（合集）英文童话故事15篇
无论是身处学校还是步入社会，大家都经常接触到童话吧，童话故事最大的特征是用丰富的想象力，赋予动物、植物等物体人的感情。还苦于找不到优秀的童话故事？下面是小编收集整理的英文童话故事，希望能够帮助到大家。
英文童话故事1
The Miser.
A MISER sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried in a hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to look at daily. One of his workmen observed his frequent visits to the spot and decided to watch his movements. He soon discovered the secret of the hidden treasure, and digging down, came to the lump of gold, and stole it. The Miser, on his next visit, found the hole empty and began to tear his hair and to make loud lamentations.
A neighbor, seeing him overcome with grief and learning the cause, said, "Pray do not grieve so; but go and take a stone, and place it in the hole, and fancy that the gold is still lying there. It will do you quite the same service; for when the gold was there, you had it not, as you did not make the slightest use of it."
英文童话故事2
There was a sturdy ram1 with a pair of thick horns upright on its head.
It strutted2 about proudly and saw a fence built with bamboo and wood in front, which blocked its way. It cast a sidelong glance at the fence, lowered its neck and lunged at the fence, hoping to knock it down. The fence remained intact but the ram injured its own horns.
If it had not injured its horns, the ram would have persisted obstinately3 in butting4 against the fence, even against the spokes5 of a wheel until it bled with a fractured skull6.
As a result, with its horns caught in the fence, the ram could neither advance nor retreat but bleat7 helplessly.
一头长得非常雄壮的公羊的`头上，挺立着一对粗大的犄角。
公羊骄傲地踱着步，看见前面有一道竹木编成的篱笆挡住了它的去路。公羊斜着眼睛看看，便弯下脖子呼的一声撞上去，想把篱笆撞倒。结果篱笆纹丝不动，反把自己的犄角碰上了。
假如公羊没有碰伤犄角的话，那么它还会一个劲儿地撞下去，甚至向车轮的辐条上撞去，直到头破血流为止。
结果呢？公羊的犄角被篱笆夹住，进也不得，退也不得，只能“咩咩”不停地叫唤。
英文童话故事3
"That's good！" The little ant shook his antennae and looked left and right. He climbed up the leaves and began to work hard.
"Haha， I have a new house！" Under the leaves， a happy voice came out.
"The cave is not good？ Why do you want to live here？ " A grasshopper skipped over.
"The cave is too crowded. Look at how spacious it is！" The little ant whistled.
The warm sunlight fell down like a golden belt and shone on the leaves. The little ant lay down and fell asleep.
"It is it！" The big Mantis came and circled around the leaves. He's going to find a leaf and make a broom.
The big Mantis carries the leaves and leaves happily.The small ant slept in the golden sun.
英文童话故事4
King mountain is a monster, and he likes to eat little animals. In winter, the king of the mountain went to hunt with a slingshot on his back. He didn't hit an animal.
The king saw a small fish in the lake, for the other big fish were eaten by the king of the mountain. The king of the mountain saw a little bird in the woods. "Come on, he's too small to eat him." The king returned home and felt the half of the bread in his pocket. The king of the mountain cried, "how poor I am, hungry, cold, and lonely." The little bird flew in through the hole in the window. The little bird also cried, "I'm hungry, I'm cold, and I'm lonely, too." "Don't cry," said the king. "Let's eat these bread crumbs." The little bird took the crumbs and flew out. The king of the mountain felt strange and went out: "where will the little bird go?" the little bird threw the crumbs into the water. "The little bird was the little fish that left the crumbs to the lake." The king of the mountain ran home and held a big basin. He put the little fish into the bowl and ran home. The king of the mountain said, "will you spend the winter with me in my broken house, will you?" the little bird and the little fish said, "yes."
The king of the mountain began to bake bread. He thought, "from then on, I'd like to eat bread with little birds and little fish." The king no longer eats small animals, and he is no longer alone.
山大王是个怪物，最喜欢吃小动物。 冬天，山大王又背上弹弓去打猎。他一只动物也没打到。
山大王看见湖里有一条小鱼，因为别的大鱼都被山大王吃光了。山大王又看见树林里有一只小小鸟。 “算了，他太小，不吃他了吧。”山大王回到家里，摸出口袋里的.半个面包。山大王哭了起来：“我多么可怜，又饿、又冷、又孤单。” 小小鸟从窗户的破洞里飞了进来。小小鸟也哭着：“我也饿，我也冷，我也孤单。”山大王说：“别哭了，这些面包屑给你吃吧。” 小小鸟衔起面包屑，飞了出去。山大王觉得奇怪，跟了出去：“小小鸟要去哪里呢?”小小鸟把面包屑丢进水里去。 山大王这才明白：“原来，小小鸟是把面包屑留给湖里的小小鱼呀。”山大王跑回家，捧来一只大盆。他把小小鱼接进盆里，跑回家去。 山大王说：“请你们在我的破屋里，和我一起过冬天，行吗?小小鸟和小小鱼都说：“行。”
山大王开始烤面包。他想：“从此以后，我要和小小鸟、小小鱼一起吃面包。”山大王再也不吃小动物了，他也不再感到孤单了。
英文童话故事5
In the past, the little white rabbit's body and eyes were brown, and all the people looked down upon them, but they were very united, and there was no one in the family who did not know each other. But they were so afraid of humans that they lived in seclusion in the mountains.
One day, people discovered them and led a group of people to surround them and catch them. It turns out that a few days ago, the village came a monster, monster command people, every year to offer tribute, otherwise, will kill the people in the village, this year, they unexpectedly found a rabbit, decided to let them do a tribute, so they go back.
At last it was time to give the monster a tribute, two strong boys, carrying these heavy rabbits, and quickly sent them to the monster. On the way, a little rabbit came to the world and asked her mother, "mom, where are we going?" The mother did not answer, and soon they came to the monster's palace. The two young men put the offerings on the door, and they ran away.
Monster came out at this moment, he looks terrible, with the sting of the scorpion in his head, and it has three face, a face has an eye, have three eyes and a face another face has 10 eyes! He had five hands, covered with blood, and shuddered.
Only the newborn rabbit was not sensible, and was still happily playing around, when the monster mumbled in a terrible voice: "hungry, which one to eat first? Eat the small one first." So he reached out his hand and just wanted to catch the rabbit, and his mother suddenly stopped in front of him and said, "you can't touch my child!" The monster say: "I don't eat it what do I eat?" With that, he waved his mother to the wall, and she cried out, "eat me before you eat! Don't move my child! At this time, a robust rabbit said: "no, or eat me first! You have a good health. The monster has a kind to eat me first!" "Yes, eat me first!" Other rabbits rush to say. The monster roar way: "I nobody eat, I eat small!"
Monster go catch a rabbit, the rabbit was afraid, loudly call mother, rabbits and other rabbits mother rushed forward, hit a monster, the monster was knocked down, and immediately stood up, snapped roared: "I'll eat you all!" "Stop!" A stern voice came out, ah! God came, he said solemnly, "you this monster, in the world for evil, see how I punish you!" With a monster down the god waved, the rabbit body turned white, his eyes became red, god delighted to say again: "the white for you have a holy heart, and red represent your solidarity."
