In the morning of life came a good fairy with her basket,and said:"Here are gifts. Take one, leave the others,And be wary,choose wisely!For only one of them is valuable."
在生命之初，一位仙女带着篮子走来，对一位年轻人说道：“这里有几份礼物，你可以从中选一份，留下其它的。你要小心，做一个明智的选择；啊，你要明智地进行选择！因为这里面只有一份礼物是珍贵的。”
The gifts were five: Fame, Love, Riches, Pleasure, youth, said, eagerly:"There is no need to consider"; and he chose Pleasure.
一共有五份礼物：名声，爱情，财富，快乐，还有死亡。年轻人迫不及待地说：“没有必要多想。”他选了快乐。
He went out into the world and sought out the pleasures that youth delights in . But each in its turn was short-liyed and disappointing, vain and empty; and each, departing, mocked him the end he said:"These years i have i could but choose again, I would choose wisely."
此后他就开始步入世界，追逐年轻人所喜爱的快乐。然而每一种快乐都是如此短暂，令人感到空虚和失望。每当一种快乐弃他而去时，还要把他嘲弄一番。最后，年轻人感叹道：“这些年我都浪费了。如果我可以再选一次，我一定会做一个明智的选择。”
The fairy appeared, and said:"Four of the gifts se once more: and oh, remember--time is flying, and only one of them is precious."
这时仙女又出现了，她说：“这里还有四份礼物。再选一次吧。噢，记住时间飞逝，而其中只有一件是珍贵的。”
The man considered long,then chose Love;and did not mark the tears that rose in the fairy's r many,many years the man sat by a coffin,in an empty he communed with himself,saying:"One by one they have gone away and leftme;and now she lies here,the dearest and the lation after desolation has swept over me;but each hour of happiness the treacherous trader,Love,sold me i have paid a thousand hours of grief!Out of my heart of hearts i curse him!"
他思考了很久，最终选择了爱情；他没有注意到仙女眼里泛起的泪光。许多许多年之后，这个人坐在一口棺材旁边，屋子里空荡荡的。他自言自语道：“他们一个一个地走了，只剩下我。现在，她就躺在这儿，我最亲爱的人儿，我最后的亲人。孤独一次又一次把我包围。都是因为爱情这个阴狡诈的商人，他出售给我的每个甜蜜的小时，我现在都要用数千个小时的悲伤来偿还！我从心底里诅咒他！”"Choose again."It was the fairy speaking."The years have you wisdow-surely it must be e gifts one of them has anyworth-remember it ,and choose warily."
“你在选一次吧。”仙女又一次说话了，“这些年已经教予你智慧——也理当如此。这里还有三份礼物，其中只有一份是有价值的——切记，你好好挑吧。”
The man reflected long,then chose Fame;and the fairy,sighing,went her s went by and she came again,and stood behind the man where he sat solitary in the fading day, she knew his thought:"My name filled the world,and its praiss were on every tongue,and it seemed well with me for a little a while it was!Then came envy;then detraction;then hate;then derision,which is the begining of the last of all came pity,which is the funeral of ,the bitterness and misery of renown!"
他想了很久，然而选择了名声。仙女叹了口气，径自离开了。岁月流转，仙女又回来了，站到他的身旁。已迈入迟暮之年的他孑然一身，心情重重。他在想些什么，她都了然于心。“我的名字传遍世界，每个人都争相赞颂，有一阵子好像让我心满足。可那是多么短暂的一阵子啊！随之而来的是妒忌；然后是诋毁；然后是憎恶；然后是迫害。之后是嘲讽，从一切开始步入完结。最后便是怜悯，这也是我的名声的葬礼。啊，名声原来是这般苦涩和痛苦！”
"Choose yet again."It was the fairy's voice.
“不过你还可以重新现挑一次。”仙女的声音再度响起。
"Two gifts do not despair the begining there was but one that was precious, and it is still here.
“还剩下两份礼物。不要灰心丧气，从一开始就只有一份是宝贵的，而现在它还在那里啊。”
"Wealth-which is power! How blind i was!" Said the man, "Now,at last,life will be worth the living.I will e mockers and despisers will crawl in the dirt before me,and i will feed my hungry heart with their envy,I will have all luxuries,all joys,all enchant-times of the spirit I will buy,buy,buy!I have lost much time,and chosen badly heretofore,but let that pass;I was ignorant then,and could but take for best what seemed so."
“财富——财富就是力量！我过去多盲目啊！”他说，“现在，终于，我的生命将要变得有意义。我要纵情欢度此生，我要挥霍我的人生。那些对我冷嘲热讽，轻蔑诋毁我的人将要在我面前的泥土里挣扎，而我空乏的心也将因为他们的妒忌而得到满足。我将要享尽荣华富贵，所有欢乐和所有销魂的时光。我要买，买！以前我做错了选择，失去了许多时间，就让它过去吧；当时我很无知，我只能选我觉得最好的东西。”
Three short years went by,and a day came when the man sat shivering in a mean garret;and he was gaunt and wan and hollow-eyed,and clothed in rags;and he was gnawing a dry crust and mumbling:"Curse all the world's gifts for mockeries and gilded lies!And miscalled,every one,They are not gifts,but merely ,es:they are but temporary disguises for lasting realities Pain,Grief,Shame, fairy said true;in all her store there was but one gift which was precious,only one that was not valueless,How poor and cheap and mean i know those others now to be,Bring it!I am weary.I would rest."
短短的三年又过去了。到了这么一天，这个人蜷缩在一个简陋的小阁楼里，古瘦如柴，苍白无力，双眼深陷，身上裹着碎布衣衫，浑身颤抖不停。他一边啃着一块干面包皮，一边咕哝着：“该死的礼物，都是为了让我受人嘲笑和欺诈！每一样都叫错了！它们都不是礼物，根本只是租借品！快乐，爱情，名声还有财富－都只不过是长久现实的暂时伪装－它们其实是永远的痛苦，悲哀，耻辱和贫穷！那个仙女说的没错啊，她所有的东西里只有一样是珍贵的，只有那么一样不是毫无价值的。我现在才明白，其它礼物是多么低贱与卑劣！把它带来吧－那真正宝贵的礼物！我累了，我想休息了。”
The fairy came,bringing again four of the gifts,but Death was said:"I gave it to a mother's pet, a little was ignorant,but trusted me,asking me to choose for did not ask me to choose."
仙女出现了，带着以前的那四件礼物，但惟独没有最后那一件——死亡。她说道：“我把它给了一位母亲的宠儿子：一个小孩子。他什么也不懂，但他相信我，让我来帮他挑选。而你并没有这么做。”
"Oh,miserable me!What is left for me ?"
“啊，我多可悲啊！那还剩下什么给我呢？”
"What not even you have deserved: the wantoninsult of Old Age."
“一件你也不配得到的东西：接受年老体衰的折磨。”