A long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom through all the land. —
很久以前，有一位国王，他因智慧而声名在国内外。 —

Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if news of the most secret things was brought to him through the air. —
没有什么能对他隐瞒，似乎最秘密的消息都能透过空气传到他那里。 —

But he had a strange custom; —
但他有一个奇怪的习惯； —

every day after dinner, when the table was cleared, and no one else was present, a trusty servant had to bring him one more dish. —
每天吃过晚饭后，当餐桌被清理干净，没有其他人在场时，一位可靠的仆人必须给他端上一个盘子。 —

It was covered, however, and even the servant did not know what was in it, neither did anyone know, for the king never took off the cover to eat of it until he was quite alone.
然而，盘子被盖上了，连仆人也不知道里面是什么，其他人也不知道，因为国王直到独自一人时才会揭开盖子吃东西。

This had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant, who took away the dish, was overcome with such curiosity that he could not help carrying the dish into his room. —
这个习惯已经持续很久了，直到有一天，送走盘子的仆人因过于好奇而忍不住把盘子带进了自己的房间。 —

When he had carefully locked the door, he lifted up the cover, and saw a white snake lying on the dish. —
当他小心地锁好门后，他掀开了盖子，发现盘子上有一条白色的蛇。 —

But when he saw it he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting it, so he cut of a little bit and put it into his mouth. —
但当他看到它时，他情不自禁地品尝了一点，并把它放进了嘴里。 —

No sooner had it touched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voices outside his window. —
刚一触到舌尖，他就听到窗外传来一阵奇怪的小声耳语声。 —

He went and listened, and then noticed that it was the sparrows who were chattering together, and telling one another of all kinds of things which they had seen in the fields and woods. —
他去倾听，然后注意到那是麻雀们在互相交谈，彼此述说他们在田野和森林中见到的各种事情。 —

Eating the snake had given him power of understanding the language of animals.
吃了蛇后，他获得了理解动物语言的能力。

Now it so happened that on this very day the queen lost her most beautiful ring, and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this trusty servant, who was allowed to go everywhere. —
偏偏在这一天，王后失去了她最美丽的戒指，有人怀疑这个忠诚的仆人偷了，他被允许到处去。 —

The king ordered the man to be brought before him, and threatened with angry words that unless he could before the morrow point out the thief, he himself should be looked upon as guilty and executed. —
国王命令将这个人带到他面前，并威胁着愤怒地说，除非他能在明天之前找出小偷，否则他自己将被视为有罪并处以死刑。 —

In vain he declared his innocence; —
他百口莫辩， —

he was dismissed with no better answer.
只能被打发回去。

In his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard and took thought how to help himself out of his trouble. —
在烦恼和恐惧中，他下到庭院里，思考着如何摆脱困境。 —

Now some ducks were sitting together quietly by a brook and taking their rest; —
现在一些鸭子静静地坐在溪边休息； —

and, whilst they were making their feathers smooth with their bills, they were having a confidential conversation together. —
同时，它们用喙整理羽毛的时候，它们正在进行一次私密的交谈。 —

The servant stood by and listened. —
仆人站在一旁听着。 —

They were telling one another of all the places where they had been waddling about all the morning, and what good food they had found; —
它们互相告诉彼此早上徘徊的所有地方，并分享它们找到的美食； —

and one said in a pitiful tone: —
有一只可怜巴巴地说道： —

‘Something lies heavy on my stomach; —
“我胃里有点不舒服； —

as I was eating in haste I swallowed a ring which lay under the queen’s window. —
因为我吃得太急，不小心吞下了一枚银戒指，它就在女王窗户下面。 —

’ The servant at once seized her by the neck, carried her to the kitchen, and said to the cook: —
这时仆人迅速抓住这只鸭的脖子，把它带到厨房，对厨师说： —

‘Here is a fine duck; —
“这是一只好鸭子， —

pray, kill her. —
请把它杀了。 —

’ ‘Yes,’ said the cook, and weighed her in his hand; —
“好的，”厨师说，并用手称量了一下， —

‘she has spared no trouble to fatten herself, and has been waiting to be roasted long enough. —
“她可是不遗余力地吃饱自己，已经等着被烤了很久了。 —

’ So he cut off her head, and as she was being dressed for the spit, the queen’s ring was found inside her.
于是他割下了她的头，正当她被准备上烤架时，女王的戒指在她身上被发现了。

The servant could now easily prove his innocence; —
仆人现在可以轻易地证明自己的清白了； —

and the king, to make amends for the wrong, allowed him to ask a favour, and promised him the best place in the court that he could wish for. —
为了弥补错误，国王允许他提出一个请求，并承诺给他在宫廷中最好的位置。 —

