歌词
Once upon a time, not long ago, there lived a princess named Atalanta, who could run as fast as the wind.
很久以前，有一位名叫亚特兰大的公主，她能跑得和风一样快。
She was so bright, and so clever, and could build things and fix things so wonderfully that many young men wished to marry her.
她是那么聪明，那么灵巧，能完美地建造和修补器物，以至于许多年轻人都想娶她。
"What shall I do?" said Atalanta's father, who was a powerful king.
“我该怎么办？”亚特兰大的父亲说，他是一个强大的国王。
"So many young men want to marry you, and I don't know how to choose."
“这么多年轻人想娶你，我不知道该怎么选择。”
"You don't have to choose, father," said Atalanta. "I will choose. And I'm not sure that I will choose to marry anyone at all."
“你不必选择，父亲。”亚特兰大说，“我自己会选择的。并且我也不确定我是否会选择结婚。”
"Of course you will," said the king. "Everybody gets married. It's what people do."
“你当然会结婚，”国王说，”每个人都结婚了。这是人类一定会做的事。”
"As for me," Atalanta told him, "I intend to go out and see the world. When I come home, perhaps I will marry, and perhaps I will not."
“对于我来说，”亚特兰大告诉他，“我打算出去看看世界。当我回家的时候，也许我会结婚，也许我不会。”
The king did not like this at all. He was a very ordinary king: powerful, and used to having his way.
国王一点也不赞同亚特兰大的想法。他是一个非常典型的传统国王：有权势，而且习惯于按自己的想法行事。
So he told Atalanta, "I have decided how to choose the young man you will marry.
所以他告诉亚特兰大：“我已经想好如何选择你要嫁的年轻人了。
I will hold a great race, and the winner, the swiftest and fleetest young man of all, will win the right to marry you."
我将举行一场大型跑步比赛。胜利者，也就是最敏捷的年轻人，将赢得与你结婚的权利。”
Now, Atalanta was a clever girl, as well as a swift runner, so she told her father,
亚特兰大是个聪明的女孩，同时也善于跑步，所以她告诉她父亲，
"Very well then, let there be a race. But you must let me run in it too.
“好吧，那就比赛吧。但你必须让我也参加这场比赛。
And if I am not the winner, I will accept the wishes of the young man who is.
如果我不是胜利者，我会接受胜利者的愿望。
If I am the winner, I will choose for myself what I will do."
如果我是胜利者，我会自己决定我要做的事情。”
The king agreed to this. He would have his way, marry off his daughter, and enjoy a fine day of racing, as well.
国王同意了。他觉得自己能实现自己的主意把女儿嫁出去，并能花一整天享受一场激动人心的比赛。
So he called his messengers together, and directed them to travel far and wide to announce the race with its wonderful prize: the chance to marry the bright Atalanta.
因此，他召集了他的使者，并指示他们尽可能走遍全国，宣布这场比赛与它的美妙奖品：和聪明的亚特兰大结婚的权利。
Meanwhile, Atalanta herself was preparing for the race.
与此同时，亚特兰大自己也在为比赛做准备。
Each day at dawn, she went to the field in secret, until she could run the course in just three minutes, more quickly than anyone had ever run it before.
每天黎明时分，她都会秘密地到场地里去，直到她能在三分钟内跑完全程，比先前的任何人跑得都快。
As the day of the race grew near, young men began to crowd into the town.
随着比赛日的临近，年轻人开始挤进王城里。
Each was sure he could win the prize, except for one.
每个人都确信自己能得到奖品，只有一个例外。
That was young John, who lived in the town.
那是住在王城里的小约翰。
He knew Atalanta well, for he saw her day by day as she bought nails and wood to make a pigeon house, or sat reading a book in the gardens, or chose parts for her telescope, or laughed with her friends.
他很了解亚特兰大，因为他几乎每天都能遇见她，当她买钉子和木头做鸽子房时，或坐在花园里看书时，或为望远镜挑选零件时，或和朋友们一起大笑时。
Young John saw the princess only from a distance, but he understood how bright and clever she was.
