引导语:《幸福的家庭》大家学习过?其中暗含哪些人生的哲理呢?下面是小编收集的这篇安徒生童话故事的中英文版本,欢迎大家阅读!
幸福的家庭中文版:
这个国家里最大的绿叶子,无疑要算是牛蒡的叶子了。你拿一片放在你的肚皮上,那么它就像一条围裙。如果你把它放在头上,那么在雨天里它就可以当做一把伞用,因为它是出奇的宽大。牛蒡从来不单独地生长;不,凡是长着一棵牛蒡的地方,你一定可以找到好几棵。这是它最可爱的一点,而这一点对蜗牛说来只不过是食料。
在古时候,许多大人物把这些白色的大蜗牛做成“碎肉”;当他们吃着的时候,就说:“哼,味道真好!”因为他们认为蜗牛的味道很美。这些蜗牛都靠牛蒡叶子活着;因此人们才种植牛蒡。
现在有一个古代的公馆,住在里面的人已经不再吃蜗牛了。所以蜗牛都死光了,不过牛蒡还活着,这植物在小径上和花畦上长得非常茂盛,人们怎么也没有办法制止它们。这地方简直成了一个牛蒡森林。要不是这儿那儿有几株苹果树和梅子树,谁也不会想到这是一个花园。处处都是牛蒡;在它们中间住着最后的两个蜗牛遗老。
它们不知道自己究竟有多大年纪。不过它们记得很清楚:它们的数目曾经是很多很多,而且都属于一个从外国迁来的家族,整个森林就是为它们和它们的家族而发展起来的。它们从来没有离开过家,不过却听说过:这个世界上还有一个什么叫做“公馆”的东西,它们在那里面被烹调着,然后变成黑色,最后被盛在一个银盘子里。不过结果怎样,它们一点也不知道。此外,它们也想象不出来,烹调完了以后盛在银盘子里,究竟是一种什么味道。那一定很美,特别排场!它们请教过小金虫、癞蛤蟆和蚯蚓,但是一点道理也问不出来,因为它们谁也没有被烹调过或盛在银盘子里面过。
那对古老的白蜗牛要算世界上最有身份的人物了。它们自己知道森林就是为了它们而存在的,公馆也是为了使它们能被烹调和放在银盘子里而存在的。
它们过着安静和幸福的生活。因为它们自己没有孩子,所以就收养了一个普通的小蜗牛。它们把它作为自己的孩子抚育。不过这小东西长不大,因为它不过是一个普通的蜗牛而已。但是这对老蜗牛——尤其是妈妈——觉得她能看出它在长大。假如爸爸看不出的话,她要求他摸摸它的外壳。因此他就摸一下;他发现妈妈说的话有道理。
有一天雨下得很大。
“请听牛蒡叶子上的响声——咚咚咚!咚咚咚!”蜗牛爸爸说。
“这就是我所说的雨点,”蜗牛妈妈说。“它沿着梗子滴下来了!你可以看到,这儿马上就会变得潮湿了!我很高兴,我们有我们自己的房子;小家伙也有他自己的①。我们的优点比任何别的生物都多。大家一眼就可以看出,我们是世界上最高贵的人!我们一生下来就有房子住,而且这一堆牛蒡林完全是为我们而种植的——我倒很想知道它究竟有多大,在它的外边还有些什么别的东西!”
“它的外边什么别的东西也没有!”蜗牛爸爸说。“世界上再也没有比我们这儿更好的地方了。我什么别的想头也没有。”
“对,”妈妈说,“我倒很想到公馆里去被烹调一下,然后放到银盘子里去。我们的祖先们都是这样;你要知道,这是一种光荣呢!”
“公馆也许已经塌了,”蜗牛爸爸说,“或者牛蒡已经在它上面长成了树林,弄得人们连走都走不出来。你不要急——你老是那么急,连那个小家伙也开始学起你来。你看他这三天来不老是往梗子上爬么?当我抬头看看他的时候,我的头都昏了。”
“请你无论如何不要骂他,”蜗牛妈妈说。“他爬得很有把握。他使我们得到许多快乐。我们这对老夫妇没有什么别的东西值得活下去了。不过,你想到过没有:我们在什么地方可以为他找个太太呢?在这林子的远处,可能住着我们的族人,你想到过没有?”
