天国花园
这篇故事原收集在《讲给孩子们听的故事》第五集里，关于这篇故事安徒生说：“这是我儿童时听到的第一个童话。我非常喜欢它，但我也很失望，因为它不够长。”他现在把它加以创造，有了新的发挥，加进了更明确的主题：“大家应该知道，人类是世界的主人！”但人类缺点很多：“罪恶和诱惑”总是在向他招手。他几乎每天在面对着新的考验，只有坚强的意志，才能免于罪恶的诱惑。这个故事中的主人公——王子也相信自己的意志和决心，但在实际的考验面前失败了。但他仍有机会得救。掌握他的命运的死神说：“只有在隔了一千年以后我才再来找他，使他能有机会再坠落得更深一点，或是升向那颗星——那颗高高地亮着的星！”问题在于你是否有坚强的意志。只要你有坚强的意志，你仍可以“升向……那颗亮着的星”，名副其实地成为“世界的主人”。
THERE was once a kings son who had a larger and more beautiful collection of books than any one else in the world，and full of splendid copperplate engravings （engraving n.雕刻术，雕版，雕版图).He could read and obtain information respecting every people of every land；but not a word could he find to explain the situation of the garden of paradise，and this was just what he most wished to know.His grandmother had told him when he was quite a little boy，just old enough to go to school，that each flower in the garden of paradise was a sweet cake，that the pistils were full of rich wine，that on one flower history was written，on another geography or tables；so those who wished to learn their lessons had only to eat some of the cakes，and the more they ate，the more history，geography，or tables they knew.He believed it all then；but as he grew older，and learnt more and more，he became wise enough to understand that the splendor of the garden of paradise must be very different to all this.“Oh，why did Eve pluck the fruit from the tree of knowledge？why did Adam eat the forbidden fruit？”thought the kings son，“If I had been there it would never have happened，and there would have been no sin in the world.”The garden of paradise occupied all his thoughts till he reached his seventeenth year.
从前有一个王子，谁也没有他那么多美丽的书：世界上所发生的事情，在这些书里他都读得到，而且也可以在一些美丽的插图中看得见。他可以知道每个民族和国家。不过天国花园在什么地方，书上却一个字也没有提到。而他最想知道的却正是这件事情。当他还是一个小孩、但已经可以上学的时候，他的祖母曾说：天国花园里每朵花都是最甜的点心，每颗花蕊都是最美的酒；一朵花上写的是历史，另一朵花上写的是地理和乘法表。只要吃一块点心，一个人就可以学一课书；他越吃得多，就越能学到越多的历史、地理和乘法表。那时他相信这话。不过随着年龄增长，学到的东西越多，就会变得越聪明。他知道，天国花园的美景肯定是很特殊的。“啊，为什么夏娃要把知识之树的果子摘下呢？为什么亚当要吃掉禁果呢？假如我是他的话，这种事就决不会发生，世界上也就永远不会有罪孽存在了。”这是他那时说的一句话。等他到了17岁，他仍旧这么说。“天国花园”占据着他整个的思想。
One day he was walking alone in the wood，which was his greatest pleasure，when evening came on.The clouds gathered，and the rain poured down as if the sky had been a waterspout (waterspout n.海上龙卷风，排水管，排水槽，排水口)；and it was as dark as the bottom of a well at midnight；sometimes he slipped over the smooth grass，or fell over stones that projected out of the rocky ground.Every thing was dripping with moisture，and the poor prince had not a dry thread about him.He was obliged at last to climb over great blocks of stone，with water spurting from the thick moss.He began to feel quite faint，when he heard a most singular rushing noise，and saw before him a large cave，from which came a blaze of light.In the middle of the cave an immense fire was burning，and a noble stag，with its branching horns (horn n.(牛、羊等的)角，喇叭，触角v.装角)，was placed on a spit between the trunks of two pinetrees.It was turning slowly before the fire，and an elderly woman，as large and strong as if she had been a man in disguise，sat by，throwing one piece of wood after another into the flames.
