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1、国外英文文学系列 井边的牧鹅女There was once upon a time a very old woman, who lived with he flock of geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little house. The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning the old woman took her crutch and hobbled into it. There, however, the dame w
2、as quite active, more so than any one would have thought, considering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the wild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back. Any one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her to the ground, but she always br
3、ought it safely home. If any one met her, she greeted him quite courteously. Good day, dear countryman, it is a fine day. Ah! you wonder that I should drag grass about, but every one must take his burthen on his back. Nevertheless, people did not like to meet her if they could help it, and took by p
4、reference a round-about way, and when a father with his boys passed her, he whispered to them, Beware of the old woman. She has claws beneath her gloves; she is a witch.One morning, a handsome young man was going through the forest. The sun shone bright, the birds sang, a cool breeze crept through t
5、he leaves, and he was full of joy and gladness. He had as yet met no one, when he suddenly perceived the old witch kneeling on the ground cutting grass with a sickle. She had already thrust a whole load into her cloth, and near it stood two baskets, which were filled with wild apples and pears. But,
6、 good little mother, said he, how canst thou carry all that away? - I must carry it, dear sir, answered she, rich folks children have no need to do such things, but with the peasant folk the saying goes,Dont look behind you,You will only see how crooked your back is!Will you help me? she said, as he
7、 remained standing by her. You have still a straight back and young legs, it would be a trifle to you. Besides, my house is not so very far from here, it stands there on the heath behind the hill. How soon you would bound up thither. The young man took compassion on the old woman. My father is certa
8、inly no peasant, replied he, but a rich count; nevertheless, that you may see that it is not only peasants who can carry things, I will take your bundle. If you will try it, said she, I shall be very glad. You will certainly have to walk for an hour, but what will that signify to you; only you must
9、carry the apples and pears as well? It now seemed to the young man just a little serious, when he heard of an hours walk, but the old woman would not let him off, packed the bundle on his back, and hung the two baskets on his arm. See, it is quite light, said she. No, it is not light, answered the c
10、ount, and pulled a rueful face. Verily, the bundle weighs as heavily as if it were full of cobble stones, and the apples and pears are as heavy as lead! I can scarcely breathe. He had a mind to put everything down again, but the old woman would not allow it. Just look, said she mockingly, the young
11、gentleman will not carry what I, an old woman, have so often dragged along. You are ready with fine words, but when it comes to be earnest, you want to take to your heels. Why are you standing loitering there? she continued. Step out. No one will take the bundle off again. As long as he walked on le
12、vel ground, it was still bearable, but when they came to the hill and had to climb, and the stones rolled down under his feet as if they were alive, it was beyond his strength. The drops of perspiration stood on his forehead, and ran, hot and cold, down his back. Dame, said he, I can go no farther.
13、I want to rest a little. - Not here, answered the old woman, when we have arrived at our journeys end, you can rest; but now you must go forward. Who knows what good it may do you? - Old woman, thou art becoming shameless! said the count, and tried to throw off the bundle, but he laboured in vain; i
14、t stuck as fast to his back as if it grew there. He turned and twisted, but he could not get rid of it. The old woman laughed at this, and sprang about quite delighted on her crutch. Dont get angry, dear sir, said she, you are growing as red in the face as a turkey-cock! Carry your bundle patiently.
