泰西50軼事(六之一)：約翰王和修道院院長 江銘輝 五夢網
泰西50軼事(Fifty Famous Stories Retold)，是永恆的短篇故事，它收集的故事：包括浩瀚歷史的著名英雄和他們的羅曼史，故事內容有勇氣、毅力和情感。故事人物包括拿破崙、羅賓漢，喬治華盛頓、成吉思汗等人。這些故事都是老少鹹宜的故事，我將它逐篇翻譯，並配合圖畫，供大家欣賞。
泰西50軼事(六)：約翰王翰和修道院院長
原文及翻譯如下：
King John and the Abbot
約翰王翰和修道院院長
1. THE THREE QUESTIONS
1. 三個問題
There was once a king of England whose name was John. He was a bad king; for he was harsh and cruel to his people, and so long as he could have his own way, he did not care what became of other folks. He was the worst king that England ever had.
從前，英國有一個國王叫做約翰(圖1)。他是一個暴君。因為他對他的人民粗暴而殘忍，他隨自己的高興一意孤行，從不關心老百姓的死活，這是英國有史以來最殘暴的國王。
圖1：約翰王(本圖摘自維基百科)
Now, there was in the town of Canterburya rich old abbot who lived in grand style in a great house called the Abbey. Every day a hundred noble men sat down with him to dine; and fifty brave knights,in fine velvet coats and gold chains, waited upon him at his table.
那時，在坎特伯里城有一個富有的老修道院長，他住在一座宏偉的大修道院裡，過著豪華的生活，每天有一百個高貴的人坐著陪他用餐，還有五十個穿著美好天鹅绒外衣、扣著金鏈條的勇士在他的桌旁侍候他。
When King John heard of the way in which the abbot lived, hemade up his mind to put a stop to it. So he sent for the old man to come and see him.
當約翰國王聽說了修道院院長如此的生活之後，他決定制止它，過這種豪華生活，於是他派人叫那老人來晉見他。
“How now, my good abbot?”he said. “I hear that you keep a far better house than I. How dare you do such a thing? Don t you know that no man in the land ought to live better than the king? And I tell you that no man shall.”
“最近可好，我的好修道院長？”他說，“我聽說你擁有比我的豪華許多的房子。你為什麼敢作如此的事？你難道不知道在這個國家裡，沒有人可以比國王過得更好嗎？現在我告訴你，什麼人都不允許！”
“O king! ”said the abbot, “I beg to say that I am spending
nothing but what is my own. I hope that you will not think ill of me for making things pleasant for my friends and the brave knights who are
with me.”
“啊，國王！”修到院長說，“請容許我說，我所用的都是自己的錢。我希望你不要誤會，我只是想使我的朋友和身邊的勇士快樂罷了。”
“Think ill of you?”said the king.“How can I help but think ill of you? All that there is in this broad land is mine by right; and how do you dare to put me to shame by living in grander style than I? One would think that you were trying to be king in my place.”
“誤會你？”國王說，“除了誤會你我還能怎樣？按理說，在這片廣大的領土之上一切都是屬於我的，你竟敢過得比我更豪華的生活，使我蒙羞？任何人都會認為你想取代我的王位。”
“Oh, do not say so! ”said the abbot.“for I—”
“Not another word! ”cried the king. “Your fault is plain, and
unless you can answer me three questions, your head shall be cut off,
and all your riches shall be mine.”
“啊，別這麼說！”修道院長說，“因為我……”。
“不用再多說了！”國王大聲說道，“你的罪過是再清楚不過了，除非你能回答出我的三個問題，否則你將會被砍頭，你的所有財產也將歸我所有。”
“I will try to answer them, O king! ”said the abbot.
“國王啊，我將盡力回答！”院長說。
“Well then,”said King John, “as I sit here with my crown of gold on my head, you must tell me to within a day just how long I shall live. Secondly, you must tell me how soon I shall ride round the whole world;and lastly, you shall tell me what I think.” 。
“那好，”約翰國王說，“當我頭戴金冠坐在這裡，你必須告訴我還能活多久，並且一天也不差；第二，你還必須告訴我，我騎馬環遊世界最快需要多久的時間；最後，你必須告訴我，我在想什麼。”
“O king! ”said the abbot, “these are deep, hard questions, and I
cannot answer them just now. But if you will give me two weeks to think
about them, I will do the best that I can.”
