《丑小鸭》，1844 年
the ugly duckling, 1844
---
在过去的一个半世纪里，丑小鸭一直备受青睐，它在布拉姆斯托克（bram stoker）的《德古拉》（dracula）中被提及，在谢尔盖普罗科菲耶夫（sergei prokofiev）的音乐中被颂扬，而且不出所料地，在华特迪士尼（walt disney）的电影中被采用。
the ugly duckling has led a charmed existence over the past century and a half, alluded to in bram stoker’s dracula, celebrated in sergei prokofiev’s music, and, less surprisingly, taken up in walt disney’s films
这只可怜、被人鄙视的鸟儿的故事在许多文化中广为流传，成为我们最喜爱 —— 也是最令人安心的 —— 童年故事之一。
the story of the abject, despised bird has taken hold in many cultures, being one of our most beloved—and most reassuring—childhood tales
它向我们所有人，无论是孩子还是成年人，承诺我们有能力让自己变得更好。
it promises all of us, children and adults, that we have the capacity to transform ourselves for the better
像许多童话角色一样，丑小鸭温顺又矮小，是一窝幼崽中最小的。
like many a fairy - tale character, the ugly duckling is meek and small, the youngest in the brood
它在谷仓场院、荒野和家庭环境中都格格不入，无法与其他生物建立联系。
a misfit out of place in the barnyard, in the wilderness, and in the domestic arena, he is unable to find a bond with other creatures
但是，就像安徒生自己年轻时一样，它富有冒险精神且意志坚定，决心走向 “广阔世界”。
but, like andersen himself as a youth, he is adventurous and determined, resolving to go out into “the wide world”
它变成一只美丽的天鹅，世世代代以来一直被唤起，成为那些遭受社会孤立和个人不足感的人的一种慰藉。
his metamorphosis into a beautiful swan has been evoked for generations as a source of fort to those suffering from feelings of social isolation and personal inadequacy
孩子弱小无力，常常被轻视对待，他们可能会认同安徒生笔下的这个 “丑陋” 的生物，它可能没有什么前途，但最终却超越了那些看似有前途的。
small, powerless, and often treated dismissively, children are likely to identify with andersen’s “hideous” creature, who may be unpromising but who also, in time, surpasses the promising
正如布鲁诺贝特尔海姆（bruno bettelheim）在《魔法的用途》（the uses of enchantment）中指出的那样，安徒生笔下的主角不必接受通常强加给童话英雄的考验、任务和磨难。
as bruno bettelheim points out in the uses of enchantment, andersen’s protagonist does not have to submit to the tests, tasks, and trials usually imposed on the heroes of fairy tales
“《丑小鸭》中没有表达出需要完成任何事情。事情只是命中注定并相应地发展，不管主角是否采取行动”。
“no need to acplish anything is expressed in ‘the ugly duckling’ things are simply fated and unfold accordingly, whether or not the hero takes some action”
安徒生暗示丑小鸭的先天优势在于它是不同的品种。
andersen suggests that the ugly duckling’s innate superiority resides in the fact that he is of a different breed
与其他鸭子不同，它是从天鹅蛋里孵出来的。
unlike the other ducks, he has been hatched from a swan’s egg
这种自然界中隐含的等级制度 —— 高贵的天鹅与谷仓里的乌合之众相对 —— 似乎表明尊严和价值，以及审美和道德上的优越性，是由天性而非成就决定的。
this implied hierarchy in nature—majestic swans versus the barnyard rabble—seems to suggest that dignity and worth, along with aesthetic and moral superiority, are determined by nature rather than by acplishment
不管一个颂扬弱者胜利的故事有多少乐趣，在这个如今被全世界儿童阅读的故事中，由那种胜利所引发的一系列伦理和美学问题都值得深思。
whatever the pleasures of a story that celebrates the triumph of the underdog, it is worth pondering the full range of ethical and aesthetic issues raised by that victory in a story that is read today by children the world over
《丑小鸭》与其他三个故事一起发表在名为《新童话集》（new fairy tales）的合集中。
“the ugly duckling” was published with three other tales in a collection called new fairy tales
它几乎立刻就售罄了，安徒生在 1843 年 12 月 18 日的一封信中自豪地写到了它的成功：
it sold out almost immediately, and andersen wrote with pride about its success in a letter of december 18, 1843:
“这本书卖得非常快！所有的报纸都在赞扬它，每个人都在读它！我的书没有哪本像这些童话一样受到赞赏！”
“the book is selling like hot cakes! all the papers are praising it, everyone is reading it! no books of mine are appreciated in the way that these fairy tales are!”
