安徒生童話:Children's Prattle孩子話

Children's Prattle

by Hans Christian Andersen（1859）

AT a rich merchant's house there was a children's party， and the children of rich and GREat people were there. The merchant was a learned man， for his father had sent him to college， and he had passed his examination. His father had been at first only a cattle dealer， but always honest and industrious， so that he had made money， and his son， the merchant， had managed to increase his store. Clever as he was， he had also a heart； but there was less said of his heart than of his money. All descriptions of people visited at the merchant's house， well born， as well as intellectual， and some who possessed neither of these recommendations.

Now it was a children's party， and there was children's prattle， which always is spoken freely from the heart. Among them was a beautiful little girl， who was terribly proud； but this had been taught her by the servants， and not by her parents， who were far too sensible people.

Her father was groom of the Chambers， which is a high office at court， and she knew it. “I am a child of the court，” she said； now she might just as well have been a child of the cellar， for no one can help his birth； and then she told the other children that she was well-born， and said that no one who was not well-born could rise in the world. It was no use to read and be industrious， for if a person was not well-born， he could never achieve anything. “And those whose names end with 'sen，'” said she， “can never be anything at all. We must put our arms akimbo， and make the elbow quite pointed， so as to keep these 'sen' people at a GREat distance.” And then she stuck out her pretty little arms， and made the elbows quite pointed， to show how it was to be done； and her little arms were very pretty， for she was a sweet-looking child.

But the little daughter of the merchant became very angry at this speech， for her father's name was Petersen， and she knew that the name ended in “sen，” and therefore she said as proudly as she could， “But my papa can buy a hundred dollars' worth of bonbons， and give them away to children. Can your papa do that？”

“Yes； and my papa，” said the little daughter of the editor of a paper， “my papa can put your papa and everybody's papa into the newspaper. All sorts of people are afraid of him， my mamma says， for he can do as he likes with the paper.” And the little maiden looked exceedingly proud， as if she had been a real princess， who may be expected to look proud.

But outside the door， which stood ajar， was a poor boy， peeping through the crack of the door. He was of such a lowly station that he had not been allowed even to enter the room. He had been turning the spit for the cook， and she had given him permission to stand behind the door and peep in at the well-dressed children， who were having such a merry time within； and for him that was a GREat deal. “Oh， if I could be one of them，” thought he， and then he heard what was said about names， which was quite enough to make him more unhappy. His parents at home had not even a penny to spare to buy a newspaper， much less could they write in one； and worse than all， his father's name， and of course his own， ended in “sen，” and therefore he could never turn out well， which was a very sad thought. But after all， he had been born into the world， and the station of life had been chosen for him， therefore he must be content.

And this is what happened on that evening.

Many years passed， and most of the children became grown-up persons.

there stood a splendid house in the town， filled with all kinds of beautiful and valuable objects. Everybody wished to see it， and people even came in from the country round to be permitted to view the treasures it contained.

Which of the children whose prattle we have described， could call this house his own？ One would suppose it very easy to guess. No， no； it is not so very easy. The house belonged to the poor little boy who had stood on that night behind the door. He had really become something GREat， although his name ended in “sen，”—for it was Thorwaldsen.

And the three other children—the children of good birth， of money， and of intellectual pride，—well， they were respected and honored in the world， for they had been well provided for by birth and position， and they had no cause to reproach themselves with what they had thought and spoken on that evening long ago， for， after all， it was mere “children's prattle.”

