The Tale of the Silver Saucer and the Crystal Apple

Once a peasant lived with his wife, and they had three daughters: two were finely dressed and clever, but the third was a simple girl; the sisters and the father and mother as well called her the Little Fool. They hustled the Little Fool, thrust her about this way and that and forced her to work. She never said a word and was always ready to weed the grass, break off lamp-splinters, feed the cows and ducks, and whatever anybody asked for the Little Fool would bring. They had only to say, “Fool, go and fetch this!” or “Fool, come and look here!”

从前有个农夫和妻子住在一起，他们有三个女儿：两个打扮得漂漂亮亮、也很机灵，可第三个却是个憨厚单纯的姑娘；姐姐们和父母都叫她“小傻姑”。他们把小傻姑呼来喝去，这边推那边搡，逼她干活。她从不多说一句话，随时都愿意去除草、劈松明、喂牛喂鸭，无论谁叫她做什么，小傻姑都会照办。他们只消说一声：“傻姑，去把这个拿来！”或者“傻姑，过来看看这个！”

One day the peasant went with his hay to the fair, and he asked his daughters, “What shall I bring you as your fairing?”

有一天，农夫带着他的干草去赶集，他问女儿们：“我该给你们捎点什么礼物回来？”

One daughter asked, “Buy me some red cloth for a sarafan.” The other asked, “Buy me some scarlet nankin.” But the Fool sat still and said nothing.

一个女儿说：“给我买些红布做件萨拉凡吧。”另一个说：“给我买些猩红色的南京布。”可是傻姑坐着一声不吭。

Well, after all, the Fool was his daughter, and her father felt sorry for her, so he asked her, “What would you like to have, Fool?”

嗯，不管怎么说，傻姑也是他的女儿，做父亲的心里怪疼她，于是他问她：“傻姑，你想要什么呀？”

So the Fool smiled and said, “Buy me, my own father, a silver saucer and a crystal apple.”

于是傻姑笑了笑说：“亲爹爹，给我买一只银碟子和一颗水晶苹果吧。”

“What do you mean?” asked the sisters.

“你这是什么意思？”姐姐们问道。

“I should then roll the apple on the saucer, and should speak words which an old woman taught me in return for my giving her a loaf of white bread.” So the peasant promised, and went away.

“我要把苹果在碟子上滚一滚，念一念一个老婆婆教给我的话，那是我给了她一条白面包换来的。”于是农夫答应了，动身走了。

Whether he went far or near, whether he took long or short, anyhow he went to the fair, sold his hay, bought the fairings, gave his one daughter the scarlet nankin, the other the red cloth for a sarafan and the Fool a silver saucer and a crystal apple. He came back home and he showed them. Both sisters were overjoyed, sewed sarafans, and mocked the Fool, and waited to see what she would do with her silver saucer and crystal apple.

不管路是远是近，走得是快是慢，反正他到了集市，卖了他的干草，买了给女儿们的礼物，给一个女儿买了猩红色的南京布，给另一个女儿买了做萨拉凡的红布，给傻姑买了一只银碟子和一颗水晶苹果。他回到家，把东西拿给她们看。两个姐姐欢天喜地，缝起了萨拉凡，还嘲笑傻姑，等着看她要拿她那只银碟子和水晶苹果做什么。

But the Fool did not eat the apple, but sat in a corner and whispered, “Roll, roll, roll, little apple, on the silver saucer, and show me all the cities and the fields, all the woods and the seas, and the heights of the hills and the fairness of heaven.”

可是傻姑没有把苹果吃掉，而是坐在角落里低声念道：“滚吧，滚吧，滚吧，小苹果，在这银碟子上滚一滚，让我看看所有的城池和田野，所有的森林和大海，还有那高山的巍峨与天空的美丽。”

Then the apple rolled about on the saucer; a transparency came over the silver; and, on the saucer, all the cities, one after the other, became visible, all the ships on the seas, and the regiments in the fields, and the heights of the mountains, and the beauties of the sky. Sunset appeared after sunset and the stars gathered in their nocturnal dances: it was all so beautiful and so lovely as no tale can tell and no pen can write.

于是苹果便在碟子上滚动起来；那银碟子渐渐变得透明；碟子上，一座座城池接连显现出来，海上的一艘艘船只，田野里的一队队人马，高山的巍峨，天空的绚丽，都看得清清楚楚。一次次的落日接连呈现，星辰也聚拢起来跳起了夜舞：一切都美得无与伦比，无论什么故事也说不尽，无论什么笔墨也写不出。

Then the sisters looked on and they became envious and wanted to take the saucer away from their sister, but she would not exchange her saucer for anything else in the world. So the evil sisters walked about, called out and began to talk. “Oh, my darling sisters, let us go into the wood and pick berries and look for wild strawberries!”

