關(guān)于皇帝的新裝故事英語(yǔ)作文(2)
關(guān)于皇帝的新裝故事英語(yǔ)作文版本3
Many many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so much of new clothes that he spent all his money in order to obtain them; his only ambition was to be always well dressed. He did not care for his soldiers, and the theatre did not amuse him; the only thing, in fact, he thought anything of was to drive out and show a new suit of clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the day; and as one would say of a king “He is in his cabinet,” so one could say of him, “The emperor is in his dressing-room.”
The great city where he resided was very gay; every day many strangers from all parts of the globe arrived. One day two swindlers came to this city; they made people believe that they were weavers, and declared they could manufacture the finest cloth to be imagined. Their colours and patterns, they said, were not only exceptionally beautiful, but the clothes made of their material possessed the wonderful quality of being invisible to any man who was unfit for his office or unpardonably stupid.
“That must be wonderful cloth,” thought the emperor. “If I were to be dressed in a suit made of this cloth I should be able to find out which men in my empire were unfit for their places, and I could distinguish the clever from the stupid. I must have this cloth woven for me without delay.” And he gave a large sum of money to the swindlers, in advance, that they should set to work without any loss of time. They set up two looms, and pretended to be very hard at work, but they did nothing whatever on the looms. They asked for the finest silk and the most precious gold-cloth; all they got they did away with, and worked at the empty looms till late at night.
“I should very much like to know how they are getting on with the cloth,” thought the emperor. But he felt rather uneasy when he remembered that he who was not fit for his office could not see it. Personally, he was of opinion that he had nothing to fear, yet he thought it advisable to send somebody else first to see how matters stood. Everybody in the town knew what a remarkable quality the stuff possessed, and all were anxious to see how bad or stupid their neighbours were.
“I shall send my honest old minister to the weavers,” thought the emperor. “He can judge best how the stuff looks, for he is intelligent, and nobody understands his office better than he.”
The good old minister went into the room where the swindlers sat before the empty looms. “Heaven preserve us!” he thought, and opened his eyes wide, “I cannot see anything at all,” but he did not say so. Both swindlers requested him to come near, and asked him if he did not admire the exquisite pattern and the beautiful colours, pointing to the empty looms. The poor old minister tried his very best, but he could see nothing, for there was nothing to be seen. “Oh dear,” he thought, “can I be so stupid? I should never have thought so, and nobody must know it! Is it possible that I am not fit for my office? No, no, I cannot say that I was unable to see the cloth.”
“Now, have you got nothing to say?” said one of the swindlers, while he pretended to be busily weaving.
“Oh, it is very pretty, exceedingly beautiful,” replied the old minister looking through his glasses. “What a beautiful pattern, what brilliant colours! I shall tell the emperor that I like the cloth very much.”
“We are pleased to hear that,” said the two weavers, and described to him the colours and explained the curious pattern. The old minister listened attentively, that he might relate to the emperor what they said; and so he did.
Now the swindlers asked for more money, silk and gold-cloth, which they required for weaving. They kept everything for themselves, and not a thread came near the loom, but they continued, as hitherto, to work at the empty looms.
Soon afterwards the emperor sent another honest courtier to the weavers to see how they were getting on, and if the cloth was nearly finished. Like the old minister, he looked and looked but could see nothing, as there was nothing to be seen.
“Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth?” asked the two swindlers, showing and explaining the magnificent pattern, which, however, did not exist.
“I am not stupid,” said the man. “It is therefore my good appointment for which I am not fit. It is very strange, but I must not let any one know it;” and he praised the cloth, which he did not see, and expressed his joy at the beautiful colours and the fine pattern. “It is very excellent,” he said to the emperor.
Everybody in the whole town talked about the precious cloth. At last the emperor wished to see it himself, while it was still on the loom. With a number of courtiers, including the two who had alr
eady been there, he went to the two clever swindlers, who now worked as hard as they could, but without using any thread.
“Is it not magnificent?” said the two old statesmen who had been there before. “Your Majesty must admire the colours and the pattern.” And then they pointed to the empty looms, for they imagined the others could see the cloth.
“What is this?” thought the emperor, “I do not see anything at all. That is terrible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit to be emperor? That would indeed be the most dreadful thing that could happen to me.”
“Really,” he said, turning to the weavers, “your cloth has our most gracious approval;” and nodding contentedly he looked at the empty loom, for he did not like to say that he saw nothing. All his attendants, who were with him, looked and looked, and although they could not see anything more than the others, they said, like the emperor, “It is very beautiful.” And all advised him to wear the new magnificent clothes at a great procession which was soon to take place. “It is magnificent, beautiful, excellent,” one heard them say; everybody seemed to be delighted, and the emperor appointed the two swindlers “Imperial Court weavers.”
