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 REMARKABLE ROCKET
The King's son was going to be married, so there were generalrejoicings. He had waited a whole year for his bride, and at lastshe had arrived. She was a Russian Princess, and had driven allthe way from Finland in a sledge drawn by six reindeer. The sledgewas shaped like a great golden swan, and between the swan's wingslay the little Princess herself. Her long ermine-cloak reachedright down to her feet, on her head was a tiny cap of silvertissue, and she was as pale as the Snow Palace in which she hadalways lived. So pale was she that as she drove through thestreets all the people wondered. "She is like a white rose!" theycried, and they threw down flowers on her from the balconies.
At the gate of the Castle the Prince was waiting to receive her.He had dreamy violet eyes, and his hair was like fine gold. Whenhe saw her he sank upon one knee, and kissed her hand.
"Your picture was beautiful," he murmured, "but you are morebeautiful than your picture"; and the little Princess blushed.
"She was like a white rose before," said a young Page to hisneighbour, "but she is like a red rose now"; and the whole Courtwas delighted.
For the next three days everybody went about saying, "White rose,Red rose, Red rose, White rose"; and the King gave orders that thePage's salary was to be doubled. As he received no salary at allthis was not of much use to him, but it was considered a greathonour, and was duly published in the Court Gazette.
When the three days were over the marriage was celebrated. It wasa magnificent ceremony, and the bride and bridegroom walked hand inhand under a canopy of purple velvet embroidered with littlepearls. Then there was a State Banquet, which lasted for fivehours. The Prince and Princess sat at the top of the Great Halland drank out of a cup of clear crystal. Only true lovers coulddrink out of this cup, for if false lips touched it, it grew greyand dull and cloudy.
"It's quite clear that they love each other," said the little Page,"as clear as crystal!" and the King doubled his salary a secondtime. "What an honour!" cried all the courtiers.
After the banquet there was to be a Ball. The bride and bridegroomwere to dance the Rose-dance together, and the King had promised toplay the flute. He played very badly, but no one had ever dared totell him so, because he was the King. Indeed, he knew only twoairs, and was never quite certain which one he was playing; but itmade no matter, for, whatever he did, everybody cried out,"Charming! charming!"
The last item on the programme was a grand display of fireworks, tobe let off exactly at midnight. The little Princess had never seena firework in her life, so the King had given orders that the RoyalPyrotechnist should be in attendance on the day of her marriage.
"What are fireworks like?" she had asked the Prince, one morning,as she was walking on the terrace.
"They are like the Aurora Borealis," said the King, who alwaysanswered questions that were addressed to other people, "only muchmore natural. I prefer them to stars myself, as you always knowwhen they are going to appear, and they are as delightful as my ownflute-playing. You must certainly see them."
So at the end of the King's garden a great stand had been set up,and as soon as the Royal Pyrotechnist had put everything in itsproper place, the fireworks began to talk to each other.
"The world is certainly very beautiful," cried a little Squib."Just look at those yellow tulips. Why! if they were real crackersthey could not be lovelier. I am very glad I have travelled.Travel improves the mind wonderfully, and does away with all one'sprejudices."
"The King's garden is not the world, you foolish squib," said a bigRoman Candle; "the world is an enormous place, and it would takeyou three days to see it thoroughly."
"Any place you love is the world to you," exclaimed a pensiveCatherine Wheel, who had been attached to an old deal box in earlylife, and prided herself on her broken heart; "but love is notfashionable any more, the poets have killed it. They wrote so muchabout it that nobody believed them, and I am not surprised. Truelove suffers, and is silent. I remember myself once--But it is nomatter now. Romance is a thing of the past."
"Nonsense!" said the Roman Candle, "Romance never dies. It is likethe moon, and lives for ever. The bride and bridegroom, forinstance, love each other very dearly. I heard all about them thismorning from a brown-paper cartridge, who happened to be staying inthe same drawer as myself, and knew the latest Court news."
But the Catherine Wheel shook her head. "Romance is dead, Romanceis dead, Romance is dead," she murmured. She was one of thosepeople who think that, if you say the same thing over and over agreat many times, it becomes true in the end.
