这篇故事发表在1862年哥本哈根出版的《新的童话和故事集》第二卷第二部里。故事虽然是描写一个艺术家在他的创作过程中灵魂的颤动不安和苦闷，但事实上它也涉及到一切严肃的创作家——作家和诗人。这位艺术家站在梵蒂冈城内，站在数千年来许多大师雕刻的那些大理石像的面前。他胸中起了一种雄浑的感觉，感到身体内有某种崇高、神圣、高超、伟大和善良的东西。于是，他也希望能从大理石中创造和雕刻出同样的形象。他希望能从自己心中所感觉着的，向那永恒无际的空间飞跃着的那种感觉，创造出一种形象来。不过怎么样的一种形象呢？在许多年的灵魂斗争、幻想、失望及至艺术家本人灭亡，被世人遗忘以后，“在一个要埋葬一位年轻修女的坟坑里，人们在一个粉红色的早晨，取出了一个雪白的大理石雕刻的素琪的形象。”“它是多美，多完整啊！它是一种最兴盛的时代的艺术品！”梵高的画，莫扎特的音乐及其作者也几乎都有同样遭遇。
关于这篇故事的写作过程，安徒生在他1861年的日记中写道，故事于这年他在罗马的时候动笔。那时他记起了1833—1834年他在罗马的时候，想起了要写这样一篇故事。当时有一个年轻人死了。人们在为他掘坟墓的时候，发现了希腊神话中酒神的一尊雕像。他回到哥本哈根以后，把他写好的这篇故事念给朋友们听，又在1861年9月11日重写了一次，最后完成。
The Psyche素琪
In the fresh morning dawn，in the rosyrosy adj.蔷薇色的，玫瑰红色的 air gleams a great Star，the brightest Star of the morning. His rays tremble on the white wall，as if he wished to write down on it what he can tell，what he has seen there and elsewhere during thousands of years in our rolling world. Let us hear one of his stories.
天亮的时分，有一颗星——一颗最耀眼的晨星，在玫瑰色的空中闪着闪耀的光彩。它的光线在白色的墙上颤动着，仿佛要把它所知道的东西和数千年来在我们这个转动着的地球上各处看到的东西，都在那面墙上记下来。我们来听它讲的一个故事吧：A short time ago—the Stars “short time ago” is called among men “centuries ago”—my rays followed a young artist. It was in the city of the Popes，in the worldcity，Rome. Much has been changed there in the course of time，but the changes have not come so quickly as the change from youth to old age.
不久之前——这颗星儿所说的“不久以前”就等于我们人间的“几个世纪以前”——我的光辉跟着一个年轻的艺术家走。那是在教皇住的城堡，在世界的城市罗马里面。在时间的过程中，那儿有许多东西变化了，但是这些改变并没有像童年到老年这段时间的改变来得那么快。
Then already the palace of the Caesars was a ruin，as it is now，fig trees and laurels grew among the fallen marblemarble adj.大理石的，冷酷无情的，坚硬的n.大理石，（玩具）弹球。石弹子，雕刻品 columns，and in the desolate bathinghalls，where the gilding still clings to the wall，the Coliseum was a gigantic ruin，the church bells sounded，the incense sent up its fragrant cloud，and through the streets marched processions with flaming tapers and glowing canopiescanopy n.天篷，遮篷。
那时罗马皇帝们的宫殿，像现在一样，已是一堆废墟。在倒下的大理石圆柱之间，在破旧的、但墙上的涂金仍然没有完全褪色的浴室之间，生长着无花果树和月桂树。“诃里生”也是一堆废墟。教堂的钟声响着。四处飘着的香烟，高举着明亮的蜡烛和华盖的信徒的行列，从大街上游行过去。
Holy Church was there，and art was held as a high and holy thing. In Rome lived the greatest painter in the world，Raphael，there also dwelt the first of sculptors，Michael Angelo. Even the Pope paid homage to these two，and honored them with a visit. Art was recognized and honored，and was rewarded also. But，for all that，everything great and splendid was not seen and known.
