some place where he could sleep.
最后他在一棵树下找到一块长着柔软苔藓的土埂，正准备睡在上面，突然被一声恐怖的吼叫声吓呆了，浑身打战。
At length he reached a soft mossy bank under a tree, and was just about to stretch himself out on it, when a fearful roar made him start and tremble all over.
一瞬间，某个东西急速穿过空中，接着，一只狮子站在了他面前。
In another moment something passed swiftly through the air and a lion stood before him.
“你在这儿干什么？”狮子问，恶狠狠地看着男孩。
‘What are you doing here?’ asked the lion, his eyes glaring fiercely at the boy.
“我在躲美人鱼。”王子用颤抖的声音回答道。
‘I am flying from the mermaid,’ the prince answered, in a quaking voice.
“给我些吃的，”狮子说，“都过了晚饭时间了，可我还饿着。”
‘Give me some food then,’ said the lion, ‘it is past my supper time, and I am very hungry.’
狮子不想吃他，男孩感激万分，他高兴地拿起放在地上的背包，从里边拿出一些面包和一瓶酒。
The boy was so thankful that the lion did not want to eat him, that he gladly picked up his knapsack which lay on the ground, and held out some bread and a flask of wine.
“我觉得好多了，”狮子吃完后说，“现在我该在这片舒服的软苔藓上睡觉了，如果你愿意，你可以躺在我身边。”
‘I feel better now,’ said the lion when he had done, ‘so now I shall go to sleep on this nice soft moss, and if you like you can lie down beside me.’
所以，男孩和狮子肩并肩呼呼睡去，一直睡到太阳升起。
So the boy and the lion slept soundly side by side, till the sun rose.
“现在我必须离开了，”狮子边说边把男孩摇醒，“切下我的耳朵尖，好好地保存，一旦你遇到任何困难，只需许愿变成狮子，你马上就能变狮子。
‘I must be off now,’ remarked the lion, shaking ‘but cut off the tip of my ear, and keep it carefully, and if you are in any danger just wish yourself a lion and you will become one on the spot.
善有善报，你知道的。”
One good turn deserves another, you know.’
王子感谢狮子的善意，并按照狮子的吩咐做了，然后他们彼此告别。
The prince thanked him for his kindness, and did as he was bid, and the two then bade each other farewell.
“我想知道成为一只狮子是什么感觉。”男孩想，他刚走了一小段路，就从上衣胸口处，拿出了狮子的耳尖，用尽全力许愿变狮子。
‘I wonder how it feels to be a lion,’ thought the boy, after he h and he took out the tip of the ear from the breast of his jacket and wished with all his might.
马上，他的头比以前膨了几倍，脖子似乎又热又重；不知怎的，手也变成了爪子，皮肤上长了毛，还变成了金色。
In an instant his head had swollen to several times its usual size, and his neck seeme and, somehow, his hands became paws, and his skin grew hairy and yellow.
最让他高兴的是他的长尾巴，尾端长有一束毛，他骄傲地甩动着尾巴。
But what pleased him most was his long tail with a tuft at the end, which he lashed and switched proudly.
“我太喜欢当一只狮子了。”他对自己说，然后沿路愉快地小跑开来。
‘I like being a lion very much,’ he said to himself, and trotted gaily along the road.
然而，不一会儿他就累了，因为不习惯这种走路方式——这样走路使他后背疼痛，前爪发酸。
After a while, however, he got tired of walking in this unaccustomed way—it made his back ache and his front paws felt sore.
于是，他又希望自己变回男孩。一眨眼，他的尾巴不见了，头也缩小了，长长的毛发也变得又短又卷。
So he wished himself a boy again, and in the twinkling of an eye his tail disappeared and his head shrank, and the long thick mane became short and curly.
接着他开始找睡觉的地方，他找到些干燥的蕨类，收了一些堆在一起。
Then he looked out for a sleeping place, and found some dry ferns, which he gathered and heaped up.
可是，他还没来得及闭上眼睛，附近的树丛里就传来巨大的响动，好像有个很壮的身体正冲过来。
But before he had time to close his eyes there was a great noise in the trees near by, as if a big heavy body was crashing through them.
男孩起身一转头，看见一只巨大的黑熊朝他奔来。
The boy rose and turned his head, and saw a huge black bear coming towards him.
