The Ass, the Table, and the Stick

A lad named Jack was once so unhappy at home through his father's ill-treatment, that he made up his mind to run away and seek his fortune in the wide world.

从前有个叫杰克的小伙子，因为父亲待他太苛刻，家里的日子实在过得不痛快，便下定决心离家出走，到广阔的世界里去闯荡自己的前程。

He ran, and he ran, till he could run no longer, and then he ran right up against a little old woman who was gathering sticks. He was too much out of breath to beg pardon, but the woman was good-natured, and she said he seemed to be a likely lad, so she would take him to be her servant, and would pay him well. He agreed, for he was very hungry, and she brought him to her house in the wood, where he served her for a twelvemonths and a day.

他跑啊跑，跑到实在跑不动了，一头撞上了一位正在捡柴火的小老太太。他喘得上气不接下气，连道歉都顾不上说，好在这位老太太性子和善，说他瞧着像个能干的小伙子，愿意雇他当仆人，还会好好付他工钱。他一口答应了，因为他实在饿坏了。老太太便把他带到林子里的家中，他在那儿伺候了她整整一年零一天。

When the year had passed, she called him to her, and said she had good wages for him. So she presented him with an ass out of the stable, and he had but to pull Neddy's ears to make him begin at once to ee—aw! And when he brayed there dropped from his mouth silver sixpences, and half crowns, and golden guineas.

一年过去后，老太太把他叫到跟前，说要给他一份好工钱。于是她从马厩里牵出一头驴子送给他，说他只需拽一拽小驴的耳朵，它便会立刻“咿——啊！”地叫起来。它一叫唤，嘴里就会掉出银币、半克朗银币，还有金几尼呢。

The lad was well pleased with the wage he had received, and away he rode till he reached an inn. There he ordered the best of everything, and when the innkeeper refused to serve him without being paid beforehand, the boy went off to the stable, pulled the ass's ears and obtained his pocket full of money. The host had watched all this through a crack in the door, and when night came on he put an ass of his own for the precious Neddy of the poor youth. So Jack without knowing that any change had been made, rode away next morning to his father's house.

小伙子对这份工钱十分满意，骑着驴子一路来到一家客栈。他点了店里最好的酒菜，客栈老板不肯赊账，非要先付钱不可，小伙子便去马厩里拽了拽驴耳朵，得了满满一兜钱。老板早从门缝里把这一切看得清清楚楚，等到夜里，他便偷偷把自己的一头驴换走了小伙子那头宝贝驴。杰克丝毫没察觉这换包的把戏，第二天早上便骑着驴回父亲家去了。

Now, I must tell you that near his home dwelt a poor widow with an only daughter. The lad and the maiden were fast friends and true loves; but when Jack asked his father's leave to marry the girl, “Never till you have the money to keep her,” was the reply.

我得跟你们说，杰克家附近住着一位穷寡妇，带着一个独生女儿。这小伙子和姑娘是形影不离的好友，也是一对真心相爱的恋人；可杰克向父亲请求准许他娶这姑娘时，得到的回答却是：“除非你有钱能养活她，否则休想。”

“I have that, father,” said the lad, and going to the ass he pulled its long ears; well, he pulled, and he pulled, till one of them came off in his hands; but Neddy, though he hee-hawed and he hee-hawed let fall no half crowns or guineas. The father picked up a hay-fork and beat his son out of the house. I promise you he ran. Ah! he ran and ran till he came bang against the door, and burst it open, and there he was in a joiner's shop.

“我这就有钱，父亲，”小伙子说着，走到驴子跟前拽住它的长耳朵；他拽啊拽，拽得一只耳朵都掉在了手里，可小驴虽然咿咿呀呀叫个不停，却掉不出一枚半克朗、一枚金几尼来。父亲抄起一把干草叉，把儿子打出了家门。我告诉你们，他撒腿就跑。哎呀！他一路跑啊跑，一头撞上一扇门，把门撞开了，一看竟到了一家木匠铺里。

“You're a likely lad,” said the joiner; “serve me for a twelvemonths and a day and I will pay you well.” So he agreed, and served the carpenter for a year and a day. “Now,” said the master, “I will give you your wage;” and he presented him with a table, telling him he had but to say, “Table, be covered,” and at once it would be spread with lots to eat and drink.

“你瞧着像个能干的小伙子，”木匠说道，“替我干上一年零一天，我会好好付你工钱。”杰克便答应了，替这木匠干了整整一年零一天。“好了，”师傅说道，“该给你工钱了。”说着便送给他一张桌子，告诉他只需说一声“桌子，摆上吧”，桌上便会立刻摆满各种吃食和饮品。

Jack hitched the table on his back, and away he went with it till he came to the inn. “Well, host,” shouted he, “my dinner to-day, and that of the best.”

杰克把桌子扛在背上，一路走到那家客栈。“喂，老板，”他喊道，“今天给我上顿最好的晚饭。”

“Very sorry, but there is nothing in the house but ham and eggs.”

“实在抱歉，家里只剩下火腿和鸡蛋了。”

“Ham and eggs for me!” exclaimed Jack. “I can do better than that.—Come, my table, be covered!”

“给我火腿鸡蛋！”杰克叫道，“我可比这强多了——来吧，我的桌子，摆上吧！”

At once the table was spread with turkey and sausages, roast mutton, potatoes, and greens. The publican opened his eyes, but he said nothing, not he.

桌上顿时摆满了火鸡、香肠、烤羊肉、土豆和青菜。客栈老板瞪大了眼睛，却什么也没说，一声不吭。

That night he fetched down from his attic a table very like that of Jack, and exchanged the two. Jack, none the wiser, next morning hitched the worthless table on to his back and carried it home. “Now, father, may I marry my lass?” he asked.

