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当前位置:首页 -> 10级英语阅读 - > 安徒生童话英文版:The Jewish Maiden
安徒生童话英文版:The Jewish Maiden
添加时间:2014-02-27 14:48:07 浏览次数: 作者:Andersen
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  • (1856)

    IN a charity school, among the children, sat a little Jewish girl. She was a good, intelligent child, and very quick at her lessons; but the Scripture-lesson class she was not allowed to join, for this was a Christian1 school. During the hour of this lesson, the Jewish girl was allowed to learn her geography, or to work her sum for the next day; and when her geography lesson was perfect, the book remained open before her, but she read not another word, for she sat silently listening to the words of the Christian teacher. He soon became aware that the little one was paying more attention to what he said than most of the other children. “Read your book, Sarah,” he said to her gently.

    But again and again he saw her dark, beaming eyes fixed2 upon him; and once, when he asked her a question, she could answer him even better than the other children. She had not only heard, but understood his words, and pondered them in her heart. Her father, a poor but honest man, had placed his daughter at the school on the conditions that she should not be instructed in the Christian faith. But it might have caused confusion, or raised discontent in the minds of the other children if she had been sent out of the room, so she remained; and now it was evident this could not go on. The teacher went to her father, and advised him to remove his daughter from the school, or to allow her to become a Christian. “I cannot any longer be an idle spectator of those beaming eyes, which express such a deep and earnest longing3 for the words of the gospel,” said he.

    Then the father burst into tears. “I know very little of the law of my fathers,” said he; “but Sarah’s mother was firm in her belief as a daughter of Israel, and I vowed4 to her on her deathbed that our child should never be baptized. I must keep my vow5: it is to me even as a covenant6 with God Himself.” And so the little Jewish girl left the Christian school.

    Years rolled by. In one of the smallest provincial7 towns, in a humble8 household, lived a poor maiden9 of the Jewish faith, as a servant. Her hair was black as ebony, her eye dark as night, yet full of light and brilliancy so peculiar10 to the daughters of the east. It was Sarah. The expression in the face of the grown-up maiden was still the same as when, a child, she sat on the schoolroom form listening with thoughtful eyes to the words of the Christian teacher. Every Sunday there sounded forth11 from a church close by the tones of an organ and the singing of the congregation. The Jewish girl heard them in the house where, industrious12 and faithful in all things, she performed her household duties. “Thou shalt keep the Sabbath holy,” said the voice of the law in her heart; but her Sabbath was a working day among the Christians13, which was a great trouble to her. And then as the thought arose in her mind, “Does God reckon by days and hours?” her conscience felt satisfied on this question, and she found it a comfort to her, that on the Christian Sabbath she could have an hour for her own prayers undisturbed. The music and singing of the congregation sounded in her ears while at work in her kitchen, till the place itself became sacred to her. Then she would read in the Old Testament14, that treasure and comfort to her people, and it was indeed the only Scriptures15 she could read. Faithfully in her inmost thoughts had she kept the words of her father to her teacher when she left the school, and the vow he had made to her dying mother that she should never receive Christian baptism. The New Testament must remain to her a sealed book, and yet she knew a great deal of its teaching, and the sound of the gospel truths still lingered among the recollections of her childhood.

    One evening she was sitting in a corner of the dining-room, while her master read aloud. It was not the gospel he read, but an old story-book; therefore she might stay and listen to him. The story related that a Hungarian knight16, who had been taken prisoner by a Turkish pasha, was most cruelly treated by him. He caused him to be yoked17 with his oxen to the plough, and driven with blows from the whip till the blood flowed, and he almost sunk with exhaustion18 and pain. The faithful wife of the knight at home gave up all her jewels, mortgaged her castle and land, and his friends raised large sums to make up the ransom19 demanded for his release, which was most enormously high. It was collected at last, and the knight released from slavery and misery20. Sick and exhausted21, he reached home.

    Ere long came another summons to a struggle with the foes22 of Christianity. The still living knight heard the sound; he could endure no more, he had neither peace nor rest. He caused himself to be lifted on his war-horse; the color came into his cheeks, and his strength returned to him again as he went forth to battle and to victory. The very same pasha who had yoked him to the plough, became his prisoner, and was dragged to a dungeon23 in the castle. But an hour had scarcely passed, when the knight stood before the captive pasha, and inquired, “What do you suppose awaiteth thee?”

