《接骨木树妈妈》，1845 年
the Little Elder-tree mother, 1845
从前有个小男孩，他着凉了；他出门去，把脚弄湿了。
there was once a little boy who had caught cold; he had gone out and got wet feet.
谁也不知道这到底是怎么回事；天气可是相当干燥的。
Nobody had the least idea how it had happened; the weather was quite dry.
他妈妈给他脱掉衣服，让他上床躺下，还吩咐把茶壶拿进来，这样她就可以用接骨木花给他泡一杯好茶，接骨木花茶喝了很暖和。
his mother undressed him, put him to bed, and ordered the teapot to be brought in, that she might make him a good cup of tea from the elder-tree blossoms, which is so warming.
与此同时，住在这房子楼上、独自生活的那位好心的老人进来了；他过着孤独的生活，因为他没有妻子和儿女；但他非常喜欢别人家的孩子，而且他能讲那么多的童话和故事，听他讲故事真是一种享受。
At the same time, the kind-hearted old man who lived by himself in the upper storey of the house came in; he led a lonely life, for he had no wife and children; but he loved the children of others very much, and he could tell so many fairy tales and stories, that it was a pleasure to hear him.
“现在，把茶喝了，” 妈妈说，“也许你能听一个故事。”
“Now, drink your tea,” said the mother; “perhaps you will hear a story.”
“好的，要是我能想出一个新的来就好了，” 老人说，然后微笑着点了点头。
“Yes, if I only knew a fresh one,” said the old man, and nodded smilingly.
“可这小家伙的脚是怎么弄湿的呢？” 他接着问道。
“but how did the little fellow get his wet feet?” he then asked.
“这个呀，” 妈妈回答说，“谁也弄不明白。”
“that,” replied the mother, “nobody can understand.”
“你能给我讲个故事吗？” 男孩问道。
“will you tell me a story?” asked the boy.
“好的，要是你能尽可能准确地告诉我，你上学走的那条小街上的排水沟有多深就行。”
“Yes, if you can tell me as nearly as possible how deep is the gutter in the little street where you go to school.”
“就到我高筒靴的一半那么高，” 男孩回答说，“不过那得是我站在最深的水坑里的时候。”
“Just half as high as my top-boots,” replied the boy; “but then I must stand in the deepest holes.”
“瞧，现在我们知道你的脚是在哪儿弄湿的了，” 老人说。
“there, now we know where you got your wet feet,” said the old man.
“我是该给你讲个故事，可糟糕的是，我再也想不出新的来了。”
“I ought to tell you a story, but the worst of it is, I do not know any more.”
“你可以编一个呀，” 小男孩说。
“You can make one up,” said the little boy.
“妈妈说，你看着或摸着任何东西都能编出一个童话故事来。”
“mother says you can tell a fairy tale about anything you look at or touch.”
“那倒不错，可那样编出来的故事或童话没什么价值！不，真正的故事是自己找上门来，然后敲着我的额头说：‘我来啦。’”
“that is all very well, but such tales or stories are worth nothing! No, the right ones e by themselves and knock at my forehead saying: ‘here I am.’”
“很快就不会有一个来敲门吗？” 男孩问道；妈妈一边微笑着，一边把接骨木花放进茶壶，再往里面倒上开水。
“will not one knock soon?” asked the boy; and the mother smiled while she put elder-tree blossoms into the teapot and poured boiling water over them.
“求求你，给我讲个故事吧。”
“pray, tell me a story.”
“好的，要是故事能自己找上门来就好了；它们可骄傲了，只在它们乐意的时候才来。
—— 不过等等，” 他突然说，“有一个。 看看这茶壶；现在里面就有一个故事。”
“Yes, if stories came by themselves; they are very proud, they only e when they please. — but wait,” he said suddenly, “there is one. Look at the teapot; there is a story in it now.”
