"情况可能会更糟" | 转圈圈 第1集

嘿，Circle Round 的粉丝们。

Hey, Circle Round fans.

我们为2025至2026年的Circle Round现场巡演增加了新的场次，诚邀您参加。

We've added stops to our twenty twenty five, twenty twenty six Circle Round live tour, and you're invited.

欢迎于1月18日在洛杉矶、2月7日在波士顿、3月14日在克利夫兰观看我们的现场录制。

Join us for live episode recordings in Los Angeles on January 18, Boston on February 7, and Cleveland on March 14.

我们迫不及待想与您现场相聚。

We can't wait to circle around with you live.

请前往 wbur.org/circlearound 购票。

Get your tickets at wbur.org/circlearound.

你有没有遇到过困难？

Have you ever had trouble?

在让某件事发生时遇到过困难吗？

Trouble making something happen?

在完成某件事时遇到过困难吗？

Trouble getting something done?

生活似乎很艰难。

Life seemed hard.

对吧？

Right?

无论你做什么或说什么，都感觉事情不可能再糟了。

No matter what you did or what you said, it felt like things couldn't get any worse.

你有过这样的经历吗？

Has that ever happened to you?

嗯，你并不孤单。

Well, you're not alone.

我们即将认识一位男士，他也有和你完全相同的感受，于是他决定采取行动。

We're about to meet a man who felt exactly the same way you did, and he decided to do something about it.

一些涉及羽毛、毛皮和一幢非常吵闹的房子的事情。

Something involving feathers and fur and one very noisy house.

我是丽贝卡·谢尔，欢迎收听《Circle Round》第一集，这里的故事时刻都在发生。

I'm Rebecca Scheer, and welcome to the first episode of Circle Round, where story time happens all the time.

今天，

Today,

我们的故事叫做《情况总能更糟》。

our story is called It Could Always Get Worse.

这是一个流传多年的意第绪语民间故事。

It's an old Yiddish folktale that goes back years and years.

嘿，如果你的父母正在听，这个故事也是献给他们的。

And hey, if your parents are listening right now, this story is for them too.

你们不仅会听得非常开心，还能听到一位你们父母可能在电视和电影里见过的演员的声音。

Not only will you all have a lot of fun listening, but you'll get to hear the voice of a guy your parents probably have seen on TV and in the movies.

他叫杰森·亚历山大，是一位非常著名的人物。

His name is Jason Alexander, and he's a really big deal.

所以，围成一圈吧。

So circle around.

我们来

Here we

让我们来听今天的故事，《情况总能更糟》。

go with today's story, It Could Always Get Worse.

很久以前，在一个遥远的村庄里，住着一位男子。

Once upon a time, in a village far, far away, there lived a man.

这位男子过着简朴的生活，和妻子、四个孩子、他的母亲、父亲，还有两只猫和两只狗住在一起，共用一间小屋。

The man lived a simple life and shared a tiny one room house with his wife, their four children, his mother, his father, plus two cats and two dogs.

你能想象吗？一间小小的屋子，住着两位父母、四个孩子、两位祖父母，再加上两只猫和两只狗？

Can you imagine one tiny room with two parents, four kids, two grandparents, plus two cats and two dogs?

这个村庄的风很冷，土地被白雪覆盖。

The winds were cold in the man's village and the land was covered with snow.

生活并不容易，这位男子必须辛勤工作。

Life was not easy and the man had to work hard.

他的妻子也得辛苦劳作，帮他收割蔬菜、喂养牲畜。

His wife had to work hard too, helping him harvest their vegetables and feed their animals.

在那间小屋外面，还养着两只山羊、六只鸡和一头棕色的奶牛。

For outside the tiny one room house lived two goats, six chickens, and one brown cow.

这个男人的四个孩子也帮忙干活，上学前收集鸡蛋、挤牛奶。

The man's four children helped with the work too, collecting the chicken's eggs and milking the cow before they went off to school.

到了一天结束时，每个人都非常疲惫。

At the end of the day, everyone was so very tired.

但这个小房间实在太小了，根本没有足够的空间放松。

But the tiny one room house was so very small, there was never enough room to relax.

有一天，这个男人决定再也受不了了。

One day, the man decided he had had enough.

他踏着积雪走到村里最聪明的人——一位老妇人那里。

He trudged through the snow to the wisest person in the village, an old woman.

当他到达她的木屋时，坐在她对面，凝视着她明亮的蓝眼睛。

When he reached her cottage, he sat down across from her and looked into her bright blue eyes.

亲爱的老妇人，我家实在太拥挤了。

Dear old woman, it is so crowded in my house.

我的意思是，真的没有安宁，没有安静，连睡觉的地方都没有。

I mean, really, there is no peace, no quiet, no place to sleep.

我该怎么办？

What should I do?

