英語童話故事七個斯瓦比亞人

　　Once seven Swabians were together. The first was Herr Schulz, the second Jackli, the third Marli, the fourth Jergli, the fifth Michal, the sixth Hans, and the seventh Veitli.

　　All seven had decided to travel throughout the world seeking adventure and performing great deeds. In order to arm themselves and assure their safety, they thought it would be a good thing to have a single, but very strong and very long spear made for them. Together all seven of them took hold of this spear. The bravest and most manly of them was in front, and that had to be Herr Schulz. The others followed in order, with Veitli bringing up the rear.

　　Now one day in the month of July, when they had walked a long way but still had a good piece to go before reaching the village where they were going to spend the night, it happened that they were in a meadow just as it was getting dark, and a large beetle or hornet flew by them from behind a bush, buzzing in a threatening manner.

　　Herr Schulz was so frightened that he almost let go of the spear, and a cold sweat broke out over his whole body. "Listen, listen," he shouted to his comrades. "Good heaven, I hear a drum!"

　　Jackli, who was holding the spear behind him, and who had just smelled I don't know what, said, "Something is here for sure. I can smell the powder and the fuses."

　　Hearing these words, Herr Schulz began to run away, and he quickly jumped over a fence, landing right on the teeth of a rake that had been left lying there from haymaking. The handle hit him in the face with a tremendous blow.

　　"Oh dear, oh dear," screamed Master Schulz. "Take me prisoner! I surrender! I surrender!"

　　The other six all jumped toward him, one over the other, screaming, "If you surrender, I surrender too. If you surrender, I surrender too."

　　But no enemy was there to bind them and take them away, so they finally saw that they had been deceived. To keep the story from getting out and causing them to look foolish and to be ridiculed, they all swore to one another that they would say nothing about it until one of them should open his mouth by mistake.

　　Then they traveled onward.

　　The second danger that they experienced cannot be compared to the first one. A few days later their path led them across an unplowed field where a hare was sitting asleep in the sun. Its ears were standing straight up, and its large glassy eyes were wide open.

　　All of them were frightened at the sight of this terrible wild beast, and they discussed with one another what would be the least dangerous thing to do. If they were to run away, they feared that the monster would pursue them and devour them all, even their skin and hair.

　　So they said, "We will have to fight a great and dangerous battle. Well begun is half done!"

　　Then all seven took hold of the spear, Herr Schulz in front and Veitli at the rear. Herr Schulz was always trying to hold the spear back, but at the rear Veitli had become quite brave, and wanted to break loose. He shouted:

　　Strike out, in every Swabian's name, Or else I wish that you be lame.

　　But Hans knew how to answer this, and he said:

　　Thunder and lightning, you're one to brag, But at dragon hunting you always lag.

　　Michal shouted:

　　Nothing is missing, not even a hair. The devil himself is the one who is there.

　　Then it was Jergli's turn, and he said:

　　If he's not the one, it is his mother, Or else it is the devil's stepbrother.

　　Then Marli had a good idea, and he said to Veitli:

　　Forward, Veitli, go first, I say. I'm behind you all the way.

　　Veitli, however, did not obey, and Jackli said:

　　Let Herr Schulz be number one, That's an honor he has won.

　　Then Herrr Schulz took courage, and said:

　　Boldly then, we go to war. Then all will know how brave we are.

　　Then all together they attacked the dragon. Herr Schulz crossed himself and prayed to God for assistance, but none of this helped, so, approaching the enemy, he screamed in great fear, "Oh, oh, oh, oh!"

　　This awakened the hare, and the frightened animal darted swiftly away. When Herr Schulz saw it thus fleeing from the battlefield, he shouted out joyfully:

　　Quick, Veitli, look there, The monster is a hare."

　　Then the band of Swabians went in search of further adventure, and they came to the Mosel, a mossy, still, deep river. There are only a few bridges over it, and in many places people have to cross it by boat. The seven Swabians did not know this, so they shouted to a man who was working on the opposite side of the river, and asked him how to get across.

　　Because of the distance and their language, the man did not understand what they wanted, and he asked, in the dialect of Trier, "Wat? Wat?"

　　Herr Schulz thought he was saying, "Wade. Wade through the water," and because he was in front, he set forth and began walking into the Mosel. Before long he sank into the mud and into the deep waves that were driving against him. However, the wind blew his hat to the opposite shore. A frog sat down beside it, and croaked, "wat, wat, wat."

　　The other six heard this from the other side and said, "Aha, our comrade Herr Schulz is calling us. If he can wade across, then why can't we?"

　　So in a rush and all together they jumped into the water and drowned.

　　Thus one frog took the lives of all six of them, and not one of the band of Swabians ever came home again.

