陈佳

Once there lived a boy named Krishna on the banks of the river Kaveri. He was the eldest among five children. Krishnas father was a very lovable and hardworking man. Even though he worked hard， his earnings were not enough to meet both ends.

At nights， with only a quarter-filled stomach， the children could not sleep. To make them sleep， Krishnas father used to play the flute1 and tell them stories about the mercy of the river Kaveri. Through his stories Krishna started loving the river very much and he thought of the river as a goddess.

Once， on a rainy day， Krishnas father fell ill. Seeing his siblings2 crying for food， Krishna went to the market and a merchant gave him the work of loading and unloading heavy sacks3. With a starving stomach， he worked hard till the evening. From the wages4 he got， he bought food for his family and medicines for his father.

從前有一个男孩名叫克里希纳，他住在卡维里河畔。他是五个孩子中年龄最大的。克里希纳的父亲是一个非常可爱而勤奋的人。尽管他努力工作，但他的收入还不够维持生计。

晚上，孩子们只能填饱四分之一的肚子，睡不着觉。为了让他们睡着觉，克里希纳的父亲常吹奏笛子，给他们讲关于卡维里河的仁慈的故事。通过他的故事，克里希纳爱上了这条河，他认为这条河是位女神。

一次，在一个雨天，克里希纳的父亲生病了。看到他的兄弟姐妹们哭着要吃的，克里希纳去了市场，有个商人给了他装卸沉重袋子的工作。他饿着肚子，努力工作到了晚上。他用薪水为家人买了食物，给父亲买了药。

On his way， when he reached near the river， he heard somebody crying from the river. He ran towards the river and saw a man crying for help—he was drowning. Krishna put the things on the bank of the river and jumped into the river. It was very dark and the river current was rough. But he swam towards the man and saved him. The man was very happy and thanked him. He asked about Krishnas whereabouts5 and went away.

Suddenly Krishna thought of his home and ran to take the food he had kept on the bank. To his shock， he found that the river had washed away all the things. He cried loudly and asked the river， “How can I go home without the food？ You ate all the food for my family and made us hungry， but even then I thank you for helping me to save a man.”

He sat there crying for many hours. He even forgot about the time. It was late night. He slowly walked towards his house. When he reached near his house he heard the music of his fathers flute. He ran to the house. He could not believe his eyes. The man whom he had saved was sitting there.

Krishna looked at his father. Then his father told him what had happened. That man was a noble and rich merchant of the nearby village. On his way to the village he had to cross the river Kaveri. While crossing， he had accidentally fallen down into the water. He was very impressed with Krishnas courage and helping mentality. So he had come to Krishnas house with food for the family and was waiting to see Krishna to give him a good job in his shop.

On hearing this， tears came out of Krishnas eyes. He ran towards the river and said， “Oh River goddess！You took our one days food with one hand and in return gave us food for the whole life with the other.” He thanked the river and returned home happily.

在回家路上，当他走近河边时，听到河那边有人在哭。他朝河边跑去，看见一个人在呼救——他溺水了。克里希纳把东西放在河岸上，然后跳进河里。天很黑，河水湍急。但他游向那个人，救了他。那个人非常高兴，很感谢克里希纳，问了他的住处就走了。

突然，克里希纳想起来他的家，跑去拿他留在岸边的食物。令他震惊的是，他发现河水冲走了所有的东西。他大声哭着问这条河：“没有食物我怎么回家？你吃了所有我给家人的食物，让我们挨饿，但即使这样，我还是感谢你帮助我救人。”

他坐在那里哭了好几个小时，甚至忘记了时间。到了深夜，他慢慢地朝家里走去。当走到家附近时，他听到了他父亲吹奏笛子的乐声。他跑进家门后，不敢相信自己的眼睛。他救的那个人就坐在那里。

克里希纳看着他的父亲，然后他父亲告诉他发生了什么事。那个人是附近村子里一位高贵的富商。在去村子的路上，他不得不穿过卡维里河。过河时，他不小心掉进了水里。他对克里希纳的勇气和乐于助人的精神印象深刻。于是他带着食物来到克里希纳的家，等着见他，让他在自己的店里做一份好工作。

听到这个，克里希纳的眼睛里流出了泪水。他跑到河边，说：“哦，河女神！你一只手拿走了我们一天的食物，另一只手给了我们一辈子的食物作为回报。”他感谢这条河，愉快地回家了。

Notes

1. flute   n. 长笛

2. sibling   n. 兄弟姊妹

3. sack   n. 麻布袋

4. wage   n. 工資

5. whereabouts  n. 下落;行踪;去向;所在之处