晚秋的一天午後，從城外傾斜的大道上漫步走下來一位衣冠楚楚的老人，看樣子是散完了步準備回傢去；在他穿的那雙眼下不再時興的帶銀扣的鞋上，已經撲滿了塵土。他腋下夾着條細長的金頭藤手杖，神態安詳自如，時而瞅瞅周圍的風景，時而望望面前山下靜臥在落日餘暉中的城市．他滿頭銀發，奇怪的是一雙眼睛卻依然黑黝黝的，恰似那業已逝去的青春韶華，如今全都躲藏在他的這雙眼睛裏。--他看上去頗像個異鄉人；過往的行人很少有誰跟他打招呼，雖然他們常常情不自禁地要註視一下老人那雙嚴肅的眼睛。終於，他在一幢帶三角墻的高大樓房前停下來，掉頭再望望下邊的城市，然後就跨進門廳裏去了。門鈴響過以後，房裏能看清門廳的一個窺視孔上的緑色簾子拉開了，出現了一張老婦人的臉。老人舉起手杖來嚮她致意。“怎麽還不點燈！”他講話微帶南方口音；女管傢放下了窺視孔上的布簾。老人走進寬敞的過道，來到一間在四壁的大橡木櫃中擺着各式瓷器花瓶的客廳，穿過一道正對面的門，進入一條小走廊，這兒有一道狹窄的樓梯，通到後樓的臥室去。他慢慢爬上樓，打開一扇房門，走進一間不大不小的房間。房中舒適而寧靜，有一面墻幾乎全讓書架給遮住了，另一面墻上則挂着一幅幅人像畫和風景畫；一張鋪了緑色臺布的桌子上，隨意攤着幾本翻開了的書；桌子前面，立着一把配有紅絨坐墊的結實笨重的扶手椅。--老人把帽子和手杖放到屋角裏，然後就在扶手椅中坐下來，一隻手握着另一隻手，像是散步走纍了，想要休息休息。--他這麽坐着，天便漸漸黑了；終於，月光透過玻璃窗射進屋來，落在墻頭的油畫上；明亮的月光緩緩移動，老人的眼睛也跟着一點一點轉過去。這當兒，月光正好照着一幅嵌在很樸素的黑色框子裏的小畫像。“伊麗莎白！”老人溫柔地輕輕喚一聲；喚聲剛出口，他所處的時代就變了--他又回到了自己的少年時代。
We are at the beginning of a new era which will, it is to be hoped, be marked by a general rapprochement between the nations. The need to know and understand one another is being felt more and more. It follows that the study of foreign languages will assume an ever- increasing importance; indeed, so far as language, literature, and music are concerned, one may safely assert that fas est et ab hoste doceri.
All those who wish to make acquaintance with the speech of their neighbours, or who have allowed their former knowledge to grow rusty, will welcome this edition, which will enable them, independently of bulky dictionaries, to devote to language study the moments of leisure which offer themselves in the course of the day.
The texts have been selected from the double point of view of their literary worth and of the usefulness of their vocabulary; in the translations, also, the endeavour has been to unite qualities of style with strict fidelity to the original.
We are at the beginning of a new era which will, it is to be hoped, be marked by a general rapprochement between the nations. The need to know and understand one another is being felt more and more. It follows that the study of foreign languages will assume an ever- increasing importance; indeed, so far as language, literature, and music are concerned, one may safely assert that fas est et ab hoste doceri.
All those who wish to make acquaintance with the speech of their neighbours, or who have allowed their former knowledge to grow rusty, will welcome this edition, which will enable them, independently of bulky dictionaries, to devote to language study the moments of leisure which offer themselves in the course of the day.
The texts have been selected from the double point of view of their literary worth and of the usefulness of their vocabulary; in the translations, also, the endeavour has been to unite qualities of style with strict fidelity to the original.
