渔夫和他的妻子

湖北省潜江市园林高中 倪达虎编译

Once upon a time,there was a fisherman who lived with his wife in a small house by the sea,and every day he went out fishing.One day,his line suddenly went down,far down below,and when he drew it up,he brought out a large flounder.从前，有个渔夫，他和妻子住在海边的一间小渔舍里。渔夫每天都去钓鱼。有一天，忽然钓钩猛地往下沉，沉得好深。他把钓钩拉上来，发现了一条很大的比目鱼。

And the flounder told him that he was a prince cast by magic and asked to be put back to water.“Oh,I certainly will not keep a flounder that can speak,”said the fisherman.Then,he put it back to the water and went home.比目鱼对他说：“我是一位中了魔法的王子，请把我放回水里。”“哎，”渔夫说，“一条会说话的比目鱼，我怎么会强留它呢？”说着，他把比目鱼放回水里就回家了。

“Haven’t you got anything?”asked his wife.“Yes”,he answered,“I got a flounder,but he said he was a prince cast by magic,so I set him free.”他妻子问道，“今天你什么也没钓到吗？”“钓到了，”他回答说，“我钓到了一条比目鱼，可他说他是一位中了魔法的王子，我就把他放了。”

“You should have wished for a beautiful villa.He would satisfy us.”said the wife.He did not want to make his wife angry.So he went to the sea,though he was not willing to.妻子说，“你该提希望得到一座漂亮小别墅的愿望呀。他会满足咱们的愿望的。”渔夫不太愿意去，可又不想惹他妻子生气，于是，就去了海边。

Standing on the seashore,the fisherman said,“Flounder,I set you free without any requirements,and my wife won’t forgive me.She wants a small villa.”渔夫站在海岸上说“：比目鱼啊，我没有提要求就放了你，我老婆对此不依不饶。她想要一幢小别墅。”

“Go home,”said the flounder,“She already had a villa.”The fisherman went home and found a villa standing there instead of the small house.“回去吧，”比目鱼说，“她已经有一幢小别墅啦。”渔夫回到家，看到以前的小渔舍不见了，原地上已矗立起一幢小别墅。

They lived one or two weeks in the villa.One day,the wife suddenly said,“Listen!This villa is too small.I want to live in a stone palace.Go to find the flounder and have him give us a palace.”他们在小别墅里生活了一两个星期。有一天，妻子突然说“：听着！这房子太小了。我要住在一座石头建造的大宫殿里。快去找比目鱼，叫他送咱们一座宫殿。”

“No,”said the husband,“He has just given us a villa.He would be unhappy if I ask him again.”The wife said,“Go ahead！He is able and ready to help us.”The fisherman left with a heavy heart.“不行啊，老婆，”丈夫说，“比目鱼刚刚送给咱们一幢别墅，我再去找他，他会不高兴的。”妻子大声说“：快去吧！他做得到，也会乐意这么做的。”渔夫心情沉重地离开了。

When he came to the sea,the water was muddy but still very calm.He told the flounder his wife wanted to live in a stone palace.The flounder said,“Go home！She is now at the palace gate.”他来到海边时，海水已变得混浊不清，不过仍然很平静。渔夫告诉比目鱼他的妻子想住在一座石头建造的宫殿里。比目鱼说“：回去吧，她现在正站在宫殿门前呢。”

The fisherman really saw a grand stone palace.“That’s good enough.Let’s get satisfied and live in this pretty palace,”said the fisherman.渔夫回到家，他果然看见了石头建造的宫殿，非常宏伟壮观。渔夫说，“这已经够好啦。咱们就好好地住在这座美丽的宫殿里吧，总该心满意足啦。”

However,the wife would never get satisfied.Her ambition increased day by day.One morning,she woke up with the thought of controlling the sun and the moon.然而，妻子总是感到不满足，她的野心在不断地膨胀。一天早上她醒来，居然萌生了想控制太阳和月亮的念头。

Threatened by his wife,the fisherman had to come to the flounder again.In the sky,thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.There were black waves in the sea.在妻子的威逼下，渔夫不得不又一次来到海边请求比目鱼的帮助。天空雷鸣电闪，一片漆黑，大海掀起滚滚的黑色巨浪。

The flounder asked,“Then,what on earth does she want?”The fisherman said,“She wants to be the owner of the sun and the moon.”比目鱼问：“那么，她到底想要什么呢？”渔夫回答说，“她想要当太阳和月亮的主人。”

“Go home,”said the flounder,“She is in that shabby shed again.”Since then,they lived in the shabby shed until today.“回去吧，”比目鱼说，“她又重新住进了那个破渔舍。”就这样，他们一直在那儿生活到今天。

启 示

Happiness lies in contentment;Greed leads to disaster.知足常乐；贪婪必定酿成大错。