---
乡下正值可爱的夏季天气，金色的玉米、绿色的燕麦，还有堆放在草地上的干草堆看起来都很美。
it was lovely summer weather in the country, and the golden corn, the green oats, and the haystacks piled up in the meadows looked beautiful
那只迈着它红色长腿四处走动的鹳用它从母亲那里学来的埃及语叽叽喳喳地叫着。
the stork walking about on his long red legs chattered in the egyptian language, which he had learnt from his mother
玉米地和草地被大片森林环绕着，森林中间有深水池。
the corn - fields and meadows were surrounded by large forests, in the midst of which were deep pools
在乡下散步确实很惬意。
it was, indeed, delightful to walk about in the country
在一个阳光充足的地方，有一座宜人的老农舍靠近一条深河，从房子到河边长着巨大的牛蒡叶，长得非常高，在最高的叶子下面一个小孩可以站直身子。
in a sunny spot stood a pleasant old farm - house close by a deep river, and from the house down to the water side grew great burdock leaves, so high, that under the tallest of them a little child could stand upright
这个地方像茂密树林的中心一样荒凉。
the spot was as wild as the centre of a thick wood
在这个舒适的隐蔽处，一只母鸭坐在它的窝里，等待着它的幼雏孵出；
in this snug retreat sat a duck on her nest, watching for her young brood to hatch;
她开始对自己的任务感到厌烦了，因为小鸭子们从蛋壳里出来花费的时间太长了，而且她很少有访客。
she was beginning to get tired of her task, for the little ones were a long time ing out of their shells, and she seldom had any visitors
其他鸭子更喜欢在河里游来游去，而不是爬上滑溜溜的河岸，坐在牛蒡叶下和她闲聊。
the other ducks liked much better to swim about in the river than to climb the slippery banks, and sit under a burdock leaf, to have a gossip with her
最后，一个蛋壳裂开了，接着又一个，从每个蛋里都钻出一个小生命，它抬起头叫道：“叽叽，叽叽。”
at length one shell cracked, and then another, and from each egg came a living creature that lifted its head and cried, “peep, peep”
“嘎嘎，嘎嘎。” 母鸭说道，然后它们都尽可能地嘎嘎叫着，并且四处张望着那些大绿叶。
“quack, quack,” said the mother, and then they all quacked as well as they could, and looked about them on every side at the large green leaves
它们的妈妈让它们尽情地看，因为绿色对眼睛有好处。
their mother allowed them to look as much as they liked, because green is good for the eyes
“世界多大呀，” 小鸭子们说道，当它们发现现在拥有的空间比在蛋壳里的时候大多了的时候。
“how large the world is,” said the young ducks, when they found how much more room they now had than while they were inside the egg - shell
“你们以为这就是整个世界了吗？”
“do you imagine this is the whole world”
妈妈问道；
asked the mother;
“等你们看到花园就知道了；花园一直延伸到牧师的田地那边，但我从来没敢去过那么远的地方。
“wait till you have seen the garden; it stretches far beyond that to the parson’s field, but i have never ventured to such a distance
你们都出来了吗？”
are you all out”
她边说边站了起来；
she continued, rising;
“不，我敢说，最大的那个蛋还在那儿呢。我想知道这还要持续多久，我都厌烦透了；”
“no, i declare, the largest egg lies there still i wonder how long this is to last, i am quite tired of it;”
然后她又在窝里坐了下来。
and she seated herself again on the nest
“嗯，你们过得怎么样？”
“well, how are you getting on”
一只来拜访她的老鸭问道。
asked an old duck, who paid her a visit
“还有一个蛋没孵出来呢，” 母鸭说，“它就是不破。
“one egg is not hatched yet,” said the duck, “it will not break
不过看看其他的小鸭子，它们难道不是你见过的最可爱的小鸭子吗？
but just look at all the others, are they not the prettiest little ducklings you ever saw
它们长得和它们那狠心的爸爸一模一样，他从来都不来看一眼。”
they are the image of their father, who is so unkind, he never es to see”
“让我看看这个孵不破的蛋，” 老鸭说；
“let me see the egg that will not break,” said the duck;
“我肯定这是个火鸡蛋。
“i have no doubt it is a turkey’s egg
我曾经被说服去孵过一些火鸡蛋，我费尽心思照顾那些小火鸡，可它们怕水。
i was persuaded to hatch some once, and after all my care and trouble with the young ones, they were afraid of the water
