《玫瑰精灵》，1839 年
the Elf of the Rose, 1839
在一个花园中央长着一棵玫瑰树，开满了花朵，在最美丽的一朵玫瑰里住着一个小精灵。
In the midst of a garden grew a rose-tree, in full blossom, and in the prettiest of all the roses lived an elf.
他是那么小的一个小东西，人的眼睛看不见他。
he was such a little wee thing, that no human eye could see him.
在玫瑰的每一片叶子后面他都有一个睡觉的房间。
behind each leaf of the rose he had a sleeping chamber.
他长得像一个小孩子一样完美和美丽，有一对从肩膀一直垂到脚的翅膀。
he was as well formed and as beautiful as a little child could be, and had wings that reached from his shoulders to his feet.
哦，他的房间里有多么甜美的香气啊！墙壁是多么干净和美丽啊！因为它们是玫瑰那泛红的叶子。
oh, what sweet fragrance there was in his chambers! and how clean and beautiful were the walls! for they were the blushing leaves of the rose.
一整天他都在温暖的阳光下尽情享受，从一朵花飞到另一朵花上，在飞舞的蝴蝶翅膀上跳舞。
during the whole day he enjoyed himself in the warm sunshine, flew from flower to flower, and danced on the wings of the flying butterflies.
然后他突然想量一量他要在椴树叶上的那些路和十字路口走多少步。
then he took it into his head to measure how many steps he would have to go through the roads and cross-roads that are on the leaf of a linden-tree.
我们所说的树叶上的叶脉，他把它们当作路；
what we call the veins on a leaf, he took for roads;
是啊，对他来说那些路非常长；因为还没等他走完一半的路程，太阳就落山了：他开始得太晚了。天气变得非常冷，露水落了下来，风刮了起来；所以他觉得他能做的最好的事情就是回家。
y, and very long roads they were for him; for before he had half finished his task, the sun went down: he had menced his work too late. It became very cold, the dew fell, and the wind blew; so he thought the best thing he could do would be to return home.
他尽可能快地赶路；但是他发现所有的玫瑰都合上了，他进不去了；没有一朵玫瑰是开着的。
a he hurried himself as much as he could; but he found the roses all closed up, and he could not get in; not a single rose stood open.
可怜的小精灵非常害怕。他以前从来没有在晚上出去过，而总是悄悄地在温暖的玫瑰叶子后面睡觉。哦，这肯定会要了他的命。
the poor little elf was very much frightened. he had never before been out at night, but had always slumbered secretly behind the warm rose-leaves. oh, this would certainly be his death.
在花园的另一端，他知道有一个凉亭，上面爬满了美丽的金银花。
At the other end of the garden, he knew there was an arbor, overgrown with beautiful honey-suckles.
花朵看起来像巨大的彩绘号角；他心里想，他要去其中一朵花里睡到天亮。
the blossoms looked like large painted horns; and he thought to himself, he would go and sleep in one of these till the morning.
他飞到那里；但是 “嘘！” 凉亭里有两个人 —— 一个英俊的年轻人和一个美丽的女士。
he flew thither; but “hush!” two people were in the arbor, — a handsome young man and a beautiful lady.
他们并排坐着，希望永远不必分开。他们彼此相爱，爱得比最好的孩子爱自己的父母还要深。
they sat side by side, and wished that they might never be obliged to part. they loved each other much more than the best child can love its father and mother.
“但是我们必须分开。” 年轻人说，“你的哥哥不喜欢我们的婚约，所以他派我到很远的地方去办事，要翻山越海。再见了，我亲爱的新娘；因为你对我来说就是新娘。”
“but we must part,” said the young man; “your brother does not like our engagement, and therefore he sends me so far away on business, over mountains and seas. Farewell, my sweet bride; for so you are to me.”
然后他们亲吻了彼此，女孩哭了，给了他一朵玫瑰；但在她这么做之前，她热烈地在玫瑰上亲了一下，以至于花朵绽开了。然后小精灵飞了进去，把头靠在娇嫩芬芳的花瓣壁上。
And then they kissed each other, and the girl wept, and gave him a rose; but before she did so, she pressed a kiss upon it so fervently that the flower opened. then the little elf flew in, and leaned his head on the delicate, fragrant walls.
在这里他能清楚地听到他们说 “再见，再见”；
here he could plainly hear them say, “Farewell, farewell;”
他感觉到玫瑰被放在了年轻人的胸前。哦，他的心跳得好厉害！
and he felt that the rose had been placed on the young man’s breast. oh, how his heart did beat!
