美國語文第五冊 第04期：朗讀者（04）
"As for you, my young lady," continued the King,
“至于你，我的孩子，”國王接著說，
I know you will ask no better reward for your trouble than the pleasure of carrying to this poor widow my order for her son's immediate discharge.
相信你會高興地帶上我的手令，立刻解除那可憐寡婦孩子的兵役，我想，假若給你其他任何報酬，亦不會比這更開心吧。
Let me see whether you can write as well as you can read.
我要看看，你是否也能準(zhǔn)確書寫，像你的閱讀那樣棒。
Take this pen, and write as I dictate.
拿這支筆，寫下我口授的話。
He then dictated an order, which Ernestine wrote, and he signed.
他接著口授了一份命令，歐內(nèi)斯廷記錄完畢，國王隨后簽上自己名字。
Calling one of his guards, he bade him go with the girl and see that the order was obeyed.
然后他又吩咐一個衛(wèi)兵過來，安排他與姑娘一同前去執(zhí)行他的命令。
How much happiness was Ernestine the means of bestowing through her good elocution, united to the happy circumstance that brought it to the knowledge of the King!
通過感情真摯的閱讀，獲取這種特殊贈與，歐內(nèi)斯廷簡直快樂極了！國王獲悉了民情，內(nèi)心產(chǎn)生共鳴，并最終授于樹內(nèi)。
First, there were her poor neighbors, to whom she could give instruction and entertainment.
起初，那些貧困鄰居們從姑娘那里找到安慰，
Then, there was the poor widow who sent the petition, and who not only regained her son,
隨后，送出請愿書的那位寡婦不僅能與兒子重新一起生活，
but received through Ernestine an order for him to paint the King's likeness;
還接受了歐內(nèi)斯廷帶來的國王旨意，安排她的兒子前去宮廷為國王畫像。
so that the poor boy soon rose to great distinction, and had more orders than he could attend to.
不久，那位貧苦人家孩子便迅速得以擢升，并獲得更多的發(fā)展機會。
Words could not express his gratitude, and that of his mother, to the little girl.
千言萬語無法表達那位少年還有他的寡母對小姑娘歐內(nèi)斯廷的深深感激之情。
And Ernestine had, moreover, the satisfaction of aiding her father to rise in the world, so that he became the King's chief gardener.
不僅如此，歐內(nèi)斯廷的父親后來成為國王的首席園藝師，在世界園林界贏得了聲譽，這一點，讓歐內(nèi)斯廷非常自豪。
The King did not forget her, but had her well educated at his own expense.
國王并沒有忘記這個小姑娘，花錢讓她受到最好的教育。
As for the two pages, she was indirectly the means of doing them good, also;
至于那兩位侍童，她亦間接幫助了他們。
for, ashamed of their bad reading, they commenced studying in earnest, till they overcame the faults that had offended the King.
由于對自己閱讀能力深感羞愧，他們急切想重新獲得學(xué)習(xí)機會。兩人通過讀書最終彌補了閱讀能力的不足，
Both finally rose to distinction, one as a lawyer, and the other as a statesman; and they owed their advancement in life chiefly to their good elocution.
隨后皆獲取了提升機會，一位做了律師，還有一位成了政治家，他們把生命升華歸功于極有裨益的開卷閱讀。
