老人改变了主意,决心不让小儿子成为一个出众的英雄好汉的人物，因为他实在不能再忍受那种折损儿子的痛苦。

This time he changed his mind. He did not encourage him to become a hero, because he could no longer stand the poignancy of losing his last child.

他叹着气说:“唉，与其因为他有才能而被夺，我宁愿他是一个一无所长的没出息的人呵。” 

He said with a sigh, "I would rather he be a mediocrity than be a talented person and lose his life.”

这样，老人就亲自教育这个小儿子，釆取了一种连那些老婆婆们教育女娃娃都很少釆用的教育方法。

He set about educating him in such a way that even old women would not adopt in educating their granddaughters.

而这个小儿子，也真孝顺，果然没有叫父亲失望。

And this son of his turned out to be very obedient—he did not let him down.

就是说，他让自己成为一个又懦弱又自私而真的一无用处的人了。

In other words he became a weak, selfish and worthless person.

可是，真没有想到，到了这时候，这个老人感到从来没有过的悲哀和不幸了。

It was not until then that the old man found himself a sad and most unfortunate man he had never been.

他一边痛悔自己的错误，一边憎恨而又可怜自己的小儿子说：“这就叫做废物，这就叫做脓包，是我一向所痛恨的。

He was full of remorse for the mistake he had made. He said in a tone filled with anger and pity for his son, "This is what is called good-for-nothing. He has now become the very kind of person I dislike.

现在因为我自私，亲手把他制造出来了！

I am to blame though, for I've made him like this with my own doing.

嗳，嗳，这样的一个海淹不死、山压不死的人，他活着到底做什么的？”

Ai, I wonder if life has any meaning to such a creature, though he is not drowned in the sea, nor buried in the pit."

这个老人实在无法爱他的小儿子，因为他只能爱波澜壮阔的海和巍峨坚实的山以及像他大儿子二儿子那样的人的。

The old man could not bring himself to love his son any more, for he could only love stormy seas, lofty mountains and heroic people like his first two sons.

因此，他现在做父亲的心，不得不无限地痛苦，这是他一度错误的想法和他亲手毁坏了小儿子这件事情的一个惩罚。

Being a father, he was now suffering from a broken heart—-a punishment brought on himself for ruining his youngest son as a result of his own mistake.

责任编辑：admin