安徒生童話:the Bell Deep 鍾淵

the Bell-Deep

by Hans Christian Andersen（1857）

ING-DONG！ ding-dong！“ It sounds up from the ”bell-deep“ in the Odense-Au. Every child in the old town of Odense， on the island of Funen， knows the Au， which washes the gardens round about the town， and flows on under the wooden bridges from the dam to the water-mill. In the Au grow the yellow water-lilies and brown feathery reeds； the dark velvety flag grows there， high and thick； old and decayed willows， slanting and tottering， hang far out over the stream beside the monk's meadow and by the bleaching ground； but opposite there are gardens upon gardens， each different from the rest， some with pretty flowers and bowers like little dolls' pleasure grounds， often displaying cabbage and other kitchen plants； and here and there the gardens cannot be seen at all， for the GREat elder trees that spread themselves out by the bank， and hang far out over the streaming waters， which are deeper here and there than an oar can fathom. Opposite the old nunnery is the deepest place， which is called the ”bell-deep，“ and there dwells the old water spirit， the ”Au-mann.“ This spirit sleeps through the day while the sun shines down upon the water； but in starry and moonlit nights he shows himself. He is very old. grandmother says that she has heard her own grandmother tell of him； he is said to lead a solitary life， and to have nobody with whom he can converse save the great old church Bell. Once the Bell hung in the church tower； but now there is no trace left of the tower or of the church， which was called St. Alban's.

“Ding-dong！ ding-dong！” sounded the Bell， when the tower still stood there； and one evening， while the sun was setting， and the Bell was swinging away bravely， it broke loose and came flying down through the air， the brilliant metal shining in the ruddy beam.

“Ding-dong！ ding-dong！ Now I'll retire to rest！” sang the Bell， and flew down into the Odense-Au， where it is deepest； and that is why the place is called the “bell-deep.”

But the Bell got neither rest nor sleep. Down in the Au-mann's haunt it sounds and rings， so that the tones sometimes pierce upward through the waters； and many people maintain that its strains forebode the death of some one； but that is not true， for the Bell is only talking with the Au-mann， who is now no longer alone.

And what is the Bell telling？ It is old， very old， as we have already observed； it was there long before grandmother's grandmother was born； and yet it is but a child in comparison with the Au-mann， who is quite an old quiet personage， an oddity， with his hose of eel-skin， and his scaly Jacket with the yellow lilies for buttons， and a wreath of reed in his hair and seaweed in his beard； but he looks very pretty for all that.

What the Bell tells？ To repeat it all would require years and days； for year by year it is telling the old stories， sometimes short ones， sometimes long ones， according to its whim； it tells of old times， of the dark hard times， thus：

“In the church of St. Alban， the monk had mounted up into the tower. He was young and handsome， but thoughtful exceedingly. He looked through the loophole out upon the Odense-Au， when the bed of the water was yet broad， and the monks' meadow was still a lake. He looked out over it， and over the rampart， and over the nuns' hill opposite， where the convent lay， and the light gleamed forth from the nun's cell. He had known the nun right well， and he thought of her， and his heart beat quicker as he thought. Ding-dong！ ding-dong！”

Yes， this was the story the Bell told.

“Into the tower came also the dapper man-servant of the bishop； and when I， the Bell， who am made of metal， rang hard and loud， and swung to and fro， I might have beaten out his brains. He sat down close under me， and played with two little sticks as if they had been a stringed instrument； and he sang to it. 'Now I may sing it out aloud， though at other times I may not whisper it. I may sing of everything that is kept concealed behind lock and bars. Yonder it is cold and wet. The rats are eating her up alive！ Nobody knows of it！ Nobody hears of it！ Not even now， for the bell is ringing and singing its loud Ding-dong， ding-dong！'

“there was a King in those days. They called him Canute. He bowed himself before bishop and monk； but when he offended the free peasants with heavy taxes and hard words， they seized their weapons and put him to flight like a wild beast. He sought shelter in the church， and shut gate and door behind him. The violent band surrounded the church； I heard tell of it. The crows， ravens and magpies started up in terror at the yelling and shouting that sounded around. They flew into the tower and out again， they looked down upon the throng below， and they also looked into the windows of the church， and screamed out aloud what they saw there. King Canute knelt before the altar in prayer； his brothers Eric and Benedict stood by him as a guard with drawn swords； but the King's servant， the treacherous Blake， betrayed his master. The throng in front of the church knew where they could hit the King， and one of them flung a stone through a pane of glass， and the King lay there dead！ The cries and screams of the savage horde and of the birds sounded through the air， and I joined in it also； for I sang 'Ding-dong！ ding-dong！'

