海的女兒（四）

The sun had just set as she raised her head above the waves; but the clouds were tinted with crimson and gold， and through the glimmering twilight beamed the evening star in all its beauty. The sea was calm， and the air mild and fresh. A large ship， with three masts， lay becalmed on the water， with only one sail set; for not a breeze stiffed， and the sailors sat idle on deck or amongst the rigging.

There was music and song on board; and， as darkness came on， a hundred colored lanterns were lighted， as if the flags of all nations waved in the air. The little mermaid swam close to the cabin windows; and now and then， as the waves lifted her up， she could look in through clear glass window-panes， and see a number of well-dressed people within. Among them was a young prince， the most beautiful of all， with large black eyes; he was sixteen years of age， and his birthday was being kept with much rejoicing.

The sailors were dancing on deck， but when the prince came out of the cabin， more than a hundred rockets rose in the air， making it as bright as day. The little mermaid was so startled that she dived under water; and when she again stretched out her head， it appeared as if all the stars of heaven were falling around her， she had never seen such fireworks before. Great suns spurted fire about， splendid fireflies flew into the blue air， and everything was reflected in the clear， calm sea beneath. The ship itself was so brightly illuminated that all the people， and even the smallest rope， could be distinctly and plainly seen. And how handsome the young prince looked， as he pressed the hands of all present and smiled at them， while the music resounded through the clear night air.

It was very late; yet the little mermaid could not take her eyes from the ship， or from the beautiful prince. The colored lanterns had been extinguished， no more rockets rose in the air， and the cannon had ceased firing; but the sea became restless， and a moaning， grumbling sound could be heard beneath the waves: still the little mermaid remained by the cabin window， rocking up and down on the water， which enabled her to look in. After a while， the sails were quickly unfurled， and the noble ship continued her passage; but soon the waves rose higher， heavy clouds darkened the sky， and lightning appeared in the distance. A dreadful storm was approaching; once more the sails were reefed， and the great ship pursued her flying course over the raging sea. The waves rose mountains high， as if they would have overtopped the mast; but the ship dived like a swan between them， and then rose again on their lofty， foaming crests.

To the little mermaid this appeared pleasant sport; not so to the sailors. At length the ship groaned and creaked; the thick planks gave way under the lashing of the sea as it broke over the deck; the mainmast snapped asunder like a reed; the ship lay over on her side; and the water rushed in. The little mermaid now perceived that the crew were in danger; even she herself was obliged to be careful to avoid the beams and planks of the wreck which lay scattered on the water.

當她把頭伸出海面的時候，太陽已經下落了，可是所有的云塊還是像玫瑰花和黃金似地發著光；同時，在這淡紅的天上，大白星已經在美麗地、光亮地眨著眼睛。空氣是溫和的、新鮮的。海是非常平靜，這兒停著一艘有三根桅桿的大船。船上只掛了一張帆，因為沒有一絲兒風吹動。水手們正坐在護桅索的周圍和帆桁的上面。

這兒有音樂，也有歌聲。當黃昏逐漸變得陰暗的時候，各色各樣的燈籠就一起亮起來了。它們看起來就好像飄在空中的世界各國的旗幟。小人魚一直向船窗那兒游去。每次當海浪把她托起來的時候，她可以透過像鏡子一樣的窗玻璃，望見里面站著許多服裝華麗的男子；但他們之中最美的一位是那有一對大黑眼珠的王子：無疑地，他的年紀還不到十六歲。今天是他的生日，正因為這個緣故，今天才這樣熱鬧。

水手們在甲板上跳著舞。當王子走出來的時候，有一百多發火箭一齊向天空射出。天空被照得如同自晝，因此小人魚非常驚恐起來，趕快沉到水底。可是不一會兒她文把頭伸出來了——這時她覺得好像滿天的星星都在向她落下，她從來沒有看到過這樣的焰火。許多巨大的太陽在周圍發出噓噓的響聲，光耀奪目的大魚在向藍色的空中飛躍。這一切都映到這清明的、平靜的海上。這船全身都被照得那么亮，連每根很小的繩子都可以看得出來，船上的人當然更可以看得清楚了。啊，這位年輕的王子是多么美麗啊！當音樂在這光華燦爛的夜里慢慢消逝的時候，他跟水手們握著手，大笑，微笑……

夜已經很晚了，但是小人魚沒有辦法把她的眼睛從這艘船和這位美麗的王子撇開。那些彩色的燈籠熄了，火箭不再向空中發射了，炮聲也停止了。可是在海的深處起了一種嗡嗡和隆隆的聲音。她坐在水上，一起一伏地漂著，所以她能看到船艙里的東西。可是船加快了速度：它的帆都先后張起來了。浪濤大起來了，沉重的烏云浮起來了，遠處掣起閃電來了。啊，可怕的大風暴快要到來了！水手們因此都收下了帆。這條巨大的船在這狂暴的海上搖搖擺擺地向前急駛。浪濤像龐大的黑山似地高漲。它想要折斷桅桿。可是這船像天鵝似的，一忽兒投進洪濤里面，一忽兒又在高大的浪頭上抬起頭來。

小人魚覺得這是一種很有趣的航行，可是水手們的看法卻不是這樣。這艘船現在發出碎裂的聲音；它粗厚的板壁被襲來的海濤打彎了。船桅像蘆葦似的在半中腰折斷了。后來船開始傾斜，水向艙里沖了進來。這時小人魚才知道他們遭遇到了危險。她也得當心漂流在水上的船梁和船的殘骸。