学文网Once upon a time, in Copenhagen of Denmark, a wealthy merchant had a son called Tom. Tom was a good- looking lad, intelligent too, but very lazy. Instead of studying or doing some work, he liked to spend his days roaming about, amusing himself with his friends and spending his father's money on luxuries. When the merchant died, he left all his money to Tom, who frittered it away in a few months.
The only thing left was an empty magic trunk. The minute anyone stepped inside, it rose into the air. Tom, who had no intention of working for a living, decided to seek his fortune by this trunk. One day, he stepped into the trunk. And, for days it flew across the seas and over woodlands and deserts. At last, he found himself above a city in the East and ordered the trunk to land on the terrace of a wonderful palace. Tom stepped out of the trunk and there in front of him stood a girl, staring at him in amazement.
"I'm Tamara, the Sultan's daughter," she said. "Who are you?" To turn the situation to his own advantage, Tom replied, "I'm the god of your people. I come to ask your hand in marriage." Fascinated by the handsome stranger and certain that he really was a god, she happily said "yes" and called her family. The Sultan warmly welcomed the youth and immediately started to make arrangements for the wedding.
The day before the ceremony, Tom stuffed the trunk with jewels, golden candle sticks and fine damasks and flew away from the palace towards Copenhagen. However, weighed down by its valuable load, the trunk fell into the sea. Tom managed to swim ashore and return to Copen- hagen, where he sang songs at street corners for a living. In the East, on the terrace of a magnificent palace, a young girl sadly glanced at the sky from time to time, hoping that the god who had suddenly disappeared, would come back again.
从前，丹麦的哥本哈根市住着一个富有的商人，他有一个儿子叫汤姆。汤姆是个帅气的男孩，也很聪明，但是很懒惰。他既不学习也不工作，成天四处闲逛，和朋友一起玩乐，把他父亲的钱财挥霍在奢侈品上。富商死后把所有的钱都留给了汤姆，而汤姆几个月就把钱花光了。
汤姆只剩下一个有魔力的空箱子。任何人一进入箱子，就随着箱子，飞到空中。汤姆不想通过工作维持生计，决定用这个箱子来碰碰运气。一天，他走进了箱子，在空中飘浮了好几天，飘过了大海，飘过了森林，飘过了沙漠。最后他飘到了一个东方城市的上空。他命令箱子在一座豪华宫殿的阳台上停了下来。汤姆走出了箱子，他看到一个女孩站在他的面前，正吃惊地盯着他。
“我叫塔玛拉，是苏丹的女儿。”她说，“你是谁啊？”汤姆抓住这一时机说：“我是你们臣民的神，我是来向你求婚的。”女孩被这个帅气的陌生人迷住了，她深信汤姆真的是神，就愉快地答应了，还叫来她的家人。苏丹一家人热烈欢迎这个年轻人的到来，并立即安排他们的婚礼。
婚礼的前一天，汤姆把箱子塞满了珠宝、金蜡烛台和绫罗绸缎，从宫殿飞向哥本哈根。然而，由于装的财宝太沉，箱子掉进了海里。汤姆奋力游到了岸上，回到了哥本哈根，他只能靠街头卖唱维持生计。在东方，一个富丽堂皇的宫殿阳台上，一个年轻的女孩时常悲伤地望着天空，希望那个突然消失的神会再回来。