The Well of the World's End

Once upon a time, and a very good time it was, though it wasn't in my time, nor in your time, nor any one else's time, there was a girl whose mother had died, and her father had married again. And her stepmother hated her because she was more beautiful than herself, and she was very cruel to her. She used to make her do all the servant's work, and never let her have any peace.

从前有一段光景，那可真是段好光景呢，虽说既不是我那时候的事，也不是你那时候的事，更不是别的什么人那时候的事，那时有个姑娘，她的母亲去世了，父亲又续娶了一房妻子。这继母见她生得比自己还美，便对她心生怨恨，待她十分刻薄狠毒。她总让姑娘一个人干遍所有下人的活计，从不让她有片刻安生。

At last, one day, the stepmother thought to get rid of her altogether; so she handed her a sieve and said to her: “Go, fill it at the Well of the World's End and bring it home to me full, or woe betide you.” For she thought she would never be able to find the Well of the World's End, and, if she did, how could she bring home a sieve full of water?

到后来，有一天，继母打定主意要彻底摆脱她；于是递给她一只筛子，说道：“去吧，到世界尽头之井那儿把它打满水，给我端满满一筛子水回来，不然有你好受的。”她心想，姑娘断然找不到那口世界尽头之井，就算找到了，一只筛子怎么可能装得住水呢？

Well, the girl started off, and asked every one she met to tell her where was the Well of the World's End. But nobody knew, and she didn't know what to do, when a queer little old woman, all bent double, told her where it was, and how she could get to it. So she did what the old woman told her, and at last arrived at the Well of the World's End. But when she dipped the sieve in the cold, cold water, it all ran out again. She tried and she tried again, but every time it was the same; and at last she sate down and cried as if her heart would break.

姑娘便动身出发了，一路上逢人便打听世界尽头之井究竟在哪儿。可谁也不知道，她正一筹莫展的时候，忽然遇见一个古怪的小老太太，弯腰驼背，告诉了她那口井的所在，还教她该怎么走才能到达。姑娘照着老太太说的做，终于来到了世界尽头之井跟前。可是她把筛子往那冰冷冰冷的井水里一浸，水立刻就漏了个精光。她试了一次又一次，可每回都是这样；到最后，她只得一屁股坐了下来，哭得肝肠寸断。

Suddenly she heard a croaking voice, and she looked up and saw a great frog with goggle eyes looking at her and speaking to her.

忽然，她听见一个呱呱的声音，抬头一看，只见一只长着大眼睛的大青蛙正望着她，跟她说起话来。

“What's the matter, dearie?” it said.

“亲爱的，出什么事了？”青蛙说道。

“Oh, dear, oh dear,” she said, “my stepmother has sent me all this long way to fill this sieve with water from the Well of the World's End, and I can't fill it no how at all.”

“唉，天哪，天哪，”她说道，“我继母打发我大老远跑到这儿来，非要我在世界尽头之井打满这筛子水不可，可我怎么也装不满这筛子。”

“Well,” said the frog, “if you promise me to do whatever I bid you for a whole night long, I'll tell you how to fill it.”

“这样吧，”青蛙说道，“你要是答应我，整整一夜由着我差遣，我就告诉你怎么把它装满。”

So the girl agreed, and then the frog said:

姑娘答应了，青蛙便说道：

“Stop it with moss and daub it with clay, And then it will carry the water away;”

“拿青苔堵住它，再抹上一层黏土， 这样它就能把水带走喽；”

and then it gave a hop, skip and jump, and went flop into the Well of the World's End.

说完，青蛙一蹦一跳，扑通一声跳进了世界尽头之井里。

So the girl looked about for some moss, and lined the bottom of the sieve with it, and over that she put some clay, and then she dipped it once again into the Well of the World's End; and this time, the water didn't run out, and she turned to go away.

姑娘便四处找来些青苔，铺在筛子底部，又在上面抹了一层黏土，随后再一次把筛子浸进世界尽头之井里；这一回，水果然没有漏出来，她便转身准备离开。

Just then the frog popped up its head out of the Well of the World's End, and said: “Remember your promise.”

就在这时，青蛙从世界尽头之井里探出头来，说道：“可别忘了你答应我的事。”

“All right,” said the girl; for thought she, “what harm can a frog do me?”

“好啦好啦，”姑娘说道，心想：“一只青蛙又能把我怎么样呢？”

So she went back to her stepmother, and brought the sieve full of water from the Well of the World's End. The stepmother was fine and angry, but she said nothing at all.

于是她回到继母跟前，端去了那满满一筛子从世界尽头之井打来的水。继母见了气得不行，却什么也没说。

That very evening they heard something tap tapping at the door low down, and a voice cried out:

就在那天晚上，他们听见门下方传来笃笃笃的敲门声，还有个声音喊道：

“Open the door, my hinny, my heart, Open the door, my own darling; Mind you the words that you and I spoke, Down in the meadow, at the World's End Well.”

“开门吧，我的心肝，我的宝贝， 开门吧，我亲爱的姑娘； 你可还记得咱俩说过的话， 就在世界尽头之井旁的那片草地上。”

“Whatever can that be?” cried out the stepmother, and the girl had to tell her all about it, and what she had promised the frog.

