King Canute on the Seashore

A hundred years or more after the time of Alfred the Great there was a king of England named Canute. King Canute was a Dane; but the Danes were not so fierce and cruel then as they had been when they were at war with King Alfred.

在阿尔弗雷德大帝之后一百多年，英格兰有一位名叫克努特的国王。克努特国王是丹麦人；不过这时的丹麦人已不像他们与阿尔弗雷德国王交战时那样凶猛残暴了。

The great men and officers who were around King Canute were always praising him.

围在克努特国王身边的那些达官显贵，总是不停地夸赞他。

"You are the greatest man that ever lived," one would say.

“您是有史以来最伟大的人。”一个人会这样说。

Then another would say, "O king! there can never be another man so mighty as you."

接着又有一个人说：“陛下！世上再也不会有第二个像您这样强大的人了。”

And another would say, "Great Canute, there is nothing in the world that dares to disobey you."

还有一个人会说：“伟大的克努特陛下，天下没有什么东西敢违抗您的命令。”

The king was a man of sense, and he grew very tired of hearing such foolish speeches.

国王是个明白事理的人，他早已听腻了这些愚蠢的奉承话。

One day he was by the sea-shore, and his officers were with him. They were praising him, as they were in the habit of doing. He thought that now he would teach them a lesson, and so he bade them set his chair on the beach close by the edge of the water.

一天，他来到海边，官员们都陪在他身边。他们照常夸赞着他。他想，这回该教训他们一下了，于是他吩咐人把自己的椅子摆在海滩上，就在水边不远处。

"Am I the greatest man in the world?" he asked.

“我是世界上最伟大的人吗？”他问道。

"O king!" they cried, "there is no one so mighty as you."

“陛下！”他们喊道，“没有人比您更强大了。”

"Do all things obey me?" he asked.

“世间万物都听从我的命令吗？”他又问。

"There is nothing that dares to disobey you, O king!" they said. "The world bows before you, and gives you honor."

“没有什么敢违抗您，陛下！”他们说。“全世界都在您面前俯首称臣，向您致敬。”

"Will the sea obey me?" he asked; and he looked down at the little waves which were lapping the sand at his feet.

“大海会听从我的命令吗？”他问道；说着他低头看了看正拍打着他脚边沙滩的小小波浪。

The foolish officers were puzzled, but they did not dare to say "No."

那些愚蠢的官员们一时不知所措，可是他们不敢说“不会”。

"Command it, O king! and it will obey," said one.

“陛下，只管下令吧，它一定会听从的。”一个人说。

"Sea," cried Canute, "I command you to come no farther! Waves, stop your rolling, and do not dare to touch my feet!"

“大海，”克努特喊道，“我命令你不许再往前！海浪啊，停止你的翻滚，不准碰到我的脚！”

But the tide came in, just as it always did. The water rose higher and higher. It came up around the king's chair, and wet not only his feet, but also his robe. His officers stood about him, alarmed, and wondering whether he was not mad.

可是潮水照常涌来，跟往常一模一样。海水越涨越高。它涌到了国王的椅子周围，不但打湿了他的双脚，也打湿了他的长袍。他的官员们惊慌失措地站在他身边，心里都在琢磨，他是不是疯了。

Then Canute took off his crown, and threw it down upon the sand.

于是克努特摘下自己的王冠，把它扔到了沙滩上。

"I shall never wear it again," he said. "And do you, my men, learn a lesson from what you have seen. There is only one King who is all-powerful; and it is he who rules the sea, and holds the ocean in the hollow of his hand. It is he whom you ought to praise and serve above all others."

“我再也不会戴它了。”他说。“你们这些人，也该从你们所看到的一切当中吸取教训。世上只有一位王是无所不能的；正是他掌管着大海，把整个海洋都握在他的手心里。你们理应尊崇、侍奉的，是他，而非其他任何人。”