为您找到与丑小鸭英语故事简短篇带翻译相关的共200个结果:
下面是读文网小编整理的英语演讲稿带翻译简短,希望对大家有帮助。
My name is XXX, I am a middle school student of XXX sschool. I am so glad to be here and tell you something about our school.
We study in a beautiful school,since the day I came here I have began to love her. 我们学习在一个漂亮的校园里,从我第一天起就深深的喜欢上她
Flowers and trees are the most beautiful things in our school.No matter where you are,you can smell the clean air in our school,when you are tired you also can sit on the chail under the big tree.suddenly you will feel so cool,and at that time you must lose youself in enjoying it.
话花朵和大树是学校最美的东西,不论你在哪你都可以闻到学校里空气的清新味道,当你累了,你同样可以做在大树下的椅子上休息,刹那件你会感觉如此凉爽,那时请尽情享受吧!
And there are also many many good teachers in our school,they teach us so carefully in each calss,and when you meet hard problem they won't stop telling until you understand.So we often have good markes in the examnations.
同样学习有许多好老师他们仔细的教我门每堂课,当你遇到困难,他们会停下来告诉你,知道你会为止所以我们总是在期末考试中取得好成绩
Oh sure the students here are the best, we study hard and live together happily,here you never can see we quarry with each other and hit each other because here is a big warm family.
哦,还有,这里的学生也是最棒的,我们努力的学习并且共同生活,再这里你看不到我们争吵,大家因为我们是一个温暖的大家庭
So many things I will say,but the most important thing is that you come here ,I think you must love our school.Because everyone here loves it!
我有很多的话想说,但是组重要的是你能来到我们学习,我想你也一定喜欢我们学习,因为我们每个人都爱他!
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一些幽默的英语故事,能提高我们阅读英语的兴趣,从而提高英语的阅读能力,今天读文网小编在这里为大家分享一些四年级英语幽默小故事,欢迎大家阅读!
Guests for dinner
晚餐宾客
There was this little kid who had a bad habit of sucking his thumb.
一个小家伙老喜欢吮自己的大拇指, 这可是个坏习惯。
His mother finally told him that if he didn't stop sucking his thumb, he'd get fat.
他妈妈最后跟他说,如果他再吮大拇指的话,他就会变得很胖。
Two weeks later, his mother had her friends over for a game of bridge.
两个星期后的一天,她妈妈正跟几个朋友在玩桥牌。
The boy points to an obviously pregnant woman and says, "Ah, ha! I know what you've been doing!"
小家伙指着一个因怀孕而体型明显发胖的女人说,“啊,哈! 我知道你一直在做什么!”
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下面是读文网小编整理的英语童话故事带翻译,欢迎大家阅读!
laugh out of the other side of your mouth
乐极生悲
Chunyu Kun (淳于髡) lived in the state of Qi (齐国) during the Warring States Period (战国,475-221 BC).He was wise, humorous and eloquent. He skillfully advised the king on many occasions and successfully went to many states as an envoy.
战国时期,齐国有个叫淳于髡的人。他幽默机智,能说会道,给齐威王出过许多好主意,并且成功出使了许多其他的国家。
In the year 349 BC, the State of Chu (楚国) dispatched a large force to attack Qi.
公元349年,楚国派出大批军队攻打齐国。
The king of Qi sent Chunyu Kun to the state of Zhao (赵国) to ask for help, with a lot of valuable gifts.
齐王派淳于髡去赵国寻求帮助,于是他带着许多贵重的礼品去了赵国。
The king of Zhao accpeted the gifts gladly and sent a hundred thousand troops to help Qi.
赵王见了礼物十分高兴,派了十万士兵去援助齐国。
The king of Chu withdrew his army that very night as soon as he got the news.
那天晚上,楚王得到这消息,马上撤回了自己的军队。
The king of Qi was released and pleased with Chunyu Kun. He set a banquet for celebration.
齐威王松了一口气,十分满意淳于髡的表现,并决定设宴为他庆功。
During the meal, the king asked Chunyu Kun, "How much wine can you drink before you're drunk, Sir?"
在宴会上,齐威王问淳于髡:“先生你喝多少酒会醉?”
Knowing the king had a bad habit of drinking all night, Chunyu Kun decided to take this chance to admonish the king. So he replied, "I get drunk when I drink ten litres or hundred."
他幽默地回答说:“我有时喝一升酒就会醉,有时喝一百升酒才会醉。”
Puzzled, the king asked, "Since you are drunk after ten litres, how can you finish another ninty litres?"
齐威王听了很奇怪。他问:“你喝一升已经醉了,怎么还会有喝一百升的道理呢?”
Chunyu Kun then explained that he could drink different amounts of wine under different conditions. He said, "This occurs to me that when you drink to your limit, you get so drunk that you lose your sense; once joy reaches its height, then it's sorrow's turn. This is the rule for everything. Whatever you do, you are bound to end up in the opposite direction when you exceed the limits."
