泰西50轶事(二十六之一)科妮莉娅的珠宝 江铭辉 五梦网
泰西50轶事(Fifty Famous Stories Retold)，是永恒的短篇故事，它收集的故事：包括浩瀚历史的著名英雄和他们的罗曼史，故事内容有勇气、毅力和情感。故事人物包括拿破仑、罗宾汉，乔治华盛顿、成吉思汗等人。这些故事都是老少咸宜的故事，我将它逐篇翻译，并配合图画，供大家欣赏。
泰西50轶事(二十六之一)科妮莉娅的珠宝
原文及翻译如下：
科妮莉娅的珠宝
CORNELIA’S JEWELS
IT was a bright morning in the old city of Rome many hundred years ago.
In a vine-covered summer-house in a beautiful garden, two boys were standing. They were looking at their mother and her friend, who were walking among the flowers and trees.
几百年前，罗马古城中一个阳光明媚的早晨。在一座美丽的花园里，两个男孩站在一座爬满了葡萄藤的凉亭下，正望着母亲和她的朋友正在花丛和树木中散步。
“Did you ever see so handsome a lady as our mother’s friend?”asked the younger boy, holding his tall brother’s hand.“She looks like a queen.”
“你见过像母亲的朋友那么漂亮的女士吗？”小的那个男孩抓着他高大哥哥的手问道，“她看上去真像个女王。”
“Yet she is not so beautiful as our mother,”said the elder boy.“She has a fine dress, it is true; but her face is not noble and kind. It is our mother who is like a queen.”
“她还没有我们的母亲漂亮呢，”哥哥说，“的确，她穿着很华丽，但她的面貌并不高贵温和。我们的母亲才像一个女王。”
“That is true,”said the other. “There is no woman in Rome so much like a queen as our own dear mother.”
“是啊，”另一个说，“在罗马没有一个女人比我们亲爱的母亲更像一个女王了。”
Soon Cornelia, their mother, came down the walk to speak with them.
She was simply dressed in a plain white robe. Her arms and feet were bare, as was the custom in those days; and no rings nor chains glittered about her hands and neck.
不一会儿，他们的母亲科妮莉娅(图1)走下来和他们说话了。她只简单的穿著一件白色长袍，非常朴素。她的手臂和脚都露在外面，这是那时期的风俗。她既没有戒指也没有项链闪烁在手腕和脖子上。
图1：科妮莉娅
For her only crown, long braids of soft brown hair were coiled about her head; and a tender smile lit up her noble face as she looked into her sons’proud eyes.
她仅有的皇冠，就是盘在头上的、用那柔软棕色的头发编成的长辫子。当她注视她的儿子们骄傲的眼神时，一种温柔的微笑照亮了她高贵的脸上。
“Boys,”she said,“I have something to tell you.”
They bowed before her, as Roman lads were taught to do, and said,“What is it, mother?”
“孩子们，”她说，“我有一些事情要告诉你们。”
他们在她的面前向鞠躬，就像罗马受教育的男孩们那样，并且问道：“什么事，母亲？”
“You are to dine with us today, here in the garden; and then our friend is going to show us that wonderful casket of jewels of which you have heard so much.”
“今天和我们一起在花园里吃饭吧。然后，我的朋友会把那只你们早就听说多次的美妙珠宝箱展示给我们看。”
The brothers looked shyly at their mother’s friend. Was it possible that she had still other rings besides those on her fingers? Could she have other gems besides those which sparkled in the chains about her neck?
兄弟俩害羞地看着母亲的朋友。这是真的吗？除了手指上戴着的那些，她还有其他戒指？除了脖子上的项链，她还有其他的宝石吗？
When the simple outdoor meal was over, a servant brought the casket from the house. The lady opened it. Ah, how those jewels dazzled the eyes of the wondering boys! There were ropes of pearls, white as milk, and smooth as satin; heaps of shining rubies, red as the glowing coals; sapphires as blue as the sky that summer day; and diamonds that flashed and sparkled like the sunlight.
当一顿简单的室外餐会结束后，一个仆人从屋里拿出一个珠宝箱。那个女士把它打开了。啊！那些珠宝是怎样地让吃惊的兄弟俩眼花缭乱啊！成串的珍珠像牛奶一样洁白，像绸缎一样光滑；成堆的红宝石发着光，像烧红的煤炭；蓝宝石蓝得像夏日的天空；还有那钻石，闪烁着像日光一样。(图2)
图2：女士把珠宝箱打开。那些珠宝让二兄弟俩眼花缭乱。
The brothers looked long at the gems.
“Ah! ”whispered the younger; “if our mother could only have such beautiful things! ”
At last, however, the casket was closed and carried carefully away.
兄弟俩凝视着那些珠宝很久。
“啊！”弟弟低声说，“如果我们的母亲也有这么多漂亮的东西就好了。”
最后，珠宝箱被合上，小心翼翼地拿走了。
“Is it true, Cornelia, that you have no jewels?”asked her friend.“Is it true, as I have heard it whispered, that you are poor?”
“科妮莉娅，你没有珠宝，这是真的吗？”她的朋友问，“因为我私下听人说，妳很穷，这是确实吗？”
“No, I am not poor,”answered Cornelia, and as she spoke she drew her two boys to her side;“for here are my jewels. They are worth more than all your gems.”
不，我并不穷，”科妮莉娅回答，她边说边把两个孩子拉到身边，“这就是我的珠宝。他们比你所有的那些宝石都更有价值。”
I am sure that the boys never forgot their mother’s pride and love and care; and in after years, when they had become great men in Rome, they often thought of this scene in the garden. And the world still likes to hear the story of Cornelia’s jewels.
我相信，那两个孩子永远也不会忘记母亲的自豪、珍爱和关切。许多年之后，当他们成为罗马的伟人时，还时常想起花园里的这一幕。而世上的人们仍然很喜欢听科妮莉娅珠宝的故事。