泰西50軼事(三十八之一)國王和他的鷹 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(三十八)國王和他的鷹
原文及翻譯如下：
The King and his hawk
國王和他的鷹
GENGHIS Khan was a great king and warrior.
He led his army into China and Persia, and he conquered many lands. In every country, men told about his daring deeds, and they said that since Alexander the Great there had been no king like him.
成吉思汗(圖1)是一個偉大的國王和戰士。
他帶領他的軍隊進入中國和波斯，征服了許多土地。每一個國家，人們都談到他的英勇事蹟，他們都說自從亞歷山大大帝之後，還沒有一個國王像他那樣。
圖1：成吉思汗(本圖來自危基百科；作者未知)
One morning when he was home from the wars, he rode out into the woods to have a day’s sport. Many of his friends were with him. They rode out gayly, carrying their bows and arrows. Behind them came the servants with the hounds.
一天早晨，從戰場回家後，他騎著馬到森林裡進行白天的打獵。有許多朋友跟著他。他們騎著馬，背著弓和箭高高興興地出發了，後面跟著僕人，帶著獵狗。
It was a merry hunting party. The woods rang with their shouts and laughter. They expected to carry much game home in the evening.
這是一支快樂的打獵隊伍，森林裡迴響著他們的呼叫聲和笑語。
他們盼望著晚上能帶許多獵物回家。
On the king’s wrist sat his favourite hawk; for in those days hawks; for in those days hawk were trained to hunt. At a word from their masters they would fly high up into the air, and look around for prey. If they chanced to see a deer or a rabit, they would swoop down upon it swift as any arrow.
國王的手腕上蹲著一隻他最喜歡的老鷹，因為那個時候，鷹可以被訓練來打獵(圖2)。只要主人發出命令，它們就會飛到高空中去找尋周圍的獵物。如果它們碰巧看到一隻鹿或一隻野兔，就會像箭一樣迅猛地撲下去。
圖2：成吉思汗的手腕上蹲著一隻他最喜歡的老鷹。
All day long Genghis Khan and his huntsmen rode through the woods.
But they did not find as much game as they expected.
成吉思汗和他的獵人們在森林裡整整騎了一天。但是他們沒有打到預期中的那麼多的獵物。
Towards evening they started for home. The king had often ridden through the woods, and he knew all the paths. So while the rest of the party took the nearest way, he went by a longer road through a valley between two mountains.
到了傍晚，他們開始要回家了。國王經常騎馬穿過這片森林，他知道所有的道路。所以當別的同伴都抄近路時，他卻單獨走了一條較長的路，穿過兩山之間的一個山谷。
The day had been warm, and the king was very thirsty. His pet hawk had left his wrist and flown away. It would be sure to find its way home.
天氣很熱，國王覺得很渴。他寵愛的鷹已經離開他的手腕，飛出去了。它一定是去找回家的路了。
The king rode slowly along.He had once seen a spring of clear water near this pathway. If he could only find it now! But the hot days of summer had dried up all the mountain brooks.
國王沿途慢慢地騎著，他以前曾經在這條小路旁看到一個清潔的泉水。要是現在能找到它該有多好啊！但是夏天炎熱的日光，使山上所有的小溪都乾涸了。
At last, to his joy, he saw some water trickling down over the edge of a rock. He knew that there was a spring farther up. In the wet season, a swift stream of water always poured down here; but now it came only one drop at a time.
終於，使高興的，是他看到從上面一塊岩石的邊緣，滴下來一些水。他知道上面更遠的地方一定有泉水。在雨季，總有一股湍急的泉水從這兒傾注下來；可現在只有一滴一滴的向下流。
The king leaped from his horse. He took a little silver cup from hishunting bag. He held it so as to catch the slowly falling drops.
國王從馬上跳下，他從獵袋裡拿出一隻小銀杯，用它去接那慢慢落下的水滴。
It took a long time to fill the cup; and the king was so thirsty that he could hardly wait. At last it was nearly full. He put the cup to his lips, and was about to drink. All at once there was a whirring sound in the air, and the cup was knocked from his hands. The water was all spilled upon the ground
要把杯子裝滿，須花很長的時間，大汗是如此的渴，他幾乎等不及了。最後，杯子差不多裝滿了，他把杯子放到嘴邊，正要喝水，突然，空中發出一陣呼呼的急飛聲音，那杯子從他的手中被打掉了，水全都潑在地上(圖3)。
圖3：空中發出一陣呼呼的急飛聲音，那杯子從他的手中被打掉了，水全都潑在地上
The king looked up to see who had done this thing. It was his pet hawk.
