英語勵志長故事
有很多小夥伴都喜歡看一些，那麼都有哪些呢?一起來看看吧。
：費切爾的怪鳥
Fitcher's Bird
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Once upon a time there was a sorcerer who disguised himself as a poor man, went begging from house to house, and captured beautiful girls. No one knew where he took them, for none of them ever returned.
One day he came to the door of a man who had three beautiful daughters. He appeared to be a poor, weak beggar, and he carried a pack basket on his back, as though he wanted to collect some benevolent offerings in it. He asked for a bit to eat, and when the oldest daughter came out to give him a piece of bread, he simply touched her, and she was forced to jump into his pack basket. Then he hurried away with powerful strides and carried her to his house, which stood in the middle of a dark forest.
Everything was splendid in the house, and he gave her everything that she wanted. He said, "My dear, you will like it here with me. You will have everything that your heart desires."
So it went for a few days, and then he said to her, "I have to go away and leave you alone for a short time. Here are the house keys. You may go everywhere and look at everything except for the one room that this little key here unlocks. I forbid you to go there on the penalty of death."
He also gave her an egg, saying, "Take good care of this egg. You should carry it with you at all times, for if you should loose it great misfortune would follow."
She took the keys and the egg, and promised to take good care of everything.
As soon as he had gone she walked about in the house from top to bottom examining everything. The rooms glistened with silver and gold, and she thought that she had never seen such splendor.
Finally she came to the forbidden door. She wanted to pass it by, but curiosity gave her no rest. She examined the key. It looked like any other one. She put it into the lock and twisted it a little, and then the door sprang open.
What did she see when she stepped inside? A large bloody basin stood in the middle, inside which there lay the cut up parts of dead girls. Nearby there was a wooden block with a glistening ax lying on it.
She was so terrified that the egg, which she was holding in her hand, fell into the basin. She got it out again and wiped off the blood, but it was to no avail, for it always came back. She wiped and scrubbed, but she could not get rid of the stain.
Not long afterward the man returned from his journey, and he immediately asked for the key and the egg. She handed them to him, shaking all the while, for he saw from the red stain that she had been in the blood chamber.
"You went into that chamber against my will," he said, "and now against your will you shall go into it once again. Your life is finished."
He threw her down, dragged her by her hair into the chamber, cut off her head on the block, then cut her up into pieces, and her blood flowed out onto the floor. Then he threw her into the basin with the others.
"Now I will go get the second one," said the sorcerer, and, again disguised as a poor man, he went to their house begging.
The second sister brought him a piece of bread, and, as he had done to the first one, he captured her by merely touching her, and he carried her away. It went with her no better than it had gone with her sister. She let herself be led astray by her curiosity, opened the blood chamber and looked inside. When he returned she paid with her life.
Then he went and captured the third sister, but she was clever and sly. After he had given her the keys and the egg, and had gone away, she carefully put the egg aside, and then examined the house, entering finally the forbidden chamber.
Oh, what she saw! He two dear sisters were lying there in the basin, miserably murdered and chopped to pieces. In spite of this she proceeded to gather their parts together, placing them back in order: head, body, arms, and legs. Then, when nothing else was missing, the parts began to move. They joined together, and the two girls opened their eyes and came back to life. Rejoicing, they kissed and hugged one another.
When the man returned home he immediately demanded the keys and the egg, and when he was unable to detect any trace of blood on them, he said, "You have passed the test. You shall be my bride."
He now had no more power over her and had to do whatever she demanded.
"Good," she answered, "but first you must take a basketful of gold to my father and mother. You yourself must carry it there on your back. In the meanwhile I shall make preparations for the wedding."
Then she ran to her sisters, whom she had hidden in a closet, and said, "The moment is here when I can rescue you. The evildoer himself shall carry you home. As soon as you have arrived at home send help to me."
She put them both into a basket, then covered them entirely with gold, so that nothing could be seen of them.
Then she called the sorcerer in and said, "Now carry this basket away, but you are not to stop and rest underway. Take care, for I shall be watching you through my little window."
The sorcerer lifted the basket onto his back and walked away with it. However, it pressed down so heavily on him that the sweat ran from his face. He sat down, wanting to rest, but immediately one of the girls in the basket called out, "I am looking through my little window, and I can see that you are resting. Walk on!"
