第二十一个晚上
twENtY-FIRSt EVENING
“我看到一个小女孩在哭泣。” 月亮说，“她在为世界的堕落而哭泣。她收到了一个非常漂亮的洋娃娃作为礼物。哦，那是一个极好的洋娃娃，那么美丽、精致！她似乎不是为这个世界的悲伤而生的。但是小女孩的哥哥们，那些淘气的大男孩，把洋娃娃高高地放在一棵树的树枝上然后跑开了。”
“I saw a little girl weeping,” said the moon; “she was weeping over the depravity of the world. She had received a most beautiful doll as a present. oh, that was a glorious doll, so fair and delicate! She did not seem created for the sorrows of this world. but the brothers of the little girl, those great naughty boys, had set the doll high up in the branches of a tree and had run away.”
“小女孩够不着洋娃娃，也没法把她弄下来，这就是她哭泣的原因。”
“the little girl could not reach up to the doll, and could not help her down, and that is why she was crying.
洋娃娃肯定也在哭泣，因为她在绿色的树枝间伸出双臂，看起来非常悲伤。是的，这些就是小女孩经常听说的生活中的烦恼。哎呀，可怜的洋娃娃！天已经开始变黑了；要是黑夜完全降临怎么办！她要整晚都坐在树枝上吗？不，小女孩不能下定决心让这种情况发生。“我会和你在一起。” 她说，尽管她心里一点也不开心。
“the doll must certainly have been crying too, for she stretched out her arms among the green branches, and looked quite mournful. Yes, these are the troubles of life of which the little girl had often heard tell. Alas, poor doll! it began to grow dark already; and suppose night were to e on pletely! was she to be left sitting on the bough all night long? No, the little maid could not make up her mind to that. ‘I’ll stay with you,’ she said, although she felt anything but happy in her mind.
她几乎可以想象自己清楚地看到戴着高顶帽子的小精灵坐在灌木丛中；在长长的小径更远处，高大的幽灵似乎在跳舞。他们越来越近，朝着洋娃娃坐着的树伸出手；他们轻蔑地笑着，用手指着她。哦，小女孩多么害怕啊！
She could almost fancy she distinctly saw little gnomes, with their high-crowned hats, sitting in the bushes; and further back in the long walk, tall spectres appeared to be dancing. they came nearer and nearer, and stretched out their hands towards the tree on which the doll sat; they laughed scornfully, and pointed at her with their fingers. oh, how frightened the little maid was!
“但是如果一个人没有做错任何事，” 她想，“没有邪恶的东西能伤害一个人。我想知道我做错了什么事吗？” 然后她思考着。
‘but if one has not done anything wrong,’ she thought, ‘nothing evil can harm one. I wonder if I have done anything wrong?’ And she considered.
“哦，是的！我嘲笑了那只腿上绑着红布条的可怜鸭子；她一瘸一拐地走得那么滑稽，我忍不住笑了；但是嘲笑动物是一种罪过。” 然后她抬头看着洋娃娃。“你也嘲笑那只鸭子了吗？” 她问；看起来洋娃娃摇了摇头。”
‘oh, yes! I laughed at the poor duck with the red rag on her leg; she limped along so funnily, I could not help laughing; but it’s a sin to laugh at animals.’ And she looked up at the doll. ‘did you laugh at the duck too?’ she asked; and it seemed as if the doll shook her head.”
第二十二个晚上
twENtY-SEcoNd EVENING
“我俯瞰着蒂罗尔。” 月亮说，“我的光芒使得黑暗的松树在岩石上投下长长的影子。”
“I looked down upon tyrol,” said the moon, “and my beams caused the dark pines to throw long shadows upon the rocks.
我看着画在那里房屋墙壁上的圣克里斯托弗背着圣婴耶稣的画像，巨大的画像从地面一直延伸到屋顶。圣弗洛里安被描绘成正在往着火的房子上浇水，而主在路边的大十字架上流血悬挂着。
“I looked at the pictures of St. christopher carrying the Infant Jesus that are painted there upon the walls of the houses, colossal figures reaching from the ground to the roof. St. Florian was represented pouring water on the burning house, and the Lord hung bleeding on the great cross by the wayside.
对现在这一代人来说，这些是古老的画像，但我看到它们被挂上去的时候，注意到一幅接着一幅。
to the present generation these are old pictures, but I saw when they were put up, and marked how one followed the other.
在那边的山巅上，像一个燕窝似的坐落着一座孤独的女修道院。两个修女站在塔楼上敲着钟；她们都很年轻，因此她们的目光越过山峦投向外面的世界。
on the brow of the mountain yonder is perched, like a swallow’s nest, a lonely convent of nuns. two of the sisters stood up in the tower tolling the bell; they were both young, and therefore their glances flew over the mountain out into the world.
