People said “the Evening Bell is sounding， thesun is setting.” For a strange wondrous tone washeard in the narrow streets of a large town. It waslike the sound of a church-bell： but it was onlyheard for a moment， for the rolling of the carriagesand the voices of the multitude made too GREat anoise.
Those persons who were walking outside thetown， where the houses were farther apart， withgardens or little fields between them， could see the evening sky still better， and heard thesound of the bell much more distinctly. It was as if the tones came from a church in the stillforest; people looked thitherward， and felt their minds attuned most solemnly.
A long time passed， and people said to each other——“I wonder if there is a church out inthe wood? The bell has a tone that is wondrous sweet; let us stroll thither， and examinethe matter nearer.” And the rich people drove out，and the poor walked， but the way seemedstrangely long to them; and when they came to a clump of willows which GREw on the skirts ofthe forest， they sat down， and looked up at the long branches， and fancied they were nowin the depth of the green wood. The confectioner of the town came out， and set up his booththere; and soon after came another confectioner， who hung a bell over his stand， as a signor ornament， but it had no clapper， and it was tarred over to preserve it from the rain.When all the people returned home， they said it had been very romantic， and that it wasquite a different sort of thing to a pic-nic or tea-party. There were three persons who assertedthey had penetrated to the end of the forest， and that they had always heard the wonderfulsounds of the bell， but it had seemed to them as if it had come from the town. One wrote awhole poem about it， and said the bell sounded like the voice of a mother to a good dearchild， and that no melody was sweeter than the tones of the bell. The king of the country wasalso observant of it， and vowed that he who could discover whence the sounds proceeded，should have the title of “Universal Bell-ringer，” even if it were not really a bell.
Many persons now went to the wood， for the sake of getting the place， but one onlyreturned with a sort of explanation; for nobody went far enough， that one not further thanthe others. However， he said that the sound proceeded from a very large owl， in a hollowtree; a sort of learned owl， that continually knocked its head against the branches. Butwhether the sound came from his head or from the hollow tree， that no one could say withcertainty. So now he got the place of “Universal Bell-ringer，” and wrote yearly a shorttreatise“On the Owl”; but everybody was just as wise as before.
It was the day of confirmation. The clergyman had spoken so touchingly， the childrenwho were confirmed had been GREatly moved; it was an eventful day for them; fromchildren they become all at once grown-up-persons; it was as if their infant souls were now tofly all at once into persons with more understanding. The sun was shining gloriously; thechildren that had been confirmed went out of the town; and from the wood was bornetowards them the sounds of the unknown bell with wonderful distinctness. They allimmediately felt a wish to go thither; all except three. One of them had to go home to try on aball-dress; for it was just the dress and the ball which had caused her to be confirmed thistime， for otherwise she would not have come; the other was a poor boy， who had borrowedhis coat and boots to be confirmed in from the innkeeper's son， and he was to give themback by a certain hour; the third said that he never went to a strange place if his parentswere not with him——that he had always been a good boy hitherto， and would still be so nowthat he was confirmed， and that one ought not to laugh at him for it： the others，however， did make fun of him， after all.
there were three， therefore， that did not go; the others hastened on. The sun shone，the birds sang， and the children sang too， and each held the other by the hand; for as yetthey had none of them any high office， and were all of equal rank in the eye of God.
But two of the youngest soon GREw tired， and both returned to town; two little girls satdown， and twined garlands， so they did not go either; and when the others reached thewillow-tree， where the confectioner was， they said， “Now we are there! In reality the belldoes not exist; it is only a fancy that people have taken into their heads!”
At the same moment the bell sounded deep in the wood， so clear and solemnly that five orsix determined to penetrate somewhat further. It was so thick，and the foliage so dense，that it was quite fatiguing to proceed. Woodroof and anemonies GREw almost too high;blooming convolvuluses and blackberry-bushes hung in long garlands from tree to tree，where the nightingale sang and the sunbeams were playing： it was very beautiful， but it wasno place for girls to go; their clothes would get so torn. Large blocks of stone laythere，overgrown with moss of every color; the fresh spring bubbled forth， and made astrange gurgling sound.
“That surely cannot be the bell，” said one of the children， lying down and listening. “Thismust be looked to.” So he remained， and let the others go on without him.
they afterwards came to a little house， made of branches and the bark of trees; a largewild apple-tree bent over it， as if it would shower down all its blessings on the roof， whereroses were blooming. The long stems twined round the gable， on which there hung a smallbell.
Was it that which people had heard? Yes， everybody was unanimous on the subject，except one， who said that the bell was too small and too fine to be heard at so GREat adistance， and besides it was very different tones to those that could move a human heart insuch a manner. It was a king's son who spoke;whereon the others said， “Such people alwayswant to be wiser than everybody else.”
they now let him go on alone; and as he went， his breast was filled more and more withthe forest solitude; but he still heard the little bell with which the others were so satisfied，and now and then， when the wind blew， he could also hear the people singing who weresitting at tea where the confectioner had his tent; but the deep sound of the bell rose louder;it was almost as if an organ were accompanying it， and the tones came from the left hand，the side where the heart is placed. A rustling was heard in the bushes， and a little boy stoodbefore the King's Son， a boy in wooden shoes， and with so short a jacket that one could seewhat long wrists he had. Both knew each other： the boy was that one among the children whocould not come because he had to go home and return his jacket and boots to the innkeeper'sson. This he had done，and was now going on in wooden shoes and in his humble dress， forthe bell sounded with so deep a tone， and with such strange power， that proceed he must.
“Why， then， we can go together，” said the King's Son. But the poor child that had beenconfirmed was quite ashamed; he looked at his wooden shoes， pulled at the short sleeves ofhis jacket， and said that he was afraid he could not walk so fast; besides， he thought thatthe bell must be looked for to the right;for that was the place where all sorts of beautifulthings were to be found.
“But there we shall not meet，” said the King's Son， nodding at the same time to the poorboy， who went into the darkest， thickest part of the wood， where thorns tore his humbledress， and scratched his face and hands and feet till they bled. The King's Son got somescratches too; but the sun shone on his path， and it is him that we will follow， for he was anexcellent and resolute youth.