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“哪里有人,哪里就有笑声。”从古到今,笑话是人们生活中不可缺少的“调剂品”。笑话使人们在刻板的生活中感到一丝快意和放松,在人们的日常生活中起着重要调剂作用。下面读文网小编为大家带来少儿英语幽默小故事翻译,欢迎大家阅读!
A man told his son to take a letter to the post office, buy a three-cent stamp and mail it.
After a while his son returned. The man asked him, "Did you mail the letter?"
His son replied, "Certainly, and I have saved the three cents. I saw many people dropping letters in a box, so when nobody was looking, I dropped mine in too."
有个人叫他的儿子拿一封信到邮局去买一张三分钱的邮票把它寄出去。
过了一会儿他的儿子回来了,他问儿子:“信寄了吗?”
儿子回答说:“当然寄了,我还省了三分钱哩。我看到很多人把信投进了一个箱子,我就趁没人的时候把我的也投进去了。”
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白雪公主是广泛流行于欧洲的一个童话故事中的人物,其中最著名的故事版本见于德国1812年的《格林童话》。讲述了白雪公主受到继母皇后(格林兄弟最初手稿中为生母)的虐待,逃到森林里,遇到七个小矮人的故事。下面是读文网小编为大家带来白雪公主的英语故事带翻译,希望大家喜欢!
从前,有一个王后,她坐在窗户旁。窗外的花园里积满了雪,山上是雪,小路上是雪,树上和屋顶上也积着雪,万物一片白茫茫。她手中拿着些布和一枚针,她手中的不就像雪一样洁白。王后正在为小孩做一件上衣,她说:“我想我的孩子能够像这布一样白,想雪一样白,我要叫她'白雪公主'。”
几天之后,王后生了个小孩,这个孩子白得像雪一样,王后给她取名为“白雪公主”。但是,王后得了重病,几天以后就去世了。白雪公主活了下来,她是一个十分幸福和美丽的孩子。
王后去世一年以后,国王又娶了一位王后。新王后十分漂亮,但是,她不是一个善良的女人。一个巫师给了新王后一面镜子,这面镜子会说话,它挂在王后房间的墙上,每天王后照着镜子,欣赏自己多么漂亮。当她照镜子的时候,她问:“告诉我,墙上的魔镜,谁是世界上最漂亮的人?”于是魔镜开口说道:“王后是世界上最漂亮的。”
过了数年,白雪公主长成大人了。当白雪公主是一个年轻姑娘时,有一天,王后照着镜子说:“告诉我,墙上的魔镜,谁是世界上最漂亮的?”魔镜说:“白雪公主是世界上最漂亮的。”
当王后听到这些话时,非常恼怒,她说:“白雪公主没有我漂亮,没有一个人比我更漂亮。”然后,王后坐在床上哭了。一小时后,王后从她的房间走出来,她叫来一个仆人说:“把白雪公主带到森林中杀掉。”
仆人带着白雪公主到了森林,但他没有杀死她,因为她太美丽太善良了。他说:“我不会杀死你的,但是,你不能回王宫,因为,王后很生气,她会看到你的。如果王后发现你,她会让别人杀死你的。你就呆在森林里,会有朋友来帮助你的。”然后,他走了。
可怜的白雪公主坐在一棵树底下哭了,这时,她看到天快黑了,她说:“我不哭了,我要找所房子今晚好睡觉,我不能呆在这儿了,熊会吃了我的。”她往森林深处走去,这时,她发现了一座小屋,她打开小屋的门,走了进去。在小屋里,她看到七张小床,还有一张桌子,桌子上有七块小面包和七个小杯子。她吃了其中一块面包,然后说:“我想喝点水。”于是,她又喝了一个杯子中的一些水。之后,她躺在一张小床上睡着了。
这座小屋是七个小矮人的家。当天黑下来的时候,七个小矮人回到小屋。每个小矮人都留着一副大胡子,穿一件小蓝上衣。小矮人进了小屋,每个人都点上他们的小灯,然后,小矮人都坐下,开始吃面包,喝小杯里的水。
但是,一个小矮人说:“有人把我小面包吃了。”另一个小矮人说:“有人把我的小杯子里的水喝了。”然后,七个小矮人去睡觉。可是一个小矮人说:“有人正睡在我的小床上。”七个小矮人都过来看睡在小矮人床上的白雪公主。他们说:“她真漂亮。”
白雪公主醒了,发现七个留着大胡子的小矮人正站在她床旁,她很害怕。小矮人们说:“别害怕,我们是你的好朋友,告诉我们你是怎么来这儿的。”白雪公主说:“我告诉你们。”接着她就给他们讲述了自己的经历。他们说:“不要害怕。就在这儿和我们住在一起,但是,我们不在家的时候,你一定要关上门,千万别出去。如果你出去了,坏王后会发现你,这样,她知道你没有死,会让人来杀死你。”于是,白雪公主和七个小矮人在这座小屋里生活着。
几天以后,白雪公主去了一趟花园。王后的一个仆人正经过这片森林,他发现了阿。他回去告诉了王后:“白雪公主在森林的一座小屋里。”王后听说白雪公主没有死,十分恼火。
王后拿来一个苹果,她在苹果红的一边挖了一个洞,把一些毒的粉末放在这个洞里。然后,她穿上一身旧衣服,去了小屋。她喊:“屋里有人吗?”白雪公主打开门,出来见她。王后说:“我有一些漂亮的苹果,吃一个尝尝吧?”白雪公主拿着苹果说:“这好吃吗?”王后说:“瞧,我吃苹果白的一半,你吃红的一半,你会知道它味道不错。”白雪公主吃了苹果红的一半,当粉末进入她嘴里时,她倒下去死了。
王后回到家,进了自己的房间,对着镜子说:“告诉我,墙上的魔镜,谁是世界上最漂亮的。”魔镜说:“王后是世界上最漂亮的。”于是,王后知道白雪公主已经死了。
