《勇敢的小锡兵》，1838 年
the brave tin Soldier, 1838
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在安徒生为他的上流社会和贵族主人制作的最受欢迎的剪纸中，有一排士兵和芭蕾舞女演员。
Among the favorite paper cuttings that Andersen fashioned for his upper - class and aristocratic hosts was a row of soldiers and ballerinas.
他曾把这些连在一起的人物送给巴伐利亚的路德维希王储，这位王储想知道他自己收藏的锡兵（其中有三个无头士兵）是否会给安徒生带来灵感。
he once presented these linked figures to crown prince Ludwig of bavaria, who wondered if his own collection of tin soldiers (which contained three soldiers without heads) might inspire Andersen.
就像丹麦雕塑家巴特尔?托瓦尔森（bertel thorvaldsen）要求安徒生写一个关于织补针的故事（安徒生照做了）一样，路德维希王子认为安徒生要让他的士兵们活起来并不难。
Just as the danish sculptor bertel thorvaldsen challenged Andersen to write a story about a darning needle (and Andersen obliged), prince Ludwig imagined that it would not be difficult for Andersen to animate his soldiers.
安徒生写这个故事的时候，正深深沉浸于生活与艺术之间的冲突之中。
Andersen wrote this tale at a time when he was deeply absorbed in the conflict between life and art.
同年，他出版了描绘年轻艺术家苦难的小说《只是一个提琴手》，就在这一年他写了《坚定的锡兵》。
he published only a Fiddler, a novel that charted the suffering of young artists, the same year he wrote “the Steadfast tin Soldier.”
安徒生故事中的士兵和芭蕾舞女演员不能移动也无法表达，但尽管如此，这个士兵已经成为了面对逆境时坚韧不拔的象征。
the soldier and the ballerina in Andersen’s story are incapable of movement and expression, but the soldier has, nonetheless, bee a symbol of fortitude in the face of adversity.
像丑小鸭一样，他忍受着来自人类和自然力量的各种攻击，但他也有浪漫的一面，渴望着一位对他的爱慕不予回应的芭蕾舞女演员。
Like the ugly duckling, he endures all manner of assaults from humans and from the forces of nature, but he also has a romantic side, pining for a ballerina who fails to acknowledge his devotion.
最后，他们的爱情以失败告终，因为他们无法超越自己无生命的状态：
In the end, theirs is a failed romance, for they prove unable to transcend their inanimate condition:
“他看着她，她也看着他，但他们之间没有说一句话。”
“he looked at her, and she looked at him, but no words passed between them.”
最后，他们在死亡中结合在一起。
they are joined, finally, in death.
奇怪的是，小锡兵被进入他头脑的叙述声音赋予了生命，而且 —— 在整个故事中他都是僵硬、刻板、毫无反应的 —— 他之所以坚定，可能只是因为他除了立正站着别无选择。
the tin soldier is, oddly, animated by the narrative voice that gets inside his head, and—stiff, rigid, and unresponsive throughout the story—he may be steadfast only because he has no other choice but to stand at attention.
然而，小锡兵最后转化成的物质表明，他可能蕴含着比纯粹物质更多的东西。
Still the substance into which the soldier is transformed in the end points to the possibility that he may embody something more than just pure matter.
《坚定的锡兵》激发了许多戏剧和音乐表演，其中包括安徒生同时代的布农维尔（bournonville）编排的《童话画卷》。
“the Steadfast tin Soldier” has inspired many dramatic and musical enactments, among them A Fairy tale in pictures, choreographed by Andersen’s contemporary bournonville.
乔治?比才（Georges bizet）的《儿童游戏》（Jeux d’Enfants）中包含《坚定的锡兵》，乔治?巴兰钦（George balanchine）在 1975 年采用了这部音乐作品。
Georges bizet’s Jeux d’Enfants contains within it “the Steadfast tin Soldier,” and the musical work was taken up by George balanchine in 1975.
巴兰钦的芭蕾舞剧让士兵和舞者在芭蕾舞女演员被吹进火里之前相遇并表达他们的爱情。
balanchine’s ballet allowed the soldier and the dancer to encounter and express their love just before the ballerina is blown into the fire.
