"Nay, this is going too far!" said the learned man. "I will not have it; I will not do it! It is to deceive the whole country and the princess too!

“哎，这未免做得太过火了！”学者说。“我不能接受，我决不干这类的事儿。这简直是欺骗公主和全国的人民。

I will tell everything! That I am a man, and that thou art a shadow—thou art only dressed up!"

我要把一切事情讲出来——我是人，你是影子，你不过打扮得像一个人一样罢了！”

"There is no one who will believe it!" said the shadow. "Be reasonable, or I will call the guard!"

“决没有人会相信你的话！” 影子说。“请你放聪明一点吧，否则我就要喊警卫来了！”

"I will go directly to the princess!" said the learned man.

“我将直接去告诉公主！”学者说。

"But I will go first!" said the shadow. "And thou wilt go to prison!"

“但是我会比你先去，” 影子说；“你将走进监牢。”

and that he was obliged to do—for the sentinels obeyed him whom they knew the king's daughter was to marry.

事实上，结果也就是如此，因为警卫知道他要跟公主结婚，所以就服从了他的指挥。

"You tremble!" said the princess, as the shadow came into her chamber.

“你在发抖，”当影子走进房里去的时候，公主说。

"Has anything happened? You must not be unwell this evening, now that we are to have our nuptials celebrated."

“出了什么事情吗？我们快要结婚，你今晚不能生病呀！”

"I have lived to see the most cruel thing that anyone can live to see!" said the shadow.

“我遇见世上一件最骇人听闻的事情！”影子说。

"Only imagine—yes, it is true, such a poor shadow-skull cannot bear much—only think,

“请想想吧！——当然，一个可怜的影子的头脑是经不起抬举的——请想想吧！

my shadow has become mad; he thinks that he is a man, and that I—now only think—that I am his shadow!"

我的影子疯了：他幻想他变成了一个人；他以为——请想想吧——他以为我是他的影子！”

"It is terrible!" said the princess; "but he is confined, is he not?"

“这真可怕！”公主说。“我想他已经被关起来了吧？”

"That he is. I am afraid that he will never recover."

“当然啦。我恐怕他永远也恢复不了理智了。”

"Poor shadow!" said the princess. "He is very unfortunate;

“可怜的影子！”公主说，“他真是不幸。

it would be a real work of charity to deliver him from the little life he has, and,

把他从他渺小的生命中解脱出来，我想也算是一桩善行吧。

when I think properly over the matter, I am of opinion that it will be necessary to do away with him in all stillness!"

当我把这事情仔细思量一番以后，我觉得把他不声不响处置掉是必要的。”

"It is certainly hard," said the shadow, "for he was a faithful servant!" and then he gave a sort of sigh.

“这当然未免有点过火，因为他一直是一个很忠实的仆人，”影子说，同时假装叹了一口气。

"You are a noble character!" said the princess.

“你真是一个品质高贵的人，”公主说。

The whole city was illuminated in the evening, and the cannons went off with a bum! bum! And the soldiers presented arms.

这天晚上，整个城市大放光明；礼炮在一齐放射——轰轰！兵士们都在举枪致敬。

That was a marriage! The princess and the shadow went out on the balcony to show themselves, and get another hurrah!

这是举行婚礼！公主和影子在阳台上向百姓露面，再次接受群众的欢呼。

The learned man heard nothing of all this—for they had deprived him of life.

那位学者对于这个盛大的庆祝一点也没有听到，因为他已经被处决了。