but he warned them not to be alarmed at the sight of a dead bird which lay in the passage.

那是一只完整的鸟，有嘴有羽毛，死了应该没多久，就躺在鼹鼠挖通道的地方。

It was a perfect bird, with a beak and feathers, and could not have been dead long, and was lying just where the mole had made his passage.

鼹鼠嘴里叼着一块磷木，在黑暗中像火一样闪闪发光；

the mole took a piece of phosphorescent wood in his mouth, and it glittered like fire in the dark;

然后他走在她们前面，照亮这条又长又黑的通道。

then he went before them to light them through the long, dark passage.

当她们来到那只死鸟躺着的地方时，鼹鼠用他宽阔的鼻子顶穿了天花板，泥土塌了下来，于是出现了一个大洞，阳光照进了通道里。

when they came to the spot where lay the dead bird, the mole pushed his broad nose through the ceiling, the earth gave way, so that there was a large hole, and the daylight shone into the passage.

在地面中间躺着一只死燕子，他美丽的翅膀紧紧地贴在身体两侧，他的脚和头都缩在羽毛下面；这只可怜的鸟显然是冻死的。

In the middle of the floor lay a dead swallow, his beautiful wings pulled close to his sides, his feet and his head drawn up under his feathers; the poor bird had evidently died of the cold.

看到这只燕子，小拇指姑娘非常难过，她是如此喜爱小鸟；整个夏天它们都为她动听地歌唱、叽叽喳喳地叫着。

It made little tiny very sad to see it, she did so love the little birds; all the summer they had sung and twittered for her so beautifully.

但是鼹鼠用他弯曲的腿把它推到一边，说道：“他现在再也不会唱歌了。”

but the mole pushed it aside with his crooked legs, and said, “he will sing no more now.

生来是一只小鸟该多么悲惨啊！我很庆幸我的孩子永远不会是鸟，因为它们除了‘叽叽喳喳’地叫什么也做不了，而且总是在冬天饿死。

how miserable it must be to be born a little bird! I am thankful that none of my children will ever be birds, for they can do nothing but cry, ‘tweet, tweet,’ and always die of hunger in the winter.”

“是的，作为一个聪明人，你说得很对！” 田鼠叫道，“他叽叽喳喳地叫有什么用呢，因为冬天一到，他不是饿死就是冻死。不过鸟儿都是非常高贵的。”

“Yes, you may well say that, as a clever man!” exclaimed the field - mouse, “what is the use of his twittering, for when winter es he must either starve or be frozen to death. Still birds are very high bred.”

拇指姑娘什么也没说；

tiny said nothing;

但是当另外两个家伙背对着小鸟时，她弯下腰，把盖在小鸟头上的柔软羽毛轻轻拨开，亲吻了紧闭的眼睑。

but when the two others had turned their backs on the bird, she stooped down and stroked aside the soft feathers which covered the head, and kissed the closed eyelids.

“也许这就是夏天时对我唱得那么甜美的那只鸟呢，” 她说，“你这可爱、漂亮的小鸟，给我带来了多少快乐啊。”

“perhaps this was the one who sang to me so sweetly in the summer,” she said; “and how much pleasure it gave me, you dear, pretty bird.”

鼹鼠现在把透进阳光的洞堵住了，然后陪着田鼠女士回家了。

the mole now stopped up the hole through which the daylight shone, and then acpanied the lady home.

但是夜里拇指姑娘睡不着；

but during the night tiny could not sleep;

于是她下了床，用干草编织了一块又大又漂亮的毯子；

so she got out of bed and wove a large, beautiful carpet of hay;

然后她把毯子拿到死鸟那里，盖在他身上；

then she carried it to the dead bird, and spread it over him;

毯子上还加上了她在田鼠房间里找到的一些花朵上的绒毛。

with some down from the flowers which she had found in the field - mouse’s room.

这些绒毛像羊毛一样柔软，她在鸟的两边都铺了一些，这样他在寒冷的地下就能暖和地躺着了。

It was as soft as wool, and she spread some of it on each side of the bird, so that he might lie warmly in the cold earth.

“再见了，你这漂亮的小鸟，” 她说，“再见了；感谢你在夏天树木葱茏、温暖的阳光照耀着我们的时候唱出那么美妙的歌声。”

“Farewell, you pretty little bird,” said she, “farewell; thank you for your delightful singing during the summer, when all the trees were green, and the warm sun shone upon us.”

