格林童話：當(dāng)音樂家去(英)

　　Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　A man had a donkey, who for long years had untiringly carried sacks to the mill, but whose strength was now failing, so that he was becoming less and less able to work. Then his master thought that he would no longer feed him, but the donkey noticed that it was not a good wind that was blowing and ran away, setting forth on the road to Bremen, where he thought he could become a town musician. When he had gone a little way he found a hunting dog lying in the road, who was panting like one who had run himself tired.

　　"Why are you panting so, Grab-Hold?" asked the donkey.

　　"Oh," said the dog, "because I am old and am getting weaker every day and can no longer go hunting, my master wanted to kill me, so I ran off; but now how should I earn my bread?"

　　"Do you know what," said the donkey, "I am going to Bremen and am going to become a town musician there. Come along and take up music too. I'll play the lute, and you can beat the drums."

　　The dog was satisfied with that, and they went further. It didn't take long, before they came to a cat sitting by the side of the road and making a face like three days of rainy weather. "What has crossed you, old Beard-Licker?" said the donkey.

　　"Oh," answered the cat, "who can be cheerful when his neck is at risk? I am getting on in years, and my teeth are getting dull, so I would rather sit behind the stove and purr than to chase around after mice. Therefore my mistress wanted to drown me, but I took off. Now good advice is scarce. Where should I go?"

　　"Come with us to Bremen. After all, you understand night music. You can become a town musician there." The cat agreed and went along.

　　Then the three refugees came to a farmyard, and the rooster of the house was sitting on the gate crying with all his might.

　　"Your cries pierce one's marrow and bone," said the donkey. "What are you up to?"

　　"I just prophesied good weather," said the rooster, "because it is Our Dear Lady's Day, when she washes the Christ Child's shirts and wants to dry them; but because Sunday guests are coming tomorrow, the lady of the house has no mercy and told the cook that she wants to eat me tomorrow in the soup, so I am supposed to let them cut off my head this evening. Now I am going to cry at the top of my voice as long as I can."

　　"Hey now, Red-Head," said the donkey, "instead come away with us. We're going to Bremen. You can always find something better than death. You have a good voice, and when we make music together, it will be very pleasing."

　　The rooster was happy with the proposal, and all four went off together. However, they could not reach the city of Bremen in one day, and in the evening they came into a forest, where they would spend the night. The donkey and the dog lay down under a big tree, but the cat and the rooster took to the branches. The rooster flew right to the top, where it was safest for him. Before falling asleep he looked around once again in all four directions, and he thought that he saw a little spark burning in the distance. He hollered to his companions, that there must be a house not too far away, for a light was shining.

　　The donkey said, "Then we must get up and go there, because the lodging here is poor." The dog said that he could do well with a few bones with a little meat on them. Thus they set forth toward the place where the light was, and they soon saw it glistening more brightly, and it became larger and larger, until they came to the front of a brightly lit robbers' house.

　　The donkey, the largest of them, approached the window and looked in.

　　"What do you see, Gray-Horse?" asked the rooster.

　　"What do I see?" answered the donkey. "A table set with good things to eat and drink, and robbers sitting there enjoying themselves."

　　"That would be something for us," said the rooster.

　　"Ee-ah, ee-ah, oh, if we were there!" said the donkey.

　　Then the animals discussed how they might drive the robbers away, and at last they came upon a plan. The donkey was to stand with his front feet on the window, the dog to jump on the donkey's back, the cat to climb onto the dog, and finally the rooster would fly up and sit on the cat's head. When they had done that, at a signal they began to make their music all together. The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed and the rooster crowed. Then they crashed through the window into the room, shattering the panes.

　　The robbers jumped up at the terrible bellowing, thinking that a ghost was coming in, and fled in great fear out into the woods. Then the four companions seated themselves at the table and freely partook of the leftovers, eating as if they would get nothing more for four weeks.

　　When the four minstrels were finished, they put out the light and looked for a place to sleep, each according to his nature and his desire. The donkey lay down on the manure pile, the dog behind the door, the cat on the hearth next to the warm ashes, and the rooster sat on the beam of the roof. Because they were tired from their long journey, they soon fell asleep.

　　When midnight had passed and the robbers saw from the distance that the light was no longer burning in the house, and everything appeared to be quiet, the captain said, "We shouldn't have let ourselves be chased off," and he told one of them to go back and investigate the house. The one they sent found everything still, and went into the kitchen to strike a light. He mistook the cat's glowing, fiery eyes for live coals, and held a sulfur match next to them, so that it would catch fire. But the cat didn't think this was funny and jumped into his face, spitting, and scratching.