“I must and will find the bell，” said he， “even if I am obliged to go to the end of theworld.”
the ugly apes sat upon the trees， and grinned. “Shall we thrash him?” said they. “Shall wethrash him? He is the son of a king!”
But on he went， without being disheartened， deeper and deeper into the wood，wherethe most wonderful flowers were growing. There stood white lilies with blood-red stamina，skyblue tulips， which shone as they waved in the winds， and apple-trees， the apples ofwhich looked exactly like large soapbubbles： so only think how the trees must have sparkled inthe sunshine! Around the nicest GREen meads， where the deer were playing in the grass，grew magnificent oaks and beeches; and if the bark of one of the trees was cracked， theregrass and long creeping plants grew in the crevices. And there were large calm lakes there too，in which white swans were swimming， and beat the air with their wings. The King's Son oftenstood still and listened. He thought the bell sounded from the depths of these still lakes; butthen he remarked again that the tone proceeded not from there， but farther off， from outthe depths of the forest.
the sun now set： the atmosphere glowed like fire. It was still in the woods，so very still;and he fell on his knees， sung his evening hymn， and said： “I cannot find what I seek; thesun is going down， and night is coming——the dark，dark night. Yet perhaps I may be ableonce more to see the round red sun before he entirely disappears. I will climb up yonder rock.”
And he seized hold of the creeping-plants， and the roots of trees——climbed up the moiststones where the water-snakes were writhing and the toads were croaking——and he gainedthe summit before the sun had quite gone down. How magnificent was the sight from thisheight! The sea——the GREat， the glorious sea， that dashed its long waves against thecoast——was stretched out before him. And yonder， where sea and sky meet， stood thesun， like a large shining altar， all melted together in the most glowing colors. And the woodand the sea sang a song of rejoicing， and his heart sang with the rest： all nature was a vastholy church， in which the trees and the buoyant clouds were the pillars， flowers and grassthe velvet carpeting， and heaven itself the large cupola. The red colors above faded away asthe sun vanished， but a million stars were lighted， a million lamps shone; and the King's Sonspread out his arms towards heaven， and wood， and sea; when at the same moment，coming by a path to the right， appeared， in his wooden shoes and jacket， the poor boy whohad been confirmed with him. He had followed his own path， and had reached the spot justas soon as the son of the king had done. They ran towards each other， and stood togetherhand in hand in the vast church of nature and of poetry， while over them sounded theinvisible holy bell： blessed spirits floated around them， and lifted up their voices in a rejoicinghallelujah!
黃昏的時(shí)候，太陽(yáng)正在下沉，煙囪上飄著的云塊泛出一片金黃的光彩;這時(shí)在一個(gè)大城市的小巷里，一忽兒這個(gè)人，一忽兒那個(gè)人全都聽(tīng)到類似教堂鐘聲的奇異聲音。不過(guò)聲音每次持續(xù)的時(shí)間非常短。因?yàn)榻稚下÷〉能嚶暫袜须s的人聲總是把它打斷了。
“暮鐘響起來(lái)了!”人們說(shuō)，“太陽(yáng)落下去了!”
城外的房子彼此之間的距離比較遠(yuǎn)，而且都有花園和草坪;因此城外的人就可以看出天還是很亮的，所以也能更清楚地聽(tīng)到這個(gè)鐘聲。它似乎是從一個(gè)藏在靜寂而清香的森林里的教堂里發(fā)出來(lái)的。大家朝這聲音飄來(lái)的方向望，不禁起了一種莊嚴(yán)的感覺(jué)。
過(guò)了好長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間，人們開(kāi)始互相傳說(shuō)：“我不知道，樹(shù)林里會(huì)不會(huì)有一個(gè)教堂?鐘聲的調(diào)子是那么奇怪和美麗，我們不妨去仔細(xì)瞧一瞧。”
于是富人坐著車子去，窮人步行去;不過(guò)路似乎怎樣也走不完。當(dāng)他們來(lái)到森林外面的柳樹(shù)林跟前的時(shí)候，就坐下來(lái)。
