THE RED SHOES

There was once a little girl who was very pretty and delicate, but in summer

she was forced to run about with bare feet, she was so poor, and in winter

wear very large wooden shoes, which made her little insteps quite red, and

that looked so dangerous!

In the middle of the village lived old Dame Shoemaker; she sat and sewed

together, as well as she could, a little pair of shoes out of old red strips

of cloth; they were very clumsy, but it was a kind thought. They were meant

for the little girl. The little girl was called Karen.

On the very day her mother was buried, Karen received the red shoes, and wore

them for the first time. They were certainly not intended for mourning, but

she had no others, and with stockingless feet she followed the poor straw

coffin in them.

Suddenly a large old carriage drove up, and a large old lady sat in it: she

looked at the little girl, felt compassion for her, and then said to the

clergyman:

"Here, give me the little girl. I will adopt her!"

And Karen believed all this happened on account of the red shoes, but the old

lady thought they were horrible, and they were burnt. But Karen herself was

cleanly and nicely dressed; she must learn to read and sew; and people said

she was a nice little thing, but the looking-glass said: "Thou art more than

nice, thou art beautiful!"

Now the queen once travelled through the land, and she had her little daughter

with her. And this little daughter was a princess, and people streamed to the

castle, and Karen was there also, and the little princess stood in her fine

white dress, in a window, and let herself be stared at; she had neither a

train nor a golden crown, but splendid red morocco shoes. They were certainly

far handsomer than those Dame Shoemaker had made for little Karen. Nothing in

the world can be compared with red shoes.

Now Karen was old enough to be confirmed; she had new clothes and was to have

new shoes also. The rich shoemaker in the city took the measure of her little

foot. This took place at his house, in his room; where stood large

glass-cases, filled with elegant shoes and brilliant boots. All this looked

charming, but the old lady could not see well, and so had no pleasure in them.

In the midst of the shoes stood a pair of red ones, just like those the

princess had worn. How beautiful they were! The shoemaker said also they had

been made for the child of a count, but had not fitted.

"That must be patent leather!" said the old lady. "They shine so!"

"Yes, they shine!" said Karen, and they fitted, and were bought, but the old

lady knew nothing about their being red, else she would never have allowed

Karen to have gone in red shoes to be confirmed. Yet such was the case.

Everybody looked at her feet; and when she stepped through the chancel door on

the church pavement, it seemed to her as if the old figures on the tombs,

those portraits of old preachers and preachers' wives, with stiff ruffs, and

long black dresses, fixed their eyes on her red shoes. And she thought only of

them as the clergyman laid his hand upon her head, and spoke of the holy

baptism, of the covenant with God, and how she should be now a matured

Christian; and the organ pealed so solemnly; the sweet children's voices sang,

and the old music-directors sang, but Karen only thought of her red shoes.

In the afternoon, the old lady heard from everyone that the shoes had been

red, and she said that it was very wrong of Karen, that it was not at all

becoming, and that in future Karen should only go in black shoes to church,

even when she should be older.

The next Sunday there was the sacrament, and Karen looked at the black shoes,

looked at the red ones--looked at them again, and put on the red shoes.

The sun shone gloriously; Karen and the old lady walked along the path through

the corn; it was rather dusty there.

At the church door stood an old soldier with a crutch, and with a wonderfully

long beard, which was more red than white, and he bowed to the ground, and

asked the old lady whether he might dust her shoes. And Karen stretched out

her little foot.

"See, what beautiful dancing shoes!" said the soldier. "Sit firm when you

dance"; and he put his hand out towards the soles.

And the old lady gave the old soldier alms, and went into the church with

Karen.

And all the people in the church looked at Karen's red shoes, and all the

pictures, and as Karen knelt before the altar, and raised the cup to her

lips, she only thought of the red shoes, and they seemed to swim in it; and

she forgot to sing her psalm, and she forgot to pray, "Our Father in Heaven!"

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Now all the people went out of church, and the old lady got into her carriage.