小矮人们回到小屋,发现白雪公主死了。可怜的小矮人们全都哭了。然后,他们把白雪公主放进玻璃棺材里,并把它抬到山坡上,安放在那里,说:“每位经过这里的人都会看见她是多么美丽。”接着每个小矮人在棺材上放了一朵白花,然后离开了。
他们刚刚要离开,一位王子从此经过,他看着玻璃棺材说:“那是什么?”这时,他发现白雪公主躺在里面,他说:“她太美丽了,把能把她放在这里,在父亲的王宫里有一座大厅,整个大厅都是用白石头砌成,我们把玻璃棺材搬到那所漂亮的白石大厅里。”小矮人们说:“抬走她吧。”
然后,王子告诉他的仆人抬起棺材。他们抬起它时,不巧一个仆人跌倒了。把棺材也摔到地上,白雪公主随同棺材跌了下来,那块苹果从她嘴里掉了出来,她醒了过来,坐起来说:“我这是在哪儿?”王子说:“你跟我在一起,我从来没有见过一位像你这么美丽的人,跟我来,做我的王后吧。”王子和白雪公主结婚了,她成了王后。
一个人去把这些消息告诉了坏王后,当她听到这些,气得倒下死去了。从那以后,白雪公主一直生活得很幸福。每年小矮人们都来看她。
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从古到今,笑话是人们生活中不可缺少的“调剂品”。笑话使人们在刻板的生活中感到一丝快意和放松,在人们的日常生活中起着重要调剂作用。下面读文网小编为大家带来少儿幽默英语故事带翻译,欢迎大家阅读!
A young writer was hoping that the editor would accept his novel. But the editor said, "You have no reason to ask me to publish your novel. It's not good enough."
The dismayed young writer seemed lost in thought, and then said, "I enclosed a stamp every time for you to return the rejected manuscripts. I think if you accept my novel, you may keep the stamp."
一个青年作者渴望主编会接受他写的小说。可是主编对他说:“你没有理由要求我发表你的小说,它不够好嘛。”
失望的青年作者好像沉思了一会,然后说:“我每次都附了邮票供你退稿时用,我想你若接受了我的小说,就可以留下邮票啦。”
以上就是读文网小编为大家带来的少儿幽默英语故事带翻译,希望大家喜欢!
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一些幽默的英语故事,能提高我们阅读英语的兴趣,从而提高英语的阅读能力,今天读文网小编在这里为大家分享一些初中英语幽默故事带翻译,欢迎大家阅读!
A bald man took a seat in a beauty shop.
"How can I help you?" asked the stylist.
"I went for a hair transplant," the guy explained, "but I couldn't stand the pain. If you can make my hair look like yours without causing me any discomfort, I will pay you $5000."
"No problem," said the stylist, and she quickly shaved her head.
一个秃头的人在一家美容店里坐了下来。
“您需要什么服务呢?”美容师问。
“我以前做过头发移植,”这个人解释道,“可是我忍受不了疼痛。假如你可以让我的头发像你的一样,却又不会给我带来什么不舒服的感觉,我就给你5000美圆。”
“没问题,”美容师说,于是,她很快剃光了自己的头发。
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笑话使人们在刻板的生活中感到一丝快意和放松,在人们的日常生活中起着重要调剂作用。下面读文网小编为大家带来简单英语幽默小故事带翻译,欢迎大家阅读!
Mother: Freddie, why is your face so red?
母亲:弗雷迪,你的脸怎么是红的?
Freddie: I was running up the street to stop a fight.
弗雷迪:我刚才在大街上跑,为的是阻止打架。
Mother: That's a very nice thing to do. Who was fighting?
母亲:这件事做得棒。谁和谁在大家呢?
Freddie: Me and Jackie Smith.
弗雷迪:我和杰基·史密斯。
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笑话使人们在刻板的生活中感到一丝快意和放松,在人们的日常生活中起着重要调剂作用。下面读文网小编为大家带来幽默简单英语故事翻译,欢迎大家阅读!
"You will be pleased with me today, mother," said Dick to his mother, coming home from school. "I saved on fares. I didn't go to school by bus, I ran all the way after it."