一辆旅行马车从下面经过，赶车的吹响了号角，可怜的修女们带着忧伤的神情看了一会儿马车，年轻一点的那个修女眼里闪着泪光。
A travelling coach passed by below, the postillion wound his horn, and the poor nuns looked after the carriage for a moment with a mournful glance, and a tear gleamed in the eyes of the younger one.
号角声越来越微弱，女修道院的钟声淹没了它渐渐消失的回声。”
And the horn sounded faint and more faintly, and the convent bell drowned its expiring echoes.”
第二十三个晚上
twENtY-thIRd EVENING
听听月亮告诉我的话。
“hear what the moon told me.
几年前，就在哥本哈根这儿，我透过窗户往一间简陋小房间的里面看。
Some years ago, here in copenhagen, I looked through the window of a mean little room.
房间里父亲和母亲都睡着了，但小男孩却没睡着。我看见床上印着花的棉布窗帘动了动，那孩子探出头来张望。
the father and mother slept, but the little son was not asleep. I saw the flowered cotton curtains of the bed move, and the child peep forth.
起初我以为他是在看那座大钟，那钟被漆成了鲜艳的红绿两色。
At first I thought he was looking at the great clock, which was gaily painted in red and green.
钟的顶端坐着一只布谷鸟，下面挂着沉重的铅锤，摆锤带着擦亮的金属盘来回摆动，发出 “滴答，滴答” 的声音。
“At the top sat a cuckoo, below hung the heavy leaden weights, and the pendulum with the polished disc of metal went to and fro, and said ‘tick, tick.’
但是不，他不是在看钟，而是在看正好在钟下面的他妈妈的纺车。
but no, he was not looking at the clock, but at his mother’s spinning wheel, that stood just underneath it.
那是男孩最喜欢的一件家具，但他不敢碰它，因为如果他乱动它，就会挨一下打。
that was the boy’s favourite piece of furniture, but he dared not touch it, for if he meddled with it he got a rap on the knuckles.
好几个小时，当他妈妈纺线的时候，他会静静地坐在她旁边，看着嗡嗡作响的纺锤和旋转的轮子，他坐着的时候会想很多事情。
For hours together, when his mother was spinning, he would sit quietly by her side, watching the murmuring spindle and the revolving wheel, and as he sat he thought of many things.
哦，如果他自己能转动轮子就好了！
oh, if he might only turn the wheel himself!
爸爸和妈妈睡着了；他看看他们，又看看纺车，不一会儿，一只光脚丫从床上伸了出来，接着是另一只脚，然后是两条白白的小腿。
Father and mother were asleep; he looked at them, and looked at the spinning wheel, and presently a little naked foot peered out of the bed, and then a second foot, and then two little white legs.
他站在那里。他又环顾了一下四周，看看爸爸和妈妈是否还在睡觉 —— 是的，他们睡着了；现在他穿着他的小短睡衣，轻轻地、轻轻地爬向纺车，开始纺线。线从轮子上飞了出来，轮子转得越来越快。
there he stood. he looked round once more, to see if father and mother were still asleep — yes, they slept; and now he crept softly, softly, in his short little nightgown, to the spinning wheel, and began to spin. the thread flew from the wheel, and the wheel whirled faster and faster.
我亲吻了他金色的头发和蓝色的眼睛，这真是一幅美丽的画面。
I kissed his fair hair and his blue eyes, it was such a pretty picture.
“就在这时，妈妈醒了。窗帘晃动了一下，她向外看去，觉得自己好像看到了一个小矮人或者其他什么小幽灵。‘看在上帝的份上！’她惊叫道，惊慌失措地把丈夫叫醒。他睁开眼睛，用手揉了揉，看着这个活泼的小男孩。”
“At that moment the mother awoke. the curtain shook, she looked forth, and fancied she saw a gnome or some other kind of little spectre. ‘In heaven’s name!’ she cried, and aroused her husband in a frightened way. he opened his eyes, rubbed them with his hands, and looked at the brisk little lad.
“哎呀，那是贝特尔。” 他说。我的目光离开了那个简陋的房间，因为我有太多的东西要看。
“‘why, that is bertel,’ said he. And my eye quitted the poor room, for I have so much to see.
就在同一时刻，我望向梵蒂冈的大厅，那里大理石雕成的众神端坐在宝座上。
At the same moment I looked at the halls of the Vatican, where the marble gods are enthroned.
我照亮了拉奥孔群像；石头似乎在叹息。
I shone upon the group of the Laocoon; the stone seemed to sigh.
我默默地在缪斯女神的唇上吻了一下，她们似乎动了起来。
I pressed a silent kiss on the lips of the muses, and they seemed to stir and move.
但我的光芒在尼罗河群像和巨大的神像那里停留得最久。他靠着狮身人面像躺着，若有所思、陷入沉思，仿佛在思考着滚滚流逝的几个世纪；小爱神们在他和鳄鱼身上嬉戏。
but my rays lingered longest about the Nile group with the colossal god. Leaning against the Sphinx, he lies there thoughtful and meditative, as if he were thinking on the rolling centuries; and little love-gods sport with him and with the crocodiles.
