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某个岛上住着一个名叫青木的懒汉。他从早到晚都躺在一张破床上，嘴里终日喃喃自语不知在说些什么。 “青木，你一天到晚在说什么？”邻居对他说，“你还是找点儿事做吧！” 青木回答说：“我天天在祈祷，祈求天神让我脱离穷苦的日子。一旦天神听到我的祈求，马上会赐给我幸福的。” 有一天，青木听说邻近岛上的居民都是独眼的，便高兴万分。他对左邻右舍说： “天神听到我的祈祷了，他要把幸福赐给我了！我得马上到独眼人住的岛上，骗一个独眼人到这里来！” 邻居听了后，惊奇地问：“独眼人对你有什么用处？” “我把他关在笼子里，供人出钱观赏。这样的怪物谁都想看！” 青木上了船，到邻近的岛上去了。靠了岸，马上就看见了一个他要找的独眼的人。 青木心中大喜：“幸福啊，财富啊，你们都自动向我走来了！” 青木向独眼人行个礼，脸露笑容地说：“多年来，我一直想拜见像您这样帅的人。” 独眼人用自己惟一的眼睛打量了青木，然后恭敬地说： “您也是我这一生最想拜见的英俊男子。” 这时，阴险的青木说：“我特来请您到我家去做客，快上船，到我家去。” 独眼人说：“我非常荣幸地接受您的邀请，但请原谅，我必须先邀请您光临寒舍，我的家人和亲戚们肯定会因为认识您这样的人而高兴的。” “我很高兴到您府上去，不过，这之后您一定要到我家去做客。” 青木表面上恭敬地回答，心里在却在想：“回到家后，只要把你关进笼子里，金钱就会源源不绝地向我滚来了！” 青木刚走进独眼人的家里，那独眼主人的兄弟立即围住了他，争先恐后地叫道：“看，他有两只眼睛！好丑怪哟！他是从哪里来的？” “我待会儿告诉你们，”那独眼主人吩咐说，“不过你们先得把他捆起来。” 青木还来不及说话，就被捆住了。这时，那独眼主人对兄弟们说： “兄弟们，我们的苦日子即将结束了！我们把这只怪物关在笼子里，让人出钱观赏，因为每个人都想看一看两只眼睛的怪物！” 就这样，青木被关进笼子里了。 岛上的独眼人纷纷赶来看长着两只眼睛的青木。每个前来观看的人都得付给主人一枚金币。 谋划陷害别人的人，他的下场往往如此。 One-eyed Men and Two-eyed Men There was a lazy man by the name of Aoki who lived on an island. He would lie in bed day and night mumbling about something. “Aoki, what are you mumbling about day and night?” asked his neighbour. “Why don’t you find something to do?” Aoki answered, “I am praying every day, asking the God of Heaven to set me free from poverty. If the God of Heaven hears my prayer, I will be well off immediately.” One day, Aoki heard that there were people all with only one eye staying on a neighbouring island. He was so excited that he said to his neighbours, “The God of Heaven has heard my prayer! He has blessed me with good fortune! I’ll go to the island where the one-eyed people live. Then I，ll use trickery to get one of them back here.” The neighbours were all puzzled by his words. “What’s the use of a one-eyed man to you?” ‘Til shut him up in a cage and exhibit him. Everyone will have to pay to take a look at this strange man!” Aoki got himself on a ship and travelled to the neighbouring island. As the ship was docked, he immediately saw a one-eyed man. Aoki was intoxicated with joy. “Oh，my blessings! Oh, my good fortune! You’ve come to me immediately!” He greeted the one-eyed man with a pretentious smile and said, “For many years, Fve longed to pay you good-looking people a visit." The one-eyed man looked at Aoki and said respectfully, “You，re also a handsome man whom I have been waiting to meet all my life.” The treacherous Aoki replied, “I，m here to invite you to be a guest at my home. Please come on board and we’ll go to my home.” The single-eyed man said, “Indeed it is an honour to have such an invitation. But do forgive me, I have to invite you to my humble place first. My family members and relatives will be very happy to know that I have come to know someone like you.” “I’m glad to be invited to your place，” said Aoki. “However，you must come with me to my home and be my guest after this.” As soon as Aoki entered the one-eyed man’s house, the brothers surrounded Aoki immediately. They exclaimed, “Look! This man has two eyes! How ugly! Where did he come from?” “I’ll tell you more later，，，the host replied. “Just tie him up first.” They captured Aoki so swiftly that he did not even have time to speak. The one-eyed host said to his brothers, “Now you all ought to be happy! Our days of poverty are over! We shall lock up this strange creature in a cage, and others will have to pay to have a look at this two-eyed creature!” Aoki was kept in a cage and all the one-eyed people came to gaze at the two-eyed man. Everyone paid a silver coin to the owner of the cage. |
