Hansel and Gretel-2-节选自《格林童话》

公主号：口语精选（ID:mtkouyu)

专辑：【英文原版童话故事】

朗诵：【台】Yale

编辑： Yanni

校对：Doris Tang

主播简介

Yale，中文名杨子逸，美国迈阿密大学硕士，曾经担任英语教科书编辑。他从小在美国长大，目前在国内的职业是广告导演和制片。他拍摄的短片《赫克特的时光机器》获2014年金鸡百花短片电影节提名。

Hansel and Gretel 奇幻森林历险记-2

Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire, and when noon came, each ate a little piece of bread, and as they heard the strokes of the wood-axe they believed that their father was near. It was not the axe（斧头）, however, but a branch which he had fastened to a withered( ['wɪðə]枯萎的)tree which the wind was blowing backwards and forwards（来来回回）.

于是汉赛尔和格莱特坐在火堆旁边，等他们的父母干完活再来接他们。到了中午时分，他们就吃掉了自己的那一小块面包。因为一直能听见斧子砍树的嘭、嘭声，他们相信自己的父亲就在近旁。其实他们听见的根本就不是斧子发出的声音，那是一根绑在一棵小树上的枯枝，在风的吹动下撞在树干上发出来的声音。

 And as they had been sitting such a long time, their eyes closed with fatigue（ [fə'tiːg] 疲劳）, and they fell fast asleep. When at last they awoke, it was already dark night. Gretel began to cry and said: "How are we to get out of the forest now?"

兄妹俩坐了好久好久，疲倦得上眼皮和下眼皮都打起架来了。没多久，他们俩就呼呼睡着了，等他们从梦中醒来时，已是漆黑的夜晚。格莱特害怕得哭了起来，说："这下咱们找不到出森林的路了！"

But Hansel comforted （安慰）her and said: "Just wait a little, until the moon has risen（ ['rɪzən]升起，rise的过去式）, and then we will soon find the way." And when the full moon had risen, Hansel took his little sister by the hand, and followed the pebbles which shone like newly-coined silver pieces, and showed them the way. 

"别着急，"汉赛尔安慰她说，"等一会儿月亮出来了，咱们很快就会找到出森林的路。"
不久，当一轮满月升起来时，汉赛尔就拉着他妹妹的手，循着那些月光下像银币一样在地上闪闪发光的白石子指引的路往前走。 

They walked the whole night long, and by break of day （破晓）came once more to their father's house. They knocked at the door, and when the woman opened it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel, she said: "You naughty children, why have you slept so long in the forest we thought you were never coming back at all!" The father, however, rejoiced( [rɪ'dʒɒɪs] 高兴), for it had cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone.

他们走了整整的一夜，在天刚破晓的时候回到了他们父亲的家门口。他们敲敲门，来开门的是他们的继母。她打开门一见是汉赛尔和格莱特，就说："你们怎么在森林里睡了这么久，我们还以为你们不想回家了呐！"看到孩子，父亲喜出望外，因为当时冷酷地抛弃两个孩子，他心中十分难受。

Not long afterwards, there was once more great dearth throughout the land, and the children heard their mother saying at night to their father: "Everything is eaten again, we have one half loaf left, and that is the end. The children must go, we will take them farther into the wood, so that they will not find their way out again; there is no other means of saving ourselves!"

他们一家又在一起艰难地生活了。但时隔不久，又发生了全国性的饥荒。一天夜里，两个孩子又听见继母对他们的父亲说："哎呀！能吃的都吃光了，就剩这半个面包，你看以后可怎么办啊？咱们还是得减轻负担，必须把两个孩子给扔了！这次咱们可以把他们带进更深、更远的森林中去，叫他们再也找不到路回来。只有这样才能挽救我们自己。"

The man's heart was heavy, and he thought: "It would be better for you to share the last mouthful （一口）with your children." The woman, however, would listen to nothing that he had to say, but scolded（ [skəʊld] 责骂，训斥） and reproached（责备，申斥） him. He who says A must say B, likewise, and as he had yielded （ [jiːld] 屈服）the first time, he had to do so a second time also.

听见妻子又说要抛弃孩子，樵夫心里十分难过。他心想，大家同甘共苦，共同分享最后一块面包不是更好吗？但是像天下所有的男人一样，对一个女人说个"不"字那是太难太难了，樵夫也毫不例外。 就像是"谁套上了笼头，谁就必须得拉车"的道理一样，樵夫既然对妻子作过第一次让步，当然就必然有第二次让步了，他也就不再反对妻子的建议了。

The children, however, were still awake and had heard the conversation. When the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go out and pick pebbles as he had done before ,”  but the woman had locked the door, and Hansel could not get out. Nevertheless（然而） he comforted his little sister, and said: "Do not cry, Gretel, go to sleep quietly, the good God will help us."