在丰饶之角里，坐着一个小小的爱神，他双臂交叉，凝视着庄严的大河神，那模样活脱脱就是坐在纺车旁的男孩的真实写照 —— 容貌特征一模一样。
In the horn of plenty sat with folded arms a little tiny love-god, contemplating the great solemn river-god, a true picture of the boy at the spinning wheel — the features were exactly the same.
那尊小小的大理石雕像姿态迷人，栩栩如生。然而，自它从石头中诞生以来，岁月的车轮已经转过了一千多圈。就在那小房间里的男孩转动纺车的同样多次里，在那个时代能够再次塑造出与他后来所塑造的那些大理石神像同等水准的神像之前，那巨大的命运之轮已然悄然转动，发出低吟。
charming and life-like stood the little marble form, and yet the wheel of the year has turned more than a thousand times since the time when it sprang forth from the stone. Just as often as the boy in the little room turned the spinning wheel had the great wheel murmured, before the age could again call forth marble gods equal to those he afterwards formed.
“自从这一切发生以来，已经过去了很多年。” 月亮接着说。“昨天我望着丹麦东海岸的一个海湾。那里有美丽的树林和高大的树木，一座古老的有着红色城墙的骑士城堡，天鹅在池塘里游弋，在背景中，在果园之间，出现了一个有一座教堂的小镇。”
“Years have passed since all this happened,” the moon went on to say. “Yesterday I looked upon a bay on the eastern coast of denmark. Glorious woods are there, and high trees, an old knightly castle with red walls, swans floating in the ponds, and in the background appears, among orchards, a little town with a church.
许多船只，船员们都拿着火把，在寂静的水面上滑过 —— 但这些火把不是为了捕鱼而点着的，因为一切都有一种喜庆的气氛。音乐响起，有人唱起了歌，在其中一条船上，一个人笔直地站着，其他人向他致敬，这是一个高大强壮的人，裹着一件披风。他有蓝色的眼睛和长长的白发。我认识他，想起了梵蒂冈，想起了尼罗河群像和古老的大理石神像。我想起了那个简陋的小房间，小贝特尔穿着睡衣坐在纺车前。时间的车轮已经转动，新的神像从石头中诞生了。从船上响起一阵呼喊：“万岁，万岁，为贝特尔?托瓦尔德森！”
“many boats, the crews all furnished with torches, glided over the silent expanse — but these fires had not been kindled for catching fish, for everything had a festive look. music sounded, a song was sung, and in one of the boats the man stood erect to whom homage was paid by the rest, a tall sturdy man, wrapped in a cloak. he had blue eyes and long white hair. I knew him, and thought of the Vatican, and of the group of the Nile, and the old marble gods. I thought of the simple little room where little bertel sat in his night-shirt by the spinning wheel. the wheel of time has turned, and new gods have e forth from the stone. From the boats there arose a shout: ‘hurrah, hurrah for bertel thorwaldsen!’”
第二十四个晚上
twENtY-FoURth EVENING
“现在我给你一幅来自法兰克福的画面。” 月亮说。“我特别注意到那里的一座建筑。那不是歌德出生的房子，也不是旧的市政厅，在加冕皇帝的时候，人们透过市政厅带栅栏的窗户可以看到正在烤着准备分给人们的牛的角。不，那是一座私人住宅，外观朴素，漆成了绿色。它坐落在旧的犹太人街附近。那是罗斯柴尔德的房子。”
“I will now give you a picture from Frankfort,” said the moon. “I especially noticed one building there. It was not the house in which Goethe was born, nor the old council house, through whose grated windows peered the horns of the oxen that were roasted and given to the people when the emperors were crowned. No, it was a private house, plain in appearance, and painted green. It stood near the old Jews’ Street. It was Rothschild’s house.
“我透过敞开的门往里看。楼梯被照得很亮：拿着大银烛台、里面点着蜡烛的仆人站在那里，向一个老妇人深深鞠躬，她正坐在轿子里被抬下楼。”
“I looked through the open door. the staircase was brilliantly lighted: servants carrying wax candles in massive silver candlesticks stood there, and bowed low before an old woman, who was being brought downstairs in a litter.
房子的主人光着头站着，恭敬地在老妇人的手上亲了一下。她是他的母亲。她亲切地向他和仆人们点点头，他们把她抬进黑暗狭窄的街道，抬进她居住的一所小房子里。她的孩子们就是在这里出生的，这个家族的财富也是从这里开始积累的。如果她离开这条被人瞧不起的街道和这所小房子，财富也会离开她的孩子们。这是她坚定的信念。”
“the proprietor of the house stood bare-headed, and respectfully imprinted a kiss on the hand of the old woman. She was his mother. She nodded in a friendly manner to him and to the servants, and they carried her into the dark narrow street, into a little house, that was her dwelling. here her children had been born, from hence the fortune of the family had arisen. If she deserted the despised street and the little house, fortune would also desert her children. that was her firm belief.”
