艾伦·瑞克曼 | 朗读非洲民间故事《国王的戒指》

Once there was a king - a king with a ring. In that ring lay the secret of his power and greatness. The ring was made of gold brought up the River Nile, inlaid with silver brought up the River Congo, and topped with diamonds brought up the River Zambezi - so the story went, though exactly where it had come from, no one was sure.

从前有一个国王，他有一枚戒指。那枚戒指藏着他的力量和巨大的秘密。打造戒指的黄金产自尼罗河，内嵌的白银产自刚果河，顶上镶钻产自赞比西河——故事由此开始，尽管没人知道戒指到底从何而来。

The ring was so powerful that whoever wore it was protected from all mortal danger. That meant that no matter how many people came charging around the corner waving spears and axes or shooting arrows, the king could never get hurt, provided, of course, that he was wearing the ring.

这枚戒指力量无穷，戴着它的人都能免受一切致命的危险。这意味着，无论有多少人从暗处挥舞长矛、斧头冲向他或朝他射箭，只要国王戴着戒指，他就永远不会受伤。

So the king wore the ring at all times, while passing judgment in his court, while eating stupendous feasts that lasted all day, while being carried on a special sort of bed covered with ostrich feathers through the streets of his city, and even while sleeping in the royal bedchamber at night.

因此，不管是在庭审，还是在吃一整天大餐时，或是躺在一张铺着鸵鸟羽毛的别致床上，被抬着穿过城中大街小巷时，甚至是夜晚在宫廷卧室睡觉时，国王都一直戴着这枚戒指。

The king wore the magic ring every hour of every day, except when he went for his ceremonial bath. On these occasions, the king was carried to the crystal-clear pool beside the waterfall. There all his servants and his children and his many wives bowed low to him, and then backed away out of sight.

除了在洗浴时，国王几乎每天的每时每刻都戴着这枚神奇的戒指。到洗浴时间，国王会被抬往瀑布旁晶莹清澈的浴池。在那儿，他的仆人，孩子，以及他的众多妃子在向他深鞠躬后便会退下。

Once they had left, the king would take off his crown of gold and ivory and peacock feathers, his cloak of gold and silk and precious stones, his sandals of ebony and rhinoceros hide, and his robe of the purest white linen. And then he would take off his ring and hide it in a place so secret and well-concealed that neither his servants, nor his children, nor even his many wives could make the slightest guess as to where it was.

他们一走，国王就摘下他那金光闪闪，镶着象牙和孔雀羽饰的王冠，脱下镶有宝石的金色丝绸外衣，乌木和犀牛皮制成的凉鞋和纯白色的细麻布长袍。然后他就摘下他的戒指，把它藏在一个非常隐秘的地方，这样他的仆人，孩子，甚至妃子们都猜不出戒指在哪里。

And as soon as he had finished his royal bath, the ring was the first thing the king put on again, before he allowed anyone to come anywhere near him. He treasured the ring, because it made him the most powerful king in Africa.

国王洗浴完的第一件事就是把戒指戴上，然后才允许其他人靠近他。他很珍视这枚戒指，因为是这枚戒指使他成为非洲最强大的国王。

But the day arrived, when he stepped, dripping, out of his ceremonial bath into the warm sun, to find that the ring was not there. At first with amazement and then with fear, the king searched his secret hiding place and all around it. The ring was gone.

但是有一天，当国王浑身是水从沐浴池走到温暖的阳光下，走向藏戒指的地方，却发现戒指不在那儿了。国王既诧异又恐惧，找遍了这个藏戒指的隐秘之处（都没找到）。戒指不见了。

Somebody, somebody among all his servants and his children and his many wives must have discovered the hiding place and dared to take the ring. The king was furious, but he was also afraid. If he offered great rewards for finding the ring, then everyone would know that he no longer had it.

一定是他的仆人、孩子或妃子们当中的某个人，发现了这个隐秘的地方，还竟敢拿走了戒指。国王大发雷霆，但他也胆战心惊的，因为如果他给出丰厚的报酬来寻找这枚戒指，那么每个人都会知道他的戒指丢了。

They would know that he was no longer protected from harm. They would know that he was no longer the most powerful king in Africa. For days, the king sat and worried. He paced up and down his private chamber; he sat for hours staring at the ground or at the sky; he couldn't sleep.

臣民会知道他不再受到保护，他们也将会知道他不再是非洲最强大的国王了。这些天，国王坐立难安，夜不能寐。有时在自己的房间里踱来踱去，有时一坐就是好几个小时，眼睛一直盯着地上或天空。

All his wives shook their heads in sorrow, and his children kept well away. It was his favorite wife who persuaded him to tell her what was wrong. Immediately, she went to the house of the wisest of all the diviners, a man called Zafusa. With wild eyes and bracelets jangling on his arms, Zafusa sprang into the courtyard where the king was sitting.

