Chapter 1 Once Upon a Time

第一章 从前

All stories begin with "Once upon a time".

所有的故事都以"从前 "开头。

And that's just what this story is all about: what happened, once upon a time.

那恰好是这个故事所要讲的：从前发生了什么？

Once you were so small that, even standing on tiptoes, you could barely reach your mother's hand.

从前你非常小，站着都几乎够不着你母亲的手。

Do you remember?

你记得吗？

Your own history might begin like this:

你自己的故事可能这样开头：

"Once upon a time there was a small boy" – or a small girl – "and that small boy was me".

“从前有一个小男孩”--或者一个小女孩--“那个小男孩就是我”。

But before that you were a baby in a cradle.

在那以前你是一个襁褓中的婴孩。

You won't remember that, but you know it's true.

这一点你回忆不起来了，但是你知道。

Your father and mother were also small once, and so was your grandfather, and your grandmother.

你的父亲和母亲从前也是小孩，你的祖父和祖母也一样。

a much longer time ago, but you know that too.

这已经是很久以前的事，但你仍然知道这件事。

After all, we say: "They are old".

我们说：“他们是老人”。

But they too had grandfathers and grandmothers, and they, too, could say:"Once upon a time".

他们也曾经有过祖父和祖母，所以他们也曾经可以说："从前"。

And so it goes on, further and further back.

所以就这样永远上溯，再上溯。

Behind every "Once upon a time" there is always another.

在每一个"从前"之后总是还有另一个。