大龜王

The Giant Turtle

本生故事

Jataka Tales

　　The Jataka tales are stories that the Buddha told about the many times he was reborn on Earth, sometimes as a prince or a poor man, sometimes as an animal or a fish, or a tree.These stories celebrate the wonderful joy, compassion, wisdom, and kindness that the Buddha showed in each of these lives to help others.

　　The Giant Turtle is one of the tales told by the Buddha to his disciples over 2,500 years ago.

　　前言

　　Jakata tales 是佛陀述說自己前生的故事，他有時生爲太子或窮人，有時就做動物或魚，乃至一棵樹。這些故事稱頌著佛陀，在其每一生幫助人時，所表現出來的圓妙喜悅、慈悲、智慧與仁慈。

　　這篇「大龜王」是二千五百年前，佛陀告訴弟子的故事之一。

　　The Giant Turtle

　　Once a long, long time ago, the Buddha came to the earth as a giant turtle.He was a king turtle and ruled over all the animals in the deep blue sea.Every day he swam among the painted fish, the pearly-white oysters and the blue whales helping them with their problems and wishing them well.Everyone was happy and peaceful in his kingdom of the sea.

　　大龜王

　　很久很久以前，佛陀化身爲一只大龜王，來統領深藍海中所有的水族。牠每天在五彩缤紛的魚、珍珠白的蛤蜊，及藍藍的海鯨間遊來遊去，除了幫牠們解決問題外，還希望牠們事事如意；所以一切的水族衆生，都在牠的王國裏，過著既快樂、又祥和的生活。

　　One day, he crawled onto the sandy beach to take a nap.Because he was so large, as large as a continent, he napped for a very long time, for thousands of years.

　　有一天牠爬到沙灘上小睡片刻。可是牠實在太大了，大得好像一片陸地一樣，所以這一睡，竟睡了一千年這麼長的時間！

　　In the nights, the rain came dropping tiny raindrops onto the turtle”s back.Drip, drop!Drip drop!The raindrops flowed down between the cracks on the turtle”s great shell, forming sparkling rivers and lakes.

　　The turtle slept on.

　　夜晚，小雨滴在大龜王的背上，滴答！滴答！雨滴流進了牠巨大龜殼的縫隙中，形成了亮晶晶的河流和湖泊；可是大龜王還是沈睡著。

　　In the mornings, the winds came up, blowing tiny grains of sand onto the turtle”s back.Whoo-sha!Whoo-sha! The grains of sand joined together forming mountains and valleys.

　　The turtle slept on.

　　早上，風把細沙吹到大龜王的背上，呼咻！呼咻！沙粒堆在一起，形成了山嶺和峽谷；可是大龜王還是沈睡著。

　　In the afternoons, the birds flew over, dropping tiny seeds onto the turtle”s back. Pi-link! Pi-link!The seeds sprouted, and there on the turtle”s back grew flowers and grass and trees.

　　The turtle slept on.

　　午間，飛鳥銜落的小種子掉到大龜王的背上，哔剝！哔剝！種子在龜背上發了芽，長出花草樹木來；可是大龜王還是沈睡著。

　　The sun warmed the turtle through the days.

　　白天，陽光溫暖了大龜王；

　　The moon watched over him through the nights.

　　夜晚，月亮映照著牠。

　　As time passed, the seasons embraced the giant turtle with Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, and animals that lived on the turtle”s back experienced the seasons and multiplied.

　　時間一天一天過去了，春、夏、秋、冬四季輪流擁抱著大龜王，動物們也來住在牠的背上，度過了四季，並且數量一天天地增加。

　　One day, not knowing the difference between the earth and the giant turtle”s back, a child drifted among the mountains and valleys to pick some wild flowers.

　　有一天，一位無法分辨土地和龜背的小女孩，在山谷間漫遊，采了一些野花。

　　The next day she returned with her family. "This will be a good place to build a house. We can grow rice and get salt from the sea," said her father.

　　The turtle slept on.

　　第二天，她帶著家人又來了，她的父親說：「這是一片可以建造家園的好土地，我們不但可以在這兒種稻，還可以從海裏采鹽哩！」可是大龜王還是沈睡著。

　　The next year another family moved to the little mountain, and then another.

　　過了一年，另一個家庭又搬進小山，接著其他的家庭也陸續搬來了。

　　Roads were built and merchants came to set up shops.

　　這時，馬路被造起來了，商人也來設立商店。

　　A prince even built a palace.

　　The turtle slept on.

　　有一位王子甚至建立了一座宮殿！可是大龜王還是沈睡著。

　　People pulled their carts and rode their carriages over the streets cutting deep ruts into the turtle”s shell.Their cities became a heavy burden on his back, and the noises they made drummed in his ears.The fires that they built for their needs burned his skin.

　　人們在馬路上開車騎馬，車轍深深地切進了龜殼內；他們的城市重重地壓在牠的背上；人們的嘈雜聲，如…

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