The little match girl—卖火柴的小女孩

It was New Year's Eve anddreadfully cold. The snow fell quickly in the darkening light as evening cameon. In the cold and the darkness there walked along the street, poor littlegirl bare headed and with no shoes on.

那是一个除夕夜，天气非常非常冷，雪下得很大，夜幕已降临。一个贫穷的小女孩，光头赤脚仍在漆黑寒冷的大街上徘徊。

When she left home, she hadslippers on, it is true, but they were much too large for her feet. And thepoor little girl lost them running across the street when two carriages werepassing quickly by. When she looked for them, they were not to be found.

当她离家出门的时候，脚上穿着一双拖鞋，那是一双相当大的拖鞋--的确太大了。当她匆忙横穿马路的时候，两辆马车飞快地闯过来，吓得她把拖鞋跑丢了。当她回去找拖鞋时，怎么也找不到了。

So on the little girl wentwith her bare feet that had turned red and blue with cold. In an old apron thatshe wore, she had bundles of matches and she also carried a bundle in her hand.No one had bought so much as a bunch all day long and no one had given her evena penny.

现在这小女孩只好光着脚在街上行走，一双脚步冻得又红又青。她那破旧的围裙兜着许多火柴，手里还拿着一小捆。可整整一天谁也没有向她买过一根--谁也没有给她一个铜板。

She crept along, tremblingwith cold and hunger, a very picture of sorrow the poor little thing. Thesnowflakes fell on her long hair which hung in pretty curls about her neck, butshe didn't think of her beauty or of the cold.

她又饿又冷，哆哆嗦嗦地向前走着，这是一幅非常凄惨的景象：可怜的小姑娘！雪花落在她那金黄色的头发上--长长的卷发披散在肩上，看起来十分美丽，可她想不到自己的漂亮。

Candle lights shone fromevery window and she could smell the beautiful smell of roast goose beingcooked for New Year's Eve in all the houses, she was so hungry！

从每扇窗子透出的亮光和飘出的烤鹅肉香味，使她想起的只是今天是除夕之夜。

In a corner between twohouses she sat down, she tucked her little feet in underneath herself, butstill she grew colder and colder. She didn't dare to go home, because shehadn't sold any matches and hadn't made any money. Her father would certainlynot be pleased.

街边一前一后坐落着两座房子，她蹲在墙角里，把一双小脚卷缩到身下坐了下来，可是她还是不觉得暖和。她不敢回家，因为她还没有卖掉一根火柴，没有挣到一个铜板，她的父亲一定会很恼火。

Besides it was cold enoughat home, as they had only a roof above them that was full of homes, and throughwhich the cold wind whistled, even though the largest cracks was stopped upwith straw and rags.

况且她家几乎和大街上一样冷。那是一间阁楼，虽然屋顶上几个较大的裂口用草和破布堵住了，可风和雪还是不时地灌进来。

Now her little hands werenearly frozen with cold, she thought that maybe a match might warm her fingersif she lit it. So at last she drew one out, she struck it and how it blazed andburned.

她那双小手差不多冻僵了，她想，只要她点燃一根火柴就可以暖手。终于她抽出了一根擦燃，火柴立刻燃烧，冒出了火苗。

It gave out a warm brightflame like a little candle as she held her hands over it, a wonderful littlelight it was. It really seems the little girl as if she sat in front of a greatiron stove with a lovely fire inside it.

当她双手覆在上面时，它变成了一朵光明、温暖的火焰，象一根奇妙的小蜡烛。小姑娘觉得自己象坐在一个大火炉旁边一样，温暖的火焰在铁炉里燃烧。

So nicely it burned that thelittle girls stretched out her feet to warm them. How comfortable she was! Butthen, the flame went out, the stove vanished and nothing remained but thelittle burned match in her hand.

火烧得多么旺，多么好啊！小姑娘刚刚伸出她的一双脚，打算暖一下，多么舒服啊。但火焰忽然熄灭，火炉也不见了，除了她手里那烧过的火柴什么也没有。

She rubbed another matchagainst the wall, it burned brightly and where the light fell on the wall, shecould suddenly see right through into the room behind it.

她又擦着一根火柴，火柴燃起来了，发出了明亮的光。墙上那块被火光照着的地方，忽然变得透明，小女孩可以看到房间的东西。

A snow-white cloth wasspread upon the table, on which were laid beautiful china plates, while astuffed roast goose cooked away and made a most delicious smell.

桌上铺着雪白的台布，上面放着精致的瓷碟，还有填满梅子和苹果、冒着热气、香喷喷的烤鹅。

But the match went out thenand nothing was left, but the thick, cold, damp wall in front of her. She litanother match and now she was under this beautiful Christmas tree, larger andfar more prettily decorated than the one she'd seen through the glass doors ofthe rich merchants.

就在这时，火柴熄灭了，留在她面前的，只是一堵又厚又冷的墙。她又擦燃了一根火柴，现在她觉得正坐在非常美丽的圣诞树下面，比上次圣诞节透过那富商家的玻璃门看到的那株还要大、还要美。

Hundreds of candles wereburning on the green branches and little painted figures like she had seen inshop windows looked down on her. The child stretched out her hands to them, butthen the match went out.

这株树的绿枝上点燃着许许多多的蜡烛，颜色瑰丽的图画，就象橱窗里挂着的那些一样漂亮，仿佛在向她眨眼。小姑娘把两只手伸过去，火柴又熄灭了。

Still the lights of theChristmas tree burned, higher and higher into the sky until she saw one fullforming a long trail of fire. An angel, man with the child softly, for hermother, the person who had loved her the most, had told her that whenever astar falls, an angel goes to heaven.

然而圣诞树上的烛光越升越高。她看到它们变成了明亮的星星，有一颗落下来，在天上划出一道长长的火丝。一个温柔的天使，带着孩子的男人，因为小女孩的母亲，那个深爱她的人曾告诉小女孩，每当有星星落下，天使就会去往天堂。

She struck yet another matchagainst the wall, it lit. And in its brightness, her dear mother appearedbefore her, so bright and radiant and with such an expression of love on herface.

她在墙上又擦了一根火柴，火光把四周照亮了。在亮光里，亲爱的和生前一样的母亲出现了。她依然是那么的慈爱和温和，然而那快活和幸福的样子却是她生前从未有过的。

“Oh, Mother…”cried the child, “Take me with you! I know you will go away when the matchburns out, you too will vanish like the warm stove, the splendid new year'sfeast, the beautiful Christmas tree…”

“妈妈!”小姑娘叫了起来，“啊！把我带走吧！我知道这火柴一熄灭，你就会象炉中温暖的火焰，丰盛的新年饭食，美丽的大圣诞树一样地不见了!”

And to make sure her motherwould not disappear, she lit a whole bundle of matches against the wall, andthey burned with such a brilliant light that it became brighter than the middleSun.

她急忙把剩下的一束火柴都擦着了，生怕母亲走了，这束火柴发出强烈的光芒，照得比白天还要亮。

Her mother had never lookedso beautiful, she took the little girl in her arms and they embraced each otherjoyfully. They looked up as a beautiful star blazed across the snow filled sky.

母亲从来没有象现在这样显得美丽，她把小姑娘抱起来，搂在怀里。她们俩在光明和快乐中飞向了雪夜的天空。