The eelbreeder was a witty fellow，a merry guest，and brought a measure of brandy with him. They all received a small glassful or a cupful if there were not enough glasses，even Jurgen had about a thimblefulthimbleful n.（酒等的）极少量，that he might digest the fat eel，as the eelbreeder said，he always told one story over and over again，and if his hearers laughed he would immediately repeat it to them. Jurgen while still a boy，and also when he was older，used phrases from the eelbreeders story on various occasions，so it will be as well for us to listen to it. It runs thus.
这个养鳝鱼的人是一个滑稽的人物，一个愉快的客人。他总是带来一点儿烧酒。每个人可以喝到一杯——如果酒杯不够的话，可以喝到一茶杯。雨尔根年纪虽小，也能喝到一丁点儿，为的是要帮助消化那肥美的鳝鱼——这位养鳝鱼的人老是喜欢讲这套理论。当听的人笑起来的时候，他马上又对同样的听众再讲一次。——喜欢扯淡的人总是这样的！雨尔根长大了以后，以及成年时期，常常喜欢引用养鳝鱼人的故事的许多句子和说法。我们也不妨听听：“The eelseel n.鳗鲡，美洲鳗，蛇形鱼类，油滑的人 went into the bay，and the young ones begged leave to go a little farther out. ‘Dont go too far，’ said their mother，‘the ugly eelspearer might come and snap you all up.’ But they went too far，and of eight daughters only three came back to the mother，and these wept and said，‘We only went a little way out，and the ugly eelspearer came immediately and stabbedstab v.剌，刺伤，伤害（感情等）n.刺，中伤，伤痛 five of our sisters to death.’ ‘Theyll come back again.’ said the mother eel. ‘Oh，no，’ exclaimed the daughters，‘for he skinned them，cut them in two，and fried them.’ ‘Oh，theyll come back again，’ the mother eel persisted. ‘No，’ replied the daughters，‘for he ate them up.’ ‘Theyll come back again，’ repeated the mother eel. ‘But he drank brandy after them，’ said the daughters. ‘Ah，then theyll never come back，’ said the mother，and she burst out crying，‘its the brandy that buries the eels.’”
“湖里的鳝鱼走出家门。鳝鱼妈妈的女儿要求跑到离岸不远的地方去，所以妈妈对她们说：‘不要跑得太远！那个丑恶的叉鳝鱼的人可能来了，把你们统统都捉去！’但是她们走得太远。在八个女儿之中，只有三个回到鳝鱼妈妈身边来。她们哭诉着说：‘我们并没有离家门走多远，那个可恶的叉鳝鱼的人马上就来了，把我们的五个姐妹都刺死了！’……‘她们会回来的。’鳝鱼妈妈说。‘不会！’女儿们说，‘因为他剥了她们的皮，把她们切成两半，烤熟了。’……‘她们会回来的！’鳝鱼妈妈说。‘不会的，因为他把她们吃掉了！’……‘她们会回来的！’鳝鱼妈妈说。 ‘不过他吃了她们以后还喝了烧酒。’女儿们说。‘噢！噢！那么她们就永远不会回来了！’鳝鱼妈妈号叫一声，‘烧酒把她们埋葬了！’”
“And therefore，” said the eelbreeder in conclusion，“it is always the proper thing to drink brandy after eating eels.”
“因此吃了鳝鱼后喝几口烧酒总是对的！”养鳝鱼的人说。
This story was the tinsel thread，the most humoroushumorous adj.富幽默感的，滑稽的，诙谐的，异想天开的 recollection of Jurgens life. He also wanted to go a little way farther out and up the bay—that is to say，out into the world in a ship—but his mother said，like the eelbreeder，“There are so many bad people eel spearers！” He wished to go a little way past the sandhills，out into the dunes，and at last he did，four happy days，the brightest of his childhood，fell to his lot，and the whole beauty and splendour of Jutland，all the happiness and sunshine of his home，were concentrated in these. He went to a festival，but it was a burial feast.
这个故事是一根光辉的牵线，贯串着雨尔根整个的一生。他也想走出大门，“到海上去走一下”，这也就是说，乘船去看看世界。他的养母，像鳝鱼妈妈一样，曾经说过：“坏人可多啦——全是叉鳝鱼的人！”不过他总得离开沙丘到内地去走走，而他也就走了。四天愉快的日子——这要算是他儿时最快乐的几天——在他面前展开了；整个尤兰的美、内地的快乐和阳光，都要在这几天集中地表现出来；他要去参加一个宴会——虽然是一个出丧的宴会。
A rich relation of the fishermans family had died，the farm was situated far eastward in the country and a little towards the north. Jurgens foster parents went there，and he also went with them from the dunes，over heath and moor，where the Skjaerumaa takes its course through green meadows and contains many eels，mother eels live there with their daughters，who are caught and eaten up by wicked people. But do not men sometimes act quite as cruelly towards their own fellowmen？ Was not the knight Sir Bugge murdered by wicked people？ And though he was well spoken of，did he not also wish to kill the architect who built the castle for him，with its thick walls and tower，at the point where the Skjaerumaa falls into the bay？ Jurgen and his parents now stood there； the wall and the ramparts still remained，and red crumbling fragments lay scattered around.
一个富有的渔家亲戚去世了，这位亲戚住在内地，“向东，略微偏北”，正如俗话所说的。养父养母都要到那儿去，雨尔根也要跟着去。他们从沙丘走过荒地和沼泽地，来到绿色的草原。这儿流着斯加龙河——河里有许多鳝鱼、鳝鱼妈妈和那些被坏人捉去、砍成几段的女儿。不过人类对自己同胞的行为比这也好不了多少。那只古老的歌中所提到的骑士布格爵士不就是被坏人谋害了的吗？而他自己，虽然人们总说他好，不也是想杀掉那位为他建筑有厚墙和尖塔的堡寨的建筑师吗？雨尔根和他的养父养母现在就正站在这儿，斯加龙河也从这儿流到尼松湾里去。护堤墙现在还存留着，红色崩颓的碎砖散在四周。
Here it was that Sir Bugge，after the architect had left him，said to one of his men，“Go after him and say，‘Master，the tower shakes.’ If he turns round，kill him and take away the money I paid him，but if he does not turn round let him go in peace.” The man did as he was told； the architectarchitect n.建筑师 did not turn round，but called back “The tower does not shake in the least，but one day a man will come from the west in a blue cloak—he will cause it to shake！” And so indeed it happened a hundred years later，for the North Sea broke in and cast down the tower； but Predbjorn Gyldenstjerne，the man who then possessed the castle，built a new castle higher up at the end of the meadowmeadow n.草地，牧场，and that one is standing to this day，and is called NorreVosborg.
在这块地方，骑士布格在建筑师离去以后，对他的一个下人说：“快去追上他，对他说：‘师傅，那个塔儿有点歪。’如果他掉转头，你就把他杀掉，把我付给他的钱拿回来。不过，如果他不掉转头，那么就放他走吧。”这人服从了他的指示。那位建筑师回答说：“塔并不歪呀，不过有一天会有一个穿蓝大衣的人从西方来，他会叫这个塔倾斜！”100年以后，这样的事情果然发生了，西海打进来，塔就倒了。那时堡寨的主人叫做卜里边·古尔登斯卡纳。他在草原尽头的地方建立起一个更高的新堡寨。它现在仍然存在，叫做北佛斯堡。