她将成为我的妻子

Many years ago an old toymaker lived in Denmark. He was very good at making toys for children. He liked to make all kinds of toys. One day he took a very big tin spoon and began to make soldiers out of it. He worked very hard from morning till night. At last he had twenty-four soldiers.
　　There was still a little tin left, so the old man made another soldier. But this soldier had only one leg. There was not enough tin for two.

　　The twenty-five soldiers were little, but brave, strong, and handsome. The old man was very happy with them. They were also very glad to have so many brothers. They all stood very straight in black fur caps, red coats, and blue trousers. Each one had a gun in his hand. The last tin soldier stood on his one leg and was just as brave and straight as his brothers.
　　The old man put the twenty-five soldiers in a box and put the lid on. He put the box on the small table beside his bed and said, "I'm going to sell them tomorrow morning." Soon he went to sleep.

　　When the clock on the wall struck twelve that night, the lid of the box opened and the twenty-five soldiers came out. They stood on the floor in a line side by side. Suddenly a march was heard and the twenty-five soldiers began to march to the music. They enjoyed marching around the room hour after hour. But as soon as they heard the first cockcrow, they quickly got back into the box.
　　After breakfast the old man took the twenty-five soldiers to the market to sell them.Many people stopped in front of the old man and looked at the twenty-five tin soldiers. At last a lady bought the soldiers and took them home to her youngest son.

　　The small boy was very happy to have them and shouted, "Look at my tin soldiers." He took them out of the box and put them on the table. The twenty-five tin soldiers stood very straight in their black fur caps, red coats, and blue trousers. All his friends around the table looked at them.
　　"Oh, poor thing! That one only has one leg," one of the children said.

　　"I like him best," the small boy said. "He has only one leg, but he is as brave as his brothers. He can stand on his one leg as straight as they do." The small tin soldier was very happy to hear the boy's words.
　　There were other toys on the table. There were a black dog and a bird. The black dog had a key in his back and he turned it when he wanted to walk, run, and jump. The small tin soldier did not like the black dog. The dog barked at him loudly whenever he saw him. The black dog did not like the small tin soldier, either. The bird was in a small cage and sang pretty songs every day. The small boy liked to listen to the bird sing.

　　There was a pretty paper house, too. It had a red roof, a door, small windows, and a pretty garden covered with green grass. There were in the garden beautiful paper flowers and a pool made of a piece of glass. There were some ducks on the pool.
　　A small paper lady stood by the door of the house. It was her house. She was as pretty as a flower. The paper house was very pretty, but the small paper lady was prettier. She had on a beautiful blue dress and wore a flower in her hair. It was made of tin and shone like a star.

　　The paper lady was a dancer. She practiced dancing every day. She danced in the garden when it was fine, and in the house when it was rainy or windy.
　　When she was dancing, one of her legs was on the ground, and the other was up in the air. She was like the small tin soldier. She always stood on one leg. He looked at her a lot, and loved her very much. "She's very pretty and very good at dancing. She is also like me. She has only one leg," he said. "She's going to be my wife."

　　They could not meet each other, however. She lived in her pretty house, and the small tin soldier lived in a dark box together with his twenty-four brothers. Whenever he went out of the box and tried to go near her house, the black dog barked at him. So he lay down a short distance behind the black dog and looked at the paper dancer. She did not look at him, but he loved her more and more.
　　"What a pretty lady! She's the prettiest lady in the world. And she's going to be my wife someday," the tin soldier often said.

　　The black dog laughed nastily and said, "No. She'll never be your wife. She's going to be my wife."