He thought that his bride was calling to him, so he got up again. Then he again wanted to sit down, but someone immediately called out, "I am looking through my little window, and I can see that you are resting. Walk on!"
Every time that he stopped walking, someone called out, and he had to walk on until, groaning and out of breath, he brought the basket with the gold and the two girls to their parents' house.
At home the bride was making preparations for the wedding feast, to which she had had the sorcerer's friends invited. Then she took a skull with grinning teeth, adorned it with jewelry and with a wreath of flowers, carried it to the attic window, and let it look out.
When everything was ready she dipped herself into a barrel of honey, then cut open the bed and rolled around in it until she looked like a strange bird, and no one would have been able to recognize her. Then she walked out of the house.
Underway some of the wedding guests met her, and they asked, "You, Fitcher's bird, where are you coming from?"
"I am coming from Fitcher's house."
"What is his young bride doing there?"
"She has swept the house from bottom to top, and now she is looking out of the attic window."
Finally her bridegroom met her. He was slowly walking back home, and, like the others, he asked, "You, Fitcher's bird, where are you coming from?"
"I am coming from Fitcher's house."
"What is my young bride doing there?"
"She has swept the house from bottom to top, and now she is looking out of the attic window."
The bridegroom looked up. Seeing the decorated skull, he thought it was his bride, and he waved a friendly greeting to her.
After he and all his guests had gone into the house, the bride's brothers and relatives arrived. They had been sent to rescue her. After closing up all the doors of the house so that no one could escape, they set it afire, and the sorcerer, together with his gang, all burned to death.
從前有個巫師，裝作窮人，挨家挨戶地乞討，而實際上他是碰到漂亮姑娘就抓。誰也說不上他把姑娘們抓到哪兒去了，因為他帶走的姑娘沒有一個回來過。
有一天，他來到一家人門口，這家人有三個漂亮的姑娘。他揹著一個籃子，像是準備裝人們施捨的東西，樣子活像個身體虛弱、令人憐憫的乞丐。他求那家人給他點吃的，於是大女兒走了出來。巫師不用碰她，姑娘就會不自覺地跳進他的籃子，然後他就邁著大步朝密林深處自己的住所逃去。
他住處的一切擺設都是那麼富麗堂皇，還給姑娘準備了她可能想到的每一樣東西，他總是說：「親愛的，你跟著我會過得很幸福的，因為你要甚麼有甚麼。」
