17.  母鹿

THE MOTHER DEER　

清晨，树林里静悄悄的。　

　　The forest was still in the early morning.

冉冉升起的朝阳照亮了大地、森林和草原。群山映出美丽的光彩，溪流也泛起闪闪涟漪。万物一片静谧。　　

　　The rising sun lit up the earth, the forest, and the plains. The mountains glowed with a beautiful light, and the water glistened on the ripples in the stream. Everything was at peace.

忽然来了一个人，他匆匆地穿过溪流，来到草地上，停下来四处看了看，好像在寻找什么。此人面容刚毅，大耳朵，剑眉虎眼。头上戴着猎人的头巾，左手持弓，右跨下挂着一个箭袋。他看起来体格健壮，活力四射。这个人就是许真君。他热爱大自然，尤其喜欢打猎。　　

　　Suddenly a man appeared. He hurried across the stream and reached a meadow. He stopped and looked around, as if he were looking for something. This man had a strong face, big ears, eyebrows like swords, and eyes like a tiger's. He had an adventurer's turban on his head. He held a bow in his left hand and his quiver hung on his right hip. He looked vigorous, tough, and lively. This man was Xu Zhenjun. He loved the great outdoors, and he especially loved hunting.

许真君看到一头小鹿正从林子里走出来。他笑了一下，搭上弓。嗖！弦刚响，小鹿就应声倒下了。许真君为自己出色的箭术颇感骄傲。正当他要走过去拾起小鹿时，他看到母鹿奔向它的孩子。　　

　　He spotted a fawn coming out of the forest. Xu smiled and nocked an arrow. Zip! The fawn fell over almost as soon as the sound of the bow-string was heard. Xu was proud of his good shot. Just as he was about to go pick up his game, he saw the fawn's mother running to her child.

母鹿看到它的孩子被射伤后，一边呜咽哀叫，一边用舌头去舔小鹿的伤口。　　

　　When the mother deer saw what had happened to her baby, she whimpered and cried, and licked her baby's wound with her tongue.

这种情形许真君想都没想到。他一直看着母鹿护理着小鹿，但他的箭法实在太准了，小鹿伤口太深，不久便死了。　　

　　Xu had never expected this to happen. He watched as the mother tended her baby, but Xu's aim had been too accurate. The wound was too deep, and before long, the little deer died.

小鹿死后，母鹿也倒地死了。　　

　　When the little deer died, its mother fell down dead, too.

许真君吃了一惊。他不明白母鹿为什么也死了。他拿出猎刀，剖开了母鹿的尸体想弄个明白。　　

　　Xu was amazed. He couldn't figure out why the mother deer had died, too. He took out his hunting knife and cut open her corpse to find out what was wrong.

他发现母鹿已经肝肠寸断了！孩子被杀死后，母鹿哀伤得五脏俱裂。　　

　　He saw that her organs and intestines were broken into little pieces an inch long! The mother deer was so sad the her baby had been killed that she burst her innards.

许真君为他的行为感到万分懊悔。他当即折断了弓，把箭都扔进河里。他离开家到深山里去参访名师。经过很多年的精进修习后，许真君成了一个有名的道士。

　　Xu was terribly sorry about what he had done. Right away, he broke his bow across his knee and threw his arrows into the stream. He left his home and went deep into the mountains to find a Teacher. He worked hard for many years and finally became a great Taoist.