侏儒妖

侏儒妖

Rumpelstiltskin

在遥远国度的一片树林边，流淌着一条清澈的溪流；溪边矗立着一座磨坊。磨坊主的家就在附近，你得知道，这位磨坊主有一个非常美丽的女儿。

By the side of a wood, in a country a long way off, ran a fine stream of water; and upon the stream there stood a mill. The miller’s house was close by, and the miller, you must know, had a very beautiful daughter.

此外，她还非常精明能干；磨坊主对她引以为傲，有一天，他竟对常来林中打猎的国王说，他的女儿能把稻草纺成金子。

She was, moreover, very shrewd and clever; and the miller was so proud of her, that he one day told the king of the land, who used to come and hunt in the wood, that his daughter could spin gold out of straw.

这位国王非常爱财；当他听到磨坊主的吹嘘后，贪欲大增，于是派人将那姑娘召到面前。

Now this king was very fond of money; and when he heard the miller’s boast his greediness was raised, and he sent for the girl to be brought before him.

接着，他把她带到宫殿里的一间屋子，里面堆着一大堆稻草，又给了她一台纺车，说道：“如果你还爱惜自己的性命，就必须在天亮前把这些稻草全部纺成金子。”

Then he led her to a chamber in his palace where there was a great heap of straw, and gave her a spinning-wheel, and said, ‘All this must be spun into gold before morning, as you love your life.’

可怜的姑娘徒劳地解释说，那不过是她父亲的一句胡话，她根本不会把稻草纺成金子：但房门还是被锁上了，她被独自留在了里面。

It was in vain that the poor maiden said that it was only a silly boast of her father, for that she could do no such thing as spin straw into gold: the chamber door was locked, and she was left alone.

她坐在屋角，开始哀叹自己悲惨的命运；突然，门开了，一个模样滑稽的小矮人一瘸一拐地走了进来，说道：“你好啊，好姑娘；你为什么哭呢？”“唉！”

She sat down in one corner of the room, and began to bewail her hard fate; when on a sudden the door opened, and a droll-looking little man hobbled in, and said, ‘Good morrow to you, my good lass; what are you weeping for?’ ‘Alas!’

她说，“我必须把这些稻草纺成金子，但我不知道怎么做。”“你给我什么，”小妖精说，“我来替你做？”“我的项链，”姑娘回答。他当真了，坐到纺车前，一边吹着口哨一边唱道：

said she, ‘I must spin this straw into gold, and I know not how.’ ‘What will you give me,’ said the hobgoblin, ‘to do it for you?’ ‘My necklace,’ replied the maiden. He took her at her word, and sat himself down to the wheel, and whistled and sang:

“转啊转，转啊转，瞧瞧看！纺啊纺，纺啊纺，稻草变金灿！”

‘Round about, round about, Lo and behold! Reel away, reel away, Straw into gold!’

纺车欢快地转动着；活儿很快就干完了，稻草全都变成了金子。

And round about the wheel went merrily; the work was quickly done, and the straw was all spun into gold.

国王来看时，又惊又喜；但他对财富的贪欲更深了，于是又把磨坊主的女儿关起来，给了她一项新的任务。

When the king came and saw this, he was greatly astonished and pleased; but his heart grew still more greedy of gain, and he shut up the poor miller’s daughter again with a fresh task.

她不知所措，再次坐下哭泣；但矮人很快打开门，说道：“你给我什么，我来替你完成任务？”“我手指上的戒指，”她说。

Then she knew not what to do, and sat down once more to weep; but the dwarf soon opened the door, and said, ‘What will you give me to do your task?’ ‘The ring on my finger,’ said she.

于是她的小朋友拿走戒指，又开始在纺车上干活，一边吹着口哨一边唱道：

So her little friend took the ring, and began to work at the wheel again, and whistled and sang:

“转啊转，转啊转，瞧瞧看！纺啊纺，纺啊纺，稻草变金灿！”

‘Round about, round about, Lo and behold! Reel away, reel away, Straw into gold!’