Once upon a time, there lived a poor but kind farmer and his wife who longed for a child.
从前，有一对贫穷但善良的农夫夫妇，他们渴望拥有一个孩子。
One day, the wife wished aloud, “Even if the child were no bigger than my thumb, I would still love him dearly.”
有一天，妻子大声说道：“即使孩子只有我的拇指那么大，我也会非常爱他。”
Her wish was granted, and soon, she gave birth to a tiny boy no bigger than a thumb.
她的愿望实现了，不久后，她生下了一个小男孩，只有拇指大小。
They named him Tom Thumb, and though he was small, he was clever and brave.
他们给他取名为大拇指汤姆，虽然他很小，却十分聪明勇敢。
Tom’s small size made him the subject of curiosity, but his parents loved him dearly.
汤姆的身材引起了很多人的好奇，但他的父母非常爱他。
He often helped his father in the fields by guiding the horse from the inside of its ear.
他经常帮助父亲干农活，比如钻进马的耳朵里引导马耕田。
One day, Tom convinced his father to sell him to traveling merchants for a few coins, promising to return home.
有一天，汤姆说服父亲把他卖给旅行商人换取几枚硬币，并承诺一定会回家。
The merchants were amazed by Tom’s size and hoped to display him as a wonder, but Tom soon escaped.
商人们对汤姆的身材感到惊讶，希望将他当作奇观展示，但汤姆很快逃走了。
Hiding inside a snail shell, Tom evaded capture and later found himself swallowed by a cow.
他躲进了一个蜗牛壳里躲过追捕，但后来却被一头牛吞了下去。
Using his cleverness, he made the cow so uncomfortable that the farmer slaughtered it, freeing Tom.
汤姆利用自己的聪明才智让牛非常难受，农夫不得不宰掉牛，汤姆才得以脱身。
Unfortunately, Tom was then eaten by a wolf, but he used his wits to persuade the wolf to visit his family’s house.
不幸的是，汤姆又被一只狼吞下，但他利用智慧说服狼去他的家。
When the wolf arrived, Tom’s father killed it, rescuing his son once again.
狼到达后，汤姆的父亲杀掉了狼，再次救出了汤姆。
Tom’s adventures made him wiser, and he returned to his parents, who welcomed him with open arms.
汤姆的冒险让他变得更加睿智，他回到了父母身边，受到了热烈欢迎。
Though he was small, Tom proved that courage and intelligence are not measured by size.
虽然他个子小，但汤姆证明了勇气和智慧与大小无关。
