安徒生童话故事英文版3篇

2024年3月25日发(作者：简伯璋)

安徒生童话故事英文版3篇

安徒生童话故事英文版1

THE ELFIN HILL

A FEW large lizards were running nimbly about in the clefts

of an old tree. They could understand one another very well, for

they spoke the lizard language. “What a buzzing and a rumbling

there is in the elfin hill," said one of the lizards.

"I have not been able to clo my eyes for two nights on

account of the noi; I might just as well have had the toothache,

for that always keeps me awake."

"There is something going on within there," said the other

lizard; "they propped up the top of the hill with four red posts, till

cockcrowthis morning, so that it is thoroughly aired, and the elfin

girls have learnt new dances; there is something."

"I spoke about it to an earthworm of my acquaintance," said

a third lizard; "the earthworm had just e from the elfin hill, where

he has been groping about in the earth day and night. He has

heard a great deal; although he cannot e, poor mirable

creature, yet he understands very well how to wriggle and lurk

about. They expect friends in the elfin hill, grand pany, too; but

who they are the earthworm would not say, or, perhaps, he really

did not know. All the willothewisps are ordered to be there to

hold a torch dance, as it is called. The silver and gold which is

plentiful in the hill will be polished and placed out in the

moonlight."

"Who can the strangers be?" asked the lizards; "what can the

matter be? Hark, what a buzzing and humming there is!"

Just at this moment the elfin hill opened, and an old elfin

maiden, hollow behind, came tripping out; she was the old elf

kings houkeeper, and a distant relative of the family; therefore

she wore an amber heart on the middle of her forehead. Her feet

moved very fast, "trip, trip;" good gracious, how she could trip

right down to the a to the nightraven.

"You are invited to the elf hill for this evening," said she; "but

will you do me a great favor and undertake the invitations? you

oughtto do something, for you have no houkeeping to attend

to as I have. We are going to have some very grand people,

conjurors, who have always something to say; and therefore the

old elf king wishes to make a great display."

"Who is to be invited?" asked the raven.

"All the world may e to the great ball, even human beings, if

they can only talk in their sleep, or do something after our fashion.

But for the feast the pany must be carefully lected; we can only

admit persons of high rank; I have had a dis* mylf with the elf

king, as he thought we could not admit ghosts. The merman and

his daughter must be invited first, although it may not be

agreeable to them to remain so long on dry land, but they shall

have a wet stone to sit on, or perhaps something better; so I think

they will not refu this time. We must have all the old demons of

the first class, with tails, and the hobgoblins and imps; and then I

think we ought not to leave out the deathhor, or the gravepig,

or even the church dwarf, although they do belong to the clergy,

and are not reckoned among our people; but that is merely their

office, they are nearly related to us, and visit us very frequently."

"Croak," said the nightraven as he flew away with the

invitations.

The elfin maidens were already dancing on the elf hill, and

they danced in shawls woven from moonshine and mist, which

look very pretty to tho who like such things. The large hall

within the elf hill was splendidly decorated; the floor had been

washed with moonshine, and the walls had been rubbed with

magic ointment, so that they glowed like tulipleaves in the light.

In the kitchen were frogs roasting on the spit, and dishes

preparing of snail skins, with childrens fingers in them, salad of

mushroom ed, hemlock, nos and marrow of mice, beer from

the marsh womans brewery, and sparkling saltpetre wine from

the grave cellars. The were all substantial food. Rusty nails and

churchwindow glass formed the desrt. The old elf king had his

gold crown polished up with powdered slatepencil; it was like that

ud by the first form, and very difficult for an elf king to obtain.

In the bedrooms, curtains were hung up and fastened with the

slime of snails; there was, indeed, a buzzing and humming

everywhere.

"Now we must fumigate the place with burnt horhair and

pigs bristles, and then I think I shall have done my part," said the

elf manrvant.

"Father, dear," said the youngest daughter, "may I now hear

who our highborn visitors are?"

"Well, I suppo I must tell you now," he replied; "two of my

daughters must prepare themlves to be married, for the

marriages certainly will take place. The old goblin from Norway,

who lives in the ancient Dovre mountains, and who posss

many castles built of rock and freestone, besides a gold mine,

which is better than all, so it is thought, is ing with his two sons,

who are both eking a wife. The old goblin is a truehearted,

honest, old Norwegian graybeard; cheerful and straightforward. I

knew him formerly, when we ud to drink together to our good

fellowship: he came here once to fetch his wife, she is dead now.