“the church bell hangs high， and looks far around， and sees the birds around it， and understands their language. The wind roars in upon it through windows and loopholes； and the wind knows everything， for he gets it from the air， which encircles all things， and the church bell understands his tongue， and rings it out into the world， 'Ding-dong！ ding-dong！'

“But it was too much for me to hear and to know； I was not able any longer to ring it out. I became so tired， so heavy， that the beam broke， and I flew out into the gleaming Au， where the water is deepest， and where the Au-mann lives， solitary and alone； and year by year I tell him what I have heard and what I know. Ding-dong！ ding-dong”

Thus it sounds complainingly out of the bell-deep in the Odense-Au. That is what grandmother told us.

But the schoolmaster says that there was not any bell that rung down there， for that it could not do so； and that no Au-mann dwelt yonder， for there was no Au-mann at all！ And when all the other church bells are sounding sweetly， he says that it is not really the bells that are sounding， but that it is the air itself which sends forth the notes； and grandmother said to us that the Bell itself said it was the air who told it to him， consequently they are aGREed on that point， and this much is sure.

“Be cautious， cautious， and take good heed to thyself，” they both say.

the air knows everything. It is around us， it is in us， it talks of our thoughts and of our deeds， and it speaks longer of them than does the Bell down in the depths of the Odense-Au where the Au-mann dwells. It rings it out in the vault of heaven， far， far out， forever and ever， till the heaven bells sound “Ding-dong！ ding-dong！”

“叮噹！叮噹！”奧登斯鍾淵那邊傳來了清脆的聲音——是一條甚麼樣的河？——奧登斯城的孩子們個個都知道，它繞着花園流過，從木橋下邊，經過水閘流到水磨。河裏生長着黃色的水浮蓮，帶棕色絨毛的蘆葦，像絨一樣的深褐色香蒲，又高又大；老朽綻裂的柳樹，搖搖晃晃，歪歪扭扭，枝葉垂到水面修道院沼澤這邊，垂到漂洗人的草地1旁邊。但是正對面卻是一個挨着一個的花園，花園與花園又各不相同。有的有盛開的美麗花朵和供乘涼的亭子，整潔漂亮，就像玩具娃娃的小屋。有的園子裏又全是白菜、青菜，或者根本就看不見園子，一大片接骨木叢的枝葉垂着蓋住了流水，有些很深的河段，用槳都夠不着底。老修女庵的外面最深，這地方叫做鍾淵，河爺爺就住在那底下；白天太陽穿過水麪射來的時候他睡大覺，到了月明星稀的夜裏，他便出來了。他已經很老很老了；外祖母說，她從她的外祖母那兒就聽說過他，他過着孤寂的生活，除了那口古老的大鐘之外，連個和他說話的人都沒有。那鍾一度曾經掛在教堂頂上，現在，那座被叫做聖阿爾巴尼的教堂以及那鐘塔，都已經不見蹤影了。“叮噹！叮噹！”，鐘塔還在的時候，鍾就這樣響。有一天傍晚，太陽落下去的時候，鍾搖晃得厲害極了，掙斷了索子，穿過天空飛了出去；那亮閃閃的鐵在猩紅的晚霞中十分耀眼。“叮噹！叮噹！現在我要去睡覺了！”鍾唱着，飛到了奧登斯河，落進了最深的河段，那塊地方因此便被稱做鍾淵。可是在那兒它並沒有入睡，沒有能得到休息。在河爺爺那裏它仍在鳴響，這樣，上面的許多人聽到水下傳來的鐘聲時，便說，這意思是有人要死掉了。可是，它鳴響並不是因爲那個，不是的，是爲了給河爺爺講故事。河爺爺現在不再寂寞了。鍾講些甚麼呢？它老極了，老極了。有人說，外祖母的外祖母出生前許久許久就有它了。但是，按年齡，它在河爺爺面前還只不過是個孩子。河爺爺很老很老，安詳、奇怪。他穿的是鰻魚皮做的褲子，有鱗的魚皮做的上衣。衣服上綴着黃色水浮蓮的鈕子，頭髮裏有葦子，鬍鬚上有浮萍，實在不好看。