　　许多年以前丹麦有一个制作玩具的老先生。他擅长制造儿童玩具，喜欢制造各式各样的玩具。有一天他拿了一支非常大的锡汤匙，开始用它来制造玩具士兵。他从早到晚非常努力地工作，最后制成了廿四个士兵。

　　还有一些锡剩下来，老先生因而又制做了一名士兵。但这个士兵只有一条腿，因为没有足够的锡来做两条腿。

　　这廿五个士兵虽然小，但却很勇敢、强壮和英俊。老先生对他们感到很满意。他们也很高兴能有这么多的弟兄。他们身上都穿著红色的上衣和蓝色的长裤，头上戴着一顶黑色的毛皮帽，非常英挺地站着。每一个士兵手中都有一把枪。最后一名锡士兵用一条腿站立着，跟他的弟兄们一样勇敢和挺直。

　　老先生把这廿五个士兵放在一个盒子里面，并盖上盖子。他把盒子放在床边的小桌上说：『我明天早上要卖了他们。』不久，他就去睡觉了。

　　那天晚上墙上的时钟敲了十二响的时候，盒子的盖子打开了，廿五个士兵从里面走出来。他们一字排开并肩地站在地板上。突然一首进行曲演奏了起来，这廿五个士兵便开始随着音乐踏步前进。他们喜欢绕着房间一小时又一小时地行进。但他们一听到第一声鸡啼时便很快回到盒子里面去。

　　吃完早餐之后，老先生就把这廿五个士兵带到市场去卖。很多人在老先生的面前停下来，观赏这廿五个锡制的士兵。最后有一位女士买下这些士兵，带回家去送给她的幺儿。

　　小男孩非常高兴能拥有他们，叫着说：『看看我这些锡士兵。』他把他们从盒子里面拿出来放在桌子上。这廿五个锡制的士兵身上穿著红色的上衣和蓝色的长裤，头上戴着黑色的毛皮帽，非常英挺地站着。小男孩的朋友们都围在桌旁看着他们。

　　『噢！可怜的家伙！那个士兵只有一条腿，』其中一个小孩说。

　　小男孩说：『我最喜欢他了。他虽然只有一条腿，但是他跟他的弟兄们一样勇敢。他可以用一条腿站得跟他们一样挺直。』小锡士兵听到男孩的话，感到很高兴。

　　桌上还有其它的玩具。有一只黑狗和一只小鸟。这只黑狗背上有把钥匙，当他想走路，跑或跳时，他就旋转这把钥匙。小锡士兵不喜欢这只黑狗。黑狗每次看到小锡士兵，就对他大声地吠叫。黑狗也不喜欢小锡士兵。在小笼子里的小鸟每天都唱着优美动听的歌曲。小男孩喜欢听这只小鸟唱歌。

　　还有一幢纸做的漂亮房子。房子有红色的屋顶、一扇门、几扇小窗户和一座满布绿草的漂亮花园。花园里有美丽的纸花和一片玻璃打造的水池。池上有一些鸭子。

　　一位纸做的小姐站在房子的门边。这是她的家。她美得像朵花。这幢纸屋很漂亮，但这位纸做的小姐更漂亮。她身上穿著一件美丽的蓝色洋装，头上戴着一朵花。这朵花是由锡制成的，如星光一样闪亮。

　　这位纸做的小姐是一位舞蹈家。她每天都在练习舞蹈。天气晴朗的时候，她在花园里跳舞；下雨或刮风的时候，她就在屋子里面跳舞。

　　当她跳舞的时候，她的一条腿站在地上，而另一条腿却悬在空中。就像小锡士兵一样，她总是用一条腿站着。小锡士兵常常看着她，而且非常爱她。他说：『她很漂亮，舞又跳得很好。她也像我一样，只有一条腿。她将成为我的妻子。』

　　然而，他们彼此却不能见面。她住在她漂亮的房子里，而小锡士兵跟他的廿四个弟兄们则住在黑暗的盒子里。每当他从盒子里走出来，想要走近她家时，黑狗就对着他吠叫。因此他就在黑狗后面不远的地方躺下来看着这位纸做的舞蹈家。她并没有看着他，但他却愈来愈爱她。

　　『多么漂亮的姑娘啊！她是世上最漂亮的姑娘。总有一天她会成为我的妻子，』这个锡士兵常常说。

　　黑狗狞笑道：『不，她绝不会成为你的妻子。她将是我的妻子。』