一篇篇流传千年的传统故事，有如一朵朵盛开的奇葩，凝结古人智慧，魅力无穷。

捏土造人的女娲、开弓射日的后羿、身老志坚的愚公、代父从军的木兰、英勇救母的沉香、千里寻夫的孟姜女、迁居断杼的孟母、缺乏团结的三个和尚……他们就像万花筒里倏忽闪现的缤纷图景，在孩童稚嫩的心灵上留下一片瑰丽与神奇。

中英双语《中国传统故事美绘本》精选了中国多个传统故事，根据流传的原貌提炼加工后编写而成。

开启孩子们的心灵，就是开启智慧的宝盒。小小孩童长大成人时，也许还会记起这些故事带给自己的生命智慧和生活哲理。

今天给大家讲述的是中英双语传统故事《金斧头》，精美绘图、生动活泼的文字、地道流畅的英文、引人入胜的故事，揭开“言必信，行必果”的奥义。

上

从前，在一个小村子里，住着一个叫程实的小伙子。由于家里穷，他十岁开始就到地主张扒皮家做小工，每天到山上去砍柴。

Long long ago, there lived a young man in a small village. His name was Cheng Shi. Born into a poor family, he had to work as a coolie for a landlord named Zhang Bapi. Every day, he went to collect firewood in the mountains.

这天刚下过雨，一大早他就上山砍柴，走过独木桥时，不小心脚下一滑，摔了一跤，斧头掉到河里了。

One day, he got up early and headed toward the mountains as usual. It was a rainy day, and he slipped and fell when crossing a single-log bridge over a river. His axe fell into the river.

他想，这下不但柴砍不成了，丢斧头的事如果让张扒皮知道了，自己还不得被他扒了皮? 他越想越害怕，就放声大哭起来。

Without the axe, how could he collect firewood? Moreover, Zhang Bapi would surely give him a beating for his carelessness. He got so scared at the thought of this that he burst into tears.

河神听到他的哭声后，变成一个白胡子老头儿，浮出水面。他问程实：“小伙子，什么事情让你哭得这么伤心？”

Hearing Cheng Shi crying, the God of the River turned himself into an old man with a gray goatee beard. He rose from the river and asked the young man, “Why are you so sad and crying, boy?”

程实抹了抹眼泪说：“老伯伯，我砍柴的斧头掉到水里去了，我怕回去张扒皮打死我！”说完又伤心地哭了起来。

Wiping away his tears, Cheng replied, “My axe fell into the river, granddad. Zhang Bapi will beat me to death for this.” That said, he began to cry again.

老伯伯说：“小伙子，你不用怕，我去给你捞上来。”说完老伯伯就扎进河里。一会儿工夫，老伯伯就从河里捞出一把金斧头。他问程实：“这把斧头是你丢的吧？”

“Don’t worry. I’ll go and find it for you,” the gray-goateed man told him and dived into the river. After a little while, the old man came out of the water with a gold axe. “Is this your axe?” he asked Cheng Shi.



程实一看，这把斧头的颜色和他在张扒皮家见到的金元宝一样，金光闪闪的，好看极了！但他说：“老伯伯，这斧头不是我的。”

Cheng Shi examined it. Glittering, the axe was of a charming color, precisely the same as that of Zhang Bapi’s gold ingots. “But this is not my axe, granddad,” he answered.
  


于是老伯伯第二次扎进了水里，不一会儿，又捞上来一把银斧头，问：“这把斧头是你的吗？”

The old man dived into the water once again. A few minutes later, he came out with another axe and asked, “How about this one?”

程实擦干眼泪一看，斧头闪着银元宝一样的亮光，非常好看。但他还是说：“这不是我的那把。”

Cheng Shi rubbed his eyes and looked at it. The axe looked so bright, just like a silver ingot. “Neither is that the one I’ve lost,” he told the old man. 



老伯伯微微点点头，笑着说：“没关系，我再帮你下去打捞。”

“Never mind,” the old man smiled, “let me go for another search, then.”
 


这次，老伯伯从河水里摸上来的是一把铁斧头。没等老伯伯问他，程实就惊喜地大声说：“这就是我掉进水里的那把斧头，谢谢老伯伯了。” 说完，他接过斧头，赶紧到山上砍柴去了。

This time, the old man came out of the water with an iron axe. At the sight of this axe, Cheng Shi cried out, “Yes, this is my axe. Thank you, granddad.” Taking the axe, he hurried into the mountains to collect firewood.

说来奇怪，今天他用这把斧头砍柴，感到特别轻松，平时砍一担柴要一天，这次一会儿工夫就砍了一担。

Surprisingly, he did his job with ease that day. Usually, he needed a whole day for the job. But today, he finished in a few minutes.



To be continued.

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