小学英语 英语故事（童话故事）The Count's Beard 伯爵的胡子

1 thethe count scount s beardbeard 伯爵的胡子伯爵的胡子 thethe count scount s beardbeard the town of pocapaglia was perched on the pinnacle of a hill so steep that its inhabitants tied little bags on the tail feathers of their hens to catch each freshly laid egg that otherwise would have gone rolling down the slopes into the woods below all of which goes to show that the people of pocapaglia were not the dunces they were said to be and that the proverb in pocapaglia waysthe donkey whistles the master brays merely reflected the malicious grudge the neighboring townspeople bore the pocapaglians for their peaceful ways and their reluctance to quarrel with anyone yes yes was all the pocapaglians would reply but just wait until masino returns and you will see who brays more we or you everybody in pocapaglia loved masino the smartest boy in town he was no stronger physically than anybody else in fact he even looked rather puny but he had always been very clever concerned over how little he was at birth his mother had bathed him in warm wine to keep him alive and make him a little stronger his father had heated the wine with a red hot horseshoe that way masino absorbed the subtlety of wine and the endurance of iron to cool him off after his bath his mother cradled him in the shell of an unripened chestnut it was bitter and gave him understanding at the time the pocapaglians were awaiting the return of masino whom no one had seen since the day he went off to be a soldier and who was now most likely somewhere in africa strange things started happening in pocapaglia every evening as the cattle came back from pasture in the plain below an animal was whisked away by micillina the witch the witch would hide in the woods at the foot of the hill and all she needed to do was give one heavy puff and she had herself an ox when the farmers heard her steal through the thicket after dark their teeth would chatter and everyone would fall down in a swoon that became so common that people took to saying beware of micillina that old witch for all your oxen she will filch then train on you her crossed eye and wait for you to fall and die at night they began lighting huge bonfires to keep micillina the witch from venturing out of the woods but she would sneak up on the solitary farmer watching over cattle beside the bonfire and knock him out in one breath in the morning upon awaking he d find cows and oxen gone and his friends would hear him weeping and moaning and hitting himself on the head then everybody combed the woods for traces of the stolen cattle but found only tufts of hair hairpins and footprints left here and there by micillina the witch things went from bad to worse shut up all the time in the barn the cows grew as thin as rails a rake instead of a brush was all that was needed to groom 2 them from rib to rib nobody dared lead the cattle to pasture any more everyone stayed clear of the woods now and the mushrooms that grew there went unpicked and got as big as umbrellas micillina the witch was not tempted to plunder other towns knowing full well that calm and peace loving people were to be found only in pocapaglia there the poor farmers lit a big bonfire every night in the town square while the women and children locked themselves indoors the men sat around the fire scratching their heads and groaning day after day they scratched and groaned until a decision was finally reached to go to the count for help the count lived high above the town on a large circular estate surrounded by a massive wall the top of the wall was encrusted with sharp bits of glass one sunday morning all the townsmen arrived with hats in hand they knocked the door swung open and they filed into the courtyard before the court s round dwelling which had bars at all the windows around the courtyard sat the court s soldiers smoothing their mustaches with oil to make them shine and scowling at the farmers at the end of the courtyard in a velvet chair sat the count himself with his long black beard which four soldiers were combing from head to foot the oldest farmer took heart and said your honor we have dared come to you about our misfortune as our cattle go into the woods micillina the witch appears and makes off with them so amid sighs and groans with the other farmers nodding in assent he told the count all about their nightmare the count remained silent we have come here said the old man to be so bold as to ask your honor s advice the count remained silent we have come here he added to be so bold as to ask your honor to help us if you assigned us an escort of soldiers we could again take our