安徒生童话故事英语阅读
小学英语安徒生童话系列(一)母亲的故事阅读素材
母亲的故事A mother sat there with her little child.She was sodowncast，s o afraid that it should die！It was sopale，the small eyes had c losed themselves，and itdrew its breath so softly，now and then，with adeep respiration，as if it sighed；and the motherlooked still more sorrowfully on the little creature.then a knocking was heard at the door，and in camea poor old man wrapped up as in a large horse-cloth，for it warms one，andhe needed it，as itwas the cold winter season！Everything out-ofdoo rs was covered with ice and snow，and the wind blew so that it c ut the face.As the old man trembled with cold，and the little child slepta moment，the mother went andpoured some ale into a pot and set i t on the stove，that it might be warm for him；the oldman sat a nd rocked the cradle，and the mother sat down on a chair close by him，and lookedat her little sick child that drew its breath so deep，and raised its little hand."Do you not think that I shall save him？"said she. "Our Lord will not take him from me！"And the old man——it was Death himself——he nodded so strangely ，it could just as wellsignify yes as no.And the mother looked d own in her lap，and the tears ran down over hercheeks；her head became so heavy——she had not closed her eyes for three days and n ights；and now she slept，but only for a minute，when she started up an d trembled with cold."What is that？"said she，and looked on all sides；but the old man was gone，and her littlechild was gone——he had taken it with him；and theold clock in the corner burred，andburred，the GREat leaden weigh t ran down to the floor，bump！and then the clock alsostood still.But the poor mother ran out of the house and cried aloud for h er child.Out there，in the midst of the snow，there sat a woman in lo ng，black clothes；and shesaid，"Death has been in thy chamber，and I saw him hasten away with th y little child；hegoes faster than the wind，and he never brings back what he takes！""Oh，only tell me which way he went！"said the mother. "Tell me the way，and I shall findhim！""I know it！"said the woman in the black clothes. "But before I tell it，thou must first sing forme all the songs t hou hast sung for thy child！I am fond of them.I have heard the m before；Iam Night；I saw thy tears whilst thou sang'st them！""I will sing them all，all！"said the mother. "But do not stop me now——I may overtake him——I may find my chil d！"But Night stood still and mute.then the mother wrung her hands ，sang and wept，and therewere many songs，but yet many more tea rs；and then Night said，"Go to the right，into thedark pine forest；thither I saw Death t ake his way with thy little child！"the roads crossed each other in the depths of the forest，and she no longer knew whither sheshould go！then there stood a thorn-b ush；there was neither leaf nor flower on it，it wasalso in the cold winter season，and ice-flakes hung on the branches."Hast thou not seen Death go past with my little child？"said the mother."Yes，"said the thorn-bush；"but I will not tell thee which way he took，unless thou wilt fir stwarm me up at thy heart.I am freezing to death；I shall become a lump of ice！"And she pressed the thorn-bush to her breast，so firmly，thatit might be thoroughlywarmed，and the thorns went right into her fl esh，and her blood flowed in large drops，butthe thornbush shot fo rth fresh GREen leaves，and there came flowers on it in the cold winternight，the heart of the afflicted mother was so warm；and th e thorn-bush told her the wayshe should go.She then came to a large lake，where there was neither ship no r boat.The lake was not frozensufficiently to bear her；neither wa s it open，nor low enough that she could wade through it；and across it she must go if she would find her child！Then she lay down to drink up the lake，and that was an impossibility for a human being，but the afflicted mother thought that amiracle might happen nevertheless."Oh，what would I not give to come to my child！"said the weeping mother；and she weptstill more，and her eyes s unk down in the depths of the waters，and became two preciouspearls ；but the water bore her up，as if she sat in a swing，and sh e flew in the rockingwaves to the shore on the opposite side，wher e there stood a mile-broad，strange house，one knew not if it were a mountain with forests and caverns，or i f it were built up；but thepoor mother could not see it；she had wept her eyes out."Where shall I find Death，who took away my little child？"said she."He has not come here yet！"said the old grave woman，who was appointed to look afterDeath'sGREat greenhouse！"How have you been able to find the way hither？And who hashelped you？""OUR LORD has helped me，"said she. "He is merciful，and you will also be so！Where shall Ifind my l ittle child？""Nay，I know not，"said the woman，"and you cannot see！Many flowers and trees havewithered this night ；Death will soon come and plant them over again！You certainly k now thatevery person has his or her life's tree or flower，just as everyone happens to be settled；they look like other plants，but they have pulsations of the heart. Children's hearts can alsobeat；go after yours，perhaps you may k now your child's；but what will you give me if I tellyou what you shall do more？""I have nothing to give，"said the afflicted mother，"but I will go to the world's end for you！""Nay， I have nothing to do there！" said the woman. "But you can give me your long black hair； you know yourself that it is fine， and that I like！ You shall have my white hair instead， and that's always something！""Do you demand nothing else？" said she. "That I will gladly give you！" And she gave her her fine black hair， and got the old woman's snow-white hair instead.So they went into Death's GREat greenhouse， where flowers and trees grew strangely into one another. There stood fine hyacinths under glass bells， and there stood strong-stemmed peonies； there grew water plants， some so fresh， others half sick， the water-snakes lay down on them， and black crabs pinched their stalks. There stood beautiful palm-trees， oaks， and plantains； there stood parsley and flowering thyme： every tree and every flower had its name； each of them was a human life，the human frame still lived——one in China，and another in Greenland——round about in the world. There were large trees in small pots， sothat they stood so stunted in growth， and ready to burst the pots； in other places，there was a little dull flower in rich mould， with moss round about it， and it was so petted and nursed. But the distressed mother bent down over all the smallest plants， and heard within them how the human heart beat； and amongst millions she knew her child's."there it is！" cried she， and stretched her hands out over a little blue crocus，that hung quite sickly on one side."Don't touch the flower！" said the old woman. "But place yourself here， and when Death comes——I expect him every moment——do not let him pluck the flower up， but threaten him that you will do the same with the others. Then he will be afraid！ He is responsible for them to OUR LORD， and no one dares to pluck them up before HE gives leave."All at once an icy cold rushed through the GREat hall， and the blind mother could feel that it was Death that came."How hast thou been able to find thy way hither？" he asked. "How couldst thou come quicker than I？""I am a mother，" said she.And Death stretched out his long hand towards the fine little flower， but she held her hands fast around his， so tight， and yet afraid that she should touch one of the leaves. Then Death blew on her hands， and she felt that it was colder than the cold wind， and her hands fell down powerless."Thou canst not do anything against me！" said Death."But OUR LORD can！" said she."I only do His bidding！" said Death. "I am His gardener， I take all His flowers and trees， and plant them out in the GREat garden of Paradise， in the unknown land；but how they grow there， and how it is there I dare not tell thee.""Give me back my child！" said the mother， and she wept and prayed. At once she seized hold of two beautiful flowers close by， with each hand， and cried out to Death， "I will tear all thy flowers off， for I am in despair.""Touch them not！" said Death. "Thou say'st that thou art so unhappy， and now thou wilt make another mother equally unhappy.""Another mother！" said the poor woman， and directly let go her hold of both the flowers."there， thou hast thine eyes，" said Death； "I fished them up from the lake，they shone so bright； I knew not they were thine. Take them again， they are now brighter than before； now look down into the deep well close by； I shall tell thee the names of the two flowers thou wouldst have torn up， and thou wilt see their whole future life——their whole human existence： and see what thou wast about to disturb and destroy."And she looked down into the well； and it was a happiness to see how the one became a blessing to the world， to see how much happiness and joy were felt everywhere. And she saw the other's life， and it was sorrow and distress， horror， and wretchedness."Both of them are God's will！" said Death."Which of them is Misfortune's flower and which is that of Happiness？" asked she."That I will not tell thee，" said Death； "but this thou shalt know from me，that the one flower was thy own child！ it was thy child's fate thou saw'st——thy own child's future life！"then the mother screamed with terror， "Which of them was my child？ Tell it me！ Save the innocent！ Save my child from all that misery！ Rather take it away！Take it into God's kingdom！ Forget my tears， forget my prayers， and all that I have done！""I do not understand thee！" said Death. "Wilt thou have thy child again， or shall I go with it there， where thou dost not know！"then the mother wrung her hands， fell on her knees， and prayed to our Lord："Oh， hear me not when I pray against Thy will， which is the best！ hear me not！hear me not！"And she bowed her head down in her lap， and Death took her child and went with it into the unknown land.。
小学英语安徒生童话系列一欢乐家庭theHAPPYFAMILY阅读素材2
欢乐家庭the HAPPY FAMILYReally，the largest GREen leaf in this country is adockleaf；if one holds it before one，it is like awhole apron，and if one h olds it over one's head inrainy weather，it is almost as good as an umbrella，for it is so immensely large. The burdock nevergrows alone，but whe re there grows one therealways grow several：it is a great delight ，and allthis delightfulness is snails' food. The great whitesnails which persons of quality in former times madefricassees of，ate，an d said，"Hem，hem！howdelicious！" for they thought it tasted so delicate——lived on dockleaves，and thereforeburdock seeds were sown.Now，there was an old manor-house，where they no longer ate sn ails，they were quiteextinct；but the burdocks were not extinct，t hey GREw and grew all over the walks and allthe beds；they could not get the mastery over them——it was a whole forest of burdocks.H ere and there stood an apple and a plum-tree，or else one never w ould have thought that itwas a garden；all was burdocks，and there lived the two last venerable old snails.they themselves knew not how old they were，but they could reme mber very well that therehad been many more；that they were of a family from foreign lands，and that for them andtheirs the whole fo rest was planted. They had never been outside it，but they knew th at therewas still something more in the world，which was called the manor-house，and that there theywere boiled，and then they became black，and were then placed on a silver dish；but whathappened f urther they knew not；or，in fact，what it was to be boiled，a nd to lie on a silverdish，they could not possibly imagine；but i t was said to be delightful，and particularlygenteel. Neither the chafers，the toads，nor the earth-worms，whom they asked about itcou ld give them any information——none of them had been boiled or laid on a silver dish.the old white snails were the first persons of distinction in th e world，that they knew；theforest was planted for their sake，an d the manor-house was there that they might be boiledand laid on a silver dish.Now they lived a very lonely and happy life；and as they had no children themselves，they hadadopted a little common snail，which they brought up as their own；but the little one wouldnot grow，for he was of a common family；but the old ones，especially Dam e Mother Snail，thought they could observe how he increased in size，and she begged father，if he could notsee it，that he would at least feel the little snail's shell；and then he felt it，and found thegood dam e was right.One day there was a heavy storm of rain."Hear how it beats like a drum on the dock-leaves！" said Father Snail."there are also rain-drops！" said Mother Snail. "And now the rain pours right down the stalk！You will see that it will be wet here！I am very happy to think that we have our good house，and the little one has his also！There is more done for us than for all other creatures，sureenough；but can you not see that we are folks of quality in the world？