我嘎嘎叫，咯咯唤，但都无济于事。
i quacked and clucked, but all to no purpose
我没法让它们下水。让我看看这个蛋。
i could not get them to venture in let me look at the egg
是的，这是个火鸡蛋；听我的，别管它了，教其他小鸭子游泳吧。”
yes, that is a turkey’s egg; take my advice, leave it where it is and teach the other children to swim”
“我想我还是再在上面坐一会儿吧，” 母鸭说；
“i think i will sit on it a little while longer,” said the duck;
“既然我已经坐了这么久了，再坐几天也没什么。”
“as i have sat so long already, a few days will be nothing”
“随你的便吧，” 老鸭说，然后就走了。
“please yourself,” said the old duck, and she went away
最后，那个大蛋破了，一只小鸭子爬了出来，叫道：“叽叽，叽叽。”
at last the large egg broke, and a young one crept forth crying, “peep, peep”
它又大又丑。
it was very large and ugly
母鸭盯着它惊叫道：“它好大呀，而且一点也不像其他的小鸭子。
the duck stared at it and exclaimed, “it is very large and not at all like the others
我怀疑它是不是真的是只火鸡。不过等我们到水里去就知道了。
i wonder if it really is a turkey we shall soon find it out, however when we go to the water
如果必要的话，我得亲自把它推下去。”
it must go in, if i have to push it myself”
第二天天气很好，阳光灿烂地照在绿色的牛蒡叶上，于是鸭妈妈带着她的小鸭子们下到水里，扑通一声跳了进去。
on the next day the weather was delightful, and the sun shone brightly on the green burdock leaves, so the mother duck took her young brood down to the water, and jumped in with a splash
“嘎嘎，嘎嘎。” 她叫着，小鸭子们一只接一只地跳进水里。
“quack, quack,” cried she, and one after another the little ducklings jumped in
水没过了它们的头顶，但它们立刻又浮了上来，用腿在水下尽可能轻松地划动着，游得非常漂亮，丑小鸭也在水里和它们一起游着。
the water closed over their heads, but they came up again in an instant, and swam about quite prettily with their legs paddling under them as easily as possible, and the ugly duckling was also in the water swimming with them
“哦，” 鸭妈妈说，“那不是火鸡；
“oh,” said the mother, “that is not a turkey;
他的腿用得多好啊，站得多直啊！他是我的亲生孩子，要是你好好看看他，他其实也不是那么丑。
how well he uses his legs, and how upright he holds himself! he is my own child, and he is not so very ugly after all if you look at him properly
嘎嘎，嘎嘎！现在跟我来，我要带你们进入上流社会，把你们介绍到农家院子里，但你们必须紧跟着我，不然可能会被踩到；
quack, quack! e with me now, i will take you into grand society, and introduce you to the farmyard, but you must keep close to me or you may be trodden upon;
而且，最重要的是，要小心猫。”
and, above all, beware of the cat”
当它们到达农家院子时，一阵大乱，两家人正在为一个鳗鱼头争斗，最后鳗鱼头被猫抢走了。
when they reached the farmyard, there was a great disturbance, two families were fighting for an eel’s head, which, after all, was carried off by the cat
“看，孩子们，这就是世道。” 鸭妈妈磨着嘴说道，因为她自己也很想要那个鳗鱼头。
“see, children, that is the way of the world,” said the mother duck, whetting her beak, for she would have liked the eel’s head herself
“来吧，现在，动一动你们的腿，让我看看你们表现得有多好。
“e, now, use your legs, and let me see how well you can behave
你们必须很有礼貌地向那边的老鸭鞠躬；
you must bow your heads prettily to that old duck yonder;
她是这里出身最高贵的，有西班牙血统，所以她很富有。
she is the highest born of them all, and has spanish blood, therefore, she is well off
你们没看到她腿上系着一面红旗吗，这是非常了不起的东西，对一只鸭子来说是极大的荣耀；
don’t you see she has a red flag tied to her leg, which is something very grand, and a great honor for a duck;
这表明每个人都很担心失去她，因为人和动物都能认出她来。
it shows that every one is anxious not to lose her, as she can be recognized both by man and beast
来吧，现在，不要把脚趾向内弯，一只有教养的小鸭子要像他的爸爸妈妈那样把脚张得大大的；
e, now, don’t turn your toes, a well - bred duckling spreads his feet wide apart, just like his father and mother, in this way;
现在弯下你们的脖子，说‘嘎嘎’。”