“你在这干吗呢？”熊咆哮着。
‘What are you doing here?’ cried the bear.
“我在躲美人鱼。”男孩说。熊对美人鱼没兴趣，只说：“我饿了，给我些吃的。”
‘I am running away from the mermaid,’ but the bear took no interest in the mermaid, and only said: ‘I give me something to eat.’
背包正压在蕨类植物上，王子把它拿了起来，解开带子，拿出第二瓶酒和另一条面包。
The knapsack was lying on the ground among the fern, but the prince picked it up, and, unfastening the strap, took out his second flask of wine and another loaf of bread.
“我们可以一起吃晚饭。”他客气地说，但是熊可没学习过什么礼数，他没有答话，只是飞快地吃起来。
‘We will have supper together,’
but the bear, who had never been taught manners, made no reply, and ate as fast as he could.
吃饱后，熊就站了起来伸伸懒腰。
When he had quite finished, he got up and stretched himself.
“你那张床看起来很舒服，”他说，“我的睡眠非常差，也许在它上面我能睡个好觉。
‘You have got a
comfortable-looking bed there,’ he observed, ‘I really think that, bad sleeper as I am, I might have a good night on it.
我会想办法让你挤一挤，”他又说，“反正你也不怎么占地方。”
I can manage to squeeze you in,’ ‘you don’t take up a great deal of room.’
熊讲话冷冰冰的，让男孩很生气，可是他太累了，没力气再收集蕨类植物了。他们肩并肩躺下，直到第二天早上太阳升起。
The boy was rather indignant at the bear’s but as he was too tired to gather more fern, they lay down side by side, and never stirred till sunrise next morning.
“现在我得走了，”熊边说边把瞌睡的男孩拉起来，“但是首先你得切下我的耳朵尖，当你遇到任何危险，只需许愿变成一头熊，就能变成。
‘I must go now,’ said the bear, pulling the sleepy p ‘but first you shall cut off the tip of my ear, and when you are in any danger just wish yourself a bear and you will become one.
善有善报，你知道的。”
One good turn deserves another, you know.’
男孩按照熊的嘱咐做了，他们互相道别。
And the boy did as he was bid, and he and the bear bade each other farewell.
“我想知道变成一头熊是什么感觉。”男孩走了一小段路之后想，于是他从外套胸口处拿出耳尖，用尽全力许愿自己变成熊。
‘I wonder how it feels to be a bear,’ thought he to himself when he had and he took out the tip from the breast of his coat and wished hard that he might become a bear.
马上，他的身体扩大了，全身长满厚厚的黑色皮毛。
The next moment his body stretched out and thick black fur covered him all over.
像上次一样，他的手变成爪子，可是，当他尝试甩动尾巴时，他厌恶地发现尾巴太短了。
As before, his hands were changed into paws, but when he tried to switch his tail he found to his disgust that it would not go any distance.
“这也配叫尾巴！”他说。
‘Why it is hardly worth calling a tail!’ said he.
这一天内，他都没有再变回人，只是忙着赶路。虽然熊皮有助于穿过森林里的荆棘，但是当夜晚降临时，他感到熊皮太重了，于是许愿变回男孩。
For the rest of the day he remained a bear and continued his journey, but as evening came on the bear-skin, which had been so useful when plunging through brambles in the forest, felt rather heavy, and he wished himself a boy again.
他太累了，没力气去砍任何蕨类植物或者找苔藓地，就随便躺倒在一棵树下，突然听见头顶正上方传来嘈杂的嗡嗡声，原来是只大黄蜂落在了一株金银花的枝头上。
He was too much exhausted to take the trouble of cutting any fern or seeking for moss, but just threw himself down under a tree, when exactly above his head he heard a great buzzing as a bumble-bee alighted on a honeysuckle branch.
“你在这干吗？”大黄蜂的声音带着怒气，“你这么小，应该老老实实地呆在家里。”
‘What are you doing here?’ asked the
‘at your age you ought to be safe at home.’
“我在躲美人鱼。”男孩说，但是蜜蜂就像狮子和熊那样，从来不听别人的回答，只是说：“我饿了。
‘I am running away from the mermaid,’ but the bee, like the lion and the bear, was one of those people who never listen to the answers to their questions, and only said: ‘I am hungry.
给我些吃的。”
Give me something to eat.’
