织补针
这篇小故事，最初发表在《加埃亚》杂志上。它所表现的内容一看就清楚。１８４６年夏天，安徒生和他的朋友、丹麦著名的雕刻家多瓦尔生，在丹麦的“新岛”度暑假。多瓦尔生一直喜爱安徒生的童话。有一天他对安徒生说：“好，请你给我们写一起新的故事——你的智慧连一根织补针都可以写出一起故事来。”于是，安徒生就写了《织补针》这个故事。这些是安徒生在他的手记中写到的。
There was once a darningneedle who thought herself so fine that she fancied she must be fit for embroidery (embroidery n.刺绣品，粉饰，刺绣，装饰).“Hold me tight，”she would say to the fingers，when they took her up，“dont let me fall，if you do I shall never be found again，I am so very fine.”
从前有一根织补衣服的针。作为一根织补针来说，她倒还算细巧，所以她就想像自己是一个绣花针。“把我握紧了！”她对那几个拿她出来的手指说。“你们不要把我丢掉！我一落到地上去，你们就找不到我了，因为我是那么细呀！”
“That is your opinion，is it？”said the fingers，as they seized her round the body.
“那是你所担心的是吧。”手指说。它们把她拦腰紧紧地拿住。
“See，I am coming with a train.”said the darningneedle，drawing a long thread after her，but there was no knot in the thread.
“你们看，我还带着随从啦！”她说。她后面拖着一根长线，可是线上还没有打结。
The fingers then placed the point of the needle against the cooks slipper.There was a crack in the upper leather，which had to be sewn together.
手指正在把这根针钉着女厨子的一只拖鞋，因为拖鞋的皮面裂开了，需要缝一下。
“What coarse work！”said the darningneedle，“I shall never get through.I shall break！—I am breaking！”and sure enough she broke.“Did I not say so？”said the darningneedle，“I know I am too fine for such work as that.”
“这个工作是庸俗的，”织补针说。“我怎么也不愿钻进去。我要折断！我将折断了！”——所以她真的折断了。“我不是说过吗？”织补针说，“我是非常细的呀！”
“This needle is quite useless for sewing now.”said the fingers，but they still held it fast，and the cook dropped some sealingwax on the needle，and fastened her handkerchief with it in front.
手指想：她现在没有什么用了。不过它们依然不愿意放弃她，原因是女厨子在针头上点了一点封蜡，同时把她别在一块手帕上。
“So now I am a breastpin，”said the darningneedle；“I knew very well I should come to honor some day，merit is sure to rise.”and she laughed，quietly to herself，for of course no one ever saw a darningneedle laugh.And there she sat as proudly as if she were in a state coach，and looked all around her.“May I be allowed to ask if you are made of gold？”she inquired of her neighbor，a pin，“You have a very pretty appearance，and a curious head，although you are rather small.You must take pains to grow，for it is not every one who has sealingwax dropped upon him.”and as she spoke，the darningneedle drew herself up so proudly that she fell out of the handkerchief right into the sink，which the cook was cleaning.
“我现在成为一根领针了！”织补针说。“我早就知道我会得到光荣的：是金子总会发光的！”所以她心里笑了——当一根织补针在笑的时候，人们是看不到她的外部表情的。她别在那儿，显得很骄傲，好似她是坐在轿车里，左顾右盼似的。“请允许我问一声：您是金子做的吗？”她问她身旁的一根别针。“你有一张非常好看的面孔，一个古怪的头脑——只不过小了一点。你得使它再长大一点才行，因为封蜡并不会滴到每个针头上的呀。”织补针很骄傲地挺起身子，弄得把手帕落到污水池里去了，那是厨师刚说过的。
“Now I am going on a journey，”said the needle，as she floated away with the dirty water，“I do hope I shall not be lost.”But she really was lost in a gutter (gutter n.水槽，檐槽，排水沟，槽，贫民区vt.开沟于vi.流).“I am too fine for this world，”said the darningneedle，as she lay in the gutter，“but I know who I am，and that is always some comfort.”So the darningneedle kept up her proud behavior，and did not lose her good humor.Then there floated over her all sorts of things，—chips and straws，and pieces of old newspaper.
“我现在要去旅行了，”织补针说。然后她随着污水一起漂起了，“我只希望我不要迷失了路！”但她却迷了路。“我是太细了，就这个世界说来，”她来到了排水沟的时候说。“不过我是知道我的身份，这也算一点小小的安慰！”所以织补针继续保持着她骄傲的态度，同时也不失掉她得意的心情。在她身上浮过去了许多不同的东西：菜屑啦，草叶啦，废旧报纸碎片啦。
“See how they sail，”said the darningneedle，“they do not know what is under them.I am here，and here I shall stick.See，there goes a chip，thinking of nothing in the world but himselfonly a chip.Theres a straw going by now，how he turns and twists about！Dont be thinking too much of yourself，or you may chance to run against a stone.There swims a piece of newspaper，what is written upon it has been forgotten long ago，and yet it gives itself airs.I sit here patiently and quietly.I know who I am，so I shall not move.”
“请看它们游得多么快！”织补针说。“它们不知道下面还有一件怎样的东西！我就在这儿，我坚持地坐在这儿！看吧，一根棍子浮过来了，它以为世界上除了棍子以外再也没有什么别的东西。它就是这么一个家伙！一根草浮过来了。你看它摆着腰肢和转动的那副样儿！不要认为自己了不起吧，你很容易撞到一块石头上去呀！一张破报纸游过来了！它上面印着的东西早被人家遗忘了，可是它仍然神气十足。我安静地，耐心地坐在这儿。我知道我是谁，我永远保持本来面目！”
One day something lying close to the darningneedle glittered (glitter vi.闪闪发光，闪烁，闪光n.闪光)so splendidly that she thought it was a diamond，yet it was only a piece of broken bottle.The darningneedle spoke to it，because it sparkled，and represented herself as a breastpin.“I suppose you are really a diamond？”she said.
某一天她旁边躺着一件什么东西。这东西射出美丽的光彩。织补针认为它是一颗金刚钻。事实上它不过是一个瓶子的碎片。因为它发出亮光，故织补针就跟它讲话，将自己介绍成为一根胸针。“我猜你是一枚钻石吧？”她说。