幸福的家庭

THE HAPPY FAMILY

Really, the largest green leaf in this country is a dock-leaf; if one holds it
before one, it is like a whole apron, and if one holds it over one's head in
rainy weather, it is almost as good as an umbrella, for it is so immensely
large. The burdock never grows alone, but where there grows one there always
grow several: it is a great delight, and all this delightfulness is snails'
food. The great white snails which persons of quality in former times made
fricassees of, ate, and said, "Hem, hem! how delicious!" for they thought it
tasted so delicate--lived on dock-leaves, and therefore burdock seeds were
sown.

Now, there was an old manor-house, where they no longer ate snails, they were
quite extinct; but the burdocks were not extinct, they grew and grew all over
the walks and all the beds; they could not get the mastery over them--it was a
whole forest of burdocks. Here and there stood an apple and a plum-tree, or
else one never would have thought that it was a garden; all was burdocks, and
there lived the two last venerable old snails.

They themselves knew not how old they were, but they could remember very well
that there had been many more; that they were of a family from foreign lands,
and that for them and theirs the whole forest was planted. They had never been
outside it, but they knew that there was still something more in the world,
which was called the manor-house, and that there they were boiled, and then
they became black, and were then placed on a silver dish; but what happened
further they knew not; or, in fact, what it was to be boiled, and to lie on a
silver dish, they could not possibly imagine; but it was said to be
delightful, and particularly genteel. Neither the chafers, the toads, nor the
earth-worms, whom they asked about it could give them any information--none of
them had been boiled or laid on a silver dish.

The old white snails were the first persons of distinction in the world, that
they knew; the forest was planted for their sake, and the manor-house was
there that they might be boiled and laid on a silver dish.

Now they lived a very lonely and happy life; and as they had no children
themselves, they had adopted a little common snail, which they brought up as
their own; but the little one would not grow, for he was of a common family;
but the old ones, especially Dame Mother Snail, thought they could observe how
he increased in size, and she begged father, if he could not see it, that he
would at least feel the little snail's shell; and then he felt it, and found
the good dame was right.

One day there was a heavy storm of rain.

"Hear how it beats like a drum on the dock-leaves!" said Father Snail.

"There are also rain-drops!" said Mother Snail. "And now the rain pours right
down the stalk! You will see that it will be wet here! I am very happy to
think that we have our good house, and the little one has his also! There is
more done for us than for all other creatures, sure enough; but can you not
see that we are folks of quality in the world? We are provided with a house
from our birth, and the burdock forest is planted for our sakes! I should like
to know how far it extends, and what there is outside!"

"There is nothing at all," said Father Snail. "No place can be better than
ours, and I have nothing to wish for!"

"Yes," said the dame. "I would willingly go to the manorhouse, be boiled, and
laid on a silver dish; all our forefathers have been treated so; there is
something extraordinary in it, you may be sure!"

"The manor-house has most likely fallen to ruin!" said Father Snail. "Or the
burdocks have grown up over it, so that they cannot come out. There need not,
however, be any haste about that; but you are always in such a tremendous
hurry, and the little one is beginning to be the same. Has he not been
creeping up that stalk these three days? It gives me a headache when I look up
to him!"

"You must not scold him," said Mother Snail. "He creeps so carefully; he will
afford us much pleasure--and we have nothing but him to live for! But have
you not thought of it? Where shall we get a wife for him? Do you not think
that there are some of our species at a great distance in the interior of the
burdock forest?"

"Black snails, I dare say, there are enough of," said the old one. "Black
snails without a house--but they are so common, and so conceited. But we might
give the ants a commission to look out for us; they run to and fro as if they
had something to do, and they certainly know of a wife for our little snail!"

"I know one, sure enough--the most charming one!" said one of the ants. "But I
am afraid we shall hardly succeed, for she is a queen!"

"That is nothing!" said the old folks. "Has she a house?"

"She has a palace!" said the ant. "The finest ant's palace, with seven hundred
passages!"

"I thank you!" said Mother Snail. "Our son shall not go into an ant-hill; if
you know nothing better than that, we shall give the commission to the white
gnats. They fly far and wide, in rain and sunshine; they know the whole forest
here, both within and without."

"We have a wife for him," said the gnats. "At a hundred human paces from here
there sits a little snail in her house, on a gooseberry bush; she is quite
lonely, and old enough to be married. It is only a hundred human paces!"

"Well, then, let her come to him!" said the old ones. "He has a whole forest
of burdocks, she has only a bush!"