男孩从背包里拿出了自己仅剩的一条面包和一瓶酒，放在地面上，他们一起吃了晚饭。
The boy took his last loaf and flask out of his knapsack and laid them on the ground, and they had supper together.
“好了，我要睡觉了，”蜜蜂吃完最后一点儿面包屑说，“既然你个头不大，我可以在身边给你留点儿空。”他收起翅膀，折起腿，和王子一起呼呼睡到早上。
‘Well, now I am going to sleep,’ observed the bee when the last crumb was gone, ‘but as you are not very big I can make room for you beside me,’ and he curled up his wings, and tucked in his legs, and he and the prince both slept soundly till morning.
蜜蜂起床后，仔细地刷去丝绒外套上的片片灰尘，然后在男孩耳边大声嗡嗡叫，把他弄醒。
Then the bee got up and carefully brushed every scrap of dust off his velvet coat and buzzed loudly in the boy’s ear to waken him.
“从我翅膀上拿根茸毛，”他说，“一旦你遇到任何危险，只需许愿变成一只蜜蜂，就能变成。
‘Take a single hair from one of my wings,’ said he, ‘and if you are in danger just wish yourself a bee and you will become one.
善有善报，再见了，谢谢你的晚餐。”
One good turn deserves another, so farewell, and thank you for your supper.’
男孩拽下茸毛后，蜜蜂就离开了，他把茸毛小心地包在一片树叶里。
And the bee departed after the boy had pulled out the hair and wrapped it carefully in a leaf.
“变成蜜蜂的感觉，肯定和变狮子或者变熊不一样，”男孩走了一两个小时后想，“我敢说我可以变得更快。”于是他拿出茸毛，许愿变成蜜蜂。
‘It must feel quite different to be a bee from what it does to be a lion or bear,’ thought the boy to himself when he had walked for an hour or two, ‘I dare say I should get on a great deal faster,’ so he pulled out his hair and wished himself a bee.
马上，最奇怪的事情发生了。
In a moment the strangest thing happened to him.
他的四肢好像缩在了一起，身体变得又短又圆，头变小了，白色的皮肤变成最贵最软的丝绒。
All his limbs seemed to draw together, and his body to become
his head grew quite tiny, and instead of his white skin he was covered with the richest, softest velvet.
最棒的是，他有一对可爱的薄翅，可以带他飞一整天，而不感觉劳累。
Better than all, he had two lovely gauze wings which carried him the whole day without getting tired.
傍晚时分，男孩以为自己看到远处有巨大的石堆，他径直飞了过去。
Late in the afternoon the boy fancied he saw a vast heap of stones a long way off, and he flew straight towards it.
但是他到门前的时候发现这是一个大镇子，所以他许愿变回人形，进了镇里。
But when he reached the gates he saw that it was really a great town, so he wished himself back in his own shape and entered the city.
他发现宫殿的门大敞着，于是大胆地走进一个貌似是大厅的地方，这里挤满了人，男男女女正在一起窃窃私语。
He found the palace doors wide open and went boldly into a sort of hall which was full of people, and where men and maids were gossiping together.
他和他们聊了起来，马上就得知这里的国王有个独生女，她特别讨厌男人，不能忍受任何男人出现在她面前。
He joined their talk and soon learned from them that the king had only one daughter who had such a hatred to men that she would never suffer one to enter her presence.
国王绝望了，曾经拿了世界各地最帅的王子的画像给公主，希望她能看上其中一个，但是没用，公主甚至不许这些画进她的房间。
Her father was in despair, and had had pictures painted of the handsomest princes of all the courts in the world, in the hope that she might fall in l the princess would not even allow the pictures to be brought into her room.
“不早了，”最后，一个女人说，“我得回女主人那里去了。”
‘It is late,’ remarked one
‘I must go to my mistress.’
然后，她转向一个男仆，命令他给男孩找张床。
And, turning to one of the lackeys, she bade him find a bed for the youth.
“不用了，”王子说，“这条长凳就够了。
‘It is not necessary,’ answered the prince, ‘this bench is good enough for me.
我以前睡的地方都没这个好。”
I am used to nothing better.’
大厅空下来后，他躺了几分钟。
And when the hall was empty he lay down for a few minutes.