老妇人坐在她吱呀作响的旧椅子上，沉思了一会儿。

The old woman rocked in her creaky old chair and thought for a moment.

让我问你一个问题，男人。

Let me ask you, man.

你有山羊吗？

Do you have a goat?

当然有。

Why, yes.

你不会相信的，我有两只山羊。

You won't believe this, but I have two goats.

那就照我说的做。

Then do as I say.

把两只山羊带回家，让它们和你的家人待在屋里。

Take the two goats, bring them into your house, and keep them inside with your family.

男人觉得这个要求很奇怪，但他还是照那位智慧的老妇人说的做了。

The man thought this was a funny request, but he did as the wise old woman said.

在雪地中跋涉回家后，他把两只山羊带进了这间狭小的单间屋子里。

After trudging back home through the snow, he brought his two goats into the tiny one room house.

当他家里的每个人看到山羊时——他的妻子、四个孩子、母亲和父亲——都感到非常困惑，尤其是他最小的孩子。

When everyone in his family saw the goats, his wife, his four children, his mother, his father, they were all very confused, especially his youngest child.

为什么山羊会在屋里？

Why are the goats inside the house?

男人笑了。

The man smiled.

等等看吧。

Just wait and see.

明天早上你就会明白了。

It will make more sense in the morning.

说实话，男人也不确定为什么山羊会在屋里，但到了这个地步，他愿意尝试任何事情。

Honestly, the man wasn't sure why the goats were in the house, but at this point, he was willing to try anything.

那天晚上，大家安顿好上床后，男人、他的妻子、四个孩子、母亲和父亲，这间小屋子里格外吵闹。

That night, after everyone settled into bed, the man, his wife, his four children, his mother and his father, it was extra noisy in the tiny one room house.

由于山羊不停地叫唤和在家具上跳跃，没人能合上一眼。

What with the goats bleating and jumping on the furniture, no one could get a wink of sleep.

第二天早上，疲惫的男人再次踏着积雪，走向那位智慧的老妇人。

The next morning, the tired man trudged back through the snow to the wise old woman.

走路时，寒风呼啸着吹打他的耳朵。

The wind whipped his ears as he walked.

当他到达她的木屋时，又一次坐在她对面，凝视着她那闪烁着智慧的蓝眼睛。

When he reached her cottage, once again, he sat down across from her and looked into her twinkling blue eyes.

哦，睿智的长者。

Oh, wise elder.

我照您说的做了，但昨晚太糟糕了。

I did what you said, but last night was terrible.

我的意思是，糟糕透顶。

I mean, seriously bad.

山羊们太吵了，还跳到所有的家具上。

The goats were so noisy, and they jumped on all the furniture.

房子感觉比以前更小了。

The house felt even tinier than before.

我们该怎么办？

What should we do?

你有什么建议吗？

Do you have any advice?

那位智慧的老妇人向前倾身，坐在她吱呀作响的旧椅子上。

The wise old woman leaned forward in her creaky old chair.

我的好朋友，你养鸡吗？

My dear friend, do you have any chickens?

啊，是的，我养了。

Why, yes, I do.

事实上，我有六只漂亮的鸡，颜色各不相同。

In fact, I have six beautiful chickens, all different colors.

有玛蒂尔达、伯蒂、萨姆和拉莫娜。

There's Matilda and Bertie and Sam and Ramona.

那就照我说的做。

Then do as I say.

把那六只漂亮的小鸡也带进你家里。

Take those six beautiful chickens and bring them into your house too.

那还要留着山羊吗？

And keep the goats?

小鸡和山羊一起？

The chickens and the goats?

当然。

Of course.

这会有帮助吗？

And that's going to help?

哦，会的。

Oh, yes.

到了这时，这个男人真的非常困惑，但他还是照那位智慧的老妇人说的做了。

At this point, the man was really very confused, but he did as the wise old woman said.

他跋涉穿过积雪，一回到家，就把鸡舍里的六只鸡全部赶进屋里。

He trudged back through the snow, and as soon as he got home, he rounded up his six chickens from the coop and brought them into the house.

当他的家人——妻子、四个孩子、母亲和父亲——看到这些鸡时，他们比之前更加困惑了，尤其是他最小的孩子。

When everyone in his family saw the chickens, his wife, his four children, his mother, his father, they were even more confused than before, especially his youngest child.

为什么山羊和现在鸡都进屋了？

Why are the goats and now the chickens inside the house?

男人耸了耸肩膀。

The man shrugged his shoulders.

等等看吧。

Just wait and see.

我想明天早上就会更清楚了。

It will make more sense in the morning, I think.

