第18章 母亲的故事 The Story of a Mother（1/2）
《母亲的故事》，1848 年
the Story of a other, 1848
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安徒生这个关于母亲与孩子的感人故事于 1847 年在伦敦首次以 “圣诞书籍” 的形式用英语出版。
Andersen’s ovg story about other and child was first publishedEnglish as a “christas book”London1847.
这是安徒生想要向他的英国读者致敬之作，他给这本书（其中还包含其他四个故事）取名为《致我英国朋友们的圣诞问候》。
It was tended by Andersen as a tribute to his british audience, aitled the vo (whicded four other tales) A christas Greetg to y English Friends.
这本书是献给查尔斯?狄更斯的，安徒生在 1847 年夏天与他相识（据说狄更斯曾这样说起这个英语难懂出了名的丹麦人：“我一定要见见安徒生”），这本作品集受到了热烈欢迎。
dedicated to charles dis, who Andersen had tthe sur of 1847 (“I ch see Andersen,” dis is reported to have said about the dane whose English was notorioly difficult to uand), the lle was warly received.
安徒生的英国粉丝们，其中包括出版商、记者、银行家、牧师，还有公爵和公爵夫人，纷纷涌向他在莱斯特广场的住所。安徒生觉得自己已经到达了他所认为的 “成功的巅峰”，但他也痛苦地抱怨英国人欣赏他的方式是他的丹麦同胞永远无法做到的。
Andersen’s british fans, a group that cded publishers, journalists, bankers, isters, along with dukes and duchesses, sward his lodggs at Leicester Square. Andersen had reached what he believed to be the “pnacle of suess,” but he ped bitterly about how the british appreciated hiways that his fellow danes never uld.
1847 年 12 月 6 日，安徒生在给狄更斯的信中谈到了献给他的这些故事：
Andersen wrote to dis on deceber 6, 1847, about the stories dedicated to hi:
我又回到了我安静的丹麦房间，但我的思绪仍然和你们一起在英国。当我忙于一个篇幅更长的作品时，五个故事从我脑海中涌现出来，就像树林里冒出来的花朵一样。我不禁想要从我的诗歌花园里给你们带来这些鲜花。我钦佩您所有的书籍，自从我们见面后，您本人也在我心中扎下了根。
I a back agay quiet danish roo, but y thoughts are still with youEngnd. while oupyg yself with a longer work, five stories sprang fro y head, as flowers sprout upthe woods. I feel oved t you these fresh flowers fro the garden of y poetry. I adire all of your books, and sce we t, you yourself have bee a fixturey heart.
亲爱的、高尚的查尔斯?狄更斯，您是在英格兰海岸最后一个与我道别的人，所以很自然地，我希望您是第一个收到我从丹麦发出的问候的人，这是一颗充满深情的心才能发出的问候。
dear, noble charles dis, you were the st to say good - by toon the shores of Engnd, so it is natural that I should want you to be the first to receive y greetg fro denark, whily an affeate heartsend.
在安徒生七十岁生日时，他的出版商送给他一本名为《母亲的故事：十五种语言版》的特别书籍。《母亲的故事》可能是受到了 19 世纪中叶描绘垂死和已逝孩子的绘画传统的启发。
on his seveh birthday, Andersen’s publishers presented hi with a special vo entitled the Story of a other: In Fifteen Languages. “the Story of a other” ay have been spired by the id - eenth - tury pictorial tradition of representg the dyg and deceased child.
1846 年 7 月，也就是这个故事出版的前一年，安徒生在尼姆拜访了诗人让?勒布尔，并在日记中描述了他家展出的画像：“墙上挂着两幅为他的诗配图的画。一幅画着一个垂死的孩子、一个严肃的天使，还有一位在痛苦的守夜中睡着了的母亲。另一幅是油画。画中，天使带着孩子飞走了，而母亲仍然趴在摇篮上。” 安徒生说，有一天他在散步时，这个故事的情节突然就出现在他脑海里。
In July 1846, a year before the story ublished, Andersen had visited the poet Jean ReboulN?s and describedhis diary the portraits on dispyhis ho: “on the wall were o pictures ilstratg his poe. one showed a dyg child, a serio angel, and the other who has fallen asleep while keepg a paful vigil. the other was an oil - patg. In it, the angel soared off with the child while the other reaed draped over the cradle.” Andersen said that the plot of the story ca to hi out of the be, one day while he was takg a walk.