She was the daughter of the king of the chalkhills at Moen. They

say he took his wife from chalk; I shall be delighted to e him

again. It is said that the boys are illbred, forward lads, but perhaps

that is not quite correct, and they will e better as they grow older.

Let me e that you know how to teach them good manners."

"And when are they ing?" asked the daughter.

"That depends upon wind and weather," said the elf king;

"they travel economically. They will e when there is the chance of

a ship. I wanted them to e over to Sweden, but the old man was

not inclined to take my advice. He does not go forward with the

times, and that I do not like."

Two willothewisps came jumping in, one quicker than the

other, so of cour, one arrived first. "They are ing! they are ing!"

he cried.

"Give me my crown," said the elf king, "and let me stand in

the moonshine."

The daughters drew on their shawls and bowed down to the

ground. There stood the old goblin from the Dovre mountains,

with his crown of hardened ice and polished fircones. Besides this,

he wore a bearskin, and great, warm boots, while his sons went

with their throats bare and wore no braces, for they were strong

men.

"Is that a hill?" said the youngest of the boys, pointing to the

elf hill, "we should call it a hole in Norway."

"Boys," said the old man, "a hole goes in, and a hill stands

out; have you no eyes in your heads?"

Another thing they wondered at was, that they were able

without trouble to understand the language.

"Take care," said the old man, "or people will think you have

not been well brought up."

Then they entered the elfin hill, where the lect and grand

pany were asmbled, and so quickly had they appeared that they

emed to have been blown together. But for each guest the

neatest and pleasantest arrangement had been made. The a

folks sat at table in great watertubs, and they said it was just like

being at home. All behaved themlves properly excepting the

two young northern goblins; they put their legs on the table and

thought they were all right.

"Feet off the tablecloth!" said the old goblin. They obeyed,

but not immediately. Then they tickled the ladies who waited at

table, with the fircones, which they carried in their pockets. They

took off their boots, that they might be more at ea, and gave

them to the ladies to hold. But their father, the old goblin, was

very different; he talked pleasantly about the stately Norwegian

rocks, and told fine tales of the waterfalls which dashed over them

with a clattering noi like thunder or the sound of an organ,

spreading their white foam on every side. He told of the salmon

that leaps in the rushing waters, while the watergod plays on his

golden harp. He spoke of the bright winter nights, when the

sledge bells are ringing, and the boys run with burning torches

across the smooth ice, which is so transparent that they can e

the fishes dart forward beneath their feet. He described

everything so clearly, that tho who listened could e it all; they

could e the sawmills going, the menrvants and the maidens

singing songs, and dancing a rattling dance, when all at once the

old goblin gave the old elfin maiden a kiss, such a tremendous

kiss, and yet they were almost strangers to each other.

Then the elfin girls had to dance, first in the usual way, and

then with stamping feet, which they performed very well; then

followed the artistic and solo dance. Dear me, how they did throw

their legs about! No one could tell where the dance begun, or

where it ended, nor indeed which were legs and which were arms,

for they were all flying about together, like the shavings in a

sawpit! And then they spun round so quickly that the deathhor

and the gravepig became sick and giddy, and were obliged to

leave the table.

"Stop!" cried the old goblin," is that the only houkeeping

they can perform? Can they do anything more than dance and

throw about their legs, and make a whirlwind?"

"You shall soon e what they can do," said the elf king. And

then he called his youngest daughter to him. She was slender and

fair as moonlight, and the most graceful of all the sisters. She took

a white chip in her mouth, and vanished instantly; this was her

plishment. But the old goblin said he should not like his wife to

have such an plishment, and thought his boys would have the

same objection. Another daughter could make a figure like

herlf follow her, as if she had a shadow, which none of the

goblin folk ever had. The third was of quite a different sort; she

had learnt in the brewhou of the moor witch how to lard elfin

puddings with glowworms.

"She will make a good houwife," said the old goblin, and

then saluted her with his eyes instead of drinking her health; for

he did not drink much.

Now came the fourth daughter, with a large harp to play

upon; and when she struck the first chord, every one lifted up the

left leg (for the goblins are leftlegged), and at the cond chord

they found they must all do just what she wanted.

