fack什么意思海的女儿英文全文daughter of the sea

2021年1月19日发(作者：鉴赏)

AR out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very de
ep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach fr
om the ground beneath to the surface of the water above. There dwell the Sea King and his subjects. We must not i
magine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No, indeed; the most singular flowers an
d plants grow there; the leaves and stems of which are so pliant, that the slightest agitation of the water causes them
to stir as if they had life. Fishes, both large and small, glide between the branches, as birds fly among the trees here
upon land. In the deepest spot of all, stands the castle of the Sea King. Its walls are built of coral, and the long, got
hic windows are of the clearest amber. The roof is formed of shells, that open and close as the water flows over the
m. Their appearance is very beautiful, for in each lies a glittering pearl, which would be fit for the diadem of a
queen.



The Sea King had been a widower for many years, and his aged mother kept house for him. She was a very wise w
oman, and exceedingly proud of her high birth; on that account she wore twelve oysters on her tail; while others, als
o of high rank, were only allowed to wear six. She was, however, deserving of very great praise, especially for her c
are of the little sea- princesses, her grand-daughters. They were six beautiful children; but the youngest was the prett
iest of them all; her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea; but, like all
the others, she had no feet, and her body ended in a fish's tail. All day long they played in the great halls of the cast
le, or among the living flowers that grew out of the walls. The large amber windows were open, and the fish swam i
n, just as the swallows fly into our houses when we open the windows, excepting that the fishes swam up to the prin
cesses, ate out of their hands, and allowed themselves to be stroked. Outside the castle there was a beautiful garden,
in which grew bright red and dark blue flowers, and blossoms like flames of fire; the fruit glittered like gold, and th
e leaves and stems waved to and fro continually. The earth itself was the finest sand, but blue as the flame of burnin
g sulphur. Over everything lay a peculiar blue radiance, as if it were surrounded by the air from above, through whi
ch the blue sky shone, instead of the dark depths of the sea. In calm weather the sun could be seen, looking like a p
urple flower, with the light streaming from the calyx. Each of the young princesses had a little plot of ground in the
garden, where she might dig and plant as she pleased. One arranged her flower-bed into the form of a whale; anothe
r thought it better to make hers like the figure of a little mermaid; but that of the youngest was round like the sun, a
nd contained flowers as red as his rays at sunset. She was a strange child, quiet and thoughtful; and while her sisters
would be delighted with the wonderful things which they obtained from the wrecks of vessels, she cared for nothin
g but her pretty red flowers, like the sun, excepting a beautiful marble statue. It was the representation of a handso
me boy, carved out of pure white stone, which had fallen to the bottom of the sea from a wreck. She planted by the


statue a rose-colored weeping willow. It grew splendidly, and very soon hung its fresh branches over the statue, alm
ost down to the blue sands. The shadow had a violet tint, and waved to and fro like the branches; it seemed as if the
crown of the tree and the root were at play, and trying to kiss each other. Nothing gave her so much pleasure as to h
ear about the world above the sea. She made her old grandmother tell her all she knew of the ships and of the towns
, the people and the animals. To her it seemed most wonderful and beautiful to hear that the flowers of the land sho
uld have fragrance, and not those below the sea; that the trees of the forest should be green; and that the fishes amo
ng the trees could sing so sweetly, that it was quite a pleasure to hear them. Her grandmother called the little birds fi
shes, or she would not have understood her; for she had never seen birds.


e sea, to sit on the rocks in the moonlight, while the great ships are sailing by; and then you will see both forests an
d towns.



In the following year, one of the sisters would be fifteen: but as each was a year younger than the other, the younge
st would have to wait five years before her turn came to rise up from the bottom of the ocean, and see the earth as w
e do. However, each promised to tell the others what she saw on her first visit, and what she thought the most beaut
iful; for their grandmother could not tell them enough; there were so many things on which they wanted informatio
n. None of them longed so much for her turn to come as the youngest, she who had the longest time to wait, and wh
o was so quiet and thoughtful. Many nights she stood by the open window, looking up through the dark blue water,
and watching the fish as they splashed about with their fins and tails. She could see the moon and stars shining faint
ly; but through the water they looked larger than they do to our eyes. When something like a black cloud passed bet
ween her and them, she knew that it was either a whale swimming over her head, or a ship full of human beings, wh
o never imagined that a pretty little mermaid was standing beneath them, holding out her white hands towards the k
eel of their ship.



