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安徒生童話(huà)故事第78篇：猶太女子The Jewish Maiden
引導語(yǔ)：猶太據說(shuō)是全世界最聰明的人，那么我們一起來(lái)閱讀下文的安徒生童話(huà)故事《猶太女子》的中英文版本，看看是否如此的？
在一個(gè)慈善學(xué)校的許多孩子中間，有一個(gè)小小的猶太女孩子。她又聰明，又善良，可以說(shuō)是他們之中最聰明的一個(gè)孩子。但是有一種課程她不能聽(tīng)，那就是宗教這一課①。是的，她是在一個(gè)基督教的學(xué)校里念書(shū)。
她可以利用上這一課的時(shí)間去溫習地理，或者準備算術(shù)。但是這些功課一下子就做完了。書(shū)攤在她面前，可是她并沒(méi)有讀。她在坐著(zhù)靜聽(tīng)。老師馬上就注意到，她比任何其他的孩子都聽(tīng)得專(zhuān)心。
“讀你自己的書(shū)吧，”老師用溫和而熱忱的口氣說(shuō)。她的一對黑得發(fā)亮的眼睛望著(zhù)他。當他向她提問(wèn)題的時(shí)候，她能回答得比所有的孩子都好。她把課全聽(tīng)了，領(lǐng)會(huì )了，而且記住了。
她的父親是一個(gè)窮苦而正直的人。他曾經(jīng)向學(xué)校請求不要把基督教的課程教給這孩子聽(tīng)。不過(guò)假如教這一門(mén)功課的時(shí)候就叫她走開(kāi)，那么學(xué)校里的別的孩子可能會(huì )起反感，甚至引其他們胡思亂想。因此她就留在教室里，但是老這樣下去是不對頭的。
老師去拜訪(fǎng)她的父親，請求他把女兒接回家去，或者干脆讓薩拉做一個(gè)基督徒。
“她的那對明亮的眼睛、她的靈魂所表示的對教義的真誠和渴望，實(shí)在叫我不忍看不去!"老師說(shuō)。
父親不禁哭起來(lái)，說(shuō)：
“我對于我們自己的宗教也懂得太少，不過(guò)她的媽媽是一個(gè)猶太人的女兒，而且信教很深。當她躺在床上要斷氣的時(shí)候，我答應過(guò)她，說(shuō)我決不會(huì )讓我們的孩子受基督教的洗禮。我必須保持我的諾言，因為這等于是跟上帝訂下的一個(gè)默契。”
這樣，猶太女孩子就離開(kāi)了這個(gè)基督教的學(xué)校。
許多年過(guò)去了。在尤蘭的一個(gè)小市鎮里有一個(gè)寒微的人家，里面住著(zhù)一個(gè)信仰猶太教的窮苦女傭人。她就是薩拉。她的頭發(fā)像烏木一樣發(fā)黑;她的眼睛深暗，但是像所有的東方女子一樣，它們射出明朗的光輝。她現在雖然是一個(gè)成年的女傭人，但是她臉上仍然留下兒時(shí)的表情——單獨坐在學(xué)校的凳子上、睜著(zhù)一對大眼睛聽(tīng)課時(shí)的那種孩子的表情。
每個(gè)禮拜天教堂的風(fēng)琴奏出音樂(lè )，做禮拜的人唱出歌聲。這些聲音飄到街上，飄到對面的一個(gè)屋子里去。這個(gè)猶太女子就在這屋子里勤勞地、忠誠地做著(zhù)工作。
“記住這個(gè)安息日，把它當做一個(gè)神圣的日子!”這是她的信條。但是對她說(shuō)來(lái)，安息日卻是一個(gè)為基督徒勞作的日子。她只有在心里把這個(gè)日子當做神圣的日子，不過(guò)她覺(jué)得這還不太夠。
