天方夜谭英文故事：The Little Hunchbacked

Once upon a time in ancient Kashgar, on the borders of great territory, a tailor lived with his wife. The couple were deep in love with each other. 

 

 

One morning the tailor was working busily in his shop. A little hunchbacked came and sat by the shop's door. He held a tambour that he played and sang many sweet songs. The tailor was very impressed by the talents of the little hunchbacked. 

 

 

He thought, "I'll take him home. When I am at the shop my wife is lonely at home. He will entertain my wife well." 

 

 

So the tailor took the little hunchbacked house in the evening. His wife had already arranged hot dinner on the table. On seeing a guest, she brought a plate and soon they were introduced. Three of them had a good dinner and joked with each other. The little hunchbacked ate a fish. But, as ill-luck would have it, he swallowed a fish-bone. Soon enough, the little hunchbacked started choking. The tailor patted his back hard while his wife gave water to him to drink but the little hunchbacked did not recover. He choked on the fish-bone and soon lay dead by the dinner table. 

 

 

The tailor and his wife felt very sorry at their guest's demise¹. Then they grew worried. They feared that the guards of the king would come to accuse them of murder. They were scared to go to prison. So the couple thought that they would make a plan so that it would be appeared that someone other had caused his death. 

 

 

After thinking for a long time, they decided² to leave the hunchbacked at a Jewish doctor's clinic-cum-residence. After a while, the tailor and his wife carried the dead body of hunchbacked to the doctor's house. They knocked at the door which led to a steep stairway to the doctor's house. As it was dark a maid came down the stairway with halting steps. On enquiry, the tailor said, "We have brought a man who is very ill. Here take this advance money for the Jewish doctor. Tell him to rush down here." The maid went upstairs to call her master. Meanwhile, the tailor and his wife put the dead body of the hunchbacked on the stairs in a sitting position at the top stair. Then they ran away from the spot. 

 

 

Now the young Jewish doctor came out running to see the ill patient whose advance payment he had received. As he ran out, he tripped over the body of the hunchbacked which he could not see in the dark. The collision caused the body of the hunchbacked to on down the stairs. As the Jewish doctor reached the hunchbacked, he thought that he had killed him when he rolled down the stairs. Now it was the turn of the Jewish doctor to fear. He quickly carried the dead body straight to his wife's chamber³. There he told his wife what had happened. His wife started crying bitterly. The Jewish doctor thought that he would now have to surrender and confess to the murder of the little hunchbacked. But his clever wife stopped him. She said, "You'll be foolish to confess and go to prison. Do as I tell you. Both of us will carry this corpse⁴ to our roof. From there we'll step on to our neighbour's roof. I know that our Muslim neighbour is not at home now. We'll throw the body into his house by lowering it in through the chimney." The doctor agreed and soon he and his wife carried out their plan successfully. 

 

 

The Jewish doctor's neighbour, the Muslim, worked at the Sultan's palace. He provided oil and butter for the royal kitchen. He had a store-room in his house where he kept his goods and many rats and mice roamed in freely. When the doctor and his wife lowered the dead body of the hunchbacked through the chimney, it went straight into the store-room. 

 

 

That night when the Muslim-neighbour entered the storeroom with his lantern, he saw a thief standing⁵ by the wall, the roof above where the chimney was. He thought that the thief had entered through the chimney. He picked a stout⁶ stick and started beating the thief. He yelled, "You thief, you've been stealing my butter for months and I thought that the mice were doing it." 

 

 

After a while when the thief did not respond and lay sideways on the floor, the neighbour went nearer. He was horrified⁷ to see that the thief was dead. His brutal⁸ beatings had killed the thief. Now the devout⁹ Muslim asked God for forgiveness and felt very guilty and afraid indeed. Then he thought of getting rid of the body in such a way that no one would suspect him at all. He thought for a while. Then, he picked the dead body of the hunchbacked and carried it in the market. As it was night time, no one saw him as he leant the body against one of the shop's wall and crept back home. 