Suddenly, a sharp, dry cough was heard, and they all looked round.
It came from a tall, supercilious-looking Rocket, who was tied tothe end of a long stick. He always coughed before he made anyobservation, so as to attract attention.
"Ahem! ahem!" he said, and everybody listened except the poorCatherine Wheel, who was still shaking her head, and murmuring,"Romance is dead."
you are going to takeup your residence here."happy.
"Order! order!" cried out a Cracker. He was something of apolitician, and had always taken a prominent part in the localelections, so he knew the proper Parliamentary expressions to use.
"Quite dead," whispered the Catherine Wheel, and she went off tosleep.
As soon as there was perfect silence, the Rocket coughed a thirdtime and began. He spoke with a very slow, distinct voice, as ifhe was dictating his memoirs, and always looked over the shoulderof the person to whom he was talking. In fact, he had a mostdistinguished manner.
"How fortunate it is for the King's son," he remarked, "that he isto be married on the very day on which I am to be let off. Really,if it had been arranged beforehand, it could not have turned outbetter for him; but, Princes are always lucky."
"Dear me!" said the little Squib, "I thought it was quite the otherway, and that we were to be let off in the Prince's honour."
"It may be so with you," he answered; "indeed, I have no doubt thatit is, but with me it is different. I am a very remarkable Rocket,and come of remarkable parents. My mother was the most celebratedCatherine Wheel of her day, and was renowned for her gracefuldancing. When she made her great public appearance she spun roundnineteen times before she went out, and each time that she did soshe threw into the air seven pink stars. She was three feet and ahalf in diameter, and made of the very best gunpowder. My fatherwas a Rocket like myself, and of French extraction. He flew sohigh that the people were afraid that he would never come downagain. He did, though, for he was of a kindly disposition, and hemade a most brilliant descent in a shower of golden rain. Thenewspapers wrote about his performance in very flattering terms.Indeed, the Court Gazette called him a triumph of Pylotechnic art."
"Pyrotechnic, Pyrotechnic, you mean," said a Bengal Light; "I knowit is Pyrotechnic, for I saw it written on my own canister."
"Well, I said Pylotechnic," answered the Rocket, in a severe toneof voice, and the Bengal Light felt so crushed that he began atonce to bully the little squibs, in order to show that he was stilla person of some importance.
"I was saying," continued the Rocket, "I was saying--What was Isaying?"
"You were talking about yourself," replied the Roman Candle.
"Of course; I knew I was discussing some interesting subject when Iwas so rudely interrupted. I hate rudeness and bad manners ofevery kind, for I am extremely sensitive. No one in the wholeworld is so sensitive as I am, I am quite sure of that."
"What is a sensitive person?" said the Cracker to the Roman Candle.
"A person who, because he has corns himself, always treads on otherpeople's toes," answered the Roman Candle in a low whisper; and theCracker nearly exploded with laughter.
"Pray, what are you laughing at?" inquired the Rocket; "I am notlaughing."
"I am laughing because I am happy," replied the Cracker.
"That is a very selfish reason," said the Rocket angrily. "Whatright have you to be happy? You should be thinking about others.In fact, you should be thinking about me. I am always thinkingabout myself, and I expect everybody else to do the same. That iswhat is called sympathy. It is a beautiful virtue, and I possessit in a high degree. Suppose, for instance, anything happened tome to-night, what a misfortune that would be for every one! ThePrince and Princess would never be happy again, their whole marriedlife would be spoiled; and as for the King, I know he would not getover it. Really, when I begin to reflect on the importance of myposition, I am almost moved to tears."
"If you want to give pleasure to others," cried the Roman Candle,"you had better keep yourself dry."
"Certainly," exclaimed the Bengal Light, who was now in betterspirits; "that is only common sense."
"Common sense, indeed!" said the Rocket indignantly; "you forgetthat I am very uncommon, and very remarkable. Why, anybody canhave common sense, provided that they have no imagination. But Ihave imagination, for I never think of things as they really are; Ialways think of them as being quite different. As for keepingmyself dry, there is evidently no one here who can at allappreciate an emotional nature. Fortunately for myself, I don'tcare. The only thing that sustains one through life is theconsciousness of the immense inferiority of everybody else, andthis is a feeling that I have always cultivated. But none of youhave any hearts. Here you are laughing and making merry just as ifthe Prince and Princess had not just been married."
