醜小鴨童話故事英文版及翻譯
《醜小鴨》是安徒生的經典童話故事之一，寫了一隻天鵝蛋在鴨羣中破殼後，因相貌怪異，讓同類鄙棄，歷經千辛萬苦、重重磨難之後長成了白天鵝。下面本站小編爲大家帶來醜小鴨童話故事英文版及翻譯，歡迎大家閱讀欣賞!
一隻天鵝蛋在鴨羣中破殼了，但因爲這隻小天鵝長得很醜，不但沒有被鴨羣接受，挨啄、被排擠、被訕笑，而且在雞羣中也是這樣。他因此覺得很自卑，因爲自己長得那麼醜陋，成了全體雞鴨的嘲笑對象，連他的親人們也排擠他。無奈之下，醜小鴨飛過籬笆逃走了。有一次，他遇到了一隻獵狗，但那隻獵狗只是聞聞他，並沒有把他抓住。他暗自慶幸，“我醜得連獵狗也不敢咬我了!”他爲自己逃生而慶幸，同時爲自己長得醜而懊喪。在這以後，醜小鴨遇到了很多磨難。後來，對美好大自然、美好生活的嚮往與追求驅使着醜小鴨不再依靠別人生活。有一天，三隻美麗的白天鵝從樹陰裏一直游到他面前來，小鴨認出了這些美麗的動物，於是心裏感到一種說不出的難過。小鴨感到自己要遊向他們，就算他們把自己弄死也沒關係，因爲他有一顆追求美的心。但他在水裏看到的是什麼呢，不再是那隻醜陋的小鴨了，而是——一隻美麗的天鵝!
醜小鴨童話故事英文版：It was so beautiful out on the country, it was summer- the wheat fields were golden, the oats were green, and down among the green meadows the hay was stacked. There the stork minced about on his red legs, clacking away in Egyptian, which was the language his mother had taught him. Round about the field and meadow lands rose vast forests, in which deep lakes lay hidden. Yes, it was indeed lovely out there in the country.
In the midst of the sunshine there stood an old manor house that had a deep moat around it. From the walls of the manor right down to the water's edge great burdock leaves grew, and there were some so tall that little children could stand upright beneath the biggest of them. In this wilderness of leaves, which was as dense as the forests itself, a duck sat on her nest, hatching her ducklings. She was becoming somewhat weary, because sitting is such a dull business and scarcely anyone came to see her. The other ducks would much rather swim in the moat than waddle out and squat under the burdock leaf to gossip with her.
But at last the eggshells began to crack, one after another. "Peep, peep!" said the little things, as they came to life and poked out their heads.
"Quack, quack!" said the duck, and quick as quick can be they all waddled out to have a look at the green world under the leaves. Their mother let them look as much as they pleased, because green is good for the eyes.
"How wide the world is," said all the young ducks, for they certainly had much more room now than they had when they were in their eggshells.
"Do you think this is the whole world?" their mother asked. "Why it extends on and on, clear across to the other side of the garden and right on into the parson's field, though that is further than I have ever been. I do hope you are all hatched," she said as she got up. "No, not quite all. The biggest egg still lies here. How much longer is this going to take? I am really rather tired of it all," she said, but she settled back on her nest.
"Well, how goes it?" asked an old duck who came to pay her a call.
"It takes a long time with that one egg," said the duck on the nest. "It won't crack, but look at the others. They are the cutest little ducklings I've ever seen. They look exactly like their father, the wretch! He hasn't come to see me at all."
"Let's have a look at the egg that won't crack," the old duck said. "It's a turkey egg, and you can take my word for it. I was fooled like that once myself. What trouble and care I had with those turkey children, for I may as well tell you, they are afraid of the water. I simply could not get them into it. I quacked and snapped at them, but it wasn't a bit of use. Let me see the egg. Certainly, it's a turkey egg. Let it lie, and go teach your other children to swim."
"Oh, I'll sit a little longer. I've been at it so long already that I may as well sit here half the summer."
"Suit yourself," said the old duck, and away she waddled.
At last the big egg did crack. "Peep," said the young one, and out he tumbled, but he was so big and ugly.
The duck took a look at him. "That's a frightfully big duckling," she said. "He doesn't look the least like the others. Can he really be a turkey baby? Well, well! I'll soon find out. Into the water he shall go, even if I have to shove him in myself."
Next day the weather was perfectly splendid, and the sun shone down on all the green burdock leaves. The mother duck led her whole family down to the moat. Splash! she took to the water. "Quack, quack," said she, and one duckling after another plunged in. The water went over their heads, but they came up in a flash, and floated to perfection. Their legs worked automatically, and they were all there in the water. Even the big, ugly gray one was swimming along.