We are provided witha house fro m our birth，and the burdock forest is planted for our sakes！I should like to knowhow far it extends，and what there is outside！""there is nothing at all，" said Father Snail. "No place can be better than ours，and I havenothing to wish for！""Yes，" said the dame. "I would willingly go to the manorhouse，be boiled，and laid on a silver dish；all our forefathers have been treated so；there is so mething extraordinary in it，you may be sure！""the manor-house has most likely fallen to ruin！" said Father Snail."Or the burdocks havegrown up over it，so that they cannot come ou t. There need not，however，be any hasteabout that；but you are always in such a tremendous hurry，and the little one is beginning tobe the same. Has he not been creeping up that stalk these three days？It gives me a headachewhen I look up to him！""You must not scold him，" said Mother Snail. "He creeps so carefully；he will afford us muchpleasure——and we ha ve nothing but him to live for！But have you not thought of it？Whereshall we get a wife for him？Do you not think that there a re some of our species at a GREatdistance in the interior of the b urdock forest？""Black snails，I dare say，there are enough of，" said the old one."Black snails without ahouse——but they are so common，and so conce ited. But we might give the ants acommission to look out for us；they run to and fro as if they had something to do，andthey certa inly know of a wife for our little snail！""I know one，sure enough——the most charming one！" said one of the ants."But I am afraidwe shall hardly succeed，for she is a queen！""That is nothing！" said the old folks. "Has she a house？""She has a palace！" said the ant. "The finest ant's palace，with seven hundred passages！""I thank you！" said Mother Snail. "Our son shall not go into an ant-hill；if you know nothingbetter than that，we shall give the commission to the white gnats. They f ly far and wide，inrain and sunshine；they know the whole forest here，both within and without.""We have a wife for him，" said the gnats. "At a hundred human paces from here there sits alittle snail in her house，on a gooseberry bush；she is quite lonely，and old enoug h to bemarried. It is only a hundred human paces！""Well，then，let her come to him！" said the old ones. "He has a whole forest of burdocks，she has only a bush！"And so they went and fetched little Miss Snail. It was a whole week before she arrived；buttherein was just the very best of it ，for one could thus see that she was of the same species.And then the marriage was celebrated. Six earth-worms shone as we ll as they could. In otherrespects the whole went off very quietly，for the old folks could not bear noise andmerriment；but old Dame Snail made a brilliant speech. Father Snail could not speak，he w astoo much affected；and so they gave them as a dowry and inherita nce，the whole forest ofburdocks，and said——what they had always said——that it was the best in the world；and ifthey lived honestl y and decently，and increased and multiplied，they and their childr en wouldonce in the course of time come to the manor-house，be boi led black，and laid on silverdishes. After this speech was made，t he old ones crept into their shells，and never morecame out. They slept；the young couple governed in the forest，and had a numerous progeny，but they were never boiled，and never came on the silver dishes；so from this theyconcluded that the manor-house had fallen to ruins，and that all the men in the world wereextinct；and as no one contradicted them，so，of course it was so. And the rainbeat on thedock-leaves to make drum-music for their sake，and the sun shone in order to give theburdock forest a color for their sa kes；and they were very happy，and the whole family washappy；for they，indeed were so.。
小学英语安徒生童话系列一母亲的故事阅读素材2
母亲的故事A mother sat there with her little child. She was sodowncast，s o afraid that it should die！It was sopale，the small eyes had c losed themselves，and itdrew its breath so softly，now and then，with adeep respiration，as if it sighed；and the motherlooked still more sorrowfully on the little creature.then a knocking was heard at the door，and in camea poor old man wrapped up as in a large horse-cloth，for it warms one，and he needed it，as itwas the cold winter season！Everything out-ofdoo rs was covered with ice and snow，and the wind blew so that it c ut the face.As the old man trembled with cold，and the little child slept a moment，the mother went andpoured some ale into a pot and set i t on the stove，that it might be warm for him；the oldman sat a nd rocked the cradle，and the mother sat down on a chair close by him，and lookedat her little sick child that drew its breath so deep，and raised its little hand."Do you not think that I shall save him？" said she. "Our Lord will not take him from me！"And the old man——it was Death himself——he nodded so strangely ，it could just as wellsignify yes as no. And the mother looked d own in her lap，and the tears ran down over hercheeks；her head became so heavy——she had not closed her eyes for three days and n ights；and now she slept，but only for a minute，when she started up an d trembled with cold."What is that？" said she，and looked on all sides；but the old man was gone，and her littlechild was gone——he had taken it with him；and theold clock in the corner burred，andburred，the GREat leaden weigh t ran down to the floor，bump！and then the clock alsostood still.But the poor mother ran out of the house and cried aloud for h er child.Out there，in the midst of the snow，there sat a woman in lo ng，black clothes；and shesaid，"Death has been in thy chamber，and I saw him hasten away with th y little child；hegoes faster than the wind，and he never brings back what he takes！""Oh，only tell me which way he went！" said the mother. "Tell me the way，and I shall findhim！""I know it！" said the woman in the black clothes. "But before I tell it，thou must first sing forme all the songs t hou hast sung for thy child！I am fond of them. I have heard the m before；Iam Night；I saw thy tears whilst thou sang'st them！""I will sing them all，all！" said the mother. "But do not stop me now——I may overtake him——I may find my chil d！"But Night stood still and mute. then the mother wrung her hands ，sang and wept，and therewere many songs，but yet many more tea rs；and then Night said，"Go to the right，into thedark pine forest；thither I saw Death t ake his way with thy little child！"the roads crossed each other in the depths of the forest，and she no longer knew whither sheshould go！then there stood a thorn-b ush；there was neither leaf nor flower on it，it wasalso in the cold winter season，and ice-flakes hung on the branches."Hast thou not seen Death go past with my little child？" said the mother."Yes，" said the thorn-bush；"but I will not tell thee which way he took，unless thou wilt fir stwarm me up at thy heart. I am freezing to death；I shall become a lump of ice！"And she pressed the thorn-bush to her breast，so firmly，that it might be thoroughlywarmed，and the thorns went right into her fl esh，and her blood flowed in large drops，butthe thornbush shot fo rth fresh GREen leaves，and there came flowers on it in the cold winternight，the heart of the afflicted mother was so warm；and th e thorn-bush told her the wayshe should go.She then came to a large lake，where there was neither ship no r boat. The lake was not frozensufficiently to bear her；neither wa s it open，nor low enough that she could wade through it；and across it she must go if she would find her child！Then she lay down to drink up the lake，and that was an impossibility for a human being，but the afflicted mother thought that amiracle might happen nevertheless."Oh，what would I not give to come to my child！" said the weeping mother；and she weptstill more，and her eyes s unk down in the depths of the waters，and became two preciouspearls ；but the water bore her up，as if she sat in a swing，and sh e flew in the rockingwaves to the shore on the opposite side，wher e there stood a mile-broad，strange house，one knew not if it were a mountain with forests and caverns，or i f it were built up；but thepoor mother could not see it；she had wept her eyes out."Where shall I find Death，who took away my little child？" said she."He has not come here yet！" said the old grave woman，who was appointed to look afterDeath'sGREat greenhouse！"How have you been able to find the way hither？And who hashelped you？""OUR LORD has helped me，" said she. "He is merciful，and you will also be so！Where shall Ifind my l ittle child？""Nay，I know not，" said the woman，"and you cannot see！Many flowers and trees havewithered this night ；Death will soon come and plant them over again！You certainly k now thatevery person has his or her life's tree or flower，just as everyone happens to be settled；they look like other plants，but they have pulsations of the heart. Children's hearts can alsobeat；go after yours，perhaps you may k now your child's；but what will you give me if I tellyou what you shall do more？""I have nothing to give，" said the afflicted mother，"but I will go to the world's end for you！""Nay， I have nothing to do there！" said the woman. "But you can give me your long black hair； you know yourself that it is fine， and that I like！ You shall have my white hair instead， and that's always something！""Do you demand nothing else？" said she. "That I will gladly give you！" And she gave her her fine black hair， and got the old woman's snow-white hair instead.So they went into Death's GREat greenhouse， where flowers and trees grew strangely into one another. There stood fine hyacinths under glass bells， and there stood strong-stemmed peonies； there grew water plants， some so fresh， others half sick， the water-snakes lay down on them， and black crabs pinched their stalks. There stood beautiful palm-trees， oaks， and plantains； there stood parsley and flowering thyme： every tree and every flower had its name； each of them was a human life，the human frame still lived——one in China，and another in Greenland——round about in the world. There were large trees in small pots， sothat they stood so stunted in growth， and ready to burst the pots； in other places，there was a little dull flower in rich mould， with moss round about it， and it was so petted and nursed. But the distressed mother bent down over all the smallest plants， and heard within them how the human heart beat； and amongst millions she knew her child's."there it is！" cried she， and stretched her hands out over a little blue crocus，that hung quite sickly on one side."Don't touch the flower！" said the old woman. "But place yourself here， and when Death comes——I expect him every moment——do not let him pluck the flower up， but threaten him that you will do the same with the others. Then he will be afraid！ He is responsible for them to OUR LORD， and no one dares to pluck them up before HE gives leave."All at once an icy cold rushed through the GREat hall， and the blind mother could feel that it was Death that came."How hast thou been able to find thy way hither？" he asked. "How couldst thou come quicker than I？""I am a mother，" said she.And Death stretched out his long hand towards the fine little flower， but she held her hands fast around his， so tight， and yet afraid that she should touch one of the leaves. Then Death blew on her hands， and she felt that it was colder than the cold wind， and her hands fell down powerless."Thou canst not do anything against me！" said Death."But OUR LORD can！" said she."I only do His bidding！" said Death. "I am His gardener， I take all His flowers and trees， and plant them out in the GREat garden of Paradise， in the unknown land；but how they grow there， and how it is there I dare not tell thee.""Give me back my child！" said the mother， and she wept and prayed. At once she seized hold of two beautiful flowers close by， with each hand， and cried out to Death， "I will tear all thy flowers off， for I am in despair.""Touch them not！" said Death. "Thou say'st that thou art so unhappy， and now thou wilt make another mother equally unhappy.""Another mother！" said the poor woman， and directly let go her hold of both the flowers."there， thou hast thine eyes，" said Death； "I fished them up from the lake，they shone so bright； I knew not they were thine. Take them again， they are now brighter than before； now look down into the deep well close by； I shall tell thee the names of the two flowers thou wouldst have torn up， and thou wilt see their whole future life——their whole human existence： and see what thou wast about to disturb and destroy."And she looked down into the well； and it was a happiness to see how the one became a blessing to the world， to see how much happiness and joy were felt everywhere. And she saw the other's life， and it was sorrow and distress， horror， and wretchedness."Both of them are God's will！" said Death."Which of them is Misfortune's flower and which is that of Happiness？" asked she."That I will not tell thee，" said Death； "but this thou shalt know from me，that the one flower was thy own child！ it was thy child's fate thou saw'st——thy own child's future life！"then the mother screamed with terror， "Which of them was my child？ Tell it me！ Save the innocent！ Save my child from all that misery！ Rather take it away！Take it into God's kingdom！ Forget my tears， forget my prayers， and all that I have done！""I do not understand thee！" said Death. "Wilt thou have thy child again， or shall I go with it there， where thou dost not know！"then the mother wrung her hands， fell on her knees， and prayed to our Lord："Oh， hear me not when I pray against Thy will， which is the best！ hear me not！hear me not！"And she bowed her head down in her lap， and Death took her child and went with it into the unknown land.。