他們望著長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的柳樹(shù)枝，以為真的已經(jīng)走進(jìn)森林里來(lái)了。城里賣糕餅的人也搬到這兒來(lái)，并且搭起了帳篷。接著又來(lái)了一個(gè)賣糖果的人，這人在自己的帳篷上掛起了一口鐘;這口鐘上還涂了一層防雨的瀝青，不過(guò)它里面卻沒(méi)有鐘舌。
大家回到家里來(lái)以后，都說(shuō)這事情很新奇，比他們吃過(guò)一次茶還要新奇得多。有三個(gè)人說(shuō)，他們把整個(gè)的樹(shù)林都走完了，直走到樹(shù)林的盡頭;他們老是聽(tīng)到這個(gè)奇怪的鐘聲，不過(guò)那時(shí)它似乎是從城里飄來(lái)的。有一位甚至還編了一支歌，把鐘聲比成一個(gè)母親對(duì)一個(gè)親愛(ài)的好孩子唱的歌——什么音樂(lè)也沒(méi)有這種鐘聲好聽(tīng)。
這個(gè)國(guó)家的皇帝也聽(tīng)到了這件事情。他下一道圣旨，說(shuō)無(wú)論什么人，只要能找出鐘聲的發(fā)源地，就可以被封為“世界的敲鐘人”——哪怕他所發(fā)現(xiàn)的不是鐘也沒(méi)有關(guān)系。
這么一來(lái)，許多人為了飯碗問(wèn)題，就到樹(shù)林里去尋找鐘。不過(guò)在回來(lái)的人當(dāng)中只有一個(gè)人能說(shuō)出一點(diǎn)道理，誰(shuí)也沒(méi)有深入樹(shù)林，這人當(dāng)然也沒(méi)有，可是他卻說(shuō)聲音是住在一株空樹(shù)里的大貓頭鷹發(fā)出來(lái)的。這只貓頭鷹的腦袋里裝的全是智慧。它不停地把腦袋撞著樹(shù)。不過(guò)這聲音是從它的腦袋里發(fā)出來(lái)的呢，還是從空樹(shù)干里發(fā)出來(lái)的呢，他可沒(méi)有把握下個(gè)判斷。他總算得到了“世界的敲鐘人”這個(gè)職位，因此他每年寫一篇關(guān)于貓頭鷹的短論。不過(guò)大家并沒(méi)有因?yàn)樽x了他的論文而變得比以前更聰明。
在舉行堅(jiān)信禮的那一天，牧師發(fā)表了一篇漂亮而動(dòng)人的演說(shuō)。受堅(jiān)信禮的孩子們都受到了極大的感動(dòng)，因?yàn)檫@是他們生命中極重要的一天。他們?cè)谶@一天從孩子變成了成年人。他們稚氣的靈魂也要變成更有理智的成年人的靈魂。當(dāng)這些受了堅(jiān)信禮的人走出城外的時(shí)候，處處照著燦爛的太陽(yáng)光，樹(shù)林里那個(gè)神秘的大鐘發(fā)出非常洪亮的聲音。他們想立刻就去找這個(gè)鐘聲;因此他們?nèi)既チ?，只有三個(gè)人是例外。一個(gè)要回家去試試她的參加舞會(huì)的禮服，因?yàn)樗@次來(lái)受堅(jiān)信禮完全是為了這件禮服和舞會(huì)，否則她就決不會(huì)來(lái)的。第二個(gè)是一個(gè)窮苦的孩子。他受堅(jiān)信禮穿的衣服和靴子是從主人的少爺那兒借來(lái)的;他必須在指定的時(shí)間內(nèi)歸還。第三個(gè)說(shuō)，在他沒(méi)有得到父母的同意以前，決不到一個(gè)陌生的地方去。他一直是一個(gè)聽(tīng)話的孩子，即使受了堅(jiān)信禮，仍然是如此。人們不應(yīng)該笑他!——但是人們卻仍然笑他。
因此這三個(gè)人就不去了。別的人都連蹦帶跳地走了。太陽(yáng)在照耀著，鳥兒在唱著，這些剛剛受了堅(jiān)信禮的人也在唱著。他們彼此手挽著手，因?yàn)樗麄冞€沒(méi)得到什么不同的職位，而且在受堅(jiān)信禮的這天大家在我們的上帝面前都是平等的。
不過(guò)他們之中有兩個(gè)最小的孩子馬上就感到膩煩了，所以他們兩個(gè)人就回到城里去了。另外還有兩個(gè)小女孩子坐下來(lái)扎花環(huán)，也不愿意去。當(dāng)其余的孩子走到那個(gè)賣糕餅的人所在的柳樹(shù)林里的時(shí)候，他們說(shuō)：“好，我們算是到了。鐘連影子都沒(méi)有，這完全是一個(gè)幻想!”
正在這時(shí)候，一個(gè)柔和而莊嚴(yán)的鐘聲在樹(shù)林的深處響起來(lái);有四五個(gè)孩子決計(jì)再向樹(shù)林里走去。樹(shù)很密，葉子又多，要向前走真是不太容易。車葉草和秋牡丹長(zhǎng)得非常高，盛開(kāi)的旋花和黑莓像長(zhǎng)花環(huán)似的從這棵樹(shù)牽到那棵樹(shù)。夜鶯在這些樹(shù)上唱歌，太陽(yáng)光在這些樹(shù)上嬉戲。啊，這地方真是美麗得很，不過(guò)這條路卻不是女孩子可以走的，因?yàn)樗齻冊(cè)谶@兒很容易撕破自己的衣服，這兒有長(zhǎng)滿各色青苔的石塊，有潺潺流著的新鮮泉水，發(fā)出一種“骨碌，骨碌”的怪聲音。
“這不會(huì)是那個(gè)鐘吧?”孩子中有一個(gè)問(wèn)。于是他就躺下來(lái)靜靜地聽(tīng)?！拔业挂芯恳幌?”
他一個(gè)人留下來(lái)，讓別的孩子向前走。
他們找到一座用樹(shù)皮和樹(shù)枝蓋的房子。房子上有一棵結(jié)滿了蘋果的大樹(shù)。看樣子它好像是把所有的幸福都搖到這個(gè)開(kāi)滿玫瑰花的屋頂上似的。它的長(zhǎng)枝子盤在房子的三角墻上，而這墻上正掛著一口小小的鐘。難道大家聽(tīng)到的鐘聲就是從這里發(fā)出來(lái)的嗎?是的，他們都有這種看法，只有一個(gè)人是例外。這人說(shuō)，這口鐘太小，太精致，決不會(huì)叫他們?cè)诤苓h(yuǎn)的地方就聽(tīng)得見(jiàn)!此外，他們聽(tīng)到過(guò)的鐘聲跟這鐘聲完全不同，因?yàn)樗艽騽?dòng)人的心。說(shuō)這話的人是國(guó)王的兒子。因此別的人都說(shuō)：“這種人總是想裝得比別人聰明一點(diǎn)。”
這樣，大家就讓他一個(gè)人向前走。他越向前走，他的心里就越充滿了一種森林中特有的靜寂之感。不過(guò)他仍聽(tīng)見(jiàn)大家所欣賞的那陣小小的鐘聲。有時(shí)風(fēng)把那個(gè)糕餅店里的聲音吹來(lái)，于是他就聽(tīng)到大家在一面吃茶，一面唱歌。不過(guò)洪亮的鐘聲比這些聲音還要大，好像有風(fēng)琴在伴奏似的。這聲音是從左邊來(lái)的——從心所在的那一邊來(lái)的。
有一個(gè)沙沙的響聲從一個(gè)灌木叢中飄出來(lái)。王子面前出現(xiàn)了一個(gè)男孩子。這孩子穿著一雙木鞋和一件非常短的上衣——短得連他的手肘也蓋不住。他們彼此都認(rèn)識(shí)，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)孩子也是在這天參加過(guò)堅(jiān)信禮的。他沒(méi)有能跟大家一起來(lái)，因?yàn)樗没厝グ岩路脱プ舆€給老板的少爺。他辦完了這件事以后，就穿著木鞋和寒磣的上衣獨(dú)自一人走來(lái)，因?yàn)殓娐暿悄敲春榱梁蜕畛粒莵?lái)不可。
“我們一塊兒走吧!”王子說(shuō)。
這個(gè)穿著木鞋的孩子感到非常尷尬。他把上衣的短袖子拉了一下，說(shuō)他恐怕不能走得像王子那樣快;此外，他認(rèn)為鐘聲一定是從右邊來(lái)的，因?yàn)橛疫叺木跋蠛芮f嚴(yán)和美麗。
“這樣一來(lái)，我們就碰不到頭了!”王子說(shuō)，對(duì)這窮苦的孩子點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭。孩子向這樹(shù)林最深最密的地方走去。荊棘把他寒磣的衣服鉤破了，把他的臉、手和腳劃得流出血來(lái)。王子身上也有好幾處傷痕，不過(guò)他所走的路卻充滿了太陽(yáng)光。我們現(xiàn)在就要注意他的行程，因?yàn)樗且粋€(gè)聰明的孩子。
“即使我走到世界的盡頭，”他說(shuō)，“我也要找到這口鐘!”
