Beyond the sea, the water is so blue, like the petals of the most beautiful cornflower, and at the same time, so clear, like the brightest glass.But it was very deep, so deep that no anchor chain could reach the bottom.To reach the surface from the bottom of the sea, many church steeples must be connected one after the other.The people of the bottom of the sea live down here. But one must not think that there is nothing but a sea of ​​white sand.No, the strangest trees and plants grow there.Their twigs and leaves are so soft that at the slightest movement of the water they move as if they were living things.All fishes and fishes, big and small, swam among the branches like birds in the sky.The deepest place in the sea is where Neptune's Palace is located.Its walls are of coral, and its tall, pointed windows of the clearest amber; but the roof is made of clam-shells, that open and close as the water flows over them.This is very beautiful, because each shell contains a shiny pearl.Any pearl can be the main decoration on the Queen's hat.

Neptune who lived down there had been a widower for many years, but he had his old mother to keep the house for him.She was a clever woman, but always so proud of her noble birth that she always wore a dozen oysters in her tail--the rest of the dignitaries had half a dozen each.Besides, she deserves great credit, especially because she loves those little sea princesses--some of her granddaughters very much.They were six beautiful children, and of them the youngest was the most beautiful.Her skin was as light and tender as the petals of a rose, and her eyes were as blue as the deepest lake.However, like the other princesses, she has no legs: the lower part of her body is a fish's tail.

They could spend whole long days in palaces, in halls with flowers growing on the walls.The great amber windows were open, and the fish swam toward them, just as the swallows flew in when we opened them. But the fish kept swimming up to the little princesses, and ate in their hands, and let them pet him. Outside the palace was a great garden, in which grew many fiery red and dark blue trees; the fruit on the trees shone like gold, and the flowers bloomed like burning fire, with branches and leaves that were constantly moving.The ground was full of the finest sand, but blue as the flames of sulfur.There, everywhere shone a strange, blue light.It's easy to think you're high up in the air rather than under the sea, with blue sky above and below you.When the sea is very still, you can catch a glimpse of the sun: it is like a purple flower, and from its cups shines of all colors.

In the garden, each little princess had her own little place where she could plant whatever she wanted.Some arranged their flower beds to look like a whale, while others thought it would be best to make theirs look like a little mermaid.But the youngest made hers quite round, like the sun, and she only wanted flowers that were as red as the sun.She was a queer child, not very talkative, always thinking of something quietly.And when the other sisters adorned their gardens with the strangest things they got from shipwrecks, she would have nothing but flowers as bright as the sun high above, but a beautiful marble statue.The statue represented a handsome man, carved from a single piece of pure white stone, and had sunk to the bottom of the sea with a shipwrecked ship.She planted a weeping willow as red as a rose beside the stone statue.The tree grows very lushly.Its fresh branches hang down from the stone statue to the blue sandy bottom.Its reflection has a purplish-blue hue.Like its branches, this shadow is never still, and the roots and tops of the tree seem to be playing a game of kissing each other.

Her greatest pleasure was to hear stories about the human world above.Her old grandmother had to tell her all she knew about ships and cities, men and animals.One thing that particularly pleases her is that the flowers on the ground can give off fragrance, but the flowers on the bottom of the sea cannot; The fish can sing so crisply and beautifully, which makes people feel happy.The "fish" the old grandmother spoke of were in fact birds, but if she hadn't said so, the little princess would not have understood her story, because she had never seen a bird before. "When you are fifteen years old," said the old grandmother, "I will allow you to float on the surface of the sea. Then you can sit on the stones in the moonlight and watch the huge ships go by. You too You can see the woods and the city."

One of these sisters was fifteen years old this coming year; but the rest—well, they were each a year younger than the other.Therefore, the youngest princess will have to wait five full years before she can float up from the bottom of the sea to see our world.But each one promised the next one that she would tell everyone what she saw and discovered on the first day, because their grandmother really didn't tell enough-they didn't know what they wanted to know. how many! None of them longed so much as the younger sister, who was the one who had to wait the longest, and who was so silent and thoughtful at the same time.Many nights she stood by the open window, looking up through the dark blue water, watching the fish waving their tails and wings.She also saw the moon and the stars--they shone dimly, of course, but through a layer of water they appeared much larger than to our human eyes.If something like a black cloud floated under them, she knew it was either a whale swimming above her or a ship with many passengers on its way.But these travelers could no longer imagine that there was a beautiful little mermaid beneath them, stretching out her white hands towards the keel of their ship.

The eldest princess was now fifteen years old, and could rise to the surface of the water. When she came back, she had countless things to tell: but she said the most beautiful thing was when the sea was calm, lying on a sandy beach in the moonlight, gazing close to the shore at the great city lit up like countless Star-like lights, listen to music, noise, and the voices of carriages and people, look at the round towers and steeples of churches, and listen to the jingle of bells.And just because she couldn't go there, that's why she craved those things most. Ah, how the youngest sister listened with fascination!When she stood by the open window at night, looking up through the dark blue water, she thought of the big city and the bustle and sounds in it.So she seemed to be able to hear the church bells wafting towards her.