他所有的妃子都垂头丧气，他的孩子们也躲着他。国王最喜爱的一个妃子说服国王，让他告诉她出了什么事。听完她立刻去了最睿智的占卜者的家里，这个占卜者名叫扎富萨。扎富萨睁大着双眼，把胳膊上的手镯摇得叮当作响，然后冲进了国王坐的院子里。

Plumes of feathers danced and waved in his headdress, and strips of furry skin dangled from his waist. He looked like a feathered leopard with a hundred tails. He listened silently while the king told him about the stolen ring.

他的头饰上的羽饰飞舞摇摆，条状兽皮从腰间垂下来，让他看起来像一只长着羽毛，有一百条尾巴的花豹。他安静地听着国王讲述关于戒指失窃之事。

Then Zafusa opened one of the leather pouches that hung from his beaded belt, and took out the set of bones that he used to find the answers to difficult questions. Smoothing a circle in the sand, Zafiisa held the bones toward the sky, gave a sharp cry, and then dropped them. Carefully, he examined the pattern in which they lay. Then Zafusa straightened up and looked at the king.

然后，扎富萨打开了挂在他珠子腰带上的一个皮袋，拿出他用来解决难题的那套卜骨。扎富萨在沙地上划了一个圈，举着卜骨朝向天空，尖声叫喊，然后把卜骨扔在地上，并仔细地观察它们在地上的分布。然后扎富萨又站了起来，看着国王。

"Your ring will be found, your Majesty," he said. "The thief is close to us." "Who is it?" demanded the king. Zafusa shook his head. "You shall see. You will not need magic. Send for your woodcutters." The king did so at once, and Zafusa explained to them what was needed.

“您的戒指会找到的，陛下，”他说，“小偷就在我们身边。” “是谁？”国王问道。扎富萨摇了摇头说：“您会看到的，而且您不需要魔法，只要把樵夫们召集过来。”国王立刻照他说的做了，扎富萨向大家解释了必要准备。

At dawn on the next day, all those who could possibly have had the slightest chance to steal the ring were gathered in the great square in front of the palace. The king appeared at the top of the steps leading down from the front door and stood there, staring silently at the bowing people.

第二天黎明时分，所有可能有机会偷戒指的人都聚集在宫殿前的大广场上。国王从正大门出来，站在最高的台阶上，默默地注视着鞠躬的人们。

Then he clapped his hands and soldiers appeared all around the square, ready and armed with sharpened spears so that no one could escape. Through a small archway appeared Zafusa, all the more terrible now with white circles around each eye and strange dark designs on his body.

然后他拍拍手，手持锋利长矛，一切准备就绪的士兵将广场团团包围，以防有人逃跑。扎富萨穿过一个小拱门来到广场，更可怕的是，此时他的眼睛周围画上了白色的圆圈，身上满是奇怪的黑色图案。

After him came the woodcutters with great numbers of straight wooden sticks. They heaped the sticks in the center of the square. Zafusa danced around the sticks, chanting in a language nobody had heard before, and it was clear to even the smallest child that he was casting a spell on the sticks.

在他身后跟着许多手持直木棍的樵夫，他们把木棍堆在广场中央。扎富萨围着棍子起舞，并用一种没人听过的语言吟诵着，即使是最小的孩子也清楚地知道他正在给木棍施咒。

Finally, at the king's command, everyone in the square was given one stick. "Take care!" thundered Zafusa. "These sticks are full of power. Do not lose them. Have them with you all through today. Bring them back here at dawn tomorrow. As the sun rises, we shall see what we shall see."

最后，在国王的命令下，广场上的每个人都分到了一根木棍。”妥善保管！” 扎富萨怒吼道，“这些木棍充满力量，千万不能把它们弄丢了。你们今天一整天都得拿着它们，明天天亮的时候再把它们带回来。当太阳升起时，我们将会看到我们该看到的一幕。”

Sticks of power? All the people were amazed – the sticks looked so ordinary. They compared sticks with each other - they all looked just the same. A few were a little thicker or thinner, but they were all the same length. In fact, they were all exactly the same length. How curious!

充满力量的木棍？所有的人都很惊讶，因为木棍看上去非常普通。他们把木棍互相比较一番——它们看上去一模一样。虽然有的略粗或略细，但它们都一样长。真的，它们的长度完全一样。多奇怪啊！

The guards moved aside, and the servants, children, and wives were allowed to leave, shuffling backward, of course, for no one ever turned a back on the king. So they all saw the king beckoning with a finger to his favorite wife.

士兵们退到边上，国王的仆人、孩子和妃子们被要求离开。当然，他们都只好拖着脚步往回走，因为从来没有人敢违背国王。所以国王向他最喜欢的王妃招手时他们都看到了。

As she knelt before him, he whispered in her ear, "The thief is as good as caught. The stick will catch him. This night the stick of the thief will grow in length by the breadth of three fingers. But don't tell anyone I said so." As he strode into the carved doorway, all the wives, children, and servants crowded around the favorite wife to find out what the king had said.

