“I will go to the wars！ I will go to the wars！” cried the tin soldier as loud as he could，and threw himself down on the floor. Where could he have fallen？ The old man searched，and the little boy searched，but he was gone，and could not be found. “I shall find him again.” said the old man，but he did not find him. The boards of the floor were open and full of holes. The tin soldier had fallen through a crack between the boards，and lay there now in an open grave. The day went by，and the little boy returned home，the week passed，and many more weeks. It was winter，and the windows were quite frozen，so the little boy was obliged to breathe on the panes，and rub a hole to peep through at the old house. Snow drifts were lying in all the scrolls and on the inscriptions，and the steps were covered with snow as if no one were at home. And indeed nobody was home，for the old man was dead. In the evening，a horse stopped at the door，and the old man in his coffin was placed in it. He was to be taken to the country to be buried there in his own grave，so they carried him away，no one followed him，for all his friends were dead，and the little boy kissed his hand to the coffin as the hearse moved away with it. A few days after，there was an auction auction n.拍卖vt.拍卖 at the old house，and from his window the little boy saw the people carrying away the pictures of old knights and ladies，the flowerpots with the long ears，the old chairs，and the cupboards. Some were taken one way，some another. Her portrait，which had been bought at the picture dealers，went back again to his shop，and there it remained，for no one seemed to know her，or to care for the old picture. “我要到战场上去！我要到战场上去！”锡兵尽量扯高嗓子大叫；接着他就倒在地上了。是的，他到什么地方去了呢？老人在找，小孩也在找，可他不见了，他失踪了。“我会找到他的！”老人说。不过他一直也没有找到他，因为地板上有许多洞和裂口。锡兵滚到一个裂口里去了。他睡在那里，似乎睡在一个没有盖土的坟墓里一样。这一天过去了。小孩子回到家里。一星期又过去了，接着又有很多星期过去了。窗子上都结了冰，小孩子得坐下来，在窗玻璃上用嘴哈出一个小视孔来看看那座老房子。雪花飘进那些刻花和刻字中间去，把整个台阶都淹没了，似乎这座老房子里没有住着什么人似的。的确，这里现在没人，因为那个老人已死了！晚上，门外停着一辆马车。人们把他装进棺材，抬上马车。他不久就要铍埋进他乡下的坟墓里，他现在就要被运到那儿去，但没有人来送葬，因为他所有的朋友都已经死了。当棺材被运走时，小孩子在后面对他飞吻。几天之后，这座老房子里进行一次拍卖。小孩子从他的窗子里看到那些古老的骑士和女子的画像、那些有长耳朵的花盆、那些陈旧的椅子和碗柜，统统都被人搬走了。有的搬到这儿去，有的搬到那儿去。她的画像——在那个旧货商店里买来的——依然回到那个旧货商店里去了，并且一直挂在那里，因为谁也不认识她，谁也不关心一张老画。
In the spring，they began to pull the house itself down，people called it complete rubbish. From the street could be seen the room in which the walls were covered with leather，ragged and torn，and the green in the balcony hung straggling over the beams，they pulled it down quickly，for it looked ready to fall，and at last it was cleared away altogether altogether adv.完全地，总而言之。
到了春天，他们把这座房子拆了，因为人们说它是一堆烂垃圾。人们能从街上一眼就看到墙上贴着毛皮的那个房间。这些皮已经被拉下来了，而且被撕碎了。阳台上那些绿色植物凌乱地屋梁间悬着。如今人们要把这块地方扫净。
“What a good riddance！” said the neighbors houses.
“这才好！”周围的房子说。
Very shortly，a fine new house was built farther back from the road，it had lofty windows and smooth walls，but in front，on the spot where the old house really stood，a little garden was planted，and wild vines grew up over the neighboring walls，in front of the garden were large iron railings and a great gate，which looked very stately. People used to stop and peep through the railings. The sparrows assembled in dozens upon the wild vines，and chattered chatter vi.喋喋不休的谈，卡搭作响n.唠叨，啁啾声，潺潺流水声 all together as loud as they could，but not about the old house，none of them could remember it，for many years had passed by，so many indeed，that the little boy was now a man，and a really good man too，and his parents were very proud of him. He was just married，and had come，with his young wife，to reside in the new house with the garden in front of it，and now he stood there by her side while she planted a field flower that she thought very pretty. She was planting it herself with her little hands，and pressing down the earth with her fingers. “Oh dear，what was that？” she exclaimed，as something pricked her. Out of the soft earth something was sticking up.