不過(guò)日子和時(shí)刻，在上帝的眼中看來(lái)，有什么了不起的分別呢?這個(gè)思想是在她的靈魂中產(chǎn)生的。在這個(gè)基督徒的禮拜天，她也有她安靜的祈禱的時(shí)刻。只要風(fēng)琴聲和圣詩(shī)班的歌聲能飄到廚房污水溝的后邊來(lái)，那么這塊地方也可以說(shuō)是安靜和神圣的地方了。于是她就開(kāi)始讀她族人的唯一寶物和財產(chǎn)——《圣經(jīng)·舊約全書(shū)》。她只能讀這部書(shū)②，因為她心中深深地記得她的父親所說(shuō)的話(huà)——父親把她領(lǐng)回家時(shí)，曾對她和老師講過(guò)：當她的母親正在斷氣的時(shí)候，他曾經(jīng)答應過(guò)她，不讓薩拉放棄祖先的信仰而成為一個(gè)基督徒。
對于她說(shuō)來(lái)，《圣經(jīng)·新約全書(shū)》是一部禁書(shū)，而且也應該是一部禁書(shū)。但是她很熟習這部書(shū)，因為它從童年時(shí)的記憶中射出光來(lái)。
有一天晚上，她坐在起居室的一個(gè)角落里，聽(tīng)她的主人高聲地讀書(shū)。她聽(tīng)一聽(tīng)當然也沒(méi)有關(guān)系，因為這并不是《福音書(shū)》——不是的，他是在讀一本舊的故事書(shū)。因此她可以旁聽(tīng)。書(shū)中描寫(xiě)一個(gè)匈牙利的騎士，被一個(gè)土耳其的高級軍官俘獲去了。這個(gè)軍官把他同牛一起套在軛下犁田，而且用鞭子趕著(zhù)他工作。他所受到的侮辱和痛苦是無(wú)法形容的。
這位騎士的妻子把她所有的金銀首飾都賣(mài)光了，把堡寨和田產(chǎn)也都典當出去了，他的許多朋友也捐募了大批金錢(qián)，因為那個(gè)軍官所要求的贖金是出乎意外地高。不過(guò)這筆數目終于湊集齊了。他算是從奴役和羞辱中獲得了解放。他回到家來(lái)時(shí)已經(jīng)是病得支持不住了。
不過(guò)沒(méi)有多久，另外一道命令又下來(lái)了，征集大家去跟基督教的敵人作戰。病人一聽(tīng)到這道命令，就無(wú)法休息，也安靜不下來(lái)。他叫人把他扶到戰馬上。血集中到他的臉上來(lái)，他又覺(jué)得有氣力了。他向勝利馳去。那位把他套在軛下、侮辱他、使他痛苦的將軍，現在成了他的俘虜。這個(gè)俘虜現在被帶到他的堡寨里來(lái)，還不到一個(gè)鐘頭，那位騎士就出現了。他問(wèn)這俘虜說(shuō)：
“你想你會(huì )得到什么待遇呢?”
“我知道!”土耳其人說(shuō)。“報復!”
“一點(diǎn)也不錯，你會(huì )得到一個(gè)基督徒的報復!”騎士說(shuō)。
“基督的教義告訴我們寬恕我們的敵人，愛(ài)我們的同胞。上帝本身就是愛(ài)!平安地回到你的家里，回到你的親愛(ài)的人中間去吧。不過(guò)請你將來(lái)對受難的人放溫和一些，放仁慈一些吧!”
這個(gè)俘虜忽然哭起來(lái)：“我怎能夢(mèng)想得到這樣的待遇呢?我想我一定會(huì )受到酷刑和痛苦。因此我已經(jīng)服了毒，過(guò)幾個(gè)鐘頭毒性就要發(fā)作。我非死不可，一點(diǎn)辦法也沒(méi)有!不過(guò)在我沒(méi)有死以前，請把這種充滿(mǎn)了愛(ài)和慈悲的教義講給我聽(tīng)一次。它是這么偉大和神圣!讓我懷著(zhù)這個(gè)信仰死去吧!讓我作為一個(gè)基督徒死去吧!”