然而，宫殿一静下来，他立刻拿出那根茸毛，许愿变成蜜蜂。变成之后，他飞上楼梯、越过守卫、穿过锁孔进入公主的寝殿。
But as soon as everything was quiet in the palace he took out the hair and wished himself a bee, and in this shape he flew upstairs, past the guards, and through the keyhole into the princess’s chamber.
接着他变回人形。
Then he turned himself into a man again.
看见这可怕的一幕，公主彻底惊醒了，“一个男人！一个男人！”她哭喊，但是守卫冲进来后，只发现一只大黄蜂在屋里嗡嗡作响。
At this dreadful sight the princess, who was broad awake, began to scream loudly, ‘A man! a man!’ but when the guards rushed in there was only a bumble-bee buzzing about the room.
他们检查了床底、窗帘后面、柜子里，最后认为公主应该是做了噩梦，然后鞠躬退下。
They looked under the bed, and behind the curtains, and into the cupboards, then came to the conclusion that the princess had had a bad dream, and bowed themselves out.
门刚刚关上，蜜蜂不见了，一个帅气的青年出现了。
The door had scarcely closed on them than the bee disappeared, and a handsome youth stood in his place.
“我就知道一个男人藏在某处。”公主喊道，叫得比上次更响。
‘I knew a man was hidden somewhere,’ cried the princess, and screamed more loudly than before.
她的尖叫引来了守卫，他们检查了所有可疑的地方，却依然没有发现男人，于是他们如实向公主禀告。
Her shrieks brought back the guards, but though they looked in all kinds of impossible places no man was to be seen, and so they told the princess.
“他刚刚还在这里——我亲眼所见。”虽然守卫不敢顶撞公主，可是他们摇摇头，互相小声嘀咕，公主肯定是发疯了，才会在任何地方都看见男人。
‘He was here a moment ago—I saw him with my own eyes,’ and the guards dared not contradict her, though they shook their heads and whispered to each other that the princess had gone mad on this subject, and saw a man in every table and chair.
他们打定主意——就随她用尽力气大声叫吧——他们不管就是了。
And they made up their minds that—let her scream as loudly as she might—they would take no notice.
现在公主看清了守卫们的想法，他们不会再给她任何帮助，除此之外，还有可能把她的情况禀明国王，国王会把她关进偏僻的塔里，不准她在花园散步，不准她与花儿和鸟儿玩耍。
Now the princess saw clearly what they were thinking, and that in future her guards would give her no help, and would perhaps, besides, tell some stories about her to the king, who would shut her up in a lonely tower and prevent her walking in the gardens among her birds and flowers.
所以，当她第三次看见王子站在她面前时，她没有尖叫，只是坐在床上，沉默又害怕地盯着王子。
So when, for the third time, she beheld the prince standing before her, she did not scream but sat up in bed gazing at him in silent terror.
“不要害怕，”他说，“我不会伤害你。”接着，他开始夸赞公主的花园——都是从仆人那里听来的，还有她喜爱的鸟和花，直到公主平息了怒火，开始温和地跟王子对话。
‘Do not be afraid,’ he said, ‘I shall not hurt you’; and he began to praise her gardens, of which he had heard the servants speak, and the birds and flowers which she loved, till the princess’s anger softened, and she answered him with gentle words.
事实上，他们一会儿就成了朋友，公主发誓不会嫁给其他人，还向王子透露，三天以后，国王将出宫作战，会把他的剑留在公主房间。
Indeed, they soon became so friendly that she vowed she would marry no one else, and confided to him that in three days her father would be off to the wars, leaving his sword in her room.
任何找到剑并带把它给国王的人，就能娶到公主，作为奖励。
If any man could find it and bring it to him he would receive her hand as a reward.
这时候，公鸡打鸣了，年轻人跳起来，匆匆说道：“我当然会跟随国王出战，如果我没回来，每天傍晚，你就带着你的小提琴，去海边演奏，这样，住在海底的美人鱼听见后就会来找你。”
At this point a cock crew, and the youth jumped up hastily saying: ‘Of course I shall ride with the king to the war, and if I do not return, take your violin every evening to the seashore and play on it, so that the very sea-kobolds who live at the bottom of the ocean may hear it and come to you.’
正如公主所说，三天后，国王出宫作战，带了一大批随从，年轻的王子把自己伪装成一个探险的贵族青年，混在其中。
Just as the princess had foretold, in three days the king set out for the war with a large following, and among them was the young prince, who had presented himself at court as a young noble in search of adventures.
