The Singing Bone
会唱歌的骨头
In a certain country there was once great lamentationlamen(tation n.悲叹，哀悼)over a wild boar(boar n.公猪，野猪，野猪肉)that laid waste the farmer"s fields，killed the cattle，and ripped up people"s bodies with his tusks(tusk n.长牙，獠牙，尖牙).The king promised a large reward to anyone who would free the land from this plague(plague n.瘟疫，麻烦，苦恼，灾祸)，but the beast(beast n.兽，畜牲，人面兽心的人)was so big and strong that no one dared to go near the forest in which it lived.At last the king gave notice that whosoever should capture or kill the wild boar should have his only daughter to wife.
从前，有一个国家被一头野猪闹得叫苦不迭。这家伙祸害农民的庄稼，咬死牲畜，还用它的獠牙撕碎了人们的身体。不管是谁，只要能使国家免除这个灾难，国王都答应给他重赏。可是那野猪太大太凶啦，谁也不敢贸然走近它住的林子。终于，国王不得不宣布，谁要抓住或者杀死野猪，他就让谁娶他的独生女儿做妻子。
Now there lived in the country two brothers，sons of a poor man，who declared themselves willing to undertake(undertake vt.承担，担任，许诺，保证)the hazardoushazardous adj.危险的，冒险的，碰运气的enterprise，the elder，who was crafty(crafty adj.狡诈的，诡计多端的，善于骗人的)and shrewd(shrewd adj.精明)，out of pride，the younger，who was innocent(innocent adj.(～of)清白的，无罪的，天真的，无知的)and simple，from a kind heart.The king said，“In order that you may be the more sure of finding the beast，you must go into the forest from opposite sides.”So the elder went in on the west side，and the younger on the east.When the younger had gone a short way，a little man stepped up to him.He held in his hand a black spear and said，“I give you this spear because your heart is pure and good，with this you can boldly attack the wild boar，and it will do you no harm.”He thanked the little man，shouldered the spear，and went on fearlessly(fearlessly adv.勇敢地).Before long he saw the beast，which rushed at him，but he held the spear(spear n.矛，枪)towards it，and in its blind fury(fury n.狂怒，狂暴，激烈，狂怒的人)it ran so swiftly against it that its heart was cloven in twain.Then he took the monster(monster n.怪物，妖怪)on his back and went homewards with it to the king.
当时那个国家有出身贫寒的兄弟二人，他俩一起前来应征，愿意去冒险除害。哥哥狡诈精明，做这事是出于骄傲，弟弟天真单纯，做这事是因为心地善良。国王对他们说：“为了更有把握找到那畜牲，你俩应该分别从相反的方向进林子去。”于是哥哥从西向东走，弟弟从东向西走，弟弟在林子里走了一会儿，碰见一个手执黑矛的小矮人儿，“对他说，我把这支黑矛送给你，因为你心地淳朴、善良，“你可以放心大胆去斗那野猪，它不会给你任何伤害。”弟弟感谢了小矮人儿，扛着这个黑矛，勇敢无畏地向前走去。没过多久，他看见了野猪，这家伙立刻向他冲来。他呢，赶紧用矛对准它，狂怒的野猪猛地一下撞在矛尖上，猪心被戳成了两半。随后，弟弟便背起这庞然大物，准备回去向国王交差了。
As he came out at the other side of the wood，there stood at the entrance a house where people were making merry with wine and dancing.His elder brother had gone in here，and，thinking that after all the boar would not run away from him，was going to drink until he felt brave.But when he saw his young brother coming out of the wood laden with his booty，his envious(envious adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的)，evil heart gave him no peace.He called out to him，“Come in，dear brother，rest and refresh(refresh v.(使)精神振作，(使)精力恢复，更新)yourself with a cup of wine.”The youth，who suspected no evil，went in and told him about the good little man who had given him the spear wherewith he had slain the boar.The elder brother kept him there until the evening，and then they went away together，and when in the darkness they came to a bridge over a brook(brook n.小溪)，the elder brother let the other go first，and when he was halfway across he gave him such a blow from behind that he fell down dead.He buried him beneathbeneath (prep.在……之下)the bridge，took the boar，and carried it to the king，pretending that he had killed it，whereupon he obtained the king"s daughter in marriage.And when his younger brother did not come back he said，“The boar must have ripped up his body.”And every one believed it.
