The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh

In Bamborough Castle once lived a king who had a fair wife and two children, a son named Childe Wynd and a daughter named Margaret. Childe Wynd went forth to seek his fortune, and soon after he had gone the queen his mother died. The king mourned her long and faithfully, but one day while he was hunting he came across a lady of great beauty, and became so much in love with her that he determined to marry her. So he sent word home that he was going to bring a new queen to Bamborough Castle.

从前班堡城堡里住着一位国王，他有一位美丽的王后和两个孩子， 儿子名叫柴尔德·温德，女儿名叫玛格丽特。柴尔德·温德外出闯荡， 去寻求自己的前程，他离开没多久，王后便去世了。国王为她哀悼 了很久，一直忠贞不渝，可有一天他外出打猎时，遇见了一位绝色 的女子，深深地爱上了她，决意要娶她为妻。于是他派人传话回去， 说自己就要带一位新王后回班堡城堡了。

Princess Margaret was not very glad to hear of her mother's place being taken, but she did not repine but did her father's bidding. And at the appointed day came down to the castle gate with the keys all ready to hand over to her stepmother. Soon the procession drew near, and the new queen came towards Princess Margaret who bowed low and handed her the keys of the castle. She stood there with blushing cheeks and eye on ground, and said: “O welcome, father dear, to your halls and bowers, and welcome to you my new mother, for all that's here is yours,” and again she offered the keys.

玛格丽特公主听说母亲的位置将要被人取代，心里并不高兴，可她 并没有埋怨，而是照父亲的吩咐去做。到了约定的那天，她带着 钥匙来到城堡大门口，准备移交给她的继母。没多久，队伍便渐渐 近了，新王后朝玛格丽特公主走来，公主深深鞠了一躬，把城堡的 钥匙交了过去。她站在那儿，双颊绯红，眼望着地面，说道：“欢迎 您，亲爱的父亲，回到您的殿堂与庭院；也欢迎您，我的新母亲， 这里的一切都是您的了，”说着，她又一次把钥匙递了过去。

One of the king's knights who had escorted the new queen, cried out in admiration: “Surely this northern Princess is the loveliest of her kind.” At that the new queen flushed up and cried out: “At least your courtesy might have excepted me,” and then she muttered below her breath: “I'll soon put an end to her beauty.”

护送新王后前来的一位骑士忍不住赞叹道：“这位北方的公主， 当真是同龄人中最美丽的一位。”新王后一听，顿时涨红了脸， 喊道：“至少你这番恭维本该把我除外才是，”接着她低声咕哝道： “我很快就会让她的美貌不复存在。”

That same night the queen, who was a noted witch, stole down to a lonely dungeon wherein she did her magic and with spells three times three, and with passes nine times nine she cast Princess Margaret under her spell. And this was her spell:

就在当天夜里，这位王后——她其实是个赫赫有名的女巫——悄悄 溜进一间僻静的地牢，在那儿施展法术，念了三三见九遍咒语， 又打了九九八十一个手势，把玛格丽特公主给下了咒。她的咒语 是这样念的：

I weird ye to be a Laidly Worm, And borrowed shall ye never be, Until Childe Wynd, the King's own son Come to the Heugh and thrice kiss thee; Until the world comes to an end, Borrowed shall ye never be.

我诅咒你化身为一条丑恶巨蟒， 你将永远无法解除此咒， 除非国王的亲生儿子柴尔德·温德 来到这山崖之下，吻你三回； 直到这世界走到尽头， 你也休想解除此咒。

So Lady Margaret went to bed a beauteous maiden, and rose up a Laidly Worm. And when her maidens came in to dress her in the morning they found coiled up on the bed a dreadful dragon, which uncoiled itself and came towards them. But they ran away shrieking, and the Laidly Worm crawled and crept, and crept and crawled till it reached the Heugh or rock of the Spindlestone, round which it coiled itself, and lay there basking with its terrible snout in the air.

