“We all begged and prayed for her，” said the queen， “but the kings anger was not to be appeasedappease vt.平息， 安抚， 缓和， 使满足. How she cried when she had to leave us. The whole road was strewn with the pearls which flowed from her eyes. The king soon afterwards repented of his great severityseverity n.严肃， 严格， 严重， 激烈， and had the whole forest searched for the poor child， but no one could find her. When I think that the wild beasts have devoureddevour vt.(尤指动物)吞吃， 狼吞虎咽， 挥霍，(火灾等)毁灭， 破坏， 吞没， 贪看， 贪听 her， I know not how to contain myself for sorrow. Many a time I console myself with the hope that she is still alive， and may have hidden herself in a cave， or has found shelter with compassionatecompassionate adj.富于同情心的 people. But picture to yourself， when I opened your little emerald box， a pearl lay therein， of exactly the same kind as those which used to fall from my daughters eyes. And then you can also imagine how the sight of it stirred my heart. You must tell me how you came by that pearl.” The count told her that he had received it from the old woman in the forest， who had appeared very strange to him， and must be a witch， but he had neither seen nor heard anything of the queens child. The king and the queen resolved to seek out the old woman. They thought that there where the pearl had been， they would obtain news of their daughter.
“我们全都为她求情，却没法让国王消气。”王后继续说，“当小女儿不得不离开我们的时候，她哭得多么伤心啊！整条路都洒满了从她眼里掉下来的珍珠。没过多久，国王对自己过于严厉的做法感到后悔，派人到森林里去找那可怜的孩子，但找遍了也未见她的踪影。只要我一想到她可能被野兽吃掉了，就伤心得不能自已。有时我又希望并以此自慰她还活着，希望她要么藏在哪个山洞里，要么被好心人收留了，可是，请你想想，当我打开你的绿宝石匣儿，看见里面有一颗珍珠，形状跟从我女儿眼里掉出来的一模一样，你准能够想像我有多么激动。你一定告诉我，你是如何得到这颗珍珠的。”伯爵告诉她，是从森林中一个老太婆那里得到的，在他看来，老太婆有些非同一般，一定是个巫婆。国王和王后决定去找那个老太婆。他们认为准能从有珍珠的地方得到他们女儿的消息。
The old woman was sitting in that lonely place at her spinningwheel spinning. It was already dusk， and a log which was burning on the hearth gave a scanty light. All at once there was a noise outside， the geese were coming home from the pasturepasture n.牧地， 草原， 牧场， and uttering their hoarsehoarse adj.嘶哑的 cries. Soon afterwards the daughter also entered. But the old woman scarcely thanked her， and only shook her head a little. The daughter sat down beside her， took her spinningwheel， and twisted the threads as nimbly as a young girl. Thus they both sat for two hours， and exchanged never a word. At last something rustled at the window and two fiery eyes peered in. It was an old nightowl， which cried “uhu” three times. The old woman looked up just a little， then she said， “Now， my little daughter， it is time for you to go out and do your work.”
在荒原上，老太婆坐在纺车边纺线。天已经黑了，炉子里燃着的一块木片发出微弱的亮光。突然外面响起一阵喧闹，是鹅群从草地回来了，并且发出嘎嘎的叫声。不多一会儿，女儿也进来了。可老太太几乎没感谢她，只对她摇了摇头。女儿坐到她身边，接过纺缍，像个年轻姑娘一样灵巧地纺起线来。她们这样坐了两个钟头，相互没说一句话。这时，有什么在窗外发出沙沙声，两只眼睛忽闪忽闪往里瞅。原来是一只猫头鹰，它还唬唬唬地叫了三声。老太婆朝天望了望，然后说：“时间到了，女儿，你去干你的活儿吧。”
She rose and went out， and where did she go. Over the meadows ever onward into the valley. At last she came to a well， with three old oaktrees standing beside it. Meanwhile the moon had risen large and round over the mountain， and it was so light that one could have found a needle. She removed a skin which covered her face， then bent down to the well， and began to wash herself. When she had finished， she dippeddip v.浸， 蘸， 沾 the skin also in the water， and then laid it on the meadow， so that it should bleach in the moonlight， and dry again. But how the maiden was changed. Such a change as that was never seen before. When the gray mask fell off， her golden hair broke forth like sunbeams， and spread about like a mantle over her whole form. Her eyes shone out as brightly as the stars in heaven， and her cheeks bloomedbloom v.(使)开花， (使)繁盛 a soft red like appleblossom. But the fair maiden was sad. She sat down and wept bitterly. One tear after another forced itself out of her eyes， and rolled through her long hair to the ground.
姑娘起身出去了。她到底去哪儿了。穿过草地后她继续朝前走，一直走进山谷，最后她来到了三棵古老橡树旁的井边。这时又大又圆的月亮爬上山顶，发出明亮的光，仿佛针掉在地上也能找到。她取下脸面上的皮，把头埋向井边洗起脸来。洗完后，她把那张皮浸到水里，然后再平铺在草地上。这样，在月光的照射下，皮又将变白变干净起来。可现在姑娘成了什么样子啊！你们一辈子也不会见过！她花白的假辫子掉下来了，一头金发像太阳光一样撒开，仿佛一层金色撒满了她整个身体。两只眼睛像夜空中的星星一样晶莹闪烁，娇嫩红艳的双颊仿佛盛开的苹果花。
There she sat， and would have remained sitting a long time， if there had not been a rustling and cracking in the boughs of the neighboring tree. She sprang up like a roe which has been overtaken by the shot of the hunter. Just then the moon was obscuredobscure vt.使暗， 使不明显 by a dark cloud， and in an instant the maiden had put on the old skin and vanished， like a light blown out by the wind.
可是美丽的少女十分忧伤。她坐到地上，伤心地哭起来，泪珠一滴一滴流下来，从长发间落到地上。她就这样坐在那儿。要不是附近的树枝间发出了沙沙的声音，她还会坐很久，她像听见猎人捕捉的号子似的一跳而起。这时月亮刚巧被一团黑云遮住，转瞬间，姑娘又已套上苍老的面皮，她像一盏被风刮灭的灯似的遽然消失。