A long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom through all the land. Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if news of the most secret things was brought to him through the air. But he had a strange custom; every day after dinner, when the table was cleared, and no one else was present, a trusty servant had to bring him one more dish. It was covered, however, and even the servant did not know what was in it, neither did anyone know, for the king never took off the cover to eat of it until he was quite alone.
很久以前，有一位国王以智慧闻名全国。没有什么是他不知道的，仿佛最隐秘的消息都能通过空气传到他那里。但他有一个奇怪的习俗：每天晚饭后，当桌子被收拾干净且没有其他人在场时，一位忠心的仆人必须再端来一道菜。这道菜总是盖着盖子，连仆人都不知道里面是什么，其他人更无从知晓，因为国王只有在完全独处时才会揭开盖子进食。
This had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant, who took away the dish, was overcome with such curiosity that he could not help carrying the dish into his room. When he had carefully locked the door, he lifted up the cover, and saw a white snake lying on the dish. But when he saw it he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting it, so he cut of a little bit and put it into his mouth. No sooner had it touched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voices outside his window. He went and listened, and then noticed that it was the sparrows who were chattering together, and telling one another of all kinds of things which they had seen in the fields and woods. Eating the snake had given him power of understanding the language of animals.
这件事持续了很长时间，直到有一天，那个端走盘子的仆人出于强烈的好奇心，忍不住将盘子带进了自己的房间。他仔细锁好门后，掀开盖子，看见盘子里躺着一条白蛇。但他一看到它，便忍不住想尝一口，于是切下一小块放进嘴里。话音未落，他便听到窗外传来一阵奇怪的细语声。他走过去倾听，发现原来是麻雀们在叽叽喳喳地交谈，互相讲述着它们在田野和树林里所见到的各种事情。吃了那条蛇后，他获得了听懂动物语言的能力。
Now it so happened that on this very day the queen lost her most beautiful ring, and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this trusty servant, who was allowed to go everywhere. The king ordered the man to be brought before him, and threatened with angry words that unless he could before the morrow point out the thief, he himself should be looked upon as guilty and executed. In vain he declared his innocence; he was dismissed with no better answer.
如今，就在这一天，王后最美丽的戒指不翼而飞，所有嫌疑都落到了这位可以自由出入的忠仆身上。国王下令将此人带到面前，愤怒地威胁道：若他不能在次日之前指认窃贼，自己便将被视为有罪并处以死刑。他徒劳地申辩自己的清白，却只得到一句冷漠的答复便被遣走。
In his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard and took thought how to help himself out of his trouble. Now some ducks were sitting together quietly by a brook and taking their rest; and, whilst they were making their feathers smooth with their bills, they were having a confidential conversation together. The servant stood by and listened. They were telling one another of all the places where they had been waddling about all the morning, and what good food they had found; and one said in a pitiful tone: ‘Something lies heavy on my stomach; as I was eating in haste I swallowed a ring which lay under the queen’s window.’ The servant at once seized her by the neck, carried her to the kitchen, and said to the cook: ‘Here is a fine duck; pray, kill her.’ ‘Yes,’ said the cook, and weighed her in his hand; ‘she has spared no trouble to fatten herself, and has been waiting to be roasted long enough.’ So he cut off her head, and as she was being dressed for the spit, the queen’s ring was found inside her.
他陷入困境与恐惧之中，便走到庭院，思索如何摆脱眼前的窘境。此时，几只鸭子正安静地聚在溪边休憩；它们一边用喙梳理羽毛，一边低声交谈。仆人站在一旁听个仔细。它们互相诉说着整个上午曾游荡过的地方，以及发现的美味食物；其中一只鸭子以哀怨的语调说道：‘我腹中似有重物——因匆忙进食，竟吞下了窗下女王遗落的一枚戒指。’仆人立刻揪住它的脖子，将它带到厨房，对厨师说：‘这只鸭子不错，请杀了它。’厨师答道：‘好，’说着用手掂了掂，‘它为了长肥可没少费心，也早已等不及要烤制了。’于是厨师割下它的头，在准备穿叉时，竟在鸭腹中发现了女王的戒指。
The servant could now easily prove his innocence; and the king, to make amends for the wrong, allowed him to ask a favour, and promised him the best place in the court that he could wish for. The servant refused everything, and only asked for a horse and some money for travelling, as he had a mind to see the world and go about a little. When his request was granted he set out on his way, and one day came to a pond, where he saw three fishes caught in the reeds and gasping for water. Now, though it is said that fishes are dumb, he heard them lamenting that they must perish so miserably, and, as he had a kind heart, he got off his horse and put the three prisoners back into the water. They leapt with delight, put out their heads, and cried to him: ‘We will remember you and repay you for saving us!’