姐姐们看着看着，便起了嫉妒之心，想要把这银碟子从妹妹手里夺过来，可她无论如何也不肯拿这银碟子去换世上任何别的东西。于是这两个心怀恶意的姐姐便四处走动，招呼着说：“哎呀，亲爱的妹妹们，我们去林子里摘浆果，找找野草莓吧！”

So the Fool gave her saucer to her father and herself went into the wood. She wandered about with her sisters, plucked the strawberries, and saw a spade lying on the grass; then the other sisters took the spade and began beating the Fool with it, slew the Fool, buried her under a silver birch, and came back to their father late at night, saying, “The Little Fool ran away from us, we could not find her, we went all over the wood searching for her. We suppose the wolves must have eaten her up.”

于是傻姑把银碟子交给父亲收好，自己便和姐姐们一起进了树林。她跟姐姐们一起四处游逛，摘着野草莓，忽然看见草地上放着一把铁锹；两个姐姐便拿起铁锹打起傻姑来，把她打死了，把她埋在一棵银桦树下，深夜才回到父亲那儿，说：“小傻姑从我们身边跑开了，我们怎么也找不到她，找遍了整个林子。我们估摸着，她准是被狼吃掉了。”

But the father was sorry. She was a Fool, but she was his daughter after all, and so the peasant wept for his daughter, took the silver saucer and the apple, put them into a coffer and locked them up. And the sisters also wept for her.

可是父亲心里难受。她虽然是个傻姑，可到底也是他的女儿，于是农夫为女儿哭泣，把那只银碟子和苹果拿来，放进一只箱子里锁了起来。姐姐们也为她哭泣。

Soon a herd came by and the trumpet sounded at dawn. But the shepherd was taking his flock, and at dawn he sounded his trumpet and went into the wood to look for a little lamb. He saw a little hummock beside a silver birch, and on it all around ruby-red and azure flowers, and bulrushes standing above the flowers. So the young shepherd broke a bulrush, made a pipe of it, and a wonderful wonder happened, a marvellous marvel: the pipe began of itself to sing and to speak.

不久有一群牲畜经过，黎明时分响起了号角声。原来是个牧羊人赶着他的羊群，黎明时分吹响了号角，走进林子里去找一只走失的小羊羔。他看见一棵银桦树旁有个小小的土丘，土丘四周开满了绯红色和天蓝色的花朵，花丛上方立着几株芦苇。这年轻的牧羊人便折下一株芦苇，做成了一支芦笛，谁知竟出了件天大的奇事，一桩不可思议的奇迹：那芦笛竟自己唱起歌来，说起话来。

“Play on, play on, my little pipe. Console my father, console my guiding light, my father, and tell my mother of me, and my sisters, the little doves. For they killed me, the poor one, and for a silver saucer have severed me from light, all for my enchanted apple.”

“吹吧，吹吧，我的小芦笛。安慰我的父亲吧，安慰我心中的明灯，我的父亲，也告诉我母亲我的下落吧，还有我那两个像小鸽子一样的姐姐。因为她们杀了我，这可怜的人，为了一只银碟子，把我从这光明的世界里生生斩断了性命，都是为了我那颗被施了魔法的苹果啊。”

People heard and ran together, the entire village thronged round the shepherd, asked him who had been slain. There was no end to the question. “Good folks all,” said the shepherd, “I do not know anything about it. I was looking for a little sheep in the wood, and I saw a knoll, on the knoll flowers, and a bulrush over the knoll. I broke off a bulrush, carved myself a pipe out of it, and the pipe began singing and speaking of itself.”

人们听见了，纷纷跑来聚拢，全村的人都围在牧羊人身边，问他这是谁被杀害了。这问题接连不断。“各位乡亲，”牧羊人说，“我什么也不知道。我不过是在林子里找一只小羊，看见一个小土丘，土丘上开着花，花丛上有一株芦苇。我折下这芦苇，给自己刻了支笛子，这笛子竟自己唱起歌来，说起话来了。”

Now it so happened that the father of the Little Fool was there, heard the words of the shepherd, wanted to lay hold of the pipe, when the pipe began singing, “Play on, play on, little pipe: this is my father; console him with my mother. My poor little self they slew, they withdrew from the white world, all for the sake of my silver vessel and crystal apple.”

恰巧小傻姑的父亲也在场，听见了牧羊人这番话，正想去拿那支笛子，笛子却唱了起来：“吹吧，吹吧，小笛子啊：这是我的父亲；安慰安慰他吧，也安慰安慰我的母亲。我这可怜的身子被她们杀害了，把我从这洁白的人世间生生带走，都是为了我那只银器和水晶苹果啊。”

“Lead us, shepherd,” said the father, “where you broke off the bulrush.” So they followed the shepherd into the wood and to the knoll, and they were amazed at the beautiful flowers, ruby-red, sky-blue, that grew there.

