快乐王子等童话 英文版 The Happy Prince and Other Tales
奥斯卡.王尔德 Oscar Wilde
THE SELFISH GIANT
Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children usedto go and play in the Giant's garden.
One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend theCornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After theseven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for hisconversation was limited, and he determined to return to his owncastle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.
"What are you doing here?" he cried in a very gruff voice, and thechildren ran away.
"My own garden is my own garden," said the Giant; "any one canunderstand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself."So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.
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him, "You let meplay once in your garden, to-day.
He was a very selfish Giant.
The poor children had now nowhere to play. They tried to play onthe road, but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones, andthey did not like it. They used to wander round the high wall whentheir lessons were over, and talk about the beautiful gardeninside. "How happy we were there," they said to each other.
Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were littleblossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giantit was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as therewere no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once abeautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it sawthe notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slippedback into the ground again, and went off to sleep. The only peoplewho were pleased were the Snow and the Frost. "Spring hasforgotten this garden," they cried, "so we will live here all theyear round." The Snow covered up the grass with her great whitecloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then theyinvited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He waswrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blewthe chimney-pots down. "This is a delightful spot," he said, "wemust ask the Hail on a visit." So the Hail came. Every day forthree hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke mostof the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as fastas he could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was likeice.
"I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming," said theSelfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his coldwhite garden; "I hope there will be a change in the weather."
But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave goldenfruit to every garden, but to the Giant's garden she gave none."He is too selfish," she said. So it was always Winter there, andthe North Wind, and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow dancedabout through the trees.
One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard somelovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought itmust be the King's musicians passing by. It was really only alittle linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long sincehe had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to bethe most beautiful music in the world. Then the Hail stoppeddancing over his head, and the North Wind ceased roaring, and adelicious perfume came to him through the open casement. "Ibelieve the Spring has come at last," said the Giant; and he jumpedout of bed and looked out.
What did he see?
He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wallthe children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches ofthe trees. In every tree that he could see there was a littlechild. And the trees were so glad to have the children back againthat they had covered themselves with blossoms, and were wavingtheir arms gently above the children's heads. The birds wereflying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers werelooking up through the green grass and laughing. It was a lovelyscene, only in one corner it was still winter. It was the farthestcorner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He wasso small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree,and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The poor treewas still quite covered with frost and snow, and the North Wind wasblowing and roaring above it. "Climb up! little boy," said theTree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the boywas too tiny.
And the Giant's heart melted as he looked out. "How selfish I havebeen!" he said; "now I know why the Spring would not come here. Iwill put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then Iwill knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children'splayground for ever and ever." He was really very sorry for whathe had done.
So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, andwent out into the garden. But when the children saw him they wereso frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became winteragain. Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so fullof tears that he did not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stoleup behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up intothe tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birdscame and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two armsand flung them round the Giant's neck, and kissed him. And theother children, when they saw that the Giant was not wicked anylonger, came running back, and with them came the Spring. "It isyour garden now, little children," said the Giant, and he took agreat axe and knocked down the wall. And when the people weregoing to market at twelve o'clock they found the Giant playing withthe children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen.
All day long they played, and in the evening they came to the Giantto bid him good-bye.
"But where is your little companion?" he said: "the boy I put intothe tree." The Giant loved him the best because he had kissed him.
"We don't know," answered the children; "he has gone away."
"You must tell him to be sure and come here to-morrow," said theGiant. But the children said that they did not know where helived, and had never seen him before; and the Giant felt very sad.
Every afternoon, when school was over, the children came and playedwith the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was neverseen again. The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet helonged for his first little friend, and often spoke of him. "How Iwould like to see him!" he used to say.
Years went over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He couldnot play about any more, so he sat in a huge armchair, and watchedthe children at their games, and admired his garden. "I have manybeautiful flowers," he said; "but the children are the mostbeautiful flowers of all."
One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing.He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was merely theSpring asleep, and that the flowers were resting.
Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder, and looked and looked. Itcertainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of thegarden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Itsbranches were all golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, andunderneath it stood the little boy he had loved.
Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. Hehastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when hecame quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, "Whohath dared to wound thee?" For on the palms of the child's handswere the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were onthe little feet.
"Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the Giant; "tell me, that Imay take my big sword and slay him."
"Nay!" answered the child; "but these are the wounds of Love."
And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, "You let meplay once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to mygarden, which is Paradise."
And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giantlying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.