泰西50轶事(四十四之一)马克西米利安和牧鹅的孩子 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(四十三)马克西米利安和牧鹅的孩子
原文及翻译如下：
Maximilian and the Goose Boy
马克西米利安和牧鹅的孩子
ONE summer day King Maximilian of Bavaria was walking in the country. The sun shone hot, and he stopped under a tree to rest.
有一个夏天，巴伐利亚国王麦克西米利安(图1)在乡间散步。阳光照得很热，于是他停下来到一棵树下休息。
图1：巴伐利亚国王麦克西米利安
It was very pleasant in the cool shade. The king lay down on the soft grass, and looked up at the white clouds sailing across the sky. Then he took a little book from his pocket and tried to read.
在凉爽的树荫下很舒服。国王躺在柔软的草地上，仰头看着白云在天空飘来飘去。然后他从口袋里拿出一本小书子想读它。
But the king could not keep his mind on his book. Soon his eyes closed, and he was fast asleep.
但是国王很难把精力集中到书上。不一会儿，他就把眼睛合上，很快就睡着了。
It was past noon when he awoke. He got up from his grassy bed, and looked around. Then he took his cane in his hand, and started for home.
他醒来时，已经过了中午了。他从那草床上站起来，向周围看了一看，然后把手杖拿在手里，开始回家了。
When he had walked a mile or more, he happened to think of his book. He felt for it in his pocket. It was not there. He had left it under the It was not there. He had left it under the tree.
当他走了一哩多路的时后，突然想起了他的书。他摸了一下口袋，但书不在那儿；他把它掉在树下了。
The king was already quite tired, and he did not like to walk back so far. But he did not wish to lose the book. What should he do? If there was only some one to send for it!
国王已经很疲倦了，不想回头再走那么远的路，但也不想丢掉这本书。他该怎么办呢？要是能派人去拿该有多好啊！
While he was thinking, he happened to see a little barefooted boy in the open field near the road. He was tending a large flock of geese that were picking the short grass, and wading in a shallow brook.
正当他这样想的时候，他看见路边的旷野里有一个赤脚的小男孩，看管着一大群在浅水中啄着短草的鹅。
图2：国王看见路边有一个赤脚的小男孩，看管着一大群在浅水中啄着短草的鹅。
The king went toward the boy. He held a gold piece in his hand.
“My boy,”he said,“how would you like to have this piece of money?”
“I would like it,”said the boy;“but I never hope to have so much.”
“You shall have it if you will run back to the oak tree at the second turning of the road, and fetch me the book that I left there.”
国王手里拿着一块金币向那男孩走去。
“我的孩子！”他说，“你愿意得到这块金币吗？”
“我想得到啊！”男孩说，“可是我从来没想过能得到这么多的钱。”
“如果你跑到这条路的第二个转角上的那棵橡树下，把我掉在那儿的书拿回来，那么你将得到它。”
The king thought that the boy would be pleased. But not so. He turned away, and said,“I am not so silly as you think.”
国王以为男孩会很高兴，但事实上并不如此。他转身走开了，说：“我才没有你想的那么笨呢。”
“What do you mean?”said the king.“Who says that you are silly?”
“Well,”said the boy,“you think that I am silly enough to believe that you will give me that gold piece for running a mile, and fetching you a book. You can’t catch me.”
“这是什么意思？”国王说，“谁说你笨呢？”
“那好，”男孩说，“你以为我这么笨，相信只要跑一哩路去帮你拿一本书，你就会给我这块金币吗？你别想欺骗我。”
“But if I give it to you now, perhaps you will believe me,”said the king; and he put the gold piece into the little fellow’s hand.
“但是如果我现在就把它给你的话，也许你就会相信了吧。”国王说，然后他把那块金币放在那小家伙的手里。
The boy’s eyes sparkled; but he did not move.
“What is the matter now?”said the king.“Won’t you go?”
The boy said, “I would like to go; but I can’t leave the geese. They will stray away, and then I shall be blamed for it.”
那男孩眼光睛闪着，但他还是没有动身。
“现在又怎么了？”国王说，“你不愿意去吗？”
男孩说：“我很愿意去，但是我不能离开这些鹅。它们会跑散的，那样我会挨骂。”
“Oh, I will tend them while you are away,”said the king.
The boy laughed. “I should like to see you tending them! ”he said.
