安徒生童话 《拇指姑娘》 英汉对照

THUMBELINA (1835)

拇指姑娘

There once was a woman who wanted so very much to have a tiny little child, but she did not know where to find one.

从前有一个女人，超级渴望有一个小小的孩子，却不知道去哪儿才能得到。

So she went to an old witch, and she said:

于是她去找一位老巫婆，对她说：

“I have set my heart upon having a tiny little child. Please could you tell me where I can find one?”

“我一心一意想要一个小小的孩子，您能告知我哪里可以找到吗？”

“Why, that’s easily done,” said the witch.

“哎呀，这事简单。”巫婆说。

“Here’s a grain of barley for you, but it isn’t at all the sort of barley that farmers grow in their fields or that the chickens get to eat.

“给你一粒大麦，这可不是农民田里种的那种，也不是喂鸡的饲料。

Put it in a flower pot, and you’ll see what you shall see.”

把它种在花盆里，你自然会看到结果。”

“Oh, thank you!” the woman said.

“哦，谢谢您！”女人说。

She gave the witch twelve pennies, and planted the barley seed as soon as she got home.

她给了巫婆十二枚便士，一回家就把麦粒种下。

It quickly grew into a fine large flower, which looked very much like a tulip.

它很快长出一朵又大美丽的花，看上去像朵郁金香。

But the petals were folded tight, as though it were still a bud.

但花瓣紧紧合拢，好像还是花苞。

“This is such a pretty flower,” said the woman.

“这花真美。”女人说。

She kissed its lovely red and yellow petals, and just as she kissed it, the flower gave a loud pop! and flew open.

她亲吻那红黄相间的可爱花瓣，就在这一吻之下，花儿“啪”地一声绽放。

It was a tulip, right enough, but on the green cushion in the middle of it sat a tiny girl.

的确 是朵郁金香，可花心的绿色垫子上坐着一个拇指高的小女孩。

She was dainty and fair to see, but she was no taller than your thumb. So she was called Thumbelina.

她精致可爱，却只有你拇指那么高，于是大家叫她“拇指姑娘”。

A nicely polished walnut shell served as her cradle.

一个打磨光滑的核桃壳成了她的摇篮。

Her mattress was made of the blue petals of violets, and a rose petal was pulled up to cover her.

她的床垫用紫罗兰的蓝花瓣铺成，上面再盖一片玫瑰花瓣当被子。

That was how she slept at night.

她夜里就这样安睡。

In the daytime, she played on a table where the woman put a plate surrounded with a wreath of flowers.

白天，她在桌子上玩；女人把盘子摆中央，周围绕上一圈花环。

Their stems lay in the water, on which there floated a large tulip petal.

花茎浸在水里，水面漂着一片大郁金香花瓣。

Thumbelina used the petal as a boat, and with a pair of white horsehairs for oars, she could row clear across the plate—a charming sight.

拇指姑娘把花瓣当船，用两根白马鬃做桨，能划完整整一盘水，那情景可爱极了。

She could sing, too. Her voice was the softest and sweetest that anyone ever has heard.

她还会唱歌，她的声音是世界上最轻柔、最甜美的。

One night as she lay in her cradle, a horrible toad hopped in through the window—one of the panes was broken.

一天夜里，她正躺在摇篮里，一只丑陋的癞蛤蟆从破窗跳了进来。

This big, ugly, slimy toad jumped right down on the table where Thumbelina was asleep under the red rose petal.

这只又大又丑、浑身黏液的癞蛤蟆正好落在桌上，拇指姑娘正盖着红玫瑰花瓣睡觉。

“Here’s a perfect wife for my son!” the toad exclaimed.

“这正是给我儿子找的好媳妇！”癞蛤蟆叫道。

She seized upon the walnut shell in which Thumbelina lay asleep, and hopped off with it, out the window and into the garden.

她一把抓起装有拇指姑娘的核桃壳，跳出窗外，跳进花园。

A big broad stream ran through it, with a muddy marsh along its banks, and here the toad lived with her son.

一条宽阔的大溪穿过花园，岸边是泥泞的沼泽，癞蛤蟆和她儿子就住在这里。

Ugh! He was just like his mother, slimy and horrible.

唉！他跟他母亲一样黏滑难看。

“Co-ax, co-ax, brek-ek-eke-kex,” was all that he could say when he saw the graceful little girl in the walnut shell.

“呱—呱—呱—”他一看见核桃壳里优雅的小姑娘，只能发出这种声音。

“Don’t speak so loud, or you will wake her up,” the old toad told him.

“别这么大声，你会吵醒她。”老癞蛤蟆说。

“She might get away from us yet, for she is as light as a puff of swansdown.

