第一口井的故事，讲述了一个小国家因为干旱寻找水种子的故事，但是最后真的水种子发芽了，还是因为人们的努力自己挖出了水源呢?

　　The First Well 第一口井的故事

　　retold by BookBox

　　There once was a small kingdom around a lake. One very hot summer it did not rain and the lake dried up. People grew anxious and went to the king.

　　从前，在一个湖附近的一个小王国，一个非常炎热的夏天也没下雨,湖水干涸。人们越来越焦急，就去见国王。

　　It has not rained for so long. Our fields are barren! said the farmers.

　　农民说：很久不下雨了，我们的土地都很贫瘠了。

　　Theres no fish to catch. How shall we earn a living? asked the fisherman.

　　预付问：没有鱼可捕，我们拿什么为生呢?

　　Save us from disaster, good king, urged the women and the children cried with thirst.

　　妇女和孩子干渴着嗓子急急地请求：救救我们脱离灾难吧，好国王。

　　The king sent his four generals to search for water in all directions. The first general went east, towards the sunrise, the second to the south, to dust and heat, the third went west, where the sun sets, and the fourth, followed the North Star.

　　国王派了四位将军全方位的搜索水源，第一个将军去东边，往日出的方向，第二个将军去南边，灰尘大，空气热;第三个将军去西边，日落的方向;第四位将军去北方，跟着启明星的方向。

　　They searched day and night, night and day, high and low, they searched everywhere, but in vain.

　　他们日日夜夜，从高山到低谷全搜了一个遍，但是也没找到一滴水。

　　Three of the generals returned, empty-handed. But the general who had gone north determined, not to fail his king, finally reached a cold mountain village.

　　三个将军两手空空的回去了，但是那个去北边的将军决定，绝不让国王失望，最后来到一个寒冷的山村。

　　As he sat at the foot of the mountain, an old woman came by and sat next to him. The general pointed at the horizon and said, I belong to a beautiful kingdom, where it has not rained for a whole year. Can you help me find water?

　　当他坐在一个山脚下，一位老妇从旁边走过，并坐到他身边。将军指向地平线说道：我来自一个美丽的王国，奶已经一整年没下过雨了，您能帮我找到水吗?

　　The woman motioned the general to follow her up the mountain and inside a cave. We have no water in our country either, she said. Then, pointing to the icicles in the cave, she continued, We call this ice. Take some, and your kingdom will never go thirsty again. The general broke off a huge piece, loaded it onto his horse-cart and rushed back home.

　　女人示意将军跟着她上山进了一个山洞。她说：我们这里也没有水。然后她指向山洞里的冰柱说道：我们把这个叫冰，你带一些回去，你们的国家就不会再发生旱灾了。将军把一块大冰击碎，放到他的马车上，冲回了家。

　　By the time he reached the court, the enormous icicle had melted into a small lump of ice. Nobody in the court had ever seen ice, so everybody gazed at it with wonder!

　　当他回宫后，那块巨大的冰已经融化成了一个小冰块，公历没人见过冰，所以每个人都惊奇的看着它。

　　This must be a water-seed, one of the ministers exclaimed suddenly.

　　一位大臣突然叫了起来：这一定是一颗水种子。

　　The king ordered the water-seed to be sowed immediately. While the farmers dug a hole, the lump dwindled in the sun. They swiftly placed the seed in the hole, but, before they could cover it, it had vanished. The farmers there got confused and worried. They dug the earth deeper and deeper, into the night, looking for the mysterious seed.

　　国王下令立即将水种子播种，农民们挖了一个洞，小冰块在太阳下逐渐消失，他们迅速把种子放进动力，但是，还没来得及盖上它，它就消失了。农民又是迷惑又是担心，他们挖得越来越深，一直到晚上，还在找那颗神奇的种子。

　　At the break of dawn, the king found the farmers fast asleep around a hole. Curiously, he peeped in and cried out in amazement, Wake up my worthy men, the water-seed has sprouted! Theres water in the hole!

　　在黎明时，国王发现农民们都在洞边睡着了，他往洞里一叹，吃惊的大叫：快醒醒啊，水种子发芽了，洞里有水。

　　This is how the first well was created.