“啊，國王！”院長說，“這些都是深奧的難題，我不能現在就回答，但是如果你能給兩周的時間去思考，我將竭盡全力來回答。”
“Two weeks you shall have,”said the king; “but if then you fail to
answer me, you shall lose your head, and all your lands shall be mine.”
“就給你兩周的時間，”國王說，“但是兩周之後你若還不能回答，你將失去你的頭，你的土地也將歸於我。”
The abbot went away very sad and in great fear. He first rode to Oxford. Here was a great school called a university, and he wanted to see if any of the wise professors could help him. But they shook their heads, and said that there was nothing about King John in any of their books.
院長懷著恐懼，非常傷心地離開了。他先騎著馬去了牛津，那裡有個大學校，被稱為大學。他看看那些聰明的教授們，是否有人能夠幫助他，可是他們都搖著頭，並且說他們的書本上沒有任何關於約翰國王的問題。
Then the abbot rode down to Cambridge, where there was another
university. But not one of the teachers in that great school could help
him.
接著院長又騎馬到劍橋，那兒有另一所大學。但是那所優秀的學校中，也沒有任何一個教師能夠幫助他。
At last, sad and sorrowful, he rode towards home to bid his friends and his brave knights good-by. For now he had not a week to live.
最後，他悲傷而沮喪地回家去，準備向朋友和勇士們告別。因為現在他只剩下不到一星期能活了。
2. THE THREE ANSWERS
2. 三個答案
As the abbot was riding up the lane which led to his grand house,
he met his shepherd going to the fields.
當修道院長騎著馬要從小巷往他那華麗的住宅時，他遇到了他雇用的牧羊人正要到田野裡去。(圖2)
圖2：修道院長騎著馬遇到了他雇用的牧羊人。
Welcome home, good master! ”cried the shepherd.
“What news do you bring us
from great King John?”
“Sad news, sad news,”
said the abbot; and then he told him all that had happened.
“歡迎你回家，善良的主人！”牧羊人大聲說道，“你從約翰國王那兒回來，帶來了什麼消息啊？”
“悲哀消息，悲哀消息，”院長說。接著他把所發生的事都告訴了牧羊人。
“Cheer up, cheer up,good master,”said the shepherd.
“Have you never yet heard that a fool may teach a wise man wit? I think I canhelp you out of your trouble.”
“振作起來，振作起來吧，善良的主人，”牧羊人說，“難道你沒聽說過一個傻瓜也能教導一個聰明人智慧嗎？我想我能幫助你脫離困境呢。”
“You help me! ”cried the abbot. “How? how?”
“你能幫助我！”修道院長大叫，“怎麼做？怎麼做？”
“Well,”answered the shepherd, “you know that everybody says
that I look just like you, and that I have sometimes been mistaken for
you. So, lend me your servants and your horse and your gown, and I will
go up to London and see the king. If nothing else can be done, I can at
least die in your place.”
“好的，”牧羊人回答，“你可知道，每個人都說我跟你長得很像，有時候還會把我錯認作你呢。把你的僕人、馬還有長袍都借給我，我將上倫敦去拜見國王。即使幹不了別的事，至少也可以替你去死啊。”
“My good shepherd,”said the abbot,“you are very, very kind; and I have a mind to let you try your plan. But if the worst comes to the worst, you shall not die for me. I will die for myself.”
“我的好牧羊人，”院長說，“你真是非常、非常有仁慈心，我決定讓你試試你的計畫。但是如果厄運糟到極點，你也不必替我去死，我願意自己去死。”
So the shepherd got ready to go at once. He dressed himself with great care. Over his shepherd’s coat he threw the abbot’s long gown, and he borrowed the abbot’s cap and golden staff. When all was ready, no one in the world would have thought that he was not the great man himself. Then he mounted his horse, and with a great train of servants set out for London.