“这会是什么呀？”继母嚷道，姑娘只得把一切都告诉了她，还有自己答应青蛙的那件事。

“Girls must keep their promises,” said the stepmother. “Go and open the door this instant.” For she was glad the girl would have to obey a nasty frog.

“姑娘家可得说话算话，”继母说道。“这就去开门。”她心里其实巴不得让姑娘听命于一只讨厌的青蛙。

So the girl went and opened the door, and there was the frog from the Well of the World's End. And it hopped, and it skipped, and it jumped, till it reached the girl, and then it said:

姑娘便走去开了门，果然是那只从世界尽头之井来的青蛙。它一路蹦蹦跳跳，跳跳蹦蹦，一直跳到姑娘跟前，随后说道：

“Lift me to your knee, my hinny, my heart; Lift me to your knee, my own darling; Remember the words you and I spoke, Down in the meadow by the World's End Well.”

“把我抱上你的膝头吧，我的心肝，我的宝贝； 把我抱上你的膝头吧，我亲爱的姑娘； 你可还记得咱俩说过的话， 就在世界尽头之井旁的那片草地上。”

But the girl didn't like to, till her stepmother said “Lift it up this instant, you hussy! Girls must keep their promises!”

姑娘本不情愿，直到继母说道：“这就把它抱起来，你这没规矩的丫头！姑娘家可得说话算话！”

So at last she lifted the frog up on to her lap, and it lay there for a time, till at last it said:

姑娘这才终于把青蛙抱到膝头上，青蛙就这样趴了一会儿，末了又说道：

“Give me some supper, my hinny, my heart, Give me some supper, my darling; Remember the words you and I spake, In the meadow, by the Well of the World's End.”

“给我弄点晚饭吧，我的心肝，我的宝贝， 给我弄点晚饭吧，我亲爱的宝贝； 你可还记得咱俩说过的话， 就在世界尽头之井旁的那片草地上。”

Well, she didn't mind doing that, so she got it a bowl of milk and bread, and fed it well. And when the frog, had finished, it said:

姑娘倒也不介意这个，便去端来一碗牛奶和面包，好好地喂饱了它。青蛙吃完之后，又说道：

“Go with me to bed, my hinny, my heart, Go with me to bed, my own darling; Mind you the words you spake to me, Down by the cold well, so weary.”

“跟我一块儿上床吧，我的心肝，我的宝贝， 跟我一块儿上床吧，我亲爱的姑娘； 你可要记得你对我说过的话， 就在那冷冰冰、教人乏透了的井边。”

But that the girl wouldn't do, till her stepmother said: “Do what you promised, girl; girls must keep their promises. Do what you're bid, or out you go, you and your froggie.”

姑娘却怎么也不肯，直到继母说道：“说到就得做到，丫头，姑娘家可得说话算话。叫你做什么就得做什么，不然就给我滚出去，你和你那只青蛙都一样。”

So the girl took the frog with her to bed, and kept it as far away from her as she could. Well, just as the day was beginning to break what should the frog say but:

于是姑娘只得带着青蛙一起上了床，尽量把它推得远远的。到了天快亮的时候，青蛙又开口说道：

“Chop off my head, my hinny, my heart, Chop off my head, my own darling; Remember the promise you made to me, Down by the cold well so weary.”

“把我的头砍下来吧，我的心肝，我的宝贝， 把我的头砍下来吧，我亲爱的姑娘； 你可要记得你对我许下的诺言， 就在那冷冰冰、教人乏透了的井边。”

At first the girl wouldn't, for she thought of what the frog had done for her at the Well of the World's End. But when the frog said the words over again, she went and took an axe and chopped off its head, and lo! and behold, there stood before her a handsome young prince, who told her that he had been enchanted by a wicked magician, and he could never be unspelled till some girl would do his bidding for a whole night, and chop off his head at the end of it.

起初姑娘不肯，因为她想起青蛙在世界尽头之井为她做过的事。可青蛙又把这话说了一遍，她这才拿起一把斧头，砍下了它的头，谁知——瞧啊！眼前竟站着一位英俊的年轻王子，他告诉姑娘，自己曾被一个邪恶的魔法师施了魔咒，唯有姑娘肯听命于他整整一夜，并在最后砍下他的头，他才能解除魔咒。

The stepmother was that surprised when she found the young prince instead of the nasty frog, and she wasn't best pleased, you may be sure, when the prince told her that he was going to marry her stepdaughter because she had unspelled him. So they were married and went away to live in the castle of the king, his father, and all the stepmother had to console her was, that it was all through her that her stepdaughter was married to a prince.

继母一见眼前站着的不是那只讨厌的青蛙，而是一位年轻的王子，惊讶得不得了，可想而知，她心里一点也不痛快，因为王子告诉她，自己要娶她的这位继女为妻，就因为是她解除了他身上的魔咒。于是两人便成了婚，一同搬去他父王的城堡里居住，继母唯一能聊以自慰的，便是这一切全都是托她的福，才让继女嫁给了一位王子。