3.King Canute on the Seashore克努特国王在海滨-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《西方老故事50篇Fifty Famous Stories Retold》

Fifty Famous Stories Retold 3.King Canute on the Seashore A hundred years or more after the time of Alfred the Great there was a king of England named Canute.King Canute was a Dane;but the Danes were not so fierce and cruel then as they had been when they were at war with King Alfred. The great men and officers who were around King Canute were always praising him. "You are the greatest man that ever lived,"one would say. Then another would say,"O king!There can never be another man so mighty0 as you.” And another would say,"Great Canute,there is nothing in the world that dares to disobey you.” The king was a man of sense,and he grew very tired of hearing such foolish speeches. One day he was by the seashore,and his officers were with him.They were praising him,as they were in the habit of doing.He thought that now he would teach them a lesson,and so he bade them set his chair on the beach close by the edge of the water. "Am I the greatest man in the world?"he asked. “Oking!"they cried,“there is no one so mighty as you.” "Do all things obey me?"he asked. ·012· 西方老故事50篇 3.克努特国王在海滨 阿尔弗雷德大帝的时代过去一百多年后，英格兰有 一个国王名叫克努特。克努特国王是丹麦人，可是当时 的丹麦人已经变得不像和阿尔弗雷德国王交战时那样凶 猛残暴。 克努特国王身边的达官显贵们总在极力奉承他。 “从古至今您是最伟大的人。”一个人如此说道。 接着另一个人又说：“啊，国王陛下！今后不会再 ①mighty[maiti]a.强大的 有人像您一样强大了。” 还有人会说：“伟大的克努特国王，世上没有什么 东西敢违抗您的旨意。” 国王是一个理智的人。对于这些愚蠢的吹捧，他越 来越感到厌倦。 一天，官员们跟随国王一起来到海滨，他们又像往 常那样开始恭维他。克努特想，现在是时候给他们点教 训了。于是，他让人把椅子放在海滩上靠近大海的地方。 “我是世界上最伟大的人吗？”他问。 “噢，国王陛下！”他们高声说，“没有人比您更 伟大了。” “万物都会臣服于我吗？”他又问。 ·013· Fifty Famous Stories Retold "There is nothing that dares to disobey you,O king!"they said. "The world bows before you,and gives you honor." "Will the sea obey me?"he asked;and he looked down at the little waves which were lapping the sand at his feet. The foolish officers were puzzled,but they did not dare to say "No." “Command it,O king!and it will obey,.”said one. "Sea,"cried Canute,"I command you to come no farther!Waves,stop your rolling,and do not dare to touch my feet!" "Sea,I command you to come no fartber!" But the tide came in,just as it always did.The water rose higher and higher.It came up around the king's chair,and wet not only his feet,but also his robe.His officers stood about him,alarmed,and wondering whether he was not mad. ·014· 西方老故事50篇 “噢，国王陛下！没有什么东西胆敢违抗您。”他 们回答说。 “整个世界都在要您面前弯腰，向您致敬。” “大海也会听从我的调遣吗？”他又问，同时低头 看着脚下拍打着沙子的小浪花。 那些愚蠢的官员们面面相觑，可是谁都不敢说一个 “不”字。 “啊，国王陛下，只要您下命令，大海一定会听您 调遣的。”一个人说。 “大海，”克努特大声喊道，“我要你停止前进！波 浪，我要你停下来，不要再冲刷我的脚！” “大海，我要你停止前进！” ①robe[raub]n.长袍 可是波浪依然像往常一样继续向上涨。海水越涨越高， 一直漫到国王的座椅旁边，把他的脚打湿了，还弄湿了他 的长袍。官员们站在旁边吓得目瞪口呆，担心国王发疯了。 ·015· Fifty Famous Stories Retold Then Canute took off his crown,and threw it down upon the sand. "I shall never wear it again,"he said."And do you,my men,learn a lesson from what you have seen.There is only one King who is all-powerful;and it is he who rules the sea,and holds the ocean in the hollow of his hand.It is he whom you ought to praise and serve above all others." ·016· 西方老故事50篇 克努特摘掉王冠扔在沙滩上。 “从今以后我再也不戴这顶王冠了。”他说，“我的 臣子们，你们要从刚才的那一幕吸取教训！世界上只有 一个万能的王，他主宰着大海，将海洋握在手心，他才 是你们应该赞扬和服侍的人。” ·017·