PART FOUR STORIES EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

第四部分 每个人应该知道的故事

Climbing

High up in the apple tree climbing I go,

With the sky above me, the earth below.

Each branch is the step of a wonderful stair

Which leads to the town I see shining up there.

Climbing, climbing, higher and higher,

The branches blow and I see a spire,

The gleam of a turret, the glint of a dome,

All sparkling and bright, like white seafoam.

攀登

我爬到苹果树的高处，

头上是天空，脚下是大地。

每个枝杈都是绝妙的阶梯，

通向我眼中闪闪发光的城镇。

越爬越高，越爬越高，

枝条摇曳，我看见一个尖塔，

一个角楼的闪烁，一个圆穹顶的微光，

都在一闪一闪地发着亮光，像海面上白色的泡沫。

Today to the end of the marvelous stair,

Where those glittering pinnacles flash in the air!

Climbing, climbing, higher I go,

With the sky close above me, the earth far below.

—Amy Lowell

今天，在那个奇妙的阶梯尽头，

那些闪闪发光的尖塔在空中闪现！

我越爬越高，越爬越高，

天空在上方离头顶很近，大地在下方离我很远很远。

——阿米.洛威尔

Everyone Likes A Good Story

Even before you could read, you used to ask your father and mother to tell you stories. Everyone likes a good story. All over our land there are thousands of libraries, and every year millions of people are reading stories—in books, in magazines, and in newspapers.

Now, of course, not everyone likes the same kind of story. You like some better than others. But there are stories that everyone seems to enjoy; the years go by, the stories get older, and yet people go on reading them and enjoying them.

每个人都喜欢好故事

你甚至在能够阅读之前，就经常让你的爸爸和妈妈给你讲故事。每个人都喜欢好故事。全世界有成千上万的图书馆，每年有数百万人都在书籍、杂志和报纸上阅读故事。

现在，当然并不是每个人都喜欢同一种故事。你也有自己比较喜欢的一些故事。但是，有些故事似乎每个人都喜欢；时光流逝，那些故事越来越古老，但是人们还会继续阅读和喜爱它们。

Now your Book Comrade will tell you three stories that millions of people have enjoyed. Two of them are old, written long before you or your parents were born. But people still read them, and probably will do so for many long years to come. No one knows who first made them up. One of them is given here as it was written down by a great American story-teller, another as it was retold by an English writer of today. You could find thousands of boys and girls in lands across the sea who know these stories. The third story is not so old, but people have loved it for many years, and you will love it, too.

After you have read these stories, perhaps you can find others that you will enjoy very much. Then you will be able to tell other people about these stories.

现在你的书伙伴将给你讲述三个数百万人喜欢的故事。其中的两个是古老的故事，

在你或你的父母出生以前很久就有了。但是人们仍在阅读它们，并且可能在未来的

很长时间内还会阅读。没有人知道是谁及时个创作了它们。这里叙述的其中一个故

事是由一个伟大的美国故事家写下的，另一个故事是由一个当今的英国作家转述

的。你可以在大洋两岸找到成千上万知道这些故事的男孩和女孩。第三个故事没有

那么古老，但是多年来人们都喜欢它，你也会喜欢它。

读过这些故事后，你或许会找到其他你非常喜欢的故事。然后就可以把这些故事讲

给别人听。

THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of America’s greatest story-tellers. In some of his stories he told of famous wonder-working people who were supposed to live long years ago. They were called gods, and they ruled over the people who lived on earth. The father of all the gods was Zeus. The thunder was his voice, and lightning was his weapon. Quicksilver was the messenger of the gods. In the story you will now read, Hawthorne tells how Zeus and Quicksilver came down to earth, and taught some people a very valuable lesson.