“她轻得像天鹅羽绒，万一跑了怎么办。

We must put her on one of the broad water lily leaves out in the stream.

我们得把她放到溪里那片大水莲叶上。

She is so small and light that it will be just like an island to her, and she can’t run away from us while we are making our best room under the mud ready for you two to live in.”

对她来说那叶子就像小岛，她下不来；趁这工夫我们把泥里最好的房间收拾出来给你们俩住。”

Many water lilies with broad green leaves grew in the stream, and it looked as if they were floating on the surface.

溪里长着许多大叶子的水莲，看上去仿佛漂在水面。

The leaf that lay furthest from the bank was the largest of them all, and it was to this leaf that the old toad swam with the walnut shell that held Thumbelina.

离岸最远的那片叶子最大，老癞蛤蟆就驮着装有拇指姑娘的核桃壳游到了那里。

The poor little thing woke up early next morning, and when she saw where she was, she began to cry bitterly.

可怜的小家伙第二天一早醒来，一见自己身处何地，便伤心大哭。

There was water all around the big green leaf, and there was no way at all for her to reach the shore.

四周全是水，绿叶片片，她却无法上岸。

The old toad sat in the mud, decorating a room with green rushes and yellow water lilies, to have it looking its best for her new daughter-in-law.

老癞蛤蟆坐在泥里，用绿灯芯草和黄水莲装点房间，要为新儿媳布置得漂美丽亮。

Then she and her ugly son swam out to the leaf on which Thumbelina was standing.

接着她带着丑儿子游到拇指姑娘站立的叶片旁。

They came for her pretty little bed, which they wanted to carry to the bridal chamber before they took her there.

他们来取她那张可爱的小床，想先把它搬进新房，再把她接过去。

The old toad curtsied deeply in the water before her, and said:

老癞蛤蟆在水里向她深深行礼，说：

“Meet my son. He is to be your husband, and you will share a delightful home in the mud.”

“见过我儿子，他将是你的丈夫，你们会在泥屋里过上美满日子。”

“Co-ax, co-ax, brek-ek-eke-kex,” was all that her son could say.

“呱—呱—呱—”她儿子只会发出这种声音。

Then they took the pretty little bed and swam away with it.

说完，他们拖走那张可爱的小床，游回泥里。

Left all alone on the green leaf, Thumbelina sat down and cried.

绿叶片上只剩拇指姑娘，她坐下哭泣。

She did not want to live in the slimy toad’s house, and she didn’t want to have the toad’s horrible son for her husband.

她不愿住在黏滑的泥屋，也不愿嫁给丑蛤蟆。

The little fishes who swam in the water beneath her had seen the toad and heard what she had said.

水下游过的小鱼看见了癞蛤蟆，也听到了她的话。

So up popped their heads to have a look at the little girl.

小鱼纷纷探头，打量这个小姑娘。

No sooner had they seen her than they felt very sorry that anyone so pretty should have to go down to live with that hideous toad.

一见她如此可爱，却要被拖去与丑蛤蟆同住，小鱼们心里悲伤极了。

No, that should never be!

不行，决不能让他们得逞！

They gathered around the green stem that held the leaf where she was, and gnawed it in two with their teeth.

小鱼们聚到她叶片下的绿茎旁，用牙齿把茎咬断。

Away went the leaf down the stream, and away went Thumbelina, far away where the toad could not catch her.

叶片顺流漂走，拇指姑娘也随之远去，癞蛤蟆再也追不上。

Thumbelina sailed past many a place, and when the little birds in the bushes saw her, they sang, “What a darling little girl.”

叶片漂过许多地方，灌木里的小鸟见她，都唱道：“多可爱的小姑娘！”

The leaf drifted further and further away with her, and so it was that Thumbelina became a traveler.

叶片越漂越远，拇指姑娘就这样成了旅行者。

A lovely white butterfly kept fluttering around her, and at last alighted on the leaf, because he admired Thumbelina.

一只美丽的白蝴蝶围着她飞舞，最后落在叶片上，由于他喜爱拇指姑娘。

She was a happy little girl again, now that the toad could not catch her.

癞蛤蟆抓不到她了，她又开心起来。

It was all very lovely as she floated along, and where the sun struck the water, it looked like shining gold.

沿途风光秀丽，阳光照在水面，像闪闪发光的金子。

Thumbelina undid her sash, tied one end of it to the butterfly, and made the other end fast to the leaf.

她解下腰带，一端系住蝴蝶，一端绑在叶片上。

It went much faster now, and Thumbelina went much faster too, for of course she was standing on it.

这下漂得更快，她也跟着加速前行。

Just then, a big May bug flew by and caught sight of her.

