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【英文原文】
What Women Want
Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom.1 The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So the monarch offered him freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question.2
Arthur would have a year to figure out3 the answer; if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.
The question: What do women really want?
Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query.4 But since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition5 to have an answer by year's end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to poll6 everybody: the princess, the priests, the wise men, the court jester7.
He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. Many people advised him to consult the old witch,8 only she would know the answer.
The price would be high; the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.9
The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no alternative10 but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer his question, but he'd have to accept her price first:
The old witch wanted to marry Gawain, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table11 and Arthur's closest friend!
Young Arthur was horrified12. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc.13 He had never encountered such a repugnant creature.14
He refused to force his friend to marry her and have to endure such a burden.
Gawain, upon learning of the proposal15, spoke with Arthur.