The next year the second sister was allowed to surface and swim wherever she wanted.The sun was just setting when she jumped out of the water; she thought it was a beautiful sight.The whole sky looked like gold now, she said, and the clouds—well, she couldn't describe their beauty!They passed over her head, now red, now purple.But flying faster than them, like a long white veil, was a flock of wild swans skimming the water.They are flying to the sun, and she also swims to the sun.But the sun went down.A rosy sunset slowly faded between the sea and the clouds. Another year passed, and the third sister floated up.She was the boldest of them all, so she swam to a great river that flowed into the sea.She saw some beautiful green hills covered with rows of grapes.Palaces and farms loomed among the lush woods; and she heard how sweetly the birds sang, and the sun shone so warmly that she was sometimes obliged to sink into the water, that her burning face might be A little cool.In a creek she met a group of human children; they were naked and swimming in the water.She would have liked to play with them for a while, but they were startled and ran away.Then came a little black animal—a puppy, a puppy she had never seen before.it barked so fiercely at her that she was frightened and ran away into the sea.But she will never forget the magnificent forest, the green mountains, and those cute babies who can swim in the water-although they don't have tails like fishes.

The fourth sister is not so bold.She rests on the desolate sea.The most beautiful thing, she said, was to be at sea: because you could look far, far away from here, and the sky hung above it like a giant glass clock.She had seen ships, but they were so far away that they looked like a seagull.She had seen happy dolphins do somersaults and gigantic whales spouting water from their nostrils as if countless fountains surrounded them. Now comes the fifth sister.Her birthday happened to be in the winter, so she could see things the other sisters hadn't seen when they first surfaced.The sea was dyed green, and huge icebergs were moving around.

She said that each iceberg looked like a bead, but was much bigger than a church tower built by man.They come in all sorts of strange shapes; they shine like diamonds.She once sat on one of the largest icebergs, letting the sea wind blow her long thin hair, and all the ships, round the spot where she sat, kept away in panic.But at dusk, a dark cloud suddenly appeared in the sky.The lightning flashed, and the thunder did not stop.Black waves lifted whole slabs of ice, making them glisten in blood-red thunder.All the ships lowered their sails, creating an atmosphere of panic and terror, but she sat quietly on the floating iceberg, watching the blue lightning zigzagging into the reflective sea.

Any one of these sisters who was going up to the surface for the first time was always very happy to see something so new and beautiful.But now that they are big girls, they can float anywhere they like, so these things don't interest them much anymore.They yearn to come home.After a month or so, they said: After all, it is better to live in the sea—how comfortable it is to be at home! Often at dusk the five sisters floated up arm in arm and lined up on the water.They can sing beautifully - more beautiful than any human voice.When the storm was approaching, and they thought some ships were about to be wrecked, they floated up to the ships, and sang very beautiful songs about how lovely it was under the sea, and told the sailors not to be afraid to sink to the bottom; These people could not understand their lyrics.They thought it was the sound of a mighty wind.Nor did they think that they would see anything beautiful on the bottom of the sea, because if the ship sank, the people on it would also drown, and they could only reach the palace of the King of the Sea as dead people. One night, when the sisters thus surfaced arm in arm, the youngest sister stayed behind alone, watching them.It looked as if she wanted to cry, but mermaids don't have tears, so she felt even worse. "Oh, how I wish I were fifteen!" she said. "I know I'm going to like