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King Midas next snatched a hot potato, and attempted to cram it into his mouth, and swallow it in a hurry. But the Golden Touch was too nimble for him. He found his mouth full, not of mealy potato, but of solid metal, which so burned his tongue that he roared aloud, and, jumping up from the table, began to dance and stamp about the room, both with pain and fright.
邁達斯國王接著抓起一個熱土豆，想把它塞進嘴里，趕緊吞下去。但對他來說，點石成金的手法太靈活了。他發現嘴里塞滿了東西，不是粉狀的土豆，而是堅硬的金屬。他的舌頭被燒得火辣辣的，他大叫起來，從桌子上跳起來，又痛又怕地在房間里跳來跳去。
“Father, dear father!” cried little Marygold, who was a very affectionate child. “Tray, what is the matter? Have you burned your mouth?”
“父親,親愛的父親！”小瑪麗金叫道，她曾是一個非常可愛的孩子。“托盤怎么了？你的嘴灼傷了嗎？”
“Ah, dear child,” groaned Midas. “I don't know what is to become of your poor father!”
“啊，親愛的孩子，”邁達斯呻吟道。“你可憐的父親不知道發生了什么！”
And, truly, did you ever hear of such a pitiable case in all your lives? Here was the richest breakfast that could be set before a king, and its very richness made it good for nothing. The poorest laborer, sitting down to his crust of bread and cup of water, was far better off than King Midas, whose food was really worth its weight in gold. And what was to be done? Already, at breakfast, Midas was very hungry. Would he be less so by dinnertime? And how great would be his appetite for supper, which must consist of the same kind of food as that now before him! How many days, think you, would he survive the use of this rich fare?
說真的，你一生中聽說過這樣一件可憐的事嗎？這是擺在國王面前的最值錢的早餐，它的值錢使它毫無用處。最窮的工人，坐下來吃面包皮喝一杯水，比邁達斯國王富裕得多，因為他的食物價值相同重量的黃金。該怎么辦呢？吃早飯的時候，邁達斯已經非常餓了。到吃晚飯的時候，他會不會不那么高興了？他對晚飯的胃口該有多好啊，晚飯一定和他面前的一樣! 你想，他能在這值錢的食物中活多少天呢?
These thoughts so troubled wise King Midas that he began to doubt whether, after all, riches are the one desirable thing in the world, or even the most desirable. But this was only a passing thought. So pleased was Midas with the glitter of the yellow metal that he would still have refused to give up the Golden Touch for so small a matter as a breakfast. Just imagine what a price for one meal! It would have been the same as paying millions and millions of money for some fried trout, an egg, a potato, a hot cake, and a cup of coffee!
這些想法使聰明的邁達斯國王非常苦惱，他開始懷疑財富到底是不是世界上唯一值得擁有的東西或者說最值得擁有的東西。但這只是一個轉瞬即逝的想法。邁達斯對這種黃色金屬的閃閃發光非常滿意，即使是為了一頓早餐這樣的小事，他也不會放棄這種點金術。想象一下一頓飯的價格有多貴！這就像花數百萬美元買一些炸鱒魚、一個雞蛋、一個土豆、一個熱蛋糕和一杯咖啡！