他们离开城市数千米之后，国王突然发现自己忘了带剑，尽管他所有的随从立刻献上他们的剑，他还是宣布只会用自己的剑作战。
They had left the city many miles behind them, when the king suddenly discovered that he had forgotten his sword, and though all his attendants instantly offered theirs, he declared that he could fight with none but his own.
“第一个把剑从我女儿屋里带给我的人，”他喊道，“不仅可以娶她为妻，我死后还可以继承我的皇位。”
‘The first man who brings it to me from my daughter’s room,’ cried he, ‘shall not only have her to wife, but after my death shall reign in my stead.’
听到这番话，红衣骑士、年轻的王子以及其他数人纷纷调转马头，以风一般的速度骑回宫殿。
At this the Red Knight, the young prince, and several more turned their horses to ride as fast as the wind back to the palace.
然而，王子突然想到一个更好的计划。等其他人超过自己之后，他从胸口处拿出宝贵的包裹，许下变成狮子的愿望。
But suddenly a better plan entered the prince’s head, and, letting the others pass him, he took his precious parcel from his breast and wished himself a lion.
接着他一跳，发出恐怖的吼叫声，那些马都受了惊，变得不听使唤，他轻松赶超过去，不一会儿，就到了城堡门外。
Then on he bounded, uttering such dreadful roars that the horses were frightened and grew unmanageable, and he easily outstripped them, and soon reached the gates of the palace.
在门前，他赶快变成蜜蜂，径直飞进公主的房间，又变回人形。
Here he hastily changed himself into a bee, and flew straight into the princess’s room, where he became a man again.
公主给王子指出挂剑的地方，就藏在窗帘后面。王子边取剑边说：“千万别忘了你答应的事。”
She showed him where the sword hung concealed behind a curtain, and he took it down, saying as he did so: ‘Be sure not to forget what you have promised to do.’
公主没有说话，只是甜甜地笑了，脱下指上的金戒指，分成两半，把其中一半静静地递给王子，另一半放进自己的口袋里。
The princess made no reply, but smiled sweetly, and slipping a golden ring from her finger she broke it in two and held half out silently to the prince, while the other half she put in her own pocket.
他吻了吻戒指，带着剑跑下楼梯。
He kissed it, and ran down the stairs bearing the sword with him.
走了一段路，他遇到了红衣骑士和其他人。起初，红衣骑士想用武力把剑从他那里抢过来,
Some way off he met the Red Knight and the rest, and the Red Knight at first tried to take the sword from him by force,
但年轻人显然比他强壮得多，他便先放弃，决定等待更好的时机。
But as the youth proved too strong for him, he gave it up, and resolved to wait for a better opportunity.
机会马上来了，因为天气炎热，所以王子口渴了。
This soon came, for the day was hot and the prince was thirsty.
看见一股流向大海的小溪，他转过身，解开剑，扑在地上，大喝了一通。
Perceiving a little stream that ran into the sea, he turned aside, and, unbuckling the sword, flung himself on the ground for a long drink.
不幸的是，此时，那条美人鱼碰巧正漂浮在不远处的水面上，知道他是那个本该属于自己的男孩。
Unluckily, the mermaid happened at that moment to be floating on the water not very far off, and knew he was the boy who had been given her before he was born.
所以，她慢慢地漂到男孩躺着的地方，抓住他的胳膊，浪花淹没了他们俩。
So she floated gently in to where he was lying, she seized him by the arm, and the waves closed over them both.
他们刚刚消失，红衣骑士偷偷地小心起身，当他看见国王的剑就在岸上，他几乎不敢相信自己的眼睛。
Hardly had they disappeared, when the Red Knight stole cautiously up, and could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the king’s sword on the bank.
他怀疑年轻人到底发生了什么事，一小时前还勇猛地保护这把剑；然而，毕竟，这和自己又没有什么关系！
He wondered what had become of the youth, who an hour before had guarded his
but, after all, that was no affair of his!
于是，他把剑往腰带上一系，带给国王。
So, fastening the sword to his belt, he carried it to the king.
战争很快结束，国王归来，人们欢呼着，高兴地迎接他。
The war was soon over, and the king returned to his people, who welcomed him with shouts of joy.