仆人现在可以轻易证明自己的清白；国王为了弥补过错，允许他提出一个请求，并承诺将赐予他宫廷中任何他想要的最佳职位。仆人拒绝了所有赏赐，只请求一匹马和一些旅费，因为他想游历世界，四处走走。当他的请求得到应允后，他便启程上路。有一天，他来到一个池塘边，看见三条鱼被芦苇缠住，正在水中挣扎求水。虽然人们常说鱼儿不会说话，但他却听到它们哀叹自己将如此悲惨地死去；由于他心地善良，便下马将这三条‘囚犯’放回水中。鱼儿欢快地跃起，探出头来对他说：‘我们会记住你的恩情，并报答你救了我们！’
He rode on, and after a while it seemed to him that he heard a voice in the sand at his feet. He listened, and heard an ant-king complain: ‘Why cannot folks, with their clumsy beasts, keep off our bodies? That stupid horse, with his heavy hoofs, has been treading down my people without mercy!’ So he turned on to a side path and the ant-king cried out to him: ‘We will remember you--one good turn deserves another!’
他继续前行，过了一会儿，仿佛听到脚下沙地里有声音。他侧耳倾听，听见一只蚁王在抱怨：'人们为何不让那些笨拙的牲畜远离我们的身体？那匹愚蠢的马用沉重的蹄子无情地践踏我的子民！'于是他转向一条小路，蚁王便喊道：'我们会记住你的——善有善报！'
The path led him into a wood, and there he saw two old ravens standing by their nest, and throwing out their young ones. ‘Out with you, you idle, good-for-nothing creatures!’ cried they; ‘we cannot find food for you any longer; you are big enough, and can provide for yourselves.’ But the poor young ravens lay upon the ground, flapping their wings, and crying: ‘Oh, what helpless chicks we are! We must shift for ourselves, and yet we cannot fly! What can we do, but lie here and starve?’ So the good young fellow alighted and killed his horse with his sword, and gave it to them for food. Then they came hopping up to it, satisfied their hunger, and cried: ‘We will remember you--one good turn deserves another!’
小路把他带进了一片树林，在那里他看见两只老乌鸦站在巢边，正把它们的幼雏往外推。‘滚出去吧，你们这些懒惰无用的家伙！’它们喊道，‘我们再也找不到食物喂你们了；你们已经长大了，应该自己谋生了。’可怜的小乌鸦躺在地上，扑打着翅膀哭道：‘哦，我们多么无助啊！我们必须自食其力，可我们却不会飞！除了躺在这里饿死，我们还能做什么呢？’于是那位善良的年轻人下马，用剑杀死了自己的马，把马肉送给它们当食物。小乌鸦们便跳过来，吃饱了肚子，说道：‘我们会记住你的——善有善报！’
And now he had to use his own legs, and when he had walked a long way, he came to a large city. There was a great noise and crowd in the streets, and a man rode up on horseback, crying aloud: ‘The king’s daughter wants a husband; but whoever seeks her hand must perform a hard task, and if he does not succeed he will forfeit his life.’ Many had already made the attempt, but in vain; nevertheless when the youth saw the king’s daughter he was so overcome by her great beauty that he forgot all danger, went before the king, and declared himself a suitor.
如今他不得不依靠自己的双腿前行，走了很长一段路后，来到了一座大城市。街上人声鼎沸，人群熙攘，一名男子骑马而来，高声喊道：‘国王的女儿要招婿了；但凡是求婚者都必须完成一项艰难的任务，若不能成功，便需以性命相抵。’此前已有许多人尝试过，却都徒劳无功；然而当这位青年见到国王的女儿时，被她绝世的容貌深深吸引，竟将一切危险抛诸脑后，径直来到国王面前，表明自己前来求婚。
So he was led out to the sea, and a gold ring was thrown into it, before his eyes; then the king ordered him to fetch this ring up from the bottom of the sea, and added: ‘If you come up again without it you will be thrown in again and again until you perish amid the waves.’ All the people grieved for the handsome youth; then they went away, leaving him alone by the sea.
