The Three Sillies

Once upon a time there was a farmer and his wife who had one daughter, and she was courted by a gentleman. Every evening he used to come and see her, and stop to supper at the farmhouse, and the daughter used to be sent down into the cellar to draw the beer for supper. So one evening she had gone down to draw the beer, and she happened to look up at the ceiling while she was drawing, and she saw a mallet stuck in one of the beams. It must have been there a long, long time, but somehow or other she had never noticed it before, and she began a-thinking.

从前有个农夫和他的妻子，他们有一个女儿，一位绅士在追求她。他每天晚上都会来看她，在农舍里留下来吃晚饭，而女儿总要被打发到地窖里去打啤酒，好准备晚餐。有一天晚上，她又下去打啤酒，打着打着，她碰巧抬头看了看天花板，看见一根木槌卡在一根房梁上。那木槌想必已经在那儿放了好久好久了，可不知怎的她以前从没注意到，于是她开始胡思乱想起来。

And she thought it was very dangerous to have that mallet there, for she said to herself: “Suppose him and me was to be married, and we was to have a son, and he was to grow up to be a man, and come down into the cellar to draw the beer, like as I'm doing now, and the mallet was to fall on his head and kill him, what a dreadful thing it would be!” And she put down the candle and the jug, and sat herself down and began a-crying.

她心想，把那木槌留在那儿实在太危险了，因为她心里暗自琢磨：“假如我和他结了婚，又生了个儿子，等他长大成人，也像我现在这样下到地窖里来打啤酒，那木槌要是掉下来砸在他头上，把他砸死了，那该是多么可怕的事啊！”她把蜡烛和罐子放下，自己一屁股坐了下来，哭了起来。

Well, they began to wonder upstairs how it was that she was so long drawing the beer, and her mother went down to see after her, and she found her sitting on the settle crying, and the beer running over the floor. “Why, whatever is the matter?” said her mother.

楼上的人开始纳闷，她怎么打个啤酒打了这么久，母亲便下去看她，只见她坐在长凳上哭个不停，啤酒也淌了一地。“哎呀，到底是怎么回事？”母亲问道。

“Oh, mother!” says she, “look at that horrid mallet! Suppose we was to be married, and was to have a son, and he was to grow up, and was to come down to the cellar to draw the beer, and the mallet was to fall on his head and kill him, what a dreadful thing it would be!” “Dear, dear! what a dreadful thing it would be!” said the mother, and she sat her down aside of the daughter and started a-crying too.

“哦，妈妈！”她说道，“你看那可怕的木槌！要是咱们结了婚，生了个儿子，等他长大了，下到地窖里来打啤酒，那木槌要是掉下来砸在他头上，把他砸死了，那该是多么可怕的事啊！”“天哪，天哪！那可真是太可怕了！”母亲说着，便在女儿身边坐了下来，也跟着哭了起来。

Then after a bit the father began to wonder that they didn't come back, and he went down into the cellar to look after them himself, and there they two sat a-crying, and the beer running all over the floor. “Whatever is the matter?” says he.

过了一会儿，父亲开始纳闷她们怎么还不回来，便亲自下到地窖里去找她们，只见她们俩坐在那儿哭，啤酒淌了一地。“到底是怎么回事？”他问道。

“Why,” says the mother, “look at that horrid mallet. Just suppose, if our daughter and her sweetheart was to be married, and was to have a son, and he was to grow up, and was to come down into the cellar to draw the beer, and the mallet was to fall on his head and kill him, what a dreadful thing it would be!” “Dear, dear, dear! so it would!” said the father, and he sat himself down aside of the other two, and started a-crying.