月亮不再跟我说什么了；他今晚的拜访太短暂了。但我想到了那个住在狭窄、被人瞧不起的街道上的老妇人。她只需一句话，泰晤士河边就会为她建起一座辉煌的房子 —— 只需一句话，那不勒斯湾就会为她准备好一座别墅。
“如果我离开这所简陋的房子，我儿子们的财富最初就是在这里开始绽放的，财富就会离开他们！” 这是一种迷信，但却是一种这样的迷信，知道这个故事、看到这幅画面的人，只需在画面下面写上两个字就能让他理解它；这两个字就是：“一位母亲。”
“If I deserted the lowly house, where the fortunes of my sons first began to bloom, fortune would desert them!” It was a superstition, but a superstition of such a class, that he who knows the story and has seen this picture, need have only two words placed under the picture to make him understand it; and these two words are: “A mother.”
第二十五个晚上
twENtY-FIFth EVENING
“那是昨天，在黎明的曙光中”—— 这是月亮告诉我的话 ——“在这座大城市里，还没有一个烟囱在冒烟 —— 而我正看着那些烟囱。”
“It was yesterday, in the morning twilight” — these are the words the moon told me— “in the great city no chimney was yet smoking — and it was just at the chimneys that I was looking.
突然，一个小脑袋从其中一个烟囱里冒了出来，接着是半个身子，胳膊撑在烟囱管帽的边缘上。“哟呵！哟呵！” 一个声音喊道。是那个小扫烟囱的人，他平生第一次爬过烟囱，在烟囱顶上探出了头。“哟呵！哟呵！” 没错，这和在黑暗狭窄的烟囱里爬来爬去可大不一样！空气如此清新，他可以俯瞰整个城市，一直望到那片绿色的树林。太阳刚刚升起。它又圆又大，正好照在他的脸上，他的脸上闪耀着胜利的光芒，尽管被烟灰弄得非常漂亮的漆黑。
“Suddenly a little head emerged from one of them, and then half a body, the arms resting on the rim of the chimney-pot. ‘Ya-hip! ya-hip!’ cried a voice. It was the little chimney-sweeper, who had for the first time in his life crept through a chimney, and stuck out his head at the top. ‘Ya-hip! ya-hip’ Yes, certainly that was a very different thing to creeping about in the dark narrow chimneys! the air blew so fresh, and he could look over the whole city towards the green wood. the sun was just rising. It shone round and great, just in his face, that beamed with triumph, though it was very prettily blacked with soot.
“‘现在全城的人都能看到我了。’他叫道，‘现在月亮能看到我了，太阳也能看到我了。哟呵！哟呵！’他得意洋洋地挥舞着扫帚。”
“‘the whole town can see me now,’ he exclaimed, ‘and the moon can see me now, and the sun too. Ya-hip! ya-hip!’ And he flourished his broom in triumph.”
第二十六个晚上
twENtY-SIxth EVENING
“昨晚我俯瞰着中国的一个城镇。” 月亮说。“我的光芒照在构成那里街道的光秃秃的墙壁上。当然，偶尔能看到一扇门，但门是锁着的，因为中国人在乎外面的世界干什么呢？房子墙壁后面的窗户都被紧闭的木百叶窗遮住了；但是从寺庙的窗户里透出一丝微弱的光。我向里望去，看到了里面古雅的装饰。从地板到天花板都画着画，颜色极其鲜艳，还镀着厚厚的金 —— 画的是众神在人间的功绩。”
“Last night I looked down upon a town in china,” said the moon. “my beams irradiated the naked walls that form the streets there. Now and then, certainly, a door is seen; but it is locked, for what does the chinaman care about the outer world? close wooden shutters covered the windows behind the walls of the houses; but through the windows of the temple a faint light glimmered. I looked in, and saw the quaint decorations within. From the floor to the ceiling pictures are painted, in the most glaring colours, and richly gilt — pictures representing the deeds of the gods here on earth.