小学英语安徒生童话(七)TheElfoftheRose阅读
the Elf of the Roseby Hans Christian Andersen（1839）IN the midst of a garden GREw a rosetree，infull blossom，and in the prettiest of all the roseslived an elf. He was such a little wee thing，that nohuman eye could see him. Behind each leaf of t herose he had a sleeping chamber. He was as wellformed and as beaut iful as a little child could be，and had wings that reached from his shoulders to hisfeet. Oh，what sweet fragrance there was in hischambers！and how clean and beauti ful were the walls！for they were the blushing leaves ofthe rose.During the whole day he enjoyed himself in the warm sunshine，flew from flower toflower，and danced on the wings of the flying butte rflies. Then he took it into his head tomeasure how many steps he would have to go through the roads and crossroads that are onthe le af of a lindentree. What we call the veins on a leaf，he took fo r roads；ay，and verylong 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 fel l，and the wind blew；so he thought the best thing he could do would be to return home. He hurried himself as muchas he could；but he found the roses al l closed up，and he could not get in；not a single rosestood ope n. The poor little elf was very much frightened. He had never befor e been out atnight，but had always slumbered secretly behind the wa rm roseleaves. Oh，this wouldcertainly be his death. At the other e nd of the garden，he knew there was an arbor，overgrown with beautiful honeysuckles. The blossoms looked like largepainted horns；and hethought to himself，he would go and sleep in one of these till the morning. He flew thither；but “hush！”two people were in the arbor，—a handsome young man and a beautiful lady.They sat side by side，and wished that they might never be obliged to part. They loved e achother much more than the best child can love its father and moth er.“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，mysweet bride；for so you are to me.”And then they kissed each other，and the girl wept，and gave him a rose；but before shedid so，she pressed a kiss upon it so fe rvently that the flower opened. Then the little elf flewin，and lea ned his head on the delicate，fragrant walls. Here he could plainly hear them say，“Farewell，farewell；”and he felt that the rose had been placed on the young man's breast.Oh，how his heart did beat！The little elf could not go to sleep，it thumped so loudly. Theyoung man took it out as he walked through the dark wood alone，and kissed the flower sooften and so violently，that the little elf was almost c rushed. He could feel through the leafhow hot the lips of the young man were，and the rose had opened，as if from the heat of then oonday sun.there came another man，who looked gloomy and wicked. He was the w icked brother ofthe beautiful maiden. He drew out a sharp knife，an d while the other was kissing the rose，thewicked man stabbed himto death；then he cut off his head，and buried it with the body inthe soft earth under the lindentree.“Now he is gone，and will soon be forgotten，”thought the wicked brother；“he willnever e back again. He was going on a long journey over m ountains and seas；it is easyfor a man to lose his life in such a journey. My sister will suppose he is dead；for he cannote back ，and she will not dare to question me about him.”then he scattered the dry leaves over the light earth with his foot ，and went home throughthe darkness；but he went not alone，as h e thought，—the little elf acpanied him. He satin a dry rolledup lindenleaf，which had fallen from the tree on to the wicked man's head，ashe was digging the grave. The hat was on the head now，which made it very dark，and thelittle elf shuddered with fright and indignation at the wicked deed.It was the dawn of morning before the wicked man reached home；he took off his hat，and went into his sister's room. There lay the beautiful，blooming girl，dreaming of himwhom she loved so，and who was now，she sup posed，travelling far away over mountainand sea. Her wicked brother stopped over her，and laughed hideously，as fiends only canlaugh. T he dry leaf fell out of his hair upon the counterpane；but he did not notice it，andwent to get a little sleep during the early mo rning hours. But the elf slipped out of the witheredleaf，placed hi mself by the ear of the sleeping girl，and told her，as in a dr eam，of the horridmurder；described the place where her brother hadslain her lover，and buried his body；andtold her of the lindent ree，in full blossom，that stood close by.“That you may not think this is only a dream that I have told yo u，”he said，“you will findon your bed a withered leaf.”then she awoke，and found it there. Oh，what bitter tears she she d！and she could notopen her heart to any one for relief.the window stood open the whole day，and the little elf could easi ly have reached theroses，or any of the flowers；but he could not find it in his heart to leave one so afflicted. Inthe window stoo d a bush bearing monthly roses. He seated himself in one of the fl owers，andgazed on the poor girl. 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.As soon as night came on，she slipped out of the house，and went into the wood，tothe spot where the lindentree stood；and after removing the leaves from the earth，sheturned it up，and there fou nd him who had been murdered. Oh，how she wept and prayedthat she also might die！Gladly would she have taken the body home with h er；but that wasimpossible；so she took up the poor head with the closed eyes，kissed the cold lips，andshook the mould out of the beautiful hair.“I will keep this，”said she；and as soon as she had covered t he body again with the earthand leaves，she took the head and a l ittle sprig of jasmine that bloomed in the wood，nearthe spot wherehe was buried，and carried them home with her. As soon as she w as in herroom，she took the largest flowerpot she could find，and in this she placed the head of thedead man，covered it up with earth，and planted the twig of jasmine in it.“Farewell，farewell，”whispered the little elf. He could not any longer endure to witnessall this agony of grief，he therefore flew away to his own rose in the garden. But the rose wasfaded；only a few dry leaves still clung to the GREen hedge behind it.“Alas！how soon all that is good and beautiful passes away，”sig hed the elf.After a while he found another rose，which became his home，for a mong its delicatefragrant leaves he could dwell in safety. Every morn ing he flew to the window of the poor girl，and always found her weeping by the flower pot. The bitter tears fe ll upon the jasmine twig，and each day，as she became paler and paler，the sprig appeared t o grow GREener andfresher. One shoot after another sprouted forth，a nd little white buds blossomed，which thepoor girl fondly kissed. Bu t her wicked brother scolded her，and asked her if she was goingma d. He could not imagine why she was weeping over that flowerpot，a nd it annoyed him. Hedid not know whose closed eyes were there，no r what red lips were fading beneath the earth.And one day she sat and leaned her head against the flowerpot，and the little elf of t he rosefound her asleep. Then he seated himself by her ear，talked to her of that evening in thearbor，of the sweet perfume of the rose，and the loves of the elves. Sweetly she dreamed，and while she dreamt，her life passed away calmly and gently，andher spirit was with himwhom she loved，in heaven. And the jasmine opened its large white bells，and spread forthits sweet fragrance；it had no other way of showing its grief for the dead. But the wickedbrother considered the beautiful blooming plant as his own prope rty，left to him by hissister，and he placed it in his sleeping room，close by his bed，for it was very lovely inappearance，and the fragrance sweet and delightful. The little elf of the rose fol lowed it，and flew from flower to flower，telling each little spirit that dwe lt in them the story of themurdered young man，whose head now form ed part of the earth beneath them，and of thewicked brother and th e poor sister.“We know it，”said each little spirit in the flowers，“we know it，for have we not sprungfrom the eyes and lips of the murdered one. We know it，we know it，”and the flowersnodded wi th their heads in a peculiar manner. The elf of the rose could not understand howthey could rest so quietly in the matter，so he fle w to the bees，who were gathering honey，and told them of the wicked brother. And the bees told it to their queen，who mandedthat the next morning they should go and kill th e murderer. But during the night，the firstafter the sister's death ，while the brother was sleeping in his bed，close to where he h adplaced the fragrant jasmine，every flower cup opened，and invisibl y the little spirits stoleout，armed with poisonous spears. They pla ced themselves by the ear of the sleeper，toldhim dreadful dreams a nd then flew across his lips，and pricked his tongue with their po isonedspears.“Now have we revenged the dead，”said they，and flew back into the white bells of thejasmine flowers. When the morning came，and as soon as the window was opened，the roseelf，with the queen bee ，and the whole swarm of bees，rushed in to kill him. But he wa salready dead. People were standing round the bed，and saying that the scent of the jasminehad killed him.then the elf of the rose understood the revenge of the flowers，an d explained it to thequeen bee，and she，with the whole swarm，b uzzed about the flowerpot. The bees couldnot be driven away. Then a man took it up to remove it，and one of the bees stung him in thehand，so that he let the flowerpot fall，and it was broken t o pieces. Then every one saw thewhitened skull，and they knew the dead man in the bed was a murderer. And the queen beehummed in the air，and sang of the revenge of the flowers，and of the elf of the rose andsaid that behind the smallest leaf dwells One，who ca n discover evil deeds，and punish themalso.。
小学英语安徒生童话系列(八)TheChildintheGrave墓中的孩子阅读素材
the Child in the Graveby Hans Christian Andersen（1859）IT was a very sad day，and every heart in thehouse felt the deepe st grief；for the youngestchild，a boy of four years old，the jo y and hope ofhis parents，was dead.Two daughters，the elderof who m was going to be confirmed，stillremained：they were both good，charming girls；but the lost child always seems the dearest；andwhen it is youngest ，and a son，it makes the trialstill more heavy.The sisters mour ned as young hearts can mourn，and were especially grievedat the si ght of their parents'sorrow.The father's heart was bowed down，bu t the mothersunk completely under the deep grief.Day and night she had attended to the sick child，nursing and carrying it in her bosom，as a part of herself.She c ould not realize the fact thatthe child was dead，and must be laid in a coffin to rest in the ground.She thought God couldnot take her darling little one from her；and when it did happen notwithst anding her hopes andher belief，and there could be no more doubt o n the subject，she said in her feverishagony，“God does not know it.He has hard-hearted ministering spirits on e arth，who doaccording to their own will，and heed not a mother's prayers.”Thus in her GREat grief shefell away from her faith in G od，and dark thoughts arose in her mind respecting death and afutur e state.She tried to believe that man was but dust，and that wit h his life all existenceended.But these doubts were no support to her，nothing on which she could rest，and shesunk into the fathoml ess depths of despair.In her darkest hours she ceased to weep，an dthought not of the young daughters who were still left to her.Thetears of her husband fell onher forehead，but she took no notice of him；her thoughts were with her dead child；herwhole existence seemed wrapped up in the remembrances of the little one and of ev eryinnocent word it had uttered.the day of the little child's funeral came.For nights previously th e mother had not slept，but in the morning twilight of this day she sunk from weariness int o a deep sleep；in themean time the coffin was carried into a dis tant room，and there nailed down，that she mightnot hear the blows of the hammer.When she awoke，and wanted to see her child，the husband，with tears，said，“We have closed the coffin；it was necessary to do so.”