Karen raised her foot to get in after her, when the old soldier said,

"Look, what beautiful dancing shoes!"

And Karen could not help dancing a step or two, and when she began her feet

continued to dance; it was just as though the shoes had power over them. She

danced round the church corner, she could not leave off; the coachman was

obliged to run after and catch hold of her, and he lifted her in the carriage,

but her feet continued to dance so that she trod on the old lady dreadfully.

At length she took the shoes off, and then her legs had peace.

The shoes were placed in a closet at home, but Karen could not avoid looking

at them.

Now the old lady was sick, and it was said she could not recover. She must be

nursed and waited upon, and there was no one whose duty it was so much as

Karen's. But there was a great ball in the city, to which Karen was invited.

She looked at the old lady, who could not recover, she looked at the red

shoes, and she thought there could be no sin in it; she put on the red shoes,

she might do that also, she thought. But then she went to the ball and began

to dance.

When she wanted to dance to the right, the shoes would dance to the left, and

when she wanted to dance up the room, the shoes danced back again, down the

steps, into the street, and out of the city gate. She danced, and was forced

to dance straight out into the gloomy wood.

Then it was suddenly light up among the trees, and she fancied it must be the

moon, for there was a face; but it was the old soldier with the red beard; he

sat there, nodded his head, and said, "Look, what beautiful dancing shoes!"

Then she was terrified, and wanted to fling off the red shoes, but they clung

fast; and she pulled down her stockings, but the shoes seemed to have grown to

her feet. And she danced, and must dance, over fields and meadows, in rain and

sunshine, by night and day; but at night it was the most fearful.

She danced over the churchyard, but the dead did not dance--they had

something better to do than to dance. She wished to seat herself on a poor

man's grave, where the bitter tansy grew; but for her there was neither peace

nor rest; and when she danced towards the open church door, she saw an angel

standing there. He wore long, white garments; he had wings which reached from

his shoulders to the earth; his countenance was severe and grave; and in his

hand he held a sword, broad and glittering.

"Dance shalt thou!" said he. "Dance in thy red shoes till thou art pale and

cold! Till thy skin shrivels up and thou art a skeleton! Dance shalt thou from

door to door, and where proud, vain children dwell, thou shalt knock, that

they may hear thee and tremble! Dance shalt thou--!"

"Mercy!" cried Karen. But she did not hear the angel's reply, for the shoes

carried her through the gate into the fields, across roads and bridges, and

she must keep ever dancing.

One morning she danced past a door which she well knew. Within sounded a

psalm; a coffin, decked with flowers, was borne forth. Then she knew that the

old lady was dead, and felt that she was abandoned by all, and condemned by

the angel of God.

She danced, and she was forced to dance through the gloomy night. The shoes

carried her over stack and stone; she was torn till she bled; she danced over

the heath till she came to a little house. Here, she knew, dwelt the

executioner; and she tapped with her fingers at the window, and said, "Come

out! Come out! I cannot come in, for I am forced to dance!"

And the executioner said, "Thou dost not know who I am, I fancy? I strike bad

people's heads off; and I hear that my axe rings!"

"Don't strike my head off!" said Karen. "Then I can't repent of my sins! But

strike off my feet in the red shoes!"

And then she confessed her entire sin, and the executioner struck off her feet

with the red shoes, but the shoes danced away with the little feet across the

field into the deep wood.

And he carved out little wooden feet for her, and crutches, taught her the

psalm criminals always sing; and she kissed the hand which had wielded the

axe, and went over the heath.

"Now I have suffered enough for the red shoes!" said she. "Now I will go into

the church that people may see me!" And she hastened towards the church door:

but when she was near it, the red shoes danced before her, and she was

terrified, and turned round. The whole week she was unhappy, and wept many

bitter tears; but when Sunday returned, she said, "Well, now I have suffered

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and struggled enough! I really believe I am as good as many a one who sits in

the church, and holds her head so high!"

And away she went boldly; but she had not got farther than the churchyard gate

before she saw the red shoes dancing before her; and she was frightened, and

turned back, and repented of her sin from her heart.