每个壁龛里都摆放着雕像，但它们几乎完全被彩色的帷幔和垂下来的旗帜遮住了。在每一尊神像（它们都是锡制的）前都放着一个小圣水坛，上面摆着鲜花和燃烧的蜡烛。在所有神像之上的是佛祖，主要的神，穿着黄色的丝绸衣服，因为黄色在这里是神圣的颜色。在祭坛脚下坐着一个活人，一个年轻的牧师。他似乎在祈祷，但在祈祷的过程中，他似乎陷入了沉思，这一定是不对的，因为他的脸颊发红，他低下了头。可怜的苏鸿！也许他在梦想着在高墙后面的小花坛里干活吗？对他来说，这个活计似乎比在寺庙里看守蜡烛更让人愉快吗？或者他想坐在丰盛的宴席上，每道菜之间用银纸擦嘴吗？或者他的罪过如此之大，以至于如果他敢说出来，天朝会以死来惩罚他吗？他的思绪是不是冒险随着蛮夷的船只飞到了他们在遥远的英国的家呢？不，他的思绪没有飞得那么远，但它们仍然是有罪的，像年轻的心所产生的思绪一样有罪，在寺庙里，在佛祖和其他神圣的神面前是有罪的。
“In each niche statues are placed, but they are almost entirely hidden by the coloured drapery and the banners that hang down. before each idol (and they are all made of tin) stood a little altar of holy water, with flowers and burning wax lights on it. Above all the rest stood Fo, the chief deity, clad in a garment of yellow silk, for yellow is here the sacred colour. At the foot of the altar sat a living being, a young priest. he appeared to be praying, but in the midst of his prayer he seemed to fall into deep thought, and this must have been wrong, for his cheeks glowed and he held down his head. poor Soui-hong! was he, perhaps, dreaming of working in the little flower garden behind the high street wall? And did that occupation seem more agreeable to him than watching the wax lights in the temple? or did he wish to sit at the rich feast, wiping his mouth with silver paper between each course? or was his sin so great that, if he dared utter it, the celestial Empire would punish it with death? had his thoughts ventured to fly with the ships of the barbarians, to their homes in far distant England? No, his thoughts did not fly so far, and yet they were sinful, sinful as thoughts born of young hearts, sinful here in the temple, in the presence of Fo and the other holy gods.
“我知道他的思绪飘向了哪里。”
“I know whither his thoughts had strayed.
在城市的另一头，在铺着瓷器的平坦屋顶上，摆着绘有花朵的漂亮花瓶，美丽的璞坐在那里，她有调皮的小眼睛、饱满的嘴唇和小巧的脚。紧鞋让她脚疼，但她的心更疼。她优雅地抬起圆润的胳膊，她的绸缎衣服沙沙作响。在她面前放着一个玻璃碗，里面有四条金鱼。她用一根细长的漆棍小心地搅动着碗，动作非常缓慢，因为她也陷入了沉思。她是不是在想，也许，鱼儿身上的金装是多么华丽，它们在水晶般的世界里是多么平静安详地生活着，它们定期有人喂食，但如果它们是自由的，那该会多么幸福啊？是的，这一点她完全能理解，美丽的璞。她的思绪从家里飘走了，飘向了寺庙，但不是为了神圣的事物。可怜的璞！可怜的苏鸿！
“At the farther end of the city, on the flat roof paved with porcelain, on which stood the handsome vases covered with painted flowers, sat the beauteous pu, of the little roguish eyes, of the full lips, and of the tiny feet. the tight shoe pained her, but her heart pained her still more. She lifted her graceful round arm, and her satin dress rustled. before her stood a glass bowl containing four gold-fish. She stirred the bowl carefully with a slender lacquered stick, very slowly, for she, too, was lost in thought. was she thinking, perchance, how the fishes were richly clothed in gold, how they lived calmly and peacefully in their crystal world, how they were regularly fed, and yet how much happier they might be if they were free? Yes, that she could well understand, the beautiful pu. her thoughts wandered away from her home, wandered to the temple, but not for the sake of holy things. poor pu! poor Soui-hong!
“他们尘世的思绪相遇了，但我冰冷的光芒横在他们两人之间，就像天使之剑。”
“their earthly thoughts met, but my cold beam lay between the two, like the sword of the cherub.”
第二十七个晚上
twENtY-SEVENth EVENING
“空气宁静。” 月亮说，“水清澈得如同最纯净的以太，我在其中滑行，在水面下很深的地方，我能看到奇异的植物，它们像森林里的参天大树一样向我伸展着长长的手臂。鱼儿在它们的顶端游来游去。”
“the air was calm,” said the moon; “the water was transparent as the purest ether through which I was gliding, and deep below the surface I could see the strange plants that stretched up their long arms towards me like the gigantic trees of the forest. the fishes swam to and fro above their tops.
高空中一群野天鹅正在振翅飞翔，其中一只天鹅疲倦地扇动着翅膀，越飞越低，它的眼睛望着空中渐渐远去的雁群。它展开翅膀，缓缓降落，就像一个肥皂泡在静止的空气中下沉一样，直到触到水面。最后，它的头耷拉在翅膀中间，静静地躺在那里，像一朵白色的莲花漂浮在宁静的湖面上。一阵微风轻轻吹起，吹皱了平静的湖面，湖面闪烁着光芒，就像大片大片涌动的云朵；天鹅抬起头，闪烁着蓝色火焰般光芒的湖水溅落在它的胸脯和背上。黎明的曙光照亮了红色的云朵，天鹅振作起来，朝着初升的太阳飞去，朝着雁群飞去的蓝色海岸飞去；但它是孤独地飞翔，心中充满渴望。它孤独地飞越蓝色的波涛汹涌的大海。
“high in the air a flight of wild swans were winging their way, one of which sank lower and lower, with wearied pinions, his eyes following the airy caravan, that melted farther and farther into the distance. with outspread wings he sank slowly, as a soap bubble sinks in the still air, till he touched the water. At length his head lay back between his wings, and silently he lay there, like a white lotus flower upon the quiet lake. And a gentle wind arose, and crisped the quiet surface, which gleamed like the clouds that poured along in great broad waves; and the swan raised his head, and the glowing water splashed like blue fire over his breast and back. the morning dawn illuminated the red clouds, the swan rose strengthened, and flew towards the rising sun, towards the bluish coast whither the caravan had gone; but he flew alone, with a longing in his breast. Lonely he flew over the blue swelling billows.”
