香肠栓熬的汤
在１８５８—１８７２年间，安徒生把他写的童话作品以《新的童话和故事》的书名出版。这篇作品收集在１８５８年３月２日出版的这本书的第一卷第一部里。安徒生在他的手记中写道：“在我们的谚语和成语中，有时就蕴藏着一个故事的种子。我曾经讨论过这个问题，作为证明我就写了《香肠栓熬的汤》这篇故事。”这个故事的篇名是丹麦的一个成语，意思是：“闲扯大半天，都是废话！”这篇故事确有点像闲扯，但不无寓意：“我留在国内——这样做是正确的！……我在这儿同样可以得到好的东西。我没有走！我的知识并不是从神怪生物那儿得来的……我是从自己的思索中得来的。”人云亦云，“随大流”，自己不用头脑，花了一大堆气力，其结果倒要真像“香肠栓熬的汤”了。
“We had such an excellent dinner yesterday.”said an old mouse of the female sex to another who had not been present at the feast.“I sat number twentyone below the mouseking，which was not a bad place.Shall I tell you what we had？Everything was first rate.Mouldy bread，tallow candletallow (candle n.以动物的脂肪做的蜡烛，牛油烛)，and sausage.And then，when we had finished that course，the same came on all over again，it was as good as two feasts.We were very sociable，and there was as much joking and fun as if we had been all of one family circle.Nothing was left but the sausage skewers，and this formed a subject of conversation，till at last it turned to the proverb，‘Soup from sausage skins，’or，as the people in the neighboring country call it，‘Soup from a sausage skewer.’Every one had heard the proverb，but no one had ever tasted the soup，much less prepared it.A capital toast was drunk to the inventor of the soup，and some one said he ought to be made a relieving officer to the poor.Was not that witty？Then the old mouseking rose and promised that the young ladymouse who should learn how best to prepare this muchadmired and savorysavory adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味美的n.使人开胃的菜肴soup should be his queen，and a year and a day should be allowed for the purpose.”
“昨天我们有一个十分盛大的宴会！”一个年老的女耗子对一个没参加这盛会的耗子说。“我在离老耗子王的第二十一个座位上坐着，所以我的座位还不算太坏！你要不要听听菜单？每道菜都是一流的——发霉的面包、腊肉皮、蜡烛头、香肠。接着同样的菜又从头到尾再重复上一次。这简直等于两次连续的宴会。大家的心情十分欢乐，如跟自己家里的人在一起一样，闲聊了一些愉快的话。什么都吃光了，只剩下香肠尾巴上的香肠栓。我们于是就谈到香肠栓来，接着就谈起‘香肠栓熬的汤’这个问题。的确，每个人都听到过这件事，但谁也没有机会喝过这种汤，更谈不上知道怎样去熬它。大家提议：谁发明这种汤，就为他干一杯，这样的人配做一个济贫院的院长！这是不是很有趣？老耗子王站起来说，谁会把这种汤做得最好吃，他就把她封为皇后。一年还是一天因结果而定。”
“That was not at all a bad proposal，”said the other mouse，“but how is the soup made？”
“这倒是一个很不错的提议！”另一个耗子说道，“不过这种汤是怎样做的呢？”
“Ah，that is more than I can tell you.”All the young lady mice were asking the same question.They wished very much to be queen，but they did not want to take the trouble of going out into the world to learn how to make soup，which was absolutely necessary to be done first.But it is not every one who would care to leave her family，or her happy corner by the fireside at home，even to be made queen.It is not always easy to find bacon and cheeserind in foreign lands every day，and it is not pleasant to have to endure hunger，and be perhaps，after all，eaten up alive by the cat.
“是啊！我们也想知道做法？”这正是一切女耗子——年轻的和年老的——所要问的一个问题。她们都想当皇后，但她们却怕麻烦，不愿意跑到外面的地方里去学习做这种汤；而要做出这种事非这样办不可！但是每个耗子都没有离开家和那些自己所熟悉的角落的本事。谁也不能在外面找到乳饼壳或者臭腊肉皮吃。挨饿的滋味可不好受，也许还会被猫子活生生地吃掉呢。
Most probably some such thoughts as these discouraged the majoritymajority n.多数，大半n.［律］成年from going out into the world to collect the required information.Only four mice gave notice that they were ready to set out on the journey.They were young and lively，but poor.Each of them wished to visit one of the four divisions of the world，so that it might be seen which was the most favored by fortune.Every one took a sausage skewer as a travellers staff，and to remind them of the object of their journey.They left home early in May，and none of them returned till the first of May in the following year，and then only three of them.Nothing was seen or heard of the fourth，although the day of decision was close at hand.“Ah，yes，there is always some trouble mixed up with the greatest pleasure.”said the mouseking，but he gave orders that all the mice within a circle of many miles should be invited at once.They were to assemble in the kitchen，and the three travelled mice were to stand in a row before them，while a sausage skewer，covered with crape，was to be stuck up instead of the missing mouse.No one dared to express an opinion until the king spoke，and desired one of them to go on with her story.And now we shall hear what she said.
这种思想无疑地把大部分的耗子都吓住了，她们不敢到外面去求得知识。仅有四只耗子站出来说，她们愿意出去。她们年轻、活泼，但是很穷。世界有四个方向，她们每位想去一个方向，问题要看谁最有运气。每位带着一根香肠栓，为的是别忘记这次旅行的目的。她们把它当成旅行的手杖。在５月初她们出发了。到第二年５月开始的时候，她们才回来。但是她们只有三位报到。第四位不见了，也没有送来任何关于她的消息，而现在已是决赛的日期了。“最愉快的事情也总不免掺杂着几分悲哀！”耗子王说。但他下了一道命令，把周围几里路以内的耗子都请来。她们将在厨房里集合。那三位旅行过的耗子将单独站成一排并站在前面，至于那个没了消息的第四个耗子，大家立了一个香肠栓，上面盖着一块黑纱作为纪念。在那三只耗子没有发言之前，在耗子王没有作补充讲话以前，谁也不能发表意见。现在让我们洗耳恭听吧！
What the First Little Mouse Saw and Heard on Her Travels
第一只小耗子的旅行见闻
“When I first went out into the world，”said the little mouse，“I fancied，as so many of my age do，that I already knew everything，but it was not so.It takes years to acquire great knowledge.I went at once to sea in a ship bound for the north.I had been told that the ships cook must know how to prepare every dish at sea，and it is easy enough to do that with plenty of sides of bacon，and large tubs of salt meat and mouldy(mouldy adj.发霉的，腐朽的，旧式的)flour.There I found plenty of delicate food，but no opportunity for learning how to make soup from a sausage skewer.We sailed on for many days and nights，the ship rocked fearfully，and we did not escape without a wetting.As soon as we arrived at the port to which the ship was bound，I left it，and went on shore at a place far towards the north.
“当我走到茫茫的大世界里去的时候，”小耗子说，“我很迷茫像许多与我年纪相仿的耗子一样，我以为我已经知道了所有的东西。不过实际情况不是这样。一个人要花许多年的工夫才能达到这种目的。我立刻动身航海去。我坐在一条开往北方的船上。我听说，在海上当厨子的人要知道怎样随机应变做每一道菜。不过如果一个人有许多腊肉、整桶的腌肉和发霉的面粉的时候，随机应变也就够容易了。人们吃得很讲究！但是人们却没有办法学会用香肠栓做汤。我们航行了许多天和许多夜。船簸动得很厉害，我们身上都打湿了。当我们最后到达了我们要去的地方的时候，我就离开了船。那是在遥远的北方。