“我相信那儿住着些黑蜗牛,”老头儿说,“没有房子的黑蜗牛!不过他们都是一帮卑下的东西,而且还喜欢摆架子。不过我们可以托蚂蚁办办这件事情,他们跑来跑去,好像很忙似的。他们一定能为我们的小少爷找个太太。”
“我认识一位最美丽的姑娘!”蚂蚁说,“不过我恐怕她不成,因为她是一个王后!”
“这没有什么关系,”两位老蜗牛说。“她有一座房子吗?”
“她有一座宫殿!”蚂蚁说。“一座最美丽的蚂蚁宫殿,里面有七百条走廊。”
“谢谢你!”蜗牛妈妈说:“我们的孩子可不会钻蚂蚁窟的。假如你找不到更好的对象的话,我们可以托白蚊蚋来办这件差事。他们天晴下雨都在外面飞。牛蒡林的里里外外,他们都知道。”
“我们为他找到了一个太太,”蚊蚋说。“离这儿一百步路远的地方,有一个有房子的小蜗牛住在醋栗丛上。她是很寂寞的,她已经够结婚年龄。她住的地方离此地只不过一百步远!”
“是的,让她来找他吧,”这对老夫妇说。“他拥有整个的牛蒡林,而她只不过有一个小醋栗丛!”
这样,它们就去请那位小蜗牛姑娘来。她足足过了八天才到来,但这是一种很珍贵的现象,因为这说明她是一个很正经的女子。
于是它们就举行了婚礼。六个萤火虫尽量发出光来照着。
除此以外,一切是非常安静的,因为这对老蜗牛夫妇不喜欢大喝大闹。不过蜗牛妈妈发表了一起动人的演说。蜗牛爸爸一句话也讲不出来,因为他受到了极大的感动。于是它们把整座牛蒡林送给这对年轻夫妇,作为遗产;并且说了一大套它们常常说的话,那就是——这地方是世界上最好的一块地方,如果它们要正直地,善良地生活和繁殖下去的话,它们和它们的孩子们将来就应该到那个公馆里去,以便被煮得漆黑、放到银盘子上面。
当这番演说讲完了以后,这对老夫妇就钻进它们的屋子里去,再也不出来。它们睡着了。
年轻的蜗牛夫妇现在占有了这整座的森林,随后生了一大堆孩子。不过它们从来没有被烹调过,也没有到银盘子里去过。因此它们就下了一个结论,认为那个公馆已经塌了,全世界的人类都已经死去了。谁也没有反对它们这种看法,因此它们的看法一定是对的。雨打在牛蒡叶上,为它们发现咚咚的音乐来。太阳为它们发出亮光,使这牛蒡林增添了不少光彩。这样,它们过得非常幸福——这整个家庭是幸福的,说不出地幸福!
幸福的家庭英文版:
The Happy Family
THE largest green leaf in this country is certainly the burdock-leaf. If you hold it in front of you, it is large enough for an apron; and if you hold it over your head, it is almost as good as an umbrella, it is so wonderfully large. A burdock never grows alone; where it grows, there are many more, and it is a splendid sight; and all this splendor is good for snails. The great white snails, which grand people in olden times used to have made into fricassees; and when they had eaten them, they would say, “O, what a delicious dish!” for these people really thought them good; and these snails lived on burdock-leaves, and for them the burdock was planted.
There was once an old estate where no one now lived to require snails; indeed, the owners had all died out, but the burdock still flourished; it grew over all the beds and walks of the garden—its growth had no check—till it became at last quite a forest of burdocks. Here and there stood an apple or a plum-tree; but for this, nobody would have thought the place had ever been a garden. It was burdock from one end to the other; and here lived the last two surviving snails. They knew not themselves how old they were; but they could remember the time when there were a great many more of them, and that they were descended from a family which came from foreign lands, and that the whole forest had been planted for them and theirs. They had never been away from the garden; but they knew that another place once existed in the world, called the Duke’s Palace Castle, in which some of their relations had been boiled till they became black, and were then laid on a silver dish; but what was done afterwards they did not know. Besides, they could not imagine exactly how it felt to be boiled and placed on a silver dish; but no doubt it was something very fine and highly genteel. Neither the cockchafer, nor the toad, nor the earth-worm, whom they questioned about it, would give them the least information; for none of their relations had ever been cooked or served on a silver dish. The old white snails were the most aristocratic race in the world,—they knew that. The forest had been planted for them, and the nobleman’s castle had been built entirely that they might be cooked and laid on silver dishes.