第二十八个晚上
twENtY-EIGhth EVENING
“我再给你一幅瑞典的画面。” 月亮说。“在幽暗的松林之中，靠近斯托克森河忧郁的河岸，坐落着古老的韦雷塔修道院教堂。我的光芒透过格栅照进宽敞的拱顶下，国王们在巨大的石棺中静静地长眠。在每一个坟墓上方的墙上，都挂着世俗荣耀的象征 —— 一顶王冠；但它只是用木头做成的，上了漆并镀了金，挂在一个钉在墙上的木钉上。”
“I will give you another picture of Sweden,” said the moon. “Among dark pine woods, near the melancholy banks of the Stoxen, lies the old convent church of wreta. my rays glided through the grating into the roomy vaults, where kings sleep tranquilly in great stone coffins. on the wall, above the grave of each, is placed the emblem of earthly grandeur, a kingly crown; but it is made only of wood, painted and gilt, and is hung on a wooden peg driven into the wall.
虫子咬噬着镀金的木头，蜘蛛从王冠上一直织到沙子里，织成了一张网，就像一面哀悼的旗帜，脆弱而短暂，如同凡人的悲伤。他们睡得多么安详！我还能清清楚楚地记得他们。我仍然能看到他们嘴唇上大胆的笑容，那笑容强烈而清晰地表达着喜悦或悲伤。当汽船像一只神奇的蜗牛在湖面上蜿蜒前行时，一个陌生人常常来到教堂，参观地下墓穴；他询问国王们的名字，那些名字听起来死气沉沉且被人遗忘。他微笑着瞥一眼被虫子蛀蚀的王冠，如果他恰好是一个虔诚、深思的人，那么一丝忧伤会与微笑交织在一起。睡吧，你们这些死者！月亮想着你们，夜晚的月亮把光芒洒向你们寂静的王国，在那里，一顶松木王冠高悬着。
“the worms have gnawed the gilded wood, the spider has spun her web from the crown down to the sand, like a mourning banner, frail and transient as the grief of mortals. how quietly they sleep! I can remember them quite plainly. I still see the bold smile on their lips, that so strongly and plainly expressed joy or grief. when the steamboat winds along like a magic snail over the lakes, a stranger often es to the church, and visits the burial vault; he asks the names of the kings, and they have a dead and forgotten sound. he glances with a smile at the worm-eaten crowns, and if he happens to be a pious, thoughtful man, something of melancholy mingles with the smile. Slumber on, ye dead ones! the moon thinks of you, the moon at night sends down his rays into your silent kingdom, over which hangs the crown of pine wood.”
第二十九个晚上
twENtY-NINth EVENING
“靠近大路的地方，” 月亮说，“有一家客栈，对面是一个很大的马车棚，它的草顶正在重新铺盖。我从光秃秃的椽子中间向下看，透过敞开的阁楼看到下面不舒服的空间。火鸡栖息在横梁上，马鞍放在空的马槽里。在棚子中央停着一辆旅行马车；车主在里面睡得很沉，而马正在喝水。马车夫伸了个懒腰，尽管我很确定在上一段路程的一半时间里他睡得非常舒服。”
“close by the high-road,” said the moon, “is an inn, and opposite to it is a great waggon-shed, whose straw roof was just being re-thatched. I looked down between the bare rafters and through the open loft into the fortless space below. the turkey-cock slept on the beam, and the saddle rested in the empty crib. In the middle of the shed stood a travelling carriage; the proprietor was inside, fast asleep, while the horses were being watered. the coachman stretched himself, though I am very sure that he had been most fortably asleep half the last stage.
仆人的房间门敞开着，床看起来好像被翻来覆去折腾过；蜡烛立在地上，已经烧到烛台深处了。风冷冷地吹过车棚：现在离黎明比离午夜更近了。在地上的木框里，一家流浪的乐师正在睡觉。父亲和母亲似乎在梦见瓶子里剩下的烈酒。脸色苍白的小女儿也在做梦，因为她的眼睛里含着泪水。竖琴放在他们头边，狗伸展着身子躺在他们脚边。
“the door of the servants’ room stood open, and the bed looked as if it had been turned over and over; the candle stood on the floor, and had burnt deep down into the socket. the wind blew cold through the shed: it was nearer to the dawn than to midnight. In the wooden frame on the ground slept a wandering family of musicians. the father and mother seemed to be dreaming of the burning liquor that remained in the bottle. the little pale daughter was dreaming too, for her eyes were wet with tears. the harp stood at their heads, and the dog lay stretched at their feet.”