"Why, that's no turkey," she said. "See how nicely he uses his legs, and how straight he holds himself. He's my very own son after all, and quite good-looking if you look at him properly. Quack, quack come with me. I'll lead you out into the world and introduce you to the duck yard. But keep close to me so that you won't get stepped on, and watch out for the cat!"
Thus they sallied into the duck yard, where all was in an uproar because two families were fighting over the head of an eel. But the cat got it, after all.
"You see, that's the way of the world." The mother duck licked her bill because she wanted the eel's head for herself. "Stir your legs. Bustle about, and mind that you bend your necks to that old duck over there. She's the noblest of us all, and has Spanish blood in her. That's why she's so fat. See that red rag around her leg? That's a wonderful thing, and the highest distinction a duck can get. It shows that they don't want to lose her, and that she's to have special attention from man and beast. Shake yourselves! Don't turn your toes in. A well-bred duckling turns his toes way out, just as his father and mother do-this way. So then! Now duck your necks and say quack!"
They did as she told them, but the other ducks around them looked on and said right out loud, "See here! Must we have this brood too, just as if there weren't enough of us already? And-fie! what an ugly-looking fellow that duckling is! We won't stand for him." One duck charged up and bit his neck.
"Let him alone," his mother said. "He isn't doing any harm."
"Possibly not," said the duck who bit him, "but he's too big and strange, and therefore he needs a good whacking."
"What nice-looking children you have, Mother," said the old duck with the rag around her leg. "They are all pretty except that one. He didn't come out so well. It's a pity you can't hatch him again."
"That can't be managed, your ladyship," said the mother. "He isn't so handsome, but he's as good as can be, and he swims just as well as the rest, or, I should say, even a little better than they do. I hope his looks will improve with age, and after a while he won't seem so big. He took too long in the egg, and that's why his figure isn't all that it should be." She pinched his neck and preened his feathers. "Moreover, he's a drake, so it won't matter so much. I think he will be quite strong, and I'm sure he will amount to something."
"The other ducklings are pretty enough," said the old duck. "Now make yourselves right at home, and if you find an eel's head you may bring it to me."
So they felt quite at home. But the poor duckling who had been the last one out of his egg, and who looked so ugly, was pecked and pushed about and made fun of by the ducks, and the chickens as well. "He's too big," said they all. The turkey gobbler, who thought himself an emperor because he was born wearing spurs, puffed up like a ship under full sail and bore down upon him, gobbling and gobbling until he was red in the face. The poor duckling did not know where he dared stand or where he dared walk. He was so sad because he was so desperately ugly, and because he was the laughing stock of the whole barnyard.
So it went on the first day, and after that things went from bad to worse. The poor duckling was chased and buffeted about by everyone. Even his own brothers and sisters abused him. "Oh," they would always say, "how we wish the cat would catch you, you ugly thing." And his mother said, "How I do wish you were miles away." The ducks nipped him, and the hens pecked him, and the girl who fed them kicked him with her foot.
So he ran away; and he flew over the fence. The little birds in the bushes darted up in a fright. "That's because I'm so ugly," he thought, and closed his eyes, but he ran on just the same until he reached the great marsh where the wild ducks lived. There he lay all night long, weary and disheartened.
When morning came, the wild ducks flew up to have a look at their new companion. "What sort of creature are you?" they asked, as the duckling turned in all directions, bowing his best to them all. "You are terribly ugly," they told him, "but that's nothing to us so long as you don't marry into our family."
Poor duckling! Marriage certainly had never entered his mind. All he wanted was for them to let him lie among the reeds and drink a little water from the marsh.
There he stayed for two whole days. Then he met two wild geese, or rather wild ganders-for they were males. They had not been out of the shell very long, and that's what made them so sure of themselves.
"Say there, comrade," they said, "you're so ugly that we have taken a fancy to you. Come with us and be a bird of passage. In another marsh near-by, there are some fetching wild geese, all nice young ladies who know how to quack. You are so ugly that you'll completely turn their heads."
Bing! Bang! Shots rang in the air, and these two ganders fell dead among the reeds. The water was red with their blood. Bing! Bang! the shots rang, and as whole flocks of wild geese flew up from the reeds another volley crashed. A great hunt was in progress. The hunters lay under cover all around the marsh, and some even perched on branches of trees that overhung the reeds. Blue smoke rose like clouds from the shade of the trees, and drifted far out over the water.
The bird dogs came splash, splash! through the swamp, bending down the reeds and the rushes on every side. This gave the poor duckling such a fright that he twisted his head about to hide it under his wing. But at that very moment a fearfully big dog appeared right beside him. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and his wicked eyes glared horribly. He opened his wide jaws, flashed his sharp teeth, and - splash, splash - on he went without touching the duckling.
"Thank heavens," he sighed, "I'm so ugly that the dog won't even bother to bite me."