人们都诚心地信仰宗教，艺术受到了尊崇和敬仰。在罗马住着世界上最伟大的画家拉斐尔。这儿也住着雕刻家的始祖米开朗琪罗。甚至教皇都推崇这两个人而特意去拜问他们一次。人们理解艺术，尊崇艺术，同时也给它物质的奖励！不过，虽然这样，并不是每件伟大和成熟的东西都会被人发现和了解的。
In a narrow lane stood an old house. Once it had been a temple，a young sculptorsculptor n.雕刻家 now dwelt there. He was young and quite unknown. He certainly had friends，young artists，like himself，young in spirit，young in hopes and thoughts，they told him he was rich in talent，and an artist，but that he was foolish for having no faith in his own power，for he always broke what he had fashioned out of clay，and never completed anything； and a work must be completed if it is to be seen and to bring money.
在一条狭小的巷子里有一幢古老的房子。它曾是一座神庙，这里面现在住着一个年轻的艺术家。他没有什么经验，也没有什么名气。当然他也有些艺术家的朋友。他们都很年轻——在精神方面、在希望和思想方面，都很不成熟。他们都告诉他，说他有十分高的才气和能力，但也说他非常傻，对于自己的才能没有信心。他老是把自己用黏土雕塑出来的东西打得粉碎，他老是不中意，从不曾完成一件作品，而他却应该完成他的作品，如果他希望他的作品能被人看见和换取钱财的话。
“You are a dreamer，” they went on to say to him，“and thats your misfortune. But the reason of this is，that you have never lived，you have never tasted life，you have never enjoyed it in great wholesome draughtsdraughts n.<英>国际跳棋，as it ought to be enjoyed. In youth one must mingle ones own personality with life，that they may become one. Look at the great master Raphael，whom the Pope honors and the world admires. Hes no despiser of wine and bread. ”
“你是一个梦想家！”他们对他说，“而这正是你的不幸！这其中的道理是：你还没有生活过，没有尝到过生活，没有狼吞虎咽地去享受过生活——而生活却是应这样去享受的。当一个人在年轻的时候，可以，而且应该致力到生活中去，和生活融成一片。请看看那位伟大的工匠拉斐尔吧。教皇尊崇他，世人景仰他。他既能吃面包，也能喝酒。”
“And he even appreciates the bakers daughter，the pretty Fornarina.” added Angelo，one of the merriest of the young friends.
“连面包店的老板娘——那位漂亮的艾尔纳莉娜——他都津津有味地把她画下来呢！”一个最快乐的年轻的朋友安吉罗说。
Yes，they said a good many things of the kind，according to their age and their reason. They wanted to draw the young artist out with them into the merry wild life，the mad life as it might also be called，and at certain times he felt an inclination inclination n.倾斜，弯曲，倾度，倾向，爱好 for it. He had warm blood，a strong imagination，and could take part in the merry chat，and laugh aloud with the rest，but what they called ‘Raphaels merry life’ disappeared before him like a vapor when he saw the divine radiance that beamed forth from the pictures of the great master，and when he stood in the Vatican，before the forms of beauty which the masters had hewn out of marble thousands of years since，his breast swelled，and he felt within himself something high，something holy，something elevating，great and good，and he wished that he could produce similar forms from the blocks of marble. He wished to make a picture of that which was within him，stirring upward from his heart to the realms of the Infinite，but how，and in what form？ The soft clay was fashioned under his fingers into forms of beauty，but the next day he broke what he had fashioned，according to his wont.
是的，他们讲了许多这类与他们的年龄和知识相符的话语。他们想把这位年轻的艺术家一道拉到快乐的生活中去——也能说是拉到放荡的疯狂的生活中去吧。有些时候，他也想陪陪他们。他的血是热的，想像是强烈的。他也能参加高兴的聊天，和大家一般大声地狂笑。不过他们所谓的“拉斐尔的欢乐的生活”在他面前像一层蒸气似的消散了；他只看到这位伟大的工匠的作品散发出来的光芒。他站在梵蒂冈城内，站在数千年来许多大师雕刻的那些大理石像的面前。他胸中荡起了一种雄浑的感觉，感到身体里有某种崇高、神圣、高超、伟大和仁慈的东西。所以他也希望能从大理石中创造出和刻出同样的形象。他希望能从自己心中所感觉着的。向那永恒无际的空间飞跃着的那种感觉，编出一种形象来。不过怎么样的一种形象呢？软软的黏土被他的手指塑成了美的形象，但是第二天他照例又把他所创造的东西毁掉了。