汉塞尔与格莱特（初级中级水平）

两个小孩被父母遗弃在森林里，最终发现了一座用糖果做成的女巫小屋。

Two children are left in the forest by their parents and end up finding a witch's house made of sweets.

你知道这个故事。

You know the story.

但如果女巫是中国人呢？

But what if the witch was Chinese?

那一切都会变得不同。

That would change everything.

继续收听以学习英语。

Keep listening to learn English.

大家好，我亲爱的学习者，欢迎收听《轻松学英语故事》，这个播客将让你的英语从一般变好，从好变优秀。

Hello, my lovely learners, and welcome to easy stories in English, the podcast that will take your English from okay to good and from good to great.

我是艾瑞尔·古德博迪，本期节目的主持人。

I am Ariel Goodbody, your host for this show.

今天的中级故事叫做《汉塞尔与格莱特》。

Today's pre intermediate story is called Hansel and Gretel.

一如既往，文字记录和PDF版本可在easystoriesinenglish.com获取，描述区也附有链接。

As always, the transcript and PDF are available at easystoriesinenglish.com, and you can find the link in the description.

《汉赛尔与格莱特》确实是个非常经典的童话故事。

So Hansel and Gretel is a really classic fairy tale.

至少在欧洲，这是父母在孩子幼时最先讲述的故事之一。

At least in Europe, it is one of the first stories that your parents tell you when you're a child.

但在这里似乎不太流行，所以这个版本的故事其实是基于我在中国给学生布置的作业改编的。

It doesn't seem to be so popular over here, so this version of the story is actually based on some homework I made for my students here in China.

当时给学生的版本要简单得多，并且分成了几个部分，但本质上，我是想让他们了解这个经典故事，只是加入了些中国元素。

The version I gave them was much simpler and broken into multiple parts, but essentially, I wanted to give them the classic story of Hansel and Gretel with a little Chinese twist.

然而，通过询问我发现他们中很多人并不熟悉原版故事，所以就有了现在这个版本。

However, I discovered upon asking them that many of them were not familiar with the original story, so there you go.

我猜可能是因为还没有迪士尼改编版的缘故吧。

I guess it's probably because there hasn't been a Disney version of it.

在原版故事中，这两个孩子家境贫寒，父母决定将他们遗弃在森林里。

So in the classic version of the story, these two children have very poor parents, and their parents decide to abandon them in the woods.

这种情况发生了三次。

Three times it happens.

第一次，他们通过跟随石头或绳子留下的痕迹回家，或者他们会在地上丢些东西来引路。

The first time, they get back by following a trail of rocks or string or, you know, they drop something on the ground to lead them home.

第二次，他们做了同样的事情。

The second time, they do the same thing.

但第三次，他们用了面包屑，这一点我稍后会讲到。

But the third time, they use breadcrumbs, which I'll talk about later.

或者你知道吗？

Or you know what?

让我现在讲讲，这样你就明白我在说什么了。

Let me talk about it now so you know what I'm talking about.

这样会很有帮助。

That would be useful.

所以，crumb，c r u m b，是指一小片面包、蛋糕或饼干。

So a crumb, c r u m b, is a small piece of bread, cake, or biscuit.

当你吃面包时，面包屑会掉落在盘子上。

When you eat breads, little bits of the bread break off and fall on your plate.

这些就是面包屑。

These are crumbs.

面包屑常用于烹饪中。

Breadcrumbs are often used in cooking.

比如，你可以把肉蘸上蛋液，裹上面包屑，然后油炸。

For example, you might dip a piece of meat in egg, then coat it in breadcrumbs, and then deep fry it.

美味极了。

Delicious.

总之，第三次汉塞尔和格莱特的父母试图把他们留在森林时，他们用面包屑指路回家，但失败了，因为鸟儿吃光了所有面包屑。

So anyway, the third time Hansel and Gretel's parents try to leave them in the forest, they use bread crumbs to get back, but it doesn't work because birds eat all the breadcrumbs.

哦，糟糕。

Oh, no.

然后他们发现了一座用甜点做的房子，有蛋糕、巧克力和糖果。

And then they go and find a house that's made of sweets, like cake, chocolates, candy.

如果你是美国人，就说糖果。

If you're American, candy.

他们惊呼，天啊，一座糖果做的房子。

And they are like, oh my god, a house made of sweets.

我们还是孩子。

We are children.

我们最爱甜食了。

We love sweets.