"That is a dangerous woman," said the old goblin; and the

two sons walked out of the hill; they had had enough of it. "And

what can the next daughter do?" asked the old goblin.

"I have learnt everything that is Norwegian," said she; "and I

will never marry, unless I can go to Norway."

Then her youngest sister whispered to the old goblin, "That

is only becau she has heard, in a Norwegian song, that when

the world shall decay, the cliffs of Norway will remain standing

like monuments; and she wants to get there, that she may be safe;

for she is so afraid of sinking."

"Ho! ho!" said the old goblin, "is that what she means? Well,

what can the venth and last do?"

"The sixth es before the venth," said the elf king, for he

could reckon; but the sixth would not e forward.

"I can only tell people the truth," said she. "No one cares for

me, nor troubles himlf about me; and I have enough to do to

w my grave clothes."

So the venth and last came; and what could she do? Why,

she could tell stories, as many as you liked, on any subject.

安徒生童话故事英文版2

There was once an old castle， that stood in the middle of

a deep gloomy wood， and in the castle lived an old fairy. Now

this fairy could take any shape she plead. All the day long she

flew about in the form of an owl， or crept about the country like

a cat; but at night she always became an old woman again. When

any young man came within a hundred paces of her castle， he

became quite fixed， and could not move a step till she came

and t him free; which she would not do till he had given her his

word never to e there again： but when any pretty maiden came

within that space she was changed into a bird， and the fairy put

her into a cage， and hung her up in a chamber in the castle.

There were ven hundred of the cages hanging in the castle，

and all with beautiful birds in them.

Now there was once a maiden who name was Jorinda. She

was prettier than all the pretty girls that ever were en before，

and a shepherd lad， who name was Jorindel， was very fond

of her， and they were soon to be married. One day they went

to walk in the wood， that they might be alone; and Jorindel said，

We must take care that we dont go too near to the fairys castle.

It was a beautiful evening; the last rays of the tting sun shone

bright through the long stems of the trees upon the green

underwood beneath， and the turtle-doves sang from the tall

birches.

Jorinda sat down to gaze upon the sun; Jorindel sat by her

side; and both felt sad， they knew not why; but it emed as if

they were to be parted from one another for ever. They had

wandered a long way; and when they looked to e which way

they should go home， they found themlves at a loss to know

what path to take.

安徒生童话故事英文版3

The Brave Little Tailor

One summers day a little tailor sat on his table by the window

in the best of spirits, and wed for dear life. As he was sitting

thus a peasant woman came down the street, calling out: "Good

jam to ll, good jam to ll." This sounded sweetly in the tailors

ears; he put his frail little head out of the window, and shouted:

"up here, my good woman, and youll find a willing customer." The

woman climbed up the three flights of stairs with her heavy

basket to the tailors room, and he made her spread out all the

pots in a row before him.

He examined them all, lifted them up and smelled them, and

said at last: "This jam ems good, weigh me four ounces of it, my

good woman; and even if its a quarter of a pound I wont stick at

it." The woman, who had hoped to find a good market, gave him

what he wanted, but went away grumbling wrathfully. "Now

heaven shall bless this jam for my u," cried the little tailor, "and

it shall sustain and strengthen me." He fetched some bread out

of a cupboard, cut a round off the loaf, and spread the jam on it.

"That wont taste amiss," he said; "but Ill finish that waistcoat first

before I take a bite." He placed the bread beside him, went on

wing, and out of the lightness of his heart kept on making his

stitches bigger and bigger. In the meantime the smell of the sweet

jam ro to the ceiling, where heaps of flies were sitting, and

attracted them to such an extent that they swarmed on to it in

mass. "Ha! who invited you?" said the tailor, and chad the e

guests away. But the flies, who didnt understand English, refud

to let themlves be warned off, and returned again in even

greater numbers.

At last the little tailor, losing all patience, reached out of his

chimney corner for a duster, and exclaiming: "Wait, and Ill give it

to you," he beat them mercilessly with it. When he left off he

counted the slain, and no fewer than ven lay dead before him

with outstretched legs. "What a desperate fellow I am!" said he,

and was filled with admiration at his own courage. "The whole

town must know about this"; and in great haste the little tailor cut

out a girdle, hemmed it, and embroidered on it in big letters,

"Seven at a blow." "What did I say, the town? no, the whole world

shall hear of it," he said; and his heart beat for joy as a lamb wags

his tail.

