暑假過后，新初三生們迎來了初中最重要的一年——初三。為方便2013年中考考生及家長查詢相關信息，出國留學網(wǎng)中考頻道特別搜集匯總了中考英語閱讀素材以供參考：
    AR out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above. There dwell the Sea King and his subjects. We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No, indeed; the most singular flowers and plants grow there; the leaves and stems of which are so pliant, that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life. Fishes, both large and small, glide between the branches, as birds fly among the trees here upon land. In the deepest spot of all, stands the castle of the Sea King. Its walls are built of coral, and the long, gothic windows are of the clearest amber. The roof is formed of shells, that open and close as the water flows over them. Their appearance is very beautiful, for in each lies a glittering pearl, which would be fit for the diadem of a queen.
    The Sea King had been a widower for many years, and his aged mother kept house for him. She was a very wise woman, and exceedingly proud of her high birth; on that account she wore twelve oysters on her tail; while others, also of high rank, were only allowed to wear six. She was, however, deserving of very great praise, especially for her care of the little sea-princesses, her grand-daughters. They were six beautiful children; but the youngest was the prettiest of them all; her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea; but, like all the others, she had no feet, and her body ended in a fish's tail. All day long they played in the great halls of the castle, or among the living flowers that grew out of the walls. The large amber windows were open, and the fish swam in, just as the swallows fly into our houses when we open the windows, excepting that the fishes swam up to the princesses, ate out of their hands, and allowed themselves to be stroked. Outside the castle there was a beautiful garden, in which grew bright red and dark blue flowers, and blossoms like flames of fire; the fruit glittered like gold, and the leaves and stems waved to and fro continually. The earth itself was the finest sand, but blue as the flame of burning sulphur. Over everything lay a peculiar blue radiance, as if it were surrounded by the air from above, through which the blue sky shone, instead of the dark depths of the sea. In calm weather the sun could be seen, looking like a purple flower, with the light streaming from the calyx. Each of the young princesses had a little plot of ground in the garden, where she might dig and plant as she pleased. One arranged her flower-bed into the form of a whale; another thought it better to make hers like the figure of a little mermaid; but that of the youngest was round like the sun, and contained flowers as red as his rays at sunset. She was a strange child, quiet and thoughtful; and while her sisters would be delighted with the wonderful things which they obtained from the wrecks of vessels, she cared for nothing but her pretty red flowers, like the sun, excepting a beautiful marble statue. It was the representation of a handsome boy, carved out of pure white stone, which had fallen to the bottom of the sea from a wreck. She planted by the statue a rose-colored weeping willow. It grew splendidly, and very soon hung its fresh branches over the statue, almost down to the blue sands. The shadow had a violet tint, and waved to and fro like the branches; it seemed as if the crown of the tree and the root were at play, and trying to kiss each other. Nothing gave her so much pleasure as to hear about the world above the sea. She made her old grandmother tell her all she knew of the ships and of the towns, the people and the animals. To her it seemed most wonderful and beautiful to hear that the flowers of the land should have fragrance, and not those below the sea; that the trees of the forest should be green; and that the fishes among the trees could sing so sweetly, that it was quite a pleasure to hear them. Her grandmother called the little birds fishes, or she would not have understood her; for she had never seen birds.
    "When you have reached your fifteenth year," said the grand-mother, "you will have permission to rise up out of the sea, to sit on the rocks in the moonlight, while the great ships are sailing by; and then you will see both forests and towns."
    In the following year, one of the sisters would be fifteen: but as each was a year younger than the other, the youngest would have to wait five years before her turn came to rise up from the bottom of the ocean, and see the earth as we do. However, each promised to tell the others what she saw on her first visit, and what she thought the most beautiful; for their grandmother could not tell them enough; there were so many things on which they wanted information. None of them longed so much for her turn to come as the youngest, she who had the longest time to wait, and who was so quiet and thoughtful. Many nights she stood by the open window, looking up through the dark blue water, and watching the fish as they splashed about with their fins and tails. She could see the moon and stars shining faintly; but through the water they looked larger than they do to our eyes. When something like a black cloud passed between her and them, she knew that it was either a whale swimming over her head, or a ship full of human beings, who never imagined that a pretty little mermaid was standing beneath them, holding out her white hands towards the keel of their ship.
    As soon as the eldest was fifteen, she was allowed to rise to the surface of the ocean. When she came back, she had hundreds of things to talk about; but the most beautiful, she said, was to lie in the moonlight, on a sandbank, in the quiet sea, near the coast, and to gaze on a large town nearby, where the lights were twinkling like hundreds of stars; to listen to the sounds of the music, the noise of carriages, and the voices of human beings, and then to hear the merry bells peal out from the church steeples; and because she could not go near to all those wonderful things, she longed for them more than ever. Oh, did not the youngest sister listen eagerly to all these descriptions? and afterwards, when she stood at the open window looking up through the dark blue water, she thought of the great city, with all its bustle and noise, and even fancied she could hear the sound of the church bells, down in the depths of the sea.
    In another year the second sister received permission to rise to the surface of the water, and to swim about where she pleased. She rose just as the sun was setting, and this, she said, was the most beautiful sight of all. The whole sky looked like gold, while violet and rose-colored clouds, which she could not describe, floated over her; and, still more rapidly than the clouds, flew a large flock of wild swans towards the setting sun, looking like a long white veil across the sea. She also swam towards the sun; but it sunk into the waves, and the rosy tints faded from the clouds and from the sea.
    The third sister's turn followed; she was the boldest of them all, and she swam up a broad river that emptied itself into the sea. On the banks she saw green hills covered with beautiful vines; palaces and castles peeped out from amid the proud trees of the forest; she heard the birds singing, and the rays of the sun were so powerful that she was obliged often to dive down under the water to cool her burning face. In a narrow creek she found a whole troop of little human children, quite naked, and sporting about in the water; she wanted to play with them, but they fled in a great fright; and then a little black animal came to the water; it was a dog, but she did not know that, for she had never before seen one. This animal barked at her so terribly that she became frightened, and rushed back to the open sea. But she said she should never forget the beautiful forest, the green hills, and the pretty little children who could swim in the water, although they had not fish's tails.
    The fourth sister was more timid; she remained in the midst of the sea, but she said it was quite as beautiful there as nearer the land. She could see for so many miles around her, and the sky above looked like a bell of glass. She had seen the ships, but at such a great distance that they looked like sea-gulls. The dolphins sported in the waves, and the great whales spouted water from their nostrils till it seemed as if a hundred fountains were playing in every direction.
    The fifth sister's birthday occurred in the winter; so when her turn came, she saw what the others had not seen the first time they went up. The sea looked quite green, and large icebergs were floating about, each like a pearl, she said, but larger and loftier than the churches built by men. They were of the most singular shapes, and glittered like diamonds. She had seated herself upon one of the largest, and let the wind play with her long hair, and she remarked that all the ships sailed by rapidly, and steered as far away as they could from the iceberg, as if they were afraid of it. Towards evening, as the sun went down, dark clouds covered the sky, the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed, and the red light glowed on the icebergs as they rocked and tossed on the heaving sea. On all the ships the sails were reefed with fear and trembling, while she sat calmly on the floating iceberg, watching the blue lightning, as it darted its forked flashes into the sea.
    When first the sisters had permission to rise to the surface, they were each delighted with the new and beautiful sights they saw; but now, as grown-up girls, they could go when they pleased, and they had become indifferent about it. They wished themselves back again in the water, and after a month had passed they said it was much more beautiful down below, and pleasanter to be at home. Yet often, in the evening hours, the five sisters would twine their arms round each other, and rise to the surface, in a row. They had more beautiful voices than any human being could have; and before the approach of a storm, and when they expected a ship would be lost, they swam before the vessel, and sang sweetly of the delights to be found in the depths of the sea, and begging the sailors not to fear if they sank to the bottom. But the sailors could not understand the song, they took it for the howling of the storm. And these things were never to be beautiful for them; for if the ship sank, the men were drowned, and their dead bodies alone reached the palace of the Sea King.
    When the sisters rose, arm-in-arm, through the water in this way, their youngest sister would stand quite alone, looking after them, ready to cry, only that the mermaids have no tears, and therefore they suffer more. "Oh, were I but fifteen years old," said she: "I know that I shall love the world up there, and all the people who live in it."
    At last she reached her fifteenth year. "Well, now, you are grown up," said the old dowager, her grandmother; "so you must let me adorn you like your other sisters;" and she placed a wreath of white lilies in her hair, and every flower leaf was half a pearl. Then the old lady ordered eight great oysters to attach themselves to the tail of the princess to show her high rank.
    "But they hurt me so," said the little mermaid.