小男孩看着茶壶；壶盖渐渐升了起来，接骨木花一朵接一朵地冒了出来，又新鲜又洁白；长长的树枝也长了出来；甚至从壶嘴那儿，它们也向四面八方生长，形成了一丛灌木 —— 不，是一棵高大的接骨木树，它把树枝伸到床边，把窗帘都推到了一边；树上有那么多的花朵，散发着如此甜美的香气！在树中间坐着一位面容和蔼的老妇人，穿着一身奇特的衣服；衣服绿得像树叶，还镶着大大的白色花朵，让人很难说清那到底是真正的布料，还是接骨木树的树叶和花朵。
And the little boy looked at the teapot; the lid rose up gradually, the elder-tree blossoms sprang forth one by one, fresh and white; long boughs came forth; even out of the spout they grew up in all directions, and formed a bush — nay, a large elder tree, which stretched its branches up to the bed and pushed the curtains aside; and there were so many blossoms and such a sweet fragrance! In the midst of the tree sat a kindly-looking old woman with a strange dress; it was as green as the leaves, and trimmed with large white blossoms, so that it was difficult to say whether it was real cloth, or the leaves and blossoms of the elder-tree.
“这位妇人叫什么名字？” 小男孩问道。
“what is this woman’s name?” asked the little boy.
“嗯，罗马人和希腊人过去常把她叫做德律阿得斯，” 老人说；“但我们不懂这个。在水手聚居的地方，他们给她起了个更好的名字；在那儿她被叫做接骨木树妈妈。”
“well, the Romans and Greeks used to call her a dryad,” said the old man; “but we do not understand that. out in the sailors’ quarter they give her a better name; there she is called elder-tree mother.
现在，你可得认真听她讲，好好看看这棵美丽的接骨木树。
Now, you must attentively listen to her and look at the beautiful elder-tree.
“就在那边，有一棵这样的大树，开满了花；它长在一个简陋小院的角落里；一天下午，在明媚的阳光下，两位老人坐在这棵树下。他是一位很老很老的水手，她是他的老伴儿；他们已经有了曾孙辈，很快就要庆祝金婚了，但他们不记得具体日期了，而接骨木树妈妈就坐在树上，看上去和这边这棵树上的她一样开心。
“Just such a large tree, covered with flowers, stands out there; it grew in the corner of an humble little yard; under this tree sat two old people one afternoon in the beautiful sunshine. he was an old, old sailor, and she his old wife; they had already great-grandchildren, and were soon to celebrate their golden wedding, but they could not remember the date, and the elder-tree mother was sitting in the tree and looked as pleased as this one here.
“‘我很清楚金婚是哪天举行，’她说；但他们没听到 —— 他们在谈论过去的日子。
“‘I know very well when the golden wedding is to take place,’ she said; but they did not hear it — they were talking of bygone days.
“‘嗯，你还记得吗？’老水手说，‘当我们还很小，经常跑来跑去玩耍的时候 —— 就是在我们现在所在的这个院子里 —— 我们常常把小树枝插在地里，弄成一个小花园。’
“‘well, do you remember?’ said the old sailor, ‘when we were quite small and used to run about and play — it was in the very same yard where we now are — we used to put little branches into the ground and make a garden.’
“‘记得呀，’老太太说，‘我记得很清楚；我们过去常常给那些树枝浇水，其中有一根接骨木树枝，它生根了，长大成了我们现在作为老人坐在下面的这棵大树。’
“‘Yes,’ said the old woman, ‘I remember it very well; we used to water the branches, and one of them, an elder-tree branch, took root, and grew and became the large tree under which we are now sitting as old people.’
“‘没错，你说得对，’他说；‘在那边的角落里曾放着一个大水缸；我常在里面放我自己刻的小船 —— 它航行得可好了；但很快我就得去别的地方航行了。’
“‘certainly, you are in right,’ he said; ‘and in yonder corner stood a large water-tub; there I used to sail my boat, which I had cut out myself — it sailed so well; but soon I had to sail somewhere else.’