轉眼間嚮他跑過來一個模樣兒可愛的小姑娘。她叫伊麗莎白，看上去五歲光景；他自己年齡則比她大一倍。小姑娘脖子上圍着條紅綢巾，把她那雙褐色的眼睛襯托得更加好看。
“萊茵哈德，”她咬着，“咱們放假啦！放假啦！今天一整天不上學，明天也不上學。”
萊茵哈德把已經夾在胳膊底下的石板飛快往門後一擱，兩個孩子隨即衝進房前的花園，穿過園門，奔到野外的草地上去了。這突如其來的放假真令他倆喜出望外。萊茵哈德在伊麗莎白的幫助下，已用草皮在這裏搭起一間小屋子，他倆打算在裏邊度過夏天的黃昏；不過目前還缺少坐的板凳。萊茵哈德馬上動手幹起來；釘子、柳頭和必需的木板反正是準備好了的。這其間，伊麗莎白卻順着土堤走去，一邊走一邊撿野錦葵的環形的種子，把它們兜在自己的圍裙中，以備將來串項鏈什麽的。萊茵哈德儘管破彎了不少釘子，到底還是把板凳做出來了；當他大功告成後跑到外邊陽光燦爛的草地上時，小姑娘已經走在離他遠遠的草地的另一端。
“伊麗莎白！”他喊，“伊麗莎白！”女孩應聲跑來，頭上的鬈發在風中飄動。“快，”他說，“咱們的房子已經全部完工啦。瞧你跑得多熱；趕快進去，咱們可以坐在新板凳上。我將給你講個故事。”
兩人隨即鑽進小屋，坐在剛釘成的凳子上。伊麗莎白從圍裙中掏出錦葵籽來，把它們串在長長的綫上；萊茵哈德於是講開了故事：
“從前，有三個紡紗女……”
“嘿，”伊麗莎白打斷他，“我都已經背熟啦；你可不該老講同一個故事喲。”
萊茵哈德不得不丟開三個紡紗女的故事，講起一個被人扔進獅穴中的可憐人的故事①來。
①見《聖經》《舊約·坦以理書》。
“……這時候已經是夜裏，”他講，“你知道嗎？四周漆黑漆黑的，獅子也都睡覺了。可不時地，它們在睡夢裏打着呵欠，還吐出紅紅的舌頭；那個人嚇得直哆嗦，以為是快天亮啦。這當兒，他周圍突然一下變得亮堂堂的，擡頭一瞅，一位天使站在他面前。天使對他招招手，然後就照直
走進岩石中去了。”
伊麗莎白專心緻志地聽着。“一位天使？”她問。“他該有翅膀的吧？”
“這衹不過是個故事，”萊茵哈德回答，“實際上壓根兒沒有什麽天使。”
“啊，呸，萊茵哈德！”女孩說，同時呆呆地望着他的臉。當萊茵哈德不高興地瞪她一眼以後，她又怯生生地問：“幹嗎他們總這麽講呢？媽媽，阿姨，還有在學校裏？”
“這個我不知道，”他回答。
“可你說，”伊麗莎白又問，“獅子是不是也沒有呢？”
“獅子？有沒有獅子？有，在印度；那兒的異教祭師把它們挂在車子前頭，駕着它們拉的車穿過沙漠。等我長大了，我要親自去看看。那兒比咱們這裏美好不止一千倍；那兒壓根兒沒鼕天。你也得跟我一塊兒去。你願意嗎？”
“願意，”伊麗莎白回答，“可媽媽也得一塊兒去，還有你的媽媽。”
“不行，”萊茵哈德說，“那時候她們太老了，不能跟着去。”
“可我是不許可單獨出門的呀！”
“他們會許可的；你那時已真正當了我的妻子，其他人再不能命令你什麽了。”
“可我媽媽會哭的呀！”
“我們還會回來嘛，”萊茵哈德着起急來，“你幹脆說，願不願意跟我去？不去我一個人去，去了再不回來啦。”
小姑娘差點兒沒哭出聲。“別這麽生氣呀，”她說，“我跟你到印度去就是。”
萊茵哈德高興得忘乎所以，一把抓住女孩的雙手，拽着她飛跑到草地上。“到印度去啊！到印度去啦！”他一邊唱，一邊拉着小女孩轉圈子，使她脖子上的紅綢巾飄揚起來。唱着轉着，他突然放開小姑娘的手，一本正經地說：“不行，去不了；你沒有勇氣。”
--“伊麗莎白！萊茵哈德！”這當兒從園門邊傳來傢裏人的喚聲。
“這兒吶！這兒吶！”孩子們邊回答，邊手拉着手朝傢中跑去。
As early as 1843 he had made himself known as a lyrical poet of the Romantic School, but it was as a short-story writer that he first took a prominent place in literature, making a most happy début with the story entitled Immensee.
There followed a long series of tales, rich in fancy and in humour, although their inspiration is generally derived from the humble town and country life which formed his immediate environment; but he wrote nothing that excels, in depth and tenderness of feeling, the charming story of Immensee; and taking his work all in all, Storm still ranks to-day as a master of the short story in German literature, rich though it is in this form of prose-fiction.