然而，孩子们听到了他们的全部谈话。等父母都睡着后，汉赛尔又从床上爬了起来，想溜出门去，像上次那样，到外边去捡些小石子，但是这次他发现门让继母给锁住了。但他心里又有了新的主意，他又安慰他的小妹妹说："别哭，格莱特，不用担心，好好睡觉。上帝会帮助咱们的。"

Early in the morning came the woman, and took the children out of their beds. Their piece of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller than the time before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in his pocket, and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground.

一大清早，继母就把孩子们从床上揪了下来。她给了他们每人一块面包，可是比上次那块要小多了。在去森林的途中，汉赛尔在口袋里捏碎了他的面包，并不时地停下脚步，把碎面包屑撒在路上。

"Hansel, why do you stop and look round " said the father, "go on." "I am looking back at my little pigeon（鸽子） which is sitting on the roof, and wants to say good-bye to me," answered Hansel.

"Fool!" said the woman, "that is not Your little pigeon, that is the morning sun that is shining on the chimney." Hansel, however, little by little, threw all the crumbs on the path.

"汉赛尔，你磨磨蹭蹭地在后面看什么？"他的父亲见他老是落在后面就问他。"我在看我的小鸽子，它正站在屋顶上'咕咕咕'地跟我说再见呢。"汉赛尔回答说。"你这个白痴，"他继母叫道，"那不是你的鸽子，那是早晨的阳光照在烟囱上面。"但是汉赛尔还是在路上一点一点地撒下了他的面包屑。

The woman led the children still deeper into the forest, where they had never in their lives been before. Then a great fire was again made, and the mother said: "Just sit here, you children, and when you are tired you may sleep a little; we are going into the forest to cut wood, and in the evening when we are done, we will come and fetch you away."

继母领着他们走了很久很久，来到了一个他们从未到过的森林中。像上次一样，又生起了一大堆火，继母又对他们说："好好呆在这儿，孩子们，要是困了就睡一觉，我们要到远点的地方去砍柴，干完活我们就来接你们。"

When it was noon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had scattered（分散的） his alone the way. Then they fell asleep and evening passed, but no one came to the poor children. They did not awake until it was dark night, and Hansel comforted his little sister and said: "Just wait, Gretel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the crumbs of bread which I have strewn about, they will show us our way home again."

到了中午，格莱特把她的面包与汉赛尔分来吃了，因为汉赛尔的面包已经撒在路上了。然后，他们俩又睡着了。一直到了半夜，仍然没有人来接这两个可怜的孩子，他们醒来已是一片漆黑。汉赛尔安慰他的妹妹说："等月亮一出来，我们就看得见我撒在地上的面包屑了，它一定会指给我们回家的路。"

When the moon came and they set out, but they found no crumbs, for the many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had picked them all up.

但是当月亮升起来时，他们在地上却怎么也找不到一点面包屑了，原来它们都被那些在树林里、田野上飞来飞去的鸟儿一点点地啄食了。

Hansel said to Gretel: "We shall soon find the way," but they did not find it. They walked the whole night and all the next day too from morning till evening, but they did not get out of the forest, and were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries, which grew on the ground. And as they were so weary that their legs would carry them no longer, they lay down beneath a tree and fell asleep.

虽然汉赛尔也有些着急了，但他还是安慰妹妹说："我们一定能找到路的，格莱特。"但他们没有能够找到路，虽然他们走了一天一夜，可就是出不了森林。他们已经饿得头昏眼花，因为除了从地上找到的几颗草霉，他们没吃什么东西。这时他们累得连脚都迈不动了，倒在一颗树下就睡着了。

重点词汇：

1.withered    ['wɪðəd]

adj.枯萎的

e.g. Flowers withered up soon after they were cut. 

花儿摘下不久就枯萎了。

2.backwards and forwards

来来回回

e.g. Paul paced anxiously backwards and forwards. 

保罗焦急地来回踱步。

3.fatigue    [fə'tiːg]

n.疲劳，疲乏

e.g. She works hard as if she never knew fatigue. 

她工作努力，仿佛从不知疲倦似的。

4.comfort    ['kʌmfət]

vt.安慰

e.g. I was too tired and frightened to find comfort in that familiar promise.

我既疲惫又恐惧，就连那熟悉的承诺都无法让我感到安慰。

5.rejoice   [rɪ'dʒɒɪs]

vi.高兴；庆祝

e.g. We all rejoice with you in your good fortune. 

我们大家和你一样为你的好运气感到高兴。

6.yield    [jiːld]

vt.屈服

e.g. We shall never yield to a conqueror. 

我们绝不会向征服者屈服。

7.nevertheless    [nevəðə'les]

adv.然而，不过

e.g. Nevertheless, the problem is still there. 

然而，问题还是存在的。