“‘但我们首先去上学学了些东西，’她说，‘然后我们接受了坚信礼；那天我们俩都哭了，不过到了下午我们手拉手出门，登上那高高的圆塔，眺望哥本哈根和大海那边广阔的世界；之后我们步行去了腓特烈斯贝，国王和王后正在那儿的运河上坐着他们华丽的船巡游呢。’
“‘but first we went to school to learn something,’ she said, ‘and then we were confirmed; we both wept on that day, but in the afternoon we went out hand in hand, and ascended the high round tower and looked out into the wide world right over copenhagen and the sea; then we walked to Fredericksburg, where the king and the queen were sailing about in their magnificent boat on the canals.’
“‘但很快我就得去别的地方航行了，而且很多年我都在离家很远的地方四处游历。’
“‘but soon I had to sail about somewhere else, and for many years I was travelling about far away from home.’
“‘我常常因为你而哭泣，因为我担心你溺水了，正躺在海底呢。很多次我夜里起来查看风向标是否转动了；它经常转动，但你却没回来。我清楚地记得有一天：大雨倾盆而下；收垃圾的人来到我干活的那所房子；我拿着垃圾桶下楼，在门口站了一会儿，看着那糟糕的天气。然后邮差给了我一封信；是你寄来的。天哪！那封信辗转了多少地方啊。我撕开信读了起来；我又哭又笑，开心极了！信里写着你待在炎热的国度，那里种植着咖啡。那些肯定是奇妙的国度。你讲了很多关于它们的事情，我在雨下得很大的时候读着信，还拿着垃圾桶站在那儿。然后突然有人搂住了我的腰 ——’
“‘And I often cried about you, for I was afraid lest you were drowned and lying at the the bottom of the sea. many a time I got up in the night and looked if the weathercock had turned; it turned often, but you did not return. I remember one day distinctly: the rain was pouring down in torrents; the dust-man had e to the house where I was in service; I went down with the dust-bin and stood for a moment in the doorway, and looked at the dreadful weather. then the postman gave me a letter; it was from you. heavens! how that letter had travelled about. I tore it open and read it; I cried and laughed at the same time, and was so happy! therein was written that you were staying in the hot countries, where the coffee grows. these must be marvellous countries. You said a great deal about them, and I in read all while the rain was pouring down and I was standing there with the dust-bin. then suddenly some one put his arm round my waist-’
“‘是的，然后你还在他脸颊上热情地亲了一口呢。’老人说。
“‘Yes, and you gave him a hearty smack on the cheek,’ said the old man.
“‘我当时都不知道是你 —— 你来得和你的信一样快；而且你看上去那么英俊，现在也还是那么帅。 你口袋里有一块大大的黄色丝绸手帕，头上戴着一顶闪亮的帽子。你看上去气色真好，可街上的天气却糟透了！’
“‘I did not know that it was you — you had e as quickly as your letter; and you looked so handsome, and so you do still. You had a large yellow silk handkerchief in your pocket and a shining hat on. You looked so well, and the weather in the street was horrible!’
“‘然后我们就结婚了。’他说。
‘do you remember how we got our first boy, and then mary, Niels, peter, John, and christian?’
“‘哦，记得呀；现在他们都已经长大了，都成了对社会有用的人，大家都很关心他们呢。’
“‘oh yes; and now they have all grown up, and have bee useful members of society, whom everybody cares for.’
“是的，这些都是孩子的孩子了，他们都很强壮健康。要是我没记错的话，我们的婚礼就是在一年中的这个时节举行的。
‘Yes, these are children’s children, and they are strong and healthy. If I am not mistaken, our wedding took place at this season of the year.’
“‘是的，今天就是你们的金婚纪念日。’接骨木树妈妈说，她把头探到两位老人中间，而两位老人还以为她是在向他们点头打招呼的邻居呢；他们彼此对视了一下，然后紧握双手。
“‘Yes, to-day is your golden wedding-day,’ said the little elder-tree mother, stretching her head down between the two old people, who thought that she was their neighbour who was nodding to them; they looked at each other and clasped hands.
不久之后，孩子们和孙子孙女们都来了，因为他们很清楚今天是金婚纪念日；他们早上就已经向两位老人送上了祝福，但两位老人却把这事给忘了，尽管他们对很多很多年前发生的事情记得那么清楚。
Soon afterwards the children and grandchildren came, for they knew very well that it was the golden wedding-day; they had already wished them joy and happiness in the morning, but the old people had forgotten it, although they remembered things so well that had passed many, many years ago.