And she went to the parsonage, and begged that they would take her into

service; she would be very industrious, she said, and would do everything she

could; she did not care about the wages, only she wished to have a home, and

be with good people. And the clergyman's wife was sorry for her and took her

into service; and she was industrious and thoughtful. She sat still and

listened when the clergyman read the Bible in the evenings. All the children

thought a great deal of her; but when they spoke of dress, and grandeur, and

beauty, she shook her head.

The following Sunday, when the family was going to church, they asked her

whether she would not go with them; but she glanced sorrowfully, with tears in

her eyes, at her crutches. The family went to hear the word of God; but she

went alone into her little chamber; there was only room for a bed and chair to

stand in it; and here she sat down with her Prayer-Book; and whilst she read

with a pious mind, the wind bore the strains of the organ towards her, and she

raised her tearful countenance, and said, "O God, help me!"

And the sun shone so clearly, and straight before her stood the angel of God

in white garments, the same she had seen that night at the church door; but he

no longer carried the sharp sword, but in its stead a splendid green spray,

full of roses. And he touched the ceiling with the spray, and the ceiling rose

so high, and where he had touched it there gleamed a golden star. And he

touched the walls, and they widened out, and she saw the organ which was

playing; she saw the old pictures of the preachers and the preachers' wives.

The congregation sat in cushioned seats, and sang out of their Prayer-Books.

For the church itself had come to the poor girl in her narrow chamber, or else

she had come into the church. She sat in the pew with the clergyman's family,

and when they had ended the psalm and looked up, they nodded and said, "It is

right that thou art come!"

"It was through mercy!" she said.

And the organ pealed, and the children's voices in the choir sounded so sweet

and soft! The clear sunshine streamed so warmly through the window into the

pew where Karen sat! Her heart was so full of sunshine, peace, and joy, that

it broke. Her soul flew on the sunshine to God, and there no one asked after

the RED SHOES.

紅鞋

 

　　從前有一個小女孩——一個非常可愛的、漂亮的小女孩。不過她夏天得打著一雙赤腳走路，因為她很貧窮。冬天她拖著一雙沉重的木鞋，腳背都給磨紅了，這是很不好受的。

　　在村子的正中央住著一個年老的女鞋匠。她用舊紅布匹，坐下來盡她最大的努力縫出了一雙小鞋。這雙鞋的樣子相當笨，但是她的用意很好，因為這雙鞋是為這個小女孩縫的。這個小姑娘名叫珈倫。

　　在她的媽媽入葬的那天，她得到了這雙紅鞋。這是她第一次穿。的確，這不是服喪時穿的東西；但是她卻沒有別的鞋子穿。所以她就把一雙小赤腳伸進去，跟在一個簡陋的棺材后面走。

　　這時候忽然有一輛很大的舊車子開過來了。車子里坐著一位年老的太太。她看到了這位小姑娘，非常可憐她，于是就對牧師（注：在舊時的歐洲，孤兒沒有家，就由當地的牧師照管。）說：

　　"把這小姑娘交給我吧，我會待她很好的！"

　　珈倫以為這是因為她那雙紅鞋的緣故。不過老太太說紅鞋很討厭，所以把這雙鞋燒掉了。不過現在珈倫卻穿起干凈整齊的衣服來。她學著讀書和做針線，別人都說她很可愛。不過她的鏡子說："你不但可愛；你簡直是美麗。"

　　有一次皇后旅行全國；她帶著她的小女兒一道，而這就是一個公主。老百姓都擁到宮殿門口來看，珈倫也在他們中間。那位小公主穿著美麗的白衣服，站在窗子里面，讓大家來看她。她既沒有拖著后裾，也沒有戴上金王冠，但是她穿著一雙華麗的紅鞣皮鞋。比起那個女鞋匠為小珈倫做的那雙鞋來，這雙鞋當然是漂亮得多。世界上沒有什么東西能跟紅鞋比較！