“When God is so hard to me，how can I expect men to be better？”she said with groansand tears.the coffin was carried to the grave，and the disconsolate mother sa t with her youngdaughters.She looked at them，but she saw them no t；for her thoughts were far away fromthe domestic hearth.She gave herself up to her grief，and it tossed her to and fro，as thes ea tosses a ship without compass or rudder.So the day of the fune ral passed away，andsimilar days followed，of dark，wearisome pain. With tearful eyes and mournful glances，thesorrowing daughters and the afflicted husband looked upon her who would not hear their words of comfort；and，indeed，what comforting words could they speak，when they werethemselves so full of grief？It seemed as if she wou ld never again know sleep，and yet itwould have been her best frie nd，one who would have strengthened her body and pouredpeace into her soul.They at last persuaded her to lie down，and then she wou ld lie as still as ifshe slept.One night，when her husband listened，as he often did，to her br eathing，he quitebelieved that she had at length found rest and rel ief in sleep.He folded his arms and prayed，and soon sunk himself into healthful sleep；therefore he did not no tice that his wife arose，threw on her clothes，and glided silently from the house，to go w here her thoughtsconstantly lingered—to the grave of her child.She passed through the garden，to a pathacross a field that led to the churchyard.No one saw her as she walked，nor did she see anyone ；for her eyes were fixed upon the one object of her wanderings.It was a lovely starlightnight in the beginning of September，and t he air was mild and still.She entered thechurchyard，and stood by the little grave，which looked like a large nosegay of fragrantflo wers.She sat down，and bent her head low over the grave，as if she could see her childthrough the earth that covered him—her litt le boy，whose smile was so vividly before her，andthe gentle expre ssion of whose eyes，even on his sick-bed，she could not forget. How full ofmeaning that glance had been，as she leaned over him，holding in hers the pale hand whichhe had no longer strength to rai se！As she had sat by his little cot，so now she sat by hisgrav e；and here she could weep freely，and her tears fell upon it.“Thou wouldst gladly go down and be with thy child，”said a voic e quite close to her，—avoice that sounded so deep and clear，that it went to her heart.She looked up，and by her side stood a man wrapped in a black cloak，with a hood closelydrawn over his face；but her keen glance could distinguish the face under the hood.It wasstern，yet awakened confidence，and the eyes beamed with youthful radiance.“Down to my child，”she repeated；and tones of despair and entre aty sounded in thewords.“Darest thou to follow me？”asked the form. “I am Death.”She bowed her head in token of assent.then suddenly it appeared as if all the stars wereshining with the radiance of the full moon o n the many-colored flowers that decked the grave.The earth that cover ed it was drawn back like a floating drapery.She sunk down，and thespectre covered her with a black cloak；night closed around her，the night of death.She sankdeeper than the spade of the sexton c ould penetrate，till the churchyard became a roof aboveher.Then the cloak was removed，and she found herself in a large hall，of wi de-spreadingdimensions，in which there was a subdued light，like twi light，reigning，and in a momenther child appeared before her，smi ling，and more beautiful than ever；with a silent cry shepressed h im to her heart.A glorious strain of music sounded—now distant，n ow near.Neverhad she listened to such tones as these；they came f rom beyond a large dark curtain whichseparated the regions of death from the land of eternity.“My sweet，darling mother，”she heard the child say.It was the well-known，belovedvoice；and kiss followed kiss，in boundless del ight.Then the child pointed to the darkcurtain.“There is nothing so beautiful on earth as it is here.Mother，do you not see themall？Oh，it is happiness indeed.”But the mother saw nothing of what the child pointed out，only the dark curtain.Shelooked with earthly eyes，and could not see as t he child saw，—he whom God has called to bewith Himself.She could hear the soun ds of music，but she heard not the words，the Word inwhich she w as to trust.“I can fly now，mother，”said the child；“I can fly with other happy children into thepresence of the Almigh ty.I would fain fly away now；but if you weep for me as you ar eweeping now，you may never see me again.And yet I would go so gladly.May I not fly away？And you will come to me soon，will you not，dear mother？”“Oh，stay，stay！”implored the mother；“only one moment more；only once more，that I may look upon thee，and kiss thee，and press thee to my heart.”then she kissed and fondled her child.Suddenly her name was called from above；whatcould it mean？her name uttered in a plaintive v oice.“Hearest thou？”said the child. “It is my father who calls thee.”And in a few moments deepsighs were heard，as of children weeping. “They are my sisters，”said the child. “Mother，surely you have not forgotten them.”And then she remembered those she left behind，and a GREat terror came over her.Shelooked around her at the dark night.Dim forms fl itted by.She seemed to recognize some ofthem，as they floated through the regions of death towards the dark curtain，where theyvanishe d.Would her husband and her daughters flit past？No；their sighs and lamentationsstill sounded from above；and she had nearly forgot ten them，for the sake of him who wasdead.“Mother，now the bells of heaven are ringing，”said the child；“mother，the sun is goingto rise.”An overpowering light streamed in upon her，the child had vanished，and she was beingborne upwards.All around her became cold；she l ifted her head，and saw that she was lyingin the churchyard，on t he grave of her child.The Lord，in a dream，had been a guide t o herfeet and a light to her spirit.She bowed her knees，and pra yed for forgiveness.She hadwished to keep back a soul from its imm ortal flight；she had forgotten her duties towards theliving who wer e left her.And when she had offered this prayer，her heart felt lighter.The sunburst forth，over her head a little bird carolled h is song，and the church-bells sounded forthe early service.Everythin g around her seemed holy，and her heart was chastened.Sheacknowledg ed the goodness of God，she acknowledged the duties she had to per form，andeagerly she returned home.She bent over her husband，who still slept；her warm，devotedkiss awakened him，and words of he artfelt love fell from the lips of both.Now she was gentleand stro ng as a wife can be；and from her lips came the words of faith：“Whatever He doethis right and best.”then her husband asked，“From whence hast thou all at once derived such strength andcomforti ng faith？”And as she kissed him and her children，she said，“It came from God，through my childin the grave.”屋子里充满哀伤，心中充满哀伤，最幼小的孩子，一个四岁的男孩，这家人唯一的儿子，父母的欢乐和希望，死掉了。
小学英语安徒生童话系列(二)theTinder_Box打火匣阅读素材
the Tinder-Box打火匣by Hans Christian Andersen（1835）A SOLDIER came marching along the high road：“Left，right—left，right.”He had his knapsack onhis back，anda sword at his side；he had been tothe wars，and was now returni ng home.As he walked on，he met a very frightful-lookingold witch in the r oad.Her under-lip hung quite downon her breast，and she stopped an d said，“Goodevening，soldier；you have a very fine sword，and a large knapsack，and you are a real soldier；so you shall h ave as much money as everyou like.”“Thank you，old witch，”said the soldier.“Do you see that large tree，”said the witch，pointing to a tre e which stood beside them.“Well，it is quite hollow inside，and you must climb to the top ，when you will see a hole，through which you can let yourself down into the tree to a GREat d epth.I will tie a rope roundyour body，so that I can pull you u p again when you call out to me.”“But what am I to do，down there in the tree？”asked the soldi er.“Get money，”she replied；“for you must know that when you reach the ground under thetree，you will find yourself in a large hall，lighted up by three hundre d lamps；you will thensee three doors，which can be easily opened ，for the keys are in all the locks.On entering thefirst of thechambers，to which these doors lead，you will see a large chest ，standing in themiddle of the floor，and upon it a dog seated，with a pair of eyes as large as teacups.But youneed not be at all afraid of him；I will give you my blue checked apron，which you mustspread upon the floor，and then boldly seize hold of the d og，and place him upon it.You canthen open the chest，and take from it as many pence as you please，they are only copperpence；b ut if you would rather have silver money，you must go into the se cond chamber.Here you will find another dog，with eyes as big as m ill-wheels；but do not let that troubleyou.Place him upon my apron ，and then take what money you please.If，however，you likegold best，enter the third chamber，where there is another chest full of it.The dog who sitson this chest is very dreadful；his eyes are as big as a tower，but do not mind him.If he alsois place d upon my apron，he cannot hurt you，and you may take from the chest what goldyou will.”“This is not a bad story，”said the soldier；“but what am I to give you，you old witch？for，of course，you do not mean to tell me all this for nothing.”“No，”said the witch；“but I do not ask for a single penny.Only promise to bring me a nold tinder-box，which my grandmother left behind the last time she went down there.”“Very well；I promise.Now tie the rope round my body.”“Here it is，”replied the witch；“and here is my blue checked apron.”As soon as the rope was tied，the soldier climbed up the tree，a nd let himself downthrough the hollow to the ground beneath；and he re he found，as the witch had told him，alarge hall，in which many hundred lamps were all burning.Then he opened the first door. “Ah！”there sat the dog，with the eyes as large as teacups，st aring at him.“You're a pretty fellow，”said the soldier，seizing him，and pla cing him on the witch'sapron，while he filled his pockets from the chest with as many pieces as they would hold.Thenhe closed the l id，seated the dog upon it again，and walked into another chamber ，And，sure enough，there sat the dog with eyes as big as mill-wheels.“You had better not look at me in that way，”said the soldier；“you will make your eyeswater；”and then he seated him also upon the apron，and opened the chest.But when hesaw what a quantity of silver money it contained，he very quickly threw away all the c oppershe had taken，and filled his pockets and his knapsack with no thing but silver.then he went into the third room，and there the dog was really hi deous；his eyes were，truly，as big as towers，and they turned round and round in his head like wheels.“Good morning，”said the soldier，touching his cap，for he had never seen such a dog inhis life.But after looking at him more cl osely，he thought he had been civil enough，so heplaced him on th e floor，and opened the chest.Good gracious，what a quantity of gold therewas！enough to buy all the sugar-sticks of the sweet-stuff women；all the tin soldiers，whips，and rocking-horses in the world，or even the whole town itself There was，indeed，an immense quantity.So the soldier now threw away all the silver m oney he had taken，andfilled his pockets and his knapsack with gold instead；and not only his pockets and hisknapsack，but even his cap and boots，so that he could scarcely walk.He was really rich now；so he replaced the dog on the chest，clo sed the door，and calledup through the tree，“Now pull me out，you old witch.”“Have you got the tinder-box？”asked the witch.“No；I declare I quite forgot it.”So he went back and fetched the tinderbox，and thenthe witch drew him up out of the tree，and he stood again in the high road，with hispockets，his knapsack，his cap，and his boots full of gold.“What are you going to do with the tinder-box？”asked the soldier .“That is nothing to you，”replied the witch；“you have the money，now give me thetinder-box.”“I tell you what，”said the soldier，“if you don't tell me what you are going to do with it，Iwill d raw my sword and cut off your head.”“No，”said the witch.the soldier immediately cut off her head，and there she lay on the ground.Then he tied upall his money in her apron.and slung it on his back like a bundle，put the tinderbox in hispocket，and wa lked off to the nearest town.It was a very nice town，and he put up at thebest inn，and ordered a dinner of all his favorite dis hes，for now he was rich and had plenty ofmoney.the servant，who cleaned his boots，thought they certainly were a shabby pair to be wornby such a rich gentleman，for he had not ye t bought any new ones.The next day，however，he procured some good clothes and proper boots，so that our soldier soon became known asa fine gentleman，and the people visited him，and told him all the wonders that were to beseen in the town，a nd of the king's beautiful daughter，the princess.