下面，首先我们来看看兰姆故事当中普洛斯佩罗是怎样告诉他女儿的身世的。

There was a certain island in the sea, the only inhabitants of which were an old man, whose name was Prospero, and his daughter Miranda, a very beautiful young lady. She came to this island so young, that she had no memory of having seen any other human face than her father's.

They lived in a cave or cell, made out of a rock; it was divided into several apartments, one of which Prospero called his study; there he kept his books, which chiefly treated of magic, a study at that time much affected by all learned men: and the knowledge of this art he found very useful to him; for being thrown by a strange chance upon this island, which had been enchanted by a witch called Sycorax , who died there a short time before his arrival, Prospero, by virtue of his art, released many good spirits that Sycorax had imprisoned in the bodies of large trees, because they had refused to execute her wicked commands. These gentle spirits were ever after obedient to the will of Prospero. Of these Ariel was the chief.

这一段里有些词不好理解，比如第一段里的inhabitants就是居民，居住在那里的人；第二段里it was divided into several apartments中，apartments就是房间；called his study中study就是诗人的图书馆library；which chiefly treated of magic意思是多数书是关于魔术、魔法方面的；a study at that time much affected by all learned men中learned men译为有学问的人；and the knowledge of this art中的art译为手法、技术、技艺、技巧；Prospero, by virtue of his art中by virtue of译为通过使用这种技术、这种手段；execute her wicked commands意思是执行她的邪恶命令。兰姆故事上述内容对应的是原剧第一幕第一、二场的内容。在第二场的第1行—184行叙述了普洛斯佩罗和米兰达来到这个岛上的由来和经过；第二场在第375行—409行写了精灵爱丽儿以歌唱引起先被引至岛上的费迪南想起他父亲而忧伤；接下来在第416行—472行描写米兰达与费迪南一见钟情，普洛斯佩罗要测试费迪南的真心程度。

由于普洛斯佩罗沉迷于魔术，就把政务一切全权交给了兄弟安东尼奥。让他没想到的是，他渐渐觉得权力和宝座都是属于他的，于是他联络原公爵普洛斯佩罗的敌人那不勒斯王阿隆佐，夺去了普洛斯佩罗的爵位，赶走了公爵，把他们放逐到荒岛上。普洛斯佩罗深居山洞，和他的女儿一起，以魔术管理曾经被一个作恶多端的女巫西考拉克斯搅扰、统治的岛屿，现在有她的儿子奇丑的怪物卡列班和一个可爱的精灵爱丽儿，普洛斯佩罗施以法术，把这里管得好好的。这里只有米兰达和她的父亲是这个岛上的人，在没有其他的人类了。

第二个场景（第375行—409行）写爱丽儿唱着歌，把费迪南引到了普洛斯佩罗这里。接下来就写了米兰达看见费迪南眼前一亮，觉得看见了神仙，就一见钟情互相爱上了。如果我们细读原文，就会发现这些细节特别美。我们先来读懂这些故事的叙述，如果再有好奇心，可以找到原版文字来品味。尤其是《五寻深处》那首歌，特别优美，这里的文字基本上没有多大的障碍，基本的思想可以比较容易地得到。这部戏的一个最大的特点，也是其他的戏没有的特点，就是充满很多的音乐和歌声，要是真拿上舞台排演，或者搬上荧幕，是不容易做到真实的。

我们现在先来看一下《五寻深处》这首歌的原文：

“Full fathom five thy father lies:

Of his bones are coral made;

Those are pearls that were his eyes:

Nothing of him that doth fade,

But doth suffer a sea-change

Into something rich and strange.

Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:

Hark! now I hear them, -Ding-dong, bell.”

按照朱生豪的翻译，这首小歌曲是这样的：

五寻的水深处躺着你的父亲，

他的骨骼已化成珊瑚；

他眼睛是耀眼的明珠；

他消失的全身没有一处不曾

受到海水神奇的变幻，

化成瑰宝，富丽而珍怪。

海的女神时时摇起她的丧钟，

叮！咚！

听！我现在听到了叮咚的丧钟。

接下来，我们再看一下从第23段—30段的文字，这一段是关于普洛斯佩罗和他解救出来、帮助他的小精灵爱丽儿之间的对话。由于兰姆这些文字是写给儿童的，所以这些文字并不是太难。如果在一定程度上能够理解这些文字的八九成，理解大概的意思，品味其中的味道也可以达到八九成的。

我们先来看这个故事前面的一些段落：

“That's my delicate Ariel,” said Prospero. “Bring him hither: my daughter must see this young prince. Where is the king, and my brother?”

“I left them, ”answered Ariel,“searching for Ferdinand, whom they have little hopes of finding, thinking they saw him perish. Of the ship's crew not one is missing; though each one thinks himself the only one saved: and the ship, though invisible to them, is safe in the harbour.”

“Ariel, ”said Prospero, “thy charge is faithfully performed: but there is more work yet.”

“Is there more work? ”said Ariel. “Let me remind you, master, you have promised me my liberty. I pray, remember, I have done you worthy service, told you no lies, made no mistakes, served you without grudge or grumbling.”

“How now! ”said Prospero. “You do not recollect what a torment I freed you from. Have you forgot the wicked witch Sycorax, who with age and envy was almost bent double? Where was she born? Speak; tell me.”

“Sir, in Algiers ,”said Ariel.

“O was she so ? ”said Prospero.“I must recount what you have been, which I find you do not remember. This bad witch, Sycorax, for her witchcrafts, too terrible to enter human hearing, was banished from Algiers, and here left by the sailors; and because you were a spirit too delicate to execute her wicked commands, she shut you up in a tree, where I found you howling. This torment, remember, I did free you from.”

“Pardon me, dear master, ”said Ariel, ashamed to seem ungrateful; “I will obey your commands.”

这是一段对话。第一段里，That's my delicate Ariel是说能干的、优秀的、了不起的意思；without grudge or grumbling是无怨无悔的意思；This bad witch, Sycorax, for her witchcrafts, too terrible to enter human hearing.译为她的那些手段听了都可怕；because you were a spirit too delicate因为你是心地善良的；where I found you howling中的howling译为大声地嚎叫；ashamed to seem ungrateful她对自己不够感恩戴德感到有些羞耻，所以现在她说I will obey your commands.这下我要听你的指挥了。

前面读的这些文字我们怎么来理解呢？因为这些故事是从戏剧改编过来的，所以也是文学的语言。文学语言的特点是，它首先存在着美感，它通过节奏、韵律、美而有滋味的比方来描述事情，所以就比其他用途的文字要活泼，更有美感。怎么可以直接接近这些文字的美呢？特别是外语？我以为，以原文来解释会比翻译更准确。我们读莎士比亚戏剧故事，最终的目的是去读那些戏剧，所以，学习英文是首要的。这一段，除开爱丽儿唱的歌，我都用英文即原文来和大家一起学习的，这样大家会更容易懂一些。当然，萧乾是翻译家，翻译的文字和我们中国人更是心贴心了。但是，我们要和莎士比亚心贴心，就要读英文这种文字，这也是商务印书馆要出版这本对照本的故事集的理由了。这是我的推测，您的看法是怎样的呢？