首发：~第7章 勇敢的小锡兵 The Brave Tin Soldier
《勇敢的小锡兵》，1838 年
the brave tin soldier, 1838
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在安徒生为他的上流社会和贵族主人制作的最受欢迎的剪纸中，有一排士兵和芭蕾舞女演员。
among the favorite paper cuttings that andersen fashioned for his upper - class and aristocratic hosts was a row of soldiers and ballerinas
他曾把这些连在一起的人物送给巴伐利亚的路德维希王储，这位王储想知道他自己收藏的锡兵（其中有三个无头士兵）是否会给安徒生带来灵感。
he once presented these linked figures to crown prince ludwig of bavaria, who wondered if his own collection of tin soldiers (which contained three soldiers without heads) might inspire andersen
就像丹麦雕塑家巴特尔托瓦尔森（bertel thorvaldsen）要求安徒生写一个关于织补针的故事（安徒生照做了）一样，路德维希王子认为安徒生要让他的士兵们活起来并不难。
just as the danish sculptor bertel thorvaldsen challenged andersen to write a story about a darning needle (and andersen obliged), prince ludwig imagined that it would not be difficult for andersen to animate his soldiers
安徒生写这个故事的时候，正深深沉浸于生活与艺术之间的冲突之中。
andersen wrote this tale at a time when he was deeply absorbed in the conflict between life and art
同年，他出版了描绘年轻艺术家苦难的小说《只是一个提琴手》，就在这一年他写了《坚定的锡兵》。
he published only a fiddler, a novel that charted the suffering of young artists, the same year he wrote “the steadfast tin soldier”
安徒生故事中的士兵和芭蕾舞女演员不能移动也无法表达，但尽管如此，这个士兵已经成为了面对逆境时坚韧不拔的象征。
the soldier and the ballerina in andersen’s story are incapable of movement and expression, but the soldier has, noheless, bee a symbol of fortitude in the face of adversity
像丑小鸭一样，他忍受着来自人类和自然力量的各种攻击，但他也有浪漫的一面，渴望着一位对他的爱慕不予回应的芭蕾舞女演员。
like the ugly duckling, he endures all manner of assaults from humans and from the forces of nature, but he also has a romantic side, pining for a ballerina who fails to acknowledge his devotion
最后，他们的爱情以失败告终，因为他们无法超越自己无生命的状态：
in the end, theirs is a failed romance, for they prove unable to transcend their inanimate condition:
“他看着她，她也看着他，但他们之间没有说一句话。”
“he looked at her, and she looked at him, but no words passed between them”
最后，他们在死亡中结合在一起。
they are joined, finally, in death
奇怪的是，小锡兵被进入他头脑的叙述声音赋予了生命，而且 —— 在整个故事中他都是僵硬、刻板、毫无反应的 —— 他之所以坚定，可能只是因为他除了立正站着别无选择。
the tin soldier is, oddly, animated by the narrative voice that gets inside his head, and—stiff, rigid, and unresponsive throughout the story—he may be steadfast only because he has no other choice but to stand at attention
然而，小锡兵最后转化成的物质表明，他可能蕴含着比纯粹物质更多的东西。
still the substance into which the soldier is transformed in the end points to the possibility that he may embody something more than just pure matter
《坚定的锡兵》激发了许多戏剧和音乐表演，其中包括安徒生同时代的布农维尔（bournonville）编排的《童话画卷》。
“the steadfast tin soldier” has inspired many dramatic and musical enactments, among them a fairy tale in pictures, choreographed by andersen’s contemporary bournonville
乔治比才（georges bizet）的《儿童游戏》（jeux d’enfants）中包含《坚定的锡兵》，乔治巴兰钦（george balanchine）在 1975 年采用了这部音乐作品。
georges bizet’s jeux d’enfants contains within it “the steadfast tin soldier,” and the musical work was taken up by george balanchine in 1975
巴兰钦的芭蕾舞剧让士兵和舞者在芭蕾舞女演员被吹进火里之前相遇并表达他们的爱情。
balanchine’s ballet allowed the soldier and the dancer to encounter and express their love just before the ballerina is blown into the fire
《坚定的锡兵》还被改编用于《幻想曲 2000》（fantasia 2000），在其中小锡兵的冒险伴随着德米特里肖斯塔科维奇（dmitri shostakovich）的音乐。
“the steadfast tin soldier” was also adapted for fantasia 2000, and in it the tin soldier’s adventures are acpanied by the music of dmitri shostakovich
玩偶盒（或小怪物）最后掉进了火里，而士兵和芭蕾舞女演员幸存下来。
the jack - in - the - box (or troll) ends up in the fire, and the soldier and the ballerina survive
那个看起来像是瓷做的芭蕾舞女演员因为小锡兵救了她而亲吻了他。
the ballerina, who appears to be made of porcelain, gives the soldier a kiss for rescuing her
就在更近的时候，凯特迪卡米洛（kate dicamillo）的《爱德华的奇妙之旅》（2006 年）采用了安徒生故事中阐述的许多主题。
even more recently, kate dicamillo’s the miraculous journey of edward tulane (2006) takes up many of the themes enunciated in andersen’s tale
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从前有二十五个锡兵，他们都是兄弟，因为他们是用同一把旧锡勺做成的。
there were once five - and - twenty tin soldiers, who were all brothers, for they had been made out of the same old tin spoon
他们扛着枪，眼睛直视前方，穿着一身华丽的制服，红蓝相间。
they shouldered arms and looked straight before them, and wore a splendid uniform, red and blue
他们在世上听到的第一句话是一个小男孩说的 “锡兵！”，当装着他们的盒子盖子被打开时，小男孩高兴地拍起手来。
the first thing in the world they ever heard were the words, “tin soldiers!” uttered by a little boy, who clapped his hands with delight when the lid of the box, in which they lay, was taken off
他们被当作生日礼物送给他，他站在桌子旁把他们摆好。
they were given him for a birthday present, and he stood at the table to set them up
这些士兵全都一模一样，除了一个只有一条腿的锡兵；
the soldiers were all exactly alike, excepting one, who had only one leg;
他被留到最后才做，那时融化的锡不够做完他了，所以他们让他稳稳地用一条腿站着，这让他非常引人注目。