    "Pride must suffer pain," replied the old lady. Oh, how gladly she would have shaken off all this grandeur, and laid aside the heavy wreath! The red flowers in her own garden would have suited her much better, but she could not help herself: so she said, "Farewell," and rose as lightly as a bubble to the surface of the water. The sun had just set as she raised her head above the waves; but the clouds were tinted with crimson and gold, and through the glimmering twilight beamed the evening star in all its beauty. The sea was calm, and the air mild and fresh. A large ship, with three masts, lay becalmed on the water, with only one sail set; for not a breeze stiffed, and the sailors sat idle on deck or amongst the rigging. There was music and song on board; and, as darkness came on, a hundred colored lanterns were lighted, as if the flags of all nations waved in the air. The little mermaid swam close to the cabin windows; and now and then, as the waves lifted her up, she could look in through clear glass window-panes, and see a number of well-dressed people within. Among them was a young prince, the most beautiful of all, with large black eyes; he was sixteen years of age, and his birthday was being kept with much rejoicing. The sailors were dancing on deck, but when the prince came out of the cabin, more than a hundred rockets rose in the air, making it as bright as day. The little mermaid was so startled that she dived under water; and when she again stretched out her head, it appeared as if all the stars of heaven were falling around her, she had never seen such fireworks before. Great suns spurted fire about, splendid fireflies flew into the blue air, and everything was reflected in the clear, calm sea beneath. The ship itself was so brightly illuminated that all the people, and even the smallest rope, could be distinctly and plainly seen. And how handsome the young prince looked, as he pressed the hands of all present and smiled at them, while the music resounded through the clear night air.
    It was very late; yet the little mermaid could not take her eyes from the ship, or from the beautiful prince. The colored lanterns had been extinguished, no more rockets rose in the air, and the cannon had ceased firing; but the sea became restless, and a moaning, grumbling sound could be heard beneath the waves: still the little mermaid remained by the cabin window, rocking up and down on the water, which enabled her to look in. After a while, the sails were quickly unfurled, and the noble ship continued her passage; but soon the waves rose higher, heavy clouds darkened the sky, and lightning appeared in the distance. A dreadful storm was approaching; once more the sails were reefed, and the great ship pursued her flying course over the raging sea. The waves rose mountains high, as if they would have overtopped the mast; but the ship dived like a swan between them, and then rose again on their lofty, foaming crests. To the little mermaid this appeared pleasant sport; not so to the sailors. At length the ship groaned and creaked; the thick planks gave way under the lashing of the sea as it broke over the deck; the mainmast snapped asunder like a reed; the ship lay over on her side; and the water rushed in. The little mermaid now perceived that the crew were in danger; even she herself was obliged to be careful to avoid the beams and planks of the wreck which lay scattered on the water. At one moment it was so pitch dark that she could not see a single object, but a flash of lightning revealed the whole scene; she could see every one who had been on board excepting the prince; when the ship parted, she had seen him sink into the deep waves, and she was glad, for she thought he would now be with her; and then she remembered that human beings could not live in the water, so that when he got down to her father's palace he would be quite dead. But he must not die. So she swam about among the beams and planks which strewed the surface of the sea, forgetting that they could crush her to pieces. Then she dived deeply under the dark waters, rising and falling with the waves, till at length she managed to reach the young prince, who was fast losing the power of swimming in that stormy sea. His limbs were failing him, his beautiful eyes were closed, and he would have died had not the little mermaid come to his assistance. She held his head above the water, and let the waves drift them where they would.
    In the morning the storm had ceased; but of the ship not a single fragment could be seen. The sun rose up red and glowing from the water, and its beams brought back the hue of health to the prince's cheeks; but his eyes remained closed. The mermaid kissed his high, smooth forehead, and stroked back his wet hair; he seemed to her like the marble statue in her little garden, and she kissed him again, and wished that he might live. Presently they came in sight of land; she saw lofty blue mountains, on which the white snow rested as if a flock of swans were lying upon them. Near the coast were beautiful green forests, and close by stood a large building, whether a church or a convent she could not tell. Orange and citron trees grew in the garden, and before the door stood lofty palms. The sea here formed a little bay, in which the water was quite still, but very deep; so she swam with the handsome prince to the beach, which was covered with fine, white sand, and there she laid him in the warm sunshine, taking care to raise his head higher than his body. Then bells sounded in the large white building, and a number of young girls came into the garden. The little mermaid swam out farther from the shore and placed herself between some high rocks that rose out of the water; then she covered her head and neck with the foam of the sea so that her little face might not be seen, and watched to see what would become of the poor prince. She did not wait long before she saw a young girl approach the spot where he lay. She seemed frightened at first, but only for a moment; then she fetched a number of people, and the mermaid saw that the prince came to life again, and smiled upon those who stood round him. But to her he sent no smile; he knew not that she had saved him. This made her very unhappy, and when he was led away into the great building, she dived down sorrowfully into the water, and returned to her father's castle. She had always been silent and thoughtful, and now she was more so than ever. Her sisters asked her what she had seen during her first visit to the surface of the water; but she would tell them nothing. Many an evening and morning did she rise to the place where she had left the prince. She saw the fruits in the garden ripen till they were gathered, the snow on the tops of the mountains melt away; but she never saw the prince, and therefore she returned home, always more sorrowful than before. It was her only comfort to sit in her own little garden, and fling her arm round the beautiful marble statue which was like the prince; but she gave up tending her flowers, and they grew in wild confusion over the paths, twining their long leaves and stems round the branches of the trees, so that the whole place became dark and gloomy. At length she could bear it no longer, and told one of her sisters all about it. Then the others heard the secret, and very soon it became known to two mermaids whose intimate friend happened to know who the prince was. She had also seen the festival on board ship, and she told them where the prince came from, and where his palace stood.
    "Come, little sister," said the other princesses; then they entwined their arms and rose up in a long row to the surface of the water, close by the spot where they knew the prince's palace stood. It was built of bright yellow shining stone, with long flights of marble steps, one of which reached quite down to the sea. Splendid gilded cupolas rose over the roof, and between the pillars that surrounded the whole building stood life-like statues of marble. Through the clear crystal of the lofty windows could be seen noble rooms, with costly silk curtains and hangings of tapestry; while the walls were covered with beautiful paintings which were a pleasure to look at. In the centre of the largest saloon a fountain threw its sparkling jets high up into the glass cupola of the ceiling, through which the sun shone down upon the water and upon the beautiful plants growing round the basin of the fountain. Now that she knew where he lived, she spent many an evening and many a night on the water near the palace. She would swim much nearer the shore than any of the others ventured to do; indeed once she went quite up the narrow channel under the marble balcony, which threw a broad shadow on the water. Here she would sit and watch the young prince, who thought himself quite alone in the bright moonlight. She saw him many times of an evening sailing in a pleasant boat, with music playing and flags waving. She peeped out from among the green rushes, and if the wind caught her long silvery-white veil, those who saw it believed it to be a swan, spreading out its wings. On many a night, too, when the fishermen, with their torches, were out at sea, she heard them relate so many good things about the doings of the young prince, that she was glad she had saved his life when he had been tossed about half-dead on the waves. And she remembered that his head had rested on her bosom, and how heartily she had kissed him; but he knew nothing of all this, and could not even dream of her. She grew more and more fond of human beings, and wished more and more to be able to wander about with those whose world seemed to be so much larger than her own. They could fly over the sea in ships, and mount the high hills which were far above the clouds; and the lands they possessed, their woods and their fields, stretched far away beyond the reach of her sight. There was so much that she wished to know, and her sisters were unable to answer all her questions. Then she applied to her old grandmother, who knew all about the upper world, which she very rightly called the lands above the sea.
    "If human beings are not drowned," asked the little mermaid, "can they live forever? do they never die as we do here in the sea?"
    "Yes," replied the old lady, "they must also die, and their term of life is even shorter than ours. We sometimes live to three hundred years, but when we cease to exist here we only become the foam on the surface of the water, and we have not even a grave down here of those we love. We have not immortal souls, we shall never live again; but, like the green sea-weed, when once it has been cut off, we can never flourish more. Human beings, on the contrary, have a soul which lives forever, lives after the body has been turned to dust. It rises up through the clear, pure air beyond the glittering stars. As we rise out of the water, and behold all the land of the earth, so do they rise to unknown and glorious regions which we shall never see."
    "Why have not we an immortal soul?" asked the little mermaid mournfully; "I would give gladly all the hundreds of years that I have to live, to be a human being only for one day, and to have the hope of knowing the happiness of that glorious world above the stars."
    "You must not think of that," said the old woman; "we feel ourselves to be much happier and much better off than human beings."
    "So I shall die," said the little mermaid, "and as the foam of the sea I shall be driven about never again to hear the music of the waves, or to see the pretty flowers nor the red sun. Is there anything I can do to win an immortal soul?"
    "No," said the old woman, "unless a man were to love you so much that you were more to him than his father or mother; and if all his thoughts and all his love were fixed upon you, and the priest placed his right hand in yours, and he promised to be true to you here and hereafter, then his soul would glide into your body and you would obtain a share in the future happiness of mankind. He would give a soul to you and retain his own as well; but this can never happen. Your fish's tail, which amongst us is considered so beautiful, is thought on earth to be quite ugly; they do not know any better, and they think it necessary to have two stout props, which they call legs, in order to be handsome."
    Then the little mermaid sighed, and looked sorrowfully at her fish's tail. "Let us be happy," said the old lady, "and dart and spring about during the three hundred years that we have to live, which is really quite long enough; after that we can rest ourselves all the better. This evening we are going to have a court ball."