神奇的牛奶罐

纳撒尼尔 霍桑

纳撒尼尔.霍桑是美国最伟大的故事家之一。在他的许多故事里，他讲述了那些被认为是生活在很久以前的创造奇迹的名人。他们被称为神灵，他们主宰着生活在大地上的人们。众神之父是宙斯。雷声是他的嗓音，闪电是他的武器。水银是众神的信使。在你将要读的故事里，霍桑讲述宙斯和水银如何来到人间，并教给一些人非常宝贵的经验教训。

BAUCIS AND PHILEMON

One evening, in times long ago, old Philemon and his wife, Baucis, sat at their cottage door, enjoying the beautiful sunset. They had already eaten their supper, and intended to spend a quiet hour or two before bedtime.

博西斯和菲利蒙

很久以前的一个傍晚，老菲利蒙和他的妻子博西斯坐在他们小屋的门口，享受着美丽的日落时光。他们已经吃过了晚饭，打算在睡觉前安安静静地度过一两个小时。

So they talked together about their garden and their cow and their bees. But the rude shouts of children and the fierce barking of dogs in the village near at hand grew louder and louder, until at last it was hardly possible for Baucis and Philemon to hear each other speak.

“Ah, wife,” cried Philemon, “I fear some poor traveler is seeking hospitality among our neighbors and, instead of giving him food and lodging they have set their dogs at him.”

“Well!” answered old Baucis, “I do wish our neighbors felt a little more kindness for their fellow-creatures. Only think of bringing up their children in this naughty way, and patting them on the head when they fling stones at strangers!”

于是他们一起谈论着他们的花园、奶牛和蜜蜂。但是，旁边村子里的孩子们那粗鲁的喊叫声和凶猛的狗叫声越来越响。，博西斯和菲利蒙简直听不见彼此的说话声了。

“哎呀，亲爱的。”菲利蒙喊道，“恐怕某个可怜的旅行者正在我们的邻居那里谋求款待，但是他们没有给他提供食宿而是让他们的狗去攻击他。”

“啊！”老博西斯回答说，“但愿我们的邻居对他们的同胞好一点儿。想一下对孩子这样的顽皮该怎样教养，他们向陌生人扔石头时还轻拍他们的头表示赞许！”

“Those children will never come to any good,” said Philemon, shaking his white head. “To tell you the truth, wife, I should not wonder if some terrible thing were to happen to all the people in the village if they do not learn to behave themselves. But as for you and me, so long as we have a crust of bread, let us be ready to give half to any poor homeless stranger that may come along and need it.”

“That’s right, husband!” said Baucis. “So we will!”

These old folks, you must know, were quite poor, and had to work pretty hard for a living. Their food was usually bread, milk, and vegetables, with sometimes honey from their beehive.

“那些孩子永远不会学好的，”菲利蒙摇着他花白头发的头说，“说实话，亲爱的，我不会怀疑他们是否会遭到报应，如果村子里的人不学着好好做人的话。但是就你和我来说，只要我们有一块面包，我们就把一半分给任何一个可能会来而且需要它的可怜的无家可归的陌生人。”

“是的，亲爱的！”博西斯说，“我们会那样做！”

你肯定知道这些老人们非常贫穷，他们不得不靠辛苦的劳作来谋生。他们的食物通常是面包、牛奶和蔬菜，有时候还有来自他们蜂房里的蜂蜜。

But they were two of the kindest old people in the world. They would cheerfully have gone without their dinners any day, rather than refuse a slice of their brown loaf, a cup of new milk, and a spoonful of honey to the weary traveler who might stop at their door.

Their cottage stood a short distance from the village, which lay in a valley. This valley, when the world was new, had probably been the bed of a lake. There, fishes had glided to and fro in the depths, and the water-weeds had grown along the shore. But it was now a fertile spot of fields and meadows.

