7. 送水的象

ELEPHANTS TO THE RESCUE

约两千多年前，古印度有一条小河，其中有个满是鱼儿的水塘。鱼儿们在清澈的水里快乐地生活着。它们时时在水中跳跃、穿梭或浮在水面上，尽情徜徉在它们的水上家园。　　

　　Some two thousand years ago, in a river in ancient India, there was a pond full of fish. They lived happily in the clear water. They jumped and swam or just floated around enjoying their watery home.

已经有很长一段时间没下雨了。每天都有越来越多的水被蒸发掉，最后池塘基本上都干了。如果池塘干涸，所有的鱼将会被烈日晒死。　　

　　Then for a long time it didn't rain. Every day some more water evaporated, until the pond had almost dried up. If the pond dried up, all of the fish would die under the hot, dry sun.

太阳持续烘烤着干旱的大地。一个老人碰巧经过池塘。他看到水差不多没了，心里充满了悲悯。他径直找到国王，说："鱼塘里的水差不多干了，鱼儿们的处境十分危险。如果陛下乐意，请您分派二十头大象运水过去救救这些鱼吧。"　　

　　The sun kept beating down on the dry earth. An old man happened to walk by the pond. He saw the water was almost gone. His heart filled with mercy. He went straight to the king and said, "The water in the fish's pond is almost dry, and the fish are in great danger. If it pleases your majesty, you might send twenty elephants to tote water to save those fish."

国王是个佛教徒，听完老人的请求，说道："您有一颗善良慈悲的心灵，这真是太好了。去御象厩领象吧，你觉得需要多少头就领多少头。"　

　　The king was a Buddhist, so as soon as he heard the old man's request, he said, "It is wonderful that you have such a kind and merciful heart. Go to the royal elephant stables and take as many elephants as you feel you need to to the water to save those poor, suffering fish."

老人听到国王的答复后，就带着他的两个儿子去了皇家象厩，挑选了二十头最健壮的大象。然后他就去酿酒厂，并借了尽可能多的皮囊--在那时候的印度，酒是用皮囊装运的。他们三个就带领着那二十头大象去这个地区最大的河边，将皮囊都装满了水。二十头御象把这些装满水的沉重皮囊运到鱼塘后，他们就把所有的水倒进池里。

　　When the old man heard the king's reply, he took his two sons to the royal elephant stables and selected twenty of the best elephants. Then he went to the breweries and borrowed as many skins as he could -- in India in those days, liquor was stored and transported in skins. Then the three of them led the twenty elephants to the biggest river in the region, and filled all the skins with water. The twenty royal elephants carried the heavy skins full of water to the fish pond, and they poured all the water into the pond.

这样运了很多趟，池子又满了，就像没有干涸前一样。池子里的鱼得救了！它们在水里跳跃、玩耍、来回穿梭。　　

　　After many trips, the pond was full again, just as it had been before the drought. The fish in the pond were saved! They leapt and played and swam back and forth.

当老人看到鱼儿是那么的欢快，水面上荡起阵阵涟漪，他苍老疲惫的心中多年来所积聚的忧愁和哀伤都被一扫而空。　　

　　When the old man saw how happy the fish were, and watched the ripples on the water's surface, all of the worries and sadness that the long years had gathered in his tired old heart were immediately swept away.

夜幕降临时，他和儿子们高高兴兴地把那二十头大象带回了象厩，并且向国王汇报了这个好消息。　　

　　As the day turned into night, he and his sons cheerfully led the twenty elephants back to the royal stables and went to tell their king the good news.