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双语·豪夫童话 大漠商旅_鹭鸶哈里发_Ⅱ

所属教程:译林版·豪夫童话

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2022年05月17日

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The Caravan_The Caliph Stork_II

No sooner had the Caliph Chasid dressed and breakfasted on the following morning, than the Grand Vizier arrived, as he had been commanded to do, to accompany him on his walk. The Caliph put the box containing the magic powder in his sash, and after bidding his attendants remain in the castle, started off, attended only by Mansor. They first took their way through the extensive gardens of the Caliph, vainly searching for some living thing, in order to make their experiment. The Vizier at last proposed that they go farther on, to a pond, where he had frequently seen many creatures, more especially storks.

The Caliph consented to the proposal of Mansor, and went with him towards the pond. Arriving there, they saw a stork walking up and down, looking for frogs, and occasionally striking out before him with his bill. At the same time far up in the sky they discerned another stork hovering over this spot.

“I will wager my beard, Most Worthy Master,” said the Vizier, “that these two storks will hold a charming conversation together. What say you to our becoming storks?”

“Well thought of!” answered the Caliph. “But first let us carefully examine again the directions for resuming our human form. All right! By bowing three times towards the East and saying ‘Mutabor,’ I shall be once more Caliph, and you Grand Vizier. But, for heavens sake! recollect! No laughing, or we are lost!”

While the Caliph spoke, he noticed that the stork above their heads was gradually approaching the earth. Quickly drawing the box from his girdle, he put a good pinch to his nose, held out the box to the Vizier, who also took a pinch, and both then cried out: “Mutabor!”

Their legs at once shrank up and became thin and red; the beautiful yellow slippers of the Caliph and his companion took on the shape of stork's feet; their arms developed into wings; their necks were stretched until they measured a yard in length; their beards vanished, while white feathers covered their bodies.

“You have a beautiful bill, Mr. Grand Vizier,” cried the Caliph, after a long pause of astonishment. “By the beard of the Prophet! I never saw any thing like it in my life.”

“Thank you most humbly,” replied the Vizier, bowing low; “but, if I dare venture the assertion, Your Highness presents a much handsomer appearance as a stork than as Caliph. But come; if agreeable to you, let us keep watch on our companions over there, and ascertain whether we can really understand Storkish.”

In the meantime the other stork had alighted on the ground, cleaned its feet with its bill, smoothed its feathers nicely, and approached the first stork. The two newly-made storks now made haste to get near them, and, to their surprise, overheard the following conversation:

“Good morning, Mrs. Longlegs! So early in the meadow?”

“Thank you kindly, dear Clapperbill; I was just procuring a little breakfast for myself. How would a portion of lizard suit you, or a leg of a frog?”

“Much obliged; but, I have not the least appetite to-day. I come to the meadow for quite another purpose. I am to dance to-day before my father's guests, and therefore wish to practice a little in private.”

So saying, the young stork stepped over the field in a series of wonderful evolutions. The Caliph and Mansor looked on in wonder. But when she struck an artistic attitude on one foot, and began to fan herself gracefully with her wings, the two could no longer contain themselves. An irrepressible fit of laughter burst forth from their bills, from which it took them a long time to recover. The Caliph was the first to compose himself.

“That was sport!” exclaimed he, “that money could not buy. It's too bad that the stupid creatures were frightened away by our laughter, or they would certainly have tried to sing.”

Just here the Vizier remembered that laughing during the transformation was forbidden them. He communicated his anxiety to the Caliph.

“Zounds! By the Cities of the Prophet, that would be a bad joke if I were compelled to remain a stork! Try and think of that stupid word, Mansor! For the life of me, I can’t recall it!”

“We must bow three times towards the East, calling: Mu— Mu—Mu.”

They turned towards the East, and bowed away so zealously that their bills nearly ploughed up the ground. But, O Horror! The magic word had escaped them; and no matter how often the Caliph bowed, or how earnestly his Vizier called out—Mu— Mu, their memory failed them; and the poor Chasid and his Vizier remained storks.