就在这时，一只大金龟子飞过，看见了她。

Immediately, he fastened his claws around her slender waist and flew with her up into a tree.

他立刻用爪子钳住她纤细的腰，带着她飞到树上。

Away went the green leaf down the stream, and away went the butterfly with it, for he was tied to the leaf and could not get loose.

绿叶继续顺流而下，蝴蝶被系在叶上，也随流漂走，无法挣脱。

My goodness! How frightened little Thumbelina was when the May bug carried her up in the tree.

天哪！拇指姑娘被金龟子抓到树上，吓得要命。

But she was even more sorry for the nice white butterfly she had fastened to the leaf, because if he couldn’t free himself, he would have to starve to death.

可她更心疼那只被她绑在叶上的白蝴蝶，若他脱不了身，就会饿死。

But the May bug wasn’t one to care about that.

金龟子才不管这些。

He sat her down on the largest green leaf of the tree, fed her honey from the flowers, and told her how pretty she was, considering that she didn’t look the least like a May bug.

他让她坐在树上最大的绿叶上，喂她花蜜，夸她美丽，虽然一点也不像金龟子。

After a while, all the other May bugs who lived in the tree came to pay them a call.

不久，住在树上的其他金龟子都来拜访。

As they stared at Thumbelina, the lady May bugs threw up their feelers and said:

她们盯着拇指姑娘，竖起触角说：

“Why, she has only two legs—what a miserable sight!”

“哎呀，她只有两条腿，多可怜！”

“She hasn’t any feelers,” one cried.

“她连触角都没有！”一只叫道。

“She is pinched in at the waist—how shameful! She looks like a human being—how ugly she is!” said all of the female May bugs.

“腰细得难看，真丢人！像人类，丑死了！”所有雌金龟子齐声说。

Yet Thumbelina was as pretty as ever.

拇指姑娘依旧秀丽动人。

Even the May bug who had flown away with her knew that, but as every last one of them kept calling her ugly, he at length came to agree with them and would have nothing to do with her—she could go wherever she chose.

连抓她来的金龟子也清楚，可大家不停说她丑，他最终也信了，便不再理她——随她去哪儿。

They flew down out of the tree with her and left her on a daisy, where she sat and cried because she was so ugly that the May bugs wouldn’t have anything to do with her.

他们带她飞下树，扔在一朵雏菊上，她坐下大哭，由于“太丑”，金龟子都不要她。

Nevertheless, she was the loveliest little girl you can imagine, and as frail and fine as the petal of a rose.

不过，她仍是你能想象的最可爱的小姑娘，像玫瑰花瓣一样娇嫩。

All summer long, poor Thumbelina lived all alone in the woods.

整个夏天，可怜的拇指姑娘独自住在树林里。

She wove herself a hammock of grass, and hung it under a big burdock leaf to keep off the rain.

她用草给自己编了个吊床，挂在大牛蒡叶下挡雨。

She took honey from the flowers for food, and drank the dew that she found on the leaves every morning.

她采花蜜当食物，喝清晨叶子上的露水。

In this way, the summer and fall went by.

就这样，夏天和秋天过去了。

Then came the winter, the long, cold winter.

接着是冬天，漫长而寒冷。

All the birds who had sung so sweetly for her flew away.

所有曾为她甜美歌唱的鸟儿都飞走了。

The trees and the flowers withered.

树木凋零，花儿凋谢。

The big burdock leaf under which she had lived shriveled up until nothing was left of it but a dry, yellow stalk.

她曾栖身的大牛蒡叶枯萎了，只剩下一根干黄的茎。

She was terribly cold, for her clothes had worn threadbare and she herself was so slender and frail.

她冷极了，衣服已破成丝，她本人又瘦又弱。

Poor Thumbelina, she would freeze to death!

可怜的拇指姑娘，快被冻死了！

Snow began to fall, and every time a snowflake struck her it was as if she had been hit by a whole shovelful, for we are quite tall while she measured only an inch.

雪开始下，每一片雪花打在她身上都像一铲子雪，由于我们很高，而她只有一英寸。

She wrapped a withered leaf about her, but there was no warmth in it.

她用枯叶裹住自己，可叶子不保暖。

She shivered with cold.

她冻得发抖。

Near the edge of the woods where she now had arrived, was a large grain field, but the grain had been harvested long ago.

她来到林边，那里有一大片麦田，可麦子早已收割。

Only the dry, bare stubble stuck out of the frozen ground.

只剩干枯的麦茬戳在冻土上。

It was just as if she were lost in a vast forest, and oh, how she shivered with cold!

就像她迷失在无边森林里，冷得直打颤！

Then she came to the door of a field mouse who had a little hole amid the stubble.