cattle down to pasture the count shook his head if i let you have the soldiers he said i must also let you have the captain the farmers listened hardly daring to hope but if the captain is away in the evening said the count who can i play lotto with the farmers fell to their knees help us noble count for pity s sake the soldiers around the courtyard yawned and stroked their mustaches again the count shook his head and said i am the count and i count for three no witch have i seen so no witch has there been at those words and still yawning the soldiers picked up their guns and with bayonets extended moved slowly toward the farmers who turned and filed silently out of the courtyard 3 back in the town square and completely discouraged the farmers had no idea what to do next but the senior of them all the one who had spoken to the count said there s nothing left to do but send for masino so they wrote masino a letter and sent it to africa then one evening while they were all gathered around the bonfire as usual masino returned imagine the welcome they gave him the embraces the pots of hot spiced wine where on earth have you been what did you see if you only knew what we have been going through masino let them have their say then he had his in africa i saw cannibals who ate not men but locusts in the desert i saw a madman who had let his fingernails grow twelve meters long to dig for water in the sea i saw a fish with a shoe and a slipper who wanted to be king of the other fish since no other fish possessed shoe or slipper in sicily i saw a woman with seventy sons and only one kettle in naples i saw people who walked while standing still since the chatter of other people kept them going i saw sinners and i saw saints i saw fat people and people no bigger than mites many many frightened souls did i see but never so many as here in pocapaglia the farmers hung their heads in shame for masino had hit a sensitive spot in suggesting they were cowards but masino was not cross with his fellow townsmen he asked for a detailed account of the witch s doings then said let me ask you three questions and at the stroke of midnight i ll go out and catch the witch and bring her back to you let s hear your questions out with them they all said the first question is for the barber how many people came to you this month the barber replied long beards short beards fine beards coarse beards locks straight locks curly all i trimm d sic in a hurry your turn now cobbler how many people brought you their old shoes to mend this month alas began the cobbler shoes of wood shoes of leather nail by nail i hammered back together mended shoes of satin and shoes of serpent but there s nothing left to do all their money is spent the third question goes to you rope maker how much rope did you sell this month the rope maker replied rope galore of every sort i sold hemp rope braided wicker cord needle thin to arm thick lard soft to iron strongthis month i couldn t go wrong very well said masino stretching out by the fire i m now going to sleep for a few hours i m very tired wake me up at midnight and i ll go after the witch he put his hat over his face and fell asleep the farmers kept perfectly quiet until midnight not even daring to breathe for fear of awaking him at midnight masino shook himself yawned drank a cup 4 of mulled wine spat three times into the fire got up without looking at a soul and headed for the woods the farmers stayed behind watching the fire burn down and the last embers turn to ashes then whom should masino drag in by the beard but the count a count that wept kicked and pleaded for mercy here s the witch cried masino and asked where did you put the mulled wine beneath the farmers amazed stares the count tried to make himself as small as possible sitting on the ground and shrinking up like a cold bitten fly the thief could have been none of you explained masino since you had all gone to the barber and had no hair to lose in the bushes then there were those tracks made by big heavy shoes but all of you go barefoot nor could the thief have been a ghost since he wouldn t have needed to buy all that cord to tie up the animals and carry them away but where is my mulled wine shaking all over the count tried to hide in that beard of his which masino had tousled and torn in pulling him out of the bushes how did he ever make us faint by just looking at us asked one farmer he would smite you on the head with a padded club that way you would hear only a whir he d leave no mark on you you d simply wake up with a headache and those hairpins he lost asked another they were used to hold his beard up on his head