“Where can I see her？”asked the soldier.“She is not to be seen at all，”they said；“she lives in a large copper castle，surroundedby walls and towers. No one but the king himself can pass in or out，for there has been aprophecy that she will marry a common soldier，and the king cannot bear to think of such amarriage.”“I should like very much to see her，”thought the soldier；but he could not obtainpermission to do so.However，he passed a very pleasant time；went to the theatre，drovein the king's garden，and gave a GREat deal of money to the poor，which was very good ofh im；he remembered what it had been in olden times to be without a shilling.Now he wasrich，had fine clothes，and many friends，wh o all declared he was a fine fellow and a realgentleman，and all this gratified him exceedingly.But his money would not last forever ；andas he spent and gave away a great deal daily，and received none，he found himself at lastwith only two shillings left.So he was obliged to leave his elegant rooms，and live in a littlegarret under the roof，where he had to clean his own boots，and even mend them with alarge needle.None of his friends came to see him，there were too many stairs to mount up.One dark evening，he had not even a penny to buy a candle；then all at once he rememberedt hat there was a piece of candle stuck in the tinder-box，which he had brought from the oldtree，into which the witch had helped him.He found the tinder-box，but no sooner had he struck a few sparks from the flint andsteel，than the door flew open and the dog wit h eyes as big as teacups，whom he had seenwhile down in the tree ，stood before him，and said，“What orders，master？”“Hallo，”said the soldier；“well this is a pleasant tinderbox，if it brings me all I wish f or.”“Bring me some money，”said he to the dog.He was gone in a moment，and presently returned，carrying a large bag of coppers in hismonth.the soldier very soon discovered after this the value of the tinder-box.If he struck theflint once，the dog who sat on the chest of copper money made his appearance；if twice，the dog came from the chest of silver；and if three times，the d og with eyes like towers，whowatched over the gold.The soldier had now plenty of money；he returned to his elegantrooms，and reappea red in his fine clothes，so that his friends knew him again direct ly，andmade as much of him as before.After a while he began to think it was very strange that no one c ould get a look at theprincess.“Every one says she is very beautiful，”thought he to himself；“but what is the useof that if she is to be shut up in a copper castle surrounded by so many towers.Can I by anymeans get to seeher.Stop！where is my tinder-box？”Then he struck a light，an d in amoment the dog，with eyes as big as teacups，stood before him.“It is midnight，”said the soldier，“yet I should very much like to see the princess，if onlyfor a m oment.”the dog disappeared instantly，and before the soldier could even loo k round，he returnedwith the princess.She was lying on the dog's back asleep，and looked so lovely，that everyone who saw her would know she was a real princess.The soldier could not help kissing her，true soldier as he was.Then the dog ran back with the princess；but in the morning，while atbreakfast with the king and queen，she told them what a singular dream she had had duringthe night，ofa dog and a soldier，that she had ridden on the dog's back，and been kissedby the soldier.“That is a very pretty story，indeed，”said the queen.So the n ext night one of the oldladies of the court was set to watch by t he princess's bed，to discover whether it really was adream，or wh at else it might be.the soldier longed very much to see the princess once more，so he sent for the dog againin the night to fetch her，and to run wit h her as fast as ever he could.But the old lady put onwater boot s，and ran after him as quickly as he did，and found that he ca rried the princessinto a large house.She thought it would help her to remember the place if she made a largecross on the door witha piece of chalk.Then she went home to bed，and the dog presentlyreturned with the princess.But when he saw that a cross had been made on the door of thehouse，where the soldier lived，he took another piece of chalk and made crosses on all thedoors in the town ，so that the lady-in-waiting might not be able to find out the r ight door.Early the next morning the king and queen accompanied the lady and all the officers of thehousehold，to see where the princess had bee n.“Here it is，”said the king，when they came to the first door with a cross on it.“No，my dear husband，it must be that one，”said the queen，p ointing to a seconddoor having a cross also.“And here is one，and there is another！”they all exclaimed；fo r there were crosses on allthe doors in every direction.So they felt it would be useless to search any farther.But the qu een was a very cleverwoman；she could do a GREat deal more than m erely ride in a carriage.She took her largegold scissors，cut a p iece of silk into squares，and made a neat little bag.This bag s he filledwith buckwheat flour，and tied it round the princess's neck ；and then she cut a small hole inthe bag，so that the flour mi ght be scattered on the ground as the princess went along.During the night，the dog came again and carried the princess on his back，and ran with herto the soldier，who loved her very much，and wi shed that he had been a prince，so that hemight have her for a w ife.The dog did not observe how the flour ran out of the bag allthe wayfrom the castle wall to the soldier's house，and even up to the window，where he had climbedwith the princess.Therefore in the morning the king and queen found out where their daughterhad bee n，and the soldier was taken up and put in prison.Oh，how dark and disagreeable itwas as he sat there，and the people said to h im，“To-morrow you will be hanged.”It was notvery pleasant news，and besides，he had left the tinder-box at the inn.In the morning h ecould see through the iron grating of the little window how the pe ople were hastening out ofthe town to see him hanged；he heard the drums beating，and saw the soldiers marching.Every one ran out to look at them.and a shoemaker's boy，with a leather apron and sl ipperson，galloped by so fast，that one of his slippers flew off and struck against the wall where thesoldier sat looking through the iron grating.“Hallo，you shoemaker's boy，you need not bein such a hurry，”c ried the soldier to him.“There will be nothing to see till I come；but if youwill run to the house where I have been living，and bring me my tinder-box，you shall havefour shillings，but you must put your best foot for emost.”the shoemaker's boy liked the idea of getting the four shillings，s o he ran very fast andfetched the tinder-box，and gave it to the soldier.And now we shall see what happened.Outside the town a large gibbet had been erected，round which stood the soldiers and severa lthousands of people.The king and the queen sat on splendid thrones opposite to the judgesand the whole council.The soldier already st ood on the ladder；but as they were about toplace the rope around his neck，he said that an innocent request was often granted toapoor criminal before he suffered death.He wished very much to smok e a pipe，as it would bethe last pipe he should ever smoke in th e world.The king could not refuse this request，sothe soldier took his tinder-box，and struck fire，once，twice，thrice，—and there in amoment stood all the dogs；—the one with eyes as big as teacups，the one with eyes as large as mill-wheels，and the third，whose eyes were like towers. “Help me now，that I may not behanged，”cried the soldier.And the dogs fell upon the judges and all the councillors；seized one by the legs，andanother by the nose，and tossed them many fee t high in the air，so that they fell down andwere dashed to piece s.“I will not be touched，”said the king.But the largest dog seiz ed him，as well as thequeen，and threw them after the others.The n the soldiers and all the people were afraid，andcried，“Good soldier，you shall be our king，and you shall marry the be autiful princess.”So they placed the soldier in the king's carriage，and the three d ogs ran on in front andcried“Hurrah！”and the little boys whistl ed through their fingers，and the soldiers presentedarms.The princes s came out of the copper castle，and became queen，which was very pleasing to her.The wedding festivities lasted a whole week，and t he dogs sat at the table，and stared with all their eyes.公路上有一个兵在开步走——一，二！一，二！他背着一个行军袋，腰间挂着一把长剑，因为他已经参加过好几次战争，现在要回家去。
小学英语安徒生童话系列(七)theFarm_YardCockandtheWeather_Cock家养公鸡和风信公鸡阅读素材
the Farm-Yard Cock and the Weather-Cock by Hans Christian Andersen（1860）theRE were two cocks—one on the dung-hill，the other on the roof.They were both arrogant，but which of the two rendered most service？Tell usyour opinion—we' ll keep to ours just the samethough.the poultry yard was divided by some planksfrom another yard in whic h there was a dung-hill，and on the dung-hill lay and GREw a large cucumberwhich was consciou s of being a hot-bed plant.“One is born to that，”said the cucumber to itself. “Not all can be born cucumbers；theremust be other things，too.T he hens，the ducks，and all the animals in the next yard arecreat ures too.Now I have a GREat opinion of the yard cock on the plan k；he is certainly ofmuch more importance than the weather-cock who is placed so high and can't even creak，much less crow.The latter has neither hens nor chicks，and only t hinks of himself andperspires verdigris.No，the yard cock is really a cock！His step is a dance！His crowing ismusic，and wherever he goes one knows what a trumpeter is like！If he would only co me inhere！Even if he ate me up stump，stalk，and all，and I had to dissolve in his body，itwould be a happy death，”said the cucumber.In the night there was a terrible storm.The hens，chicks，and ev en the cock soughtshelter；the wind tore down the planks between th e two yards with a crash；the tiles cametumbling down，but the we ather-cock sat firm.He did not even turn round，for he couldnot；and yet he was young and freshly cast，but prudent and sedate.H e had been bornold，and did not at all resemble the birds flyingin the air—the sparrows，and the swallows；no，he despised them，these mean little piping birds，these common whistlers.He admittedthat the pigeons，large and white and shining like mother-o'-pearl，looked like a kind ofweather-cock；but they were fat and stupid，and all their thoughts and endeavours weredirec ted to filling themselves with food，and besides，they were tiresom e things to conversewith.The birds of passage had also paid the we ather-cock a visit and told him of foreigncountries，of airy caravan s and robber stories that made one's hair stand on end.All this w asnew and interesting；that is，for the first time，but afterwards ，as the weather-cock foundout，they repeated themselves and always told the same stories，and that's very tedious，and there was no one with whom one could associate，for one and a ll were stale and small-minded.“the world is no good！”he said. “Everything in it is so stupid.”the weather-cock was puffed up，and that quality would have made hi m interesting in theeyes of the cucumber if it had known it，butit had eyes only for the yard cock，who was nowin the yard with it.the wind had blown the planks，but the storm was over.“What do you think of that crowing？”said the yard cock to the hens and chickens. “It wasa little rough—it wanted elegance.”And the hens and chickens came up on the dung-hill，and the cock strutted about like alord.“Garden plant！”he said to the cucumber，and in that one word h is deep learning showeditself，and it forgot that he was pecking at her and eating it up. “A happy death！”the hens and the chickens came，for where one runs the others run too；they clucked，and chirped，and looked at the cock，and were proud that he wasof their kind.“Cock-a-doodle-doo！”he crowed，“the chickens will grow up into GREat hens at once，ifI cry it o ut in the poultry-yard of the world！”And hens and chicks clucked and chirped，and the cock announced a GREat piece ofnews.“A cock can lay an egg！And do you know what's in that egg？A basilisk.No one can standthe sight of such a thing；people know that，and now you know it too—you know what is inme，and what a champion of all cocks I am！”With that the yard cock flapped his wings，made his comb swell up ，and crowed again；and they all shuddered，the hens and the little chicks—but they we re very proud that one oftheir number was such a champion of all c ocks.They clucked and chirped till the weather-cockheard；he heardit；but he did not stir.“Everything is very stupid，”the weather-cock said to himself. “The yard cock lays noeggs，and I am too lazy to do so；if I liked，I could lay a wind-egg.But the world is notworth even a wind-egg.Everything is so stupid！I don't want to sit here any lon ger.”With that the weather-cock broke off；but he did not kill the yard cock，although the henssaid that had been his intention.And what is the moral？“Better to crow than to be puffed upand break off！”有两只公鸡，一只在垃圾堆上，一只在屋顶上，两只都很自高自大。
