雙語故事:拇指湯姆

【英文原文】

In the days of king Arthur there lived a ploughman and his wife. They had lived together happily for twenty years, but they had no child. The great magician Merlin had sympathy for them, and caused the couple to have a little boy no bigger than his father’s thumb. They loved him dearly and named him Tom Thumb. Tom had a number of absurd adventures because of his tiny size. He was once swallowed with grass by a cow, but fortunately his cry surprised the cow, so that the cow opened her mouth and let him fall out. Another adventure happened when he was out in the field driving the cattle along. He fell into a furrow, and a great black raven picked him up and carried him away in her beak until she dropped him into the sea. Then a great fish swallowed him up. But the fish was soon caught up and brought to the court of King Arthur. The cook found Tom inside the fish, and took him up to the King. Tom Thumb amused the King and the Knights of the Round Table so much that he was knighted and given a needle for a sword and a white mouse for a horse. Now he lived in luxury, but he never forgot his poor parents. Once a month he rode off on his white mouse to their cottage in the country to see them. The poor ploughman and his wife were very proud of their little son.

【中文譯文】

亞瑟王時代有一個農夫，他與妻子在一起生活了20年，無災無難，只是沒有孩子。大魔法師墨林同情他們，施了魔法，農夫的妻子生下了一個極小的男孩兒，比她丈夫的拇指大不了多少。夫妻二人對他十分疼愛，給他取名叫拇指湯姆。由於身材太小，湯姆有一番離奇的經歷。有一次他被母牛連草一起吃到嘴裏，幸虧他的叫喊聲驚得母牛張開了嘴，讓他掉了出來。又有一次，他在地裏趕牛，不小心從牛背上滑下來，掉在壟溝裏。一隻烏鴉把他叼走，丟在大海里。緊接着，一條大魚把他吞進肚子。恰好那條魚被打了上來，送進亞瑟王的宮廷。廚師打開魚肚子，發現了湯姆，帶他去見國王。湯姆使亞瑟王和圓桌騎士們很開心，被封爲騎士。他得到一根針當佩劍，一隻白鼠做馬騎。他雖然享受榮華富貴，卻從來也沒忘記可憐的爹媽。他每個月都要回家探望他們。老兩口爲他們的小不點兒子感到十分自豪。