石舟

Once a beautiful Chippewa maiden died on the day she was to have married a brave， young warrior. He was very brave， but this sorrow was almost too great for him to bear. He sat down at the door of his cabin and would not go hunting with the other Indians.

All that he could think of was the dead maiden， and he wished and wished that he could go to the Land of Souls， where he knew she now lived. But he did not know where this land was. All that the old people could tell him was that it lay to the south. So， after grieving for many days， he made up his mind to try to find it. He put some food in a bag， gathered up his arrows and bow， and calling his dog to him， started off. On he went for many days， and everything looked the same as in the land he had left—forests， hills， and valleys， with snow lying thick on the ground and in the trees. Then gradually the snow began to vanish， and as he went on he saw trees with leaves budding on them， and could hear the songs of birds. At the end of a few more days， he had reached the southern land， where all is warm and bright. There he saw a narrow path leading through a forest and up a hill.

He followed this path， and at the top of the hill found a cabin. At the door of the cabin stood an Indian， dressed in a robe of bearskins. He was a very old man， but his eyes were bright and soft.

“Come in， my grandson，” he said. “I have been expecting you. The maiden whom you seek passed here a few days ago. You may follow her and enter the Land of Souls， but you must leave your body behind with me. My cabin is the gateway into that beautiful land， and you do not need your body there， nor your arrows， nor your bow. Leave them with me and I shall keep them safe for you. Look over there！ Do you see that deep gorge and the beautiful plain beyond？ That is the Land of Souls， and the one you seek is already there.”

Suddenly the young man felt himself grow very light， and his feet began to run as though they were winged. Everything looked the same to him， only more beautiful， and the little animals did not seem afraid. They seemed to know that he would not kill them. As he went on swiftly through the forest， he noticed that the trees did not stop him. He seemed to pass right through them， and he saw then that they were only images of trees.

At last he came to a beautiful lake， whose waters were clear and sparkling. In the centre of this lake was an island， with green grass and flowers and birds. Then， to his joy， he noticed a canoe tied to the shore of the lake. It was made of shining， white stone and had paddles that shone， also. He climbed in and pushed away from the shore， and， to his surprise， he saw the maiden whom he loved， in a canoe exactly like his， floating beside him. They kept close together and began to cross the lake. Its waves seemed to be rising， and at a distance looked ready to swallow them up. But when the huge waves drew close， they passed by and left them unharmed， and the maiden and her lover saw that they were only the shapes of waves. But another thing frightened them. It was the clearness of the water， for as they looked down， they could see the bodies of people who had been drowned. And in the water all along， there were men and women of all ages struggling and sinking in the waves. Only the canoes of the little children floated on in safety.

At last their canoes reached the shore of the island， and jumping out， they roamed joyfully over the soft grass. They felt that the very air was food， and thought only of pleasant things. For there was nothing that was sad here in this land， no cold winds， no hunger—only brightness and joy.

As the warrior wandered by the maidens side， he heard the voice of the Master of Life speaking to him. “Go back，” he said，“to the land you came from. Your work is not completed yet. Go back and be a good man， and do all the work that I send to you. You must leave the spirit whom you love， but she shall wait here for you， for she is accepted， and shall always remain young and happy. When your work is finished， I shall call you also from the land of hunger and tears， to come to this beautiful Land of Souls.”

So the young man said farewell to the maiden， and getting into the canoe， he was carried across the lake. In a few minutes， he was at the cabin of the old man. The Indian smiled when he saw him.

“Enter， my grandson，” he said， “and you will find your body inside.”

The young man obeyed， and when he came out he felt as when he had first arrived. But his heart was brave now. The Indian smiled again at him.

“I see how brave and strong you are，” he said， “and my message to you is， always remain cheerful and brighten every sad life that you see.”

The young man promised to obey the message， and， with one long look at the Land of Souls， he turned and began his journey towards his home.