《坚定的锡兵》还被改编用于《幻想曲 2000》（Fantasia 2000），在其中小锡兵的冒险伴随着德米特里?肖斯塔科维奇（dmitri Shostakovich）的音乐。
“the Steadfast tin Soldier” was also adapted for Fantasia 2000, and in it the tin soldier’s adventures are acpanied by the music of dmitri Shostakovich.
玩偶盒（或小怪物）最后掉进了火里，而士兵和芭蕾舞女演员幸存下来。
the jack - in - the - box (or troll) ends up in the fire, and the soldier and the ballerina survive.
那个看起来像是瓷做的芭蕾舞女演员因为小锡兵救了她而亲吻了他。
the ballerina, who appears to be made of porcelain, gives the soldier a kiss for rescuing her.
就在更近的时候，凯特?迪卡米洛（Kate dicamillo）的《爱德华的奇妙之旅》（2006 年）采用了安徒生故事中阐述的许多主题。
Even more recently, Kate dicamillo’s the miraculous Journey of Edward tulane (2006) takes up many of the themes enunciated in Andersen’s tale.
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从前有二十五个锡兵，他们都是兄弟，因为他们是用同一把旧锡勺做成的。
there were once five - and - twenty tin soldiers, who were all brothers, for they had been made out of the same old tin spoon.
他们扛着枪，眼睛直视前方，穿着一身华丽的制服，红蓝相间。
they shouldered arms and looked straight before them, and wore a splendid uniform, red and blue.
他们在世上听到的第一句话是一个小男孩说的 “锡兵！”，当装着他们的盒子盖子被打开时，小男孩高兴地拍起手来。
the first thing in the world they ever heard were the words, “tin soldiers!” uttered by a little boy, who clapped his hands with delight when the lid of the box, in which they lay, was taken off.
他们被当作生日礼物送给他，他站在桌子旁把他们摆好。
they were given him for a birthday present, and he stood at the table to set them up.
这些士兵全都一模一样，除了一个只有一条腿的锡兵；
the soldiers were all exactly alike, excepting one, who had only one leg;
他被留到最后才做，那时融化的锡不够做完他了，所以他们让他稳稳地用一条腿站着，这让他非常引人注目。
he had been left to the last, and then there was not enough of the melted tin to finish him, so they made him to stand firmly on one leg, and this caused him to be very remarkable.
锡兵站着的桌子上摆满了其他玩具，但最吸引人眼球的是一座漂亮的小纸城堡。
the table on which the tin soldiers stood, was covered with other playthings, but the most attractive to the eye was a pretty little paper castle.
透过小窗户可以看到房间里面。
through the small windows the rooms could be seen.
城堡前面有许多小树环绕着一块镜子，那镜子是用来代表一个透明的湖的。
In front of the castle a number of little trees surrounded a piece of looking - glass, which was intended to represent a transparent lake.
用蜡做的天鹅在湖上游泳，并且在湖面上倒映着。
Swans, made of wax, swam on the lake, and were reflected in it.
这一切都非常漂亮，但最漂亮的是一位站在城堡敞开的门口的小女士；
All this was very pretty, but the prettiest of all was a tiny little lady, who stood at the open door of the castle;
她也是用纸做的，她穿着一件透明的薄纱连衣裙，肩上系着一条窄窄的蓝丝带，就像围巾一样。
she, also, was made of paper, and she wore a dress of clear muslin, with a narrow blue ribbon over her shoulders just like a scarf.
在这些前面别着一朵闪闪发光的金属箔做的玫瑰，有她整个脸那么大。
In front of these was fixed a glittering tinsel rose, as large as her whole face.
这位小女士是一名舞者，她伸出双臂，还把一条腿抬得很高，高到小锡兵根本看不见那条腿，于是他以为她也像自己一样只有一条腿。
the little lady was a dancer, and she stretched out both her arms, and raised one of her legs so high, that the tin soldier could not see it at all, and he thought that she, like himself, had only one leg.
“她就是我的妻子。” 他想。
“that is the wife for me,” he thought;
“但她太尊贵了，住在城堡里，而我却只有一个盒子可住，我们总共二十五个都住在里面，那不是适合她住的地方。
“but she is too grand, and lives in a castle, while I have only a box to live in, five - and - twenty of us altogether, that is no place for her.