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一位母亲和她的小孩坐在那里。她是如此沮丧，如此害怕孩子会死去！孩子是那么苍白，小眼睛已经闭上了，它时不时地轻轻呼吸，偶尔深呼吸一下，仿佛在叹息；而母亲更加悲伤地看着这个小生命。
A other sat there with her little child. She was so downcast, so afraid that it should die! It was so pale, the sall eyes had closed theselves, and it drew its breath so softly, now and then, with a deep respiration, as if it sighed; and the other looked still ore sorrowfully otle creature.
这时听到敲门声，走进来一个穷苦的老人，他裹着一块像马披一样的大布，因为这样暖和些，而且他也需要，因为这是寒冷的冬天！户外一切都被冰雪覆盖着，风吹在脸上像刀割一样。
then a knog was heard at the door, andca a poor old an ed up asa rge horse - cloth, for it wars one, and he , as it was the ld ter season! Everythg out - of - doors was vered with id snow, and the d blew so that it cut the face.
因为老人冻得发抖，小孩又睡了一会儿，母亲就去倒了一些麦芽酒在锅里，放在炉子上，这样他喝的时候就会暖和些；老人坐着摇摇篮，母亲在他旁边的椅子上坐下，看着她那病恹恹的小孩，小孩呼吸很沉重，还举起了小手。
As the old an trebled with ld, and the little child slept a ont, the other went and poured so ale to a pot a oove, that it ight be war for hi; the old an sat and rocked the cradle, and the other sat down on a chair close by hi, and looked at her little sick child that drew its breath so deep, and raised its little hand.
“你不认为我会救活他吗？” 她说。“我们的主不会把他从我身边带走的！”
“do you not thk that I shall save hi?” said she. “our Lord will not take hi fro !”
而那个老人 —— 他就是死神本人 —— 他奇怪地点了点头，这点头既可以表示是，也可以表示否。母亲低头看着自己的膝盖，眼泪顺着脸颊流下来；她的头变得很沉重 —— 她已经三天三夜没有合眼了；现在她睡着了，但只睡了一分钟，就惊醒过来，冻得发抖。
And the old an — it was death hiself — he nodded sely, it uld jt as well signify yes as no. And the other looked downher p, and the tears ran down over her cheeks; her head beca so heavy — she had not closed her eyes for three days and nights; and now she slept, but only for a ute, whearted up and trebled with ld.
“那是什么？” 她说着，向四周张望；但是老人不见了，她的小孩也不见了 —— 他把小孩带走了；角落里的旧钟滴答滴答地走着，大铅锤落到地上，砰的一声！然后钟也停了。
“what is that?” said she, and looked on all sides; but the old an was gone, and her little child was gone — he had taken it with hi; and the old clo the er burred, and burred, the great leade ran down to the floor, bup! and then the clock also stood still.
但是可怜的母亲跑出屋子，大声呼喊着她的孩子。
but the poor other ran out of the hoe and cried aloud for her child.
在外面，在雪地中间，坐着一个身穿黑色长衣的女人；她说：“死神到过你的房间，我看见他带着你的小孩匆匆离去；他跑得比风还快，而且他带走的东西从不归还！”
out there,the idst of the snow, there sat a woanlong, bck clothes; and she said, “death has beenthy chaber, and I saw hi hasten away with thy little child; he goes faster than the d, and he never brgs back what he takes!”
“哦，只要告诉我他往哪去了！” 母亲说。“告诉我路，我就能找到他！”
“oh, only tellwhich way he went!” said the other. “tellthe way, and I shall fd hi!”