于是他们走过去，开始吃那些糖果。

And they go, and they eat the sweets.

然后女巫说，哦，进来吧孩子们。

And then the witch says, oh, come inside, children.

但她把汉塞尔关进笼子养肥，准备吃掉他，当开炉门要烤汉塞尔时，格莱特把女巫推进炉子烧死了。

But then she puts Hansel in a cage, she traps him, and keeps giving him food so he gets fatter and fatter, and she plans on eating Hansel, but then when she opens the oven to put Hansel inside, Gretel pushes her in the oven and she dies.

这是童话的经典版本，但我的版本总有个转折，而且结局相当可怕。

That's the classic version of the fairy tale, but as always, my version has a little twist and it does have quite a horrible ending.

原版故事的结局是女巫在她自己的烤箱里被活活烧死。

Now the original story dies with a witch being burned alive in her own oven.

这相当可怕。

That's pretty gruesome.

这相当暴力。

That's pretty violent.

但我的版本有个更恐怖的结局。

But my version has an even more horrible ending.

所以也许要注意别让年幼的孩子听到。

So just maybe be careful about listening with young children.

我认为10岁以上的孩子应该没问题，但对于更小的孩子，或许最好不要听这集内容，或者你自己先听一遍确保适合你的孩子。

I think maybe any child from the age of 10 onwards will be okay, but I would say with younger children, maybe maybe don't listen to this episode, or maybe listen yourself first and make sure it's suitable for your child.

也许你喜欢给孩子讲非常暴力恐怖的故事。

Maybe you like telling your child really violent, gruesome stories.

我确信如果我是家长，我会一直给我的孩子讲恐怖故事。

I certainly know if I was a parent, I would tell my children horrible stories all the time.

我会让他们做很多噩梦。

I would give them so many nightmares.

这可能是个

It's probably a

幸好我不是父亲。

good thing I'm not a father.

好的。

Okay.

我先解释一下今天故事里的一些词汇。

I'll just explain some words that are in today's story.

樵夫就是以砍伐树木和劈柴为业的人。

A woodcutter is a person whose job it is to cut down trees and cut up wood.

如今，樵夫使用大型机器砍树，我们通常也用机器将木材切割成块。

These days, woodcutters use big machines to cut down trees, and we usually use machines to cut wood into pieces.

但在过去，樵夫会用斧头砍树，劈柴是份普通工作，因为人们需要在家中生火。

But in the past, woodcutters would use axes to cut down trees, and cutting up wood was a normal job because people made fires in their homes.

如果你有颗甜牙齿（嗜甜如命），说明你热爱甜食。

If you have a sweet tooth, you love sweet food.

如果你听这个播客有段时间了，就会毫不意外地发现我有颗甜牙齿。

If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, it will not surprise you to learn that I have a sweet tooth.

蛋糕、糖果、巧克力，我全都爱。

Cake, sweets, chocolate, I love it all.

有一种甜食你可能知道，叫做bonbon（夹心软糖）。

One type of sweet that you might know is a bonbon.

Bonbon其实泛指任何小而圆润的糖果。

Bonbon really just means any small, usually round, sweet or candy.

我小时候特别爱吃软糯的苹果味夹心糖。

I particularly liked soft chewy apple bonbons when I was a child.

在这个故事里，我提到两个嗜甜的人，当时不确定该用哪种复数形式。

Now in this story, I talk about two people having a sweet tooth and I wasn't sure what plural to use.

通常我们会说two teeth（两颗牙齿）。

Normally we say two teeth.

Tooth（牙齿）这个词有特殊的复数形式。

Tooth has an irregular plural.

但因为sweet tooth不是字面上的牙齿，而是比喻，也许可以用常规复数形式。

But because sweet tooth isn't a literal tooth, but a metaphor, maybe it can take a regular plural.

我不得不谷歌了一下，发现正确形式确实是sweet tooths，因为它指的不是真正的牙齿，而是人。

I had to Google this, and I found out that the correct form is in fact sweet tooths because it is not referring to literal teeth, but people.

就是这样。

So there you go.

即使对我这个母语者来说，有时也不太确定正确的英语用法。

Even for me as a native speaker, I sometimes am not quite sure what the correct English is.

Twig（小树枝）是指一小段木头。

A twig, t w I g, is a small piece of wood.

树木有长长的树枝，当树枝末端断裂时就变成了twig。

Trees have long branches, and when the end of a branch breaks, it becomes a twig.

