这个故事最先发表在《新的童话》里，写的是母亲对自己的孩子的爱。“啊！为了我的孩子，我什么都可以牺牲！”死神把母亲的孩子抢走了，但她追到天边也要找到他。她终于找到了死神。死神让她看了看孩子的“整个未来，整个人间生活。”有的是“愉快”和“幸福”，但有的则是“忧愁和贫困、苦难和悲哀的化身”。仍然是为了爱，母亲最后只有放下自己的孩子，向死神祈求：“请把我的孩子从苦难中救出来吧！还是请您把他带走吧！把他带到上帝的国度里去！”安徒生在他的手记中说：“写《母亲的故事》时我没有任何特殊的动机。我只是在街上行走的时候，有关它的思想，忽然在我的心里酝酿起来了。”
The Story of a Mother母亲的故事
A mother sat by her little child，she was very sad，for she feared it would die. It was quite pale，and its little eyes were closed，and sometimes it drew a heavy deep breath，almost like a sigh，and then the mother gazed more sadly than ever on the poor little creature. Some one knocked at the door，and a poor old man walked in. He was wrapped in something that looked like a great horsecloth，and he required it truly to keep him warm，for it was cold winter. The country everywhere lay covered with snow and ice，and the wind blew so sharply that it cut ones face. The little child had dozed doze vi.瞌睡，假寐vt.打瞌睡度过n.瞌睡 off to sleep for a moment，and the mother，seeing that the old man shivered with the cold，rose and placed a small mug of beer on the stove to warm for him. The old man sat and rocked the cradle； and the mother seated herself on a chair near him，and looked at her sick child who still breathed heavily，and took hold of its little hand.
一个母亲坐在她孩子的身旁，显得很焦虑，因为她害怕孩子会死去。他的小脸蛋已经没有血色了，他的眼睛闭起来了；他的呼吸很困难，只是偶尔深深地吸一口气，仿佛在叹息。母亲望着这个小小的生物，模样比以前更愁苦。有人在敲门，一个穷苦的老头儿走进来了。他裹着一件宽大得像马毡一样的衣服，因为这使人感到更温暖，并且他也有这个需要。外面是寒冷的冬天，一切都被雪和冰覆盖了，风吹得更厉害，刺人的面孔。当这孩子暂时睡着了。老头儿正冻得发抖时，母亲走过去，在火炉上的一个小罐子里倒进一点啤酒，目的是让这老人喝了暖一下身子。老人坐下来，摇着摇篮。母亲也在他旁边的一张椅子上坐下来，望着她那个呼吸很困难的病孩子，握着他的一只小小的手。
“You think I shall keep him，do you not？” she said. “Our allmerciful God will surely not take him away from me.”
“你以为我要把他拉住，是不是？”她问，“我们仁慈的上帝会不会把他从我手中夺去？”
The old man，who was indeed Death himself，nodded his head in a peculiar manner，which might have signified signify vt.表示，意味vi.要紧，有重要性v.颇为重要，表示 either Yes，or No，and the mother cast down her eyes，while the tears rolled down her cheeks. Then her head became heavy，for she had not closed her eyes for three days and nights，and she slept，but only for a moment. Shivering with cold，she started up and looked round the room. The old man was gone，and her child—it was gone too！—the old man had taken it with him. In the corner of the room the old clock began to strike，“whirr” went the chains，the heavy weight sank to the ground，and the clock stopped，and the poor mother rushed out of the house calling for her child. Out in the snow sat a woman in long black garments，and she said to the mother，“Death has been with you in your room. I saw him hastening away with your little child，he strides faster than the wind，and never brings back what he has taken away.”
这个老头儿——他就是死神——用一种奇怪的姿势点了点头，他的意思好像是在说“是”，又像“不是”。母亲低下头来望着地面，眼泪顺着双颊往下流。她的头感觉很沉，因为她已经三天三夜没有合过眼睛。显然她是睡着了，不过只睡着了一会儿。接着她惊醒过来，浑身打着寒战。“这是怎么一回事？”她说着同时向周围望望。不过那个老头儿已经不见了，她的孩子也不见了——他已经把他带走了？墙角那儿的一座老钟在发出咝咝声，“扑通”！那个铅做的老钟摆掉到地上来了，钟也停止了敲打。这个可怜的母亲跑到门外来，喊着她的孩子。在外面的雪地上坐着一个穿黑长袍的女人，她说：“死神刚刚和你一起坐在你的房间里：我看到他抱着你的孩子急急忙忙地跑了，他跑起来比风还快。凡是他所拿走的东西，他永远也不会再送回来了！”
“Only tell me which way he has gone.” said the mother，“ tell me the way，I will find him.”
“请告诉我，他向哪个方向走了？”母亲说，“请把方向告诉我，我要去找他！”
“I know the way，” said the woman in the black garments； “but before I tell you，you must sing to me all the songs that you have sung to your child. I love these songs，and I have heard them before. I am Night，and I saw your tears flow as you sang.”
“我知道！”穿黑衣服的女人说。“只是在我告诉你以前，你必须把你对孩子唱过的歌都唱给我听。我很喜欢那些歌，我从前听过。我就是‘夜之神’。你唱的时候，我看到你流出眼泪。”
“I will sing them all to you，” said the mother； “but do not detain me now. I must overtake him，and find my child.”
“我将把这些歌都唱给你听”母亲说，“但请不要留住我，因为我得追赶上他，把我的孩子找回来。”
But Night sat silent and still. Then the mother wept and sang，and wrung her hands. And there were many songs，and yet even more tears，till at length Night said，“Go to the right，into the dark forest of firtrees，for I saw Death take that road with your little child.”
夜之神坐着一声不响。母亲只好痛苦地扭着双手，唱着歌，流着眼泪。她唱的歌很多，可她流的眼泪更多，于是夜之神说：“你可以向右边的那个黑枞树林走去：我看见死神抱着你的孩子跑到那条路上去了。”
Within the wood the mother came to cross roads，and she did not know which to take. Just by stood a thornbush，it had neither leaf nor flower，for it was the cold winter time，and icicles hung on the branches. “Have you not seen Death go by，with my little child？” she asked.
路在树林深处和另一条路交叉起来：她不知道走哪条路好。这里有一丛荆棘，既没有一朵花，也没有一片叶子。这时正是寒冷的冬天，那些小枝上只挂着冰柱。“你是否看到死神抱着我的孩子走过去？”
“Yes，” replied the thornbush，“but I will not tell you which way he has taken until you have warmed me in your bosom. I am freezing to death here，and turning to ice.”
“看到过。”荆棘丛说，“不过我不愿告诉你他去的方向，除非你把我抱在你的胸前温暖一下。我快要变成冰了，我在这儿冻得要死。”