1. Some children were at play in their playground one day, when a herald rode through the town, blowing a trumpet, and crying aloud, “The King! the King passes by this road today. Make ready for the King!”
一天，一些孩子正在游乐场玩耍时，一个传令官骑着马穿过小镇，他一边吹着喇叭，一边大声喊道：“国王！国王今天要经过这条路。大家为国王的到来做好准备！”
2. Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant's garden. The children stopped their play, and looked at one another. “Did you hear that?” they said. “The King is coming. He may look over the wall and see our playground; who knows? We must put it in order.”
孩子们每天下午放学后，常常会来到这个“伟人花园”玩耍。此时，孩子们停下了玩耍，互相看着对方。“你们听到了吗？”他们说。“国王要来了。他可能会从围墙上方看到我们的游乐场。谁知道呢？反正，我们必须让这里变得井井有条。”
3. The playground was sadly dirty, and in the corners were scraps of paper and broken toys, for these were careless children. But now, one brought a hoe, and another a rake, and a third ran to fetch the wheelbarrow from behind the garden gate. They laboured hard, till at length all was clean and tidy.
游乐场到处都很脏，角落里散落着纸屑和破损的玩具，因为这些孩子们都很粗心大意。但，现在不同了，他们中的一个人拿来了一把锄头，另一个人取来了一个耙子，还有一个孩子跑去从花园的大门后推来了独轮手推车。他们干得可带劲了，直到游乐场的每个角落都变得干净整洁。
4. “Now it is clean!” they said; “but we must make it pretty, too, for kings are used to fine things; maybe he would not notice mere cleanness, for he may have it all the time.” Then one brought sweet rushes and strewed them on the ground; and others made garlands of oak leaves and pine tassels and hung them on the walls; and the littlest one pulled marigold buds and threw them all about the playground, “to look like gold,” he said.
“终于干净了！”他们说，“但，现在我们还必须让这里变得漂亮些，因为国王们都习惯于美好的事物。也许仅仅干净不会引起他的注意，因为他所在的环境始终都很干净。”然后，一个孩子拿来了香甜的灯心草，并把它们撒在了地上；其他孩子们用橡树叶和松树穗制作了花环，并把花环挂在了围墙上；个子最小的那个孩子拉来了许多万寿菊花蕾，然后把它们撒在了整个游乐场上，“这样看起来像撒满了金子一样，”他说。
5. When all was done the playground was so beautiful that the children stood and looked at it, and clapped their hands with pleasure. “Let us keep it always like this!” said the littlest one; and the others cried, “Yes! yes! that is what we will do.” They waited all day for the coming of the King, but he never came; only, towards sunset, a man with travel-worn clothes, and a kind, tired face passed along the road, and stopped to look over the wall.
全部完成后，游乐场已经变得非常漂亮了，孩子们全都站在那里，看着焕然一新的游乐场，然后高兴地拍起手来。“我们以后就始终让这里保持这个样子！”个子最小的孩子说。其他孩子喊道：“同意！同意！我们以后就让这里保持这个样子。”他们一整天都等待着国王的到来，但国王始终没有出现。直到将近日落时分，一个穿着破旧的旅行装的男子沿着道路走来，他面容和善但看上去很疲惫。他停下了脚步，从围墙上方朝游乐场看去。

6. “What a pleasant place!” said the man. “May I come in and rest, dear children?” The children brought him in gladly, and set him on the seat that they had made out of an old cask. They had covered it with the old red cloak to make it look like a throne, and it made a very good one.
“真是个令人愉快的地方！”男子说。“亲爱的孩子们，我可以进去休息一下吗？”孩子们高兴地把他带了进来，让他在他们用旧木桶制作的椅子上坐了下来。 他们之前已经用一件旧的红色斗篷盖在了这把椅子上，使它看起来像一个王座——一个非常气派的王座。
7. “It is our playground!” they said. “We made it pretty for the King, but he did not come, and now we mean to keep it so for ourselves.” “That is good!” said the man. “Because we think pretty and clean is nicer than ugly and dirty!” said another. “That is better!” said the man. “And for tired people to rest in!” said the littlest one. “That is best of all!” said the man.
“这里是我们的游乐场！”孩子们说。“我们因为国王要来，把这里弄漂亮了。但国王没来，现在我们想为了我们自己让这里一直保持现在的样子。”“很好啊！”男子说。“因为我们觉得漂亮和干净比丑陋和肮脏更好！”另一个孩子说。“那更好啊！”男子说。“还能让疲惫的人在这里休息！”个子最小的孩子说。“这是最好的！”男子说。
8. He sat and rested, and looked at the children with such kind eyes that they came about him, and told him all they knew; about the five puppies in the barn, and the thrush’s nest with four blue eggs, and the shore where the gold shells grew; and the man nodded and understood all about it.
他一边坐着休息，一边用他那双和善的眼睛看着孩子们。孩子们来到他的面前，开始向他诉说他们所知道的一切—— 关于谷仓里的五只小狗；里面有四颗蓝色蛋的画眉鸟巢；以及有金色贝壳的海岸。男子边听边点头，表示完全了解了他们所说的。
9. By and by he asked for a cup of water, and they brought it to him in the best cup, with the gold sprigs on it: then he thanked the children, and rose and went on his way; but before he went he laid his hand on their heads for a moment, and the touch went warm to their hearts.
过了一会儿，他向孩子们要杯水喝，然后孩子们用装饰有金色图钉的最好的杯子给他送来了一杯水。他感谢了孩子们，然后起身继续他的行程。在他离开之前，他用手抚摸了孩子们的头好一阵，通过抚摸将温暖传递到了孩子们的心里。
10. The children stood by the wall and watched the man as he went slowly along. The sun was setting, and the light fell in long slanting rays across the road. “He looks so tired!” said one of the children. “But he was so kind!” said another. “See!” said the littlest one. “How the sun shines on his hair! it looks like a crown of gold.”
孩子们站在围墙边上，看着男子沿着道路慢慢远去。太阳正在落山，光线照射在男子的身上在路上留下了长长的影子。“他看起来很疲惫！”其中一个孩子说。“但他很和蔼！”另一个孩子说。“看！”个子最小的孩子说，“阳光照在他的头发上了！看起来像戴着一顶金色的王冠！”