    It is one of those splendid sights which we can never see on earth. The walls and the ceiling of the large ball-room were of thick, but transparent crystal. May hundreds of colossal shells, some of a deep red, others of a grass green, stood on each side in rows, with blue fire in them, which lighted up the whole saloon, and shone through the walls, so that the sea was also illuminated. Innumerable fishes, great and small, swam past the crystal walls; on some of them the scales glowed with a purple brilliancy, and on others they shone like silver and gold. Through the halls flowed a broad stream, and in it danced the mermen and the mermaids to the music of their own sweet singing. No one on earth has such a lovely voice as theirs. The little mermaid sang more sweetly than them all. The whole court applauded her with hands and tails; and for a moment her heart felt quite gay, for she knew she had the loveliest voice of any on earth or in the sea. But she soon thought again of the world above her, for she could not forget the charming prince, nor her sorrow that she had not an immortal soul like his; therefore she crept away silently out of her father's palace, and while everything within was gladness and song, she sat in her own little garden sorrowful and alone. Then she heard the bugle sounding through the water, and thought-"He is certainly sailing above, he on whom my wishes depend, and in whose hands I should like to place the happiness of my life. I will venture all for him, and to win an immortal soul, while my sisters are dancing in my father's palace, I will go to the sea witch, of whom I have always been so much afraid, but she can give me counsel and help."
    And then the little mermaid went out from her garden, and took the road to the foaming whirlpools, behind which the sorceress lived. She had never been that way before: neither flowers nor grass grew there; nothing but bare, gray, sandy ground stretched out to the whirlpool, where the water, like foaming mill-wheels, whirled round everything that it seized, and cast it into the fathomless deep. Through the midst of these crushing whirlpools the little mermaid was obliged to pass, to reach the dominions of the sea witch; and also for a long distance the only road lay right across a quantity of warm, bubbling mire, called by the witch her turfmoor. Beyond this stood her house, in the centre of a strange forest, in which all the trees and flowers were polypi, half animals and half plants; they looked like serpents with a hundred heads growing out of the ground. The branches were long slimy arms, with fingers like flexible worms, moving limb after limb from the root to the top. All that could be reached in the sea they seized upon, and held fast, so that it never escaped from their clutches. The little mermaid was so alarmed at what she saw, that she stood still, and her heart beat with fear, and she was very nearly turning back; but she thought of the prince, and of the human soul for which she longed, and her courage returned. She fastened her long flowing hair round her head, so that the polypi might not seize hold of it. She laid her hands together across her bosom, and then she darted forward as a fish shoots through the water, between the supple arms and fingers of the ugly polypi, which were stretched out on each side of her. She saw that each held in its grasp something it had seized with its numerous little arms, as if they were iron bands. The white skeletons of human beings who had perished at sea, and had sunk down into the deep waters, skeletons of land animals, oars, rudders, and chests of ships were lying tightly grasped by their clinging arms; even a little mermaid, whom they had caught and strangled; and this seemed the most shocking of all to the little princess.
    She now came to a space of marshy ground in the wood, where large, fat water-snakes were rolling in the mire, and showing their ugly, drab-colored bodies. In the midst of this spot stood a house, built with the bones of shipwrecked human beings. There sat the sea witch, allowing a toad to eat from her mouth, just as people sometimes feed a canary with a piece of sugar. She called the ugly water-snakes her little chickens, and allowed them to crawl all over her bosom.
    "I know what you want," said the sea witch; "it is very stupid of you, but you shall have your way, and it will bring you to sorrow, my pretty princess. You want to get rid of your fish's tail, and to have two supports instead of it, like human beings on earth, so that the young prince may fall in love with you, and that you may have an immortal soul." And then the witch laughed so loud and disgustingly, that the toad and the snakes fell to the ground, and lay there wriggling about. "You are but just in time," said the witch; "for after sunrise to-morrow I should not be able to help you till the end of another year. I will prepare a draught for you, with which you must swim to land tomorrow before sunrise, and sit down on the shore and drink it. Your tail will then disappear, and shrink up into what mankind calls legs, and you will feel great pain, as if a sword were passing through you. But all who see you will say that you are the prettiest little human being they ever saw. You will still have the same floating gracefulness of movement, and no dancer will ever tread so lightly; but at every step you take it will feel as if you were treading upon sharp knives, and that the blood must flow. If you will bear all this, I will help you."
