THERE was once upon a time a marvellous musician. —
曾经有一位了不起的音乐家。 —

One day he was wandering through a wood all by himself, thinking now of one thing, now of another, till there was nothing else left to think about. —
有一天，他独自在森林中漫步，时而想着一件事，时而想着另一件事，直到没有其他事情可思考了。 —

Then he said to himself:
然后他自言自语道：

‘Time hangs very heavily on my hands when I’m all alone in the wood. —
“当我独自在森林中时，时间过得很慢。 —

I must try and find a pleasant companion.’
我必须试着找一个愉快的伴侣。”

So he took his fiddle out, and fiddled till he woke the echoes round. —
于是，他拿出小提琴，拉起琴弦，唤醒了四周的回音。 —

After a time a wolf came through the thicket and trotted up to the musician.
过了一会儿，一只狼从树丛中走来，小跑着向音乐家走去。

‘Oh! it’s a Wolf, is it?’ said he. ‘I’ve not the smallest wish for his society.’
‘哦！是只狼吗？’他说道。‘我根本不想和它在一起。

But the Wolf approached him and said:
但是狼走近他说道：

‘Oh, my dear musician, how beautifully you play! I wish you’d teach me how it’s done.’
‘哦，亲爱的音乐家，你演奏得多么美妙！我希望你能教教我如何弹奏。

‘That’s easily learned,’ answered the fiddler; ‘you must only do exactly as I tell you.’
‘那很容易学，’小提琴手回答道，‘你只需要按照我的指示做就行了。

‘Of course I will,’ replied the Wolf. ‘I can promise that you will find me a most apt pupil.’
‘当然，’狼回答道，‘我保证你会发现我是一个非常聪明的学生。

So they joined company and went on their way together, and after a time they came to an old oak tree, which was hollow and had a crack in the middle of the trunk.
于是他们结伴一起继续前进，过了一段时间，他们来到了一棵中空的老橡树，树干中间有一个裂缝。

‘Now,’ said the Musician, ‘if you want to learn to fiddle, here’s your chance. —
‘现在，’音乐家说道，‘如果你想学习拉小提琴，这是一个好机会。 —

Lay your front paws in this crack.’
把前爪放在这个裂缝里。

The Wolf did as he was told, and the Musician quickly seized a stone, and wedged both his fore paws so firmly into the crack that he was held there, a fast prisoner.
狼照着指示做，音乐家迅速拿起一块石头，将狼的前爪紧紧夹在裂缝里，将他困在那里。

‘Wait there till I return,’ said the Fiddler, and he went on his way.
‘在这等我，’小提琴手说道，然后继续前进。

After a time he said to himself again:
过了一段时间，他又对自己说道：

‘Time hangs very heavily on my hands when I’m all alone in the wood; —
当我独自一人在树林里时，时间过得非常漫长； —

I must try and find a companion.’
我必须尽力找到一个伴侣。

So he drew out his fiddle, and fiddled away lustily. Presently a fox slunk through the trees.
于是他拿出小提琴，开始欢快地拉奏。不久，一只狐狸从树林中悄悄溜过。

‘Aha I what have we here?’ said the Musician. ‘A fox; —
“啊哈！这是什么？”音乐家说道，”一只狐狸；” —

well, I haven’t the smallest desire for his company.’
嗯，我对他的陪伴一点兴趣都没有。

The Fox came straight up to him and said:
狐狸径直走向他，说道：

‘My dear friend, how beautifully you play the fiddle; I would like to learn how you do it.’
“亲爱的朋友，你的小提琴演奏得多么美妙；我想学学你是怎么做到的。”

‘Nothing easier,’ said the Musician. ‘if you’ll promise to do exactly as I tell you.’
‘没什么比这更容易的了，’音乐家说道，‘只要你答应完全按照我告诉你的去做。’

‘Certainly,’ answered the Fox, ‘you have only to say the word.’
‘当然可以，’狐狸回答道，‘你只需说出口就行了。’

‘Well, then, follow me,’ replied the Fiddler.
‘好吧，那就跟着我来，’小提琴手回答道。

When they had gone a bi of the way, they came to a path with high trees on each side. —
他们走了一小段路，来到一条两旁有高树的小路。 —

Here the Musician halted, bent a stout hazel bough down to the ground from one side of the path, and put his foot on the end of it to keep it down. —
音乐家在这里停下来，把一根结实的榛木树枝从小路的一边弯下来，并用脚踩在末端压住。 —

Then he bent a branch down from the other side and said:
然后他又把另一边的树枝弯下来，说道：

‘Give me your left front paw, my little Fox, if you really wish to learn how it’s done.’
‘如果你真的想学，那就把你的左前爪给我。’

The Fox did as he was told, and the Musician tied his front paw to the end of one of the branches.
狐狸按照他的指示做了，并把左前爪绑在一根树枝的末端。

‘Now, my friend,’ he said, ‘give me your right paw.’
‘现在，我的朋友，’他说，‘把你的右前爪给我。’

This he bound to the other branch, and having carefully seen that his knots were all secure, he stepped off the ends of the branches, and they sprang back, leaving the poor Fox suspended in mid-air.
他把右前爪绑在另一根树枝上，然后仔细检查了一遍自己的结，从树枝的末端下来，树枝弹了回去，让可怜的狐狸悬在半空中。

‘Just you wait where you are till I return,’ said the Musician, and he went on his way again.
“等着我回来的时候就呆在这里不要动，”音乐家说着，又继续走了。

