第25章 飛箱 The Flying Trunk(第2/13 頁)

the trivial chitchat of the domestic objects, orchestrating their conversations to reveal their shallow, narrow-minded views.

然而，他也把他的主人公送到異國他鄉，並樂於對那裡的居民進行怪誕的漫畫式描寫。

Yet he also sends his hero into exotic lands and delights in grotesque caricatures of its inhabitants.

就像中國皇帝會打臣民的肚子一樣，土耳其人也以刻板的形象出現，穿著長袍和拖鞋，當他們看到令人驚訝的事情時，會把拖鞋扔到耳朵邊。

Just as chinese Emperors punch their subjects in the stomach, the turks are presented in stereotypical terms, wearing gowns and slippers and tossing their slippers up to their ears when they witness something astonishing.

最後，商人的兒子選擇周遊世界，不在任何地方定居。

In the end, the merchant’s son elects to travel around the world, settling down nowhere.

流浪的生活似乎最適合他，因為他從商業世界，然後是魔法世界，轉向了講故事的世界。

A nomadic existence seems to suit him best, as he turns from the world of merce, then magic, to storytelling.

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從前有一個商人，非常富有，他本可以用金子鋪滿整條街，甚至還能剩下足夠鋪一條小巷的金子。

there was once a merchant who was so rich that he could have paved the whole street with gold, and would even then have had enough for a small alley.

但他沒有這樣做；他比任何人都更清楚金錢的價值，不會以這種方式使用它。

but he did not do so; he knew the value of money better than to use it in this way.

他非常聰明，他花出去的每一個先令都能給他帶來一個克朗；他就這樣繼續下去，直到去世。

So clever was he, that every shilling he put out brought him a crown; and so he continued till he died.

他的兒子繼承了他的財富，過著快樂的生活；他每晚都去參加化裝舞會，用五英鎊的鈔票做風箏，把金子而不是石頭扔進海里打水漂。

his son inherited his wealth, and he liv