大漠商旅_鹭鸶哈里发_Ⅱ

第二天早上,哈里发查希德刚吃完早饭穿好外衣,大臣就来了;他是按主子吩咐来陪他出外散步的。哈里发把那个装着魔粉的小圆盒揣在腰带里,命令侍从留在宫中,独自和大臣上了路。他们首先穿过宫里的大花园,可什么动物也未看见,没法试他们的魔法。后来大臣建议走出花园到湖边去,他经常在那里看见很多动物。尤其是鹭鸶一本正经的样子和嘎嘎的叫声,总是引起他注意。

哈里发采纳了大臣的建议,他们一块儿朝湖边走去。到了湖边,正好有一只鹭鸶在神态严肃地踅来踅去,认真地寻找着青蛙,时不时地还发出“笃笃笃”的声音。同时,他们还看见空中有另一只鹭鸶正朝这里飞来。

“尊敬的陛下,”大臣说,“我敢拿我的胡子打赌,这两只长脚畜生肯定要进行精彩的对话。怎么样,咱们就变成鹭鸶,好吗?”

“很好!”哈里发回答,“不过,这之前我们还是好好想想,怎样才能又变成人。——是这样:向东方鞠三个躬,嘴里念‘姆塔波儿’,那么我又成了哈里发,而你还是我的大臣。上帝保佑,我们千万千万不能笑,不然,我们就完蛋了。”

哈里发说这些话的时候,看见空中的那只鹭鸶正飞过他们的头顶,慢慢地向下降落。他赶紧从腰带里取出小圆盒,抓了一小撮粉末儿给大臣,两人吸了吸,同时叫道:“姆塔波儿!”

立刻,他们的腿开始收缩,并且变得越来越细,越来越红。哈里发和大臣的漂亮黄鞋子也变成了怪模怪样的鹭鸶腿,他们的手臂变成了翅膀,两肩之间的脖子变得足足有三英尺长。他们的胡子不见了,身上盖着一层柔软的羽毛。

“你的鸟喙多么好看啊,大臣先生!”哈里发惊呆了,好一阵才说出话来,“我敢凭先知的胡子起誓,我一辈子都没见过这样的鸟喙啊!”

“谢谢,我的陛下!”大臣点了点头回答,“恕我冒昧,陛下您变成鹭鸶比您当哈里发还要英俊。不过,您要愿意的话,咱们快去听听我们那边的同类在聊些什么,同时也好检验一下,我们究竟会不会鹭鸶的语言。”

这时天上那只鹭鸶已经飞到地面,正用喙修整自己的细腿,理顺了羽毛,随后朝着另一只鹭鸶走去。那两只新变的鹭鸶赶紧凑到它们身边,令他俩惊讶的是竟听到了下面的对话:

“早晨好,长腿女士!这么早就上草地来了吗?”

“你好,亲爱的呱嗒嘴先生!我早餐只吃了一点东西。也许你想吃一小块壁虎肉,或者一条青蛙腿吧?”

“非常感谢!可我一点胃口也没有。我来草地完全是为了另外的事。我今天要在父亲的客人面前表演跳舞,想悄悄地一个人先练练。”

说着,年轻的鹭鸶就姿态奇特地穿过田野,哈里发和大臣吃惊地盯着它。当这鹭鸶单腿独立,摆出一副优美的架势,两只翅膀同时妩媚地舞动时,他俩再也忍不住了,便哈哈大笑起来。笑了好久他们才停止住。哈里发首先回过神,嚷道:

“真是一场精彩演出啊,花钱也看不到的。可惜咱们的笑声打扰了它,不然它肯定还会高歌一曲。”

这时大臣猛然想起,在变成动物后是笑不得的。他立刻把自己的忧虑告诉了哈里发:

“天啊,要是我一辈子永远是一只鹭鸶,那就糟啦。您快想想那倒霉的咒语吧,我怎么竟想不起来了呢?”

“朝东方三鞠躬,同时念道:姆——姆——姆——”

他们面朝东方站好,不停地鞠躬鞠躬鞠躬,嘴都要挨着地了。然而,可悲啊!咒语已远离他们而去。不管哈里发怎样一个劲儿地鞠躬,也不管大臣怎样使劲地“姆——姆——姆——”地叫,他们的记忆力已消失殆尽。可怜的哈里发查希德和他的大臣现在变成了鹭鸶,永远也只能是鹭鸶了。

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