英语故事:天要下雨,娘要嫁人

 It rains when Heaven deems fit, mother remarries when she wants to—a popular saying often heard in China, what's the source of it? It comes from a legend. 

中国有句老话叫：天要下雨娘要嫁人。这句话从何而来呢？来自一个古老的传说。

In ancient times there was a scholar called Zhu Yaozong who came first in the highest imperial examination. Conferred the title Number One Scholar, he was chosen to be the emperor's son-in-law. By convention, he would first return to his hometown in silken official robes. Before he left he begged the emperor for a favor--to erect¹ a chastity archway in honor of his widowed mother. His request was granted. 

传说古时候有个名叫朱耀宗的书生，进京赶考高中状元。皇上殿试将他招为驸马。按惯例，朱耀宗一身锦绣新贵还乡。临行前，朱耀宗请求皇上为多年守寡一直不嫁的母亲竖立贞节牌坊。皇上准允所奏。

His mother, however, appeared uneasy when she was told about the chastity archway. She had to admit that she was determined² to remarry and her would-be husband was Zhu's former tutor to whom he owed a great deal. Devastated³ by the idea Zhu fell to his knees in front of his mother: "Mom. That's absolutely impossible. How could I face others if you do so. Besides, it will mean I have deceived the emperor--a felony deserving death penalty."

当朱耀宗向娘述说了竖立贞节牌坊一事后，朱母露出了不安的神色，于是说出了想要嫁给朱耀宗的恩师张文举的想法。朱耀宗顿时跪在娘的面前：“娘，这千万使不得。您改嫁叫儿的脸往哪搁? 再说，欺君之罪难免杀身之祸啊。” 

As he was caught in a fix and nothing could be done, his mother sighed:"Since things have come to a head，let's trust to luck." She then took off a skirt and handed it to him, saying:"Wash it tomorrow and dry it in the sun for a day. If it dries up by dawn the next morning, I'll drop the idea; if not, you are not to interfere⁴, for it's the will of Heaven." 

正值左右为难、无可奈何之际，朱母不由长叹一声：“听天由命吧。”她随手脱下身上一件罗裙，告诉朱耀宗说：“明天你替我把裙子洗干净，一天一夜晒干。如果裙子晒干，我答应不改嫁；如果裙子不干，天意如此，你也不用再阻拦了。”

That day was very fine with the sun shining brightly in a clear sky. But during the night clouds gathered and the sky became overcast⁵. It broke into a violent shower towards daybreak. The skirt remained wet long after dawn. His mother said to him seriously:"Look here, son. It rains when Heaven deems fit, mother remarries when she wants to. The will of Heaven is not to be opposed." So Zhu could do nothing but report to the emperor and express his readiness to be punished. The emperor was greatly surprised by the story and issued an imperial decree:"He who is unaware⁶ is not liable. Since the match has been made by Heaven, it has to be allowed."

这一天，晴空朗日，谁知当夜阴云密布，天明下起暴雨，裙子始终是湿漉漉的。朱耀宗心中叫苦不迭，知是天意。朱母则认认真真地对儿子说：“孩子，天要下雨，娘要嫁人，天意不可违!”朱耀宗只得将母亲和恩师的婚事报告皇上，请皇上治罪。皇上连连称奇，降道御旨：“不知者不怪罪，天作之合，由他去吧。”

1 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

4 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

5 overcast   

adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天

参考例句：

• The overcast and rainy weather found out his arthritis.阴雨天使他的关节炎发作了。
• The sky is overcast with dark clouds.乌云满天。

6 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。