    "Yes, I will," said the little princess in a trembling voice, as she thought of the prince and the immortal soul.
    "But think again," said the witch; "for when once your shape has become like a human being, you can no more be a mermaid. You will never return through the water to your sisters, or to your father's palace again; and if you do not win the love of the prince, so that he is willing to forget his father and mother for your sake, and to love you with his whole soul, and allow the priest to join your hands that you may be man and wife, then you will never have an immortal soul. The first morning after he marries another your heart will break, and you will become foam on the crest of the waves."
    "I will do it," said the little mermaid, and she became pale as death.
    "But I must be paid also," said the witch, "and it is not a trifle that I ask. You have the sweetest voice of any who dwell here in the depths of the sea, and you believe that you will be able to charm the prince with it also, but this voice you must give to me; the best thing you possess will I have for the price of my draught. My own blood must be mixed with it, that it may be as sharp as a two-edged sword."
    "But if you take away my voice," said the little mermaid, "what is left for me?"
    "Your beautiful form, your graceful walk, and your expressive eyes; surely with these you can enchain a man's heart. Well, have you lost your courage? Put out your little tongue that I may cut it off as my payment; then you shall have the powerful draught."
    "It shall be," said the little mermaid.
    Then the witch placed her cauldron on the fire, to prepare the magic draught.
    【譯文】
    在海的遠處，水是那么藍，像最美麗的矢車菊的花瓣，同時又是那么清，像最明亮的玻璃。然而它又是那么深，深得任何錨鏈都達不到底。要想從海底一直達到水面，必須有許多許多教堂尖塔，一個接一個地連起來才成。
    海底的人就住在這下面。 不過，你千萬不要以為那兒只是一片鋪滿了白砂的海底。不是的。那兒還生長著最奇異的樹木和植物。它們的枝干和葉子是那么柔軟，只要水輕微地流動一下，它們就搖動起來，好像活的一樣。所有的大魚、小魚在這些枝子中間游來游去，就像天空的飛鳥。
    海里最深的地方是海王宮殿所在的處所。它的墻是珊瑚砌成的，尖頂?shù)母叽白邮怯米盍恋溺暝斐傻?不過屋頂上卻鋪著黑色的蚌殼，它們隨著水的流動可以自動開合。這是怪好看的，因為每個蚌殼里面含有亮晶晶的珍珠。隨便哪一顆珍珠都可以成為皇后帽子上最主要的裝飾品。
    住在海底的海王好多年來就是一個鰥夫，但是他有母親為他管理家務。她是一個聰明的女人，可是對于自己的高貴的出身感到不可一世，因此她的尾巴上老戴著一打牡蠣--其余的顯貴每人只能戴上半打。除此以外，她是值得大大稱贊的，特別因為她非常喜愛那些小海公主--她的孫女。
    她們是6個美麗的孩子，而6個當中，那個頂小的又要算最美麗了。她的皮膚又光又嫩，像玫瑰的花瓣;她的眼睛是蔚藍色的，像最深的湖水。不過，跟其他的公主一樣，她沒有腿，她的下半截身子是一條魚尾。
    她們可以把漫長的日子全部消磨在皇宮里，她們可以在墻上長著鮮花的大廳里玩耍。那些鑲著琥珀的大窗子是開著的，魚兒向著她們游來，正如我們打開窗子的時候燕子會飛進來一樣。不過魚兒會一直游 到這些小公主的跟前，在她們的手里找東西吃，讓她們撫摸自己。 宮殿外面有一個很大的花園，里面長著許多火紅的和深藍色的樹木，樹上的果子亮得像黃金，花朵開得像燃燒著的火，花枝和葉子在不停地搖動?；▓@的地上全是最細的沙子，但是藍得像硫磺發(fā)出的光焰。在那兒，到處都閃耀著一種奇異的藍色光彩。你很容易以為你是高高地在空中而不是在海底，你的頭上和腳下全是一片藍天。
    當海非常沉靜的時候，你可瞥見太陽，它像一朵紫色的花，從它的花萼里射出各色各樣的光。 每一位小公主在花園里都有自己的一小塊地，可以隨意在上面栽種。這一個小公主把自己的花壇布置得像一條鯨魚;那一個小公主覺得要把自己的花壇布置得像一條小人魚?？墒亲钅暧椎哪俏还鲄s把自己的花壇布置成圓形，很像一輪太陽;同時她也只種發(fā)出太陽一樣紅光的花朵。
    她是一個古怪的孩子，不大愛講話，總是靜靜地想什么事情。當別的姊妹們用她們從沉船里所得到的最奇異的東西來裝飾她們的花園的時候，她除了喜歡像高空的太陽一樣艷紅的花朵以外，只愿意有一個美麗的大理石像。這是一個美麗的男子的石像;它是用一塊潔白的石頭雕出來的，是跟一條遭難的船一同沉到海底的。
    她在石像旁邊種了一株像玫瑰花那樣紅的垂柳。這株樹長得非常茂盛。它的秀嫩的枝葉垂在石像上面，一直垂到藍色的沙底。它的倒影帶有一種藍紫的色調(diào)。像它的枝條一樣，它的影子也從不靜止：樹根和樹頂看起來好像在作互相親吻的游戲。
    她最愉快的事情是聽一些人世間的故事。她的老祖母不得不把自己所有的一切關于船只和城市、人類和動物的知識講給她聽。特別使她感到美麗的一件事情是：地上的花兒能散發(fā)出香氣，而海底下的花兒卻不能;地上的森林是綠色的，而且人們所看到的、在樹枝間游來游去的"魚兒"會唱出清脆好聽的歌，叫人感覺愉快。
    老祖母所謂的"魚兒"，事實上就是一些小鳥，但是假如她不這樣講，小公主們就聽不懂她的故事，因為她們從來沒有見過一只雀子。
    "等你們滿了15歲"，老祖母說，"我就許你們浮到海面上去。那時你們可以在月光底下，坐在石頭上面，看巨大的船只在你們身邊駛過去。你們也可以看到樹林和城市。"
    過了一年，這些姊妹中有一位滿15歲了，可是其余的呢--唔，她們一個比一個小一歲。因此，最年幼的那位公主還要足足地等上5個年頭，才能夠從海底浮上來看看我們的這個世界。不過每一位公主都答應說，她要把第一天看到的和發(fā)現(xiàn)的最美麗的東西講給大家聽，因為她們的祖母所講的確實不太夠--而她們希望了解的東西真不知有多少! 她們誰也沒有像最年幼的那個妹妹渴望得厲害，而她恰恰要等得最久，同時她又是那么沉默和有思慮。
    不知有多少夜晚，她站在開著的窗邊，透過深藍色的海水，朝上面凝望，凝望著魚兒揮動它們的尾巴和魚翅。她還看到月亮和星星--當然，它們射出的光有些發(fā)淡，但是透過一層水，看起來要比在我們?nèi)说难壑写蟮枚唷＜偃缬幸粔K類似黑云的東西在它們下面浮過的話，她便知道不是一條鯨魚在她上面游過，便是一條裝載著許多旅客的船駛過?？墒沁@些旅客再也想象不到，他們下面有一位美麗的小人魚，在朝著他們的船底伸出她的一雙潔白的手。
    現(xiàn)在最大的那位公主已經(jīng)到了15歲，可以升到水面上去了。 當她回來的時候，她有無數(shù)的事情要講;不過她說，最美的事情是當海上風平浪靜的時候，在月光底下躺在一個沙灘上，緊貼著海岸，凝望那個大城市里亮得像無數(shù)星星的燈光，靜聽音樂、鬧聲以及馬車和人的聲音，觀看教堂的圓頂和尖塔，傾聽叮當?shù)溺娐?。正因為她不能到那兒去，所以她也就最渴望這些東西。
    啊，最小的那位妹妹聽得多么出神啊!當她晚間站在開著的窗邊、透過深藍色的海水朝上望的時候，她就想起了那個大城市和里面嘈雜的聲音。她好像能聽到教堂的鐘聲在向她飄來。
    第二年，第二個姐姐得到許可，可以浮出水面隨便向什么地方游去了。她跳出水面的時候，太陽剛剛下落;她覺得這景象真是萬分美麗。她說，這時整個天空看起來像是一塊黃金，而云塊呢--唔，它們的美，她是沒有辦法用言語來形容的!它們在她頭上掠過，一忽兒紅，一忽兒紫。不過，比它們飛得還要快的、像一片又長又白的面紗的東西，是一群掠過水面的野天鵝。它們正飛向太陽。她也向太陽游去?？墒翘栂侣淞?。一片玫瑰色的晚霞，慢慢地在海面和云塊之間消逝了。