 

 

Just before dawn, a rich Christian¹⁰ merchant was returning from a feast where he had drunk a lot. He was going to the bath to fresh up. He walked hastily because if he was seen drunk by any other then he would be punished, according to the law of the land. As he walked fast, he jostled against a man who stood by a shop's wall. So by doing that, the hunchbacked fell on the ground. In his drunk state, the Christian thought that a thief was trying to attack him so he gave a full fisted blow to the man's face. The man fell on the ground. Then the Christian started calling loudly for help. Just then a guard patrolling the area came to him. He stopped the Christian and then called the fallen man to get up but he never moved. 

 

 

Now the guard declared, "You are a Christian so you killed a Muslim devout. You will be punished for showing disrespect to another religion." 

 

 

The guard called his assistants to carry the dead body of the hunchbacked. Then the Christian was put into prison. 

 

 

After investigations¹¹, it was revealed that the little hunchbacked had been one of the royal jesters. As the Sultan liked him very much, the guards decided to present the case in the royal court. The Sult1an was enraged¹² that his subjects were killing¹³ each other in the name of religion. So he sentenced the Christian to death to teach others a lesson, so that all can live in peace. 

 

 

Soon the town crier announced that the merchant would be hanged publicly. The crowd gathered at the gallows¹⁴ to witness his death. Just as the hangman was about to tighten¹⁵ the rope around the Christian merchant's neck a man came rushing through the crowd. He cried, "Stop, please in God's name! It is me a Muslim who killed this Muslim brother. How can one kill a dead man? I can't let my hands be stained by the blood of an innocent Christian. Please let him go." 

 

 

The crowd and guards then heard the Muslim's story. Thus the Christian stepped down and the guards got ready to hang the Muslim. As the Muslim went up to the gallows, someone screamed, "Guards, do stop right away. I confess to this crime." 

 

 

There was a roar of confusion in the crowd. Then a man emerged. 

 

 

He was the Jewish doctor. He said, "Please spare my Muslim friend's life for it is I who caused the jester's death." 

 

 

On enquiry, the Jewish doctor narrated¹⁶ his story and confessed to the death of the hunchbacked caused by him on a dark staircase. The guards and the crowd were surprised at the turn of event. Then they again fell silent as the hangman tightened¹⁷ the noose¹⁸ around the Jewish doctor's neck. 

 

 

Just then the tailor rushed to the gallows and held the .hangman's hand. He said, "Sir, this noose is for my neck and not for the innocent Jewish doctor. Please listen to what I have to say and you will learn that I am the real culprit." 

 

 

As the tailor told his story, the hangman and the guards grew confused. The people murmured in surprise and confusion. Then the hangman freed the Jewish doctor as the tailor got ready to meet his death. 

 

 

Meanwhile in the court, a guard told the Sultan about the drama that had unfolded at the gallows. The Sultan summoned all the accused to be present in the court. 

 

 

Once, everyone reached the court. The Sultan heard everyone's story. The Sultan understood that the hunchbacked had died due to choking on the fish-bone and all the accused stood innocent. So he set all of them free. Then he ordered his historian to write this story for the generations to come for he had never known such an event to occur before.  

1 demise   

n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让

参考例句：

• He praised the union's aims but predicted its early demise.他赞扬协会的目标，但预期这一协会很快会消亡。
• The war brought about the industry's sudden demise.战争道致这个行业就这么突然垮了。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

4 corpse   

n.尸体，死尸

参考例句：

• What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
• The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

7 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

8 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

9 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

10 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

11 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

12 enraged   

使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤

参考例句：

• I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。
• The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

13 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

14 gallows   

n.绞刑架，绞台

参考例句：

• The murderer was sent to the gallows for his crimes.谋杀犯由于罪大恶极被处以绞刑。
• Now I was to expiate all my offences at the gallows.现在我将在绞刑架上赎我一切的罪过。

15 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

16 narrated   

v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

18 noose   

n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑

参考例句：

• They tied a noose round her neck.他们在她脖子上系了一个活扣。
• A hangman's noose had already been placed around his neck.一个绞刑的绳圈已经套在他的脖子上。