English Original
There was once a shepherd boy whose fame spread far and wide because of the wise answers he gave to every question. The King of the country heard of this but did not believe it, and sent for the boy.
The King said to him, "If you can answer three questions for me, I will look upon you as my own child, and you shall live with me in my royal palace." The boy asked, "What are the three questions?"
The King said, "First, how many drops of water are in the ocean?" The shepherd boy answered, "Lord King, if you will dam up all the rivers on earth so that not a single drop runs into the sea until I have counted them, then I will tell you how many drops are in the sea."
The King continued, "The next question is, how many stars are in the sky?" The shepherd boy said, "Give me a great sheet of white paper." He then made so many fine points on it with a pen that they could scarcely be seen and were impossible to count. He said, "There are as many stars in the sky as there are points on this paper. Just count them." But no one was able to do it.
The King said, "The third question is, how many seconds are there in eternity?" The shepherd boy replied, "In Lower Pomerania stands the Diamond Mountain. It is two and a half miles high, two and a half miles wide, and two and a half miles deep. Every hundred years, a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on the mountain. When the entire mountain is worn away by this, the first second of eternity will be over."
The King declared, "You have answered the three questions wisely. Henceforth, you shall dwell with me in my royal palace, and I will regard you as my own child."
中文翻译
从前，有一个牧童，因为他总能对所有问题给出睿智的回答而声名远扬。国王听闻此事，却不相信，于是派人召见了这个男孩。
国王对他说：“如果你能回答我三个问题，我将视你如己出，你可以住在我的王宫里。”男孩问：“是哪三个问题？”
国王说：“第一个问题是，海洋里有多少滴水？”牧童回答：“国王陛下，如果您能堵住世上所有的河流，在我数清之前不让一滴水流进大海，那么我就能告诉您海中有多少滴水。”
国王接着说：“下一个问题是，天上有多少颗星星？”牧童说：“请给我一大张白纸。”然后他用笔在纸上点了无数个细小的点，几乎看不见，也根本数不清。他说：“天上的星星就和这纸上的点一样多。您数数看吧。”但没有人能做到。
国王说：“第三个问题是，永恒之中有多少秒？”牧童答道：“在下波美拉尼亚，有一座钻石山。它高两英里半，宽两英里半，深两英里半。每隔一百年，会有一只小鸟飞来，用这座山磨它的喙。当整座山都被这样磨平时，永恒的第一秒才刚结束。”
国王宣布：“你智慧地回答了这三个问题。从今以后，你就住在我的王宫里，我将视你如己出。”