英语经典民间故事

民间故事是从远古时代起就在人们口头流传的一种以奇异的语言和象征的形式讲述人与人之间的种种关系，题材广泛而又充满幻想的叙事体故事。它们往往包含着自然的、异想天开的成分。下面本站小编为大家带来英语经典民间故事两篇，欢迎大家阅读!

　英语经典民间故事：神奇的梨树

The market was filled with merchants selling fresh groceries. The fishmonger had crab and bass as the catch of the day. The chef was cooking soft and delicious noodles in a variety of sauces. One farmer had the brightest greens, while another had the sweetest pears. Hustle and bustle, the market was a filled with activity.

A beggar entered the market, holding out his hand, hoping for a coin or two. The shoppers and merchants ignored him as he passed the food bins. He stopped in front of the pear merchant's cart. "Please sir, you have so many pears. Can you spare just one? I haven't eaten for seven days." The pear merchant, alarmed and angered, tried to chase the beggar away by calling him names and threatening to beat him.

The local policeman came by to look into the commotion. Feeling sorry for e beggar, the policeman bought a pear and gave it to the beggar. The beggar thanked the policeman, shook his hand, and started to dig a hole. Confused, the policeman asked the beggar if he was going to eat the pear.

"Oh, no, sir. You've given me a magic pear. I'm going to bury it and it will grow into a huge tree," replied the beggar as he continued to dig his hole. The people in the market gathered around and watched the beggar bury the fruit. When the last handful of dirt was placed back in the hole, the beggar sat down and chanted.

The eyes of the crowded widened and was followed by many OH's and AH's for just as soon as the beggar sat down, a tiny green sprout emerged from the dirt, climbing up and up, thicker and stronger. When the sprout reached three feet tall, it grew branches. On those branches, leaves filled the void. And at the end of each branch, many many pears sprouted. There were so many of them that the beggar had to stand up and pick the fruit, or else the tree would collapse.

The beggar, with pears in his arms, started to give away his pears. "I have so many pears and I want to share with everyone who doesn't have any." When all the pears were gone and eaten, the beggar took a long knife from his bag and chopped down the magical pear tree. Everyone thanked the beggar for the show and for sharing, including the pear merchant. The beggar smiled and walked away.

As soon as the crowd died down, the pear merchant walked back to his cart. To his surprise, all of his pears were gone. The beggar had given them all away. The pear merchant's cart had a handle missing. The beggar had chopped it off. The pear merchant sat down on his empty, broken cart and cried.

If you get a chance, don't think about this story too much. Don't figure out how the beggar did what he did. Just let it be. As a close friend said to me, "I am human being. I be."

　英语经典民间故事：神奇的叶子

There are a lot of things magical in China: the people, the culture, the stories. Sometimes ordinary things seem magical, but in reality, they aren't. It usually takes a great fool to transform the ordinary into magically nothing.

In a small village deep in the heart of China, the local tax collector was feared. He taxed the villagers often. If they had no money, he took their possessions. And when possessions were of no interest to the tax collector, he would beat the taxpayers.

One day, a poor man entered the village. He had heard of the tax collector and his terrible ways. The poor man was carrying a plant that had many beautiful green leaves. The tax collector stopped the poor man before walking any further and told him he had to pay entrance fee if he wanted to walk through the village. The poor man said he had no money, but only the magic tree he was carrying. The tax collector, intrigued, asked what kind of magical tree it was. The poor man explained that it would make the holder of the leaves invisible. The tax collector snatched the tree from the poor man while striking him across the face. The poor man fell to the ground and was left in the dust of the tax collector's horse.

That night, the tax collector picked a leaf from the magic tree and held it up to his forehead. "Wife," he asked, "can you see me?"

His wife looked at him strangely, "Yes, I can see you."

He picked another leaf and held it to his forehead. "Wife," he asked, "can you see me?"

His wife looked at him again, "Yes, I can see you."

And with the third leaf, the wife could still see her husband. Same with the fourth. And so on until it was late at night and the wife was ready to sleep.

"Wife, can you see me now?" he asked, with the last leaf from the tree up to his forehead.

"Husband, I'm tired. No, I can not see you any more," she said exasperated before she closed her eyes to sleep. And her tax-collecting husband smiled.

The next morning, the tax collector held up his magical leaf to his forehead as he walked from store to store. The tax collector thought, "Hmmm, this is truly a magical leaf. No one can see me. No one acknowledges my actions." He continued to pass through the village, and no one said a word to him. No one looked at him in the eye. No one spoke to him, not even when he took money from the stores. Not even when he took food from the food stands. Every villager saw him, but in fear of a beating, did not speak to him.

The emperor's son was passing through the village that afternoon. He and his entourage were returning from a rewarding hunting expedition. Among his trophies were the pelts of snow leopards and tigers.

The tax collector saw the pelts hanging from the back of the royal saddle. Believing he was still invisible, he held his magic leaf to his forehead and reached out for the pelts.

"Stop! You there! What do you think you're doing?" one the royal guards exclaimed.

The emperor's son shouted, "How dare you steal from me! Did you not think I saw you approach me and attempt to steal my furs? You will pay for this. I will put you away in the palace dungeons." The tax collector was quickly apprehended and taken prisoner.

The tax collector feebly tried to explain his tale of the poor man and his magical tree with the leaves to make one invisible. He tried to show the emperor's son the tree, but it had no leaves on it. The emperor's son, tired of listening to the alleged tale, had the tax collector beat by his guards before continuing on their journey homeward.

As the royal entourage walked through the village, they passed by the tavern. By the window, the tax collector heard the voice of the poor man he accosted the day before…."And then I handed over the kumquat tree I dug up from his garden, telling him it was a magic tree that could make one invisible!" Then everyone in the tavern laughed and looked out the window at the beaten tax collector.

There's that old saying, "A fool and his money are easily separated." In this tale, well, the fool got what he was worth.