and make it look like a woman s hair until then the farmers had listened in silence but when masino said and now what shall we do with him a storm of shouts arose burn him skin him alive string him up for a scarecrow seal him in a cask and roll him down the cliff sew him up in a sack with six cats and six dogs have mercy said the count in a voice just above a whisper spare him said masino and he will bring back your cattle and clean your barns and since he enjoyed going into the woods at night make him go there every night and gather bundles of firewood for each of you tell the children never to pick up the hairpins they find on the ground for they belong to micillina the witch whose hair and beard will be disheveled from now on the farmers followed the suggestion and soon masino left pocapaglia to travel about the world in the course of his travels he found himself fighting in first one war and another and they all lasted so long that his saying sprang up soldier fighter what a hard lot wretched food the ground for a cot you feed the cannon powder boom boom boom boom boom louder bra notes the count s beard la barba del conte published here for the first time collected by giovanni arpino in july 1956 in certain villages of southern piedmont bra told by caterina asteggiano inmate of a home for old people 5 and luigi berzia in guarene told by doro palladino farmer in narzole told by annetta taricco servant woman and in pocapaglia this long narrative which writer giovanni arpino has transcribed and unified from different versions with variants and additions from bra and surroundings cannot in my view be classified as a folktale it is a local legend of recent origin in part i am thinking for instance of the geographical particulars given that is not prior to the nineteenth century and containing disparate elements explanation of a local superstition the hairpins of witch micillina antifeudal country legend such as one finds in many northern countries curious detective story structure la sherlock holmes many digressions nonessential to the story such as the trip from africa back to town which arpino tells me also exists as a separate story and all the allusions to masino s past and future adventures which lead to the conclusion globetrotter from a country whose inhabitants are reputed to be contrastingly slow and backward verse of which arpino and i have presented only as much as we could effective translate and grotesque images which seem rooted in tradition such as the sacks under the hens tails the oxen so thin that they were curried with the rake the count whose beard was combed by four soldiers etc copyright italian folktales selected and retold by italo calvino translated by george martin pantheon books new york 1980 伯爵的胡子伯爵的胡子 博卡帕利亚是建在陡峭山坡上的一个小镇 镇上人家的鸡只要一下蛋就会滚落到山下的树 林里 为了防止鸡蛋滚落丢失 居民们在每只母鸡的尾巴上挂了一个小袋子 这说明博卡帕利亚人并非像别人挖苦的那样软弱无能 附近曾经流传着这样一句话 谁都知道在博卡帕利亚 驴子吹口哨 主人嚎叫 这纯粹是附近村镇的人对他们的污蔑 这些人这样对待博卡帕利亚人就是因为他们生性平 静 不愿意和任何人争吵 让你们诬蔑吧 挖苦吧 博卡帕利亚人都这样说 等马西诺回来 看我们当中谁还 会嚎叫 马西诺是博卡帕利亚人中最聪明的人 深受全镇的人爱戴 他并不比别人粗壮 甚至比一 般人还瘦弱很多 但他天生聪明 他刚出世时 看上去瘦弱娇小 妈妈为了让他能活下来 而且还能长得强壮一点 就用热葡萄酒给他洗澡 爸爸还把烧红的铁放到酒里给酒加热 这样马西诺既通过浸泡皮肤而获得了酒的柔力 又吸收了铁的刚强 洗完澡后 妈妈又把 她放在铺满生栗子壳的摇篮里 让他的身体变凉爽 使他在刺痛中变得更加睿智 长大后 马西诺出发去服兵役 以后再也没有回到自己的村镇 现在好像到了非洲的某个 地方 这期间博卡帕利亚开始出了一系列的怪事 每天晚上人们都会发现 他们的牛从平 原上的草地放牧回来时 总要被女巫米奇利娜抢走好几头 女巫米奇利娜总是藏在村子下方的树林中 伺机而出 她只须吹一口气就可以把一头牛劫 走 天黑后 每当村民们听到林中灌木丛的沙沙响动 就会吓的牙齿打架 甚至昏倒在地 所以大家都说 女巫米奇利娜 6 从牛栏把牛偷走 只要用眼斜一下 你就吓得倒下 村民们只好在夜里点起一堆堆大篝火 使女巫米奇利娜不敢从树丛中现身 但当只有一个 人在篝火边上看守牲畜时 女巫就会悄悄地靠上去 用气把这个人吹昏 等到早上他醒过 来的时候 奶牛 耕牛早已不见了 于是大家便听到他痛哭 绝望 击自己的头 然后 所有的人都会一齐到树林中寻找牲畜 结果 除了一绺头发 女人的的发钗和女巫米奇利 娜四处留下的足印 什么也找不到 就这样过去了好几个月 奶牛被一直关在牛圈里变得越来越瘦 刷毛的时候已经不需要刷 子了 用耙子在牛肋骨上耙几下就行了 没有人再敢将牲畜带到草地上去了 也没有人敢 再进树林里 林子里边的蘑菇因为长久无人采摘 长得像雨伞一般大 女巫米奇利娜从不去别的村镇抢牛 因为她知道再没有哪个村的村民像博卡帕利亚人这样 与世无争 平静忍耐了 每天晚上 这些贫苦的村民就在场院中间点上一堆篝火 女人和 孩子留在家中 男人则围着篝火挠头抱怨着 怨了今天 怨明天 最后 他们决定得去找 这里的伯爵帮忙 伯爵住在村镇山顶上的一座圆形庄园里 四周围着围墙 墙上还插满了玻璃片 一个星期 天的早上 村民们聚在一块 帽子拿在手上 前来敲响了伯爵家的门 门打开后 村民们 来到伯爵圆形房屋前的庭院 只见屋子的窗户都用铁栅栏封着 庭院四周坐着伯爵的卫兵 他们的胡子上都涂着油 好让胡子看上去光彩油亮 这些人一个个对村民们怒目而视 庭 院的最里端 伯爵坐在丝绒面的椅子上 黑胡子很长很长 四个卫兵正用四把梳子在给他 从上往下地梳理它 年纪最长的村民定了定神 说 伯爵老爷 我们斗胆来您这里 是为了向您禀告我们的 不幸遭遇 森林中有一个女巫米奇利娜 把我们的牲畜都抢了去 随后 老人叹着气 诉着苦 在别的村民的点头证实下 向伯爵讲述了他们这段时间的可怕经历 伯爵一声不吭 老人又说 我们来这里想冒昧向老爷您求讨一个解决办法 伯爵还是一声不吭 老人又补充说 我们来这里想斗胆请老爷您行行好帮我们一把 要是您肯派出一队卫士 我们就可以回到草场上放牲畜了 伯爵把脑袋在脖子上转了一圈 说 要是派卫兵 我就还得派一个队长 村民们都竖着耳朵听着 似乎感受到一线希望 但要是我派队长去 伯爵说 那么 晚上 我还跟谁玩掷彩游戏呢 村民们跪在地上说 帮帮我们吧 伯爵老爷 可怜可怜我们吧 周围的卫士们开始厌 烦地打着哈欠 给胡子涂着黑油 伯爵又转了一下头 说 我是伯爵 我说话能顶三个人说话 既然我没见过女巫 说明根本就没有女巫 听到伯爵的话 那些正打着哈欠的卫士立即端起步枪 用刺刀慢慢地逼着村民们退出了庭 院 村民们垂头丧气地回到场院 不知下一步该怎么办 那个跟伯爵说过话的年纪最长的老人 说 现在我们得派人去把马西诺请回来 说完 他们便立即给马西诺写了封信 然后将信寄到非洲 一天晚上 当村民们像往常一 样聚集在场院的篝火旁边时 马西诺回来了 人们激动的情景就别提了 大家冲上去拥抱 7 他 煮上加香料的热葡萄酒 有人问 你去了什么地方 有人说 你见到了些什么 东西 还有人说