19-4-29【英语美文】志气常坚强，命运奈我何？安徒生童话《勇敢的锡兵》

The brave TinSoldier

By Hans ChristianAndersen – Edited version

1. There were oncefive-and-twenty tin soldiers, who were all brothers, for theyhad been made out of the same old tin spoon. They shouldered arms andlooked straight, and wore a splendid uniform, red and blue. The first thingthey heard each day were the words, "Tin soldiers!" uttered by alittle boy when he took off the lid of the box, in which they lay. Thesoldiers were all exactly alike, excepting one,who had only one leg. There had not been enough of the melted tin spoon tofinish him, so they made him to stand firmly on one leg, and this caused him tobe very remarkable.

2. The table onwhich the tin soldiers stood, was covered with other playthings,but the most attractive to the eye was a prettylittle paper castle. The prettiest of all about this castle, was a tiny littlelady, who stood at its open door; she, also, was made of paper, and she wore adress of clear muslin, with a narrow blue ribbon over her shouldersjust like a scarf. In front of these was fixed a glittering tinsel rose,as large as her whole face.

3. The little ladywas a dancer, and she stretched out both her arms, and raised one of her legsso high, that the tin soldier could not see it at all, and he thought that she,like himself, had only one leg. "That is the wife for me," hethought; "but she is too grand, and lives in a castle, while I have only abox to live in, five-and-twenty of us altogether, that is no place for her.Still I must try and make her acquaintance." Then he laidhimself on the table behind a snuff-box that stood upon it, sothat he could peep at the little delicate lady,who continued to stand on one leg without losing her balance.

4. When eveningcame, the other tin soldiers were all placed in the box, and the people of thehouse went to bed. Then the playthings began to have their own games together,to pay visits and to give balls. The tin soldiers wanted to get outof their box and join the amusements, but they could not open thelid. Only the tin soldier and the dancer remained in their places. He nevertook his eyes from her for even a moment. The clock struck twelve, and, with abounce, up sprang the lid of the snuff-box; there jumped out a littleblack goblin! "Tin soldier," said the goblin,"don't wish for what does not belong to you.” But the tin soldierpretended not to hear. "Very well; wait till tomorrow, then," saidthe goblin.

5. When thechildren came in the next morning, they placed the tin soldier in the window.Now, whether it was the goblin who did it, or the draught, is notknown, but the window flew open, and out fell the tin soldier, from thethird story, into the street beneath. It was a terrible fall; forhe came head downwards, his helmet and his bayonet stuck inbetween the flagstones, and his one leg up in the air.

6. Presently itbegan to rain, faster and faster, till there was a heavy shower. When it wasover, two boys happened to pass by, and one of them said, "Look, there isa tin soldier. He ought to have a boat to sail in." So they made a boatout of a newspaper, and placed the tin soldier in it, and sent him sailing downthe gutter, while the two boys ran by the side of it, and clappedtheir hands. The tin soldier trembled; yet he remained firm;his countenance did not change; he looked straight, andshouldered his musket. Suddenly the boat flowed into a drain,and then it was as dark as the tin soldier's box.

7. "Where amI going now?" thought he. "This is the black goblin's fault, I amsure. Ah, well, if the little lady were only here with me in the boat, I shouldnot care for any darkness." Then he heard a roaring sound quite terribleenough to frighten the bravest man. At the end of the drain, there was a largecanal. The poor tin soldier could only hold himself as stiffly as possible,without moving an eyelid, to show that he was not afraid. The boat filled withwater to the very edge; nothing could save it from sinking. The paper of theboat became soft and loose, till at last the water closed over the soldier'shead. He thought of the elegant little dancer whom he should never see again,and the words of the song sounded in his ears- - "Farewell, warrior! everbrave, Drifting onward to thy grave."

8. Then the paperboat fell to pieces, and the soldier sank into the water and immediatelyafterwards was swallowed up by a great fish. Oh how dark it was inside thefish! A great deal darker than in the tunnel, but the tinsoldier continued firm, shouldered his musket. The fish swam to and fro, but atlast he became quite still. After a while, a flash of lightning seemed to passthrough him, and then the daylight approached.

9. The fish hadbeen caught, taken to the market and sold to the cook, who took him into thekitchen and cut him open with a large knife. She picked up the soldier and heldhim by the waist between her finger and thumb, and carried him into the room.She placed him on the table, and- how many curious things do happen in theworld! - there he was in the very same room from the window of which he hadfallen, there were the same children, the same playthings, standing on thetable, and the pretty castle with the elegant little dancer at the door; shestill balanced herself on one leg, and held up the other, so she was as firm ashimself.

10. It touched thetin soldier so much to see her that he almost wept tin tears, but he keptthem back. He only looked at her and they both remained silent. Presently,one of the little boys took up the tin soldier, and threw him into the stove.He had no reason for doing so, therefore it must have been the fault of theblack goblin who lived in the snuff-box. The flames lighted up the tin soldier,as he stood, the heat was very terrible, but whether it proceeded from the realfire or from the fire of love he could not tell.

11. He looked atthe little lady, and she looked at him. He felt himself melting away, but hestill remained firm with his gun on his shoulder. Suddenly the door of the roomflew open and the draught of air caught up the little dancer, she fluttered likea sylph right into the stove by the side of the tin soldier,and was instantly in flames and was gone. The tin soldier melted down intoa lump, and the next morning, when the maid servant took the ashesout of the stove, she found him in the shape of a little tin heart. But of thelittle dancer nothing remained but the tinsel rose, which was burnt black asa cinder.