这时，她来到一只田鼠的家门口，田鼠在麦茬间有个小洞。

There this mouse lived, warm and cozy, with a whole storeroom of grain, and a magnificent kitchen and pantry.

田鼠住得温暖舒服，谷仓满满，厨房食品室一应俱全。

Poor Thumbelina stood at the door, just like a beggar child, and pled for a little bit of barley, because she hadn’t had anything to eat for two days past.

可怜的拇指姑娘站在门口，像个小乞丐，讨一点大麦，由于她两天没吃东西了。

“Why, you poor little thing,” said the field mouse, who turned out to be a kindhearted old creature.

“哎呀，可怜的小家伙。”田鼠说，原来她是位好心肠的老太太。

“You must come into my warm room and share my dinner.”

“你得进我暖和屋子，跟我一起吃饭。”

She took such a fancy to Thumbelina that she said,

她超级喜爱拇指姑娘，便说：

“If you care to, you may stay with me all winter, but you must keep my room tidy, and tell me stories, for I am very fond of them.”

“如果你愿意，可以陪我过冬，不过得帮我收拾屋子，还得讲故事，我爱听。”

Thumbelina did as the kind old field mouse asked, and she had a very good time of it.

拇指姑娘照田鼠婆婆说的做，过得挺不错。

“Soon we shall have a visitor,” the field mouse said.

“很快会有客人来。”田鼠说。

“Once every week, my neighbor comes to see me, and he is even better off than I am.

“我邻居每周来看我一次，他比我富裕得多。

His rooms are large, and he wears such a beautiful black velvet coat.

他房间宽敞，还穿着美丽的黑丝绒外套。

If you could only get him for a husband, you would be well taken care of, but he can’t see anything.

要是你能嫁给他，就衣食无忧了，可惜他眼睛看不见。

You must tell him the very best stories you know.”

你得把你最好的故事讲给他听。”

Thumbelina did not like this suggestion.

拇指姑娘可不喜爱这主意。

She would not even consider the neighbor, because he was a mole.

她压根不思考这位邻居，由于他是只鼹鼠。

He paid them a visit in his black velvet coat.

鼹鼠穿着黑丝绒外套来拜访。

The field mouse talked about how wealthy and wise he was, and how his home was more than twenty times larger than hers.

田鼠夸他多么富有机智，房子比她的要大二十倍。

But for all of his knowledge, he cared nothing at all for the sun and the flowers.

可尽管他博学，却对太阳和花儿毫不关心。

He had nothing good to say for them, and had never laid eyes on them.

他从没夸过它们，也从未见过。

As Thumbelina had to sing for him, she sang,

拇指姑娘给他唱歌，唱道：

“May Bug, May Bug, Fly Away Home,” and “The Monk Goes Afield.”

“金龟子，金龟子，飞回家”，还有“和尚去田野”。

The mole fell in love with her sweet voice, but he didn’t say anything about it yet, for he was a most discreet fellow.

鼹鼠爱上了她甜美的嗓音，却什么也没说，由于他极谨慎。

He had just dug a long tunnel through the ground from his house to theirs,

他刚刚从自家挖了一条长长的地道，通到田鼠家。

and the field mouse and Thumbelina were invited to use it whenever they pleased,

田鼠和拇指姑娘可以随时使用这条通道，

though he warned them not to be alarmed by the dead bird that lay in this passage.

但他提醒说，地道里躺着一只死去的鸟，可别被吓到。

It was a complete bird, with feather and beak.

那是一只完整的鸟，羽毛和喙都在。

It must have died quite recently, when winter set in, and it was buried right in the middle of the tunnel.

它大致是刚入冬时死的，就被埋在地道正中间。

The mole took in his mouth a torch of decayed wood.

鼹鼠嘴里叼着一段朽木当火把。

In the darkness, it glimmered like fire.

黑暗中，它闪着火星。

He went ahead of them to light the way through the long, dark passage.

他在前面带路，照亮这条又长又黑的通道。

When they came to where the dead bird lay, the mole put his broad nose to the ceiling and made a large hole through which daylight could fall.

走到死鸟处，鼹鼠用宽鼻子顶穿洞顶，让日光漏下来。

In the middle of the floor lay a dead swallow, with his lovely wings folded at his sides and his head tucked under his feathers.

洞底躺着一只死去的燕子，双翼合拢，头缩在羽毛下。

The poor bird must certainly have died of the cold.

可怜的鸟儿准是冻死的。

Thumbelina felt so sorry for him.

拇指姑娘为他悲伤。

She loved all the little birds who had sung and sweetly twittered to her all through the summer.