第三十个晚上
thIRtIEth EVENING
“那是在一个小省城，” 月亮说，“肯定是去年发生的事，但那与此事无关。我看得清清楚楚。今天我在报纸上看到了这件事，但报纸上说得没这么清楚。在小客栈的酒吧间里，驯熊人坐着吃他的晚饭；熊被拴在外面，木柴堆后面 —— 可怜的布鲁因，它谁也没伤害，尽管它看起来够凶的。在阁楼里，三个小孩子借着我的光在玩耍；最大的也许六岁，最小的肯定不到两岁。‘噔噔噔’—— 有人上楼来了：会是谁呢？门被猛地推开 —— 是布鲁因，那只大而毛茸茸的布鲁因！它在院子里等得不耐烦了，就找到了上楼的路。‘我全看见了。’月亮说。”
“It was in a little provincial town,” the moon said; “it certainly happened last year, but that has nothing to do with the matter. I saw it quite plainly. to-day I read about it in the papers, but there it was not half so clearly expressed. In the taproom of the little inn sat the bear leader, eating his supper; the bear was tied up outside, behind the wood pile — poor bruin, who did nobody any harm, though he looked grim enough. Up in the garret three little children were playing by the light of my beams; the eldest was perhaps six years old, the youngest certainly not more than two. ‘tramp, tramp’ — somebody was ing upstairs: who might it be? the door was thrust open — it was bruin, the great, shaggy bruin! he had got tired of waiting down in the courtyard, and had found his way to the stairs. I saw it all,” said the moon.
孩子们一开始很害怕这只毛茸茸的大动物；他们每个人都爬进一个角落，但它把他们都找了出来，闻了闻他们，却没有伤害他们。“这一定是一只大狗。” 他们说，然后开始抚摸它。它躺在地上，最小的男孩爬到它背上，垂下一头金色的卷发小脑袋，玩起了藏在这只野兽毛茸茸的皮毛里的游戏。不一会儿，最大的男孩拿起他的鼓，敲得鼓又响了起来；熊用后腿站了起来，开始跳舞。这是一幅迷人的景象。现在每个男孩都拿起了他的枪，熊也必须有一把，它把枪举得非常端正。他们找到了一个很棒的玩伴；他们开始行进 —— 一、二；一、二。
“the children were very much frightened at first at the great shaggy animal; each of them crept into a corner, but he found them all out, and smelt at them, but did them no harm. ‘this must be a great dog,’ they said, and began to stroke him. he lay down upon the ground, the youngest boy clambered on his back, and bending down a little head of golden curls, played at hiding in the beast’s shaggy skin. presently the eldest boy took his drum, and beat upon it till it rattled again; the bear rose upon his hind legs, and began to dance. It was a charming sight to behold. Each boy now took his gun, and the bear was obliged to have one too, and he held it up quite properly. here was a capital playmate they had found; and they began marching — one, two; one, two.
“突然有人来到门口，门开了，孩子们的母亲出现了。你应该看看她那无声的恐惧，她的脸像粉笔一样苍白，嘴半张着，眼睛惊恐地盯着。但最小的男孩兴高采烈地向她点点头，用他幼稚的咿呀声喊道：‘我们在玩当兵的游戏。’然后驯熊人跑了过来。”
“Suddenly some one came to the door, which opened, and the mother of the children appeared. You should have seen her in her dumb terror, with her face as white as chalk, her mouth half open, and her eyes fixed in a horrified stare. but the youngest boy nodded to her in great glee, and called out in his infantile prattle, ‘we’re playing at soldiers.’ And then the bear leader came running up.”
第三十一个晚上
thIRtY-FIRSt EVENING
风猛烈而寒冷地吹着，云朵匆匆飘过；只有偶尔月亮才会露一下脸。他说：“我从寂静的天空俯瞰着疾驰的云朵，看到巨大的阴影在大地上相互追逐。”
“the wind blew stormy and cold, the clouds flew hurriedly past; only for a moment now and then did the moon bee visible. he said, ‘I looked down from the silent sky upon the driving clouds, and saw the great shadows chasing each other across the earth.’