　　現在珈倫已經很大，可以受堅信禮了。她將會有新衣服穿；她也會穿到新鞋子。城里一個富有的鞋匠把她的小腳量了一下——這件事是在他自己店里、在他自己的一個小房間里做的。那兒有許多大玻璃架子，里面陳列著許多整齊的鞋子和擦得發亮的靴子。這全都很漂亮，不過那位老太太的眼睛看不清楚，所以不感到興趣。在這許多鞋子之中有一雙紅鞋；它跟公主所穿的那雙一模一樣。它們是多么美麗啊！鞋匠說這雙鞋是為一位伯爵的小姐做的，但是它們不太合她的腳。

　　"那一定是漆皮做的，"老太太說，"因此才這樣發亮！"

　　"是的，發亮！"珈倫說。

　　鞋子很合她的腳，所以她就買下來了。不過老太太不知道那是紅色的，因為她決不會讓珈倫穿著一雙紅鞋去受堅信禮。但是珈倫卻去了。

　　所有的人都在望著她的那雙腳。當她在教堂里走向那個圣詩歌唱班門口的時候，她就覺得好像那些墓石上的雕像，那些戴著硬領和穿著黑長袍的牧師，以及他們的太太的畫像都在盯著她的一雙紅鞋。牧師把手擱在她的頭上，講著神圣的洗禮、她與上帝的誓約以及當一個基督徒的責任，正在這時候，她心中只想著她的這雙鞋。風琴奏出莊嚴的

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音樂來，孩子們的悅耳的聲音唱著圣詩，那個年老的圣詩隊長也在唱，但是珈倫只想著她的紅鞋。

　　那天下午老太太聽大家說那雙鞋是紅的。于是她就說，這未免太胡鬧了，太不成體統了。她還說，從此以后，珈倫再到教堂去，必須穿著黑鞋子，即使是舊的也沒有關系。

　　下一個星期日要舉行圣餐。珈倫看了看那雙黑鞋，又看了看那雙紅鞋——再一次又看了看紅鞋，最后決定還是穿上那雙紅鞋。

　　太陽照耀得非常美麗。珈倫和老太太在田野的小徑上走。路上有些灰塵。

　　教堂門口有一個殘廢的老兵，拄著一根拐杖站著。他留著一把很奇怪的長胡子。這胡子與其說是白的，還不如說是紅的——因為它本來就是紅的。他把腰幾乎彎到地上去了；他回老太太說，他可不可以擦擦她鞋子上的灰塵。珈倫也把她的小腳伸出來。

　　"這是多么漂亮的舞鞋啊！"老兵說，"你在跳舞的時候穿它最合適！"于是他就用手在鞋底上敲了幾下。老太太送了幾個銀毫給這兵士，然后便帶著珈倫走進教堂里去了。

　　教堂里所有的人都望著珈倫的這雙紅鞋，所有的畫像也都在望著它們。當珈倫跪在圣餐臺面前、嘴里銜著金圣餐杯的時候，她只想著她的紅鞋——它們似乎是浮在她面前的圣餐杯里。她忘記了唱圣詩；她忘記了念禱告。

　　現在大家都走出了教堂。老太太走進她的車子里去，珈倫也抬起腳踏進車子里去。這時站在旁邊的那個老兵說："多么美麗的舞鞋啊！"

　　珈倫經不起這番贊美：她要跳幾個步子。她一開始，一雙腿就不停地跳起來。這雙鞋好像控制住了她的腿似的。她繞著教堂的一角跳——她沒有辦法停下來。車夫不得不跟在她后面跑，把她抓住，抱進車子里去。不過她的一雙腳仍在跳，結果她猛烈地踢到那位好心腸的太太身上去了。最后他們脫下她的鞋子；這樣，她的腿才算安靜下來。