The whole night previous to the day on which the procession was to take place, the swindlers pretended to work, and burned more than sixteen candles. People should see that they were busy to finish the emperor’s new suit. They pretended to take the cloth from the loom, and worked about in the air with big scissors, and sewed with needles without thread, and said at last: “The emperor’s new suit is ready now.”
The emperor and all his barons then came to the hall; the swindlers held their arms up as if they held something in their hands and said: “These are the trousers!” “This is the coat!” and “Here is the cloak!” and so on. “They are all as light as a cobweb, and one must feel as if one had nothing at all upon the body; but that is just the beauty of them.”
“Indeed!” said all the courtiers; but they could not see anything, for there was nothing to be seen.
“Does it please your Majesty now to graciously undress,” said the swindlers, “that we may assist your Majesty in putting on the new suit before the large looking-glass?”
The emperor undressed, and the swindlers pretended to put the new suit upon him, one piece after another; and the emperor looked at himself in the glass from every side.
“How well they look! How well they fit!” said all. “What a beautiful pattern! What fine colours! That is a magnificent suit of clothes!”
The master of the ceremonies announced that the bearers of the canopy, which was to be carried in the procession, were ready. 大
“I am ready,” said the emperor. “Does not my suit fit me marvellously?” Then he turned once more to the looking-glass, that people should think he admired his garments.
The chamberlains, who were to carry the train, stretched their hands to the ground as if they lifted up a train, and pretended to hold something in their hands; they did not like people to know that they could not see anything.
The emperor marched in the procession under the beautiful canopy, and all who saw him in the street and out of the windows exclaimed: “Indeed, the emperor’s new suit is incomparable! What a long train he has! How well it fits him!” Nobody wished to let others know he saw nothing, for then he would have been unfit for his office or too stupid. Never emperor’s clothes were more admired.
“But he has nothing on at all,” said a little child at last. “Good heavens! listen to the voice of an innocent child,” said the father, and one whispered to the other what the child had said. “But he has nothing on at all,” cried at last the whole people. That made a deep impression upon the emperor, for it seemed to him that they were right; but he thought to himself, “Now I must bear up to the end.” And the chamberlains walked with still greater dignity, as if they carried the train which did not exist.
