A version of the tale by thefablecottage.com

thefablecottage.com提供的故事版本

Once there was a young man named Jack.

從前，有一個叫傑克的年輕人。

He lived with his mother on a small farm at the foot of the foggy mountains.

他和母親住在霧山腳下的一個小農場裡。

Jack and his mother were very poor.

傑克和他的母親非常貧窮。

Their only way of making money was selling the milk from their cow, Bess.

他們唯一的生財之道就是賣奶牛貝絲的牛奶。

One morning, Jack's mother woke him up early.

一天早上，傑克的媽媽早早地叫醒了他。

It was still dark outside.

外面還是一片漆黑。

She was crying.

她哭了

Jack, wake up!

傑克 醒醒

Go to the market today and sell our cow, Bess!

今天去市場賣掉我們的奶牛貝絲！

But why? asked Jack, yawning.

傑克打著哈欠問道。

We need money to fix our house.

我們需要錢來修房子。

There are holes in the roof.

屋頂上有洞。

The windows are broken.

窗戶壞了

For heaven's sake, we've no front door.

看在上帝的份上，我們沒有前門。

Winter's coming soon.

冬天就要來了

If we don't fix the house, the cold will kill us.

如果我們不把房子修好，寒冷會要了我們的命。

Jack packed his bag and fetched Bess from the barn.

傑克收拾好行李，把貝絲從穀倉裡叫了出來。

As he was walking out the gate, he heard his mother shout,

當他走出大門時，聽到了母親的喊聲、

She's worth at least five gold coins!

她至少值五個金幣！

Don't sell her for less!

不要以更低的價格賣掉她！

When Jack was halfway to the market, he met an old man.

傑克在去市場的半路上遇到了一位老人。

Good morning, my boy, said the old man.

早上好，孩子，老人說。

Where are you going today?

你今天要去哪裡？

Good morning, sir, replied Jack.

早上好，先生，傑克回答道。

I'm going to the market to sell my cow.

我要去市場賣牛。

Her name is Bess.

她叫貝絲

She is a beautiful cow, said the man.

那人說，她是一頭漂亮的奶牛。

I will buy Bess and I will give you a very good deal.

我會買下貝絲，我會給你一個很好的交易。

How much will you pay for her?

你要為她付多少錢？

I won't take less than five gold coins, said Jack.

傑克說，我不會少於五個金幣。

I don't have five gold coins, whispered the man.

我沒有五枚金幣，那人低聲說道。

But I have these five black beans.

但我有這五顆黑豆。

These beans are magic beans.

這些豆子是魔豆。

They are worth more than gold.

它們比黃金還值錢。

If you take these beans, you will be richer than the richest man in the world.

如果你吃了這些豆子，你將比世界上最富有的人還要富有。

Jack thought about his mother.

傑克想起了他的母親。

He thought about how happy she would be if they were rich.

他想，如果他們有錢了，她會有多幸福。

They could fix the roof, the windows and the front door.

他們可以修理屋頂、窗戶和前門。

Maybe they could buy a new cow.

也許他們可以買一頭新牛。

OK, said Jack. You've got a deal. Give me the beans.

好吧，傑克說。一言為定把豆子給我

Jack was very excited.

傑克非常興奮。

He ran home and showed his mother the beans.

他跑回家，把豆子給媽媽看。

But instead of being happy, she was furious.

但她非但沒有高興，反而很生氣。

You foolish boy! You traded our only cow for a handful of beans!

你這傻孩子你用我們唯一的奶牛換了一把豆子

She took the beans and threw them out the window.

她拿起豆子扔出窗外。

Then she sat down beside the fire and cried.

然後，她坐在火爐旁哭了起來。

Jack was devastated.

傑克傷心欲絕。

He shut himself in his bedroom.

他把自己關在臥室裡。

He felt so stupid.

他覺得自己太蠢了。

They no longer had a cow and now they were poorer than before.

他們不再有奶牛，現在比以前更窮了。

What a disaster! And it was all his fault.

真是一場災難！而這一切都是他的錯。

The next morning, when Jack opened the curtains, he saw something very strange.

第二天早上，當傑克拉開窗簾時，他看到了一件非常奇怪的事情。

In the same place where his mother had thrown the beans, there was a giant green beanstalk.

在媽媽扔豆子的地方，有一根巨大的綠豆莖。

It stretched from the ground up, up, up, all the way to the clouds.

它從地面向上延伸，向上延伸，一直延伸到雲端。

The beans really are magic, whispered Jack.

豆子真的有魔力，傑克低聲說道。

The old man was telling the truth.

老人說的是實話。

Jack's mother was still asleep.

傑克的母親還在睡覺。

So Jack decided to climb the beanstalk to look for the riches the old man had described.

於是，傑克決定爬上豆莖，去尋找老人描述的財富。

Just five gold coins, thought Jack. That's all I need to make my mother happy.

傑克想，只要五個金幣。我只需要這麼多金幣就能讓媽媽高興了。

Jack climbed up, up, up, higher and higher into the clouds.

傑克往上爬，往上爬，往上爬，越爬越高，爬上了雲端。

When he reached the top, he was very hungry.