　　這雙鞋子被放在家里的一個櫥柜里，但是珈倫忍不住要去看看。

　　現在老太太病得躺下來了；大家都說她大概是不會好了。她得有人看護和照料，但這種工作不應該是別人而應該是由珈倫做的。不過這時城里有一個盛大的舞會，珈倫也被請去了。她望了望這位好不了的老太太，又瞧了瞧那雙紅鞋——她覺得瞧瞧也沒有什么害處。她穿上了這雙鞋——穿穿也沒有什么害處。不過這么一來，她就去參加舞會了，而且開始跳起舞來。

　　但是當她要向右轉的時候，鞋子卻向左邊跳。當她想要向上走的時候，鞋子卻要向下跳，要走下樓梯，一直走到街上，走出城門。她舞著，而且不得不舞，一直舞到黑森林里去。

　　樹林中有一道光。她想這一定是月亮了，因為她看到一個面孔。不過這是那個有紅胡子的老兵。他在坐著，點著頭，同時說：

　　"多么美麗的舞鞋啊！"

　　這時她就害怕起來，想把這雙紅鞋扔掉。但是它們扣得很緊。于是她扯著她的襪子，但是鞋已經生到她腳上去了。她跳起舞來，而且不得不跳到田野和草原上去，在雨里跳，在太陽里也跳，在夜里跳，在白天也跳。最可怕的是在夜里跳。她跳到一個教堂的墓地里去，不過那兒的死者并不跳舞：他們有比跳舞還要好的事情要做。她想在一個長滿了苦艾菊的窮人的墳上坐下來，不過她靜不下來，也沒有辦法休息。當她跳到教堂敞著的大門口的時候，她看到一位穿白長袍的安琪兒。她的翅膀從肩上一直拖到腳下，她的面孔是莊嚴而沉著，手中拿著一把明晃晃的劍。

　　"你得跳舞呀！"她說，"穿著你的紅鞋跳舞，一直跳到你發白和發冷，一直跳到你的身體干縮成為一架骸骨。你要從這家門口跳到那家門口。你要到一些驕傲自大的孩子們住著的地方去敲門，好叫他們聽到你，怕你！你要跳舞，不停地跳舞！"

　　"請饒了我吧！"珈倫叫起來。

　　不過她沒有聽到安琪兒的回答，因為這雙鞋把她帶出門，到田野上去了，帶到大路上和小路上去了。她得不停地跳舞。有一天早晨她跳過一個很熟識的門口。里面有唱圣詩的聲音，人們抬出一口棺材，上面裝飾著花朵。這時她才知道那個老太太已經死了。于是她覺得她已經被大家遺棄，被上帝的安琪兒責罰。

　　她跳著舞，她不得不跳著舞——在漆黑的夜里跳著舞。這雙鞋帶著她走過荊棘的野薔薇；這些東西把她刺得流血。她在荒地上跳，一直跳到一個孤零零的小屋子面前去。她知道這兒住著一個劊子手。她用手指在玻璃窗上敲了一下，同時說：

　　"請出來吧！請出來吧！我進來不了呀，因為我在跳舞！"劊子手說：

　　"你也許不知道我是誰吧？我就是砍掉壞人腦袋的人呀。我已經感覺到我的斧子在顫動！"

　　"請不要砍掉我的頭吧，"珈倫說，"因為如果你這樣做，那么我就不能懺悔我的罪過了。但是請你把我這雙穿著紅鞋的腳砍掉吧！"

　　于是她就說出了她的罪過。劊子手把她那雙穿著紅鞋的腳砍掉。不過這雙鞋帶著她的小腳跳到田野上，一直跳到*?黑的森林里去了。

　　他為她配了一雙木腳和一根拐杖，同時教給她一首死囚們常常唱的圣詩。她吻了一下那只握著斧子的手，然后就向荒地上走去。

　　"我為這雙紅鞋已經吃了不少的苦頭，"她說，"現在我要到教堂里去，好讓人們看看我。"

