第一口井的故事，講述了一個小國家因為干旱尋找水種子的故事，但是最后真的水種子發芽了，還是因為人們的努力自己挖出了水源呢?

　　The First Well 第一口井的故事

　　retold by BookBox

　　There once was a small kingdom around a lake. One very hot summer it did not rain and the lake dried up. People grew anxious and went to the king.

　　從前，在一個湖附近的一個小王國，一個非常炎熱的夏天也沒下雨,湖水干涸。人們越來越焦急，就去見國王。

　　It has not rained for so long. Our fields are barren! said the farmers.

　　農民說：很久不下雨了，我們的土地都很貧瘠了。

　　Theres no fish to catch. How shall we earn a living? asked the fisherman.

　　預付問：沒有魚可捕，我們拿什么為生呢?

　　Save us from disaster, good king, urged the women and the children cried with thirst.

　　婦女和孩子干渴著嗓子急急地請求：救救我們脫離災難吧，好國王。

　　The king sent his four generals to search for water in all directions. The first general went east, towards the sunrise, the second to the south, to dust and heat, the third went west, where the sun sets, and the fourth, followed the North Star.

　　國王派了四位將軍全方位的搜索水源，第一個將軍去東邊，往日出的方向，第二個將軍去南邊，灰塵大，空氣熱;第三個將軍去西邊，日落的方向;第四位將軍去北方，跟著啟明星的方向。

　　They searched day and night, night and day, high and low, they searched everywhere, but in vain.

　　他們日日夜夜，從高山到低谷全搜了一個遍，但是也沒找到一滴水。

　　Three of the generals returned, empty-handed. But the general who had gone north determined, not to fail his king, finally reached a cold mountain village.

　　三個將軍兩手空空的回去了，但是那個去北邊的將軍決定，絕不讓國王失望，最后來到一個寒冷的山村。

　　As he sat at the foot of the mountain, an old woman came by and sat next to him. The general pointed at the horizon and said, I belong to a beautiful kingdom, where it has not rained for a whole year. Can you help me find water?

　　當他坐在一個山腳下，一位老婦從旁邊走過，并坐到他身邊。將軍指向地平線說道：我來自一個美麗的王國，奶已經一整年沒下過雨了，您能幫我找到水嗎?

　　The woman motioned the general to follow her up the mountain and inside a cave. We have no water in our country either, she said. Then, pointing to the icicles in the cave, she continued, We call this ice. Take some, and your kingdom will never go thirsty again. The general broke off a huge piece, loaded it onto his horse-cart and rushed back home.

　　女人示意將軍跟著她上山進了一個山洞。她說：我們這里也沒有水。然后她指向山洞里的冰柱說道：我們把這個叫冰，你帶一些回去，你們的國家就不會再發生旱災了。將軍把一塊大冰擊碎，放到他的馬車上，沖回了家。

　　By the time he reached the court, the enormous icicle had melted into a small lump of ice. Nobody in the court had ever seen ice, so everybody gazed at it with wonder!

　　當他回宮后，那塊巨大的冰已經融化成了一個小冰塊，公歷沒人見過冰，所以每個人都驚奇的看著它。

　　This must be a water-seed, one of the ministers exclaimed suddenly.

　　一位大臣突然叫了起來：這一定是一顆水種子。

　　The king ordered the water-seed to be sowed immediately. While the farmers dug a hole, the lump dwindled in the sun. They swiftly placed the seed in the hole, but, before they could cover it, it had vanished. The farmers there got confused and worried. They dug the earth deeper and deeper, into the night, looking for the mysterious seed.

　　國王下令立即將水種子播種，農民們挖了一個洞，小冰塊在太陽下逐漸消失，他們迅速把種子放進動力，但是，還沒來得及蓋上它，它就消失了。農民又是迷惑又是擔心，他們挖得越來越深，一直到晚上，還在找那顆神奇的種子。

　　At the break of dawn, the king found the farmers fast asleep around a hole. Curiously, he peeped in and cried out in amazement, Wake up my worthy men, the water-seed has sprouted! Theres water in the hole!

　　在黎明時，國王發現農民們都在洞邊睡著了，他往洞里一嘆，吃驚的大叫：快醒醒啊，水種子發芽了，洞里有水。

　　This is how the first well was created.