“今天你一定会对我感到满意的,妈妈。”从学校回来的迪克对妈妈说。“我把车费省下来了。我上学没有坐公交车,我跟着公交车一路跑到学校去的。”
"Well," said his mother laughing, "Next time you should run after a taxi, you will save much more."
“哦,”他的妈妈笑道,“下次你要跟着出租车跑,那样你会省下更多。”
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笑话使人们在刻板的生活中感到一丝快意和放松,在人们的日常生活中起着重要调剂作用。下面读文网小编为大家带来简单英语故事翻译,欢迎大家阅读!
A man is driving up a steep, narrow mountain road. A woman is driving down the same road. As they pass each other, the woman leans out of the window and yells "PIG!!" The man immediately leans out of his window and replies, "WITCH(女巫)!!" They each continue on their way, and as the man rounds the next corner, he crashes into a pig in the middle of the road. If only men would listen.
一个男人在一条陡峭狭窄的山路上驾车,一个女人相向驾车而来。他们相遇时,那个女的从窗中伸出头来叫到:“猪!!”那个男的立即从窗中伸出头来回敬道:“女巫!!”他们继续前行。这个男的在下一个路口转弯时,撞上了路中间的一头猪。要是这个男的能听懂那个女人的意思就好了。
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笑话使人们在刻板的生活中感到一丝快意和放松,在人们的日常生活中起着重要调剂作用。下面读文网小编为大家带来英语幽默小故事带翻译,欢迎大家阅读!
A little old lady goes to the doctor ... and says, "Doctor, I have this problem with gas, but it doesn't really bother me too much. They never smell and are always silent. As a matter of fact, I've farted at least 20 times since I've been here in your office. You didn't know I was farting because they don't smell and are silent." The doctor says, "I see. Here's a prescription. Take these pills 3 times a day for seven days and come back to see me next week." The next week the lady goes back. "Doctor," she says, "I don't know what the hell you gave me, but now my farts ... although still silent... stink terribly." The doctor says, "Good! Now that we've cleared up your sinuses, let's start working on your hearing."
有位小老太太去看医生:“医生,我有爱放屁的毛病。其实也不是大问题,只是我放屁不臭而且没声音。事实上,我在这里已经放了20多个屁,但是你并不知道对吧,因为我的屁不臭,而且还没声音。”医生说:“好的,我明白了。吃这个药片,一天三次连续吃七天,下星期你再来。”一星期后老太太来了,“医生,你到底给的我什么药,现在我放屁还是没声音,但是怎么这么臭!”医生说:“太好了!你的嗅觉正常了,现在开始治听觉。”
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笑话使人们在刻板的生活中感到一丝快意和放松,在人们的日常生活中起着重要调剂作用。下面读文网小编为大家带来英语趣味幽默故事带翻译,欢迎大家阅读!
A lawyer named Strange was shopping for a tombstone. After he had made his selection, the stonecutter asked him what inscription he would like on it. "Here lies an honest man and a lawyer," responded the lawyer. "Sorry, but I can't do that," replied the stonecutter. "In this state, it's against the law to bury two people in the same grave. However, I could put ``here lies an honest lawyer" "But that won't let people know who it is" protested the lawyer. "Certainly will," retorted the stonecutter. "people will read it and exclaim, "That's Strange!"
一个姓Strange的律师去买墓碑。他选好了以后,石匠问他,要在墓碑上刻什么碑铭。律师回答:“这里长眠着一个诚实的人,一个律师。”“对不起,我办不到,”石匠说,“要是这样的话,违反了一个坟墓只能埋葬一个人的法律。不过,我会刻上:‘这里长眠着一位诚实的律师’。” 律师抗议:“但是那样人们就不知道这里埋葬的是谁啊!”“当然知道啦,”石匠反驳道,“人们看到会惊呼‘太奇怪了!’”
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笑话使人们在刻板的生活中感到一丝快意和放松,在人们的日常生活中起着重要调剂作用。下面读文网小编为大家带来幽默英语小故事带翻译,欢迎大家阅读!
幽默英语小故事1:
A friend of mine was giving an English lesson to a class of adult who had recently come to live in the United States.
After placing quite a number of everyday objects on a table, he asked various members of the class to give him the ruler, the book, the pen and so on. The class went very smoothly and the students seemed interested and serious about the work that they were engaged in until when my friend turned to an Italian student and said, "Give me the keys."
The man looked surprised and somewhat at a loss. Seeing this, my friend thought that the student hadn't heard him clearly, so he repeated. "Give me the keys." The Italian shruggedhis shoulders. Then, he threw his arms around the teacher's neck and kissed him on both cheeks.
