《小精灵山丘》，1845 年
the Elfin hill, 1845
几只大蜥蜴在一棵老树的裂缝里敏捷地跑来跑去；它们彼此能很好地交流，因为它们说的是蜥蜴语。
A few large lizards were running nimbly about in the clefts of an old tree; they could understand one another very well, for they spoke the lizard language.
“小精灵山丘那边嗡嗡响、轰隆隆的，可真吵啊，” 其中一只蜥蜴说，“就因为这噪音，我已经两夜没能合眼了；我还不如牙疼呢，因为牙疼也总是让我睡不着觉。”
“what a buzzing and a rumbling there is in the elfin hill,” said one of the lizards; “I have not been able to close my eyes for two nights on account of the noise; I might just as well have had the toothache, for that always keeps me awake.”
“山丘里面肯定在搞什么名堂，” 另一只蜥蜴说，“他们用四根红柱子把山顶撑起来，一直撑到今天早上公鸡打鸣，这样里面就彻底通了风，小精灵姑娘们也学了新舞蹈；肯定有什么事儿。”
“there is something going on within there,” said the other lizard; “they propped up the top of the hill with four red posts, till cock-crow this morning, so that it is thoroughly aired, and the elfin girls have learnt new dances; there is something.”
“我跟我认识的一条蚯蚓说起过这事，” 第三只蜥蜴说，“那条蚯蚓刚从小精灵山丘来，他在那儿的土里日夜摸索。他听到了很多事；虽然他看不见，可怜的家伙，但他很清楚怎么扭动着身子、偷偷摸摸地四处活动。小精灵山丘在等客人，还是很重要的客人呢；但客人是谁，蚯蚓不肯说，或者，也许他真的不知道。所有的鬼火都接到命令要到那儿去跳火炬舞，就是那种舞。山丘里大量的金银财宝都要擦拭干净，摆到月光下。”
“I spoke about it to an earth-worm of my acquaintance,” said a third lizard; “the earth-worm had just e from the elfin hill, where he has been groping about in the earth day and night. he has heard a great deal; although he cannot see, poor miserable creature, yet he understands very well how to wriggle and lurk about. they expect friends in the elfin hill, grand pany, too; but who they are the earth-worm would not say, or, perhaps, he really did not know. All the will-o’-the-wisps are ordered to be there to hold a torch dance, as it is called. the silver and gold which is plentiful in the hill will be polished and placed out in the moonlight.”
“这些陌生人会是谁呢？” 蜥蜴们问道，“到底是怎么回事呢？ 听，那嗡嗡声、哼哼声多响啊！”
“who can the strangers be?” asked the lizards; “what can the matter be? hark, what a buzzing and humming there is!”
就在这时，小精灵山丘打开了，一位后背凹陷的老精灵少女轻快地走了出来；她是老精灵王的管家，也是这个家族的远亲；因此她在额头正中央戴着一颗琥珀色的心形饰物。
Just at this moment the elfin hill opened, and an old elfin maiden, hollow behind, came tripping out; she was the old elf king’s housekeeper, and a distant relative of the family; therefore she wore an amber heart on the middle of her forehead.
她的脚步移动得很快，“嗒嗒，嗒嗒”；天哪，她能一路轻快地走到海边去找夜鸦。
her feet moved very fast, “trip, trip;” good gracious, how she could trip right down to the sea to the night-raven.
“今晚你被邀请到小精灵山丘来，” 她说，“但你能帮我个大忙，负责送请帖吗？你应该做点事，因为你不像我有管家的活儿要忙。我们要来一些非常重要的人物，魔法师们，他们总是有话要说；因此老精灵王想好好炫耀一番。”
“You are invited to the elf hill for this evening,” said she; “but will you do me a great favor and undertake the invitations? you ought to do something, for you have no housekeeping to attend to as I have. we are going to have some very grand people, conjurors, who have always something to say; and therefore the old elf king wishes to make a great display.”
“要邀请谁呢？” 夜鸦问道。
“who is to be invited?” asked the raven.
“全世界的人都可以来参加这场盛大的舞会，甚至人类，如果他们能在睡梦中说话，或者能像我们一样做点什么事的话。但对于宴会，宾客必须精心挑选；我们只能接纳地位高贵的人；我自己就和精灵王争论过，因为他认为我们不能接纳鬼魂。首先必须邀请人鱼和他的女儿，虽然让他们在陆地上待那么久可能不太乐意，但会给他们准备一块潮湿的石头让他们坐，或者也许会有更好的安排；所以我觉得他们这次不会拒绝的。”
“All the world may e to the great ball, even human beings, if they can only talk in their sleep, or do something after our fashion. but for the feast the pany must be carefully selected; we can only admit persons of high rank; I have had a dispute myself with the elf king, as he thought we could not admit ghosts. the merman and his daughter must be invited first, although it may not be agreeable to them to remain so long on dry land, but they shall have a feel wet stone to sit on, or perhaps something better; so I think they will not refuse this time.
