The Red Ettin

There was once a widow that lived on a small bit of ground, which she rented from a farmer. And she had two sons; and by-and-by it was time for the wife to send them away to seek their fortune. So she told her eldest son one day to take a can and bring her water from the well, that she might bake a cake for him; and however much or however little water he might bring, the cake would be great or small accordingly, and that cake was to be all that she could give him when he went on his travels.

从前有一个寡妇，住在一小块地上，那地是她从一个农夫那里租来的。她有两个儿子；不久便到了该让他们出去闯荡、自谋生路的时候了。于是有一天她叫大儿子拿个罐子去井边打水回来，好让她给他烤个饼；不管他打回来的水多还是少，饼就会相应地做得大或小，而这块饼将是他出门远行时她所能给他的全部东西。

The lad went away with the can to the well, and filled it with water, and then came away home again; but the can being broken, the most part of the water had run out before he got back. So his cake was very small; yet small as it was, his mother asked him if he was willing to take the half of it with her blessing, telling him that, if he chose rather to take the whole, he would only get it with her curse.

小伙子拿着罐子去了井边，打满了水，然后便往家走；可罐子是破的，等他到家时，水大半都漏光了。因此他的饼做得很小；可即便这样小，他母亲还是问他，愿不愿意只拿一半，外加她的祝福，并告诉他，要是他宁愿拿走整块饼，那就只能得到她的诅咒了。

The young man, thinking he might have to travel a far way, and not knowing when or how he might get other provisions, said he would like to have the whole cake, come of his mother's malison what like; so she gave him the whole cake, and her malison along with it.

这年轻人心想，自己此去恐怕路途遥远，也不知何时或如何能弄到别的食物，便说不管母亲怎么诅咒，他都愿意要整块饼；于是她便把整块饼给了他，连同她的诅咒一起。

Then he took his brother aside, and gave him a knife to keep till he should come back, desiring him to look at it every morning, and as long as it continued to be clear, then he might be sure that the owner of it was well; but if it grew dim and rusty, then for certain some ill had befallen him.

接着他把弟弟拉到一旁，给了他一把小刀让他保管，等他回来时再要回来，嘱咐他每天早晨都看一看这把刀，只要刀身一直明亮清澈，他便可以确信刀的主人平安无事；可要是刀变得暗淡生锈，那就必定是发生了什么不幸的事。

So the young man went to seek his fortune. And he went all that day, and all the next day; and on the third day, in the afternoon, he came up to where a shepherd was sitting with a flock of sheep. And he went up to the shepherd and asked him who the sheep belonged to; and he answered:

于是这年轻人便出门去闯荡自己的运气。他走了一整天，又走了一整天；到了第三天下午，他来到一个牧羊人坐着放牧一群羊的地方。他走上前去，问牧羊人这些羊是谁家的；牧羊人答道：

“The Red Ettin of Ireland Once lived in Ballygan, And stole King Malcolm's daughter The king of fair Scotland.

“爱尔兰的红妖魔， 曾住在巴利甘城， 偷走了苏格兰美丽国王 马尔科姆王的女儿。

He beats her, he binds her, He lays her on a band; And every day he strikes her With a bright silver wand. Like Julian the Roman, He's one that fears no man.

他打她，他绑她， 把她拴在绳索上； 每天他都用一根 闪亮的银杖抽打她。 他就像罗马人尤利安一样， 是个天不怕地不怕的家伙。

It's said there's one predestinate To be his mortal foe; But that man is yet unborn, And long may it be so.”

据说命中注定有一人， 将成为他的死敌； 可那人如今还未出生， 但愿这天永不到来。”

This shepherd also told him to beware of the beasts he should next meet, for they were of a very different kind from any he had yet seen.

这牧羊人还告诉他，接下来要当心他会遇见的野兽，因为那些野兽和他以往见过的任何东西都大不相同。

So the young man went on, and by-and-by he saw a multitude of very dreadful beasts, with two heads, and on every head four horns. And he was sore frightened, and ran away from them as fast as he could; and glad was he when he came to a castle that stood on a hillock, with the door standing wide open to the wall.

于是这年轻人继续前行，不久便看见一大群十分可怕的野兽，长着两个脑袋，每个脑袋上还长着四只角。他吓得魂飞魄散，撒腿就跑；等他跑到一座立在小山丘上的城堡前，见城堡大门敞开着，他这才松了一口气，欣喜万分。

And he went into the castle for shelter, and there he saw an old wife sitting beside the kitchen fire. He asked the wife if he might stay for the night, as he was tired with a long journey; and the wife said he might, but it was not a good place for him to be in, as it belonged to the Red Ettin, who was a very terrible beast, with three heads, that spared no living man it could get hold of.

