英語作文：壽衣的故事

壽衣的故事

The Burial Shirt

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

A mother had a little boy of seven years who was so attractive and good natured that no one could look at him without liking him, and he was dearer to her than anything else in the world. He suddenly died, and the mother could find no solace. She cried day and night. However, soon after his burial, the child began to appear every night at those places where he had sat and played while still alive. When the mother cried, he cried as well, but when morning came he had disappeared.

The mother did not cease crying, and one night he appeared with the white shirt in which he had been laid into his coffin, and with the little wreath on his head. He sat down on the bed at her feet and said, "Oh, mother, please stop crying, or I will not be able to fall asleep in my coffin, because my burial shirt will not dry out from your tears that keep falling on it." This startled the mother, and she stopped crying.

The next night the child came once again. He had a little light in his hand and said, "See, my shirt is almost dry, and I will be able to rest in my grave." Then the mother surrendered her grief to God and bore it with patience and peace, and the child did not come again, but slept in his little bed beneath the earth.

從前有一位母親,她有一個人見人愛、英俊漂亮的兒子。那年他七歲了,她視她的小寶貝爲自己的.生命,比世上任何東西都珍貴。但是天有不測風雲,他忽然病了,而且病入膏肓,上帝將他召喚了去。母親悲痛欲絕,日夜哭泣。時過不久,孩子下葬了,可是夜裏他又會出現在生前玩耍的地方,陪着母親一同哭泣,到了早晨則又消失了。母親非常悲傷,每時每刻都在不停地哭。一天夜裏他身着一件入葬就穿着的白色小壽衣,頭上戴着一頂花環來到牀前,站在母親的腳旁說:“噢,母親,請別哭啦,否則我在墓中無法入睡,因爲您的淚水把我的壽衣都打溼啦。”母親聽到後擔起心來,不再流淚了。第二天晚上孩子又來了,手裏舉着一盞小燈,說:“母親,您看看我的壽衣快乾啦,我可以在墓中休息了。”從此,母親把悲痛交給了上帝,自己默默地承受了心中的創傷。