她爱所有在夏天为她歌唱的小鸟。

But the mole gave the body a kick with his short stumps, and said,

鼹鼠却用短腿踢了尸体一下，说：

“Now he won't be chirping any more.

“目前他再不会叽叽喳喳了。

What a wretched thing it is to be born a little bird.

做一只小鸟多可怜，

Thank goodness none of my children can be a bird, who has nothing but his 'chirp, chirp,' and must starve to death when winter comes along.”

谢天谢地，我的孩子不会当鸟，除了‘叽喳’什么都不会，冬天还得饿死。”

“Yes, you are so right, you sensible man,” the field mouse agreed.

“是啊，你说得太对了，明理先生。”田鼠附和。

“What good is all his chirp-chirping to a bird in the winter time, when he starves and freezes?

“冬天里，鸟儿的叽喳又能怎样？还不是又饿又冻？

But that's considered very grand, I imagine.”

可大家还觉得这很了不起呢。”

Thumbelina kept silent,

拇指姑娘默默无声，

but when the others turned their back on the bird, she bent over, smoothed aside the feathers that hid the bird's head, and kissed his closed eyes.

等他们转身，她俯身为鸟理顺羽毛，亲吻他紧闭的双眼。

“Maybe it was he who sang so sweetly to me in the summertime,” she thought to herself.

“也许夏天就是他为我唱过那么美的歌。”她心想。

“What pleasure he gave me, the dear, pretty bird.”

“他给我带来多少快乐，这可爱的小鸟。”

The mole closed up the hole that let in the daylight,

鼹鼠又把透光的洞堵上，

and then he took the ladies home.

然后送两位女士回家。

That night, Thumbelina could not sleep a wink,

当夜，拇指姑娘一夜未合眼，

so she got up and wove a fine large coverlet out of hay.

她起身用干草织了一条又大又厚的毯子。

She took it to the dead bird and spread it over him, so that he would lie warm in the cold earth.

她把它盖在死鸟身上，让他在冰冷的土里也能暖和。

She tucked him in with some soft thistledown that she had found in the field mouse's room.

她又用田鼠屋里找到的柔软蓟絮给他掖好。

“Good-bye, you pretty little bird,” she said.

“再见，可爱的小鸟。”她说。

“Good-bye, and thank you for your sweet songs last summer, when the trees were all green and the sun shone so warmly upon us.”

“谢谢你去年夏天的歌声，那时树儿碧绿，阳光温暖。”

She laid her head on his breast, and it startled her to feel a soft thump, as if something were beating inside.

她把头贴在他胸口，竟感到一下轻微的跳动，仿佛里面有东西在搏动。

This was the bird's heart.

那是燕子的心。

He was not dead—he was only numb with cold, and now that he had been warmed, he came to life again.

他并没有死，只是被冻得麻木；一旦暖和，便又活了过来。

In the fall, all swallows fly off to warm countries, but if one of them starts too late, he gets so cold that he drops down as if he were dead, and lies where he fell.

秋天，燕子都会飞往温暖的地方；可如果启程太晚，就会被冻得跌落，像死了一样躺在原地。

And then the cold snow covers him.

接着，冰冷的雪会盖住他。

Thumbelina was so frightened that she trembled, for the bird was so big, so enormous compared to her own inch of height.

拇指姑娘吓得发抖，由于与她仅有一英寸高的身体相比，这只鸟实在太大了。

But she mustered her courage, tucked the cotton wool down closer around the poor bird, brought the mint leaf that covered her own bed, and spread it over the bird's head.

但她鼓起勇气，把棉絮再掖紧些，又拿来自己床上盖的薄荷叶，盖在鸟儿头上。

The following night, she tiptoed out to him again.

第二天夜里，她又蹑手蹑脚地去看他。

He was alive now, but so weak that he could barely open his eyes for a moment to look at Thumbelina, who stood beside him with the piece of touchwood that was her only lantern.

他已苏醒，却虚弱得只能睁眼一瞬；拇指姑娘站在一旁，举着那块发微光的朽木当灯笼。

“Thank you, pretty little child,” the sick swallow said.

“谢谢你，美丽的小姑娘。”病燕说。

“I have been wonderfully warmed.

“我暖和多了。

Soon I shall get strong once more, and be able to fly again in the warm sunshine.”

不久我会重新强壮，再回到阳光里飞翔。”

“Oh,” she said, “it's cold outside, it's snowing, and freezing.

“哦，”她说，“外面很冷，下雪又结冰。

You just stay in your warm bed, and I'll nurse you.”

你就躺在暖床上，我会照顾你。”

Then she brought him some water in the petal of a flower.

她用一片花瓣盛水给他喝。

The swallow drank, and told her how he had hurt one of his wings in a thorn bush, and for that reason couldn't fly as fast as the other swallows when they flew far, far away to the warm countries.