15、 I will give you a good present when we get home. What could he do. He was obliged to submit to his fate, and crawl along patiently behind the old woman. She seemed to grow more and more nimble, and his burden still heavier. All at once she made a spring, jumped on to the bundle and seated herself o
16、n the top of it; and however withered she might be, she was yet heavier than the stoutest country lass. The youths knees trembled, but when he did not go on, the old woman hit him about the legs with a switch and with stinging-nettles. Groaning continually, he climbed the mountain, and at length rea
17、ched the old womans house, when he was just about to drop. When the geese perceived the old woman, they flapped their wings, stretched out their necks, ran to meet her, cackling all the while. Behind the flock walked, stick in hand, an old wench, strong and big, but ugly as night. Good mother, said
18、she to the old woman, has anything happened to you, you have stayed away so long? - By no means, my dear daughter, answered she, I have met with nothing bad, but, on the contrary, with this kind gentleman, who has carried my burthen for me; only think, he even took me on his back when I was tired. T
19、he way, too, has not seemed long to us; we have been merry, and have been cracking jokes with each other all the time. At last the old woman slid down, took the bundle off the young mans back, and the baskets from his arm, looked at him quite kindly, and said, Now seat yourself on the bench before t
20、he door, and rest. You have fairly earned your wages, and they shall not be wanting. Then she said to the goose-girl, Go into the house, my dear daughter, it is not becoming for thee to be alone with a young gentleman; one must not pour oil on to the fire, he might fall in love with thee. The count
21、knew not whether to laugh or to cry. Such a sweetheart as that, thought he, could not touch my heart, even if she were thirty years younger. In the meantime the old woman stroked and fondled her geese as if they were children, and then went into the house with her daughter. The youth lay down on the
22、 bench, under a wild apple-tree. The air was warm and mild; on all sides stretched a green meadow, which was set with cowslips, wild thyme, and a thousand other flowers; through the midst of it rippled a clear brook on which the sun sparkled, and the white geese went walking backwards and forwards,
23、or paddled in the water. It is quite delightful here, said he, but I am so tired that I cannot keep my eyes open; I will sleep a little. If only a gust of wind does not come and blow my legs off my body, for they are as rotten as tinder.When he had slept a little while, the old woman came and shook
24、him till he awoke. Sit up, said she, thou canst not stay here; I have certainly treated thee hardly, still it has not cost thee thy life. Of money and land thou hast no need, here is something else for thee. Thereupon she thrust a little book into his hand, which was cut out of a single emerald. Tak
25、e great care of it, said she, it will bring thee good fortune. The count sprang up, and as he felt that he was quite fresh, and had recovered his vigor, he thanked the old woman for her present, and set off without even once looking back at the beautiful daughter. When he was already some way off, h
26、e still heard in the distance the noisy cry of the geese.For three days the count had to wander in the wilderness before he could find his way out. He then reached a large town, and as no one knew him, he was led into the royal palace, where the King and Queen were sitting on their throne. The count
27、 fell on one knee, drew the emerald book out of his pocket, and laid it at the Queens feet. She bade him rise and hand her the little book. Hardly, however, had she opened it, and looked therein, than she fell as if dead to the ground. The count was seized by the Kings servants, and was being led to
28、 prison, when the Queen opened her eyes, and ordered them to release him, and every one was to go out, as she wished to speak with him in private.When the Queen was alone, she began to weep bitterly, and said, Of what use to me are the splendours and honours with which I am surrounded; every morning
29、 I awake in pain and sorrow. I had three daughters, the youngest of whom was so beautiful that the whole world looked on her as a wonder. She was as white as snow, as rosy as apple-blossom, and her hair as radiant as sun-beams. When she cried, not tears fell from her eyes, but pearls and jewels only
30、. When she was fifteen years old, the King summoned all three sisters to come before his throne. You should have seen how all the people gazed when the youngest entered, it was just as if the sun were rising! Then the King spoke, My daughters, I know not when my last day may arrive; I will to-day de
31、cide what each shall receive at my death. You all love me, but the one of you who loves me best, shall fare the best. Each of them said she loved him best. Can you not express to me, said the King, how much you do love me, and thus I shall see what you mean? The eldest spoke, I love my father as dea
32、rly as the sweetest sugar. The second, I love my father as dearly as my prettiest dress. But the youngest was silent. Then the father said, And thou, my dearest child, how much dost thou love me? - I do not know, and can compare my love with nothing. But her father insisted that she should name some
