The Sagacious Monkey and the Boar

Long, long ago, there lived in the province of Shinshin in Japan, a traveling monkey-man, who earned his living by taking round a monkey and showing off the animal’s tricks.

很久很久以前，日本信州一带住着一个走街串巷的耍猴人，靠牵着一只猴子四处表演它的把戏为生。

One evening the man came home in a very bad temper and told his wife to send for the butcher the next morning.

一天傍晚，这人回到家中，脾气很坏，吩咐妻子第二天一早去请屠夫来。

The wife was very bewildered and asked her husband:

妻子十分不解，便问丈夫：

“Why do you wish me to send for the butcher?”

“你为什么要我去请屠夫来呢？”

“It’s no use taking that monkey round any longer, he’s too old and forgets his tricks. I beat him with my stick all I know how, but he won’t dance properly. I must now sell him to the butcher and make what money out of him I can. There is nothing else to be done.”

“再牵着那只猴子到处耍已经没用了，它年纪太大，把戏都忘光了。我用棍子拼命打它，它却还是跳不出像样的舞来。我现在得把它卖给屠夫，好歹能换点钱。除此之外没别的办法了。”

The woman felt very sorry for the poor little animal, and pleaded for her husband to spare the monkey, but her pleading was all in vain, the man was determined to sell him to the butcher.

妻子替这可怜的小动物感到十分难过，恳求丈夫饶了猴子一命，可她的恳求全然白费，丈夫铁了心要把猴子卖给屠夫。

Now the monkey was in the next room and overheard every word of the conversation. He soon understood that he was to be killed, and he said to himself:

猴子当时正待在隔壁房间，把这番对话一字不落地听了个清楚。它很快明白了自己就要被杀，便自言自语道：

“Barbarous, indeed, is my master! Here I have served him faithfully for years, and instead of allowing me to end my days comfortably and in peace, he is going to let me be cut up by the butcher, and my poor body is to be roasted and stewed and eaten? Woe is me! What am I to do. Ah! a bright thought has struck me! There is, I know, a wild boar living in the forest near by. I have often heard tell of his wisdom. Perhaps if I go to him and tell him the strait I am in he will give me his counsel. I will go and try.”

“我这主人当真是狠心！我忠心耿耿地为他效力了这么多年，他却不让我安安稳稳地度过余生，反倒要把我送去让屠夫剁碎，让我这可怜的身子被烤了炖了吃掉？我真是苦命啊！我该怎么办才好。啊！我想到一个好主意了！我知道附近树林里住着一头野猪，常听人说它很有智慧。也许我去找它，把自己的困境说给它听，它会给我出个主意。我这就去试试看。”

There was no time to lose. The monkey slipped out of the house and ran as quickly as he could to the forest to find the boar. The boar was at home, and the monkey began his tale of woe at once.

事不宜迟。猴子悄悄溜出屋子，尽快跑到树林里去找野猪。野猪正好在家，猴子立刻把自己的苦楚一股脑儿说了出来。

“Good Mr. Boar, I have heard of your excellent wisdom. I am in great trouble, you alone can help me. I have grown old in the service of my master, and because I cannot dance properly now he intends to sell me to the butcher. What do you advise me to do? I know how clever you are!”

“野猪先生，久闻您智慧过人。我如今遇到大麻烦了，只有您能帮我。我在主人家效力多年，如今年纪大了，跳舞跳不好了，他打算把我卖给屠夫。您看我该怎么办才好？我知道您有多聪明！”

The boar was pleased at the flattery and determined to help the monkey. He thought for a little while and then said:

野猪被这番奉承话哄得心里高兴，便决意帮猴子一把。他略微想了一想，说道：

“Hasn’t your master a baby?”

“你主人不是有个婴儿吗？”

“Oh, yes,” said the monkey, “he has one infant son.”