    “I know,” replied the pasha; “retribution.”

    “Yes, the retribution of a Christian,” replied the knight. “The teaching of Christ, the Teacher, commands us to forgive our enemies, to love our neighbors; for God is love. Depart in peace: return to thy home. I give thee back to thy loved ones. But in future be mild and humane24 to all who are in trouble.”

    Then the prisoner burst into tears, and exclaimed, “Oh how could I imagine such mercy and forgiveness! I expected pain and torment25. It seemed to me so sure that I took poison, which I secretly carried about me; and in a few hours its effects will destroy me. I must die! Nothing can save me! But before I die, explain to me the teaching which is so full of love and mercy, so great and God-like. Oh, that I may hear his teaching, and die a Christian!” And his prayer was granted.

    This was the legend which the master read out of the old story-book. Every one in the house who was present listened, and shared the pleasure; but Sarah, the Jewish girl, sitting so still in a corner, felt her heart burn with excitement. Great tears came into her shining dark eyes; and with the same gentle piety26 with which she had once listened to the gospel while sitting on the form at school, she felt its grandeur27 now, and the tears rolled down her cheeks. Then the last words of her dying mother rose before her, “Let not my child become a Christian;” and with them sounded in her heart the words of the law, “Honor thy father and thy mother.”

    “I am not admitted among the Christians,” she said; “they mock me as a Jewish girl; the neighbors’ boys did so last Sunday when I stood looking in through the open church door at the candles burning on the altar, and listening to the singing. Ever since I sat on the school-bench I have felt the power of Christianity; a power which, like a sunbeam, streams into my heart, however closely I may close my eyes against it. But I will not grieve thee, my mother, in thy grave. I will not be unfaithful to my father’s vow. I will not read the Bible of the Christian. I have the God of my fathers, and in Him I will trust.”

    And again years passed by. Sarah’s master died, and his widow found herself in such reduced circumstances that she wished to dismiss her servant maid; but Sarah refused to leave the house, and she became a true support in time of trouble, and kept the household together by working till late at night, with her busy hands, to earn their daily bread. Not a relative came forward to assist them, and the widow was confined to a sick bed for months and grew weaker from day to day. Sarah worked hard, but contrived28 to spare time to amuse her and watch by the sick bed. She was gentle and pious29, an angel of blessing30 in that house of poverty.

    “My Bible lies on the table yonder,” said the sick woman one day to Sarah. “Read me something from it; the night appears so long, and my spirit thirsts to hear the word of God.”

    And Sarah bowed her head. She took the book, and folded her hand over the Bible of the Christians, and at last opened it, and read to the sick woman. Tears stood in her eyes as she read, and they shone with brightness, for in her heart it was light.

    “Mother,” she murmured, “thy child may not receive Christian baptism, nor be admitted into the congregation of Christian people. Thou hast so willed it, and I will respect thy command. We are therefore still united here on earth; but in the next world there will be a higher union, even with God Himself, who leads and guides His people till death. He came down from heaven to earth to suffer for us, that we should bring forth the fruits of repentance31. I understand it now. I know not how I learnt this truth, unless it is through the name of Christ.” Yet she trembled as she pronounced the holy name. She struggled against these convictions of the truth of Christianity for some days, till one evening while watching her mistress she was suddenly taken very ill; her limbs tottered32 under her, and she sank fainting by the bedside of the sick woman.

    “Poor Sarah,” said the neighbors; “she is overcome with hard work and night watching.” And then they carried her to the hospital for the sick poor. There she died; and they bore her to her resting-place in the earth, but not to the churchyard of the Christians. There was no place for the Jewish girl; but they dug a grave for her outside the wall. And God’s sun, which shines upon the graves of the churchyard of the Christians, also throws its beams on the grave of the Jewish maiden beyond the wall. And when the psalms33 of the Christians sound across the churchyard, their echo reaches her lonely resting-place; and she who sleeps there will be counted worthy34 at the resurrection, through the name of Christ the Lord, who said to His disciples35, “John baptized you with water, but I will baptize you with the Holy Ghost.”