小学英语安徒生童话(六)LittleIda’sFlowers阅读
Little Ida's Flowers“Poor flowers are quite dead，”said little Ida，“theywere so pretty yesterday evening，and now all theleaves are ha nging down quite withered. What dothey do that for，”she asked，o f the student whosat on the sofa；she liked him very much，he co uldtell the most amusing stories，and cut out theprettiest pictures；hearts，and ladies dancing，castles with doors that opened，as well as flowers；he was a delightful student.“Why do the flowerslook so faded today？”she asked again，andpoin ted to her nosegay，which was quite withered.“Don't you know what is the matter with them？”said the student. “The flowers were at aball last night，and therefore，it is no w onder they hang their heads.”“But flowers cannot dance？”cried little Ida.“Yes indeed，they can，”replied the student. “When it grows dark，and everybody isasleep，they jump about quite merrily. They have a ball almost every night.”“Can children go to these balls？”“Yes，”said the student，“little daisies and lilies of the valley.”“Where do the beautiful flowers dance？”asked little Ida.“Ha ve you not often seen the large castle outside the gates of the town，where the kinglives in summer，and where the beautiful gard en is full of flowers？And have you not fed theswans with bread w hen they swam towards you？Well，the flowers have capital balls th ere，believe me.”“I was in the garden out there yesterday with my mother，”said I da，“but all the leaveswere off the trees，and there was not a single flower left. Where are they？I used to see somany in the summer.”“they are in the castle，”replied the student. “You must know that as soon as the king andall the court are gone into the town，the flowers run out of the garden into the castle ，andyou should see how merry they are. The two most beautiful ros es seat themselves on thethrone，and are called the king and queen ，then all the red cocksbs range themselves oneach side，and bow，these are the lordsinwaiting. After that the pretty flowers e in，and there is a grand ball. The blue violets represent little naval cadets，and dance withhyacinths and crocuses which they call young l adies. The tulips and tigerlilies are the old ladieswho sit and watc h the dancing，so that everything may be conducted with order andpr opriety.”“But，”said little Ida，“is there no one there to hurt the flowers for dancing in the kin g'scastle？”“No one knows anything about it，”said the student. “The old steward of the castle，whohas to watch there at night，sometimes es in；but he carries a GREat bunch of keys，and as soon as the flowers hear the keys rattle，they run and hid e themselves behind the longcurtains，and stand quite still，just p eeping their heads out. Then the old steward says，'Ismell flowers here，' but he cannot see them.”“Oh how capital，”said little Ida，clapping her hands. “Should I be able to see theseflowers？”“Yes，”said the student，“mind you think of it the next time you go out，no doubt youwill see them，if you peep through the window. I did so today，and I saw a long yellow lilylying stretched out on the sofa. She was a court lady.”“Can the flowers from the Botanical Gardens go to these balls？”a sked Ida. “It is such adistance！”“Oh yes，”said the student “whenever they like，for they can fl y. Have you not seen thosebeautiful red，white. and yellow butterfli es，that look like flowers？They were flowers once.They have flown off their stalks into the air，and flap their leaves as if they were little wings tomake them fly. Then，if they behave well，th ey obtain permission to fly about during theday，instead of being o bliged to sit still on their stems at home，and so in time their leavesbee real wings. It may be，however，that the flowers in th e Botanical Gardens have neverbeen to the king's palace，and，there fore，they know nothing of the merry doings at night，which take place there. I will tell you what to do，and the botan ical professor，who lives closeby here，will be so surprised. You know him very well，do you not？Well，next time you gointo his garden，you must tell one of the flowers that there is going to b e a grand ball at thecastle，then that flower will tell all the o thers，and they will fly away to the castle as soon aspossible. An d when the professor walks into his garden，there will not be a s ingle flower left.How he will wonder what has bee of them！”“But how can one flower tell another？Flowers cannot speak？”“No，certainly not，”replied the student；“but they can make signs. Have you not oftenseen that when the win d blows they nod at one another，and rustle all their GREen leaves ”“Can the professor understand the signs？”asked Ida.“Yes，to be sure he can. He went one morning into his garden，a nd saw a stinging nettlemaking signs with its leaves to a beautiful red carnation. It was saying，'You are so pretty，Ilike you very much.' But the professor did not approve of such nonsense，so he clapped hishands on the nettle to stop it. Then the leaves，which are its fingers，stung him so sharplythat he has never ventured t o touch a nettle since.”“Oh how funny！”said Ida，and she laughed.“How can anyone put such notions into a child's head？”said a ti resome lawyer，who hade to pay a visit，and sat on the sofa. He did not like the student，and would grumblewhen he saw him cuttin g out droll or amusing pictures. Sometimes it would be a man hangin gon a gibbet and holding a heart in his hand as if he had been s tealing hearts. Sometimes it wasan old witch riding through the air on a broom and carrying her husband on her nose. But thelawyer did not like such jokes，and he would say as he had just said，“How can anyone putsuch nonsense into a child's head！what absurd fancies there are！”But to little Ida， all these stories which the student told her about the flowers， seemed very droll， and she thought over them a GREat deal. The flowers did hang their heads， because they had been dancing all night， and were very tired，and most likely they were ill. Then she took them into the room where a number of toys lay on a pretty little table， and the whole of the table drawer besides wasfull of beautiful things. Her doll Sophy lay in the doll's bed asleep， and little Ida said to her，“You must really get up Sophy， and be content to lie in the drawer tonight； the poor flowers are ill， and they must lie in your bed， then perhaps they will get well again.” So she took the doll out， who looked quite cross， and said not a single word， for she was angry at being turned out of her bed. Ida placed the flowers in the doll's bed， and drew the quilt over them. Then she told them to lie quite still and be good， while she made some tea for them， so that they might be quite well and able to get up the next morning. And she drew the curtains close round the little bed， so that the sun might not shine in their eyes. During the whole evening she could not help thinking of what the student had told her. And before she went to bed herself， she was obliged to peep behind the curtains into the garden where all her mother's beautiful flowers grew， hyacinths and tulips，and many others. Then she whispered to them quite softly，“I know you are going to a ball tonight.” But the flowers appeared as if they did not understand， and not a leaf moved； still Ida felt quite sure she knew all about it. She lay awake a long time after she was in bed， thinking how pretty it must be to see all the beautiful flowers dancing in the king's garden. “I wonder if my flowers have really been there，” she said to herself， and then she fell asleep. In the night she awoke；she had been dreaming of the flowers and of the student， as well as of the tiresome lawyer who found fault with him. It was quite still in Ida's bedroom； the nightlamp burnt on the table，and her father and mother were asleep. “I wonder if my flowers are still lying in Sophy's bed，” she thought to herself；“how much I should like to know.” She raised herself a little， and glanced at the door of the room where all her flowers and playthings lay； it was partly open， and as she listened， it seemed as if some one in the room was playing the piano， but softly and more prettily than she had ever before heard it. “Now all the flower s are certainly dancing in there，” she thought，“oh how much I should like to see them，” but she did not dare move for fear of disturbing her father and mother. “If they would only e in here，” she thought； but they did not e， and the music continued to play so beautifully， and was so pretty， that she could resist no longer. She crept outof her little bed， went softly to the door and looked into the room. Oh what a splendid sight there was to be sure！ There was no nightlamp burning， but the room appeared quite light， for the moon shone through the window upon the floor， and made it almost like day. All the hyacinths and tulips stood in two long rows down the room，not a single flower remained in the window， and the flowerpots were all empty. The flowers were dancing gracefully on the floor， making turns and holding each other by their long green leaves as they swung round. At the piano sat a large yellow lily which little Ida was sure she had seen in the summer， for she remembered the student saying she was very much like Miss Lina， one of Ida's friends. They all laughed at him then， but now it seemed to little Ida as if the tall， yellow flower was really like the young lady. She had just the same manners while playing， bending her long yellow face from side to side， and nodding in time to the beautiful music. Then she saw a large purple crocus jump into the middle of the table where the playthings stood， go up to the doll's bedstead and draw back the curtains； there lay the sick flowers， but they got up directly， and nodded to the others as a sign that they wished to dance with them. The old rough doll， with the broken mouth，stood up and bowed to the pretty flowers. They did not look ill at all now， but jumped about and were very merry， yet none of them noticed little Ida. Presently it seemed as if something fell from the table. Ida looked that way， and saw a slight carnival rod jumping down among the flowers as if it belonged to them； it was，however， very smooth and neat， and a little wax doll with a broad brimmed hat on her head， like the one worn by the lawyer， sat upon it. The carnival rod hopped about among the flowers on its three red stilted feet， and stamped quite loud when it danced the Mazurka； the flowers could not perform this dance， they were too light to stamp in that manner. All at once the wax doll which rode on the carnival rod seemed to grow larger and taller， and it turned round and said to the paper flowers，“How can you put such things in a child's head？ they are all foolish fancies；” and th en the doll was exactly like the lawyer with the broad brimmed hat， and looked as yellow and as cross as he did； but the paper dolls struck him on his thin legs， and he shrunk up again and became quite a little wax doll. Thiswas very amusing， and Ida could not help laughing. The carnival rod went on dancing，and the lawyer was obliged to dance also. It was no use， he might make himself great and tall， or remain a little wax doll with a large black hat； still he must dance. Then at last the other flowers interceded for him， especially those who had lain in the doll's bed， and the carnival rod gave up his dancing. At the same moment a loud knocking was heard in the drawer， where Ida's doll Sophy lay with many other toys. Then the rough doll ran to the end of the table， laid himself flat down upon it， and began to pull the drawer out a little way.then Sophy raised himself， and looked round quite astonished，“There must be a ball here tonight，” said Sophy. “Why did not somebody tell me？”“Will you dance with me？” said the rough doll.“You are the right sort to dance with， certainly，” said she， turning her back upon him.then she seated herself on the edge of the drawer， and thought that perhaps one of the flowers would ask her to dance； but none of them came. Then she coughed，“Hem， hem， ahem；” but for all that not one came. The shabby doll now danced quite alone， and not very badly， after all. As none of the flowers seemed to notice Sophy， she let herself down from the drawer to the floor， so as to make a very GREat noise. All the flowers came round her directly， and asked if she had hurt herself， especially those who had lain in her bed. But she was not hurt at all，and Ida's flowers thanked her for the use of the nice bed， and were very kind to her. They led her into the middle of the room， where the moon shone， and danced with her， while all the other flowers formed a circle round them. Then Sophy was very happy， and said they might keep her bed； she did not mind lying in the drawer at all. But the flowers thanked her very much， and said，—“We cannot live long. Tomorrow morning we shall be quite dead； and you must tell little Ida to bury us in the garden， near to the grave of the canary；then， in the summer we shall wake up and be more beautiful tha n ever.”