過了幾天，巫師對姑娘說：「我得出門辦點事情，你得一個人在家呆兩天。這是所有房門的鑰匙。除了一間屋子外，其餘你都可以看。這是那間禁室的鑰匙，我不許任何人進去，否則就得死。」同時他還遞給姑娘一個雞蛋，說：「保管好雞蛋，走到哪兒帶到哪兒，要是丟了你就會倒大黴了。」
姑娘接過鑰匙和雞蛋，答應一切都照他的吩咐做。巫師走後，姑娘把屋子從樓下到樓上都個遍。所有房間都是金光閃閃的，姑娘從沒見過這麼多財富。最後她來到那間禁室，想走過去不看，可好奇心驅使她掏出了鑰匙，想看看和其他的有甚麼不同，於是將鑰匙插進了鎖孔。門「譁」地彈開了，她走了進去。你們想她看到了甚麼?房間中央擺著一個血淋淋的大盆，裡面全是砍成了碎片的人體;旁邊是一塊大木砧板，上面放著一把鋒利閃亮的大斧子。她嚇得連手裡的雞蛋都掉進盆裡去了，結果上面的血斑怎麼也擦不掉，她又是洗又是刮，還是沒法去掉。
巫師不久就回來了。他要的第一件東西就是鑰匙和雞蛋。姑娘戰戰兢兢地將鑰匙和雞蛋遞了過去，巫師從她那副表情和雞蛋上的紅點馬上就知道她進過那間血腥的房間。「既然你違背了我的意願進了那間屋子，現在我就要你違背自己的意願再回到那裡去，你死定了。」巫師說著就拽著姑娘的頭髮，一路拖著進了那間屠宰房，把她的頭摁在砧板上砍了，把她的四肢也砍了，讓血滿地流淌，接著就把屍體扔進盆裡和其他屍體放在一塊兒。
「現在我該去把二姑娘弄來了。」巫師自言自語地說。他又裝扮成可憐的乞丐，來到那家人家乞討。這次是二姑娘拿了一塊麵包給他，他只碰了姑娘一下就像抓大姑娘一樣把她給抓住了。二姑娘的結局也不比大姑娘好，她也在好奇心的驅使下打開了屠宰室的門，看到了一切;然後在巫師回來時被同樣殺害了。巫師又去抓第三個姑娘，她可比姐姐們聰明、狡猾多了。當巫師將鑰匙和雞蛋交給她，然後出門旅行時，她先是小心翼翼地把雞蛋放穩妥，然後才開始檢查各個房間，最後來到那間禁室。天哪!她都看到些甚麼了?她的兩位好姐姐雙雙躺在盆裡，被殘酷地謀殺了、肢解了。她開始將她們的肢體按順序擺好：頭、身體、胳膊和腿。甚麼都不缺時，那些肢體開始移動，合到一起，兩位姑娘睜開了眼睛，又活過來了。她們興高采烈地互相親吻、互相安慰。
巫師回來第一件事照例是要鑰匙和雞蛋。他左瞧右看找不出上面有血痕，於是說：「你經受了考驗，你將是我的新娘。」這樣一來，他不僅對姑娘沒有任何魔力，而且不得不按照姑娘的吩咐去行事。「哦，真是太好了!」姑娘說，「你先得親自扛一籃子金子去送給我父母，我則在家準備婚事。」說著就跑到姐姐們藏身的小房間，對她們說：「現在我可以救你們了，這壞蛋會親自揹你們回家。你們一到家就要找人來幫我。」她將兩個姐姐放進籃子，上面蓋上厚厚一層金子。然後對巫師說：「把籃子扛去吧。不過我會從小視窗看你一路是不是站下來偷懶。」
巫師扛起籃子就走，可籃子重得壓彎了他的腰，汗水順著面頰直往下淌。他剛想坐下來歇一歇，籃子裡就有個姑娘在喊：「我從小視窗看到你在歇息了，馬上起身走。」巫師以為是新娘子在說話，只好起身接著走。走了一會兒，他又想停下來歇息，立刻聽到有人說：「我從小視窗看著你呢。你又停下來休息了，你就不能一直走回去嗎?」每當他站在那裡不動時，這個聲音就會又喊起來，他又不得不繼續前進，最後終於扛著兩個姑娘和一大堆金子氣喘噓噓地來到姑娘父母家中。
再說三姑娘在巫師家裡一邊準備婚宴一邊給巫師的朋友們發請貼。她準備了一個咧嘴露牙的骷髏，給它戴上花環，裝飾了一下，然後將它放到閣樓上的小視窗前，讓它從那裡往外看著。等這些事情都做完了，姑娘跳進一桶蜂蜜，然後把羽毛床劃開，自己在上面滾，直到渾身都粘滿了毛，人像只奇異的鳥，誰都認不出她了為止。她走到外面，一路上都碰到來參加婚禮的客人。他們問她：
「費切爾怪鳥，你怎麼到的這裡?」
「從附近的費切爾的家走來的。」
「年輕的新娘在幹甚麼?」
「她把樓下樓上已打掃得整齊乾淨，我想，這會兒正從視窗向外張望。」
最後，她碰到了正慢慢向家走的新郎。他也一樣問道：
「費切爾怪鳥，你怎麼到的這裡?」
「從附近的費切爾家走來的。」
「年輕的新娘在幹甚麼?」
「她把樓下樓上已打掃得整齊乾淨，我想，這會兒正從視窗向外張望。」
新郎抬頭一望，看見了那個打扮起來的骷髏，以為那就是他的新娘，便向它點頭，很親熱地和它打招呼。可當他和客人們走進屋子時，被派來救新娘的兄弟和親戚也趕到了，他們把屋子的門全部鎖上，不讓一個人逃出來，然後點起火來，把巫師和他的那幫人全部燒死了。
：老蘇丹
雙語格林童話：老蘇丹
Old Sultan
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
A farmer had a faithful dog named Sultan, who had grown old and lost all his teeth, and could no longer hold onto anything. One day the farmer was standing with his wife before the house door, and said, "Tomorrow I intend to shoot Old Sultan. He is no longer of any use."