你可以在森林的地面上找到小树枝。

You can find twigs on the ground in the forest.

当你abandon（抛弃）某物时，意味着你永远地离开了它。

When you abandon something, a b a n d o n, you leave it somewhere forever.

例如，如果你的车在荒郊野外抛锚了，你可能不得不弃车步行，直到找到帮助。

For example, if your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, you might have to abandon it and walk until you can find help.

或者你可能开始一个项目，感到无聊后就放弃了它。

Or you might start a project, get bored, and then abandon it.

有时父母会遗弃自己的孩子，孩子就会被别人收养。

Sometimes parents abandon their children, and the child is adopted by someone else.

quitter（半途而废者）就是指那些放弃、认输的人。

A quitter is someone who quits, who gives up.

通常我们会用这样的表达：别当个半途而废的人，或者我妈妈没把我养成懦夫，意思是说：我不会放弃。

Usually, we use this in the expression, don't be a quitter, or my mother didn't raise a quitter, which you say to mean, I'm not going to give up.

我会继续努力。

I'm going to keep trying.

当然，也有些东西是应该戒掉的，比如香烟或毒品。

Of course, there are also things that are good to quit, like cigarettes or drugs.

当你信任某人，但他们做出伤害你的事，那就是背叛了你。

When you trust someone, but they do something to hurt you, then they have betrayed you.

例如，如果你告诉朋友一个秘密，然后他们把这个秘密告诉你的敌人，他们就是背叛了你。

For example, if you tell your friend a secret, and then they tell that secret to your enemy, they have betrayed you.

如果你在军队作战时，朋友从背后向你开枪，他就是在背叛你。

If you are fighting in the army and your friend shoots you in the back, he is betraying you.

名词形式是背叛（bèi pàn），拼写为b e t r a y a l。

The noun form is betrayal, b e t r a y a l.

我们可以更广泛地讨论背叛行为。

We can talk about betrayal more generally.

比如当我在商店看到糖果买一送一的优惠时，我拿了两袋。

For example, when I saw a buy one get one free offer on bags of bonbons at the shop, I got two bags.

但当我付款时，他们却说优惠活动已经结束了。

But when I went to pay, they said the offer wasn't on anymore.

真是背信弃义。

What a betrayal.

你现在可能已经知道了，女巫是指会施展魔法的邪恶女性。

You probably know this one by now, but a witch is an evil woman who does magic.

女巫们养黑猫当宠物，戴着大黑帽子，骑着扫帚飞行。

Witches go They have black cats as pets, they wear big black hats and they fly on broomsticks.

Belly是stomach的非正式说法。

Belly is an informal word for stomach.

我们在谈论身体外部时经常使用这个词。

We use it a lot when talking about the outside of the body.

比如，如果有人喝了很多啤酒，可能会长出啤酒肚，就是那种又大又圆的肚子。

For example, if someone drinks a lot of beer they might get a beer belly, a big round belly.

如果你张开双臂跳进游泳池，这叫做肚皮拍水，因为你的腹部会先接触水面，通常会非常疼。

If you jump into a swimming pool with your arms stretched out it's called a belly flop because your belly hits the water first and it usually hurts a lot.

Bar是指细长的木头或金属条。

A bar is a long thin piece of wood or metal.

在监狱里，犯人会被关在铁栏杆后面。

In prisons, prisoners go behind bars.

他们坐在牢房里，其中一面墙由一排金属栏杆构成。

They sit in cells where one of the walls is a series of metal bars.

监狱的铁栏杆。

Prison bars.

在许多著名电影中，人们会想办法弯曲或折断监狱的铁栏杆来逃出去。

In many famous films, people find ways to bend or break the prison bars to get out.

好的。

Okay.

那么请聆听并享受吧。

So listen and enjoy.

汉塞尔和格莱特。

Hansel and Gretel.

从前，有个叫汉塞尔的小男孩和叫格莱特的小女孩。

Once upon a time, there was a young boy called Hansel and a young girl called Gretel.

汉塞尔和格莱特与父母住在森林边的一个小村庄里。

Hansel and Gretel lived in a small village by the woods with their parents.

他们的母亲是学校老师，父亲是伐木工。

Their mother was a school teacher and their father was a woodcutter.

村里人人都喜欢他们，但村子一年比一年小。

Everyone in the village loved them, but every year, the village got smaller.

很多人都搬走了。

Many people moved away.

他们搬去了城镇和大城市。

They moved to towns and big cities.

