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安徒生童话英文版:The Nis and the Dame
添加时间:2014-03-03 13:53:11 浏览次数: 作者:Andersen
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  • (1868)

    YOU have all heard of the Nis, but have you ever heard of the Dame1,—the Gardener’s Dame? She had plenty of reading; knew verses by heart; aye, and could write them herself with ease; except that the rhymes, “clinchings,” as she called them, cost her a little trouble. She had gifts of writing, and gifts of speech; she could well have been priest, or, at all events, the priest’s wife.

    “The earth is beauteous in her Sunday gown,” said she, and this thought she had set in regular form and “clinching2;” set it up in a ditty, that was ever so fine and long.

    The Under-schoolmaster, Mr. Kisserup (not that it matters about his name), was a cousin of hers, and on a visit at the Gardener’s; he heard the Dame’s poem, and it did him good, he said—a world of good. “You have soul, ma’am” said he.

    “Fiddle-de-dee!” said the Gardener. “Don’t be putting such stuff in her head. Soul indeed! a wife should be a body, a plain, decent body, and watch the pot to see that the porridge is not burnt.”

    “The burnt taste I can take out of the porridge with a little charcoal,” said the Dame, “and out of you with a little kiss. One might fancy you thought of nothing but greens and potatoes; and yet you love the flowers;” and so saying, she kissed him. “Flowers are all soul!” said she.

    “Mind your porridge-pot,” said he, and went off into the garden. This was his porridge-pot, and this he minded.

    But the Under-schoolmaster sat in the Dame’s parlor3, and talked with the Dame. Her fine words, “Earth is beauteous,” he made the text of a whole sermon, after his own fashion.

    “Earth is beauteous, make it subject unto you! was said, and we became the lords. Some rule it with the mind, others with the body. This man is sent into the world like an incorporate note of admiration4! that man like a dash of hesitation5: We pause, and ask, Why is he here? One of us becomes a bishop6; another only a poor under-master; but all is for the best. Earth is beauteous, and always in her Sunday gown! That was a thought-stirring poem, ma’am full of feeling and cosmography!”

    “You have soul, Mr. Kisserup,” said the Dame, “a great deal of soul, I assure you. One gains clearness of perception by talking with you.”

    And so they went on in the same strain, as grand and, excellent as ever. But out in the kitchen there was somebody else talking; and that was the Nis, the little gray-jacketed Nis with his red cap—you know him. The Nis sat in the kitchen, playing the pot-watcher. He talked, but nobody heard him except the great black tom-cat,“Cream-thief,” as the Dame called him.

    The Nis was snarling7 at her, because she did not believe in his existence, he found: true, she had never seen him; but still, with all her reading, she ought to have known he did exist, and have shown him some little attention. She never thought, on Christmas Eve, of setting so much as a spoonful of porridge for him; though all his forefathers8 had got this, and from dames9, too, who had had no reading at all: their porridge used to be swimming with cream and butter. It made the cat’s mouth water to hear of it.

    “She calls me an idea!” said the Nis: “that’s quite beyond the reach of my ideas. In fact, she denies me. I’ve caught her saying so before, and again just now, yonder, where she sits droning to that boy-whipper, that understrapper. I say with Daddy, ‘Mind your porridge-pot.’ That she doesn’t do: so now for making it boil over.”

    And the Nis puffed10 at the fire till it burned and blazed. “Hubble—bubble—hish!” the pot boiled over.

    “And now for picking holes in Daddy’s sock,” said the Nis. “I’ll unravel11 a long piece, from toe to heel; so there’ll be something to darn when she’s not too busy poetizing, Dame poetess, please darn Daddy’s stockings.”

    The Cat sniggered and sneezed; he had caught cold somehow, though he always went in furs.

    “I’ve unlatched the larder-door,” said the Nis. “There’s clotted12 cream there as thick as gruel13. If you won’t have a lick, I will.”

    “If I am to get all the blame and beating,” said the Cat, “I’ll have my share of the cream.”