他走进城堡去避身，见一位老妇人坐在厨房的炉火旁。他问老妇人自己能否借宿一晚，说自己长途跋涉已经十分疲惫；老妇人说他可以留下，但这里不是个好地方，因为这座城堡属于那个红妖魔，那是一头极其可怕的怪物，长着三个脑袋，凡是被它抓到的活人，一个也不放过。

The young man would have gone away, but he was afraid of the beasts on the outside of the castle; so he beseeched the old woman to hide him as best she could, and not tell the Ettin he was there. He thought, if he could put over the night, he might get away in the morning, without meeting with the beasts, and so escape. But he had not been long in his hiding-hole, before the awful Ettin came in; and no sooner was he in, than he was heard crying:

这年轻人本想离开，可他又害怕城堡外的那些怪兽；于是他恳求老妇人尽力把他藏起来，别告诉妖魔他在这里。他心想，只要能挺过这一夜，或许天亮时就能不遇上那些怪兽，趁机逃走。可他躲进藏身之处没多久，那可怕的妖魔便进来了；他一进门，众人便听见他喊道：

“Snouk but and snouk ben, I find the smell of an earthly man, Be he living, or be he dead, His heart this night shall kitchen my bread.”

“嗅这里，嗅那里， 我闻到了凡人的气味， 不管他是活着还是死了， 今晚他的心都要给我下饭。”

The monster soon found the poor young man, and pulled him from his hole. And when he had got him out, he told him that if he could answer him three questions his life should be spared.

这怪物很快便找到了这可怜的年轻人，把他从藏身处拽了出来。等他把他拽出来后，便告诉他，只要他能答对三个问题，就饶他一命。

So the first head asked: “A thing without an end, what's that?” But the young man knew not. Then the second head said: “The smaller, the more dangerous, what's that?” But the young man knew it not. And then the third head asked: “The dead carrying the living; riddle me that?” But the young man had to give it up.

于是第一个脑袋问道：“没有尽头的东西是什么？”可这年轻人不知道。接着第二个脑袋说：“越小越危险的东西是什么？”可这年轻人也不知道。然后第三个脑袋问道：“死的托着活的，猜猜这是什么？”可这年轻人只得放弃回答。

The lad not being able to answer one of these questions, the Red Ettin took a mallet and knocked him on the head, and turned him into a pillar of stone.

这小伙子一个问题也答不出来，那红妖魔便拿起一把大锤，朝他头上敲去，把他变成了一根石柱。

On the morning after this happened, the younger brother took out the knife to look at it, and he was grieved to find it all brown with rust. He told his mother that the time was now come for him to go away upon his travels also; so she requested him to take the can to the well for water, that she might make a cake for him.

事情发生的第二天早晨，弟弟拿出那把刀来看，发现刀身已经生锈发黄，不禁伤心不已。他告诉母亲，如今也轮到他出门闯荡的时候了；于是母亲让他拿着罐子去井边打水，好给他也烤一块饼。

And he went, and as he was bringing home the water, a raven over his head cried to him to look, and he would see that the water was running out. And he was a young man of sense, and seeing the water running out, he took some clay and patched up the holes, so that he brought home enough water to bake a large cake.

他去了，正把水提回家的路上，头顶上一只乌鸦朝他喊叫，叫他看看，他便发现水正在往外漏。他是个有心眼的小伙子，见水在漏，便找来些黏土把破洞补上，因此他打回家的水足够烤一块大饼了。

When his mother put it to him to take the half cake with her blessing, he took it in preference to having the whole with her malison; and yet the half was bigger than what the other lad had got.

他母亲让他在只拿一半饼加祝福、和拿整块饼加诅咒之间选择时，他宁可选了一半加祝福；即便如此，这一半也比哥哥那时得到的整块还要大。

So he went away on his journey; and after he had travelled a far way, he met with an old woman that asked him if he would give her a bit of his johnny-cake. And he said: “I will gladly do that,” and so he gave her a piece of the johnny-cake; and for that she gave him a magical wand, that she might yet be of service to him, if he took care to use it rightly.

于是他便动身出发了；走了很远之后，他遇见一位老妇人，问他能否分一点玉米饼给她。他说：“我很乐意这么做，”便给了她一块玉米饼；老妇人为此送给他一根魔杖，只要他用得得当，日后这魔杖还能对他有用。

Then the old woman, who was a fairy, told him a great deal that would happen to him, and what he ought to do in all circumstances; and after that she vanished in an instant out of his sight. He went on a great way farther, and then he came up to the old man herding the sheep; and when he asked whose sheep these were, the answer was:

接着这位老妇人——她其实是位仙女——把日后会发生在他身上的许多事都告诉了他，还告诉他在各种情形下该怎么做；说完之后，她便一眨眼消失不见了。他又走了很远一段路，来到了那放羊的老人跟前；他问这些羊是谁家的，得到的答复是：

“The Red Ettin of Ireland Once lived in Ballygan, And stole King Malcolm's daughter, The king of Fair Scotland.