于是汉塞尔和格莱特的父母工作越来越少，钱也越来越少。

So Hansel and Gretel's parents had less and less work and less and less money.

最终，村子里只剩下寥寥几人，这个小家庭的生活变得非常艰难。

Eventually, there was only a handful of people left in the village and things got miserable for the small family.

晚餐时，他们常常只有干面包可吃。

At dinner, they often had nothing but dry bread to eat.

即便如此，汉塞尔和格莱特也从不哭泣或抱怨。

When this happened, Hansel and Gretel never cried or complained.

他们是善良聪明的孩子，总是听从父母的话

They were good, clever children, and they always did what their parents told

他们。

them.

但有一件事能让他们变成小怪物，那就是糖果。

But there was one thing that could turn them into little monsters, Sweets.

他们对甜食的痴迷程度远超常人。

They had sweet tooths bigger than their heads.

或者说甜牙齿？

Or is it sweet teeth?

如果让他们在一顿三道菜的大餐和一颗糖果之间选择，他们每次都会选糖果。

And if they had the choice between a three course meal and a single bonbon, they would pick the bonbon every time.

每周六，汉塞尔和格莱特都会问：'爸爸妈妈，今天我们能吃点糖果吗？'

Every Saturday, Hansel and Gretel would ask, mom, dad, can we have some sweets today?

过去家里有钱的时候，他们每周六都会进城买回大包大包的糖果。

In the past, when the family had had money, they went into town every Saturday and bought big heavy bags of sweets.

孩子们会花上几个小时，坐在花园的树下吃糖果。

The children would spend hours eating the sweets, sitting under the tree in the garden.

有一段时间，他们没有钱去买糖果，但他们的母亲至少还能在家做蛋糕，或在面包上撒些糖粒。

For a while, they didn't have the money to go and buy sweets, but their mother could at least make cakes at home or put bits of sugar on their bread.

但现在他们连买糖果或糖的钱都没有了，孩子们每个周六都在抱怨。

But now they had no money for sweets or sugar, and the children spent every Saturday complaining instead.

一天晚上，汉塞尔饿得睡不着觉。

One night, Hansel was so hungry, he couldn't sleep.

他半夜起来找吃的，听到父母隔着卧室门在说话。

He got up in the night to look for food, and he heard his parents talking through their bedroom door.

他母亲说：'我早就告诉过我们应该离开这个村子很久了。

I told you we should have left this village a long time ago, said his mother.

我不会去和你家人住在一起。

I won't go and stay with your family.

这太丢人了。

It's embarrassing.

要么选我，要么选孩子们。

It's me or the children.

你怎么能这么说？

But how can you say that?

汉赛尔的父亲说道。

Said Hansel's father.

他们是我们的孩子。

They're our children.

我从来就不想要他们。

I never wanted them.

你说过我们在这个村子会过上好日子的。

You said we would have a good life in this village.

看看我们现在。

Look at us now.

我听说其他人也做过同样的事。

I've heard of other people doing the same thing.

如果我们幸运的话，他们会被女巫吃掉，没人会问任何问题。

If we're lucky, they'll be eaten by a witch, and nobody will ask any questions.

第二天早上，汉塞尔和格蕾特的父母告诉他们要去森林里采集坚果和浆果。

The next morning, Hansel and Gretel's parents told them they were going into the woods to look for nuts and berries.

但汉塞尔知道他们的计划是什么。

But Hansel knew what their plan was.

夜里，他收集了一些小树枝，随着他们越来越深入森林，他沿途撒下了这些树枝。

In the night, he had collected twigs, and as they went deeper and deeper into the forest, he dropped the twigs along the path.

最后，他们的母亲说：'孩子们，我们只是去取些水。'

Finally, their mother said, we are just going to get some water children.

'我们很快就回来。'

We will be right back.

他们的父母把他们留在了森林里。

Their parents left them in the forest.

汉塞尔和格蕾特玩耍着，吃着他们找到的坚果和浆果。

Hansel and Gretel played and ate the nuts and berries they had found.

五分钟过去了。

Five minutes passed.

十分钟过去了。

Ten minutes passed.

然后是十五分钟。

Then fifteen.

他们什么时候回来？

When are they coming back?

格蕾特说。

Said Gretel.

汉塞尔叹了口气。

Hansel sighed.

我昨晚想告诉你这件事，但你睡得很熟。

I wanted to tell you about this last night, but you were sound asleep.

