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安徒生童話故事第48篇：幸福的家庭The Happy Family
引導語：《幸福的家庭》大家學習過?其中暗含哪些人生的哲理呢?下面是小編收集的這篇安徒生童話故事的中英文版本，歡迎大家閱讀!
幸福的家庭中文版：
這個國家里最大的綠葉子，無疑要算是牛蒡的葉子了。你拿一片放在你的肚皮上，那么它就像一條圍裙。如果你把它放在頭上，那么在雨天里它就可以當做一把傘用，因為它是出奇的寬大。牛蒡從來不單獨地生長;不，凡是長著一棵牛蒡的地方，你一定可以找到好幾棵。這是它最可愛的一點，而這一點對蝸牛說來只不過是食料。
在古時候，許多大人物把這些白色的大蝸牛做成“碎肉”;當他們吃著的時候，就說：“哼，味道真好!”因為他們認為蝸牛的味道很美。這些蝸牛都靠牛蒡葉子活著;因此人們才種植牛蒡。
現在有一個古代的公館，住在里面的人已經不再吃蝸牛了。所以蝸牛都死光了，不過牛蒡還活著，這植物在小徑上和花畦上長得非常茂盛，人們怎么也沒有辦法制止它們。這地方簡直成了一個牛蒡森林。要不是這兒那兒有幾株蘋果樹和梅子樹，誰也不會想到這是一個花園。處處都是牛蒡;在它們中間住著最后的兩個蝸牛遺老。
它們不知道自己究竟有多大年紀。不過它們記得很清楚：它們的數目曾經是很多很多，而且都屬于一個從外國遷來的家族，整個森林就是為它們和它們的家族而發展起來的。它們從來沒有離開過家，不過卻聽說過：這個世界上還有一個什么叫做“公館”的東西，它們在那里面被烹調著，然后變成黑色，最后被盛在一個銀盤子里。不過結果怎樣，它們一點也不知道。此外，它們也想象不出來，烹調完了以后盛在銀盤子里，究竟是一種什么味道。那一定很美，特別排場!它們請教過小金蟲、癩蛤蟆和蚯蚓，但是一點道理也問不出來，因為它們誰也沒有被烹調過或盛在銀盤子里面過。
那對古老的白蝸牛要算世界上最有身份的人物了。它們自己知道森林就是為了它們而存在的，公館也是為了使它們能被烹調和放在銀盤子里而存在的。
它們過著安靜和幸福的生活。因為它們自己沒有孩子，所以就收養了一個普通的小蝸牛。它們把它作為自己的孩子撫育。不過這小東西長不大，因為它不過是一個普通的蝸牛而已。但是這對老蝸牛——尤其是媽媽——覺得她能看出它在長大。假如爸爸看不出的話，她要求他摸摸它的外殼。因此他就摸一下;他發現媽媽說的話有道理。
有一天雨下得很大。
“請聽牛蒡葉子上的響聲——咚咚咚!咚咚咚!”蝸牛爸爸說。
“這就是我所說的雨點，”蝸牛媽媽說。“它沿著梗子滴下來了!你可以看到，這兒馬上就會變得潮濕了!我很高興，我們有我們自己的房子;小家伙也有他自己的①。我們的優點比任何別的生物都多。大家一眼就可以看出，我們是世界上最高貴的人!我們一生下來就有房子住，而且這一堆牛蒡林完全是為我們而種植的——我倒很想知道它究竟有多大，在它的外邊還有些什么別的東西!”
“它的外邊什么別的東西也沒有!”蝸牛爸爸說。“世界上再也沒有比我們這兒更好的地方了。我什么別的想頭也沒有。”
“對，”媽媽說，“我倒很想到公館里去被烹調一下，然后放到銀盤子里去。我們的祖先們都是這樣;你要知道，這是一種光榮呢!”
“公館也許已經塌了，”蝸牛爸爸說，“或者牛蒡已經在它上面長成了樹林，弄得人們連走都走不出來。你不要急——你老是那么急，連那個小家伙也開始學起你來。你看他這三天來不老是往梗子上爬么?當我抬頭看看他的時候，我的頭都昏了。”
“請你無論如何不要罵他，”蝸牛媽媽說。“他爬得很有把握。他使我們得到許多快樂。我們這對老夫婦沒有什么別的東西值得活下去了。不過，你想到過沒有：我們在什么地方可以為他找個太太呢?在這林子的遠處，可能住著我們的族人，你想到過沒有?”