　　这就是第一口井的故事。

　　第一口井的故事，讲述了一个小国家因为干旱寻找水种子的故事，但是最后真的水种子发芽了，还是因为人们的努力自己挖出了水源呢?

　　The First Well 第一口井的故事

　　retold by BookBox

　　There once was a small kingdom around a lake. One very hot summer it did not rain and the lake dried up. People grew anxious and went to the king.

　　从前，在一个湖附近的一个小王国，一个非常炎热的夏天也没下雨,湖水干涸。人们越来越焦急，就去见国王。

　　It has not rained for so long. Our fields are barren! said the farmers.

　　农民说：很久不下雨了，我们的土地都很贫瘠了。

　　Theres no fish to catch. How shall we earn a living? asked the fisherman.

　　预付问：没有鱼可捕，我们拿什么为生呢?

　　Save us from disaster, good king, urged the women and the children cried with thirst.

　　妇女和孩子干渴着嗓子急急地请求：救救我们脱离灾难吧，好国王。

　　The king sent his four generals to search for water in all directions. The first general went east, towards the sunrise, the second to the south, to dust and heat, the third went west, where the sun sets, and the fourth, followed the North Star.

　　国王派了四位将军全方位的搜索水源，第一个将军去东边，往日出的方向，第二个将军去南边，灰尘大，空气热;第三个将军去西边，日落的方向;第四位将军去北方，跟着启明星的方向。

　　They searched day and night, night and day, high and low, they searched everywhere, but in vain.

　　他们日日夜夜，从高山到低谷全搜了一个遍，但是也没找到一滴水。

　　Three of the generals returned, empty-handed. But the general who had gone north determined, not to fail his king, finally reached a cold mountain village.

　　三个将军两手空空的回去了，但是那个去北边的将军决定，绝不让国王失望，最后来到一个寒冷的山村。

　　As he sat at the foot of the mountain, an old woman came by and sat next to him. The general pointed at the horizon and said, I belong to a beautiful kingdom, where it has not rained for a whole year. Can you help me find water?

　　当他坐在一个山脚下，一位老妇从旁边走过，并坐到他身边。将军指向地平线说道：我来自一个美丽的王国，奶已经一整年没下过雨了，您能帮我找到水吗?

　　The woman motioned the general to follow her up the mountain and inside a cave. We have no water in our country either, she said. Then, pointing to the icicles in the cave, she continued, We call this ice. Take some, and your kingdom will never go thirsty again. The general broke off a huge piece, loaded it onto his horse-cart and rushed back home.

　　女人示意将军跟着她上山进了一个山洞。她说：我们这里也没有水。然后她指向山洞里的冰柱说道：我们把这个叫冰，你带一些回去，你们的国家就不会再发生旱灾了。将军把一块大冰击碎，放到他的马车上，冲回了家。

　　By the time he reached the court, the enormous icicle had melted into a small lump of ice. Nobody in the court had ever seen ice, so everybody gazed at it with wonder!

　　当他回宫后，那块巨大的冰已经融化成了一个小冰块，公历没人见过冰，所以每个人都惊奇的看着它。

　　This must be a water-seed, one of the ministers exclaimed suddenly.

　　一位大臣突然叫了起来：这一定是一颗水种子。

　　The king ordered the water-seed to be sowed immediately. While the farmers dug a hole, the lump dwindled in the sun. They swiftly placed the seed in the hole, but, before they could cover it, it had vanished. The farmers there got confused and worried. They dug the earth deeper and deeper, into the night, looking for the mysterious seed.

　　国王下令立即将水种子播种，农民们挖了一个洞，小冰块在太阳下逐渐消失，他们迅速把种子放进动力，但是，还没来得及盖上它，它就消失了。农民又是迷惑又是担心，他们挖得越来越深，一直到晚上，还在找那颗神奇的种子。

　　At the break of dawn, the king found the farmers fast asleep around a hole. Curiously, he peeped in and cried out in amazement, Wake up my worthy men, the water-seed has sprouted! Theres water in the hole!

　　在黎明时，国王发现农民们都在洞边睡着了，他往洞里一叹，吃惊的大叫：快醒醒啊，水种子发芽了，洞里有水。

　　This is how the first well was created.

　　这就是第一口井的故事。