我的一位朋友在给一个成人学生班级上英语课。他们都是新近来美国生活的。
在一张桌子上摆了许多日常用品之后,他请全班同学给他挑出尺子,书本,钢笔等。课进行得井然有序,学生们对自己所做的似乎很感兴趣,也很认真。后来轮到一名来自意大利的学生,我的朋友说:“给我钥匙。”
那人看起来非常吃惊,也有点手足无措。看到这种情况,我的朋友想是他没有听清楚,于是又重复了一遍:“给我钥匙。”那位意大利学生耸了耸肩。接着,他伸出胳膊搂住老师的脖子在双颊上亲了两下。
幽默英语小故事2:
One of my favorite teachers at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau was known of his droll(滑稽的) sense of humor. Explaining his ground rules to one freshmanclass, he said, "Now I know my lectures can often be dry and boring, so I don't mind if you look at your watches during class. I do, however, object to your pounding them on the desk to make sure they're still running."
位于吉拉多海角的密苏里东南州立大学有一位我非常喜欢的老师,他奇特的幽默感很是出名。在对一个新生班级讲解他的基本原则时,他说:“我知道我的讲课可能经常会枯燥乏味,了无生趣,所以如果你们在上课时看表我并不介意。不过我坚决反对你们将表在课桌上猛敲看它们是不是还在走。”
幽默英语小故事3:
A shoplifter(商店扒手) was caught red-handed trying to steal a watch from a jewelry store. "Listen," said the shoplifter, "I know you don't want any trouble either. What do you say I just buy the watch, and we forget about this?"
The manager agreed and wrote up the sales slip. The crook(骗子,坏蛋) looked at the slip and said, "This is a little more than I intended to spend."
一个小偷在一家珠宝店企图偷走一只手表的时候被当场擒获。“听着,”小偷说,“我知道你们也不想惹麻烦。我把这只表买下,然后我们就当什么也没发生,你看怎样?”
经理表示同意,然后列了一张售货单。小偷看着单子说道:“这比我最初的预算稍稍高了一点,你们还有没有便宜一点儿东西。"
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从古到今,笑话是人们生活中不可缺少的“调剂品”。笑话使人们在刻板的生活中感到一丝快意和放松,在人们的日常生活中起着重要调剂作用。下面读文网小编为大家带来英语简短幽默笑话带翻译,希望大家喜欢!
Several years had passed since I worked for the federal government,but old habits died hard. A cable-television technician had just finished hooking up our service at home and told me he needed the 2185. I hadn't heard about this form before arid asked him," Where can I get that form'2185'"?
我从联邦政府退下来已经好几年了,但有些习惯却很难改掉。一个有线电视的技术工人给我家连接完天线后,对我说他要2185。我以前从没听见这个代号,便问:“我到哪儿能
领到这种表格?”
Looking at me peculiarly, he replied."Ma'am,it's money.$21.85. "
那位工人吃惊地望了我一会儿,说:“夫人,那是钱,21块8毛5。”
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一些有趣的英语故事,能够吸引少儿阅读英语的兴趣,从而提高英语的阅读能力,今天读文网小编在这里为大家分享一些少儿英语简短小故事,欢迎大家阅读!
Jake was always sick. He repeatedly got infections—mostly colds or the flu—from patients. He considered himself lucky to be alive, considering what he’d read about deadly bacteria and viruses that were developing immunity to all the latest drugs. A hospital is a dangerous place. He wanted out of the hospital, but he had nowhere to go. He was no spring chicken. The pay, benefits, and hours were good. His schedule regularly included three- or four-day weekends.
But, he was just going through the same motions, day after day. He was at the top of the ladder for an orderly. There were no other jobs that he could qualify for, unless he wanted to go to school for several years to become a tech or a registered nurse. But those jobs would mean working in a hospital. He wanted out.
He wished he had stayed with his old job as an assistant pro at Brookside Golf Course. The pay was low and the benefits were few, but the game of golf was his passion. He loved teaching the game to others. He was a happy man when he worked at the golf course—the freshly mowed green grass, the blue sky, the white clouds. Not a sick person in sight—only healthy people, enjoying themselves. Why had he quit that job, he wondered over and over. Ten years ago, he must have had a good reason, but he sure couldn’t remember what it was now. His life was now a constant regret about the poorest decision he had ever made.
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《丑小鸭》是安徒生的经典童话故事之一,写了一只天鹅蛋在鸭群中破壳后,因相貌怪异,让同类鄙弃,历经千辛万苦、重重磨难之后长成了白天鹅。下面读文网小编为大家带来丑小鸭童话故事英文版及翻译,欢迎大家阅读欣赏!
It was so beautiful out on the country, it was summer- the wheat fields were golden, the oats were green, and down among the green meadows the hay was stacked. There the stork minced about on his red legs, clacking away in Egyptian, which was the language his mother had taught him. Round about the field and meadow lands rose vast forests, in which deep lakes lay hidden. Yes, it was indeed lovely out there in the country.
In the midst of the sunshine there stood an old manor house that had a deep moat around it. From the walls of the manor right down to the water's edge great burdock leaves grew, and there were some so tall that little children could stand upright beneath the biggest of them. In this wilderness of leaves, which was as dense as the forests itself, a duck sat on her nest, hatching her ducklings. She was becoming somewhat weary, because sitting is such a dull business and scarcely anyone came to see her. The other ducks would much rather swim in the moat than waddle out and squat under the burdock leaf to gossip with her.
