本帖最后由 ヮ成熟、羙° 于 2014-5-1 20:10 编辑
魔马（一） 荷叶/译 新年是波斯最古老最受推祟的节日，这一天国王在泄剌失参加了臣民们举办的盛大庆典活动。太阳落山时，国王正要示意回去休息，这时，突然有个印度人出现在他宝座前，手里牵着一匹挽具齐全，从哪个角度看都和真马一般无二的马。 “陛下，”他边说边跪倒在地，“尽管我这么晚出现在您面前，但如果你屈尊看一眼的话，我敢保证，您白天看到的任何奇迹都没法和这匹马相比。” “这匹马除了仿制得跟真的一样，我看不出有什么特别的地方，我的任何一个工匠都能仿制出来。”国王答道。 “陛下，”印度人答道：“我要说的不是马的外表，而是它能为我们做什么。您只需骑上它，说出一个地方，不论多远，只需片刻，就能到达。陛下，这才是这匹马了不起的地方。如果您愿意，可以自己证明一下。” 波斯国王是个对任何新奇事物都感兴趣的人，他从没见过有这样本领的马，就命令印度人上马，展示一下马的本领。印度人立刻跳上马背，问国王想让马把他送到哪儿。 “看见那座山了吗？”国王指着离此三里远的高耸入云的大山说：“去给我摘一片长在山脚下的棕榈叶子来。“ 话刚出口，印度人转动了一下马脖子上，靠近马鞍处的一个螺丝，这匹马像闪电一样跃向空中，瞬间就不见了，即使最尖的眼睛也难觅其踪。一刻钟后，印度人已经回来，手里拿着棕榈叶子，正操控着他的马来到宝座下，他下了马，把叶子放在国王面前。 现在，君主刚刚看到了这匹马的惊人速度，就渴望自己拥有它，事实上，他如此确信这个印度人乐意把马卖掉，他早已把马看成自己的了。 “我从不仅仅以外表判断一个动物的价值，”国王对印度人说：“很感激你让我看到了自己的过失，如果你想卖马，开个价吧。” “陛下，”印度人答道：“我从没有怀疑过，以您的聪明睿智，一旦知道马的本领，会公正地对待它，我甚至认为您可能会很想拥有它。尽管我很珍惜它，我愿意把它让给您，但要满足一个条件。这匹马不是我做的，它的制造者把它给了我，交换条件是我的女儿。他让我庄严的宣誓，永不与它分离，除非以同等价值的东西来交换。” “喜欢什么你只管说，”君主打断了他的话，喊道：“我的王国很大，到处是美丽的城市。你只需说出你喜欢的城市，就可以成为该城的终生统治者。” “陛下，”印度人答道，在他看来，这个提议似乎一点也不像对于国王那么慷慨，“我非常感激您慷慨的馈赠。如果我说我奉上这匹马的唯一交换条件是您答应把您的女儿许配给我，我恳请您不要觉得冒犯。” 听到这里，侍臣们爆发出一阵大笑。王位的法定继承人菲鲁王子对他的傲慢非常生气。然而，国王却认为换取这样一件可爱的玩具，与公主分别也不是太大的损失，他正在犹豫如何答复时，王子插话了。 “陛下，”他说：“对于这样一个傲慢的交易，您不该有片刻的犹豫，想想您的身份，想想您的血统。” “儿子，”国王答道：“你说起来很堂皇，但你既没有认识到这匹马的价值，也没意识到一个事实，如果我拒绝了这个印度人的提议，他只会向其它的君主做出同样的提议，一想到别人而不是我会得到这世界第七大奇迹，我就满心绝望。我当然不会接受他的条件，但也许可以和他商量，但此刻，如果主人同意的话，我想让你检测一下这匹马的本领。” 听了国王的话，印度人认为他看到了国王屈服的迹象，因此，他很乐意满足国王的意愿。他走过来帮王子上马，教给他怎样操作，但话还没说完，年轻人就转动了螺丝，立刻就消失了。 他们等了一段时间，时刻期待着看到王子从远处返回。但最后，印度人害怕了，他仆伏在宝座前，对国王说：“陛下，你一定注意到了是王子操之过急，还没等我说完返程的必要操作，他就离开了。我恳请您不要为可能发生的不幸惩罚我，因为这不是我的错。” “但为什么，”国王悲愤交加，喊道：“为什么你看见他消失而不拦住他呢？” “陛下，”印度人答道：“他的速度之快大大出乎我的意料，我还没来得及说话，他已经听不见了。但我希望他一定会发现另一个按钮，按下它，这匹马就会回到地球。” “但假使他这样做了，”国王说：“怎样才能阻止他降落到海里，或是在石头上撞得粉身碎骨呢？” “不要怕，陛下，”印度人说：“这匹马有能力越过大海，带它的骑手到任何想去的地方。” “好了，你要用人头担保，”国王答复：“如果三个月后王子没有安全返回，或至少没有送回任何他平安的消息，你要抵命。”说完，他命令卫兵把印度人抓起来，投进监狱。 附：原文 The Enchanted Horse 1 It was the Feast ofthe New Year, the oldest and most splendid of all the feasts in the Kingdom of Persia,and the day had been spent by the king in the city of Schiraz, taking part in the magnificentspectacles prepared by his subjects to do honour to the festival. The sun was setting, and the monarch was about to give his court the signal to retire, when suddenly an Indian appeared before his throne, leading a horse richlyharnessed, and looking in every respect exactly like a real one. "Sire,"said he, prostrating himself as he spoke, "although I make my appearance so late before your Highness,I can confidently assure you that none of the wonders you have seen during theday can be compared to this horse, if you will deign to cast your eyes upon him." "I see nothing in it," replied the king, "except a clever imitation of a real one;and any skilled workman might do as much." "Sire,"returned the Indian, "it is not of his outward form that I would speak,but of the use that I can make of him. I have only to mount him, and to wish myself in some special place, and no matter how distant it may be, in a veryfew moments I shall find myself there. It is this, Sire, that makes the horseso marvellous, and if your Highness will allow me, you can prove it foryourself." The King of Persia,who was interested in every thing out of the common, and had never before come across a horse with such qualities, bade the Indian mount the animal, and showwhat he could do. In an instant the man had vaulted on his back, and inquired where the monarch wished to send him. "Do you see that mountain?" asked the king, pointing to a huge mass that towered into the sky about three leagues from Schiraz; "go and bring me the leaf of apalm that grows at the foot." The words were hardly out of the king's mouth when the Indian turned a screw placed in the horse's neck, close to the saddle, and the animal bounded like lightning upinto the air, and was soon beyond the sight even of the sharpest eyes. In aquarter of an hour the Indian was seen returning, bearing in his hand the palm,and, guiding his horse to the foot of the throne, he dismounted, and laid the leaf before the king. Now the monarch hadno sooner proved the astonishing speed of which the horse was capable than helonged to possess it himself, and indeed, so sure was he that the Indian wouldbe quite ready to sell it, that he looked upon it as his own