He lay perfectly still, while the bullets splattered through the reeds as shot after shot was fired. It was late in the day before things became quiet again, and even then the poor duckling didn't dare move. He waited several hours before he ventured to look about him, and then he scurried away from that marsh as fast as he could go. He ran across field and meadows. The wind was so strong that he had to struggle to keep his feet.
Late in the evening he came to a miserable little hovel, so ramshackle that it did not know which way to tumble, and that was the only reason it still stood. The wind struck the duckling so hard that the poor little fellow had to sit down on his tail to withstand it. The storm blew stronger and stronger, but the duckling noticed that one hinge had come loose and the door hung so crooked that he could squeeze through the crack into the room, and that's just what he did.
Here lived an old woman with her cat and her hen. The cat, whom she called "Sonny," could arch his back, purr, and even make sparks, though for that you had to stroke his fur the wrong way. The hen had short little legs, so she was called "Chickey Shortleg." She laid good eggs, and the old woman loved her as if she had been her own child.
In the morning they were quick to notice the strange duckling. The cat began to purr, and the hen began to cluck.
"What on earth!" The old woman looked around, but she was short-sighted, and she mistook the duckling for a fat duck that had lost its way. "That was a good catch," she said. "Now I shall have duck eggs-unless it's a drake. We must try it out." So the duckling was tried out for three weeks, but not one egg did he lay.
In this house the cat was master and the hen was mistress. They always said, "We and the world," for they thought themselves half of the world, and much the better half at that. The duckling thought that there might be more than one way of thinking, but the hen would not hear of it.
"Can you lay eggs?" she asked
"No."
"Then be so good as to hold your tongue."
The cat asked, "Can you arch your back, purr, or make sparks?"
"No."
"Then keep your opinion to yourself when sensible people are talking."
The duckling sat in a corner, feeling most despondent. Then he remembered the fresh air and the sunlight. Such a desire to go swimming on the water possessed him that he could not help telling the hen about it.
"What on earth has come over you?" the hen cried. "You haven't a thing to do, and that's why you get such silly notions. Lay us an egg, or learn to purr, and you'll get over it."
"But it's so refreshing to float on the water," said the duckling, "so refreshing to feel it rise over your head as you dive to the bottom."
"Yes, it must be a great pleasure!" said the hen. "I think you must have gone crazy. Ask the cat, who's the wisest fellow I know, whether he likes to swim or dive down in the water. Of myself I say nothing. But ask the old woman, our mistress. There's no one on earth wiser than she is. Do you imagine she wants to go swimming and feel the water rise over her head?"
"You don't understand me," said the duckling.
"Well, if we don't, who would? Surely you don't think you are cleverer than the cat and the old woman-to say nothing of myself. Don't be so conceited, child. Just thank your Maker for all the kindness we have shown you. Didn't you get into this snug room, and fall in with people who can tell you what's what? But you are such a numbskull that it's no pleasure to have you around. Believe me, I tell you this for your own good. I say unpleasant truths, but that's the only way you can know who are your friends. Be sure now that you lay some eggs. See to it that you learn to purr or to make sparks."
"I think I'd better go out into the wide world," said the duckling.
"Suit yourself," said the hen.
So off went the duckling. He swam on the water, and dived down in it, but still he was slighted by every living creature because of his ugliness.
Autumn came on. The leaves in the forest turned yellow and brown. The wind took them and whirled them about. The heavens looked cold as the low clouds hung heavy with snow and hail. Perched on the fence, the raven screamed, "Caw, caw!" and trembled with cold. It made one shiver to think of it. Pity the poor little duckling!
One evening, just as the sun was setting in splendor, a great flock of large, handsome birds appeared out of the reeds. The duckling had never seen birds so beautiful. They were dazzling white, with long graceful necks. They were swans. They uttered a very strange cry as they unfurled their magnificent wings to fly from this cold land, away to warmer countries and to open waters. They went up so high, so very high, that the ugly little duckling felt a strange uneasiness come over him as he watched them. He went around and round in the water, like a wheel. He craned his neck to follow their course, and gave a cry so shrill and strange that he frightened himself. Oh! He could not forget them-those splendid, happy birds. When he could no longer see them he dived to the very bottom. and when he came up again he was quite beside himself. He did not know what birds they were or whither they were bound, yet he loved them more than anything he had ever loved before. It was not that he envied them, for how could he ever dare dream of wanting their marvelous beauty for himself? He would have been grateful if only the ducks would have tolerated him-the poor ugly creature.
The winter grew cold - so bitterly cold that the duckling had to swim to and fro in the water to keep it from freezing over. But every night the hole in which he swam kept getting smaller and smaller. Then it froze so hard that the duckling had to paddle continuously to keep the crackling ice from closing in upon him. At last, too tired to move, he was frozen fast in the ice.