小约翰只能在远处注视着公主，但他明白她是多么聪慧。
He wished very much to race with her; to win and to earn the right to talk with her, and become her friend.
他非常想和她赛跑，想赢得和她谈话的权利，想成为她的朋友。
"For surely," he said to himself, "it is not right for Atalanta's father to give her away to the winner of the race. Atalanta herself must choose whom she wants to marry, or whether she wishes to marry at all.
“当然，”他自言自语道，“亚特兰大的父亲把她送给比赛的获胜者是不对的。亚特兰大自己必须选择她想和谁结婚，或者她是否愿意结婚。
Still, if I could only win the race, I would be free to speak to her, and to ask for her friendship!"
不过，如果我能赢得这场比赛，我就可以自由地和她说话，得到与她建立友谊的机会！”
Each evening, after his studies of the stars and the seas, John went to the field in secret and practiced running across it.
每天晚上，约翰研究完星空和海洋之后，就秘密地到场地里练习跑步。
Night after night, he raced as fast as the wind across the twilight field, until he could cross it in three minutes, more quickly, he thought, than anyone had run across it before.
夜复一夜，他像风一样飞快地穿过暮色中的跑道，直到他能在三分钟内穿过它。他认为自己比以前任何人都跑得快。
At last, the day of the race arrived.
比赛的日子终于到了。
Trumpets sounded, and the young men gathered at the edge of the field, along with Atalanta herself, the prize that they sought.
号角吹响了，年轻人聚集在赛场边，和亚特兰大，他们要的奖品一起。
The king and his friends sat in soft chairs, and the townspeople stood along the course of the race.
国王和他的朋友们坐在软椅上，王城的百姓站在赛跑的跑道两边。
The king rose to address them all. "Good day!" he said to the crowds.
国王站起来向百姓们致意。”“你们好！”他对人群说。
"Good luck!" he said to the young men.
“祝你们好运！”他对参赛的年轻人说。
To Atalanta, he said "Goodbye. I must tell you farewell, for tomorrow, you will be married."
对亚特兰大，他说：“再见，我必须向你道别，因为明天你就要嫁给别人了。”
"I am not so sure of that, father" Atalanta answered, and she went to stand in line with the young men.
“我不太确定你会得偿所愿，父亲。”亚特兰大回答说。然后她去和年轻人们站成一排。
"Not one of them," she said to herself, "can win the race, for I will run as fast as the wind, and leave them all behind."
“他们中没有一个能赢得比赛，”她自言自语道，“因为我要跑得像风一样快，把他们全都抛在后面。”
And now, a bugle sounded, and the runners were off!
现在，号角响了，赛跑的人都冲了出去！
The crowds cheered as the young men and Atalanta began to race across the field.
看着年轻人们和亚特兰大在赛场上奔跑，人群激动地加油助威。
At first, they ran as a group, but Atalanta soon pulled ahead, with three of the young men close after her.
起初，参赛者距离没有被拉开，但亚特兰大很快就远远领先了，三个年轻人紧随其后。
As they neared the half-way point, one of them put on a great burst of speed and seemed to pull ahead for an instant, but then gasped, and fell back.
当他们快到赛道一半的时候，其中一个人突然加速，似乎一瞬间要超过亚特兰大，但他接着一口气没有喘上，又落后了。
Atalanta shot on! Soon, another young man, tense with the effort, drew near to Atalanta.
亚特兰大像射出去的子弹一样快。很快，另外一个年轻人靠近了亚特兰大，他已拼尽全力而十分紧张，
He reached out as if to touch her sleeve, stumbled for an instant, and lost speed.
他伸手似乎能摸到她的袖子，但是他绊了一下，失去了原来的速度。
Atalanta smiled as she ran on. "I have almost won!" she thought.
亚特兰大微笑着继续跑。”我几乎要赢了！”她想。
Just then another young man drew near to her. This was young John, running like the wind, as steadily and as swiftly as Atalanta herself.