　　He was terribly frightened and ran toward the back door, but the dog, who was lying there, jumped up and bit him in the leg. When he ran across the yard past the manure pile, the donkey gave him a healthy blow with his hind foot, and the rooster, who had been awakened from his sleep by the noise and was now alert, cried down from the beam, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

　　Then the robber ran as fast as he could back to his captain and said, "Oh, there is a horrible witch sitting in the house, she blew at me and scratched my face with her long fingers. And there is a man with a knife standing in front of the door, and he stabbed me in the leg. And a black monster is lying in the yard, and it struck at me with a wooden club. And the judge is sitting up there on the roof, and he was calling out, 'Bring the rascal here.' Then I did what I could to get away."

　　From that time forth, the robbers did not dare go back into the house. However, the four Bremen Musicians liked it so well there, that they never to left it again. And the person who just told that, his mouth is still warm.

　　從前，一個(gè)農(nóng)夫養(yǎng)了一頭驢。這頭驢為他辛勤勞作已經(jīng)有許多年了，但無情的歲月加上多年的勞作，使他現(xiàn)在衰老了，干活一天不如一天，越來越難以勝任以前的工作了。因此，他的主人不想再留著他，準(zhǔn)備將他殺掉?？墒?，驢子卻看出了主人的心意，於是悄悄地跑了出去，一路向城里行進(jìn)。

　　他想：「到了那里，我也許能當(dāng)一名音樂家了?！?/p>

　　走了一段路，他發(fā)現(xiàn)路邊躺著一條狗，像是極度疲勞一樣，不停地喘著氣。驢子上前問道：「朋友，你怎么氣喘成這個(gè)樣子啊?」這條狗答道：「哎!因?yàn)槲依狭耍瑲饬σ膊蛔懔?，再也不能隨我的主人一同出去打獵，所以主人準(zhǔn)備把我打死。我就跑了出來，可現(xiàn)在我靠甚么來謀生呢?」驢說道：「這樣吧，我準(zhǔn)備到城里去當(dāng)音樂家，要是你愿意和我一起去的話，我們倒是志同道合，你愿意嗎?」狗馬上說他愿意一起去，這樣，他們成了同路人。

　　走不多遠(yuǎn)，他們看見一只貓蹲在路中央，一副愁眉苦臉的樣子。驢上前說道：「這位女士，請(qǐng)告訴我們，你這是怎么了?你怎么這樣一付沒精打采的樣子。」「我嘛!」貓歎了口氣說，「誰的生命有了危險(xiǎn)，他的精神還能好得起來嗎?就因?yàn)槲依狭?，只想躺在火爐邊休息，不想去抓房里的老鼠，我的女主人就抓住我，要把我淹死。盡管我幸運(yùn)地從她那兒逃了出來，可我不知道這以后靠甚么維持生計(jì)?！埂负冒?你就和我們一道進(jìn)城去，晚上你是一個(gè)很好的歌手，當(dāng)一個(gè)音樂家會(huì)帶給你好運(yùn)的?！关埪犃诉@一建議，愉快地加入了他們的行列。

　　走不多久，他們經(jīng)過一個(gè)農(nóng)莊，看見一只公雞棲息在一扇門上放開嗓門啼叫著。「妙啊!」驢子說，「你的聲音挺不錯(cuò)的，能說說這是唱的甚么嗎?」「唉!」公雞回答道，「我現(xiàn)在是說今天是個(gè)好天氣，正好是洗衣日，我的女主人和廚師不僅不感謝我這番苦心，還準(zhǔn)備明天把我殺了，給星期天來的客人煨雞湯喝?！埂傅覆粫?huì)發(fā)生這樣的事!」驢子說道，「雄雞，與我們一起到城里去吧!不管怎樣，總比待在這兒等著殺頭要好得多!再說也沒人知道。要是我們輪著來唱歌，我們就能組織一場(chǎng)音樂會(huì)了。加入我們的行列吧!」公雞說道：「好吧!我一定會(huì)盡心盡意的?！顾麄兯膫€(gè)一起高興地踏上了進(jìn)城的路。