As soon as the eldest was fifteen, she was allowed to rise to the surface of the ocean. When she came back, she had
hundreds of things to talk about; but the most beautiful, she said, was to lie in the moonlight, on a sandbank, in the
quiet sea, near the coast, and to gaze on a large town nearby, where the lights were twinkling like hundreds of stars;
to listen to the sounds of the music, the noise of carriages, and the voices of human beings, and then to hear the me
rry bells peal out from the church steeples; and because she could not go near to all those wonderful things, she lon
ged for them more than ever. Oh, did not the youngest sister listen eagerly to all these descriptions? and afterwards,


when she stood at the open window looking up through the dark blue water, she thought of the great city, with all it
s bustle and noise, and even fancied she could hear the sound of the church bells, down in the depths of the sea.



In another year the second sister received permission to rise to the surface of the water, and to swim about where sh
e pleased. She rose just as the sun was setting, and this, she said, was the most beautiful sight of all. The whole sky
looked like gold, while violet and rose-colored clouds, which she could not describe, floated over her; and, still mor
e rapidly than the clouds, flew a large flock of wild swans towards the setting sun, looking like a long white veil acr
oss the sea. She also swam towards the sun; but it sunk into the waves, and the rosy tints faded from the clouds and
from the sea.



The third sister's turn followed; she was the boldest of them all, and she swam up a broad river that emptied itself in
to the sea. On the banks she saw green hills covered with beautiful vines; palaces and castles peeped out from amid
the proud trees of the forest; she heard the birds singing, and the rays of the sun were so powerful that she was oblig
ed often to dive down under the water to cool her burning face. In a narrow creek she found a whole troop of little h
uman children, quite naked, and sporting about in the water; she wanted to play with them, but they fled in a great f
right; and then a little black animal came to the water; it was a dog, but she did not know that, for she had never bef
ore seen one. This animal barked at her so terribly that she became frightened, and rushed back to the open sea. But
she said she should never forget the beautiful forest, the green hills, and the pretty little children who could swim i
n the water, although they had not fish's tails.


The fourth sister was more timid; she remained in the midst of the sea, but she said it was quite as beautiful there as
nearer the land. She could see for so many miles around her, and the sky above looked like a bell of glass. She had
seen the ships, but at such a great distance that they looked like sea-gulls. The dolphins sported in the waves, and th
e great whales spouted water from their nostrils till it seemed as if a hundred fountains were playing in every directi
on.



The fifth sister's birthday occurred in the winter; so when her turn came, she saw what the others had not seen the fi
rst time they went up. The sea looked quite green, and large icebergs were floating about, each like a pearl, she said,
but larger and loftier than the churches built by men. They were of the most singular shapes, and glittered like diam
onds. She had seated herself upon one of the largest, and let the wind play with her long hair, and she remarked that
all the ships sailed by rapidly, and steered as far away as they could from the iceberg, as if they were afraid of it. To


wards evening, as the sun went down, dark clouds covered the sky, the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed, and
the red light glowed on the icebergs as they rocked and tossed on the heaving sea. On all the ships the sails were re
efed with fear and trembling, while she sat calmly on the floating iceberg, watching the blue lightning, as it darted i
ts forked flashes into the sea.



When first the sisters had permission to rise to the surface, they were each delighted with the new and beautiful sig
hts they saw; but now, as grown-up girls, they could go when they pleased, and they had become indifferent about it
. They wished themselves back again in the water, and after a month had passed they said it was much more beautif
ul down below, and pleasanter to be at home. Yet often, in the evening hours, the five sisters would twine their arms
round each other, and rise to the surface, in a row. They had more beautiful voices than any human being could hav
e; and before the approach of a storm, and when they expected a ship would be lost, they swam before the vessel, a
nd sang sweetly of the delights to be found in the depths of the sea, and begging the sailors not to fear if they sank t
o the bottom. But the sailors could not understand the song, they took it for the howling of the storm. And these thin
gs were never to be beautiful for them; for if the ship sank, the men were drowned, and their dead bodies alone reac
hed the palace of the Sea King.



