The next morning she again stole out to see him. He was alive but very weak； he could only open his eyes for a moment to look at Tiny， who stood by holding a piece of decayed wood in her hand， for she had no other lantern. ”

Thank you， pretty little maiden¹，“ said the sick swallow； ”I have been so nicely warmed， that I shall soon regain² my strength， and be able to fly about again in the warm sunshine.”

第二天夜里，她又偷偷地去看他。他现在已经活了，不过还是有点昏迷。他只能把眼睛微微地睁开一忽儿，望了拇指姑娘一下。拇指姑娘手里拿着一块引火柴站着，因为她没有别的灯盏。

“我感谢你——你，可爱的小宝宝！”这只身体不太好的燕子对她说，“我现在真是舒服和温暖！不久就可以恢复体力，又可以飞了，在暖和的阳光中飞了。”

“Oh，” said she， “it is cold out of doors now； it snows and freezes. Stay in your warm bed； I will take care of you.”

Then she brought the swallow some water in a flower-leaf， and after he had drank， he told her that he had wounded one of his wings in a thorn-bush， and could not fly as fast as the others， who were soon far away on their journey to warm countries. Then at last he had fallen to the earth， and could remember no more， nor how he came to be where she had found him.

“啊，”她说。“外面是多么冷啊。雪花在飞舞，遍地都在结冰。还是请你睡在你温暖的床上吧，我可以来照料你呀。”

她用花瓣盛着水送给燕子。燕子喝了水以后，就告诉她说，他有一个翅膀曾经在一个多刺的灌木林上擦伤了，因此不能跟别的燕子们飞得一样快；那时他们正在远行，飞到那辽远的、温暖的国度里去。最后他落到地上来了，可是其余的事情他现在就记不起来了。他完全不知道自己怎样来到了这块地方的。

The whole winter the swallow remained underground， and Tiny nursed him with care and love. Neither the mole³ nor the field-mouse knew anything about it， for they did not like swallows.
Very soon the spring time came， and the sun warmed the earth. Then the swallow bade farewell to Tiny， and she opened the hole in the ceiling which the mole had made. The sun shone in upon them so beautifully， that the swallow asked her if she would go with him； she could sit on his back， he said， and he would fly away with her into the green woods. But Tiny knew it would make the field-mouse very grieved if she left her in that manner， so she said， “No， I cannot.”

燕子在这儿住了一整个冬天。拇指姑娘待他很好，非常喜欢他，鼹鼠和田鼠一点儿也不知道这事，因为他们不喜欢这只可怜的、孤独的燕子。

当春天一到来，太阳把大地照得很温暖的时候，燕子就向拇指姑娘告别了。她把鼹鼠在顶上挖的那个洞打开。太阳非常明亮地照着他们。于是燕子就问拇指姑娘愿意不愿意跟他一起离开：她可以骑在他的背上，这样他们就可以远远地飞走，飞向绿色的树林里去。不过拇指姑娘知道，如果她这样离开的话，田鼠就会感到痛苦的。“不成，我不能离开！”拇指姑娘说。

“Farewell， then， farewell， you good， pretty little maiden，” said the swallow； and he flew out into the sunshine.

Tiny looked after him， and the tears rose in her eyes. She was very fond of the poor swallow.

“Tweet， tweet，” sang the bird， as he flew out into the green woods， and Tiny felt very sad. She was not allowed to go out into the warm sunshine. The corn which had been sown in the field over the house of the field-mouse had grown up high into the air， and formed a thick wood to Tiny， who was only an inch in height.

“那么再会吧，再会吧，你这善良的、可爱的姑娘！”燕子说。于是他就向太阳飞去。拇指姑娘在后面望着他，她的两眼里闪着泪珠，因为她是那么喜爱这只可怜的燕子。

“滴丽！滴丽！”燕子唱着歌，向一个绿色的森林飞去。

拇指姑娘感到非常难过。田鼠不许她走到温暖的太阳光中去。在田鼠屋顶上的田野里，麦子已经长得很高了。对于这个可怜的小女孩子说来，这麦子简直是一起浓密的森林，因为她究竟不过只有一寸来高呀。

“You are going to be married， Tiny，” said the field-mouse. “My neighbor has asked for you. What good fortune for a poor child like you. Now we will prepare your wedding clothes. They must be both woollen and linen⁴. Nothing must be wanting when you are the mole's wife.”

