雙語童話故事—會唱歌的白骨

Once upon a time in a certain country there was great concern about a wild boar that was destroying the peasants' fields, killing1 the cattle, and ripping people apart with its tusks2. The king promised a large reward to anyone who could free the land from this plague, but the beast was so large and strong that no one dared to go near the woods where it lived. Finally the king proclaimed that whoever could capture or kill the wild boar should have his only daughter in marriage.

Now in this country there lived two brothers, sons of a poor man. They declared that they dared to attempt the task. The older one, who was crafty3 and shrewd, did so out of pride. The younger one, who was innocent and simple, did so because of his kind heart.

The king said, "In order to be more sure of finding the beast, you should enter the woods from opposite sides."

從前有個國家來了一頭野豬。它踐踏耕地、咬殺牲畜，還用尖利的獠牙咬人，人們爲此痛苦不堪。國王宣佈只要有人能將王國從這一災難中拯救出來，他就會大大地賞賜他。可是野豬太大了，而且強不可敵，因此誰也不敢接近它藏身的那片森林。最後國王宣佈：誰若能捕獲或者殺死那頭野豬，他就能娶國王的獨生女爲妻。

在鄉下住着兩兄弟，是窮人家的孩子。老大狡猾精明卻缺乏勇氣;弟弟單純而心地善良。兩兄弟說他們願意接受這個危及生命的使命。國王對他們說：「爲了讓你們能確實找到那頭野獸，你們兩人必須分頭從兩個方向進森林。」於是，哥哥從西頭走，弟弟從東邊進。

弟弟走了沒多遠就遇到一個小個子男人。他手裏握着一支黑色長矛，對弟弟說：「我把這支長矛給你，因爲你心地純潔善良;你拿着這長矛，只管大膽去鬥那野豬，長矛會幫你的。」

Thus the older one entered the woods from the west, and the younger one from the east.

After the younger one had walked a little while, a little dwarf4 stepped up to him. He held a black spear in his hand and said, "I am giving you this spear because your heart is innocent and good. With it you can confidently attack the wild boar. It will do you no harm."

He thanked the dwarf, put the spear on his shoulder, and walked on fearlessly.

Before long he saw the beast. It attacked him, but he held the spear toward it, and in its blind fury it ran into the spear with such force that its heart was slashed5 in two.

Then he put the monster on his back and turned towards home, intending to take it to the king.

Emerging from the other side of the woods, he came to a house where people were making merry drinking wine and dancing. His older brother was there too. Thinking that the boar would not run away from him any time soon, he had decided6 to drink himself some real courage. When he saw his younger brother coming out of the woods with his booty, his envious7 and evil heart gave him no peace.

He called out to him, "Come in, dear brother. Rest and refresh yourself with a beaker of wine."

弟弟謝過那小個男子，扛起長矛，毫不畏懼地繼續趕路。

不久，他看到了那頭野豬，便用長矛對準了朝他撲來的野獸。野豬氣瘋了，它沖得太快太猛，結果長矛把它的心臟劃成了兩半。弟弟扛起巨獸往回走。

森林另一端的入口處有座房子，人們在那裏飲酒、跳舞作樂。弟弟來到那兒時，哥哥早已坐在裏面了，他以爲野豬反正逃不出他的手心，於是先喝點酒壯膽。當他看到弟弟帶着戰利品從森林裏返回時，邪惡的心裏充滿了嫉妒，無法平息。他對弟弟喊道：「進來吧，親愛的弟弟，喝杯酒歇歇。」

The younger brother, suspecting no evil, went in and told him about the good dwarf who had given him the spear with which he had killed the boar.

The older brother kept him there until evening, and then they set forth8 together. After dark they came to a bridge over a brook9, and the older brother let the younger one go first. When the younger brother reached the middle above the water, the older one gave him such a blow from behind that he fell down dead.

He buried him beneath the bridge, took the boar, and delivered it to the king, pretending that he had killed it. With this he received the king's daughter in marriage.

When his younger brother did not return he said, "The boar must have ripped him apart," and every one believed it.

But as nothing remains10 hidden from God, this black deed was also to come to light.

After many long years a shepherd was driving his herd11 across the bridge and saw a little snow-white bone lying in the sand below. Thinking that it would make a good mouthpiece, he climbed down, picked it up, and then carved out of it a mouthpiece for his horn. When he blew into it for the first time, to his great astonishment12 the bone began to sing by itself:

Oh, my dear shepherd, You are blowing on my little bone. My brother killed me, And buried me beneath the bridge, To get the wild boor13 For the daughter of the king.

"What a wonderful horn," said the shepherd. "It sings by itself. I must take it to the king."

When he brought it before the king, the horn again began to sing its little song. The king understood it well, and had the earth beneath the bridge dug up. Then the whole skeleton of the murdered man came to light.

The wicked brother could not deny the deed. He was sewn into a sack and drowned alive. The murdered man's bones were laid to rest in a beautiful grave in the churchyard.

從無戒心的弟弟走了進去，把好心男人給他長矛、自己又如何用長矛制服野豬的經過告訴了哥哥。

哥哥留弟弟一起喝酒直到天色將晚，然後一道離開了小屋，在黑暗中趕路。他們來到小河上的一座橋跟前，哥哥讓弟弟走在前面，走到橋心時，哥哥對準弟弟的後腦勺狠狠一擊，弟弟倒下死了。哥哥將弟弟埋在橋下，自己扛起野豬去向國王領賞，似乎野豬是他獵殺的。他娶了國王的獨生女爲妻。當有人問他爲甚麼弟弟沒有回來時，他說：「準是野豬把他給吃了。」人們也就信以爲真了。

可是甚麼都瞞不過上帝的眼睛，這罪孽總有一天要真相大白的。

幾年以後，有個牧羊人趕着羊羣過橋，一眼看到沙子下面有根雪白的骨頭。他覺得這是做口吹樂器的好材料，於是爬下橋，將骨頭撿了起來。他用骨頭給自己的號角做了個吹口。可他第一次用它吹響號角時大吃了一驚，因爲骨頭吹口自顧自唱起了小調：

「啊，朋友，你在用我的骨頭吹奏，我在這河邊沉睡已久。

哥哥殺我奪走了野豬，娶的妻子是國王之女。」

「多好的號角呀!」牧羊人說，「竟然自己會唱小調!我一定要把它獻給國王陛下。」於是他將號角獻給國王，號角又唱起了同一支小調。

國王一聽就明白了，於是派人到橋下挖出了被害人的屍骨。罪孽深重的哥哥無法抵賴他的所作所爲，因此被縫進一個麻袋，沉到河裏去了。被害人的屍骨則被安葬在教堂墓地裏一座漂亮的墓塚裏了。