但是，他们是世界上最善良的两个老人。他们可以不吃饭而高高兴兴地度过任何24小时，而不会拒绝把一片黑面包、一杯新鲜的牛奶和一勺蜂蜜给可能会停在他们家门口的疲倦的旅行者。

他们的小屋在一个山谷里，离那个村庄不远。起初，这个山谷可能是一个湖床。那里曾经有在湖水深处来回游动的鱼儿和沿岸生长的水草。但如今却是一片肥沃的农田和牧场。

Never was there a prettier or more fruitful valley. The very sight of the beautiful fields and orchards with their rich crops should have made the people kind and gentle, and ready to do good to their fellow-men. But, we are sorry to say, the men and women of this lovely valley were very selfish and hardhearted, and had no pity for the poor.

You will hardly believe what I am going to tell you. These naughty people used to clap their hands when they saw the little boys and girls run after some poor stranger, shouting at his heels and pelting him with stones. They kept large and fierce dogs, and whenever a stranger showed himself in the village street, this pack of ugly curs scampered to meet him, barking and snarling.

那里再没有一个更漂亮和多产的山谷了。漂亮的田地和果园以及丰富的农作物应该会使那里的人温和、善良，并愿意帮助他们的同胞。但是，遗憾的是，这个秀丽山谷里的男人和女人却非常自私和冷酷，他们并不同情穷人。

你可能不相信我将要讲述的事情。当看见小男孩和小女孩追赶某个可怜的陌生人，在陌生人身后大喊并向他扔石头时，这些没规矩的人经常会拍手叫好。他们养着又大又凶猛的狗，无论哪一个陌生人任何时候出现在村庄的大街上，这群令人讨厌的恶狗就会狂吠着、咆哮着向他飞奔而去。

THE TWO TRAVELERS

So now you can understand why old Philemon spoke so sorrowfully when he heard the shouts of the children and the barking of the dogs.

“I never heard the dogs so loud!” said the good old man.

“Nor the children so rude!” answered his wife.

They sat shaking their heads one to another, while the noise came nearer and nearer, until they saw two travelers approaching on foot. Close behind them came the fierce dogs, snarling at their very heels. A little farther off ran a crowd of children, who flung stones at the two strangers with all their might.

两个旅行者

所以，现在你能理解为什么当老菲利蒙听见孩子们的喊叫声和狗的狂吠声时，说话那么悲伤了。

“我从来都没有听到过如此大的狗叫声！”那个善良的老人说。

“也没有听到过孩子们会如此无礼！”他的妻子回应道。

他们坐在那里彼此摇着头，这时噪杂声越来越近，直到他们看见两个旅行者走过来。凶猛的狗紧跟在他们的后面，在他们的脚后跟处咆哮着。不远处跑来了一群孩子，他们竭尽全力地向那两个陌生人扔石头。

Both of the travelers were very poorly clad, and looked as if they might not have money enough in their pockets to pay for a night’s lodging.

“Come, wife,” said Philemon to Baucis, “let us go and meet these poor people. No doubt they feel almost too heavy-hearted to climb the hill.”

两个旅行者都衣着寒酸，看起来他们口袋里似乎没有足够的钱来支付一晚的住宿费用。

“嗨，亲爱的，”菲利蒙对博西斯说，“我们去迎接一下这些可怜的人吧。他们很可能感到太悲伤而爬不上小山了。”

“Go you and meet them,” answered Baucis, “while I make haste within doors and see whether we can get them anything for supper.”

And so she hastened to the cottage. Philemon went forward, saying in the heartiest tone: “Welcome, strangers! Welcome!”

“Thank you!” replied the younger of the two. “This is quite another greeting than the one we have met with in the village. Those children—the little rascals!—have spattered us from head to foot with their mud-balls; and one of the curs has torn my cloak, which was ragged enough already.”

“你去接应一下他们吧。”博西斯回答说，“我赶快回屋看一下是否有什么东西拿来给他们当晚餐。”

因此她赶快回到屋里。菲利蒙走上前去，用最热诚的语气说：“欢迎你们，陌生人！欢迎你们！”

“谢谢您！”两个陌生人中较为年轻的人回答说，“这与我们在那个村庄里遇见的问候不同。那些孩子——小淘气鬼们—