Tiny had to turn the spindle， and the field-mouse hired four spiders， who were to weave day and night. Every evening the mole visited her， and was continually speaking of the time when the summer would be over. Then he would keep his wedding-day with Tiny； but now the heat of the sun was so great that it burned the earth， and made it quite hard， like a stone. As soon， as the summer was over， the wedding should take place. But Tiny was not at all pleased； for she did not like the tiresome⁵ mole. Every morning when the sun rose， and every evening when it went down， she would creep out at the door， and as the wind blew aside the ears of corn， so that she could see the blue sky， she thought how beautiful and bright it seemed out there， and wished so much to see her dear swallow again. But he never returned； for by this time he had flown far away into the lovely green forest.

“在这个夏天，你得把你的新嫁衣缝好！”田鼠对她说，因为她的那个邻居——那个穿着黑天鹅绒袍子的鼹鼠——已经向她求婚了。“你得准备好毛衣和棉衣。当你做了鼹鼠太太以后，你应该有坐着穿的衣服和睡着穿的衣服呀。”

拇指姑娘现在得摇起纺车来。鼹鼠聘请了四位蜘蛛，日夜为她纺纱和织布。每天晚上鼹鼠来拜访她一次。鼹鼠老是在咕噜地说：等到夏天快要完的时候，太阳就不会这么热了；现在太阳把地面烤得像石头一样硬。是的，等夏天过去以后，他就要跟拇指姑娘结婚了。不过她一点也不感到高兴，因为她的确不喜欢这位讨厌的鼹鼠。每天早晨，当太阳升起的时候，每天黄昏，当太阳落下的时候，她就偷偷地走到门那儿去。当风儿把麦穗吹向两边，使得她能够看到蔚蓝色的天空的时候，她就想象外面是非常光明和美丽的，于是她就热烈地希望再见到她的亲爱的燕子。可是这燕子不再回来了，无疑地，他已经飞向很远很远的、美丽的、青翠的树林里去了。

When autumn arrived， Tiny had her outfit⁶ quite ready； and the field-mouse said to her， “In four weeks the wedding must take place.”

Then Tiny wept， and said she would not marry the disagreeable mole.

“Nonsense，” replied the field-mouse. “Now don't be obstinate⁷， or I shall bite you with my white teeth. He is a very handsome mole； the queen herself does not wear more beautiful velvets and furs. His kitchen and cellars are quite full. You ought to be very thankful for such good fortune.”

So the wedding-day was fixed⁹， on which the mole was to fetch Tiny away to live with him， deep under the earth， and never again to see the warm sun， because he did not like it. The poor child was very unhappy at the thought of saying farewell to the beautiful sun， and as the field-mouse had given her permission to stand at the door， she went to look at it once more.

现在是秋天了，拇指姑娘的全部嫁衣也准备好了。“四个星期以后，你的婚礼就要举行了，”田鼠对她说。

但是拇指姑娘哭了起来，说她不愿意和这讨厌的鼹鼠结婚。

“胡说！”田鼠说，“你不要固执；不然的话，我就要用我的白牙齿来咬你！他是一个很可爱的人，你得和他结婚！就是皇后也没有他那样好的黑天鹅绒袍子哩！他的厨房和储藏室里都藏满了东西。你得到这样一个丈夫，应该感谢上帝！”

现在婚礼要举行了。鼹鼠已经来了，他亲自来迎接拇指姑娘。她得跟他生活在一起，住在深深的地底下，永远也不能到温暖的太阳光中来，因为他不喜欢太阳。这个可怜的小姑娘现在感到非常难过，因为她现在不得不向那光耀的太阳告别——这太阳，当她跟田鼠住在一起的时候，她还能得到许可在门口望一眼。

“Farewell bright sun，” she cried， stretching out her arm towards it； and then she walked a short distance from the house； for the corn had been cut， and only the dry stubble remained in the fields. “Farewell， farewell，” she repeated， twining her arm round a little red flower that grew just by her side. “Greet the little swallow from me， if you should see him again.”

“Tweet， tweet，” sounded over her head suddenly. She looked up， and there was the swallow himself flying close by. As soon as he spied Tiny， he was delighted； and then she told him how unwilling¹⁰ she felt to marry the ugly mole， and to live always beneath the earth， and never to see the bright sun any more. And as she told him she wept.