接骨木树香气扑鼻，夕阳映照在两位老人的脸上，使他们的脸色看上去红扑扑的；最小的孙子孙女围着他们跳舞，欢快地叫嚷着晚上要举办一场盛宴，因为他们会吃到热乎乎的土豆；接骨木树妈妈在树上点头，还和其他人一起喊着 “万岁”。
the elder-tree smelt strongly, and the setting sun illuminated the faces of the two old people, so that they looked quite rosy; the youngest of the grandchildren danced round them, and cried merrily that there would be a feast in the evening, for they were to have hot potatoes; and the elder mother nodded in the tree and cried ‘hooray’ with the others.”
“可那不是童话故事呀。” 听故事的小男孩说。
“but that was no fairy tale,” said the little boy who had listened to it.
“你马上就会明白的。” 讲故事的老人说。
“You will presently understand it,” said the old man who told the story.
“我们去问问接骨木树妈妈吧。”
“Let us ask little elder-tree mother about it.”
“那确实不是童话故事，” 接骨木树妈妈说；“但现在它来了！现实生活为我们提供了创作最奇妙童话故事的素材；不然的话，我这漂亮的接骨木丛也不可能从茶壶里长出来呀。”
“that was no fairy tale,” said the little elder-tree mother; “but now it es! Real life furnishes us with subjects for the most wonderful fairy tales; for otherwise my beautiful elder-bush could not have grown forth out of the teapot.”
然后她把小男孩从床上抱起来，放在自己的怀里；开满花朵的接骨木树枝在他们上方合拢；仿佛他们坐在一个枝叶茂密的凉亭里，正带着他们在空中飞翔；那美丽简直无法形容。
And then she took the little boy out of 床 and placed him on her bosom; the elder branches, full of blossoms, closed over them; it was as if they sat in a thick leafy bower which flew with them through the air; it was beautiful beyond all description.
接骨木树妈妈突然变成了一个迷人的年轻姑娘，但她的衣服仍是和接骨木树妈妈之前穿的一样，是那种绿色的布料，上面缀满白色花朵；她胸前别着一朵真正的接骨木花，一圈同样的花环绕在她卷曲的金发上；她的眼睛又大又蓝，看上去美极了。
the little elder-tree mother had suddenly bee a charming young girl, but her dress was the same green material, covered with white blossoms, as the elder-tree mother had worn; she had a real elder blossom on her bosom, and a wreath of the same flowers was wound round her curly golden hair; her eyes were so large and so blue that it was wonderful to look at them.
她和男孩相互亲吻，然后他们变得年龄相仿，感受到同样的欢乐。
She and the boy kissed each other, and then they were of the same age and felt the same joys.
他们手拉手走出凉亭，此刻站在了家里一个美丽的花园中。
they walked hand in hand out of the bower, and now stood at home in a beautiful flower garden.
在绿色草坪附近，父亲的手杖被系在一根柱子上。
Near the green lawn the father’s walking-stick was tied to a post.
这根手杖对孩子们来说充满了生机，因为他们一坐上去，那光滑的把手就变成了一匹嘶鸣的马的脑袋，长长的黑色马鬃在风中飘动，四条强壮而修长的腿也长了出来。
there was life in this stick for the little ones, for as soon as they seated themselves upon it the polished knob turned into a neighing horse’s head, a long black mane was fluttering in the wind, and four strong slender legs grew out.
这匹马儿充满活力、精神抖擞；他们骑着它在草坪上疾驰。
the animal was fiery and spirited; they galloped round the lawn.
“万岁！现在我们要骑得远远的，好几英里呢！” 男孩说；“我们要骑到去年去过的那位贵族的庄园去。”
“hooray! now we shall ride far away, many miles!” said the boy; “we shall ride to the nobleman’s estate where we were last year.”