他的這個(gè)要求得到了滿(mǎn)足。
剛才所讀的是一個(gè)傳說(shuō)，一個(gè)故事。大家都聽(tīng)到了，也懂得了。不過(guò)最受感動(dòng)和得到印象最深的是坐在墻角里的那個(gè)女傭人——猶太女子薩拉。大顆的淚珠在她烏黑的眼睛里發(fā)出亮光。她懷著(zhù)孩子的心情坐在那兒，正如她從前坐在教室的凳子上一樣。她感到了福音的偉大。眼淚滾到她的臉上來(lái)。
“不要讓我的孩子成為一個(gè)基督徒!”這是她的母親在死去時(shí)說(shuō)的最后的話(huà)。這句話(huà)像法律似的在她的靈魂和心里發(fā)出回音：“你必須尊敬你的父母!”
“我不受洗禮!大家把我叫做猶太女子。上個(gè)禮拜天鄰家的一些孩子就這樣譏笑過(guò)我。那天我正站在開(kāi)著(zhù)的教堂門(mén)口，望著(zhù)里面祭壇上點(diǎn)著(zhù)的蠟燭和唱著(zhù)圣詩(shī)的會(huì )眾。自從我在學(xué)校的時(shí)候起，一直到現在，都覺(jué)得基督教有一種力量。這種力量好像太陽(yáng)光，不管我怎樣閉起眼睛，它總能射進(jìn)我的靈魂中去。但是媽媽?zhuān)覜Q不使你在地下感到痛苦!我決不違背爸爸對你所作的諾言!我決不讀基督徒的《圣經(jīng)》。我有我祖先的上帝作為倚靠!”
許多年又過(guò)去了。
主人死去了，女主人的境遇非常不好。她不得不解雇女傭人，但是薩拉卻不離開(kāi)。她成了困難中的一個(gè)助手，她維持這整個(gè)的家庭。她一直工作到深夜，用她雙手的勞作來(lái)賺取面包。沒(méi)有任何親起來(lái)照顧這個(gè)家庭，女主人的身體變得一天比一天壞——她在病床上已經(jīng)躺了好幾個(gè)月了。溫柔和誠懇的薩拉照料家事，看護病人，操勞著(zhù)。她成了這個(gè)貧寒的家里的一個(gè)福星。
“《圣經(jīng)》就在那兒!”病人說(shuō)。“夜很長(cháng)，請念幾段給我聽(tīng)聽(tīng)吧。我非常想聽(tīng)聽(tīng)上帝的話(huà)。”
于是薩拉低下頭。她打開(kāi)《圣經(jīng)》，用雙手捧著(zhù)，開(kāi)始對病人念。她的眼淚涌出來(lái)了，但是眼睛卻變得非常明亮，而她的靈魂變得更明亮。
“媽媽?zhuān)愕暮⒆硬粫?huì )接受基督教的洗禮，不會(huì )參加基督徒的集會(huì )。這是你的囑咐，我決不會(huì )違抗你的意志。我們在這個(gè)世界上是一條心，但是在這個(gè)世界以外——在上帝面前更是一條心。‘他指引我們走出死神的境界’——‘當他使土地變得干燥以后，他就降到地上來(lái)，使它變得豐饒!’我現在懂得了，我自己也不知道我是怎樣懂得的!這是通過(guò)他——通過(guò)基督我才認識到了真理!”
她一念出這個(gè)神圣的名字的時(shí)候，就顫抖一下。一股洗禮的火透過(guò)了她的全身，她的身體支持不住，倒了下來(lái)，比她所看護的那個(gè)病人還要衰弱。
“可憐的薩拉!”大家說(shuō)，“她日夜看護和勞動(dòng)已經(jīng)把身體累壞了。”
人們把她抬到慈善醫院去。她在那里死了。于是人們就把她埋葬了，但是沒(méi)有埋葬在基督徒的墓地里，因為那里面沒(méi)有猶太人的地位。不，她的墳墓是掘在墓地的墻外。
但是上帝的太陽(yáng)照在基督徒的墓地上，也照在墻外猶太女子的墳上�；浇掏侥沟乩锏馁澝栏杪�，也在她的墳墓上空盤(pán)旋。同樣，這樣的話(huà)語(yǔ)也飄到了她的墓上：“救主基督復活了;他對他的門(mén)徒說(shuō)：‘約翰用水來(lái)使你受洗禮，我用圣靈來(lái)使你受洗禮!’”
