Birbal Stories: Birbal's Sweet Reply

One day the Emperor Akbar startled¹ his courtiers with a strange question. 

 

"If somebody pulled my whiskers what sort of punishment should be given to him?" he asked. 

 

"He should be flogged!" said one courtier. 

 

"He should be hanged!" said another. 

 

"He should be beheaded!" said a third. 

 

"And what about you, Birbal?" asked the emperor. "What do you think would be the right thing to do if somebody pulled my whiskers?" 

 

"He should be given sweets," said Birbal. 

 

"Sweets?" gasped² the other couriers. 

 

"Yes", said Birbal. “Sweets, because the only one who would dare pull His Majesty's whiskers is his grandson." 

 

So pleased was the emperor with the answer that he pulled off his ring and gave it to Birbal as a reward. 

 

1 startled   

adj.受惊吓的v.使惊跳，使大吃一惊( startle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A crowd of 2000 was startled near the end of the concert. 2000名观众在音乐会将近结束时大吃一惊。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Startled by the sudden whistle of the train, the horse broke away. 火车突然鸣笛，那匹马受惊脱逃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》