Then god disappeared, just as it had come.
英文童话故事6
One morning, grandpa told the rabbit rabbit defeat the true story of a rabbit family, said that when the running champion flag fall on the turtle family, the small rabbit never could resist anger in my heart, suddenly stood up and said, I want to get him back! He rushed out to the turtle house and said, "I want to run with you." "Better than that! "It's a deal! "It's just an island! It's only better than rowing." "I am a sportsman, more than anything else." The little rabbit pat on the chest, indeed the rabbit sports score is the first in the island. They each made a boat out to sea. "I'm a turtle, but I don't need a boat." The turtle kept muttering to himself. "Wait a minute, ref." "Cried the rabbit. Then grandpa rabbit came. Needless to say, he was the only judge. "Ready... The two ships started almost at the same time, and their boat sailed into the sea, when the waves surged, "not good." It was just trying to turn the bow back. But it was late, their ship was struck by the waves mercilessly...
"Are you all right? "Good." When they woke up, they found themselves on a deserted island. There was no one on the island, but the fruit trees were much better. They found a treasure map below. "this is a treasure island. The treasure is hidden on the mountain. Let's go up the hill!" "Set off!
They climbed up the hill and found a voice on the mountain. There were two people in front of them. "it's a bear gang, the world knows it." One of the two was as strong as an ox, and a crafty man. "It must have been for the treasure." "We will find them before them." At that time, the little turtle was lazy, and he stayed there. Suddenly, a door opened slowly behind the turtle, and the little turtle crept into it with curiosity. The inside was so dark that the rabbit chased it in. The door was closed and the hole lit up, and there was a treasure chest in front of them. The little turtle ran forward, and there was a blanket and a golden pot in the box. "what is it for?" The two men threw themselves on the blankets and sat up and said, "this blanket will fly." The blanket started slowly. "I am a blanket, and I can change any vehicle." "Screamed the rabbit." it's a treasure!"
The bear gang is on a helicopter, chasing the turtles, "the wanghu carpet fighter." The kaleidoscope turned into a fighter jet. A missile flew to the helicopter. The helicopter shot down. What's the use of this pot?" "I am the lamp, can realize your three wishes." "We want some food." There was a lot of food in front of them. "We're going home." Soon they were back home. "We have no bad people in the world." After a while, all the bad guys disappeared. Since then the world has become more peaceful, and they have not only become good friends, but also the warriors of the world, and a magic carpet to send them to school.
英文童话故事7
these two different versions of Cinderella, I found there are many similarities and differences between them.
First, I will go over the common things that these two books have. They both have very similar characteristics. For example, Cinderella is always a very beautiful and nice girl. She has to do all the hard and dirty work under the discipline of bad characters. Bad characters are commonly involved in these stories. For example, Yeh-Shen had a wicked stepmother, who promoted her own child, but was very mean to her. Rhodopis, a Greek slave girl living in Egypt, had her companion servants who made fun of her appearance and kept distance from her.
Second, they have both have a similar plot and theme. Both stories have a good ending toward their destiny. In both versions of Cinderella, they finally get great rewards and marry to the royalties.
Third, there are always some belongings being taken away from Cinderella. Elegant dresses, shoes, and rose-red slippers often play important roles in these stories. For example, in the Chinese version of Cinderella, Yeh-shen lost the gold shoes in a huge parade. The king got the shoes and found a long way to find the right person who could fit in it.
Fourth, they are all attributed to the supernatural or animals. In the Chinese version of Cinderella, Yeh-Shen was helped by the Fish spirit, and Rhodopis was helped by the falcon. Fifth, the most but not the least, they are both illustrated by beautiful colors and textures to describe the story of Cinderella.
This is especially true in the story of the Egyptian Cinderella, which presents great details of life in ancient Egypt. Certainly, there are also some differences between these two books. The Egyptian Cinderella was based on a true story of ancient Egypt to some extent .
This is unlike other fairy tales, which use a lot of imagination. In the history of ancient Egypt, Rhodopis did marry to the King Pharaoh Amasis. Furthermore, there is no punishment to bad characters in the Eg.
英文童话故事8
There was once an old castle， that stood in the middle of a deep gloomy wood， and in the castle lived an old fairy. Now this fairy could take any shape she pleased. All the day long she flew about in the form of an owl， or crept about the country like a cat; but at night she always became an old woman again. When any young man came within a hundred paces of her castle， he became quite fixed， and could not move a step till she came and set him free; which she would not do till he had given her his word never to come there again： but when any pretty maiden came within that space she was changed into a bird， and the fairy put her into a cage， and hung her up in a chamber in the castle. There were seven hundred of these cages hanging in the castle， and all with beautiful birds in them.
Now there was once a maiden whose name was Jorinda. She was prettier than all the pretty girls that ever were seen before， and a shepherd lad， whose name was Jorindel， was very fond of her， and they were soon to be married. One day they went to walk in the wood， that they might be alone; and Jorindel said， We must take care that we dont go too near to the fairys castle. It was a beautiful evening; the last rays of the setting sun shone bright through the long stems of the trees upon the green underwood beneath， and the turtle-doves sang from the tall birches.
Jorinda sat down to gaze upon the sun; Jorindel sat by her side; and both felt sad， they knew not why; but it seemed as if they were to be parted from one another for ever. They had wandered a long way; and when they looked to see which way they should go home， they found themselves at a loss to know what path to take.
英文童话故事9
Mr. Carrisford was rich. He had diamond mines. "I caught brain fever when the diamond mines seemed to go wrong. Before long I recovered. But my best friend was already dead. I must find my friend's daughter. She must be alive somewhere. She may be penniless now. Oh, it is through my fault," Mr. Carrisford said to Ram Dass. "How about helping the little girl in the attic, Sir? "That will make you feel better," said Ram Dass. "That's a good idea. It will make her happy, too," said Mr. Carrisford with a smile. Sara was crossing the muddy street. Just then she found something shining in the mud. It was a four-penny piece! Then she saw a little girl with a dirty face and big, hungry eyes. "Are you hungry?" asked Sara
英文童话故事10
Red and red rabbits learn to run with teacher ma. The teacher took the red horse ran on, they went through the woods, they crossed a small hill near Red tired sweaty.
How he wished he could stop and have a good rest. The red and red gradually fell behind, and one accidentally stumbled on the ground by a pile of wood. This is not a light fall, even the new clothes are broken, red and red pain to cry loudly. Teacher Ma heard crying back immediately back, said: "red, stick to the victory, a little difficult to shrink back certainly not, to be strong Oh." Red and red listened to the teacher's words, stood up from the ground, and the parrot on the tree encouraged, "red, come on! You will be successful." "
Get a nod of red and red, dry your tears and go ahead. Later, the red rabbit cry in the forest games won the running champion, he can be excited!
