Now it happened that the king proclaimed a festival that was to last three days. All the beautiful young girls in the land were invited, so that his son could select a bride for himself. When the two stepsisters heard that they too had been invited, they were in high spirits.

国王为了给自己的儿子选择未婚妻,准备举办一个为期三天的盛大宴会,邀请了不少年青漂亮的姑娘来参加。王子打算从这些参加舞会的姑娘中选一个作自己的新娘。灰姑娘的两个姐姐也被邀请去参加。

They called Cinderella, saying, "Comb our hair for us. Brush our shoes and fasten our buckles. We are going to the festival at the king's castle."

她们把她叫来说道:“现在来为我们梳好头发,擦亮鞋子,系好腰带,我们要去参加国王举办的舞会。”

Cinderella obeyed, but wept, because she too would have liked to go to the dance with them. She begged her stepmother to allow her to go.

她按她们的要求给她们收拾打扮完毕后,禁不住哭了起来,因为她自己也想去参加舞会。她苦苦哀求她的继母让她去。

"You, Cinderella?" she said. "You, all covered with dust and dirt, and you want to go to the festival?. You have neither clothes nor shoes, and yet you want to dance!"

可继母说道:“哎哟!灰姑娘,你也想去?你穿什么去呀!你连礼服也没有,甚至连舞也不会跳,你想去参加什么舞会啊?”

However, because Cinderella kept asking, the stepmother finally said, "I have scattered a bowl of lentils into the ashes for you. If you can pick them out again in two hours, then you may go with us."

灰姑娘不停地哀求着,为了摆脱她的纠缠,继母最后说道:“我把这一满盆碗豆倒进灰堆里去,如果你在两小时内把它们都拣出来了,你就可以去参加宴会。”说完,她将一盆碗豆倒进灰烬里,扬长而去。

The girl went through the back door into the garden, and called out, "You tame pigeons, you turtledoves, and all you birds beneath the sky, come and help me to gather: The good ones go into the pot, The bad ones go into your crop."

灰姑娘没办法,只好跑出后门来到花园里喊道: “掠过天空的鸽子和斑鸠, 飞来吧!飞到这里来吧! 快乐的鸟雀朋友们, 飞来吧!快快飞到这里来吧! 大伙快来帮我忙, 快快拣出灰中的碗豆来吧! 好豆子放到小盆里, 坏豆子吃进嘴。”

Two white pigeons came in through the kitchen window, and then the turtledoves, and finally all the birds beneath the sky came whirring and swarming in, and lit around the ashes. The pigeons nodded their heads and began to pick, pick, pick, pick. And the others also began to pick, pick, pick, pick. They gathered all the good grains into the bowl. Hardly one hour had passed before they were finished, and they all flew out again.

先飞来的是从厨房窗子进来的两只白鸽,跟着飞来的是两只斑鸠,接着天空中所有的小鸟都叽叽喳喳地拍动着翅膀,飞到了灰堆上。小白鸽低下头开始在灰堆里拣起来,一颗一颗地拣,不停地拣!其它的鸟儿也开始拣,一颗一颗地拣,不停地拣!它们把所有的好豆子都从灰里拣出来放到了一个盘子里面,只用一个小时就拣完了。她向它们道谢后,鸟雀从窗子里飞走开了。

The girl took the bowl to her stepmother, and was happy, thinking that now she would be allowed to go to the festival with them.

她怀着兴奋的心情,端着盘子去找继母,以为自己可以去参加舞宴了。

But the stepmother said, "No, Cinderella, you have no clothes, and you don't know how to dance. Everyone would only laugh at you."

但她却说道:“不行,不行!你这个邋遢女孩,你没有礼服,不会跳舞,你只会给我们丢脸。”

Cinderella began to cry, and then the stepmother said, "You may go if you are able to pick two bowls of lentils out of the ashes for me in one hour," thinking to herself, "She will never be able to do that."

灰姑娘开始哭泣。继母这次说道:“如果你能在一个小时之内把这样的两盘碗豆从灰堆里拣出来,你就可以去了。”继母心想,“她绝对做不到的。”

The girl went through the back door into the garden, and called out, "You tame pigeons, you turtledoves, and all you birds beneath the sky, come and help me to gather: The good ones go into the pot, The bad ones go into your crop."

小姑娘又跑到屋后的花园里和前次一样地喊道: “掠过天空的鸽子和斑鸠, 飞来吧!飞到这里来吧! 快乐的鸟雀朋友们, 飞来吧!快快飞到这里来吧! 大伙快来帮我忙, 快快拣出灰中的碗豆来吧! 好豆子放到小盆里, 坏豆子吃进嘴。”

Two white pigeons came in through the kitchen window, and then the turtledoves, and finally all the birds beneath the sky came whirring and swarming in, and lit around the ashes. The pigeons nodded their heads and began to pick, pick, pick, pick. And the others also began to pick, pick, pick, pick. They gathered all the good grains into the bowls. Before a half hour had passed they were finished, and they all flew out again.

先飞来的是从厨房窗子进来的两只白鸽,跟着飞来的是两只斑鸠,接着天空中所有的小鸟都叽叽喳喳地拍动着翅膀,飞到了灰堆上。小白鸽低下头开始在灰堆里拣起来,一颗一颗地拣,不停地拣!其它的鸟儿也开始拣,一颗一颗地拣,不停地拣!它们把所有的好豆子都从灰里拣出来放到了盘子里面,这次只用半个小时就拣完了。鸟雀们又飞走了。

The girl took the bowls to her stepmother, and was happy, thinking that now she would be allowed to go to the festival with them.

之后,灰姑娘端着盘子去找继母,怀着极其兴奋的心情,以为自己可以去参加舞会了。

But the stepmother said, "It's no use. You are not coming with us, for you have no clothes, and you don't know how to dance. We would be ashamed of you." With this she turned her back on Cinderella, and hurried away with her two proud daughters.

但继母却说道:“算了!你别再白费劲了,你是不能去的。你没有礼服,不会跳舞,你只会给我们丢脸。”说完他们夫妻与她自己的两个女儿出发参加宴会去了。

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