"COME and hire me," I cried, while in the morning I was walking on the stone-paved road.
早晨,我在石鋪的路上走時,我叫道:“誰來雇用我呀。”
Sword in hand, the King came in his chariot.
皇帝坐著馬車,手里拿著劍走來。
He held my hand and said, "I will hire you with my power."
他拉著我的手,說道:“我要用權(quán)力來雇用你。”
But his power counted for nought, and he went away in his chariot.
但是他的權(quán)力算不了什么,他坐著馬車走了。
In the heat of the midday the houses stood with shut doors.
正午炎熱的時候,家家戶戶的門都閉著。
I wandered along the crooked lane.
我沿著屈曲的小巷走去。
An old man came out with his bag of gold.
一個老人帶著一袋金錢走出來。
He pondered and said, "I will hire you with my money."
他斟酌了一下,說道:“我要用金錢來雇用你。”
He weighed his coins one by one, but I turned away.
他一個一個地數(shù)著他的錢,但我卻轉(zhuǎn)身離去了。
It was evening. The garden hedge was all aflower.
黃昏了,花園的籬上滿開著花。
The fair maid came out and said, "I will hire you with a smile."
美人走出來,說道:“我要用微笑來雇用你。”
Her smile paled and melted into tears, and she went back alone into the dark.
她的微笑黯淡了,化成淚容了,她孤寂地回身走進黑暗里去。
The sun glistened on the sand, and the sea waves broke waywardly.
太陽照耀在沙地上,海波任性地浪花四濺。
A child sat playing with shells.
一個小孩坐在那里玩貝殼。
He raised his head and seemed to know me, and said, "I hire you with nothing."
他抬起頭來,好像認(rèn)識我似的,說道:“我雇你不用什么東西。”
From thenceforward that bargain struck in child's play made me a free man.
從此以后,在這個小孩的游戲中做成的買賣,使我成了一個自由的人。