“我知道！” 黑衣女人说。“但在我告诉你之前，你必须先为我唱所有你给孩子唱过的歌！我喜欢那些歌。我以前听过；我是夜；你唱歌的时候我看到你的眼泪了！”
“I know it!” said the woanthe bck clothes. “but before I tell it, thou t first sg forall the songs thou hast sung for thy child! I a fond of the. I have heard the before; I a Night; I saw thy tears whilst thou sang’st the!”
“我会把它们都唱出来，全都唱！” 母亲说。“但现在别阻拦我 —— 我也许能赶上他 —— 我也许能找到我的孩子！”
“I will sg the all, all!” said the other. “but do not snow — I ay overtake hi — I ay fd y child!”
但是夜静静地站着，一声不吭。于是母亲绞着双手，又唱又哭，歌有很多首，但眼泪更多；然后夜说：“向右边走，进入黑暗的松林；我看到死神带着你的小孩往那边去了！”
but Night stood still and ute. theher wrung her hands, sang a, and there were any songs, but yet any ore tears; and then Night said, “Go to the right, to the dark pe forest; thither I saw death take his way with thy little child!”
森林深处道路交错，她不知道该往哪里走了！这时有一丛荆棘；上面既没有叶子也没有花朵，也是在寒冷的冬季，冰花挂在树枝上。
the roads crossed each otherthe depths of the forest, and she no longer knew whither she should go! then there stood a thorn - bh; there was her leaf nor flower on it, it was alsothe ld ter season, and ice - fkes hung on the branches.
“你没看见死神带着我的小孩走过吗？” 母亲问。
“hast thou not seeh go past with y little child?” said the other.
“看见了，” 荆棘说；“但我不会告诉你他走的哪条路，除非你先把我放在你的心口上暖一暖。我快冻死了；我就要变成一块冰了！”
“Yes,” said the thorn - bh; “but I will not tell thee which way he took, uhou wilt first warup at thy heart. I a freezg to death; I shall bee a p of ice!”
于是她把荆棘紧紧地压在胸前，好让它彻底暖和起来，荆棘刺进了她的肉里，大滴大滴的血往外流，但是荆棘却长出了嫩绿的新叶，在寒冷的冬夜里还开出了花，这位受苦母亲的心是如此温暖；荆棘告诉了她该走的路。
And she pressed the thorn - bh to her breast, so firly, that it ight be thhly ward, and the thht to her flesh, and her blood flowedrge drops, but the thorn - bh shot forth fresh green leaves, and there ca flowers on itthe ld ter night, the heart of the afflicted other was so war; and the thorn - bh told her the way she should go.
然后她来到一个大湖边，湖上既没有船也没有艇。湖水结的冰还不足以承受她的重量；湖水既没有完全冻结，也没有浅到她能蹚水过去；但如果她要找到自己的孩子就必须穿过这个湖！于是她躺下来想把湖水喝干，这对一个人来说是不可能的，但这位受苦的母亲仍然认为可能会发生奇迹。
She then ca te ke, where there was her ship nor boat. the ke was not frozen suffitly to bear her; her was it open, nor low enough that she uld wade through it; and across it she t go if she would fd her child! then she y down to drk up the ke, and that ossibility for a huan beg, but the afflicted other thought that a iracle ight happeheless.
“哦，为了找到我的孩子，我什么都愿意付出！” 哭泣的母亲说；她哭得更厉害了，她的双眼陷进了湖水深处，变成了两颗珍贵的珍珠；但是湖水托住了她，就好像她坐在秋千上一样，她在起伏的波浪中飞到了湖对岸，对岸矗立着一座宽一英里的奇怪房子，不知道它是一座有森林和洞穴的山，还是人工建造的；但是这位可怜的母亲看不见它；她已经哭瞎了双眼。
“oh, what would I not give to e to y child!” said the weepg other; and she wept still ore, and her eyes sunk downthe depths of the waters, and beca o precio pearls; but the water bore her up, as if she sata sg, and she flewthe rog waves to the shore on the opposite side, where there stood a ile - broad, strange hoe, one knew not if it were a ounta with forests and caverns, or if it were built up; but the poor other uld not see it; she had wept her eyes out.
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