时间：2022-08-18 01:57:02
1. Long, long ago there was a lake of cold water in Kenya. People never came to the lake at night, for fear that the animals near it should kill and eat them. 很久很久以前,在肯尼亚有个冷水湖｡人们从不在夜里到湖边去,因为他们害怕湖附近的动物会咬死并吃掉他们｡
2. Now, a rich man had a beautiful daughter. Once he said, “The young man who will stay all night in the lake will have my daughter for his wife.” There lived a poor young man who loved the rich man’s daughter very much. He would try to do so. 那时有个富人,他有一个美丽的女儿｡有一次这个富人说道:“哪个年轻人能整夜呆在湖水里,他就能娶我的女儿为妻｡”有个穷青年非常爱那个富人的女儿｡他想去试一试｡
3. But his mother did not quite trust him and stopped him. Then the poor young man thought of an excellent plan and his mother agreed. So the next day the young man went to the girl’s father. He told the rich man that he wanted to stay in the cold water all night. 可他母亲不十分相信他,便出来劝阻｡于是那个穷青年想出了一个绝妙的计划｡他母亲便同意了｡第二天,那个青年到姑娘的父亲那里,告诉他自己愿意整夜呆在冰冷的湖水里｡
4. The rich man sent in secret his servants to watch the young man. When night came, the young man went to the lake and his mother followed him. Then the woman climbed up the hill forty paces away from the lake and made a fire there. 富人便秘密派人监视那个青年｡夜幕降临了,青年来到了湖边｡他母亲跟着他,接着那个老太太爬上了离湖有40步远的小山,在那儿生了一堆火｡
5. The wild animals saw the fire and were afraid to go to the lake. The young man thought of his dear girl and his mother’s love, and it was easier for him to stay all night in the very cold water. 野兽看到了火,便不敢走到湖边去伤人｡青年想到他亲爱的姑娘和他母亲的爱,他在很冷的水里呆一整夜就比较容易了｡
6. Morning came. The young man went to the rich man’s house. The rich man saw him and said, “My servants said that there was a fire on a hill forty paces from the lake. It warmed you. So you cannnot marry my daughter.” The young man was very angry. He went to the judge. 天明了,那青年来到了富人家里｡富人见到他便说:“我的仆人们说,离湖40步远的小山上有一堆火,它暖和了你,所以你不能娶我女儿｡”青年很生气,便到法官那里去告状了｡
7. “Well,” the judge said, “this is a very simple case, come to me tomorrow morning and you’ll get your dear girl.” The next morning the young man, his mother, the rich man and his servants came to the judge. There were many people there who wanted to hear the case. “好的,”法官说,“这是个很简单的案子｡明天上午来找我吧,你会得到你心爱的姑娘的｡”第二天早晨,青年同他母亲､富人同他的仆人们都来到法官那里｡那儿已经有很多想听案子的人了｡
8. The judge asked for a pot of cold water. Then he walked forty paces from the pot and made a fire. But the fire was so far away that it could not warm the water in the pot. Then the judge said, “And how could that young man warm himself at a fire forty paces away?” The case was over. And the rich man had to marry his daughter to the poor youth. 法官要了一壶冷水,然后走到离壶40步远的地方生了一堆火｡但壶太远,火不能把冷水烧热｡于是法官说:“那么这青年怎能在离火堆40步远的地方暖和自己呢?”案子结束了｡富人不得不把女儿嫁给这位贫苦的青年人｡