从前有个美丽的齐佩瓦族女子，就在她要嫁给一个勇敢的年轻战士的那天，她去世了。战士很勇敢，但这巨大的悲伤几乎使他崩溃。他在自家小屋门前坐着，无心与其他印第安人外出打猎。

他脑海中全是那死去的女子，他非常希望可以去灵魂之国，他知道她现在就在那儿。但他不知道那个国度在何处。老人们能告知他的就是那个国度在南方。因此，他悲伤地度过了许多天后，决定设法寻找那个国度。他装好食物，带上弓箭，叫上他的狗，出发了。他连续走了很多天，但周围看起来与他离开的地方无异——森林、山、峡谷，地面上和树上都积了厚厚的一层雪。渐渐地，积雪开始不见了，他继续前行，看到树上长着嫩叶，还听到小鸟的歌声。几天后，他到了南方，那里温暖而明亮。他在那儿看到一条穿过森林延伸到山上的小路。

他沿着小路前行，在山顶上发现了一个小屋。一个印第安人站在小屋门前，穿着一件熊毛皮做的长袍。他虽然很老了，但眼睛明亮，眼神柔和。

“进来吧，小伙子，”他说。“我一直在等你啊。你寻找的女子几天前经过这儿。你可以跟随她进入灵魂之国，但你必须把你的肉身留给我。我的小屋是通往那个美丽国度的入口，在那儿你不需要肉身，也不需要弓箭。把这些东西放在我这儿，我会替你好好保管的。看那边，你看到那个深深的峡谷和旁边那个美丽的平原了吗？那就是灵魂之国，你要找的人已经在那儿了。”

突然，这个年轻人感觉自己变得很轻盈，他的双脚跑起来就像长了翅膀一样。一切事物看起来没什么特别，只是更美丽了，小动物似乎也不怕人。它们好像知道他不会杀它们。他快速穿过森林时发现，树木并没有阻挡他前进。他似乎是直接穿过去的，当下，他意识到那只是树的影像。

最后，他来到了一个美丽的湖边，湖水清澈，波光粼粼。在湖中心有一个小岛屿，上面有绿草、鲜花和小鸟。突然，他高兴地发现了湖边停着一艘小舟，小舟是由闪亮的白色石头做成的，船桨也是闪闪发亮的。他爬上小舟，把小舟从岸边推开，他此时惊喜地发现，那个他深爱的姑娘在另一艘同样的小舟上，在他旁边漂浮着。他们向彼此靠近，开始渡过湖泊。浪花似乎正在升高，从远处看，好像要淹没他们。但当巨浪靠近他们时，巨浪从他们身边飘过，并没有伤害他们，姑娘和她的爱人明白过来，那只是浪花的影像。但另一惊吓向他们袭来。那就是清澈见底的湖水，他们向下看时，看到被淹死的人的尸体。湖水中到处可见大大小小的男人、女人在挣扎中往下沉。只有小孩子的小舟安全地漂浮着。

终于，他们到达了岸边，跳出小舟，欢快地在柔软的草地上漫步。他们感觉到空气就是他们的食物，想的都是快乐的事情。因为那里没有悲伤，没有寒风、饥饿——只有光明和歡乐。

战士在姑娘身边漫步时，他听到了生命之神在对他说话。“回去吧，”他说，“回到你出发的地方。你的工作还没有完成。回去后做个好人，完成我交给你的工作，你必须离开你深爱的灵魂，但她会在这儿等你的，因为她已经被接纳了，她会永远年轻快乐。你完成你的工作后，我也会把你从饥饿和泪水的国度召到这美丽的灵魂之国。”

于是，年轻人跟女子告别，回到小舟上，小舟把他送回了湖对岸。几分钟后，他就到了那位老人家的小屋，这个印第安人看到他后朝他微笑。

“进来吧，小伙子，”他说，“你的身体在屋里。”

年轻人听从老人的话，他走出小屋后感觉身体和来时一样，但现在他的心变勇敢了。印第安人又对他笑了笑。

“我看到了你的勇敢和坚强，”他说，“我要对你说的是：无论你遭遇多悲惨的生活，你都要一直快乐、乐观。”

年轻人答应老人牢记他的话，他远眺灵魂之国后转身上路，返回他的家乡。