燕子喝了水，说他曾在荆棘丛里伤了翅膀，所以赶不上同伴飞往温暖远方的速度。

Finally, he had dropped to the ground.

最后，他跌落在地。

That was all he remembered, and he had no idea how he came to be where she found him.

他只记得这些，也不知道怎会来到她发现他的地方。

The swallow stayed there all through the winter, and Thumbelina was kind to him and tended him with loving care.

整个冬天，燕子都留在那里；拇指姑娘温柔地照料他。

She didn't say anything about this to the field mouse or to the mole, because they did not like the poor unfortunate swallow.

她没把这事告知田鼠和鼹鼠，由于他们不喜爱这只可怜的燕子。

As soon as spring came and the sun warmed the earth, the swallow told Thumbelina it was time to say good-bye.

春天一到，阳光暖了大地，燕子便来向拇指姑娘告别。

She reopened the hole that the mole had made in the ceiling, and the sun shone in splendor upon them.

她重新打开鼹鼠曾在洞顶挖的孔，灿烂的阳光洒进来。

The swallow asked Thumbelina to go with him.

燕子邀请她同行：

She could sit on his back as they flew away through the green woods.

她可以坐在他背上，飞过绿色的森林。

But Thumbelina knew that it would make the old field mouse feel badly if she left like that, so she said:

可拇指姑娘知道，若就这样走，田鼠婆婆会伤心，于是她说：

“No, I cannot go.”

“不，我不能走。”

“Fare you well, fare you well, my good and pretty girl,” said the swallow, as he flew into the sunshine.

“再会了，再会了，我善良秀丽的小丫头。”燕子说完，飞向阳光。

Tears came into Thumbelina's eyes as she watched him go, for she was so fond of the poor swallow.

拇指姑娘含泪目送，她多么喜爱这只可怜的燕子。

“Chirp, chirp!” sang the bird, as he flew into the green woods.

“叽啾，叽啾！”鸟儿唱着，飞进绿色的树林。

Thumbelina felt very downcast.

拇指姑娘心情低落。

She was not permitted to go out in the warm sunshine.

她不被允许到温暖的阳光下去。

Moreover, the grain that was sown in the field above the field mouse's house grew so tall that, to a poor little girl who was only an inch high, it was like a dense forest.

况且，田鼠屋上的田里，谷物长得极高，对她这一英寸高的小姑娘来说，就像密不透风的森林。

“You must work on your trousseau this summer,” the field mouse said,

“今年夏天你得准备嫁妆。”田鼠说，

for their neighbor, that loathsome mole in his black velvet coat, had proposed to her.

由于她们的邻居——那个穿黑丝绒外套的可恶鼹鼠——已向她求婚。

“You must have both woolens and linens, both bedding and wardrobe, when you become the mole's wife.”

“你得有毛织品、麻织品，还得有被褥和衣裳，好去做鼹鼠太太。”

Thumbelina had to turn the spindle, and the field mouse hired four spiders to spin and weave for her day and night.

拇指姑娘只好纺纱，田鼠还雇了四只蜘蛛日夜为她织布。

The mole came to call every evening, and his favorite remark was that the sun, which now baked the earth as hard as a rock, would not be nearly so hot when summer was over.

鼹鼠每晚都来，最爱说：如今太阳把大地烤得像石头，等夏天一过，就不会这么热了。

Yes, as soon as summer was past, he would be marrying Thumbelina.

没错，夏天一结束，他就娶拇指姑娘。

But she was not at all happy about it, because she didn't like the tedious mole the least bit.

可她一点也不开心，由于她一点也不喜爱这沉闷的鼹鼠。

Every morning at sunrise and every evening at sunset, she would steal out the door.

每天日出和日落，她都偷偷溜到门口。

When the breeze blew the ears of grain apart, she could catch glimpses of the blue sky.

风吹麦穗分开时，她能瞥见一线蓝天。

She could dream about how bright and fair it was out of doors, and how she wished she would see her dear swallow again.

她幻想着外面的明亮秀丽，也盼望再见到亲爱的燕子。

But he did not come back, for doubtless he was far away, flying about in the lovely green woods.

可燕子没有回来，想必已远在青翠的林间飞翔。

When fall arrived, Thumbelina's whole trousseau was ready.

秋天到了，拇指姑娘的嫁妆全部备齐。

“Your wedding day is four weeks off,” the field mouse told her.

“再过四周就是你的婚礼。”田鼠说。

But Thumbelina cried and declared that she would not have the tedious mole for a husband.

拇指姑娘哭着宣布，她不要嫁给这沉闷的鼹鼠。

“Fiddlesticks,” said the field mouse.