當他到達山頂時，肚子非常餓。

He saw a castle in the distance.

他看到遠處有一座城堡。

Maybe I can find something to eat in that castle, he thought.

他想，也許我能在城堡裡找點吃的。

Jack walked up to the door of the castle and knocked twice.

傑克走到城堡門前，敲了兩下門。

Knock, knock.

咚，咚

A giantess opened the door.

一個女巨人打開了門。

She was as big as a house, but she had a warm smile and gentle eyes.

她像房子一樣高大，卻有著溫暖的笑容和溫柔的眼神。

Excuse me, Mrs. Giant, said Jack.

對不起，巨人太太，傑克說。

Could you please give me something to eat? I am so hungry.

能給我點吃的嗎？我太餓了

Oh, you poor boy, said the giantess.

哦，你這個可憐的孩子，女巨人說。

She could see that Jack was very thin.

她看到傑克非常瘦。

Of course, come in, come in.

當然 請進 請進

The kind giantess gave Jack some vegetable stew.

好心的女巨人給了傑克一些燉菜。

He was enjoying it so much that he didn't notice when the kitchen table started to shake.

他樂在其中，以至於沒有注意到廚房的桌子開始搖晃。

Stomp, stomp, stomp.

跺腳，跺腳，跺腳

Loud footsteps echoed down the hallway.

響亮的腳步聲在走廊裡迴盪。

Oh, dear, whispered the giantess.

哦，親愛的，女巨人低聲說道。

That is my husband. He's home from work.

那是我丈夫。他下班回家了

He doesn't like humans. Quick, hide!

他不喜歡人類快，藏起來

Jack hid in the pantry.

傑克躲在儲藏室裡

The giant stomped into the kitchen and sniffed the air.

巨人跺著腳走進廚房，嗅了嗅空氣。

Fee, fi, fo, fum.

Fee, fi, fo, fum.

Hello, my beautiful wife.

你好，我美麗的妻子。

Wait, do I smell a human man?

等等，我是不是聞到了人類的味道？

Yuck, where is he?

呸，他在哪兒？

Good evening, my darling husband, replied the giantess.

晚上好，我親愛的丈夫，女巨人回答道。

There is nobody here. You smell the vegetable stew, nothing more.

這裡沒有人。你聞到的是燉菜的味道，僅此而已。

Good, grunted the giant.

很好，巨人哼了一聲。

I hate humans.

我討厭人類

He sat down at the table in the kitchen.

他在廚房的餐桌旁坐了下來。

The giant took a small sack of gold coins out of his pocket and counted them.

巨人從口袋裡掏出一小袋金幣數了數。

One, two, three, four, five gold coins.

一枚、兩枚、三枚、四枚、五枚金幣。

Jack watched from inside the pantry.

傑克在儲藏室裡看著。

Five gold coins, thought Jack.

五枚金幣，傑克想。

If I had that money, I could fix our house.

如果我有那筆錢，我就能把我們的房子修好。

When the two giants left the room, Jack stole the five gold coins and slipped them into his bag.

兩個巨人離開房間後，傑克偷走了五枚金幣，並把它們塞進了自己的包裡。

This is all I need, thought Jack.

傑克想，這就是我所需要的一切。

But then Jack remembered that his family no longer had a cow.

但後來傑克想起來，他家已經沒有奶牛了。

Without a cow, they would surely starve.

沒有奶牛，他們肯定會餓死。

He decided to stay and look for other treasures.

他決定留下來尋找其他寶藏。

He followed the giant into the living room and hid under the couch.

他跟著巨人走進客廳，躲在沙發下面。

The giant went to the cupboard and pulled out a golden hen.

巨人走到櫥櫃前，拿出一隻金母雞。

Hello, my beautiful hen. Lay, please, said the giant, and the hen laid a golden egg.

你好，我美麗的母雞。請下蛋吧，巨人說，母雞下了一個金蛋。

Jack watched from under the couch.

傑克在沙發下面看著。

A hen that lays golden eggs, whispered Jack.

一隻會下金蛋的母雞，傑克低聲說道。

If I had that hen, I could buy 50 cows.

如果我有那隻母雞，我可以買 50 頭牛。

When the giant left the room, Jack crawled out from under the couch.

巨人離開房間後，傑克從沙發底下爬了出來。

He went to the cupboard, took the hen and put it in his bag.

他走到櫥櫃前，拿起母雞放進包裡。

This is all I need, thought Jack.

傑克想，這就是我所需要的一切。

But then Jack thought about what the old man had promised.

但傑克又想到了老人的承諾。

Jack imagined being richer than the richest man in the world.

傑克想象著自己比世界首富還富有。

He decided to see what other treasures he could find.

他決定看看還能找到什麼寶藏。

He followed the giant into the bedroom and hid under the bed.

他跟著巨人走進臥室，躲在床底下。

There was a golden harp standing in a corner of the room.

房間的角落裡豎著一把金色的豎琴。

Hello, my beautiful harp. Play, please, said the giant.

你好，我美麗的豎琴。請演奏吧，巨人說。

The harp began playing music with no one touching the strings.