The servant refused everything, and only asked for a horse and some money for travelling, as he had a mind to see the world and go about a little. —
仆人拒绝了一切，只是请求一匹马和一些旅费，因为他想看看世界，四处走走。 —

When his request was granted he set out on his way, and one day came to a pond, where he saw three fishes caught in the reeds and gasping for water. —
他的请求被允许后，他踏上了旅途，有一天来到了一个池塘，在那里他看见三条被苇丛缠住、在渴望水的呼吸困顿的鱼。 —

Now, though it is said that fishes are dumb, he heard them lamenting that they must perish so miserably, and, as he had a kind heart, he got off his horse and put the three prisoners back into the water. —
现在，尽管人们说鱼是哑巴，他却听到它们抱怨说它们将要如此悲惨地死去，由于他心地善良，他下马将这三个囚犯放回水中。 —

They leapt with delight, put out their heads, and cried to him: —
它们欣喜地跳出水面，伸出头，对他喊道： —

‘We will remember you and repay you for saving us!’
‘我们会记住你，以报答你救我们的恩情！’

He rode on, and after a while it seemed to him that he heard a voice in the sand at his feet. —
他继续骑着马前行，过了一会儿，他似乎听到脚下的沙子里有声音。 —

He listened, and heard an ant-king complain: —
他倾听着，听到一个蚂蚁王抱怨道： —

‘Why cannot folks, with their clumsy beasts, keep off our bodies? —
为什么这些笨拙的野兽总是不能离我们远一点？ —

That stupid horse, with his heavy hoofs, has been treading down my people without mercy! —
这匹愚蠢的马，用他那沉重的蹄子毫不怜悯地践踏着我的人民！ —

’ So he turned on to a side path and the ant-king cried out to him: —
于是他转向一条小路，蚂蚁国王对他大喊道： —

‘We will remember you–one good turn deserves another!’
“我们会记住你的，因为善有善报！”

The path led him into a wood, and there he saw two old ravens standing by their nest, and throwing out their young ones. —
小路把他引入一片树林，他看到两只老乌鸦正站在它们的巢边，把它们的幼鸟扔出去。 —

‘Out with you, you idle, good-for-nothing creatures!’ cried they; —
“滚出去吧，你们这些懒散、一无是处的家伙！”它们喊道，“我们再也找不到食物来养活你们了；你们已经长大了， —

‘we cannot find food for you any longer; —
可以自己照顾自己。”可是可怜的小乌鸦躺在地上，煽动着翅膀，哭泣着： —

you are big enough, and can provide for yourselves.’ But the poor young ravens lay upon the ground, flapping their wings, and crying: —
—

‘Oh, what helpless chicks we are! —
“哦，我们是多么无助的小鸟啊！ —

We must shift for ourselves, and yet we cannot fly! What can we do, but lie here and starve? —
我们必须自己寻找食物，但我们却无法飞翔！除了躺在这里饿死，我们还能做什么呢？” —

’ So the good young fellow alighted and killed his horse with his sword, and gave it to them for food. —
那个善良的年轻人于是落地，用剑杀了他的马，把它给了小鸟当食物。 —

Then they came hopping up to it, satisfied their hunger, and cried: —
小鸟们跳到旁边，满足了自己的饥饿，大声地说道：“我们会记住你——善有善报！” —

‘We will remember you–one good turn deserves another!’
然后他不得不用自己的腿，走了很远的路，来到了一个大城市。

And now he had to use his own legs, and when he had walked a long way, he came to a large city. —
街上喧嚣嘈杂，人群熙熙攘攘，一个骑着马的男人大声喊道：“国王的女儿想要丈夫； —

There was a great noise and crowd in the streets, and a man rode up on horseback, crying aloud: —
但是谁要娶她，必须完成一项艰巨的任务， —

‘The king’s daughter wants a husband; —
如果失败就会丧命。” —

but whoever seeks her hand must perform a hard task, and if he does not succeed he will forfeit his life. —
已经有很多人试图了，但都徒劳无功；然而当年轻人看见国王的女儿时，他被她的美貌深深吸引，忘记了一切危险，走到国王面前，表示自己愿意求婚。 —

’ Many had already made the attempt, but in vain; nevertheless when the youth saw the king’s daughter he was so overcome by her great beauty that he forgot all danger, went before the king, and declared himself a suitor.
接下来他只能依靠自己的双腿，走了很长一段路后，来到了一个大城市。

So he was led out to the sea, and a gold ring was thrown into it, before his eyes; —
所以，他被带到海边，一枚金戒指被扔进了海里，在他眼前； —

then the king ordered him to fetch this ring up from the bottom of the sea, and added: —
然后国王命令他从海底取出这枚戒指，并补充道： —

‘If you come up again without it you will be thrown in again and again until you perish amid the waves. —
‘如果你再次上来没有带着戒指，你将会一次又一次地被投入海中，直到你在波浪中丧命。 —

