坚定的锡兵｜The Steadfast Tin Soldier

出自｜安徒生童话Once there were twenty-five tin soldiers, all brothers, all cast from the same old tin spoonThey carried muskets on their shoulders and stared straight aheadThe last soldier had only one leg, because they ran out of tinBut he stood just as steady on his one leg as the others did on twoOn the table stood a beautiful paper castleAt the castle gate stood a paper lady, wearing a cloth skirt with a blue ribbon over her shoulder and a sparkling ornament at her chestShe stretched out both arms and lifted one leg so high that the tin soldier could barely see it, so he thought she had only one leg, just like him"She'd make a fine wife for me," he thoughtWhen night fell, the toys came alive, they paid each other visits, started pretend wars, and held dancesOnly two never moved, the tin soldier and the little dancerShe stood on the tips of her toes, arms outstretchedThe tin soldier stood steady on his one leg, his eyes fixed on herSuddenly the clock struck twelve, and the lid of the snuff box flew openOut hopped a little black goblin"Tin soldier," said the goblin "Keep your eyes to yourself"The tin soldier pretended not to hear"All right, just you wait until tomorrow," said the goblinThe next morning, the children moved the tin soldier to the windowsillThe window blew open, and the soldier fell headfirst from the third floor to the groundHis bayonet lodged in the crack between the paving stonesThe nursemaid and the child came down to look for himThey almost stepped on him but never saw himThe tin soldier felt it wouldn't be proper to shout while in uniform, so he stayed silentIt began to pourWhen the rain stopped, two street boys came by"Look," said one "A tin soldier Let's send him sailing"They folded a boat from newspaper and placed the tin soldier insideThe paper boat drifted down the gutterThe soldier stood rock-steady, his face unchanged, musket on his shoulder, eyes straight aheadSuddenly the boat swept into a pitch-black drain"I wonder where this will take me," he thought"Ah, if only that young lady were here with me, I wouldn't care if it were twice as dark"A huge rat appeared"Your passport Show me your passport"The tin soldier said nothingHe only gripped his musket tighterThe boat burst out of the drain into a wide canalWater poured over the sidesThe boat began to sinkThe soldier stood upright, the water up to his neckHe thought of the beautiful dancerThen a voice rang in his ears"Onward, onward, soldier of tin, death alone awaits you"The tin soldier sank to the bottomJust then, a great fish swallowed him wholeOh, the darkness insideWorse than the drain, and so narrowBut the tin soldier was steadfast, he held tight to his musket, even as he lay stillThen a flash of light pierced the darknessSomeone shouted, "The tin soldier"The fish had been caught, sold at the market, and brought into a kitchenThe maid sliced the fish open with a big knife and carried the soldier into the sitting roomThe tin soldier found himself back in the very same roomHe saw the same children, the same beautiful castle, and the lovely dancerShe was still standing on one legHer courage stirred something inside him, he almost wept tin tears, but he couldn'tHe looked at her, and she looked at him, and neither said a wordA child grabbed the tin soldier and flung him into the fireThat goblin's work, no doubtThe tin soldier stood there, glowing redHe felt his body slowly melting, but he still held his gun and stood firmThe door blew open, and a gust of wind swept the dancer upShe flew into the fire, landed beside the tin soldier, burst into flame, and vanishedThe tin soldier melted into a lump of tinThe next morning, the maid emptied the ashesShe found a small tin heartAll that was left of the dancer was her sparkling ornament, but it had burned as black as charcoal前往小宇宙评论区与主播互动