"Well, really," exclaimed a small Fire-balloon, "why not? It is amost joyful occasion, and when I soar up into the air I intend totell the stars all about it. You will see them twinkle when I talkto them about the pretty bride."
"Ah! what a trivial view of life!" said the Rocket; "but it is onlywhat I expected. There is nothing in you; you are hollow andempty. Why, perhaps the Prince and Princess may go to live in acountry where there is a deep river, and perhaps they may have oneonly son, a little fair-haired boy with violet eyes like the Princehimself; and perhaps some day he may go out to walk with his nurse;and perhaps the nurse may go to sleep under a great elder-tree; andperhaps the little boy may fall into the deep river and be drowned.What a terrible misfortune! Poor people, to lose their only son!It is really too dreadful! I shall never get over it."
"But they have not lost their only son," said the Roman Candle; "nomisfortune has happened to them at all."
"I never said that they had," replied the Rocket; "I said that theymight. If they had lost their only son there would be no use insaying anything more about the matter. I hate people who cry overspilt milk. But when I think that they might lose their only son,I certainly am very much affected."
"You certainly are!" cried the Bengal Light. "In fact, you are themost affected person I ever met."
"You are the rudest person I ever met," said the Rocket, "and youcannot understand my friendship for the Prince."
"Why, you don't even know him," growled the Roman Candle.
"I never said I knew him," answered the Rocket. "I dare say thatif I knew him I should not be his friend at all. It is a verydangerous thing to know one's friends."
"You had really better keep yourself dry," said the Fire-balloon."That is the important thing."
"Very important for you, I have no doubt," answered the Rocket,"but I shall weep if I choose"; and he actually burst into realtears, which flowed down his stick like rain-drops, and nearlydrowned two little beetles, who were just thinking of setting uphouse together, and were looking for a nice dry spot to live in.
"He must have a truly romantic nature," said the Catherine Wheel,"for he weeps when there is nothing at all to weep about"; and sheheaved a deep sigh, and thought about the deal box.
But the Roman Candle and the Bengal Light were quite indignant, andkept saying, "Humbug! humbug!" at the top of their voices. Theywere extremely practical, and whenever they objected to anythingthey called it humbug.
Then the moon rose like a wonderful silver shield; and the starsbegan to shine, and a sound of music came from the palace.
The Prince and Princess were leading the dance. They danced sobeautifully that the tall white lilies peeped in at the window andwatched them, and the great red poppies nodded their heads and beattime.
Then ten o'clock struck, and then eleven, and then twelve, and atthe last stroke of midnight every one came out on the terrace, andthe King sent for the Royal Pyrotechnist.
"Let the fireworks begin," said the King; and the RoyalPyrotechnist made a low bow, and marched down to the end of thegarden. He had six attendants with him, each of whom carried alighted torch at the end of a long pole.
It was certainly a magnificent display.
Whizz! Whizz! went the Catherine Wheel, as she spun round andround. Boom! Boom! went the Roman Candle. Then the Squibs dancedall over the place, and the Bengal Lights made everything lookscarlet. "Good-bye," cried the Fire-balloon, as he soared away,dropping tiny blue sparks. Bang! Bang! answered the Crackers, whowere enjoying themselves immensely. Every one was a great successexcept the Remarkable Rocket. He was so damp with crying that hecould not go off at all. The best thing in him was the gunpowder,and that was so wet with tears that it was of no use. All his poorrelations, to whom he would never speak, except with a sneer, shotup into the sky like wonderful golden flowers with blossoms offire. Huzza! Huzza! cried the Court; and the little Princesslaughed with pleasure.
"I suppose they are reserving me for some grand occasion," said theRocket; "no doubt that is what it means," and he looked moresupercilious than ever.