不过我必须设法结识她。”
Still I must try and make her acquaintance.”
然后他在桌上一个鼻烟盒后面直挺挺地躺了下来，这样他就能偷看那位娇弱的小女士了，她单腿站着，却没有失去平衡。
then he laid himself at full length on the table behind a snuff - box that stood upon it, so that he could peep at the little delicate lady, who continued to stand on one leg without losing her balance.
夜幕降临的时候，其他锡兵都被放进盒子里了，屋子里的人也都上床睡觉了。
when evening came, the other tin soldiers were all placed in the box, and the people of the house went to bed.
然后玩具们开始一起玩自己的游戏，互相拜访，进行模拟战斗，还举办舞会。
then the playthings began to have their own games together, to pay visits, to have sham fights, and to give balls.
锡兵们在盒子里哐啷作响。
the tin soldiers rattled in their box;
他们想出去参加娱乐活动，但是他们打不开盖子。
they wanted to get out and join the amusements, but they could not open the lid.
胡桃夹子玩起了跳背游戏，铅笔在桌子上跳来跳去。
the nut - crackers played at leap - frog, and the pencil jumped about the table.
吵闹声太大了，以至于金丝雀被吵醒，开始说起话来，而且还是用诗歌的形式。
there was such a noise that the canary woke up and began to talk, and in poetry too.
只有小锡兵和舞者还待在原地。
only the tin soldier and the dancer remained in their places.
她踮着脚尖，双腿伸直，站得和他单腿站立时一样稳。
She stood on tiptoe, with her legs stretched out, as firmly as he did on his one leg.
他一刻也没有把视线从她身上移开。
he never took his eyes from her for even a moment.
时钟敲响了十二下，随着砰的一声，鼻烟盒的盖子弹开了。
the clock struck twelve, and, with a bounce, up sprang the lid of the snuff - box;
但是，从里面跳出来的不是鼻烟，而是一个小黑妖精；因为这个鼻烟盒是一个玩具机关盒。
but, instead of snuff, there jumped up a little black goblin;
for the snuff - box was a toy puzzle.
“锡兵，” 小妖精说，“不要奢望不属于你的东西。”
“tin soldier,” said the goblin, “don’t wish for what does not belong to you.”
但是锡兵假装没听见。
but the tin soldier pretended not to hear.
“很好；那就等到明天吧。” 小妖精说。
“Very well; wait till to - morrow, then,” said the goblin.
第二天早晨孩子们进来的时候，他们把锡兵放在了窗台上。
when the children came in the next morning, they placed the tin soldier in the window.
现在，不知道是小妖精干的，还是一阵风的缘故，窗户突然打开了，锡兵从三楼头朝下直直地掉到了下面的街道上。
Now, whether it was the goblin who did it, or the draught, is not known, but the window flew open, and out fell the tin soldier, heels over head, from the third story, into the street beneath.
这一跤摔得可真惨；
It was a terrible fall;
因为他是头朝下着地的，他的头盔和刺刀卡在石板缝里，他的一条腿则翘在空中。
for he came head downwards, his helmet and his bayonet stuck in between the flagstones, and his one leg up in the air.
女仆和小男孩立刻下楼去找他；
the servant maid and the little boy went down stairs directly to look for him;
但是到处都找不到他，虽然有一次他们差点就踩到他了。
but he was nowhere to be seen, although once they nearly trod upon him.
如果他喊一声 “我在这儿” 就好了，可是他穿着制服，太骄傲了，不愿意呼救。
If he had called out, “here I am,” it would have been all right, but he was too proud to cry out for help while he wore a uniform.
不久就开始下雨了，雨点越下越急，最后变成了一场倾盆大雨。
presently it began to rain, and the drops fell faster and faster, till there was a heavy shower.
雨停之后，有两个男孩碰巧路过，其中一个说：“看，有个锡兵。
when it was over, two boys happened to pass by, and one of them said, “Look, there is a tin soldier.
他应该有一艘船来航行。”
he ought to have a boat to sail in.”