The hawk flew back and forth a few times, and then alighted amongthe rocks by the spring.
國王抬頭張望，看是誰打翻了杯子。原來是他寵愛的鷹。
那隻鷹來來回回地飛了幾次，然後停在泉水旁邊的岩石間。
The king picked up the cup, and again held it to catch the trickling drops.
This time he did not wait so long. When the cup was half full, he lifted it towards his mouth. But before it had touched his lips, the hawk swooped down again, and knocked it from his hands.
國王撿起杯子，重新去接那細細的水滴。這一次他並不想等那麼久。當杯子裝得半滿時，他就舉到了嘴邊。但是還沒碰到嘴唇，鷹又衝了下來，把他手上的杯子打掉了。
And now the king began to grow angry. He tried again; and for the third time the hawk kept him from drinking.
現在，國王開始生氣了。他又試了一次，而鷹又第三次阻止他喝水。
The king was now very angry indeed.“How do you dare to act so?”he cried. “If I had you in my hands, I would wring your neck! ”
大汗現在真的非常生氣了。“你怎麼膽敢這麼做？”他叫道，“如果你在我手裡，我會扭斷你的脖子！”
Then he filled the cup again. But before he tried to drink, he drew his sword.
“Now, Sir Hawk,”he said,“this is the last time.”
He had hardly spoken, before the hawk swooped down and knocked the cup from his hand.
然後他又把杯子裝滿。但是，在喝之前，他抽出了他的劍。
“現在，老鷹先生，”他說，“這是最後一次了。”
他的話剛一說完，鷹又衝下來把杯子從他的手中打掉了。
But the king was looking for this. With a quick sweep of the sword he struck the bird as it passed.
The next moment the poor hawk lay bleeding and dying at its master’s feet.
但是國王一直在注視這件事，當它飛過來時，國王的劍飛快地一掠擊中了它。接著，那隻可憐的鷹流著血死在主人的腳下(圖4)。
圖4：成吉思汗的劍飛快地一掠擊中了老鷹。接著，那隻可憐的鷹流著血死在主人的腳下
“That is what you get for your pains,”said Genghis Khan.
But when he looked for his cup, he found that it had fallen between two rocks, where he could not reach it.
“這是你自取的痛苦，”成吉思汗說。但是，當他去找杯子時，發現杯子落到了兩塊岩石之間，他不能夠到達那個地方。
“At any rate, I will have a drink from that spring,”he said to himself.
With that he began to climb the steep bank to the place from which the water trickled. It was hard work, and the higher he climbed, the thirstier he became.
“無論如何，我要喝一點那泉水，”他自言自語。
於是他開始順著陡峭的斜坡爬到了那滴水的源頭。那是件困難的事，爬得越高他就越渴。
At last he reached the place. There indeed was a pool of water; but what was that lying in the pool, and almost filling it? It was a huge, dead snake of the most poison ous kind.
他終於到達了那個地方。那裡確有一池水，但是什麼東西躺在池子裡，幾乎把池子填滿了？那是一條巨大的死蛇，是最毒的一種蛇(圖5)。
圖5：池水躺著一種巨大最毒死去的蛇。
The king stopped. He forgot his thirst. He thought only of the poor dead bird lying on the ground below him.
國王停了下來。他忘記了口渴，只想著躺在下面地上的那隻可憐的死鳥。
“The hawk saved my life! ”he cried; “and how did I repay him? He was my best friend, and I have killed him.”
“那只鷹救了我的命！”他叫了起來，“可是我如何的報答它呢？它是我最好的朋友，而我卻殺了它。”
He clambered down the bank. He took the bird up gently, and laid it in his hunting bag. Then he mounted his horse and rode swiftly home.
He said to himself, “I have learned a sad lesson today; and that is never to do anything inanger.”
他從山坡上爬下來，輕輕地把鷹捧起來放進獵袋裡，然後騎上馬快速地跑回家。他捫心自問：
“今天我得到一個慘痛的教訓，那就是在盛怒之下不要做輕舉妄動。”