于是玛格丽特小姐上床时还是个美丽的姑娘，起身时却已变成了 一条丑恶巨蟒。第二天早上，侍女们进来替她梳妆时，只见床上 盘着一条可怕的巨龙，它舒展开身子，朝她们逼近。侍女们吓得 尖叫着四散奔逃，那条丑恶巨蟒便一路爬呀爬，爬呀爬，一直爬到 了斯宾德斯通的那座山崖，盘绕在崖上，可怕的鼻吻朝天，就在 那儿晒着太阳，趴着不动了。

Soon the country round about had reason to know of the Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh. For hunger drove the monster out from its cave and it used to devour everything it could come across. So at last they went to a mighty warlock and asked him what they should do. Then he consulted his works and his familiar, and told them: “The Laidly Worm is really the Princess Margaret and it is hunger that drives her forth to do such deeds.

没过多久，附近一带便都领教到了斯宾德斯通山崖巨蟒的厉害。 这怪物饥饿难耐，便从洞穴里冲出来，见什么就吞什么。于是大家 最后去找了一位法力高强的巫师，问他该怎么办。巫师查阅了他的 典籍，又请教了他的守护精灵，告诉大家：“这条丑恶巨蟒其实 就是玛格丽特公主，是饥饿逼得她做出这样的事来。

“Put aside for her seven kine, and each day as the sun goes down, carry every drop of milk they yield to the stone trough at the foot of the Heugh, and the Laidly Worm will trouble the country no longer. But if ye would that she be borrowed to her natural shape, and that she who bespelled her be rightly punished, send over the seas for her brother, Childe Wynd.”

“替她留下七头母牛，每天太阳落山的时候，把它们产下的每一 滴牛奶都送到山崖脚下的石槽里，这条丑恶巨蟒便不会再祸害这 一带了。可要是你们想让她恢复本来的样子，让施咒之人受到应 有的惩罚，那就派人渡海去请她的哥哥柴尔德·温德回来吧。”

All was done as the warlock advised, the Laidly Worm lived on the milk of the seven kine, and the country was troubled no longer. But when Childe Wynd heard the news, he swore a mighty oath to rescue his sister and revenge her on her cruel stepmother. And three-and-thirty of his men took the oath with him. Then they set to work and built a long ship, and its keel they made of the rowan tree. And when all was ready, they out with their oars and pulled sheer for Bamborough Keep.

大家便照着巫师的指点去做，丑恶巨蟒靠着七头母牛的奶水维生， 这一带也就不再受祸害了。可柴尔德·温德一听到这消息，便立下 重誓，要救出妹妹，向那心狠手辣的继母报仇。他手下三十三名 壮士也随他一同起誓。于是他们便动手打造了一艘长船，龙骨用 花楸木制成。等一切准备就绪，他们便扬起船桨，径直朝班堡城堡 划去。

But as they got near the keep, the stepmother felt by her magic power that something was being wrought against her, so she summoned her familiar imps and said: “Childe Wynd is coming over the seas; he must never land. Raise storms, or bore the hull, but nohow must he touch shore.” Then the imps went forth to meet Childe Wynd's ship, but when they got near, they found they had no power over the ship, for its keel was made of the rowan tree. So back they came to the queen witch, who knew not what to do.

可他们快靠近城堡时，继母凭着自己的法力，察觉到有人正在图谋 对付她，便召来她的守护小妖，说道：“柴尔德·温德正渡海而来， 绝不能让他上岸。掀起风暴，凿穿船身，无论如何都不能让他踏上 海岸。”于是那些小妖便出发去拦截柴尔德·温德的船，可等它们 靠近时，却发现自己对这艘船毫无办法，因为它的龙骨是用花楸木 做的。它们只好回去禀报女巫王后，王后也不知该如何是好。

She ordered her men-at-arms to resist Childe Wynd if he should land near them, and by her spells she caused the Laidly Worm to wait by the entrance of the harbour.

她命令自己的武士，只要柴尔德·温德敢在附近上岸，就前去阻拦， 又用法术命令那条丑恶巨蟒守在港口入口处。

As the ship came near, the Worm unfolded its coils, and dipping into the sea, caught hold of the ship of Childe Wynd, and banged it off the shore. Three times Childe Wynd urged his men on to row bravely and strong, but each time the Laidly Worm kept it off the shore. Then Childe Wynd ordered the ship to be put about, and the witch-queen thought he had given up the attempt. But instead of that, he only rounded the next point and landed safe and sound in Budle Creek, and then, with sword drawn and bow bent, rushed up followed by his men, to fight the terrible Worm that had kept him from landing.

