Chapter Two HOW THE BLACK BROTHERS BECAME GOLDSMITHS
第二章 黑兄弟是如何變成金匠的
Southwest Wind, Esquire, kept his word. After the important visit above described, he entered the Treasure Valley no more;
西南風先生遵守諾言,經過了之前的這次重要光臨,他再沒來過寶藏谷,
and what was worse, neither did his relations, the other West Winds.
更嚴重的是,他的親戚,另外一名西風也沒有來。
So no rain fell in the valley from one year's end to another.
從年末到下一年,寶藏谷均無降雨。
Though everything remained green and flourishing in the plains below, the land of the Three Brothers was a desert.
盡管平原上一切都是綠色繁榮的景象,但三名兄弟的土地確是一片荒地。
What had once been the richest soil in the kingdom became a shifting heap of red sand;
曾經擁有該王國最富饒的土地,而如今變成了一堆紅沙;
and the brothers gave up their worthless farm in despair,
三兄弟在絕望中放棄了無價值的農耕,
to seek some means of gaining a livelihood among the cities and people of the plains.
并在城市和平原尋找生存的辦法。
All their money was gone, and they had nothing left but some curious, old-fashioned pieces of gold.
他們的錢全沒了,一無所有,除了一些稀奇古怪,老式的黃金碎片。

Suppose we turn goldsmiths? said Schwartz to Hans, as they entered the large city.
在他們進入大城市之時,施瓦茲對漢斯所,我們去當金匠如何?
It is a good trade. We can put a great deal of copper into the gold without anyone's ever finding it out.
這是比好買賣,我們可以在金子中添加大量銅,沒人會發現的。
So they hired a furnace and turned goldsmiths. But two things hurt their trade:
他們為此租了一個火爐,并變成了金匠,但有兩件事影響了他們的生意;
first, that people did not like the coppered gold; second, that the two elder brothers,
第一,人們不喜歡銅制金子,第二,這兩名年長的兄弟,
whenever they had sold anything, used to leave little Gluck to tend the furnace, and go and spend all the money for drink.
他們無論在哪里售賣,他們過去常常讓小格拉克照看火爐,他們二人用掙來的錢喝酒。
So they melted all their gold without making money enough to buy any more.
所以他們融化了所有金子,他們也就沒錢購買任何東西了。
At last there was left only one large drinking mug, which an uncle of his had given to little Gluck,
第三,目前只留下了一個大水杯,那是格拉克的叔叔留給格拉克的,
and which he was very fond of, and would not have parted with for the world. The mug was very odd to look at.
他非常引以為傲,他無論如何不會賣掉,這個水杯看起來古怪。
The handle was formed of two wreaths of flowing golden hair so finely spun that it looked more like silk than metal.
水杯柄是由兩個花環制作而成,花環上是飄逸的金色頭發,紡織得非常精巧,它看起來不像是金屬更像是絲綢。
These wreaths flowed into a beard and whiskers which surrounded and decorated a very fierce little face,
這些飄逸的花環變成了胡須,這張兇殘的臉環繞和點綴著
of the reddest gold imaginable, right in the front of the mug.
能夠想象的最紅的金子,就在水杯的正前方。
When it came to the mug's turn to be made into spoons, it half broke poor little Gluck's heart; but the brothers only laughed at him,
就在水杯要變成勺子時,格拉克為之而傷心,但兄弟們卻嘲笑他,
tossed the mug into the melting pot, and staggered out, leaving him, as usual, to pour the gold into bars when it was all ready.
并將水杯扔進了熔爐,蹣跚著出去,并和往常一樣讓格拉克在一切準備就緒時將金子倒入金屬棒。