“Why, they would run away from you in a minute.”
“Only let me try,”said the king.
“噢，你走了我会看管它们的，”国王说。
男孩笑了起来。“我倒想看看你怎么照看它们！”他说，
“为什么，它们立刻就会从你身边跑开的。”
“就让我试试吧，”国王说。
At last the boy gave the king his whip, and started off. He had gone but a little way, when he turned and came back.
最后，男孩终于把鞭子交给国王，开始动身了。但他只走了一小段路，就转身回来了。
“What is the matter now?”said Maximilian.
“Crack the whip! ”
The king tried to do as he was bidden, but he could not make a sound.
“I thought as much,”said the boy. “You don’t know how to do anything.”
Then he took the whip, and gave the king lessons in whip cracking.
“Now you see how it is done,”he said, as he handed it back. “If the geese try to run away, crack it loud.”
“怎么了？”麦克西米利安问。
“把鞭子甩响！”国王照他的吩咐做了，但是却一点声音也弄不出来。
“我就知道，”男孩说，“你什么事都不会做。”
然后他拿起鞭子，教国王怎么把鞭子甩响。“现在你知道怎么做了，”他边说边把鞭子递回去，“如果鹅想跑散，就把它甩出很大的声响。”
The king laughed. He did his best to learn his lesson; and soon the boy again started off on his errand.
国王笑了起来，他努力地去学。男孩很快又动身去执行他的任务了。
Maximilian sat down on a stone, and laughed at the thought of being a gooseherd. But the geese missed their master at once. With a great cackling and hissing they went, half flying, half running, across the meadow.
麦克西米利安在一块石头上坐下，他嘲笑自己竟然成为一个牧鹅人。但是这些鹅立刻察觉没有主人了。随着一阵咯咯、嘶嘶的叫声，它们半飞半跑地跑出草地了。(图3)
图3：鹅察觉没有主人了，在咯咯的叫声中，半跑半飞地跑出草地。
The king ran after them, but he could not run fast. He tried to crack the whip, but it was of no use. The geese were soon far away. What was worse, they had gotten into a garden, and were feeding on the tender vegetables.
国王跟在它们后面跑，但是他跑不快。他试把鞭子甩响，但是没有用。鹅很快就跑远了。更糟糕的是，它们跑到了菜园里，去吃那些蔬菜的嫩叶。
A few minutes afterward, the goose boy came back with the book.
“Just as I thought,”he said.“I have found the book, and you have lost the geese.”
“Never mind,”said the king,“I will help you get them again.”
“Well, then, run around that way, and stand by the brook while I drive them out of the garden.”
几分钟之后，牧鹅的男孩拿著书回来了。
“正像我预料的那样，”他说，“我找到了书，而你丢掉了鹅。”
“没关系，”国王说，“我会帮你把它们赶回来。”
“那好，你跑到那条路，站在溪边，我去把它们从菜园里赶出来。
The king did as he was told. The boy ran forward with his whip, and after a great deal of shouting and scolding, the geese were driven back into the meadow.
国王照着他所说的去做，那男孩拿着鞭子向前跑去，在一长串叫喊和叱喊声之后，鹅被赶回了草地上。
“I hope you will pardon me for not being a better gooseherd,”said Maximilian;“but, as I am a king, I am not used to such work.”
“我希望你能原谅我没有当一个好牧鹅人，”麦克西米利安说，
“但是，因为我是一个国王，我不会做那样的工作。”
“A king, indeed! ”said the boy. “I was very silly to leave the geese with you. But I am not so silly as to believe that you are a king.”
“一个国王，真的吗？”男孩说，“我把这些鹅交给你就已经够笨的了。但是我还没有笨到相信你是一个国王。”
“Very well,”said Maximilian, with a smile; “here is another gold piece, and now let us be friends.”
The boy took the gold, and thanked the giver. He looked up into the King’s face and said,“You are a very kind man, and I think you might be a good king; but if you were to try all your life, you would never be a good gooseherd.”
“很好，”马克西米利安微笑着说，“这儿还有一块金币，现在让我们交个朋友吧。”
男孩拿到了金币，向国王道了谢。他抬头看着国王的脸说：
“你是一个很好的人，我想你也许是一个很好的国王，但是你这辈子无论如何也成不了一个好的牧鹅人。”