　　從前有七個斯瓦比亞人住在一塊,他們分別是斯爾茨先生、杰克力、馬力、約科力、米紹爾、漢斯和韋特利。七個人都決心周游世界去獵奇探險,行善濟世。但是為了行路安全,手中須有武器,他們認為最好能造一根又長又結實的矛。矛造好后七個人馬上把那根矛抓在手里,排好了隊,排頭的是那個最大膽勇猛的斯爾茨先生,其他六個一字排開,緊隨其后,韋特利排在最后。他們走啊走啊,走了好長的路,但距離他們要投宿的村莊還有一大段路,他們只好在干草堆上睡上一宿。黃昏時在一片草地上,一只大甲蟲亦或是大赤蜂從灌木叢后飛來,嗡嗡地發(fā)出擾人的聲音。斯爾茨先生嚇出了一身冷汗,趕緊放下手中的矛。 “聽啊!

　　聽啊!“他叫道,”天啊!我聽到一陣鼓聲。“杰克力緊隨其后托著那支矛,鼻子里也聞到了某種氣味,”肯定發(fā)生了什么事,我聞到了火藥和火柴味。“一聽這話斯爾茨先生調(diào)轉頭就跑,轉眼就跨過了樹籬,但當他就要跳過人們曬完草后扔在一邊的耙犁時,耙柄撞了一下他的臉,狠狠地砸了他一下。”唉喲!唉喲!“他大叫起來,”你抓著我了,我投降!我投降!“其他六個也都跌撞過來,一個趴在另一個頭上,大呼小叫:”你投降,我也投降!你投降,我也投降!“最后,并沒有敵人來把他們捆起來帶走,他們意識到自己弄錯了,為了不讓別人知道這件事,免得別人戲謔嘲笑,他們互相起誓要保守機密,當然此事到很久以后還是有人無意中說出來了。于是他們又繼續(xù)往前走。他們經(jīng)歷的第二道難關比起第一次來差遠了。又過了幾天,他們走進了一片荒地,發(fā)現(xiàn)一只野兔正縮在那兒曬太陽,它雙耳聳立,瞪著對亮晶晶的大眼睛。七個人看到可怕的野獸都給嚇怕了,商量著怎樣做才會最安全。因為他們知道一旦跑開,那只怪獸恐怕就會追上來將他們吃掉。所以他們說:”我們必須進行一場刺激驚險的搏斗,勇敢向前就是成功的一半。“七個人緊緊地抓著矛,斯爾茨先生總想把矛拿著不動,但排在最后的韋特利卻變得極為勇敢,想沖鋒向前,口中念念有詞:

　　“以全體斯瓦比亞人的名義勇敢地向前沖

　　不然你們就像跛子一樣趴下!

　　但是漢斯知道怎么對付,說:

　　“我敢打賭,你只是說得漂亮,

　　每次戰(zhàn)斗你總是落在最后。

　　米紹爾說道:

　　“絲毫不差,絲毫不差,

　　那家伙簡直就是一個鬼。

　　輪到約科力了,他接著說:

　　“如果不是鬼,就是鬼的媽,

　　要不就是鬼的過繼兄弟。

　　馬力突然有了個好主意,他對韋特利說:“上吧,韋特利;上吧,韋特利

　　有我在后面抓著矛。

　　韋特利沒有照著做,于是杰克力說:

　　“斯爾茨先生該是第一個,

　　要知光榮屬于沖在最先的人。“

　　最后斯爾茨先生鼓起了勇氣,威風凜凜地說:

　　“讓我們沖鋒向前,參加戰(zhàn)斗,

　　以顯示我們的勇猛和力量。“于是七個人一齊沖向那野獸。斯爾茨先生雙手劃著十字,祈求上帝的幫助,但這一切都無濟于事,當他離“敵人”越來越近時,他口中驚恐地發(fā)出了:“喔!喔!”聲并且是聲嘶力竭,痛苦萬分的聲音,叫聲驚醒了野兔,它嚇了一大跳便迅速逃開了。斯爾茨先生見她逃離了戰(zhàn)場,高興地大叫:

　　“快看哪,韋特利,快看哪,

　　那惡魔只不過是只野兔。“

　　接著七個斯瓦比亞人繼續(xù)他們的探險,這天他們來到了摩塞萊河。這是一條布滿了青苔,平靜而深沉的河流,水面上橋兒不多,有好多地方要乘船過去。但這七個斯瓦比亞人卻對此一概不知。他們沖著對岸一位正在干活的人猛叫,問他怎樣才能過去。因兩岸距離遠,別人又聽不懂他們的話,那人沒懂他們要干什么,于是就用他特武人的土話說:“干啥子?

　　干啥子?“斯爾茨先生以為他在說:”涉水過河。“因為他排在最頭,所以第一個踏入了河里。不久他就陷進泥里站不起來了,河里的浪花不斷向他砸來,他的帽子也被風吹到了對岸。一只青蛙正好蹲在帽子旁,叫著:”呱,呱,呱。“呆在一邊的六個人聽到叫聲,說道:”喔,伙計們,斯爾茨先生在叫咱們,既然他能涉水過河,我們?yōu)槭裁床荒?“于是六人一齊跳入了水中,結果全部淹死了。就這樣一只青蛙要了六條人命,那群斯瓦比亞人沒有一個活著回家的。