原著：格林兄弟 編譯：劉淑芬

三兄弟

原著：格林兄弟 編譯：劉淑芬

編者注

《格林童話》產(chǎn)生于十九世紀初，是由德國著名語言學家——雅格·格林和威廉·格林兄弟收集、整理和加工完成的德國民間文學。它是世界童話的經(jīng)典之作，自問世以來，在世界各地影響十分廣泛。格林兄弟以其豐富的想象及優(yōu)美的語言給孩子們講述了一個個神奇而又浪漫的童話故事。

There was once a man who had three sons,and his wife died and he brought the three sons up alone.從前有一個人有三個兒子，他妻子去世了，他獨自一人撫養(yǎng)三個兒子成人。

Now he was old and he had nothing else in the world except the house in which they lived.現(xiàn)在他老了，他除了他們住的那所房子外，再沒有什么其他財產(chǎn)了。

Now each of the sons wished to have the house after his father’s death;but the father loved them all alike,and he did not know what to do.現(xiàn)在三個兒子都想父親死后繼承這所房子，但是父親同樣疼愛他們，父親不知道該怎么辦。

He did not want to sell the house,because it had belonged to his forefathers,else he might have divided the money amongst them.他不想賣房子，然后把錢分給三個兒子。因為房子是他的祖父留下來的。

He thought,“What shall I do?”He thought for a long time and at last a plan came into his head,and he called in his three sons.他想：“我該怎么辦呢？”他想了很久，最后他終于想到一個好主意。他把三個兒子叫到房間里來。

He said to the sons,“Go into the world,and each of you try to learn a trade,and,when you all come back,he who makes the best masterpiece shall have the house.”他對三個兒子說道，“你們?nèi)リJ世界，每個人爭取學一門手藝。當你們回來的時候，誰的技藝最高，房子就屬于誰。”

The sons were well content with this,and the eldest determined to be a blacksmith,the second a barber,and the third a fencing-master.三個兒子對父親的決定很滿意。老大想當一名鐵匠，老二想當一名理發(fā)師，老三想當一名弓箭手。

They fixed a time when they all would come home and meet again,and then they said goodbye to each other and went away respectively.他們商量好學成手藝后回家的時間，然后相互道別，各自分別出發(fā)了。

It chanced that they all found skilful masters,who taught them their trades well.The blacksmith had to shoe the King’s horses,and he thought to himself,“The house is mine,without doubt.”說來也巧，他們都找到了技藝高超的大師當師父，他們都認真地教他們手藝。鐵匠得給國王的馬釘腳掌，他心里想到，“毫無疑問，這房子非我莫屬。”

The barber only shaved great people,and he was famous for his skill and he too already looked upon the house as his own.理發(fā)師給很多偉人修面，他的手藝是出名的好，所以他也認為房子屬于他了。

The fencing-master got many wounds,but he never gave up.He said to himself,“If I am afraid of a blow,I’ll never win the house.”學劍術的小弟屢次受傷，不過他從未放棄過，他想：“如果我怕挨打，就永遠得不到房子啦！”

Several years passed and the appointed time had arrived.The three brothers travelled a long way and came back home to their father.幾年過去了，他們約定的時間終于到了。三兄弟長途跋涉，在約定的時間回到了父親的身邊。

But they did not know how to find the best opportunity to show their skill,so they sat down and consulted together.不過他們不知道如何找到最好的機會來展示各自的本領，于是只好坐下來商量。

As they were sitting thus,all at once a hare came running across the field.“Ah,ha,just in time! ”said the barber.就在這時，一只兔子突然跑過田間，“哈哈！來得正是時候。”理發(fā)師說道。

So he took his basin and soap,and lathered away until the hare came up;then he soaped and shaved off the hare’s whiskers while he was running at the top of his speed,and did not even cut his skin or injure a hair on his body.只見他端起臉盆和肥皂，待兔子跑近，迅速地在兔子身上抹上肥皂泡沫，就在兔子仍在奔跑的同時，迅速地給兔子剃了個短胡子，絲毫不傷體膚。

“Well done!”said the old man.“Your brothers will have to exert themselves wonderfully,or the house will be yours.”“干得漂亮！”老人贊道，“如果你的兄弟們的手藝不如你的話，那么房子就歸你啦！”

Soon after,up came a nobleman in his coach,dashing along at full speed.“Now you shall see what I can do,father.”said the blacksmith.不一會兒，只見一個貴族乘著馬車疾馳而來。鐵匠說：“爹，您老瞧我的吧！”

So away he ran after the coach,took all four shoes off the feet of one of the horses while he was galloping,and put him on four new shoes without stopping him.只見他幾步就追上了馬車，轉(zhuǎn)眼間就給一匹飛馳的馬換了四個嶄新的馬蹄鐵。

“You are a fine fellow,and as clever as your brother,”said his father;“I do not know to which I ought to give the house.”“不錯！你一點也不比你弟弟遜色?！备赣H說道，“我也不知道房子該給誰了。”

Then the third son said,“Father,let me have my turn,if you please！”When it was beginning to rain,he drew his sword,and flourished it backwards and forwards above his head so fast that not a drop fell upon him.這時老三說話了：“爸爸，如果你愿意，現(xiàn)在輪到我了。”天空正巧下起雨來，只見他拔出劍，不停地在頭頂揮舞起來，竟是滴水不漏，身上無絲毫濕跡。

It rained still harder and harder,till at last it came down in torrents;but he only flourished his sword faster and faster,and remained as dry as if he were sitting in a house.雨越下越大，最后下起了傾盆大雨。老三越來越快地揮舞著手里的劍，他身上一點都沒有淋濕，就像他在家里而不是在雨中。

When his father saw this he was amazed,and said,“This is the masterpiece,the house is yours!”父親看到這一切十分驚訝，于是說道，“這是絕活，房子是你的啦。”

His brothers were satisfied with this,as was agreed beforehand.As they loved one another very much,they all three stayed together in the house.于是一切都如約進行，兩位大哥對這一結果也口服心服。由于他們仨手足情深，彼此不愿分開，于是都留在這所房子里。

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They followed their trades,and,as they had learnt them so well and were so clever and hardworking,they earned a great deal of money.由于他們都各有一門絕活，而且人又聰明又勤勞，于是賺了很多錢。

They got married and they had their own wives and children and the three familieslived together happily until they grew old.后來，他們都結婚了，有了自己的妻子和孩子。他們?nèi)齻€家庭生活在一起，過著幸福的生活。

And at last,when one of them fell sick and died,the two others grieved so sorely about it that they also fell ill,and soon after died.最后兄弟中的一個得病先去世了，其他兩位悲傷不已，不久他們也相繼去世。

And because they had been so clever,and had loved one another so much,they were all laid in the same grave.因為他們是那樣的手足情深，人們把他們合埋在同一個墳墓里。

啟 示

Profound friendship between brothers.

兄弟情深。