于是他们又在草坪上骑了一圈，而那个小女孩，我们知道，她正是接骨木树妈妈，不停地喊道：“现在我们到乡下去啦！你看到那边的农舍了吗，有个很大的烤炉，像个巨大的鸡蛋一样从墙上凸出来伸到路上？接骨木树的树枝伸展在它上方，公鸡大摇大摆地走着，为母鸡们刨土找食。看它多骄傲呀！现在我们到教堂附近了；它坐落在一座高山上，在枝繁叶茂的橡树下；其中一棵橡树已经半死了！现在我们到铁匠铺了，那里炉火熊熊，半裸着身子的工人们用锤子敲打着，火星四溅。”
And they rode round the lawn again, and the little girl, who, as we know, was no other than the little elder-tree mother, continually cried, “Now we are in the country! do you see the farmhouse there, with the large baking stove, which projects like a gigantic egg out of the wall into the road? the elder-tree spreads its branches over it, and the cock struts about and scratches for the hens. Look how proud he is! Now we are near the church; it stands on a high hill, under the spreading oak trees; one of them is half dead! Now we are at the smithy, where the fire roars and the half-naked men beat with their hammers so that the sparks fly far and wide.
“咱们出发去那个美丽的农场吧！” 他们经过了小女孩坐在手杖后面所描述的每一处地方，男孩也都看到了，然而他们只是围着草坪转。
Let’s be off to the beautiful farm!” And they passed by everything the little girl, who was sitting behind on the stick, described, and the boy saw it, and yet they only went round the lawn.
然后他们在一条人行道上玩耍，在地上划出一个小花园；她从头发上摘下接骨木花种了下去，它们长得就和我们之前听说的那对老人小时候种的一模一样。
then they played in a side-walk, and marked out a little garden on the ground; she took elder-blossoms out of her hair and planted them, and they grew exactly like those the old people planted when they were children, as we have heard before.
他们手拉手四处走着，就像那对老夫妇小时候那样，但他们没去那座圆塔，也没去腓特烈斯贝花园。
they walked about hand in hand, just as the old couple had done when they were little, but they did not go to the round tower nor to the Fredericksburg garden.
不；小女孩搂住男孩的腰，然后他们就飞到了遥远的乡下。
No; the little girl seized the boy round the waist, and then they flew far into the country.
春天过去是夏天，夏天过去是秋天，秋天过去是冬天，成千上万的画面在男孩的眼里和心里映现出来，小女孩总是又唱起来：“你永远也不会忘记这些的！” 在他们整个飞行过程中，接骨木树的香气是那么甜美；他注意到了玫瑰和鲜嫩的山毛榉树，但接骨木树的香气更浓烈，因为那些花就别在小女孩的胸前，飞行途中男孩常常把头靠在上面。
It was spring and it became summer, it was autumn and it became winter, and thousands of pictures reflected themselves in the boy’s eyes and heart, and the little girl always sang again, “You will never forget that!” And during their whole flight the elder-tree smelt so sweetly; he noticed the roses and the fresh beeches, but the elder-tree smelt much stronger, for the flowers were fixed on the little girl’s bosom, against which the boy often rested his head during the flight.
“春天这里真美呀。” 小女孩说，他们又来到了绿色的山毛榉树林里，那里百里香在他们脚下散发出甜美的香气，粉红色的银莲花在绿苔中显得格外可爱。
“It is beautiful here in spring,” said the little girl, and they were again in the green beechwood, where the thyme breathed forth sweet fragrance at their feet, and the 粉红 anemones looked lovely in the green moss.
“哦！真希望这芬芳的山毛榉树林里永远都是春天！”
“oh! that it were always spring in the fragrant beechwood!”
“夏天这里美极了！” 她说，接着他们经过了古老的骑士时代的城堡。
“here it is splendid in summer!” she said, and they passed by old castles of the age of chivalry.
高高的城墙和锯齿状的城垛倒映在护城河的水中，天鹅在水面上游弋，窥视着那些古老而阴凉的林阴道。
the high walls and indented battlements were reflected in the water of the ditches, on which swans were swimming and peering into the old shady avenues.
