英国语文第二册 第43期:王子和囚犯

 　　LESSON 43 The prince and the prisoners 第四十三课 王子和囚犯

　　There was once a prince who now and then paid a visit to the chief prison in the land over which he ruled. 曾经有一位王子，他时不时去视察辖地内的主要监狱。

　　One day he saw in the prison yard five prisoners, with chains on their wrists, going to their work. 一天，他看见监狱庭院里有５个带着枷锁的囚犯正准备去劳动。

　　He made them halt¹ before him, and then asked them, one by one, how they came to be in prison. 他命令他们停下，随后一个一个问他们是为什么会坐牢。

　　The first man said that he had done no wrong, but that the chief witness against him had told a lie. 第一个犯人说他没有犯错，只是第一目击人说了谎，让他受牢狱之苦。

　　The second said that the judge who had put him in prison had had a spite² against him. 第二个犯人说被法官故意刁难。

　　The third said that he had been found guilty through a mistake. 第三个犯人说他因为犯错被判刑。

　　The fourth said that he had been taken for another man. 第四个犯人说他是被另外一个告发的。

　　For these reasons they all begged the prince to pardon them. 他们说出这些理由哀求王子的饶恕。

　　But he turned to the fifth man, and said, "And why are you here?" 但是王子转向第五个犯人问道：“你为什么坐牢？”

　　"Alas³!" he replied, "I stole a purse, and dare not ask your pardon." “唉！”他答道，“我偷了一个手提包，不敢奢求您的原谅。”

　　"Then," said the prince," you are not fit to live with such honest men as these, who say that they have done no wrong!" “那么，”王子说道，“你这么诚实的人不适合和这些人一起坐牢，他们说自己满意犯错！”

　　Turning to the jailer, he said, "Take off this man's chains, and send him away. He has not added to his crime the sin⁴ of telling a lie. "王子转向狱吏，说道：“解开他的手铐，放他走。因为他没有因为说谎而加重了自己的罪行。”

1 halt   

n.停住，停止，暂停；v.(使)停住，(使)停止

参考例句：

• When the children's play got too noisy, their mother called a halt.当孩子们的游戏过于吵闹时，他们的母亲叫他们停下来。
• No one can halt the advance of history.没人能阻挡历史的前进。

2 spite   

n.（用于短语）虽然，不顾，尽管

参考例句：

• He has modern ideas in spite of his great age.尽管他年事很高，但思想观念却很入时。
• In spite of his anger,his remarks were restrained.他尽管生气，说的话还是有节制的。

3 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

4 sin   

n.罪，罪孽，过失；vi.犯罪，违反

参考例句：

• It's a sin to waste food.浪费食品是一种罪过。
• It's a sin to be indoors on holiday.假期中待在家里实在是罪过。