小精灵无法入睡，心跳声太响了。
the little elf could not go to sleep, it thumped so loudly.
年轻人独自走在黑暗的树林里时把玫瑰拿了出来，如此频繁而热烈地亲吻着花朵，以至于小精灵几乎被压扁了。
the young man took it out as he walked through the dark wood alone, and kissed the flower so often and so violently, that the little elf was almost crushed.
他能透过花瓣感受到年轻人的嘴唇是多么的炽热，玫瑰绽放了，仿佛是被正午的太阳晒热了一样。
he could feel through the leaf how hot the lips of the young man were, and the rose had opened, as if from the heat of the noonday sun.
来了另一个人，他看起来阴沉又邪恶。他是美丽少女的邪恶哥哥。
there came another man, who looked gloomy and wicked. he was the wicked brother of the beautiful maiden.
他抽出一把锋利的刀，就在另一个人亲吻玫瑰的时候，这个邪恶的人刺死了他；然后他砍下他的头，把尸体埋在椴树下松软的泥土里。
he drew out a sharp knife, and while the other was kissing the rose, the wicked man stabbed him to death; then he cut off his head, and buried it with the body in the soft earth under the linden-tree.
“现在他走了，很快就会被遗忘。” 邪恶的哥哥想，“他再也不会回来了。他要去翻山越海进行一次长途旅行；一个人在这样的旅途中很容易丢掉性命。我妹妹会以为他死了；因为他回不来了，她也不敢向我问起他。”
“Now he is gone, and will soon be forgotten,” thought the wicked brother; “he will never e back again. he was going on a long journey over mountains and seas; it is easy for a man to lose his life in such a journey. my sister will suppose he is dead; for he cannot e back, and she will not dare to question me about him.”
然后他用脚把干树叶撒在薄薄的泥土上，在黑暗中回了家；
then he scattered the dry leaves over the light earth with his foot, and went home through the darkness;
但他并不是一个人，正如他所想的那样 —— 小精灵跟着他。他坐在一片干枯的卷起的椴树叶里，这片树叶是在这个邪恶的人挖坟墓的时候从树上掉到他头上的。现在帽子戴在头上，里面非常黑，小精灵对这邪恶的行为既害怕又愤怒，浑身发抖。
but he went not alone, as he thought, — the little elf acpanied him. he sat in a dry rolled-up linden-leaf, which had fallen from the tree on to the wicked man’s head, as he was digging the grave. the hat was on the head now, which made it very dark, and the little elf shuddered with fright and indignation at the wicked deed.
天刚破晓，邪恶的人就到家了；他摘下帽子，走进妹妹的房间。
It was the dawn of morning before the wicked man reached home; he took off his hat, and went into his sister’s room.
美丽、容光焕发的女孩躺在那里，梦着她深爱的人，而她现在以为他正在翻山越海远行。
there lay the beautiful, blooming girl, dreaming of him whom she loved so, and who was now, she supposed, travelling far away over mountain and sea.
她邪恶的哥哥站在她身旁，发出只有恶魔才会发出的可怕的笑声。
her wicked brother stopped over her, and laughed hideously, as fiends only can laugh.
干枯的树叶从他的头发上落到床单上；但他没有注意到，在清晨时分去小睡了一会儿。
the dry leaf fell out of his hair upon the counterpane; but he did not notice it, and went to get a little sleep during the early morning hours.
但是小精灵从干枯的树叶里溜了出来，来到睡着的女孩耳边，像在梦中一样告诉她那可怕的谋杀；描述了她哥哥杀害她爱人并埋葬他尸体的地方；还告诉她附近有一棵开满花的椴树。
but the elf slipped out of the withered leaf, placed himself by the ear of the sleeping girl, and told her, as in a dream, of the horrid murder; described the place where her brother had slain her lover, and buried his body; and told her of the linden-tree, in full blossom, that stood close by.
“为了让你不认为这只是我告诉你的一个梦，” 他说，“你会在床上发现一片干枯的树叶。”
“that you may not think this is only a dream that I have told you,” he said, “you will find on your bed a withered leaf.”
然后她醒了，发现树叶在那里。哦，她流了多少痛苦的眼泪啊！她无法向任何人敞开心扉以寻求慰藉。
then she awoke, and found it there. oh, what bitter tears she shed! and she could not open her heart to any one for relief.
窗户一整天都开着，小精灵本可以很容易地到达玫瑰那里，或者任何一朵花那里；但他不忍心离开这个如此痛苦的人。
the window stood open the whole day, and the little elf could easily have reached the roses, or any of the flowers; but he could not find it in his heart to leave one so afflicted.
