民歌的鸟儿
这篇小启发发表在哥本哈根１８６５年出版的《丹麦大众历书》上。“民歌的鸟儿”在这儿是一个象征性的形象化的代名词，代表一个国家和民族的优良传统，歌唱英雄的业绩和甜蜜的、温柔的、丰富多样的爱情以及纯朴的风气；还可以用字句和歌调讲出许多故事。这样，“民歌的鸟儿”“就使我们能够认识我们的祖国”。
IT is wintertime.The earth wears a snowy garment，and looks like marble hewn out of the rock.The air is bright and clear.The wind is sharp as a welltempered sword，and the trees stand like branches of white coral(coral n.珊瑚，珊瑚虫)or blooming almond twigs，and here it is keen as on the lofty Alps.
正值冬天。大地披上了雪的外衣，看起来很像从石山雕刻出来的一块大理石。天很高，而且晴朗。寒风似剑。树木看起来像白珊瑚或盛开的杏树的枝丫。空气像阿尔卑斯山上那样清新。
The night is splendid in the gleam of the Northern Lights，and in the glitter of innumerable twinkling stars.
北极光和无数闪耀着的星星，使夜晚显得格外美丽。
But we sit in the warm room，by the hot stove，and talk about the old times.And we listen to this story：
我们坐在温暖的房间里，坐在熊熊的火炉边，谈论着古时候的事情。我们听到了一个故事：
By the open sea was a giants grave，and on the gravemound sat at midnight the spirit of the buried hero，who had been a king.The golden circlet gleamed on his brow，his hair fluttered in the wind，and he was clad in steel and iron.He bent his head mournfully，and sighed in deep sorrow，as an unquiet(unquiet adj.不平静的；不安的；动摇的n.动荡)spirit might sigh.
在大海边有一座古代战士的坟墓。坟墓上坐着这位埋在地下的英雄的幽灵。他曾经是一个国王。他的额上射出一道金色的光圈，长发在空中飞舞，全身穿着铠甲。他悲哀地垂着头，痛苦地叹着气——像一个没有得救的灵魂。
And a ship came sailing by.Presently the sailors lowered the anchor and landed.Among them was a singer，and he approached the royal spirit，and said，
这时有一艘船在旁边经过。水手们抛下锚，走到陆地上来。他们中间有一个歌手，他走近这位皇家的幽灵，问道：
“Why mournest thou，and wherefore dost thou suffer thus？”
“你为什么要这样悲哀和难过呢？”
And the dead man answered，“No one has sung the deeds of my life.They are dead and forgotten.Song doth not carry them forth over the lands，nor into the hearts of men，therefore I have no rest and no peace.”
幽灵回答说：“谁也没有歌唱过我的一生的事迹。这些事迹现在遗忘了，消逝了。没有什么歌把它们传播到全国，把它们送到人民的心里去。因此我得不到安宁，得不到休息。”
And he spoke of his works，and of his warlike deeds，which his contemporaries(contemporary n.同时代的人adj.当代的，同时代的)had known，but which had not been sung，because there was no singer among his companions.
于是这个人就谈起他的事业和他的伟大的功绩。他的同时代的人都知道这些事情，不过没有人把它们唱出来，因为他们之中没有歌手。
Then the old bard struck the strings of his harp，and sang of the youthful courage of the hero，of the strength of the man，and of the greatness of his good deeds.Then the face of the dead one gleamed like the margin of the cloud in the moonlight.Gladly and of good courage，the form arose in splendor and in majesty(majesty n.最高权威，王权，雄伟)，and vanished like the glancing of the northern light.Nought was to be seen but the green turfy mound，with the stones on which no Runic record has been graven；but at the last sound of the harp there soared over the hill，as though he had fluttered from the harp，a little bird，a charming singingbird，with ringing voice of the thrush，with the moving voice pathos(pathos n.痛苦，感伤，悲怅，哀婉)of the human heart，with a voice that told of home，like the voice that is heard by the bird of passage.The singingbird soared away，over mountain and valley，over field and wood—he was the Bird of Popular Song，who never dies.
这位年老的弹唱诗人拨动他的竖琴上的琴弦。他歌唱这个英雄青年时代的英勇，壮年时代的威武，和他的伟大的事迹。幽灵的面孔射出了光彩，像反映着月光的云彩。幽灵在光华灿烂的景象中，怀着愉快和幸福的心情，站起来，接着就像一道北极光似的不见了。除了一座盖满了绿草的土丘以外，现在什么也没有了——连一块刻有龙尼文字的石碑也没有。但是当琴弦发出最后的声音的时候，忽然有一只歌鸟飞出来——好像是直接从竖琴里飞出来似的。它是一只非常美丽的歌鸟。它有画眉一样响亮的声调，人心一样搏动的颤音和那种使人怀乡的、候鸟所带来的家乡的谣曲。这只歌鸟越过高山和深谷，越过田野和森林，飞走了。它是一只民歌的鸟，它永远不会死亡。
We hear his song—we hear it now in the room while the white bees are swarming without，and the storm clutches(clutch v.抓住，攫住n.离合器)the windows.The bird sings not alone the requiem of heroes.He sings also sweet gentle songs of love，so many and so warm，of Northern fidelity and truth.He has stories in words and in tones.He has proverbs and snatches of proverbs.Songs which，like Runes laid under a dead mans tongue，force him to speak，and thus Popular Song tells of the land of his birth.
我们听到它的歌。我们在房间里，在一个冬天的晚上，听到它的歌。这只鸟儿不仅仅唱着关于英雄的颂歌，它还唱着甜蜜的、温柔的、丰富多样的爱情的颂歌。它还歌颂北国的淳朴的风气。它可以用字句和歌调讲出许多故事。它知道许多谚语和诗的语言。这些语言，像藏在死人舌头底下的龙尼诗句一样，使它不得不唱出来。这样，“民歌的鸟儿”就使我们能够认识我们的祖国。
In the old heathen days，in the times of the Vikings，the popular speech was enshrined(enshrine vt.入庙祀奉，铭记)in the harp(harp n.竖琴vi.弹奏竖琴，不停地说，喋喋不休)of the bard(bard n.吟游诗人).
在异教徒的时代，在威金人的时代，它的巢是筑在竖琴诗人的竖琴上的。