Initial, S
Southwest Wind, Esquire, was as good as his word. After the momentous2 visit above related, he entered the Treasure Valley no more; and, what was worse, he had so much influence with his relations, the West Winds in general, and used it so effectually, that they all adopted a similar line of conduct. So no rain fell in the valley from one year’s end to another. Though everything remained green and flourishing in the plains below, the inheritance of the three brothers was a desert. What had once been the richest soil in the kingdom became a shifting heap of red sand, and the brothers, unable longer to contend with the adverse3 skies, abandoned their valueless patrimony4 in despair, to seek some means of gaining a livelihood5 among the cities and people of the plains. All their money was gone, and they had nothing left but some curious old-fashioned pieces of gold plate, the last remnants of their ill-gotten wealth.
“Suppose we turn goldsmiths,” said Schwartz to Hans as they entered the large city. “It is a good knave’s trade; we can put a great deal of copper6 into the gold without anyone’s finding it out.”
The thought was agreed to be a very good one; they hired a furnace and turned goldsmiths. But two slight circumstances affected7 their trade: the first, that people did not approve of the coppered gold; the second, that the two elder brothers, whenever they had sold anything, used to leave little Gluck to mind the furnace, and go and drink out the money in the alehouse next door. So they melted all their gold without making money enough to buy more, and were at last reduced to one large drinking mug, which an uncle of his had given to little Gluck, and which he was very fond of and would not have parted with for the world, though he never drank anything out of it but milk and water. The mug was a very odd mug to look at. The handle was formed of two wreaths of flowing golden hair, so finely spun8 that it looked more like silk than metal, and these wreaths descended9 into and mixed with a beard and whiskers of the same exquisite10 workmanship, which surrounded and decorated a very fierce little face, of the reddest gold imaginable, right in the front of the mug, with a pair of eyes in it which seemed to command its whole circumference11. It was impossible to drink out of the mug without being subjected to an intense gaze out of the side of these eyes, and Schwartz positively12 averred13 that once, after emptying it, full of Rhenish, seventeen times, he had seen them wink14! When it came to the mug’s turn to be made into spoons, it half broke poor little Gluck’s heart; but the brothers only laughed at him, tossed the mug into the melting pot, and staggered out to the alehouse, leaving him, as usual, to pour the gold into bars when it was all ready.
When they were gone, Gluck took a farewell look at his old friend in the melting pot. The flowing hair was all gone; nothing remained but the red nose and the sparkling eyes, which looked more malicious15 than ever. “And no wonder,” thought Gluck, “after being treated in that way.” He sauntered disconsolately16 to the window and sat himself down to catch the fresh evening air and escape the hot breath of the furnace. Now this window commanded a direct view of the range of mountains which, as I told you before, overhung the Treasure Valley, and more especially of the peak from which fell the Golden River. It was just at the close of the day, and when Gluck sat down at the window, he saw the rocks of the mountain tops, all crimson17 and purple with the sunset; and there were bright tongues of fiery18 cloud burning and quivering about them; and the river, brighter than all, fell, in a waving column of pure gold, from precipice19 to precipice, with the double arch of a broad purple rainbow stretched across it, flushing and fading alternately in the wreaths of spray.
“Ah!” said Gluck aloud, after he had looked at it for a little while, “if that river were really all gold, what a nice thing it would be.”
“No, it wouldn’t, Gluck,” said a clear, metallic20 voice close at his ear.
“Bless me, what’s that?” exclaimed Gluck, jumping up. There was nobody there. He looked round the room and under the table and a great many times behind him, but there was certainly nobody there, and he sat down again at the window. This time he didn’t speak, but he couldn’t help thinking again that it would be very convenient if the river were really all gold.
“Not at all, my boy,” said the same voice, louder than before.
“Bless me!” said Gluck again, “what is that?” He looked again into all the corners and cupboards, and then began turning round and round as fast as he could, in the middle of the room, thinking there was somebody behind him, when the same voice struck again on his ear. It was singing now, very merrily, “Lala-lira-la”— no words, only a soft, running, effervescent melody, something like that of a kettle on the boil. Gluck looked out of the window; no, it was certainly in the house. Upstairs and downstairs; no, it was certainly in that very room, coming in quicker time and clearer notes every moment: “Lala-lira-la.” All at once it struck Gluck that it sounded louder near the furnace. He ran to the opening and looked in. Yes, he saw right; it seemed to be coming not only out of the furnace but out of the pot. He uncovered it, and ran back in a great fright, for the pot was certainly singing! He stood in the farthest corner of the room, with his hands up and his mouth open, for a minute or two, when the singing stopped and the voice became clear and pronunciative.
“Hollo!” said the voice.
Gluck made no answer.
“Hollo! Gluck, my boy,” said the pot again.
Gluck summoned all his energies, walked straight up to the crucible21, drew it out of the furnace, and looked in. The gold was all melted and its surface as smooth and polished as a river, but instead of reflecting little Gluck’s head, as he looked in he saw, meeting his glance from beneath the gold, the red nose and sharp eyes of his old friend of the mug, a thousand times redder and sharper than ever he had seen them in his life.
