Sweet Porridge

There was once a poor widow who had only one daughter, a child who was so good and gentle that everyone who knew her, loved her.

从前有一个贫穷的寡妇，只有一个女儿，这孩子 心地善良、性情温柔，认识她的人没有不喜欢她的。

One day the child went into the forest to gather firewood, and she was very sad because there was nothing left in the house to eat, and because she and her mother were so often obliged to go hungry.

有一天，这孩子到森林里去捡柴火，她心里 非常难过，因为家里已经没有吃的东西了， 她和母亲常常不得不忍饥挨饿。

She had already gathered a bundle of sticks, and was about to go home, when she saw a poor old woman who had also come to the forest for wood. The woman was so bent and stiff that it was pitiful to see her. The child felt sorry for her and wished to help her.

她已经捡好了一捆柴，正要回家的时候，看见一个 可怜的老婆婆，也是来森林里捡柴的。那老婆婆 腰弯得厉害，动作僵硬，看着叫人心疼。这孩子 可怜她，很想帮帮她。

“Good mother,” said she, “let me gather the wood for you; it must be hard for you to stoop.”

“好婆婆，”她说，“让我来替您捡柴吧；您弯腰 一定很吃力。”

She put down her own load, and gathered for the old woman as much as she was able to carry. “I would take it home for you,” said the little girl, “but my mother is waiting for me, and I must make haste, for I am already late.”

她放下自己的那一捆柴，替老婆婆捡了她能扛得动的 那么多柴。“我本想替您送回家去，”小姑娘说， “可是我母亲还在等我，我得赶紧回去，因为我 已经晚了。”

“Child,” said the old woman, “you have a good heart, and you deserve to be rewarded.” She then drew out from under her cloak a little iron pot. “Take this,” she said. “It is a magic pot. Whenever you are hungry you have only to say—

“孩子，”老婆婆说，“你有一颗善良的心，应该 得到报答。”说着，她从斗篷底下取出一只小小的铁锅。 “拿去吧，”她说。“这是一只神奇的锅。你什么时候饿了， 只需要说——

“‘Boil little pot Till the porridge is hot,’

“‘小锅煮起来， 煮到粥儿热，’

and it will begin to boil and fill up with sweet porridge. When you have had enough say—

它就会开始沸腾，煮出满满的甜粥来。你 吃够了，就说——

“‘Cease little pot, The porridge is hot,’

“‘小锅停下来， 粥儿已经热，’

and it will stop boiling.”

它就会停止沸腾。”

She made the child repeat the words after her several times, and she then gave her the pot and hobbled away through the forest.

她让孩子跟着她把这几句话念了好几遍，然后 把锅交给了她，一瘸一拐地穿过森林走远了。

The child was filled with joy at the thought that now she and her mother need never be hungry again. She ran home as fast as she could, carrying the pot with both hands.

一想到从此她和母亲再也不用挨饿了，孩子心里 充满了喜悦。她用双手捧着锅，飞快地跑回了家。

When she came in her mother asked her where the wood was.

她进门的时候，母亲问她柴火在哪儿。

“I have brought home something better than wood,” cried the child. “The wood only warms us, but here is something that will feed us as well.” She set the pot upon the table and said:

“我带回来的东西比柴火还好，”孩子喊道。“柴火 只能让我们取暖，可这东西还能让我们吃饱呢。” 她把锅放到桌上，说道：

“Boil little pot Till the porridge is hot.”

“小锅煮起来， 煮到粥儿热。”

The pot at once began to bubble and boil, and soon it was full and brimming over with sweet porridge. The widow caught up a spoon and dipped some of the porridge out into a bowl, but the more she dipped out the more there was in it. When all the bowls in the house were full, the child said:

那锅立刻咕嘟咕嘟地沸腾起来，不一会儿就煮满了 满满一锅香甜的粥，眼看就要溢出来。寡妇拿起一把 勺子，舀了一些粥到碗里，可她舀得越多，锅里剩下的 反倒还是那么多。等家里所有的碗都盛满了，孩子 说道：

“Cease little pot, The porridge is hot,”

“小锅停下来， 粥儿已经热，”

and at once the pot stopped boiling.

那锅便立刻停止了沸腾。

The widow was overjoyed at the treasure the little girl had brought home. “Come,” cried she, “let us sit down and eat.”

寡妇为女儿带回家的这件宝贝欣喜万分。“来，” 她喊道，“我们坐下来吃吧。”

“Yes, dear mother,” said the child, “but first I will carry some of the porridge to the neighbors who were so kind to us when we had nothing.”

“好的，亲爱的妈妈，”孩子说，“不过我要先给那些在我们 一无所有时对我们那么好的邻居们送一些粥去。”

She filled a large kettle with porridge and started out with it, but no sooner had she gone than the widow began to wonder whether they had kept enough for themselves. She did not feel satisfied, so she said to the pot:

她把一大只锅盛满了粥，提着出门去了，可她 刚一走，寡妇就开始琢磨，她们留给自己的够不够吃。 她心里总觉得不踏实，于是对那只锅说：

“Boil little pot Till the porridge is hot.”

“小锅煮起来， 煮到粥儿热。”

Immediately the pot began to bubble and boil. Soon it was full and the porridge began to run over. The widow wished to stop it, but she had forgotten what to say. “Enough!” she cried. “Stop! Stop!” but the porridge still boiled up and over the edge of the pot. The widow caught up the spoon and again began dipping out the porridge; she dipped as fast as she could. Soon all the pots and pans in the house were full and still the pot continued to boil out porridge. In despair the widow seized the pot and threw it outside the door, but the porridge flowed out from it in a stream, and ran down the road.

那锅立刻又咕嘟咕嘟地沸腾起来。不一会儿就煮满了， 粥开始往外溢。寡妇想让它停下来，却忘了该说什么话。 “够了！”她喊道。“停下！停下！”可是粥仍旧不断地 沸腾着，从锅边溢了出来。寡妇拿起勺子，又开始 舀粥；她舀得飞快。不一会儿，家里所有的锅碗 都盛满了，可那锅还在不停地煮出粥来。寡妇情急之下 一把抓起锅，把它扔到了门外，可粥仍旧从锅里 汩汩流出，顺着大路流淌开去。

The little girl was coming home when she met the stream of porridge, and at once she guessed what had happened. She ran as fast as she could and when she came to the place where the pot lay she cried:

小姑娘正往家走，迎面碰上了这道粥流， 她立刻猜到发生了什么事。她拼命地跑，等她 跑到锅所在的地方，便喊道：

“Cease little pot, The porridge is hot.”

“小锅停下来， 粥儿已经热。”

At once the pot stopped boiling, but already enough porridge had been wasted to have fed the whole countryside.

那锅立刻停止了沸腾，可已经浪费掉的粥， 足够喂饱整个乡里的人了。

After that the widow never again dared to tell the pot to boil. When they wished for porridge it was the child who spoke to it. But from then on she and her mother never lacked for anything, for the porridge was so delicious that people came from far and near to buy from them.

从那以后，寡妇再也不敢让那锅煮粥了。每当 她们想吃粥的时候，都是由孩子来对它说话。可是从 那时起，她们母女俩什么都不缺了，因为那粥实在 太美味了，四面八方的人都跑来向她们买粥。