    又過了一年，第三個姐姐浮上去了。她是她們中間最大膽的一個，因此她游到一條流入海的大河里去了。她看到一些美麗的青山，上面種滿了一行一行的葡萄。宮殿和田莊在郁茂的樹林中隱隱地露在外面;她聽到各種鳥兒唱得那兒美，太陽照得那么暖，她有時不得不沉入水里，好使她的灼熱的面孔清涼一下。在一個小河灣里，她碰到一群人間的小孩子。他們光著身體，在水里游來游去。她倒很想跟他們玩一會兒，可是他們嚇了一跳，逃走了。于是一個小小的黑色動物走了過來--這是一條小狗。但是她從來沒有見過小狗。它對她汪汪地叫得那么兇狠，使得她害怕起來，趕忙逃進大海?？墒撬肋h忘記不了那壯麗的森林，那綠色的山，那些可愛的、能夠在水里游泳的小寶寶--雖然他們沒有魚那樣的尾巴。
    第四個姐姐可沒有那么大膽了。她停留在荒涼的大海上。她說，最美的事就是停在海上：因為你可以從這兒向四周很遠很遠的地方望去，同時天空懸在上面，像一個巨大的玻璃鐘。她看到過船只，不過這些船只離她很遠，看起來像一些海鷗。她看到過快樂的海豚翻斤頭，龐大的鯨魚從鼻孔里噴出水來，好像有無數(shù)的噴泉圍繞著它們。
    現(xiàn)在臨到第五個姐姐了。她的生日恰巧是在冬天，所以她能看到其他的姐姐們第一次浮出海面時沒有看到的東西。海染上了一片綠色;巨大的冰山在四周移動。她說，每一座冰山看起來像一顆珍珠，可是卻比人類所建造的教堂的塔還要大得多。它們以種種奇奇怪怪的形狀出現(xiàn);它們像鉆石似地射出光采。她曾經(jīng)坐在一座最大的冰山上，讓海風吹著她的細長的頭發(fā)，所有的船中繞過她所坐著的那塊地方，都驚惶地遠遠避開。不過黃昏時分，天上忽然起了一片烏云。電閃起來了，雷轟起來了，黑色的巨浪掀起整片的冰塊，使它們在血紅的雷電中閃著光。所有的船只都收了帆，造成一種驚惶和恐怖的氣氛;但是她卻安靜地坐在那座浮動的冰山上，望著藍色的閃電，彎彎曲曲地射進反光的海。
    這些姊妹當中，隨便哪一位只要第一次升到海面上，總是非常高興地觀看這些新鮮和美麗的東西?？墒乾F(xiàn)在她們都已經(jīng)是大女孩子了，可以隨便浮到她們喜歡去的地方去了，這些東西也就不再能太引起她們的興趣。她們都渴望回家。
    一個多月以后，她們就說：究竟還是在海里好--在家里是多么舒服啊! 黃昏的時候，5個姐妹常常手挽著手浮上去，在海面排成一行。她們唱出好聽的歌聲--比任何人類的聲音還要悅耳。當風暴快要到來，她們認為有些船只快要出事的時候，她們就浮到這些船的面前，唱起非常美麗的歌來，說海底是多么可愛，同時告訴那些水手不要害怕沉到海底;然而那些人卻聽不懂她們的歌詞。他們以為這是巨風的聲息。他們也想不到他們會在海底看到什么美好的東西，因為如果船沉了的話，船上的人也就淹死了，他們只有作為死人才能到達海王的宮殿。
    有一天晚上，當姐妹們這么手挽著手浮出海面的時候，最小的那位妹妹單獨地待在后面，瞧著她們?？礃幼樱孟褚抟粓?，不過人魚是沒有眼淚的，因此她更感覺難受。 "啊，假如我是15歲就好了!" 她說。"我知道我會喜歡上面的世界，喜歡住在那個世界里的人的。"
    最后她真的到了15歲了。 "你知道，現(xiàn)在你可以離開我們的手了。"她的祖母老皇太后說，"來吧，讓我把你打扮得像你的那些姐姐一樣吧。"
    于是她在小姑娘的頭發(fā)上戴上一個百合花編的花環(huán)，不過這花的每一個花瓣是半顆珍珠。老太太又叫8個大牡蠣緊緊貼在公主的尾巴上，表示她的高貴身份。 "這叫我真難受!"小人魚說。 "當然羅，為了漂亮，一個人是應該吃點苦頭的。"老祖母說。
    哎，她多么想擺脫這些裝飾品，把沉重的花環(huán)扔到一邊啊!她戴著花園里的那些紅花要適合得多，但是她不敢這樣做。"再見吧!"她說。于是她輕盈和明朗得像一個水泡，冒出水面了。
    當她把頭伸出海面的時候，太陽已經(jīng)下落了，可是所有的云塊仍然像玫瑰花和黃金似的發(fā)著光;同時，在淡紅色的天上，太白星已經(jīng)在美麗地、光亮地眨著眼睛?？諝馐菧睾偷摹⑿迈r的。海非常平靜。那兒停著一艘有三根桅桿的大船。船上只掛了一張帆，因為沒有一絲兒風在吹動。水手們都坐在護桅索的周圍和帆桁上。 空中有音樂，也有歌聲。
    天色越來越暗，各種各樣的燈籠一齊亮起來了。它們看起來就像飄在空中的世界各國的國旗。小人魚一直向船艙的窗口游去。每當海浪把她托起來的時候，她可以透過像鏡子一樣發(fā)亮的窗玻璃，看見里面站著許多服裝華麗的男子;但他們之中最美的是那個有一對大黑眼珠的王子：他的年紀無疑只不過16歲。今天是他的生日，正因為這個緣故，今天才顯得這樣熱鬧。 水手們在甲板上跳著舞。王子走出來的時候，有一百多發(fā)火箭一齊向天空射出。它們照耀得如同白晝，因此小人魚非常驚恐，趕快沉到水底?？墒遣灰粫海职杨^伸出來了--這時她覺得好像滿天的星星都在向她身上落下來。她從來沒有看見過這樣的焰火。許多巨大的太陽在周圍發(fā)出噓噓的響聲，光彩奪目的火魚向藍色的空中飛躍，這一切都映到清澄平靜的海上。這只船全身被照得那么亮，每一根細小的繩子都可以看得出來，船上的人當然就看得更清楚了。
    啊，那位年輕的王子多美麗啊!當音樂在這光輝燦爛的夜里慢慢消逝的時候，他跟水手們握著手，大笑著，微笑著…… 夜已經(jīng)很深了;但是小人魚沒有辦法把她的視線從那艘船和這位美麗的王子身上移開。那些彩色的燈籠熄了，火箭不再向空中發(fā)射了，炮聲也停止了?？墒窃诤５纳钐帲鹆艘黄宋寺÷〉穆曇?。她坐在水上，一起一伏地漂著，所以她能看到船艙里的東西?？墒谴涌炝怂俣?船上的帆都先后張起來了。浪濤大起來了，沉重的烏云浮起來了，閃電在遠處掣起來了。啊，可怕的大風暴快要來了!水手們因此都收了帆。大船在這狂暴的海上搖搖擺擺地向前急駛。浪濤像龐大的黑山似地高漲起來。它想要折斷桅桿?？墒谴裉禊Z似的，一忽兒投進洪濤里面，一忽兒又在高大的浪頭上抬起頭來。
    小人魚覺得這是一種很有趣的航行，可是水手們的想法卻不是這樣。這艘船現(xiàn)在發(fā)出碎裂的聲音;它的粗厚的板壁被襲來的海浪打彎了。船桅像蘆葦似地在半中腰折斷了。后來，船開始傾斜，水向艙里涌了進來。這時小人魚才知道他們遭到了危險。她也得提防飄在水上的船梁和船的殘骸。
    天空馬上變得漆黑，她什么也看不見了。不過當閃電掣起來的時候，天空又顯得非常明亮，使她可以看出船上的每一個人?，F(xiàn)在每個人都在盡量為自己尋找生路。她特別注意那位王子。當這艘船裂開、向海的深處下沉的時候，她看到了他。她馬上變得非常高興起來，因為他現(xiàn)在要落到她這兒來了。
    可是她又記起人類是不能生活在水里的，他除非成了死人，是不能進入她父親的宮殿的。
    不成，決不能讓他死去!所以她在淌著水的船梁和木板之間游過去，一點也沒有想到它們可能把她砸死。她深深地沉入水里，接著又在浪濤中高高地浮出來，最后她終于到達了王子的身邊。
    在這狂暴的海里，他快沒有力量再浮起來了。他的手臂和腿開始支持不住，他的美麗的眼睛已經(jīng)閉起來了。要不是小人魚及時趕到，他一定會淹死的。
    她把他的頭托出水面，讓浪濤帶著她跟他一起，隨便飄流到什么地方去。
    天亮的時候，風暴過去了。那條船連一點痕跡也沒有剩下來。鮮紅的太陽升起來了，明亮地在水上照耀著。它好像在王子的臉上注入了生命。不過他的眼睛仍然閉著。小人魚把他清秀的高額吻了一下，把他水淋淋的長發(fā)理向腦后。她覺得他的樣子很像海底下她的小花園里的那尊大理石像。她又重新吻了他一下，希望他能蘇醒過來。
    現(xiàn)在她看見她前面展開一片陸地和一群蔚藍色的高山--山頂上閃耀著的白雪看起來像睡著了的天鵝。沿著海岸是一片美麗的綠色森林，森林前面有一個教堂或者修道院--她不知道究竟叫什么，但反正是一個建筑物。
    建筑物的花園里長著一些檸檬樹和桔子樹，建筑物的門前栽著很高的棕櫚。海在這兒形成一個小灣;水非常平靜，但是從這兒一直到那積得有許多細沙的石崖附近，都是很深的。
    她帶著美麗的王子向那兒游去。她把他放到沙上，特別仔細地使他的頭高高地擱在溫暖的太陽光里。
    鐘聲從那幢雄偉的白色建筑物中響起來了，有許多年輕女子穿過花園走出來。小人魚遠遠地向海里游去，游到冒在海面上的幾塊大石頭后面。她用許多海水泡沫蓋住了頭發(fā)和胸脯，好讓誰也看不見她的小小的面孔。
    她在這兒凝望著，看有誰會到那個可憐的王子的身邊去。
    不一會兒，一個年輕的女子走過來了。她似乎非常吃驚，不過時間并不久。于是她找來了許多人。
    小人魚看到王子漸漸蘇醒過來了，并且向周圍的人露出笑容。可是他卻沒有對她露出笑的表情：當然，他一點也不知道救他的人就是她啊。
    她感到非常難過。因此當他被抬進那幢高大的房子去的時候，她就悲哀地跳進海里，回到她父親的宮殿里去了。
    她本來一直是個沉靜和有思慮的孩子，現(xiàn)在她變得更加這樣了。她的姐姐們都問她，她第一次升到海面上去的時候究竟看見了一些什么東西;但是她什么也說不出來。
    有好多晚上和早晨，她浮出水面，向她曾經(jīng)放下王子的地方游去。她看到花園里的果子熟了，被摘下來了;她看到高山頂上的雪融化了;但是她看不見那個王子。所以她每次回家來，總是更感覺痛苦。她的惟一安慰是坐在她的小花園里，雙手抱著與王子相似的那尊美麗的大理石像?？墒撬僖膊徽樟纤幕▋毫恕＿@些花兒好像生在曠野里一樣，長得滿地都是，它們的長徑和葉子跟樹枝交織在一起，使這地方顯得非常陰暗。
    最后她再也忍受不住了。不過只要她把她的心事告訴了一個姐姐，其余的姐姐馬上也就知道了。但是她們只把這秘密轉(zhuǎn)告了幾個自己的知心朋友;除了她們和別的一兩個人魚以外，沒有一個人知道。她們之中有一位知道那個王子是什么人。她也看到過那次在船上舉行的慶祝。她知道這位王子是從什么地方來的，他的王國是在什么地方。
    "來吧，小妹妹!"別的公主們說。她們把手搭在彼此的肩上，成一長排地升到海面，一直游到一個她們認為是王子的宮殿的地方。 這宮殿是用一種發(fā)光的淡黃色石塊建筑的，里面有許多寬大的大理石臺階--有一個臺階還直接伸到海里。華麗的、金色的圓塔從宮殿頂上伸向天空。在圍繞著這整個建筑物的圓柱中間，立著許多大理石像。它們看起來跟活人一樣。透過那些高大的明亮的窗玻璃，人們可以看到一些富麗堂皇的大廳里，懸著貴重的絲窗簾和織錦，墻上飾有大幅的圖畫--就是光看看這些東西也是非常愉快的事情啊。在最大的一個廳堂中央，有一個巨大的噴泉在噴水，水花一直向上面的玻璃圓屋頂射去，同時太陽卻透過玻璃射下來，照在水上，照在大水池里的植物上。
    現(xiàn)在她知道了王子是住在什么地方。她在那兒的水上度過了幾個黃昏和黑夜。她遠遠地向陸地游去，比任何別的姐妹敢去的地方還遠。的確，她甚至游進那條狹小的河流里，一直游到那個壯麗的大理石陽臺下--大理石陽臺的長長的影子倒映在水上。她在這兒坐著，瞧著年輕的王子，而王子卻以為月光中只有他一個人呢。
    有好幾個晚上，她看見他在音樂聲中乘著那艘飄著許多旗幟的華麗的船。她從綠燈心草中向上面偷望。風吹起她的銀白色的長面罩的時候，如果有人看到她，他們總以為那是一只天鵝在展開它的翅膀。
    有好幾個夜里，漁夫們打著火把出海捕魚，她聽到他們說了許多稱贊王子的話，她高興起來，覺得浪濤把他沖得半死的時候，是她來救出他的生命的。她記起他的頭怎樣緊緊地躺在她的懷里，她怎樣熱情地吻著他。
    是這些事他自己一點也不知道，他就是做夢也不會想到她啊。 她漸漸開始愛起人類來了，漸漸開始盼望能夠生活在他們中間了。她覺得他們的世界比她的天地大得多。
    的確，他們能夠乘船在海上行駛，能夠爬上高聳入云的大山，同時他們所有的土地，連帶著森林和田野，伸展開來，使得她連望都望不到盡頭。她希望知道的東西真是不少，可是她的姐姐們都不能回答她的一切問題。因此她只有問她的老祖母了。
    她的老祖母對于"上層世界"--這是她對于海上面的國家所起的恰當?shù)拿?-的確知道得相當清楚。 "如果人類不淹死的話"，小人魚問，"他們會永遠活下去嗎?他們會不會像我們住在海里的人一樣死去?"