the world up there, and the people who live in it." At last she was indeed fifteen. "You know, you can leave our hands now," said her grandmother, the old Queen Dowager. "Come on, let me dress you up like your sisters." So she put a garland of lilies in the little girl's hair, but each petal of the flower was half a pearl.The old lady also ordered eight big oysters to be tightly attached to the princess's tail to show her noble status. "It hurts me so much!" said the little mermaid. "Of course, one should suffer a little to be beautiful," said the old grandmother. Oh, how she wished she could get rid of these ornaments, and throw aside this heavy garland!The red flowers in her garden would suit her much better, but she dared not do so. "Good-bye!" she said.Then she was as light and clear as a bubble, emerging from the water. When she put her head out of the sea, the sun had already set, but all the clouds were still shining like roses and gold; meanwhile, in the pale red sky, the Taibai star was already twinkling beautifully and brightly Eye.The air is mild and fresh.The sea was very calm, and there was a big ship with three masts.There was only one sail on board, for there was not a breath of wind to stir.The sailors were sitting around the shrouds and over the yards. There is music and singing.When the dusk gradually becomes dark, all kinds of lanterns are lit up together.They look like flags from all over the world floating in the air.The little mermaid kept swimming towards the window of the boat.Every time when the waves lifted her up, she could look through the window pane like a mirror, and see many men in gorgeous clothes standing inside; but the most beautiful among them was the prince with a pair of big black eyes. : Undoubtedly, he was not yet sixteen years old.Today is his birthday, and it is for this reason that today is so lively. Sailors danced on deck.When the prince came out, more than a hundred rockets were shot into the sky. The sky was as bright as day, and the little mermaid was so frightened that she sank to the bottom of the water.But after a while she stuck her head out - and then she felt as if the stars were falling on her, and she had never seen such fireworks.Huge suns hissed all around, and great fishes leaped into the blue sky in all their glory.All this reflected on the clear, calm sea.The whole body of the boat was illuminated so brightly that even every tiny rope could be seen, and of course the people on board could see clearly.Ah, how beautiful the young prince was!He shook hands with the sailors and laughed and smiled as the music faded away in the radiant night. . . It was late at night, but the little mermaid could not take her eyes off the ship and the beautiful prince. The colored lanterns went out, the rockets stopped shooting into the air, and the cannonade stopped.But there was a humming and rumbling sound in the depths of the sea.She was sitting on the water, bobbing and bobbing so she could see what was in the cabin.But the ship picked up speed: her sails were all raised one after the other.The waves got bigger, heavy dark clouds floated up, and lightning struck in the distance.Ah, the great and dreadful storm is coming!The sailors therefore all lowered their sails.The gigantic ship swayed and swayed on the stormy sea.The waves rose like huge black mountains.It wants to break the mast. But the boat was like a swan, throwing itself into the torrent for a while, and lifting its head up on the high waves for a while. The little mermaid thought it was a very interesting voyage, but the sailors thought otherwise.The ship splintered now; its thick walls were buckled by the oncoming waves.The mast snapped in the middle like a reed. Then the boat began to list and water rushed into the hold.Only then did the little mermaid realize that they were in danger.She also had to watch out for beams and wreckage floating in the water. Immediately the sky became pitch black, and she could see nothing.But when the lightning struck, the sky was so bright that she could see everyone in the boat.Now everyone is trying to find a way out for themselves.She paid special attention to the prince.She