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在菲沙河河口的一个地方，住着一个女孩,她拒绝了所有的求婚者。不久，一个人过来拜访她，晚上就和她睡在一起。 女孩对他说：“你一定要留到天亮，然后去见见我的父母。” 他回答说：“不，我太穷了。你的家人是不会喜欢我的。” 他每晚还是照样来，女孩就告诉了父母，他们很生气。于是，鱼人让海水消退，离村子远了好几英里。他让所有的淡水河都干了，也没有降雨。动物感到很渴，离开了村子。人们捕不到鱼和野味,也没有水喝。 女孩告诉人们：“是我的爱人做的这一切，因为你们惹怒了他，还拒绝了他。” 于是人们造了一条长长的通道，一直通到海边。在通道尽头，盖了一个很大的平台，用草垫子覆盖着。他们又在上面堆了许多毛毯，然后给女孩穿上了很好的袍子，为她梳好头发，涂上头油，化好妆。之后，人们把她放在毯子上，留在那儿。天空立刻变得阴沉了，下起了雨，泉水奔涌，河水流动，海水也回来了。人们一直看到海水上涨，漂起了有毯子的平台。他们看到一个男子爬到女孩的旁边。 人们站了起来，女孩叫道：“现在一切都已经恢复正常了，不久我会来看你们的。” 夜幕降临，人们再也看不到他们了。两天后，女孩回来了，告诉人们："我住在海底，在鱼的王国。那儿的房子和这儿的一样，人们过着同样的生活。” 后来，她又和丈夫带着一些鱼类礼物回来了,她说：“从今以后，这儿的人们都能够捕到很多鱼了。” 之后她又带着刚生下的孩子回来了一次。从那以后，她回到海里，人们再也没见到她。 注:菲沙河是加拿大卑诗省最长的一条河流，也是全世界鲑鱼回游最多的河流，其源头是洛矶山脉的罗伯森山，流程1375公里，由温哥华入海。 The Fish-Man Somewhere near the mouth of the Fraser River lived a girl. who had refused all suitors. After a while a man came to visit her, and lay with her at night. The girl said to him, “You must stay until daylight, and show yourself to my parents.” He answered, “No, I am too poor. Your people would not like me. ” As he continued to come every night, the girl told her parents, and they were very angry. Then Fish-Man caused the sea to recede for many miles from the village. He let all the freshwater streams dry up, and no rain fall. The animals became thirsty, and left the country. The people could get no fish, no game, and no water to drink. The girl told the people, “My lover has done this, because you were wroth with him and refused him. ’， Then the people made a long walk of planks over the mud to the edge of the sea. At the end of this they built a large platform of planks, which they covered with mats. They heaped many woolen blankets on it. Then they dressed the girl in a fine robe, combed and oiled her hair, painted her face, and placed her on the top of the blankets and left her there. At once the sky became overcast, rain fell, the springs burst out, the streams ran, and the sea came in. The people watched until the sea rose, and floated the platform with the blankets. They saw a man climb up beside the girl. They stood up； and the girl called, “Now all is well. I shall visit you soon. ” Night came on, and they saw them no more. In two days she came back, and told the people, “I live below the sea, in the fish country. The houses there are just the same as here, and the people live in the same way. ” She returned again with her husband bringing presents of fish. She said, “From now on people here shall always be able to catch plenty of fish. ” |