�、僖驗樾叛龌浇毯托叛霆q太教是不相容的。
�、诨浇痰摹妒ソ�(jīng)》包括《舊約全書(shū)》和《新約全書(shū)》。猶太教的《圣經(jīng)》則限于《舊約全書(shū)》的內容。
猶太女子英文版：
The Jewish Maiden
IN a charity school, among the children, sat a little Jewish girl. She was a good, intelligent child, and very quick at her lessons; but the Scripture-lesson class she was not allowed to join, for this was a Christian school. During the hour of this lesson, the Jewish girl was allowed to learn her geography, or to work her sum for the next day; and when her geography lesson was perfect, the book remained open before her, but she read not another word, for she sat silently listening to the words of the Christian teacher. He soon became aware that the little one was paying more attention to what he said than most of the other children. “Read your book, Sarah,” he said to her gently.
But again and again he saw her dark, beaming eyes fixed upon him; and once, when he asked her a question, she could answer him even better than the other children. She had not only heard, but understood his words, and pondered them in her heart. Her father, a poor but honest man, had placed his daughter at the school on the conditions that she should not be instructed in the Christian faith. But it might have caused confusion, or raised discontent in the minds of the other children if she had been sent out of the room, so she remained; and now it was evident this could not go on. The teacher went to her father, and advised him to remove his daughter from the school, or to allow her to become a Christian. “I cannot any longer be an idle spectator of those beaming eyes, which express such a deep and earnest longing for the words of the gospel,” said he.
Then the father burst into tears. “I know very little of the law of my fathers,” said he; “but Sarah’s mother was firm in her belief as a daughter of Israel, and I vowed to her on her deathbed that our child should never be baptized. I must keep my vow: it is to me even as a covenant with God Himself.” And so the little Jewish girl left the Christian school.
Years rolled by. In one of the smallest provincial towns, in a humble household, lived a poor maiden of the Jewish faith, as a servant. Her hair was black as ebony, her eye dark as night, yet full of light and brilliancy so peculiar to the daughters of the east. It was Sarah. The expression in the face of the grown-up maiden was still the same as when, a child, she sat on the schoolroom form listening with thoughtful eyes to the words of the Christian teacher. Every Sunday there sounded forth from a church close by the tones of an organ and the singing of the congregation. The Jewish girl heard them in the house where, industrious and faithful in all things, she performed her household duties. “Thou shalt keep the Sabbath holy,” said the voice of the law in her heart; but her Sabbath was a working day among the Christians, which was a great trouble to her. And then as the thought arose in her mind, “Does God reckon by days and hours?” her conscience felt satisfied on this question, and she found it a comfort to her, that on the Christian Sabbath she could have an hour for her own prayers undisturbed. The music and singing of the congregation sounded in her ears while at work in her kitchen, till the place itself became sacred to her. Then she would read in the Old Testament, that treasure and comfort to her people, and it was indeed the only Scriptures she could read. Faithfully in her inmost thoughts had she kept the words of her father to her teacher when she left the school, and the vow he had made to her dying mother that she should never receive Christian baptism. The New Testament must remain to her a sealed book, and yet she knew a great deal of its teaching, and the sound of the gospel truths still lingered among the recollections of her childhood.
One evening she was sitting in a corner of the dining-room, while her master read aloud. It was not the gospel he read, but an old story-book; therefore she might stay and listen to him. The story related that a Hungarian knight, who had been taken prisoner by a Turkish pasha, was most cruelly treated by him. He caused him to be yoked with his oxen to the plough, and driven with blows from the whip till the blood flowed, and he almost sunk with exhaustion and pain. The faithful wife of the knight at home gave up all her jewels, mortgaged her castle and land, and his friends raised large sums to make up the ransom demanded for his release, which was most enormously high. It was collected at last, and the knight released from slavery and misery. Sick and exhausted, he reached home.
Ere long came another summons to a struggle with the foes of Christianity. The still living knight heard the sound; he could endure no more, he had neither peace nor rest. He caused himself to be lifted on his war-horse; the color came into his cheeks, and his strength returned to him again as he went forth to battle and to victory. The very same pasha who had yoked him to the plough, became his prisoner, and was dragged to a dungeon in the castle. But an hour had scarcely passed, when the knight stood before the captive pasha, and inquired, “What do you suppose awaiteth thee?”
