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It was a summer evening,
一個夏天傍晚，
Old Kaspar's work was done,
老卡斯帕做完了農活，
And he, before his cottage door,
他坐在茅屋門口，
Was sitting in the sun;
殘陽日落，身旁，
And by him sported on the green,
他的孫女威廉明妮
His little grandchild Wilhelmine.
在草地上，盡情玩耍。
She saw her brother Peterkin Roll something large and round,
她看見了哥哥彼得金，滾動一個又大又圓的東西，
Which he beside the rivulet,
河邊玩耍時，
In playing there, had found;
他把這東西帶回家，
He came to ask what he had found,
忙不迭，讓爺爺看，
That was so large, and smooth, and round.
那圓圓光滑的東西。
Old Kaspar took it from the boy,
老人接過那東西，
Who stood expectant by;
孩子站在旁邊，好奇地等待，
And then the old man shook his head,
老人搖了搖頭，
And, with a natural sigh,
發出一聲長嘆，
"This some poor fellow's skull," said he,
“一個可憐家伙的腦瓜，”他說，
Who fell in the great victory.
他在那次惡戰中喪命。
I find them in the garden,
我在園子里看過，
For there's many hereabout;
這附近，地里很多；
And often when I go to plow,
我下田犁地，
The plowshare turns them out;
犁頭常常翻出頭顱，
For many thousand men, said he,
好幾千人啊，他說，
Were slain in that great victory.
在那次戰役中陣亡。
Now tell us what 't was all about,
爺爺快告訴我，究竟怎么回事？
Young Peterkin he cries;
小彼得金央求爺爺，
While little Wilhelmine looks up
威廉明妮也抬頭望著爺爺，
With wonder-waiting eyes;
孩子們神情急切，
Now tell us all about the war,
爺爺，說說那次打仗，
And what they killed each other for.
為什么，他們互相砍殺？
"It was the English," Kaspar cried,
“那次英國佬，”卡斯帕說，
Who put the French to rout,
確實打敗了法國佬，
But what they killed each other for,
為什么，他們互相殘殺，
I could not well make out;
我還真的不知道，
But everybody said, quoth he,
不過，人人都說，
That 't was a famous victory.
那次勝利可真是不得了。