然后她把头靠在小鸟的胸脯上，但她马上惊恐起来，因为好像小鸟体内有什么东西在 “扑通，扑通” 地跳动。

then she laid her head on the bird’s breast, but she was alarmed immediately, for it seemed as if something inside the bird went “thump, thump.”

那是小鸟的心脏；

It was the bird’s heart;

他并没有真的死去，只是冻僵了，温暖使他苏醒过来。

he was not really dead, only benumbed with the cold, and the warmth had restored him to life.

秋天的时候，所有的燕子都飞到温暖的国度去，但如果有一只碰巧逗留，寒冷就会侵袭它，它就会被冻僵，然后像死了一样掉下来；

In autumn, all the swallows fly away into warm countries, but if one happens to linger, the cold seizes it, it bees frozen, and falls down as if dead;

它就留在掉落的地方，冰冷的雪覆盖着它。

it remains where it fell, and the cold snow covers it.

拇指姑娘抖得很厉害；

tiny trembled very much;

她非常害怕，因为这只鸟很大，比她自己大得多 —— 她只有一英寸高。

she was quite frightened, for the bird was large, a great deal larger than herself, — she was only an inch high.

但她鼓起勇气，把羊毛更厚地盖在可怜的燕子身上，然后拿了一片她自己当被子用的叶子，盖在这只可怜小鸟的头上。

but she took courage, laid the wool more thickly over the poor swallow, and then took a leaf which she had used for her own counterpane, and laid it over the head of the poor bird.

第二天早晨，她又偷偷地出去看他。

the next morning she again stole out to see him.

他还活着，但非常虚弱；

he was alive but very weak;

他只能睁开眼睛看了拇指姑娘一会儿，拇指姑娘站在旁边，手里拿着一块朽木，因为她没有别的灯笼。

he could only open his eyes for a moment to look at tiny, who stood by holding a piece of decayed wood in her hand, for she had no other lantern.

“谢谢你，美丽的小姑娘，” 生病的燕子说；

“thank you, pretty little maiden,” said the sick swallow;

“我被照顾得很暖和，很快我就会恢复力气，又能在温暖的阳光下飞翔了。”

“I have been so nicely warmed, that I shall soon regain my strength, and be able to fly about again in the warm sunshine.”

“哦，” 她说，“现在外面很冷；下雪又结冰。呆在你温暖的床上吧；我会照顾你的。”

“oh,” said she, “it is cold out of doors now; it snows and freezes. Stay in your warm bed; I will take care of you.”

然后她用一片花瓣盛了些水给燕子，燕子喝完后告诉她，他在荆棘丛里弄伤了一只翅膀，不能像其他燕子飞得那么快，其他燕子很快就远远地朝着温暖的国度飞走了。

then she brought the swallow some water in a flower - leaf, and after he had drank, he told her that he had wounded one of his wings in a thorn - bush, and could not fly as fast as the others, who were soon far away on their journey to warm countries.

最后他就掉到地上了，之后的事就不记得了，也不记得自己是怎么到她发现他的地方的。

then at last he had fallen to the earth, and could remember no more, nor how he came to be where she had found him.

整个冬天燕子都呆在地下，拇指姑娘悉心地照料他。

the whole winter the swallow remained underground, and tiny nursed him with care and love.

鼹鼠和田鼠对此一无所知，因为他们不喜欢燕子。

Neither the mole nor the field - mouse knew anything about it, for they did not like swallows.

很快春天就来了，太阳温暖着大地。

Very soon the spring time came, and the sun warmed the earth.

然后燕子向拇指姑娘告别，她打开了鼹鼠在天花板上挖的洞。

then the swallow bade farewell to tiny, and she opened the hole in the ceiling which the mole had made.

阳光如此美丽地照在他们身上，燕子问她是否愿意和他一起走；他说她可以坐在他的背上，他会带着她飞到绿色的树林里去。

the sun shone in upon them so beautifully, that the swallow asked her if she would go with him; she could sit on his back, he said, and he would fly away with her into the green woods.

但是拇指姑娘知道，如果她这样离开田鼠，会让田鼠非常伤心的，所以她说：“不，我不能。”

but tiny knew it would make the field - mouse very grieved if she left her in that manner, so she said, “No, I cannot.”

“那么，再见了，再见了，你这个善良、美丽的小姑娘。” 燕子说；然后他飞到阳光里去了。

“Farewell, then, farewell, you good, pretty little maiden,” said the swallow; and he flew out into the sunshine.

拇指姑娘望着他的背影，眼里涌出了泪水。她非常喜欢这只可怜的燕子。

tiny looked after him, and the tears rose in her eyes. She was very fond of the poor swallow.