“牧羊人，带我们去，”父亲说道，“去你折那芦苇的地方。”于是他们跟着牧羊人走进林子，来到那土丘旁，都对那里长出的绯红、天蓝的美丽花朵惊叹不已。

Then they began to dig up the knoll and discovered the dead body. The father clasped his hands, groaned as he recognised his unfortunate daughter, saw her lying there slain, not knowing by whom she had been buried. And all the good folks asked who had been the slayers, who had been the murderers. Then the pipe began playing and speaking of itself. “O my light, my father, my sisters called me to the wood: they killed me here to get my saucer, my silver saucer, and my crystal apple. You cannot raise me from my heavy sleep till you get water from the Tsar’s well.”

于是他们开始挖那土丘，挖出了尸体。父亲双手紧握，认出了自己那不幸的女儿，忍不住呻吟起来，看见她惨死在那里，也不知道是谁把她埋葬的。众乡亲纷纷追问，是谁害的她，是谁下的毒手。这时那笛子又自己吹奏起来，说起话来。“哦，我的光明，我的父亲，是我的姐姐们把我叫到林子里来的：她们在这里杀了我，为了夺走我的碟子，我的银碟子，和我的水晶苹果。若不取来沙皇井里的水，你们是无法把我从这沉重的睡眠中唤醒的。”

The two envious sisters trembled, paled, and their soul was in flames. They acknowledged their guilt. They were seized, bound, locked up in a dark vault at the Tsar’s pleasure. But the father set out on his way to the capital city. The road was long or short. At last he reached the town and came up to the palace. The Tsar, the little sun, was coming down the golden staircase. The old man bowed down to the earth and asked for the Tsar’s mercy. Then the Tsar, the hope, said, “Take the water of life from the Tsar’s well. When your daughter revives, bring her here with the saucer, the apple, and the evil-doing sisters.”

那两个心怀嫉妒的姐姐吓得浑身发抖，脸色发白，魂飞魄散。她们承认了自己的罪行。她们被抓了起来，捆绑起来，锁进一间黑牢里，听候沙皇发落。父亲则动身前往京城。这路程说远不远，说近不近。他终于到了城里，来到了王宫跟前。沙皇，那小小的太阳，正从金色的台阶上走下来。老人俯身伏地，求沙皇开恩。于是沙皇，那希望所在，说道：“去取沙皇井里的活水来。等你女儿复活了，把她连同碟子、苹果，还有那两个作恶的姐姐，一起带到我这儿来。”

The old man was overjoyed, bowed down to earth and took the phial with the living water, ran into the wood to the flowery knoll, and took up the body. As soon as ever he sprinkled it with the water his daughter sprang up in front of him alive, and hung like a dove upon her father’s neck.

老人欣喜若狂，俯身伏地，接过那瓶活水，跑进林子，来到那开满鲜花的土丘旁，把尸体抬了起来。他刚一把水洒在她身上，女儿便在他眼前活了过来，像只鸽子一样扑到父亲的脖子上。

All the people gathered together and wept. The old man went to the capital city. He was taken into the Tsar’s rooms. The Tsar, the little sun, appeared, saw the old man with his three daughters, two tied by the hands, and the third daughter like a spring flower, the light of Paradise in her eyes, with the dawn on her face, tears flowing in her eyes, falling like pearls.

众人都聚拢来，哭了起来。老人前往京城，被带进了沙皇的宫殿。沙皇，那小小的太阳，现身了，看见老人带着他的三个女儿，两个被绑着双手，第三个却像一朵春天的花，眼中含着天堂的光辉，脸上映着朝霞，泪水像珍珠一样滚落下来。

The Tsar looked and was amazed, and was wroth with the wicked sisters. He asked the fair maiden, “Where are your saucer and the crystal apple?”

沙皇看着，惊叹不已，对那两个恶毒的姐姐十分震怒。他问那美丽的姑娘：“你的碟子和水晶苹果在哪里？”

Then she took the little coffer out of her father’s hands, took out the apple and the saucer, and herself asked the Tsar, “What do you want to see, O Tsar my Emperor? Would you like to see your powerful cities, your valorous hosts, your ships on the sea, or the wonderful stars of the sky?” And she let the crystal apple roll about on the silver saucer, and on the saucer one after the other all the towns appeared in their shape; all the regiments with their banners and their arquebuses standing in warlike array, the leaders in front of the lines and the colonels in front of the platoons and the sergeants in front of their companies.

