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THE TEA- POT
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THERE was a proud tea-pot, proudofits porcelain,proudofits long spout1, proudof its broad handle; it had something both before and behind, the spout before and the handle behind, and it talked about it; but it did not talkabout itslid;thatwas cracked, it was riveted, it had a de- fect, andone does not willingly talk of one's defects; oth-ersdothat sufficiently. The cups, the cream-pot, and the sugar-basin, the whole of the tea-service would remember more about the frailty2 of the lid and talk about it, thanaboutthegoodhandle andthe splendid spout; the tea-pot knew that.

"I know them!"it said to itself,"Iknow also my defect andI ad-

mit it;therein lies my humility,my modesty;

we all have defects, butone has also merits、 Thecups have a handle, thesugar-basin a lid, Ihaveboth ofthese and anoth-erthingbesides, which they neverhave, Ihave a spout, and that makes me the queen of the tea-table. To the sug-ar-basinandthe cream-pot it isgranted tobethe servantsof sweet taste, butI am the giver, the ruler of all; Idisseminate blessing among thirsty humanity; in my inside theChinese leaves are prepared in the boiling, tastelesswater."The tea-pot said all this initsundaunted youth. Itstood on the tablelaid fortea;and itwaslifted by thefinesthand; butthe finest hand was clumsy, thetea-potfell, the spout broke off, the handle broke off, the lid isnotworth talkingabout, for enough has been saidabout it.

The tea-potlay in afaint on the floor; theboilingwater ranout of it. That was a hard blow it got, and the hardest ofallwasthat they laughed; theylaughed at it, and not atthe awkward hand.

"I shall never get that experience out of my mind, said the tea-pot, when it afterwards related its career to it-self,"Iwas called an invalid and set in a corner,and theday after, presented to a woman who begged kitchen-refuse. Icame down into poverty, stood speechless bothout and in; but there, as Istood, my better life began;one is one thing, and becomes something quite different.Earth was put into me; for a tea-pot, that is the same as tobe buried, but in the earth was put a bulb; who laid itthere, whogaveit, Iknownot, butgiven itwas, a com-pensation for the Chinese leaves and the boiling water,acompensation for thebroken-off handleandspout.And thebulb lay in the earth, the bulb lay in me, it became myheart,my living heart,and such a thing Ihad never hadbefore. There was life in me, there was strength andvigour. The pulse beat, the bulb sprouted, it was burstingwith thoughts and feelings;then itbroke out in flower;Isaw it, Icarried it, Iforgot myself in its loveliness; it is ablessedthingtoforget oneselfin others! It did notthankme; it didnot thinkabout me: it wasadmired and praised.I wasso gladabout it; how gladmust it havebeen then!On dayIheard it said that itdeserved a betterpot.Theybrokeme through the middle; it was frightfully painful; buttheflower was put in abetter pot,andIwas thrown out in-to the yard; Ilie there like an old potsherd,—butI havethe remembrance, thatI cannot lose."

茶壶

 

从前有一个骄傲的茶壶,它对它的瓷感到骄傲,对它的长嘴感到骄傲,对它的那个大把手也感到骄傲。它的前面和后边都有点什么东西!前面是一个壶嘴,后面是一个把手,它老是谈着这些东西。可是它不谈它的盖子。原来盖子早就打碎了,是后来钉好的;所以它算是有一个缺点,而人们是不喜欢谈自己的缺点的——当然别的人会谈的。杯子、奶油罐和糖钵——这整套吃茶的用具——都把茶壶盖的弱点记得清清楚楚,谈它的时候比谈那个完好的把手和漂亮的壶嘴的时候多。茶壶知道这一点。

“我知道它们!”它自己在心里说,“我也知道我的缺点,而且我也承认。这足以表现我的谦虚,我的朴素。我们大家都有缺点;但是我们也有优点。杯子有一个把手, 糖钵有一个盖子。我两样都有,而且还有他们所没有的一件东西。我有一个壶嘴;这使我成为茶桌上的皇后。糖钵和奶油罐受到任命,成为甜味的仆人,而我就是任命者——大家的主宰。我把幸福分散给那些干渴的人群。在我的身体里面,中国的茶叶在那毫无味道的开水中放出香气。”

这番话是茶壶在它大无畏的青年时代说的。它立在铺好台布的茶桌上,一只非常白嫩的手揭开它的盖子。不过这只非常白嫩的手是很笨的,茶壶落下去了,壶嘴跌断了,把手断裂了,那个壶盖也不必再谈,因为关于他的话已经讲得不少了。茶壶躺在地上昏过去了;开水淌得一地。这对它说来是一个严重的打击,而最糟糕的是大家都笑它。大家只是笑它,而不笑那只笨拙的手。

“这次经历我永远忘记不了!”茶壶后来检查自己一生的事业时说。“人们把我叫做一个病人,放在一个角落里;过了一天,人们又把我送给一个讨剩饭吃的女人。我下降为贫民了;里里外外,我一句话都不讲。不过,正在这时候,我的生活开始好转。真是塞翁失马,焉知非福。我身体里装进了土;对于一个茶壶说来,这完全是等于入葬。但是土里却埋进了一个花根。谁放进去的,谁拿来的,我都不知道。不过它既然放进去了,总算是弥补了中国茶叶和开水的这种损失,也算是作为把手和壶嘴打断的一种报酬。花根躺在土里,躺在我的身体里,成了我的一颗心,一颗活着的心——这样的东西我从来还不曾有过。我现在有了生命、力量和精神。脉搏跳起来了,花根发了芽,有了思想和感觉。它开放成为花朵。我看到它,我支持它,我在它的美中忘记了自己。为了别人而忘我——这是一桩幸福的事情!它没有感谢我;它没有想到我;它受到人们的崇拜和称赞。我感到非常高兴;它一定也会是多么高兴啊!有一天我听到一个人说它应该有一个更好的花盆来配它才对。因此人们把我当腰打了一下;那时我真是痛得厉害!不过花儿却迁进一个更好的花盆里去了。

至于我呢?我被扔到院子里去了。我躺在那儿简直像一堆残破的碎片——但是我的记忆还在,我忘记不了它。”

这篇小品最初发表在哥本哈根1864年出版的《丹麦大众历书》上,是安徒生在1862年12月在西班牙托勒多写成的。茶壶在做完了一系列好事以后,“被扔到院子里去了。我躺在那儿简直像一堆残破的碎片——但是我的记忆还在,我忘记不了它。”但是,这种“孤芳自赏”又有什么用呢?


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1 spout uGmzx     
v.喷出,涌出;滔滔不绝地讲;n.喷管;水柱
参考例句:
  • Implication in folk wealth creativity and undertaking vigor spout.蕴藏于民间的财富创造力和创业活力喷涌而出。
  • This acts as a spout to drain off water during a rainstorm.在暴风雨季,这东西被用作喷管来排水。
2 frailty 468ym     
n.脆弱;意志薄弱
参考例句:
  • Despite increasing physical frailty,he continued to write stories.尽管身体越来越虛弱,他仍然继续写小说。
  • He paused and suddenly all the frailty and fatigue showed.他顿住了,虚弱与疲惫一下子显露出来。


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