When the sun began to shine warmly again the duckling was in the marsh, lying among the rushes;

当阳光又洋洋洒洒的普照这片大地时，他正躺在沼泽地的芦苇里。

the larks were singing, and the beautiful spring had come.

百灵鸟唱起歌来了——这是一 个美丽的春天。

Then all at once it raised its wings, and they flapped with much greater strength than before and bore him off vigorously.

忽然间他举起翅膀：翅膀拍起来比以前有力得多，这股力量托着他飞了起来。

Before he knew where he was he found himself in a large garden where the apple-trees were in a full blossom,

他不知不觉地已经飞进了一座大花园。苹果树上的花正散发着迷人的芬芳；

and the air was scented with lilacs, the long branches of which overhung the indented shores of the lake.

紫丁香也在散发着香气，它又长又绿的枝条垂到弯弯曲曲的溪流上。

Oh! the spring freshness was so delicious!

啊，这儿美极了，到处充满了春天的气息！

Just in front of him he saw three beautiful white swans advancing towards him from a thicket;

三只美丽的白天鹅从树荫里一直游到他面前来。

with rustling feathers they swam lightly over the water.

他们优雅而轻柔地浮在水上，羽毛发出飕飕的响声。

The duckling recognized the majestic birds, and he was overcome by a strange melancholy.

小鸭一下就认出了这些美丽的动物，于是心里感到一种说不出的难过。

"I will fly to them, the royal birds, and they will hack me to pieces, because I, who am so ugly, venture to approach them!

“我要飞向他们，飞向这些高贵的鸟儿！可是他们会把我弄死的，因为我这样丑的家伙怎么敢靠近他们！

But it won't matter; better be killed by them than be snapped at by the ducks,

不过这又有什么呢！被他们杀死，要比被鸭子咬、

pecked by the hens, or spurned by the henwife, or suffer so much misery in the winter."

被鸡群啄，被看管养鸡场的那个女佣人踢和在严冬受苦好得多！”

So he flew into the water, and swam towards the stately swans;

于是他飞到水里，向这些美丽的天鹅游去：

They saw him, and darted towards him with ruffled feathers.

这些动物看到他，马上就竖起羽毛向他游来。

"Kill me, oh, kill me!" said the poor creature, and bowing his head towards the water he awaited his death.

“请你们弄死我吧！”这只可怜的动物说。他把头低低地垂到水上，静静等死。