There were two brothers who were both soldiers; the one was rich and the other poor. The poor man thought he would try to better himself; so, pulling off his red coat, he became a gardener, and dug his ground well, and sowed turnips.
有兄弟俩都是士兵，一个富有，一个贫穷。那个穷人想让自己过得更好，于是脱掉红大衣，当起了园丁，把地翻得松松软软，种上了萝卜。
When the seed came up, there was one plant bigger than all the rest; and it kept getting larger and larger, and seemed as if it would never cease growing; so that it might have been called the prince of turnips for there never was such a one seen before, and never will again. At last it was so big that it filled a cart, and two oxen could hardly draw it; and the gardener knew not what in the world to do with it, nor whether it would be a blessing or a curse to him. One day he said to himself, ‘What shall I do with it? if I sell it, it will bring no more than another; and for eating, the little turnips are better than this; the best thing perhaps is to carry it and give it to the king as a mark of respect.’
当种子发芽时，有一株比其他所有都大；它不断变大，仿佛永远长不完，因此可以被称为萝卜王子，因为从未见过如此巨大的萝卜，将来也不会再有。最后它大到装满了一辆马车，两头牛也几乎拉不动；园丁不知道该如何处置它，也不知道这对他来说是福是祸。有一天他自言自语道：‘我该怎么处理它呢？如果卖掉它，卖价也不过和别的萝卜一样；至于吃，小萝卜比这个大萝卜更好；也许最好的办法是把它送到国王那里，以示敬意。’
Then he yoked his oxen, and drew the turnip to the court, and gave it to the king. ‘What a wonderful thing!’ said the king; ‘I have seen many strange things, but such a monster as this I never saw. Where did you get the seed? or is it only your good luck? If so, you are a true child of fortune.’ ‘Ah, no!’ answered the gardener, ‘I am no child of fortune; I am a poor soldier, who never could get enough to live upon; so I laid aside my red coat, and set to work, tilling the ground. I have a brother, who is rich, and your majesty knows him well, and all the world knows him; but because I am poor, everybody forgets me.’
于是他把牛套上，把萝卜拉到王宫，献给了国王。‘多么奇妙的事物！’国王说，‘我见过许多稀奇古怪的东西，但像这样巨大的怪物还是头一回见。这种子是从哪里来的？还是全靠你的运气？如果是靠运气，那你真是命运之子。’‘啊，不是的！’园丁回答，‘我不是命运之子，我是个穷兵，从来吃不饱饭；所以我脱下了红军装，开始耕种土地。我有个哥哥很富有，陛下认识他，全世界也都认识他；但因为我穷，大家都把我忘了。'
The king then took pity on him, and said, ‘You shall be poor no longer. I will give you so much that you shall be even richer than your brother.’ Then he gave him gold and lands and flocks, and made him so rich that his brother’s fortune could not at all be compared with his.
国王于是怜悯他，说：'你不再贫穷了。我将赐给你如此多的财富，使你比你哥哥还要富有。'随后，他赐予他黄金、土地和羊群，使他变得极其富有，其财富之巨，远非他哥哥的财产所能比拟。
When the brother heard of all this, and how a turnip had made the gardener so rich, he envied him sorely, and bethought himself how he could contrive to get the same good fortune for himself. However, he determined to manage more cleverly than his brother, and got together a rich present of gold and fine horses for the king; and thought he must have a much larger gift in return; for if his brother had received so much for only a turnip, what must his present be worth?
哥哥听说这一切，得知一个萝卜竟让园丁变得如此富有，心中十分嫉妒，便盘算着如何也能让自己获得同样的好运。然而，他决定比弟弟更聪明地行事，于是准备了一份丰厚的礼物——黄金和骏马献给国王；心想自己得到的回礼一定更加丰厚：既然弟弟仅凭一个萝卜就获得了那么多，那么自己的这份大礼又该价值几何呢？
The king took the gift very graciously, and said he knew not what to give in return more valuable and wonderful than the great turnip; so the soldier was forced to put it into a cart, and drag it home with him. When he reached home, he knew not upon whom to vent his rage and spite; and at length wicked thoughts came into his head, and he resolved to kill his brother.
国王非常感激地收下了礼物，并表示不知该回赠什么比这棵大萝卜更珍贵奇妙的东西；于是士兵只好将萝卜装进手推车，拖回家去。回到家后，他不知该向谁发泄愤怒和怨恨；最终，邪恶的念头涌上心头，他决定杀死自己的兄弟。
So he hired some villains to murder him; and having shown them where to lie in ambush, he went to his brother, and said, ‘Dear brother, I have found a hidden treasure; let us go and dig it up, and share it between us.’ The other had no suspicions of his roguery: so they went out together, and as they were travelling along, the murderers rushed out upon him, bound him, and were going to hang him on a tree.