　　然而，城里不是一天能走到的，所以當(dāng)天黑下來時(shí)，他們只好走進(jìn)一片樹林去安歇。驢子和狗睡在了一棵大樹下，貓爬上樹睡在樹杈上，而公雞則認(rèn)為待的地方越高越安全，因此他飛到了樹頂上，他還有一個(gè)習(xí)慣，就是在睡覺前要看看周圍的每個(gè)東西是不是有甚么不對(duì)勁。他挺直脖子一看，發(fā)現(xiàn)遠(yuǎn)處有光線射過來，馬上對(duì)他的同伴們叫喊道：「不遠(yuǎn)的地方一定有一所房子，因?yàn)槲铱吹搅藷艄??！贵H子說：「如果真有房子，那我們最好還是換個(gè)地方睡吧?，F(xiàn)在睡的地方太糟糕了?！构酚纸又f：「而且，說不定還能在那兒找到幾根骨頭或是一些肉哩!」於是，他們一起向公雞看見的方向走去。隨著他們走近，燈光變得越來越明亮了。最后，他們來到一座強(qiáng)盜住的房子前。

　　他們當(dāng)中驢子的個(gè)頭最大，他走到窗戶跟前偷偷朝房子里看去。公雞問道：「驢兒，你看見甚么了?」「我看見甚么了?」驢子重複說道，「我看見一張桌子上擺滿了各種好吃的東西，強(qiáng)盜們正高興地坐在桌子周圍?！构u說道：「但愿這是為我們準(zhǔn)備的」。驢子也說道：「是啊!只要我們能進(jìn)去就成?！菇又麄円黄鹕塘吭鯓硬拍馨褟?qiáng)盜趕走。最后，他們想出一個(gè)辦法：驢子后腿站立、前腿搭到窗臺(tái)上，狗站在驢的背上，貓又爬在狗的背上，而公雞則飛起來坐在貓的頭上。他們站好后，約定了一個(gè)信號(hào)，然后一齊鳴叫起來。驢子哇嗚哇嗚地吼叫，狗汪汪狂地吠，貓嗚嗚嗚地叫喊，公雞尖聲啼鳴。他們又同時(shí)打破窗戶，翻進(jìn)了房間里。玻璃的碎裂聲，可怕的喧鬧聲，把強(qiáng)盜們完全嚇壞了，驚慌失措中，以為是可怕的妖怪找上了他們，拚命地逃了出去。

　　一切歸於平靜后，這幾個(gè)闖蕩江湖的不速之客坐了下來，匆匆吃起了強(qiáng)盜們留下的食物，那狼吞虎嚥的樣子就像他們已經(jīng)一個(gè)月沒吃東西似的。他們吃飽之后，把燈滅了，各自依自己的習(xí)慣找到了休息的地方，驢子躺在院子里的一堆草上，狗趴在門后面的一個(gè)墊子上，貓蜷曲在仍有爐灰余熱的壁爐前，公雞棲息在房頂?shù)奈輼派稀Ｋ麄冏吡诉@許多路，已相當(dāng)睏倦，不久就睡著了。

　　到了半夜，強(qiáng)盜們從遠(yuǎn)處看見房子沒了燈光，一切都顯得很安靜，想到自己在驚慌中是否逃得太匆忙了。其中一個(gè)膽子大一些的強(qiáng)盜準(zhǔn)備去看看。當(dāng)他走進(jìn)廚房時(shí)，沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)異案情況，便摸索著找到了一盒火柴想把蠟燭點(diǎn)燃。偶然看見了貓那雙閃爍著火焰般的亮光的眼睛，他誤認(rèn)為是沒有熄滅的爐中炭火，便將火柴湊上前去想點(diǎn)燃它。但貓卻不懂得開玩笑，起身猛地向強(qiáng)盜的臉上撲去，又是啐又是抓。那強(qiáng)盜嚇了一大跳，急忙撤腿就往門外跑?？傻介T口卻被那條狗撲上來在腿上咬了一口，穿過院子時(shí)驢子又踢了他一腳。公雞此時(shí)被吵鬧聲驚醒了，拚命地叫了起來，那強(qiáng)盜被唬得連滾帶爬地跑回了樹林中同伴的藏身處，心有余悸地對(duì)強(qiáng)盜頭子說：「多恐怖啊，一個(gè)可怕的巫婆待在屋子里，她向我的臉上吐唾沫，又用那長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的，瘦骨伶伶的爪子抓我的臉;門后面藏著一個(gè)人，手里拿著一把刀，一下子刺在了我的腿上;院子里站著一個(gè)黑色的怪物，他拿著一根大棒向我亂打;房屋的頂樑上還坐了一個(gè)惡魔，他大喊道：'把那個(gè)惡棍扔到這兒來!'」從此，強(qiáng)盜們?cè)僖膊桓一啬俏葑恿?，而那些音樂家們也就高興地在里面住了下來。我敢說他們現(xiàn)在仍住在那里面呢。