33、thing. So she said at last, The best food does not please me without salt, therefore I love my father like salt. When the King heard that, he fell into a passion, and said, If thou lovest me like salt, thy love shall also be repaid thee with salt. Then he divided the kingdom between the two elder, b
34、ut caused a sack of salt to be bound on the back of the youngest, and two servants had to lead her forth into the wild forest. We all begged and prayed for her, said the Queen, but the Kings anger was not to be appeased. How she cried when she had to leave us! The whole road was strewn with the pear
35、ls which flowed from her eyes. The King soon afterwards repented of his great severity, and had the whole forest searched for the poor child, but no one could find her. When I think that the wild beasts have devoured her, I know not how to contain myself for sorrow; many a time I console myself with
36、 the hope that she is still alive, and may have hidden herself in a cave, or has found shelter with compassionate people. But picture to yourself, when I opened your little emerald book, a pearl lay therein, of exactly the same kind as those which used to fall from my daughters eyes; and then you ca
37、n also imagine how the sight of it stirred my heart. You must tell me how you came by that pearl. The count told her that he had received it from the old woman in the forest, who had appeared very strange to him, and must be a witch, but he had neither seen nor hear anything of the Queens child. The
38、 King and the Queen resolved to seek out the old woman. They thought that there where the pearl had been, they would obtain news of their daughter.The old woman was sitting in that lonely place at her spinning-wheel, spinning. It was already dusk, and a log which was burning on the hearth gave a sca
39、nty light. All at once there was a noise outside, the geese were coming home from the pasture, and uttering their hoarse cries. Soon afterwards the daughter also entered. But the old woman scarcely thanked her, and only shook her head a little. The daughter sat down beside her, took her spinning-whe
40、el, and twisted the threads as nimbly as a young girl. Thus they both sat for two hours, and exchanged never a word. At last something rustled at the window, and two fiery eyes peered in. It was an old night-owl, which cried, Uhu! three times. The old woman looked up just a little, then she said, No
41、w, my little daughter, it is time for thee to go out and do thy work.She rose and went out, and where did she go? Over the meadows ever onward into the valley. At last she came to a well, with three old oak-trees standing beside it; meanwhile the moon had risen large and round over the mountain, and
42、 it was so light that one could have found a needle. She removed a skin which covered her face, then bent down to the well, and began to wash herself. When she had finished, she dipped the skin also in the water, and then laid it on the meadow, so that it should bleach in the moonlight, and dry agai
43、n. But how the maiden was changed! Such a change as that was never seen before! When the gray mask fell off, her golden hair broke forth like sunbeams, and spread about like a mantle over her whole form. Her eyes shone out as brightly as the stars in heaven, and her cheeks bloomed a soft red like ap
44、ple-blossom.But the fair maiden was sad. She sat down and wept bitterly. One tear after another forced itself out of her eyes, and rolled through her long hair to the ground. There she sat, and would have remained sitting a long time, if there had not been a rustling and cracking in the boughs of th
45、e neighbouring tree. She sprang up like a roe which has been overtaken by the shot of the hunter. Just then the moon was obscured by a dark cloud, and in an instant the maiden had put on the old skin and vanished, like a light blown out by the wind.She ran back home, trembling like an aspen-leaf. Th
46、e old woman was standing on the threshold, and the girl was about to relate what had befallen her, but the old woman laughed kindly, and said, I already know all. She led her into the room and lighted a new log. She did not, however, sit down to her spinning again, but fetched a broom and began to s
47、weep and scour, All must be clean and sweet, she said to the girl. But, mother, said the maiden, why do you begin work at so late an hour? What do you expect? - Dost thou know then what time it is? asked the old woman. Not yet midnight, answered the maiden, but already past eleven oclock. - Dost tho
48、u not remember, continued the old woman, that it is three years to-day since thou camest to me? Thy time is up, we can no longer remain together. The girl was terrified, and said, Alas! dear mother, will you cast me off? Where shall I go? I have no friends, and no home to which I can go. I have alwa
49、ys done as you bade me, and you have always been satisfied with me; do not send me away. The old woman would not tell the maiden what lay before her. My stay here is over, she said to her, but when I depart, house and parlour must be clean: therefore do not hinder me in my work. Have no care for thyself, thou shalt find a roof to shelter thee, and the wages which I will give thee shall also content thee. - But