The Wolf and the Tailor

This story is a story of the past—of the days when Christ and the Twelve Apostles still walked on earth.

这是一个古老的故事——讲的是基督和十二门徒还在人间行走的年代。

One day they were still on their road, going on a long, long road, and a wolf met them and said: “Lord, I am feeling hungry.”

有一天，他们仍在赶路，走在一条很长很长的路上，一只狼遇见了他们，说道：“主啊，我饿了。”

“Go,” Christ said to him, “and eat a mare.”

“去吧，”基督对它说，“去吃一匹母马。”

So the wolf went to look for a mare.

于是狼就去找一匹母马。

And he saw her going up and down, and said: “Mare, the Lord has bidden me eat you!”

它看见母马正走来走去，便说：“母马啊，主吩咐我吃了你！”

So she answered: “Well, please do not eat me—it is not the proper thing. But I have a passport on me; only it is driven in very hard.”

母马答道：“好吧，请别吃我——这可不合规矩。不过我身上带着通行证，只是它嵌得很紧。”

“Well, show it me.”

“好，拿给我看看。”

“Just come near my hind feet!”

“那你就靠近我的后腿看吧！”

So the wolf went up, and she kicked him with her hoofs, and knocked out his front teeth, so that the wolf was thrown, at a blow, three sazhéns away, and the mare ran off.

于是狼走了过去，母马用蹄子踢了它一脚，把它的门牙都踢掉了，一下子就把狼踢飞了三俄丈远，母马趁机跑掉了。

Back the wolf came with a petition, met Christ, and said: “Lord, the mare almost killed me!”

狼带着一肚子委屈回去了，遇见了基督，说道：“主啊，那母马差点儿要了我的命！”

“Well, go on and eat the ram.”

“好吧，那你去吃那只公羊吧。”

So the wolf ran up to the ram—ran up and said: “Ram, I am going to eat you—it is the command of the Lord.”

于是狼跑到公羊跟前——跑过去说道：“公羊啊，我要吃了你——这是主的旨意。”

“Well, come and eat me up if you will. I will stand on the hill, and will jump up into your mouth all ready.”

“好啊，你要吃就来吃吧。我站在山坡上，自己跳进你嘴里去。”

So the wolf stood on the hill, and the ram told him to open his mouth. So the wolf went and stood on the hill and opened his mouth for the food, and the ram ran down and hit him hard with the horns on his forehead—whack! The wolf was knocked off his feet, and the ram went away. And the wolf got up, looked all round, and there was never a sign of the ram.

于是狼站在山坡下，公羊叫它张开嘴。狼便站在山坡下张开了嘴等着吃，公羊却从山上冲下来，用犄角狠狠地朝它额头撞去——砰！狼被撞得摔倒在地，公羊趁机跑掉了。狼爬起来，四下张望，哪里还有公羊的影子。

So he went up with another complaint. And he found Christ and said: “Lord, even the ram has deceived me. Why, it almost knocked me to bits.”

于是它又跑去诉苦。它找到基督，说道：“主啊，就连那公羊也骗了我。它差点把我撞成了碎片。”

“All right!” said Christ, “go and eat the tailor.”

“好吧！”基督说道，“那就去吃那个裁缝吧。”

So the wolf ran up, and he met a tailor on the way. “Tailor,” he said, “I am going to eat you, by command of the Lord.”

于是狼跑了过去，在路上遇见一个裁缝。“裁缝，”它说道，“我要吃了你，这是主的旨意。”

“All right. Let me say good-bye—I should like to greet my kin.”

“好啊。让我先去道个别吧——我想去跟我的亲人们告别。”

“No, I cannot let you say good-bye with your kin.”

“不行，我不能让你去跟你的亲人道别。”

“Well, I cannot help it—it must be so. Come and eat me up. Only at least let me take your measurements. I only want to see whether I shall slip in easily.”

“好吧，那也没办法——那就这样吧。来吃我吧。只是好歹让我先量量你的尺寸。我只是想看看我钻进去合不合适。”

“All right!—measure away,” said the wolf.

“好吧！——量吧，”狼说道。

So the tailor went back, took hold of the wolf by his tail, twined his tail round in his hand, and began to whip the wolf. And the wolf struggled and tussled, roared and shrieked, and tore until he tore his tail loose, and he then took to his feet. So he ran away with all of his might, and he met seven other wolves. They said: “Why are you, grey wolf, tailless?”

于是裁缝走上前去，抓住狼的尾巴，把尾巴绕在手上，抡起来抽打这只狼。狼又挣扎又扭打，又吼又叫，挣扎不已，直到把尾巴挣断，这才拔腿就跑。它拼了命地跑，遇见了另外七只狼。它们问道：“灰狼兄弟，你怎么没了尾巴？”

“Oh, the tailor tore it out.”

“唉，让那裁缝给扯掉了。”

“Where is the tailor?”

“裁缝在哪儿？”

“You see him there, on the road.”

“瞧，就在那条路上。”

“All right—we will hunt after him.” And they started after the tailor.

“好——那我们就去追他。”于是它们朝裁缝追去。

When the tailor heard the chase coming after him, and saw that it was a disagreeable business, he scaled up a tree as fast as he could. So the wolves arrived there and said: “We will stop here, brothers, and wait until the tailor comes down. Do you, manx-wolf, stop below, and we will each of us climb on the other’s shoulders.” So the manx-wolf lay at the bottom, and all the seven wolves went after the others and climbed up.

裁缝听见身后追来的声响，知道情况不妙，便飞快地爬上了一棵树。那些狼追到树下，说道：“兄弟们，我们就在这儿等着，等裁缝下来。曼克斯狼，你趴在最下面，我们一个个爬到别人的肩膀上去。”于是曼克斯狼趴在最底下，其余七只狼便一个接一个地往上爬。

When the tailor saw his ill-fate coming so near him, for they were nearer and nearer, he cried out to the top one: “It is nobody’s fault, only the manx-wolf’s!” So the manx-wolf was frightened, and jumped out from below and ran off. All the seven wolves tumbled down and chased after him, caught him up, and tore him to bits. But the tailor slid down the tree and went back home.

裁缝眼看着厄运一步步逼近，那些狼越爬越近，便对最上面那只狼喊道：“这可不怪别人，都怪曼克斯狼！”曼克斯狼一听吓了一跳，从底下跳出来就跑掉了。其余七只狼全都摔了下来，爬起来追着它跑，追上它便把它撕成了碎片。裁缝则趁机从树上滑下来，回家去了。