You, as a learned man, certainly know how strange nature is.
您是一个有学问的人;我想您知道得很清楚,人性是多么古怪。
Some persons cannot bear to touch grey paper, or they become ill;
有些人不能容忍摸一下灰纸——他们一看到灰纸就讨厌。
others shiver in every limb if one rub a pane of glass with a nail: I have just such a feeling on hearing you say thou to me;
有些人看到一个人用钉子在玻璃窗上划一下就全身发抖。我听到您把我称为‘你’,也有同样的感觉。
I feel myself as if pressed to the earth in my first situation with you.
像我跟您当初的关系一样,我觉得好像我是被睬到地上。
You see that it is a feeling; that it is not pride: I cannot allow you to say thou to me, but I will willingly say thou to you, so it is half done!"
您要知道,这是一种感觉,并不是自高自大的问题。我不能让您对我说‘你’,但是我倒很愿意把您称为‘你’呢。这样我们就两不吃亏了。”
So the shadow said thou to its former master.
从这时起,影子就把他从前的主人称为“你”。
"This is rather too bad," thought he, "that I must say you and he say thou," but he was now obliged to put up with it.
“这未免有点太过火了,”他想,“我得喊‘您’,而他却把我称为‘你’。”但是他也只好忍受了。
So they came to a watering-place where there were many strangers, and amongst them was a princess,
他们来到一个温泉。这儿住着许多外国人;他们之中有一位美丽的公主。
who was troubled with seeing too well; and that was so alarming!
她得了一种病,那就是她的眼睛看东西非常锐利——这使人感到极端地不安。
She directly observed that the stranger who had just come was quite a different sort of person to all the others;
她马上就注意到,新来的这位人物跟其他的人不同。
"He has come here in order to get his beard to grow, they say, but I see the real cause, he cannot cast a shadow."
“大家都说他到这儿来为的是要使他的胡子生长。不过我却能看出真正的原由——他不能投射出一个影子来。”
She had become inquisitive; and so she entered into conversation directly with the strange gentleman, on their promenades.
她有些好奇,因此她马上就在散步场上跟这位陌生的绅士聊起天来。
As the daughter of a king, she needed not to stand upon trifles, so she said, "Your complaint is, that you cannot cast a shadow?"
作为一个公主,她没有什么客气的必要,因此她就直截了当地对他说:“你的毛病就是不能投射出影子。”
"Your Royal Highness must be improving considerably," said the shadow, "I know your complaint is, that you see too clearly,
“公主殿下的身体现在好多了,”影子说;“我知道您的毛病是:您看事情过于尖锐。
but it has decreased, you are cured.
不过这毛病已经没有了,您已经治好了。
I just happen to have a very unusual shadow!
我恰恰有一个相当不平常的影子!
Do you not see that person who always goes with me?
您没有看到老跟我在一起的这个人么?
Other persons have a common shadow, but I do not like what is common to all.
别的人都有一个普通的影子,但是我却不喜欢普通的东西。
We give our servants finer cloth for their livery than we ourselves use, and so I had my shadow trimmed up into a man:
有人喜欢把比自己衣服质料还要好的料子给仆人做制服穿;同样,我要让我的影子打扮得像一个独立的人。
yes, you see I have even given him a shadow. It is somewhat expensive, but I like to have something for myself!"
您看我还让他有一个自己的影子。这笔费用可是不小,但是我喜欢与众不同一点。”
"What!" thought the princess. "Should I really be cured! These baths are the first in the world!
“怎么!”公主想。“我的病已经真正治好了吗?这是世界上一个最好的温泉。