“胡说。”田鼠说。

“Don't you be obstinate, or I'll bite you with my white teeth.

“别倔，小心我用白牙咬你。

Why, you're getting a superb husband.

哎呀，你要嫁的可是个出色的丈夫。

The queen herself hasn't a black velvet coat as fine as his.

连王后的黑丝绒外套都没他的好。

Both his kitchen and his cellar are well supplied.

他的厨房和地窖都满满当当。

You ought to thank goodness that you are getting him.”

你该感谢老天才是。”

Then came the wedding day.

终于，婚礼日到来了。

The mole had come to take Thumbelina home with him, where she would have to live deep underground and never go out in the warm sunshine again, because he disliked it so.

鼹鼠来接拇指姑娘，她得跟他住到深深的地下，再也见不到温暖的阳光，由于他讨厌太阳。

The poor little girl felt very sad that she had to say good-bye to the glorious Sun,

可怜的小姑娘伤心极了，不得不与辉煌的太阳告别，

which the field mouse had at least let her look out at through the doorway.

至少田鼠还让她从门口望过太阳。

“Farewell, bright Sun!” she said.

“再见了，明亮的太阳！”她说。

With her arm stretched toward it, she walked a little way from the field mouse's home.

她朝太阳伸出手臂，走出田鼠家一段路。

The grain had been harvested, and only the dry stubble was left in the field.

庄稼已收割，田里只剩干麦茬。

“Farewell, farewell!” she cried again,

“再见，再见！”她又喊了一遍，

and flung her little arms around a small red flower that was still in bloom.

并用小手臂抱住一朵仍在开放的小红花。

“If you see my dear swallow, please give him my love.”

“要是你见到我亲爱的燕子，请替我向他问好。”

“Chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp!”

“叽啾，叽啾！”

She suddenly heard a twittering over her head.

她忽然听到头顶传来鸟叫。

She looked up, and there was the swallow, just passing by.

她抬头一看，正是那只燕子，正从天空飞过。

He was so glad to see Thumbelina, although, when she told him how she hated to marry the mole and live deep underground where the sun never shone, she could not hold back her tears.

燕子见到拇指姑娘喜出望外；可当她哭诉不愿嫁给鼹鼠、不愿住在永不见天日的地下时，泪水再也止不住。

“Now that the cold winter is coming,” the swallow told her,

“既然寒冬将至，”燕子说，

“I shall fly far, far away to the warm countries.

“我要飞向遥远的温暖国度。

Won't you come along with me?

你愿跟我一起走吗？

You can ride on my back.

你可以坐在我背上。

Just tie yourself on with your sash, and away we'll fly,

用你的腰带把自己系牢，我们立刻起飞，

far from the ugly mole and his dark hole—far, far away, over the mountains to the warm countries where the sun shines so much fairer than here,

远离那丑鼹鼠和他的黑洞——越过群山，飞到阳光更明媚的温暖国度，

to where it is always summer and there are always flowers.

那里永远夏天，永远有花。

Please fly away with me, dear little Thumbelina, you who saved my life when I lay frozen in a dark hole in the earth.”

请跟我飞走吧，亲爱的拇指姑娘，是你在我冻僵时救了我。”

“Yes, I will go with you!” said Thumbelina.

“好，我跟你走！”拇指姑娘说。

She sat on his back, put her feet on his outstretched wings, and fastened her sash to one of his strongest feathers.

她坐到燕子背上，把脚搁在他展开的翅膀上，把自己的腰带系在他最结实的一根羽毛上。

Then the swallow soared into the air over forests and over lakes, high up over the great mountains that are always capped with snow.

燕子随即腾空而起，越过森林湖泊，飞越白雪皑皑的高山。

When Thumbelina felt cold in the chill air, she crept under the bird's warm feathers, with only her little head stuck out to watch all the wonderful sights below.

高空寒气逼人，她便钻进燕子温暖的羽毛下，只露出小脑袋，欣赏下方美景。

At length, they came to the warm countries.

终于，他们抵达温暖的国度。

There the sun shone far more brightly than it ever does here, and the sky seemed twice as high.

那里的太阳比这里明亮得多，天空仿佛高出一倍。

Along the ditches and hedgerows grew marvelous green and blue grapes.

沟沿篱边，挂着青绿与宝蓝的奇妙葡萄。

Lemons and oranges hung in the woods.

柠檬和橙子挂满林间。

The air smelled sweetly of myrtle and thyme.

空气中弥漫着桃金娘与百里香的甜香。

By the wayside, the loveliest children ran hither and thither, playing with the brightly colored butterflies.