The tailor strapped the girdle round his waist and t out into

the wide world, for he considered his workroom too small a field

for his prowess. Before he t forth he looked round about him,

to e if there was anything in the hou he could take with him

on his journey; but he found nothing except an old chee, which

he took posssion of. In front of the hou he obrved a bird

that had bee

n caught in some bushes, and this he put into his wallet

beside the chee.

Then he went on his way merrily, and being light and agile

he never felt tired. His way led up a hill, on the top of which sat a

powerful giant, who was calmly surveying the landscape. The little

tailor went up to him, and greeting him cheerfully said: "Good-

day, friend; there you sit at your ea viewing the whole wide

world. Im just on my way there. What do you say to panying me?"

The giant looked contemptuously at the tailor, and said: "What a

poor wretched little creature you are!" "Thats a good joke,"

answered the little tailor, and unbuttoning his coat he showed the

giant the girdle. "There now, you can read what sort of a fellow I

am." The giant read: "Seven at a blow"; and thinking they were

human beings the tailor had slain, he conceived a certain respect

for the little man. But first he thought hed test him, so taking up

a stone in his hand, he squeezed it till some drops of water ran

out. "Now you do the same," said the giant, "if you really wish to

be thought strong." "Is that all?" said the little tailor; "thats childs

play to me," so he dived into his wallet, brought out the chee,

and presd it till the whey ran out. "My squeeze was in sooth

better than yours," said he. The giant didnt know what to say, for

he couldnt have believed it of the little fellow. To prove him again,

the giant lifted a stone and threw it so high that the eye could

hardly follow it. "Now, my little pigmy, let me e you do that."

"Well thrown," said the tailor; "but, after all, your stone fell to the

ground; Ill throw one that wont e down at all." He dived into his

wallet again, and grasping the bird in his hand, he threw it up into

the air. The bird, enchanted to be free, soared up into the sky,

and flew away never to return. "Well, what do you think of that

little piece of business, friend?" asked the tailor. "You can certainly

throw," said the giant; "but now lets e if you can carry a proper

weight." With the words he led the tailor to a huge oak tree

which had been felled to the ground, and said: "If you are strong

enough, help me to carry the tree out of the wood." "Most

certainly," said the little tailor: "just you take the trunk on your

shoulder; Ill bear the top and branches, which is certainly the

heaviest part."

The giant laid the trunk on his shoulder, but the tailor sat at

his ea among the branches; and the giant, who couldnt e

what was going on behind him, had to carry the whole tree, and

the little tailor into the bargain. There he sat behind in the best of

spirits, lustily whistling a tune, as if carrying the tree were mere

sport. The giant, after dragging the heavy weight for some time,

could get

on no further, and shouted out: "Hi! I must let the tree fall."

The tailor sprang nimbly down, ized the tree with both hands

as if he had carried it the whole way and said to the giant: "Fancy

a big lout like you not being able to carry a tree!"

They continued to go on their way together, and as they

pasd by a cherry tree the giant grasped the top of it, where the

ripest fruit hung, gave the branches into the tailors hand, and

bade him eat. But the little tailor was far too weak to hold the tree

down, and when the giant let go the tree swung back into the air,

bearing the little tailor with it. When he had fallen to the ground

again without hurting himlf, the giant said: "What! do you mean

to tell me you havent the strength to hold down a feeble twig?"

"It wasnt strength that was wanting," replied the tailor; "do you

think that would have been anything for a man who has killed

ven at a blow? I jumped over the tree becau the huntsmen

are shooting among the branches near us. Do you do the like if

you dare." The giant made an attempt, but couldnt get over the

tree, and stuck fast in the branches, so that here too the little tailor

had the better of him.

"Well, youre a fine fellow, after all," said the giant; "e and

spend the night with us in our cave." The little tailor willingly

connted to do this, and following his friend they went on till

they reached a cave where veral other giants were sitting round

a fire, each holding a roast sheep in his hand, of which he was

eating. The little tailor looked about him, and thought: "Yes,

theres certainly more room to turn round in here than in my

workshop." The giant showed him a bed and bade him lie down

and have a good sleep. But the bed was too big for the little tailor,

so he didnt get into it, but crept away into the corner.