But at last the eggshells began to crack, one after another. "Peep, peep!" said the little things, as they came to life and poked out their heads.
"Quack, quack!" said the duck, and quick as quick can be they all waddled out to have a look at the green world under the leaves. Their mother let them look as much as they pleased, because green is good for the eyes.
"How wide the world is," said all the young ducks, for they certainly had much more room now than they had when they were in their eggshells.
"Do you think this is the whole world?" their mother asked. "Why it extends on and on, clear across to the other side of the garden and right on into the parson's field, though that is further than I have ever been. I do hope you are all hatched," she said as she got up. "No, not quite all. The biggest egg still lies here. How much longer is this going to take? I am really rather tired of it all," she said, but she settled back on her nest.
"Well, how goes it?" asked an old duck who came to pay her a call.
"It takes a long time with that one egg," said the duck on the nest. "It won't crack, but look at the others. They are the cutest little ducklings I've ever seen. They look exactly like their father, the wretch! He hasn't come to see me at all."
"Let's have a look at the egg that won't crack," the old duck said. "It's a turkey egg, and you can take my word for it. I was fooled like that once myself. What trouble and care I had with those turkey children, for I may as well tell you, they are afraid of the water. I simply could not get them into it. I quacked and snapped at them, but it wasn't a bit of use. Let me see the egg. Certainly, it's a turkey egg. Let it lie, and go teach your other children to swim."
"Oh, I'll sit a little longer. I've been at it so long already that I may as well sit here half the summer."
"Suit yourself," said the old duck, and away she waddled.
At last the big egg did crack. "Peep," said the young one, and out he tumbled, but he was so big and ugly.
The duck took a look at him. "That's a frightfully big duckling," she said. "He doesn't look the least like the others. Can he really be a turkey baby? Well, well! I'll soon find out. Into the water he shall go, even if I have to shove him in myself."
Next day the weather was perfectly splendid, and the sun shone down on all the green burdock leaves. The mother duck led her whole family down to the moat. Splash! she took to the water. "Quack, quack," said she, and one duckling after another plunged in. The water went over their heads, but they came up in a flash, and floated to perfection. Their legs worked automatically, and they were all there in the water. Even the big, ugly gray one was swimming along.
"Why, that's no turkey," she said. "See how nicely he uses his legs, and how straight he holds himself. He's my very own son after all, and quite good-looking if you look at him properly. Quack, quack come with me. I'll lead you out into the world and introduce you to the duck yard. But keep close to me so that you won't get stepped on, and watch out for the cat!"
Thus they sallied into the duck yard, where all was in an uproar because two families were fighting over the head of an eel. But the cat got it, after all.
"You see, that's the way of the world." The mother duck licked her bill because she wanted the eel's head for herself. "Stir your legs. Bustle about, and mind that you bend your necks to that old duck over there. She's the noblest of us all, and has Spanish blood in her. That's why she's so fat. See that red rag around her leg? That's a wonderful thing, and the highest distinction a duck can get. It shows that they don't want to lose her, and that she's to have special attention from man and beast. Shake yourselves! Don't turn your toes in. A well-bred duckling turns his toes way out, just as his father and mother do-this way. So then! Now duck your necks and say quack!"
They did as she told them, but the other ducks around them looked on and said right out loud, "See here! Must we have this brood too, just as if there weren't enough of us already? And-fie! what an ugly-looking fellow that duckling is! We won't stand for him." One duck charged up and bit his neck.
"Let him alone," his mother said. "He isn't doing any harm."
"Possibly not," said the duck who bit him, "but he's too big and strange, and therefore he needs a good whacking."
"What nice-looking children you have, Mother," said the old duck with the rag around her leg. "They are all pretty except that one. He didn't come out so well. It's a pity you can't hatch him again."
"That can't be managed, your ladyship," said the mother. "He isn't so handsome, but he's as good as can be, and he swims just as well as the rest, or, I should say, even a little better than they do. I hope his looks will improve with age, and after a while he won't seem so big. He took too long in the egg, and that's why his figure isn't all that it should be." She pinched his neck and preened his feathers. "Moreover, he's a drake, so it won't matter so much. I think he will be quite strong, and I'm sure he will amount to something."
"The other ducklings are pretty enough," said the old duck. "Now make yourselves right at home, and if you find an eel's head you may bring it to me."
So they felt quite at home. But the poor duckling who had been the last one out of his egg, and who looked so ugly, was pecked and pushed about and made fun of by the ducks, and the chickens as well. "He's too big," said they all. The turkey gobbler, who thought himself an emperor because he was born wearing spurs, puffed up like a ship under full sail and bore down upon him, gobbling and gobbling until he was red in the face. The poor duckling did not know where he dared stand or where he dared walk. He was so sad because he was so desperately ugly, and because he was the laughing stock of the whole barnyard.