“哦，是的，”猴子说道，“他有个刚出生不久的儿子。”

“Doesn’t it lie by the door in the morning when your mistress begins the work of the day? Well, I will come round early and when I see my opportunity I will seize the child and run off with it.”

“你女主人早上开始一天的活计时，孩子不是常躺在门边吗？好，那我就一大早过去，瞅准机会把孩子抢了就跑。”

“What then?” said the monkey.

“那接下来呢？”猴子问道。

“Why the mother will be in a tremendous scare, and before your master and mistress know what to do, you must run after me and rescue the child and take it home safely to its parents, and you will see that when the butcher comes they won’t have the heart to sell you.”

“那母亲肯定会吓得魂飞魄散，趁你主人和女主人还没反应过来是怎么回事，你就得追在我后面，把孩子救回来，安然无恙地送还给他的父母，你就会看到，等屠夫来的时候，他们哪还舍得把你卖掉。”

The monkey thanked the boar many times and then went home. He did not sleep much that night, as you may imagine, for thinking of the morrow. His life depended on whether the boar’s plan succeeded or not. He was the first up, waiting anxiously for what was to happen. It seemed to him a very long time before his master’s wife began to move about and open the shutters to let in the light of day. Then all happened as the boar had planned. The mother placed her child near the porch as usual while she tidied up the house and got her breakfast ready.

猴子对野猪千恩万谢，然后回了家。可想而知，那一夜它几乎没怎么合眼，一直在想着第二天的事。它的性命全系在野猪的计策能否成功之上。它第一个起了床，焦急地等待着事情的发展。在他看来，过了好久好久，主人的妻子才开始起身走动，打开窗板放进晨光。接下来的一切，都照着野猪的计划发生了。母亲照常把孩子放在门廊附近，自己去收拾屋子、准备早饭。

The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow. Suddenly there was a noise in the porch and a loud cry from the child. The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch. She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.

孩子正在晨光中愉快地咿呀哼唱，用手拍打着席子上光影交错的图案。突然门廊那边传来一阵响动，接着孩子大哭起来。母亲从厨房跑到那儿，刚好只来得及看见野猪叼着孩子从门口消失的身影。她惊恐地大喊一声，双手一甩，冲进内室，那时丈夫还在酣睡。

He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about. By the time that the man was alive to what had happened, and they both got outside the gate, the boar had got well away, but they saw the monkey running after the thief as hard as his legs would carry him.

他缓缓坐起身，揉了揉眼睛，没好气地问妻子这么大声嚷嚷是为了什么。等这男人终于明白发生了什么事，两人一起冲到门外时，野猪早已跑得远远的了，不过他们看见猴子正拼了命地追在这盗贼后面。

Both the man and wife were moved to admiration at the plucky conduct of the sagacious monkey, and their gratitude knew no bounds when the faithful monkey brought the child safely back to their arms.

夫妻二人对这聪明猴子的勇敢行为大为钦佩，等这忠心的猴子把孩子平安送回他们怀中时，他们的感激简直无以言表。

“There!” said the wife. “This is the animal you want to kill—if the monkey hadn’t been here we should have lost our child forever.”

“你瞧！”妻子说道，“这就是你想杀掉的那只动物——要不是这猴子在，我们的孩子恐怕就永远找不回来了。”

“You are right, wife, for once,” said the man as he carried the child into the house. “You may send the butcher back when he comes, and now give us all a good breakfast and the monkey too.”

“这回你说得对，老婆，”男人一边把孩子抱进屋里一边说道。“等屠夫来了，你尽管让他回去吧，现在给大伙儿都做一顿丰盛的早饭，也给这猴子来一份。”

When the butcher arrived he was sent away with an order for some boar’s meat for the evening dinner, and the monkey was petted and lived the rest of his days in peace, nor did his master ever strike him again.

等屠夫到来时，被打发了回去，只留下一份野猪肉的订单，供晚饭之用；那猴子从此备受宠爱，安享余生，主人也再没打过它一次。