路边，最可爱的孩子们跑来跑去，与彩蝶嬉戏。

But the swallow flew on still farther, and it became more and more beautiful.

燕子继续向前飞，景色愈发迷人。

Under magnificent green trees, on the shore of a blue lake, there stood an ancient palace of dazzling white marble.

苍翠大树下，蓝色湖泊畔，矗立着一座耀眼的古白大理石宫殿。

The lofty pillars were wreathed with vines, and at the top of them, many swallows had made their nests.

高耸的柱子上缠绕着藤蔓，顶端筑着许多燕巢。

One nest belonged to the swallow who carried Thumbelina.

其中一巢便是这只载拇指姑娘的燕子之家。

“This is my home,” the swallow told her.

“这就是我的家。”燕子对她说。

“If you will choose one of those glorious flowers in bloom down below, I shall place you in it, and you will have all that your heart desires.”

“只要你选一朵下面盛开的秀丽鲜花，我就把你放进去，你会得到心中所想的一切。”

“That will be lovely,” she cried, and clapped her tiny hands.

“那太好了！”她拍着小手欢呼。

A great white marble pillar had fallen to the ground, where it lay in three broken pieces.

一根巨大的白大理石柱倒在地上，断成三截。

Between these pieces grew the loveliest large white flowers.

断柱之间，长着几朵最美的硕大白花。

The swallow flew down with Thumbelina and put her on one of the large petals.

燕子带着拇指姑娘飞落，把她放在一片宽大的花瓣上。

How surprised she was to find in the center of the flower a little man, as shining and transparent as if he had been made of glass.

她惊奇地发现，花心里坐着一个小小的男子，晶莹剔透，仿佛玻璃雕成。

On his head was the daintiest of little gold crowns, on his shoulders were the brightest shining wings, and he was not a bit bigger than Thumbelina.

他头戴精巧的小金冠，肩生闪亮的翅膀，身材与拇指姑娘一般大小。

He was the spirit of the flower.

他便是这朵花的精灵。

In every flower there lived a small man or woman just like him, but he was the king over all of them.

每朵花都住着这样的小花人，而他是他们的国王。

“Oh, isn't he handsome?” Thumbelina said softly to the swallow.

“哦，他真俊！”拇指姑娘轻声对燕子说。

The king was somewhat afraid of the swallow, which seemed a very giant of a bird to anyone as small as he.

花王有点怕燕子，对微小的他来说，燕子简直是巨鸟。

But when he saw Thumbelina, he rejoiced, for she was the prettiest little girl he had ever laid eyes on.

可见到拇指姑娘，他喜出望外，由于她是他见过最可爱的小姑娘。

So he took off his golden crown and put it on her head.

于是他摘下金冠，戴到她头上。

He asked if he might know her name, and he asked her to be his wife, which would make her queen over all the flowers.

他问她芳名，并请求她做他的妻子，让她成为百花之后。

Here indeed was a different sort of husband from the toad's son and the mole with his black velvet coat.

这丈夫与癞蛤蟆的儿子和穿黑丝绒的鼹鼠完全不同。

So she said “Yes” to this charming king.

于是她答应了这位迷人的花王。

From all the flowers trooped little ladies and gentlemen delightful to behold.

各朵花里的小花先生、小花小姐都来相聚，个个好看。

Every one of them brought Thumbelina a present, but the best gift of all was a pair of wings that had belonged to a large silver fly.

每人都送她礼物，最好的是一对曾属于大银蝇的翅膀。

When these were made fast to her back, she too could flit from flower to flower.

翅膀安在她背上，她也能在花间飞舞了。

Everyone rejoiced, as the swallow perched above them in his nest and sang his very best songs for them.

大家欢欣鼓舞，燕子停在巢上，为他们唱起最动听的歌。

He was sad, though, deep down in his heart, for he liked Thumbelina so much that he wanted never to part with her.

不过他内心忧伤，由于他如此喜爱拇指姑娘，真不愿与她分离。

“You shall no longer be called Thumbelina,” the flower spirit told her.

“你不再叫拇指姑娘了。”花王对她说，

“That name is too ugly for anyone as pretty as you are.

“这个名字太丑，配不上如此秀丽的你。

We shall call you Maia.”

我们要叫你‘玛雅’。”

“Good-bye, good-bye,” said the swallow.

“再见，再见。”燕子说。

He flew away again from the warm countries, back to faraway Denmark, where he had a little nest over the window of the man who can tell you fairy tales.

他飞离温暖的国度，回到遥远的丹麦，在那会说童话的人的窗檐上筑了一个小巢。

To him, the bird sang, “Chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp!” and that's how we heard the whole story.

燕子对他唱道：“叽啾，叽啾！”于是，我们就听到了整个故事。