莴苣姑娘

湖北省荆门市掇刀中学 吴文江编译

Once upon a time,there lived a man and a woman.Behind their house was a garden full of exotic flowers and herbs.However,the garden belonged to a witch,and it had a high wall,so no one dared to go in.从前有一对夫妇，他们家后面有一个美丽的花园，里面长满了奇花异草。可是，这个花园是女巫的，花园的周围有一道高墙，谁也不敢进去。

One day,the wife saw the green and fresh lettuce,and her appetite was aroused.But when she knew that she could never eat the lettuce,she became very sad.She told her husband if she couldn’t eat the lettuce in the garden,she would die.一天，妻子看到了花园里绿油油、水灵灵的莴苣，她的食欲突然膨胀。当她知道自己吃不到它们的时候，痛苦不堪。她对丈夫说如果她吃不到后园里的莴苣，她就会死。

The man loved his wife so much that he decided to get some lettuce for her.At dusk,he climbed over the wall and slipped into the garden.Rapidly,he pulled up some lettuce.The wife made a salad with the lettuce and devoured it.丈夫非常爱她，决定给她弄些莴苣来。黄昏时分，他翻过围墙，溜进了花园，飞快地拔了一把莴苣回来。妻子把莴苣做成沙拉，狼吞虎咽地吃了下去。

The lettuce was so tasty that she wanted to eat it the next day.To satisfy his wife,he slipped into the garden again.But when he came down,he was startled,for the witch was just in front of him.莴苣的味道好极了，第二天她又想吃莴苣了。为了满足妻子，丈夫再次翻进女巫的花园。可当他从墙上爬下来时吓了一跳，因为女巫就站在他的面前。

“How dare you steal my lettuce!”shouted the witch angrily.“Please have mercy on me.I do this because I have no choice.My wife saw your lettuce and wanted to eat,or she would die.”她怒气冲冲地说：“你好大的胆子，竟敢偷我的莴苣！”他回答说：“可怜可怜我吧，我是没办法才这样做的。我妻子看到了你的莴苣就想吃，吃不到就会死去。”

Then the witch said,“You can get my lettuce.But you must give me your future child.”Much frightened,the husband agreed.女巫说：“你可以采我的莴苣，但你必须把你们将来的孩子交给我。”丈夫害怕了，只好答应了女巫。

As soon as the wife gave birth to a daughter,the witch came,named her Lettuce Girl,and left with the child.妻子刚刚生下他们的女儿，女巫就来了，给孩子取名“莴苣”，然后就把孩子带走了。

16 years passed,Lettuce Girl grew into a most beautiful girl.The witch shut her in a high tower without stairs and doors，with only a small window.Whenever the witch wanted to go in,she shouted,“Lettuce Girl,droop your hair.”十六年过去了，他们的女儿长成了一个漂亮的女孩。女巫把她关进了一座既没有楼梯也没有门，只有一扇小窗户的高塔里。每当女巫想进去，她就站在塔下叫道：“莴苣姑娘，把你的头发垂下来。”

Lettuce Girl had bushy hair.Upon hearing the call,she loosened her hair,rolled the top around a window hook,and droopped down her hair.Then,the witch climbed up along the hair.莴苣姑娘有着浓密的长发。每当她听到女巫的命令，便松开她的头发，把顶端绕在一个窗钩上放下来。女巫便顺着长发爬上去。

One day,a prince rode by the tower.He stopped when he heard the beautiful singing.It was Lettuce Girl who was singing.The prince wanted to climb up to see her,but he could not find the door.一天，一位王子骑马路过这座塔。他听到美妙的歌声，不由得停了下来。唱歌的正是莴苣姑娘，王子想爬到塔顶上去看她，可怎么也找不到门。

The next day,he saw the witch shout,“Lettuce Girl,droop your hair.”Then she climbed up along the hair.At dusk,the prince shouted in the same way.第二天，他看到女巫冲着塔顶叫道：“莴苣姑娘，把你的头发垂下来。”女巫顺着垂下的发辫爬了上去。傍晚，王子也说了同样的话。

The hair was drooped down at once.Then he climbed up.Lettuce Girl was scared.The prince told her that he was moved by her singing.The Prince asked if she was willing to marry him,she agreed.头发立刻垂了下来，王子爬了上去，莴苣姑娘吓坏了。王子说他被她的歌声打动了。他问莴苣姑娘愿不愿意嫁给他，她答应了。

“I want to go with you.But I don’t know how.Please bring me a thread each time you come.And I will make a ladder.”The witch always came at daytime,so the prince decided to come at night.她说：“我愿意跟你一起走，可我不知道怎么下去。你每次来的时候都给我带一根线吧，我要编一个梯子。”因为女巫总是白天来，所以他俩商定王子每天傍晚来。

Everything went on well until one day Lettuce Girl asked why the witch was heavier than the prince.“You dare cheat me!”shouted the witch.She angrily cut Lettuce Girl’s hair.Then,she sent Lettuce Girl to the wilds.一切进展顺利，直到有一天莴苣姑娘不小心说了句女巫比王子重多了。女巫嚷道：“你竟敢欺骗我！”她怒气冲冲地剪掉了莴苣姑娘的头发。然后，把她送到荒野中。

The day Lettuce Girl was sent away，the witch tied the hair to a window hook.When the prince came,the witch drooped the hair to let him climb up.莴苣姑娘被送走的当天，女巫把剪下来的辫子绑在塔顶的窗钩上。王子来了，女巫放下头发，王子爬了上去。

However,he didn’t see Lettuce Girl.“Ah! ”the witch laughed,“You came to meet your lover?She was caught by a cat.”The prince was so angry that he rushed to the witch,but the witch threw him out of the tower.His eyes became blind because of thorns.然而，他没有见到莴苣姑娘。“啊哈！”女巫嘲弄王子说，“你是来见你的心上人的吧？她被猫抓走了。”王子十分生气，朝女巫冲过去，但是被女巫扔出塔外，双眼被荆棘扎瞎了。

Several years passed,Lettuce Girl already had a twin daughter and a twin son.The prince cried in the forest every day.One day Lettuce Girl recognized the prince in the forest and cried.The tears wetted his eyes that they restored light.好几年过去了，莴苣姑娘已经生下了一对双胞胎儿女。王子每天在森林里哭泣。有一天，莴苣姑娘在森林里认出了王子，哭了起来。她的眼泪润湿了他的眼睛，王子恢复了光明。

Then the prince returned to his kingdom with Lettuce Girl and their children.From then on,they lived a happy life.王子带着莴苣姑娘和他们的儿女回到自己的王国。从此，他们过着幸福的生活。