His wife, who felt pity for the faithful animal, answered, "He has served us so long, and been so faithful, that we might well give him his keep."
"What?" said the man. "You are not very bright. He doesn't have a tooth left in his mouth, and no thief is afraid of him. He can go now. If he has served us, he has eaten well for it."
The poor dog, who was lying stretched out in the sun not far off, heard everything, and was sorry that tomorrow was to be his last day. He had a good friend, the wolf, and he crept out in the evening into the forest to him, and complained of the fate that awaited him.
"Listen, kinsman," said the wolf, "be of good cheer. I will help you out of your trouble. I have thought of something. Tomorrow, early in the morning, your master is going with his wife to make hay, and they will take their little child with them, for no one will be left behind in the house. While they are at work they lay the child behind the hedge in the shade. You lie down there too, just as if you wanted to guard it. Then I will come out of the woods, and carry off the child. You must run swiftly after me, as if you would take it away from me. I will let it fall, and you will take it back to its parents, who will think that you have rescued it, and will be far too grateful to do you any harm. On the contrary, you will be treated royally, and they will never let you want for anything again."
This idea pleased the dog, and it was carried out just as planned. The father screamed when he saw the wolf running across the field with his child, but when Old Sultan brought it back, he was full of joy, and stroked him and said, "Not a hair of yours shall be hurt. You shall eat free bread as long as you live."
And to his wife he said, "Go home at once and make Old Sultan some bread soup that he will not have to bite. And bring the pillow from my bed. I will give it to him to lie on. From then on Old Sultan was as well off as he could possibly wish.
Soon afterwards the wolf visited him, and was pleased that everything had succeeded so well. "But, kinsman," he said, "you will just close one eye if, when I have a chance, I carry off one of your master's fat sheep."
"Don't count on that," answered the dog. "I will remain true to my master. I cannot agree to that."
The wolf thought that this was not spoken in earnest, and he crept up in the night to take away the sheep. But the farmer, to whom the faithful Sultan had told the wolf's plan, was waiting for him and combed his hair cruelly with a flail. The wolf had to flee, but he cried out to the dog, "Just wait, you scoundrel. You'll regret this."
The next morning the wolf sent the boar to challenge the dog to come out into the forest and settle the affair. Old Sultan could find no one to be his second but a cat with only three legs, and as they went out together the poor cat limped along, stretching its tail upward with pain.
The wolf and his friend were already at the appointed place, but when they saw their enemy coming, they thought that he was bringing a saber with him, for they mistook the cat's outstretched tail for one. And when the poor animal hopped on three legs, they thought that each time it was picking up a stone to throw at them. Then they took fright. The wild boar crept into the underbrush and the wolf jumped up a tree.
As the dog and the cat approached, they wondered why no one was to be seen. The wild boar, however, had not been able to hide himself completely in the leaves. His ears were still sticking out. While the cat was looking cautiously about, the boar wiggled his ears, and the cat, who thought it was a mouse, jumped on it and bit down hard. The boar jumped up screaming loudly, "The guilty one is up in the tree."
The dog and cat looked up and saw the wolf, who was ashamed for having shown such fear, and who then made peace with the dog.