批發商家爲孩子們安排了一次聚會，參加的都是有錢人家、體面人家的孩子。這位批發商生意做得很不錯，是一位有學識的人。他得到過高級中學結業證書，是他那和善的父親堅持要他念書的。父親最初做販牛生意，爲人老成勤儉，賺了不少錢。批發商接着又不斷地賺錢。他很有頭腦，心地也很慈善。可是大夥兒很少說起他的這些，說得最多的還是他的那許多錢。

他家出出進進的都是體面人物。有的是人們說的血統很體面，有的是人們說的精神方面很體面，有的兩者兼而有之，有的則兩者皆缺。現在這裏是孩子們的聚會，講的都是孩子話，孩子們講話從來不拐彎抹角。有一個小姑娘很漂亮，只是過於高傲了。都是僕傭們總是親吻她而寵出來的，不是她的父母，在這方面，他們倒還是很注意分寸的。她的父親是宮廷侍從官，這很了不起，她知道。

“我是宮廷裏的孩子！”她說道。她其實也可能是地下室的孩子，隨便你自己怎麼定都可以。於是她對別的孩子說，她是“生就”的，還說，如果不是生就的，那她就變也變不成。讀書也沒有用，即便你十分用功讀書也不行，要是你不是生就的，那你是變不成的。

“那些以”生“字爲姓的結尾的人1，”她說道，“在世界上怎麼也成不了大器！應該把手叉在腰旁，遠遠地躲開這些”生“呀”生“的！”於是她便把她那嬌嫩的小手叉在腰上，胳膊尖尖的，讓人看看應該怎麼樣行事。那一雙小胳膊真好看，她真是甜極了！

可是批發商的小女兒很惱火。她的父親叫瑪茲生，她知道這個名字以“生”結尾。於是她便十分傲氣地說：

“可是我父親能拿一百塊銀幣買來糖果讓大夥兒搶！你父親能嗎？”

“是啊，可是我父親，”一位作家的小女兒說道，“能把你的父親，還有你的父親，所有的父親，都弄到報紙上！人人都怕他，我母親說的，因爲我父親管着報紙。”

小姑娘挺直了身子，翹起了頭，就像她是一位真正的公主那樣，挺身翹首。

在半開的門外，有一個貧寒的孩子站在那裏正從門縫往裏看。那小孩十分窮困，進不到廳裏來。他爲廚房裏的女傭人轉烤肉的叉子，現在被允許在門背後看看那些在玩耍取樂的體面孩子，這在他可真是一件十分了不起的大事了。

“要是能成爲他們當中的一個，該會怎麼樣啊！”他想道。這時他聽到了那些孩子們剛纔說的話，說真的，真叫人喪氣。家中父母親的櫃子裏一文錢也沒有，他們連報紙都買不起，哪裏還談得上在報紙上寫東西。接下來最糟糕不過的是，他父親的姓，就是說也是他的姓，一點兒不假，是“生”字結尾的！就是說他在世上決不會有甚麼出息。這簡直太慘了！然而他生到世上來了，他覺得，生得挺對！沒有甚麼旁的可能了。

瞧，那天晚上就是這個樣！——

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好多年過去了，在這些年裏孩子們都長成了大人。

城裏建起了一座宏偉的房子，屋裏講究極了，人人都想看看它，甚至連外地的人都來看它。真不知道我們前邊所談到的那些孩子當中誰可以把這房子說成是自己的呢？是啊，這不難知道！不，也不是那麼容易呢。這房子是那個貧寒的孩子的2.他到底還是有了出息，儘管他的名字是以“生”字結尾的——曹瓦爾森3.

另外那三個孩子呢？——有高貴血統的、有錢的、高傲精神的孩子，——是啊，這個孩子沒有讓另外一個聽到自己的事，他們都是同等的孩子！他們都很不錯，很幸福，這是有道理的。他們那天所想所說的那些只是些——孩子話。1丹麥的姓氏形成過程中，逐漸出現了以“某某人的兒子”這個詞爲姓的做法。兒子在丹麥文中是SPn，用於“某某人的兒子”姓氏後綴時轉爲sen，這樣丹麥便出現了大量以Sen，爲後綴的姓氏。我國譯者將這姓氏後綴譯爲森，如延森。在本書中，除安徒生已爲人公認外，其他此類後綴均被譯爲森。在這篇故事中，sen則被譯爲“生”，這是因爲在這裏“生”字中還包含了出生的意思。

2指曹瓦爾森博物館。

3參見《丹麥人霍爾格》注17.