轻松背单词新浪微博 轻松背单词腾讯微博
轻松背单词微信服务号
当前位置:首页 -> 9级英语阅读 - > 安徒生童话英文版:The Story of a Mother
安徒生童话英文版:The Story of a Mother
添加时间:2014-02-26 14:35:00 浏览次数: 作者:Andersen
Tip:点击数字可快速查看单词解释  
  • (1848)

    A MOTHER sat by her little child; she was very sad, for she feared it would die. It was quite pale, and its little eyes were closed, and sometimes it drew a heavy deep breath, almost like a sigh; and then the mother gazed more sadly than ever on the poor little creature. Some one knocked at the door, and a poor old man walked in. He was wrapped in something that looked like a great horse-cloth; and he required it truly to keep him warm, for it was cold winter; the country everywhere lay covered with snow and ice, and the wind blew so sharply that it cut one’s face. The little child had dozed1 off to sleep for a moment, and the mother, seeing that the old man shivered with the cold, rose and placed a small mug of beer on the stove to warm for him. The old man sat and rocked the cradle; and the mother seated herself on a chair near him, and looked at her sick child who still breathed heavily, and took hold of its little hand.

    “You think I shall keep him, do you not?” she said. “Our all-merciful God will surely not take him away from me.”

    The old man, who was indeed Death himself, nodded his head in a peculiar2 manner, which might have signified either Yes, or No; and the mother cast down her eyes, while the tears rolled down her cheeks. Then her head became heavy, for she had not closed her eyes for three days and nights, and she slept, but only for a moment. Shivering with cold, she started up and looked round the room. The old man was gone, and her child—it was gone too!—the old man had taken it with him. In the corner of the room the old clock began to strike; “whirr” went the chains, the heavy weight sank to the ground, and the clock stopped; and the poor mother rushed out of the house calling for her child. Out in the snow sat a woman in long black garments, and she said to the mother, “Death has been with you in your room. I saw him hastening away with your little child; he strides faster than the wind, and never brings back what he has taken away.”

    “Only tell me which way he has gone,” said the mother; “tell me the way, I will find him.”

    “I know the way,” said the woman in the black garments; “but before I tell you, you must sing to me all the songs that you have sung to your child; I love these songs, I have heard them before. I am Night, and I saw your tears flow as you sang.”

    “I will sing them all to you,” said the mother; “but do not detain me now. I must overtake him, and find my child.”

    But Night sat silent and still. Then the mother wept and sang, and wrung3 her hands. And there were many songs, and yet even more tears; till at length Night said, “Go to the right, into the dark forest of fir-trees; for I saw Death take that road with your little child.”

    Within the wood the mother came to cross roads, and she knew not which to take. Just by stood a thorn-bush; it had neither leaf nor flower, for it was the cold winter time, and icicles hung on the branches. “Have you not seen Death go by, with my little child?” she asked.

    “Yes,” replied the thorn-bush; “but I will not tell you which way he has taken until you have warmed me in your bosom4. I am freezing to death here, and turning to ice.”

    Then she pressed the bramble to her bosom quite close, so that it might be thawed5, and the thorns pierced her flesh, and great drops of blood flowed; but the bramble shot forth6 fresh green leaves, and they became flowers on the cold winter’s night, so warm is the heart of a sorrowing mother. Then the bramble-bush told her the path she must take. She came at length to a great lake, on which there was neither ship nor boat to be seen. The lake was not frozen sufficiently7 for her to pass over on the ice, nor was it open enough for her to wade8 through; and yet she must cross it, if she wished to find her child. Then she laid herself down to drink up the water of the lake, which was of course impossible for any human being to do; but the bereaved9 mother thought that perhaps a miracle might take place to help her. “You will never succeed in this,” said the lake; “let us make an agreement together which will be better. I love to collect pearls, and your eyes are the purest I have ever seen. If you will weep those eyes away in tears into my waters, then I will take you to the large hothouse where Death dwells and rears flowers and trees, every one of which is a human life.”

    “Oh, what would I not give to reach my child!” said the weeping mother; and as she still continued to weep, her eyes fell into the depths of the lake, and became two costly10 pearls.