now bend your neck, and say ‘quack’”
小鸭子们照吩咐做了，但另一只鸭子盯着它们说：“看，又来了一窝，好像我们已经够多的了！而且其中一个长得多奇怪啊；
the ducklings did as they were bid, but the other duck stared, and said, “look, here es another brood, as if there were not enough of us already! and what a queer looking object one of them is;
我们不想让他待在这里，” 然后一只鸭子飞出来咬他的脖子。
we don’t want him here,” and then one flew out and bit him in the neck
“别管他，” 鸭妈妈说；
“let him alone,” said the mother;
“他又没做什么坏事。”
“he is not doing any harm”
“是的，但是他又大又丑，” 那只恶毒的鸭子说，“所以必须把他赶走。”
“yes, but he is so big and ugly,” said the spiteful duck “and therefore he must be turned out”
“其他的都是非常可爱的孩子，” 腿上系着破布的老鸭说，“除了那一个；
“the others are very pretty children,” said the old duck, with the rag on her leg, “all but that one;
我希望他妈妈能把他改造得好一点。”
i wish his mother could improve him a little”
“那是不可能的，夫人，” 鸭妈妈回答说；
“that is impossible, your grace,” replied the mother;
“他是不漂亮；但他脾气很好，游泳和其他小鸭子一样好，甚至更好。
“he is not pretty; but he has a very good disposition, and swims as well or even better than the others
我想他长大后会变漂亮的，也许还会变小；
i think he will grow up pretty, and perhaps be smaller;
他在蛋里待的时间太长了，所以他的体型没有发育好；”
he has remained too long in the egg, and therefore his figure is not properly formed;”
然后她抚摸着他的脖子，理顺羽毛，说道：“他是只公鸭，所以没那么重要。
and then she stroked his neck and smoothed the feathers, saying, “it is a drake, and therefore not of so much consequence
我想他会茁壮成长，并且能够照顾自己。”
i think he will grow up strong, and able to take care of himself”
“其他小鸭子够优雅的了，” 老鸭说。
“the other ducklings are graceful enough,” said the old duck
“现在就像在自己家一样，如果你们能找到鳗鱼头，可以带给我。”
“now make yourself at home, and if you can find an eel’s head, you can bring it to me”
于是他们就自在起来；但那只最后从蛋壳里爬出来、长得很丑的可怜小鸭子，不仅被鸭子们咬、推搡、取笑，而且还被所有的家禽欺负。
and so they made themselves fortable; but the poor duckling, who had crept out of his shell last of all, and looked so ugly, was bitten and pushed and made fun of, not only by the ducks, but by all the poultry
“他太大了，” 他们都说，那只生来就长着距的雄火鸡，自认为自己真的是个皇帝，像满帆的船一样鼓起身子，向小鸭子扑来，气得脑袋通红，可怜的小家伙不知道该去哪里，因为自己长得丑又被整个农家院子嘲笑，非常痛苦。
“he is too big,” they all said, and the turkey cock, who had been born into the world with spurs, and fancied himself really an emperor, puffed himself out like a vessel in full sail, and flew at the duckling, and became quite red in the head with passion, so that the poor little thing did not know where to go, and was quite miserable because he was so ugly and laughed at by the whole farmyard
就这样一天天地过去，情况越来越糟。
so it went on from day to day till it got worse and worse
这只可怜的小鸭子被所有人赶来赶去；甚至他的兄弟姐妹也对他不好，还会说：“啊，你这个丑东西，我希望猫把你抓走，” 他的妈妈也说她希望他从来没有出生过。
the poor duckling was driven about by every one; even his brothers and sisters were unkind to him, and would say, “ah, you ugly creature, i wish the cat would get you,” and his mother said she wished he had never been born
鸭子们啄他，小鸡们打他，那个喂养家禽的女孩还用脚踢他。
the ducks pecked him, the chickens beat him, and the girl who fed the poultry kicked him with her feet
所以最后他跑掉了，当他飞过栅栏时，把树篱里的小鸟都吓飞了。
so at last he ran away, frightening the little birds in the hedge as he flew over the palings
“它们害怕我是因为我长得丑，” 他说。
“they are afraid of me because i am ugly,” he said
于是他闭上眼睛，飞得更远了，一直飞到一片广阔的荒野，那里住着野鸭。
so he closed his eyes, and flew still farther, until he came out on a large moor, inhabited by wild ducks
