The Coming Of The King

Laura E. Richards

Some children were at play in their play-ground one day， when a herald rode through the town， blowing a trumpet， and crying aloud， “The King！ The King passes by this road to-day. Make ready for the King！”

The children stopped their play， and looked at one another.

一天，幾个孩子正在游乐场玩耍的时候，一个传令官骑着马穿城而过，鸣号呐喊：“国王！国王陛下今天打此路过，准备迎驾！”

孩子们停止了游戏，你瞅瞅我，我瞅瞅你。

“Did you hear that？”they said.“The King is coming. He may look over the wall and see our playground; who knows？ We must put it in order.”

The playground was sadly dirty， and in the corners were scraps of paper and broken toys， for these were careless children. But now， one brought a hoe， and another a rake， and a third ran to fetch the wheelbarrow from behind the garden gate. They labored hard， till at length all was clean and tidy.

“Now it is clean！”they said，“but we must make it pretty， too， for kings are used to fine things; maybe he would not notice mere cleanness， for he may have it all the time.”

Then one brought sweet rushes and strewed them on the ground; and others made garlands of oak leaves and pine tassels and hung them on the walls; and the littlest one pulled marigold buds and threw them all about the playground，“to look like gold，”he said.

When all was done the playground was so beautiful that the children stood and looked at it， and clapped their hands with pleasure.

“Let us keep it always like this！”said the littlest one; and the others cried，“Yes！ yes！ that is what we will do.”

They waited all day for the coming of the King， but he never came; only， towards sunset， a man with travel- worn clothes， and a kind， tired face passed along the road， and stopped to look over the wall.

“What a pleasant place！”said the man. “May I come in and rest， dear children？”

The children brought him in gladly， and set him on the seat that they had made out of an old cask. They had covered it with the old red cloak to make it look like a throne， and it madea very good one.

“It is our playground！”they said.“Wemade it pretty for the King， but he did notcome， and now we mean to keep it so for ourselves.”

“That is good！”said the man.

“Because we think pretty and clean is nicer than ugly and dirty！”said another.

“That is better！”said the man.

“And for tired people to rest in！”said thelittlest one.

“That is best of all！”said the man.

He sat and rested， and looked at the children with such kind eyes that they came about him， and told him all they knew; about the five puppies in the barn， and the thrushs nest with four blue eggs， and the shore where the gold shells grew; and the man nodded and understood all about it.

By and by he asked for a cup of water， and they brought it to him in the best cup， with the gold sprigs on it： then he thanked the children， and rose and went on his way; but before he went he laid his hand on their heads for a moment， and the touch went warm to their hearts.

The children stood by the wall and watched the man as he went slowly along. The sun was setting， and the light fell in long slanting rays across the road.

“He looks so tired！”said one of the children.

“But he was so kind！”said another.

“See！”said the littlest one.“How the sun shines on his hair！ It looks like a crown of gold.”

這些孩子平时马虎惯了，游乐场脏得要 命，角落里堆满了纸屑和破破烂烂的玩具。 好在此时，一个拿来锄头，一个拿来耙子，另 一个跑过去，推来了放在园子门后的手推 车。他们起劲地干着，直到把这里打扫得干 干净净。

“现在总算干净啦！”他们说，“不过我们 还得弄得美观才行，做国王的，好东西见得 多了；单靠干净，大概国王是不会注意的，因 为他呆的地方都是干净的。”

于是，一个孩子捧来清新怡人的灯芯 草，撒在地上；另外几个用橡树叶和松耳草 编成花环，装点四面围墙；那个最小的孩子 扯了许多金盏花花蕾，撒满了游乐场，“这样 看着金灿灿的”，他说。

做完这一切，游乐场变得美极了，孩子 们站在那里，朝着它打量一番，美滋滋地拍 手欢庆。

“咱们就让它一直这样保持下去吧！”最 小的孩子说。其他孩子欢呼：“好呀！好 呀！就这么干。”

整整一天，孩子们都在巴望着国王驾 到，可他始终没有露面。只是在黄昏时分， 这条路上才走过一个男人，风尘仆仆，面容 和善。他停下脚步，从围墙上方朝里张望。

“多好的地方啊！”男人说道，“我能进去 休息一会儿吗，可爱的孩子们？”

孩子们乐呵呵地把他迎进来，让他坐在 一个他们权当座椅的旧木桶上。他们还用 一顶红色的旧斗篷罩着木桶，使它好似国王的宝座。看着确实挺像那么回事。

“这是我们的游乐场！”孩子们说道，“为了迎接国王，我们给它装扮得漂漂亮亮。可他没来。现在我们打算一直这样保持下去，留给我们自己。”

“不错！”男人说。

“因为我们觉得，干净漂亮招人喜，肮脏丑陋讨人嫌。”一个孩子说。

男人答道：“很好！”

“好让疲劳的人们歇歇脚！”最小的孩子说。

“太好了！”男人说。

他坐下休息，看着孩子们——他的目光如此和善，孩子们都围拢到他身边，把自个儿知道的所有事情说给他听：谷仓里的五条小狗啦，画眉鸟窝里的四枚蓝色鸟蛋啦，还有冒出一个个金色贝壳的海岸。男人频频点头，孩子们说的他都懂。

过了一会儿，男人要喝杯水，孩子们便端来了水，用他们最好的杯子盛着，杯子上印有金色枝条。他谢过孩子们，起身告辞，继续赶路。但临行之前，他挨个摸了摸孩子们的小脑袋，温暖了孩子们的心。

孩子们站在墙边，望着男人渐行渐远。太阳缓缓落山，一道道余晖斜斜铺洒到路面上。

“他看上去可真疲惫啊！”一个孩子说。

“可他人真好啊！”另一个孩子说。

“快瞧！”最小的孩子说，“夕阳照在他的头发上，真像一顶金王冠。”

（选自《英语世界》2023年第8期）