赌徒汉赛尔
导读
《赌徒汉赛尔》是格林童话第 82 篇（低地德语原题 De Spielhansl）。民俗学家把它归入 ATU 330 类型——'铁匠智斗魔鬼'那一大家子专门讲'滑头小人物戏弄死神与地狱'的喜剧传说。它和我们读过的《快活的兄弟》《天堂里的裁缝》是嫡亲兄弟：都写一个游手好闲、却机灵得可爱的家伙，招待了微服私访的上帝和圣彼得，得了赏赐，又阴差阳错地在阴间闹翻了天。这里最有名的桥段，是那棵'谁爬上去就下不来'的魔法树——汉赛尔哄骗死神爬上去摘果子，把死神困了整整七年，害得世上一时间无人能死。'把死神或魔鬼骗上树、困住不放'是流传极广的一个母题。有个惊人的冷知识值得一提：有学者借用生物学研究基因谱系的办法，追溯 ATU 330'铁匠与魔鬼'这类故事的'家谱'，推测它的雏形可能古老得吓人——甚至能一路上溯到几千年前的青铜时代，堪称人类最古老的故事之一。而这一篇的收尾，则是一则典型的'由来传说'：汉赛尔被扔出天堂、灵魂摔成碎片，'钻进了直到今天还活着的那些赌徒身上'——原来，这是一个解释'世上的赌徒从何而来'的古老玩笑。
《赌徒汉赛尔》词汇精讲
本故事精选 12 个重点词汇，附中英释义与原文例句，帮助孩子扩展英语词汇量。
To risk money on cards, dice or a game of chance.
赌博；赌钱。
There was once a man who did nothing at all but gamble, and for that reason nobody ever called him anything but Gambling Hansel.
从前有个人，成天除了赌钱什么也不干，所以谁也不叫他别的名字，只叫他赌徒汉赛尔。
People to whom money is owed.
债主。
On the very day before his creditors were to take the house from him, the Lord and Saint Peter came by and asked him for a night's shelter.
债主要来收房子的前一天，主和圣彼得路过，向他讨一夜的落脚地。
A place that protects you from weather or danger.
住处；栖身之所。
On the very day before his creditors were to take the house from him, the Lord and Saint Peter came by and asked him for a night's shelter.
债主要来收房子的前一天，主和圣彼得路过，向他讨一夜的落脚地。
People who wander about with no home or steady work.
流浪汉；无赖。
But when he passed the house where the other gambling vagabonds were gathered, they greeted him with a great shout, although they had already won everything he had.
可他路过那些赌棍聚头的屋子时，他们冲他大声嚷嚷起来——尽管他身上的一切早被他们赢光了。
The channel at the edge of a road that carries away water.
阴沟；路边水沟。
As soon as Gambling Hansel appeared, he made out that the money had rolled into the gutter, and went on raking about in it to look for it.
赌徒汉赛尔一露面，便装作钱掉进了阴沟，一直在里头扒拉着找。
"Led astray" means talked into doing something wrong.
误入歧途；被带偏。
Saint Peter gave him three groschen again, and this time he did not let himself be led astray, but brought back the loaf.
圣彼得又给了他三个格罗申，这一回他没再让人拉走，把面包买了回来。
Large wooden barrels for wine or beer.
酒桶。
"Alas, sir, the casks are all empty," he said.
“唉，先生，桶都空了，”他说。
A room below a house, often used for storing wine.
地窖；酒窖。
But the Lord sent him down to the cellar, saying the best wine of all was waiting there.
可主打发他下地窖去，说最好的酒还在那儿等着。
Small cubes with spots, thrown in games of chance.
骰子。
But Gambling Hansel asked for a pack of cards that would win him everything, for dice that would win him everything, and for a tree that would grow every kind of fruit, and from which nobody who had climbed up could come down again until he gave the word.
可赌徒汉赛尔求的是：一副能赢遍一切的纸牌，一副能赢遍一切的骰子，还有一棵能结各种果子的树——凡是爬上去的人，不等他发话就下不来。
"In earnest" means seriously and for real.
认真地；动真格。
Now Gambling Hansel set to gambling in real earnest, and before long he had won half the world.
赌徒汉赛尔这下动起真格来了，没多久就赢下了半个世界。
Badly or strangely shaped.
畸形的；样子扭曲的。
Lucifer had nothing to lose but his misshapen devils, and Gambling Hansel won every one of them from him — as he could hardly fail to do with those cards.
路西法除了那群畸形的小鬼再没别的可输，赌徒汉赛尔就把它们一个个全赢了过来——凭他那副牌，想输也难。
A loud, continuous, unpleasant noise.
喧闹声；嘈杂。
But Gambling Hansel started to play the very moment he was inside, and there was such a din and confusion that nobody could hear a word anyone said.
可赌徒汉赛尔一进门就赌了起来，闹得又吵又乱，人说话彼此都听不见。
延伸阅读与亲子共读
故事寓意
这是一则又荒诞又意味深长的喜剧。上帝明明给了汉赛尔一个'求进天堂'的大好机会，他却偏偏只想着赌——要来了必胜的纸牌和骰子。凭着这份'开挂'，他赢了半个世界、骗过死神、赢空地狱，可到头来呢？天堂不要他，炼狱嫌他吵，地狱被他搅得鸡犬不宁，最后连他的灵魂都被摔成了碎片。故事想借这个'到处不受待见'的赌徒告诉我们：一个人若被一种瘾牢牢抓住，就算给他天大的好运和机会，他也只会拿去喂那个填不满的瘾，最终把自己弄得无处容身。
教育价值
适合和大孩子谈'上瘾'与'选择'：汉赛尔面对'求什么都行'的机会，暴露了他心里真正最看重的东西——不是天堂，而是继续赌。这是一个绝好的思辨切口：一个人在'可以许任何愿'时的选择，最能看出他被什么牵着走。故事也是一则'解释由来'的传说（结尾说他碎裂的灵魂钻进了'今天所有的赌徒'身上），可以借此认识民间故事里这种'讲清某件事从何而来'的古老趣味。
家长共读提示
小提示：这篇里有上帝、圣彼得、死神、天堂、炼狱、地狱、路西法等大量宗教文化元素，还有'赌博'这个明确的主题，建议读给 8 岁以上、能把它当'夸张寓言'来看的孩子。请特别注意：故事绝不是在'鼓励赌博'——恰恰相反，它用一整套荒诞的下场（到处被赶、灵魂碎裂）来嘲讽那个戒不掉赌瘾的人。读的时候可以点明这层讽刺：汉赛尔什么都赢得到，唯独输掉了自己的归宿。也可以顺势和孩子聊聊'为什么赌博会让人越陷越深'。故事里的宗教场景（天堂/炼狱/地狱）是欧洲文化背景，当作了解异域文化的窗口即可，不必深究教义。
和孩子聊一聊
- 上帝让汉赛尔许三个愿，本以为他会求进天堂，他却要了必胜的纸牌和骰子。这个选择，暴露了他心里最看重的是什么？
- 汉赛尔把必胜的赌具、骗死神的树都用上了，几乎无所不赢。可他最后为什么落得天堂、炼狱、地狱都不肯收留？
- 故事绝不是在夸赌博，反而用汉赛尔'到处被赶'来嘲笑他。你觉得作者为什么要用这么荒唐的下场来写他？
- 汉赛尔把死神困在树上七年，世上就没人死了。这听起来像好事，可如果真的'没有人会死'，世界会变成什么样？
- 故事结尾说他碎裂的灵魂变成了'今天所有的赌徒'。你还知道别的'解释某样东西从何而来'的老故事吗？