“叽叽，叽叽。” 鸟儿一边唱着，一边飞进绿色的树林，拇指姑娘感到非常难过。她不能到温暖的阳光下去。

“tweet, tweet,” sang the bird, as he flew out into the green woods, and tiny felt very sad. She was not allowed to go out into the warm sunshine.

长在田鼠屋子上面田野里的麦子已经长得很高，对只有一英寸高的拇指姑娘来说就像一片茂密的树林。

the corn which had been sown in the field over the house of the field - mouse had grown up high into the air, and formed a thick wood to tiny, who was only an inch in height.

“你就要结婚了，拇指姑娘。” 田鼠说。

“You are going to be married, tiny,” said the field - mouse.

“我的邻居向你求婚了。像你这样一个可怜的孩子，这是多么好的运气啊。现在我们要准备你的结婚礼服了。它们必须是羊毛和亚麻材质的。当你成为鼹鼠的妻子时，什么都不能缺。”

“my neighbor has asked for you. what good fortune for a poor child like you. Now we will prepare your wedding clothes. they must be both woollen and linen. Nothing must be wanting when you are the mole’s wife.”

拇指姑娘不得不去纺线，田鼠雇了四只蜘蛛，它们要日夜纺织。

tiny had to turn the spindle, and the field - mouse hired four spiders, who were to weave day and night.

每天晚上鼹鼠都会来拜访她，不停地说着夏天结束的时候。

Every evening the mole visited her, and was continually speaking of the time when the summer would be over.

到那时他就要和拇指姑娘举行婚礼；但现在太阳的热度非常大，把土地都烤焦了，让土地变得像石头一样坚硬。

then he would keep his wedding - day with tiny; but now the heat of the sun was so great that it burned the earth, and made it quite hard, like a stone.

夏天一结束，婚礼就应该举行。

As soon, as the summer was over, the wedding should take place.

但是拇指姑娘一点也不高兴；因为她不喜欢这个讨厌的鼹鼠。

but tiny was not at all pleased; for she did not like the tiresome mole.

每天早晨太阳升起的时候，每天晚上太阳落下的时候，她都会爬到门口，当风吹开麦穗，这样她就能看到蓝天，她觉得外面看起来是多么美丽和明亮，非常希望能再次见到她亲爱的燕子。

Every morning when the sun rose, and every evening when it went down, she would creep out at the door, and as the wind blew aside the ears of corn, so that she could see the blue sky, she thought how beautiful and bright it seemed out there, and wished so much to see her dear swallow again.

但是他再也没有回来；因为到这个时候他已经飞到很远的可爱的绿色森林里去了。

but he never returned; for by this time he had flown far away into the lovely green forest.

当秋天到来的时候，拇指姑娘已经把她的行装完全准备好了；田鼠对她说：“四个星期后婚礼必须举行。”

when autumn arrived, tiny had her outfit quite ready; and the field - mouse said to her, “In four weeks the wedding must take place.”

然后拇指姑娘哭了起来，说她不愿嫁给这个讨厌的鼹鼠。

then tiny wept, and said she would not marry the disagreeable mole.

“胡说，” 田鼠回答道。

“Nonsense,” replied the field - mouse.

“现在别固执了，否则我要用我的白牙咬你了。他是一只非常英俊的鼹鼠；女王自己也没有穿比他更漂亮的天鹅绒和皮草。他的厨房和地窖都满满的。你应该为有这样的好运而非常感激。”

“Now don’t be obstinate, or I shall bite you with my white teeth. he is a very handsome mole; the queen herself does not wear more beautiful velvets and furs. his kitchen and cellars are quite full. You ought to be very thankful for such good fortune.”

于是婚礼的日子定下来了，到那天鼹鼠就要把拇指姑娘接走，和他一起住在深深的地下，再也看不到温暖的太阳了，因为他不喜欢太阳。

So the wedding - day was fixed, on which the mole was to fetch tiny away to live with him, deep under the earth, and never again to see the warm sun, because he did not like it.

一想到要和美丽的太阳告别，这个可怜的孩子就非常难过，因为田鼠已经允许她站在门口，她就再去看一眼太阳。

the poor child was very unhappy at the thought of saying farewell to the beautiful sun, and as the field - mouse had given her permission to stand at the door, she went to look at it once more.

“再见了，明亮的太阳，” 她朝着太阳伸出手臂喊道；

“Farewell bright sun,” she cried, stretching out her arm towards it;

然后她从房子走了一小段距离；因为麦子已经收割了，田野里只剩下干枯的麦茬。

and then she walked a short distance from the house; for the corn had been cut, and only the dry stubble remained in the fields.