田野里的庄稼像一片黄色的海洋随风起伏。
the corn waved in the field like a yellow sea.
沟渠里生长着红黄相间的花朵，篱笆上野啤酒花和旋花正盛开着。
Red and yellow flowers grew in the ditches, wild hops and convolvuli in full bloom in the hedges.
傍晚，月亮升起，又大又圆，草地上的干草堆散发着甜美的香气。
In the evening the moon rose, large and round, and the hayricks in the meadows smelt sweetly.
“这一切让人永生难忘！”
“one can never forget it!”
“秋天这里很美！” 小女孩说，天空似乎显得格外高远湛蓝，而树林闪耀着深红、翠绿和金黄的色彩。
“here it is beautiful in autumn!” said the little girl, and the atmosphere seemed twice as high and blue, while the wood shone with crimson, green, and gold.
猎犬飞奔而去，成群的野禽尖叫着飞过古冢，而荆棘丛缠绕着古老的石块。
the hounds were running off, flocks of wild fowl flew screaming over the barrows, while the bramble bushes twined round the old stones.
深蓝色的大海上布满了白帆点点的船只，谷仓里坐着老妇人、姑娘和孩子们，他们把啤酒花采摘到一个大木桶里；年轻人唱歌，老人们讲着关于小妖精和巫师的童话故事。
the dark-blue sea was covered with white-sailed ships, and in the barns sat old women, girls, and children picking hops into a large tub; the young ones sang songs, and the old people told fairy tales about goblins and sorcerers.
再没有比这更惬意的地方了。
It could not be more pleasant anywhere.
“冬天这里很宜人！” 小女孩说，所有的树木都挂满了白霜，看上去就像白色的珊瑚。
“here it’s agreeable in winter!” said the little girl, and all the trees were covered with hoar-frost, so that they looked like white coral.
雪在脚下嘎吱作响，仿佛人穿了新靴子似的。
the snow creaked under one’s feet, as if one had new boots on.
一颗又一颗流星划过天空。
one shooting star after another traversed the sky.
屋里的圣诞树亮着，歌声和欢声笑语不断。
In the room the christmas tree was lit, and there were song and merriment.
农舍里小提琴声响起，人们玩着分苹果的游戏；就连最穷的孩子也说：“冬天真美啊！”
In the peasant’s cottage the violin sounded, and games were played for apple quarters; even the poorest child said, “It is beautiful in winter!”
的确很美！小女孩把一切都展示给男孩看，接骨木树继续散发着甜美的香气，而带有白十字的红旗在风中飘扬；那是老水手曾服役过的旗帜。
And indeed it was beautiful! And the little girl showed everything to the boy, and the elder-tree continued to breathe forth sweet perfume, while the red flag with the white cross was streaming in the wind; it was the flag under which the old sailor had served.
男孩长成了青年；他要去广阔的世界闯荡，要去遥远的种植咖啡的国度。
the boy became a youth; he was to go out into the wide world, far away to the countries where the coffee grows.
但分别时，小女孩从胸前摘下一朵接骨木花送给他作纪念。
but at parting the little girl took an elder-blossom from her breast and gave it to him as a keepsake.
他把它夹在祈祷书里，在异国他乡打开书时，它总是在那朵纪念之花所在的位置；他越看它，它就越鲜活，以至于他几乎能闻到家乡树林的芬芳。
he placed it in his prayer-book, and when he opened it in distant lands it was always at the place where the flower of remembrance was lying; and the more he looked at it the fresher it became, so that he could almost smell the fragrance of the woods at home.
他清晰地看见小女孩，她那双明亮的蓝眼睛从花瓣后探出来，还听到她低语道：“这里春天、夏天、秋天和冬天都很美。” 成百上千的画面在他脑海中闪过。
he distinctly saw the little girl, with her bright blue eyes, peeping out from behind the petals, and heard her whispering, “here it is beautiful in spring, in summer, in autumn, and in winter,” and hundreds of pictures passed through his mind.
就这样，许多年过去了。
thus many years rolled by.
