A mythical music echoed over the tall buildings, floating toward the heavens through clusters of stars and gently making a light rain sprinkle over the forehead of the Moon Princess. She slept on a couch of cloud and on a pillow of fur, her pitch-black hair dazzling on the pure white of her bed; her six male servants knelt at the foot of her and waited. She stirred, her white suit shimmering with diamonds and crystals as the moon cast its brilliant rays over her slender body, and her deep blue eyes opened. Her servants bowed down in piety and offered her six black boxes, each containing a jewel. The Princess looked quickly over them and chose a jewel, then flung it into the orbit where it became a falling star that she hoped people would see so they could pray on it. She stood up and quivered slightly, still recovering from her long sleep and her devout servants rushed shortly to hold her tap. The Princess had been sleeping for a hundred solar calendar years, a punishment from a powerful and ambitious Emperor on earth because she had resolved a conflict between his people and another tribe and had been hated for it. She slowly walked over the nickel-plating cube boxes that were laid out for her to make a bridge toward the Moon. She stepped onto its cool surface and toward her throne, one made of silver encrusted with stars that could no longer hold themselves in the sky.
神话般的音乐在高大的建筑物上空回荡，穿过一簇簇星星飘向天空，轻轻地在月亮公主的额头上洒下小雨。她睡在云的沙发上，睡在毛的枕头上，她那漆黑的头发在她那洁白的床上闪闪发光，她的六个男仆跪在她的脚下等待着。她动了动，她的白色西装闪烁着钻石和水晶的光芒，月亮投射在她纤细的身体上，她深蓝色的眼睛睁开了。她的仆人们虔诚地鞠躬，给了她六个黑匣子，每个都装着一颗宝石。公主迅速扫视了一下，选了一颗宝石，然后把它扔进了轨道，在那里它变成了一颗流星，她希望人们能看到它，这样他们就可以在上面祈祷了。她站了起来，微微颤抖着，还在从漫长的睡眠中恢复过来。她虔诚的仆人们马上跑过来拿着她的水龙头。公主已经睡了一百个阳历年，这是来自地球上一个强大而野心勃勃的皇帝的惩罚，因为她解决了他的人民和另一个部落之间的冲突，并且因此而被憎恨。她慢慢地走过那些镀镍的立方体盒子，这些盒子是为她搭建一座通往月球的桥梁而摆放的。她踏上冰凉的水面，朝着她的宝座走去。宝座是由银色镶嵌的星星组成的，再也不能在天空中停留了。
The Princess sat down and turned to her servants who absently lay at her feet. She gestured for them to stand up. “Tell me,” she said, “tell me about the world now; are there still wars?” Her servants nodded sadly. One stepped forward, his blonde hair brushing against his cheek and he knelt at his Princess’s feet. “My dear lady”, he spoke sadly yet his voice hinted a warning, “as you slept, the Emperor passed away and his son Calaf was his successor and he is even more blood-thirsty than his father. We all hate him.” The Princess rose to her feet.
公主坐了下来，转向她的仆人们，他们心不在焉地躺在她的脚下。她示意他们站起来。“告诉我，”她说，“现在告诉我关于这个世界的情况，还有战争吗？”她的仆人们伤心地点点头。其中一个走上前，他的金发拂过脸颊，他跪在公主的脚下。“我亲爱的夫人，”他悲伤地说，但他的声音却暗示着一个警告，“在你睡着的时候，皇帝去世了，他的儿子卡拉夫是他的继承人，他比他的父亲更嗜血。我们都恨他。”公主站了起来。
“Then I must stop him. I cannot stand to see innocent people killed in the name of an Emperor. Are they still fighting with the neighboring tribe?” The man nodded. “Then once again I must try to stop this mischief. I do not care what happens to me as long as they stop this nonsense.” She walked swiftly across the cold surface of the moon and looked toward the earth. “Fetch my cloak,” she commanded, “I will go down now to them and negotiate with this man.” Without saying anything her servants fetched a white silk cloak and wrapped it round her shoulders. “Good luck,” they told her in a neutral tone. The princess jumped and floated gently from the moon to earth below.
“那么我必须阻止他。我不能忍受看到无辜的人以皇帝的名义被杀害。他们还在和邻近的部落打仗吗？”那人点点头。“那么，我必须再一次设法制止这种恶作剧。我不在乎我会发生什么，只要他们停止这种无稽之谈。”她飞快地穿过冰冷的月球表面，望着地球。“把我的斗篷拿来，”她命令道，“我现在要下去和他们谈判。”仆人们一言不发地拿来一件白色的丝绸斗篷，裹在她的肩上。“祝你好运，”他们用中性的语气告诉她。公主跳了起来，轻轻地从月球飘到了地球下面。
Emperor Calaf sat on a gold throne with velvet cushions at his back. He lived in abundance. He had everything no one could ever want and he boasted about it, but he was not satisfied with it. He wanted more and he didn’t care how he got anything as long as it pleased him. He oppressed the workers and raised taxes so arbitrarily that people in poverty struggled to pay them. He looked out of the temple’s window. The royal court doors burst open and two muscular guards hurled in a terrified man who cowered at the wicked Emperor’s feet. This was what Calaf had been waiting for.