When the sisters rose, arm-in-arm, through the water in this way, their youngest sister would stand quite alone, look
ing after them, ready to cry, only that the mermaids have no tears, and therefore they suffer more.
fteen years old,



At last she reached her fifteenth year.
ou must let me adorn you like your other sisters;
er leaf was half a pearl. Then the old lady ordered eight great oysters to attach themselves to the tail of the princess
to show her high rank.






aside the heavy wreath! The red flowers in her own garden would have suited her much better, but she could not hel
p herself: so she said,
she raised her head above the waves; but the clouds were tinted with crimson and gold, and through the glimmering


twilight beamed the evening star in all its beauty. The sea was calm, and the air mild and fresh. A large ship, with t
hree masts, lay becalmed on the water, with only one sail set; for not a breeze stiffed, and the sailors sat idle on dec
k or amongst the rigging. There was music and song on board; and, as darkness came on, a hundred colored lantern
s were lighted, as if the flags of all nations waved in the air. The little mermaid swam close to the cabin windows; a
nd now and then, as the waves lifted her up, she could look in through clear glass window- panes, and see a number
of well-dressed people within. Among them was a young prince, the most beautiful of all, with large black eyes; he
was sixteen years of age, and his birthday was being kept with much rejoicing. The sailors were dancing on deck, b
ut when the prince came out of the cabin, more than a hundred rockets rose in the air, making it as bright as day. Th
e little mermaid was so startled that she dived under water; and when she again stretched out her head, it appeared a
s if all the stars of heaven were falling around her, she had never seen such fireworks before. Great suns spurted fire
about, splendid fireflies flew into the blue air, and everything was reflected in the clear, calm sea beneath. The ship
itself was so brightly illuminated that all the people, and even the smallest rope, could be distinctly and plainly see
n. And how handsome the young prince looked, as he pressed the hands of all present and smiled at them, while the
music resounded through the clear night air.



It was very late; yet the little mermaid could not take her eyes from the ship, or from the beautiful prince. The color
ed lanterns had been extinguished, no more rockets rose in the air, and the cannon had ceased firing; but the sea bec
ame restless, and a moaning, grumbling sound could be heard beneath the waves: still the little mermaid remained b
y the cabin window, rocking up and down on the water, which enabled her to look in. After a while, the sails were q
uickly unfurled, and the noble ship continued her passage; but soon the waves rose higher, heavy clouds darkened t
he sky, and lightning appeared in the distance. A dreadful storm was approaching; once more the sails were reefed,
and the great ship pursued her flying course over the raging sea. The waves rose mountains high, as if they would h
ave overtopped the mast; but the ship dived like a swan between them, and then rose again on their lofty, foaming c
rests. To the little mermaid this appeared pleasant sport; not so to the sailors. At length the ship groaned and creake
d; the thick planks gave way under the lashing of the sea as it broke over the deck; the mainmast snapped asunder li
ke a reed; the ship lay over on her side; and the water rushed in. The little mermaid now perceived that the crew we
re in danger; even she herself was obliged to be careful to avoid the beams and planks of the wreck which lay scatte
red on the water. At one moment it was so pitch dark that she could not see a single object, but a flash of lightning r
evealed the whole scene; she could see every one who had been on board excepting the prince; when the ship parte
d, she had seen him sink into the deep waves, and she was glad, for she thought he would now be with her; and then
she remembered that human beings could not live in the water, so that when he got down to her father's palace he


would be quite dead. But he must not die. So she swam about among the beams and planks which strewed the surfa
ce of the sea, forgetting that they could crush her to pieces. Then she dived deeply under the dark waters, rising and
falling with the waves, till at length she managed to reach the young prince, who was fast losing the power of swim
ming in that stormy sea. His limbs were failing him, his beautiful eyes were closed, and he would have died had not
the little mermaid come to his assistance. She held his head above the water, and let the waves drift them where the
y would.

In the morning the storm had ceased; but of the ship not a single fragment could be seen. The sun rose up red and gl
owing from the water, and its beams brought back the hue of health to the prince's cheeks; but his eyes remained cl
osed. The mermaid kissed his high, smooth forehead, and stroked back his wet hair; he seemed to her like the marbl
e statue in her little garden, and she kissed him again, and wished that he might live. Presently they came in sight of
land; she saw lofty blue mountains, on which the white snow rested as if a flock of swans were lying upon them. N
ear the coast were beautiful green forests, and close by stood a large building, whether a church or a convent she co
uld not tell. Orange and citron trees grew in the garden, and before the door stood lofty palms. The sea here formed
a little bay, in which the water was quite still, but very deep; so she swam with the handsome prince to the beach, w
hich was covered with fine, white sand, and there she laid him in the warm sunshine, taking care to raise his head hi
gher than his body. Then bells sounded in the large white building, and a number of young girls came into the garde
n. The little mermaid swam out farther from the shore and placed herself between some high rocks that rose out of t
he water; then she covered her head and neck with the foam of the sea so that her little face might not be seen, and
watched to see what would become of the poor prince. She did not wait long before she saw a young girl approach t
he spot where he lay. She seemed frightened at first, but only for a moment; then she fetched a number of people, a
nd the mermaid saw that the prince came to life again, and smiled upon those who stood round him. But to her he s
ent no smile; he knew not that she had saved him. This made her very unhappy, and when he was led away into the
great building, she dived down sorrowfully into the water, and returned to her father's castle. She had always been s
ilent and thoughtful, and now she was more so than ever. Her sisters asked her what she had seen during her first vi
sit to the surface of the water; but she would tell them nothing. Many an evening and morning did she rise to the pla
ce where she had left the prince. She saw the fruits in the garden ripen till they were gathered, the snow on the tops
of the mountains melt away; but she never saw the prince, and therefore she returned home, always more sorrowful
than before. It was her only comfort to sit in her own little garden, and fling her arm round the beautiful marble stat
ue which was like the prince; but she gave up tending her flowers, and they grew in wild confusion over the paths, t
wining their long leaves and stems round the branches of the trees, so that the whole place became dark and gloomy