可是，公主从窗口看见父亲身后骑马的随从中并没有自己的未婚夫；她心里一沉，因为她知道，王子一定遇害了，她也很害怕红衣骑士。
But when the princess from her window saw that her betrothed was not among the attendants riding behind her father, her heart sank, for she knew that some evil must have befallen him, and she feared the Red Knight.
她很早以前就知道王子有多么聪明机智，而且王子的声音一直向她低语，是他遵守承诺拿回了剑，并且会宣布娶她为妻，即使他没进公主的卧室。
She had long ago learned how clever and how wicked he was, and something whispered to her that it was he who would gain the credit of having carried back the sword, and would claim her as his bride, though he had never even entered her chamber.
可是她什么也不能做，虽然国王很爱她，但是从不允许公主妨碍他的计划。
for although the king loved her, he never let her stand in the way of his plans.
可怜的公主想得太正确了，所有一切都按照她预见的那样发展。
The poor princess was only too right, and everything came to pass exactly as she had foreseen it.
国王告诉公主，红衣骑士公平地赢得了她，第二天就举办婚礼，婚礼后举行盛宴。
The king told her that the Red Knight had won her fairly, and that the wedding would take place next day, and there would be a great feast after it.
在过去，宴会时间比现在要长，食物也要更丰盛。天逐渐黑下来，忙了一天，公主累坏了，偷偷溜回房间静一静。
In those days feasts were much longer and more splend and it was growing dark when the princess, tired out with all she had gone through, stole up to her own room for a little quiet.
但是，月光如此皎洁，笼罩在海面，好像在邀请她前去。于是，公主用胳膊夹着小提琴，蹑手蹑脚地走到海滩上。
But the moon was shining so brightly over the sea that it seemed to draw her towards it, and taking her violin under her arm, she crept down to the shore.
“听啊！听啊！”美人鱼对王子说，她正躺在海底的海藻床上，
‘Listen! listen! said the mermaid to the prince, who was lying stretched on a bed of seaweeds at the bottom of the sea.
“听啊！那是你的旧情人在演奏，美人鱼知道岸上发生的所有事情。”
‘Listen! that is your old love playing, for mermaids know everything that happens upon earth.’
“我什么也听不见。”年轻人回答，他看起来在生气，
‘I hear nothing,’ answered the youth, who did not look happy.
“把我举高点儿，到我能听见声音的地方。”
‘Take me up higher, where the sounds can reach me.’
于是，美人鱼把他扛在肩头，带他到海面和海底的中间。
So the mermaid took him on her shoulders and bore him up midway to the surface.
“现在能听见了吗？”她问。
‘Can you hear now?’ she asked.
“不能，”王子说，“只能听见水奔腾的声音，再高一点儿才能听见。”
‘No,’ answered the prince, ‘I hear nothing b I must go higher still.’
然后，美人鱼带他到了最高处。
Then the mermaid carried him to the very top.
“现在你肯定能听见了吧？”她问。
‘You must surely be able to hear now?’ said she.
“只有水声。”年轻人答道。
‘Nothing but the water,’ repeated the youth.
所以，她把他直接带到岸上。
So she took him right to the land.
“现在能听见吗？”她又问。
‘At any rate you can hear now?’ she said again.
“还有水声在我耳边，”他答，“但是过一会儿就会停。”
‘The water is still rushing in my ears,’ ‘but wait a little, that will soon pass off.’
他边说边把手伸进胸口处，抓出茸毛，许愿变成蜜蜂，直接飞进了公主的口袋。
And as he spoke he put his hand into his breast, and seizing the hair wished himself a bee, and flew straight into the pocket of the princess.
美人鱼徒劳地寻找王子，在海面找了一整晚，他也没有回来，美人鱼再也不会找到王子了。
The mermaid looked in vain for him, and coated al but he never came back, and never more did he gladden her eyes.
公主觉得有什么不对劲，虽然不知哪里出了问题，可她还是迅速回了宫殿，一进宫殿，年轻人马上变回人形。
But the princess felt that something strange was about her, though she knew not what, and returned quickly to the palace, where the young man at once resumed his own shape.
哦，一看见他，公主的心中充满了喜悦。
Oh, what joy filled her heart at the sight of him!
