Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

In a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, the other Ali Baba. Cassim was married to a rich wife and lived in plenty, while Ali Baba had to maintain his wife and children by cutting wood in a neighboring forest and selling it in the town. One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, he saw a troop of men on horseback, coming toward him in a cloud of dust. He was afraid they were robbers, and climbed into a tree for safety. When they came up to him and dismounted, he counted forty of them. They unbridled their horses and tied them to trees. The finest man among them, whom Ali Baba took to be their captain, went a little way among some bushes, and said: “Open, Sesame!” so plainly that Ali Baba heard him. A door opened in the rocks, and having made the troop go in, he followed them, and the door shut again of itself. They stayed some time inside, and Ali Baba, fearing they might come out and catch him, was forced to sit patiently in the tree. At last the door opened again, and the Forty Thieves came out. As the Captain went in last he came out first, and made them all pass by him; he then closed the door, saying: “Shut, Sesame!” Every man bridled his horse and mounted, the Captain put himself at their head, and they returned as they came.

在波斯的一座城镇里住着两兄弟，一个叫卡西姆，另一个叫阿里巴巴。卡西姆娶了一个富有的妻子，生活丰足；而阿里巴巴却不得不靠在附近的森林里砍柴并拿到镇上去卖，来抚养妻子和孩子。有一天，当阿里巴巴在森林里时，他看到一群骑马的人卷着一阵尘土向他走来。他害怕他们是强盗，为了安全便爬上了一棵树。当他们走到他跟前下马时，他数了数，一共有四十个人。他们解开马勒，把马拴在树上。其中最神气的一个人，被阿里巴巴认作是他们的头领，走到一些灌木丛中，说道：“芝麻开门！”声音十分清楚，阿里巴巴听得一清二楚。岩石上随即打开了一扇门，在让那群人进去后，他也跟了进去，石门随后自动关上了。他们在里面待了一段时间，阿里巴巴担心他们会出来抓住自己，只好耐心地坐在树上。终于，石门再次打开，四十大盗走了出来。因为头领是最后一个进去的，所以他第一个出来，并让他们全都从他身边经过；然后他关上门，说道：“芝麻关门！”每个人都给马套上马勒并骑上马，头领带头走在前面，他们按原路返回了。

Then Ali Baba climbed down and went to the door concealed among the bushes, and said: “Open, Sesame!” and it flew open. Ali Baba, who expected a dull, dismal place, was greatly surprised to find it large and well lighted, hollowed by the hand of man in the form of a vault, which received the light from an opening in the ceiling. He saw rich bales of merchandise--silk, stuff-brocades, all piled together, and gold and silver in heaps, and money in leather purses. He went in and the door shut behind him. He did not look at the silver, but brought out as many bags of gold as he thought his asses, which were browsing outside, could carry, loaded them with the bags, and hid it all with fagots. Using the words: “Shut, Sesame!” he closed the door and went home.

随后阿里巴巴爬下树，走到隐藏在灌木丛中的门前，说道：“芝麻开门！”门便一下子开了。阿里巴巴本以为这里会是一个昏暗、阴沉的地方，却非常惊讶地发现它既宽敞又明亮，是由人力凿成的拱形结构，光线从天花板上的一个开口照进来。他看到堆积在一起的昂贵货物包——丝绸、锦缎织物，还有成堆的金银，以及装在皮袋子里的钱财。他走进去，门在他身后关上了。他看都没看银子一眼，只带出了他认为在外面吃草的驴子所能驮载的那么多的金袋，把袋子装在驴背上，并用柴捆把它们全部遮藏起来。他用这句咒语：“芝麻关门！”把门关上，然后回了家。