“再会吧，您，光明的太阳！”她说着，同时向空中伸出双手，并且向田鼠的屋子外面走了几步——因为现在大麦已经收割了，这儿只剩下干枯的茬子。“再会吧，再会吧！”她又重复地说，同时用双臂抱住一朵还在开着的小红花。“假如你看到了那只小燕子的话，我请求你代我向他问候一声。”

“滴丽！滴丽！”在这时候，一个声音忽然在她的头上叫起来。她抬头一看，这正是那只小燕子刚刚在飞过。他一看到拇指姑娘，就显得非常高兴。她告诉他说，她多么不愿意要那个丑鼹鼠做她的丈夫啊；她还说，她得住在深深的地底下，太阳将永远照不进来。一想到这点，她就忍不住哭起来了。

“Cold winter is coming，” said the swallow， “and I am going to fly away into warmer countries. Will you go with me？ You can sit on my back， and fasten yourself on with your sash. Then we can fly away from the ugly mole and his gloomy rooms，- far away， over the mountains， into warmer countries， where the sun shines more brightly- than here； where it is always summer， and the flowers bloom in greater beauty. Fly now with me， dear little Tiny； you saved my life when I lay frozen in that dark passage.”

“Yes， I will go with you，” said Tiny； and she seated herself on the bird's back， with her feet on his outstretched wings， and tied her girdle to one of his strongest feathers. 　Then the swallow rose in the air， and flew over forest and over sea， high above the highest mountains， covered with eternal snow. Tiny would have been frozen in the cold air， but she crept under the bird's warm feathers， keeping her little head uncovered， so that she might admire the beautiful lands over which they passed.

“寒冷的冬天现在要到来了，”小燕子说。“我要飞得很远，飞到温暖的国度里去。你愿意跟我一块儿去吗？你可以骑在我的背上！你用腰带紧紧地把你自己系牢。这样我们就可以离开这丑恶的鼹鼠，从他黑暗的房子飞走——远远地、远远地飞过高山，飞到温暖的国度里去：那儿的太阳光比这儿更美丽，那儿永远只有夏天，那儿永远开着美丽的花朵。跟我一起飞吧，你，甜蜜的小拇指姑娘；当我在那个阴惨的地洞里冻得僵直的时候，你救了我的生命！”

“是的，我将和你一块儿去！”拇指姑娘说。她坐在这鸟儿的背上，把脚搁在他展开的双翼上，同时把自己用腰带紧紧地系在他最结实的一根羽毛上。这么着，燕子就飞向空中，飞过森林，飞过大海，高高地飞过常年积雪的大山。在这寒冷的高空中，拇指姑娘冻得抖起来。但是这时她就钻进这鸟儿温暖的羽毛里去。她只是把她的小脑袋伸出来，欣赏她下面的美丽风景。

At last they reached the warm countries， where the sun shines brightly， and the sky seems so much higher above the earth. Here， on the hedges， and by the wayside， grew purple， green， and white grapes； lemons and oranges hung from trees in the woods； and the air was fragrant¹¹ with myrtles and orange blossoms. Beautiful children ran along the country lanes， playing with large gay butterflies； and as the swallow flew farther and farther， every place appeared still more lovely

At last they came to a blue lake， and by the side of it， shaded by trees of the deepest green， stood a palace of dazzling white marble， built in the olden times. Vines clustered round its lofty pillars， and at the top were many swallows' nests， and one of these was the home of the swallow who carried Tiny.

最后他们来到了温暖的国度。那儿的太阳比在我们这里照得光耀多了，天空似乎也加倍地高。田沟里，篱笆上，都生满了最美丽的紫葡萄和绿葡萄。树林里处处悬挂着柠檬和橙子。空气里飘着桃金娘和麝香的香气；许多非常可爱的小孩子在路上跑来跑去，跟一些颜色鲜艳的大蝴蝶儿一块儿嬉戏。随着燕子越飞越远，风景也越来越美丽。

后来呢他们来到了一个碧蓝色的湖边，在一片绿树的掩映下，一幢白得放亮的、大理石砌成的古代宫殿矗立在这里。葡萄藤围着许多高大的圆柱丛生着。它们的顶上有许多燕子窠，其中有一个窠就是现在带着拇指姑娘飞行的这只燕子的住所。

“This is my house，” said the swallow； “but it would not do for you to live there- you would not be comfortable. You must choose for yourself one of those lovely flowers， and I will put you down upon it， and then you shall have everything that you can wish to make you happy.”