可是，时间紧迫，公主便领着他直奔大厅，国王和贵族们还在举行宴会。
But there was no time to be lost, and she led him right into the hall, where the king and his nobles were still sitting at the feast.
“这里有个人吹嘘自己变的魔术很棒，”公主说，“比红衣骑士的魔术还棒！
‘Here is a man who boasts that he can do wonderful tricks,’ said she, ‘better even than the Red Knight’s!
当然，这话肯定是假的，但是应该教训一下这个骗子。
That cannot be true, of course, but it might be well to give this impostor a lesson.
例如，他假装自己能变成狮子,我可不信。
He pretends, for instance, that he can turn but that I do not believe.
我知道你学过魔术技巧，”她继续说，转向红衣骑士，“所以，你只需给他看看怎么变，羞辱他一下。”
I know that you have studied the art of magic,’ she went on, turning to the Red Knight, ‘so suppose you just show him how it is done, and bring shame upon him.’
在他的一生里，红衣骑士从未翻过一本有关魔术的书，可是他想当然地认为，自己根本什么都不用学，也比其他人做得好。
Now the Red Knight had never opened a book
but he was accustomed to think that he could do everything better than other people without any teaching at all.
于是，他翻转、扭曲、嚎叫，还做了鬼脸；可即使做了这些，他依然没变成狮子。
So he turned and twisted himself about, and bel but he did not become a lion for all that.
“好吧，也许变只狮子太难了。
‘Well, perhaps it is very difficult to change into a lion.
变只熊吧。”公主说。
Make yourself a bear,’ said the princess.
但是，红衣骑士发现，变熊也不比变狮子容易多少。
But the Red Knight found it no easier to become a bear than a lion.
“试试变蜜蜂，”公主建议，“我读到过，说任何会魔术的人都能变蜜蜂。”
‘Try a bee,’ suggested she. ‘I have always read that anyone who can do magic at all can do that.’
红衣骑士发出嗡嗡声，可始终没有变成蜜蜂。
And the old knight buzzed and hummed, but he remained a man and not a bee.
“现在轮到你了，”公主对年轻人说，“让我们看看，你能不能变狮子。”
‘Now it is your turn,’ said the princess to the youth.‘Let us see if you can change yourself into a
一瞬间，一只凶猛的狮子站在他们面前，所有的客人争相冲出大厅，逃窜时彼此互相踩踏。
And in a moment such a fierce creature stood before them, that all the guests rushed out of the hall, treading each other underfoot in their fright.
狮子扑向红衣骑士，想把他撕成碎片，公主阻止了他，命令他变回人形。
The lion sprang at the Red Knight, and would have torn him in pieces had not the princess held him back, and bidden him to change himself into a man again.
下一秒，狮子变成了人。
And in a second a man took the place of the lion.
“现在变熊吧。”她说。一只熊喘着粗气，张开胳膊走向红衣骑士，他哆嗦着躲在公主身后。
‘Now become a bear,’ and a bear advanced panting and stretching out his arms to the Red Knight, who shrank behind the princess.
此时，一些客人不那么害怕了，围在门口，心想如果公主是安全的，他们也应该没有危险。
By this time some of the guests had regained their courage, and returned as far as the door, thinking that if it was safe for the princess perhaps it was safe for them.
国王比客人们都勇敢，他认为自己需要作个表率，于是一直稳坐在位子上。当公主再次下令让熊变回人形，他惊讶地沉默了，开始怀疑事情的真相。
The king, who was braver than they, and felt it needful to set them a good example besides, had never left his seat, and when at a new command of the princess the bear once more turned into a man, he was silent from astonishment, and a suspicion of the truth began to dawn on him.
“是他拿回剑的吧？”国王问。
‘Was it he who fetched the sword?’ asked the king.
“是的，是他。”公主告诉了国王所有的事，她是怎样弄断了金戒指，怎样给了王子一半的。　
‘Yes, it was,’ a and she told him the whole story, and how she had broken her gold ring and given him half of it.
王子也拿出了那半金戒指，公主拿出另一半，两半戒指紧紧地扣在一起。
And the prince took out his half of the ring, and the princess took out hers, and they fitted exactly.
第二天，红衣骑士被绞死，他活该如此。王子和公主举办了新的婚礼宴会。
Next day the Red Knight was hanged, as he richly deserved, and there was a new marriage feast for the prince and princess.