天方夜谭英文故事：The Old Man with The Hind

I live in a town far away from your kingdom. I married and got myself a beautiful wife. Many years passed but we didn't have any children. I had a slave woman who had served me loyally for many years. I decided¹ to adopt her child as my own. I soon declared him to be my heir and he became my son after the official and religious formalities. Soon enough the child grew to be healthy and strong. He was an intelligent boy at the age of ten. 

 

 

One day I had to leave town on a long journey. I had some business contacts to make. So I left my adopted son and the slave woman at my home. I instructed my wife to take care of their needs till I returned. 

 

 

In my absence, some ill-hearted person taught my wife the power of black magic. In her jealous state of mind, my wife decided to get rid of my adopted son and his mother. She chanted some evil words and soon transformed my ten-year-old son into a calf². She led this calf to my housekeeper³. She told him that she had bought the healthy calf at a high price and it should be taken care of. Then my wife chanted more evil words and changed the slave woman into a cow. This cow she again gave to the housekeeper to take care of.

 

 

After nearly a year I came back home. After taking refreshments⁴ and resting a while, I enquired⁵ about my son and his mother, the slave woman. At this my wife bowed her head in grief. She said, "Dear, I am sorry to say that the slave woman died a few days after you left. She fell ill and couldn't be cured. As for your adopted son, he went out to play about two months ago and has not returned yet. He is nowhere to be found." 

 

 

My heart was filled with sadness on hearing about the slave woman's death. But I took courage that my son was alive. I decided to search for my son. I went around the town enquiring⁶ about him but found no success. Nearly eight months went by. Soon the festival of Bairam came. As is the custom, I was to sacrifice a cow as a religious ritual. I called my housekeeper and ordered him to fetch a cow for sacrifice. Soon the housekeeper brought a cow to me. As I was about to slay⁷ it, the cow started lowing sadly. I soon noticed that tears were rolling down from her eyes. I felt pity for the poor cow so I asked the housekeeper to lead the cow away. 

 

 

Then my wife asked, “Why are you not killing⁸ the cow?" What will you sacrifice if you let her go?" 

 

 

So I called the housekeeper back. He brought the cow with him. Once again I was moved by the tears that the cow shed. I then ordered the housekeeper to lead away the cow and sacrifice her for me. The cow was slain⁹ but when the housekeeper cut open its body, he found no flesh in it. It was just a cluster of bones. The healthy cow yielded nothing but bones so I was worried. So I said, "Dear housekeeper, why don't you keep the cow for yourself? Now fetch me a healthy, strong calf to sacrifice." 

 

 

Moments later, the housekeeper fetched a calf to me. I did not know that the calf was actually my son. The calf ran from the housekeeper and came straight to me. The calf lay himself at my feet as if begging for mercy. I felt pity and let the calf go. So I said to the housekeeper, "Take this calf away. Take good care of it. Can you get me some other calf?" 

 

 

The housekeeper said YES and went away with the calf to replace it. Some minutes later my wife came to me in anger. "Oh! Just what are you up to? You sent away the cow and now the calf too. What on earth will you sacrifice for Bairam? “ 

 

 

I said, "Whatever comes I'll not kill this innocent animal. Let it be alive." 

 

 

Next morning as I was sitting alone, the housekeeper came to me. He said, "Sir, I bring some good news and some bad news for you." 

 

 

"What is it, tell me now?" I said eagerly. 

 

 

“Sir, yesterday as I was taking the calf to the shed, my daughter saw it. She was happy to see it first and then tears welled up in her eyes. She knows black magic so I knew she must have chanced upon something about the calf. On enquiry, she told me that the calf was actually your son. The cow I sacrificed for you yesterday as the slave woman whom your wife has transformed through black magic. She said that your wife hated them and so she carried out this evil taste." 

 

 

‘But why had she first smiled and then shed tears?" I asked in a socked voice. 

 

 

“She had smiled to see your son was living but she had started carrying because his mother, the cow, had been sacrificed." 

 

 

I felt very grieved. Then I felt angry at my wife's evil doings. I went to the housekeeper's daughter. I pleaded her to change the calf back into my young son by the power of black magic that she knew. Oh! What joy it would be to embrace my son in flesh and blood. 

 

 

But the housekeeper's daughter said, "Sir, I'll change the calf back into your son. As a reward you must let me be his bride. The second condition is that you'll not stop me from teaching your evil wife a lesson." 

 

 

I agreed to both the conditions and soon I embraced my son tearfully. Just when the housekeeper's daughter was about to punish my wife, I said, "I think you should not be harsh. Don't kill her if possible." 

 

 

"Alright," she said. "But I'll still let her feel what her son went through as an animal." 

 

 

So, uttering some magical chants, she changed my evil wife into a hind¹⁰ that you see here. After many years, my son's wife passed way. In grief, he left home and has not been found yet. So I am going round the world leading my hind, looking for my lost son. “Now, Oh! Genie¹¹, whose story is more amazing the merchant's or mine." 

 

 

The old man's story had indeed been fascinating. So the genie agreed to grant a third of the merchant's life. Now the old man the hind sat aside. Minutes later, the old man with the two black dogs got up and said, "Oh! Genie, if you thought that story so rising, wait till you hear mine. But promise me a third of the merchant's punishment would be spared." 

 

 

Genie agreed to this and then the old man with the two black s began his story.  

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 calf   

n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮

参考例句：

• The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
• The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。

3 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

4 refreshments   

n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待

参考例句：

• We have to make a small charge for refreshments. 我们得收取少量茶点费。
• Light refreshments will be served during the break. 中间休息时有点心供应。

5 enquired   

打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问

参考例句：

• He enquired for the book in a bookstore. 他在书店查询那本书。
• Fauchery jestingly enquired whether the Minister was coming too. 浮式瑞嘲笑着问部长是否也会来。

6 enquiring   

a.爱打听的，显得好奇的

参考例句：

• a child with an enquiring mind 有好奇心的孩子
• Paul darted at her sharp enquiring glances. 她的目光敏锐好奇，保罗飞快地朝她瞥了一眼。

7 slay   

v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮

参考例句：

• He intended to slay his father's murderer.他意图杀死杀父仇人。
• She has ordered me to slay you.她命令我把你杀了。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

10 hind   

adj.后面的，后部的

参考例句：

• The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
• Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。

11 genie   

n.妖怪，神怪

参考例句：

• Now the genie of his darkest and weakest side was speaking.他心灵中最阴暗最软弱的部分有一个精灵在说话。
• He had to turn to the Genie of the Ring for help.他不得不向戒指神求助。