難看的猢猻高高地坐在樹(shù)上做怪臉，露出牙齒。“我們往他身上扔些東西吧!”它們說(shuō)，“我們打他吧，因?yàn)樗且粋€(gè)國(guó)王的兒子!”
不過(guò)他不怕困難，他一步一步地向樹(shù)林的深處走。那兒長(zhǎng)著許多奇異的花：含有紅蕊的、像星星一樣的百合花，在微風(fēng)中射出光彩的、天藍(lán)色的郁金香，結(jié)著像大肥皂泡一樣發(fā)亮的果實(shí)的蘋果樹(shù)。你想想看，這些樹(shù)在太陽(yáng)光中該是多么光彩奪目啊。
四周是一片非常美麗的綠草原。草上有公鹿和母鹿在嬉戲，而且還有茂盛的櫟樹(shù)和山毛櫸。草和藤本植物從樹(shù)縫里長(zhǎng)出來(lái)。這一大片林木中還有靜靜的湖，湖里還有游泳著的白天鵝，它們?cè)谂闹岚颉Ｍ踝诱局o靜地聽(tīng)。他常常覺(jué)得鐘聲是從深沉的湖里飄上來(lái)的;不過(guò)他馬上就注意到，鐘聲并不是從湖里來(lái)的，而是從森林的深處來(lái)的。
太陽(yáng)現(xiàn)在下沉了，天空像火一樣地發(fā)紅，森林里是一片靜寂。這時(shí)他就跪下來(lái)，唱了黃昏的贊美歌，于是他說(shuō)：
“我將永遠(yuǎn)看不到我所追尋的東西!現(xiàn)在太陽(yáng)已經(jīng)下沉了，夜——漆黑的夜——已經(jīng)到來(lái)了。也許在圓圓的紅太陽(yáng)沒(méi)有消逝以前，我還能夠看到它一眼吧。我要爬到崖石上去，因?yàn)樗鹊臉?shù)還要高!”他攀著樹(shù)根和藤蔓在潮濕的石壁上爬。壁上盤著水蛇，有些癩蛤蟆也似乎在對(duì)他狂叫。不過(guò)，在太陽(yáng)沒(méi)有落下去以前，他已經(jīng)爬上去了。他在這塊高處仍然可以看見(jiàn)太陽(yáng)。啊，這是多么美麗的景象啊!海，他的眼前展開(kāi)一片美麗的茫茫大海，洶涌的海濤向岸上襲來(lái)。太陽(yáng)懸在海天相連的那條線上，像一座發(fā)光的大祭壇。一切融化成為一片鮮紅的色彩。樹(shù)林在唱著歌，大海在唱著歌，他的心也跟它們一起在唱著歌。整個(gè)大自然成了一個(gè)偉大的、神圣的教堂：樹(shù)木和浮云就是它的圓柱，花朵和綠葉就是它的柔軟的地氈，天空就是它的廣闊的圓頂。正在這時(shí)候，那個(gè)穿著短袖上衣和木鞋的窮苦孩子從右邊走來(lái)了。他是沿著他自己的道路，在同一個(gè)時(shí)候到來(lái)的。他們急忙走到一起，在這大自然和詩(shī)的教堂中緊緊地握著雙手。那口看不見(jiàn)的、神圣的鐘在他們的上空發(fā)出聲音。幸福的精靈在教堂的周圍跳舞，唱著歡樂(lè)的頌歌!
(1845年)
這是一篇具有象征性的童話，最初發(fā)表在《兒童月刊》1845年5月號(hào)上。“鐘聲”究竟代表什么，居然能吸引那么多人?王子和貧民都去追尋它。 “那個(gè)穿著短袖上衣和木鞋的窮苦孩子從右邊走來(lái)了，他是沿著自己的道路，在同一個(gè)時(shí)候到來(lái)的。他們急忙走到一起，在這大自然和詩(shī)的教堂中緊緊地握著雙手。那口看不見(jiàn)的、神圣的鐘在他們的上空發(fā)出聲音?！边@“聲音”也許就是象征“文學(xué)創(chuàng)作”吧。它有同樣感召王子和貧民的靈魂。安徒生在他的手記中說(shuō)：“'鐘聲 '這個(gè)故事，實(shí)際上像我以后寫的一些故事一樣，完全是我自己的創(chuàng)造。它們像種子似的潛藏在我的思想中。只需一陣雨，一片陽(yáng)光和一點(diǎn)土壤就可以開(kāi)出花來(lái)。我越來(lái)越清楚地感覺(jué)到什么都可以通過(guò)童話表現(xiàn)出來(lái)。隨著時(shí)間的推移，我更清楚地認(rèn)識(shí)到了我的筆力，但同時(shí)也理解到了自己的局限。”這是安徒生的一段創(chuàng)作自白。
Those persons who were walking outside thetown， where the houses were farther apart， withgardens or little fields between them， could see the evening sky still better， and heard thesound of the bell much more distinctly. It was as if the tones came from a church in the stillforest; people looked thitherward， and felt their minds attuned most solemnly.