于是他被带到海边，一枚金戒指被扔进海中，就在他眼前；随后国王命令他从海底取回这枚戒指，并补充道：‘如果你空手回来，就会被再次扔下海，反复多次，直至在波涛中丧命。’众人为这位英俊的青年感到悲伤，随后离去，将他独自留在海边。
He stood on the shore and considered what he should do, when suddenly he saw three fishes come swimming towards him, and they were the very fishes whose lives he had saved. The one in the middle held a mussel in its mouth, which it laid on the shore at the youth’s feet, and when he had taken it up and opened it, there lay the gold ring in the shell. Full of joy he took it to the king and expected that he would grant him the promised reward.
他站在岸边，思索着自己该做什么，忽然看见三条鱼向他游来，正是他曾救过的那三条鱼。中间那条鱼嘴里衔着一只贻贝，把它放在年轻人的脚边；当他捡起贻贝并打开时，里面竟躺着一枚金戒指。他满心欢喜地拿着戒指去见国王，期待国王会兑现之前许诺的奖赏。
But when the proud princess perceived that he was not her equal in birth, she scorned him, and required him first to perform another task. She went down into the garden and strewed with her own hands ten sacksful of millet-seed on the grass; then she said: ‘Tomorrow morning before sunrise these must be picked up, and not a single grain be wanting.’
但当骄傲的公主发现他出身不如自己时，便轻蔑地拒绝了他，并要求他先完成另一项任务。她走进花园，亲手将十袋小米撒在草地上，然后说道：‘明天日出之前必须把这些谷粒全部拾起，一粒都不能少。’
The youth sat down in the garden and considered how it might be possible to perform this task, but he could think of nothing, and there he sat sorrowfully awaiting the break of day, when he should be led to death. But as soon as the first rays of the sun shone into the garden he saw all the ten sacks standing side by side, quite full, and not a single grain was missing. The ant-king had come in the night with thousands and thousands of ants, and the grateful creatures had by great industry picked up all the millet-seed and gathered them into the sacks.
年轻人坐在花园里，思索着如何才能完成这项任务，却想不出任何办法。他悲伤地坐在那里，等待着天亮，因为他即将被处死。然而，当第一缕阳光照进花园时，他看见那十个袋子并排立着，全都装得满满的，连一粒小米都不曾少。蚂蚁国王在夜间带着成千上万的蚂蚁前来，这些知恩图报的生灵凭借极大的勤劳，拾起了所有的小米种子，并将它们一一收进了袋子里。
Presently the king’s daughter herself came down into the garden, and was amazed to see that the young man had done the task she had given him. But she could not yet conquer her proud heart, and said: ‘Although he has performed both the tasks, he shall not be my husband until he had brought me an apple from the Tree of Life.’ The youth did not know where the Tree of Life stood, but he set out, and would have gone on for ever, as long as his legs would carry him, though he had no hope of finding it. After he had wandered through three kingdoms, he came one evening to a wood, and lay down under a tree to sleep. But he heard a rustling in the branches, and a golden apple fell into his hand. At the same time three ravens flew down to him, perched themselves upon his knee, and said: ‘We are the three young ravens whom you saved from starving; when we had grown big, and heard that you were seeking the Golden Apple, we flew over the sea to the end of the world, where the Tree of Life stands, and have brought you the apple.’ The youth, full of joy, set out homewards, and took the Golden Apple to the king’s beautiful daughter, who had now no more excuses left to make. They cut the Apple of Life in two and ate it together; and then her heart became full of love for him, and they lived in undisturbed happiness to a great age.
此刻，国王的女儿亲自来到花园，惊讶地发现那位年轻人竟完成了她交给他的任务。然而，她仍无法战胜自己高傲的心，便说道：‘尽管他完成了两项任务，但在他从生命之树上为我摘来一个苹果之前，他绝不能成为我的丈夫。’这位年轻人并不知道生命之树在何处，但他还是出发了，只要双腿还能支撑，他便不知疲倦地走下去，尽管心中并无找到它的希望。当他穿越了三个王国后，一天傍晚来到一片树林，便在一棵树下躺下休息。忽然，他听见树枝间有沙沙声，一个金苹果落到了他的手中。与此同时，三只乌鸦飞到他身边，停在他的膝头说道：‘我们就是被你从饥饿中救下的三只小乌鸦；当我们长大并听说你在寻找金苹果时，我们便飞越海洋来到世界尽头，那里矗立着生命之树，我们为你带来了这个苹果。’年轻人满心欢喜地踏上归途，将金苹果献给了国王美丽的女儿，此刻她已再无借口可推脱。他们将生命之果切成两半共同食用；从此，她心中充满了爱意，两人幸福安康地生活到了高龄。