Ch12-The Meaning of the Emerald

CHAPTER TWELVE The Meaning of the Emerald Jack, Annie, and the Great Mogul were silent for a long moment. The marble of the Taj Mahal seemed to change color as the sun went down. Against the darkening sky, it went from pale pink to orange to purple. The dome sparkled as if it were covered with a thousand tiny lights.

第十二章翡翠的意义杰克、安妮和大莫卧儿沉默了很长时间。 随着太阳的落山，泰姬陵的大理石似乎改变了颜色。 在渐暗的天空映衬下，它从淡粉色变成橘黄色，再变成紫色。 圆顶闪闪发光，仿佛被千盏小灯覆盖着。

"How did you make it sparkle like that?" Annie asked finally. "Stonecutters set precious stones in the marble," said the Great Mogul. "Many were cut in the shapes of flowers and leaves. The emerald rose

“你是怎么把它弄得那么亮的？”安妮最后问道。 “石匠把珍贵的宝石镶嵌在大理石里，”大莫卧儿说。 许多被剪成花和叶的形状。 翡翠玫瑰

you chose today is like the carved flowers set in the Taj Mahal." "It's really beautiful," Jack said. "Yes. Many say it is the most beautiful building in all the world," said the Great Mogul. "But hidden beneath the sparkle and magnificence of the Taj Mahal is simply the lonely heart of one person who loved another." The Great Mogul had tears in his eyes. He cleared his throat and looked away from them. "And the elephant I gave you— where is she now?" "Uh… actually…," Jack started. He didn't know what to say. How could he protect Morning Breeze? "We left her in the forest," Annie finished. "She has a baby she wanted to take care of. You probably didn't know this, but Morning Breeze was a new mom when she was captured. She's a good mother. She should stay with her baby." The Great Mogul nodded. "I understand," he said. "My wife was a good mother, too. The last thing she said to me was 'Please take care of our children.' Do not worry, the elephant will remain in the forest with her child."

你今天所选择的，就像镶嵌在泰姬陵上的雕花。” “真的很美，”杰克说。 “是的。许多人说它是世界上最美丽的建筑，”大莫卧儿说。 “但是，在泰姬陵的光芒和华丽之下，隐藏着一颗爱着另一个人的孤独的心。” 伟大的莫卧儿人眼里含着泪水。 他清了清嗓子，把目光从他们身上移开。 “还有我给你的那头大象——她现在在哪儿？”“呃……实际上……”杰克开口了。 他不知道该说什么。 他怎么能保护晨风呢？ “我们把她留在森林里了，”安妮最后说。 “她有一个孩子，她想照顾。 你可能不知道，“晨风”被抓的时候刚当上妈妈。 她是个好妈妈。她应该和孩子待在一起。” 大蒙兀儿点点头。“我明白，”他说。 “我的妻子也是个好母亲。 她对我说的最后一句话是：“请照顾好我们的孩子。”别担心，大象会和她的孩子留在森林里的。”

"Thank you," said Annie. The Great Mogul stared at them for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was kind. "You are ambassadors from far away," he said, "but you are children, too. You should go back to your home, to those who care for you." "A splendid idea," said Jack, trying to sound like an ambassador. "Come." The Great Mogul walked with Jack and Annie back to the arched entrance and through the tall gate. He waved at the driver in the cart. Then he turned to Jack and Annie. "Farewell," he said. "Travel safely." "Thank you," said Annie. "Bow," Jack whispered to her. Jack and Annie performed their bow one last time. When they straightened up, the Great Mogul nodded. "Oh, and thank you for the emerald rose," said Annie. "It is a priceless treasure." "You are most welcome," said the Great Mogul. "The rose was my wife's favorite flower. And, as you know, emeralds stand for love." For the first time, a warm smile crossed his face.

“谢谢你，”安妮说。大蒙兀儿盯着他们看了好一会儿。 当他再次说话时，他的声音很亲切。 “你们是远方来的使者，”他说，“但你们也是孩子。 你应该回家，回到那些关心你的人身边。” “好主意，”杰克说，努力让自己听起来像个大使。 “来了。”伟大的莫卧儿带着杰克和安妮走回拱形入口，穿过高高的大门。 他向马车里的车夫挥手。 然后他转向杰克和安妮。 “再见，”他说。“旅游安全。” “谢谢你，”安妮说。“鞠躬。”杰克低声对她说。 杰克和安妮最后一次鞠躬。 当他们站直身子时，大蒙兀儿点点头。 “哦，谢谢你的翡翠玫瑰，”安妮说。 “这是无价之宝。” “不客气。”大蒙兀儿说。 “玫瑰是我妻子最喜欢的花。 你也知道，祖母绿代表着爱。” 他的脸上第一次露出了温暖的笑容。

Jack and Annie smiled back at him. But the Great Mogul was suddenly serious again, as if he wasn't allowed to smile. He looked at Jack and Annie for a moment. Then, without another word, he turned and walked through the tall gate, back toward the shimmering tomb of his wife. Jack looked at Annie. "Let's go home now," he said. Jack and Annie walked to the guard and his horse-drawn carriage. "Please take us to the trees outside the walls of the Red Fort," Jack said. The guard flicked his reins. The black horses trotted along the river in the pink twilight. They passed veiled women on the backs of elephants, white oxen pulling a cart, and small boys driving a herd of sheep. They stopped near the row of dark trees outside the Red Fort. "This is fine. We'll get out here, please," said Jack. The guard gave them a silent nod. Jack and Annie jumped out of the cart. They ran under the trees to the rope ladder and climbed into the tree house. Jack grabbed the Pennsylvania

杰克和安妮也对他微笑。 但是大蒙兀儿突然又严肃起来，好像他不能笑似的。 他看了杰克和安妮一会儿。 然后，他二话没说，转身穿过高高的大门，回到他妻子闪闪发光的坟墓前。 杰克看着安妮。“我们现在回家吧，”他说。 杰克和安妮走向警卫和他的马车。 “请带我们到红堡城墙外的树林里去。”杰克说。 卫兵挥动缰绳。 黑马在粉红的暮色中沿河小跑。 他们经过骑在大象背上蒙面的妇女、拉车的白牛和赶羊群的小男孩。 他们在红堡外一排漆黑的树旁停了下来。 “这很好。我们从这里出去，求你了。”杰克说。 卫兵默默地点了点头。 杰克和安妮跳下车。 他们跑到树下的绳梯上，爬进了树屋。 杰克抓住了宾夕法尼亚号

book. Before he made the wish, he and Annie looked out the window. In the distance, they could just see the Taj Mahal. It glowed faintly in the hot night, like a shimmering cloud. "Oh, wait…," said Jack. "I just remembered something." He reached into his bag and pulled out the note from Kathleen and Teddy. He read aloud: Ye say that ye wish your spell be reversed? Four things ye must find. Here is the first: In the shape of a rose is an emerald stone that uncovers the heart of one who's alone. Jack put the note away. "Our mission wasn't really done until now," he said. "We were so

书。在他许愿之前，他和安妮看了看窗外。 在远处，他们可以看到泰姬陵。 它在炎热的夜晚微微发光，像一朵闪烁的云。 “哦，等等……”杰克说。“我刚想起一件事。” 他把手伸进包里，拿出凯萨琳和特迪的纸条。 他大声念道：“你说你希望咒语被解除？” 你必须找到四样东西。这是第一个：一朵玫瑰形状的祖母绿宝石揭开了一个孤独的人的心。 杰克把纸条收起来。“我们的任务直到现在才真正完成，”他说。 “我们很高兴。