"證人橡樹"　The Oak Tree

Ever so long ago, two young men, Edmund and Oswald, appeared in court.

很久很久以前，兩個年輕人埃德蒙和奧斯瓦爾德上了法庭。

Edmund said to the judge, “Three years ago, when I left home I gave Oswald, who I thought was my best friend, a costly gold ring set with precious stones, and I asked him to keep it till I returned home. Now he says that he knows nothing about it.”

埃德蒙對法官說：“三年前我離開家時，我認爲奧斯瓦爾德是我最好的朋友，就交給他一枚鑲嵌了貴重寶石的十分值錢的金戒指，請他幫我保管，等我回家時再還給我。但是現在，他說他壓根不知道有這麼回事。”

Placing his hand on his heart, Oswald said, “I declare on my honor1) that I know nothing about the ring. I am afraid that my good friend Edmund has been affected2) in his mental powers since he went away.”

奧斯瓦爾德將手放在心口，說道：“我以我的名譽擔保，我對那枚戒指一無所知。恐怕是我的好朋友埃德蒙離開家後腦子出了什麼問題吧。”

The judge said, “Edmund, were there any witnesses who could testify that you gave the ring to Oswald?”

法官說：“埃德蒙，當時有證人在場可以證明你把戒指交給了奧斯瓦爾德嗎？”

Edmund replied, “Unfortunately in the field where we were at the time there was nobody. We were talking beneath an old oak tree and there we were alone.”

埃德蒙答道：“很不幸，當時我們待的那塊地裏沒有別人。我們當時在一棵老橡樹下說話，那兒只有我們倆。”

Oswald said, “I am ready to3) swear that I know as little of the oak tree as I do of the ring.”

奧斯瓦爾德說：“我可以發誓，我對這什麼老橡樹就像對那枚戒指一樣一無所知。”

The judge said, “Edmund, go to that field again and bring back a branch of that oak tree. I wish to see it. Oswald, you wait here in the meantime, until Edmund comes back.”

法官說：“埃德蒙，去那塊地裏折一根那棵橡樹的枝條回來，我想看一下。奧斯瓦爾德，這段時間你就在這兒等着，直到埃德蒙回來。”

So Edmund left. After some time the judge said to Oswald, “How is it that Edmund is taking so long to return? Go to the window and see if you can see him returning along the road.”

於是埃德蒙出發了。過了一會兒，法官對奧斯瓦爾德說：“埃德蒙怎麼這麼久還沒回來？你去窗戶邊瞧瞧，看他是不是正在回來的路上呢。”

Oswald said, “Oh, my lord judge, he wouldn’t have even reached the tree yet—the tree is over an hour’s walk from here.”

奧斯瓦爾德說：“哎，法官大人，他可能還沒走到那棵樹那兒呢——從這兒走到那棵樹要一個多小時呢。”

When the judge heard this, he was very angry. “You know as much about the tree as you do about the ring. For the next year while you are in prison you will have time to think about the necessity of always telling the truth.”

法官聽聞勃然大怒。“你很瞭解那棵樹，正如你深知那枚戒指的下落一樣。往後這一年你在監獄裏，將有的是時間去想想始終說真話是多麼必要。”