    “A sweet lick is worth a kick!” said the Nis. “But now I’ll be off to the Schoolmaster’s room, hang his braces15" target="_blank">braces14 on the looking-glass, put his socks in the water-jug, and make him believe that the punch has set his brain spinning. Last night: I sat on the woodstack by the kennel16. I dearly love to bully17 the watch-dog; so I swung my legs about in front of him. His chain was so short he could not reach them, however high he sprang: he was furious, and went on bark-barking, and I went on dingle-dangling; that was rare sport! Schoolmaster awoke, and jumped up, and looked out three times; but he couldn’t see me, though he had got barnacles on; he sleeps in his barnacles.”

    “Say mew, if Dame is coming,” said the Cat; “I am hard of bearing: I feel sick to-day.”

    “You have the licking sickness,” said the Nis; “lick away; lick the sickness away. Only be sure to wipe your beard, that the cream mayn’t hang on it. Now I’ll go for a bit of eavesdropping18.”

    And the Nis stood behind the door, and the door stood ajar. There was no one in the parlor except the Dame and the Under-master. They were talking about things which—as the Schoolmaster finely observed—ought in every household to rank far above pots and pans—the Gifts of the Soul.

    “Mr. Kisserup,” said the Dame, “I will now show you something in that line, which I have never yet shown to any living creature—least of all to a man—my smaller poems -some of which, however, are rather long. I have called them ‘clinchings by a Gentlewoman.’ I cling to those old designations.”

    “And so one ought,” said the Schoolmaster; “one ought root the German out of our language.”

    “I do my best toward it,” said the Dame. “You will never hear me speak of Butterdeig or Kleiner; no, I call them past-leaves and fatty-cakes.”

    And she took out of her drawer a writing-book, in a bright green binding19, with two blotches20 of ink on it.

    “There is much in the book that is earnest,” said she: “my mind inclines toward the sorrowful. Here now is my ‘Midnight Sigh,’ my ‘Evening Red,’ and here ‘When I was wedded21 to Klemmensen’—my husband, you know; you may pass that over, though it has thought and feeling. ‘The Housewife’s Duties’ is the best piece—sorrowful, like all the rest; I am strongest in that style. Only one single piece is jocular: it contains some lively thoughts—one must indulge in them now and then—thoughts about—don’t laugh at me—about being a poetess! It has hitherto been all between me and my drawer; and now you make the third of us, Mr. Kisserup. Poetry is my ruling passion; it haunts and worries me—it reigns22 over me. This I have expressed in my title ‘The Little Nis.’ You know the old cottage tales about the Nis, who is always playing pranks23 in the house. I have depicted24 myself as the house, and my poetical25 feelings as the Nis, the spirit that possesses me. His power and strength I have sung in ‘The Little Nis;’ but you must pledge me with hands and mouth never to reveal my secret, either to my husband or any one else. Read it aloud, so that I may hear whether you understand the composition.”

    And the Schoolmaster read, and the Dame listened, and so did the little Nis. He was eavesdropping, you know; and he came up just in time to hear the title of “The Little Nis.”

    “Ho! ho!” said he; “that’s my name! what has she been writing about me? O, I’ll give her tit for tat; chip her eggs, nip her chickens, hunt the fat off her fatted calf26: fie upon such a Dame!”

    And he listened with pursed-up lips and pricked-up ears but as he heard of the Nis’s power and glory, and his lordship over the Dame (it was poetry, you know, she meant, but the Nis took the name literally), the little fellow began smiling more and more; his eyes glistened27 with pleasure; then came lines of dignity in the corners of his mouth; he drew up his heels, and stood on his toes an inch or two higher than usual; he was delighted with what was said about the little Nis.

    “I have done her wrong! She is a Dame of soul and high breeding! She has put me into her ‘Clinchings,’ and they will be printed and read! No more cream for Master Cat: I shall let nobody touch it but myself. One drinks less than two, so that will be a saving: and that I shall carry out, and pay respect and honor to our Dame.”

    “Ah, he’s a man all over, that Nis,” said the old Cat. “Only one soft mew from the Dame, a mew about himself, and he changes his mind in a jiffy! And that Dame of ours, isn’t she sly!”

    But the Dame was not sly; it was all because the Nis was a man.