“再见，再见，” 她重复着，用手臂缠绕着长在她身边的一朵小红花。

“Farewell, farewell,” she repeated, twining her arm round a little red flower that grew just by her side.

“如果你再见到小燕子的话，代我向他问好。”

“Greet the little swallow from me, if you should see him again.”

“叽叽，叽叽，” 突然在她头顶上响起。

“tweet, tweet,” sounded over her head suddenly.

她抬头一看，小燕子自己正在附近飞翔。

She looked up, and there was the swallow himself flying close by.

他一看到拇指姑娘，就很高兴；然后她告诉他自己多么不愿意嫁给丑陋的鼹鼠，要永远生活在地下，再也看不到明亮的太阳了。

As soon as he spied tiny, he was delighted; and then she told him how unwilling she felt to marry the ugly mole, and to live always beneath the earth, and never to see the bright sun any more.

在她诉说的时候她哭了。

And as she told him she wept.

“寒冷的冬天就要来了，” 燕子说，“我打算飞到更温暖的国度去。你愿意和我一起去吗？你可以坐在我的背上，用你的腰带把自己系紧。这样我们就可以飞离丑陋的鼹鼠和他那阴暗的房间了 —— 远远地飞离，越过群山，飞到更温暖的国度，那里的阳光比这里更明亮 —— 在那里永远是夏天，花朵开得更加美丽。现在和我一起飞吧，亲爱的小拇指姑娘；当我冻僵在那黑暗的通道里时，是你救了我的命。”

“cold winter is ing,” said the swallow, “and I am going to fly away into warmer countries. will you go with me? You can sit on my back, and fasten yourself on with your sash. then we can fly away from the ugly mole and his gloomy rooms, — far away, over the mountains, into warmer countries, where the sun shines more brightly — than here; where it is always summer, and the flowers bloom in greater beauty. Fly now with me, dear little tiny; you saved my life when I lay frozen in that dark passage.”

“是的，我愿意和你一起去。” 拇指姑娘说；然后她坐在鸟儿的背上，把脚放在他伸展开的翅膀上，并把她的腰带系在他一根最结实的羽毛上。

“Yes, I will go with you,” said tiny; and she seated herself on the bird’s back, with her feet on his outstretched wings, and tied her girdle to one of his strongest feathers.

然后燕子飞向空中，飞越森林，飞越大海，高高地飞越过终年积雪的最高山峰。

then the swallow rose in the air, and flew over forest and over sea, high above the highest mountains, covered with eternal snow.

拇指姑娘在寒冷的空气中可能会被冻僵，但她躲在鸟儿温暖的羽毛下面，只把她的小脑袋露在外面，这样她就可以欣赏他们经过的美丽土地了。

tiny would have been frozen in the cold air, but she crept under the bird’s warm feathers, keeping her little head uncovered, so that she might admire the beautiful lands over which they passed.

最后他们到达了温暖的国度，那里阳光明媚，天空看起来比在地面上时高得多。

At length they reached the warm countries, where the sun shines brightly, and the sky seems so much higher above the earth.

在这里，树篱上和路边生长着紫色、绿色和白色的葡萄；树林里的树上挂满了柠檬和橙子；空气中弥漫着桃金娘和橙花的芬芳。

here, on the hedges, and by the wayside, grew purple, green, and white grapes; lemons and oranges hung from trees in the woods; and the air was fragrant with myrtles and orange blossoms.

漂亮的孩子们沿着乡间小路奔跑，与色彩鲜艳的大蝴蝶嬉戏。

beautiful children ran along the country lanes, playing with large gay butterflies;

燕子越飞越远，所到之处看起来越发美丽。

and as the swallow flew farther and farther, every place appeared still more lovely.

最后他们来到一个蓝色的湖泊边，在湖的一侧，在深绿色树木的遮蔽下，矗立着一座由耀眼的白色大理石建成的古老宫殿。

At last they came to a blue lake, and by the side of it, shaded by trees of the deepest green, stood a palace of dazzling white marble, built in the olden times.

藤蔓缠绕着它高大的柱子，顶部有许多燕子窝，其中一个就是载着拇指姑娘的燕子的家。

Vines clustered round its lofty pillars, and at the top were many swallows’ nests, and one of these was the home of the swallow who carried tiny.