卡拉夫皇帝坐在一个金色的宝座上，背上垫着天鹅绒垫子。他过着富足的生活。他拥有任何人都不可能拥有的一切，他吹嘘自己拥有的一切，但他并不满足于此。他想要更多，他不在乎如何得到任何东西，只要他高兴。他压迫工人并且武断地增加税收，以至于贫困的人们挣扎着去支付他们。他向寺庙的窗外望去。皇家宫廷的门突然打开，两个肌肉发达的卫兵投掷进来一个惊恐万状的人，他畏缩在邪恶皇帝的脚下。这就是卡拉夫一直在等待的。
This man couldn’t pay his taxes so he would be sentenced to death. The man said nothing, either too scared to speak or knew nothing better than to be silent. The Emperor smiled evilly and kicked the man in the face so he fell back into the guards.”Take him and execute him. I want it in public so all those other fools can see what happens if you don’t pay up on time.”The guards bowed from the waist and dragged the man away. Calaf got up and for an Emperor he was more like a celebrity, very slim and good-looking. He walked down a corridor after the guards, wanting to see this death. It was fun for him to listen to the man’s scream as his loyal executioner either slitted his throat or beheaded him on a rack. He turned left from where the guards went out and onto a balcony, which had a better view there. The crowds called out the executioner’s name over and over, but Calaf didn’t know why they were so excited that they were acting as if this were an enemy being put into death.
这个人交不起税，所以他将被判处死刑。那人什么也没说，要么是因为害怕而不敢说话，要么是因为什么也不知道，只知道保持沉默。皇帝邪恶地笑了笑，踢了那个人的脸，所以他又回到了卫兵中间。”“把他带走，处死他。我希望它能公之于众，这样所有其他傻瓜都能看到，如果你不按时付款，会发生什么。”卫兵们弯下腰把那个人拖走了。卡拉夫站了起来，对于一个皇帝来说，他更像是一个名人，非常苗条，英俊。他跟在警卫后面走过一条走廊，想看看他是怎么死的。当他的忠实刽子手割开他的喉咙或者将他斩首时，他听到那个人的尖叫，这对他来说很有趣。他从警卫出去的地方向左转，来到一个视野更好的阳台上。人群一遍又一遍地喊着刽子手的名字，但卡拉夫不知道他们为什么这么兴奋，好像这是一个要处死的敌人。
One woman, however, caught his attention. She wasn’t from around here and that fascinated Calaf because he had never known anyone from other towns came here. Her beauty was perfect and she seemed disgusted by the crowds and the execution. He watched her run through the cheering crowds as the executioner brought his axe down. “Where’s she gone?” He thought to himself, and then he saw she was heading into his temple. “How dare she!?” Calaf stormed from the balcony into his throne room and found the woman stood by the door. He froze as her gaze pierced him. “Who are you?” He demanded, “and why are you here?”
然而，一个女人引起了他的注意。她不是本地人，卡拉夫对此很着迷，因为他从来不知道其他城镇的人来过这里。她的美貌是完美的，她似乎厌恶人群和处决。刽子手砍下斧头时，他看着她穿过欢呼的人群。“她去哪儿了？”他心里想着，这时他看见她正朝他的太阳穴走去。“她怎么敢！？”卡拉夫从阳台上冲进他的王座室，发现那个女人站在门口。当她的目光刺穿他时，他愣住了。“你是谁？”他问道，“你为什么在这里？”
“I am the Moon Princess and you were born from the blood of many people and from the body of your father, by reputation the most sinful man I have ever known.” Calaf stood in stunned silence, how dared she speak to him like that?”I know you,” he said,”you are the one who tried to stop the war between my tribe and Emperor Timur’s tribe. I thought my father put you to sleep.”
“我是月亮公主，你出生在许多人的血液里，出生在你父亲的身体里，据说你是我见过的最罪恶的人。”卡拉夫目瞪口呆地站着，她怎么敢这样跟他说话？“我认识你，”他说，“是你试图阻止我的部落和帖木儿皇帝的部落之间的战争。我以为是我父亲让你睡着的。”
“Alas, he did but I only slept for one hundred years. After seventy-five I recalled your father passed away and a child of ten was left in his place, am I right?”
”唉，他的确睡了，但只睡了一百年。七十五岁以后，我想起你父亲去世了，留下一个十岁的孩子代替他，对吗？”
“Yes! I was ten when I took over throne and I am doing what my father wanted, I have destroyed Timur’s tribe and made a lot of money for my kingdom.”The Princess laughed.”making a lot of money for the kingdom? That is a lie. you’re filling your own pockets with soiled gold and I am going to stop you once and for all!”Now it was Calaf’s turn to laugh,”I would like to see you try, you are nothing but a woman and how would you stand against my great army? Go you stupid creature and don’t return!”The Princess said nothing and went out of the throne room. She would stay here and find out more before taking further action.
“是的！我十岁的时候继承了王位，我做了我父亲想做的事，我摧毁了帖木儿的部落，为我的王国赚了很多钱。”公主笑了。”为王国赚很多钱？那是谎言。你在往自己的口袋里装脏金子，我要一劳永逸地制止你！”现在轮到卡拉夫笑了：“我倒想看你试试，你只不过是个女人，你怎么能和我的大军对抗呢？”？去吧，你这个愚蠢的家伙，别回来了！”公主什么也没说就走出了王座室。在采取进一步行动之前，她会留在这里了解更多情况。
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