小兔红红跟着马老师学习长跑。马老师带着红红一边跑一边讲解，他们穿过了一片小树林，又越过了一座小山坡，不久红红就累得汗流浃背了。
他多么希望能够停下来，好好休息一会儿啊。 红红渐渐落后了，一不小心被一个木桩狠狠地绊倒在了地上。这一下可摔得不轻，连新衣服都磕破了，红红痛得大声哭 了起来。马老师听到哭声马上返了回来，说：“红红，坚持才能胜利，碰到一点困难就退缩肯定不行，要坚强哦。” 红红听了老师的'话，从地上站了起来，树上的鹦鹉也鼓 励道：“红红，加油!你一定会成功的。“
红红点了点头，擦干眼泪继续向前跑。后来呀，哭鼻子的小兔红红在森林运动会上赢得了长跑冠军，他可兴奋啦!
英文童话故事11
The Invisible Prince
Once upon a time there lived a Fairy who had power over the earth, the sea, fire, and the air; and this Fairy had four sons. The eldest, who was quick and lively, with a vivid imagination, she made Lord of Fire, which was in her opinion the noblest of all the elements. To the second son, whose wisdom and prudence made amends for his being rather dull, she gave the government of the earth. The third was wild and savage, and of monstrous stature; and the Fairy, his mother, who was ashamed of his defects, hoped to hide them by creating him King of the Seas. The youngest, who was the slave of his passions and of a very uncertain temper, became Prince of the Air.
Being the youngest, he was naturally his mother's favourite; but this did not blind her to his weaknesses, and she foresaw that some day he would suffer much pain through falling in love. So she thought the best thing she could do was to bring him up with a horror of women; and, to her great delight, she saw this dislike only increased as he grew older. From his earliest childhood he heard nothing but stories of princes who had fallen into all sorts of troubles through love; and she drew such terrible pictures of poor little Cupid that the young man had no difficulty in believing that he was the root of all evil.
All the time that this wise mother could spare from filling her son with hatred for all womenkind she passed in giving him a love of the pleasures of the chase, which henceforth became his chief joy. For his amusement she had made a new forest, planted with the most splendid trees, and turned loose in it every animal that could be found in any of the four quarters of the globe. In the midst of this forest she built a palace which had not its equal for beauty in the whole world, and then she considered that she had done enough to make any prince happy.
Now it is all very well to abuse the God of Love, but a man cannot struggle against his fate. In his secret heart the Prince got tired of his mother's constant talk on this subject; and when one day she quitted the palace to attend to some business, begging him never to go beyond the grounds, he at once jumped at the chance of disobeying her.
Left to himself the Prince soon forgot the wise counsels of his mother, and feeling very much bored with his own company, he ordered some of the spirits of the air to carry him to the court of a neighbouring sovereign. This kingdom was situated in the Island of Roses, where the climate is so delicious that the grass is always green and the flowers always sweet. The waves, instead of beating on the rocks, seemed to die gently on the shore; clusters of golden bushes covered the land, and the vines were bent low with grapes.
The King of this island had a daughter named Rosalie, who was more lovely than any girl in the whole world. No sooner had the eyes of the Prince of the Air rested on her than h
e forgot all the terrible woes which had been prophesied to him ever since he was born, for in one single moment the plans of years are often upset. He instantly began to think how best to make himself happy, and the shortest way that occurred to him was to have Rosalie carried off by his attendant spirits.
It is easy to imagine the feelings of the King when he found that his daughter had vanished. He wept her loss night and day, and his only comfort was to talk over it with a young and unknown prince, who had just arrived at the Court. Alas! he did not know what a deep interest the stranger had in Rosalie, for he too had seen her, and had fallen a victim to her charms.
One day the King, more sorrowful than usual, was walking sadly along the sea-shore, when after a long silence the unknown Prince, who was his only companion, suddenly spoke. 'There is no evil without a remedy,' he said to the unhappy father; 'and if you will promise me your daughter in marriage, I will undertake to bring her back to you.'
'You are trying to soothe me by vain promises,' answered the King. 'Did I not see her caught up into the air, in spite of cries which would have softened the heart of any one but the barbarian who has robbed me of her? The unfortunate girl is pining away in some unknown land, where perhaps no foot of man has ever trod, and I shall see her no more. But go, generous stranger; bring back Rosalie if you can, and live happy with her ever after in this country, of which I now declare you heir.'
Although the stranger's name and rank were unknown to Rosalie's father, he was really the son of the King of the Golden Isle, which had for capital a city that extended from one sea to another. The walls, washed by the quiet waters, were covered with gold, which made one think of the yellow sands. Above them was a rampart of orange and lemon trees, and all the streets were paved with gold.
The King of this beautiful island had one son, for whom a life of adventure had been foretold at his birth. This so frightened his father and mother that in order to comfort them a Fairy, who happened to be present at the time, produced a little pebble which she told them to keep for the Prince till he grew up, as by putting it in his mouth he would become invisible, as long as he did not try to speak, for if he did the stone would lose all its virtue. In this way the good fairy hoped that the Prince would be protected against all dangers.
No sooner did the Prince begin to grow out of boyhood than he longed to see if the other countries of the world were as splendid as the one in which he lived. So, under pretence of visiting some small islands that belonged to his father, he set out. But a frightful storm drove his ship on to unknown shores, where most of his followers were put to death by the savages, and the Prince himself only managed to escape by making use of his magic pebble. By this means he passed thro
ugh the midst of them unseen, and wandered on till he reached the coast, where he re-embarked on board his ship.
The first land he sighted was the Island of Roses, and he went at once to the court of the King, Rosalie's father. The moment his eyes beheld the Princess, he fell in love with her like everyone else.
He had already spent several months in this condition when the Prince of the Air whirled her away, to the grief and despair of every man on the island. But sad though everybody was, the Prince of the Golden Isle was perfectly inconsolable, and he passed both days and nights in bemoaning his loss.
'Alas!' he cried; 'shall I never see my lovely Princess again?' Who knows where she may be, and what fairy may have her in his keeping? I am only a man, but I am strong in my love, and I will seek the whole world through till I find her.'
So saying, he left the court, and made ready for his journey.
He travelled many weary days without hearing a single word of the lost Princess, till one morning, as he was walking through a thick forest, he suddenly perceived a magnificent palace standing at the end of a pine avenue, and his heart bounded to think that he might be gazing on Rosalie's prison. He hastened his steps, and quickly arrived at the gate of the palace, which was formed of a single agate. The gate swung open to let him through, and he next passed successively three courts, surrounded by deep ditches filled with running water, with birds of brilliant plumage flying about the banks. Everything around was rare and beautiful, but the Prince scarcely raised his eyes to all these wonders. He thought only of the Princess and where he should find her, but in vain he opened every door and searched in every corner; he neither saw Rosalie nor anyone else. At last there was no place left for him to search but a little wood, which contained in the centre a sort of hall built entirely of orange-trees, with four small rooms opening out of the corners. Three of these were empty except for statues and wonderful things, but in the fourth the Invisible Prince caught sight of Rosalie. His joy at beholding her again was, however, somewhat lessened by seeing that the Prince of the Air was kneeling at her feet, and pleading his own cause. But it was in vain that he implored her to listen; she only shook her head. 'No,' was all she would say; 'you snatched me from my father whom I loved, and all the splendour in the world can never console me. Go! I can never feel anything towards you but hate and contempt.' With these words she turned away and entered her own apartments.