“哎呀，”母亲说道，“你看那可怕的木槌。你就想想看，要是咱们女儿和她的心上人结了婚，生了个儿子，等他长大了，下到地窖里来打啤酒，那木槌要是掉下来砸在他头上，把他砸死了，那该是多么可怕的事啊！”“天哪，天哪，天哪！可不是嘛！”父亲说着，便在她们俩身边坐了下来，也哭了起来。

Now the gentleman got tired of stopping up in the kitchen by himself, and at last he went down into the cellar too, to see what they were after; and there they three sat a-crying side by side, and the beer running all over the floor. And he ran straight and turned the tap. Then he said: “Whatever are you three doing, sitting there crying, and letting the beer run all over the floor?”

那位绅士一个人在厨房里等得不耐烦了，最后也下到地窖里去看看她们到底在干什么；只见他们三个并排坐在那儿哭，啤酒淌得满地都是。他一个箭步冲过去关上了水龙头。接着他说道：“你们三个到底在干什么，坐在那儿哭，还任由啤酒淌得满地都是？”

“Oh!” says the father, “look at that horrid mallet! Suppose you and our daughter was to be married, and was to have a son, and he was to grow up, and was to come down into the cellar to draw the beer, and the mallet was to fall on his head and kill him!” And then they all started a-crying worse than before.

“哦！”父亲说道，“你看那可怕的木槌！要是你和咱们女儿结了婚，生了个儿子，等他长大了，下到地窖里来打啤酒，那木槌要是掉下来砸在他头上，把他砸死了怎么办！”于是他们三个哭得比刚才更厉害了。

But the gentleman burst out a-laughing, and reached up and pulled out the mallet, and then he said: “I've travelled many miles, and I never met three such big sillies as you three before; and now I shall start out on my travels again, and when I can find three bigger sillies than you three, then I'll come back and marry your daughter.” So he wished them good-bye, and started off on his travels, and left them all crying because the girl had lost her sweetheart.

可那绅士却哈哈大笑起来，伸手把木槌拔了出来，然后说道：“我走南闯北这么多年，还从没见过像你们三个这么大的傻瓜；现在我要重新出发去周游四方了，等我找到比你们三个更大的傻瓜时，我就回来娶你们的女儿。”于是他向他们道了别，踏上了旅途，留下他们一家人哭泣，因为姑娘失去了她的心上人。

Well, he set out, and he travelled a long way, and at last he came to a woman's cottage that had some grass growing on the roof. And the woman was trying to get her cow to go up a ladder to the grass, and the poor thing durst not go. So the gentleman asked the woman what she was doing.

他就这么出发了，走了好长一段路，最后来到一间屋顶上长着青草的农舍前。一个女人正试图把她的奶牛赶上梯子，好去吃屋顶上的草，可那可怜的畜生却怎么也不肯上去。于是那绅士便问那女人在做什么。

“Why, lookye,” she said, “look at all that beautiful grass. I'm going to get the cow on to the roof to eat it. She'll be quite safe, for I shall tie a string round her neck, and pass it down the chimney, and tie it to my wrist as I go about the house, so she can't fall off without my knowing it.”

“哎呀，你瞧，”她说道，“看看这满屋顶漂亮的青草。我打算把奶牛弄上屋顶去吃草。她一定会很安全的，因为我要在她脖子上系一根绳子，把绳子从烟囱里穿下来，系在我自己的手腕上，这样我在屋里走来走去的时候，她要是掉下来，我立刻就会知道。”

“Oh, you poor silly!” said the gentleman, “you should cut the grass and throw it down to the cow!” But the woman thought it was easier to get the cow up the ladder than to get the grass down, so she pushed her and coaxed her and got her up, and tied a string round her neck, and passed it down the chimney, and fastened it to her own wrist.

“哦，你这个可怜的傻瓜！”绅士说道，“你应该把草割下来扔给奶牛吃才对！”可那女人却觉得把奶牛弄上梯子比把草弄下来容易得多，于是她又推又哄，终于把奶牛弄上了屋顶，还在它脖子上系了根绳子，把绳子从烟囱里穿下来，系在了自己的手腕上。

And the gentleman went on his way, but he hadn't gone far when the cow tumbled off the roof, and hung by the string tied round her neck, and it strangled her. And the weight of the cow tied to her wrist pulled the woman up the chimney, and she stuck fast half-way and was smothered in the soot.