“No， you must not die，” said Sophy， as she kissed the flowers.then the door of the room opened， and a number of beautiful flowers danced in. Ida could not imagine where they could e from， unless they were the flowers from the king's garden. First came two lovely roses， with little golden crowns on their heads； these were the king and queen. Beautiful stocks and carnations followed， bowing to every one present. They had also music with them. Large poppies and peonies had peashells for instruments， and blew into them till they were quite red in the face. The bunches of blue hyacinths and the little white snowdrops jingled their belllike flowers， as if they were real bells. Then came many more flowers：blue violets， purple heart'sease， daisies， and lilies of the valley， and they all danced together， and kissed each other. It was very beautiful to behold.At last the flowers wished each other goodnight. Then little Ida crept back into her bed again， and dreamt of all she had seen. When she arose the next morning，she went quickly to the little table， to see if the flowers were still there. She drew aside the curtains of the little bed. There they all lay， but quite faded；much more so than the day before. Sophy was lying in the drawer where Ida had placed her； but she looked very sleepy.“Do you remember what the flowers told you to say to me？” said little Ida. But Sophy looked quite stupid， and said not a single word.“You are not kind at all，” said Ida；“and yet they all danced with you.”then she took a little paper box， on which were painted beautiful birds，and laid the dead flowers in it.“This shall be your pretty coffin，” she said；“and by and by， when my cousins e to visit me， they shall help me to bury you out in the garden； so that next summer you may grow up again more beautiful than ever.”Her cousins were two goodtempered boys， whose names were James and Adolphus. their father had given them each a bow and arrow， and they had brought them to show Ida. She told them about the poor flowers which were dead； and as soon as they obtained permission， they went with her to bury them. The two boys walked first，with their crossbows on their shoulders， and little Ida followed， carrying the pretty box containing the dead flowers. They dug a little grave in the garden. Idakissed her flowers and then laid them， with the box， in the earth. James and Adolphus then fired their crossbows over the grave， as they had neither guns nor cannons.。
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安徒生童话故事英语阅读安徒生童话故事：一年的故事It was in the latter part of January, and a heavy snowfall was driving down. It whirled through the streets and the lanes, and the outsides of the windowpanes seemed plastered with snow. It fell down in masses from the roofsof the houses. A sudden panic seized the people. They ran, they flew, and they fell into each other's arms and felt that at least for that little moment they had a foothold. The coaches and horses seemed covered with sugar frosting, and the footmen stood with their backs to the carriages, to protect their faces from the wind.The pedestrians kept in the shelter of the carriages, which could moveonly slowly through the deep snow. When the storm at last ceased, and a narrow path had been cleared near the houses, the people as they met would standstill in this path, for neither wanted to take the first step into the deep snow to let the other pass. So they would stand motionless, until by silent consent each would sacrifice one leg and, stepping aside, bury it in the snowdrift.By evening it had grown calm. The sky looked as if it had been swept and had become very lofty and transparent. The stars seemed quite new, and some of them were wonderfully blue and bright. It was freezing so hard that the snow creaked, and the upper crust of it was strong enough by morning to support the sparrows. These little birds were hopping up and down where the paths had been cleared, but they found very little to eat and were shivering with cold."Peep," said one to another. "They call this the new year, but it's much worse than the old one! We might just as well have kept the other year. I'm completely dissatisfied, and I have a right to be, too!""Yes," agreed a little shivering sparrow. "The people ran about firing off shots to celebrate the new year. And they banged pans and pots against the doors, and were quite noisy with joy because the old year was over. I was glad too, because I thought that meant we would have warm days, but nothing likethat has happened yet. Everything has frozen much harder than before! People must have made a mistake in figuring their time!""They certainly have," a third added - an old sparrow with a white topknot. "They have a thing they call a calendar, something they invented themselves,and everything has to be arranged according to that, but it doesn't work. The year really begins when the spring comes; that's the way of nature, and that's the way I reckon it.""But when will spring come?" the others wailed."It will come when the stork comes back! But his plans are very uncertain; here in town they don't know anything about them. People out in the countryare better informed. Let's fly out there and wait. At least we'll be that much closer to spring."Now, one of the sparrows who had been hopping about for a long time, chirping, without saying anything very important, spoke up. "That's all very well, but I've found some comforts here in town that I'm afraid I'd miss inthe country. In a courtyard quite near here a family of people have had thevery sensible idea of placing three or four flowerpots against the wall, with their open ends all turned inward and bottoms pointing out. In each potthey've cut a hole, big enough for me to fly in and out. My husband and I have built a nest in one of those pots, and we have raised all our young ones there."Of course, the people just did it to have the fun of watching us; otherwise they surely wouldn't have done it; and to please themselves further they put out crumbs of bread. That gives us food, and thus we are provided for. So I think my husband and I will stay here - though we're very dissatisfied, mind you. Yes, I guess we'll stay.""But we'll fly out into the country, to see if spring isn't coming," cried the others.And away they flew.Now, in the country the winter was still a little harder, and the temperature a few degrees lower, than in town. Sharp winds swept across snow-covered fields. The farmer, his hands muffled in warm mittens, sat in hissleigh with his whip on his knees and beat his arms across his chest to keep himself warm. The lean horses ran until steamy smoke seemed to rise from them. The snow creaked with the cold, and the sparrows hopped around in the ruts and shivered. "Peep! When will spring come? It's taking a very long time aboutit!""Very long," sounded a deep voice from the highest snowcoverd hill, far across the field. Perhaps it was an echo, or perhaps the words had been spokenby a strange old man who was sitting, in spite of wind and weather, on the top of a high drift of snow. He was all white, with long hair, a pale face, andbig clear eyes, dressed like a peasant in a coarse white coat of frieze."Who is that old fellow over there?" demanded the sparrows."I know who he is," said an old raven sitting on a fence rail. Now, this raven was wise enough to know that we are all like little birds in the sightof the Lord, so he wasn't above speaking to the sparrows and answering their question."Yes, I know who the old man is. He's Winter, the old man of last year. He isn't dead, as the calendar says; no, he is guardian to little Prince Spring, who is coming. Yes, Winter rules here now. Ugh! The cold makes you shiver, doesn't it, you small creatures?""Yes," replied the smallest sparrow. "Didn't I tell you? The calendar is only a stupid invention of men, and isn't arranged according to nature. They ought to leave that sort of thing to us; we're born much more sensitive than they are."So one week passed away; yes, almost two weeks went by. The forest was black, and the frozen lake still lay hard and stiff, looking like a sheet of lead. The clouds, like damp cold mists, lay brooding over the land, while the great black crows flew in long silent lines. It was as if nature were sleeping.Then a sunbeam glided over the surface of the lake, and it shone like melted tin. The snowy blanket over field and hill did not glitter quite so coldly. But still the white form of King Winter sat, his gaze fixed unswervingly toward the south. He did not notice that the snowy carpet seemed to sink very slowly into the earth itself and that here and there littlegrass-green patches were appearing. But the sparrows crowded into these patches, chirping, "Peep! Peep! Is spring coming now?""Spring!" It resounded over the field and meadow and through the dark-brown woods, where the green moss was shining on the tree trunks. And through the air, from far away in the south, the first two storks came flying swiftly, carrying on their backs two lovely children, a little boy and a little girl. They greeted the earth with a kiss, and wherever they set their little feet, tiny white flowers pushed up from beneath the snow. Then the children ran hand in hand to the old man of ice, Winter, greeted and embraced him. At that moment they and he and all the field around them were hidden in a thick, dampmist that closed down like a dark, heavy veil. Then the wind rose gradually until it was roaring and drove away the mist with its heavy blast, so that the sun shone warmly, and Winter had vanished, while the beautiful children of spring on the throne of the year."That's what I call a new year!" cried the sparrows. "Now we'll again get our rights back and make up for the hard winter!"Wherever the two children turned, bushes and trees put forth new green buds, the grass shot upward, and the cornfields turned green and became more and more lovely. And the little maiden strewed flowers all around. She carried them in her apron up before her, and it was always full of them; indeed, they seemed to grow there, for her lap was always full, however wantonly she tossed the flowers about. In her eagerness she scattered a drifting snow of blossoms over the apple trees and peach trees, so that they burst forth in full beauty before their green leaves had fully shown themselves.Then she clapped her hands, and the boy clapped his, and great flocks of birds came flying - nobody knew where they came from - and all sang, "Spring has come!"It was beautiful to behold. Many an aged grandmother came out of her doorway into the bright sunshine, gleefully gazing at the bright yellowflowers that dotted the fields just as they used to do when she was young. The world seemed young again to her, and she said, "It is a blessing to be out here today."The forest still wore its dress of brown-green buds, but the fresh and fragrant bokar was already there. There were violets in abundance; anemones and primroses sprang up; and sap and strength were in each blade of grass. That grass was a marvelous carpet, on which no one could resist sitting, sothe young spring couple sat hand in hand, and sang and smiled, and grew taller.A mild rain fell down on them from heaven, but they scarcely noticed it, for the raindrops were mingled with their own tears of happiness. The bride and bridegroom kissed each other, and at that moment all the verdure of the woods was unfolded, and when the sun rose all the forest was green.Hand in hand, the betrothed pair wandered under the fresh, hanging canopy of leaves, where the rays of the sun flickered through in lovely, ever-changing green shadows. What virgin purity, what refreshing balm there was in those delicate leaves! Clearly and quickly the brooks and streams rippled overthe colored pebbles and among the velvety green rushes. All nature seemed to cry, "There is abundance, and there shall always be abundance!" And the lark caroled and the cuckoo sang; it was beautiful spring. But the willows kept woolly gloves over their blossoms; they were desperately careful of their tender buds, and that is too bad!So the days and weeks went by, and the heat seemed to whirl down. The corn became more and more yellow as hot waves of air swirled through it. The great white water lily of the north spread its huge green leaves on the mirror surface of the lakes, and the fishes lingered in the shady spots beneath them. At the sheltered edge of the wood, where the sun beat down on the walls of the farmhouse, warming the blooming roses and the cherry trees laden with juicy