鍾講了些甚麼，要花整整一年才能重講一遍。它總是滔滔不絕，常常在講同一件事，一時長、一時短，全看它高興。它講古時候，講艱難的世道，講愚昧黑暗的時代。“聖阿爾巴尼教堂那口鐘懸在鐘塔裏，一位年輕英俊的修士爬上去了，他不像別人，他沉思着。他從鐘樓空窗洞朝奧登斯河那邊望去，那時河面很寬，沼澤還是湖，他朝那邊望去，望着那綠色的護堤牆，望着那邊的那”修女壩子“，那兒有個修女庵，從庵裏修女住的那間屋子的窗口透出了亮光。他先前對她很熟悉——他常常憶起往事，他的心因此便跳得特別厲害，——叮噹！叮噹！”

是的，鍾講的就是這樣的東西。“主教的傻僕人來到了鐘塔上，在我，也就是用鐵鑄成的又硬又重的鐘，在搖晃的時候，我本可以砸碎他的前額。他緊靠我坐下，手中玩着兩根籤子，好像是帶弦的琴。他還一面唱：”現在我敢放聲高唱，唱那些平時我連哼都不敢哼的事，唱出鎖在鐵柵後面的一件件往事，那裏又冷又潮溼，老鼠把有的人活活吃掉！這事誰也不知道，誰也沒有聽到過！現在也沒有聽到。因爲鐵鐘在高聲鳴唱，叮噹！叮噹！“”從前有一位國王，人們稱他爲克魯茲，他對主教和修士恭敬萬分。可是當他用過份沉重的賦稅壓搾汶蘇塞爾一帶的人民，用過份粗暴的語言辱罵他們的時候，他們拿起武器和棍棒反抗了，把他像趕野獸一樣趕走。他溜進了教堂，緊緊關上門窗。憤怒的人羣圍在外面，我聽到：鵲、烏鴉，還加上寒鴉都被叫聲喊聲嚇壞了；它們飛進鐘塔，又飛出鐘塔。它們看着下面的人羣，也透過教堂的窗子朝裏面望，高聲地叫着它們看到了甚麼。克魯茲國王跪在祭壇前禱告，他的兩位兄弟艾立克2和班尼迪克特3持着出鞘的劍在保衛他。但是國王的僕人，那個不忠於他的布萊克4卻出賣了自己的主人。外面的人知道可以在哪裏擊中他，有一個人朝窗子投進一塊石頭，國王倒地死了！——叫喊聲從那一羣瘋狂的人和鳥羣中響起來。我也跟着喊，我唱，我鳴響，叮噹！叮噹！“”鍾掛得高高的，望着四周遠近各處。鳥兒都來串門，它聽得懂鳥語，風從窗洞、傳聲孔，從一切有縫的地方颯颯吹進去。風甚麼都知道，它從天空中得到信息，它從一切生物那裏瞭解一切信息，它鑽進人的肺裏，探到了一切聲息，每一個字，每一個歎息——！空氣知道它。風講述它，教堂的鐘懂得風的語言，用鐘聲傳給全世界，叮噹！叮噹！“”我聽到的知道的實在太多了，我無法把它們全傳播出去！我累極了，我變得十分沉重，把木樑都拉斷了。我飛出來進入明晃晃的空中，落到了河中最深、河爺爺孤孤單單居住的地方。在那裏年復一年地講我聽到的我知道的東西：叮噹！叮噹！“奧登斯河鍾淵那裏傳來的就是這樣的聲音，外祖母這樣說。

可是我們的校長說：“沒有甚麼鍾可以在河底下鳴響，它做不到！——那兒沒有甚麼河爺爺，因爲不存在河爺爺！”所有的鐘都在響亮地鳴唱，於是他便說，在響的不是鍾，本來是空氣在鳴響。空氣是一種能傳聲的物體——外祖母也說，鍾這麼說過——在這一點上他們取得了一致意見，這是肯定無疑的！“小心點，小心點，好好小心你自己！”他們倆都這麼說。

風知道一切。它在我們周圍，它在我們體內。它講述我們的思想和行動，它講述得比奧登斯河河爺爺住的深淵裏的鐘講述的時間還要長，它講到廣闊天空的深淵裏，遠極了，永遠無休無止，與天國的鐘“叮噹！叮噹！”地一唱一和。題注奧登斯是安徒生的故鄉。這是一個關於奧登斯的民間傳說。這篇童話中提到的地方都在奧登斯市內；有一些現在已經不存在了。

1昔日丹麥人洗完衣物後都晾在草地上，陽光對白色纖維有漂白作用。

2艾立克·伊爾戈茲（約1056-1103），在1095年至1103年是丹麥國王。

31086年在聖阿爾巴尼教堂被殺。

4歷史事實是，在這裏提到的農民暴動中布萊克自己也被殺死了。民間傳說中說他出賣了克魯茲，那是因爲他名字涵義的緣故。布萊克在丹麥文中有虛僞、狡詐的意思。