"You cannot answer these questions?" said the princess.

“你回答不了？”公主说。

"They belong to my childhood's learning," said the shadow.

“我小时候就知道了，”影子说，

"I really believe my shadow, by the door there, can answer them!"

“而且我相信，连站在门那儿的我的影子都能回答得出来。”

"Your shadow!" said the princess. "That would indeed be marvellous!"

“你的影子！”公主叫了一声，“那倒真是了不起。”

"I will not say for a certainty that he can," said the shadow,

“我并不是肯定地说他能回答，”影子说，

"but I think so; he has now followed me for so many years, and listened to my conversation—I should think it possible.

“不过我相信他能够回答。这许多年来，他一直跟着我，听我谈话。

But your royal highness will permit me to observe, that he is so proud of passing himself off for a man,

不过请殿下原谅，我要提醒您注意，他认为自己是一个人，

that when he is to be in a proper humor—and he must be so to answer well—he must be treated quite like a man."

而且以此自豪；所以如果您要使他的心情好、使他能正确地回答问题，那您得把他当做一个真正的人来看待。”

"Oh! I like that!" said the princess.

“我可以这样办，”公主说。

So she went to the learned man by the door, and she spoke to him about the sun and the moon,

于是她走到那位站在门旁的学者身边去。她跟他谈到太阳和月亮，

and about persons out of and in the world, and he answered with wisdom and prudence.

谈到人类的内心和外表；这位学者回答得既聪明，又正确。

"What a man that must be who has so wise a shadow!" thought she.

“有这样一个聪明的影子的人，一定不是普通人，” 她想。

"It will be a real blessing to my people and kingdom if I choose him for my consort—I will do it!"

“如果我把他选做我的丈夫的话，那对于我的国家和人民一定是一桩莫大的幸事。——我要这样办！”

They were soon agreed, both the princess and the shadow; but no one was to know about it before she arrived in her own kingdom.

于是他们——公主和影子——马上就达到了一个谅解。不过在她没有回到自己的王国去以前，谁也不能知道这件事情。

"No one—not even my shadow!" said the shadow, and he had his own thoughts about it!

“谁也不会知道——即使我的影子也不会知道的，”影子说。他说这句话有他自己的理由。

Now they were in the country where the princess reigned when she was at home.

他们一起回到公主在家时所统治的那个国家里去。

"Listen, my good friend," said the shadow to the learned man.

“请听着，我的好朋友，”影子对学者说。

"I have now become as happy and mighty as anyone can be; I will, therefore, do something particular for thee!

“现在一个人所能希望得到的幸运和权力，我都有了。我现在也要为你做点特别的事情。

Thou shalt always live with me in the palace, drive with me in my royal carriage, and have ten thousand pounds a year;

你将永远跟我一起住在我的宫殿里，跟我一起乘坐我的皇家御车，而且每年还能领十万块钱的俸禄。

but then thou must submit to be called shadow by all and everyone; thou must not say that thou hast ever been a man;

不过你得让大家把你叫做影子，同时永远不准你说你曾经是一个人。

and once a year, when I sit on the balcony in the sunshine, thou must lie at my feet, as a shadow shall do!

一年一度，当我坐在阳台上太阳光里让大家看我的时候，你得像一个影子的样儿，乖乖地躺在我的脚下。

I must tell thee: I am going to marry the king's daughter, and the nuptials are to take place this evening!"

我可以告诉你，我快要跟公主结婚了；婚礼就在今天晚上举行。”