卖火柴的小女孩

这是一年的最后一个晚上，天气冷极了，天色几乎全黑了，雪下得很大。在这又冷又黑的天气里，一个贫穷的小女孩光着头、赤着脚，在街上走来走去。

It was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening of the old year, and the snow was falling fast. In the cold and the darkness, a poor little girl, with bare head and naked feet, roamed through the streets.

她离开家的时候确实穿着一双拖鞋，但是那并没有多大用处。

It is true she had on a pair of slippers when she left home, but they were not of much use.

那双鞋很大，其实那是她妈妈的鞋。两辆马车飞快地跑过来，可怜的小女孩为了躲开它们而跑过街道，结果把鞋子跑丢了。

They were very large, so large, indeed, that they had belonged to her mother, and the poor little creature had lost them in running across the street to avoid two carriages that were rolling along at a terrible rate.

其中一只拖鞋她找不到了，另一只被一个男孩捡走拿跑了。那个男孩说，等他将来有了自己的孩子，可以把它当成摇篮用。

One of the slippers she could not find, and a boy seized upon the other and ran away with it, saying that he could use it as a cradle, when he had children of his own.

于是小女孩只好光着小脚往前走，她的脚冻得又红又青。她用一条旧围裙兜着许多火柴，手里还拿着一小把。

So the little girl went on with her little naked feet, which were quite red and blue with the cold. In an old apron she carried a number of matches, and had a bundle of them in her hands.

一整天都没有人买她的一根火柴，也没有人给过她一分钱。她又冷又饿地发抖，慢慢往前走；可怜的小女孩，看起来真是痛苦极了。

No one had bought anything of her the whole day, nor had any one given here even a penny. Shivering with cold and hunger, she crept along; poor little child, she looked the picture of misery.

雪花落在她金黄的长发上，她的头发打着卷儿披在肩上，但她根本顾不上这些。

The snowflakes fell on her long, fair hair, which hung in curls on her shoulders, but she regarded them not.

每个窗户里都透出灯光，街上飘着烤鹅的香味，因为这是除夕夜——是的，她记起来了。

Lights were shining from every window, and there was a savory smell of roast goose, for it was New-year’s eve—yes, she remembered that.

在两栋房子中间的一个墙角里，其中一栋比另一栋向前突出一些，她坐了下来，紧紧地缩成一团。

In a corner, between two houses, one of which projected beyond the other, she sank down and huddled herself together.

她把小脚缩到身子下面，但还是挡不住寒冷；她不敢回家，因为她没卖掉火柴，没能带回家哪怕一分钱。

She had drawn her little feet under her, but she could not keep off the cold; and she dared not go home, for she had sold no matches, and could not take home even a penny of money.

她爸爸一定会打她的；再说，家里也几乎和这里一样冷，因为他们头上只有屋顶，虽然最大的裂缝已经用草和破布堵住了，风还是在里面呼呼地吹。

Her father would certainly beat her; besides, it was almost as cold at home as here, for they had only the roof to cover them, through which the wind howled, although the largest holes had been stopped up with straw and rags.

她的小手几乎冻僵了。啊！要是她能从一把火柴里抽出一根，在墙上擦一下，哪怕只是暖暖手指也好！她抽出一根——“哧！”

Her little hands were almost frozen with the cold. Ah! perhaps a burning match might be some good, if she could draw it from the bundle and strike it against the wall, just to warm her fingers. She drew one out-“scratch!”

火柴燃烧时发出的声音多么响啊！她把手覆在上面，火柴冒出了温暖而明亮的光，像一根小小的蜡烛。那真是一道奇妙的光。

how it sputtered as it burnt! It gave a warm, bright light, like a little candle, as she held her hand over it. It was really a wonderful light.

小女孩觉得，自己仿佛正坐在一个大铁火炉旁，火炉有着擦得光亮的铜脚和铜饰。火烧得多么旺啊！感觉是那么暖和，孩子伸出双脚想暖一暖脚，可是，看啊！

It seemed to the little girl that she was sitting by a large iron stove, with polished brass feet and a brass ornament. How the fire burned! and seemed so beautifully warm that the child stretched out her feet as if to warm them, when, lo!