豎琴在無人觸碰琴絃的情況下開始奏樂。

Wow! A magic harp, whispered Jack.

哇哦傑克低聲說，這是一把神奇的豎琴。

That harp would make me rich and famous.

那把豎琴會讓我名利雙收。

When the giant fell asleep, Jack crawled out from under the bed.

巨人睡著後，傑克從床底下爬了出來。

He took the magic harp and put it in his bag.

他拿起魔法豎琴，放進自己的包裡。

But this time Jack was less lucky.

但這次傑克就沒那麼幸運了。

The magic harp screamed,

魔法豎琴尖叫起來、

Help me, master! A human is stealing me!

救救我，主人一個人類在偷我

The giant woke up and saw Jack with the magic harp, the golden hen and his gold coins.

巨人醒來後，看到了帶著魔法豎琴、金母雞和金幣的傑克。

Stop! Thief!

小偷

The giant chased Jack out of the bedroom, down the hallway, through the kitchen and out the front door.

巨人追著傑克跑出臥室，跑過走廊，穿過廚房，出了前門。

But Jack was smaller and faster than the giant.

但傑克比巨人更小更快。

Jack reached the beanstalk first and slid down.

傑克先到達豆莖，然後滑了下去。

He arrived at the ground with all his treasures.

他帶著所有寶物來到地面。

The giant reached the top of the beanstalk and looked down.

巨人爬到豆莖頂端，向下望去。

He was afraid of heights.

他恐高。

He slowly climbed down.

他慢慢地爬了下來。

Be careful, my husband, shouted the giantess from the castle.

小心，我的丈夫，城堡裡的女巨人喊道。

Humans can be dangerous.

人類是危險的。

Jack saw the giant coming down the beanstalk, so he ran into his house and grabbed an axe.

傑克看到巨人從豆莖上走下來，於是他跑進自己的房子，拿起一把斧頭。

He chopped the beanstalk. Whack! Whack! Whack!

他砍斷了豆莖重擊 Whack！捶！捶！

Suddenly the beanstalk snapped.

突然，豆莖斷裂了。

The giant came tumbling down from the sky.

巨人從天而降。

He fell down, down, down and landed far away on the other side of the foggy mountains.

他摔了下來，摔了下來，摔了下來，遠遠地落在了大霧山的另一邊。

Thud!

砰

For a moment everything was silent.

一時間，萬籟俱寂。

Then Jack heard a strange sound from far away.

這時，傑克聽到一陣奇怪的聲音從遠處傳來。

No!

不

It was the giant.

是巨人。

The beanstalk had fallen and now he had no way to get back up to his castle in the clouds.

豆莖倒下了，現在他沒有辦法回到雲端的城堡。

The giant yelled so loudly that the clouds shook and turned grey.

巨人大聲吼叫，雲層都被震得變成了灰色。

Then, somewhere up in the sky, Jack heard Mrs Giant start to cry.

然後，在天空的某個地方，傑克聽到巨人太太開始哭泣。

Her tears fell through the clouds in tiny drops and soaked the earth.

她的眼淚一滴一滴地穿過雲層，浸溼了大地。

After that, Jack and his mother lived a very comfortable life.

此後，傑克和母親過上了非常舒適的生活。

The golden hen made Jack a millionaire.

金母雞讓傑克成了百萬富翁。

The magic harp made him famous.

神奇的豎琴讓他一舉成名。

Jack married a rich and famous woman and together they had ten children.

傑克娶了一位富有而有名的女人，他們共育有十個孩子。

But Jack was never truly happy.

但傑克從未真正快樂過。

Every time the wind blew, Jack heard the giant calling for his wife.

每當風吹過，傑克就會聽到巨人在呼喚他的妻子。

And every time it rained, he felt the giant wife's tears falling on him.

每一次下雨，他都能感受到巨人妻子的眼淚落在他身上。

Jack felt sad and guilty.

傑克感到悲傷和內疚。

One day, when Jack was very old, he decided that he didn't want to be sad anymore.

有一天，傑克很老了，他決定不再悲傷。

He opened a box on his mantelpiece and pulled out one last shriveled magic bean.

他打開壁爐架上的一個盒子，拿出最後一顆乾癟的魔豆。

If he could find the giant, he could grow another beanstalk.

如果他能找到巨人，就能再長一根豆莖。

Then the giant could climb back up to his castle in the clouds.

然後，巨人就可以爬回他的雲端城堡了。

If he could find the giant, he could also apologise for being so greedy.

如果能找到巨人，他也可以為自己的貪婪道歉。

Jack packed his bag and walked into the foggy mountains.

傑克收拾好行囊，走進了大霧瀰漫的山區。

Did Jack find the giant?

傑克找到巨人了嗎？

Did he grow a new beanstalk with the last magic bean?

他用最後一顆魔豆長出新的豆莖了嗎？

Nobody knows.

沒人知道。

But people say if you listen closely during a thunderstorm, you can hear the rumbling sound of two giants dancing together in the clouds.

但人們說，如果你在雷雨時仔細聽，就能聽到兩個巨人在雲中共舞的隆隆聲。

The End

結束