我望着一座监狱。一辆封闭的马车停在它前面；一个囚犯要被带走。我的光芒透过带栅栏的窗户照向墙壁；囚犯在墙上划了几行字，作为离别的记号；但他写的不是字，而是一段旋律，是他内心的倾诉。门打开了，他被带了出来，眼睛盯着我的圆盘。云朵在我们之间飘过，仿佛他看不到自己的脸，我也看不到他的脸。他上了马车，门关上了，鞭子一响，马疾驰进茂密的森林，我的光芒无法追随他；但当我透过带栅栏的窗户看过去时，我的光芒照在那些音符上，那是他留在监狱墙上的最后告别 —— 言语无法表达之处，声音常常能诉说。我的光芒只能照亮孤立的音符，所以写在那里的大部分内容对我来说将永远是黑暗的。他在那里写的是死亡赞美诗吗？这些是欢快的音符吗？他是去赴死，还是奔向他心爱的人的怀抱？月亮的光芒读不懂人类所写的一切。
“I looked upon a prison. A closed carriage stood before it; a prisoner was to be carried away. my rays pierced through the grated window towards the wall; the prisoner was scratching a few lines upon it, as a parting token; but he did not write words, but a melody, the outpouring of his heart. the door was opened, and he was led forth, and fixed his eyes upon my round disc. clouds passed between us, as if he were not to see his face, nor I his. he stepped into the carriage, the door was closed, the whip cracked, and the horses gallopped off into the thick forest, whither my rays were not able to follow him; but as I glanced through the grated window, my rays glided over the notes, his last farewell engraved on the prison wall — where words fail, sounds can often speak. my rays could only light up isolated notes, so the greater part of what was written there will ever remain dark to me. was it the death-hymn he wrote there? were these the glad notes of joy? did he drive away to meet death, or hasten to the embraces of his beloved? the rays of the moon do not read all that is written by mortals.”
第三十二个晚上
thIRtY-SEcoNd EVENING
“我爱孩子们，” 月亮说，“尤其是非常小的孩子们 —— 他们是那么滑稽。有时，当他们没想到我的时候，我会从窗帘和窗框之间向房间里窥视。看到他们穿衣服和脱衣服让我很开心。”
“I love the children,” said the moon, “especially the quite little ones — they are so droll. Sometimes I peep into the room, between the curtain and the window frame, when they are not thinking of me. It gives me pleasure to see them dressing and undressing.
首先，圆润的小裸肩从衣服里慢慢露出来，接着是胳膊；或者我看到袜子是怎么被脱下来的，一条胖乎乎的小白腿露了出来，还有一只适合被亲吻的小白脚，我也亲吻了它。
“但是关于我正要告诉你的事情。今晚我透过一扇窗户往里看，窗前没有拉窗帘，因为对面没有人住。我看到一整群小孩子，都是一家人，其中有一个小妹妹。她只有四岁，但祷告起来和其他孩子一样好。母亲每天晚上坐在她的床边，听她祷告；然后她得到一个吻，母亲坐在床边，直到小宝贝睡着，通常她一闭上眼睛就睡着了。
“今晚两个大一点的孩子有点闹。一个穿着长长的白色睡衣单脚跳着，另一个站在椅子上，周围都是孩子们的衣服，宣称他在扮演希腊雕像。第三个和第四个孩子小心地把干净的亚麻布放进盒子里，因为这是必须要做的事情；母亲坐在最小的孩子的床边，告诉其他所有孩子要安静，因为小妹妹要祷告了。
“我越过灯往里看，看到小姑娘的床上，她躺在整洁的白色被单下，双手端庄地叠放在一起，小脸十分严肃庄重。”
“First, the little round naked shoulder es creeping out of the frock, then the arm; or I see how the stocking is drawn off, and a plump little white leg makes its appearance, and a white little foot that is fit to be kissed, and I kiss it too.
“but about what I was going to tell you. this evening I looked through a window, before which no curtain was drawn, for nobody lives opposite. I saw a whole troop of little ones, all of one family, and among them was a little sister. She is only four years old, but can say her prayers as well as any of the rest. the mother sits by her bed every evening, and hears her say her prayers; and then she has a kiss, and the mother sits by the bed till the little one has gone to sleep, which generally happens as soon as ever she can close her eyes.
“this evening the two elder children were a little boisterous. one of them hopped about on one leg in his long white nightgown, and the other stood on a chair surrounded by the clothes of all the children, and declared he was acting Grecian statues. the third and fourth laid the clean linen carefully in the box, for that is a thing that has to be done; and the mother sat by the bed of the youngest, and announced to all the rest that they were to be quiet, for little sister was going to say her prayers.
“I looked in, over the lamp, into the little maiden’s bed, where she lay under the neat white coverlet, her hands folded demurely and her little face quite grave and serious.
她正在大声地背诵主祷文。但她的母亲在她祷告到一半的时候打断了她。“这是怎么回事，” 她问道，“当你为每日的面包祈祷完后，你总是加上一些我不明白的话？你必须告诉我那是什么。” 小女孩静静地躺着，尴尬地看着她的母亲。“你在为我们的每日面包祈祷完后说了什么？”“亲爱的妈妈，别生气：我只是说，还要有很多黄油在上面。”
“She was praying the Lord’s prayer aloud. but her mother interrupted her in the middle of her prayer. ‘how is it,’ she asked, ‘that when you have prayed for daily bread, you always add something I cannot understand? You must tell me what that is.’ the little one lay silent, and looked at her mother in embarrassment. ‘what is it you say after our daily bread?’ ‘dear mother, don’t be angry: I only said, and plenty of butter on it.’”