The Foundling Prince

Once upon a time there was a Tsar and Tsarítsa who had only one son. The Tsar one day had to leave home, and in his absence a disaster befell them; the Tsarévich disappeared. They searched and searched for the Tsarévich, dragging the ponds. Not a breath nor a sound could be heard of him. So fifteen years went by, until at last the Tsar received news that in a certain village a peasant had found a child who was a wonder for his beauty and his cleverness.

从前有一位沙皇和沙皇皇后，他们只有一个儿子。有一天沙皇不得不离家外出，就在他不在的时候，一场灾祸降临到他们身上：小皇子失踪了。他们四处寻找小皇子，甚至把池塘都打捞了一遍。可是无论如何都找不到他的一丝气息，一点声响。就这样过了十五年，直到有一天，沙皇终于收到消息，说在某个村子里，有个农夫捡到了一个孩子，这孩子长得极为俊美，又十分聪慧，令人称奇。

So the Tsar ordered the peasant to be brought to him as soon as possible: he was brought, and the Tsar began asking him where he had found the boy. The peasant explained that he had found him fifteen years ago in a corn-kiln, with strange and rich clothing on him; and by every sign he was the Tsar’s own son.

于是沙皇下令，尽快把那农夫带到他面前来：农夫被带来了，沙皇便开始询问他是在哪里找到这个孩子的。农夫解释说，十五年前，他是在一座烘谷的窑里发现这孩子的，当时孩子身上穿着奇特而华贵的衣裳；从种种迹象来看，他正是沙皇自己的儿子。

So the Tsar told the peasant, “Tell your foundling that he is to come to me neither naked nor dressed, nor on foot nor on horseback, neither by day nor by night, neither in the courtyard nor in the street.”

于是沙皇对农夫说：“告诉你捡到的这个孩子，他来见我的时候，既不能赤身裸体，也不能穿戴整齐；既不能步行，也不能骑马；既不能在白天，也不能在夜里；既不能在院子里，也不能在街道上。”

So the peasant went back home, wept and told the boy. How on earth was it to be done!

于是农夫回到家中，哭了一场，把这话告诉了那孩子。这可怎么办才好啊！

But the boy replied, “That is easy enough: I can guess this riddle.”

可那孩子却回答道：“这有什么难的：这个谜我猜得出来。”

So he took and undressed himself from head to foot, put a net on himself, came on a goat, came up to the Tsar at twilight, and mounted the goat at the gate, leaving the fore-feet of the goat on the courtyard and the hind feet in the street.

于是他从头到脚把自己脱得精光，在身上披了一张网，骑上一头山羊，在黄昏时分来到沙皇面前，在大门口跨坐在山羊背上，让山羊的前脚留在院子里，后脚留在街道上。

When the Tsar saw this, he became convinced and said, “This must be my son!”

沙皇见状，顿时深信不疑，说道：“这一定是我的儿子！”