Their grandmother could never tell them enough, for there were so many things about which they wanted information.

因为她们的祖母所讲的确是不太够——她们想了解的东西实在是太多了！

None of them was so full of longings as the youngest, the very one who had the longest time to wait, and who was so quiet and dreamy.

但她们谁也没有像年幼的那位妹妹渴望得厉害，而她恰恰要等待得最久，再说她又是那么地沉默和感性。

Many a night she stood by the open windows and looked up through the dark blue water which the fish were lashing with their tails and fins.

不知有多少夜晚她站在窗子旁边，透过深蓝色的海水朝上面凝望，凝望着鱼儿挥动着它们的尾巴和双翅。

She could see the moon and the stars, it is true; their light was pale, but they looked much bigger through the water than they do to our eyes.

她还看到月亮和星星——当然，它们发出的光有些黯淡，但是从水下看要比人眼中看到的大得多。

When she saw a dark shadow glide between her and them,

假如有一块类似黑云的东西在它们下面浮过去的话，

she knew that it was either a whale swimming above her, or else a ship laden with human beings.

她便知道这可能是一条鲸鱼正在她上面游过去，也或许是一条驶行而过的客船。

I am certain they never dreamt that a lovely little mermaid was standing down below,

可是这些旅客们怎么也想不到，他们下面有一位美丽的小人鱼，

stretching up her white hands towards the keel.

在朝着他们的船底伸出洁白的手。

The eldest princess had now reached her fifteenth birthday, and was to venture above the water.

现在最大的那位公主已经到了十五岁，可以浮到水面上去看看了。

When she came back she had hundreds of things to tell them,

当她回来的时候，她有无数的事情要讲;

but the most delightful of all, she said, was to lie in the moonlight, on a sandbank in a calm sea,

不过她说，最美的事情是当海上风平浪静的时候，躺在月光下的沙滩上，

and to gaze at the large town close to the shore, where the lights twinkled like hundreds of stars;

紧贴着海岸凝望那大城市里像星星一样繁多而闪耀的灯光，

to listen to music and the noise and bustle of carriages and people,

静听音乐、瑄闹声以及马车和人的声音，

to see the many church towers and spires, and to hear the bells ringing;

观看教堂的圆塔和尖塔，倾听叮当的钟声。

and just because she could not go on shore she longed for that most of all.

正因为她不能到那儿去，所以她也就最渴望这些东西。

Oh, how eagerly the youngest sister listened!

啊，最小的那位妹妹听得多么入神啊！

and when, later in the evening she stood at the open window and looked up through the dark blue water,

当她晚间站在开着的窗子旁边、透过深蓝色的海水朝上面望的时候，

she thought of the big town with all its noise and bustle,

她就想起了那个大城市以及它里面熙熙攘攘的声音。

and fancied that she could even hear the church bells ringing.

于是她似乎能听到教堂的钟声在向她这里飘来。