saw him as the ship broke apart and sank into the depths of the sea.She became very glad at once that he was going to fall to her now.But she remembered that a man cannot live in water, and that he cannot enter her father's palace unless he is dead. No, he must not be allowed to die!So she swam among the floating beams and planks, little thinking that they might crush her to death.She sank deep into the water, then rose high in the waves, and at last she reached the side of the prince, who would never have the strength to rise again in this stormy sea.His arms and legs were beginning to give way.His beautiful eyes have been closed.If the little mermaid had not come in time, he would have been drowned. She lifted his head out of the water and let the waves carry her and him wherever he wanted to. By dawn, the storm had passed.Not a single piece of that boat was left.The bright red sun rose and shone brightly on the water.It seemed to breathe life into the prince's face.But his eyes were still closed. The little mermaid kissed his delicate high forehead and brushed back his drenched long hair.She thought he looked a lot like the marble statue she had in the little garden under the sea.She kissed him again, hoping he would wake up. Now she saw before her a land spread out and a group of high mountains of azure, whose tops glistened with snow that looked like sleeping swans.Along the coast was a beautiful green wood, and in front of it was a church or a monastery—she didn't know what it was called, but it was always a building.It had lemon and orange trees in its garden, and tall palms before the gate.The sea forms a small bay here.The water is very calm, but it is very deep from here to near the rocky cliff where there is a lot of fine sand.She carried the beautiful prince to swim there.She put him on the sand, very carefully keeping his head up in the warm sun. Bells rang from the great white building, and many young women came out through the garden.The little mermaid swam far out into the sea, behind some big rocks that stood on the surface of the sea.She covered her hair and breast with much sea-foam, so that no one could see her little face.Here she watched to see who would come to the poor prince. After a while, a young woman came over.She seemed very surprised, but it was not long, so she had a lot of people come.The little mermaid saw that the prince gradually came to life and smiled to the people around him.But he did not smile at her: of course, he had no idea that it was she who had saved him.She felt very sad.So when he was carried into the great house, she threw herself sadly into the sea, and went back to her father's palace. She had always been a quiet and thoughtful child, and now she was even more so.Her sisters asked her what she had seen the first time she rose to the surface, but she could tell nothing. Many nights and mornings she came up to the surface and swam to the spot where she had left the Prince.She saw the fruit in the garden ripe and picked; she saw the snow melt on the high mountain-tops; but she could not see the Prince. So every time she came home, she always felt more painful.Her only consolation was to sit in her little garden with her arms round the beautiful marble statue that resembled the prince.But she no longer tended her flowers.These flowers seemed to grow in the fields, and spread all over the ground: their long stalks and leaves crossed with the branches, and made the place very dark. At last she could bear it no longer.But as soon as she told one sister what was on her mind, the rest of them knew it too.But apart from them and one or two other mermaids (who only told the secret to a few intimate friends), no one else knew.One of them knew who the prince was.She had also seen that celebration on the ship.She knew where the prince came from, and where his kingdom was. "Come, little sister!" said the other princesses.Putting their hands on each other's shoulders, they rose to the surface of the sea in a long row, and swam to what they thought was the Prince's palace. The palace was built of a glowing yellowish stone, and had many broad marble steps--one of which went