“我相信那兒住著些黑蝸牛，”老頭兒說，“沒有房子的黑蝸牛!不過他們都是一幫卑下的東西，而且還喜歡擺架子。不過我們可以托螞蟻辦辦這件事情，他們跑來跑去，好像很忙似的。他們一定能為我們的小少爺找個太太。”
“我認識一位最美麗的姑娘!”螞蟻說，“不過我恐怕她不成，因為她是一個王后!”
“這沒有什么關系，”兩位老蝸牛說。“她有一座房子嗎?”
“她有一座宮殿!”螞蟻說。“一座最美麗的螞蟻宮殿，里面有七百條走廊。”
“謝謝你!”蝸牛媽媽說：“我們的孩子可不會鉆螞蟻窟的。假如你找不到更好的對象的話，我們可以托白蚊蚋來辦這件差事。他們天晴下雨都在外面飛。牛蒡林的里里外外，他們都知道。”
“我們為他找到了一個太太，”蚊蚋說。“離這兒一百步路遠的地方，有一個有房子的小蝸牛住在醋栗叢上。她是很寂寞的，她已經夠結婚年齡。她住的地方離此地只不過一百步遠!”
“是的，讓她來找他吧，”這對老夫婦說。“他擁有整個的牛蒡林，而她只不過有一個小醋栗叢!”
這樣，它們就去請那位小蝸牛姑娘來。她足足過了八天才到來，但這是一種很珍貴的現象，因為這說明她是一個很正經的女子。
于是它們就舉行了婚禮。六個螢火蟲盡量發出光來照著。
除此以外，一切是非常安靜的，因為這對老蝸牛夫婦不喜歡大喝大鬧。不過蝸牛媽媽發表了一起動人的演說。蝸牛爸爸一句話也講不出來，因為他受到了極大的感動。于是它們把整座牛蒡林送給這對年輕夫婦，作為遺產;并且說了一大套它們常常說的話，那就是——這地方是世界上最好的一塊地方，如果它們要正直地，善良地生活和繁殖下去的話，它們和它們的孩子們將來就應該到那個公館里去，以便被煮得漆黑、放到銀盤子上面。
當這番演說講完了以后，這對老夫婦就鉆進它們的屋子里去，再也不出來。它們睡著了。
年輕的蝸牛夫婦現在占有了這整座的森林，隨后生了一大堆孩子。不過它們從來沒有被烹調過，也沒有到銀盤子里去過。因此它們就下了一個結論，認為那個公館已經塌了，全世界的人類都已經死去了。誰也沒有反對它們這種看法，因此它們的看法一定是對的。雨打在牛蒡葉上，為它們發現咚咚的音樂來。太陽為它們發出亮光，使這牛蒡林增添了不少光彩。這樣，它們過得非常幸福——這整個家庭是幸福的，說不出地幸福!
幸福的家庭英文版：
The Happy Family
THE largest green leaf in this country is certainly the burdock-leaf. If you hold it in front of you, it is large enough for an apron; and if you hold it over your head, it is almost as good as an umbrella, it is so wonderfully large. A burdock never grows alone; where it grows, there are many more, and it is a splendid sight; and all this splendor is good for snails. The great white snails, which grand people in olden times used to have made into fricassees; and when they had eaten them, they would say, “O, what a delicious dish!” for these people really thought them good; and these snails lived on burdock-leaves, and for them the burdock was planted.
There was once an old estate where no one now lived to require snails; indeed, the owners had all died out, but the burdock still flourished; it grew over all the beds and walks of the garden—its growth had no check—till it became at last quite a forest of burdocks. Here and there stood an apple or a plum-tree; but for this, nobody would have thought the place had ever been a garden. It was burdock from one end to the other; and here lived the last two surviving snails. They knew not themselves how old they were; but they could remember the time when there were a great many more of them, and that they were descended from a family which came from foreign lands, and that the whole forest had been planted for them and theirs. They had never been away from the garden; but they knew that another place once existed in the world, called the Duke’s Palace Castle, in which some of their relations had been boiled till they became black, and were then laid on a silver dish; but what was done afterwards they did not know. Besides, they could not imagine exactly how it felt to be boiled and placed on a silver dish; but no doubt it was something very fine and highly genteel. Neither the cockchafer, nor the toad, nor the earth-worm, whom they questioned about it, would give them the least information; for none of their relations had ever been cooked or served on a silver dish. The old white snails were the most aristocratic race in the world,—they knew that. The forest had been planted for them, and the nobleman’s castle had been built entirely that they might be cooked and laid on silver dishes.