他现在已经成了一位老人，正和他的老伴儿坐在一棵繁花盛开的接骨木树下。
he had now bee an old man, and was sitting, with his old wife, under an elder-tree in full bloom.
他们像曾祖母当年在外面那样手拉手，也像他们一样，谈论着过去的日子和他们的金婚纪念。
they held each other by the hand exactly as the great-grandfather and the great-grandmother had done outside, and, like them, they talked about bygone days and of their golden wedding.
那个蓝眼睛、头发上插着接骨木花的小女孩高高地坐在树上，向他们点头说道：“今天是金婚纪念日！” 然后她从花环上摘下两朵花，亲吻了它们。
the little girl with the blue eyes and elder-blossoms in her hair was sitting high up in the tree, and nodded to them, saying, “to-day is the golden wedding!” And then she took two flowers out of her wreath and kissed them.
它们起初像银子一样闪闪发光，接着又像金子一样发亮，当她把它们放在两位老人头上时，每朵花都变成了一顶金王冠。
they glittered at first like silver, then like gold, and when she placed them on the heads of the old people each flower became a golden crown.
他们俩就像国王和王后一样坐在这棵香气扑鼻的树下，这棵树看上去就和接骨木树一模一样，他把小时候听来的接骨木树妈妈的故事讲给妻子听。
there they both sat like a king and queen under the sweet-smelling tree, which looked exactly like an elder-tree, and he told his wife the story of the elder-tree mother as it had been told him when he was a little boy.
他们俩都觉得这个故事里有很多地方和他们自己的经历很相似，而这些相似之处正是他们最喜欢的。
they were both of opinion that the story contained many points like their own, and these similarities they liked best.
“是的，就是这样。” 树上的小女孩说。
“Yes, so it is,” said the little girl in the tree.
“有些人叫我接骨木树妈妈；有些人叫我德律阿得斯；但我的真名是‘回忆’。是我坐在这棵不断生长的树上。我能记住事情，还能讲故事！但让我们看看你们是否还留着那朵花。”
“Some call me Little Elder-tree mother; others a dryad; but my real name is ‘Remembrance.’ It is I who sit in the tree which grows and grows. I can remember things and tell stories! but let’s see if you have still got your flower.”
于是老人打开他的祈祷书；那朵接骨木花还在里面，而且鲜嫩得就好像刚刚才放进去似的。
And the old man opened his prayer-book; the elder-blossom was still in it, and as fresh as if it had only just been put in.
回忆点了点头，两位头戴金王冠的老人坐在灿烂的夕阳下。
Remembrance nodded, and the two old people, with the golden crowns on their heads, sat in the glowing evening sun.
他们闭上眼睛 —— 然后 ——
they closed their eyes and — and —
好了，现在故事讲完了！躺在床上的小男孩不知道自己是做了这个梦，还是听人讲了这个故事；茶壶还放在桌子上，但并没有接骨木树从里面长出来，讲故事的老人正要离开房间，而且他确实出去了。
well, now the story is ended! the little boy in bed did not know whether he had dreamt it or heard it told; the teapot stood on the table, but no elder-tree was growing out of it, and the old man who had told the story was on the point of leaving the room, and he did go out.
“真美好呀！” 小男孩说。
“how beautiful it was!” said the little boy.
“妈妈，我去过温暖的国度了！”
“mother, I have been to warm countries!”
“我相信你，” 妈妈说；“要是喝了两杯热乎乎的接骨木花茶，去到温暖的国度那是很自然的事呀！” 然后她把他盖得严严实实的，这样他就不会着凉了。
“I believe you,” said the mother; “if one takes two cups of hot elder-tea it is quite natural that one gets into warm countries!” And she covered him up well, so that he might not take cold.
“我和老人争论这是个故事还是个童话的时候，你睡得可香了！”
“You have slept soundly while I was arguing with the old man whether it was a story or a fairy tale!”
“那接骨木树妈妈怎么样了？” 小男孩问道。
“And what has bee of the little elder-tree mother?” asked the boy.
“她在茶壶里呢，” 妈妈说；“就让她待在那儿吧。”
“She is in the teapot,” said the mother; “and there she may remain.”