那天晚上，所有人都上床后，男人、他的妻子、四个孩子、母亲和父亲，山羊开始咩咩叫着跳上家具，鸡也开始咯咯叫着啄地板。

That night, after everyone settled into bed, the man, his wife, his four children, his mother, and his father, the goats started bleating and jumping on the furniture, and the chickens started squawking and pecking at the floors.

没人能睡好觉。

No one could get any rest.

哦，那气味真难闻。

And, oh, what a stench.

这间小小的单间屋子臭气熏天。

The tiny one room house smelled terrible.

第二天早上，筋疲力尽的男人再次踏着积雪艰难前行。

The next morning, the exhausted man trudged once more through the snow.

寒风刺骨，冻得他鼻子生疼。

The wind was so biting, it stung his nose.

当他到达老妇人的小屋时，坐在她对面，再次凝视着她那双闪亮的蓝眼睛。

When he reached the old woman's cottage, he sat down across from her, and again, he looked into her sparkling blue eyes.

亲爱的智慧老妇人，我照您说的做了。

Dear wise old woman, I did everything you said.

我的山羊和我们住在一起，现在鸡也进来了，但屋里现在挤得不得了。

My goats are living inside the house with us, and now the chickens are too, but now the house is so, so crowded.

我的家人非常非常不开心。

My family is so, so unhappy.

请帮帮我。

Please help me.

这位智慧的老妇人缓缓从她吱呀作响的旧椅子上站起来。

The wise old woman slowly rose from her creaky old chair.

她抬起柔软布满皱纹的双手，放在男人的肩膀上。

She lifted her soft wrinkled hands and placed them on the man's shoulders.

我的孩子，告诉我，你有一头牛吗？

My son, tell me, do you have a cow?

男人沮丧地低下了头。

The man dropped his head in frustration.

啊，是的，我有一头牛。

Why, yes, I have a cow.

一头棕色的牛。

One brown cow.

她是个好女孩。

She's a good girl.

我们叫她哈纳莱娅。

We call her Hanaleya.

那就照我说的做。

Then do as I say.

把那头棕色的牛也牵进你家里。

Take that brown cow and bring it into your house too.

并且留下那

And keep the

当然。

Of course.

那个也会来。

And that's coming too.

是的。

Yes.

这会有帮助的。

It will help.

男人不敢相信自己的坏运气，但他还是照那位智慧的老妇人说的做了。

The man couldn't believe his bad luck, but he did as the wise old woman said.

他在风雪中艰难地走回家，寒风几乎让他喘不过气来。

He trudged back home in the snow with the wild wind nearly taking his breath away.

他走到谷仓，牵出他的牛，轻轻把它领进自己那间狭小的单间屋子的前门。

He went to the barn and got his cow, gently leading it through the front door of his tiny one room house.

当家人看到这头牛时——他的妻子、四个孩子、母亲和父亲——他们都更加困惑了，尤其是他最小的孩子。

When everyone in his family saw the cow, his wife, his four children, his mother, his father, they were more confused than ever, especially his youngest child.

为什么山羊、鸡，现在连牛都进屋子里了？

Why are the goats and the chickens and now the cow inside the house?

这个可怜的男人叹了口气。

The poor man sighed.

等等看吧。

Just wait and see.

明天早上你就明白啦，希望如此。

It will make more sense in the morning, I hope.

那天晚上，大家上床后，这个男人、他的妻子、四个孩子、母亲和父亲，这间狭小的一居室比以往任何时候都更吵闹。

That night, after everyone settled into bed, the man, his wife, his four children, his mother, and his father, the tiny one room house was noisier than ever.

山羊的咩咩声、鸡的咯咯声、奶牛的哞哞声，再加上外面呼啸的狂风。

Bleating goats, squawking chickens, mooing cows, not to mention the vicious wind whipping outside.

那

The

第二天早上，这个男人几乎睁不开眼睛。

next morning, the man could barely keep his eyes open.

他再次踏着积雪，走向那位智慧老妇人的小屋。

Once more, he trudged through the snow toward the wise old woman's cottage.

风特别寒冷，雪也特别深。

The wind was especially cold and the snow was especially deep.

男人跌跌撞撞地走进老妇人的屋子，凝视着她闪亮的蓝色眼睛。

The man stumbled through the old woman's door and stared into her glittering blue eyes.

亲爱的智者婆婆，我和我的家人实在受不了了。

Dear wise old woman, my family and I cannot take it any longer.

房子太拥挤、太吵、还太臭。

The house is so crowded and noisy and smelly.

我不知道还能怎么办。

I don't know what else to do.

我们怎么能找到一丝宁静呢？

How will we ever find some peace?

我们已经按照您的要求做了所有事情，但求您告诉我，您还有别的办法吗？

We've done everything you asked, but please, I beg you, tell me you have some other ideas.

老妇人坐在她吱呀作响的旧椅子上，将一杯热气腾腾的茶举到布满皱纹的唇边。

The old woman sat in her creaky old chair and raised a mug of steaming hot tea to her weathered lips.