At midnight, when the giant thought the little tailor was fast

asleep, he ro up, and taking his big iron walking-stick, he broke

the bed in two with a blow, and thought he had made an end of

the little grasshopper. At early dawn the giants went off to the

wood, and quite forgot about the little tailor, till all of a sudden

they met him trudging along in the most cheerful manner. The

giants were terrified at the apparition, and, fearful lest he should

slay them, they all took to their heels as fast as they could.

The little tailor continued to follow his no, and after he had

wandered about for a long time he came to the courtyard of a

royal palace, and feeling tired he lay down on the grass and fell

asleep. While he lay there the people came, and looking him all

over read on his girdle: "Seven at a blow." "Oh!" they said, "what

can this great hero of a hundred fights want in our peaceful land?

He must indeed be a mighty man of valor." They went and told

the King about him, and said what a

weighty and uful man hed be in time of war, and that it

would be well to cure him at any price. This counl plead the

King, and he nt one of his courtiers down to the little tailor, to

offer him, when he awoke, a mission in their army. The mesnger

remained standing by the sleeper, and waited till he stretched his

limbs and opened his eyes, when he tendered his proposal. "Thats

the very thing I came here for," he answered; "I am quite ready to

enter the Kings rvice." So he was received with all honor, and

given a special hou of his own to live in.

But the other officers rented the success of the little tailor,

and wished him a thousand miles away. "Whats to e of it all?" they

asked each other; "if we quarrel with him, hell let out at us, and at

every blow ven will fall. Therell soon be an end of us." So they

resolved to go in a body to the King, and all to nd in their

papers. "We are not made," they said, "to hold out against a man

who kills ven at a blow." The King was grieved at the thought

of losing all his faithful rvants for the sake of one man, and he

wished heartily that he had never t eyes on him, or that he could

get rid of him. But he didnt dare to nd him away, for he feared

he might kill him along with his people, and place himlf on the

throne.

He pondered long and dee* over the matter, and finally

came to a conclusion. He nt to the tailor and told him that,

eing what a great and warlike hero he was, he was about to

make him an offer. In a certain wood of his kingdom there

dwelled two giants who did much harm; by the way they robbed,

murdered, burned, and plundered everything about them; "no

one could approach them without endangering his life. But if he

could e and kill the two giants he should have his only daughter

for a wife, and half his kingdom into the bargain; he might have

a hundred hormen, too, to back him up." "Thats the very thing

for a man like me," thought the little tailor; "one doesnt get the

offer of a beautiful princess and half a kingdom every day." "Done

with you," he answered; "Ill soon put an end to the giants. But I

havent the smallest need of your hundred hormen; a fellow

who can slay ven men at a blow need not be afraid of two."

The little tailor t out, and the hundred hormen followed

him. When he came to the outskirts of the wood he said to his

followers: "You wait here, Ill manage the giants by mylf"; and

he went on into the wood, casting his sharp little eyes right and

left about him. After a while he spied the two giants lying asleep

under a tree, and snoring till the very boughs bent with the breeze.

The little tailor lost no time in filling his wallet with stones, and

then climbed up the tree under which they lay. When he got to

about the middle of it he slipped alo

ng a branch till he sat just above the sleepers, when he threw

down one stone after the other on the nearest giant.

The giant felt nothing for a long time, but at last he woke up,

and pinching his panion said: "What did you strike me for?" "I

didnt strike you," said the other, "you must be dreaming." They

both lay down to sleep again, and the tailor threw down a stone

on the cond giant, who sprang up and cried: "Whats that for?

Why did you throw something at me?" "I didnt throw anything,"

growled the first one. They wrangled on for a time, till, as both

were tired, they made up the matter and fell asleep again. The

little tailor began his game once more, and flung the largest stone

he could find in his wallet with all his force, and hit the first giant

on the chest. "This is too much of a good thing!" he yelled, and

springing up like a madman, he knocked his panion against the

tree till he trembled. He gave, however, as good as he got, and

they became so enraged that they tore up trees and beat each

other with them, till they both fell dead at once on the ground.