    Then the lake lifted her up, and wafted11 her across to the opposite shore as if she were on a swing, where stood a wonderful building many miles in length. No one could tell whether it was a mountain covered with forests and full of caves, or whether it had been built. But the poor mother could not see, for she had wept her eyes into the lake. “Where shall I find Death, who went away with my little child?” she asked.

    “He has not arrived here yet,” said an old gray-haired woman, who was walking about, and watering Death’s hothouse. “How have you found your way here? and who helped you?”

    “God has helped me,” she replied. “He is merciful; will you not be merciful too? Where shall I find my little child?”

    “I did not know the child,” said the old woman; “and you are blind. Many flowers and trees have faded to-night, and Death will soon come to transplant them. You know already that every human being has a life-tree or a life-flower, just as may be ordained12 for him. They look like other plants; but they have hearts that beat. Children’s hearts also beat: from that you may perhaps be able to recognize your child. But what will you give me, if I tell you what more you will have to do?”

    “I have nothing to give,” said the afflicted13 mother; “but I would go to the ends of the earth for you.”

    “I can give you nothing to do for me there,” said the old woman; “but you can give me your long black hair. You know yourself that it is beautiful, and it pleases me. You can take my white hair in exchange, which will be something in return.”

    “Do you ask nothing more than that?” said she. “I will give it to you with pleasure.”

    And she gave up her beautiful hair, and received in return the white locks of the old woman. Then they went into Death’s vast hothouse, where flowers and trees grew together in wonderful profusion14. Blooming hyacinths, under glass bells, and peonies, like strong trees. There grew water-plants, some quite fresh, and others looking sickly, which had water-snakes twining round them, and black crabs15 clinging to their stems. There stood noble palm-trees, oaks, and plantains, and beneath them bloomed thyme and parsley. Each tree and flower had a name; each represented a human life, and belonged to men still living, some in China, others in Greenland, and in all parts of the world. Some large trees had been planted in little pots, so that they were cramped16 for room, and seemed about to burst the pot to pieces; while many weak little flowers were growing in rich soil, with moss17 all around them, carefully tended and cared for. The sorrowing mother bent18 over the little plants, and heard the human heart beating in each, and recognized the beatings of her child’s heart among millions of others.

    “That is it,” she cried, stretching out her hand towards a little crocus-flower which hung down its sickly head.

    “Do not touch the flower,” exclaimed the old woman; “but place yourself here; and when Death comes—I expect him every minute—do not let him pull up that plant, but threaten him that if he does you will serve the other flowers in the same manner. This will make him afraid; for he must account to God for each of them. None can be uprooted19, unless he receives permission to do so.”

    There rushed through the hothouse a chill of icy coldness, and the blind mother felt that Death had arrived.

    “How did you find your way hither?” asked he; “how could you come here faster than I have?”

    “I am a mother,” she answered.

    And Death stretched out his hand towards the delicate little flower; but she held her hands tightly round it, and held it fast at same time, with the most anxious care, lest she should touch one of the leaves. Then Death breathed upon her hands, and she felt his breath colder than the icy wind, and her hands sank down powerless.

    “You cannot prevail against me,” said Death.

    “But a God of mercy can,” said she.

    “I only do His will,” replied Death. “I am his gardener. I take all His flowers and trees, and transplant them into the gardens of Paradise in an unknown land. How they flourish there, and what that garden resembles, I may not tell you.”

    “Give me back my child,” said the mother, weeping and imploring20; and she seized two beautiful flowers in her hands, and cried to Death, “I will tear up all your flowers, for I am in despair.”

    “Do not touch them,” said Death. “You say you are unhappy; and would you make another mother as unhappy as yourself?”

    “Another mother!” cried the poor woman, setting the flowers free from her hands.

    “There are your eyes,” said Death. “I fished them up out of the lake for you. They were shining brightly; but I knew not they were yours. Take them back—they are clearer now than before—and then look into the deep well which is close by here. I will tell you the names of the two flowers which you wished to pull up; and you will see the whole future of the human beings they represent, and what you were about to frustrate21 and destroy.”