Early that morning a farmer came by, and when he saw how things were he went out on the pond, broke away the ice with his wooden shoe, and carried the duckling home to his wife. There the duckling revived, but when the children wished to play with him he thought they meant to hurt him. Terrified, he fluttered into the milk pail, splashing the whole room with milk. The woman shrieked and threw up her hands as he flew into the butter tub, and then in and out of the meal barrel. Imagine what he looked like now! The woman screamed and lashed out at him with the fire tongs. The children tumbled over each other as they tried to catch him, and they laughed and they shouted. Luckily the door was open, and the duckling escaped through it into the bushes, where he lay down, in the newly fallen snow, as if in a daze.
But it would be too sad to tell of all the hardships and wretchedness he had to endure during this cruel winter. When the warm sun shone once more, the duckling was still alive among the reeds of the marsh. The larks began to sing again. It was beautiful springtime.
Then, quite suddenly, he lifted his wings. They swept through the air much more strongly than before, and their powerful strokes carried him far. Before he quite knew what was happening, he found himself in a great garden where apple trees bloomed. The lilacs filled the air with sweet scent and hung in clusters from long, green branches that bent over a winding stream. Oh, but it was lovely here in the freshness of spring!
From the thicket before him came three lovely white swans. They ruffled their feathers and swam lightly in the stream. The duckling recognized these noble creatures, and a strange feeling of sadness came upon him.
"I shall fly near these royal birds, and they will peck me to bits because I, who am so very ugly, dare to go near them. But I don't care. Better be killed by them than to be nipped by the ducks, pecked by the hens, kicked about by the hen-yard girl, or suffer such misery in winter."
So he flew into the water and swam toward the splendid swans. They saw him, and swept down upon him with their rustling feathers raised. "Kill me!" said the poor creature, and he bowed his head down over the water to wait for death. But what did he see there, mirrored in the clear stream? He beheld his own image, and it was no longer the reflection of a clumsy, dirty, gray bird, ugly and offensive. He himself was a swan! Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched from a swan's egg.