那天夜里，老板从阁楼上取下一张跟杰克那张极为相似的桌子，把两张桌子调了包。杰克蒙在鼓里，第二天早上便把那张不中用的桌子扛回了家。“父亲，现在我可以娶我那姑娘了吧？”他问道。

“Not unless you can keep her,” replied the father. “Look here!” exclaimed Jack. “Father, I have a table which does all my bidding.”

“除非你养得起她，否则休想，”父亲答道。“你瞧瞧这个！”杰克叫道，“父亲，我有一张桌子，什么都能听我使唤。”

“Let me see it,” said the old man.

“让我瞧瞧，”老人说道。

The lad set it in the middle of the room, and bade it be covered; but all in vain, the table remained bare. In a rage, the father caught the warming-pan down from the wall and warmed his son's back with it so that the boy fled howling from the house, and ran and ran till he came to a river and tumbled in.

小伙子把桌子摆在屋子中央，吩咐它摆上吃的；可无论怎么说都没用，桌子依旧空空如也。父亲大怒，从墙上摘下暖床用的铜炉子，狠狠揍了儿子一顿，把他打得嗷嗷直叫，逃出了家门，一路跑啊跑，跑到一条河边，扑通一声掉了进去。

A man picked him out and bade him assist him in making a bridge over the river; and how do you think he was doing it? Why, by casting a tree across; so Jack climbed up to the top of the tree and threw his weight on it, so that when the man had rooted the tree up, Jack and the tree-head dropped on the farther bank.

一个男人把他从水里捞了出来，让他帮忙在河上搭一座桥；你猜他是怎么搭的？原来是把一棵树放倒横在河上；于是杰克便爬到树梢，用身体的重量往下压，等那男人把树连根拔起时，杰克和树梢便一起落到了对岸。

“Thank you,” said the man; “and now for what you have done I will pay you;” so saying, he tore a branch from the tree, and fettled it up into a club with his knife. “There,” exclaimed he; “take this stick, and when you say to it, 'Up stick and bang him,' it will knock any one down who angers you.”

“谢谢你，”那男人说道，“为了报答你做的事，我这就付你工钱。”说着便从树上折下一根树枝，用小刀削制成一根棍子。“给，”他说道，“拿着这根棍子，只要你对它说‘棍子，起来打他’，它便会打倒任何惹恼你的人。”

The lad was overjoyed to get this stick—so away he went with it to the inn, and as soon as the publican, appeared, “Up stick and bang him!” was his cry. At the word the cudgel flew from his hand and battered the old publican on the back, rapped his head, bruised his arms, tickled his ribs, till he fell groaning on the floor; still the stick belaboured the prostrate man, nor would Jack call it off till he had got back the stolen ass and table.

小伙子得了这根棍子，欢喜得不得了——于是便带着它去了那家客栈，客栈老板一露面，他便喊道：“棍子，起来打他！”话音刚落，棍子便从他手中飞了出去，一顿猛揍老板的背，敲他的脑袋，打伤他的手臂，戳弄他的肋骨，直打得他呻吟着倒在地上；棍子仍不住手地继续揍这倒地的人，直到杰克把被偷走的驴子和桌子都要了回来，才叫棍子住手。

Then he galloped home on the ass, with the table on his shoulders, and the stick in his hand. When he arrived there he found his father was dead, so he brought his ass into the stable, and pulled its ears till he had filled the manger with money.

于是他骑着驴子一路飞奔回家，肩上扛着桌子，手里拿着棍子。到家后，他发现父亲已经去世了，便把驴子牵进马厩，拽着它的耳朵，直拽到把食槽都堆满了钱币。

It was soon known through the town that Jack had returned rolling in wealth, and accordingly all the girls in the place set their caps at him. “Now,” said Jack, “I shall marry the richest lass in the place; so tomorrow do you all come in front of my house with your money in your aprons.”

不多久，全城都传开了杰克衣锦还乡、家财万贯的消息，于是城里的姑娘们都对他动了心思。“好，”杰克说道，“我要娶城里最有钱的姑娘；明天你们都到我家门前来，用围裙兜着自己的钱。”

Next morning the street was full of girls with aprons held out, and gold and silver in them; but Jack's own sweetheart was among them, and she had neither gold nor silver, nought but two copper pennies, that was all she had.

第二天早晨，街上挤满了姑娘，个个撑开围裙，里头装满了金银；可杰克心爱的姑娘也在其中，她既没有金子也没有银子，只有两枚铜便士，那便是她的全部家当。

“Stand aside, lass;” said Jack to her, speaking roughly. “Thou hast no silver nor gold—stand off from the rest.” She obeyed, and the tears ran down her cheeks, and filled her apron with diamonds.

“站到一边去，姑娘，”杰克粗声粗气地对她说道，“你既没银子也没金子——站得远远的，别跟别人挤在一块儿。”她乖乖照做了，泪水顺着脸颊流了下来，落进围裙里，竟化成了颗颗钻石。

“Up stick and bang them!” exclaimed Jack; whereupon the cudgel leaped up, and running along the line of girls, knocked them all on the heads and left them senseless on the pavement. Jack took all their money and poured it into his truelove's lap. “Now, lass,” he exclaimed, “thou art the richest, and I shall marry thee.”

“棍子，起来打她们！”杰克喊道；棍子应声跃起，沿着姑娘们的队列一路敲将过去，把她们一个个打得头昏眼花、瘫倒在人行道上。杰克把她们所有人的钱都收了起来，尽数倒进了心上人的围裙里。“好了，姑娘，”他喊道，“如今你才是最富有的人，我要娶你为妻。”