于是他们用一张报纸做了一艘船，把锡兵放在里面，让他沿着排水沟航行，两个男孩在旁边跑着，还拍着手。
So they made a boat out of a newspaper, and placed the tin soldier in it, and sent him sailing down the gutter, while the two boys ran by the side of it, and clapped their hands.
天哪，排水沟里涌起了多大的浪啊！水流得多么湍急啊！因为雨下得非常大。
Good gracious, what large waves arose in that gutter! and how fast the stream rolled on! for the rain had been very heavy.
纸船上下颠簸，有时还转得非常快，快得让小锡兵直发抖；然而他依然很坚定；他神色不变；他直视前方，扛着他的火枪。
the paper boat rocked up and down, and turned itself round sometimes so quickly that the tin soldier trembled; yet he remained firm; his countenance did not change; he looked straight before him, and shouldered his musket.
突然，小船冲进了一座桥下，这座桥是下水道的一部分，桥下黑得就像小锡兵的盒子一样。
Suddenly the boat shot under a bridge which formed a part of a drain, and then it was as dark as the tin soldier’s box.
“我现在要去哪儿呢？”他想。“我敢肯定，这都是那个黑妖精的错。
“where am I going now?” thought he. “this is the black goblin’s fault, I am sure.
啊，要是那位小女士也在船上和我在一起就好了，那样我就不会在乎黑暗了。”
Ah, well, if the little lady were only here with me in the boat, I should not care for any darkness.”
突然出现了一只大老鼠，它就住在下水道里。
Suddenly there appeared a great water - rat, who lived in the drain.
“你有通行证吗？”老鼠问，“马上把它给我。”
“have you a passport?” asked the rat, “give it to me at once.”
但是小锡兵一声不吭，把火枪握得更紧了。
but the tin soldier remained silent and held his musket tighter than ever.
船继续航行，老鼠在后面跟着。
the boat sailed on and the rat followed it.
他咬牙切齿地对着那些木块和稻草大喊：“拦住他，拦住他；他没交过路费，也没出示通行证。”
how he did gnash his teeth and cry out to the bits of wood and straw, “Stop him, stop him; he has not paid toll, and has not shown his pass.”
但是水流越来越湍急。
but the stream rushed on stronger and stronger.
小锡兵已经能看到桥洞尽头透出的亮光了。
the tin soldier could already see daylight shining where the arch ended.
然后他听到一阵轰鸣声，这声音非常可怕，足以吓倒最勇敢的人。
then he heard a roaring sound quite terrible enough to frighten the bravest man.
在隧道的尽头，下水道在一个陡峭的地方落入一条大运河中，这对他来说就像瀑布对我们一样危险。
At the end of the tunnel the drain fell into a large canal over a steep place, which made it as dangerous for him as a waterfall would be to us.
他离得太近，已经停不下来了，所以船继续往前冲，可怜的小锡兵只能尽可能地挺直身子，眼皮都不眨一下，以表明他并不害怕。
he was too close to it to stop, so the boat rushed on, and the poor tin soldier could only hold himself as stiffly as possible, without moving an eyelid, to show that he was not afraid.
船转了三四圈，然后水就快漫到船沿了；
the boat whirled round three or four times, and then filled with water to the very edge;
没有什么能阻止它下沉了。
nothing could save it from sinking.
现在他站在齐脖子深的水里，船越沉越深，纸因为湿透变得又软又松，最后水没过了小锡兵的头顶。
he now stood up to his neck in water, while deeper and deeper sank the boat, and the paper became soft and loose with the wet, till at last the water closed over the soldier’s head.
他想起了那位优雅的小舞者，他再也见不到她了，歌声在他耳边响起 ——
he thought of the elegant little dancer whom he should never see again, and the words of the song sounded in his ears —
“再见了，勇士！永远勇敢，向着你的坟墓漂流而去。”
“Farewell, warrior! ever brave, drifting onward to thy grave.”
然后纸船散架了，小锡兵沉入水中，紧接着就被一条大鱼吞进了肚里。
then the paper boat fell to pieces, and the soldier sank into the water and immediately afterwards was swallowed up by a great fish.