“Come, Gluck, my boy,” said the voice out of the pot again, “I’m all right; pour me out.”
But Gluck was too much astonished to do anything of the kind.
“Pour me out, I say,” said the voice rather gruffly.
Still Gluck couldn’t move.
“WILL you pour me out?” said the voice passionately22. “I’m too hot.”
By a violent effort Gluck recovered the use of his limbs, took hold of the crucible, and sloped it, so as to pour out the gold. But instead of a liquid stream there came out, first a pair of pretty little yellow legs, then some coat tails, then a pair of arms stuck akimbo, and finally the well-known head of his friend the mug — all which articles, uniting as they rolled out, stood up energetically on the floor in the shape of a little golden dwarf23 about a foot and a half high.
“That’s right!” said the dwarf, stretching out first his legs and then his arms, and then shaking his head up and down and as far round as it would go, for five minutes without stopping, apparently24 with the view of ascertaining25 if he were quite correctly put together, while Gluck stood contemplating26 him in speechless amazement27. He was dressed in a slashed28 doublet of spun gold, so fine in its texture29 that the prismatic colors gleamed over it as if on a surface of mother-of-pearl; and over this brilliant doublet his hair and beard fell full halfway30 to the ground in waving curls, so exquisitely31 delicate that Gluck could hardly tell where they ended; they seemed to melt into air. The features of the face, however, were by no means finished with the same delicacy32; they were rather coarse, slightly inclining to coppery in complexion33, and indicative, in expression, of a very pertinacious34 and intractable disposition35 in their small proprietor36. When the dwarf had finished his self-examination, he turned his small, sharp eyes full on Gluck and stared at him deliberately37 for a minute or two. “No, it wouldn’t, Gluck, my boy,” said the little man.
This was certainly rather an abrupt38 and unconnected mode of commencing conversation. It might indeed be supposed to refer to the course of Gluck’s thoughts, which had first produced the dwarf’s observations out of the pot; but whatever it referred to, Gluck had no inclination39 to dispute the dictum.
“Wouldn’t it, sir?” said Gluck very mildly and submissively indeed.
“No,” said the dwarf, conclusively40, “no, it wouldn’t.” And with that the dwarf pulled his cap hard over his brows and took two turns, of three feet long, up and down the room, lifting his legs up very high and setting them down very hard. This pause gave time for Gluck to collect his thoughts a little, and, seeing no great reason to view his diminutive41 visitor with dread42, and feeling his curiosity overcome his amazement, he ventured on a question of peculiar43 delicacy.
“Pray, sir,” said Gluck, rather hesitatingly, “were you my mug?”
On which the little man turned sharp round, walked straight up to Gluck, and drew himself up to his full height. “I,” said the little man, “am the King of the Golden River.” Whereupon he turned about again and took two more turns, some six feet long, in order to allow time for the consternation44 which this announcement produced in his auditor45 to evaporate. After which he again walked up to Gluck and stood still, as if expecting some comment on his communication.
Gluck determined46 to say something at all events. “I hope your Majesty47 is very well,” said Gluck.
“Listen!” said the little man, deigning48 no reply to this polite inquiry49. “I am the king of what you mortals call the Golden River. The shape you saw me in was owing to the malice50 of a stronger king, from whose enchantments51 you have this instant freed me. What I have seen of you and your conduct to your wicked brothers renders me willing to serve you; therefore, attend to what I tell you. Whoever shall climb to the top of that mountain from which you see the Golden River issue, and shall cast into the stream at its source three drops of holy water, for him and for him only the river shall turn to gold. But no one failing in his first can succeed in a second attempt, and if anyone shall cast unholy water into the river, it will overwhelm him and he will become a black stone.” So saying, the King of the Golden River turned away and deliberately walked into the center of the hottest flame of the furnace. His figure became red, white, transparent52, dazzling — a blaze of intense light — rose, trembled, and disappeared. The King of the Golden River had evaporated.
“Oh!” cried poor Gluck, running to look up the chimney after him, “O dear, dear, dear me! My mug! my mug! my mug!”
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1
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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patrimony
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| n.世袭财产，继承物 | |
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livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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10
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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11
circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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12
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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averred
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| v.断言( aver的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；证明…属实；作为事实提出 | |
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14
wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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disconsolately
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| adv.悲伤地，愁闷地；哭丧着脸 | |
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17
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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20
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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21
crucible
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| n.坩锅，严酷的考验 | |
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passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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23
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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24
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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ascertaining
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的现在分词 ) | |
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contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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28
slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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29
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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30
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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31
exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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32
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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pertinacious
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| adj.顽固的 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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39
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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40
conclusively
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| adv.令人信服地，确凿地 | |
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41
diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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42
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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43
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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44
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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45
auditor
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| n.审计员，旁听着 | |
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46
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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47
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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48
deigning
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的现在分词 ) | |
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49
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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50
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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51
enchantments
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| n.魅力( enchantment的名词复数 )；迷人之处；施魔法；着魔 | |
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52
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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