《钟》，1845 年

“the bell, 1845”

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钟的主题是德国和丹麦浪漫主义诗人喜爱的主题之一，通过其宗教联想唤起崇敬，通过其声学奇观唤起敬畏。

the motif of the bell is a favorite one among German and danish Romantic poets, evoking reverence through its religious associations and awe through its acoustical wonders.

德国诗人弗里德里希?席勒着名的《钟之歌》（1799 年）为安徒生所熟知，他写了一个关于其创作的故事叫《老教堂的钟》（1862 年），在这个故事中，他明显与席勒产生共鸣，席勒在贫困中长大，但却获得了艺术上的卓越成就。

the renowned “Song of the bell” (1799) by the German poet Friedrich Schiller was familiar to Andersen, and he wrote a story about its position called “the old church bell” (1862), in which he clearly identifies with Schiller, who grew up in poverty but rose to artistic distinction.

席勒的诗转向了政治、意识形态，而不是朝着美学、宗教的方向发展。

Schiller’s poem takes a political, ideological turn rather than moving in an aesthetic, religious direction.

在写《钟》的十二年后，安徒生发表了《钟渊》（1857 年），这个故事捕捉了关于欧登塞的一个河鬼和从河里响起的一个神秘钟声的传说的主要特征。

twelve years after writing “the bell, “ Andersen published “the bell deep” (1857), a story capturing the main features of a legend about a river ghost in odense and about a mysterious bell that rings from the river.

《钟》是安徒生诗歌更深刻、更广泛的展现，演绎了一个将诗歌与自然结合起来的寓言，并传播了一种民主理想，在这个理想中，王子与穷人携手。

“the bell” is a deeper, broader staging of Andersen’s poetics, enacting an allegory that unites poetry with nature and broadcasting a democratic ideal in which a prince joins hands with a pauper.

这个故事在安徒生的文学作品中提供了一个至高无上的乌托邦时刻，而描述森林之美的场景提醒我们，视觉上的愉悦对安徒生来说和钟那引人入胜的声学魅力一样重要。

the tale provides a crowning utopian moment in Andersen’s literary work, and the scenes describing the beauties of the forest remind us that visual delights were as important to Andersen as the arresting acoustical enchantments of the bell.

就像在《皇帝的新装》中一样，孩子比成年人更有见识，安徒生对王子和穷人携手的动人描绘提醒我们，对人性的深刻愤世嫉俗与对我们转变能力的基本信念并不矛盾。

As in “the Emperor’s New clothes,” the child is more knowing than adults, and Andersen’s moving portrait of prince and pauper joining hands reminds us that deep cynicism about human nature is not inconsistent with a bedrock of faith in our capacity for transformation.

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人们说：“晚钟正在敲响，太阳正在落山。” 因为在一个大城市狭窄的街道上听到了一种奇怪而奇妙的声音。它就像教堂的钟声：但只听到了一会儿，因为马车的滚动声和人群的嘈杂声太大了。

people said “the Evening bell is sounding, the sun is setting.” For a strange wondrous tone was heard in the narrow streets of a large town. It was like the sound of a church-bell: but it was only heard for a moment, for the rolling of the carriages and the voices of the multitude made too great a noise.

那些在城外行走的人，那里的房子相距较远，中间有花园或小块田地，可以更好地看到傍晚的天空，也更清楚地听到钟声。就好像声音是从寂静森林中的一座教堂传来的；人们朝那个方向望去，感到他们的心灵被极其庄严地协调起来。

those persons who were walking outside the town, where the houses were farther apart, with gardens or little fields between them, could see the evening sky still better, and heard the sound of the bell much more distinctly. It was as if the tones came from a church in the still forest; people looked thitherward, and felt their minds attuned most solemnly.

很长时间过去了，人们相互说道：“我想知道森林里是否有一座教堂？钟声有一种奇妙的甜美音调；让我们漫步到那里，更仔细地查看一下这件事。” 富人们驾车出去，穷人们步行，但对他们来说路似乎奇怪地漫长；当他们来到长在森林边缘的一丛柳树旁时，他们坐下来，抬头看着长长的树枝，想象着他们现在已经在绿色森林的深处了。

A long time passed, and people said to each other— “I wonder if there is a church out in the wood? the bell has a tone that is wondrous sweet; let us stroll thither, and examine the matter nearer.” And the rich people drove out, and the poor walked, but the way seemed strangely long to them; and when they came to a clump of willows which grew on the skirts of the forest, they sat down, and looked up at the long branches, and fancied they were now in the depth of the green wood.

城里的糖果商来到这里，在那里支起了他的货摊；不久又来了一个糖果商，他在自己的摊位上方挂了一个铃铛，作为标志或装饰品，但铃铛没有钟舌，而且为了防止被雨淋，铃铛上涂了柏油。

the confectioner of the town came out, and set up his booth there; and soon after came another confectioner, who hung a bell over his stand, as a sign or ornament, but it had no clapper, and it was tarred over to preserve it from the rain.