down to the sea.Ornate, golden round towers jut from the roof into the air.Among the columns surrounding the whole building stood many marble statues.They look like they are alive.Through the bright panes of the tall windows, one could see magnificent halls, hung with rich silk curtains and brocades, and decorated with large pictures on the walls--it was a very pleasant thing to look at. matter.In the center of the largest hall, there is a huge fountain spraying water.The water streaks shot up to the glass dome above, and the sun shot down through the glass, onto the water, and onto the plants that grew in the big pool. Now she knew where the Prince lived.Here on the water she passed many evenings and nights.She swam farther to land than any other sister dared to go.Indeed, she even swam down the narrow river, down to the magnificent marble balcony, whose long shadows were reflected in the water.Here she sat and looked at the young prince who thought he was alone in the moonlight. Several nights she saw him sailing the magnificent ship with its many flags to the sound of music.She peeped up from among the green rushes.When the wind lifted her long silver visor, if anyone saw it, they thought it was a swan spreading its wings. Several nights she heard the fishermen say many words of praise about the prince, as they went out to sea with torches.She cheered up, feeling that she had come to save his life when the waves beat him half to death; she remembered how tightly his head lay in her arms, and how passionately she kissed him .But he himself knew nothing about these things, and he never even thought of her in his dreams. Gradually she began to love humans, and gradually began to long to live among them.She felt that their world was much bigger than hers.Indeed, they could sail on the seas and climb mountains high into the sky, while their lands, with their forests and fields, stretched out as far as she could see.There was a great deal she wished to know, and none of her sisters could answer all her questions.So she had to ask her old grandmother.She did know quite well about the "Upper World"--that was her apt name for the Sea-Nation. "If men don't drown," asked the little mermaid, "will they live forever? Will they die like us who live in the sea?" "That's right," said the old lady, "they will die too, and their lives are even shorter than ours. We may live to be three hundred years old, but when our days here are over, we turned into foam on the water. We don't even leave a grave for our beloved here. We don't have an immortal soul. We never get a life after death. We are like the green seaweed , Once cut off, it will never be green again! On the contrary, human beings have a soul; it lives forever, even if the body turns to dust, it is still alive. The stars! As we rise above the waters and see the world on earth, so they rise to those mysterious and magnificent places we shall never see." "Why can't we get an immortal soul?" the little mermaid asked sadly. "I would give up the hundreds of years I can live here, if only I could become a man and enter the heavenly world, if only for a day there," "You must not think of that," said the old lady. "Compared with the humans above, our life here is much happier and better!" "Then I shall die and become a foam and float on the water. Shall I never hear the music of the waves again, nor shall I see the beautiful flowers and the bright red sun? Is there no way for me to have an eternal soul?" "No!" said the old lady. "Only when a man loves you and treats you more dearly than his parents; only when he puts all his thoughts and love on you; only when he lets the priest put his right hand on you. When in your hand, promising to be faithful to you now and forever in the future, his soul will be transferred to you, and you will get a share of human happiness. He will give you a soul, and At the same time his own soul remains immortal. But such things never happen! What we think beautiful down here at the bottom of the sea—your fish tail—they think ugly on land. : They don't know what beauty and ugliness are. With them, to be beautiful, one must have two stupid pillars—they call