許多年以前有一位皇帝,他非常喜歡穿好看的新衣服。他為了要穿得漂亮,把所有的錢都花到衣服上去了,他一點(diǎn)也不關(guān)心他的軍隊(duì),也不喜歡去看戲。除非是為了炫耀一下新衣服,他也不喜歡乘著馬車逛公園。他每天每個(gè)鐘頭要換一套新衣服。人們提到皇帝時(shí)總是說(shuō):“皇上在會(huì)議室里。”但是人們一提到他時(shí),總是說(shuō):“皇上在更衣室里。”
在他住的那個(gè)大城市里,生活很輕松,很愉快。每天有許多外國(guó)人到來(lái)。有一天來(lái)了兩個(gè)騙子。他們說(shuō)他們是織工。他們說(shuō),他們能織出誰(shuí)也想象不到的最美麗的布。這種布的色彩和圖案不僅是非常好看,而且用它縫出來(lái)的衣服還有一種奇異的作用,那就是凡是不稱職的人或者愚蠢的人,都看不見這衣服。
“那正是我最喜歡的衣服!”皇帝心里想。“我穿了這樣的衣服,就可以看出我的王國(guó)里哪些人不稱職;我就可以辨別出哪些人是聰明人,哪些人是傻子。是的,我要叫他們馬上織出這樣的布來(lái)!”他付了許多現(xiàn)款給這兩個(gè)騙子,叫他們馬上開始工作。
他們擺出兩架織機(jī)來(lái),裝做是在工作的樣子,可是他們的織機(jī)上什么東西也沒有。他們接二連三地請(qǐng)求皇帝發(fā)一些最好的生絲和金子給他們。他們把這些東西都裝進(jìn)自己的腰包,卻假裝在那兩架空空的織機(jī)上忙碌地工作,一直忙到深夜。
“我很想知道他們織布究竟織得怎樣了,”皇帝想。不過(guò),他立刻就想起了愚蠢的人或不稱職的人是看不見這布的。他心里的確感到有些不大自在。他相信他自己是用不著害怕的。雖然如此,他還是覺得先派一個(gè)人去看看比較妥當(dāng)。全城的人都聽說(shuō)過(guò)這種布料有一種奇異的力量,所以大家都很想趁這機(jī)會(huì)來(lái)測(cè)驗(yàn)一下,看看他們的鄰人究竟有多笨,有多傻。
“我要派誠(chéng)實(shí)的老部長(zhǎng)到織工那兒去看看,”皇帝想。“只有他能看出這布料是個(gè)什么樣子,因?yàn)樗@個(gè)人很有頭腦,而且誰(shuí)也不像他那樣稱職。”
因此這位善良的老部長(zhǎng)就到那兩個(gè)騙子的工作地點(diǎn)去。他們正在空空的織機(jī)上忙忙碌碌地工作著。
“這是怎么一回事兒?”老部長(zhǎng)想,把眼睛睜得有碗口那么大。
“我什么東西也沒有看見!”但是他不敢把這句話說(shuō)出來(lái)。
那兩個(gè)騙子請(qǐng)求他走近一點(diǎn),同時(shí)問(wèn)他,布的花紋是不是很美麗,色彩是不是很漂亮。他們指著那兩架空空的織機(jī)。
這位可憐的老大臣的眼睛越睜越大,可是他還是看不見什么東西,因?yàn)榈拇_沒有什么東西可看。
“我的老天爺!”他想。“難道我是一個(gè)愚蠢的人嗎?我從來(lái)沒有懷疑過(guò)我自己。我決不能讓人知道這件事。難道我不稱職嗎?——不成;我決不能讓人知道我看不見布料。”
“哎,您一點(diǎn)意見也沒有嗎?”一個(gè)正在織布的織工說(shuō)
“啊,美極了!真是美妙極了!”老大臣說(shuō)。他戴著眼鏡仔細(xì)地看。“多么美的花紋!多么美的色彩!是的,我將要呈報(bào)皇上說(shuō)我對(duì)于這布感到非常滿意。”
“嗯,我們聽到您的話真高興,”兩個(gè)織工一起說(shuō)。他們把這些稀有的色彩和花紋描述了一番,還加上些名詞兒。這位老大臣注意地聽著,以便回到皇帝那里去時(shí),可以照樣背得出來(lái)。事實(shí)上他也就這樣辦了。
這兩個(gè)騙子又要了很多的錢,更多的絲和金子,他們說(shuō)這是為了織布的需要。他們把這些東西全裝進(jìn)腰包里,連一根線也沒有放到織機(jī)上去。不過(guò)他們還是繼續(xù)在空空的機(jī)架上工作。
過(guò)了不久,皇帝派了另一位誠(chéng)實(shí)的官員去看看,布是不是很快就可以織好。他的運(yùn)氣并不比頭一位大臣的好:他看了又看,但是那兩架空空的織機(jī)上什么也沒有,他什么東西也看不出來(lái)。
“您看這段布美不美?”兩個(gè)騙子問(wèn)。他們指著一些美麗的花紋,并且作了一些解釋。事實(shí)上什么花紋也沒有。
“我并不愚蠢!”這位官員想。“這大概是因?yàn)槲也慌鋼?dān)當(dāng)現(xiàn)在這樣好的官職吧?這也真夠滑稽,但是我決不能讓人看出來(lái)!”因此他就把他完全沒有看見的布稱贊了一番,同時(shí)對(duì)他們說(shuō),他非常喜歡這些美麗的顏色和巧妙的花紋。“是的,那真是太美了,”他回去對(duì)皇帝說(shuō)。
城里所有的人都在談?wù)撨@美麗的布料。
當(dāng)這布還在織的時(shí)候,皇帝就很想親自去看一次。他選了一群特別圈定的隨員——其中包括已經(jīng)去看過(guò)的那兩位誠(chéng)實(shí)的大臣。這樣,他就到那兩個(gè)狡猾的騙子住的地方去。這兩個(gè)家伙正以全副精神織布,但是一根線的影子也看不見。“您看這不漂亮嗎?”那兩位誠(chéng)實(shí)的官員說(shuō)。“陛下請(qǐng)看,多么美麗的花紋!多么美麗的色彩!”他們指著那架空空的織機(jī),因?yàn)樗麄円詾閯e人一定會(huì)看得見布料的。
“這是怎么一回事兒呢?”皇帝心里想。“我什么也沒有看見!這真是荒.唐!難道我是一個(gè)愚蠢的人嗎?難道我不配做皇帝嗎?這真是我從來(lái)沒有碰見過(guò)的一件最可怕的事情。”“啊,它真是美極了!”皇帝說(shuō)。“我表示十二分地滿意!”