我们必须邀请所有一流的老恶魔，长着尾巴的那种，还有小妖精和小鬼；然后我觉得我们不该漏掉死神之马，或者坟场之猪，甚至连教堂小矮人也不能落下，虽然他们隶属于神职人员，不算在我们族类里；但那只是他们的职务，他们和我们关系很近，还经常来拜访我们呢。”
we must have all the old demons of the first class, with tails, and the hobgoblins and imps; and then I think we ought not to leave out the death-horse, or the grave-pig, or even the church dwarf, although they do belong to the clergy, and are not reckoned among our people; but that is merely their office, they are nearly related to us, and visit us very frequently.”
“呱，” 夜鸦叫了一声，就带着请柬飞走了。
“croak,” said the night-raven as he flew away with the invitations.
小精灵少女们已经在小精灵山丘上跳舞了，她们披着用月光和薄雾织成的披肩跳舞，对于喜欢这类东西的人来说，看上去非常漂亮。
the elfin maidens we’re already dancing on the elf hill, and they danced in shawls woven from moonshine and mist, which look very pretty to those who like such things.
小精灵山丘内的大厅装饰得富丽堂皇；地面是用月光洗过的，墙壁是用魔法药膏擦拭过的，所以在灯光下它们像郁金香花瓣一样闪闪发光。
the large hall within the elf hill was splendidly decorated; the floor had been washed with moonshine, and the walls had been rubbed with magic ointment, so that they glowed like tulip-leaves in the light.
厨房里，青蛙正在烤肉叉上烤着，用蜗牛壳做的菜肴正在准备当中，里面还有小孩子的手指头，有蘑菇籽、毒芹做的沙拉，老鼠的鼻子和骨髓，有来自沼泽女人酿酒厂的啤酒，还有从墓穴地窖里取出的冒着泡的硝石酒。
In the kitchen were frogs roasting on the spit, and dishes preparing of snail skins, with children’s fingers in them, salad of mushroom seed, hemlock, noses and marrow of mice, beer from the marsh woman’s brewery, and sparkling salt-petre wine from the grave cellars.
这些可都是实实在在的食物。
these were all substantial food.
生锈的钉子和教堂窗户玻璃成了甜点。
Rusty nails and church-window glass formed the dessert.
老精灵王让人用粉状的石板铅笔把他的金王冠擦得锃亮；那是一年级学生用的那种，对一个精灵王来说很难弄到。
the old elf king had his gold crown polished up with powdered slate-pencil; it was like that used by the first form, and very difficult for an elf king to obtain.
在卧室里，窗帘挂了起来，用蜗牛的黏液系着；确实，到处都是嗡嗡声和哼哼声。
In the bedrooms, curtains were hung up and fastened with the slime of snails; there was, indeed, a buzzing and humming everywhere.
“现在我们得用烧焦的马毛和猪鬃来熏一下这个地方，然后我想我的活儿就干完了。” 小精灵男仆说。
“Now we must fumigate the place with burnt horse-hair and pig’s bristles, and then I think I shall have at done my part,” said the elf man-servant.
“亲爱的爸爸，” 最小的女儿说，“我现在能知道我们那些高贵的客人都是谁吗？”
“Father, dear,” said the youngest daughter, “may I now hear who our high-born visitors are?”
“嗯，我想我现在得告诉你们了。” 他回答道，“我的两个女儿得准备好出嫁了，因为这婚事肯定是要办的。来自挪威的老妖怪，他住在古老的多夫勒山脉，拥有许多用岩石和砂石建造的城堡，除此之外，还有一座金矿，大家都觉得那金矿比什么都好。他带着他的两个儿子要来，那两个儿子都在找媳妇。老妖怪是个心地善良、诚实的挪威老头儿；性格开朗又直率。我以前就认识他，那时候我们常常一起喝酒，为我们的友谊干杯呢。他曾经来这儿娶过他的妻子，她现在已经去世了。她是默恩白垩山国王的女儿。
人们说他娶了个白垩山的妻子；我很期待能再见到他。据说那两个儿子没什么教养，是些冒失的小伙子，但也许这话不太准确，等他们长大了可能会变好的。让我看看你们知道怎么教他们懂礼貌。”
“well, I suppose I must tell you now,” he replied; “two of my daughters must prepare themselves to be married, for the marriages certainly will take place. the old goblin from Norway, who lives in the ancient dovre mountains, and who possesses many castles built of rock and freestone, besides a gold mine, which is better than all, so it is thought, is ing with his two sons, who are both seeking a wife. the old goblin is a true-hearted, honest, old Norwegian graybeard; cheerful and straightforward. I knew him formerly, when we used to drink together to our good fellowship: he came here once to fetch his wife, she is dead now. She was the daughter of the king of the chalk-hills at moen. they say he took his wife from chalk; I shall be delighted to see him again. It is said that the boys are ill-bred, forward lads, but perhaps that is not quite correct, and they will bee better as they grow older. Let me see that you know how to teach them good manners.”
