王子复仇记—星子-3

One evening he came to the gate of a city and tried to enter. But the soldiers who stood on guard said roughly to him, "What is your business in the city?"

"I am looking for my mother," he answered. "Please let me in, for I may find her in this city."

But they laughed at him. One of them said to him,   "Your mother isn't in this city. Get out!"

Then an officer said, "Wait. Let's sell him as a slave. His price will be the price of a bottle of sweet wine."

"I will buy him for that price," said an old evil-faced man passing by. He took the Star-Child to his house, and there he put the boy in the dark basement. The old man was a cruel magician.

The next morning he came into the basement and said to the Star-Child, "In the woods outside this city there are three pieces of gold. One is white gold,  another is yellow gold, and the third one is red gold. Today bring me the piece of white gold. If you don't, I will give you a hundred blows."

So the Star-Child went out of the gate of the city, and came to the woods. Though he looked for it all day long, he couldn't find the piece of white gold. At sunset he turned towards home, weeping bitterly, because he knew how the magician would treat him.

When he reached the outskirts of the woods, he suddenly heard a shrill cry near him and saw a little hare. It was caught in a trap and was struggling painfully. And he released it.

The hare said to him, "Thank you very much. What shall I do for you in return?"

The Star-Child said to it, "I am looking for a piece of white gold, but I can't find it anywhere. If I don't bring it to my master, he will beat me."

"Come with me," said the hare, "and I will lead you to it."

So the Star-Child went with the hare. In the crack of a great oak tree he saw the piece of white gold he was looking for. He was filled with joy and went back with it towards the city.

At the gate of the city there was an old beggar on the ground. When he saw the Star-Child coming, he called out to him, "Give me some money, or I will die of hunger."

The Star-Child forgot his own suffering because he had pity on the beggar, and gave him the piece of white gold.

When he returned home and told the magician the full story, the magician got so angry that he gave him a hundred blows.

The next morning the magician said to him, "If you don't bring me the piece of yellow gold, I will surely give you three hundred blows."

So the Star-Child went to the woods, and searched for the piece of yellow gold all day long, but he couldn't find it. Happily he met the hare again. "Follow me," said the hare, and it ran through the woods and brought him to a pond. At the bottom of the pond lay the piece of yellow gold.

The Star-Child took the piece of yellow gold and hurried to the city. But the old  beggar  cried  again,  "Give me some money, or I will die of hunger." So the Star-Child gave him the piece of yellow gold. The magician beat him and bound him with chains.

The next morning the magician came to him, and said, "Today you must bring me the piece of red gold. If you don't bring it, I will kill you."

So the Star-Child went to the woods, and he found the red gold in a cave with the help of the hare. He hurried to the city with it. But he gave it to the beggar once more.

一天傍晚，他来到一座城门口想要进去。但是守门的几名士兵却粗鲁地对他说：『你进城要做什幺？』

他回答说：『我来找我的母亲。请让我进去，因为我很可能会在这座城里找到她。』

但是他们却嘲笑他。其中一名士兵对他说：『你的母亲不在这里。走开！』

这时一位军官说：『等一下，我们可以把他卖掉当奴隶。他可以值一瓶美酒的价钱。』

这时一个相貌邪恶的过路老人说：『我愿意出那个价钱买下他。』他把星子带回家中，关在黑暗的地下室里。这个老人是个残忍的魔术师。

隔天早上他来到地下室对星子说：『城外的林子里有三块金子。一块是白色的，一块是黄色的，另一块是红色的。今天你去把那块白色的金子带回来给我。如果你没有做到，我就要打你一百下。』

于是星子便来到城外的树林里。虽然他找了一整天，却始终找不到那块白色的金子。太阳下山时，他伤心地哭着回家。因为他知道那个魔术师会如何对付他。

到了树林外时，他突然听到附近传来一阵凄厉的叫声，并看到了一只小兔子被夹在陷阱里痛苦地挣扎着。于是他便释放了它。

兔子对他说：『非常谢谢你。我该如何报答你呢？』

星子对它说：『我正在寻找一块白色的金子，但是却到处找不着。如果我不把金子带回去给我主人的话，他便会打我。』

兔子便说道：『跟我来，我会带你找到金子。』

于是星子便随着兔子走。在一颗大橡树的裂缝中，他看到了他要寻找的白色金子，便满心欢喜地带着金子往城里回去了。

在城门口，有个老乞丐蹲在地上。当他看到星子走过来时，他叫道：『给我一点钱，要不然我会饿死。』

这时星子因为同情这个乞丐而忘了自己的苦难，便把白色金子给了他。

当他回去把这整件事告诉魔术师时，魔术师气得打了他一百下。

第二天早上魔术师对他说：『如果你不将黄色的金子带回来给我，我一定会打你三百下。』

于是星子便到树林里去找那块黄色的金子，但找了一整天却仍然一无所获。所幸他又碰到那只兔子。兔子说：『跟我来。』它便穿过树林把他带到一座池塘旁。那块黄色的金子就在池底。

星子拿起金子便飞快地跑回城里去。但是那老乞丐又叫了起来：『给我一点钱，要不然我会饿死。』于是星子便将那块黄色的金子给了他。而魔术师打了他后，又用链子把他捆起来。

隔天早上魔术师到他面前对他说：『今天你一定要把红色的金子带回来。要是你没带回来，我会杀了你。』

于是星子到了树林里，由于兔子的帮助，他在一处洞穴中找到那块红色的金子。他带着金子赶回城里去，但是他又把金子给了那个乞丐。