窗户边放着一盆月月开的玫瑰。他坐在一朵花里，凝视着这个可怜的女孩。
In the window stood a bush bearing monthly roses. he seated himself in one of the flowers, and gazed on the poor girl.
她的哥哥经常走进房间，尽管他行为卑劣，但却显得很愉快；所以她不敢对他吐露一句心中的悲痛。
her brother often came into the room, and would be quite cheerful, in spite of his base conduct; so she dare not say a word to him of her heart’s grief.
天一黑，她就溜出房子，走进树林，来到那棵椴树所在的地方；她把泥土上的树叶拨开，把土翻起来，在那里找到了被谋杀的人。
As soon as night came on, she slipped out of the house, and went into the wood, to the spot where the linden-tree stood; and after removing the leaves from the earth, she turned it up, and there found him who had been murdered.
哦，她哭泣着祈祷自己也能死去！她很想把尸体带回家；但那是不可能的；
oh, how she wept and prayed that she also might die! Gladly would she have taken the body home with her; but that was impossible;
于是她拿起那可怜的闭着眼睛的头颅，亲吻那冰冷的嘴唇，抖落那美丽头发上的泥土。
so she took up the poor head with the closed eyes, kissed the cold lips, and shook the mould out of the beautiful hair.
“我要留着这个。” 她说；她一用泥土和树叶把尸体重新盖好，就拿起头颅和一小枝在他被埋葬的地方附近的树林里盛开的茉莉花，带着它们回家了。
“I will keep this,” said she; and as soon as she had covered the body again with the earth and leaves, she took the head and a little sprig of jasmine that bloomed in the wood, near the spot where he was buried, and carried them home with her.
“再见，再见。” 小精灵低声说。他再也无法忍受目睹这一切痛苦的悲伤，于是他飞回花园里自己的玫瑰那里。但玫瑰已经凋谢了；只有几片干枯的叶子还挂在它后面的绿篱上。
“Farewell, farewell,” whispered the little elf. he could not any longer endure to witness all this agony of grief, he therefore flew away to his own rose in the garden. but the rose was faded; only a few dry leaves still clung to the green hedge behind it.
“唉！美好的一切消逝得多么快呀。” 小精灵叹息道。
“Alas! how soon all that is good and beautiful passes away,” sighed the elf.
过了一会儿，他找到了另一朵玫瑰，这成了他的家，因为在它娇嫩芬芳的叶子中间，他可以安全地居住。
After a while he found another rose, which became his home, for among its delicate fragrant leaves he could dwell in safety.
每天早晨他都飞到那个可怜女孩的窗前，总是发现她在花盆边哭泣。
Every morning he flew to the window of the poor girl, and always found her weeping by the flower pot.
苦涩的泪水落在茉莉花枝上，随着她一天比一天苍白，花枝看起来却一天比一天更绿更鲜嫩。
the bitter tears fell upon the jasmine twig, and each day, as she became paler and paler, the sprig appeared to grow greener and fresher.
一个又一个新芽冒了出来，白色的小花苞绽放了，可怜的女孩深情地亲吻着它们。
one shoot after another sprouted forth, and little white buds blossomed, which the poor girl fondly kissed.
但是她邪恶的哥哥责骂了她，问她是不是疯了。他不明白她为什么对着那个花盆哭泣，这让他很恼火。
but her wicked brother scolded her, and asked her if she was going mad. he could not imagine why she was weeping over that flower-pot, and it annoyed him.
他不知道那里埋着谁的闭着的眼睛，也不知道在泥土下正在消逝的是谁的红唇。
he did not know whose closed eyes were there, nor what red lips were fading beneath the earth.
有一天，她坐着，头靠在花盆上，玫瑰小精灵发现她睡着了。然后他坐在她的耳边，给她讲那个在凉亭里的夜晚，讲玫瑰的甜美香气，讲小精灵的爱情。
And one day she sat and leaned her head against the flower-pot, and the little elf of the rose found her asleep. then he seated himself by her ear, talked to her of that evening in the arbor, of the sweet perfume of the rose, and the loves of the elves. S
她做着甜美的梦，在梦中，她的生命平静而温柔地消逝了，她的灵魂在天堂与她所爱的人在一起。
weetly she dreamed, and while she dreamt, her life passed away calmly and gently, and her spirit was with him whom she loved, in heaven.