. At length she could bear it no longer, and told one of her sisters all about it. Then the others heard the secret, and v
ery soon it became known to two mermaids whose intimate friend happened to know who the prince was. She had a
lso seen the festival on board ship, and she told them where the prince came from, and where his palace stood.



e of the water, close by the spot where they knew the prince's palace stood. It was built of bright yellow shining sto
ne, with long flights of marble steps, one of which reached quite down to the sea. Splendid gilded cupolas rose over
the roof, and between the pillars that surrounded the whole building stood life-like statues of marble. Through the c
lear crystal of the lofty windows could be seen noble rooms, with costly silk curtains and hangings of tapestry; whil
e the walls were covered with beautiful paintings which were a pleasure to look at. In the centre of the largest saloo
n a fountain threw its sparkling jets high up into the glass cupola of the ceiling, through which the sun shone down
upon the water and upon the beautiful plants growing round the basin of the fountain. Now that she knew where he
lived, she spent many an evening and many a night on the water near the palace. She would swim much nearer the s
hore than any of the others ventured to do; indeed once she went quite up the narrow channel under the marble balc
ony, which threw a broad shadow on the water. Here she would sit and watch the young prince, who thought himsel
f quite alone in the bright moonlight. She saw him many times of an evening sailing in a pleasant boat, with music
playing and flags waving. She peeped out from among the green rushes, and if the wind caught her long silvery-whi
te veil, those who saw it believed it to be a swan, spreading out its wings. On many a night, too, when the fishermen
, with their torches, were out at sea, she heard them relate so many good things about the doings of the young princ
e, that she was glad she had saved his life when he had been tossed about half-dead on the waves. And she rememb
ered that his head had rested on her bosom, and how heartily she had kissed him; but he knew nothing of all this, an
d could not even dream of her. She grew more and more fond of human beings, and wished more and more to be ab
le to wander about with those whose world seemed to be so much larger than her own. They could fly over the sea i
n ships, and mount the high hills which were far above the clouds; and the lands they possessed, their woods and th
eir fields, stretched far away beyond the reach of her sight. There was so much that she wished to know, and her sis
ters were unable to answer all her questions. Then she applied to her old grandmother, who knew all about the uppe
r world, which she very rightly called the lands above the sea.





do here in the sea?






o three hundred years, but when we cease to exist here we only become the foam on the surface of the water, and w
e have not even a grave down here of those we love. We have not immortal souls, we shall never live again; but, lik
e the green sea-weed, when once it has been cut off, we can never flourish more. Human beings, on the contrary, ha
ve a soul which lives forever, lives after the body has been turned to dust. It rises up through the clear, pure air beyo
nd the glittering stars. As we rise out of the water, and behold all the land of the earth, so do they rise to unknown a
nd glorious regions which we shall never see.



years that I have to live, to be a human being only for one day, and to have the hope of knowing the happiness of th
at glorious world above the stars.




uman beings.



music of the waves, or to see the pretty flowers nor the red sun. Is there anything I can do to win an immortal soul?





ther; and if all his thoughts and all his love were fixed upon you, and the priest placed his right hand in yours, and h
e promised to be true to you here and hereafter, then his soul would glide into your body and you would obtain a sh
are in the future happiness of mankind. He would give a soul to you and retain his own as well; but this can never h
appen. Your fish's tail, which amongst us is considered so beautiful, is thought on earth to be quite ugly; they do no
t know any better, and they think it necessary to have two stout props, which they call legs, in order to be handsome
.



Then the little mermaid sighed, and looked sorrowfully at her fish's tail.
art and spring about during the three hundred years that we have to live, which is really quite long enough; after tha
t we can rest ourselves all the better. This evening we are going to have a court ball.