汉塞尔向格蕾特解释了父母打算把他们遗弃在森林里的计划，以及他如何收集并沿途撒下树枝。

Hansel explained their parents' plan to abandon them in the forest, and how he had collected and dropped the twigs.

来吧，他说。

Come on, he said.

他们跟着树枝走，走了很久之后，终于回到了家。

They followed the twigs, and after walking for a long time, they came home.

他们的父亲正在外面砍柴，看到他们时显得非常惊讶。

Their father was outside cutting wood, and he looked very surprised to see them.

哦，你们回来了，他说。

Oh, you're back, he said.

太好了。

How wonderful.

我们迷路了，你明白吗？

We got lost, You see?

我们正打算去找你们呢。

We were going to go and look for you.

汉塞尔和格莱特笑了起来，问午餐什么时候准备好。

Hansel and Gretel laughed and asked when lunch was.

他们以为这就是事情的结局了。

They thought that this was the end of things.

当然，所有父母有时都会试图抛弃自己的孩子。

Surely all parents try to abandon their children sometimes.

毕竟，他们之前也尝试过离家出走，结果同样不成功。

After all, they had tried running away from home before, and that was just as unsuccessful.

但那天晚上，当格莱特起床上厕所时，她无意中听到父母的谈话。

But that night, when Gretel got up to go to the toilet, she overheard their parents talking.

‘我们再试一次，’他们的母亲说。

We'll try again, said their mother.

‘他们只是运气好才逃出来的。’

They just got out by good luck.

‘这次我们要深入森林最深处。’

We'll go really deep into the forest this time.

‘好的，亲爱的。’

Yes, dear.

于是格蕾特去收集石头，把口袋装得满满的。

So Gretel went and collected rocks and filled her pockets with them.

第二天早上，父母带他们进入森林，和前一天一样，格蕾特沿路撒下石头。

The next morning, their parents took them into the woods, and just like the day before, Gretel dropped rocks along the path.

汉塞尔担心父母会发现她的举动，于是不断向父母提问，每个回答后都追问一句：为什么？

Hansel was worried that their parents might see her, so he asked his parents lots of questions, following each answer with, why?

为什么？

Why?

为什么？

Why?

又一次，他们的父母抛弃了他们，说他们现在是大孩子了，可以自己去找坚果和浆果。

Again, their parents abandoned them, saying they were big children now and could look for nuts and berries by themselves.

汉塞尔和格莱特等了一会儿，然后跟着石头回到了家。

Hansel and Gretel waited for a while and then followed the rocks back home.

这次他们发现门锁上了，不得不敲了很久，他们的母亲才开门。

This time they found the door locked, and they had to bang on it for a long time before their mother opened it.

你们真是聪明的孩子，她冷冷地说道。

You are such intelligent children, she said coldly.

那晚的晚餐很安静。

Dinner was quiet that night.

他们只有干面包可吃。

They only had dry bread to eat.

格蕾特没吃她的那份。

Gretel didn't eat hers.

她害怕极了。

She was far too scared.

她感觉有不好的事情要发生。

She felt that something bad was going to happen.

于是她把面包藏在口袋里，留到早上吃。

So she hid the bread in her pocket, saving it for the morning.

幸好她这么做了，因为他们的母亲整晚都守着不让他们出门，第二天早上他们在房子附近什么树枝都找不到。

It was just as well, because their mother kept watch during the night to make sure they didn't go outside, and the next morning they found no twigs, or anything near the house.

他们的母亲比他们先起床，把一切都收拾干净了。

Their mother had got up before them and cleared everything away.

我们该怎么办，格莱特？

What are we going to do, Gretel?

汉赛尔说。

Said Hansel.

别担心，汉赛尔，格莱特说。

Don't worry, Hansel, said Gretel.

我还有昨晚的面包。

I have my bread from last night.

我们可以撒面包屑代替树枝和石头。

We can drop bread crumbs instead of twigs and rocks.

它们虽然小，但会管用的。

They're smaller, but it will work.

于是当他们沿着小路走时，格莱特从口袋里掏出面包屑撒在路上。

So as they walked along the path, Gretel pulled breadcrumbs out of her pocket and dropped them.

他们的母亲仔细地观察着他们，但面包屑太小了，她没注意到。

Their mother was watching them carefully, but the breadcrumbs were too small for her to notice.

这次他们走了好几个小时，直到树木变得密集，难以行进。

This time they walked for hours until the trees stood close together and it was hard to move.

