4.  瓮中的鳗鱼

EELS IN THE URN　　

中国明朝万历年间（1573－1620年），1620年也是清教徒抵达美国麻萨诸塞州的那一年。当时，中国有个美丽的城市叫杭州，城里住着一个姓余的富贾。马可波罗曾称杭州为Kinsai（编者按：意为“天堂之城”），并且称赞它是世界上最壮观、最美丽的城市，宛如人间天堂。

　　The Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty in China lasted from 1573 to 1620, the same year the Pilgrims reached Massachusetts in America. At that time, in the beautiful Chinese city of Hangchou, the city Marco Polo called Kinsai and praised as the grandest, most beautiful city on earth, as splendid as paradise, lived a very rich man named Yu.

余先生乐于行善，从不杀生。　　

　　Mr. Yu enjoyed doing good deeds. He never killed anything.

在这个故事发生时，余先生的一户邻居被抢劫一空。余先生慷慨解囊，助其重立门户。邻人之妻深感其德。　　

　　At the time of our story, a family in his neighborhood had been robbed of almost everything they had. Mr. Yu generously donated money to help his neighbors get back on their feet. His neighbor's wife was deeply touched by his kindness.

有一天，邻人妻刚好获到了十条鳗鱼，于是将其送至余家，孝敬余先生的年迈老母。尽管对大多数中国人来说，鳗鱼是难得的佳肴。但是余家从未杀生，余家的仆人们就把这些鳗鱼放到一个大瓮里，准备哪天把它们放掉。由于这种或那种原因，所有人都把瓮里的鳗鱼忘掉了。　　

　　One day she happened to get ten eels, so she sent them over to Mr. Yu's house so he could cook them for his aged mother. Even though eels are a great delicacy for most Chinese, the Yus never killed anything, so their servants put the eels into a big pottery urn and prepared to let them go someday. What with one thing and another, everybody forgot all about the eels in the urn.

不久后，余的老母亲梦到了十个人走到她的房间里，并跪在她的床前。他们穿着奇特！人人着褐衣尖帽。他们说，“求求您发慈悲救救我们吧。”然后就走了。　　

　　Some time later, Mr. Yu's aged mother dreamed that a group of ten people came into her room and knelt down before her bed. How strangely they were dressed! Every one had on tan clothes and a pointed cap. They said, "We beg your mercy! Please save our lives!" Then they left.

余老夫人醒过来，难解这个奇怪的梦。她不知道应救谁的命，茫然不知所措。但她是一个明智的老人，就决定去问问算命先生。　　

　　Old Mrs. Yu woke up. She was confused by this weird dream. She didn't know how she was supposed to save anybody's life. She just didn't know what to do so, being a sensible old lady, she went to ask her fortune teller to advise her.

算命先生卜了一卦，察看了日期，并看了她的手相，说道：“贵人勿忧。此乃吉梦，非不祥之梦。有生灵期您相救。不在远程，就在贵舍。”　　

　　Her fortune teller cast his sticks and examined the date and looked at her palm and said, "Do not worry your august head. This is a lucky dream, not an un-lucky dream. These are living creatures which want you to save their lives. You need not look too far. They are right in your own honorable house."

余老夫人急忙赶回家，翻箱倒柜地找待救之物。最后一个仆人想起了瓮里的鳗鱼。他们明白了，原来梦里的十个人实际上就是那十条鳗鱼。

　　She hurried home and turned everything topsy-turvy to find the lives to save. Finally one of the servants remembered the eels in the urn. They realized there were ten eels, just as there were ten people in the dream.

余老夫人听了以后说，“我们差点害了十条性命！”然后立刻把十条鳗鱼带到湖边放了。　　

　　When Mrs. Yu heard about this, she said, "We almost took ten lives by accident!'' Right away, she had the eels taken to the lake and released.

以后，这些鳗鱼们快乐地生活着，余家也越来越富有。　　

　　The eels lived happily ever after, and the Yus got richer and richer.