A long time passed， and people said to each other——“I wonder if there is a church out inthe wood? The bell has a tone that is wondrous sweet; let us stroll thither， and examinethe matter nearer.” And the rich people drove out，and the poor walked， but the way seemedstrangely long to them; and when they came to a clump of willows which GREw on the skirts ofthe forest， they sat down， and looked up at the long branches， and fancied they were nowin the depth of the green wood. The confectioner of the town came out， and set up his booththere; and soon after came another confectioner， who hung a bell over his stand， as a signor ornament， but it had no clapper， and it was tarred over to preserve it from the rain.When all the people returned home， they said it had been very romantic， and that it wasquite a different sort of thing to a pic-nic or tea-party. There were three persons who assertedthey had penetrated to the end of the forest， and that they had always heard the wonderfulsounds of the bell， but it had seemed to them as if it had come from the town. One wrote awhole poem about it， and said the bell sounded like the voice of a mother to a good dearchild， and that no melody was sweeter than the tones of the bell. The king of the country wasalso observant of it， and vowed that he who could discover whence the sounds proceeded，should have the title of “Universal Bell-ringer，” even if it were not really a bell.
Many persons now went to the wood， for the sake of getting the place， but one onlyreturned with a sort of explanation; for nobody went far enough， that one not further thanthe others. However， he said that the sound proceeded from a very large owl， in a hollowtree; a sort of learned owl， that continually knocked its head against the branches. Butwhether the sound came from his head or from the hollow tree， that no one could say withcertainty. So now he got the place of “Universal Bell-ringer，” and wrote yearly a shorttreatise“On the Owl”; but everybody was just as wise as before.
It was the day of confirmation. The clergyman had spoken so touchingly， the childrenwho were confirmed had been GREatly moved; it was an eventful day for them; fromchildren they become all at once grown-up-persons; it was as if their infant souls were now tofly all at once into persons with more understanding. The sun was shining gloriously; thechildren that had been confirmed went out of the town; and from the wood was bornetowards them the sounds of the unknown bell with wonderful distinctness. They allimmediately felt a wish to go thither; all except three. One of them had to go home to try on aball-dress; for it was just the dress and the ball which had caused her to be confirmed thistime， for otherwise she would not have come; the other was a poor boy， who had borrowedhis coat and boots to be confirmed in from the innkeeper's son， and he was to give themback by a certain hour; the third said that he never went to a strange place if his parentswere not with him——that he had always been a good boy hitherto， and would still be so nowthat he was confirmed， and that one ought not to laugh at him for it： the others，however， did make fun of him， after all.
there were three， therefore， that did not go; the others hastened on. The sun shone，the birds sang， and the children sang too， and each held the other by the hand; for as yetthey had none of them any high office， and were all of equal rank in the eye of God.
But two of the youngest soon GREw tired， and both returned to town; two little girls satdown， and twined garlands， so they did not go either; and when the others reached thewillow-tree， where the confectioner was， they said， “Now we are there! In reality the belldoes not exist; it is only a fancy that people have taken into their heads!”
At the same moment the bell sounded deep in the wood， so clear and solemnly that five orsix determined to penetrate somewhat further. It was so thick，and the foliage so dense，that it was quite fatiguing to proceed. Woodroof and anemonies GREw almost too high;blooming convolvuluses and blackberry-bushes hung in long garlands from tree to tree，where the nightingale sang and the sunbeams were playing： it was very beautiful， but it wasno place for girls to go; their clothes would get so torn. Large blocks of stone laythere，overgrown with moss of every color; the fresh spring bubbled forth， and made astrange gurgling sound.
“That surely cannot be the bell，” said one of the children， lying down and listening. “Thismust be looked to.” So he remained， and let the others go on without him.
they afterwards came to a little house， made of branches and the bark of trees; a largewild apple-tree bent over it， as if it would shower down all its blessings on the roof， whereroses were blooming. The long stems twined round the gable， on which there hung a smallbell.
Was it that which people had heard? Yes， everybody was unanimous on the subject，except one， who said that the bell was too small and too fine to be heard at so GREat adistance， and besides it was very different tones to those that could move a human heart insuch a manner. It was a king's son who spoke;whereon the others said， “Such people alwayswant to be wiser than everybody else.”
they now let him go on alone; and as he went， his breast was filled more and more withthe forest solitude; but he still heard the little bell with which the others were so satisfied，and now and then， when the wind blew， he could also hear the people singing who weresitting at tea where the confectioner had his tent; but the deep sound of the bell rose louder;it was almost as if an organ were accompanying it， and the tones came from the left hand，the side where the heart is placed. A rustling was heard in the bushes， and a little boy stoodbefore the King's Son， a boy in wooden shoes， and with so short a jacket that one could seewhat long wrists he had. Both knew each other： the boy was that one among the children whocould not come because he had to go home and return his jacket and boots to the innkeeper'sson. This he had done，and was now going on in wooden shoes and in his humble dress， forthe bell sounded with so deep a tone， and with such strange power， that proceed he must.
“Why， then， we can go together，” said the King's Son. But the poor child that had beenconfirmed was quite ashamed; he looked at his wooden shoes， pulled at the short sleeves ofhis jacket， and said that he was afraid he could not walk so fast; besides， he thought thatthe bell must be looked for to the right;for that was the place where all sorts of beautifulthings were to be found.
“But there we shall not meet，” said the King's Son， nodding at the same time to the poorboy， who went into the darkest， thickest part of the wood， where thorns tore his humbledress， and scratched his face and hands and feet till they bled. The King's Son got somescratches too; but the sun shone on his path， and it is him that we will follow， for he was anexcellent and resolute youth.
