Along time ago, there lived an old poet, a thoroughly kind old poet.
很久很久以前,有一位年迈而慈祥的老诗人。 —

As he was sitting one evening in his room, a dreadful storm arose without, and the rain streamed down from heaven;
一天晚上,他坐在房间里,外面突然起了一场可怕的风暴,天空中倾泻着雨水。 —

but the old poet sat warm and comfortable in his chimney-corner, where the fire blazed and the roasting apple hissed.
但是老诗人舒服地坐在壁炉边,火焰熊熊燃烧,烤苹果发出嘶嘶声。

“Those who have not a roof over their heads will be wetted to the skin, ” said the good old poet.
“没有屋顶的人会被淋湿透的。” 善良的老诗人说道。

“Oh let me in! Let me in! I am cold, and I’m so wet!
“让我进去!让我进去! —

” exclaimed suddenly a child that stood crying at the door and knocking for admittance, while the rain poured down, and the wind made all the windows rattle.
我又冷又湿!”突然,一个孩子站在门口哭喊着敲门,雨水倾泻而下,风使着窗户格格作响。

“Poor thing!” said the old poet, as he went to open the door.
“可怜的孩子!”老诗人说着,走去开门。 —

There stood a little boy, quite naked, and the water ran down from his long golden hair;
站在门口的是一个全身赤裸的小男孩,金色的长发上滴着水珠。 —

he trembled with cold, and had he not come into a warm room he would most certainly have perished in the frightful tempest.
他因寒冷而颤抖,如果没有进入温暖的房间,他肯定会在可怕的风暴中丧命。

“Poor child!” said the old poet, as he took the boy by the hand. “Come in, come in, and I will soon restore thee!
“可怜的孩子!”老诗人说道,他牵起了孩子的手。“进来吧,进来吧,我会很快让你恢复!” —

Thou shalt have wine and roasted apples, for thou art verily a charming child!
“你应该喝点酒,吃些烤苹果,你确实是个迷人的孩子! —

” And the boy was so really.
”这个孩子真的很迷人。 —

His eyes were like two bright stars;
他的眼睛就像两颗明亮的星星; —

and although the water trickled down his hair, it waved in beautiful curls.
尽管水一直滴在他的头发上,但它却形成了美丽的卷发。 —

He looked exactly like a little angel, but he was so pale, and his whole body trembled with cold.
他看起来就像一个小天使,但他的脸色苍白,整个身体颤抖着冷。 —

He had a nice little bow in his hand, but it was quite spoiled by the rain, and the tints of his many-colored arrows ran one into the other.
他手里拿着一个漂亮的小弓,但被雨水弄坏了,多彩的箭矢的颜色都混在了一起。

The old poet seated himself beside his hearth, and took the little fellow on his lap;
老诗人坐在壁炉旁边,把小家伙放在膝上; —

he squeezed the water out of his dripping hair, warmed his hands between his own, and boiled for him some sweet wine.
他挤了挤他湿漉漉的头发,把自己的手放在他的手中取暖,并为他烧了一些甜酒。 —

Then the boy recovered, his cheeks again grew rosy, he jumped down from the lap where he was sitting, and danced round the kind old poet.
然后,孩子恢复了,他的脸颊又红润起来,他从坐着的膝上跳了下来,围着慈祥的老诗人跳舞。

“You are a merry fellow, ” said the old man. “What’s your name?”
“你真是个快乐的家伙,”老人说道。“你叫什么名字?”