很快一幢漂亮的有宽大的窗子和平整的白墙的新房子建立起来了。但那座老房子原来所在的地方刚巧成了一个小花园。花园里长满了野生的葡萄藤并伸向了邻近的房子。花园前面有一道铁栏杆和一个铁门。它们的样子很庄严。行人在它们面前停下脚步，朝里面望。麻雀成群地歇在葡萄藤上，叽叽喳喳地大声叫嚷着。但它们不是谈着关于那幢老房子的事情，因为它们记不清那些事。很多年已经过去了，那个小孩子已经长大成人，长成了一个像他父母所希望的有能力的人。他刚结婚不久。他要与他的妻子搬进这幢有小花园的房子里来。当她正在栽一棵她认为很美丽的野花的时候，他站在她的身边。她用灵巧的手栽着花，用指头在花周围紧按上一些泥土。“噢！这是什么？”她觉得有件什么东西刺到了她。
It was—only think！—It was really the tin soldier，the very same which had been lost up in the old mans room，and had been hidden among old wood and rubbish for a long time，till it sunk into the earth，where it must have been for many years. And the young wife wiped the soldier，first with a green leaf，and then with her fine pockethandkerchief，that smelt of such beautiful perfume. And the tin soldier felt as if he was recovering from a fainting fit. “Let me see him.” said the young man，and then he smiled and shook his head，and said，“It can scarcely be the same，but it reminds me of something that happened to one of my tin soldiers when I was a little boy.” And then he told his wife about the old house and the old man，and of the tin soldier which he had sent across，because he thought the old man was lonely，and he related the story so clearly that tears came into the eyes of the young wife for the old house and the old man. “It is very likely that this is really the same soldier，” said she，and I will take care of him，and always remember what you have told me，but some day you must show me the old mans grave.”
在柔软的泥土里有一件尖东西冒出来了。想想看吧！就是那个锡兵——在那个老人房间里跑掉的锡兵。他曾经在烂木头和垃圾里藏了很久，直到陷进土里。年轻的妻子先用一片绿叶子，然后又用她漂亮的、喷香的手帕把锡兵擦干净。锡兵似乎是从昏睡的世界中醒了。“让我瞧瞧他吧！”年轻人说。于是他笑起来，摇着头。“啊！这不是他，可他使我记起了我小时候与一个锡兵的一段故事！”于是他就对他的妻子讲了关于那座老房子、那个老人与锡兵的故事。他把锡兵送给了老人，因为他是那么孤独。他讲得那么仔细，似乎是真事一样。年轻的妻子不由得为那座老房子和那个老人流泪。“这或许就是那个锡兵！”她说。“让我把他保存起来，以便记住你所告诉我的这些事情。但是你得把那个老人的坟墓指给我看！”
“I dont know where it is，” he replied，“no one knows. All his friends are dead，no one took care of him，and I was only a little boy.”
“我不知道它在什么地方呀，”他说，“谁也不晓得它！他所有的朋友都死了，没有谁去照顾它，而我自己那时还只不过是一个小孩呢！”
“Oh，how dreadfully lonely he must have been.” said she.
“那么他一定是一个很孤独的人了！”她说。
“Yes，terribly lonely，” cried the tin soldier，“still it is delightful not to be forgotten.”
“是的，可怕得孤独！”锡兵说，“不过他竟然没有被人忘记掉，这多少也令他感到欣慰！”
“Delightful indeed.” cried a voice quite near to them，no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters tatter n.碎布，it had lost all its gilding，and looked like wet earth，but it had an opinion，and it spoke it thus，“高兴！”旁边一个声音喊。但是除了锡兵以外，谁也看不出这就是以前贴在墙上的一块猪皮。它上面的镀金已经全没有了。它的样子很像潮湿的泥土，可它还是有它的意见。它说：“Gilding will fade in damp weather，To endure，there is nothing like leather.”
“镀金可以消退在潮气里，
但毛皮的寿命无与伦比！”
But the tin soldier did not believe any such thing.
但锡兵不相信这套理论。