“爱尔兰的红妖魔， 曾住在巴利甘城， 偷走了苏格兰美丽国王 马尔科姆王的女儿。

“He beats her, he binds her, He lays her on a band; And every day he strikes her With a bright silver wand. Like Julian the Roman, He's one that fears no man.

他打她，他绑她， 把她拴在绳索上； 每天他都用一根 闪亮的银杖抽打她。 他就像罗马人尤利安一样， 是个天不怕地不怕的家伙。

“But now I fear his end is near, And destiny at hand; And you're to be, I plainly see, The heir of all his land.”

可如今我看他末日将近， 命运也已在眼前； 我清清楚楚地看出， 你将继承他全部的领地。”

When he came to the place where the monstrous beasts were standing, he did not stop nor run away, but went boldly through amongst them. One came up roaring with open mouth to devour him, when he struck it with his wand, and laid it in an instant dead at his feet. He soon came to the Ettin's castle, where he knocked, and was admitted. The old woman who sat by the fire warned him of the terrible Ettin, and what had been the fate of his brother; but he was not to be daunted. The monster soon came in, saying:

他来到那些可怕怪兽所在的地方时，既没有停下脚步，也没有转身逃跑，而是大胆地穿行在它们中间。有一只怪兽张着大嘴咆哮着扑上来要吞掉他，他挥杖朝它一击，它顷刻间便倒在他脚边死去了。他不久便来到了妖魔的城堡，敲了敲门，被放了进去。坐在炉火旁的老妇人警告他要提防那可怕的妖魔，还告诉他哥哥的下场如何；可他毫不畏惧。这怪物不久便进来了，说道：

“Snouk but and snouk ben, I find the smell of an earthly man; Be he living, or be he dead, His heart shall be kitchen to my bread.”

“嗅这里，嗅那里， 我闻到了凡人的气味； 不管他是活着还是死了， 他的心都要给我下饭。”

He quickly espied the young man, and bade him come forth on the floor. And then he put the three questions to him; but the young man had been told everything by the good fairy, so he was able to answer all the questions. So when the first head asked, “What's the thing without an end?” he said: “A bowl.” And when the second head said: “The smaller the more dangerous; what's that?” he said at once, “A bridge.”

他很快便发现了这年轻人，命他到屋子中间来。接着他向他提出了那三个问题；可这年轻人早已被那位善良的仙女告知了一切，因此他能答出所有的问题。于是当第一个脑袋问：“没有尽头的东西是什么？”他答道：“一只碗。”当第二个脑袋说：“越小越危险的东西是什么？”他立刻答道：“一座桥。”

And last, the third head said: “When does the dead carry the living, riddle me that?” Then the young man answered up at once and said: “When a ship sails on the sea with men inside her.” When the Ettin found this, he knew that his power was gone. The young man then took up an axe and hewed off the monster's three heads.

最后，第三个脑袋问道：“死的什么时候托着活的，猜猜这是什么？”这年轻人立刻答道：“当一艘船在海上航行，船上载着人的时候。”妖魔一听这话，便知道自己的法力已经消散了。这年轻人当即拿起一把斧头，砍下了这怪物的三个脑袋。

He next asked the old woman to show him where the king's daughter lay; and the old woman took him upstairs, and opened a great many doors, and out of every door came a beautiful lady who had been imprisoned there by the Ettin; and one of the ladies was the king's daughter. She also took him down into a low room, and there stood a stone pillar, that he had only to touch with his wand, when his brother started into life.

接着他请老妇人带他去看国王的女儿被关在哪里；老妇人领他上楼，打开了许多扇门，每扇门里都走出一位被妖魔囚禁在此的美丽女子；其中一位便是国王的女儿。她还领他下到一间低矮的房间，那里立着一根石柱，他只需用魔杖碰一碰它，他哥哥便立刻活了过来。

And the whole of the prisoners were overjoyed at their deliverance, for which they thanked the young man. Next day they all set out for the king's court, and a gallant company they made. And the king married his daughter to the young man that had delivered her, and gave a noble's daughter to his brother; and so they all lived happily all the rest of their days.

所有被囚禁的人都因获救而欣喜若狂，纷纷向这年轻人道谢。第二天，他们全都动身前往国王的宫廷，组成了一支威武的队伍。国王便把女儿嫁给了这位救出她的年轻人，又把一位贵族的女儿许配给了他的哥哥；从此他们便一生幸福美满地生活了下去。