茉莉花张开了它白色的大铃铛，散发着甜美的香气；它没有别的方式来表达对死者的悲痛。
And the jasmine opened its large white bells, and spread forth its sweet fragrance; it had no other way of showing its grief for the dead.
但是那个邪恶的哥哥把这美丽盛开的植物当作是他自己的财产，是他妹妹留给他的，他把它放在自己的卧室里，紧挨着他的床，因为它看起来非常可爱，香气甜美宜人。
but the wicked brother considered the beautiful blooming plant as his own property, left to him by his sister, and he placed it in his sleeping room, close by his bed, for it was very lovely in appearance, and the fragrance sweet and delightful.
玫瑰小精灵跟随着它，从一朵花飞到另一朵花，给住在每一朵花里的小精灵讲述那个被谋杀的年轻人的故事，他的头颅现在成了他们下面泥土的一部分，还有那个邪恶的哥哥和可怜的妹妹的故事。
the little elf of the rose followed it, and flew from flower to flower, telling each little spirit that dwelt in them the story of the murdered young man, whose head now formed part of the earth beneath them, and of the wicked brother and the poor sister.
“我们知道，” 花朵里的每一个小精灵都说，“我们知道，因为我们不是从被谋杀者的眼睛和嘴唇里长出来的吗。我们知道，我们知道。” 花朵们奇怪地频频点头。
“we know it,” said each little spirit in the flowers, “we know it, for have we not sprung from the eyes and lips of the murdered one. we know it, we know it,” and the flowers nodded with their heads in a peculiar manner.
玫瑰小精灵不明白它们怎么能在这件事情上如此平静，于是它飞到正在采蜜的蜜蜂那里，把那个邪恶的哥哥的事情告诉了它们。蜜蜂们又告诉了它们的蜂后，蜂后命令第二天早晨它们去杀死那个凶手。
the elf of the rose could not understand how they could rest so quietly in the matter, so he flew to the bees, who were gathering honey, and told them of the wicked brother. And the bees told it to their queen, who manded that the next morning they should go and kill the murderer.
但是就在妹妹死后的第一个晚上，当哥哥在床上睡觉时，紧挨着他放置那株芳香茉莉花的地方，每一个花杯都张开了，花朵里的小精灵们悄无声息地溜了出来，拿着有毒的长矛。
but during the night, the first after the sister’s death, while the brother was sleeping in his bed, close to where he had placed the fragrant jasmine, every flower cup opened, and invisibly the little spirits stole out, armed with poisonous spears.
他们来到睡觉的人的耳边，给他带来可怕的梦境，然后飞到他的嘴唇上，用他们有毒的长矛刺他的舌头。“现在我们为死者报了仇。” 他们说着，飞回茉莉花的白色铃铛里。
they placed themselves by the ear of the sleeper, told him dreadful dreams and then flew across his lips, and pricked his tongue with their poisoned spears. “Now have we revenged the dead,” said they, and flew back into the white bells of the jasmine flowers.
早晨来临，窗户一打开，玫瑰小精灵和蜂后以及整个蜂群冲进去要杀死他。但是他已经死了。
when the morning came, and as soon as the window was opened, the rose elf, with the queen bee, and the whole swarm of bees, rushed in to kill him. but he was already dead.
人们围站在床边，都说茉莉花的香气把他给熏死了。这时玫瑰小精灵明白了花朵们的复仇，把这件事解释给蜂后听，于是她和整个蜂群在花盆周围嗡嗡叫着。蜜蜂们无法被赶走。
people were standing round the bed, and saying that the scent of the jasmine had killed him. then the elf of the rose understood the revenge of the flowers, and explained it to the queen bee, and she, with the whole swarm, buzzed about the flower-pot. the bees could not be driven away.
然后一个人把花盆拿起来要把它移走，一只蜜蜂蜇了他的手，于是他让花盆掉了下来，花盆摔得粉碎。
then a man took it up to remove it, and one of the bees stung him in the hand, so that he let the flower-pot fall, and it was broken to pieces.
这时每个人都看到了变白的头骨，他们知道床上的死人是个凶手。
then every one saw the whitened skull, and they knew the dead man in the bed was a murderer.
蜂后在空中嗡嗡叫着，歌唱着花朵的复仇，歌唱着玫瑰小精灵，还说在最小的一片叶子后面住着一个能发现邪恶行为并加以惩罚的人。
And the queen bee hummed in the air, and sang of the revenge of the flowers, and of the elf of the rose and said that behind the smallest leaf dwells one, who can discover evil deeds, and punish them also.