black berries, which were almost hot from the fierce beams, there sat the lovely woman of summer. She it is whom we have seen as a child and as a bride.Her gaze was fixed on the rising blue-black, heavy clouds which, in wavy outlines, were piling themselves up like mountains, higher and higher. Growing like a petrified, reversed ocean, they came from three sides, swooping toward the forest, where all sounds had been silenced as if by magic. Every breath of air was stilled; every bird was mute. A grave suspense hung over all nature; and in the highways and lanes people, on foot or horseback or in carriages, hurried toward shelter.Suddenly there was a flash of light, as if the sun itself had burst forth in a blinding, burning, all-devouring flame! Then darkness again, and arolling crash of thunder! The rain poured down in sheets. Darkness and flaming light alternated; silence and deafening thunder followed one another. The young, feathery reeds on the moor whipped to and fro in long waves; the branches of the trees were hidden behind a wall of water; and still darkness and light, silence and thunder, alternated. The grass and corn were beaten down by the rain and lay as if they could never rise again.And just as suddenly the rain died away to a few gentle drops, and the sun shone again. The droplets hung from the leaves like glittering pearls, and the birds sang; the fishes leaped from the surface of the lakes, and the gnats danced. And there on the rock in the warm sunshine, strengthened by the refreshing rain, sat Summer himself - a strong man with sturdy limbs and long, dripping hair. All nature seemed renewed; everything was luxuriant and beautiful. It was summer, warm, lovely summer.A pleasant and sweet fragrance streamed up from the rich clover field, where the bees buzzed around the old ruined meeting place. The altar stone, newly washed by the rain, glittered in the sunshine, and the bramble wound its tendrils around it. Thither the queen bee led her swarm, and they busily made their wax and honey. Only Summer saw them; Summer and his lovely wife. For them the altar table was covered with the gifts of nature.The evening sky shone with more brilliant gold than any church dome can boast; and between the evening and the morning there was moonlight. It was summer.So the days and weeks went by. The flashing scythes of the reapers glittered in the cornfields, and the branches of the apple trees bent down, heavy with red and yellow fruit. The sweet-smelling hops hung in large clusters, and under the hazel bushes with their great bunches of nuts there rested a man and a woman - Summer and his quiet wife."What wealth!" she cried. "There is a blessing all around us; everything looks homelike and good. And yet - I don't know why - I find I am longing for peace and rest - I scarcely know how to express it. Already the people are plowing the fields again, always trying to gain more and more. Look there, the storks are flocking together and following a little behind the plow. They are the birds of Egypt that brought us through the air. Do you remember how we both came as children to this land of the North? We brought flowers with us, and pleasant sunshine, and new green to the woods. The wind has been rough with those trees; they're dark and brown now like the trees of the South, but they do not bear golden fruit like them.""Do you wish to see the golden fruit?" said Summer. "Then look andrejoice!"He stretched out his arms, and the leaves of the forest were splendid in red and gold, while beautiful tints spread over the woodland. The rosebush glowed scarlet; the elder branches hung down with great heavy bunches ofblack-brown berries; the wild chestnuts were ripe in their dark-green husks; and deep in the forest the violets bloomed again.But the Queen was becoming more and more silent and pale."It is growing cold," she said, "and the nights bring damp mists. I am longing for the land of my childhood."Then she watched the storks fly away, one after the other; and in longing she stretched forth her arms toward them. She looked up at the nests. Theywere empty. The long-stalked cornflower was growing in one of them; in another was a yellow mustard seed, looking as if the whole nest were there solely forits protection. And the sparrows flew up into the storks' nests, to take possession."Peep! What happened to the stork family?" one of them asked. "I suppose they can't bear it when the wind blows on them, so they've left the country. I wish them a happy journey!"Gradually the forest leaves became more and more yellow, and leaf afterleaf drifted down to earth; and the stormy winds of autumn howled; harvesttime was over. The Queen lay on the fallen yellow leaves and looked with lovelymild eyes at the glittering stars above, while her husband stood beside her. Suddenly a gust of wind whirled through the leaves, a shower of them fell again, and the Queen was gone! Only a butterfly, the last of the season, fluttered through the chilly air.The wet fogs came, the icy winds blew, and the nights became darker and longer. Now the Ruler of the year stood there with snow-white hair, but he was not aware of it. He thought it was the snowflakes that were falling from the sky.A thin layer of snow covered the green field, and then the church bells rang for the glad Christmas season."The birthday bells are ringing," said the Ruler of the year slowly. "Soon the new King and Queen will be born, and I shall go to my rest as my wife has done; my rest in the gleaming star."And in the green fir wood, where the white snow lay, there stood the Angel of Christmas, and consecrated the young trees that would adorn the feast.In a few weeks the Ruler of the year had become a very old man, white as snow. "May there be joy in the room and under the green branches," he said. "My time for rest draws nigh, and the young pair of the new year shall receive my crown and scepter.""But you are still in power," said the Angel of Christmas, "and not yet shall you be granted rest. Let the snow lie close and warm upon the young seed. Learn to endure that another receive homage while you are still the Ruler.Learn to be forgotten and yet to live. The hour of your release shall comewhen spring appears!""And when will spring come?" said Winter."It will come when the stork returns!"With white locks and snowy beard, cold, bent, and old, but still strong as the winter storm and firm as the glittering ice, old Winter sat high up on the snowdrift on the hill, his gaze fixed toward the south, just as the Winter before him had. The ice and snow creaked with the cold; the skaters skimmedover the smooth lakes; the black ravens and crows looked fine against thewhite ground; no breath of wind stirred. In that quiet air old Winter clenched his fists, and the ice was fathoms thick between land and land. Then the sparrows flew out again from town, and demanded, "Who is that old man over there?"And the raven sat on the fence rail again - perhaps a son of the other one, which amounts to the same thing - and answered them. "It is Winter, the old Ruler of last year. He isn't dead as the calendar says, but he's the guardianof spring, which is coming.""When will spring come?" asked the sparrows. "Then we'll have good times and a better year. The old one was no good at all!"Winter nodded in silent thought at the leafless black forest, whereevery tree showed the graceful form and bend of its branches; and duringthe winter night icy mists came down from the clouds, and the Ruler dreamed of his childhood and young manhood; and toward the morning dawn the whole woodwas clothed in glittering hoarfrost. That was the summer dream of winter, and soon the sun scattered the frost from the branches."When will spring come?" asked the sparrows again."Spring!" Again that word echoed back from the snow-covered hills. Now the sun shone more warmly, and the snow melted, and the birds sang, "Spring is coming!"And high through the air came the first stork, with the second closebehind him. A lovely child rode on the back of each, and they alighted in an open field and kissed the earth. Then they embraced the silent old man, and,like Moses on the mount, he disappeared, wrapped in cloudy mists. And so the story of the year was ended."That's all very well," said the sparrows. "And it's beautiful, too, butit's not according to the calendar, so it must be all wrong!"安徒生童话故事：完全是真的"It's a dreadful story!" said a hen, and she said it in a part of town, too, where it had not taken place. "It's a dreadful story to happen in a henhouse. I'm afraid to sleep alone tonight; it's a good thing there are many of us on the perch!" And then she told a story that made the feathers of the other hens stand on end and the rooster's comb fall. It's quite true!But we will begin at the beginning and tell what had happened in a henhouse at the other end of town.The sun went down, and the hens flew up. One of them was a white-feathered and short-limbed hen who laid her eggs according to the regulations and who was a respectable hen in every way. As she settled herself on the perch, she plucked herself with her beak, and a tiny feather came out."There it goes," she said. "No doubt the more I pluck, the more beautiful I will get." But she said it only in fun, for she was considered the jolliest among the hens, although, as we've said before, most respectable. Then shefell asleep.There was darkness all around, and the hens sat closely together. But the hen that sat closest to the white hen was not asleep; she had heard and had not heard, as one should do in this world, if one wishes to live in peace. But still she couldn't resist telling it to her nearest neighbor."Did you hear what was said? Well, I don't want to mention any names, but there is a hen here who intends to pluck out all her feathers just to make herself look well. If I were a rooster, I would despise her."Right above the hens lived a mother owl with a father owl and all herlittle owls. They had sharp ears in that family, and they all heard every word that their neighbor hen had said. They all rolled their eyes, and the mother owl flapped her wings and said; "Don't listen to it. But I suppose you all heard what was said. I heard it with my own ears, and one must hear a great deal before they fall off. One of the hens has so completely forgotten what isbecoming conduct to a hen that she plucks out all her feathers, while the rooster watches her.""Little pitchers have long ears," said the father owl. "Children shouldn't hear such talk.""I must tell it to the owl across the road," said the mother owl. "She is such a respectable owl!" And away flew Mamma."Hoo-whoo! Hoo-whoo!" they both hooted to the pigeons in the pigeon house across the road. "Have you heard it? Have you heard it? Hoo-whoo! There is a hen who has plucked out all her feathers just to please the rooster. She must be freezing to death; that is, if she isn't dead already. Hoo-whoo! Hoo-whoo!""Where? Where?" cooed the pigeons."In the yard across the way. I have as good as seen it myself. It is almost not a proper story to tell, but it's quite true!""True, true, every word of it," said the pigeons, and cooed down intotheir poultry yard. "There is a hen, and some say there are two hens, who have plucked out all their feathers in order to look different from the rest and to attract the attention of the rooster.""Wake up! Wake up!" crowed the rooster, and flew up on the fence. He was still half asleep, but he crowed just the same. "Three hens have died of a broken heart, all for the sake of a rooster, and they have plucked all their feathers out! It's a dreadful story, but I will not keep it to myself. Tell it everywhere!""Tell it everywhere!" shrieked the bats; and the hens clucked and the roosters crowed. "Tell it everywhere!"And so the story traveled from henhouse to henhouse until at last it was carried back to the very same place from where it had really started."There are five hens," now ran the tale, "who all have plucked out all their feathers to show which of them had lost the most weight through unhappy love for their rooster. And then they pecked at each other till they bled and all five dropped dead, to the shame and disgrace of their families, and to the great loss of their owner."And the hen who had lost the little loose feather naturally didn't recognize her own story; and as she was a respectable hen, she said, "I despise such hens, but there are many of that kind! Such stories should not be hushed up, and I'll do my best to get the story into the newspapers. Then it will be known all over the country; that will serve those hens right, andtheir families, too." And it got to the newspapers, and it was printed. And it is quite true. One little feather may grow till it becomes five hens.结束语：安徒生运用童话的形式诉说着他的爱、他对世事的洞察以及对生命的追问，他填补了全世界孩子童年的梦境，向他们传递了现实世界的真善美，以上的安徒生经典童话故事希望大家喜欢!感谢您的阅读，祝您生活愉快。