有一天他独自在森林里散步，这是他生活中最愉快的事情。黄昏到来了，云块在密集着，雨在倾盆地下着，天空好像就是一个专门泻水的水闸似的。天很黑，像深井中的黑夜一样。他一会儿在潮湿的草上滑一脚，一会儿被崎岖的地上冒出的光石头上绊一跤。一切都浸在水里。这位可怜的王子身上都湿了。他不得不爬到一大堆石头上去，因为这儿的水都从厚青苔里渗出来了。他几乎要倒下去了。这时他听到一个奇怪的嘘嘘声。于是他看到面前有一个发光的大地洞。里面烧着一堆火；这堆火几乎可以烤熟一只牡鹿。事实上也是这样。有一只长着高大的犄角的美丽的牡鹿，被叉在一根叉子上，在两根杉树干之间慢慢地转动。火边一个身材高大的老女人坐着，样子很像一位伪装的男人。她不停地添些木块到火里去。
“Come in，”she said to the prince；“sit down by the fire and dry yourself.”
“请进来吧！”她说。“请在火旁边坐下来，把你的衣服烤干吧。”
“There is a great draught here.”said the prince，as he seated himself on the ground.
“这里有一股阴风吹进来！”王子说，同时他在地上坐下来。
“It will be worse when my sons come home.”replied the woman；“you are now in the cavern of the Winds，and my sons are the four Winds of heaven：can you understand that？”
“我的孩子们回来以后，更糟！”女人回答说。“你现在来到了风之洞。我的儿子们就是世界上的四种风。你明白吗？”
“Where are your sons？”asked the prince.
“他们现在在什么地方呢？”王子问。
“It is difficult to answer stupid questions.”said the woman.“My sons have plenty of business on hand；they are playing at shuttlecock shuttlecock n.羽毛球with the clouds up yonder in the kings hall.”and she pointed upwards.
“嗨，当一个人提出一个糊涂的问题的时候，这是很难回答的，”女人说。“我的儿子在各干各事。他们正在天宫里和云块一起踢毽子。”接着她朝天上指了一下。
“Oh，indeed，”said the prince；“but you speak more roughly and harshly and are not so gentle as the women I am used to.”
王子说：“啊，真有这样的事情！不过你说话的态度很粗鲁，一点也没有我周围的那些女人们的温柔气息。”
“Yes，that is because they have nothing else to do；but I am obliged to be harsh，to keep my boys in order，and I can do it，although they are so headstrong.Do you see those four sacks hanging on the wall？Well，they are just as much afraid of those sacks，as you used to be of the rat behind the lookingglass.I can bend the boys together，and put them in the sacks without any resistance resistance n.反抗，抵抗，抵抗力，阻力on their parts，I can tell you.There they stay，and dare not attempt to come out until I allow them to do so.And here comes one of them.”
“是的，大概她们都无事可做吧！如果我要使我的儿子们听话，我得要厉害一些才成。这点我倒是做得到，虽然他们都是一些固执的家伙。请你看看墙上挂着的四个袋子吧；他们害怕，正像你从前害怕挂在镜子后面的那根竹条一样。我告诉你，我可以把这几个孩子叠起来，塞进袋子里去。我们不用讲什么客气！他们在那里面待着，没有我的允许，他们不能出来到处撒野。不过，现在有一个回来了！”
It was the North Wind who came in，bringing with him a cold，piercing blast；large hailstones rattled on the floor，and snowflakes were scattered around in all directions.He wore a bearskin dress and cloak.His sealskin cap was drawn over his ears，long icicles hung from his beard，and one hailstone hailstone n.冰雹after another rolled from the collar of his jacket.
北风带着一股冰冷的寒气冲进来。大块大块的雹子在地上跳动，雪球在四处乱飞。他身上穿着熊皮做的上衣和裤子，海豹皮做的帽子一直盖到耳朵上，他的胡子上挂着长长的冰柱，从他的上衣领子上冰雹不停地滚下来。
“Dont go too near the fire，”said the prince，“or your hands and face will be frostbitten.”
“不要马上就到火边来！”王子说，“不然你会把手和面孔冻伤的。”