He felt quite glad that he had come through so much trouble and misfortune, for now he had a fuller understanding of his own good fortune, and of beauty when he met with it. The great swans swam all around him and stroked him with their bills.
Several little children came into the garden to throw grain and bits of bread upon the water. The smallest child cried, "Here's a new one," and the others rejoiced, "yes, a new one has come." They clapped their hands, danced around, and ran to bring their father and mother.
And they threw bread and cake upon the water, while they all agreed, "The new one is the most handsome of all. He's so young and so good-looking." The old swans bowed in his honor.
Then he felt very bashful, and tucked his head under his wing. He did not know what this was all about. He felt so very happy, but he wasn't at all proud, for a good heart never grows proud. He thought about how he had been persecuted and scorned, and now he heard them all call him the most beautiful of all beautiful birds. The lilacs dipped their clusters into the stream before him, and the sun shone so warm and so heartening. He rustled his feathers and held his slender neck high, as he cried out with full heart: "I never dreamed there could be so much happiness, when I was the ugly duckling."
醜小鴨童話故事中文版翻譯：鄉下真是美。到了夏天!小麥是金黃的，燕麥是綠油油的。乾草在綠色的牧場上堆成垛，鸛(guàn)鳥用它又長又紅的腿子在散着步，嚕嗦地講着埃及話。(注：因爲據丹麥的民間傳說，鸛鳥是從埃及飛來的。)這是它從媽媽那兒學到的一種語言。田野和牧場的周圍有些大森林，森林裏有些很深的池塘。的確，鄉間是非常美麗的，太陽光正照着一幢老式的房子，它周圍流着幾條很深的小溪。從牆角那兒一直到水裏，全蓋滿了牛蒡的大葉子。最大的葉子長得非常高，小孩子簡直可以直着腰站在下面。像在最濃密的森林裏一樣，這兒也是很荒涼的。這兒有一隻母鴨坐在窠裏，她得把她的幾個小鴨都孵出來。不過這時她已經累壞了。很少有客人來看她。別的鴨子都願意在溪流裏游來游去，而不願意跑到牛蒡下面來和她聊天。
最後，那些鴨蛋一個接着一個地崩開了。“噼!噼!”蛋殼響起來。蛋黃都變成了小動物。他們把小頭都伸出來。“嘎!嘎!”母鴨說。他們也就跟着嘎嘎地大聲叫起來。他們在綠葉子下面向四周看。媽媽讓他們儘量地東張西望，因爲綠色對他們的眼睛是有好處的。“這個世界真夠大!”這些年輕的小傢伙說。的確，比起他們在蛋殼裏的時候，他們的天地真是大不相同了。“你們以爲這就是整個世界!”媽媽說。“這地方伸展到花園的另一邊，一直伸展到牧師的田裏去，才遠呢!連我自己都沒有去過!我想你們都在這兒吧?”她站起來。“沒有，我還沒有把你們都生出來呢!這隻頂大的蛋還躺着沒有動靜。它還得躺多久呢?我真是有些煩了。”於是她又坐下來。“唔，情形怎樣?”一隻來拜訪她的老鴨子問。“這個蛋費的時間真久!”坐着的母鴨說。“它老是不裂開。請你看看別的吧。他們真是一些最逗人愛的小鴨兒!都像他們的爸爸——這個壞東西從來沒有來看過我一次!”“讓我瞧瞧這個老是不裂開的蛋吧，”這位年老的客人說，“請相信我，這是一隻吐綬雞的蛋。有一次我也同樣受過騙，你知道，那些小傢伙不知道給了我多少麻煩和苦惱，因爲他們都不敢下水。我簡直沒有辦法叫他們在水裏試一試。我說好說歹，一點用也沒有!——讓我來瞧瞧這隻蛋吧。哎呀!這是一隻吐綬雞的蛋!讓他躺着吧，你儘管叫別的孩子去游泳好了。”“我還是在它上面多坐一會兒吧，”鴨媽媽說，“我已經坐了這麼久，就是再坐它一個星期也沒有關係。”“那麼就請便吧，”老鴨子說。於是她就告辭了。
最後這隻大蛋裂開了。“噼!噼!”新生的這個小傢伙叫着向外面爬。他是又大又醜。鴨媽媽把他瞧了一眼。“這個小鴨子大得怕人，”她說，“別的沒有一個像他;但是他一點也不像小吐綬雞!好吧，我們馬上就來試試看吧。他得到水裏去，我踢也要把他踢下水去。”第二天的天氣是又晴和，又美麗。太陽照在綠牛蒡上。鴨媽媽帶着她所有的孩子走到溪邊來。撲通!她跳進水裏去了。“呱!呱!”她叫着，於是小鴨子就一個接着一個跳下去。水淹到他們頭上，但是他們馬上又冒出來了，遊得非常漂亮。他們的小腿很靈活地划着。他們全都在水裏，連那個醜陋的灰色小傢伙也跟他們在一起遊。
“唔，他不是一個吐綬雞，”她說，“你看他的腿劃得多靈活，他浮得多麼穩!他是我親生的孩子!如果你把他仔細看一看，他還算長得蠻漂亮呢。嘎!嘎!跟我一塊兒來吧，我把你們帶到廣大的世界上去，把那個養雞場介紹給你們看看。不過，你們得緊貼着我，免得別人踩着你們。你們還得當心貓兒呢!”