They lived quite retired and very happily; and as they had no children of their own, they had adopted a little common snail, which they brought up as their own child. The little one would not grow, for he was only a common snail; but the old people, particularly the mother-snail, declared that she could easily see how he grew; and when the father said he could not perceive it, she begged him to feel the little snail’s shell, and he did so, and found that the mother was right.
One day it rained very fast. “Listen, what a drumming there is on the burdock-leaves; turn, turn, turn; turn, turn, turn,” said the father-snail.
“There come the drops,” said the mother; “they are trickling down the stalks. We shall have it very wet here presently. I am very glad we have such good houses, and that the little one has one of his own. There has been really more done for us than for any other creature; it is quite plain that we are the most noble people in the world. We have houses from our birth, and the burdock forest has been planted for us. I should very much like to know how far it extends, and what lies beyond it.”
“There can be nothing better than we have here,” said the father-snail; “I wish for nothing more.”
“Yes, but I do,” said the mother; “I should like to be taken to the palace, and boiled, and laid upon a silver dish, as was done to all our ancestors; and you may be sure it must be something very uncommon.”
“The nobleman’s castle, perhaps, has fallen to decay,” said the snail-father, “or the burdock wood may have grown out. You need not be in a hurry; you are always so impatient, and the youngster is getting just the same. He has been three days creeping to the top of that stalk. I feel quite giddy when I look at him.”
“You must not scold him,” said the mother-snail; “he creeps so very carefully. He will be the joy of our home; and we old folks have nothing else to live for. But have you ever thought where we are to get a wife for him? Do you think that farther out in the wood there may be others of our race?”
“There may be black snails, no doubt,” said the old snail; “black snails without houses; but they are so vulgar and conceited too. But we can give the ants a commission; they run here and there, as if they all had so much business to get through. They, most likely, will know of a wife for our youngster.”
“I certainly know a most beautiful bride,” said one of the ants; “but I fear it would not do, for she is a queen.”
“That does not matter,” said the old snail; “has she a house?”
“She has a palace,” replied the ant,—“a most beautiful ant-palace with seven hundred passages.”
“Thank-you,” said the mother-snail; “but our boy shall not go to live in an ant-hill. If you know of nothing better, we will give the commission to the white gnats; they fly about in rain and sunshine; they know the burdock wood from one end to the other.”
“We have a wife for him,” said the gnats; “a hundred man-steps from here there is a little snail with a house, sitting on a gooseberry-bush; she is quite alone, and old enough to be married. It is only a hundred man-steps from here.”
“Then let her come to him,” said the old people. “He has the whole burdock forest; she has only a bush.”
So they brought the little lady-snail. She took eight days to perform the journey; but that was just as it ought to be; for it showed her to be one of the right breeding. And then they had a wedding. Six glow-worms gave as much light as they could; but in other respects it was all very quiet; for the old snails could not bear festivities or a crowd. But a beautiful speech was made by the mother-snail. The father could not speak; he was too much overcome. Then they gave the whole burdock forest to the young snails as an inheritance, and repeated what they had so often said, that it was the finest place in the world, and that if they led upright and honorable lives, and their family increased, they and their children might some day be taken to the nobleman’s palace, to be boiled black, and laid on a silver dish. And when they had finished speaking, the old couple crept into their houses, and came out no more; for they slept.
The young snail pair now ruled in the forest, and had a numerous progeny. But as the young ones were never boiled or laid in silver dishes, they concluded that the castle had fallen into decay, and that all the people in the world were dead; and as nobody contradicted them, they thought they must be right. And the rain fell upon the burdock-leaves, to play the drum for them, and the sun shone to paint colors on the burdock forest for them, and they were very happy; the whole family were entirely and perfectly happy.
作品評價
這是一起小品，具有深刻的諷刺意義，最初發表在1844年《新的童話》里。被人養著當作食物的蝸牛，“坐井觀天”，認為“世界上再也沒有比我們這兒（公館院子里的牛蒡樹叢）更好的地方了。”“我們很想到公館里去被烹調一下，然后被放到銀盤子里去。我們的祖先們都是這樣，你知道這是一種光榮！”有不少人的思想境界大致與這差不多。
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