“这是我的家，” 燕子说；“但你住在那里不合适 —— 你不会舒服的。你必须从那些可爱的花朵中为自己挑选一朵，我会把你放在上面，然后你就会拥有能让你幸福的一切。”

“this is my house,” said the swallow; “but it would not do for you to live there — you would not be fortable. You must choose for yourself one of those lovely flowers, and I will put you down upon it, and then you shall have everything that you can wish to make you happy.”

“那将会很美妙。” 她说着，高兴地拍起小手来。

“that will be delightful,” she said, and clapped her little hands for joy.

一根巨大的大理石柱子倒在地上，断成了三截。

A large marble pillar lay on the ground, which, in falling, had been broken into three pieces.

在这些断柱之间生长着最美丽的大白花；

between these pieces grew the most beautiful large white flowers;

于是燕子带着拇指姑娘飞下来，把她放在一片宽大的叶子上。

so the swallow flew down with tiny, and placed her on one of the broad leaves.

但当她看到在花的中间有一个小得不能再小的男人时，是多么惊讶啊，他像水晶做的一样洁白透明！他头上戴着一顶金王冠，肩膀上长着精致的翅膀，而且和拇指姑娘自己差不多大。

but how surprised she was to see in the middle of the flower, a tiny little man, as white and transparent as if he had been made of crystal! he had a gold crown on his head, and delicate wings at his shoulders, and was not much larger than tiny herself.

他是花中的精灵；

he was the angel of the flower;

因为每朵花里都住着一个小男人和一个小女人；而他是他们所有人的国王。

for a tiny man and a tiny woman dwell in every flower; and this was the king of them all.

“哦，他多么美丽啊！” 拇指姑娘轻声对燕子说。

“oh, how beautiful he is!” whispered tiny to the swallow.

小王子一开始非常害怕这只鸟，和他这样娇弱的小生灵相比，这只鸟就像个巨人；

the little prince was at first quite frightened at the bird, who was like a giant, pared to such a delicate little creature as himself;

但是当他看到拇指姑娘时，他很高兴，觉得她是他见过的最美丽的小姑娘。

but when he saw tiny, he was delighted, and thought her the prettiest little maiden he had ever seen.

他从头上取下金王冠，戴在她的头上，问她的名字，问她是否愿意做他的妻子，成为所有花朵的王后。

he took the gold crown from his head, and placed it on hers, and asked her name, and if she would be his wife, and queen over all the flowers.

这和癞蛤蟆的儿子或者那只穿着黑天鹅绒和皮毛的鼹鼠相比，可真是完全不同类型的丈夫；

this certainly was a very different sort of husband to the son of a toad, or the mole, with my black velvet and fur;

所以她对这位英俊的王子说：“好的。”

so she said, “Yes,” to the handsome prince.

然后所有的花朵都开放了，每朵花里走出一位小女士或者小男士，他们都非常漂亮，看起来赏心悦目。

then all the flowers opened, and out of each came a little lady or a tiny lord, all so pretty it was quite a pleasure to look at them.

他们每个人都给拇指姑娘带来了一份礼物；但最好的礼物是一对美丽的翅膀，这对翅膀原属于一只大白蝇，他们把翅膀系在拇指姑娘的肩膀上，这样她就可以从一朵花飞到另一朵花上了。

Each of them brought tiny a present; but the best gift was a pair of beautiful wings, which had belonged to a large white fly and they fastened them to tiny’s shoulders, so that she might fly from flower to flower.

接着大家都非常高兴，坐在他们上方巢里的小燕子被邀请唱一首婚礼之歌，他尽可能地唱好了；

then there was much rejoicing, and the little swallow who sat above them, in his nest, was asked to sing a wedding song, which he did as well as he could;

但在他心里却感到悲伤，因为他非常喜欢拇指姑娘，很希望永远不再和她分开。

but in his heart he felt sad for he was very fond of tiny, and would have liked never to part from her again.

“你不能再叫拇指姑娘了。” 花中的精灵对她说。

“You must not be called tiny any more,” said the spirit of the flowers to her.

“这是个丑陋的名字，而你是如此美丽。我们将称呼你为玛雅。”

“It is an ugly name, and you are so very pretty. we will call you maia.”

“再见，再见。” 小燕子心情沉重地说，他离开这个温暖的国度，飞回丹麦。

“Farewell, farewell,” said the swallow, with a heavy heart as he left the warm countries to fly back into denmark.

在那里，他在一所房子的窗户上方有一个巢，这所房子里住着那位童话作家。

there he had a nest over the window of a house in which dwelt the writer of fairy tales.

燕子叽叽喳喳地唱着，整个故事就从他的歌声里诞生了。

the swallow sang, “tweet, tweet,” and from his song came the whole story.