Then the little tailor jumped down. "Its a mercy," he said, "that

they didnt root up the tree on which I was perched, or I should

have had to jump like a squirrel on to another, which, nimble

though I am, would have been no easy job." He drew his sword

and gave each of the giants a very fine thrust or two on the breast,

and then went to the hormen and said: "The deed is done, Ive

put an end to the two of them; but I assure you it has been no

easy matter, for they even tore up trees in their struggle to defend

themlves; but all thats of no u against one who slays ven

men at a blow." "Werent you wounded?" asked the hormen.

"No fear," answered the tailor; "they havent touched a hair

of my head." But the hormen wouldnt believe him till they rode

into the wood and found the giants weltering in their blood, and

the trees lying around, torn up by the roots.

The little tailor now demanded the promid reward from

the King, but he repented his promi, and pondered once more

how he could rid himlf of the hero. "Before you obtain the hand

of my daughter and half my kingdom," he said to him, "you must

do another deed of valor. A unicorn is running about loo in the

wood, and doing much mischief; you must first catch it." "Im even

less afraid of one unicorn than of two giants; ven at a blow,

thats my motto." He took a piece of cord and an axe with him,

went out to the wood, and again told the men who had been nt

with him to remain outside. He hadnt to arch long, for the

unicorn soon pasd by, and, on perceiving the tailor, dashed

straight at him as though it were going to spike him on the spot.

"Gently, gently," said he, "not so fast, my friendqu

ot;; and standing still he waited till the beast was quite near,

when he sprang lightly behind a tree; the unicorn ran with all its

force against the tree, and rammed its horn so firmly into the

trunk that it had no strength left to pull it out again, and was thus

successfully captured. "Now Ive caught my bird," said the tailor,

and he came out from behind the tree, placed the cord round its

neck first, then struck the horn out of the tree with his axe, and

when everything was in order led the beast before the King.

Still the King didnt want to give him the promid reward

and made a third demand. The tailor was to catch a wild boar for

him that did a great deal of harm in the wood; and he might have

the huntsmen to help him. "Willingly," said the tailor; "thats mere

childs play." But he didnt take the huntsmen into the wood with

him, and they were well enough plead to remain behind, for

the wild boar had often received them in a manner which did not

make them desire its further acquaintance. As soon as the boar

perceived the tailor it ran at him with foaming mouth and

gleaming teeth, and tried to knock him down; but our alert little

friend ran into a chapel that stood near, and got out of the

window again with a jump.

The boar pursued him into the church, but the tailor skipped

round to the door, and clod it curely. So the raging beast was

caught, for it was far too heavy and unwieldy to spring out of the

window. The little tailor summoned the huntsmen together, that

they might e the prisoner with their own eyes. Then the hero

betook himlf to the King, who was obliged now, whether he

liked it or not, to keep his promi, and hand him over his

daughter and half his kingdom. Had he known that no hero-warrior, but only a little tailor stood before him, it would have

gone even more to his heart. So the wedding was celebrated with

much splendor and little joy, and the tailor became a king.

After a time the Queen heard her husband saying one night

in his sleep: "My lad, make that waistcoat and patch the trours,

or Ill box your ears." Thus she learned in what rank the young

gentleman had been born, and next day she poured forth her

woes to her father, and begged him to help her to get rid of a

husband who was nothing more nor less than a tailor. The King

forted her, and said: "Leave your bedroom door open to-night,

my rvants shall stand outside, and when your husband is fast

asleep they shall enter, bind him fast, and carry him on to a ship,

which shall sail away out into the wide ocean."

The Queen was well satisfied with the idea, but the armor-bearer, who had overheard everything, being much attached to

his young master, went straight to him and revealed the whole

plot. "Ill soon put a stop to the business," said the tailor. That night

he and his wife went to bed at the usual time; and when

she thought he had fallen asleep she got up, opened the

door, and then lay down again. The little tailor, who had only

pretended to be asleep, began to call out in a clear voice: "My lad,

make that waistcoat and patch tho trours, or Ill box your ears.

I have killed ven at a blow, slain two giants, led a unicorn captive,

and caught a wild boar, then why should I be afraid of tho men

standing outside my door?" The men, when they heard the tailor

saying the words, were so terrified that they fled as if pursued

by a wild army, and didnt dare go near him again. So the little

tailor was and remained a king all the days of his life.