The Wicked Sister

A mother lived by the North Sea shore
北方海岸边的一位母亲
Daughters were the babes she bore
生了两个女儿。
One grew radiant as the sun
一位白皙如同光芒万丈的太阳，
Darkly grew the elder one
另一位却皮肤黝黑如同黑夜的阴霾。
A knight came riding to their door
一位远道而来的骑士来到她们门前，
He travelled far to be their wooer
他是她们的追求者，希望能娶到心仪的姑娘。
He courted both with gold and rings
他爱慕闪光的金子与名贵的珠宝戒指，
But loved the younger o'er all things
但那年轻的妹妹却比一切都要令他倾心。
"Sister, won't you walk with me“
妹妹，和我出去散散步吧，
To watch the ships sail o'er the sea?"
看看海上航行的船只？”
As they walked the rocky shore
当她们走到崎岖的海岸边时，
The dark one pushed her sister o'er
那黑皮肤的姐姐一把将她的妹妹推下大海。
"Sister, sister, let me live“
姐姐，姐姐，求你救救我，让我活下去吧，
All that's mine I'll surely give"
你想要我的什么东西我都一定给你。”
"Thy bridegroom I will take and more“
尔的新郎我是要定了，其他的也要归我，
But thou shalt never come ashore"
但是你可别想着能够上岸了。”
Off she floated like a swan
于是妹妹便这样如同天鹅一般
The salt sea bore her body on
被海水托举着漂流。
You could not see her lily feet
她百合花一般的纤足逐渐不可见，
Her golden fringes were so deep
她金色的长发在深深的海底沉没。
A minstrel walking by the strand
一位吟游诗人在海滩上行走，
Saw her body float to land
看见她的尸体被海水冲刷到岸上。
When he looked that lady on
当他定睛看清那美丽姑娘的尸体，
He sighed and made a heavy moan
不禁长叹一口气。
He made a harp of her breastbone
他用她的胸骨做了一把竖琴，
Whose sound would melt a heart of stone
空灵的琴声连石头般坚硬的心都可以打动。
Took the strands of her bright hair
他取下她亮色头发中的几根发丝，
And with them strung his harp so rare
拧成绳后做成了这把珍稀竖琴的琴弦。
He brought the harp to the wedding hall
他把这把竖琴带去了婚礼礼堂，
There to play before them all
为所有的来宾与主人演奏一曲。
When they set it on a stone
当竖琴被摆放在石头上时，
The harp began to play alone
竟自己开始演奏。
The strings sang out a dreadful sound
琴弦用令人惊恐的声音悲泣：
"The bride her younger sister drowned“
这新娘的妹妹已经淹死了。
Now her secret you all know
现在她的黑暗秘密已经大白于天下，
Her guilty tears will surely flow"
她悔恨的泪水必然流淌。“