“And then，”asked the firtree，trembling through all its branches，“and then what happens？”
“后来呢？”枞树问道，它所有的枝子都颤动起来了。“后来怎样一个结果呢？后来呢？”
“We did not see any more，”said the sparrows，“but this was enough for us.”
“唔，以后的事我们没有看见。但那是美极了！”
“I wonder whether anything so brilliant will ever happen to me.”thought the firtree.“It would be much better than crossing the sea.I long for it almost with pain.Oh！When will Christmas be here？I am now as tall and well grown as those which were taken away last year.Oh！That I were now laid on the wagon，or standing in the warm room，with all that brightness and splendor around me！Something better and more beautiful is to come after，or the trees would not be so decked out.Yes，what follows will be grander and more splendid.What can it be？I am weary with longing.I scarcely know how I feel.”
“也许有一天我也不得不走上这条光荣的大道吧！”枞树高兴地说道。“这比在海上航行要好得多！我但愿现在就是圣诞节！我真等待得不耐烦了！现在我已经大了，成人了，正像去年被运走的那些树一样！啊，我希望我高高地坐在车子上！我希望我就在那个温暖的房间里，全身打扮得漂漂亮亮！那么，以后呢？是的，之后更美更好的事情就会来，不然他们为什么要把我打扮得这样漂亮呢？一定会有更伟大、更美丽的事情到来的。不过什么事呢？啊，我真渴望！我真痛苦！我自己也不明白为什么要这样！”
“Rejoice with us.”said the air and the sunlight.“Enjoy thine own bright life in the fresh air.”
“请你同我们一道享受你的生活吧！”太阳光和空气说。“请你在清新的空中享受你辉煌的青春吧！”
But the tree would not rejoice，though it grew taller every day，and，winter and summer，its darkgreen foliage might be seen in the forest，while passers by would say，“What a beautiful tree！”
但枞树什么也不能享受。它一直在生长，生长。在夏天和冬天，它老是立在那儿，发绿……阴深的绿。看见过它的人说：“这是一株美丽的树！”
A short time before Christmas，the discontented firtree was the first to fall.As the axe cut through the stem，and divided the pith，the tree fell with a groan to the earth，conscious of pain and faintness，and forgetting all its anticipations of happiness，in sorrow at leaving its home in the forest.It knew that it should never again see its dear old companions，the trees，nor the little bushes and manycolored flowers that had grown by its side，perhaps not even the birds.Neither was the journey at all pleasant.The tree first recovered itself while being unpacked in the courtyard of a house，with several other trees，and it heard a man say，“We only want one，and this is the prettiest.”
到了圣诞节的时候，它是最先被砍掉的一株。斧头深深地砍进树心里去，所以它叹了一口气就倒到地上来了：它感到一阵昏厥，一种痛楚，它根本想不起什么快乐。离开自己的家，离开自己根生土长的这块地方，究竟是很悲惨的。它知道自己就要永远也见不到那些亲爱的老朋友、周围那些花丛和小灌木林了……也许连鸟儿也不会再见到哪，别离真的不是什么让人愉快的事情。当这树跟许多别的树在院子里一齐被卸下来时，它才清醒过来。它听到一个人说：“这是一棵很好看的树儿；我们只要这一株！”
Then came two servants in grand livery，and carried the firtree into a large and beautiful apartment.On the walls hung pictures，and near the great stove stood great china vases，with lions on the lids.There were rocking chairs，silken sofas，large tables，covered with pictures，books，and playthings，worth a great deal of money，—at least，the children said so.Then the firtree was placed in a large tub，full of sand.But green baize hung all around it，so that no one could see it was a tub，and it stood on a very handsome carpet.How the firtree trembled！“What was going to happen to him now？”Some young ladies came，and the servants helped them to adorn the tree.On one branch they hung little bags cut out of colored paper，and each bag was filled with sweetmeats.From other branches hung gilded apples and walnuts(walnut n.胡桃，胡桃木)，as if they had grown there.And above，and all round，were hundreds of red，blue，and white tapers，which were fastened on the branches.Dolls，exactly like real babies，were placed under the green leaves，—the tree had never seen such things before，—and at the very top was fastened a glittering star，made of tinsel.Oh，it was very beautiful！
两位穿得很整齐的仆人走来了，将这枞树抬到一间漂亮的大客厅里去。四边墙上挂着许多画像，在一个大瓷砖砌的火炉旁边摆着高大的中国花瓶……盖子上雕塑着狮子。这儿还有丝绸沙发、摇椅、值几千几万元的玩具和堆满了画册的大桌子……至少小孩子们是这么讲的。枞树被放进装满了沙子的大盆里。不过谁也不知道这是一个盆，因为它外头围着一层布，并且立在一张宽大的杂色地毯上。啊，枞树抖得好厉害啊！现在会有什么事情发生呢？小姐们和仆人都来打扮它。他们将花纸剪的小网袋挂在它的枝子上，每个小网袋里都装满了糖果；涂成金色的胡桃核和苹果也给挂在上面，好像它们原来就是生长在上面似的。此外，枝子上还装有一百多根红色、白色和蓝色的小蜡烛。枞树从来没有看到过这种同活人一模一样的玩偶在树叶间荡来荡去的东西。树顶上还装有一颗银纸做的星星。这实在是漂亮，分外地漂亮。
“This evening，”they all exclaimed，“how bright it will be！”“Oh，that the evening were come，”thought the tree，“and the tapers lighted！Then I shall know what else is going to happen.Will the trees of the forest come to see me？I wonder if the sparrows(sparrow n.[鸟］麻雀)will peep in at the windows as they fly？Shall I grow faster here，and keep on all these ornaments summer and winter？”But guessing was of very little use.It made his bark ache，and this pain is as bad for a slender firtree，as headache is for us.At last the tapers were lighted，and then what a glistening blaze of light the tree presented！It trembled so with joy in all its branches，that one of the candles fell among the green leaves and burnt some of them.“Help！help！”exclaimed the young ladies，but there was no danger，for they quickly extinguished(extinguish vt.熄灭，消灭，压制，使黯然失色)the fire.After this，the tree tried not to tremble at all.Though the fire frightened him，he was so anxious not to hurt any of the beautiful ornaments，even while their brilliancy dazzled him.And now the folding doors were thrown open，and a troop of children rushed in as if they intended to upset the tree.They were followed more silently by their elders.For a moment the little ones stood silent with astonishment，and then they shouted for joy，till the room rang，and they danced merrily round the tree，while one present after another was taken from it.