他在这里待了一整晚，感到非常疲惫和悲伤。
here he remained the whole night, feeling very tired and sorrowful
早晨，当野鸭们飞到空中时，它们盯着这位新伙伴。
in the morning, when the wild ducks rose in the air, they stared at their new rade
“你是哪种鸭子呀？”
“what sort of a duck are you”
它们都围过来问他。
they all said, ing round him
他向它们鞠躬，尽可能地有礼貌，但他没有回答它们的问题。
he bowed to them, and was as polite as he could be, but he did not reply to their question
“你丑得要命，” 野鸭们说，“但如果你不想娶我们家族的一员，那也没关系。”
“you are exceedingly ugly,” said the wild ducks, “but that will not matter if you do not want to marry one of our family”
可怜的家伙！他根本没想过结婚；他只想要被允许躺在灯芯草丛中，喝点荒野里的水。
poor thing! he had no thoughts of marriage; all he wanted was permission to lie among the rushes, and drink some of the water on the moor
他在荒野上待了两天后，来了两只野鹅，或者说是小鹅，因为它们刚出壳不久，非常调皮。
after he had been on the moor two days, there came two wild geese, or rather goslings, for they had not been out of the egg long, and were very saucy
“听着，朋友，” 其中一只对小鸭子说，“你这么丑，我们很喜欢你。
“listen, friend,” said one of them to the duckling, “you are so ugly, that we like you very well
你愿意跟我们走，成为一只候鸟吗？
will you go with us, and bee a bird of passage
离这儿不远还有一片荒野，那里有一些漂亮的野鹅，都还没结婚呢。
not far from here is another moor, in which there are some pretty wild geese, all unmarried
这是你讨个老婆的机会；虽然你长得丑，但也许你会很幸运。”
it is a chance for you to get a wife; you may be lucky, ugly as you are”
“砰，砰。” 空中传来两声枪响，两只野鹅倒在灯芯草丛中死了，水被血染红了。
“pop, pop,” sounded in the air, and the two wild geese fell dead among the rushes, and the water was tinged with blood
“砰，砰。” 枪声在远处四处回荡，成群的野鹅从灯芯草丛中飞了起来。
“pop, pop,” echoed far and wide in the distance, and whole flocks of wild geese rose up from the rushes
枪声从四面八方传来，因为猎人们包围了这片荒野，有些猎人甚至坐在树枝上，俯瞰着灯芯草丛。
the sound continued from every direction, for the sportsmen surrounded the moor, and some were even seated on branches of trees, overlooking the rushes
枪里冒出的蓝烟像云一样在黑黝黝的树上空升起，当烟雾飘过水面时，许多猎犬跳进灯芯草丛里，所到之处灯芯草都被压弯了。
the blue smoke from the guns rose like clouds over the dark trees, and as it floated away across the water, a number of sporting dogs bounded in among the rushes, which bent beneath them wherever they went
它们把可怜的小鸭子吓成什么样了啊！他转过头把脑袋藏在翅膀下面，就在这时，一只又大又可怕的狗从他身边很近的地方经过。
how they terrified the poor duckling! he turned away his head to hide it under his wing, and at the same moment a large terrible dog passed quite near him
狗张着嘴，舌头耷拉在嘴外，眼睛可怕地瞪着。
his jaws were open, his tongue hung from his mouth, and his eyes glared fearfully
他把鼻子凑近小鸭子，露出锋利的牙齿，然后，“扑通，扑通”，他跳进水里，却没有碰到小鸭子，“哦，” 小鸭子叹气道，“我长得这么丑可真幸运；连狗都不会咬我。”
he thrust his nose close to the duckling, showing his sharp teeth, and then, “splash, splash,” he went into the water without touching him, “oh,” sighed the duckling, “how thankful i am for being so ugly; even a dog will not bite me”
于是他静静地躺着，子弹在灯芯草丛中呼啸而过，一支接一支的枪在他头顶上射击。
and so he lay quite still, while the shot rattled through the rushes, and gun after gun was fired over him
直到天黑，一切才安静下来，但即便到那时，这个可怜的小家伙也不敢动。
it was late in the day before all became quiet, but even then the poor young thing did not dare to move
该站采集不完全,请到原文地址：(https://www.dynxsw.com/book/516641/110223657.html)阅读,如您已在悠闲小说(https://www.dynxsw.com),请关闭浏览器广告拦截插件,即可显示全部章节内容!该站采集不完全,请到原文地址：(https://www.dynxsw.com/book/516641/110223657.html)阅读,如您已在悠闲小说(https://www.dynxsw.com),请关闭浏览器广告拦截插件,即可显示全部章节内容!