    Then she looked into the well; and it was a glorious sight to behold22 how one of them became a blessing23 to the world, and how much happiness and joy it spread around. But she saw that the life of the other was full of care and poverty, misery24 and woe25.

    “Both are the will of God,” said Death.

    “Which is the unhappy flower, and which is the blessed one?” she said.

    “That I may not tell you,” said Death; “but thus far you may learn, that one of the two flowers represents your own child. It was the fate of your child that you saw,—the future of your own child.”

    Then the mother screamed aloud with terror, “Which of them belongs to my child? Tell me that. Deliver the unhappy child. Release it from so much misery. Rather take it away. Take it to the kingdom of God. Forget my tears and my entreaties26; forget all that I have said or done.”

    “I do not understand you,” said Death. “Will you have your child back? or shall I carry him away to a place that you do not know?”

    Then the mother wrung her hands, fell on her knees, and prayed to God, “Grant not my prayers, when they are contrary to Thy will, which at all times must be the best. Oh, hear them not;” and her head sank on her bosom.

    Then Death carried away her child to the unknown land.



    点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

    1 dozed [dəuzd] 30eca1f1e3c038208b79924c30b35bfc   第8级
    v.打盹儿,打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • He boozed till daylight and dozed into the afternoon. 他喝了个通霄,昏沉沉地一直睡到下午。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    • I dozed off during the soporific music. 我听到这催人入睡的音乐,便不知不觉打起盹儿来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    2 peculiar [pɪˈkju:liə(r)] cinyo   第7级
    adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
    参考例句:
    • He walks in a peculiar fashion. 他走路的样子很奇特。
    • He looked at me with a very peculiar expression. 他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
    3 wrung [rʌŋ] b11606a7aab3e4f9eebce4222a9397b1   第7级
    绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 ); 握紧(尤指别人的手); 把(湿衣服)拧干; 绞掉(水)
    参考例句:
    • He has wrung the words from their true meaning. 他曲解这些字的真正意义。
    • He wrung my hand warmly. 他热情地紧握我的手。
    4 bosom [ˈbʊzəm] Lt9zW   第7级
    n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的
    参考例句:
    • She drew a little book from her bosom. 她从怀里取出一本小册子。
    • A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom. 他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。
    5 thawed [θɔ:d] fbd380b792ac01e07423c2dd9206dd21   第8级
    解冻
    参考例句:
    • The little girl's smile thawed the angry old man. 小姑娘的微笑使发怒的老头缓和下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • He thawed after sitting at a fire for a while. 在火堆旁坐了一会儿,他觉得暖和起来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    6 forth [fɔ:θ] Hzdz2   第7级
    adv.向前;向外,往外
    参考例句:
    • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth. 风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
    • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession. 他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
    7 sufficiently [sə'fɪʃntlɪ] 0htzMB   第8级
    adv.足够地,充分地
    参考例句:
    • It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently. 原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
    • The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views. 新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
    8 wade [weɪd] nMgzu   第7级
    vt.跋涉,涉水;vi.跋涉;n.跋涉
    参考例句:
    • We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank. 我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
    • We cannot but wade across the river. 我们只好趟水过去。
    9 bereaved [bɪˈri:vd] dylzO0   第11级
    adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去(希望、生命等)( bereave的过去式和过去分词);(尤指死亡)使丧失(亲人、朋友等);使孤寂;抢走(财物)
    参考例句:
    • The ceremony was an ordeal for those who had been recently bereaved. 这个仪式对于那些新近丧失亲友的人来说是一种折磨。
    • an organization offering counselling for the bereaved 为死者亲友提供辅导的组织
    10 costly [ˈkɒstli] 7zXxh   第7级
    adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
    参考例句:
    • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this. 维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
    • This dictionary is very useful, only it is a bit costly. 这本词典很有用,只不过贵了些。