    "一點也不錯"，老祖母說，"他們也會死的，而且他們的生命甚至比我們還要短促呢。我們可以活到300歲，不過我們在這兒的生命結束的時候，我們就變成水上的泡沫了。我們甚至連一座墳墓也不留給我們心愛的人。我們沒有一個不滅的靈魂。我們從來得不到一個死后的生命。我們像綠色的草一樣，只要一割斷，就再也綠不起來了!相反地，人類有一個靈魂;它永遠活著，即使身體化為塵土，它還是活著的。它從晴朗的天空升上去，一直升到閃耀的星星上!正如我們升到水面，看到人間的世界一樣，他們升到我們永遠不會看見的那些神秘華麗的地方去。"
    "為什么我們不能有一個不滅的靈魂呢?"小人魚悲哀地問。"只要我能夠變成人，可以進入天上的世界，哪怕在那兒生活一天，我都愿意放棄我在這兒所能活的幾百歲的生命。"
    "你決不能起這種念頭。"老祖母說，"比起上面的人類來，我們在這兒的生活要幸福和美好得多!"
    "那末我就只有死去，變成泡沫在水上漂了。我再也不能聽見浪濤的音樂，再也不能看見美麗的花朵和鮮紅的太陽了!難道我沒有辦法能得到一個不滅的靈魂嗎?"
    "沒有!"老太太說。"只有當一個人愛你、把你當做比他父母還要親切的人的時候，只有當他把他全部的思想和愛情都放在你身上的時候，只有當他讓牧師把他的右手放在你的手里，答應現(xiàn)在和將來永遠對你忠誠的時候，他的靈魂才會轉(zhuǎn)移到你的身上，你才會得到一份人類的快樂。他會給你一個靈魂，同時又使他自己的靈魂保持不滅。但是這類事情是永遠不會有的!我們在海底這兒所認為美麗的東西--你的那條魚尾巴--他們在陸地上卻認為非常難看：他們不知道什么叫做美丑。在他們那兒，一個人想要顯得漂亮，必須生有兩根呆笨的支柱--他們把這種支柱叫做腿!"
    小人魚嘆了一口氣，悲哀地望了一眼自己的魚尾巴。 "我們放快樂些嘛!"老祖母說，"在我們能活著的這300年中，讓我們跳舞游戲吧。這究竟是一段相當長的時間;以后我們也可以在我們的墳墓里愉快地休息。今晚我們就在宮里來開一個舞會!"
    那真是一個壯麗的場面，人們在陸地上永遠看不見的。寬闊的舞廳里，墻壁和天花板都是用厚而透明的玻璃砌成的。成千成百的草綠色和粉紅色的大貝殼一排排地站在四邊;貝殼里燃著藍色的火焰，照著整個舞廳，照透墻壁，因而也照亮了外面的海。
    人們可以看到無數(shù)大小的魚群向這座水晶宮游來，有的鱗上發(fā)著紫色的光，有的亮得像白銀和金子。一股寬闊的激流穿過舞廳的中央，海里的男人和女人唱著美麗的歌，就在這激流上跳舞。這樣優(yōu)美的歌聲，住在陸地上的人是唱不出來的。
    在這些人當中，那個小人魚唱得最美。大家為她鼓掌;她心中有好一會兒感到非常快樂，因為她知道，在陸地上和海里，只有她的聲音最美。
    不過她馬上又想起上面的那個世界了。她忘記不了那個美貌的王子，也忘記不了她因為沒有他那樣不滅的靈魂而起的悲愁。因此她偷偷地走出了她父親的宮殿;當宮里正充滿著歌聲和快樂的時候，她卻悲哀地坐在她的小花園里。
    忽然，她聽見一個號角的聲音從水上傳來。她想："一定是他在上面行船;他--我愛他勝過我的爸爸和媽媽，他--我時時刻刻都在想念他，我要把我一生的幸福放在他的手里。我要犧牲一切來爭取他和一個不滅的靈魂。
    現(xiàn)在，當姐姐們正在父親的宮殿里跳舞的時候，我要去拜訪那位海的巫婆。我一直非常害怕她，但是她也許能教給我一些辦法和幫助我的。"
    于是小人魚走出花園，向一個掀起泡沫的漩渦走去--女巫就住在漩渦的后面。她以前從來沒有走過這條路。這兒沒有花，也沒有海草;只有光溜溜的一片灰色的沙底，向漩渦那兒伸去。水在這兒像一架喧鬧的水車似地旋轉(zhuǎn)著，把它所碰到的東西都卷到水底。
    要到巫婆所住的地區(qū)去，必須走過這激轉(zhuǎn)的漩渦。有好長一段路，她必須通過一塊冒著熱泡的泥地：巫婆把這地方叫做她的泥煤田。泥地的后面有一個可怕的森林，巫婆的房子就在里面;所有的樹和灌木林全是珊瑚蟲--一種半植物和半動物的東西。它們看起來很像地里冒出來的多頭蛇。它們的枝丫全是長長的、粘糊糊的手臂，它們的手指全像蠕蟲一樣柔軟。它們從根到頂，都一節(jié)一節(jié)地在顫動，它們緊緊地盤住它們在海里所能抓得到的東西，一點也不放松。
    小人魚在森林面前停下步子，非常驚慌。她的心害怕得跳起來，她幾乎想轉(zhuǎn)身回去了。但是當她一想起那位王子和人的靈魂的時候，她又有了勇氣。
    她把飄著的長發(fā)牢牢地纏在頭上，好使珊瑚蟲抓不住她。她把雙手緊緊地貼在胸前，像在水里跳著的魚兒似的丑惡的珊瑚蟲中間跳著向前走，珊瑚蟲只有在它后面揮舞著它們?nèi)彳浀拈L臂和手指。她看到她們每一個都抓住了一件什么東西，用它們無數(shù)的小手臂盤住它，象一個堅固的鐵環(huán)一樣。那些淹死在海里和沉到海底下的人，在珊瑚蟲的手臂里，露出了它們的白色骸骨。珊瑚蟲緊緊地抱著船舵和箱子，抱著陸上動物的骸骨，還抱著一個被它們抓住和勒死了的小人魚--這對她說來，是一件最可怕的事情。
    現(xiàn)在她來到森林中的一塊粘糊糊的空地了。一些又大又肥的水蛇在翻動著，露出它們淡黃色的、奇丑的蛇腹。在這塊地中央，有一幢死人的白骨砌成的房子。
    海的巫婆就坐在這兒，正在用她的嘴喂一只癩蛤蟆，就像我們?nèi)擞锰俏挂恢恍〗鸾z雀一樣。她把那些奇丑的、肥胖的水蛇叫做她的小雞，同時讓她們在它肥大松軟的胸口上爬來爬去。
    "我知道你是來求什么的。"海的巫婆說，"你是一個傻東西!不過，我的美麗的公主，我要讓你達到你的目的，因為這件事將會給你一個悲慘的結局。你想去掉你的魚尾巴，生出兩根支柱，能像人類一樣走路。你想叫那個王子愛上你，你好得到他，因而也得到一個不滅的靈魂。"這時巫婆怪討厭地大笑了一通，癩蛤蟆和水蛇都滾到了地上，在周圍爬來爬去。
    "你來得真是時候"，巫婆說。"明天太陽出來以后，我就沒有辦法幫助你，只有等一年再說了。我可以煎一服藥給你喝。你帶著這服藥，在太陽出來以前，趕快游向陸地，你坐在海灘上，把這服藥吃掉，于是你的尾巴就可以分做兩半，收縮成為人類所謂的漂亮的腿了。可是這是很痛苦的--就好像有一把尖刀砍進你的身體。凡是看到你的人，一定會說你是他們所見過的最美麗的孩子了，你將仍會保持你的游泳似的步子，任何舞蹈家也不會跳得像你那樣輕柔。不過你的每一個步子將會使你覺得好像是在尖刀上行走，好像你的血在向外流。如果你能忍受這些痛苦，我就可以幫助你。"
    "我可以忍受!"小人魚用顫抖的聲音說。這時她想起了那個王子要和她獲得一個不滅靈魂的心愿。
    "可是要記住，"巫婆說，"你一旦獲得了人的形體，你就再也不能變成人魚了;你就再也不能走下水來，回到你姐姐或者你爸爸的宮殿里去了。同時，假如你得不到那個王子的愛情，假如你不能使他為你而忘記自己的父母，全心全意地愛你，叫牧師來把你們的手放到一起結成夫婦，那么你就不會得到一個不滅的靈魂。在他跟別人結婚后的頭一天早晨，你的心就會碎裂，你就會變成水上的泡沫。"
    "我有這種精神準備。"小人魚說，她像死人一樣慘白。
    "但是你還得給我酬謝啊!"巫婆說，"而且我所要的并不是一件微小的東西，在海底的人當中你的聲音要算最美麗的了。你無疑是想用這聲音迷住他;可是這聲音你得交給我。我必須得到你最好的東西，作為我的貴重的藥材的交換品!我得把我自己的血滴進這藥里，好使它尖銳得像一柄兩面都快的刀子!"
    "不過，如果您把我的聲音拿去了，"小人魚說，"那么我還有什么東西剩下呢?"
