5 The Bard’s Tale

CHAPTER 5

第五章

The Bard's Tale "Long ago, when I was a wee little bard, my mother misplaced my rattle. As I lay howling in my baby basket, she reached for the nearest thing she could find —a musical pipe. I grasped the pipe in my fist and put it straight into my mouth. From that day on, I played the pipe every day. I played for anyone and anything that would listen: cats, dogs, and field mice—even garden snakes. I discovered I could get animals to follow me just by playing music!

“很久以前，当我还是个小吟游诗人的时候，我妈妈把我的拨浪鼓放错了地方。 当我躺在婴儿篮里嚎叫时，她伸手去拿她能找到的最近的东西——一个音乐管。 我用拳头抓住烟斗，把它直接放进嘴里。 从那天起，我每天都吹笛子。 我为任何愿意听的动物演奏：猫、狗、田鼠——甚至花园蛇。 我发现只要放音乐就能让动物跟着我！

"When I grew up, King Ashwin of Meadowlark made me the minister of pest control. I led the kingdom's rats and snakes away with music. All was well until a deadly pest was found in the kingdom. It happened like this: "King Ashwin loved to fish. Every weekend, he fished on the Snake River, a river that squiggled across the countryside like its slithering namesake. There had long been a legend of an enormous beast that lived in the winding river, but nobody was sure if it was really true.

“我长大后，梅多拉克的阿什温国王任命我为害虫防治大臣。 我用音乐引走了王国里的老鼠和蛇。 一切都很好，直到在王国发现了一种致命的害虫。 事情是这样的：“阿什温国王喜欢钓鱼。 每个周末，他都会在斯内克河（Snake River）钓鱼，这条河蜿蜒穿过乡村，就像蜿蜒的斯内克河一样。 很久以前就有一个传说，说这条蜿蜒的河里住着一只巨大的野兽，但没人能确定这是不是真的。

"One afternoon at dusk, the king and Sir Gavin, his closest companion, paddled home after a day of fishing. As they glided along, a huge snake swam up to the boat and lifted its head above the water. King Ashwin yelped in horror! He lifted his paddle and whacked the snake on its head. The snake bared its fangs and rose higher to attack them. It towered over the little boat. Sir Gavin waved his hands to confuse the creature. It shook its head wildly and then lowered itself into the water and disappeared.

一天傍晚，国王和他最亲密的伙伴加文爵士在钓了一天鱼后划船回家。 当他们滑行时，一条大蛇游到船边，把头露出水面。 阿什温国王惊恐地大叫起来！他举起桨在蛇的头上打了一下。 那条蛇露出毒牙，爬得更高去攻击他们。 它比小船还高。 加文爵士挥挥手来迷惑这个生物。 它疯狂地摇了摇头，然后潜入水中消失了。

"The king and his friend paddled to shore and hurried back to the palace. Little did they know, the snake watched from the river's edge. That night, the snake slithered through the farmers' fields. It glided across the schoolyard and through the village. The castle guards saw the serpent coming and summoned Sir Gavin and the knights.

国王和他的朋友划到岸边，急忙回到宫殿。 他们不知道的是，那条蛇在河边看着他们。 那天晚上，蛇爬过农民的田地。 它滑过校园，穿过村庄。 城堡守卫看到蛇来了，便召来加文爵士和骑士。

"'It's too big for the knights!' Sir Gavin exclaimed. 'It must be more than a hundred feet long! And six feet wide! There is only one way to stop this savage beast.' "That was when Sir Gavin summoned me. And it was just in time too. For when we entered the king's sleeping chambers, I gasped at the sight! The giant snake stood over the king with its jaws wide open. He was about to swallow the king whole! I lifted my pipe to my lips and played. The snake turned its evil red eyes on

“这对骑士来说太大了！”加文爵士叫道。 “它一定有一百多英尺长！”还有六英尺宽！只有一个办法能阻止这只野兽。’”就在那时，加文爵士召见了我。 而且时机也很及时。 因为当我们进入国王的卧室时，我被眼前的景象吓得倒吸了一口气！巨蛇张着大嘴站在国王面前。 他要把国王整个吞下去！我把笛子举到嘴边吹奏起来。 那条蛇把它邪恶的红眼睛转了过来