Once more he said to himself:
他再一次对自己说道：

‘Time hangs heavily on my hands when I’m all alone in the wood; I must try and find another companion.’
“当我孤零零地在树林里的时候，时间过得真慢；我得找个伙伴。”

So he took out his fiddle and played as merrily as before. —
于是他拿出小提琴，一如既往地欢快地弹奏起来。 —

This time a little hare came running up at the sound.
这一次，一只小兔子在声音的吸引下跑了过来。

‘Oh! here comes a hare,’ said the Musician; —
“哦！这来了只兔子，”音乐家说道； —

‘I’ve not the smallest desire for his company.’
“我不希望有他这个伴侣。”

‘How beautifully you play, dear Mr. Fiddler,’ said the little Hare. ‘I wish I could learn how you do it.’
“亲爱的小提琴手，你演奏得多么美妙啊，”小兔子说道，“我真希望我能学会你是如何做到的。”

‘It’s easily learnt,’ answered the Musician; ‘just do exactly as I tell you.’
“很容易学会，”音乐家回答道，“只需按照我教你的方法去做。”

‘That I will,’ said the Hare, ‘you will find me a most attentive pupil.’
“我一定会的，”小兔子说道，“你会发现我是个非常注意听讲的学生。”

They went on a bit together, till they came to a thin part of the wood, where they found an aspen tree growing. —
他们一起继续前进，直到来到树林的稀疏区域，那里长着一棵白杨树。 —

The Musician bound a long cord round the little Hare’s neck, the other end of which he fastened to the tree.
音乐家把一根长绳子拴在小兔子的脖子上，另一端系在树上。

‘Now, my merry little friend,’ said the Musician, ‘run twenty times round the tree.’
‘现在，我的快乐小朋友，’音乐家说道，‘绕树跑二十圈。’

The little Hare obeyed, and when it had run twenty times round the tree, the cord had twisted itself twenty times round the trunk, so that the poor little beast was held a fast prisoner, and it might bite and tear as much as it liked, it couldn’t free itself, and the cord only cut its tender neck.
小兔子听从了指令，当它绕树跑了二十圈后，绳子在树干上缠绕了二十圈，因此可怜的小动物被牢牢地捆住了，尽管它咬嚼和挣扎，但它无法自由，绳子只会割破它柔软的脖子。

‘Wait there till I return,’ said the Musician, and went on his way.
‘在那里等我回来，’音乐家说道，然后继续他的旅程。

In the meantime the Wolf had pulled and bitten and scratched at the stone, till at last he succeeded in getting his paws out. —
与此同时，狼一直拉扯、咬，和抓住石头，最终成功地把它的爪子弄出来了。 —

Full of anger, he hurried after the Musician, determined when he met him to tear him to pieces. —
充满愤怒，它急忙追赶音乐家，决心一旦遇到他就把他撕成碎片。 —

When the Fox saw him running by, he called out as loud as he could:
当狐狸看见它跑过时，他尽可能大声地喊道：

‘Brother Wolf, come to my rescue, the Musician has deceived me too.’
‘狼兄弟，来救救我，音乐家也欺骗了我。’

The Wolf pulled the branches down, bit the cord in two, and set the Fox free. —
狼拉下树枝，咬断绳子，释放了狐狸。 —

So they went on their way together, both vowing vengeance on the Musician. —
于是他们一起继续前行，发誓要向音乐家报复。 —

They found the poor imprisoned little Hare, and having set him free also, they all set out to look for their enemy.
他们找到了那只可怜的关押着的小兔子，把他释放了，然后他们一起出发寻找他们的敌人。

During this time the Musician had once more played his fiddle, and had been more fortunate in the result. —
在此期间，音乐家再次拉起了他的小提琴，结果更加幸运。 —

The sounds pierced to the ears of a poor woodman, who instantly left his work, and with his hatchet under his arm came to listen to the music.
这些声音穿透了一个可怜的木匠的耳朵，他立刻放下手中的工作，带着手斧过来听音乐。

‘At last I’ve got a proper sort of companion,’ said the Musician, ‘for it was a human being I wanted all along, and not a wild animal.’
“终于有一个合适的伙伴了，”音乐家说道，“我一直想要的是一个人类，而不是一只野生动物。”

And he began playing so enchantingly that the poor man stood there as if bewitched, and his heart leapt for joy as he listened.
他开始演奏得如此迷人，以至于那个可怜的人站在那里好像被施了魔法，听着它的心跃动着欢乐。

And as he stood thus, the Wolf and Fox and little Hare came up, and the woodman saw at once that they meant mischief. —
就在他这样站着的时候，狼、狐狸和小兔子走了过来，木匠立刻意识到他们是有恶意的。 —

He lifted his glittering axe and placed himself in front of the Musician, as much as to say: —
他举起闪闪发亮的斧头，站在音乐家的面前，好像在说：“如果你碰他一根毛，小心，你将不得善终。” —

‘If you touch a hair of his head, beware, for you will have to answer for it to me.’
请注意，你将必须向我负责。

Then the beasts were frightened, and they all three ran back into the wood, and the Musician played the woodman one of his best tunes, by way of thanks, and then continued his way.[32]
然后，野兽们感到害怕，它们三个都跑回了树林，音乐家为了表示感谢，给伐木工演奏了他最好的一首曲子，然后继续了自己的路程。[32]

[32] Grimm.
[32]格林兄弟。