    "你還有美麗的身材呀，"巫婆回答說，"你還有輕盈的步子和富于表情的眼睛呀。有了這些東西，你很容易就能迷住一個男人的心了。唔，你已經(jīng)失掉勇氣了嗎?伸出你小小的舌頭來吧，我可以把它割下來作為報酬，你也可以得到這服強烈的藥劑。"
    "就這樣辦吧。"小人魚說。巫婆于是準備好藥罐，來煎這服有魔力的藥。
    "清潔是一件好事。"她說，于是她把幾條蛇打成一個結，用它們來洗擦罐子。然后她把自己的胸口抓破，讓她的黑血滴到罐子里去。藥的蒸氣奇形怪狀地升到空中，看起來怪怕人的。每隔一會兒，巫婆就加一點什么新的東西到藥罐里去。當藥熬開了的時候，有一個像鱷魚的哭聲一樣的聲音飄出來了。
    最后藥算是煎好了，它看起來像非常清亮的水。
    "拿去吧，"巫婆說，于是她就把小人魚的舌頭割掉了，小人魚現(xiàn)在成了一個啞巴，既不能唱歌，也不能說話。 "當你穿過我的森林回去的時候，如果珊瑚蟲捉住了你，"巫婆說，"你只須把這藥水灑一滴到它們身上，它們的手臂和指頭就會裂成碎片，向四面飛散了。"
    可是小人魚沒有這樣做的必要，因為珊瑚蟲一看到亮晶晶的藥水--它在她的手里亮得像一顆閃耀的星星--就在她面前惶恐地縮回去了。
    這樣，她很快地就走過了森林、沼澤和激轉(zhuǎn)的漩渦。 她可以看到她父親的宮殿了。
    寬大的舞廳里的火把已經(jīng)熄滅，里面的人無疑已經(jīng)入睡了。不過她不敢再去看他們，因為她現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)是一個啞巴，而且就要永遠離開他們。她的心痛苦得似乎要裂成碎片，她偷偷地走進花園，從每個姐姐的花壇上摘下一朵花，對著皇宮用手指拋了一千個吻，然后就浮出了深藍色的海。
    當她看到王子宮殿的時候，太陽還沒有升起來。她莊嚴地走上大理石臺階，月亮照得透明，非常美麗。小人魚喝下那服強烈的藥劑。她馬上覺得好像有一柄兩面都很快的刀子劈開了她纖細的身體。她馬上昏了，倒下來，好像死了一樣。
    當太陽照到海上的時候，她才醒過來，她感到一陣劇痛。這時有一位年輕貌美的王子正站在她的面前。他的深黑的眼珠在望著她，弄得她不好意思地低下頭來。這時她發(fā)現(xiàn)她的魚尾巴已經(jīng)沒有了，但是卻獲得了一雙只有少女才有的、最美麗的小小的白腿?？墒撬龥]有穿衣服，所以她用濃密的長頭發(fā)來掩住自己的身體。王子問她是誰，問她怎樣到這兒來的。她用她的深藍色的眼睛溫柔而又悲哀地望著他，因為她現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)不會講話了。
    他挽著她的手，把她領進宮殿里去。正如巫婆以前跟她講過的一樣，她覺得每一步都像在錐子和利刀上行走?？墒撬樵溉淌苓@種痛苦。她搭著王子的手，走起路來輕盈得像一個水泡。王子和所有其他的人望著她的文雅輕盈的步子，都感到驚奇。
    現(xiàn)在她穿上了絲綢和細紗做的貴重衣服。她是宮里最美麗的女人，然而她卻是一個啞巴，既不能唱歌，也不能講話。漂亮的女奴隸穿著絲綢，戴著金銀，走上前來為王子和他的父母唱歌。有一個奴隸唱得最迷人，王子不禁鼓起掌來，對她發(fā)出微笑。這時小人魚就感到一陣悲哀。她知道，有個時候她的歌聲要比那美得多!她想："啊，只愿他知道，為了要和他在一起，我永遠犧牲了我的聲音!"
    現(xiàn)在奴隸們跟著美麗的音樂，跳起優(yōu)雅的、輕飄飄的舞來了。小人魚舉起一雙美麗的、白嫩的手，用腳尖站著，在地板上輕盈地舞著――從來還沒有人這樣舞過。她的每一個動作都襯托出她的美麗。她的眼珠比奴隸們的歌聲更能打動人的心坎。 大家都看得入了迷，特別是那位王子――他把她叫做他的"孤女"。她不停地舞著，雖然每當她的腳觸到地面的時候，她就像在快刀上行走一樣。
    王子說，她從今以后應該永遠跟他在一起，因此她就得到了許可，睡在他門外的一個天鵝絨的墊子上。 他叫人為她做了一套男孩子穿的衣服，好叫她可以陪他騎著馬同行。
    他們走過香氣撲鼻的樹林，綠色的枝子掃過他們的肩膀，鳥兒在嫩葉后面唱著歌。她和王子爬上高山，雖然她的纖細的腳已經(jīng)流出血，而且大家都看見了，她仍然只是大笑，繼續(xù)伴隨著他，一直到他們看到云塊像一群向遙遠國家飛去的小鳥一樣在下面移動為止。
    在王子的宮殿里，當夜里大家都睡了以后，她就向那寬大的臺階走去。為了使她那雙發(fā)燒的腳得到一點清涼，她就站進寒冷的海水里。這時她不禁想起了住在海底的人們。
    有一天夜里，她的姐姐們手挽著手來了。她們一面在水上游泳，一面唱出凄慘的歌。這時她就向她們招手，她們認出了她;她們說她曾經(jīng)多么叫她們難過。這次以后，她們每天晚上都來看她。
    有一天晚上，她遠遠地看見了多年不曾浮出海面的老祖母和戴著王冠的海王。他們對她伸出手來，但他們不像她的那些姐姐，沒有敢游近地面。
    王子一天比一天愛她。他像愛一個心愛的好孩子那樣愛她，但是他從來沒有想到要把她娶為王后，然而她必須做他的妻子，否則她就不能得到一個不滅的靈魂，而且會在他結婚的頭一個早上，變成海上的泡沫。
    "在所有的人當中，他最愛我嗎?"當他把她抱在懷里吻她前額的時候，小人魚的眼睛似乎在這樣說。 "是的，你是我最親愛的人!"王子說。"因為你在一切人中有一顆最善良的心，你是我最親愛的，你很像我某次看到過的一個年輕女子，可是我永遠再也看不見她了。那時我是坐在一艘船上――這艘船已經(jīng)沉了。巨浪把我推到一個神廟旁的岸上，有好幾個年輕女子在那兒作祈禱。她們當中最年輕的一位在岸邊發(fā)現(xiàn)了我，救了我的生命。我只看到過她兩次，她是我在這世界上能夠愛的惟一的人，但是你很像她，你幾乎代替了她留在我的靈魂中的印象，她是屬于那個神廟的，因此我的幸運特別把你送給我。讓我們永遠不要分離吧!"
    "啊!他卻不知道我救了他的生命!"小人魚想，"我把他從海里托起來，送到神廟所在的一塊樹林里，我坐在泡沫后面，窺望是不是有人會來。我看到那個美麗的姑娘――他愛她勝于愛我。"這時小人魚深深地嘆了一口氣――她哭不出聲來。"那個姑娘屬于那個神廟的――他曾說過。她永不會走向這個人間的世界里來――他們永不會見面了。我是跟他在一起，每天看到他的。我要照看他，熱愛他，對他獻出我的生命!"
    現(xiàn)在大家都在傳說王子快要結婚了，他的妻子就是鄰國國王的一個女兒。因為這個緣故，他裝備好了一艘美麗的船。王子在表面上說是要到鄰近一個王國里去觀光，事實上是為了要去看看鄰國君主的女兒。他要帶著一大批隨員同去。小人魚搖了搖頭，微笑了一下。她比任何人都能猜透王子的心事。
    "我得去旅行一下!"他對她說道，"我得去看一位美麗的公主，這是我父母的命令，但是他不能強迫我把她作為未婚妻帶回家來!我不會愛她的。你很像神廟里的那個美麗的姑娘，而她卻不像。如果我要選擇新嫁娘的話，那么我就要先選你――我親愛的、有一雙能講話的眼睛的啞巴孤女。" 于是他吻了她的鮮紅的嘴唇，撫摸著她的長頭發(fā)，把他的頭貼到她的心上，弄得這顆心又夢想起人間的幸福和一個不滅的靈魂來了。
    "你不害怕海嗎，我的啞巴孤女?"他問。這時他們正站在那艘華麗的船上，它正向鄰近的王國開去。他跟她談論著風暴和平靜的海，生活在海里的奇奇怪怪的魚和潛水夫在海底所能看到的東西。對于這類的故事，她只是微微一笑，因為關于海底的事，她比誰都知道得清楚。
    在一個月夜里，大家都睡了，只有掌舵的人站在舵旁。這時她就坐在船邊上，凝望著下面的清亮的海水。她好像看到了她父親的王宮。她的老祖母，頭上戴著銀子做的皇冠，正高高地站在王宮頂上;她透過激流朝這條船的龍骨了望。
    不一會，她的姐姐們都浮到水面上來，悲哀地望著她，苦痛地扭著她們白凈的手。她向她們招手，微笑，同時很想告訴她們，說她現(xiàn)在一切都很美好和幸福。不過這時船上的一個侍者忽然向她這邊走來。她的姐姐們馬上就沉到水里，這侍者以為自己所看到的那些白色的東西，不過是海上的泡沫。
    第二天早晨，船開進了鄰國的壯麗皇城的港口。所有教堂的鐘都響起來了，號笛從許多高樓上吹來，兵士們也拿著飄揚的旗子和明晃的刺刀在敬禮。每天都有一個宴會。舞會和晚會在輪流地舉行著，可是公主還沒有出現(xiàn)。人們說她在一個遙遠的神廟里受教育，學習皇家的一切美德。
    最后她終于來了。 小人魚迫切地想看看她的美貌。她不得不承認她的美了，她從來沒有見過比她更美的形體。她的皮膚是那么細嫩、潔白;在她黑長的睫毛后面是一對微笑的、忠實的、深藍色的眼珠。
    "就是你!"王子說，"當我像一具死尸似的躺在岸上的時候，救活我的就是你!"于是他把這位羞答答的新嫁娘緊緊地抱在懷里。
    "啊，我太幸福了!"他對小人魚說，"我從來不敢希望的最好的東西，現(xiàn)在終于成為事實了。你會為我的幸福高興吧，因為你是一切人中最喜歡我的一個人呀!"