绅士便继续赶路，可他还没走多远，那头奶牛就从屋顶上摔了下来，被脖子上的绳子吊住，活活勒死了。而奶牛的重量顺着系在手腕上的绳子把那女人拽进了烟囱，她卡在半路动弹不得，被烟灰活活闷死了。

Well, that was one big silly.

这就是一个大傻瓜了。

And the gentleman went on and on, and he went to an inn to stop the night, and they were so full at the inn that they had to put him in a double-bedded room, and another traveller was to sleep in the other bed. The other man was a very pleasant fellow, and they got very friendly together; but in the morning, when they were both getting up, the gentleman was surprised to see the other hang his trousers on the knobs of the chest of drawers and run across the room and try to jump into them, and he tried over and over again, and couldn't manage it; and the gentleman wondered whatever he was doing it for.

绅士又继续赶路，走啊走啊，来到一家客栈投宿过夜，客栈里客满为患，只好把他安排进一间双人房，另一位旅客也要睡在另一张床上。那人是个十分和气的家伙，两人很快就熟络起来；可是到了早晨，两人都起床的时候，绅士惊讶地看见那人把裤子挂在五斗柜的把手上，然后跑到房间那头，想跳进裤子里去，他试了一遍又一遍，却怎么也穿不进去；绅士纳闷他到底在做什么。

At last he stopped and wiped his face with his handkerchief. “Oh dear,” he says, “I do think trousers are the most awkwardest kind of clothes that ever were. I can't think who could have invented such things. It takes me the best part of an hour to get into mine every morning, and I get so hot! How do you manage yours?” So the gentleman burst out a-laughing, and showed him how to put them on; and he was very much obliged to him, and said he never should have thought of doing it that way.

最后他停了下来，用手帕擦了擦脸。“哎呀，”他说道，“我实在觉得裤子是这世上最别扭的一种衣服了。真想不出是谁发明了这种东西。我每天早上差不多要花上大半个钟头才能穿进去，还热得满头大汗！你是怎么穿的？”绅士听了不禁哈哈大笑，便示范给他看该怎么穿裤子；那人对他感激不尽，说自己从没想到还能这样穿。

So that was another big silly.

这样，又是一个大傻瓜了。

Then the gentleman went on his travels again; and he came to a village, and outside the village there was a pond, and round the pond was a crowd of people. And they had got rakes, and brooms, and pitchforks, reaching into the pond; and the gentleman asked what was the matter. “Why,” they say, “matter enough! Moon's tumbled into the pond, and we can't rake her out anyhow!” So the gentleman burst out a-laughing, and told them to look up into the sky, and that it was only the shadow in the water. But they wouldn't listen to him, and abused him shamefully, and he got away as quick as he could.

于是绅士又继续踏上旅途；他来到一个村子，村外有一个池塘，池塘周围围了一群人。他们拿着耙子、扫帚和干草叉伸进池塘里；绅士便问出了什么事。“哎呀，”他们说道，“事情大着呢！月亮掉进池塘里了，我们怎么也捞不出来！”绅士听了哈哈大笑，叫他们抬头看看天上，说那不过是水里的倒影罢了。可他们根本不听他的话，还把他狠狠辱骂了一顿，他只好尽快脱身离开。

So there was a whole lot of sillies bigger than them three sillies at home. So the gentleman turned back home again and married the farmer's daughter, and if they didn't live happy for ever after, that's nothing to do with you or me.

这么看来，外面有的是比家里那三个大傻瓜还要傻的傻瓜。于是绅士便掉头回家去，娶了农夫的女儿；至于他们后来是不是从此过上了幸福的生活，那就跟你我都没什么关系了。