“I know,” replied the pasha; “retribution.”
“Yes, the retribution of a Christian,” replied the knight. “The teaching of Christ, the Teacher, commands us to forgive our enemies, to love our neighbors; for God is love. Depart in peace: return to thy home. I give thee back to thy loved ones. But in future be mild and humane to all who are in trouble.”
Then the prisoner burst into tears, and exclaimed, “Oh how could I imagine such mercy and forgiveness! I expected pain and torment. It seemed to me so sure that I took poison, which I secretly carried about me; and in a few hours its effects will destroy me. I must die! Nothing can save me! But before I die, explain to me the teaching which is so full of love and mercy, so great and God-like. Oh, that I may hear his teaching, and die a Christian!” And his prayer was granted.
This was the legend which the master read out of the old story-book. Every one in the house who was present listened, and shared the pleasure; but Sarah, the Jewish girl, sitting so still in a corner, felt her heart burn with excitement. Great tears came into her shining dark eyes; and with the same gentle piety with which she had once listened to the gospel while sitting on the form at school, she felt its grandeur now, and the tears rolled down her cheeks. Then the last words of her dying mother rose before her, “Let not my child become a Christian;” and with them sounded in her heart the words of the law, “Honor thy father and thy mother.”
“I am not admitted among the Christians,” she said; “they mock me as a Jewish girl; the neighbors’ boys did so last Sunday when I stood looking in through the open church door at the candles burning on the altar, and listening to the singing. Ever since I sat on the school-bench I have felt the power of Christianity; a power which, like a sunbeam, streams into my heart, however closely I may close my eyes against it. But I will not grieve thee, my mother, in thy grave. I will not be unfaithful to my father’s vow. I will not read the Bible of the Christian. I have the God of my fathers, and in Him I will trust.”
And again years passed by. Sarah’s master died, and his widow found herself in such reduced circumstances that she wished to dismiss her servant maid; but Sarah refused to leave the house, and she became a true support in time of trouble, and kept the household together by working till late at night, with her busy hands, to earn their daily bread. Not a relative came forward to assist them, and the widow was confined to a sick bed for months and grew weaker from day to day. Sarah worked hard, but contrived to spare time to amuse her and watch by the sick bed. She was gentle and pious, an angel of blessing in that house of poverty.
“My Bible lies on the table yonder,” said the sick woman one day to Sarah. “Read me something from it; the night appears so long, and my spirit thirsts to hear the word of God.”
And Sarah bowed her head. She took the book, and folded her hand over the Bible of the Christians, and at last opened it, and read to the sick woman. Tears stood in her eyes as she read, and they shone with brightness, for in her heart it was light.
“Mother,” she murmured, “thy child may not receive Christian baptism, nor be admitted into the congregation of Christian people. Thou hast so willed it, and I will respect thy command. We are therefore still united here on earth; but in the next world there will be a higher union, even with God Himself, who leads and guides His people till death. He came down from heaven to earth to suffer for us, that we should bring forth the fruits of repentance. I understand it now. I know not how I learnt this truth, unless it is through the name of Christ.” Yet she trembled as she pronounced the holy name. She struggled against these convictions of the truth of Christianity for some days, till one evening while watching her mistress she was suddenly taken very ill; her limbs tottered under her, and she sank fainting by the bedside of the sick woman.
“Poor Sarah,” said the neighbors; “she is overcome with hard work and night watching.” And then they carried her to the hospital for the sick poor. There she died; and they bore her to her resting-place in the earth, but not to the churchyard of the Christians. There was no place for the Jewish girl; but they dug a grave for her outside the wall. And God’s sun, which shines upon the graves of the churchyard of the Christians, also throws its beams on the grave of the Jewish maiden beyond the wall. And when the psalms of the Christians sound across the churchyard, their echo reaches her lonely resting-place; and she who sleeps there will be counted worthy at the resurrection, through the name of Christ the Lord, who said to His disciples, “John baptized you with water, but I will baptize you with the Holy Ghost.”
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