King Alfred and the Cakes
A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Defeated and in hiding, King Alfred takes shelter in a woodcutter's hut, where a peasant woman, not knowing who he is, scolds him for burning her cakes.
Many years ago there lived in England a wise and good king whose name was Alfred. No other man ever did so much for his country as he; and people now, all over the world, speak of him as Alfred the Great.
Há muitos anos, viveu na Inglaterra um rei sábio e bom chamado Alfredo. Nenhum outro homem jamais fez tanto por seu país quanto ele; e hoje, no mundo inteiro, as pessoas o chamam de Alfredo, o Grande.
In those days a king did not have a very easy life. There was war almost all the time, and no one else could lead his army into battle so well as he. And so, between ruling and fighting, he had a busy time of it indeed.
Naqueles dias, a vida de um rei não era nada fácil. Havia guerra quase o tempo todo, e ninguém mais sabia conduzir seu exército à batalha tão bem quanto ele. Assim, entre governar e lutar, ele tinha mesmo uma vida atarefada.
A fierce, rude people, called the Danes, had come from over the sea, and were fighting the English. There were so many of them, and they were so bold and strong, that for a long time they gained every battle. If they kept on, they would soon be the masters of the whole country.
Um povo feroz e rude, chamado os dinamarqueses, tinha vindo de além-mar e lutava contra os ingleses. Eram tantos, e tão ousados e fortes, que por muito tempo venceram todas as batalhas. Se continuassem assim, logo seriam os senhores de todo o país.
At last, after a great battle, the English army was broken up and scattered. Every man had to save himself in the best way he could. King Alfred fled alone, in great haste, through the woods and swamps.
Por fim, depois de uma grande batalha, o exército inglês foi derrotado e disperso. Cada homem teve de se salvar como pôde. O rei Alfredo fugiu sozinho, às pressas, pelos bosques e pântanos.
Late in the day the king came to the hut of a woodcutter. He was very tired and hungry, and he begged the woodcutter's wife to give him something to eat and a place to sleep in her hut.
Já no fim do dia, o rei chegou à cabana de um lenhador. Estava muito cansado e faminto, e implorou à esposa do lenhador que lhe desse algo para comer e um lugar para dormir em sua cabana.
The woman was baking some cakes upon the hearth, and she looked with pity upon the poor, ragged fellow who seemed so hungry. She had no thought that he was the king.
A mulher estava assando uns bolinhos na lareira, e olhou com pena para aquele pobre homem esfarrapado que parecia tão faminto. Ela não fazia ideia de que era o rei.
"Yes," she said, "I will give you some supper if you will watch these cakes. I want to go out and milk the cow; and you must see that they do not burn while I am gone."
— Sim — disse ela — vou lhe dar um jantar se você cuidar destes bolinhos. Preciso sair para ordenhar a vaca; e você deve garantir que não queimem enquanto estou fora.
King Alfred was very willing to watch the cakes, but he had far greater things to think about. How was he going to get his army together again? And how was he going to drive the fierce Danes out of the land? He forgot his hunger; he forgot the cakes; he forgot that he was in the woodcutter's hut. His mind was busy making plans for tomorrow.
O rei Alfredo estava bem disposto a cuidar dos bolinhos, mas tinha coisas muito mais importantes em que pensar. Como reuniria seu exército novamente? E como expulsaria os ferozes dinamarqueses da terra? Esqueceu-se da fome; esqueceu-se dos bolinhos; esqueceu-se de que estava na cabana do lenhador. Sua mente estava ocupada fazendo planos para o dia seguinte.
In a little while the woman came back. The cakes were smoking on the hearth. They were burned to a crisp. Ah, how angry she was!
Pouco depois a mulher voltou. Os bolinhos estavam soltando fumaça na lareira. Estavam queimados até virar carvão. Ah, como ela ficou zangada!
"You lazy fellow!" she cried. "See what you have done! You want something to eat, but you do not want to work!"
— Seu preguiçoso! — gritou ela. — Veja o que você fez! Você quer comer, mas não quer trabalhar!
I have been told that she even struck the king with a stick; but I can hardly believe that she was so ill-natured.
Contaram-me que ela chegou até a bater no rei com um pedaço de pau; mas custo a acreditar que fosse tão mal-humorada assim.
The king must have laughed to himself at the thought of being scolded in this way; and he was so hungry that he did not mind the woman's angry words half so much as the loss of the cakes.
O rei deve ter rido consigo mesmo ao pensar que estava sendo repreendido daquela maneira; e estava tão faminto que as palavras zangadas da mulher o incomodaram bem menos do que a perda dos bolinhos.
I do not know whether he had anything to eat that night, or whether he had to go to bed without his supper. But it was not many days until he had gathered his men together again, and had beaten the Danes in a great battle.
Não sei se ele comeu alguma coisa naquela noite, ou se teve de ir para a cama sem jantar. Mas não se passaram muitos dias até que ele reunisse seus homens outra vez e derrotasse os dinamarqueses numa grande batalha.
