第38章 天堂花園 The Garden of Paradise(第1/27 頁)

《天堂花園》，1838 年

the Garden of paradise, 1838

從前有一個王子，他擁有比世界上任何人都多且更漂亮的藏書，裡面滿是精美的銅版雕刻。

there was once a king’s son who had a larger and more beautiful collection of books than any one else in the world, and full of splendid copper-plate engravings.

他能閱讀並瞭解關於每一個國家的每一個民族的資訊；但他找不到一個字來解釋天堂花園的位置，而這正是他最想知道的。

he could read and obtain information respecting every people of every land; but not a word could he find to explain the situation of the garden of paradise, and this was just what he most wished to know.

當他還是個小男孩的時候，剛到上學的年紀，他的祖母就告訴他，天堂花園裡的每一朵花都是一塊甜蛋糕，花蕊裡滿是美酒，一朵花上寫著歷史，另一朵上是地理或算術表；所以那些想學習功課的人只需吃一些蛋糕，他們吃得越多，就知道越多的歷史、地理或算術知識。

his grandmother had told him when he was quite a little boy, just old enough to go to school, that each flower in the garden of paradise was a sweet cake, that the pistils were full of rich wine, that on one flower history was written, on another geography or tables; so those who wished to learn their lessons had only to eat some of the cakes, and the more they ate, the more history, geography, or tables they knew.

那時他相信了這一切；但隨著他長大，學到的東西越來越多，他變得足夠聰明，明白天堂花園的輝煌一定與這一切大不相同。

he believed it all then; but as he grew older, and learnt more and more, he became wise enough to understand that the splendor of the garden of paradise must be very different to all this.

“哦，為什麼夏娃要從知識之樹上摘下果實呢？為什麼亞當要吃禁果呢？” 王子想：“如果我在那裡，這一切就不會發生，世界上也就不會有罪惡了。”

“oh, why did Eve pluck the fruit from the tree of knowledge?