Unknown to herself the Invisible Prince had followed her, but fearing to be discovered by the Princess in the presence of others, he made up his mind to wait quietly till dark; and employed the long hours in writing a poem to the Princess, which he laid on the bed beside her. This done, he thought of nothing but how best to delive
r Rosalie, and he resolved to take advantage of a visit which the Prince of the Air paid every year to his mother and brothers in order to strike the blow.
One day Rosalie was sitting alone in her room thinking of her troubles when she suddenly saw a pen get up from off the desk and begin to write all by itself on a sheet of white paper. As she did not know that it was guided by an invisible hand she was very much astonished, and the moment that the pen had ceased to move she instantly went over to the table, where she found some lovely verses, telling her that another shared her distresses, whatever they might be, and loved her with all his heart; and that he would never rest until he had delivered her from the hands of the man she hated. Thus encouraged, she told him all her story, and of the arrival of a young stranger in her father's palace, whose looks had so charmed her that since that day she had thought of no one else. At these words the Prince could contain himself no longer. He took thepebble from his mouth, and flung himself at Rosalie's feet.
When they had got over the first rapture of meeting they began to make plans to escape from the power of the Prince of the Air. But this did not prove easy, for the magic stone would only serve for one person at a time, and in order to save Rosalie the Prince of the Golden Isle would have to expose himself to the fury of his enemy. But Rosalie would not hear of this.
'No, Prince,' she said; 'since you are here this island no longer feels a prison. Besides, you are under the protection of a Fairy, who always visits your father's court at this season. Go instantly and seek her, and when she is found implore the gift of another stone with similar powers. Once you have that, there will be no further difficulty in the way of escape.'
The Prince of the Air returned a few days later from his mother's palace, but the Invisible Prince had already set out. He had, however, entirely forgotten the road by which he had come, and lost himself for so long in the forest, that when at last he reached home the Fairy had already left, and, in spite of all his grief, there was nothing for it but to wait till the Fairy's next visit, and allow Rosalie to suffer three months longer. This thought drove him to despair, and he had almost made up his mind to return to the place of her captivity, when one day, as he was strolling along an alley in the woods, he saw a huge oak open its trunk, and out of it step two Princes in earnest conversation. As our hero had the magic stone in his mouth they imagined themselves alone, and did not lower their voices.
'What!' said one, 'are you always going to allow yourself to be tormented by a passion which can never end happily, and in your whole kingdom can you find nothing else to satisfy you?'
'What is the use,' replied the other, 'of being Prince of the Gnomes, and having a mother who is queen over all the four elem
ents, if I cannot win the love of the Princess Argentine? From the moment that I first saw her, sitting in the forest surrounded by flowers, I have never ceased to think of her night and day, and, although I love her, I am quite convinced that she will never care for me. You know that I have in my palace the cabinets of the years. In the first, great mirrors reflect the past; in the second, we contemplate the present; in the third, the future can be read. It was here that I fled after I had gazed on the Princess Argentine, but instead of love I only saw scorn and contempt. Think how great must be my devotion, when, in spite of my fate, I still love on!'
Now the Prince of the Golden Isle was enchanted with this conversation, for the Princess Argentine was his sister, and he hoped, by means of her influence over the Prince of the Gnomes, to obtain from his brother the release of Rosalie. So he joyfully returned to his father's palace, where he found his friend the Fairy, who at once presented him with a magic pebble like his own. As may be imagined, he lost no time in setting out to deliver Rosalie, and travelled so fast that he soon arrived at the forest, in the midst of which she lay a captive. But though he found the palace he did not find Rosalie. He hunted high and low, but there was no sign of her, and his despair was so great that he was ready, a thousand times over, to take his own life. At last he remembered the conversation of the two Princes about the cabinets of the years, and that if he could manage to reach the oak tree, he would be certain to discover what had become of Rosalie. Happily, he soon found out the secret of the passage and entered the cabinet of the present, where he saw reflected in the mirrors the unfortunate Rosalie sitting on the floor weeping bitterly, and surrounded with genii, who never left her night or day.
This sight only increased the misery of the Prince, for he did not know where the castle was, nor how to set about finding it. However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place. He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea. He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits. The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island. But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him! His curiosity was instantly roused, and he advanced cautiously till he saw two huge dragons guarding the gate of a wood. They were terrible indeed to look upon. Their bodies were covered with glittering scales; their curly tails extended far over the la
nd; flames darted from their mouths and noses, and their eyes would have made the bravest shudder; but as the Prince was invisible and they did not see him, he slipped past them into the wood. He found himself at once in a labyrinth, and wandered about for a long time without meeting anyone; in fact, the only sight he saw was a circle of human hands, sticking out of the ground above the wrist, each with a bracelet of gold, on which a name was written. The farther he advanced in the labyrinth the more curious he became, till he was stopped by two corpses lying in the midst of a cypress alley, each with a scarlet cord round his neck and a bracelet on his arm on which were engraved their own names, and those of two Princesses.
The invisible Prince recognised these dead men as Kings of two large islands near his own home, but the names of the Princesses were unknown to him. He grieved for their unhappy fate, and at once proceeded to bury them; but no sooner had he laid them in their graves, than their hands started up through the earth and remained sticking up like those of their fellows.
The Prince went on his way, thinking about this strange adventure, when suddenly at the turn of the walk he perceived a tall man whose face was the picture of misery, holding in his hands a silken cord of the exact colour of those round the necks of the dead men. A few steps further this man came up with another as miserable to the full as he himself; they silently embraced, and then without a word passed the cords round their throats, and fell dead side by side. In vain the Prince rushed to their assistance and strove to undo the cord. He could not loosen it; so he buried them like the others and continued his path.
He felt, however, that great prudence was necessary, or he himself might become the victim of some enchantment; and he was thankful to slip past the dragons, and enter a beautiful park, with clear streams and sweet flowers, and a crowd of men and maidens. But he could not forget the terrible things he had seen, and hoped eagerly for a clue to the mystery. Noticing two young people talking together, he drew near thinking that he might get some explanation of what puzzled him. And so he did.
'You swear,' said the Prince, 'that you will love me till you die, but I fear your faithless heart, and I feel that I shall soon have to seek the Fairy Despair, ruler of half this island. She carries off the lovers who have been cast away by their mistresses, and wish to have done with life. She places them in a labyrinth where they are condemned to walk for ever, with a bracelet on their arms and a cord round their necks, unless they meet another as miserable as themselves. Then the cord is pulled and they lie where they fall, till they are buried by the first passer by. Terrible as this death would be,' added the Prince, 'it would be sweeter than life if I had lost your love.'
The sight of all these happy lovers
only made the Prince grieve the more, and he wandered along the seashore spending his days; but one day he was sitting on a rock bewailing his fate, and the impossibility of leaving the island, when all in a moment the sea appeared to raise itself nearly to the skies, and the caves echoed with hideous screams. As he looked a woman rose from the depths of the sea, flying madly before a furious giant. The cries she uttered softened the heart of the Prince; he took the stone from his mouth, and drawing his sword he rushed after the giant, so as to give the lady time to escape. But hardly had he come within reach of the enemy, than the giant touched him with a ring that he held in his hand, and the Prince remained immovable where he stood. The giant then hastily rejoined his prey, and, seizing her in his arms, he plunged her into the sea. Then he sent some tritons to bind chains about the Prince of the Golden Isle, and he too felt himself borne to the depths of the ocean, and without the hope of ever again seeing the Princess.
Now the giant whom the invisible had so rashly attacked was the Lord of the Sea, and the third son of the Queen of the Elements, and he had touched the youth with a magic ring which enabled a mortal to live under water. So the Prince of the Golden Isle found, when bound in chains by the tritons, he was carried through the homes of strange monsters and past immense seaweed forests, till he reached a vast sandy space, surrounded by huge rocks. On the tallest of the rocks sat the giant as on a throne.
'Rash mortal,' said he, when the Prince was dragged before him, 'you have deserved death, but you shall live only to suffer more cruelly. Go, and add to the number of those whom it is my pleasure to torture.'
At these words the unhappy Prince found himself tied to a rock; but he was not alone in his misfortunes, for all round him were chained Princes and Princesses, whom the giant had led captive. Indeed, it was his chief delight to create a storm, in order to add to thelist of his prisoners.
As his hands were fastened, it was impossible for the Prince of the Golden Isle to make use of his magic stone, and he passed his nights and days dreaming of Rosalie. But at last the time came when the giant took it into his head to amuse himself by arranging fights between some of his captives. Lots were drawn, and one fell upon our Prince, whose chains were immediately loosened. The moment he was set free, he snatched up his stone, and became invisible.
The astonishment of the giant at the sudden disappearance of the Prince may well be imagined. He ordered all the passages to be watched, but it was too late, for the Prince had already glided between two rocks. He wandered for a long while through the forests, where he met nothing but fearful monsters; he climbed rock after rock, steered his way from tree to tree, till at length he arrived at the edge of the sea, at the foot of a mountain that he remembered to have seen in the cabinet of the present, where Rosalie was held captive.
Filled with joy, he made his way to the top of the mountain which pierced the clouds, and there he found a palace. He entered, and in the middle of a long gallery he discovered a crystal room, in the midst of which sat Rosalie, guarded night and day by genii. There was no door anywhere, nor any window. At this sight the Prince became more puzzled than ever, for he did not know how he was to warn Rosalie of his return. Yet it broke his heart to see her weeping from dawn till dark.
One day, as Rosalie was walking up and down her room, she was surprised to see that the crystal which served for a wall had grown cloudy, as if some one had breathed on it, and, what was more, wherever she moved the brightness of the crystal always became clouded. This was enough to cause the Princess to suspect that her lover had returned. In order to set the Prince of the Air's mind at rest she began by being very gracious to him, so that when she begged that her captivity might be a little lightened she should not be refused. At first the only favour she asked was to be allowed to walk for one hour every day up and down the long gallery. This was granted, and the Invisible Prince speedily took the opportunity of handing her the stone, which she at once slipped into her mouth. No words can paint the fury of her captor at her disappearance. He ordered the spirits of the air to fly through all space, and to bring back Rosalie wherever she might be. They instantly flew off to obey his commands, and spread themselves over the whole earth.
Meantime Rosalie and the Invisible Prince had reached, hand in hand, a door of the gallery which led through a terrace into the gardens. In silence they glided along, and thought themselves already safe, when a furious monster dashed itself by accident against Rosalie and the Invisible Prince, and in her fright she let go his hand. No one can speak as long as he is invisible, and besides, they knew that the spirits were all around them, and at the slightest sound they would be recognised; so all they could do was to feel about in the hope that their hands might once more meet.
But, alas! the joy of liberty lasted but a short time. The Princess, having wandered in vain up and down the forest, stopped at last on the edge of a fountain. As she walked she wrote on the trees: 'If ever the Prince, my lover, comes this way, let him know that it is here I dwell, and that I sit daily on the edge of this fountain, mingling my tears with its waters.'
These words were read by one of the genii, who repeated them to his master. The Prince of the Air, in his turn making himself invisible, was led to the fountain, and waited for Rosalie. When she drew near he held out his hand, which she grasped eagerly, taking it for that of her lover; and, seizing his opportunity, the Prince passed a cord round her arms,
and throwing off his invisibility cried to his spirits to drag her into the lowest pit.
It was at this moment that the Invisible Prince appeared, and at the sight of the Prince of the Genii mounting into the air, holding a silken cord, he guessed instantly that he was carrying off Rosalie.
He felt so overwhelmed by despair that he thought for an instant of putting an end to his life. 'Can I survive my misfortunes?' he cried. 'I fancied I had come to an end of my troubles, and now they are worse than ever. What will become of me? Never can I discover the place where this monster will hide Rosalie.'
The unhappy youth had determined to let himself die, and indeed his sorrow alone was enough to kill him, when the thought that by means of the cabinets of the years he might find out where the Princess was imprisoned, gave him a little ray of comfort. So he continued to walk on through the forest, and after some hours he arrived at the gate of a temple, guarded by two huge lions. Being invisible, he was able to enter unharmed. In the middle of the temple was an altar, on which lay a book, and behind the altar hung a great curtain. The Prince approached the altar and opened the book, which contained the names of all the lovers in the world: and in it he read that Rosalie had been carried off by the Prince of the Air to an abyss which had no entrance except the one that lay by way of the Fountain of Gold.
Now, as the Prince had not the smallest idea where this fountain was to be found, it might be thought that he was not much nearer Rosalie than before. This was not, however, the view taken by the Prince.
'Though every step that I take may perhaps lead me further from her,' he said to himself, 'I am still thankful to know that she is alive somewhere.'
On leaving the temple the Invisible Prince saw six paths lying before him, each of which led through the wood. He was hesitating which to choose, when he suddenly beheld two people coming towards him, down the track which lay most to his right. They turned out to be the Prince Gnome and his friend, and the sudden desire to get some news of his sister, Princess Argentine, caused the Invisible Prince to follow them and to listen to their conversation.
'Do you think,' the Prince Gnome was saying, 'do you think that I would not break my chains if I could? I know that the Princess Argentine will never love me, yet each day I feel her dearer still. And as if this were not enough, I have the horror of feeling that she probably loves another. So I have resolved to put myself out of my pain by means of the Golden Fountain. A single drop of its water falling on the sand around will trace the name of my rival in her heart. I dread the test, and yet this very dread convinces me of my misfortune.'
It may be imagined that after listening to these words the Invisible Prince followed Prince Gnome like his shadow, and after walking some
time they arrived at the Golden Fountain. The unhappy lover stooped down with a sigh, and dipping his finger in the water let fall a drop on the sand. It instantly wrote the name of Prince Flame, his brother. The shock of this discovery was so real, that Prince Gnome sank fainting into the arms of his friend.
Meanwhile the Invisible Prince was turning over in his mind how he could best deliver Rosalie. As, since he had been touched by the Giant's ring, he had the power to live in the water as well as on land, he at once dived into the fountain. He perceived in one corner a door leading into the mountain, and at the foot of the mountain was a high rock on which was fixed an iron ring with a cord attached. The Prince promptly guessed that the cord was used to chain the Princess, and drew his sword and cut it. In a moment he felt the Princess's hand in his, for she had always kept her magic pebble in her mouth, in spite of the prayers and entreaties of the Prince of the Air to make herself visible.
So hand in hand the invisible Prince and Rosalie crossed the mountain; but as the Princess had no power of living under water, she could not pass the Golden Fountain. Speechless and invisible they clung together on the brink, trembling at the frightful tempest the Prince of the Air had raised in his fury. The storm had already lasted many days when tremendous heat began to make itself felt. The lightning flashed, the thunder rattled, fire bolts fell from heaven, burning up the forests and even the fields of corn. In one instant the very streams were dried up, and the Prince, seizing his opportunity, carried the Princess over the Golden Fountain.
It took them a long time still to reach the Golden Isle, but at last they got there, and we may be quite sure they never wanted to leave it any more.
英文童话故事12
THE ELFIN HILL
A FEW large lizards were running nimbly about in the clefts of an old tree. They could understand one another very well, for they spoke the lizard language. "What a buzzing and a rumbling there is in the elfin hill," said one of the lizards.
"I have not been able to close my eyes for two nights on account of the noise; I might just as well have had the toothache, for that always keeps me awake."
"There is something going on within there," said the other lizard; "they propped up the top of the hill with four red posts, till cockcrowthis morning, so that it is thoroughly aired, and the elfin girls have learnt new dances; there is something."
"I spoke about it to an earthworm of my acquaintance," said a third lizard; "the earthworm had just come from the elfin hill, where he has been groping about in the earth day and night. He has heard a great deal; although he cannot see, poor miserable creature, yet he understands very well how to wriggle and lurk about. They expect friends in the elfin hill, grand company, too; but who they are the earthworm would not say, or, perhaps, he really did not know. All the willo'thewisps are ordered to be there to hold a torch dance, as it is called. The silver and gold which is plentiful in the hill will be polished and placed out in the moonlight."
"Who can the strangers be?" asked the lizards; "what can the matter be? Hark, what a buzzing and humming there is!"
Just at this moment the elfin hill opened, and an old elfin maiden, hollow behind, came tripping out; she was the old elf king's housekeeper, and a distant relative of the family; therefore she wore an amber heart on the middle of her forehead. Her feet moved very fast, "trip, trip;" good gracious, how she could trip right down to the sea to the nightraven.
"You are invited to the elf hill for this evening," said she; "but will you do me a great favor and undertake the invitations? you oughtto do something, for you have no housekeeping to attend to as I have. We are going to have some very grand people, conjurors, who have always something to say; and therefore the old elf king wishes to make a great display."
"Who is to be invited?" asked the raven.
"All the world may come to the great ball, even human beings, if they can only talk in their sleep, or do something after our fashion. But for the feast the company must be carefully selected; we can only admit persons of high rank; I have had a dispute myself with the elf king, as he thought we could not admit ghosts. The merman and his daughter must be invited first, although it may not be agreeable to them to remain so long on dry land, but they shall have a wet stone to sit on, or perhaps something better; so I think they will not refuse this time. We must have all the old demons of the first class, with tails, and the hobgoblins and imps; and then I think we ought not to leave out the deathhorse, or the gravepig, or even the church dwarf, although they do belong to the clergy, and are not reckoned among our people; but that is merely their office, they are nearly related to us, and visit us very frequently."
"Croak," said the nightraven as he flew away with the invitations.
The elfin maidens we're already dancing on the elf hill, and they danced in shawls woven from moonshine and mist, which look very pretty to those who like such things. The large hall within the elf hill was splendidly decorated; the floor had been washed with moonshine, and the walls had been rubbed with magic ointment, so that they glowed like tulipleaves in the light. In the kitchen were frogs roasting on the spit, and dishes preparing of snail skins, with children's fingers in them, salad of mushroom seed, hemlock, noses and marrow of mice, beer from the marsh woman's brewery, and sparkling saltpetre wine from the grave cellars. These were all substantial food. Rusty nails and churchwindow glass formed the dessert. The old elf king had his gold crown polished up with powdered slatepencil; it was like that used by the first form, and very difficult for an elf king to obtain. In the bedrooms, curtains were hung up and fastened with the slime of snails; there was, indeed, a buzzing and humming everywhere.
"Now we must fumigate the place with burnt horsehair and pig's bristles, and then I think I shall have done my part," said the elf manservant.
"Father, dear," said the youngest daughter, "may I now hear who our highborn visitors are?"
"Well, I suppose I must tell you now," he replied; "two of my daughters must prepare themselves to be married, for the marriages certainly will take place. The old goblin from Norway, who lives in the ancient Dovre mountains, and who possesses many castles built of rock and freestone, besides a gold mine, which is better than all, so it is thought, is coming with his two sons, who are both seeking a wife. The old goblin is a truehearted, honest, old Norwegian graybeard; cheerful and straightforward. I knew him formerly, when we used to drink together to our good fellowship: he came here once to fetch his wife, she is dead now. She was the daughter of the king of the chalkhills at Moen. They say he took his wife from chalk; I shall be delighted to see him again. It is said that the boys are illbred, forward lads, but perhaps that is not quite correct, and they will become better as they grow older. Let me see that you know how to teach them good manners."
"And when are they coming?" asked the daughter.
"That depends upon wind and weather," said the elf king; "they travel economically. They will come when there is the chance of a ship. I wanted them to come over to Sweden, but the old man was not inclined to take my advice. He does not go forward with the times, and that I do not like."
Two willo'thewisps came jumping in, one quicker than the other, so of course, one arrived first. "They are coming! they are coming!" he cried.
"Give me my crown," said the elf king, "and let me stand in the moonshine."
The daughters drew on their shawls and bowed down to the ground. There stood the old goblin from the Dovre mountains, with his crown of hardened ice and polished fircones. Besides this, he wore a bearskin, and great, warm boots, while his sons went with their throats bare and wore no braces, for they were strong men.
"Is that a hill?" said the youngest of the boys, pointing to the elf hill, "we should call it a hole in Norway."
"Boys," said the old man, "a hole goes in, and a hill stands out; have you no eyes in your heads?"
Another thing they wondered at was, that they were able without trouble to understand the language.
"Take care," said the old man, "or people will think you have not been well brought up."
Then they entered the elfin hill, where the select and grand company were assembled, and so quickly had they appeared that they seemed to have been blown together. But for each guest the neatest and pleasantest arrangement had been made. The sea folks sat at table in great watertubs, and they said it was just like being at home. All behaved themselves properly excepting the two young northern goblins; they put their legs on the table and thought they were all right.