So it went on the first day, and after that things went from bad to worse. The poor duckling was chased and buffeted about by everyone. Even his own brothers and sisters abused him. "Oh," they would always say, "how we wish the cat would catch you, you ugly thing." And his mother said, "How I do wish you were miles away." The ducks nipped him, and the hens pecked him, and the girl who fed them kicked him with her foot.
So he ran away; and he flew over the fence. The little birds in the bushes darted up in a fright. "That's because I'm so ugly," he thought, and closed his eyes, but he ran on just the same until he reached the great marsh where the wild ducks lived. There he lay all night long, weary and disheartened.
When morning came, the wild ducks flew up to have a look at their new companion. "What sort of creature are you?" they asked, as the duckling turned in all directions, bowing his best to them all. "You are terribly ugly," they told him, "but that's nothing to us so long as you don't marry into our family."
Poor duckling! Marriage certainly had never entered his mind. All he wanted was for them to let him lie among the reeds and drink a little water from the marsh.
There he stayed for two whole days. Then he met two wild geese, or rather wild ganders-for they were males. They had not been out of the shell very long, and that's what made them so sure of themselves.
"Say there, comrade," they said, "you're so ugly that we have taken a fancy to you. Come with us and be a bird of passage. In another marsh near-by, there are some fetching wild geese, all nice young ladies who know how to quack. You are so ugly that you'll completely turn their heads."
Bing! Bang! Shots rang in the air, and these two ganders fell dead among the reeds. The water was red with their blood. Bing! Bang! the shots rang, and as whole flocks of wild geese flew up from the reeds another volley crashed. A great hunt was in progress. The hunters lay under cover all around the marsh, and some even perched on branches of trees that overhung the reeds. Blue smoke rose like clouds from the shade of the trees, and drifted far out over the water.
The bird dogs came splash, splash! through the swamp, bending down the reeds and the rushes on every side. This gave the poor duckling such a fright that he twisted his head about to hide it under his wing. But at that very moment a fearfully big dog appeared right beside him. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and his wicked eyes glared horribly. He opened his wide jaws, flashed his sharp teeth, and - splash, splash - on he went without touching the duckling.
"Thank heavens," he sighed, "I'm so ugly that the dog won't even bother to bite me."
He lay perfectly still, while the bullets splattered through the reeds as shot after shot was fired. It was late in the day before things became quiet again, and even then the poor duckling didn't dare move. He waited several hours before he ventured to look about him, and then he scurried away from that marsh as fast as he could go. He ran across field and meadows. The wind was so strong that he had to struggle to keep his feet.
Late in the evening he came to a miserable little hovel, so ramshackle that it did not know which way to tumble, and that was the only reason it still stood. The wind struck the duckling so hard that the poor little fellow had to sit down on his tail to withstand it. The storm blew stronger and stronger, but the duckling noticed that one hinge had come loose and the door hung so crooked that he could squeeze through the crack into the room, and that's just what he did.
Here lived an old woman with her cat and her hen. The cat, whom she called "Sonny," could arch his back, purr, and even make sparks, though for that you had to stroke his fur the wrong way. The hen had short little legs, so she was called "Chickey Shortleg." She laid good eggs, and the old woman loved her as if she had been her own child.
In the morning they were quick to notice the strange duckling. The cat began to purr, and the hen began to cluck.
"What on earth!" The old woman looked around, but she was short-sighted, and she mistook the duckling for a fat duck that had lost its way. "That was a good catch," she said. "Now I shall have duck eggs-unless it's a drake. We must try it out." So the duckling was tried out for three weeks, but not one egg did he lay.
In this house the cat was master and the hen was mistress. They always said, "We and the world," for they thought themselves half of the world, and much the better half at that. The duckling thought that there might be more than one way of thinking, but the hen would not hear of it.
"Can you lay eggs?" she asked
"No."
"Then be so good as to hold your tongue."
The cat asked, "Can you arch your back, purr, or make sparks?"
"No."
"Then keep your opinion to yourself when sensible people are talking."
The duckling sat in a corner, feeling most despondent. Then he remembered the fresh air and the sunlight. Such a desire to go swimming on the water possessed him that he could not help telling the hen about it.
"What on earth has come over you?" the hen cried. "You haven't a thing to do, and that's why you get such silly notions. Lay us an egg, or learn to purr, and you'll get over it."
"But it's so refreshing to float on the water," said the duckling, "so refreshing to feel it rise over your head as you dive to the bottom."
"Yes, it must be a great pleasure!" said the hen. "I think you must have gone crazy. Ask the cat, who's the wisest fellow I know, whether he likes to swim or dive down in the water. Of myself I say nothing. But ask the old woman, our mistress. There's no one on earth wiser than she is. Do you imagine she wants to go swimming and feel the water rise over her head?"
"You don't understand me," said the duckling.
"Well, if we don't, who would? Surely you don't think you are cleverer than the cat and the old woman-to say nothing of myself. Don't be so conceited, child. Just thank your Maker for all the kindness we have shown you. Didn't you get into this snug room, and fall in with people who can tell you what's what? But you are such a numbskull that it's no pleasure to have you around. Believe me, I tell you this for your own good. I say unpleasant truths, but that's the only way you can know who are your friends. Be sure now that you lay some eggs. See to it that you learn to purr or to make sparks."
