提 要

天真赤誠是孩子的特徵，托爾斯泰敘述兩個姐妹遇險的故事。經過患難，彼此的感情與智慧都成長了。

It was a fine summer morning, perfect to be outdoors. Two sisters had been out mushroom picking and were on their home with heavy baskets full of mushrooms. They sang songs on the way and played with each other.

Soon they reached a point where they had to cross a railway track. They did not think twice about crossing it since there was no train coming, and they could not hear any whistle. They slowly climbed the embankment to cross the track, taking care not to drop the baskets. They were very near the track and the little sister was about the cross it when they heard the distinct horn of a train.

The older sister got frightened and ran back. She thought that the young one was following her. She turned back and was shocked to see her little sister still crossing the track."Come back here, run back fast," she screamed.

It seemed that the little girl could not hear her sister. She was still concentrating on stepping over the track with her little feet and holding on to the basket. Then she tripped and fell on the track, scattering her mushrooms around. She sat down and began picking them up and putting in her basket.

In the meanwhile, the elder sister had become hysteric. She cried and screamed, calling her little sister to leave the mushrooms and run back, but it seemed as though the little one could not hear her.

The engine driver panicked on seeing the girl and blew his whistle with all his might, but she appeared not to hear the whistle. Her sister was now crying loudly, overcome by panic, as the little sister crawled between the tracks on her hands and knees, to pick the rest of the mushrooms.

The engine driver was helpless as he couldn't stop the engine suddenly. He blew the whistle as hard as he could, but the engine rolled over the little girl. The older sister clasped her face with her trembling hands and cried bitterly. The passengers too panicked at the thought of the sight they would have to witness. The guard ran down to the end of the train to see what happened to the little girl. When the train passed, everybody saw her lying very still between the tracks with her face down.

Then she raised her head, sprang to her knees and began gathering the remaining mushrooms.

The big sister ran towards her, tears streaming down her face. They hugged and kissed each other, crying out of happiness, tears of joy flowing down their little cheeks. Never were two souls so happily united as at that moment. She promised her little sister that thereafter she would hold her hand tightly while crossing the railway line.

The two sisters then picked all the remaining mushrooms, and hand in hand solemnly walked back home. They were indeed two souls who had become wiser than their years, in the span of a few minutes.

解 說

一個晴朗的夏日早晨，氣候溫和適合戶外活動。兩姐妹出去採摘蘑菇，提著裝滿蘑菇的沉重籃子回家，她們沿路唱歌玩耍。

不久，她們必須穿越鐵軌，由於沒有火車駛來，她們也沒多想，更沒聽到任何哨笛聲。兩姐妹慢慢地爬上路堤、越過軌道，特別留意不能丟下籃子。

她倆離鐵軌非常近，當妹妹正跨一半時，聽到了火車的獨特號角聲。

姐姐嚇得往回跑，她認為小傢伙會跟著她。她轉過身，卻震驚地看到妹妹仍然正在跨越鐵軌。她尖叫：「快回來，快跑回來 。」

小女孩似乎完全聽不見姐姐喊她的聲音。她仍然專注於用自己的小腳踩在軌道上、緊緊抓住籃子。然後，她絆倒了、蘑菇散落在周圍。她坐起來繼續撿拾，放在籃裡。

同時，變得歇斯底里的姐姐哭了起來，大聲叫著她的小妹妹別管蘑菇，快跑回來，但小傢伙就是聽不到。

火車司機驚恐地發現了軌道上的女孩，並用盡力氣吹哨子，但她似乎沒有聽到。即使姐姐大聲哭喊、驚慌失措，小妹妹仍用她的手和膝蓋爬在鐵軌之間，想撿完所有的蘑菇。

因為無法緊急煞車，火車司機也無可奈何，他竭力地吹哨子，但列車仍駛向小女孩。姐姐用顫抖的手捂著臉、痛苦地哭了；想像他們即將目睹的景象，乘客們也驚慌失措；警衛跑到火車盡頭，看看小女孩出了什麼事。當火車經過時，每個人都看到她非常安靜地趴在鐵軌之間，臉朝下。

然後她抬起頭，跪在地上，開始收集剩下的蘑菇。

淚流滿面的姐姐朝小女孩跑去，她們相擁親吻，喜極而泣的眼淚順著小小的臉頰流下來。兩姐妹的心從來沒有像現在這樣的緊密貼近過。姐姐向妹妹許諾，從此以後，越過鐵路時一定緊緊握住她的手。

然後，兩個姐妹採完了所有剩餘的蘑菇，並鄭重其事地手拉著手回家。在短短的幾分鐘裡，她們的靈魂變得更超齡睿智。