于是他雇佣了一些恶棍去杀害他；在向他们指明埋伏地点后，他便去找他的兄弟，说道：‘亲爱的哥哥，我发现了一处隐藏的宝藏；我们一起去把它挖出来，然后平分吧。’对方对他的奸诈毫无察觉，于是两人一同出发。途中，那些杀手突然冲出，将他捆绑起来，正打算将他吊在一棵树上。
But whilst they were getting all ready, they heard the trampling of a horse at a distance, which so frightened them that they pushed their prisoner neck and shoulders together into a sack, and swung him up by a cord to the tree, where they left him dangling, and ran away. Meantime he worked and worked away, till he made a hole large enough to put out his head.
然而，就在他们准备就绪时，远处传来了马蹄声，吓得他们急忙将俘虏的头和肩膀一起塞进麻袋，用绳子将他吊在树上，然后逃之夭夭。与此同时，他不停地挣扎，直到弄出一个足够大的洞，把头伸了出来。
When the horseman came up, he proved to be a student, a merry fellow, who was journeying along on his nag, and singing as he went. As soon as the man in the sack saw him passing under the tree, he cried out, ‘Good morning! good morning to thee, my friend!’ The student looked about everywhere; and seeing no one, and not knowing where the voice came from, cried out, ‘Who calls me?’
那骑马的人走近时，原来是个学生，一个快活的年轻人，正骑着他的瘦马赶路，一边走一边唱歌。袋子里的人看到他经过树下，便喊道：‘早上好！我的朋友，早上好！’学生四处张望，却不见人影，不知声音从何而来，便问道：‘谁在叫我？’
Then the man in the tree answered, ‘Lift up thine eyes, for behold here I sit in the sack of wisdom; here have I, in a short time, learned great and wondrous things. Compared to this seat, all the learning of the schools is as empty air. A little longer, and I shall know all that man can know, and shall come forth wiser than the wisest of mankind. Here I discern the signs and motions of the heavens and the stars; the laws that control the winds; the number of the sands on the seashore; the healing of the sick; the virtues of all simples, of birds, and of precious stones. Wert thou but once here, my friend, though wouldst feel and own the power of knowledge.
于是树上的那人回答说：'抬起你的眼睛看吧，瞧，我正坐在智慧的囊中；在这里，我短时间内便学到了许多伟大而奇妙的事物。与这个座位相比，所有学校的学问都如同虚空。再待片刻，我将知晓人类所能知晓的一切，并比世间最智慧的人更加睿智。在此我能洞察天体的征兆与运行、星辰的轨迹；掌控风的法则；数清海滩上沙粒的数量；了解治愈疾病的方法；知晓各种草药、鸟类以及宝石的功效。你若能来此一次，我的朋友，你定会亲身感受并承认知识的力量。'
The student listened to all this and wondered much; at last he said, ‘Blessed be the day and hour when I found you; cannot you contrive to let me into the sack for a little while?’ Then the other answered, as if very unwillingly, ‘A little space I may allow thee to sit here, if thou wilt reward me well and entreat me kindly; but thou must tarry yet an hour below, till I have learnt some little matters that are yet unknown to me.’
学生听罢这番话，心中十分惊异；最后他说：‘愿我遇见你的那日和时辰蒙福；您能否想个法子让我暂时钻进袋子里一会儿？’于是对方回答，仿佛极不情愿：‘我可以允许你在此坐一小会儿，但须你好好酬谢我、恳切请求我；不过你还得在下面再等一个时辰，待我学会一些尚不知晓的事情。’
So the student sat himself down and waited a while; but the time hung heavy upon him, and he begged earnestly that he might ascend forthwith, for his thirst for knowledge was great. Then the other pretended to give way, and said, ‘Thou must let the sack of wisdom descend, by untying yonder cord, and then thou shalt enter.’ So the student let him down, opened the sack, and set him free. ‘Now then,’ cried he, ‘let me ascend quickly.’ As he began to put himself into the sack heels first, ‘Wait a while,’ said the gardener, ‘that is not the way.’ Then he pushed him in head first, tied up the sack, and soon swung up the searcher after wisdom dangling in the air. ‘How is it with thee, friend?’ said he, ‘dost thou not feel that wisdom comes unto thee? Rest there in peace, till thou art a wiser man than thou wert.’
于是学生坐下等待，但时间过得十分缓慢，他恳切地请求立刻升上去，因为他求知若渴。那人便假装让步，说道：‘你必须先解开那边的绳子，让智慧之袋降下，然后你才能进去。’于是学生放他下来，打开袋子，将他释放。那人喊道：‘现在，让我快点升上去吧。’当他开始头朝下钻进袋子时，园丁说：‘等一下，那样不对。’随后他将学生头朝下推进去，扎紧袋口，很快便将这位求智者吊在半空中。‘朋友，感觉如何？难道你不觉得智慧正在向你降临吗？就在那里安息吧，直到你成为一个比从前更明智的人。’
So saying, he trotted off on the student’s nag, and left the poor fellow to gather wisdom till somebody should come and let him down.
说完，他便骑着学生的瘦马小跑离去，留下那可怜人独自苦思冥想，直到有人来将他放下。