第4章 卖火柴的小女孩 The Little Match－Seller(3/3)

首发：~第4章 卖火柴的小女孩 The Little Match－Seller

火柴燃起来了，火光落在墙上的地方变得像面纱一样透明，她能看到房间里面。

it burst into a flame, and where its light fell upon the wall it became as transparent as a veil, and she could see into the room

桌上铺着雪白的桌布，上面摆着一套精美的餐具，还有一只热气腾腾的烤鹅，肚子里填满了苹果和葡萄干。

the table was covered with a snowy white table - cloth, on which stood a splendid dinner service, and a steaming roast goose, stuffed with apples and dried plums

更奇妙的是，那只鹅从盘子里跳下来，胸前插着刀叉，摇摇摆摆地穿过地板向小女孩走来。

and what was still more wonderful, the goose jumped down from the dish and waddled across the floor, with a knife and fork in its breast, to the little girl

然后火柴熄灭了，她面前只剩下又厚又湿又冷的墙。

then the match went out, and there remained nothing but the thick, damp, cold wall before her

她又点燃了一根火柴，然后发现自己坐在一棵美丽的圣诞树下。

she lighted another match, and then she found herself sitting under a beautiful christmas - tree

这棵圣诞树比她在那个富商家透过玻璃门看到的那棵更大、装饰得更漂亮。

it was larger and more beautifully decorated than the one which she had seen through the glass door at the rich merchant’s

成千上万支小蜡烛在绿色的树枝上燃烧着，彩色的画片，就像她在商店橱窗里看到的那些，俯瞰着这一切。

thousands of tapers were burning upon the green branches, and colored pictures, like those she had seen in the show - windows, looked down upon it all

小女孩向它们伸出手去，火柴又熄灭了。

the little one stretched out her hand towards them, and the match went out

圣诞树上的烛光越升越高，直到在她看来就像天上的星星。

the christmas lights rose higher and higher, till they looked to her like the stars in the sky

然后她看到一颗星星落下来，身后留下一道明亮的火光。

then she saw a star fall, leaving behind it a bright streak of fire

“有人要死了，” 小女孩想，因为她的老祖母，唯一一个曾经爱过她、现在已经去世的人，告诉过她，当一颗星星落下时，一个灵魂正在升向上帝。

“some one is dying,” thought the little girl, for her old grandmother, the only one who had ever loved her, and who was now dead, had told her that when a star falls, a soul was going up to god

她又在墙上擦了一根火柴，光照在她周围；

she again rubbed a match on the wall, and the light shone round her;

在亮光中站着她的老祖母，清晰而明亮，面容温和而慈爱。

in the brightness stood her old grandmother, clear and shining, yet mild and loving in her appearance

“奶奶，” 小女孩叫道，“啊，带我走吧；

“grandmother,” cried the little one, “o take me with you;

我知道火柴一灭您就会离开；

i know you will go away when the match burns out;

您会像温暖的火炉、烤鹅和那棵大而华丽的圣诞树一样消失。”

you will vanish like the warm stove, the roast goose, and the large, glorious christmas - tree”

于是她急忙点燃整捆火柴，因为她想让祖母留在这儿。

and she made haste to light the whole bundle of matches, for she wished to keep her grandmother there

火柴发出比正午还要明亮的光，她的祖母从来没有显得如此高大或如此美丽。

and the matches glowed with a light that was brighter than the noon - day, and her grandmother had never appeared so large or so beautiful

她把小女孩抱在怀里，她们俩在光明和欢乐中高高地飞离大地，那里既没有寒冷，也没有饥饿，也没有痛苦，因为她们和上帝在一起。

she took the little girl in her arms, and they both flew upwards in brightness and joy far above the earth, where there was neither cold nor hunger nor pain, for they were with god

清晨，可怜的小女孩躺在那里，脸色苍白，嘴角带着微笑，靠在墙上；

in the dawn of morning there lay the poor little one, with pale cheeks and smiling mouth, leaning against the wall;

她在一年的最后一个夜晚被冻死了；

she had been frozen to death on the last evening of the year;

新年的太阳升起来了，照在一具小小的尸体上！孩子仍然僵硬地坐着，已经死去，手里还握着火柴，其中一捆已经烧过了。

and the new - year’s sun rose and shone upon a little corpse! the child still sat, in the stiffness of death, holding the matches in her hand, one bundle of which was burnt

“她想暖和一下自己，” 有人说。

“she tried to warm herself,” said some

没有人想象得到她看到过多么美丽的东西，也没有人知道在新年那天她和她的祖母一起进入了怎样的荣耀之中。

no one imagined what beautiful things she had seen, nor into what glory she had entered with her grandmother, on new - year’s day