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    1 Christian [ˈkrɪstʃən] KVByl   第7级
    adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
    参考例句:
    • They always addressed each other by their Christian name. 他们总是以教名互相称呼。
    • His mother is a sincere Christian. 他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
    2 fixed [fɪkst] JsKzzj   第8级
    adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
    参考例句:
    • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet? 你们俩选定婚期了吗?
    • Once the aim is fixed, we should not change it arbitrarily. 目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
    3 longing [ˈlɒŋɪŋ] 98bzd   第8级
    n.(for)渴望
    参考例句:
    • Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her. 再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
    • His heart burned with longing for revenge. 他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。
    4 vowed [] 6996270667378281d2f9ee561353c089   第7级
    起誓,发誓(vow的过去式与过去分词形式)
    参考例句:
    • He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
    • I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。
    5 vow [vaʊ] 0h9wL   第7级
    n.誓(言),誓约;vt.&vi.起誓,立誓
    参考例句:
    • My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday. 我父母许愿,每星期日都去做礼拜。
    • I am under a vow to drink no wine. 我已立誓戒酒。
    6 covenant [ˈkʌvənənt] CoWz1   第10级
    n.盟约,契约;v.订盟约
    参考例句:
    • They refused to covenant with my father for the property. 他们不愿与我父亲订立财产契约。
    • The money was given to us by deed of covenant. 这笔钱是根据契约书付给我们的。
    7 provincial [prəˈvɪnʃl] Nt8ye   第8级
    adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人
    参考例句:
    • City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
    • Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday. 昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。
    8 humble [ˈhʌmbl] ddjzU   第7级
    adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;vt.降低,贬低
    参考例句:
    • In my humble opinion, he will win the election. 依我拙见,他将在选举中获胜。
    • Defeat and failure make people humble. 挫折与失败会使人谦卑。
    9 maiden [ˈmeɪdn] yRpz7   第7级
    n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的
    参考例句:
    • The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden. 王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
    • The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow. 这架飞机明天首航。
    10 peculiar [pɪˈkju:liə(r)] cinyo   第7级
    adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
    参考例句:
    • He walks in a peculiar fashion. 他走路的样子很奇特。
    • He looked at me with a very peculiar expression. 他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
    11 forth [fɔ:θ] Hzdz2   第7级
    adv.向前;向外,往外
    参考例句:
    • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth. 风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
    • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession. 他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
    12 industrious [ɪnˈdʌstriəs] a7Axr   第7级
    adj.勤劳的,刻苦的,奋发的
    参考例句:
    • If the tiller is industrious, the farmland is productive. 人勤地不懒。
    • She was an industrious and willing worker. 她是个勤劳肯干的员工。
    13 Christians [ˈkristʃənz] 28e6e30f94480962cc721493f76ca6c6   第7级
    n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
    • His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。
    14 testament [ˈtestəmənt] yyEzf   第11级
    n.遗嘱;证明
    参考例句:
    • This is his last will and testament. 这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
    • It is a testament to the power of political mythology. 这说明编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。
    15 scriptures ['skrɪptʃəz] 720536f64aa43a43453b1181a16638ad   第7级
    经文,圣典( scripture的名词复数 ); 经典
    参考例句:
    • Here the apostle Peter affirms his belief that the Scriptures are 'inspired'. 使徒彼得在此表达了他相信《圣经》是通过默感写成的。
    • You won't find this moral precept in the scriptures. 你在《圣经》中找不到这种道德规范。
    16 knight [naɪt] W2Hxk   第7级
    n.骑士,武士;爵士
    参考例句:
    • He was made an honourary knight. 他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
    • A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed. 一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。
    17 yoked ['jəʊkt] 3cf9b4d6cb0a697dfb2940ae671ca4f2   第9级
    结合(yoke的过去式形式)
    参考例句:
    • The farmer yoked the oxen. 那个农夫给牛加上轭。
    • He was yoked to an disinclined partner. 他不得不与一位不情愿的伙伴合作。
    18 exhaustion [ɪgˈzɔ:stʃən] OPezL   第8级
    n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述
    参考例句:
    • She slept the sleep of exhaustion. 她因疲劳而酣睡。
    • His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing. 他站着睡着了,显然是太累了。
    19 ransom [ˈrænsəm] tTYx9   第9级
    n.赎金,赎身;vt.赎回,解救
    参考例句:
    • We'd better arrange the ransom right away. 我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
    • The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family. 绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。
    20 misery [ˈmɪzəri] G10yi   第7级
    n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦
    参考例句:
    • Business depression usually causes misery among the working class. 商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
    • He has rescued me from the mire of misery. 他把我从苦海里救了出来。
    21 exhausted [ɪgˈzɔ:stɪd] 7taz4r   第8级
    adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的
    参考例句:
    • It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted. 搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
    • Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life. 珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
    22 foes [fəuz] 4bc278ea3ab43d15b718ac742dc96914   第8级
    敌人,仇敌( foe的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
    • She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战,挫败过很多对手。
    23 dungeon [ˈdʌndʒən] MZyz6   第10级
    n.地牢,土牢
    参考例句:
    • They were driven into a dark dungeon. 他们被人驱赶进入一个黑暗的地牢。
    • He was just set free from a dungeon a few days ago. 几天前,他刚从土牢里被放出来。
    24 humane [hju:ˈmeɪn] Uymy0   第8级
    adj.人道的,富有同情心的
    参考例句:
    • Is it humane to kill animals for food? 宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗?
    • Their aim is for a more just and humane society. 他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。
    25 torment [ˈtɔ:ment] gJXzd   第7级
    n.折磨;令人痛苦的东西(人);vt.折磨;纠缠
    参考例句:
    • He has never suffered the torment of rejection. 他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。
    • Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other. 没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。
    26 piety [ˈpaɪəti] muuy3   第10级
    n.虔诚,虔敬
    参考例句:
    • They were drawn to the church not by piety but by curiosity. 他们去教堂不是出于虔诚而是出于好奇。
    • Experience makes us see an enormous difference between piety and goodness. 经验使我们看到虔诚与善意之间有着巨大的区别。
    27 grandeur [ˈgrændʒə(r)] hejz9   第8级
    n.伟大,崇高,宏伟,庄严,豪华
    参考例句:
    • The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched. 长城的壮观是独一无二的。
    • These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place. 这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。
    28 contrived [kənˈtraɪvd] ivBzmO   第12级
    adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的
    参考例句:
    • There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said. 他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
    • The plot seems contrived. 情节看起来不真实。
    29 pious [ˈpaɪəs] KSCzd   第9级
    adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的
    参考例句:
    • Alexander is a pious follower of the faith. 亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
    • Her mother was a pious Christian. 她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。
    30 blessing [ˈblesɪŋ] UxDztJ   第7级
    n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
    参考例句:
    • The blessing was said in Hebrew. 祷告用了希伯来语。
    • A double blessing has descended upon the house. 双喜临门。
    31 repentance [rɪˈpentəns] ZCnyS   第8级
    n.懊悔
    参考例句:
    • He shows no repentance for what he has done.他对他的所作所为一点也不懊悔。
    • Christ is inviting sinners to repentance.基督正在敦请有罪的人悔悟。
    32 tottered [ˈtɔtəd] 60930887e634cc81d6b03c2dda74833f   第11级
    v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 );踉跄;蹒跚;摇摇欲坠
    参考例句:
    • The pile of books tottered then fell. 这堆书晃了几下,然后就倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The wounded soldier tottered to his feet. 伤员摇摇晃晃地站了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    33 psalms [sɑ:mz] 47aac1d82cedae7c6a543a2c9a72b9db   第12级
    n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 );圣诗;圣歌;(中的)
    参考例句:
    • the Book of Psalms 《〈圣经〉诗篇》
    • A verse from Psalms knifed into Pug's mind: "put not your trust in princes." 《诗篇》里有一句话闪过帕格的脑海:“不要相信王侯。” 来自辞典例句
    34 worthy [ˈwɜ:ði] vftwB   第7级
    adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
    参考例句:
    • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust. 我认为他不值得信赖。
    • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned. 没有值得一提的事发生。
    35 disciples [dɪ'saɪplz] e24b5e52634d7118146b7b4e56748cac   第9级
    n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 );门徒;耶稣的信徒;(尤指)耶稣十二门徒之一
    参考例句:
    • Judas was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. 犹大是耶稣十二门徒之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • "The names of the first two disciples were --" “最初的两个门徒的名字是——” 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

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