中国故事（双语）46：The Swan Feather 千里送鹅毛

46、The Swan Feather

千里送鹅毛

唐代时期，中国邻国常派使者向长安进贡。邻国离长安很远，使者带的礼物是一只美丽、稀有的天鹅，关在一个金属笼子中。使者十分担心天鹅会飞走，所以一直小心翼翼地照顾天鹅。一天，使者经过一个秀美的村庄，在一个波光粼粼的湖边驻足。使者发现天鹅已经脏兮兮的，于是他取出天鹅，把它洗干净。可是他一洗完，天鹅就飞走了。使者现在该怎么办呢？

 

The Tang Dynasty was a mighty Chinese empire. Every few years, nearby states would send messengers to the capital, Chang’an. The messengers brought gifts for the emperor.

One year during Emperor Taizong’s rule, a man named Mian Bogao was selected as one of the messengers. His journey was long. Chang’an was a thousand miles away!

The gift he carried was a beautiful and rare white swan. He kept it in a metal cage to make sure that it didn’t fly away.

That was Mian Bogao’s biggest fear. He didn’t know what he would do if the swan flew away. What would he tell the emperor? He hated the thought of losing or hurting the swan. So he took great care of it. He made sure it ate well and always had enough water to drink.

One day, Mian Bogao was traveling through a beautiful, green valley. He noticed a shimmering lake in the distance. Feeling the summer heat, he decided to stop by the lake.

When he arrived at the lake, he got down from his horse. He drank some water. How refreshing! He dipped a metal bowl into the lake and filled it with water. He put the bowl in front of the cage, so the swan could drink.

Then he noticed that the swan had become very dirty. It had been sitting in a cage for a dozen or so days. Its beautiful feathers weren’t white anymore. Not only was it dirty, but it also looked sad. Feeling sorry for the swan, Mian Bogao carefully let it out of the metal cage. He brought the swan over to the lake, so he could quickly wash it. However, as soon as Mian Bogao finished washing the swan, it spread its wings and flew away.

He tried to grab the swan, but only managed to get a feather. A single feather! This was exactly what he had feared. He had lost the swan! What was he going to do? He began to panic. Surely, Emperor Taizong would punish him. He might be arrested!

Mian Bogao had to decide whether or not to continue on to Chang’an. He thought about it for a while. On the one hand, he didn’t have anything to give to the emperor. On the other hand, he had already come very far. He decided to continue on his way. He picked up the feather and continued on his journey.

When Mian Bogao finally arrived in Chang’an, he entered the palace. He took out the white swan feather and presented it to the emperor. The other people in the room gasped. They were shocked. Only a feather? For the emperor? Mian Bogao told the emperor he could explain.

After Mian Bogao told the whole story, the emperor smiled. Sure, the feather wasn’t an impressive gift. But Mian Bogao had put in a lot of effort to get the feather to Chang’an. That showed great love for the emperor. The gift of Mian Bogao’s dedication was better than a swan. Emperor Taizong accepted the feather and rewarded Mian Bogao.

The End

Today, the Chinese use the phrase “a feather from a thousand miles away; although the gift is light, the affection is deep.” Its meaning is similar to the English phrase “it’s the thought that counts.” The value of a gift is not measured by how expensive it is. It is the actions and the attitude of the gift-giver that gives a gift its meaning.

Question: What is the best present you’ve ever gotten? Why do you consider it the best?

核心词汇

mighty adj. 强大的; 趾高气扬; 巨大的; 浩瀚的; 非常，很

rare adj. 稀有的，罕见的，难得的

shimmering adj. 闪闪发光的，发微光的

dip v. 浸; 制造; 把的远光调为近光; 洗药水浴; 微降，下沉; 向下再向上; 倾斜; 浏览

dozen n. 打，十二个; 一打的

grab v. 抓取，攫取

panic v. （使）恐慌; 十分惊慌

arrest v. 逮捕，拘捕; 止住，阻止，抑制; 吸引; 心跳停止; 拘留; 停止，阻止; 制动

gasp v. 喘气，喘息; 倒抽气; 渴望; 喘着气说出

impressive adj. 可观的; 给人印象深刻的，感人的; 引人注目的

dedication n. 奉献; 献身精神; 教堂的)献堂礼; 题词

reward v. 报酬; 报答; 赏金; 酬金; 酬谢，奖赏; 报答，惩罚

He hated the thought of losing or hurting the swan. 他讨厌失去或者伤害天鹅的想法，也就是他不愿想到他会失去或者伤害天鹅。

Not only was it dirty, but it also looked sad. 它不仅很脏，而且看起来很伤心。本句中否定连词not only处于句首，需要使用倒装语序was it dirty。

以下翻译来自百度翻译：

唐朝是一个强大的中华帝国。每隔几年，附近的州就会向首都长安派遣使者。使者们给皇帝带来了礼物。

唐太宗统治的一年，一个名叫棉伯高的人被选为信使之一。他的旅程很长。长安在千里之外！

他携带的礼物是一只美丽而稀有的白天鹅。他把它放在一个金属笼子里，以确保它不会飞走。

这是棉柏高最大的恐惧。他不知道如果天鹅飞走了他会怎么做。他会告诉皇帝什么？他讨厌失去或伤害天鹅的想法。所以他非常小心。他确保它吃得好，并且总是有足够的水喝。

一天，棉柏高正在一个美丽的绿色山谷中旅行。他注意到远处有一个闪闪发光的湖。感觉到夏天的炎热，他决定在湖边停下来。

当他到达湖边时，他从马上下来。他喝了一些水。多么令人耳目一新啊！他将一只金属碗浸入湖中，并注满了水。他把碗放在笼子前面，这样天鹅就可以喝水了。

然后他注意到天鹅变得很脏了。它已经在笼子里关了十几天了。它美丽的羽毛不再是白色的了。它不仅很脏，而且看起来很悲伤。缅伯高为这只天鹅感到难过，小心翼翼地把它从金属笼子里放了出来。他把天鹅带到湖边，这样他可以很快地把它洗干净。然而，面伯高一洗完天鹅，它就展开翅膀飞走了。

他试图抓住那只天鹅，但只抓住了一根羽毛。一根羽毛！这正是他所担心的。他失去了天鹅！他打算怎么办？他开始惊慌失措。当然，唐太宗会惩罚他。他可能会被捕！

绵伯高不得不决定是否继续前往长安。他考虑了一会儿。一方面，他没有任何东西可以给皇帝。另一方面，他已经走了很远。他决定继续赶路。他捡起羽毛继续旅行。

当棉柏高终于到达长安时，他进入了宫殿。他拿出白天鹅的羽毛送给皇帝。房间里的其他人都喘着粗气。他们感到震惊。只有一根羽毛？为了皇帝？绵伯高告诉皇帝他可以解释。

绵伯高讲述了整个故事后，皇帝笑了。当然，羽毛不是一件令人印象深刻的礼物。但是棉柏高为了把羽毛送到长安花了很多力气。这表明了对皇帝的极大爱。绵伯高献身的礼物比天鹅还要好。唐太宗接受了这根羽毛，并奖励了棉伯高。