　　于是她就很快地向教堂的大門走去，但是當她走到那兒的時候，那雙紅鞋就在她面前跳著舞，弄得她害怕起來。所以她就走回來。

　　她悲哀地過了整整一個星期，流了許多傷心的眼淚。不過當星期日到來的時候，她說：

　　"唉，我受苦和斗爭已經夠久了！我想我現在跟教堂里那些昂著頭的人沒有什么兩樣！"

　　于是她就大膽地走出去。但是當她剛剛走到教堂門口的時候，她又看到那雙紅鞋在她面前跳舞：這時她害怕起來，馬上往回走，同時虔誠地懺悔她的罪過。

　　她走到牧師的家里去，請求在他家當一個傭人。她愿意勤懇地工作，盡她的力量做事。她不計較工資；她只是希望有一個住處，跟好人在一起。牧師的太太憐憫她，把她留下來做活。她是很勤快和用心思的。晚間，當牧師在高聲地朗讀《圣經》的時候，她就靜靜地坐下來聽。這家的孩子都喜歡她。不過當他們談到衣服、排場利像皇后那樣的美麗的時候，她就搖搖頭。

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　　第二個星期天，一家人全到教堂去做禮拜。他們問她是不是也愿意去。她滿眼含著淚珠，凄慘地把她的拐杖望了一下。于是這家人就去聽上帝的訓誡了。只有她孤獨地回到她的小房間里去。這兒不太寬，只能放一張床和一張椅子。她拿著一本圣詩集坐在這兒，用一顆虔誠的心來讀里面的字句。風兒把教堂的風琴聲向她吹來。她抬起被眼淚潤濕了的臉，說：

　　"上帝啊，請幫助我！"

　　這時太陽在光明地照著。一位穿白衣服的安琪兒——她一天晚上在教堂門口見到過的那位安琪兒——在她面前出現了。不過她手中不再是拿著那把銳利的劍，而是拿著一根開滿了玫瑰花的綠枝。她用它觸了一下天花板，于是天花板就升得很高。凡是她所觸到的地方，就有一顆明亮的金星出現。她把墻觸了一下，于是墻就分開。這時她就看到那架奏著音樂的風琴和繪著牧師及牧師太太的一些古老畫像。做禮拜的人都坐在很講究的席位上，唱著圣詩集里的詩。如果說這不是教堂自動來到這個狹小房間里的可憐的女孩面前，那就是她已經到了教堂里面去。她和牧師家里的人一同坐在席位上。當他們念完了圣詩、抬起頭來看的時候，他們就點點頭，說："對了，珈倫，你也到這兒來了！"

　　"我得到了寬恕！"她說。

　　風琴奏著音樂。孩子們的合唱是非常好聽和可愛的。明朗的太陽光溫暖地從窗子那兒射到珈倫坐的席位上來。她的心充滿了那么多的陽光、和平和快樂，弄得后來爆裂了。她的靈魂飄在太陽的光線上飛進天國。誰也沒有再問她的那雙紅鞋。

　　（１８４５年）

　　這是一起充滿了宗教意味的小故事，來源于作者兒時的回憶。安徒生的父親都虔信上帝。這現象在窮困的人中很普遍，因為他們在現實生活中找不到任何出路的時候，就幻想上帝能解救他們。安徒生兒時就是在這種氣氛中度過的。信上帝必須無條件地虔誠，不能有任何雜念。這個小故事中的主人公珈倫偏偏有了雜念，因而受到懲罰，只有經過折磨和苦難，斷絕了雜念和思想凈化了以后，她才"得到了寬恕"，她的靈魂才得以升向天國——因為她究竟是一個純真的孩子。關于這個故事安徒生手記中說："在《我的一生的童話》中，我曾說過在我受堅信禮的時候，第一次穿著一雙靴子。當我在教堂的地上走著的時候，靴子在地上發出吱咯、吱咯的響聲。這使我感到很得意，因為這樣，做禮拜的人就都能聽得見我穿的靴子是多么新。但忽然間感到我的心不誠。我的內心開始恐慌起來：我的思想集中在靴子上，而沒有集中在上帝身上。關于此事的回憶，就促使我寫出這篇《紅鞋》。"

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