"I think I'd better go out into the wide world," said the duckling.
"Suit yourself," said the hen.
So off went the duckling. He swam on the water, and dived down in it, but still he was slighted by every living creature because of his ugliness.
Autumn came on. The leaves in the forest turned yellow and brown. The wind took them and whirled them about. The heavens looked cold as the low clouds hung heavy with snow and hail. Perched on the fence, the raven screamed, "Caw, caw!" and trembled with cold. It made one shiver to think of it. Pity the poor little duckling!
One evening, just as the sun was setting in splendor, a great flock of large, handsome birds appeared out of the reeds. The duckling had never seen birds so beautiful. They were dazzling white, with long graceful necks. They were swans. They uttered a very strange cry as they unfurled their magnificent wings to fly from this cold land, away to warmer countries and to open waters. They went up so high, so very high, that the ugly little duckling felt a strange uneasiness come over him as he watched them. He went around and round in the water, like a wheel. He craned his neck to follow their course, and gave a cry so shrill and strange that he frightened himself. Oh! He could not forget them-those splendid, happy birds. When he could no longer see them he dived to the very bottom. and when he came up again he was quite beside himself. He did not know what birds they were or whither they were bound, yet he loved them more than anything he had ever loved before. It was not that he envied them, for how could he ever dare dream of wanting their marvelous beauty for himself? He would have been grateful if only the ducks would have tolerated him-the poor ugly creature.
The winter grew cold - so bitterly cold that the duckling had to swim to and fro in the water to keep it from freezing over. But every night the hole in which he swam kept getting smaller and smaller. Then it froze so hard that the duckling had to paddle continuously to keep the crackling ice from closing in upon him. At last, too tired to move, he was frozen fast in the ice.
Early that morning a farmer came by, and when he saw how things were he went out on the pond, broke away the ice with his wooden shoe, and carried the duckling home to his wife. There the duckling revived, but when the children wished to play with him he thought they meant to hurt him. Terrified, he fluttered into the milk pail, splashing the whole room with milk. The woman shrieked and threw up her hands as he flew into the butter tub, and then in and out of the meal barrel. Imagine what he looked like now! The woman screamed and lashed out at him with the fire tongs. The children tumbled over each other as they tried to catch him, and they laughed and they shouted. Luckily the door was open, and the duckling escaped through it into the bushes, where he lay down, in the newly fallen snow, as if in a daze.
But it would be too sad to tell of all the hardships and wretchedness he had to endure during this cruel winter. When the warm sun shone once more, the duckling was still alive among the reeds of the marsh. The larks began to sing again. It was beautiful springtime.
Then, quite suddenly, he lifted his wings. They swept through the air much more strongly than before, and their powerful strokes carried him far. Before he quite knew what was happening, he found himself in a great garden where apple trees bloomed. The lilacs filled the air with sweet scent and hung in clusters from long, green branches that bent over a winding stream. Oh, but it was lovely here in the freshness of spring!
From the thicket before him came three lovely white swans. They ruffled their feathers and swam lightly in the stream. The duckling recognized these noble creatures, and a strange feeling of sadness came upon him.
"I shall fly near these royal birds, and they will peck me to bits because I, who am so very ugly, dare to go near them. But I don't care. Better be killed by them than to be nipped by the ducks, pecked by the hens, kicked about by the hen-yard girl, or suffer such misery in winter."
So he flew into the water and swam toward the splendid swans. They saw him, and swept down upon him with their rustling feathers raised. "Kill me!" said the poor creature, and he bowed his head down over the water to wait for death. But what did he see there, mirrored in the clear stream? He beheld his own image, and it was no longer the reflection of a clumsy, dirty, gray bird, ugly and offensive. He himself was a swan! Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched from a swan's egg.
He felt quite glad that he had come through so much trouble and misfortune, for now he had a fuller understanding of his own good fortune, and of beauty when he met with it. The great swans swam all around him and stroked him with their bills.
Several little children came into the garden to throw grain and bits of bread upon the water. The smallest child cried, "Here's a new one," and the others rejoiced, "yes, a new one has come." They clapped their hands, danced around, and ran to bring their father and mother.
And they threw bread and cake upon the water, while they all agreed, "The new one is the most handsome of all. He's so young and so good-looking." The old swans bowed in his honor.
Then he felt very bashful, and tucked his head under his wing. He did not know what this was all about. He felt so very happy, but he wasn't at all proud, for a good heart never grows proud. He thought about how he had been persecuted and scorned, and now he heard them all call him the most beautiful of all beautiful birds. The lilacs dipped their clusters into the stream before him, and the sun shone so warm and so heartening. He rustled his feathers and held his slender neck high, as he cried out with full heart: "I never dreamed there could be so much happiness, when I was the ugly duckling."#p#副标题#e#
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