them legs!" The little mermaid sighed, and looked sadly at her fish tail. "Let's have fun!" said the old lady. "Let us dance and dance during the three hundred years we live. It is a long time, after all. Let us have a ball at the Palace tonight!" It was a magnificent spectacle such as one never sees on land.The walls and ceiling of this vast ballroom are of thick, transparent glass.Thousands and hundreds of gigantic shells, green and pink, stood in rows on all sides; within them burning blue flames illuminated the whole ballroom, through the walls, and thus to the sea outside.People can see countless schools of large and small fish swimming towards this crystal palace, some scales glow purple, and some light up like silver and gold.A wide torrent ran through the center of the ballroom, and the men and women of the sea danced on this torrent, singing beautiful songs that no land-dwelling people could sing. Among them, the little mermaid sang the most beautifully.They applauded her; and for a moment she felt very happy, for she knew that only her voice was the most beautiful on land and in sea.But she immediately remembered the world above. She could not forget that handsome prince, nor her sorrow at not having such an immortal soul as his.So she stole out of her father's palace: and sat sadly in her little garden, when it was full of song and joy.Suddenly she heard the sound of a horn over the water.She thought: "He must be sailing on it: he—I love him more than my father and mother; he—I miss him every moment; I put my life's happiness in his hands. I will sacrifice everything to win him and an immortal soul. While my sisters are dancing in my father's palace now, I will visit the witch of the sea. I have always been very afraid of her, but she Maybe you can teach me something and help me." So the little mermaid went out of the garden, and walked towards a foaming whirlpool behind which the witch lived.She's never been this way before.There were no flowers or seaweed here, just a bare gray sandy bottom stretching out towards the eddies.Here the water swirls like a noisy waterwheel, turning everything it touches to the bottom.To get to the area where the witch lived, she had to walk through this swirling vortex.There was a long way to pass through a place of bubbling mud: the witch called this her peat-field.There was a horrible forest behind this, and her house was in it, and all the trees and bushes were polyps—something half vegetable and half animal.They look a lot like hydras popping out of the ground.Their branches were all long, slimy arms, and their fingers were all limp as worms.They are vibrating joint by joint from root to top.They coiled tightly to whatever they could get their hands on in the sea, and never let up. The little mermaid stopped before the forest, very alarmed.Her heart jumped with fear, and she almost wanted to turn around and go back.But when she thought of the prince and the human soul, her courage returned.She fastened her long, flowing hair round her head so that the polyps could not catch her.She clasped her hands to her breast, and like a fish jumping in water, she jumped forward among these hideous polyps, which only waved their long soft arms behind her. and fingers.She saw that each of them had grasped something, and its countless small arms were coiled around it like strong iron rings.In the arms of these polyps the white skeletons of those who drowned and sunk in the sea are revealed.They held tightly to the rudder and the box, and the skeleton of a land animal, and a little mermaid they had caught and strangled—this was the most horrible thing to her. Now she came to a slimy clearing in the forest.Here the big fat water-snakes were writhing, revealing their pale yellow, hideous bellies.In the middle of the field was a house made of the bones of the dead.Here sits the witch of the sea, feeding a toad from her beak, as we feed sugar to a young canary.She called those ugly, fat water snakes her chickens, and let them crawl up and down her big, floppy chest. "I know what you are asking for," said the Witch of the Sea. "You are a fool! Still, my fair princess, I will let you