“I must and will find the bell，” said he， “even if I am obliged to go to the end of theworld.”
the ugly apes sat upon the trees， and grinned. “Shall we thrash him?” said they. “Shall wethrash him? He is the son of a king!”
But on he went， without being disheartened， deeper and deeper into the wood，wherethe most wonderful flowers were growing. There stood white lilies with blood-red stamina，skyblue tulips， which shone as they waved in the winds， and apple-trees， the apples ofwhich looked exactly like large soapbubbles： so only think how the trees must have sparkled inthe sunshine! Around the nicest GREen meads， where the deer were playing in the grass，grew magnificent oaks and beeches; and if the bark of one of the trees was cracked， theregrass and long creeping plants grew in the crevices. And there were large calm lakes there too，in which white swans were swimming， and beat the air with their wings. The King's Son oftenstood still and listened. He thought the bell sounded from the depths of these still lakes; butthen he remarked again that the tone proceeded not from there， but farther off， from outthe depths of the forest.
the sun now set： the atmosphere glowed like fire. It was still in the woods，so very still;and he fell on his knees， sung his evening hymn， and said： “I cannot find what I seek; thesun is going down， and night is coming——the dark，dark night. Yet perhaps I may be ableonce more to see the round red sun before he entirely disappears. I will climb up yonder rock.”
And he seized hold of the creeping-plants， and the roots of trees——climbed up the moiststones where the water-snakes were writhing and the toads were croaking——and he gainedthe summit before the sun had quite gone down. How magnificent was the sight from thisheight! The sea——the GREat， the glorious sea， that dashed its long waves against thecoast——was stretched out before him. And yonder， where sea and sky meet， stood thesun， like a large shining altar， all melted together in the most glowing colors. And the woodand the sea sang a song of rejoicing， and his heart sang with the rest： all nature was a vastholy church， in which the trees and the buoyant clouds were the pillars， flowers and grassthe velvet carpeting， and heaven itself the large cupola. The red colors above faded away asthe sun vanished， but a million stars were lighted， a million lamps shone; and the King's Sonspread out his arms towards heaven， and wood， and sea; when at the same moment，coming by a path to the right， appeared， in his wooden shoes and jacket， the poor boy whohad been confirmed with him. He had followed his own path， and had reached the spot justas soon as the son of the king had done. They ran towards each other， and stood togetherhand in hand in the vast church of nature and of poetry， while over them sounded theinvisible holy bell： blessed spirits floated around them， and lifted up their voices in a rejoicinghallelujah!
黃昏的時(shí)候，太陽(yáng)正在下沉，煙囪上飄著的云塊泛出一片金黃的光彩;這時(shí)在一個(gè)大城市的小巷里，一忽兒這個(gè)人，一忽兒那個(gè)人全都聽(tīng)到類似教堂鐘聲的奇異聲音。不過(guò)聲音每次持續(xù)的時(shí)間非常短。因?yàn)榻稚下÷〉能嚶暫袜须s的人聲總是把它打斷了。
“暮鐘響起來(lái)了!”人們說(shuō)，“太陽(yáng)落下去了!”
城外的房子彼此之間的距離比較遠(yuǎn)，而且都有花園和草坪;因此城外的人就可以看出天還是很亮的，所以也能更清楚地聽(tīng)到這個(gè)鐘聲。它似乎是從一個(gè)藏在靜寂而清香的森林里的教堂里發(fā)出來(lái)的。大家朝這聲音飄來(lái)的方向望，不禁起了一種莊嚴(yán)的感覺(jué)。
過(guò)了好長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間，人們開(kāi)始互相傳說(shuō)：“我不知道，樹(shù)林里會(huì)不會(huì)有一個(gè)教堂?鐘聲的調(diào)子是那么奇怪和美麗，我們不妨去仔細(xì)瞧一瞧。”
于是富人坐著車子去，窮人步行去;不過(guò)路似乎怎樣也走不完。當(dāng)他們來(lái)到森林外面的柳樹(shù)林跟前的時(shí)候，就坐下來(lái)。
