第21章 小妖精和雜貨商 The Goblin and the Huckster(第2/9 頁)

occupied with art, celebrates the power of words on a page to transform themselves into shimmering visions of beauty and also extols the pleasures of witnessing the act of reading.

當學生正在讀一本 “破舊的書” 時，他那小小的閣樓房間變成了一個明亮的天堂，充滿了景象、聲音和香氣。

while the student is reading from a “tattered book,” his tiny attic room transforms itself into a luminous paradise, filled with sights, sounds, and aromas.

僅僅透過觀察學生，小妖精自己就能夠體驗到這本書的幻想力量。

the goblin, solely by observing the student, is able to experience for himself the visionary power of the book.

被物質和精神所吸引，小妖精找到了一種既能擁有粥又能享用它的方法。

drawn to the material and to the spiritual, the goblin finds a way to have his porridge and eat it too.

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從前有一個普通的學生，他住在閣樓裡，一無所有。

there was once a regular student, who lived in a garret, and had no possessions.

還有一個普通的雜貨商，房子是他的，他住在一樓。

And there was also a regular huckster, to whom the house belonged, and who occupied the ground floor.

一個小妖精和雜貨商住在一起，因為在聖誕節的時候，他總是有一大盤滿滿的果醬，中間還有一大塊黃油。

A goblin lived with the huckster, because at christmas he always had a large dish full of jam, with a great piece of butter in the middle.

雜貨商能負擔得起這些；所以小妖精留在了雜貨商那裡，這對他來說很狡猾。

the huckster could afford this; and therefore the goblin remained with the huckster, which was very cunning of him.

一天晚上，學生從後門走進商店為自己買蠟燭和乳酪，他沒有人可派，所以他自己來了；他得到了他想要的東西，然後雜貨商和他的妻子向他點頭道晚安，她是一個不止會點頭的女人，因為她通常有很多話要說。

one evening the student came into the shop thr