于是他點(diǎn)頭表示滿意。他裝做很仔細(xì)地看著織機(jī)的樣子,因?yàn)樗辉敢庹f(shuō)出他什么也沒有看見。跟他來(lái)的全體隨員也仔細(xì)地看了又看,可是他們也沒有看出更多的東西。不過(guò),他們也照著皇帝的話說(shuō):“啊,真是美極了!”他們建議皇帝用這種新奇的、美麗的布料做成衣服,穿上這衣服親自去參加快要舉行的游行大典。“真美麗!真精致!真是好極了!”每人都隨聲附和著。每人都有說(shuō)不出的快樂(lè)?;实圪n給騙子每人一個(gè)爵士的頭銜和一枚可以掛在紐扣洞上的勛章;并且還封他們?yōu)?ldquo;御聘織師”。
第二天早晨游行大典就要舉行了。在頭天晚上,這兩個(gè)騙子整夜不睡,點(diǎn)起16支蠟燭。你可以看到他們是在趕夜工,要完成皇帝的新衣。他們裝做把布料從織機(jī)上取下來(lái)。他們用兩把大剪刀在空中裁了一陣子,同時(shí)又用沒有穿線的針縫了一通。最后,他們齊聲說(shuō):“請(qǐng)看!新衣服縫好了!”
皇帝帶著他的一群最高貴的騎士們親自到來(lái)了。這兩個(gè)騙子每人舉起一只手,好像他們拿著一件什么東西似的。他們說(shuō):“請(qǐng)看吧,這是褲子,這是袍子!這是外衣!”等等。“這衣服輕柔得像蜘蛛網(wǎng)一樣:穿著它的人會(huì)覺得好像身上沒有什么東西似的——這也正是這衣服的妙處。”
“一點(diǎn)也不錯(cuò),”所有的騎士們都說(shuō)??墒撬麄兪裁匆矝]有看見,因?yàn)閷?shí)際上什么東西也沒有。
“現(xiàn)在請(qǐng)皇上脫下衣服,”兩個(gè)騙子說(shuō),“我們要在這個(gè)大鏡子面前為陛下?lián)Q上新衣。
皇帝把身上的衣服統(tǒng)統(tǒng)都脫光了。這兩個(gè)騙子裝做把他們剛才縫好的新衣服一件一件地交給他。他們?cè)谒难鼑莾号艘魂囎?好像是系上一件什么東西似的:這就是后裾(注:后裾(Slaebet)就是拖在禮服后面的很長(zhǎng)的一塊布;它是封建時(shí)代歐洲貴族的一種裝束。)?;实墼阽R子面前轉(zhuǎn)了轉(zhuǎn)身子,扭了扭腰肢。
“上帝,這衣服多么合身啊!式樣裁得多么好看啊!”大家都說(shuō)。“多么美的花紋!多么美的色彩!這真是一套貴重的衣服!”
“大家已經(jīng)在外面把華蓋準(zhǔn)備好了,只等陛下一出去,就可撐起來(lái)去游行!”典禮官說(shuō)。
“對(duì),我已經(jīng)穿好了,”皇帝說(shuō),“這衣服合我的身么?”于是他又在鏡子面前把身子轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)了一下,因?yàn)樗写蠹铱闯鏊谡J(rèn)真地欣賞他美麗的服裝。那些將要托著后裾的內(nèi)臣們,都把手在地上東摸西摸,好像他們真的在拾其后裾似的。他們開步走,手中托著空氣——他們不敢讓人瞧出他們實(shí)在什么東西也沒有看見。
這么著,皇帝就在那個(gè)富麗的華蓋下游行起來(lái)了。站在街上和窗子里的人都說(shuō):“乖乖,皇上的新裝真是漂亮!他上衣下面的后裾是多么美麗!衣服多么合身!”誰(shuí)也不愿意讓人知道自己看不見什么東西,因?yàn)檫@樣就會(huì)暴露自己不稱職,或是太愚蠢?;实鬯械囊路膩?lái)沒有得到這樣普遍的稱贊。
“可是他什么衣服也沒有穿呀!”一個(gè)小孩子最后叫出聲來(lái)。
“上帝喲,你聽這個(gè)天真的聲音!”爸爸說(shuō)。于是大家把這孩子講的話私自低聲地傳播開來(lái)。
“他并沒有穿什么衣服!有一個(gè)小孩子說(shuō)他并沒有穿什么衣服呀!”
“他實(shí)在是沒有穿什么衣服呀!”最后所有的老百姓都說(shuō)。
皇帝有點(diǎn)兒發(fā)抖,因?yàn)樗坪跤X得老百姓所講的話是對(duì)的。不過(guò)他自己心里卻這樣想:“我必須把這游行大典舉行完畢。”因此他擺出一副更驕傲的神氣,他的內(nèi)臣們跟在他后面走,手中托著一個(gè)并不存在的后裾。(1837年)
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