一個牧羊人有一條很忠誠的狗，叫做蘇丹。蘇丹現在已經老了，連牙齒也掉完了。有一天，牧羊人和他的妻子站在房屋前，牧羊人說：「我準備明天上午把老蘇丹殺掉，因為它已經沒有用了。」妻子卻說道：「請把這條可憐的狗留下吧，它為我們忠心耿耿地服務了許多年，我們應該在它有生之年裡繼續供養它。」牧羊人反駁她說：「可我們留著它又能為我們做甚麼事呢?它嘴裡沒有一顆牙齒，小偷根本不會在乎他。你說得不錯，它的確為我們做過不少事，但那是它謀生的方式，我們也不曾虧待它呀!它現在這樣子，明天殺了它更好。」
可憐的蘇丹就躺在他們身旁不遠處，它把牧羊人和他妻子的這番對話都聽了去，想到明天就是它的末日，它非常害怕。傍晚，它去了住在森林裡的好朋友狼那兒，把自己的事都告訴了它，說他的主人準備明天要將它殺死。狼聽了說道：「你先別慌，我給你出一個好主意。你的主人每天清晨都會帶著他們的小孩去地裡幹活，這你是知道的。他們幹活時，就會把小孩放在籬笆下的陰涼處。明天清晨你蹲在小孩附近，做出照看小孩的樣子，我從森林裡跑出來把小孩叼走，你必須裝做拚命追趕我的樣子，我也裝做驚慌的樣子扔下小孩逃走。然後你就可以把小孩帶回去了。經過這一鬧，你的主人一定會很感激你救回了他們的孩子，他們就會留下你，繼續供養你了。」狗非常讚賞這個辦法。
第二天清晨，它們按計劃進行，狼剛把小孩叼走跑不多遠，牧羊人和他妻子就驚慌地叫喊起來。這時候，老蘇丹跳起來奮力向狼追去，很快就追上了狼，並幫它的男主人和女主人救回了那可憐的小傢伙。看見小孩安然無恙，牧羊人拍了拍蘇丹的頭，說道：「老蘇丹，你從狼口裡救回了我們的孩子，我不會再殺你了，還要好好地養活你，給你好多吃的東西。」說完又轉頭對妻子說：「走!回家去吧，給老蘇丹做一頓好吃的，把我的舊靠墊做窩給它睡，讓它過得好一點。」從這以後，蘇丹終於如願以償，過上了倍受主人家青睞的生活。
不久，狼來向蘇丹祝賀，同時對它說：「我的好朋友，現在你也該幫我個忙了，我很久沒吃過一頓飽餐了，就請你在我抓吃你主人的肥羊時，把頭調過去，只當沒看見。」蘇丹說：「那不行，我得忠於我的主人。」狼聽了之後，以為它不過是說說笑話，不會認真對待此事的。晚上，它跑來準備抓只羊美餐一頓，但蘇丹把狼的企圖告訴了主人。主人躲在羊圈的門後面，等候著狼的到來。狼來了以後，主人等它正忙著物色肥羊時，一記悶棍狠狠地打在了它的背上，連背上的毛都掉下了好大一撮，狼倉皇逃走了。
捱了這一棍，狼非常氣憤，它叫蘇丹是「一個老雜種」，發誓要對它進行報復。第二天早晨，狼派野豬來挑戰，要蘇丹到森林裡去，以決鬥的方式來解決它們之間的事。此刻，蘇丹除了主人家的一隻三條腿的瘸腳貓外，再也找不到第二個幫手，它只好叫上這隻貓和它一道前往。這可憐的貓跛著腿走起路來極不方便，所以就把尾巴舉起來平衡身子。
狼和野豬先在路上等著蘇丹，當它們發現對方時，遠遠看見貓豎在空中那長長的尾巴，以為那是貓為幫助蘇丹決鬥而帶來的一把刀。貓走起來一跛一跛的，它們以為貓每跛一次，就拾起了一塊石頭，是準備用來向它們投擲的。看到這情況，它們倆心裡害怕起來，打起了退堂鼓，說最好取消決鬥為好。說完，野豬急急忙忙地藏進了灌木叢裡，狼跳到一棵大樹上。蘇丹和貓不久就走了過來，四下一瞧，很奇怪它們怎麼還沒來。然而，野豬這時還沒有把自己完全藏好，它的耳朵還露在灌木叢外面，就在它的耳朵輕輕晃動之際，那隻貓覺察到有東西在灌木叢中晃動，以為是一隻老鼠，跳起來撲了上去，又是撕咬又是抓撓。野豬受不了了，它又是跳又是叫，一邊逃跑，一邊大聲叫道：「快看樹上，那上面坐的才是你們要找的對頭。」蘇丹和貓一齊向樹上望去，後見狼正坐在樹枝上，它們叫它是一個膽小鬼，不准它下來。狼十分羞愧，就答應和蘇凡講和，這樣它和老蘇丹又成了好朋友。