船渐渐靠近时，巨蟒展开身子，扎进海里，一把抓住柴尔德·温德 的船，把它掀离了海岸。柴尔德·温德三次督促手下奋力划桨， 可每一次，丑恶巨蟒都把船逼离了海岸。于是柴尔德·温德下令 调转船头，女巫王后以为他已经放弃了这次尝试。可事实并非如此， 他只是绕到了下一处岬角，平平安安地在巴德尔湾登了岸，随即 拔剑张弓，率领手下冲了上去，要去斩杀那条一直阻拦他上岸的 可怕巨蟒。

But the moment Childe Wynd had landed, the witch-queen's power over the Laidly Worm had gone, and she went back to her bower all alone, not an imp, nor a man-at-arms to help her, for she knew her hour was come. So when Childe Wynd came rushing up to the Laidly Worm it made no attempt to stop him or hurt him, but just as he was going to raise his sword to slay it, the voice of his own sister Margaret came from its jaws saying:

可柴尔德·温德刚一登岸，女巫王后对丑恶巨蟒的法力便消失了， 她独自一人回到了自己的闺房，身边既没有小妖，也没有武士相助， 因为她知道自己的末日到了。所以当柴尔德·温德冲向丑恶巨蟒时， 它并没有试图阻拦他，也没有伤害他；可就在他正要举剑将它斩杀 之际，他妹妹玛格丽特的声音竟从它的口中传了出来，说道：

“O, quit your sword, unbend your bow, And give me kisses three; For though I am a poisonous worm, No harm I'll do to thee.”

“哦，请收起你的剑，放下你的弓， 再给我三个吻； 虽然我是一条有毒的巨蟒， 却绝不会伤你分毫。”

Childe Wynd stayed his hand, but he did not know what to think if some witchery were not in it. Then said the Laidly Worm again:

柴尔德·温德停下了手，可他心里犯疑，不知这是否又是什么妖术。 这时丑恶巨蟒又说道：

“O, quit your sword, unbend your bow, And give me kisses three, If I'm not won ere set of sun, Won never shall I be.”

“哦，请收起你的剑，放下你的弓， 再给我三个吻， 若不能在日落之前解除此咒， 我便永世都难解脱。”

Then Childe Wynd went up to the Laidly Worm and kissed it once; but no change came over it. Then Childe Wynd kissed it once more; but yet no change came over it. For a third time he kissed the loathsome thing, and with a hiss and a roar the Laidly Worm reared back and before Childe Wynd stood his sister Margaret. He wrapped his cloak about her, and then went up to the castle with her.

于是柴尔德·温德走上前去，吻了那丑恶巨蟒一下，可它没有丝毫 变化。柴尔德·温德又吻了它一次，仍旧没有变化。他第三次吻了 那令人厌恶的东西，只听一声嘶鸣与咆哮，丑恶巨蟒猛然向后一仰， 柴尔德·温德面前便站着他的妹妹玛格丽特。他用自己的斗篷裹住 她，随后便带着她一同回到了城堡。

When he reached the keep, he went off to the witch queen's bower, and when he saw her, he touched her with a twig of a rowan tree. No sooner had he touched her than she shrivelled up and shrivelled up, till she became a huge ugly toad, with bold staring eyes and a horrible hiss. She croaked and she hissed, and then hopped away down the castle steps, and Childe Wynd took his father's place as king, and they all lived happy afterwards.

他一到城堡，便径直走向女巫王后的闺房，见到她后，用一根花楸 树枝碰了碰她。他刚一碰到她，她便一点点萎缩下去，直到变成 了一只巨大丑陋的癞蛤蟆，长着一双大胆凸出的眼睛，发出一声 可怕的嘶叫。她呱呱叫着，嘶嘶叫着，随后一跳一跳地跳下了城堡 的台阶。柴尔德·温德便接替了父亲的王位，从此大家都过上了幸福 的日子。

But to this day, the loathsome toad is seen at times, haunting the neighbourhood of Bamborough Keep, and the wicked witch-queen is a Laidly Toad.

可直到今天，人们仍不时能在班堡城堡附近见到那只令人厌恶的癞 蛤蟆出没，那邪恶的女巫王后，如今已成了一只丑恶的癞蛤蟆。