“That will be delightful，” she said， and clapped her little hands for joy.

A large marble pillar lay on the ground， which， in falling， had been broken into three pieces. Between these pieces grew a most beautiful large white flower； so the swallow flew down with Tiny， and placed her on one of the broad leaves. But how surprised she was to see in the middle of the flower， a tiny little man， as white and transparent¹² as if he had been made of crystal！ He had a gold crown on his head， and delicate wings at his shoulders， and was not much larger than Tiny herself. He was the angel of the flower； for a tiny man and a tiny woman dwell in every flower； and this was the king of them all.
　　  
“这儿就是我家，”燕子说。“不过，这不是你住的地方，你住在这里会不舒服的。你得从这些可爱的花里选择一朵，我可以把你放在它上面。那么你要想住得怎样舒服，就可以怎样舒服了。”

“那好极了，”她说，拍着她的一双小手。

那儿有一根巨大的大理石柱。它已经倒在地上，并且跌成了三段。不过在它们中间生出一朵最美丽的白色鲜花。燕子带着拇指姑娘飞下来，把她放在它的一片宽阔的花瓣上面。这个小姑娘感到多么惊奇啊！在那朵花的中央坐着一个小小的男子！——他是那么白皙和透明，好像是水晶做成的。他头上戴着一顶最华丽的金制王冠，他肩上生着一双精美的翅膀，而他本身并不比拇指姑娘高大。他就是花中的安琪儿。每一朵花里都住着这么一个小小的男子或女子。而这一位就是他们大家的国王。

“Oh， how beautiful he is！” whispered Tiny to the swallow.

The little prince was at first quite frightened at the bird， who was like a giant， compared to such a delicate little creature as himself； but when he saw Tiny， he was delighted， and thought her the prettiest little maiden he had ever seen. He took the gold crown from his head， and placed it on hers， and asked her name， and if she would be his wife， and queen over all the flowers.

This certainly was a very different sort of husband to the son of a toad¹³， or the mole， with  black velvet⁸ and fur； so she said， “Yes，” to the handsome prince. Then all the flowers opened， and out of each came a little lady or a tiny lord， all so pretty it was quite a pleasure to look at them. Each of them brought Tiny a present； but the best gift was a pair of beautiful wings， which had belonged to a large white fly and they fastened them to Tiny's shoulders， so that she might fly from flower to flower. Then there was much rejoicing， and the little swallow who sat above them， in his nest， was asked to sing a wedding song， which he did as well as he could； but in his heart he felt sad for he was very fond of Tiny， and would have liked never to part from her again.

“我的天啦！他是多么美啊！”拇指姑娘对燕子低声说。

这位小小的王子非常害怕这只燕子，因为他是那么细小和柔嫩，对他说来，燕子简直是太庞了。不过当他看到拇指姑娘的时候，他马上就变得高兴起来：她是他一生中所看到的一位最美丽的姑娘。因此他从头上取下金王冠，把它戴到她的头上。他问了她的姓名，问她愿不愿意做他的妻子——这样她就可以做一切花儿的皇后了。

这位王子与癞蛤蟆的儿子和那只穿大黑天鹅绒袍子的鼹鼠完全不同！因此她就对这位英俊的王子说：“我愿意。”  这时，所有的花儿都开放了，每一朵花里走出一位女子或一位男子来。他们是那么可爱，就是看他们一眼也是幸福的。他们每人送了拇指姑娘一件礼物，但是其中最好的礼物是从一只大白蝇身上取下的一对翅膀。他们把这对翅膀安到拇指姑娘的背上，这么着，她现在就可以在花朵之间飞来飞去了。这时大家都欢乐起来。燕子坐在上面自己的窠里，被邀请为他们唱一首婚礼进行曲。他尽力唱好这首歌，然而他的心里感到有些悲哀，因为他是那么喜欢拇指姑娘，他的确希望永远不要和她离开。

“Farewell， farewell，” said the swallow， with a heavy heart as he left the warm countries to fly back into Denmark. There he had a nest over the window of a house in which dwelt the writer of fairy tales. The swallow sang， “Tweet， tweet，” and from his song came the whole story.  

“再会吧！再会吧！”燕子说。他带着一颗沉重的心从这温暖的国度飞回到丹麦去。在丹麦，他在一个会写童话的人的窗子上筑了一个小窠。他对这个人唱：“滴丽！滴丽！”我们这整个故事就是从他那儿听来的。（1835）