The next day the workmen came to put everything tidy. "This isevidently a deputation," said the Rocket; "I will receive them withbecoming dignity" so he put his nose in the air, and began to frownseverely as if he were thinking about some very important subject.But they took no notice of him at all till they were just goingaway. Then one of them caught sight of him. "Hallo!" he cried,"what a bad rocket!" and he threw him over the wall into the ditch.
"BAD Rocket? BAD Rocket?" he said, as he whirled through the air;"impossible! GRAND Rocket, that is what the man said. BAD andGRAND sound very much the same, indeed they often are the same";and he fell into the mud.
"It is not comfortable here," he remarked, "but no doubt it is somefashionable watering-place, and they have sent me away to recruitmy health. My nerves are certainly very much shattered, and Irequire rest."
Then a little Frog, with bright jewelled eyes, and a green mottledcoat, swam up to him.
"A new arrival, I see!" said the Frog. "Well, after all there isnothing like mud. Give me rainy weather and a ditch, and I amquite happy. Do you think it will be a wet afternoon? I am sure Ihope so, but the sky is quite blue and cloudless. What a pity!"
"Ahem! ahem!" said the Rocket, and he began to cough.
"What a delightful voice you have!" cried the Frog. "Really it isquite like a croak, and croaking is of course the most musicalsound in the world. You will hear our glee-club this evening. Wesit in the old duck pond close by the farmer's house, and as soonas the moon rises we begin. It is so entrancing that everybodylies awake to listen to us. In fact, it was only yesterday that Iheard the farmer's wife say to her mother that she could not get awink of sleep at night on account of us. It is most gratifying tofind oneself so popular."
"Ahem! ahem!" said the Rocket angrily. He was very much annoyedthat he could not get a word in.
"A delightful voice, certainly," continued the Frog; "I hope youwill come over to the duck-pond. I am off to look for mydaughters. I have six beautiful daughters, and I am so afraid thePike may meet them. He is a perfect monster, and would have nohesitation in breakfasting off them. Well, good-bye: I haveenjoyed our conversation very much, I assure you."
"Conversation, indeed!" said the Rocket. "You have talked thewhole time yourself. That is not conversation."
"Somebody must listen," answered the Frog, "and I like to do allthe talking myself. It saves time, and prevents arguments."
"But I like arguments," said the Rocket.
"I hope not," said the Frog complacently. "Arguments are extremelyvulgar, for everybody in good society holds exactly the sameopinions. Good-bye a second time; I see my daughters in thedistance and the little Frog swam away.
"You are a very irritating person," said the Rocket, "and very ill-bred. I hate people who talk about themselves, as you do, when onewants to talk about oneself, as I do. It is what I callselfishness, and selfishness is a most detestable thing, especiallyto any one of my temperament, for I am well known for mysympathetic nature. In fact, you should take example by me; youcould not possibly have a better model. Now that you have thechance you had better avail yourself of it, for I am going back toCourt almost immediately. I am a great favourite at Court; infact, the Prince and Princess were married yesterday in my honour.Of course you know nothing of these matters, for you are aprovincial."
"There is no good talking to him," said a Dragon-fly, who wassitting on the top of a large brown bulrush; "no good at all, forhe has gone away."
"Well, that is his loss, not mine," answered the Rocket. "I am notgoing to stop talking to him merely because he pays no attention.I like hearing myself talk. It is one of my greatest pleasures. Ioften have long conversations all by myself, and I am so cleverthat sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I amsaying."
"Then you should certainly lecture on Philosophy," said the Dragon-fly; and he spread a pair of lovely gauze wings and soared awayinto the sky.
"How very silly of him not to stay here!" said the Rocket. "I amsure that he has not often got such a chance of improving his mind.However, I don't care a bit. Genius like mine is sure to beappreciated some day"; and he sank down a little deeper into themud.
After some time a large White Duck swam up to him. She had yellowlegs, and webbed feet, and was considered a great beauty on accountof her waddle.
"Quack, quack, quack," she said. "What a curious shape you are!May I ask were you born like that, or is it the result of anaccident?"