They lived quite retired and very happily; and as they had no children of their own, they had adopted a little common snail, which they brought up as their own child. The little one would not grow, for he was only a common snail; but the old people, particularly the mother-snail, declared that she could easily see how he grew; and when the father said he could not perceive it, she begged him to feel the little snail’s shell, and he did so, and found that the mother was right.
One day it rained very fast. “Listen, what a drumming there is on the burdock-leaves; turn, turn, turn; turn, turn, turn,” said the father-snail.
“There come the drops,” said the mother; “they are trickling down the stalks. We shall have it very wet here presently. I am very glad we have such good houses, and that the little one has one of his own. There has been really more done for us than for any other creature; it is quite plain that we are the most noble people in the world. We have houses from our birth, and the burdock forest has been planted for us. I should very much like to know how far it extends, and what lies beyond it.”
“There can be nothing better than we have here,” said the father-snail; “I wish for nothing more.”
“Yes, but I do,” said the mother; “I should like to be taken to the palace, and boiled, and laid upon a silver dish, as was done to all our ancestors; and you may be sure it must be something very uncommon.”
“The nobleman’s castle, perhaps, has fallen to decay,” said the snail-father, “or the burdock wood may have grown out. You need not be in a hurry; you are always so impatient, and the youngster is getting just the same. He has been three days creeping to the top of that stalk. I feel quite giddy when I look at him.”
“You must not scold him,” said the mother-snail; “he creeps so very carefully. He will be the joy of our home; and we old folks have nothing else to live for. But have you ever thought where we are to get a wife for him? Do you think that farther out in the wood there may be others of our race?”
“There may be black snails, no doubt,” said the old snail; “black snails without houses; but they are so vulgar and conceited too. But we can give the ants a commission; they run here and there, as if they all had so much business to get through. They, most likely, will know of a wife for our youngster.”
“I certainly know a most beautiful bride,” said one of the ants; “but I fear it would not do, for she is a queen.”
“That does not matter,” said the old snail; “has she a house?”
“She has a palace,” replied the ant,—“a most beautiful ant-palace with seven hundred passages.”
“Thank-you,” said the mother-snail; “but our boy shall not go to live in an ant-hill. If you know of nothing better, we will give the commission to the white gnats; they fly about in rain and sunshine; they know the burdock wood from one end to the other.”
“We have a wife for him,” said the gnats; “a hundred man-steps from here there is a little snail with a house, sitting on a gooseberry-bush; she is quite alone, and old enough to be married. It is only a hundred man-steps from here.”
“Then let her come to him,” said the old people. “He has the whole burdock forest; she has only a bush.”
So they brought the little lady-snail. She took eight days to perform the journey; but that was just as it ought to be; for it showed her to be one of the right breeding. And then they had a wedding. Six glow-worms gave as much light as they could; but in other respects it was all very quiet; for the old snails could not bear festivities or a crowd. But a beautiful speech was made by the mother-snail. The father could not speak; he was too much overcome. Then they gave the whole burdock forest to the young snails as an inheritance, and repeated what they had so often said, that it was the finest place in the world, and that if they led upright and honorable lives, and their family increased, they and their children might some day be taken to the nobleman’s palace, to be boiled black, and laid on a silver dish. And when they had finished speaking, the old couple crept into their houses, and came out no more; for they slept.
The young snail pair now ruled in the forest, and had a numerous progeny. But as the young ones were never boiled or laid in silver dishes, they concluded that the castle had fallen into decay, and that all the people in the world were dead; and as nobody contradicted them, they thought they must be right. And the rain fell upon the burdock-leaves, to play the drum for them, and the sun shone to paint colors on the burdock forest for them, and they were very happy; the whole family were entirely and perfectly happy.
作品评价
这是一起小品,具有深刻的讽刺意义,最初发表在1844年《新的童话》里。被人养着当作食物的蜗牛,“坐井观天”,认为“世界上再也没有比我们这儿(公馆院子里的牛蒡树丛)更好的地方了。”“我们很想到公馆里去被烹调一下,然后被放到银盘子里去。我们的祖先们都是这样,你知道这是一种光荣!”有不少人的思想境界大致与这差不多。
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