這樣，他們就到養雞場裏來了。場裏響起了一陣可怕的喧鬧聲，因爲有兩個家族正在爭奪一個鱔魚頭，而結果貓兒卻把它搶走了。“你們瞧，世界就是這個樣子!”鴨媽媽說。她的嘴流了一點涎水，因爲她也想吃那個鱔魚頭。“現在使用你們的腿吧!”她說。“你們拿出精神來。你們如果看到那兒的一個老母鴨，你們就得把頭低下來，因爲她是這兒最有聲望的人物。她有西班牙的血統——因爲她長得非常胖。你們看，她的腿上有一塊紅布條。這是一件非常出色的東西，也是一個鴨子可能得到的最大光榮：它的意義很大，說明人們不願意失去她，動物和人統統都得認識她。打起精神來吧——不要把腿子縮進去。一個有很好教養的鴨子總是把腿擺開的，像爸爸和媽媽一樣。好吧，低下頭來，說：‘嘎’呀!”他們這樣做了。別的鴨子站在旁邊看着，同時用相當大的聲音說：“瞧!現在又來了一批找東西吃的客人，好像我們的人數還不夠多似的!呸!瞧那隻小鴨的一副醜相!我們真看不慣!”於是馬上有一隻鴨子飛過去，在他的脖頸上啄了一下。“請你們不要管他吧，”媽媽說，“他並不傷害誰呀!”“對，不過他長得太大、太特別了，”啄過他的那隻鴨子說，“因此他必須捱打!”“那個母鴨的孩子都很漂亮，”腿上有一條紅布的那個母鴨說，“他們都很漂亮，只有一隻是例外。這真是可惜。我希望能把他再孵一次。”
“那可不能，太太，”鴨媽媽回答說，“他不好看，但是他的脾氣非常好。他遊起水來也不比別人差——我還可以說，遊得比別人好呢。我想他會慢慢長得漂亮的，或者到適當的時候，他也可能縮小一點。他在蛋裏躺得太久了，因此他的模樣有點不太自然。”她說着，同時在他的脖頸上啄了一下，把他的羽毛理了一理。“此外，他還是一隻公鴨呢，”她說，“所以關係也不太大。我想他的身體很結實，將來總會自己找到出路的。”“別的小鴨倒很可愛，”老母鴨說，“你在這兒不要客氣。如果你找到鱔魚頭，請把它送給我好了。”他們在這兒，就像在自己家裏一樣。
不過從蛋殼裏爬出的那隻小鴨太醜了，到處捱打，被排擠，被譏笑，不僅在鴨羣中是這樣，連在雞羣中也是這樣。
“他真是又大又醜!”大家都說。有一隻雄吐綬雞生下來腳上就有距，因此他自以爲是一個皇帝。他把自己吹得像一條鼓滿了風的帆船，來勢洶洶地向他走來，瞪着一雙大眼睛，臉上漲得通紅。這隻可憐的小鴨不知道站在什麼地方，或者走到什麼地方去好。他覺得非常悲哀，因爲自己長得那麼醜陋，而且成了全體雞鴨的一個嘲笑對象。
這是頭一天的情形。後來一天比一天糟。大家都要趕走這隻可憐的小鴨;連他自己的兄弟姊妹也對他生氣起來。他們老是說：“你這個醜妖怪，希望貓兒把你抓去纔好!”於是媽媽也說起來：“我希望你走遠些!”鴨兒們啄他。小雞打他，餵雞鴨的那個女傭人用腳來踢他。
於是他飛過籬笆逃走了;灌木林裏的小鳥一見到他，就驚慌地向空中飛去。“這是因爲我太醜了!”小鴨想。於是他閉起眼睛，繼續往前跑。他一口氣跑到一塊住着野鴨的沼澤地裏。他在這兒躺了一整夜，因爲他太累了，太喪氣了。
天亮的時候，野鴨都飛起來了。他們瞧了瞧這位新來的朋友。
“你是誰呀?”他們問。小鴨一下轉向這邊，一下轉向那邊，儘量對大家恭恭敬敬地行禮。
“你真是醜得厲害，”野鴨們說，“不過只要你不跟我們族裏任何鴨子結婚，對我們倒也沒有什麼大的關係。”可憐的小東西!他根本沒有想到什麼結婚;他只希望人家准許他躺在蘆葦裏，喝點沼澤的水就夠了。
他在那兒躺了兩個整天。後來有兩隻雁——嚴格地講，應該說是兩隻公雁，因爲他們是兩個男的——飛來了。他們從孃的蛋殼裏爬出來還沒有多久，因此非常頑皮。“聽着，朋友，”他們說，“你醜得可愛，連我(注：這兒的“我”是單數，跟前面的“他們說”不一致，但原文如此。)都禁不住要喜歡你了。你做一個候鳥，跟我們一塊兒飛走好嗎?另外有一塊沼澤地離這兒很近，那裏有好幾只活潑可愛的雁兒。她們都是小姐，都會說：‘嘎!’你是那麼醜，可以在她們那兒碰碰你的運氣!”“噼!啪!”天空中發出一陣響聲。這兩隻公雁落到蘆葦裏，死了，把水染得鮮紅。“噼!啪!”又是一陣響聲。整羣的雁兒都從蘆葦裏飛起來，於是又是一陣槍聲響起來了。原來有人在大規模地打獵。獵人都埋伏在這沼澤地的周圍，有幾個人甚至坐在伸到蘆葦上空的樹枝上。藍色的煙霧像雲塊似地籠罩着這些黑樹，慢慢地在水面上向遠方漂去。這時，獵狗都撲通撲通地在泥濘裏跑過來，燈芯草和蘆葦向兩邊倒去。這對於可憐的小鴨說來真是可怕的事情!他把頭掉過來，藏在翅膀裏。不過，正在這時候，一隻駭人的大獵狗緊緊地站在小鴨的身邊。它的舌頭從嘴裏伸出很長，眼睛發出醜惡和可怕的光。它把鼻子頂到這小鴨的身上，露出了尖牙齒，可是——撲通!撲通!——它跑開了，沒有把他抓走。
“啊，謝謝老天爺!”小鴨嘆了一口氣，“我醜得連獵狗也不要咬我了!”他安靜地躺下來。槍聲還在蘆葦裏響着，槍彈一發接着一發地射出來。
天快要暗的時候，四周才靜下來。可是這隻可憐的小鴨還不敢站起來。他等了好幾個鐘頭，纔敢向四周望一眼，於是他急忙跑出這塊沼澤地，拼命地跑，向田野上跑，向牧場上跑。這時吹起一陣狂風，他跑起來非常困難。到天黑的時候，他來到一個簡陋的農家小屋。它是那麼殘破，甚至不知道應該向哪一邊倒纔好——因此它也就沒有倒。狂風在小鴨身邊號叫得非常厲害，他只好面對着它坐下來。它越吹越兇。於是他看到那門上的鉸鏈有一個已經鬆了，門也歪了，他可以從空隙鑽進屋子裏去，他便鑽進去了。
屋子裏有一個老太婆和她的貓兒，還有一隻母雞住在一起。她把這隻貓兒叫“小兒子”。他能把背拱得很高，發出咪咪的叫聲來;他的身上還能迸出火花，不過要他這樣做，你就得倒摸他的毛。母雞的腿又短又小，因此她叫“短腿雞兒”。她生下的蛋很好，所以老太婆把她愛得像自己的親生孩子一樣。
第二天早晨，人們馬上注意到了這隻來歷不明的小鴨。那隻貓兒開始咪咪地叫，那隻母雞也咯咯地喊起來。“這是怎麼一回事兒?”老太婆說，同時朝四周看。不過她的眼睛有點花，所以她以爲小鴨是一隻肥鴨，走錯了路，才跑到這兒來了。“這真是少有的運氣!”她說，“現在我可以有鴨蛋了。我只希望他不是一隻公鴨纔好!我們得弄個清楚!”