Then he drove his asses into the yard, shut the gates, carried the money-bags to his wife, and emptied them out before her. He bade her keep the secret, and he would go and bury the gold. “Let me first measure it,” said his wife. “I will go borrow a measure of someone, while you dig the hole.” So she ran to the wife of Cassim and borrowed a measure. Knowing Ali Baba’s poverty, the sister was curious to find out what sort of grain his wife wished to measure, and artfully put some suet at the bottom of the measure. Ali Baba’s wife went home and set the measure on the heap of gold, and filled it and emptied it often, to her great content. She then carried it back to her sister, without noticing that a piece of gold was sticking to it, which Cassim’s wife perceived directly her back was turned. She grew very curious, and said to Cassim when he came home: “Cassim, your brother is richer than you. He does not count his money, he measures it.” He begged her to explain this riddle, which she did by showing him the piece of money and telling him where she found it. Then Cassim grew so envious that he could not sleep, and went to his brother in the morning before sunrise. “Ali Baba,” he said, showing him the gold piece, “you pretend to be poor and yet you measure gold.” By this Ali Baba perceived that through his wife’s folly Cassim and his wife knew their secret, so he confessed all and offered Cassim a share. “That I expect,” said Cassim; “but I must know where to find the treasure, otherwise I will discover all, and you will lose all.” Ali Baba, more out of kindness than fear, told him of the cave, and the very words to use. Cassim left Ali Baba, meaning to be beforehand with him and get the treasure for himself. He rose early next morning, and set out with ten mules loaded with great chests. He soon found the place, and the door in the rock. He said: “Open, Sesame!” and the door opened and shut behind him. He could have feasted his eyes all day on the treasures, but he now hastened to gather together as much of it as possible; but when he was ready to go he could not remember what to say for thinking of his great riches. Instead of “Sesame,” he said: “Open, Barley!” and the door remained fast. He named several different sorts of grain, all but the right one, and the door still stuck fast. He was so frightened at the danger he was in that he had as much forgotten the word as if he had never heard it.

接着他把驴子赶进院子，关上大门，把钱袋搬给妻子，并在她面前倒了出来。他叮嘱她保守秘密，而他要去把金子埋起来。“让我先量一量它吧，”他的妻子说，“你挖坑的时候，我去向别人借个量器。”于是她跑到卡西姆的妻子那里借了一个量器。卡西姆的妻子深知阿里巴巴家境贫困，很好奇他的妻子究竟想量什么粮食，便巧妙地在量器底部放了一些板油。阿里巴巴的妻子回到家，把量器放在那堆金子上，一次又一次地装满倒空，心里非常满意。随后她把量器还给了她的妯娌，却没有注意到上面黏着一枚金币，而卡西姆的妻子在她转过身的一瞬间就发现了。她变得非常好奇，当卡西姆回家时对他说：“卡西姆，你的弟弟比你还要富有。他的钱不是用数的，而是用量的。”他请求她解释这个谜题，她便把那枚金币拿给他看，并告诉他是在哪里发现的。卡西姆嫉妒得彻夜难眠，于是在第二天日出之前就去找他的弟弟。“阿里巴巴，”他拿出那枚金币对他说，“你装作很穷，却在用量器称量黄金。”阿里巴巴由此明白，由于妻子的糊涂，卡西姆和他的妻子已经知道了他们的秘密，于是他招认了一切，并提出分给卡西姆一份。“这本就是我所期望的，”卡西姆说，“但我必须知道在哪里能找到宝藏，否则我会把一切都揭发出来，而你将失去一切。”阿里巴巴出于好心多过恐惧，把洞穴的事情以及该使用的确切咒语告诉了他。卡西姆离开阿里巴巴，打算抢在他前面，独自占有宝藏。第二天清晨他早早起床，带着驮着大箱子的十头骡子出发了。他很快就找到了那个地方和岩石上的门。他说：“芝麻开门！”门便打开了，并在他身后关上。他本可以整天大饱眼福欣赏那些宝藏，但现在他急于尽可能多地收集财宝；然而当他准备离开时，由于满脑子都在想着自己的巨额财富，竟想不起该说什么了。他没有说“芝麻”，而是说了：“大麦开门！”门依然紧闭。他说出了几种不同种类的粮食名称，唯独漏掉了正确的那一个，门仍然牢牢关着。他对自己所处的险境感到非常害怕，以至于完全忘记了那个词，就好像从未听说过一样。