’ All the people grieved for the handsome youth; —
’ 所有的人都为这位英俊的年轻人感到伤心； —

then they went away, leaving him alone by the sea.
然后他们离开了，把他一个人留在了海边。

He stood on the shore and considered what he should do, when suddenly he saw three fishes come swimming towards him, and they were the very fishes whose lives he had saved. —
他站在岸边思考该怎么办，突然间他看到三条鱼朝他游来，它们正是他曾经救过的那三条鱼。 —

The one in the middle held a mussel in its mouth, which it laid on the shore at the youth’s feet, and when he had taken it up and opened it, there lay the gold ring in the shell. —
中间那条鱼嘴里叼着一颗贝壳，在年轻人的脚边放下了它，他拾起来打开一看，里面有一枚金戒指。 —

Full of joy he took it to the king and expected that he would grant him the promised reward.
充满喜悦地他把戒指带给了国王，期待着他会兑现承诺的奖赏。

But when the proud princess perceived that he was not her equal in birth, she scorned him, and required him first to perform another task. —
但是当傲慢的公主发现他的出身不及她时，她看不起他，并要求他首先完成另一个任务。 —

She went down into the garden and strewed with her own hands ten sacksful of millet-seed on the grass; —
她走进花园，在草地上亲手撒下了十袋小米种子；然后她说： —

then she said: —
—

‘Tomorrow morning before sunrise these must be picked up, and not a single grain be wanting.’
‘明天早上在太阳升起之前，这些种子必须被收拾起来，不能少一颗。’

The youth sat down in the garden and considered how it might be possible to perform this task, but he could think of nothing, and there he sat sorrowfully awaiting the break of day, when he should be led to death. —
年轻人坐在花园里，思考如何完成这个任务，但他想不出办法，他忧伤地等待着天亮，等待着被带去受死。 —

But as soon as the first rays of the sun shone into the garden he saw all the ten sacks standing side by side, quite full, and not a single grain was missing. —
但是，当第一缕阳光照进花园时，他看到所有的十袋小米都站在一起，饱满无缺，没有一颗丢失。 —

The ant-king had come in the night with thousands and thousands of ants, and the grateful creatures had by great industry picked up all the millet-seed and gathered them into the sacks.
蚂蚁王在夜间带来了成千上万只蚂蚁，这些感激的生物通过辛勤努力捡起了所有的小米种子，并将其收集到袋子里。

Presently the king’s daughter herself came down into the garden, and was amazed to see that the young man had done the task she had given him. —
接着，王子自己走进了花园，看到年轻人已经完成了她给他的任务，感到惊讶。 —

But she could not yet conquer her proud heart, and said: ‘Although he has performed both the tasks, he shall not be my husband until he had brought me an apple from the Tree of Life.’ The youth did not know where the Tree of Life stood, but he set out, and would have gone on for ever, as long as his legs would carry him, though he had no hope of finding it. —
但是她仍然无法征服她那骄傲的心，并说：“尽管他完成了这两个任务，但在他从生命之树上带回一颗苹果之前，他不会成为我的丈夫。”这个青年并不知道生命之树在哪里，但他还是出发了，尽管没有希望找到它，他还是会一直走下去，只要他的腿还能支撑他。 —

After he had wandered through three kingdoms, he came one evening to a wood, and lay down under a tree to sleep. —
在他穿越了三个王国之后，有一天晚上，他来到了一片树林下，躺在一棵树下睡觉。 —

But he heard a rustling in the branches, and a golden apple fell into his hand. —
但他听到树枝间传来沙沙声，一颗金苹果掉进了他的手里。 —

At the same time three ravens flew down to him, perched themselves upon his knee, and said: —
与此同时，三只乌鸦飞到他身边，停在他的膝盖上，说道： —

‘We are the three young ravens whom you saved from starving; —
“我们是你曾经救过免于饥饿的三只幼鸟； —

when we had grown big, and heard that you were seeking the Golden Apple, we flew over the sea to the end of the world, where the Tree of Life stands, and have brought you the apple. —
后来我们长大了，听说你在寻找金苹果，我们飞越了海洋来到了世界的尽头，在那里生命之树生长着，并将一颗苹果带给了你。” —

’ The youth, full of joy, set out homewards, and took the Golden Apple to the king’s beautiful daughter, who had now no more excuses left to make. —
‘年轻人满怀喜悦地启程回家，将金苹果带给了国王的美丽女儿，如今她再也找不到借口了。 —

They cut the Apple of Life in two and ate it together; —
他们将生命之苹果切成两半一起享用； —

and then her heart became full of love for him, and they lived in undisturbed happiness to a great age.
于是她对他充满了爱，他们幸福地生活到了老年。