"It is quite evident that you have always lived in the country,"answered the Rocket, "otherwise you would know who I am. However,I excuse your ignorance. It would be unfair to expect other peopleto be as remarkable as oneself. You will no doubt be surprised tohear that I can fly up into the sky, and come down in a shower ofgolden rain."
"I don't think much of that," said the Duck, "as I cannot see whatuse it is to any one. Now, if you could plough the fields like theox, or draw a cart like the horse, or look after the sheep like thecollie-dog, that would be something."
"My good creature," cried the Rocket in a very haughty tone ofvoice, "I see that you belong to the lower orders. A person of myposition is never useful. We have certain accomplishments, andthat is more than sufficient. I have no sympathy myself withindustry of any kind, least of all with such industries as you seemto recommend. Indeed, I have always been of opinion that hard workis simply the refuge of people who have nothing whatever to do."
"Well, well," said the Duck, who was of a very peaceabledisposition, and never quarrelled with any one, "everybody hasdifferent tastes. I hope, at any rate, that you are going to takeup your residence here."
"Oh! dear no," cried the Rocket. "I am merely a visitor, adistinguished visitor. The fact is that I find this place rathertedious. There is neither society here, nor solitude. In fact, itis essentially suburban. I shall probably go back to Court, for Iknow that I am destined to make a sensation in the world."
"I had thoughts of entering public life once myself," remarked theDuck; "there are so many things that need reforming. Indeed, Itook the chair at a meeting some time ago, and we passedresolutions condemning everything that we did not like. However,they did not seem to have much effect. Now I go in fordomesticity, and look after my family."
"I am made for public life," said the Rocket, "and so are all myrelations, even the humblest of them. Whenever we appear we excitegreat attention. I have not actually appeared myself, but when Ido so it will be a magnificent sight. As for domesticity, it agesone rapidly, and distracts one's mind from higher things."
"Ah! the higher things of life, how fine they are!" said the Duck;"and that reminds me how hungry I feel": and she swam away downthe stream, saying, "Quack, quack, quack."
"Come back! come back!" screamed the Rocket, "I have a great dealto say to you"; but the Duck paid no attention to him. "I am gladthat she has gone," he said to himself, "she has a decidedlymiddle-class mind"; and he sank a little deeper still into the mud,and began to think about the loneliness of genius, when suddenlytwo little boys in white smocks came running down the bank, with akettle and some faggots.
"This must be the deputation," said the Rocket, and he tried tolook very dignified.
"Hallo!" cried one of the boys, "look at this old stick! I wonderhow it came here"; and he picked the rocket out of the ditch.
"OLD Stick!" said the Rocket, "impossible! GOLD Stick, that iswhat he said. Gold Stick is very complimentary. In fact, hemistakes me for one of the Court dignitaries!"
"Let us put it into the fire!" said the other boy, "it will help toboil the kettle."
So they piled the faggots together, and put the Rocket on top, andlit the fire.
"This is magnificent," cried the Rocket, "they are going to let meoff in broad day-light, so that every one can see me."
"We will go to sleep now," they said, "and when we wake up thekettle will be boiled"; and they lay down on the grass, and shuttheir eyes.
The Rocket was very damp, so he took a long time to burn. At last,however, the fire caught him.
"Now I am going off!" he cried, and he made himself very stiff andstraight. "I know I shall go much higher than the stars, muchhigher than the moon, much higher than the sun. In fact, I shallgo so high that--"
Fizz! Fizz! Fizz! and he went straight up into the air.
"Delightful!" he cried, "I shall go on like this for ever. What asuccess I am!"
But nobody saw him.
Then he began to feel a curious tingling sensation all over him.
"Now I am going to explode," he cried. "I shall set the wholeworld on fire, and make such a noise that nobody will talk aboutanything else for a whole year." And he certainly did explode.Bang! Bang! Bang! went the gunpowder. There was no doubt about it.
But nobody heard him, not even the two little boys, for they weresound asleep.
Then all that was left of him was the stick, and this fell down onthe back of a Goose who was taking a walk by the side of the ditch.
"Good heavens!" cried the Goose. "It is going to rain sticks"; andshe rushed into the water.
"I knew I should create a great sensation," gasped the Rocket, andhe went out.