already. "I never guessed from his mere outside how valuable an animal he was," he remarkedto the Indian, "and I am grateful to you for having shown me my error," said he. "If you will sell it, name your own price." "Sire,"replied the Indian, "I never doubted that a sovereign so wise and accomplished as your Highness would do justice to my horse, when he once knewits power; and I even went so far as to think it probable that you might wish to possess it. Greatly as I prize it, I will yield it up to your Highness onone condition. The horse was not constructed by me, but it was given me by theinventor, in exchange for my only daughter, who made me take a solemn oath that I would never part with it, except for some object of equal value." "Name anything you like," cried the monarch, interrupting him. "My kingdom is large,and filled with fair cities. You have only to choose which you would prefer, tobecome its ruler to the end of your life." "Sire,"answered the Indian, to whom the proposal did not seem nearly so generous as it appeared to the king, "I am most grateful to your Highness for your princely offer, and beseech you not to be offended with me if I say that I can only deliver up my horse in exchange for the hand of the princess your daughter." A shout of laughter burst from the courtiers as they heard these words, and Prince Firouz Schah, the heir apparent, was filled with anger at the Indian's presumption. The king,however, thought that it would not cost him much to part from the princess inorder to gain such a delightful toy, and while he was hesitating as to hisanswer the prince broke in. "Sire,"he said, "it is not possible that you can doubt for an instant what reply you should give to such an insolent bargain. Consider what you owe to yourself,and to the blood of your ancestors." "My son,"replied the king, "you speak nobly, but you do not realise either the value of the horse, or the fact that if I reject the proposal of the Indian, he will only make the same to some other monarch, and I should be filled with despair at the thought that anyone but myself should own this Seventh Wonder o fthe World. Of course I do not say that I shall accept his conditions, andperhaps he may be brought to reason, but meanwhile I should like you to examinethe horse, and, with the owner's permission, to make trial of itspowers." The Indian, who had overheard the king's speech, thought that he saw in it signs of yielding to his proposal, so he joyfully agreed to the monarch's wishes, and came forward to help the prince to mount the horse, and show him how to guide it: but, before he had finished, the young man turned the screw, and was soon out of sight. They waited sometime, expecting that every moment he might be seen returning in the distance,but at length the Indian grew frightened, and prostrating himself before the throne, he said to the king, "Sire, your Highness must have noticed that the prince, in his impatience, did not allow me to tell him what it was necessary to do in order to return to the place from which he started. I implore you not to punish me for what was not my fault, and not to visit on meany misfortune that may occur." "Butwhy," cried the king in a burst of fear and anger, "why did you not call him back when you saw him disappearing?" "Sire,"replied the Indian, "the rapidity of his movements took me so by surprise that he was out of hearing before I recovered my speech. But we must hope that he will perceive and turn a second screw, which will have the effect of bringing the horse back to earth." "But supposing he does!" answered the king, "what is to hinder the horse from descending straight into the sea, or dashing him to pieces on therocks?" "Have no fears, your Highness," said the Indian; "the horse has the gift of passing over seas, and of carrying his rider wherever he wishes togo." "Well, your head shall answer for it," returned the monarch, "and if in three months he is not safe back with me, or at any rate does not send me news of his safety, your life shall pay the penalty." So saying, he ordered his guards to seize the Indian and throw him into prison. | 
发表于 2014-4-30 19:37:20
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