而他们仍在继续前行。

And still they walked more.

终于，他们的父亲说道：

Finally, their father said,

孩子们，去那边看看，

go and look over there, children,

然后再次抛弃了他们。

and abandoned them again.

汉赛尔和格莱特没有久等。

Hansel and Gretel didn't wait long.

他们不想待在这片可怕的森林里。

They didn't want to be in this scary forest.

但当他们试图沿着面包屑走时，发现面包屑都不见了。

But when they tried following the breadcrumbs, they found that the bread crumbs were gone.

我确定我在这里丢了一颗面包屑，格莱特说。

I'm sure I dropped one here, said Gretel.

他们走了一会儿，然后看到一只鸟正在啄食面包屑。

They walked for a while, and then saw a bird eating some of the bread crumbs.

嘘。

Shoo.

嘘。

Shoo.

汉塞尔说道。

Said Hansel.

哦不，格莱特。

Oh, no, Gretel.

这就是我们找不到面包屑的原因。

That's why we can't find the breadcrumbs.

鸟儿已经把面包屑全吃光了。

The birds have eaten them all.

事情就是这样。

So that was that.

他们被父母遗弃了，而且

They had been abandoned by their parents, and

他们真的在森林里迷路了。

they were truly lost in the woods.

但是

But

汉塞尔和格莱特不是轻言放弃的人，他们也不软弱。

Hansel and Gretel were not quitters, and they were not weak.

也许有一位当学校老师的母亲教会了他们不要轻言放弃。

Perhaps having a mother who was a school teacher taught them not to be quitters.

她总是对学生说，不要轻言放弃。

She always said to her students, don't be a quitter.

有一位做伐木工的父亲教会了他们坚强，因为他们经常帮他砍伐木材。

And having a father who was a woodcutter taught them to be strong as they often helped him cut wood.

所以尽管父母抛弃了他们，却也教会了他们如何坚持前行。

So although their parents had abandoned them, they had also taught them how to keep going.

汉塞尔和格莱特在森林里走了一会儿，然后汉塞尔说，看，格莱特，那边有烟冒出来。

Hansel and Gretel walked for a while in the woods, and then Hansel said, look, Gretel, there is smoke coming from over there.

确实如此。

It was true.

远处某个地方正冒着烟。

There was smoke coming from somewhere in the distance.

有烟的地方就有火。

And where there is smoke, there is fire.

于是孩子们循着烟的方向走去。

So the children followed the smoke.

走着走着，感觉时间仿佛永远停滞了。

As they walked, it felt like time went on forever.

尽管太阳仍高悬天空，他们却仿佛已行走了数年之久。

They could have been walking for years, although the sun stayed high in the sky.

那片森林透着某种奇异的、近乎魔法的气息。

There was something strange about that forest, something magical.

随着前行，空气变得不同——更温暖、更潮湿。

The air felt different as they walked warmer, more humid.

终于，他们

Finally, they

找到了烟气的来源。

found where the smoke was coming from.

那是间小屋子。

It was a small house.

但这绝非寻常的房屋。

This was no ordinary house, however.

整栋房子竟是用蛋糕砌成的。

It was a house made of cake.

这座房子有着松软的棕色蛋糕墙壁，烟是从里面的烤箱冒出来的。

It had soft brown caky walls, and the smoke was coming from an oven inside.

也许有人在烤更多的蛋糕，或者有人在建造更多的房子。

Maybe someone was baking more cake, or maybe someone was baking more house.

无论如何，孩子们实在太饿了，想都没想就行动了。

Either way, the children were so hungry that they didn't think twice.

他们跑向房子，一口咬了上去。

They ran to the house and stuck their teeth into it.

但他们很快发现，这蛋糕一点也不甜。

But as they soon discovered, it wasn't sweet at all.

这蛋糕真奇怪，格莱特说道。

This cake is strange, said Gretel.

它不甜。

It's not sweet.

我知道，汉塞尔回答。

I know, said Hansel.

每一口，我都希望会更甜，但并没有。

Every bite, I hope it'll be sweeter, but it's not.

通常，他们不会抱怨。

Normally, they would not complain.

毕竟，当你饿极了的时候，食物就是食物。

After all, food is food when you're starving.

但对嗜甜的人来说，看到看似甜美实则不然的东西，这种背叛感比被父母遗弃更甚——至少对汉塞尔和格莱特而言是如此。

But for someone with a sweet tooth, to see something that looks sweet, but is in fact not, is a greater betrayal than being abandoned by your mother and father, or at least for Hansel and Gretel it was.