当她跪在国王面前时，国王在她耳边小声说：“小偷会抓到的，木棍可以把他揪出来。今晚小偷的木棍会变成长三指宽，但是别告诉任何人我说过这话。”当国王大步走进了有雕饰的门口时，他所有的妃子、孩子和仆人都围在王妃身边，想知道国王说了什么。

Now, the favorite wife was a very careful woman. She didn't breathe a word to any of them, except to her own extra-special friend. That friend was a trustworthy woman, too, and she told only her mother and her wise old aunt. But the strange thing was that by the time the sun set that evening, every single person who had been in the square knew that by dawn the thief's stick would have grown in length by the breadth of three fingers. 

王妃是个非常谨慎的女人，（国王的话）她对他们任何人都只字未提，除了她的一位非常要好的朋友。那位朋友也是一个值得信赖的女人，她只告诉了她的母亲和她聪明年长的姑姑。但奇怪的是，那天傍晚太阳下山的时候，广场上的每个人都知道：到在天亮的时候，小偷的木棍将会变长三根宽。

Night came as swiftly and silently as it always did. When the first tinges of dawn showed that the night was over, the crowd gathered in the square and they all had their sticks. The sun crept up into the sky, and suddenly, there was Zafusa, a gleaming spear in his hand, glaring at the people.

夜幕像往常一样迅速且安静地降临了。当黎明的曙光宣告黑夜的结束时，拿着木棍的人群聚集在广场上。太阳缓缓升上空中，突然，扎富萨手握一支闪闪发光的长矛，怒视着人们。

The king appeared, being carried on his special traveling bed with the ostrich feathers. Beside him walked the chief builder in the kingdom, bearing his measuring rod. Stick after stick was measured, all the way around the square. Not one of them had grown so much as a fingernail in length.

国王来了，他躺在一张装饰着鸵鸟羽毛的别致的床上，被抬着往前走。走在国王身旁的是王国里的最厉害的建筑师，他手中握着他的测量杆。他一直绕着广场，挨个地测量木棍，但这当中没有任何一根变长了，甚至指甲片那么长的变化都没有。

But there was one stick, carried by a sweating servant with a shifty look in his eyes that was exactly the thickness of three fingers shorter than everyone else's. "There's the thief!" shrieked Zafusa, leaping high into the air and waving his spear. "Take him!" yelled the king, ordering the royal guards into action. "Feed him to the lions!"

然而，有一根由一个满头大汗、眼神狡黠的仆人拿着的木棍，恰好比其他人的木棍短了三个指头的宽度。”“这就是小偷！” 扎富萨尖声喝道，并一跃而起，在空中挥舞着长矛。“抓住他！”国王大喊道，并命令士兵们马上行动。“让他去喂狮子吧！”

The thief promptly forgot that the ring protected him and fell to his knees and cried and pleaded. He took off the ring from the hand he had been hiding and gave it to the king and cried some more and begged for mercy. And the king was so pleased to have his ring back and to be the most powerful king in Africa once more that he allowed the royal lions to go without their breakfast.

这个小偷几乎忘了戒指可以保护他，所以他跪下哭着哀求。他从藏起来的那只手上摘下这枚戒指，交给国王，又继续哭着乞求宽恕。国王很高兴拿找回了戒指，他得以再次成为非洲最强大的国王，不过狮子早上没进食就被他放出去了。

The thief was set free - free, that is, apart from a small punishment. He had to run around the city three times, and the children chased him all the way around, all three times, and they found quite a different use for their sticks.

小偷因此逃过一劫，也就是说，他只要受点小惩罚：他必须绕着这座城跑三圈，孩子们一路追着他追了三圈，并且他们发现了他们的棍子还有截然不同的用处。

"How did you manage that?" asked the king, as he was recovering in his private chamber, and Zafusa stood watching bag after bag of gold being brought from the king's treasury.

“你是怎么做到的？”国王问道，这时他正在他的密室里疗养，扎富萨站在那里，看着一袋袋的金子从国王的宝库里搬来。

"Your magic must be even stronger than the magic of the ring." "Not so," said Zafusa. "I told you it would not need magic. All it needed was one very guilty man. He knew so well that he was the thief that he really believed his stick had grown three fingers in length during the night. So he cut off that length and thought no one would notice."

“你的魔法一定比戒指的魔法还强。”“并非如此，”扎富萨说，“我跟您说过那根本不需要魔法，只需要一个有罪的人。小偷很清楚自己是小偷，所以他会相信自己的棍子将在夜里变长三指宽，所以他砍掉了那么长，以为这样就没人会发现。”

Zafusa tied up the bags of gold in a spare sheepskin he had had the foresight to bring with him and bowed once to the king. "Remember, there is more than one kind of magic, your Majesty!"

扎富萨把一袋袋黄金捆进一张他提前备好的羊皮里，他带着这张羊皮纸是有先见之明的。然后他向国王鞠躬并说道：“陛下，请您记住：魔法不止一种！”