THE GIANT MAIDEN

Many years ago there lived a mighty¹ race of giants. They were as tall as the hills, and dwelt² in great castles as large as mountains. To them the world was a very small place indeed.

These giants loved the world, however, and all the many beautiful things in it. The sunshine, the song of birds, the green fields, the woods, the rivers, and the blue sky were all charming³ to them.

So it was that they used to walk a great deal. They used to go everywhere and see everything that was good to see. When they walked, however, they stepped from hilltop to hilltop. They never went down into the valleys.

The king of the giants was a great and a good man. He was kind to his people, and kind to his children, and they all loved[110] and honored⁴ him. One of his children was a beautiful girl. She would soon be a woman, but she still loved playthings.

Like the rest of the giants, Hilda, the king’s daughter, liked to go walking out into the world. She often found most interesting playthings. Sometimes she would bring home a bear, or a baby elephant.

One day Hilda went out for a walk. She had had to stay in the castle for several days because of the rain. This was a beautiful day, however, and she walked a long way, even for a giant’s daughter.

The maiden⁵ stepped over valley after valley, from hilltop to hilltop, till she was far away from home. She had never gone so far before. The country seemed quite different, and it was pleasant, too.

At last she stopped and looked about her to enjoy the scene. Before her was a wide valley, and in it she saw many curious things. One of them was a man[111] plowing⁶ with horses. She had never seen anything like that before.

“Oh!” she cried, “what cute playthings they will make! They will be real live playthings, too. How nice the little creature is that walks behind! And the thing he is holding; that will make a fine toy. And the other animals will be such lovely pets. I must have them all.”

Hilda reached down into the valley and picked up the man, the plow⁷, and the horses, and tucked⁸ them away in her apron⁹. Then she went home to tell her father.

“See what lovely playthings I have found!” she called to him, as she ran into the great castle.

“My darling child,” said the good King, “these are not playthings. You must take them back and leave them where you found them. You must never touch them again. This is a man, and he has a wife and children at home. They will be very sad if he does not come back to them.

“By and by,” he went on, “the whole world will be owned by little creatures like this man, and we shall be no more.”

The King’s daughter was very sad when she heard these things. She did not want to give up such delightful¹⁰ playthings. But she had a kind heart, and she loved her father. She knew, too, that he understood things much better than she did. So she put the man, the plow, and the horses into her apron again, and took them back to the place where she had found them.

The man was very happy when she set him down in the field again. His good wife, and his children were there, too; and they rejoiced¹¹ to see him again. They feared something had happened to him.

The maiden looked on for a time, wondering about it all. It made her glad to see how happy the man and his wife and children were. She was no longer, sorry that she had given up her playthings, and she went home with a light heart.

1 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

2 dwelt   

居住，住( dwell的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The family dwelt at Bath after the London season was over. 伦敦戏剧节过后，这一家人就住在巴斯。
• They still dwelt in their old abode. 他们仍然怀念过去的住所。

3 charming   

adj.迷人的，可爱的

参考例句：

• She looked small and gentle and altogether charming.她看起来小巧文雅,十分迷人。
• She has charming manners.她具有媚人的风姿。

4 honored   

adj.光荣的：荣幸的v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾，不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

6 plowing   

v.耕( plow的现在分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• "There are things more important now than plowing, Sugar. "如今有比耕种更重要的事情要做呀，宝贝儿。 来自飘（部分）
• Since his wife's death, he has been plowing a lonely furrow. 从他妻子死后，他一直过着孤独的生活。 来自辞典例句

7 plow   

n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough

参考例句：

• At this time of the year farmers plow their fields.每年这个时候农民们都在耕地。
• We will plow the field soon after the last frost.最后一场霜过后，我们将马上耕田。

8 tucked   

塞进( tuck的过去式和过去分词 )； 翻折； 盖住； 卷起

参考例句：

• She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. 她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。

9 apron   

n.围裙；工作裙

参考例句：

• We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
• She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

10 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

11 rejoiced   

（使）欣喜[高兴，快乐]( rejoice的过去式和过去分词 )； 非常高兴； 深感欣喜

参考例句：

• He rejoiced that all the work was after all finished in time. 他很高兴，全部的工作最终还是按时完成了。
• The news of victory rejoiced the heart of the whole nation. 胜利的喜悦使全国人民欢欣鼓舞。