“My name is Cupid,” answered the boy.
“我的名字叫丘比特,”男孩回答道。 —

“Don’t you know me? There lies my bow;
“你不认识我吗?那是我的弓; —

it shoots well, I can assure you!
它射得很准,我向你保证!” —

Look, the weather is now clearing up, and the moon is shining clear again through the window.”
“看,天气正在放晴,月光又透过窗户照进来了。”

“Why, your bow is quite spoiled,” said the old poet.
“哎呀,你的弓坏了,”老诗人说。

“That were sad indeed,” said the boy, and he took the bow in his hand and examined it on every side.
“那可真糟,”男孩说着,他拿起弓,从各个角度仔细检查。 —

“Oh, it is dry again, and is not hurt at all;
“哦,它又干了,一点也没有坏; —

the string is quite tight.
弦还很紧。 —

I will try it directly.
我现在要试试它。” —

” And he bent his bow, took aim, and shot an arrow at the old poet, right into his heart.
”他拉了一下弓,瞄准,然后朝老诗人射出了一箭,正中他的心脏。 —

“You see now that my bow was not spoiled, ” said he laughing; and away he ran.
“你现在看到我的弓没坏了,”他笑着说道,然后跑了走。

The naughty boy, to shoot the old poet in that way;
那个淘气的男孩, —

he who had taken him into his warm room, who had treated him so kindly, and who had given him warm wine and the very best apples!
竟然以那种方式射中了老诗人;这个曾带他进入温暖的房间,善待他并给他热酒和最好的苹果的人!

The poor poet lay on the earth and wept, for the arrow had really flown into his heart.
可怜的诗人躺在地上哭泣,因为那支箭真的飞入了他的心脏。

“Fie!” said he. “How naughty a boy Cupid is!
“噫!”他说。“丘比特是多么淘气的小孩子! —

I will tell all children about him, that they may take care and not play with him, for he will only cause them sorrow and many a heartache.”
我要把他的故事告诉所有的孩子们,让他们小心不要和他一起玩耍,因为他只会给他们带来悲伤和许多心痛。”

And all good children to whom he related this story, took great heed of this naughty Cupid;
所有听到这个故事的好孩子都对这个淘气的丘比特非常小心; —

but he made fools of them still, for he is astonishingly cunning.
但他却依然愚弄他们,因为他极为狡猾。 —

When the university students come from the lectures, he runs beside them in a black coat, and with a book under his arm.
当大学生们从讲座回来时,他穿着黑色的外套,手里拿着一本书跟在他们身后。 —

It is quite impossible for them to know him, and they walk along with him arm in arm, as if he, too, were a student like themselves;
他们根本不知道他是谁,就和他手挽着手一起走,好像他也是个学生; —

and then, unperceived, he thrusts an arrow to their bosom.
然后,他偷偷地将一支箭射进他们的胸脯。 —

When the young maidens come from being examined by the clergyman, or go to church to be confirmed, there he is again close behind them.
当年轻的少女们从办理神职人员的检查中出来,或者去教堂接受确认时,他又跟在她们后面。 —

Yes, he is forever following people. At the play, he sits in the great chandelier and burns in bright flames, so that people think it is really a flame, but they soon discover it is something else.
是的,他永远在跟随人们。在剧院里,他坐在巨大的吊灯上,燃起明亮的火焰,以至于人们认为那是真的火焰,但很快他们发现那其实是别的东西。 —

He roves about in the garden of the palace and upon the ramparts:
他在皇宫花园和城墙上徘徊:是的, —

yes, once he even shot your father and mother right in the heart.
曾经有一次他甚至射中了你父母的心脏。 —

Ask them only and you will hear what they’ll tell you. Oh, he is a naughty boy, that Cupid;
只要问问他们,你就会听到他们告诉你的。哦,他是个淘气的孩子,那个丘比特, —

you must never have anything to do with him.
你绝不能与他有任何关系。 —

He is forever running after everybody. Only think, he shot an arrow once at your old grandmother!
他永远在追逐每个人。想想看,他曾经射箭中过你的奶奶! —

But that is a long time ago, and it is all past now;
但那是很久以前的事情了,现在都过去了; —

however, a thing of that sort she never forgets.
然而,她永远不会忘记这样的事情。 —

Fie, naughty Cupid! But now you know him, and you know, too, how ill-behaved he is!
唉,淘气的丘比特!但现在你认识他了,你也知道他多么不守规矩!