achieve your purpose, for this will have a tragic end for you. You want to have your fish's tail removed and give birth to two pillars , so that you can walk like a human being. You want to make that prince fall in love with you, so that you can have him, and thus an immortal soul.” At this time the witch laughed horribly, and the Toad and the Toad The water snakes rolled to the ground and crawled around. "You have come just in time," said the witch. "After the sun rises tomorrow, I can't help you. I have to wait a year. I can make a medicine for you to drink. You take this medicine and swim to the land before the sun rises. You sit on the beach , take this medicine, so your tail can be split in two, shrinking into what humans call beautiful legs. But this is very painful - it is like a sharp knife cutting into your body. Anyone who sees Your people will say you are the most beautiful child they have ever seen! You will still keep your swimming steps, and no dancer will dance so softly. But every step of yours It will make you feel as if you are walking on a sharp knife, as if your blood is flowing out. If you can bear the pain, I can help you." "I can bear it," said the little mermaid in a trembling voice.Then she thought of the prince and her wish to have an immortal soul. "But remember," said the witch, "once you have taken the form of a man, you can never be a mermaid again, nor can you go down into the water and go back to your sister's or your father's palace Come. And if you can't get the prince's love, if you can't make him forget his parents for you, love you with all his heart, and call the priest to come and put your hands together to make a couple, you won't will have an immortal soul. On the first morning when he marries someone else, your heart will be broken and you will be like foam on the water." "I am not afraid!" said the little mermaid.But her face was pale as death. "But you will pay me!" said the witch, "and it is not a small thing that I want. You have the most beautiful voice among the people at the bottom of the sea. No doubt you want to use it." The voice to charm him, but the voice you must give to me. I must get your best in exchange for my precious medicine! I must put my own blood in this medicine to make it sharp Like a knife that's sharp on both sides!" "But if you take my voice away," said the little mermaid, "what have I left?" "You still have a beautiful figure," answered the witch, "you have a light step and expressive eyes. With these things you will easily captivate a man's heart. Well, you have失掉了勇气吗？伸出你小小的舌头吧，我可以把它割下来作为报酬，你也可以得到这服强烈的药剂了。” "就这样办吧。”小人鱼说。巫婆于是就把药罐准备好，来煎这服富有魔力的药了。 "清洁是一件好事，”她说；于是她用几条蛇打成一个结，用它来洗擦这罐子。然后她把自己的胸口抓破，让她的黑血滴到罐子里去。药的蒸气奇形怪状地升到空中，看起来是怪怕人的。每隔一会儿巫婆就加一点什么新的东西到药罐里去。当药煮到滚开的时候，有一个像鳄鱼的哭声飘出来了。最后药算是煎好了。它的样子像非常清亮的水。 "拿去吧！”巫婆说。于是她就把小人鱼的舌头割掉了。小人鱼现在成了一个哑巴，既不能唱歌，也不能说话。 "当你穿过我的森林回去的时候，如果珊瑚虫捉住了你的话，”巫婆说，“你只须把这药水洒一滴到它们的身上，它们的手臂和指头就会裂成碎片，向四边纷飞了。”可是小人鱼没有这样做的必要，因为当珊瑚虫一看到这亮晶晶的药水——它在她的手里亮得像一颗闪耀的星星——的时候，它们就在她面前惶恐地缩回去了。这样，她很快地就走过了森林、沼泽和激转的漩涡。 她可以看到她父亲的官殿了。那宽大的跳舞厅里的火把已经灭了，无疑地，里面的人已经入睡了。不过她不敢再去看他们，因为她现在已经是一个哑巴，而且就要永远离开他们。她的心痛苦得似乎要裂成碎片。她偷偷地走进花园，从每个姐姐的花坛上摘下一朵花，对着皇官用手指飞了一千个吻，然后他就浮出这深蓝色的海。 当她看到那王子的宫殿的时候，太阳还没有升起来。她庄严地走上那大理石台阶。 月亮照得透明，非常美丽。小人鱼喝下那服强烈的药剂。她马上觉到好像有一柄两面都快的刀子劈开了她纤细的身体。她马上昏了。倒下来好像死去一样。当太阳照到海上的时候，她才醒过来，她感到一阵剧痛。这时有一位年轻貌美的王子正立在她的面前。他乌黑的眼珠正在望着她，弄得她不好意思地低下头来。这时她发现她的鱼尾已经没有了，而获得一双只有少女才有的、最美丽的小小白腿。可是她没有穿衣服，所以她用她浓密的长头发来掩住自己的身体。王子问她是谁，怎样到这儿来的。她用她深蓝色的眼睛温柔而又悲哀地望着他，因为她现在已经不会讲话了。他挽着她的手，把她领进宫殿里去。 正如那巫婆以前跟她讲过的一样，她觉得每一步都好像是在锥子和利刀上行走。可是她情愿忍受这苦痛。她挽着王子的手臂，走起路来轻盈得像一个水泡。他和所有的人望着她这文雅轻盈的步子，感到惊奇。 现在她穿上了丝绸和细纱做的贵重衣服。她是宫里一个最美丽的人，然而她是一个哑巴，既不能唱歌。也不能讲话。漂亮的女奴隶，穿着丝绸，戴着金银饰物，走上前来，为王子和他的父母唱着歌。有一个奴隶唱得最迷人，王子不禁鼓起掌来，对她发出微笑。 这时小人鱼就感到一阵悲哀。她知道，有个时候她的歌声比那种歌声要美得多！她想："啊！只愿他知道，为了要和他在一起，我永远牺牲了我的声音！” 现在奴隶们跟着美妙的音乐，跳起优雅的、轻飘飘的舞来。这时小人鱼就举起她一双美丽的、白嫩的手，用脚尖站着，在地板上轻盈地跳着舞——从来还没有人这样舞过。 她的每一个动作都衬托出她的美。她的眼珠比奴隶们的歌声更能打动人的心坎。 大家都看得入了迷，特别是那位王于——他把她叫做他的“孤儿”。她不停地舞着，虽然每次当她的脚接触到地面的时候，她就像是在快利的刀上行走一样。王子说，她此后应该永远跟他在一起；因此她就得到了许可睡在他门外的一个天鹅绒的垫子上面。 他叫人为她做了一套男子穿的衣服，好使她可以陪他骑着马同行。他们走过香气扑鼻的树林，绿色的树枝扫过他们的肩膀，鸟儿在新鲜的叶子后面唱着歌。她和王子爬上高山。虽然她纤细的脚已经流出血来，而且也叫大家都看见了，她仍然只是大笑，继续伴随着他，一直到他们看到云块在下面移动、像一群向遥远国家飞去的小鸟为止。 在王子的宫殿里，夜里大家都睡了以后，她就向那宽大的台阶走去。为了使她那双发烧的脚可以感到一点清凉，她就站进寒冷的海水里。