当所有人都回家时，他们说这非常浪漫，这和野餐或茶会完全是不同的事情。

when all the people returned home, they said it had been very romantic, and that it was quite a different sort of thing to a pic-nic or tea-party.

有三个人声称他们已经深入到森林的尽头，并且他们一直听到那美妙的钟声，但对他们来说，这声音似乎是从城里传来的。

there were three persons who asserted they had penetrated to the end of the forest, and that they had always heard the wonderful sounds of the bell, but it had seemed to them as if it had e from the town.

一个人为此写了一整首诗，说钟声听起来就像母亲对一个乖孩子的声音，没有比钟声更甜美的旋律了。

one wrote a whole poem about it, and said the bell sounded like the voice of a mother to a good dear child, and that no melody was sweeter than the tones of the bell.

这个国家的国王也注意到了这件事，并发誓说，谁能找出声音的来源，谁就应该获得 “万能敲钟人” 的称号，即使那实际上不是一个钟。

the king of the country was also observant of it, and vowed that he who could discover whence the sounds proceeded, should have the title of “Universal bell-ringer,” even if it were not really a bell.

现在很多人去了森林，为了找到那个地方，但只有一个人带着一种解释回来了；因为没有人走得足够远，那个人也没有比其他人走得更远。然而，他说声音是从一棵空心树里的一只非常大的猫头鹰那里传来的；一只博学的猫头鹰，它不断地用头撞树枝。但是声音是来自它的头还是来自空心树，没有人能确定地说出来。

many persons now went to the wood, for the sake of getting the place, but one only returned with a sort of explanation; for nobody went far enough, that one not further than the others. however, he said that the sound proceeded from a very large owl, in a hollow tree; a sort of learned owl, that continually knocked its head against the branches. but whether the sound came from his head or from the hollow tree, that no one could say with certainty.

所以现在他得到了 “万能敲钟人” 的职位，并每年写一篇简短的论文《论猫头鹰》；但每个人都和以前一样聪明。

So now he got the place of “Universal bell-ringer,” and wrote yearly a short treatise “on the owl”; but everybody was just as wise as before.

这是坚信礼的日子。牧师讲得如此动人，接受坚信礼的孩子们深受感动；对他们来说，这是一个重要的日子；他们一下子从孩子变成了成年人；就好像他们幼小的灵魂现在一下子要飞进更有理解力的人的身体里。

It was the day of confirmation. the clergyman had spoken so touchingly, the children who were confirmed had been greatly moved; it was an eventful day for them; from children they bee all at once grown-up-persons; it was as if their infant souls were now to fly all at once into persons with more understanding.

阳光灿烂地照耀着；接受坚信礼的孩子们走出城镇；从森林里传来那不知名的钟声，异常清晰。他们立刻都想去那里；除了三个人之外。

the sun was shining gloriously; the children that had been confirmed went out of the town; and from the wood was borne towards them the sounds of the unknown bell with wonderful distinctness. they all immediately felt a wish to go thither; all except three.

其中一个必须回家去试穿一件舞会礼服；因为正是这件礼服和舞会让她这次接受了坚信礼，否则她是不会来的；另一个是一个穷孩子，他从旅店老板的儿子那里借了外套和靴子来参加坚信礼，他必须在一定的时间把它们还回去；第三个说如果他的父母不在他身边，他从不去陌生的地方 —— 到目前为止他一直是个好孩子，现在他接受了坚信礼，他仍然会是个好孩子，不应该为此嘲笑他：然而，其他人还是嘲笑了他。

one of them had to go home to try on a ball-dress; for it was just the dress and the ball which had caused her to be confirmed this time, for otherwise she would not have e; the other was a poor boy, who had borrowed his coat and boots to be confirmed in from the innkeeper’s son, and he was to give them back by a certain hour; the third said that he never went to a strange place if his parents were not with him — that he had always been a good boy hitherto, and would still be so now that he was confirmed, and that one ought not to laugh at him for it: the others, however, did make fun of him, after all.

因此，有三个人没有去；其他人急忙赶去。

there were three, therefore, that did not go; the others hastened on.

阳光照耀着，鸟儿歌唱着，孩子们也唱着歌，他们手牵着手；因为到目前为止他们中还没有人担任任何要职，在上帝的眼中他们都是平等的。

the sun shone, the birds sang, and the children sang too, and each held the other by the hand; for as yet they had none of them any high office, and were all of equal rank in the eye of God.

但是两个最小的孩子很快就累了，他们都回到了城里；两个小女孩坐下来编花环，所以她们也没有去；当其他人到达柳树那里，也就是糖果商在的地方时，他们说：“现在我们到了！实际上钟并不存在；这只是人们脑海中的幻想！”

but two of the youngest soon grew tired, and both returned to town; two little girls sat down, and twined garlands, so they did not go either; and when the others reached the willow-tree, where the confectioner was, they said, “Now we are there! In reality the bell does not exist; it is only a fancy that people have taken into their heads!”