于是她从父亲手里接过那只小箱子，取出苹果和碟子，反过来问沙皇：“陛下，我的皇上，您想看什么呢？您想看看您那强盛的城池、英勇的大军、海上的战船，还是天上那奇妙的星辰？”她说着便让水晶苹果在银碟子上滚动起来，碟子上接连显现出一座座城池的模样；一队队人马打着军旗、握着火枪，摆开阵势严整肃立，将领站在队列前方，团长站在各连前方，中士站在各班前方。

And the guns fired and the shots flew, and the smoke wreathed and writhed: it was all visible to the eye. Then again the apple rolled about on the saucer, the crystal on the silver, and the sea could be seen billowing on the shore, and the ships swimming like swans, flags flying, issuing from the stern, and the noise of guns and cannon-smoke arriving like wreaths, all visible to the eye.

火炮轰鸣，炮弹飞射，硝烟缭绕盘旋：一切都历历在目。接着苹果又在碟子上滚动起来，水晶苹果滚过银碟子，大海的波涛在岸边翻涌，一艘艘战船像天鹅一样游弋，旗帜迎风招展，从船尾升起，炮声与硝烟一圈圈涌来，一切都历历在目。

Then again the apple rolled on the saucer, the crystal on the silver, and the sky was red on the saucer, and little sun after little sun made its round, and the stars gathered on their dance. The Tsar was amazed at this wonder.

接着苹果又在碟子上滚动起来，水晶苹果滚过银碟子，碟子上天空一片绯红，一轮又一轮的小太阳周而复始地转动，星辰也聚拢起来跳起了舞。沙皇对这奇观惊叹不已。

But the fair maiden was lost in tears and fell down at the Tsar’s feet and begged for mercy, saying, “Tsar, your Majesty,” she said, “take my silver saucer and crystal apple if you will only forgive my sisters, and do not destroy them for my sake.”

可是那美丽的姑娘却泪流满面，跪倒在沙皇脚前求他开恩，说道：“沙皇陛下，”她说，“请您收下我的银碟子和水晶苹果吧，只求您饶恕我的姐姐们，不要因为我而伤害她们。”

And the Tsar was melted by her tears and pardoned them at her request. She for sheer joy shouted out and fell upon her sisters. The Tsar looked round, was amazed, took the fair maiden by the hand, said to her in a kindly voice, “I must for your goodness love your beauty: will you be my wife and the Tsarítsa of my fair realm?”

沙皇被她的眼泪打动了，依她所求，饶恕了她们。她高兴得欢呼一声，扑到姐姐们身上。沙皇环顾四周，惊叹不已，握住这美丽姑娘的手，柔声对她说：“为了你这份善良，我必得爱慕你的美丽：你愿意做我的妻子，做我这美丽国土的皇后吗？”

“Tsar, your Majesty,” answered the fair maiden, “it is your imperial will, but it is the father’s will which is law amongst the daughters, and the blessing of their mother. If my father will, if my mother will bless me, I will.”

“沙皇陛下，”美丽的姑娘答道，“这是您陛下的旨意，可女儿的婚事，向来是由父亲做主，还有母亲的祝福。若我父亲同意，若我母亲肯为我祝福，我便愿意。”

Then the father bowed down to earth, and he sent for the mother, and the mother blessed her.

于是父亲俯身伏地，派人去请来母亲，母亲便为她祝了福。

“Yet I have one word more for you,” said the fair maiden to the Tsar: “Do not separate my kin from me, let my mother and my father and my sisters remain with me.”

“我还有一句话想对您说，”美丽的姑娘对沙皇说：“请不要把我的亲人从我身边分开，让我的母亲、我的父亲，还有我的姐姐们都留在我身边吧。”

Then the sisters bowed down to her feet, and said, “We are not worthy!”

于是姐姐们跪倒在她脚前，说：“我们不配呀！”

“It has all been forgotten, my beloved sisters,” she said to them; “ye are my kin, ye are not strangers. He who bears in mind an ill bygone has lost his sight.” And as she said this, she smiled and raised her sisters up.

“这一切都已经过去了，我亲爱的姐姐们，”她对她们说；“你们是我的亲人，不是外人。心里老记着过去的恶事的人，才是真正瞎了眼呢。”说着，她微笑着把姐姐们扶了起来。

And her sisters wept from sheer emotion, as the rivers flow, and would not rise from the ground.

她的姐姐们感动得泪如泉涌，怎么也不肯从地上起身。

Then the Tsar bade them rise and looked on them kindly, bidding them remain in the city.

于是沙皇叫她们起来，和颜悦色地看着她们，请她们留在京城居住。

There was a feast in the palace: the front steps glittered and glowed as though with flame, like the sun enwreathed in his beams. The Tsar and the Tsarítsa sat on a chariot, and the earth trembled, and the people ran up crying out, “Long live the Tsar and Tsarítsa!”

宫中大摆筵席：正门前的台阶闪耀生辉，仿佛烈焰环绕，宛如被光芒缠绕的太阳。沙皇和皇后并坐在一辆御辇上，大地为之震动，百姓们奔走相告，欢呼道：“沙皇和皇后万岁！”