    If you cannot understand this story, ask somebody to help you; but do not ask the Nis—no, nor yet the Dame.



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    1 dame [deɪm] dvGzR0   第12级
    n.女士
    参考例句:
    • The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother. 这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
    • If you stick around, you'll have to marry that dame. 如果再逗留多一会,你就要跟那个夫人结婚。
    2 clinching [k'lɪntʃɪŋ] 81bb22827d3395de2accd60a2a3e7df2   第9级
    v.(尤指两人)互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的现在分词 );解决(争端、交易),达成(协议)
    参考例句:
    • Joe gets clinching evidence of the brains role when he dreams. 乔做梦时得到了大脑发生作用的决定性依据。 来自辞典例句
    • Clinching, wrestling, pushing, or seizing, without attempting a throw or other technique. 抱,扭摔,推或抓而没有摔或其它的技术。 来自互联网
    3 parlor ['pɑ:lə] v4MzU   第9级
    n.店铺,营业室;会客室,客厅
    参考例句:
    • She was lying on a small settee in the parlor. 她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
    • Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood? 附近有没有比萨店?
    4 admiration [ˌædməˈreɪʃn] afpyA   第8级
    n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕
    参考例句:
    • He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene. 他对风景之美赞不绝口。
    • We have a great admiration for the gold medalists. 我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。
    5 hesitation [ˌhezɪ'teɪʃn] tdsz5   第7级
    n.犹豫,踌躇
    参考例句:
    • After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last. 踌躇了半天,他终于直说了。
    • There was a certain hesitation in her manner. 她的态度有些犹豫不决。
    6 bishop [ˈbɪʃəp] AtNzd   第8级
    n.主教,(国际象棋)象
    参考例句:
    • He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all. 他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
    • Two years after his death the bishop was canonised. 主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。
    7 snarling [snɑ:lɪŋ] 1ea03906cb8fd0b67677727f3cfd3ca5   第9级
    v.(指狗)吠,嗥叫, (人)咆哮( snarl的现在分词 );咆哮着说,厉声地说
    参考例句:
    • "I didn't marry you," he said, in a snarling tone. “我没有娶你,"他咆哮着说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
    • So he got into the shoes snarling. 于是,汤姆一边大喊大叫,一边穿上了那双鞋。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
    8 forefathers ['fɔ:] EsTzkE   第9级
    n.祖先,先人;祖先,祖宗( forefather的名词复数 );列祖列宗;前人
    参考例句:
    • They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left. 它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先,大家都气得怒发冲冠。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    9 dames [deɪmz] 0bcc1f9ca96d029b7531e0fc36ae2c5c   第12级
    n.(在英国)夫人(一种封号),夫人(爵士妻子的称号)( dame的名词复数 );女人
    参考例句:
    • Dames would not comment any further. Dames将不再更多的评论。 来自互联网
    • Flowers, candy, jewelry, seemed the principal things in which the elegant dames were interested. 鲜花、糖果和珠宝看来是那些贵妇人的主要兴趣所在。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
    10 puffed [pʌft] 72b91de7f5a5b3f6bdcac0d30e24f8ca   第7级
    adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧
    参考例句:
    • He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟,狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了,便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    11 unravel [ʌnˈrævl] Ajzwo   第10级
    vt. 解开;阐明;解决;拆散 vi. 解决;散开
    参考例句:
    • He was good with his hands and could unravel a knot or untangle yarn that others wouldn't even attempt. 他的手很灵巧,其他人甚至都不敢尝试的一些难解的绳结或缠在一起的纱线,他都能解开。
    • This is the attitude that led him to unravel a mystery that long puzzled Chinese historians. 正是这种态度使他解决了长期以来使中国历史学家们大惑不解的谜。
    12 clotted ['klɒtɪd] 60ef42e97980d4b0ed8af76ca7e3f1ac   第9级
    adj.凝结的v.凝固( clot的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • scones and jam with clotted cream 夹有凝脂奶油和果酱的烤饼
    • Perspiration clotted his hair. 汗水使他的头发粘在一起。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    13 gruel [ˈgru:əl] GeuzG   第11级
    n.稀饭,粥;vt.使极度劳累,累垮
    参考例句:
    • We had gruel for the breakfast. 我们早餐吃的是粥。
    • He sat down before the fireplace to eat his gruel. 他坐到壁炉前吃稀饭。
    15 braces [b'reɪsɪz] ca4b7fc327bd02465aeaf6e4ce63bfcd   第7级
    n.吊带,背带;托架( brace的名词复数 );箍子;括弧;(儿童)牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 );撑牢;使自己站稳;振作起来
    参考例句:
    • The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃,因为支架全松了。
    • You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带,就用不着吊带了。
    16 kennel [ˈkenl] axay6   第11级
    n.狗舍,狗窝
    参考例句:
    • Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel. 猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
    • Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block. 获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。
    17 bully [ˈbʊli] bully   第8级
    n.恃强欺弱者,小流氓;vt.威胁,欺侮
    参考例句:
    • A bully is always a coward. 暴汉常是懦夫。
    • The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble. 那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
    18 eavesdropping ['i:vzˌdrɒpɪŋ] 4a826293c077353641ee3f86da957082   第10级
    n. 偷听
    参考例句:
    • We caught him eavesdropping outside the window. 我们撞见他正在窗外偷听。
    • Suddenly the kids,who had been eavesdropping,flew into the room. 突然间,一直在偷听的孩子们飞进屋来。
    19 binding ['baindiŋ] 2yEzWb   第7级
    有约束力的,有效的,应遵守的
    参考例句:
    • The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
    • Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。
    20 blotches [blɔtʃiz] 8774b940cca40b77d41e782c6a462e49   第12级
    n.(皮肤上的)红斑,疹块( blotch的名词复数 );大滴 [大片](墨水或颜色的)污渍
    参考例句:
    • His skin was covered with unsightly blotches. 他的皮肤上长满了难看的疹块。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • His face was covered in red blotches, seemingly a nasty case of acne. 他满脸红斑,像是起了很严重的粉刺。 来自辞典例句
    21 wedded [ˈwedɪd] 2e49e14ebbd413bed0222654f3595c6a   第9级
    adj.正式结婚的;渴望…的,执著于…的v.嫁,娶,(与…)结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • She's wedded to her job. 她专心致志于工作。
    • I was invited over by the newly wedded couple for a meal. 我被那对新婚夫妇请去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    22 reigns [reinz] 0158e1638fbbfb79c26a2ce8b24966d2   第7级
    n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 );君主统治时期;任期;当政期
    参考例句:
    • In these valleys night reigns. 夜色笼罩着那些山谷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    • The Queen of Britain reigns, but she does not rule or govern. 英国女王是国家元首,但不治国事。 来自辞典例句
    23 pranks [præŋks] cba7670310bdd53033e32d6c01506817   第12级
    n.玩笑,恶作剧( prank的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • Frank's errancy consisted mostly of pranks. 法兰克错在老喜欢恶作剧。 来自辞典例句
    • He always leads in pranks and capers. 他老是带头胡闹和开玩笑。 来自辞典例句
    24 depicted [diˈpiktid] f657dbe7a96d326c889c083bf5fcaf24   第7级
    描绘,描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 ); 描述
    参考例句:
    • Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
    • They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。
    25 poetical [pəʊ'etɪkl] 7c9cba40bd406e674afef9ffe64babcd   第10级
    adj.似诗人的;诗一般的;韵文的;富有诗意的
    参考例句:
    • This is a poetical picture of the landscape. 这是一幅富有诗意的风景画。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • John is making a periphrastic study in a worn-out poetical fashion. 约翰正在对陈腐的诗风做迂回冗长的研究。 来自辞典例句
    26 calf [kɑ:f] ecLye   第8级
    n.小牛,犊,幼仔,小牛皮
    参考例句:
    • The cow slinked its calf. 那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
    • The calf blared for its mother. 牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。
    27 glistened [ˈglɪsənd] 17ff939f38e2a303f5df0353cf21b300   第8级
    v.湿物闪耀,闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • Pearls of dew glistened on the grass. 草地上珠露晶莹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    • Her eyes glistened with tears. 她的眼里闪着泪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

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