A servant gains the power to understand the speech of fish, birds, animals and insects. He is kind and does favours to various creatures, and they help him in return.
一个仆人获得了听懂鱼类、鸟类、兽类及昆虫语言的能力。他心地善良，施恩于众多生灵，而这些生灵也反过来帮助他。
A long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom through all the land. Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if news of the most secret things was brought to him through the air. But he had a strange custom; 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. It was covered, however, and even the servant did not know what was in it, neither did anyone else know, for the king never took off the cover to eat of it until he was quite alone.
很久很久以前，有一位国王，他的智慧闻名全国。没有什么能瞒得过他，仿佛最隐秘之事的消息会透过空气传至他耳中。但他有个奇特的习惯：每天晚餐过后，桌子收拾干净，旁人都不在场时，一名可靠的仆人必须再给他端上一道菜。这道菜盖着盖子，就连仆人也不知道里面是什么，其他人更是无从知晓，因为国王总是等到独自一人时，才揭开盖子享用。
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. When he had carefully locked the door, he lifted up the cover, and saw a white snake lying on the dish. But when he saw it he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting it, so he cut off a little bit and put it into his mouth. No sooner had it touched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voices outside his window. 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. Eating the snake had given him power of understanding the language of animals.
这种情况持续了许久。有一天，负责端走这道菜的仆人好奇心难耐，忍不住把菜端进了自己的房间。他仔细锁好门后，揭开盖子，只见盘子里躺着一条白蛇。看到白蛇，他实在忍不住想要尝尝，于是切下一小片放进嘴里。刚一碰到舌头，他就听到窗外传来奇怪的细微低语声。他走过去倾听，发现是麻雀们在叽叽喳喳地交谈，互相讲述着它们在田野和树林里见到的各种事情。吃了白蛇后，他获得了听懂动物语言的能力。
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. 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. In vain he declared his innocence.
巧的是，就在这一天，王后丢了她最漂亮的戒指，而这位可以随意出入各处的可靠仆人成了怀疑对象。国王下令将他带到跟前，怒声威胁说，除非他能在次日天亮前找出窃贼，否则就会被认定有罪并处死。他宣称自己无辜，却无济于事。
In his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard and thought long and hard. Now some ducks were sitting together quietly by a brook and taking their rest; and while they were making their feathers smooth with their bills, they were having a confidential conversation together. The servant stood by and listened. 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, when one said in a pitiful tone, “Something lies heavy on my stomach. As I was eating in haste, I swallowed a ring which lay under the queen’s window.”
满心忧虑与恐惧的他，来到院子里，苦苦思索了许久。这时，几只鸭子正静静地坐在溪边休息，它们用嘴梳理着羽毛，彼此间亲密地交谈着。仆人站在一旁倾听。它们正互相诉说着整个上午摇摇摆摆去过的地方，以及找到的美味食物，这时，其中一只鸭子可怜兮兮地说道：“我肚子里沉甸甸的。我吃得太急，吞下了一枚掉在王后窗下的戒指。”
The servant at once seized her, carried her to the kitchen, and said to the cook, “Here is a fine duck; roast her for dinner.”
仆人立刻抓住这只鸭子，把它带到厨房，对厨师说：“这是只肥美的鸭子，烤了做晚餐吧。”
“Yes,” said the cook, and weighed her in his hand, “she has spared no trouble to fatten herself, and has been waiting to be roasted long enough.” As he prepared the duck for dinner, he found the ring inside.
“好嘞，” 厨师说着，用手掂了掂鸭子，“它可没少费劲把自己养肥，早就该烤来吃了。” 厨师处理鸭子准备晚餐时，在鸭肚子里发现了那枚戒指。
The servant could now easily prove his innocence; 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. 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.
这下，仆人轻易地证明了自己的清白。国王为了弥补过错，让他提一个要求，并承诺会在宫廷中给他一个他想要的最好职位。仆人什么都没要，只请求赐一匹马和一些旅费—— 因为他一心想去看看外面的世界，四处游历一番。
When his request was granted he set out on his way. One day he came to a pond, where he saw three fishes caught in the reeds and gasping for water. Now, though it is said that fishes are dumb, he heard them complaining 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. They quivered with delight, put out their heads, and cried to him, “We will remember you and repay you for saving us!”
他的请求得到应允后，便踏上了旅途。一天，他来到一个池塘边，看到三条鱼被困在芦苇丛中，正大口喘着粗气。虽说人们都说鱼不会说话，但他却听到它们抱怨自己竟要如此悲惨地死去。他心地善良，于是下马将这三个被困的家伙放回了水里。鱼儿们欢快地抖动着身体，探出头来，对他喊道：“我们会记住你的，感谢你救了我们！”
He rode on, and after a while it seemed to him that he heard a voice in the sand at his feet. He listened, and heard an ant king complain, “Why cannot folks, with their clumsy beasts, keep off our bodies? That stupid horse with his heavy hoofs has been treading down my people without mercy!” So he turned on to a side path and the ant king cried out to him, “We will remember you — one good turn deserves another!”
他继续骑马前行，过了一会儿，他仿佛听到脚边的沙地中有声音。他仔细一听，原来是蚁王在抱怨：“那些人带着他们笨重的牲畜，为什么就不能离我们远点儿呢？那匹笨马，迈着沉重的蹄子，无情地践踏着我的子民！” 于是，他便拐上了一条小路，蚁王对他喊道：“我们会记住你的 —— 善有善报！”
The path led him into a wood, and here he saw two old ravens standing by their nest, and throwing out their young ones. “Out with you, you idle, good-for-nothing creatures!” Cried they. "We cannot find food for you any longer; 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! We must shift for ourselves, and yet we cannot fly! What can we do, but lie here and starve?”
这条小路把他引到了一片树林里。在这儿，他看见两只老乌鸦站在巢边，正往外赶它们的雏鸟。“滚出去，你们这些好吃懒做、一无是处的东西！” 它们叫嚷着，“我们再也找不到食物喂你们了。你们已经够大了，可以自己谋生了。” 但可怜的小乌鸦们躺在地上，扑腾着翅膀，哀叫道：“噢，我们真是无助的雏鸟啊！我们必须自己想办法，但我们还不会飞呢！除了躺在这里饿死，我们还能做什么呢？”
So the good young fellow climbed down, and gave them his own food which he had been carrying for his lunch. Then they came hopping up to it, satisfied their hunger, and cried, “We will remember you — one good turn deserves another!”
这位善良的年轻人下了马，把自己带的午饭喂给它们。小乌鸦们蹦蹦跳跳地凑过来，吃饱后叫道：“我们会记住你的 —— 善有善报！”
When he had gone on a long way further, he came to a large city. There was a great noise and crowd in the streets, and a man rode up on horseback, crying aloud, “The king’s daughter wants a husband; but whoever sues for her hand must perform a hard task, and if he does not succeed he will forfeit his life.” 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.
他又继续走了很远，来到一座大城市。街上喧闹嘈杂，人潮涌动。一个人骑着马大声喊道：“国王的女儿要招驸马啦！但任何求娶她的人都必须完成一项艰巨的任务，要是办不成，就会丢掉性命。” 已经有许多人尝试过了，却都徒劳无功。然而，年轻人一看到国王的女儿，就被她的倾国倾城之貌深深打动，完全忘记了危险。他走到国王面前，表明自己想求婚。
So he was led out to the sea, and a gold ring was thrown into it, in his sight. Then the king ordered him to fetch this ring up from the bottom of the sea, and added, “If you come up again without it you will be thrown in again and again until you perish amid the waves.” All the people grieved for the handsome youth; then they went away, leaving him alone by the sea.
于是，他被带到海边，当着他的面，一枚金戒指被扔进了海里。接着，国王命令他从海底把戒指捞上来，并补充说：“要是你没捞着就浮出水面，就会一次次被扔回海里，直到你葬身波涛之中。” 所有人都为这位英俊的年轻人感到惋惜，随后他们纷纷离去，只留下他独自一人在海边。
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. 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. Full of joy he took it to the king, and expected that he would grant him the promised reward.
他站在岸边，思索着该怎么办，突然，他看见三条鱼朝他游来，正是他救过的那三条鱼。中间那条鱼嘴里衔着一只贻贝，它把贻贝放在年轻人脚边的岸上。年轻人捡起贻贝打开，只见贝壳里躺着那枚金戒指。他满心欢喜，拿着戒指去见国王，期待国王能兑现承诺的奖赏。
But when the proud princess saw that he was not her equal in birth, she scorned him, and required him first to perform another task. She went down into the garden and strewed with her own hands ten sacks full of millet seed on the grass. Then she said, "Tomorrow morning before sunrise these must be picked up, and not a single grain be wanting."
然而，骄傲的公主见他出身平凡，配不上自己，便对他不屑一顾，要求他先完成另一项任务。她走进花园，亲手把十袋小米种子撒在草地上，然后说：“明天日出前，这些种子必须一粒不少地捡起来。”
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. 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. 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.
年轻人坐在花园里，琢磨着怎样才能完成这项任务，却毫无头绪，只能悲伤地坐在那里，等待黎明到来，接受死亡。但太阳的第一缕曙光洒进花园时，他看到十个袋子并排立着，全都装满了，一粒种子都没少。原来，蚁王在夜里带着成千上万只蚂蚁赶来，这些心怀感激的小家伙们不辞辛劳，把所有小米种子都捡起来，装进了袋子里。
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. 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 has brought me an apple from the Tree of Life.”
没过多久，公主亲自来到花园，看到年轻人完成了她交代的任务，惊讶不已。但她那颗高傲的心仍未被征服，她说：“虽然他完成了这两项任务，但除非他能给我带来生命之树上的苹果，否则别想娶我。”
The youth did not know where the Tree of Life stood, but he set out, and would have gone on forever, as long as his legs would carry him - though he had no hope of finding it. After he had wandered through three kingdoms, he came one evening to a wood, and lay down under a tree to sleep. He heard a rustling in the branches, and a golden apple fell into his hand. At the same time three ravens flew down to him, perched themselves upon his knee, and said, “We are the three young ravens whom you saved from starving; 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.”
年轻人不知道生命之树在哪里，但他还是出发了，只要双腿还能支撑，他就准备一直走下去—— 尽管他觉得找到树的希望渺茫。他在三个王国间四处流浪，一天傍晚，他走进一片树林，在一棵树下躺下睡觉。他听到树枝沙沙作响，一个金苹果落到他手中。与此同时，三只乌鸦飞下来，停在他膝盖上，说道：“我们就是你救下来、没让饿死的三只小乌鸦。我们长大以后，听说你在寻找金苹果，就飞过大海，来到世界尽头，生命之树就长在那里，我们为你把苹果带了回来。”
The youth, full of joy, set out homewards, and took The Golden Apple to the king’s beautiful daughter, who had no more excuses left to make. They cut the Apple of Life in two and ate it together; and then her heart became full of love for him, and they lived in undisturbed happiness to a great age.
年轻人满心欢喜，踏上归程，把金苹果带给了国王美丽的女儿，她再也找不到借口推脱。他们把生命之果切成两半，一同吃下。从那以后，公主心中对他充满爱意，二人幸福美满地生活在一起，相伴到暮年。
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