"Feet off the tablecloth!" said the old goblin. They obeyed, but not immediately. Then they tickled the ladies who waited at table, with the fircones, which they carried in their pockets. They took off their boots, that they might be more at ease, and gave them to the ladies to hold. But their father, the old goblin, was very different; he talked pleasantly about the stately Norwegian rocks, and told fine tales of the waterfalls which dashed over them with a clattering noise like thunder or the sound of an organ, spreading their white foam on every side. He told of the salmon that leaps in the rushing waters, while the watergod plays on his golden harp. He spoke of the bright winter nights, when the sledge bells are ringing, and the boys run with burning torches across the smooth ice, which is so transparent that they can see the fishes dart forward beneath their feet. He described everything so clearly, that those who listened could see it all; they could see the sawmills going, the menservants and the maidens singing songs, and dancing a rattling dance, when all at once the old goblin gave the old elfin maiden a kiss, such a tremendous kiss, and yet they were almost strangers to each other.
Then the elfin girls had to dance, first in the usual way, and then with stamping feet, which they performed very well; then followed the artistic and solo dance. Dear me, how they did throw their legs about! No one could tell where the dance begun, or where it ended, nor indeed which were legs and which were arms, for they were all flying about together, like the shavings in a sawpit! And then they spun round so quickly that the deathhorse and the gravepig became sick and giddy, and were obliged to leave the table.
"Stop!" cried the old goblin," is that the only housekeeping they can perform? Can they do anything more than dance and throw about their legs, and make a whirlwind?"
"You shall soon see what they can do," said the elf king. And then he called his youngest daughter to him. She was slender and fair as moonlight, and the most graceful of all the sisters. She took a white chip in her mouth, and vanished instantly; this was her accomplishment. But the old goblin said he should not like his wife to have such an accomplishment, and thought his boys would have the same objection. Another daughter could make a figure like herself follow her, as if she had a shadow, which none of the goblin folk ever had. The third was of quite a different sort; she had learnt in the brewhouse of the moor witch how to lard elfin puddings with glowworms.
"She will make a good housewife," said the old goblin, and then saluted her with his eyes instead of drinking her health; for he did not drink much.
Now came the fourth daughter, with a large harp to play upon; and when she struck the first chord, every one lifted up the left leg (for the goblins are leftlegged), and at the second chord they found they must all do just what she wanted.
"That is a dangerous woman," said the old goblin; and the two sons walked out of the hill; they had had enough of it. "And what can the next daughter do?" asked the old goblin.
"I have learnt everything that is Norwegian," said she; "and I will never marry, unless I can go to Norway."
Then her youngest sister whispered to the old goblin, "That is only because she has heard, in a Norwegian song, that when the world shall decay, the cliffs of Norway will remain standing like monuments; and she wants to get there, that she may be safe; for she is so afraid of sinking."
"Ho! ho!" said the old goblin, "is that what she means? Well, what can the seventh and last do?"
"The sixth comes before the seventh," said the elf king, for he could reckon; but the sixth would not come forward.
"I can only tell people the truth," said she. "No one cares for me, nor troubles himself about me; and I have enough to do to sew my grave clothes."
So the seventh and last came; and what could she do? Why, she could tell stories, as many as you liked, on any subject.
英文童话故事13
Once upon a time there were three foxes. They worked and lived happily. The youngest fox became lazy, and often quarreled with the other foxes, away her older brother and brother. The youngest fox lived happily in the warm house and enjoyed a great deal of food. The eldest brother reopened a small hillside for farming. The second man dug a pond, and soon they lived a rich life. The smallest fox ate all the food left by the fox, and at last he was cold and hungry, and could not even stand.
英文童话故事14
There were three of them. There were four of us, and April lay on the campsite and on the river, a mixture of dawn at a damp extreme and the sun in the leaves at cajole. This was Deer Lodge1on the Pine River in Ossipee, New Hampshire, though the lodge was naught2 but a foundation remnant in the earth. Brother Bentley's father, Oren, had found this place sometime after the First World War, a foreign affair that had seriously done him no good but he found solitude3abounding4 here. Now we were here, post World War II, post Korean War, Vietnam War on thebrink5. So much learned, so much yet to learn.
Peace then was everywhere about us, in the riot of young leaves, in the spree of bird confusion and chatter6, in the struggle of pre-dawn animals for the start of a new day, a CooperHawk7 that had smashed down through trees for a squealing8 rabbit, yap of a fox at a youngster, a skunk9 at rooting.
We had pitched camp in the near darkness, Ed LeBlanc, Brother Bentley, Walter Ruszkowski, myself. A dozen or more years we had been here, and seen no one. Now, into our campsite deep in the forest, so deep that at times we had to rebuild sections of narrow road (more a logger's path) flushed out by earlier rains, deep enough where we thought we'd again have no traffic, came a growling10 engine, an old solid body van, a Chevy, the kind I had driven for Frankie Pike and the Lobster11 Pound in Lynn delivering lobsters12 throughout the Merrimack Valley. It had pre-WW II high fenders, a faded black paint on a body you'd swear had been hammered out of corrugated13 steel, and an engine that made sounds too angry and too early for the start of day. Two elderly men, we supposed in their seventies, sat the front seat; felt hats at the slouch and decorated with an assortment14 of tied flies like a miniature bandoleer ofammunition15 on the band. They could have been conscripts for Emilano Zappata, so loaded their hats and their vests as they climbed out of the truck.
"Mornin', been yet?" one of them said as he pulled his boots up from the folds at his knees, the tops of them as wide as a big mouth bass16 coming up from the bottom for a frog sitting on a lily pad. His hands were large, the fingers long and I could picture them in a shop barn working aprimal17 plane across the face of a maple18 board. Custom-made, old elegance19, those hands said.
"Barely had coffee," Ed LeBlanc said, the most vocal1 of the four of us, quickest at friendship, at shaking hands. "We've got a whole pot almost. Have what you want." The pot was pointed2out sitting on a hunk of grill3 across the stones of our fire, flames licking lightly at its sides. The pot appeared as if it had been at war, a number of dents4 scarred it, the handle had evidently been replaced, and if not adjusted against a small rock it would have fallen over for sure. Once, a half-hour on the road heading north, noting it missing, we'd gone back to get it. When we fished the Pine River, coffee was the glue, the morning glue, the late evening glue, even though we'd often unearth5 our beer from a natural cooler in early evening. Coffee, camp coffee, has a ritual. It is thick, it is dark, it is potboiled over a squaw-pine fire, it is strong, it is enough to wake the demon6 in you, stoke last evening's cheese and pepperoni. First man up makes the fire, second man the coffee; but into that pot has to go fresh eggshells to hold the grounds down, give coffee a taste of history, a sense of place. That means at least one egg be cracked open for its shells, usually in the shadows and glimmers7 of false dawn. I suspect that's where "scrambled8 eggs" originated, from some camp like ours, settlers rushing west, lumberjacks hungry, hoboes lobbying for breakfast. So, camp coffee has made its way into poems, gatherings9, memories, a time and thing not letting go, not being manhandled, not being cast aside.