就在这时，另一个年轻人就快赶上她。他是小约翰。他像风一样奔跑，像亚特兰大本人一样平稳而迅速。
Atlanta felt his closeness, and in a sudden burst, she dashed ahead.
亚特兰大感觉到了他的靠近，突然间，她猛冲向前。
But young John didn't give up. "Nothing at all," thought he, "will keep me from my hope of winning the chance to speak with Atalanta,"
但小约翰没有放弃。”“没有什么，”他想，“能阻止我赢得和亚特兰大交流的机会。”
and on he ran, swift as the wind, until he ran as her equal, side by side with her, toward the golden ribbon that marked the race's end.
他像风一样飞快地向前跑，直到和她并肩向标志着比赛结束的金色缎带跑去。
Atalanta was aware of him, and she raced even faster to pull ahead.
亚特兰大意识到了他的胜利欲，她竟然又加快了速度来超过小约翰。
But young John was a strong match for her.
但小约翰是个强劲的对手。
Smiling with the pleasure of the race, Atalanta and young John reached the finish line together, and together they broke through the golden ribbon that marked it!
亚特兰大和小约翰带着竞技的兴奋微笑着一起到达终点线，他们一起冲破了标志终点线的金色丝带！
Trumpets blew! The crowd shouted and leaped about! The king rose.
号角吹响了！人们激动地跳起来高声欢呼。国王站了起来。
"Who is this young man?" he asked.
“这个年轻人是谁？”他问。
"I am young John from the town," John answered.
“我是来自王城的小约翰。”约翰回答道。
"Very well, young John," said the king, as John and Atalanta stood before him.
“很好，小约翰，”国王说，约翰和亚特兰大站在他面前。
"You have not won the race, but you have come closer to winning than any man here.
“你没有赢得比赛，但你比任何参赛男性都更接近胜利。”
And so I give you the prize that was promised: the right to marry my daughter."
所以我将给予你我许诺的奖品——娶我女儿的权利
Young John smiled at Atalanta, and she smiled back.
小约翰对亚特兰大微笑，亚特兰大也报以微笑。
"Thank you, sir," said John to the king, "but I could not possibly marry your daughter unless she wished to marry me.
“谢谢你，陛下。”约翰对国王说，“但是我不可能娶你的女儿，除非她自己想要和我结婚。
I have run this race for the chance to talk with Atalanta."
我参加这场比赛是为了有机会和亚特兰大交谈。”
Atalanta laughed with pleasure.
亚特兰大高兴地笑了。
"And I," she said to John, "could not possibly marry you before I've gone out to see the world.
“而我，”她对约翰说，“在我出去看世界之前，不可能嫁给你。
But I would like nothing better than to spend the afternoon with you."
不过，我此刻最想做的事就是和你一起度过一个下午。”
And she held out her hand to young John, who took it.
她向小约翰伸出手，小约翰拉住了。
Then the two of them sat and talked on the grassy field.
然后他们两个坐在草地上聊天。
Atalanta told John about her telescopes and her pigeons, and John told Atalanta about his globes and his geography studies.
亚特兰大告诉约翰关于她的望远镜和鸽子的趣事，约翰告诉亚特兰大关于他的地球仪和地理研究的进展。
At the end of the day, they were friends.
那一天结束的时候，他们已经成为了朋友。
The next day, John set off by ship to discover new lands, and Atalanta set off on horseback to visit great cities.
第二天，约翰乘船出发去发现新大陆，亚特兰大骑马出发去拜访大城市。
The king stayed home and thought about how the world was changing.
国王呆在家里，思考着世界的变化。
When he was young, daughters always wanted to get married.
他年轻时，做女儿的总是希望和别人结婚。
But now Atalanta is still off in the world, visiting towns and cities, and John is still sailing the seas.
但现在亚特兰大仍然在世界各地，拜访形形色色的小镇和大城市，约翰仍然在广阔的海洋上航行。
Perhaps someday they'll be married, and perhaps they will not.
也许有一天他们会结婚，也许不会。
In any case, it is certain they are both living happily ever after.
不管怎样，可以肯定的是，他们俩从此都过着幸福的生活。
专辑信息