他从森林的另一边走出来，发现路边上有一幢房子，一些人在里面跳舞和饮酒作乐。他的哥哥也早来到这里，因为他想，野猪反正逃不出他的手心，他要先喝喝酒，壮壮胆。这时候，他看见弟弟背着猎物从林子里走出来，心里又是妒忌又是恼恨，再也不得安宁。他大声招呼弟弟：“喂，进来呀，亲爱的弟弟！来休息休息，喝杯酒提提精神吧！”弟弟毫无戒备之心，走进去，给哥哥讲了他碰见好心的小矮人儿，得到一支矛杀死野猪的经过。哥哥拖住他一直到了天黑，两人才一起往回走。他们摸着黑，来到一道跨越小溪的桥头，哥哥让弟弟走前面。可是，到了桥中央，他却从背后猛地一推使他掉下去摔死。他把尸体就地埋在桥下，然后扛着野猪去见国王，谎称是他杀死的，于是就娶到了公主做妻子。他的弟弟再也没回来，他说：“肯定是让野猪咬死了。”所有人都信以为真。
But as nothing remains hidden from God，so this black deed also was to come to light.Years afterwards a shepherd(shepherd n.牧羊人，牧羊狗)was driving his herd across the bridge，and saw lying in the sand beneath，a snowwhite little bone.He thought that it would make a good mouthpiece，so he clambered(clamber vi.爬上，攀登)down，picked it up，and cut out of it a mouthpiece for his horn，but when he blew through it for the first time，to his great astonishmentast(onishment n.惊讶)，the bone began of its own accord to sing—“Ah，friend thou blowest upon my bone.Long have I lain beside the water，my brother slew me for the boar，and took for his wife the king"s young daughter.”
但是没有什么瞒得过上帝，这件罪行也注定会暴露。很多年以后，一天一个牧童赶着羊群过桥去，突然发现桥下的沙泥里有一根雪白雪白的小骨头，心想可以用来做个很好的号嘴子吧。他爬下去拾起来，替自己的号雕成了一个嘴子。当他第一次吹的时候，小骨头嘴子竟自动唱起歌来，使他大为惊讶：“我亲爱的小牧童啊，你吹的是我的小骨头，我的哥哥杀死了我，把我埋在了桥下头，为的是抢去那野猪，好把我的公主夺走！”
“What a wonderful horn，”said the shepherd，“it sings by itself，I must take it to my lord the king.”And when he came with it to the king the horn again began to sing its little song.The king understood it all，and caused the ground below the bridge to be dug up，and then the whole skeleton(skeleton n.(动物之)骨架，骨骼，基干，纲要，万能钥匙)of the murdered man came to light.The wicked brother could not denydeny v.否认，拒绝the deed，and was sewn up in a sack and drowned.But the bones of the murdered man were laid to rest in a beautiful tombtomb n.坟墓in the churchyardchur(chyard n.墓地，境内).
“多奇妙的号嘴子啊，竟会自动唱歌。”牧童说，“我应该把它献给国王陛下。”于是，他带着号角到了国王跟前，只听它自动地又唱起了那只歌。国王明白了歌中的含义，命令挖开桥下的沙泥，受害者的整个白骨暴露了出来。狠毒的哥哥否认不了自己的罪行，便被缝进一条口袋里，丢进河里淹死了。弟弟的白骨被移进教堂公墓内一座很雅致的坟墓中，得到了安息。