    小人魚把他的手吻了一下。她覺得她的心在碎裂。他舉行婚禮后的頭一個早晨就會帶給她毀滅，就會使她變成海上的泡沫。
    教堂的鐘聲都響起來了。
    傳令人騎著馬在街上宣布訂婚的喜訊。每一個祭臺上，芬芳的油脂在貴重的銀燈里燃燒。祭司們揮著香爐，新郎和新娘互相挽著手來接受主教的祝福。
    小人魚這時穿著絲綢，戴著金飾，托著新嫁娘的披紗，可是她的耳朵聽不見這歡樂的音樂，她的眼睛看不見這神圣的儀式。她想起了她要滅亡的晚上，和她在這世界上已經(jīng)失掉了的一切東西。
    在同一天晚上，新郎和新娘來到船上。禮炮響起來了，旗幟在飄揚著，一個金色和紫色的皇家?guī)づ裨诖醒爰芷饋砹耍锩骊愒O得有最美麗的墊子。在這兒，這對美麗的新婚夫婦將度過他們的清涼和寂靜的夜晚。
    風兒在鼓著船帆。船在清亮的海上輕柔地航行著，沒有一點兒顛簸。 當暮色漸漸變濃的時候，彩色的燈就亮起來了，水手們愉快地在甲板上跳起舞來。小人魚不禁想起她第一次浮上海面來的情景。想起了她那時看到的同樣華麗和歡樂的場面。她于是也跳起舞來，旋轉(zhuǎn)著，飛翔著，正如一個被追逐的燕子在飛翔一樣。大家都在喝彩，稱贊她，她從來沒有跳得這么美麗?？炖牡蹲铀坪踉诳持募毮鄣哪_，但是她并不感覺疼痛，因為她的心已經(jīng)比這更要痛了。 她知道這是她看到他的最后一晚――為了他，她離開了她的族人和家庭，她交出了她的美麗的聲音，她每天忍受著沒有止境的苦痛，然而他卻一點兒也不知道。這是她能和他在一起呼吸同樣空氣的最后一晚，這是她能看到深沉的海和布滿了星星的天空的最后一晚。同時一個沒有思想和夢境的永恒的夜卻在等待著她――沒有靈魂、而且也得不到一個靈魂的她。
    一直到半夜以后，船上的一切還是歡樂和愉快的。她笑著，舞著，但是她心中懷著死的思想。
    王子吻著自己的美麗的新嫁娘，撫弄著她的烏亮的頭發(fā)。他們手挽著手到那華麗的帳篷里去休息。
    船上現(xiàn)在很安靜了。只有舵手站在舵旁，小人魚把她潔白的手臂倚在船舷上，向東方凝望，等待著晨曦的出現(xiàn)――她知道，頭一道太陽光就會叫她滅亡。
    她看到她的姐姐們從波濤中涌現(xiàn)出來了。她們像她自己一樣――她們的美麗的長頭發(fā)已經(jīng)不在風中飄蕩了，因為已經(jīng)被剪掉了。
    "我們已經(jīng)把頭發(fā)交給了那個巫婆，希望她能幫助你，使你今夜不至于滅亡。她給了我們一把刀子。拿去吧――你看，它是多么快!在太陽沒有出來以前，你得把它刺進那個王子的心里去。當他的熱血流到你腳上的時候，你的雙腳將會又聯(lián)到一起，成為一條魚尾，那么你就可以恢復人魚的原形，你就可以回到我們這兒的水里來。這樣，在你沒有變成無生命的咸水泡沫以前，你還是可以活過你的300年的歲月。快動手吧!在太陽沒有出來以前，不是他死，就是你死!我們的老祖母悲傷得連她的白發(fā)都脫落光了，正如我們的頭發(fā)在女巫的剪刀下落掉了一樣。刺死那個王子，趕快回來吧!快動手呀!你沒有看到天上的紅光嗎?幾分鐘以后，太陽就出來了，那時你就一定要滅亡。"
    她們發(fā)出一片奇怪的、深沉的嘆息，便沉入浪濤里去了。
    小人魚把那帳篷上紫色的簾子掀開，看見那位美麗的新嫁娘把頭枕在王子的懷里睡著了。
    她彎下腰，在王子清秀的眉毛上吻了一下。她向天空凝視-――朝霞漸漸地變得更亮了。她看了尖刀一眼，接著又把眼睛轉(zhuǎn)向王子--他正在夢中喃喃地念著他的新嫁娘的名字。他思想中只有她存在，刀子在小人魚的手里發(fā)抖。
    但是正在這時候，她把刀子遠遠地向浪花里扔去。刀子沉下的地方，浪花就發(fā)出一道紅光，好像有許多血滴濺出水面。她又再一次把她迷糊的視線朝王子望了一眼，然后就從船上跳到海里，她覺得她的身軀在融化成泡沫。
    現(xiàn)在太陽從海里升起來了。陽光柔和地、溫暖地照在冰冷的泡沫上，因此小人魚并沒有感覺到滅亡。她看到光明的太陽，看到在她上面飛著的無數(shù)透明的、美麗的生物。透過它們――她可以看到船上的白帆和天空的云彩。它們的聲音是和諧的音樂，可是那么虛無縹緲，人類的耳朵簡直沒有辦法聽見，正如地上的眼睛不能看見它們一樣。它們沒有翅膀，它們只是憑它們輕飄的形體在空中浮動。
    小人魚覺得自己也獲得了它們這樣的形體，漸漸地從泡沫中升起來。
    "我將向誰走去呢?"她問。她的聲音跟其他的這些生物一樣，顯得虛無縹緲，人世間的任何音樂都不能和它相比。
    "到天空的女兒那兒去呀!"別的聲音回答說。
    "人魚是沒有不滅的靈魂的，而且永遠也不會有這樣的靈魂，除非她獲得了一個凡人的愛情。她永恒的存在要依靠外來的力量。天空的女兒也沒有永恒的靈魂，不過她們可以通過善良的行為而創(chuàng)造出一個靈魂，我們向炎熱的國度飛去，在那兒，散布病疫的空氣在傷害著人民，我們可以吹起清涼的風，我們可以把花香在空中傳播，我們可以散布健康和愉快的情緒。300年以后，當我們盡力做完了我們可能做的一切善行以后，我們就可以獲得一個不滅的靈魂，就可以分享人類一切永恒的幸福了。你，可憐的小人魚，像我們一樣，曾經(jīng)全心全意地為那個目標奮斗;你忍受過痛苦;你堅持下去了;你已經(jīng)超升到精靈的世界里來了。通過你善良的工作，在300年以后，你就可以為你自己創(chuàng)造出一個不滅的靈魂了。"
    小人魚向上帝的太陽舉起了她的光亮的手臂，她第一次感到要流眼淚。
    在那條船上，人聲和活動又開始了。她看見王子和他美麗的新嫁娘在尋找著她。他們悲悼地望著翻騰的泡沫，好像他們知道她已經(jīng)跳進浪濤里去了似的。在冥冥中他吻著新嫁娘的前額，她對王子微笑。
    于是她就跟其他的空氣中的孩子們一道，騎上玫瑰色的云塊，升入天空去了。
    "這樣，300年以后，我們就可以升入天國了!"
    "我們也許還不須等那么久!"一個聲音低語著，"我們無形無影地飛到人類的屋子里去，那里面住著一些孩子。凡是在一天里，我們能遇見一個好孩子，他給他父母帶來快樂、值得他父母愛他，上帝就可以縮短我們的考驗時間。當我們飛過屋子的時候，孩子是不會知道的。
    當我們幸福地對著他笑的時候，我們就可以在這300年中減去一年;但是當我們看到一個頑皮和惡劣的孩子，而不得不傷心地哭泣的時候，那么每一顆眼淚就要使我們考驗的日子多加一天。"
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