哦，鱼肚子里可真黑啊！比隧道里黑多了，也更狭窄，但是小锡兵仍然很坚定，伸直身体扛着他的火枪。
oh how dark it was inside the fish! A great deal darker than in the tunnel, and narrower too, but the tin soldier continued firm, and lay at full length shouldering his musket.
鱼游来游去，做出非常奇妙的动作，但最后它完全静止不动了。
the fish swam to and fro, making the most wonderful movements, but at last he became quite still.
过了一会儿，一道闪电似乎穿过了它，然后光线靠近了，一个声音喊道：“我发现小锡兵在这儿呢。”
After a while, a flash of lightning seemed to pass through him, and then the daylight approached, and a voice cried out, “I declare here is the tin soldier.”
这条鱼被抓住，带到市场上卖给了厨师，厨师把它带到厨房，用一把大刀把它切开了。
the fish had been caught, taken to the market and sold to the cook, who took him into the kitchen and cut him open with a large knife.
她捡起小锡兵，用拇指和食指捏住他的腰部，把他带进了房间。
She picked up the soldier and held him by the waist between her finger and thumb, and carried him into the room.
他们都急切地想看看这个在鱼肚子里游历过的神奇小锡兵；但他一点也不骄傲。
they were all anxious to see this wonderful soldier who had travelled about inside a fish; but he was not at all proud.
他们把他放在桌子上，—— 世界上发生了多少奇妙的事情啊！—— 他就在他掉出去的那个房间里，还是那些孩子，同样的玩具还摆在桌子上，还有那座漂亮的城堡，门口站着那位优雅的小舞者；
they placed him on the table, and — how many curious things do happen in the world! — there he was in the very same room from the window of which he had fallen, there were the same children, the same playthings, standing on the table, and the pretty castle with the elegant little dancer at the door;
她仍然单腿平衡着身体，另一条腿抬着，所以她和他一样坚定。
she still balanced herself on one leg, and held up the other, so she was as firm as himself.
小锡兵看到她非常感动，他几乎要流下锡做的眼泪了，但他忍住了。
It touched the tin soldier so much to see her that he almost wept tin tears, but he kept them back.
他只是看着她，他们俩都默不作声。
he only looked at her and they both remained silent.
不久，一个小男孩拿起小锡兵，把他扔进了火炉里。
presently one of the little boys took up the tin soldier, and threw him into the stove.
他这么做没有任何理由，所以一定是住在鼻烟盒里的黑妖精搞的鬼。
he had no reason for doing so, therefore it must have been the fault of the black goblin who lived in the snuff - box.
火焰照亮了站着的小锡兵，热度非常可怕，但他不知道这热度是来自真正的火焰还是爱情之火。
the flames lighted up the tin soldier, as he stood, the heat was very terrible, but whether it proceeded from the real fire or from the fire of love he could not tell.
然后他看到自己制服上鲜艳的颜色褪去了，但不知道是在旅途中被洗掉的，还是因为悲伤的影响，没有人能说得清。
then he could see that the bright colors were faded from his uniform, but whether they had been washed off during his journey or from the effects of his sorrow, no one could say.
他看着小女士，小女士也看着他。
he looked at the little lady, and she looked at him.
他感觉自己正在融化，但他仍然坚定地扛着枪。
he felt himself melting away, but he still remained firm with his gun on his shoulder.
突然，房间的门猛地打开，一股气流卷起了小舞者，她像个仙女一样飘进了火炉，正好落在小锡兵的身旁，瞬间就被火焰吞噬，消失不见了。
Suddenly the door of the room flew open and the draught of air caught up the little dancer, she fluttered like a sylph right into the stove by the side of the tin soldier, and was instantly in flames and was gone.
小锡兵熔化成了一块锡，第二天早晨，女仆把炉灰倒出来的时候，发现他变成了一颗小锡心的形状。
the tin soldier melted down into a lump, and the next morning, when the maid servant took the ashes out of the stove, she found him in the shape of a little tin heart.
但是小舞者什么都没剩下，只有那朵金属箔做的玫瑰，它被烧成了黑色的煤渣。
but of the little dancer nothing remained but the tinsel rose, which was burnt black as a cinder.