And so they went and fetched little Miss Snail. It was a whole week before she
arrived; but therein was just the very best of it, for one could thus see that
she was of the same species.

And then the marriage was celebrated. Six earth-worms shone as well as they
could. In other respects the whole went off very quietly, for the old folks
could not bear noise and merriment; but old Dame Snail made a brilliant
speech. Father Snail could not speak, he was too much affected; and so they
gave them as a dowry and inheritance, the whole forest of burdocks, and
said--what they had always said--that it was the best in the world; and if
they lived honestly and decently, and increased and multiplied, they and their
children would once in the course of time come to the manor-house, be boiled
black, and laid on silver dishes. After this speech was made, the old ones
crept into their shells, and never more came out. They slept; the young couple
governed in the forest, and had a numerous progeny, but they were never
boiled, and never came on the silver dishes; so from this they concluded that
the manor-house had fallen to ruins, and that all the men in the world were
extinct; and as no one contradicted them, so, of course it was so. And the
rain beat on the dock-leaves to make drum-music for their sake, and the sun
shone in order to give the burdock forest a color for their sakes; and they
were very happy, and the whole family was happy; for they, indeed were so.

幸福的家庭

　　這個國家裏最大的綠葉子，無疑要算是牛蒡的葉子了。你拿一起放在你的肚皮上，那麼它就像一條圍裙。如果你把它放在頭上，那麼在雨天裏它就可以當做一把傘用，因爲它是出奇的寬大。牛蒡從來不單獨地生長；不，凡是長着一棵牛蒡的地方，你一定可以找到好幾棵。這是它最可愛的一點，而這一點對蝸牛說來只不過是食料。

　　在古時候，許多大人物把這些白色的大蝸牛做成"碎肉"；當他們吃着的時候，就說："哼，味道真好！"因爲他們認爲蝸牛的味道很美。這些蝸牛都靠牛蒡葉子活着；因此人們才種植牛蒡。

　　現在有一個古代的公館，住在裏面的人已經不再吃蝸牛了。所以蝸牛都死光了，不過牛蒡還活着，這植物在小徑上和花畦上長得非常茂盛，人們怎麼也沒有辦法制止它們。這地方簡直成了一個牛蒡森林。要不是這兒那兒有幾株蘋果樹和梅子樹，誰也不會想到這是一個花園。處處都是牛蒡；在它們中間住着最後的兩個蝸牛遺老。

　　它們不知道自己究竟有多大年紀。不過它們記得很清楚：它們的數目曾經是很多很多，而且都屬於一個從外國遷來的家族，整個森林就是爲它們和它們的家族而發展起來的。它們從來沒有離開過家，不過卻聽說過：這個世界上還有一個什麼叫做"公館"的東西，它們在那裏面被烹調着，然後變成黑色，最後被盛在一個銀盤子裏。不過結果怎樣，它們一點也不知道。此外，它們也想象不出來，烹調完了以後盛在銀盤子裏，究竟是一種什麼味道。那一定很美，特別排場！它們請教過小金蟲、癩蛤蟆和蚯蚓，但是一點道理也問不出來，因爲它們誰也沒有被烹調過或盛在銀盤子裏面過。

　　那對古老的白蝸牛要算世界上最有身份的人物了。它們自己知道森林就是爲了它們而存在的，公館也是爲了使它們能被烹調和放在銀盤子裏而存在的。

　　它們過着安靜和幸福的生活。因爲它們自己沒有孩子，所以就收養了一個普通的小蝸牛。它們把它作爲自己的孩子撫育。不過這小東西長不大，因爲它不過是一個普通的蝸牛而已。但是這對老蝸牛——尤其是媽媽——覺得她能看出它在長大。假如爸爸看不出的話，她要求他摸摸它的外殼。因此他就摸一下；他發現媽媽說的話有道理。

　　有一天雨下得很大。

　　"請聽牛蒡葉子上的響聲——咚咚咚！咚咚咚！"蝸牛爸爸說。

　　"這就是我所說的雨點，"蝸牛媽媽說。"它沿着梗子滴下來了！你可以看到，這兒馬上就會變得潮溼了！我很高興，我們有我們自己的房子；小傢伙也有他自己的（注：在丹麥文裏，蝸牛的外殼叫做"房子"（ｈｕｕｓ）。）。我們的優點比任何別的生物都多。大家一眼就可以看出，我們是世界上最高貴的人！我們一生下來就有房子住，而且這一堆牛蒡林完全是爲我們而種植的——我倒很想知道它究竟有多大，在它的外邊還有些什麼別的東西！"

　　"它的外邊什麼別的東西也沒有！"蝸牛爸爸說。"世界上再也沒有比我們這兒更好的地方了。我什麼別的想頭也沒有。"

　　"對，"媽媽說，"我倒很想到公館裏去被烹調一下，然後放到銀盤子裏去。我們的祖先們都是這樣；你要知道，這是一種光榮呢！"

　　"公館也許已經塌了，"蝸牛爸爸說，"或者牛蒡已經在它上面長成了樹林，弄得人們連走都走不出來。你不要急——你老是那麼急，連那個小傢伙也開始學起你來。你看他這三天來不老是往梗子上爬麼？當我擡頭看看他的時候，我的頭都昏了。"

　　"請你無論如何不要罵他，"蝸牛媽媽說。"他爬得很有把握。他使我們得到許多快樂。我們這對老夫婦沒有什麼別的東西值得活下去了。不過，你想到過沒有：我們在什麼地方可以爲他找個太太呢？在這林子的遠處，可能住着我們的族人，你想到過沒有？"

　　"我相信那兒住着些黑蝸牛，"老頭兒說，"沒有房子的黑蝸牛！不過他們都是一幫卑下的東西，而且還喜歡擺架子。不過我們可以託螞蟻辦辦這件事情，他們跑來跑去，好像很忙似的。他們一定能爲我們的小少爺找個太太。"

　　"我認識一位最美麗的姑娘！"螞蟻說，"不過我恐怕她不成，因爲她是一個王后！"

　　"這沒有什麼關係，"兩位老蝸牛說。"她有一座房子嗎？"

　　"她有一座宮殿！"螞蟻說。"一座最美麗的螞蟻宮殿，裏面有７００條走廊。"

　　"謝謝你！"蝸牛媽媽說："我們的孩子可不會鑽螞蟻窟的。假如你找不到更好的對象的話，我們可以託白蚊蚋來辦這件差事。他們天晴下雨都在外面飛。牛蒡林的裏裏外外，他們都知道。"

　　"我們爲他找到了一個太太，"蚊蚋說。"離這兒１００步路遠的地方，有一個有房子的小蝸牛住在醋栗叢上。她是很寂寞的，她已經夠結婚年齡。她住的地方離此地只不過１００步遠！"

　　"是的，讓她來找他吧，"這對老夫婦說。"他擁有整個的牛蒡林，而她只不過有一個小醋栗叢！"

　　這樣，它們就去請那位小蝸牛姑娘來。她足足過了八天才到來，但這是一種很珍貴的現象，因爲這說明她是一個很正經的女子。

　　於是它們就舉行了婚禮。六個螢火蟲儘量發出光來照着。

　　除此以外，一切是非常安靜的，因爲這對老蝸牛夫婦不喜歡大喝大鬧。不過蝸牛媽媽發表了一起動人的演說。蝸牛爸爸一句話也講不出來，因爲他受到了極大的感動。於是它們把整座牛蒡林送給這對年輕夫婦，作爲遺產；並且說了一大套它們常常說的話，那就是——這地方是世界上最好的一塊地方，如果它們要正直地，善良地生活和繁殖下去的話，它們和它們的孩子們將來就應該到那個公館裏去，以便被煮得*?黑、放到銀盤子上面。

　　當這番演說講完了以後，這對老夫婦就鑽進它們的屋子裏去，再也不出來。它們睡着了。

　　年輕的蝸牛夫婦現在佔有了這整座的森林，隨後生了一大堆孩子。不過它們從來沒有被烹調過，也沒有到銀盤子裏去過。因此它們就下了一個結論，認爲那個公館已經塌了，全世界的人類都已經死去了。誰也沒有反對它們這種看法，因此它們的看法一定是對的。雨打在牛蒡葉上，爲它們發現咚咚的音樂來。太陽爲它們發出亮光，使這牛蒡林增添了不少光彩。這樣，它們過得非常幸福——這整個家庭是幸福的，說不出地幸福！

　　（１８４４年）

　　這是一起小品，具有深刻的諷刺意義，最初發表在《新的童話》裏。被人養着當作食物的蝸牛，"坐井觀天"，認爲"世界上再也沒有比我們這兒（公館院子裏的牛蒡樹叢）更好的地方了。""我們很想到公館裏去被烹調一下，然後被放到銀盤子裏去。我們的祖先們都是這樣，你知道這是一種光榮！"有不少人的思想境界大致與這差不多。