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One morning she danced past a door which she knew well. Within sounded a psalm;
有一天早晨她跳过一个熟悉的门口，里面传来唱圣诗的声音。
a coffin, decked with flowers, was borne forth.
人们抬出一口装饰着花朵的棺材。
Then she knew that the old lady was dead, and felt that she was abandoned by all, and condemned by the angel of God.
这时她才知道老太太已经死了。于是她觉得自己被所有人遗弃，被上帝的天使谴责了。
She danced, and she was forced to dance through the gloomy night.
她跳着舞，她不得不在漆黑的夜里跳着舞。
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.
鞋子带着她越过堆积物和石头；她被撕扯到流血；她在荒野上跳舞，直到她来到一个小房子。
Here, she knew, dwelt the executioner; and she tapped with her fingers at the window, and said,
她知道这儿住着一个刽子手。她用手指在玻璃窗上轻敲了一下，同时说：
“Come out! Come out! I cannot come in, for I am forced to dance!”
“请出来吧！请出来吧！我不能进来，因为我在跳舞！”
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!”
刽子手说：“你也许不知道我是谁吧？我就是砍掉坏人脑袋的人呀。我已经感觉到我的斧子在颤动了！”
“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!”
“请不要砍掉我的头，”凯伦说，“那样我就不能忏悔我的罪过了。但是请你把我这双穿着红鞋的脚砍掉吧！”
And then she confessed her entire sin, and the executioner struck off her feet with the red shoes,
于是她承认了她的罪过。刽子手把她那双穿着红鞋的脚砍掉。
but the shoes danced away with the little feet across the field into the deep wood.
不过这双鞋带着她的小脚跳到田野上，一直跳到漆黑的森林里去了。
And he carved out little wooden feet for her, and crutches, taught her the psalm criminals always sing;
他为她配了一双木脚和一根拐杖，同时教她一首死囚们常常唱的圣诗。
and she kissed the hand which had wielded the axe, and went over the heath.
她吻了一下那只握着斧子的手，然后就向荒地上走去。
“Now I have suffered enough for the red shoes!” said she.
“我为这双红鞋已经吃了不少的苦头，”她说，
“Now I will go into the church that people may see me!”
“现在我要到教堂里去，好让人们看看我。”
And she hastened towards the church door:
于是她就很快地向教堂的大门走去，
but when she was near it, the red shoes danced before her, and she was terrified, and turned round.
但是当她走到那儿的时候，那双红鞋就在她面前跳着舞，她害怕起来，又走了回来。
The whole week she was unhappy, and wept many bitter tears;
她哀伤地过了整整一个星期，掉了许多眼泪。
but when Sunday returned, she said,
不过当星期日到来的时候，她说：
“Well, now I have suffered and struggled enough!
“唉，我已经受够了苦！
I really believe I am as good as many a one who sits in the church, and holds her head so high!”
我想我现在跟教堂里那些昂着头的人没有什么两样！”
And away she went boldly;
于是她就大胆地走出去。
but she had not got farther than the churchyard gate before she saw the red shoes dancing before her;
但是当她刚刚走到教堂门口的时候，她又看到那双红鞋在她面前跳舞；
and she was frightened, and turned back, and repented of her sin from her heart.
她惊慌失措，回过头来，从心里悔恨自己的罪。