格莱特尖叫起来。

Gretel screamed.

汉塞尔转过身，看见一个老妇人站在房子门口。

Hansel turned around and saw an old woman standing at the door of the house.

她穿着破旧的衣服，长着一张丑陋肮脏的脸。

She had old worn clothes and an ugly dirty face.

“是个女巫！”格莱特喊道。

It's a witch, cried Gretel.

毕竟，独自住在森林里的丑陋老妇人总是女巫。

Ugly old women who lived alone in the woods were always witches after all.

她在说某种女巫语言，汉赛尔说道，然后两个孩子跑开了。

She's speaking some kind of witch language, said Hansel, and the two children ran away.

但孩子们已经跑远了。

But the children were already far away.

这也太遗憾了。

It was a shame too.

老妇人并不是女巫，而是

The old woman was not a witch, but

一个孤独的老妇人，她

a lonely old woman who

本会很喜欢有孩子的。

would have loved to have children.

她说的女巫语言其实是中文，这也是为什么蛋糕屋不够甜。

The witch language she was speaking was in fact Chinese, and that was the same reason the cake house was not sweet enough.

正宗的中式烹饪讲究甜而不腻，而这位老妇人正是喜欢传统做法。

In good traditional Chinese cooking, sweets should not be too sweet, and the old woman liked cooking the traditional way.

要是孩子们进来，她本可以给他们那么多美味佳肴。

If the children had come inside, she could have given them so much delicious food.

汉赛尔和格莱特一路狂奔直到森林边缘。

Hansel and Gretel ran until they reached the edge of the forest.

幸运的是，他们远远望见了一座城市。

And to their luck, they could see in the distance a city.

而且不是别的城市，正是无锡。

And not just any city, but the city of Wuxi.

森林里发生了神奇的事情，孩子们不知怎地来到了中国。

Something magical had happened in the forest, and somehow the children had arrived in China.

他们看到了无锡城，想到了食物和睡觉的地方。

They saw the city of Wuxi and thought of food and somewhere to sleep.

在路上，他们与行人擦肩而过

On the road, they walked past people carrying things into the city to sell.

在潮湿的空气中，他们闻到了糖的味道。

In the humid air, they smelled sugar.

但当他们试图与路人交谈时，发现大家都说着和老妇人一样的奇怪语言。

But when they tried to talk to the people, they all spoke the same strange language as the old woman.

如果汉塞尔和格莱特会说中文并询问这座城市，或许会有人这样回答。

If Hansel and Gretel had spoken Chinese and asked about the city, perhaps someone would have said this.

哦，无锡城啊。

Oh, the city of Wuxi.

我们这里以糖闻名。

Our city is famous for sugar.

唇齿留糖香，腹中皆蜜糖。

Sugar on our lips, sugar on our tongues, sugar in our bellies.

对无锡人而言，一堆糖就是一堆珍宝。

To a man from WuXi, a pile of sugar is a pile of gems.

我们在面条里加糖，在鱼肉上撒糖。

We put sugar in our noodles, on our meat, on our fish.

冬天飘落的是糖霜，秋天降下的是糖雨。

In the winter it snows sugar, and in the autumn it rains sugar.

在无锡，当你擦地板时，抹布上沾的不是灰尘而是糖粒。

In Wuxi, when you clean the floor, you find not dust but sugar on your cloth.

没错。

Yes.

对于任何爱吃甜食的孩子来说，这都是完美的城市。

This is the perfect city for any child with a sweet tooth.

但孩子们无需久等就能亲身体验。

But the children didn't have to wait long to find out themselves.

当他们抵达城市后，只需循着糖香走进餐馆，然后用通用的肢体语言——指指点点来点餐。

When they reached the city, they simply followed the smell of sugar into a restaurant and then used the universal language of pointing at things to order food.

很快，一场盛宴就摆在了孩子们面前。

Soon a feast had arrived in front of the children.

如果说给嗜甜者看似甜美实则不然的食物是一种背叛，那么给他们看似普通实则甜美的食物就是最棒的惊喜。

And if giving food that looks sweet but isn't is a betrayal to someone with a sweet tooth, then giving them food that looks normal but is actually sweet is the most wonderful thing.

当孩子们吃到面条、鱼和牛肉时，发现它们像蛋糕、糖果和巧克力一样甜，他们欣喜若狂。

When the children ate their noodles, fish, and beef and found that they were as sweet as cake, sweets, and chocolate, they were thrilled.

