《新月王子(插圖中文導讀英文版)》編著者戴博訶利。
本書內容取材於充滿了異域神秘色彩的地方——孟加拉的經典民間故事。這些美麗的傳說故事之所以被選入本書，不僅因為它們具有內在美，具有鮮明的西方特色，而且是因為它們為世界傳說與神話文學寶庫增添了無限的生機。閱讀本書，讓我們不得不驚嘆古人的美妙想像和活動。這些故事不僅在於內容的經典性和表達的**性，而且要蘊含文化的理念和價值，讓人們得到人文的熏陶，青少年讀者可以從中得到有益的啟示。

《新月王子（插圖中文導讀英文版）》編著者戴 博訶利。 本故事集由印度著名作家戴博訶利收集、整理並 創作，它是世界文學寶庫中的瑰寶。書中的十三個故 事皆由孟加拉民間故事改編而成，其中包括“紅寶石 ”、“三王子”、“綠珍珠”和“新月王子”等世界 公認的經典故事。故事的主人公多半是國王、王子、 公主和婆羅門人，宣揚善惡因果，講述悲歡離合，大 部分都有著幸福、美滿的結局。和阿拉伯民間故事、 德國童話等一樣，孟加拉民間故事充滿了異域神秘色 彩，於簡樸的文字中蘊藏著深刻的道理和動人的力量 。這些膾炙人口的故事，伴隨了一代又一代人的美麗 童年、少年直至成年。 該書問世100多年來，至今已被譯成世界上多種 文字。無論作為語言學習的課本，還是作為通俗的文 學讀本，《新月王子（插圖中文導讀英文版）》對當 代中國的青少年都將產生積極的影響。為了使讀者能 夠了解英文故事概況，進而提高閱讀速度和閱讀水平 ，在每章的開始部分增加了中文導讀。同時，為了讀 者更好地理解故事內容，書中加入了大量插圖。

序言
Preface
一、三王子
Strike But Hear

二、竊賊
The Adventures of Two Thieves And Oftheir Sons

三、鬼丈夫
The Ghost-Brahman

四、荒林乞丐
The Man Who Wished to Be Perfect

五、鬼妻子
A Ghostly Wife

六、鬼朋友
The Story of A Brahmadaitya

七、綠珍珠
The Story of A Hiraman

八、紅寶石
The Origin Of Rubies

九、豺媒人
The Match-Making Jackal

十、新月王子
The Boy With The Moon On His Forehead

十一、鬼僕役
The Ghost Who Was Afraid Of Being Bagged

十二、復骨術
The Field Of Bones

十三、禿發妻
The Bald Wife

"Once on a time there reigned a king who had inhis palace a remarkable bird of the Suka species. Oneday as the Suka went out to the fields for an airing,he saw his dad and dam, who pressed him to comeand spend some days with them in their nest in somefar-off land. The Suka answered he would be veryhappy to come, but he could not go without theking's leave; he added that he would speak to theking that very day, and would be ready to go thefollowing morning if his dad and dam would come tothat very spot. The Suka spoke to the king, and theking gave leave with reluctance as he was very fondof the bird. So the next morning the Suka met his dadand dam at the place appointed, and went with themto his paternal nest on the top of some high tree in afar-off land. The three birds lived happily together fora fortnight, at the end of which period the Suka saidto his dad and dam, 'My beloved parents, the kinggranted me leave only for a fortnight, and today thefortnight is over, tomorrow I must start for the city ofthe king.' His dad and dam readily agreed to thereasonable proposal, and told him to take a present tothe king. After laying their heads together for sometime they agreed that the present should be a fruit ofthe tree of Immortality. So early next moming theSuka plucked a fruit off the tree of Immortality, andcarefully catching it in his beak, started on his aerialjourney. As he had a heavy weight to carry, the Sukawas not able to reach the city of the king that day,and was benighted on the road. He took shelter in atree, and was at a loss to know where to keep the fruit.If he kept it in his beak it was sure,he thought, to fallout when he fell asleep. Fortunately he saw a hole inthe trunk of the tree in which he had taken shelter,and accordingly put the fruit in it. It so happened thatin that hole there was a snake; in the course of thenight the snake darted its fangs on the fruit, and thusbesmeared it with its poison. Early beforecrow-cawing the Suka, suspecting nothing, took upthe fruit of Immortality in its beak, and began hisaerial voyage. The Suka reached the palace while theking was sitting with his ministers. The king wasdelighted to see his pet bird come again, and greatlyadmired the beautiful fruit which the Suka hadbrought as a present. The fruit was very fair to look at;it was the loveliest fruit in all the earth; and as itsname implies it makes the eater of it immortal. The king was going to eat it, but his courtiers said that itwas not advisable for the king to eat it, as it might bea poisonous fruit. He accordingly threw it to a crowwhich was perched on the wall; the crow ate a part ofit; but in a moment the crow fell down and died. Theking, imagining that the Suka had intended to takeaway his life, took hold of the bird and killed it. Theking ordered the stone of the deadly fruit, as it wasthought to be, to be planted in a garden outside thecity. The stone in course of time became a large treebearing lovely fruit. The king ordered a fence to beput round the tree, and placed a guard lest peopleshould eat of the fruit and die. There lived in that cityan old Brahman and his wife, who used to live uponcharity. P28-P31