"You're early enough for eggs and bacon if you need a start." Eddie added, his invitation tossedkindly10 into the morning air, his smile a match for morning sun, a man of welcomes. "We have hot cakes, kulbassa, home fries, if you want." We have the food of kings if you really want to know. There were nights we sat at his kitchen table at 101 Main Street, Saugus, Massachusetts planning the trip, planning each meal, planning the campsite. Some menus were founded on a case of beer, a late night, a curse or two on the ride to work when day started.
"Been there a'ready," the other man said, his weaponry also noted11 by us, a little more orderly in its presentation, including an old Boy Scout12 sash across his chest, the galaxy13of flies in supreme14 positioning. They were old Yankees, in the face and frame the pair of them undoubtedly15 brothers, staunch, written into early routines, probably had been up at three o'clock to get here at this hour. They were taller than we were, no fat on their frames, wide-shouldered, big-handed, barely coming out of their reserve, but fishermen. That fact alone would win any of us over. Obviously, they'd been around, a heft of time already accrued16.
Then the pounding came, from inside the truck, as if a tire iron was beating at the sides of the vehicle. It was not a timid banging, not a minor1 signal. Bang! Bang! it came, and Bang! again. And the voice of authority from some place in space, some regal spot in the universe. "I'm not sitting here the livelong day whilst you boys gab2 away." A toothless meshing3 came in his words, like Walter Brennan at work in the jail in Rio Bravo or some such movie.
"Comin', pa," one of them said, the most orderly one, the one with the old scout4 sash riding him like a bandoleer.
They pulled open the back doors of the van, swung them wide, to show His Venerable Self, ageless, white-bearded, felt hat too loaded with an arsenal5 of flies, sitting on a white wicker rocker with a rope holding him to a piece of vertical6 angle iron, the crude kind that could have been on early subways or trolley7 cars. Across his lap he held three delicate fly rods, old as him, thin, bamboo in color, probably too slight for a lake's three-pounder. But on the Pine River, upstream or downstream, under alders8 choking some parts of the river's flow, at a significant pool where side streams merge9 and phantom10 trout11 hang out their eternal promise, most elegant, fingertip elegant.
"Oh, boy," Eddie said at an aside, "there's the boss man, and look at those tools."Admiration12 leaked from his voice.
Rods were taken from the caring hands, the rope untied13, and His Venerable Self, white wicker rocker and all, was lifted from the truck and set by our campfire. I was willing to bet that my sister Pat, the dealer14 in antiques, would scoop15 up that rocker if given the slightest chance. The old one looked about the campsite, noted17 clothes drying from a previous day's rain, order of equipment and supplies aligned18 the way we always kept them, the canvas of our tent taut19 and true in its expanse, our fishing rods off the ground and placed atop the flyleaf so as not to tempt20 raccoons with smelly cork21 handles, no garbage in sight. He nodded.
We had passed muster22.
"You the ones leave it cleaner than you find it ever' year. We knowed sunthin' 'bout16 you. Never disturbed you afore. But we share the good spots." He looked closely at Brother Bentley, nodded a kind of recognition. "Your daddy ever fish here, son?"
Brother must have passed through the years in a hurry, remembering his father bringing him here as a boy. "A ways back," Brother said in his clipped North Saugus fashion, outlander, specific, no waste in his words. Old Oren Bentley, it had been told us, had walked five miles through the unknown woods off Route 16 as a boy and had come across the campsite, the remnants of an old lodge1, and a great curve in the Pine River so that a mile's walk in either direction gave you three miles of stream to fish, upstream or downstream. Paradise up north.
His Venerable Self nodded again, a man of signals, then said, "Knowed him way back some. Met him at the Iron Bridge. We passed a few times." Instantly we could see the story. A whole history of encounter was in his words; it marched right through us the way knowledge does, as well as legend. He pointed2 at the coffeepot. "The boys'll be off, but my days down there get cut up some. I'll sit a while and take some of thet." He said thet too pronounced, too dramatic, and it was a short time before I knew why.
The white wicker rocker went into a slow and deliberate motion, his head nodded again. Hespoke3 to his sons. "You boys be back no more'n two-three hours so these fellers can do their things too, and keep the place tidied up."
The most orderly son said, "Sure, pa. Two-three hours." The two elderly sons left the campsite and walked down the path to the banks of the Pine River, their boots swishing at thigh4 line, the most elegant rods pointing the way through scattered5 limbs, experience on the move.Trout6 beware, we thought.
"We been carpenters f'ever," he said, the clip still in his words. "Those boys a mine been some good at it too." His head cocked, he seemed to listen for their departure, the leaves and branches quiet, the murmur7 of the stream a tinkling8 idyllic9 music rising up the banking10. Old Venerable Himself moved the wicker rocker forward and back, a small timing11 taking place. He was hearing things we had not heard yet, the whole symphony all around us. Eddie looked at me and nodded his own nod. It said, "I'm paying attention and I know you are. This is our one encounter with a man who has fished for years the river we love, that we come to twice a year, in May with the mayflies, in June with the black flies." The gift and the scourge12, we'd often remember, having been both scarred and sewn by it.
Brother was still at memory, we could tell. Silence we thought was heavy about us, but there was so much going on. A bird talked to us from a high limb1. A fox called to her young. We were on the Pine River once again, nearly a hundred miles from home, in Paradise2.
"Name's Roger Treadwell. Boys are Nathan and Truett." The introductions had been accounted for.
Old Venerable Roger Treadwell, carpenter, fly fisherman, rocker, leaned forward and said, "You boys wouldn't have a couple spare beers, would ya?"
Now that's the way to start the day on the Pine River.
英文童话故事15
国君的宠妃
in ancient times, to defend the country where a woman, looked beautiful, she is the defending monarch fconcubine avorite. according to the law to defend the country, no matter who, if not allowed by the monarch's carriage, it is necessary to impose the penalty off his legs. on one occasion, the princess's mother who is seriously ill and was in the middle of the night came to tell her. she monarch on the carriage ride, the mother came to visit. subsequently, the monarch did not punish her, but also a few praise her. “she is, however there are filial ah!” he said, “to her mother, and even run the risk of cut feet.”
古时候，卫国地方有一位女子，长得很漂亮，她是卫国国君最宠爱的妃子。根据卫国的法律，无论是谁，如果没有得到允许而乘坐国君的马车，就要处以斩去双脚的刑罚。有一次，这位王妃的母亲患了重病，有人在半夜里赶来把消息告诉了她。于是她就乘坐国君的'马车，赶去看望母亲。事后，国君不仅没有惩罚她，而且还夸奖了她几句。“她是多么有孝心啊！”他说，“她为了母亲，甚至冒了砍掉双脚的危险。”
后来又有一天，她正和国君在花园里嬉戏。他拿了一只桃子吃，吃到一半觉得这只桃子特别甜，于是就把它让给了国君吃。国君说：“她是多么爱我啊，愿意把最好的东西让给我。”
但是，这位王妃的美貌渐渐消逝，国君就开始冷淡她了。
后来有一次，她无意中冒犯了国君，国君就说：“是不是有一次你未经允许，就乘坐了我的马车？是不是你把吃剩的桃子给我吃？”
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