這樣，小鴨就在這裏受了三個星期的考驗，可是他什麼蛋也沒有生下來。那隻貓兒是這家的紳士，那隻母雞是這家的太太，所以他們一開口就說：“我們和這世界!”因爲他們以爲他們就是半個世界，而且還是最好的那一半呢。小鴨覺得自己可以有不同的看法，但是他的這種態度，母雞卻忍受不了。
“你能夠生蛋嗎?”她問。
“不能!”
“那麼就請你不要發表意見。”
於是雄貓說：“你能拱起背，發出咪咪的叫聲和迸出火花嗎?”
“不能!”
“那麼，當有理智的人在講話的時候，你就沒有發表意見的必要!”
小鴨坐在一個牆角里，心情非常不好。這時他想起了新鮮空氣和太陽光。他覺得有一種奇怪的渴望：他想到水裏去游泳。最後他實在忍不住了，就不得不把心事對母雞說出來。“你在起什麼念頭?”母雞問。“你沒有事情可幹，所以你纔有這些怪想頭。你只要生幾個蛋，或者咪咪地叫幾聲，那麼你這些怪想頭也就會沒有了。”
“不過，在水裏游泳是多麼痛快呀!”小鴨說。“讓水淹在你的頭上，往水底一鑽，那是多麼痛快呀!”
“是的，那一定很痛快!”母雞說，“你簡直在發瘋。你去問問貓兒吧——在我所認識的一切朋友當中，他是最聰明的——你去問問他喜歡不喜歡在水裏游泳，或者鑽進水裏去。我先不講我自己。你去問問你的主人——那個老太婆——吧，世界上再也沒有比她更聰明的人了!你以爲她想去游泳，讓水淹在她的頭頂上嗎?”
“你們不瞭解我.”小鴨說。
“我們不瞭解你?那麼請問誰瞭解你呢?你決不會比貓兒和女主人更聰明吧——我先不提我自己。孩子，你不要自以爲了不起吧!你現在得到這些照顧，你應該感謝上帝。你現在到一個溫暖的屋子裏來，有了一些朋友，而且還可以向他們學習很多的東西，不是嗎?不過你是一個廢物，跟你在一起真不痛快。你可以相信我，我對你說這些不好聽的話，完全是爲了幫助你呀。只有這樣，你才知道誰是你的真正朋友!請你注意學習生蛋，或者咪咪地叫，或者迸出火花吧!”
