"Little Nightingale!" called the little kitchen maid, quite loudly, "our gracious Emperor would so like you to sing for him."
小厨娘大声地叫着:“小夜莺,我们仁慈的皇帝陛下想让你去给他唱歌呢。”
"With the greatest pleasure!" said the Nightingale. So the little bird flew to the palace.
夜莺说:“万分荣幸!”于是,小鸟飞到了宫殿。
In the palace everything was wonderfully fixed up. The walls and the flooring, which were of porcelain, gleamed in the rays of thousands of golden lamps. The loveliest flowers, those that tinkled best, had been placed in the passages.
宫殿里的一切装修都是如此豪华:墙和地板都是瓷的,在数不清的金色灯光的照耀下闪闪发光。过道里摆满了最美丽的鲜花,上面的铃铛叮咚作响。
In the midst of the great hall, where the Emperor sat, a golden perch had been placed, on which the Nightingale was to sit. The whole court was there, and the little kitchen maid had been allowed to stand behind the door, as she had now received the title of a Regular Cook. All were in full dress, and all looked at the little gray bird, to which the Emperor nodded.
皇帝坐在大殿中央,夜莺站在一根专门为其安装的金栖柱上。所有的大臣们都来了,因为小厨娘现在得到了专职厨师的头衔,所以经允许她可以站在门后。所有的人都盛装打扮,所有 的人都看着那只小灰鸟,皇帝一直朝它点着头。
And the Nightingale sang so beautifully that the tears came into the Emperor's eyes, and, the tears ran down over his cheeks, and then the Nightingale sang still more sweetly, so that its song went straight to the heart. The Emperor was so pleased that he said the Nightingale should have his golden slipper to wear around its neck. But the Nightingale thanked him and said it had already had reward enough.
夜莺唱得如此动人,以致眼泪涌上了皇帝的双眼,泪水从他的脸颊滑落。后来,夜莺唱得更动听了,以致夜莺的歌进入了人的心里。皇帝太高兴了,他说应把他的金色拖鞋戴在夜莺脖 子上。但是夜莺谢绝了他,并说自己得到的回报已经够多的了。