“他们什么时候来呀？” 女儿问道。
“And when are they ing?” asked the daughter.
“那要看风向和天气了。” 精灵王说，“他们出行很节省。只要有船可搭，他们就会来。我本想让他们来瑞典，但老头儿不愿意听我的建议。他跟不上时代步伐，这我可不喜欢。”
“that depends upon wind and weather,” said the elf king; “they travel economically. they will e when there is the chance of a ship. I wanted them to e over to Sweden, but the old man was not inclined to take my advice. he does not go forward with the times, and that I do not like.”
两只鬼火蹦蹦跳跳地进来了，一只比另一只快，所以当然是一只先到了。
two will-o’-the-wisps came jumping in, one quicker than the other, so of course, one arrived first. “they are ing! they are ing!” he cried.
“把我的王冠给我，” 精灵王说，“让我站到月光下。”
the daughters drew on their shawls and bowed down to the ground.
来自多夫勒山脉的老妖怪站在那儿，戴着用坚硬的冰和打磨过的冷杉球果做成的王冠。
there stood the old goblin from the dovre mountains, with his crown of hardened ice and polished fir-cones.
除此之外，他还披着一张熊皮，穿着又大又暖和的靴子，而他的儿子们则光着脖子，也没系背带，因为他们都是强壮的男子汉。
besides this, he wore a bear-skin, and great, warm boots, while his sons went with their throats bare and wore no braces, for they were strong men.
“那是座小山吗？”其中一个最小的男孩指着小精灵山丘说，“在挪威我们会把它叫做一个洞。”
“Is that a hill?” said the youngest of the boys, pointing to the elf hill, “we should call it a hole in Norway.”
“孩子们，” 老头儿说，“洞是凹进去的，山是凸出来的；你们脑袋里没长眼睛吗？”
“boys,” said the old man, “a hole goes in, and a hill stands out; have you no eyes in your heads?”
另一件让他们感到惊奇的事是，他们毫不费力就能听懂这里的语言。
Another thing they wondered at was, that they were able without trouble to understand the language.
“小心点，” 老头儿说，“不然别人会以为你们没受过良好的教养。”
“take care,” said the old man, “or people will think you have not been well brought up.”
然后他们走进了小精灵山丘，那些精选出来的尊贵宾客都已经聚集在那儿了，他们出现得如此之快，就好像是被一阵风给吹到一起的。
then they entered the elfin hill, where the select and grand pany were assembled, and so quickly had they appeared that they seemed to have been blown together.
但对于每一位宾客，都已经做好了最整洁、最舒适的安排。
but for each guest the neatest and pleasantest arrangement had been made.
海族人坐在大水缸做成的桌子旁，他们说这感觉就像在家里一样。
the sea folks sat at table in great water-tubs, and they said it was just like being at home.
除了那两个年轻的北方小妖怪，其他人都举止得体。他们把腿跷到桌子上，还觉得自己没做错。
All behaved themselves properly excepting the two young northern goblins; they put their legs on the table and thought they were all right.
“把脚从桌布上拿下来！” 老妖怪说。
“Feet off the table-cloth!” said the old goblin.
他们服从了，但不是马上就照做。
they obeyed, but not immediately.
然后他们用口袋里装着的冷杉球果去挠那些在餐桌旁伺候的女士们痒痒。
then they tickled the ladies who waited at table, with the fir-cones, which they carried in their pocket.
他们脱掉靴子，这样能更自在些，还把靴子递给女士们拿着。
they took off their boots, that they might be more at ease, and gave them to the ladies to hold.
但他们的父亲，那位老妖怪，可就大不一样了。他兴高采烈地谈论着挪威雄伟的岩石，还讲述了那些瀑布的精彩故事，瀑布奔腾而下，发出如雷鸣或风琴般的轰鸣声，白色的泡沫向四面八方飞溅。
but their father, the old goblin, was very different; he talked pleasantly about the stately Norwegian rocks, and told fine tales of the waterfalls which dashed over them with a clattering noise like thunder or the sound of an organ, spreading their white foam on every side.
他讲到在湍急的水流中跳跃的鲑鱼，还有水神在弹奏他的金竖琴。
he told of the salmon that leaps in the rushing waters, while the water-god plays on his golden harp.