“Dont get on your stilts，”said the crone，“and Ill answer you.You think of nothing but poetry，and only ask about that Story，as if she were the lady of the whole troop.Shes the oldest of us all，but she takes precedenceprecedence n.优先，居先of the youngest.I know her well.Ive been young，too，and shes no chicken now.I was once quite a pretty elfmaiden，and have danced in my time with the others in the moonlight，and have heard the nightingale，and have gone into the forest and met the Storymaiden，who was always to be found out there，running about.Sometimes she took up her nights lodging in a halfblown tulip，or in a field flower.Sometimes she would slip into the church，and wrap herself in the mourning crape that hung down from the candles on the altar(altar n.祭坛，（基督教教堂内的）圣坛，祈祷祭拜的地方)。”
“请你不要卖弄学问吧！”沼泽女人说道。“让我回答你吧。你心里老想着诗，而嘴上却问起童话来，仿佛童话就是一切艺术的皇后似的。她是一个年纪最老的人，不过她的样子却显得最年轻。我对她的事情知道得很清楚！我有个时候也曾经是年轻的，这也不是什么幼稚病。有段时间我也是十分美丽的一个妖姑娘哪！我也在月亮底下和别人跳过舞，听过夜莺的曲子，到森林中去过，会见过童话姑娘——她老是在那儿东跑西跑。她一会儿跑进一朵半开的郁金香或者一朵普通的野花里去，一会儿悄没声息地走进教堂，把自己裹在祭坛蜡烛上挂着的黑丧布中睡去！”
“You are capitally wellinformed！”said the man.
“你的消息可真广博！”这人说。
“I ought at least to know as much as you.”answered the Moorwoman.“Stories and poetry—yes，theyre like two yards of the same piece of stuff.They can go and lie down where they like，and one can brew(brew v.酿造，酝酿)all their prattle(prattle n.孩子话，无聊话，胡说vi.说孩子气的话，说半截话，闲聊vt.天真地说)，and have it all the better and cheaper.You shall have it from me for nothing.I have a whole cupboardfull of poetry in bottles.It makes essences，and thats the best of it—bitter and sweet herbs.I have everything that people want of poetry，in bottles，so that I can put a little on my handkerchief，on holidays，to smell.”
“我知道的东西至少应该和你一样多！”沼泽女人说。“童话和诗——不错，它们像同一材料织成的两段布。随便在什么地方它们都能躺下来。它们所做的事和讲的话，人们可以随意编造，并且编得又好又便宜。你可以一文不花就从我这里得到这些东西。我有一整柜子装诗的瓶。这是诗精，诗的最好一部分——它是既甜又苦的草药。人们对诗的不管哪方面的要求，我的瓶子里都有。在节日里我把它洒一点到手帕上，不时闻闻它。”
“Why，these are wonderful things that youre telling！”said the man.“You have poetry in bottles？”
“你讲的这番话真是奇异无比了！”这人说。“你有瓶装的诗？”
“More than you can require！”said the woman.“I suppose you know the history of‘the Girl who Trod on the Loaf，so that she might not soil her shoes？’That has been written，and printed too.”
“多得让你接受不了！”沼泽女人说道。“你知道‘踩面包的女孩’这个故事吧？她这么做，只为了避免弄脏了她的新鞋子。这个故事被写下来，而且还被印出来了。”
“I told that story myself.”said the man.
“这个故事正是我亲自讲出来的。”这人说。
“Yes，then you must know it.And you must know also that the girl sank into the earth directly，to the Moorwoman，just as Old Bogeys grandmother was paying her morning visit to inspect the brewery.She saw the girl gliding down，and asked to have her as a remembrance of her visit，and got her too.While I received a present thats of no use to me—a travelling druggists shop—a whole cupboardfull of poetry in bottles.Grandmother told me where the cupboard was to be placed，and there its standing still.Just look！Youve your seven fourleaved shamrocks in your pocket，one of which is a sixleaved one，and so you will be able to see it.”
“对，那么你该对它了解得十分清楚了。你也知道，那个女孩立即就沉到地底下的沼泽女人那里去了——那个魔鬼的老太太这时正来拜访，为的是要检查酒厂。她一看见这个女孩子沉下来就要求将她带走，作为她来拜访沼泽女人的一个纪念品。她得到了这个孩子，我也得到了一件毫无用处的礼品。它是一个旅行药柜——满柜子全是瓶装的诗。老太太告诉我柜子应该放在什么地方才恰当——它还放在那儿。请你去看一次吧！你衣袋里装着七棵有四片叶子的苜蓿——其中一棵是六片叶子的——所以你应该能看得到它了。”
And really in the midst of the moor lay something like a great knotted block of alder，and that was the old grandmothers cupboard(cupboard n.食橱，碗碟橱)。The Moorwoman said that this was always open to her and to every one in the land，if they only knew where the cupboard stood.It could be opened either at the front or at the back，and at every side and corner—a perfect work of art，and yet only an old alder stump in appearance.The poets of all lands，and especially those of our own country，had been arranged here.The spirit of them had been extracted，refined，criticised and renovated(renovate vt.革新，刷新，修复)，and then stored up in bottles.With what may be called great aptitude，if it was not genius the grandmother had taken as it were the flavor of this and of that poet，and had added a little devilrydevilry n.恶行，残暴，and then corked up the bottles for use during all future times.
的确，沼泽地的中间有一根粗大的赤杨树干就是老太太的柜子。沼泽女人说，对她和对任何国家任何时代的人这柜子都是开着的，人们只要知道它在什么地方就得了。它的前面，后面，每一边和每一角都可以打开——真的是一件完整的艺术品，但是它的样子却好像一根赤杨树干。各国的诗人，特别是我们本国的诗人，都是在这儿诞生的。他们的精神都加以考虑、品评、翻新和净化之后才装进瓶子里的。祖母以她“极大的本能”——这正是人们不情愿说“天才”时所用的一个字眼——把这个或那个诗人的气味，再加上一点儿鬼才，混在一起封在瓶子里，以备未来之用。
“Pray let me see！”said the man.
“我请求你让我看看！”这人说道。
“Yes，but there are more important things to hear.”replied the Moorwoman.
“是的，在后面还有更重要的事！”沼泽女人说。
“But now we are at the cupboard！”said the man.And he looked in.“Here are bottles of all sizes.What is in this one？and what in that one yonder？”
“不过现在我们是在柜子旁呀！”这人说道，同时朝里面看。“这儿有种种不同体积的瓶子。这一个里头装的什么呢？那一个里面装的又是什么呢？”
“Here is what they call maybalm.”replied the woman.“I have not tried it myself.But I have not yet told you the‘more important’thing you were to hear.THE WILLOTHEWISPS IN THE TOWN！Thats of much more consequence than poetry and stories.I ought，indeed，to hold my tongue.But there must be a necessity—a fate—a something that sticks in my throat，and that wants to come out.Take care，you mortals(mortal n.凡人，人类adj.必死的，致命的，人类的)！”
“这就是人们所说的五月香。”沼泽女人说。“我自己还没有用过，不过你该知道的更重要的东西，你还不知道。鬼火现如今到城里来了！这比诗和童话要要紧得多。我确实应该闭住嘴，不过大概有某种力量，某种命运，某种无可奈何的东西堵在我的喉咙里，老是要跑出来。鬼火进了城！他们在猖獗作乱！你们人啊，当心啦！”
“I dont understand a word of all this！”cried the man.
“你说的这么些话，我连半个字都不懂！”这人说。