天方夜谭英文故事：The Enchanting Horse

Once a young man from India was flying around the world on a magical horse. He landed on a palace of the Persian Sultan. The Sultan was an adventurous¹ person. So he was always attracted by strange feats². He wondered when he saw a young man on the horse flying in the sky. 

 

“Where are you coming from? Young man." The Sultan asked the young man. 

 

The young man replied. “I am from India." 

 

The Sultan asked the young man to sell his flying horse to him. The young man agreed with one condition that he should give the princess in marriage to him. The Sultan agreed but he wanted to test the horse. He asked his son to fly the horse to test it. 

 

So the Persian prince mounted³ the horse. He turned the key to start the horse. The horse flew high in the air. All the courtiers and Sultan cheered him. Sometime later the horse and the prince were out of sight. Even hours later the prince did not return. The Sultan grew worried. 

 

The Sultan said, “Your horse had taken my son some where. I don't know where he is? So you are responsible for that. So he ordered that the young man to be imprisoned⁴ till his son returned to the palace. 

 

The Prince was flying in the air and he could not turn the key of the horse to bring it down. He tried again and again but in vain. Finally he turned the key. The horse was controlled by him but he lost the way back to his kingdom. So he wandered over many places in the air and reached his kingdom some days later. When he reached the palace, the Sultan was delighted to see him. So he freed the young man but he refused to give his daughter to him. So the young man wanted to take revenge⁵ on the Sultan. 

 

One day he got a chance. The princess fell ill. The court physician came to cure her and failed. Then the other physicians tried and they also failed. The Sultan announced a good reward to the man who could cure her. The young man thought that it was a good chance to avenge⁶ the sultan. 

 

He disguised⁷ himself as a physician and met the Sultan and said, “I will try to cure her illness". 

 

He asked the Sultan to bring the enchanting⁸ horse near her which he had taken form the Indian youth. The Sultan ordered his men to bring the horse near her. The young man went near the princess and sat beside her. He chanted some magical words near her face. 

 

At once the princess got up from her bed. She was fresh and happy to see the young man. On seeing this, the Sultan and others cheered them. But suddenly the disguised young man took the princess and put her on the horse and flew away. The young man revenged⁹ the Sultan and at the same time got his reward. The Sultan had promised him the enchanting horse also. He went to his land and lived happily.  

1 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。

2 feats   

功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance. 过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。
• His heroic feats made him a legend in his own time. 他的英雄业绩使他成了他那个时代的传奇人物。

3 mounted   

adj.骑在马[自行车]上的；安装好的；裱好的v.登上，骑上( mount的过去式和过去分词)；增加，上升；上演；准备

参考例句：

• He mounted his horse and rode off. 他跨上马骑走了。
• He saddled his horse, mounted, and rode away at a gallop. 他给马套上鞍子，跨上马背疾驰而去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

5 revenge   

v.报...之仇，为...报仇 ；n.报仇，复仇

参考例句：

• She poisoned his mind with ideas of hate and revenge.她用复仇的思想来毒害他的心灵。
• There was anger in his eyes and revenge in his heart.他两眼闪现怒火，一心只想复仇。

6 avenge   

v.为...复仇，为...报仇

参考例句：

• He swore to avenge himself on the mafia.他发誓说要向黑手党报仇。
• He will avenge the people on their oppressor.他将为人民向压迫者报仇。

7 disguised   

v.假扮( disguise的过去式和过去分词 )；化装；伪装；掩盖

参考例句：

• The hijackers were heavily disguised. 劫持者伪装得严严实实。
• The chieftain of that country is disguised as a benefactor this time. 那个国家的首领这一次伪装出一副施恩者的姿态。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 enchanting   

a.讨人喜欢的

参考例句：

• His smile, at once enchanting and melancholy, is just his father's. 他那种既迷人又有些忧郁的微笑，活脱儿象他父亲。
• Its interior was an enchanting place that both lured and frightened me. 它的里头是个吸引人的地方，我又向往又害怕。

9 revenged   

为…报仇，报…之仇( revenge的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He revenged his dead brother. 他为死去的兄弟报仇。
• He swore to revenge himself [to be revenged] on his enemy. 他发誓要向仇敌复仇。