　　這就是第一口井的故事。

　　第一口井的故事，講述了一個小國家因為干旱尋找水種子的故事，但是最后真的水種子發芽了，還是因為人們的努力自己挖出了水源呢?

　　The First Well 第一口井的故事

　　retold by BookBox

　　There once was a small kingdom around a lake. One very hot summer it did not rain and the lake dried up. People grew anxious and went to the king.

　　從前，在一個湖附近的一個小王國，一個非常炎熱的夏天也沒下雨,湖水干涸。人們越來越焦急，就去見國王。

　　It has not rained for so long. Our fields are barren! said the farmers.

　　農民說：很久不下雨了，我們的土地都很貧瘠了。

　　Theres no fish to catch. How shall we earn a living? asked the fisherman.

　　預付問：沒有魚可捕，我們拿什么為生呢?

　　Save us from disaster, good king, urged the women and the children cried with thirst.

　　婦女和孩子干渴著嗓子急急地請求：救救我們脫離災難吧，好國王。

　　The king sent his four generals to search for water in all directions. The first general went east, towards the sunrise, the second to the south, to dust and heat, the third went west, where the sun sets, and the fourth, followed the North Star.

　　國王派了四位將軍全方位的搜索水源，第一個將軍去東邊，往日出的方向，第二個將軍去南邊，灰塵大，空氣熱;第三個將軍去西邊，日落的方向;第四位將軍去北方，跟著啟明星的方向。

　　They searched day and night, night and day, high and low, they searched everywhere, but in vain.

　　他們日日夜夜，從高山到低谷全搜了一個遍，但是也沒找到一滴水。

　　Three of the generals returned, empty-handed. But the general who had gone north determined, not to fail his king, finally reached a cold mountain village.

　　三個將軍兩手空空的回去了，但是那個去北邊的將軍決定，絕不讓國王失望，最后來到一個寒冷的山村。

　　As he sat at the foot of the mountain, an old woman came by and sat next to him. The general pointed at the horizon and said, I belong to a beautiful kingdom, where it has not rained for a whole year. Can you help me find water?

　　當他坐在一個山腳下，一位老婦從旁邊走過，并坐到他身邊。將軍指向地平線說道：我來自一個美麗的王國，奶已經一整年沒下過雨了，您能幫我找到水嗎?

　　The woman motioned the general to follow her up the mountain and inside a cave. We have no water in our country either, she said. Then, pointing to the icicles in the cave, she continued, We call this ice. Take some, and your kingdom will never go thirsty again. The general broke off a huge piece, loaded it onto his horse-cart and rushed back home.

　　女人示意將軍跟著她上山進了一個山洞。她說：我們這里也沒有水。然后她指向山洞里的冰柱說道：我們把這個叫冰，你帶一些回去，你們的國家就不會再發生旱災了。將軍把一塊大冰擊碎，放到他的馬車上，沖回了家。

　　By the time he reached the court, the enormous icicle had melted into a small lump of ice. Nobody in the court had ever seen ice, so everybody gazed at it with wonder!

　　當他回宮后，那塊巨大的冰已經融化成了一個小冰塊，公歷沒人見過冰，所以每個人都驚奇的看著它。

　　This must be a water-seed, one of the ministers exclaimed suddenly.

　　一位大臣突然叫了起來：這一定是一顆水種子。

　　The king ordered the water-seed to be sowed immediately. While the farmers dug a hole, the lump dwindled in the sun. They swiftly placed the seed in the hole, but, before they could cover it, it had vanished. The farmers there got confused and worried. They dug the earth deeper and deeper, into the night, looking for the mysterious seed.

　　國王下令立即將水種子播種，農民們挖了一個洞，小冰塊在太陽下逐漸消失，他們迅速把種子放進動力，但是，還沒來得及蓋上它，它就消失了。農民又是迷惑又是擔心，他們挖得越來越深，一直到晚上，還在找那顆神奇的種子。

　　At the break of dawn, the king found the farmers fast asleep around a hole. Curiously, he peeped in and cried out in amazement, Wake up my worthy men, the water-seed has sprouted! Theres water in the hole!

　　在黎明時，國王發現農民們都在洞邊睡著了，他往洞里一嘆，吃驚的大叫：快醒醒啊，水種子發芽了，洞里有水。

　　This is how the first well was created.

　　這就是第一口井的故事。