“我想我還是走到廣大的世界上去好。”小鴨說。
“好吧，你去吧!”母雞說。
於是小鴨就走了。他一會兒在水上游，一會兒鑽進水裏去;不過，因爲他的樣子醜，所有的動物都瞧不起他。秋天到來了。樹林裏的葉子變成了黃色和棕色。風捲起它們，把它們帶到空中飛舞，而空中是很冷的。雲塊沉重地載着冰雹和雪花，低低地懸着。烏鴉站在籬笆上，凍得只管叫：“呱!呱!”是的，你只要想想這情景，就會覺得冷了。這隻可憐的小鴨的確沒有一個舒服的時候。
一天晚上，當太陽正在美麗地落下去的時候，有一羣漂亮的大鳥從灌木林裏飛出來，小鴨從來沒有看到過這樣美麗的東西。他們白得發亮，頸項又長又柔軟。這就是天鵝。他們發出一種奇異的叫聲，展開美麗的長翅膀，從寒冷的地帶飛向溫暖的國度，飛向不結冰的湖上去。
他們飛得很高——那麼高，醜小鴨不禁感到一種說不出的興奮。他在水上像一個車輪似地不停地旋轉着，同時，把自己的頸項高高地向他們伸着，發出一種響亮的怪叫聲，連他自己也害怕起來。啊!他再也忘記不了這些美麗的鳥兒，這些幸福的鳥兒。當他看不見他們的時候，就沉入水底;但是當他再冒到水面上來的時候，卻感到非常空虛。他不知道這些鳥兒的名字，也不知道他們要向什麼地方飛去。不過他愛他們，好像他從來還沒有愛過什麼東西似的。他並不嫉妒他們。他怎能夢想有他們那樣美麗呢?只要別的鴨兒准許他跟他們生活在一起，他就已經很滿意了——可憐的醜東西。
冬天變得很冷，非常的冷!小鴨不得不在水上游來游去，免的水面完全凍結成冰。不過他遊動的這個小範圍，一晚比一晚縮小。水凍的厲害，人們可以聽到冰塊的碎裂聲。小鴨只好用他的一雙腿不停地遊動，免得水完全被冰封閉。最後，他終於昏倒了，躺着動也不動，跟冰塊結在一起。
大清早，有一個農民在這兒經過。他看到了這隻小鴨，就走過去用木屐把冰塊踏破，然後把他抱回來，送給他的女人。他這時才漸漸地恢復了知覺。小孩子們都想要跟他玩，不過小鴨以爲他們想要傷害他。他一害怕就跳到牛奶盤裏去了，把牛奶濺得滿屋子都是。女人驚叫起來，拍着雙手。這麼一來，小鴨就飛到黃油盆裏去了，然後就飛進麪粉桶裏去了，最後才爬出來。這時他的樣子才嚇人呢!女人尖聲地叫起來，拿着火鉗要打他。小孩們擠做一團，想抓住這小鴨。他們又是笑，又是叫!——幸好大門是開着的。他鑽進灌木林中新下的雪裏面去。他躺在那裏，幾乎像昏倒了一樣。要是隻講他在這嚴冬所受到困苦和災難，那麼這個故事也就太悲慘了。當太陽又開始溫暖地照着的時候，他正躺在沼澤地的蘆葦裏。百靈鳥唱起歌來了——這是一個美麗的春天。忽然間他舉起翅膀：翅膀拍起來比以前有力得多，馬上就把他托起來飛走了。他不知不覺地已經飛進了一座大花園。這兒蘋果樹正開着花;紫丁香在散發着香氣，它又長又綠的枝條垂到彎彎曲曲的溪流上。啊，這兒美麗極了，充滿了春天的氣息!三隻美麗的白天鵝從樹蔭裏一直游到他面前來。他們輕飄飄地浮在水上，羽毛髮出颼颼的響聲。小鴨認出這些美麗的動物，於是心裏感到一種說不出的難過。
“我要飛向他們，飛向這些高貴的鳥兒!可是他們會把我弄死的，因爲我是這樣醜，居然敢接近他們。不過這沒有什麼關係!被他們殺死，要比被鴨子咬、被雞羣啄，被看管養雞場的那個女傭人踢和在冬天受苦好得多!”於是他飛到水裏，向這些美麗的天鵝游去：這些動物看到他，馬上就豎起羽毛向他游來。“請你們弄死我吧!”這隻可憐的動物說。他把頭低低地垂到水上，只等待着死。但是他在這清澈的水上看到了什麼呢?他看到了自己的倒影。但那不再是一隻粗笨的、深灰色的、又醜又令人討厭的鴨子，而卻是——一隻天鵝!
只要你曾經在一隻天鵝蛋裏待過，就算你是生在養鴨場裏也沒有什麼關係。
對於他過去所受的不幸和苦惱，他感到非常高興。他清楚地認識到幸福和美正在向他招手。——許多大天鵝在他周圍游泳，用嘴來親他。
花園裏來了幾個小孩子。他們向水上拋來許多面包片和麥粒。最小的那個孩子喊道：“你們看那隻新天鵝!”別的孩子也興高采烈地叫起來：“是的，又來了一隻新的天鵝!”於是他們拍着手，跳起舞來，向他們的爸爸和媽媽跑去。他們拋了更多的麪包和糕餅到水裏，同時大家都說：“這新來的一隻最美!那麼年輕，那麼好看!”那些老天鵝不禁在他面前低下頭來。
他感到非常難爲情。他把頭藏到翅膀裏面去，不知道怎麼辦纔好。他感到太幸福了，但他一點也不驕傲，因爲一顆好的心是永遠不會驕傲的。他想他曾經怎樣被人迫害和譏笑過，而他現在卻聽到大家說他是美麗的鳥中最美麗的一隻鳥兒。紫丁香在他面前把枝條垂到水裏去。太陽照得很溫暖，很愉快。他扇動翅膀，伸直細長的頸項，從內心裏發出一個快樂的聲音：
“當我還是一隻醜小鴨的時候，我做夢也沒有想到會有這麼的幸福!”
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