    11 wafted [wɑ:ftid] 67ba6873c287bf9bad4179385ab4d457   第11级
    v.吹送,飘送,(使)浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • The sound of their voices wafted across the lake. 他们的声音飘过湖面传到了另一边。
    • A delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafted across the garden. 花园中飘过一股刚出炉面包的香味。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    12 ordained [ɔ:ˈdeɪnd] 629f6c8a1f6bf34be2caf3a3959a61f1   第10级
    v.任命(某人)为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 );授予(某人)圣职;(上帝、法律等)命令;判定
    参考例句:
    • He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句
    13 afflicted [əˈfliktid] aaf4adfe86f9ab55b4275dae2a2e305a   第7级
    使受痛苦,折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
    • A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。
    14 profusion [prəˈfju:ʒn] e1JzW   第11级
    n.挥霍;丰富
    参考例句:
    • He is liberal to profusion. 他挥霍无度。
    • The leaves are falling in profusion. 落叶纷纷。
    15 crabs [kræbz] a26cc3db05581d7cfc36d59943c77523   第7级
    n.蟹( crab的名词复数 );阴虱寄生病;蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 )
    参考例句:
    • As we walked along the seashore we saw lots of tiny crabs. 我们在海岸上散步时看到很多小蟹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The fish and crabs scavenge for decaying tissue. 鱼和蟹搜寻腐烂的组织为食。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    16 cramped ['kræmpt] 287c2bb79385d19c466ec2df5b5ce970   第10级
    a.狭窄的
    参考例句:
    • The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤,但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
    • working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作
    17 moss [mɒs] X6QzA   第7级
    n.苔,藓,地衣
    参考例句:
    • Moss grows on a rock. 苔藓生在石头上。
    • He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss. 有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。
    18 bent [bent] QQ8yD   第7级
    n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的;v.(使)弯曲,屈身(bend的过去式和过去分词)
    参考例句:
    • He was fully bent upon the project. 他一心扑在这项计划上。
    • We bent over backward to help them. 我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
    19 uprooted [ʌpˈru:tid] e0d29adea5aedb3a1fcedf8605a30128   第10级
    v.把(某物)连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 );根除;赶走;把…赶出家园
    参考例句:
    • Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着,树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    20 imploring [imˈplɔ:riŋ] cb6050ff3ff45d346ac0579ea33cbfd6   第9级
    恳求的,哀求的
    参考例句:
    • Those calm, strange eyes could see her imploring face. 那平静的,没有表情的眼睛还能看得到她的乞怜求情的面容。
    • She gave him an imploring look. 她以哀求的眼神看着他。
    21 frustrate [frʌˈstreɪt] yh9xj   第7级
    vt.使失望;使沮丧;使厌烦;vi.失败;受挫
    参考例句:
    • But this didn't frustrate Einstein. He was content to go as far as he could. 但这并没有使爱因斯坦灰心,他对能够更深入地研究而感到满意。
    • They made their preparations to frustrate the conspiracy. 他们作好准备挫败这个阴谋。
    22 behold [bɪˈhəʊld] jQKy9   第10级
    vt. 看;注视;把...视为 vi. 看
    参考例句:
    • The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold. 这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
    • The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold. 海滨日出真是个奇景。
    23 blessing [ˈblesɪŋ] UxDztJ   第7级
    n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
    参考例句:
    • The blessing was said in Hebrew. 祷告用了希伯来语。
    • A double blessing has descended upon the house. 双喜临门。
    24 misery [ˈmɪzəri] G10yi   第7级
    n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦
    参考例句:
    • Business depression usually causes misery among the working class. 商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
    • He has rescued me from the mire of misery. 他把我从苦海里救了出来。
    25 woe [wəʊ] OfGyu   第7级
    n.悲哀,苦痛,不幸,困难;int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌
    参考例句:
    • Our two peoples are brothers sharing weal and woe. 我们两国人民是患难与共的兄弟。
    • A man is well or woe as he thinks himself so. 自认祸是祸,自认福是福。
    26 entreaties [enˈtri:ti:z] d56c170cf2a22c1ecef1ae585b702562   第11级
    n.恳求,乞求( entreaty的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • He began with entreaties and ended with a threat. 他先是恳求,最后是威胁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The tyrant was deaf to the entreaties of the slaves. 暴君听不到奴隶们的哀鸣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

    文章评论 共有评论 0查看全部

      会员登陆
      热门单词标签
    我的单词印象
    我的理解: