the Twelve Apostles十二門徒

    Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

    It was three hundred years before the birth of Christ the Lord， and there lived a mother who had twelve sons， but she was so poor and needy that she did not know how she would be able to keep them alive. She prayed daily to God that he might allow her sons to be together on earth with the promised savior. When her need became even GREater she sent them， one after the other， out into the world to seek something to eat.

    the oldest one was named Peter. He went forth， and had already walked far， an entire day's journey， when he found himself in a GREat forest. He looked for a way out， but could not find one， going instead deeper and deeper into the woods. His hunger was so great that he could barely stand upright. He finally became so weak that he had to lie down， and he believed that he was near death.

    Suddenly there stood before him a small boy. He glistened， and was as beautiful and as friendly as an angel. The child clapped his hands together， causing Peter to look up at him. Then he said， "Why are you sitting there so sadly？"

    "Oh，" answered Peter， "I am walking about in the world seeking something to eat， so that I might be able to see the promised savior， for that is my GREatest wish."

    the child said， "Come with me. Your wish shall be fulfilled."

    He took poor Peter by the hand and led him between the cliffs to a large cave. They went inside， and everything glistened with gold， silver， and crystal. In the middle there stood twelve cradles next to each other.

    then the little angel said， "Lie down in the first one， and sleep a little. I will rock you."

    Peter did this， and the little angel sang to him and rocked him until he fell asleep.

    While he slept the second brother came to him. He too had been brought there by his guardian angel， and he too was rocked to sleep. In a like manner the others came as well， each in turn， until all twelve were lying there asleep in the golden cradles. There they slept for three hundred years until the night when the savior of the world was born. Then they awoke and were with him on earth， and they were called the twelve apostles.

    在基督誕生前的三百年時(shí)，一位母親生了十二個(gè)兒子�？伤�是那樣的貧困潦倒，不知如何來養(yǎng)活這些兒子。她天天向上帝祈禱，請(qǐng)他施恩，讓她所有的兒子能和那預(yù)言要降臨人間的救世主在一起。當(dāng)她生活越來越窘困時(shí)，她就把兒子一個(gè)個(gè)從身邊打發(fā)出去找活路。老大叫彼得，他已出門走了一整天，走了很遠(yuǎn)的路，最后進(jìn)入了一片大森林。他想找一條出去的路，卻再也找不著，反而越迷越深。加之他非常饑餓，幾乎都站不起來了，他實(shí)在太虛弱了，只得躺下來，并深信死神就在咫尺了。突然從他身邊冒出了個(gè)小男孩，渾身上下閃著光，像天使一樣和善。孩子拍了拍手，彼得只得抬起頭望著他。只聽小孩問道：“你為甚么這般絕望地坐在這里？”“唉！”彼得答道，“我正四處流浪，想找條活路，希望能見到那即將降臨人間的救世主，那也是我最大的心愿。”

    孩子說：“那就跟我來吧！你的愿望會(huì)滿足的。”他拉著可憐的彼得的手，領(lǐng)著他穿過懸崖，來到一個(gè)山洞前。他們走進(jìn)了山洞，里面全是金銀水晶，一切都在閃閃發(fā)光。在洞的正中央有十二個(gè)搖藍(lán)挨個(gè)兒排放著。

    小天使說：“躺到第一個(gè)搖籃里睡一會(huì)兒，我會(huì)搖你入睡的。”彼得照做了，天使邊唱歌邊輕輕晃動(dòng)他著，最后搖他進(jìn)入了夢(mèng)鄉(xiāng)。當(dāng)他睡熟時(shí)，老二也被他的保護(hù)天使領(lǐng)來了，他也像哥哥一樣被搖著進(jìn)了夢(mèng)鄉(xiāng)；接著其他兄弟一個(gè)接著一個(gè)都來了，直到最后十二個(gè)兄弟都躺在金色的搖籃里睡著了。

    他們睡啊，睡啊，一直到三百年后的最后一個(gè)晚上，救世主降臨了，那時(shí)他們醒了，最終和救世主在一起，成了人們所說的耶蘇的十二門徒。