“萊茵哈德，”她咬着，“咱們放假啦！放假啦！今天一整天不上學，明天也不上學。”
萊茵哈德把已經夾在胳膊底下的石板飛快往門後一擱，兩個孩子隨即衝進房前的花園，穿過園門，奔到野外的草地上去了。這突如其來的放假真令他倆喜出望外。萊茵哈德在伊麗莎白的幫助下，已用草皮在這裏搭起一間小屋子，他倆打算在裏邊度過夏天的黃昏；不過目前還缺少坐的板凳。萊茵哈德馬上動手幹起來；釘子、柳頭和必需的木板反正是準備好了的。這其間，伊麗莎白卻順着土堤走去，一邊走一邊撿野錦葵的環形的種子，把它們兜在自己的圍裙中，以備將來串項鏈什麽的。萊茵哈德儘管破彎了不少釘子，到底還是把板凳做出來了；當他大功告成後跑到外邊陽光燦爛的草地上時，小姑娘已經走在離他遠遠的草地的另一端。
“伊麗莎白！”他喊，“伊麗莎白！”女孩應聲跑來，頭上的鬈發在風中飄動。“快，”他說，“咱們的房子已經全部完工啦。瞧你跑得多熱；趕快進去，咱們可以坐在新板凳上。我將給你講個故事。”
兩人隨即鑽進小屋，坐在剛釘成的凳子上。伊麗莎白從圍裙中掏出錦葵籽來，把它們串在長長的綫上；萊茵哈德於是講開了故事：
“從前，有三個紡紗女……”
“嘿，”伊麗莎白打斷他，“我都已經背熟啦；你可不該老講同一個故事喲。”
萊茵哈德不得不丟開三個紡紗女的故事，講起一個被人扔進獅穴中的可憐人的故事①來。
①見《聖經》《舊約·坦以理書》。
“……這時候已經是夜裏，”他講，“你知道嗎？四周漆黑漆黑的，獅子也都睡覺了。可不時地，它們在睡夢裏打着呵欠，還吐出紅紅的舌頭；那個人嚇得直哆嗦，以為是快天亮啦。這當兒，他周圍突然一下變得亮堂堂的，擡頭一瞅，一位天使站在他面前。天使對他招招手，然後就照直
走進岩石中去了。”
伊麗莎白專心緻志地聽着。“一位天使？”她問。“他該有翅膀的吧？”
“這衹不過是個故事，”萊茵哈德回答，“實際上壓根兒沒有什麽天使。”
“啊，呸，萊茵哈德！”女孩說，同時呆呆地望着他的臉。當萊茵哈德不高興地瞪她一眼以後，她又怯生生地問：“幹嗎他們總這麽講呢？媽媽，阿姨，還有在學校裏？”
“這個我不知道，”他回答。
“可你說，”伊麗莎白又問，“獅子是不是也沒有呢？”
“獅子？有沒有獅子？有，在印度；那兒的異教祭師把它們挂在車子前頭，駕着它們拉的車穿過沙漠。等我長大了，我要親自去看看。那兒比咱們這裏美好不止一千倍；那兒壓根兒沒鼕天。你也得跟我一塊兒去。你願意嗎？”
“願意，”伊麗莎白回答，“可媽媽也得一塊兒去，還有你的媽媽。”
“不行，”萊茵哈德說，“那時候她們太老了，不能跟着去。”
“可我是不許可單獨出門的呀！”
“他們會許可的；你那時已真正當了我的妻子，其他人再不能命令你什麽了。”
“可我媽媽會哭的呀！”
“我們還會回來嘛，”萊茵哈德着起急來，“你幹脆說，願不願意跟我去？不去我一個人去，去了再不回來啦。”
小姑娘差點兒沒哭出聲。“別這麽生氣呀，”她說，“我跟你到印度去就是。”
萊茵哈德高興得忘乎所以，一把抓住女孩的雙手，拽着她飛跑到草地上。“到印度去啊！到印度去啦！”他一邊唱，一邊拉着小女孩轉圈子，使她脖子上的紅綢巾飄揚起來。唱着轉着，他突然放開小姑娘的手，一本正經地說：“不行，去不了；你沒有勇氣。”
--“伊麗莎白！萊茵哈德！”這當兒從園門邊傳來傢裏人的喚聲。
“這兒吶！這兒吶！”孩子們邊回答，邊手拉着手朝傢中跑去。
As early as 1843 he had made himself known as a lyrical poet of the Romantic School, but it was as a short-story writer that he first took a prominent place in literature, making a most happy début with the story entitled Immensee.
There followed a long series of tales, rich in fancy and in humour, although their inspiration is generally derived from the humble town and country life which formed his immediate environment; but he wrote nothing that excels, in depth and tenderness of feeling, the charming story of Immensee; and taking his work all in all, Storm still ranks to-day as a master of the short story in German literature, rich though it is in this form of prose-fiction.