於是牧羊人立刻做好了出發的準備，他精心地把自己打扮了一番，脫下了牧羊人的外套，穿上修道院長的長袍，還借來了院長的帽子和金手杖。當一切準備就緒之後，世界上所有人沒有不認為他就是大人物“修道院長”本人呢。然後，他騎上馬，帶著一大隊僕人向倫敦出發。
Of course the king did not know him.
“Welcome, Sir Abbot! ”he said.“It is a good thing that you have come back. But, prompt as you are, if you fail to answer my three questions, you shall lose your head.”
國王當然不會認出是他。
“歡迎你，院長先生！”他說，“你回來真是一件好事情。只是太快了，如果你回答不出我的三個問題，你就失去你的頭了。”(圖3)
圖3：牧羊人打扮成修道院長晉見國王
“I am ready to answer them, O king! ”said the shepherd.
“Indeed, indeed! ”said the king, and he laughed to himself.
“Well, then, answer my first question: How long shall I live? Come, you
must tell me to the very day.”
“啊，國王。我已經準備好回答你的問題了！”牧羊人說。
“真的嗎？真的嗎？”國王問道，並暗自竊笑。
“那好，先回答我的第一個問題：我能活多久？聽著，你必須告訴我一個確切的日子。”
“You shall live,”said the shepherd, “until the day that you die,
and not one day longer. And you shall die when you take your last
breath, and not one moment before.”
The king laughed.
“You are witty, I see,”he said.“But we will let that pass, and say that your answer is right. And now tell me how soon I may ride round the world.”
“你將活到，”牧羊人說，
“活到你去世的那天，一天也不會多，你將在呼吸停止時死去，一刻也不會提前。”
國王笑了起來。
“我明白，你很精靈，”他說，“你的答案是對的，這一題就算通過了。現在告訴我，我騎馬環遊世界最快需要多久時間。”
“You must rise with the sun,”said the shepherd, “and you must ride with the sun until it rise again the next morning. As soon as you do that you will find that you have ridden round the world in twenty four hours.”
“你必須在太陽升起時動身，”牧羊人說，“然後騎馬跟隨著太陽，直到第二天早晨它再次升起。只要你那樣做了，就會發現你已經在二十四小時之內騎馬環遊了世界。”(圖4)
圖4：牧羊人說，“國王騎馬跟隨著太陽，在二十四小時之內就能環遊了世界。
The king laughed again.“Indeed,”he said,“I did not think that it
could be done so soon. You are not only witty, but you are wise and
we will let this answer pass. And now comes my third and last question:
What do I think?”
國王又笑了起來。“的確”他說，“沒想到這件事這麼快就能完成。你不僅精靈，還很聰明，這道題也算你答對了。現在回答第三，也是最後的一個問題：我在想什麼？”
“That is an easy question,”said the shepherd. “You think that I
am the Abbot of Canterbury. But, to tell you the truth, I am only his
poor shepherd, and I have come to beg your pardon for him and for me.”And with that, he threw off his long gown.
“這個問題太容易了，”牧羊人說，“你在想我是坎特布里的修道院長，可是，實話告訴你吧，我只是他的一個窮牧羊人罷了，我來這裡是為了我的主人和我懇求你的寬恕的。”說著，他就脫下了長袍。
The king laughed loud and long.
“A merry fellow you are,”said he, “and you shall be the Abbot of Canterbury in your master’s place.”
國王大聲笑了很久。
“你真是個有趣的傢伙，”他說，“你應該代替你的主人來做坎
特布里的修道院長。”
“O king! that cannot be,”said the shepherd; “for I can neither
read nor write.”
“啊！國王，那可不成，”牧羊人說，“因為我既不會讀也不會寫。”
“Very well, then,”said the king,“I will give you something else to pay you for this merry joke. I will give you four pieces of silver every
week as long as you live. And when you get home, you may tell the old
abbot that you have brought him a free pardon from King John.”
“很好，那麼，”國王說，“我將給一些賞賜來獎勵你的幽默。你在世時，每週我給你四塊銀幣。在你回到家之後，告訴老修道院長，說你已經從約翰國王這裡，為他取得了一道自由的赦令。”