"噢，我能吃一整天这个，"格莱特说。

Oh, I could eat this all day, said Gretel.

"我不知道我们在哪里，"汉塞尔说，"但我永远不想离开。"

I don't know where we are, said Hansel, but I never want to leave.

但当他们吃完饭，服务员拿来账单时，他们就不那么高兴了。

But when they finished their meal and the waiter brought over the bill, they were not so happy.

格莱特，

Gretel,

"我们怎么付钱呢？"

how are we going to pay for this?

"噢，我们只是穷孩子，"格莱特说。

Oh, we are just poor children, said Gretel.

"我们没有钱。

We have no money.

她翻开衣袋，向他们展示里面空空如也。

She opened her pockets and showed them that they were empty.

服务员看起来不太高兴，但还是离开了。

The waiter did not look happy, but he left.

太好了。

Great.

‘我们现在快跑吧，’汉赛尔说。

Now let's run, said Hansel.

但他们因为吃得太撑而行动迟缓，刚跑到街上没几米，就被两只大手抓住了。

But they were so heavy from all the food that they could not run fast, and they were only a few meters down the street when two large hands grabbed them.

还没等他们反应过来，一个壮汉就把他们拎起来带走了。

And before they knew what was happening, a big man had picked them up and carried them away.

那人把他们带到镇上的监狱，关进了铁栏杆后面的牢房。

He took them to the town prison and threw them inside, locking them behind bars.

等等。

Wait.

“你们不能把我们关进监狱，”格蕾特尔说道。

You can't put us in prison, said Gretel.

“我们还只是孩子。”

We're just kids.

但显然，那位中国警察听不懂，也根本不在乎。

But naturally, the Chinese policeman did not understand, and he certainly didn't care.

那天晚上，汉赛尔和格蕾特尔相拥而泣。

That night, Hansel and Gretel hugged each other and cried.

他们并不冷。

They were not cold.

那座城市炎热潮湿，但他们因摄入过多糖分感到不适，牙齿也疼了起来。

It was hot and humid in that city, but they felt sick from all the sugar, and their teeth hurt.

第二天醒来时他们饥肠辘辘，但幸运的是，监狱栏杆另一侧有位慈祥的老妇人正等着他们。

The next day, they woke up hungry, but fortunately, there was a kind old woman waiting on the other side of the prison bars.

与森林里遇到的女巫不同，这位妇人容貌美丽。

Unlike the witch they'd met in the forest, this woman was beautiful.

她身着红色丝绸衣裳，面容洁净，长发乌黑。

She had red silk clothes, a clean face, and long black hair.

她的笑容如同他们的母亲。

She smiled like their mother.

她从铁栏杆间递进一些米糕，孩子们毫不犹豫地吃了起来。

She passed some rice cakes through the prison bars, and the children didn't think twice before eating them.

他们多么幸运啊。

How lucky they were.

接下来的几周里，孩子们虽身陷囹圄，但那位慈祥的老妇人每天都会来送三次食物。

Over the next few weeks, the children stayed in prison, but the kind old woman came three times a day to give them food.

由于无法运动，孩子们日渐发福，但他们在那里过得很开心。

With no way of doing exercise, the children got fatter and fatter, but they were happy there.

食物很可口。

The food was good.

透过监狱的窗户，他们能看到外面升起的炊.

Through the window of the prison, they could see smoke outside.

可能是老妇人做饭时从炉子里冒出的烟。

Smoke from an oven, perhaps, where the old woman was cooking.

我们明天就逃走，他们总是这么说。

We'll escape tomorrow, they would say.

第二天，老妇人做的食物实在太美味，他们很快就忘了逃跑这回事。

The next day, the old woman's food was so good that they quickly forgot about escaping.

他们的母亲教育他们不要轻言放弃，但有一件事他们永远戒不掉，那就是糖。

Their mother had raised them to not be quitters, but there was one thing they would never quit, sugar.

嗯，你大概能猜到故事的结局。

Well, you probably know how this story ends.

这并不美好。

It isn't pretty.

女巫就是女巫，无论美丑，无论来自欧洲还是中国。

A witch is a witch, whether beautiful or ugly, European or Chinese.

在某一天，监狱外的烟雾突然变得两倍大，最终监狱里空无一人。

On one particular day, the smoke outside the prison grew twice as big, and the prison finally became empty.