这时她不禁想起了住在海底的人们。 有一天夜里，她的姐姐们手挽着手浮过来了。她们一面在水上游泳，一面唱出凄怆的歌。这时她就向她们招手。她们认出了她；她们说她曾经多么叫她们难过。这次以后，她们每天晚上都来看她。有一晚，她遥远地看到了多年不曾浮出海面的老祖母和戴着王冠的海王。他们对她伸出手来，但他们不像她的那些姐姐，没有敢游近地面。 王子一天比一天更爱她。他像爱一个亲热的好孩子那样爱她，但是他从来没有娶她为皇后的思想。然而她必须做他的妻子，否则她就不能得到一个不灭的灵魂，而且会在他结婚的头一个早上就变成海上的泡沫。 "在所有的人中，你是最爱我的吗？”当他把她抱进怀里吻她前额的时候，小人鱼的眼睛似乎在这样说。 "是的，你是我最亲爱的人！”王子说，“因为你在一切人中有一颗最善良的心。你对我是最亲爱的，你很像我某次看到过的一个年轻女子，可是我永远再也看不见她了。那时我是坐在一艘船上——这船已经沉了。巨浪把我推到一个神庙旁的岸上。有几个年轻女子在那儿作祈祷。她们最年轻的一位在岸旁发现了我，因此救了我的生命。我只看到过她两次：她是我在这世界上能够爱的唯一的人，但是你很像她，你几乎代替了她留在我的灵魂中的印象。她是属于这个神庙的，因此我的幸运特别把你送给我。让我们永远不要分离吧！” "啊，他却不知道我救了他的生命！”小人鱼想。“我把他从海里托出来，送到神庙所在的一个树林里。我坐在泡沫后面，窥望是不是有人会来。我看到那个美丽的姑娘——他爱她胜过于爱我。”这时小人鱼深深地叹了一口气——她哭不出声来。“那个姑娘是属于那个神庙的——他曾说过。她永不会走向这个人间的世界里来——他们永不会见面了。我是跟他在一起，每天看到他的。我要照看他，热爱他，对他献出我的生命！” 现在大家在传说王子快要结婚了，她的妻子就是邻国国王的一个女儿。他为这事特别装备好了一艘美丽的船。王子在表面上说是要到邻近王国里去观光，事实上他是为了要去看邻国君主的女儿。他将带着一大批随员同去。小人鱼摇了摇头，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！”他对她说过，“我得去看一位美丽的公主，这是我父母的命令，但是他们不能强迫我把她作为未婚妻带回家来！我不会爱她的。你很像神庙里的那个美丽的姑娘，而她却不像。如果我要选择新嫁娘的话，那么我就要先选你——我亲爱的、有一双能讲话的眼睛的哑巴孤女。” 于是他吻了她鲜红的嘴唇，摸抚着她的长头发、把他的头贴到她的心上，弄得她的这颗心又梦想起人间的幸福和一个不灭的灵魂来。 "你不害怕海吗，我的哑巴孤儿？”他问。这时他们正站在那艘华丽的船上，它正向邻近的王国开去。他和她谈论着风暴和平静的海，生活在海里的奇奇怪怪的鱼，和潜水夫在海底所能看到的东西。对于这类的故事，她只是微微地一笑，因为关于海底的事儿她比谁都知道得清楚。 在月光照着的夜里，大家都睡了，只有掌舵人立在舵旁。这时她就坐在船边上，凝望着下面清亮的海水，她似乎看到了她父亲的王宫。她的老祖母头上戴着银子做的皇冠，正高高地站在王宫顶上；她透过激流朝这条船的龙骨了望。不一会，他的姐姐们都浮到水面上来了，她们悲哀地望着她，苦痛地扭著她们白净的手。她向她们招手，微笑，同时很想告诉她们，说她现在一切都很美好和幸福。不过这时船上的一个侍者忽然向她这边走来。她的姐姐们马上就沉到水里，侍者以为自己所看到的那些白色的东西，不过只是些海上的泡沫。 第二天早晨，船开进邻国壮丽皇城的港口。所有教堂的钟都响起来了，号笛从许多高楼上吹来，兵士们拿着飘扬的旗子和明晃的刺刀在敬礼。每天都有一个宴会。舞会和晚会在轮流举行着，可是公主还没有出现。人们说她在一个遥远的神庙里受教育，学习皇家的一切美德。最后她终于到来了。 小人鱼迫切地想要看看她的美貌。她不得不承认她的美了，她从来没有看见过比这更美的形体。她的皮肤是那么细嫩，洁白；在她黑长的睫毛后面是一对微笑的、忠诚的、深蓝色的眼珠。 "就是你！”王子说，“当我像一具死尸躺在岸上的时候，救活我的就是你！”于是他把这位羞答答的新嫁娘紧紧地抱在自己的怀里。“啊，我太幸福了！”他对小人鱼说，“我从来不敢希望的最好的东西，现在终于成为事实了。你会为我的幸福而高兴吧，因为你是一切人中最喜欢我的人！” 小人鱼把他的手吻了一下。她觉得她的心在碎裂。他举行婚礼后的头一个早晨就会带给她灭亡，就会使她变成海上的泡沫。 教堂的钟都响起来了，传令人骑着马在街上宣布订婚的喜讯。每一个祭台上，芬芳的油脂在贵重的油灯里燃烧。祭司们挥着香炉，新郎和新娘互相挽着手来接受主教的祝福。小人鱼这时穿着丝绸，戴着金饰，托着新嫁娘的披纱，可是她的耳朵听不见这欢乐的音乐，她的眼睛看不见这神圣的仪式。她想起了她要灭亡的早晨，和她在这世界已经失去了的一切东西。 在同一天晚上，新郎和新娘来到船上。礼炮响起来了，旗帜在飘扬着。一个金色和紫色的皇家帐篷在船中央架起来了，里面陈设得有最美丽的垫子。在这儿，这对美丽的新婚夫妇将度过他们这清凉和寂静的夜晚。 风儿在鼓着船帆。船在这清亮的海上，轻柔地航行着，没有很大的波动。 当暮色渐渐垂下来的时候，彩色的灯光就亮起来了，水手们愉快地在甲板上跳起舞来。小人鱼不禁想起她第一次浮到海面上来的情景，想起她那时看到的同样华丽和欢乐的场面。她于是旋舞起来，飞翔着，正如一只被追逐的燕子在飞翔着一样。大家都在喝采，称赞她，她从来没有跳得这么美丽。快利的刀子似乎在砍着她的细嫩的脚，但是她并不感觉到痛，因为她的心比这还要痛。 她知道这是她看到他的最后一晚——为了他，她离开了她的族人和家庭，她交出了她美丽的声音，她每天忍受着没有止境的苦痛，然而他却一点儿也不知道。这是她能和他在一起呼吸同样空气的最后一晚，这是她能看到深沉的海和布满了星星的天空的最后一晚。同时一个没有思想和梦境的永恒的夜在等待着她——没有灵魂、而且也得不到一个灵魂的她。一直到半夜过后，船上的一切还是欢乐和愉快的。她笑着，舞着，但是她心中怀着死的思想。王子吻着自己的美丽的新娘：新娘抚弄着他的乌亮的头发。他们手搀着手到那华丽的帐篷里去休息。 船上现在是很安静的了。只有舵手站在舵旁。小人鱼把她洁白的手臂倚在舷墙上，向东方凝望，等待着晨曦的出现——她知道，头一道太阳光就会叫她灭亡，她看到她的姐姐们从波涛中涌现出来了。她们是像她自己一样地苍白。她们美丽的长头发已经不在风中飘荡了——因为它已经被剪掉了。 "我们已经把头发交给了那个巫婆，希望她能帮助你，使你今后不至于灭亡。她给了我们一把刀子。拿去吧，你看，它是多么快！在太阳没有出来以前，你得把它插进那个王子的心里去。当他的热血流到你脚上时，你的双脚将会又联到一起，成为一条鱼尾，那么你就可以恢复人鱼的原形，你就可以回到我们这儿的水里来；这样，在你没有变成无生命的咸水泡沫以前，你仍旧可以活过你三百年的岁月。快动手！在太阳没有出来以前，不是他死，就是你死了！我们的老祖母悲恸得连她的白发都落光了，正如我们的头发在巫婆的剪刀下落掉一样。刺死那个王子，赶快回来吧！快动手呀！你没有看到天上的红光吗，几分钟以后，太阳就出来了，那时你就必然灭亡！” 她们发出一个奇怪的、深沉的叹息声，于是她们便沉入浪涛里去了。 小人鱼把那帐篷上紫色的帘子掀开，看到那位美丽的新娘把头枕在王子的怀里睡着了。她弯下腰，在王子清秀的眉毛上亲了一吻，于是她向天空凝视——朝霞渐渐地变得更亮了。她向尖刀看了一跟，接着又把眼睛掉向这个王子；他正在梦中喃喃地念着他的新嫁娘的名字。他思想中只有她存在。刀子在小人鱼的手里发抖。但是正在这时候，她把这刀子远远地向浪花里扔去。刀子沉下的地方，浪花就发出一道红光，好像有许多血滴溅出了水面。她再一次把她迷糊的视线投向这王子，然后她就从船上跳到海里，她觉得她的身躯在融化成为泡沫。 现在太阳从海里升起来了。阳光柔和地、温暖地照在冰冷的泡沫上。因为小人鱼并没有感到灭亡。她看到光明的太阳，同时在她上面飞着无数透明的、美丽的生物。透过它们，她可以看到船上的白帆和天空的彩云。它们的声音是和谐的音乐。可是那么虚无缥缈，人类的耳朵简直没有办法听见，正如地上的眼睛不能看见它们一样。它们没有翅膀，只是凭它们轻飘的形体在空中浮动。小人鱼觉得自己也获得了它们这样的形体，渐渐地从泡沫中升起来。 "我将向谁走去呢？”她问。她的声音跟这些其他的生物一样，显得虚无缥缈，人世间的任何音乐都不能和它相比。 "到天空的女儿那儿去呀！”别的声音回答说。“人鱼是没有不灭的灵魂的，而且永远也不会有这样的灵魂，除非她获得了一个凡人的爱情。她的永恒的存在要依靠外来的力量。天空的女儿也没有永恒的灵魂，不过她们可以通过善良的行为而创造出一个灵魂。我们飞向炎热的国度里去，那儿散布着病疫的空气在伤害着人民，我们可以吹起清凉的风，可以把花香在空气中传播，我们可以散布健康和愉快的精神。三百年以后，当我们尽力做完了我们可能做的一切善行以后，我们就可以获得一个不灭的灵魂，就可以分享人类一切永恒的幸福了。你，可怜的小人鱼，像我们一样，曾经全心全意地为那个目标而奋斗。你忍受过痛苦；你坚持下去了；你已经超升到精灵的世界里来了。通过你的善良的工作，在三百年以后，你就可以为你自己创造出一个不灭的灵魂。” 小人鱼向上方的太阳举起了她光亮的手臂，她第一次感到要流出眼泪。 在那条船上，人声和活动又开始了。她看到王子和他美丽的新娘在寻找她。他们悲悼地望着那翻腾的泡沫，好像他们知道她已经跳到浪涛里去了似的。在冥冥中她吻着这位新嫁娘的前额，她对王子微笑。于是她就跟其他的空气中的孩子们一道，骑上玫瑰色的云块，升入天空里去了。 "这样，三百年以后，我们就可以升入天国！” "我们也许还不须等那么久！”一个声音低语着。“我们无形无影地飞进人类的住屋里去，那里面生活着一些孩子。每一天如果我们找到一个好孩子，如果他给他父母带来快乐、值得他父母爱他的话，上帝就可以缩短我们考验的时间。当我们飞过屋子的时候，孩子是不会知道的。当我们幸福地对着他笑的时候，我们就可以在这三百年中减去一年；但当我们看到一个顽皮和恶劣的孩子、而不得不伤心地哭出来的时候，那么每一颗眼泪就使我们考验的日子多加一天。”