他們望著長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的柳樹(shù)枝，以為真的已經(jīng)走進(jìn)森林里來(lái)了。城里賣糕餅的人也搬到這兒來(lái)，并且搭起了帳篷。接著又來(lái)了一個(gè)賣糖果的人，這人在自己的帳篷上掛起了一口鐘;這口鐘上還涂了一層防雨的瀝青，不過(guò)它里面卻沒(méi)有鐘舌。
大家回到家里來(lái)以后，都說(shuō)這事情很新奇，比他們吃過(guò)一次茶還要新奇得多。有三個(gè)人說(shuō)，他們把整個(gè)的樹(shù)林都走完了，直走到樹(shù)林的盡頭;他們老是聽(tīng)到這個(gè)奇怪的鐘聲，不過(guò)那時(shí)它似乎是從城里飄來(lái)的。有一位甚至還編了一支歌，把鐘聲比成一個(gè)母親對(duì)一個(gè)親愛(ài)的好孩子唱的歌——什么音樂(lè)也沒(méi)有這種鐘聲好聽(tīng)。
這個(gè)國(guó)家的皇帝也聽(tīng)到了這件事情。他下一道圣旨，說(shuō)無(wú)論什么人，只要能找出鐘聲的發(fā)源地，就可以被封為“世界的敲鐘人”——哪怕他所發(fā)現(xiàn)的不是鐘也沒(méi)有關(guān)系。
這么一來(lái)，許多人為了飯碗問(wèn)題，就到樹(shù)林里去尋找鐘。不過(guò)在回來(lái)的人當(dāng)中只有一個(gè)人能說(shuō)出一點(diǎn)道理，誰(shuí)也沒(méi)有深入樹(shù)林，這人當(dāng)然也沒(méi)有，可是他卻說(shuō)聲音是住在一株空樹(shù)里的大貓頭鷹發(fā)出來(lái)的。這只貓頭鷹的腦袋里裝的全是智慧。它不停地把腦袋撞著樹(shù)。不過(guò)這聲音是從它的腦袋里發(fā)出來(lái)的呢，還是從空樹(shù)干里發(fā)出來(lái)的呢，他可沒(méi)有把握下個(gè)判斷。他總算得到了“世界的敲鐘人”這個(gè)職位，因此他每年寫一篇關(guān)于貓頭鷹的短論。不過(guò)大家并沒(méi)有因?yàn)樽x了他的論文而變得比以前更聰明。
在舉行堅(jiān)信禮的那一天，牧師發(fā)表了一篇漂亮而動(dòng)人的演說(shuō)。受堅(jiān)信禮的孩子們都受到了極大的感動(dòng)，因?yàn)檫@是他們生命中極重要的一天。他們?cè)谶@一天從孩子變成了成年人。他們稚氣的靈魂也要變成更有理智的成年人的靈魂。當(dāng)這些受了堅(jiān)信禮的人走出城外的時(shí)候，處處照著燦爛的太陽(yáng)光，樹(shù)林里那個(gè)神秘的大鐘發(fā)出非常洪亮的聲音。他們想立刻就去找這個(gè)鐘聲;因此他們?nèi)既チ?，只有三個(gè)人是例外。一個(gè)要回家去試試她的參加舞會(huì)的禮服，因?yàn)樗@次來(lái)受堅(jiān)信禮完全是為了這件禮服和舞會(huì)，否則她就決不會(huì)來(lái)的。第二個(gè)是一個(gè)窮苦的孩子。他受堅(jiān)信禮穿的衣服和靴子是從主人的少爺那兒借來(lái)的;他必須在指定的時(shí)間內(nèi)歸還。第三個(gè)說(shuō)，在他沒(méi)有得到父母的同意以前，決不到一個(gè)陌生的地方去。他一直是一個(gè)聽(tīng)話的孩子，即使受了堅(jiān)信禮，仍然是如此。人們不應(yīng)該笑他!——但是人們卻仍然笑他。
因此這三個(gè)人就不去了。別的人都連蹦帶跳地走了。太陽(yáng)在照耀著，鳥兒在唱著，這些剛剛受了堅(jiān)信禮的人也在唱著。他們彼此手挽著手，因?yàn)樗麄冞€沒(méi)得到什么不同的職位，而且在受堅(jiān)信禮的這天大家在我們的上帝面前都是平等的。
不過(guò)他們之中有兩個(gè)最小的孩子馬上就感到膩煩了，所以他們兩個(gè)人就回到城里去了。另外還有兩個(gè)小女孩子坐下來(lái)扎花環(huán)，也不愿意去。當(dāng)其余的孩子走到那個(gè)賣糕餅的人所在的柳樹(shù)林里的時(shí)候，他們說(shuō)：“好，我們算是到了。鐘連影子都沒(méi)有，這完全是一個(gè)幻想!”
正在這時(shí)候，一個(gè)柔和而莊嚴(yán)的鐘聲在樹(shù)林的深處響起來(lái);有四五個(gè)孩子決計(jì)再向樹(shù)林里走去。樹(shù)很密，葉子又多，要向前走真是不太容易。車葉草和秋牡丹長(zhǎng)得非常高，盛開(kāi)的旋花和黑莓像長(zhǎng)花環(huán)似的從這棵樹(shù)牽到那棵樹(shù)。夜鶯在這些樹(shù)上唱歌，太陽(yáng)光在這些樹(shù)上嬉戲。啊，這地方真是美麗得很，不過(guò)這條路卻不是女孩子可以走的，因?yàn)樗齻冊(cè)谶@兒很容易撕破自己的衣服，這兒有長(zhǎng)滿各色青苔的石塊，有潺潺流著的新鮮泉水，發(fā)出一種“骨碌，骨碌”的怪聲音。
“這不會(huì)是那個(gè)鐘吧?”孩子中有一個(gè)問(wèn)。于是他就躺下來(lái)靜靜地聽(tīng)?！拔业挂芯恳幌?”
他一個(gè)人留下來(lái)，讓別的孩子向前走。
他們找到一座用樹(shù)皮和樹(shù)枝蓋的房子。房子上有一棵結(jié)滿了蘋果的大樹(shù)。看樣子它好像是把所有的幸福都搖到這個(gè)開(kāi)滿玫瑰花的屋頂上似的。它的長(zhǎng)枝子盤在房子的三角墻上，而這墻上正掛著一口小小的鐘。難道大家聽(tīng)到的鐘聲就是從這里發(fā)出來(lái)的嗎?是的，他們都有這種看法，只有一個(gè)人是例外。這人說(shuō)，這口鐘太小，太精致，決不會(huì)叫他們?cè)诤苓h(yuǎn)的地方就聽(tīng)得見(jiàn)!此外，他們聽(tīng)到過(guò)的鐘聲跟這鐘聲完全不同，因?yàn)樗艽騽?dòng)人的心。說(shuō)這話的人是國(guó)王的兒子。因此別的人都說(shuō)：“這種人總是想裝得比別人聰明一點(diǎn)。”
這樣，大家就讓他一個(gè)人向前走。他越向前走，他的心里就越充滿了一種森林中特有的靜寂之感。不過(guò)他仍聽(tīng)見(jiàn)大家所欣賞的那陣小小的鐘聲。有時(shí)風(fēng)把那個(gè)糕餅店里的聲音吹來(lái)，于是他就聽(tīng)到大家在一面吃茶，一面唱歌。不過(guò)洪亮的鐘聲比這些聲音還要大，好像有風(fēng)琴在伴奏似的。這聲音是從左邊來(lái)的——從心所在的那一邊來(lái)的。
有一個(gè)沙沙的響聲從一個(gè)灌木叢中飄出來(lái)。王子面前出現(xiàn)了一個(gè)男孩子。這孩子穿著一雙木鞋和一件非常短的上衣——短得連他的手肘也蓋不住。他們彼此都認(rèn)識(shí)，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)孩子也是在這天參加過(guò)堅(jiān)信禮的。他沒(méi)有能跟大家一起來(lái)，因?yàn)樗没厝グ岩路脱プ舆€給老板的少爺。他辦完了這件事以后，就穿著木鞋和寒磣的上衣獨(dú)自一人走來(lái)，因?yàn)殓娐暿悄敲春榱梁蜕畛粒莵?lái)不可。
“我們一塊兒走吧!”王子說(shuō)。
這個(gè)穿著木鞋的孩子感到非常尷尬。他把上衣的短袖子拉了一下，說(shuō)他恐怕不能走得像王子那樣快;此外，他認(rèn)為鐘聲一定是從右邊來(lái)的，因?yàn)橛疫叺木跋蠛芮f嚴(yán)和美麗。
“這樣一來(lái)，我們就碰不到頭了!”王子說(shuō)，對(duì)這窮苦的孩子點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭。孩子向這樹(shù)林最深最密的地方走去。荊棘把他寒磣的衣服鉤破了，把他的臉、手和腳劃得流出血來(lái)。王子身上也有好幾處傷痕，不過(guò)他所走的路卻充滿了太陽(yáng)光。我們現(xiàn)在就要注意他的行程，因?yàn)樗且粋€(gè)聰明的孩子。
“即使我走到世界的盡頭，”他說(shuō)，“我也要找到這口鐘!”