亲爱的人啊，回家去吧，把你的所有动物——两只山羊、六只鸡和那头棕色的牛——都赶到谷仓里去。

My dear man, go home and take all of your animals, the two goats, the six chickens, and the one brown cow, and put them in the barn.

现在，转过身去，照我说的做。

Now turn around and do as I say.

男人转过身，踏着雪艰难地往家走。

The man turned around and trudged back home through the snow.

他立刻进屋，把所有的动物赶进谷仓。

He immediately went into his house and guided all the animals into the barn.

先是那头棕色的牛，然后是两只山羊，最后是六只鸡。

First, the brown cow, then the two goats, and then the six chickens.

那天晚上，晚饭后，全家人上了床。

That night, after dinner, the family settled into their beds.

但这次，屋里异常安静，无比平和。

Only this time, it was so quiet, so peaceful.

没有嘶鸣，没有咯咯叫，也没有哞哞声。

No bleeding, no squawking, no mooing.

连狂风似乎也消失了。

Even the wild wind seemed to have gone away.

第二天早上，男人踏着雪去拜访那位智慧的老妇人。

The next morning, the man trudged through the snow to visit the wise old woman.

但这次，他没有对着寒风嘟囔，而是轻声为自己唱了一首小歌。

Only this time, he sang a little song to himself instead of grunting into the wind.

亲爱的老智者，您真是个天才。

Dear wise old woman, you are a genius.

我照您说的做了，现在我的房子宽敞、宁静、舒适极了。

I did what you asked, and my house is so spacious, so peaceful, so comfortable.

晚餐时，我们所有人都能围坐在餐桌旁。

We could all fit around the table at dinnertime.

睡觉也轻松多了。

It was so much easier to sleep.

生活又变得如此美好。

Life is such a pleasure again.

我该如何感谢您呢？

How do I begin to thank you?

老智者靠在她那吱呀作响的旧椅子上，蓝色的眼睛比以往更加明亮。

The wise old woman leaned back in her creaky old chair, her blue eyes shimmering more brightly than ever.

她微笑了。

And she smiled.

那是《情况总能更糟》。

That was It Could Always Get Worse,

这是一个流传了许多年的古老民间故事。

an old folktale that's been shared for many, many years.

既然我们已经讲了一个故事，我们很想知道你们有什么故事。

Now that we've told you a story, we'd love to hear what stories you might have.

你有没有遇到过一个不知道如何解决的问题？

Have you ever come across a problem you didn't know how to solve?

或者你有没有帮助过某个无法弄清楚某事的人？

Or maybe you helped someone who couldn't figure something out?

与你认识的人分享你的故事，并问问成年人他们是否有故事可以分享。

Share your story with someone you know and ask a grown up if they have any stories to share.

他们上一次遇到无法解决的问题是什么时候？他们是怎么处理的？

When was the last time they didn't know how to solve a problem and what did they do about it?

如果你愿意，可以与我们分享你的故事和发现。

If you want, you can share your stories and discoveries with us.

请询问一位成年人，是否可以用智能手机录制你的故事，然后发送给我们。

Ask an adult if you can record your story on a smartphone, then send it our way.

并告诉那位成年人我们的邮箱地址是 circleround@wbur.org。

And tell that adult our email address is circleround@wbur.org.

我们也在 Twitter 上，账号是 come circle round。

We're also on Twitter at come circle round.

今天的故事《情况总能更糟》由杰西卡·阿尔珀特和我，丽贝卡·谢尔，根据意第绪语民间故事改编。

Today's story, it could always get worse, was adapted from the Yiddish folktale by Jessica Alpert and me, Rebecca Scheer.

我们的音乐和音效设计由埃里克·希莫洛尼斯负责。

Our music and sound design is by Eric Shimolonis.

我们的执行制片人是杰西卡·阿尔珀特。

Our executive producer is Jessica Alpert.

特别感谢我们的演员娜奥米·雅各布森、娜塔莉亚·刘易斯和杰森·亚历山大。

Special thanks to our actors, Naomi Jacobson, Natalia Lewis, and Jason Alexander.

《Circle Round》是由WBUR制作的节目，WBUR是波士顿的NPR新闻电台。

Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.

请务必在iTunes、Stitcher或您收听播客的任何平台订阅《Circle Round》。

Make sure you subscribe to Circle Round on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

这样，当我们今年夏天正式上线并为您带来来自世界各地的各类故事时，您就不会错过任何内容。

That way, you won't miss anything when we officially launch later this summer and bring you all sorts of stories from all over the world.

我是丽贝卡·谢尔。

I'm Rebecca Scheer.

感谢您与我们一同环绕聆听。

Thanks for circling around with us.