放生故事之四：甕中的鰻魚

　　EELS IN THE URN

　　中國明朝萬歷年間(1573-1620年)，1620年也是清教徒抵達美國麻薩諸塞州的那一年。當(dāng)時，中國有個美麗的城市叫杭州，城里住著一個姓余的富賈。馬可波羅曾稱杭州為Kinsai(編者按：意為“天堂之城”)，并且稱贊它是世界上最壯觀、最美麗的城市，宛如人間天堂。

　　The Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty in China lasted from 1573 to 1620, the same year the Pilgrims reached Massachusetts in America. At that time, in the beautiful Chinese city of Hangchou, the city Marco Polo called Kinsai and praised as the grandest, most beautiful city on earth, as splendid as paradise, lived a very rich man named Yu.

　　余先生樂于行善，從不殺生。

　　Mr. Yu enjoyed doing good deeds. He never killed anything.

　　在這個故事發(fā)生時，余先生的一戶鄰居被搶劫一空。余先生慷慨解囊，助其重立門戶。鄰人之妻深感其德。

　　At the time of our story, a family in his neighborhood had been robbed of almost everything they had. Mr. Yu generously donated money to help his neighbors get back on their feet. His neighbor's wife was deeply touched by his kindness.

　　有一天，鄰人妻剛好獲到了十條鰻魚，于是將其送至余家，孝敬余先生的年邁老母。盡管對大多數(shù)中國人來說，鰻魚是難得的佳肴。但是余家從未殺生，余家的仆人們就把這些鰻魚放到一個大甕里，準備哪天把它們放掉。由于這種或那種原因，所有人都把甕里的鰻魚忘掉了。

　　One day she happened to get ten eels, so she sent them over to Mr. Yu's house so he could cook them for his aged mother. Even though eels are a great delicacy for most Chinese, the Yus never killed anything, so their servants put the eels into a big pottery urn and prepared to let them go someday. What with one thing and another, everybody forgot all about the eels in the urn.

　　不久后，余的老母親夢到了十個人走到她的房間里，并跪在她的床前。他們穿著奇特!人人著褐衣尖帽。他們說，“求求您發(fā)慈悲救救我們吧。”然后就走了。

　　Some time later, Mr. Yu's aged mother dreamed that a group of ten people came into her room and knelt down before her bed. How strangely they were dressed! Every one had on tan clothes and a pointed cap. They said, "We beg your mercy! Please save our lives!" Then they left.

　　余老夫人醒過來，難解這個奇怪的夢。她不知道應(yīng)救誰的命，茫然不知所措。但她是一個明智的老人，就決定去問問算命先生。

　　Old Mrs. Yu woke up. She was confused by this weird dream. She didn't know how she was supposed to save anybody's life. She just didn't know what to do so, being a sensible old lady, she went to ask her fortune teller to advise her.

　　算命先生卜了一卦，察看了日期，并看了她的手相，說道：“貴人勿憂。此乃吉夢，非不祥之夢。有生靈期您相救。不在遠程，就在貴舍。”

　　Her fortune teller cast his sticks and examined the date and looked at her palm and said, "Do not worry your august head. This is a lucky dream, not an un-lucky dream. These are living creatures which want you to save their lives. You need not look too far. They are right in your own honorable house."

　　余老夫人急忙趕回家，翻箱倒柜地找待救之物。最后一個仆人想起了甕里的鰻魚。他們明白了，原來夢里的十個人實際上就是那十條鰻魚。

　　She hurried home and turned everything topsy-turvy to find the lives to save. Finally one of the servants remembered the eels in the urn. They realized there were ten eels, just as there were ten people in the dream.

　　余老夫人聽了以后說，“我們差點害了十條性命!”然后立刻把十條鰻魚帶到湖邊放了。

　　When Mrs. Yu heard about this, she said, "We almost took ten lives by accident!'' Right away, she had the eels taken to the lake and released.

　　以后，這些鰻魚們快樂地生活著，余家也越來越富有。