放生故事:紅色的綁繩
BANDS OF RED
紅色的綁繩
The great Confucian scholar Ji Xiaolan （1724-1805） recorded this story.
大儒士紀曉嵐（1724-1805）曾經記錄過這樣的故事。
A magnificent boat reached the shore. The people there were surprised to see at a window a middle-aged lady， dressed in the splendid attire of a member of an official household， crying her eyes out.
一艘大船來到了岸邊。人們驚奇地看到，在窗邊有一位中年婦人正在傷心地哭泣。她衣著華麗，一看就知道是位官宦夫人。
One of them whispered， "Isn't that the lady of His Honor？"
有人低聲地問道，"那不是府臺大人的夫人嗎？"
"Yes it is， but what could possibly happen to make someone in such an exalted position so sad？"
"沒錯，可是什么事能讓像她這么有地位的人這么難過呢？"
Her servants on the boat were trying to figure out the same thing.
船上的仆人們也想知道事情的究竟。
Finally， her old wet nurse got the story out of her. Her Ladyship had dreamed that her little daughter， who had died so young， had been tied up with red bands and was going to be killed. She cried to her mother to save her. It was so sad that Her Ladyship woke up with a start.
最后，還是夫人的奶媽問出了事情的原由。原來夫人夢見了夭折的小女兒正被紅綁繩捆著要被殺掉。女兒哭著懇求媽媽救她。夫人傷心欲絕，于是就被驚醒了。
But the dream didn't seem to end there. She was awake， but she thought she could still hear her poor little daughter crying. The sound seemed to be coming from that boat over there.
但是這個夢似乎并沒有就此結束。夫人雖然醒了，可是她感覺自己好像仍然聽見可憐的小女兒在哭喊著。聲音似乎是從另一只船上傳過來的。
The wet nurse went over to investigate. When she reached the other boat， the first thing she saw was a pool of blood！
奶媽于是過去查個究竟。當她來到那只船時，首先看到的竟是一灘鮮血。
A butcher was slaughtering a piglet there. The piglet screeched. When the wet nurse came on board， it struggled and twisted. It was a horrible sight. Its feet were tied with red bands， just like in Her Ladyship's dream！
一個屠夫正在屠宰一只小豬。那只小豬尖叫著。當奶媽上船時，小豬正在掙扎扭動。景象真是恐怖。小豬的蹄子都被紅色的綁繩捆著，和夫人的夢一模一樣。
It was too late to save that piglet， but Her Ladyship bought it anyway， and gave it a decent burial on the shore.
奶媽來晚了，沒能救下那只小豬。不過夫人還是把它買了下來，然后莊重地埋在了岸邊。
When it was all over， there was a lot of talk about this weird event.
事情雖然結束了，可是有很多關于這件怪事的議論。
It seems that His Honor's daughter had been sweet and intelligent. She had no bad habits to speak of， but she did love chicken. She couldn't eat a meal without at least one plate of chicken. In one year， at least seven or eight hundred chickens would meet their deaths in order to satisfy her appetite. By the time of her unfortunate death at the tender age of 16， she was responsible for the deaths of thousands of chickens.
聽說府臺大人的千金又可愛又聰明。她沒有什么壞的習慣，只是特別愛吃雞。每一頓飯沒有雞她就吃不下。為了滿足她的食欲，一年中至少有七、八百只雞葬身其腹。到小姐十六歲不幸夭折時，已經有上千只雞為她而死了。
Who can escape a blood debt that runs into the thousands？
上千條性命的血債，誰又能逃得了呢？
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