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Now the old lady was sick, and it was said she could not recover.
现在老太太病了；大家都说她大概是不会好了。
She must be nursed and waited upon, and there was no one whose duty it was so much as Karen's.
她得有人看护和照料，这种工作不应该是别人而是由凯伦做的。
But there was a great ball in the city, to which Karen was invited.
不过这时城里有一个盛大的舞会，凯伦也被邀请去了。
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;
她望了望病重的老太太，又瞧了瞧那双红鞋——她觉得瞧瞧也没有什么罪过。
she put on the red shoes, she might do that also, she thought.
她穿上了这双鞋——她想穿穿也没有什么害处。
But then she went to the ball and began to dance.
不过这么一来，她就去参加舞会了，而且开始跳起舞来。
When she wanted to dance to the right, the shoes would dance to the left,
当她想向右转时，鞋子就会向左跳，
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.
当她想要向上走的时候，鞋子却要向下跳，要走下楼梯，一直走到街上，走出城门。
She danced, and was forced to dance straight out into the gloomy wood.
她跳着跳着一直跳到那阴森森的树林里。
Then it was suddenly light up among the trees, and she fancied it must be the moon, for there was a face;
树林中有一道光。她想这一定是月亮了，因为她看到一个面孔。
but it was the old soldier with the red beard; he sat there, nodded his head, and said,
不过这是那个有红胡子的老兵。他在坐着，点着头说：
“Look, what beautiful dancing shoes!”
“多么美丽的舞鞋啊！”
Then she was terrified, and wanted to fling off the red shoes, but they clung fast;
这时她就害怕起来，想扔掉这双红鞋。但是它们扣得很紧。
and she pulled down her stockings, but the shoes seemed to have grown to her feet.
于是她扯着她的袜子，但是鞋仿佛已经长到她脚上去了。
And she danced, and must dance, over fields and meadows, in rain and sunshine, by night and day;
她跳起舞来，而且不得不跳到田野和草原上去，在雨里跳，在太阳里也跳，在夜里跳，在白天也跳。
but at night it was the most fearful.
可怕的是在夜里跳。
She danced over the churchyard, but the dead did not dance—they had something better to do than to dance.
她跳到一个教堂的墓地里去，不过那儿的死者并不跳舞：他们有比跳舞更重要的事情要做。
She wished to seat herself on a poor man's grave, where the bitter tansy grew;
她想在一个长满了苦艾菊的穷人的坟上坐下来，
but for her there was neither peace nor rest;
不过她静不下来，也没有办法休息。
and when she danced towards the open church door, she saw an angel standing there.
当她跳到教堂敞着的大门口的时候，她看到一位天使。
He wore long, white garments; he had wings which reached from his shoulders to the earth;
她穿着白色长袍，翅膀从肩上一直拖到脚下，
his countenance was severe and grave; and in his hand he held a sword, broad and glittering.
她的面孔庄严而沉着，手中拿着一把明晃晃的剑。
“Dance shalt thou!”he said .
“你得跳舞呀！”她说，
“Dance in thy red shoes till thou art pale and cold!
“穿着你的红鞋跳舞，一直跳到你发白和发冷，
Till thy skin shrivels up and thou art a skeleton!
一直跳到你的皮肤干瘪，成为一架骸骨。
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—!”
你要挨家挨户地跳舞，在骄傲虚荣的孩子们居住的地方，你要敲门，让他们听到你的声音而发抖！"。你要跳舞--！"
“Mercy!” cried Karen.
“请饶了我吧！”凯伦叫起来。
But she did not hear the angel's reply,
不过她没有听到天使的回答，
for the shoes carried her through the gate into the fields, across roads and bridges, and she must keep ever dancing.
因为鞋子带着她穿过大门进入田野，穿过道路和桥梁，她必须不停地跳舞。