難看的猢猻高高地坐在樹(shù)上做怪臉，露出牙齒。“我們往他身上扔些東西吧!”它們說(shuō)，“我們打他吧，因?yàn)樗且粋€(gè)國(guó)王的兒子!”
不過(guò)他不怕困難，他一步一步地向樹(shù)林的深處走。那兒長(zhǎng)著許多奇異的花：含有紅蕊的、像星星一樣的百合花，在微風(fēng)中射出光彩的、天藍(lán)色的郁金香，結(jié)著像大肥皂泡一樣發(fā)亮的果實(shí)的蘋果樹(shù)。你想想看，這些樹(shù)在太陽(yáng)光中該是多么光彩奪目啊。
四周是一片非常美麗的綠草原。草上有公鹿和母鹿在嬉戲，而且還有茂盛的櫟樹(shù)和山毛櫸。草和藤本植物從樹(shù)縫里長(zhǎng)出來(lái)。這一大片林木中還有靜靜的湖，湖里還有游泳著的白天鵝，它們?cè)谂闹岚颉Ｍ踝诱局o靜地聽(tīng)。他常常覺(jué)得鐘聲是從深沉的湖里飄上來(lái)的;不過(guò)他馬上就注意到，鐘聲并不是從湖里來(lái)的，而是從森林的深處來(lái)的。
太陽(yáng)現(xiàn)在下沉了，天空像火一樣地發(fā)紅，森林里是一片靜寂。這時(shí)他就跪下來(lái)，唱了黃昏的贊美歌，于是他說(shuō)：
“我將永遠(yuǎn)看不到我所追尋的東西!現(xiàn)在太陽(yáng)已經(jīng)下沉了，夜——漆黑的夜——已經(jīng)到來(lái)了。也許在圓圓的紅太陽(yáng)沒(méi)有消逝以前，我還能夠看到它一眼吧。我要爬到崖石上去，因?yàn)樗鹊臉?shù)還要高!”他攀著樹(shù)根和藤蔓在潮濕的石壁上爬。壁上盤著水蛇，有些癩蛤蟆也似乎在對(duì)他狂叫。不過(guò)，在太陽(yáng)沒(méi)有落下去以前，他已經(jīng)爬上去了。他在這塊高處仍然可以看見(jiàn)太陽(yáng)。啊，這是多么美麗的景象啊!海，他的眼前展開(kāi)一片美麗的茫茫大海，洶涌的海濤向岸上襲來(lái)。太陽(yáng)懸在海天相連的那條線上，像一座發(fā)光的大祭壇。一切融化成為一片鮮紅的色彩。樹(shù)林在唱著歌，大海在唱著歌，他的心也跟它們一起在唱著歌。整個(gè)大自然成了一個(gè)偉大的、神圣的教堂：樹(shù)木和浮云就是它的圓柱，花朵和綠葉就是它的柔軟的地氈，天空就是它的廣闊的圓頂。正在這時(shí)候，那個(gè)穿著短袖上衣和木鞋的窮苦孩子從右邊走來(lái)了。他是沿著他自己的道路，在同一個(gè)時(shí)候到來(lái)的。他們急忙走到一起，在這大自然和詩(shī)的教堂中緊緊地握著雙手。那口看不見(jiàn)的、神圣的鐘在他們的上空發(fā)出聲音。幸福的精靈在教堂的周圍跳舞，唱著歡樂(lè)的頌歌!
(1845年)
這是一篇具有象征性的童話，最初發(fā)表在《兒童月刊》1845年5月號(hào)上。“鐘聲”究竟代表什么，居然能吸引那么多人?王子和貧民都去追尋它。 “那個(gè)穿著短袖上衣和木鞋的窮苦孩子從右邊走來(lái)了，他是沿著自己的道路，在同一個(gè)時(shí)候到來(lái)的。他們急忙走到一起，在這大自然和詩(shī)的教堂中緊緊地握著雙手。那口看不見(jiàn)的、神圣的鐘在他們的上空發(fā)出聲音?！边@“聲音”也許就是象征“文學(xué)創(chuàng)作”吧。它有同樣感召王子和貧民的靈魂。安徒生在他的手記中說(shuō)：“'鐘聲 '這個(gè)故事，實(shí)際上像我以后寫的一些故事一樣，完全是我自己的創(chuàng)造。它們像種子似的潛藏在我的思想中。只需一陣雨，一片陽(yáng)光和一點(diǎn)土壤就可以開(kāi)出花來(lái)。我越來(lái)越清楚地感覺(jué)到什么都可以通過(guò)童話表現(xiàn)出來(lái)。隨著時(shí)間的推移，我更清楚地認(rèn)識(shí)到了我的筆力，但同時(shí)也理解到了自己的局限。”這是安徒生的一段創(chuàng)作自白。