格林童话故事：玻璃棺材(2)

　　Seat thyself, and listen to the story of my life:

　　"I am the daughter of a rich count. My parents died when I was

　　still in my tender youth, and recommended me in their last will to

　　my elder brother, by whom I was brought up. We loved each other

　　so tenderly, and were so alike in our way of thinking and our inclinations,

　　that we both embraced the resolution never to marry, but to stay together

　　to the end of our lives. In our house there was no lack of company;

　　neighbors and friends visited us often, and we showed the greatest

　　hospitality to every one. So it came to pass one evening that a stranger

　　came riding to our castle, and, under pretext of not being able to get on

　　to the next place, begged for shelter for the night. We granted his request

　　with ready courtesy, and he entertained us in the most agreeable manner

　　during supper by conversation intermingled with stories. My brother liked

　　the stranger so much that he begged him to spend a couple of days with us,

　　to which, after some hesitation, he consented. We did not rise from table

　　until late in the night, the stranger was shown to room, and I hastened, as I

　　was tired, to lay my limbs in my soft bed. Hardly had I slept for a short time,

　　when the sound of faint and delightful music awoke me. As I could not

　　conceive from whence it came, I wanted to summon my waiting-maid who

　　slept in the next room, but to my astonishment I found that speech was taken

　　away from me by an unknown force. I felt as if a mountain were weighing

　　down my breast, and was unable to make the very slightest sound. In the

　　meantime, by the light of my night-lamp, I saw the stranger enter

　　my room through two doors which were fast bolted. He came to

　　me and said, that by magic arts which were at his command, he had

　　caused the lovely music to sound in order to awaken me, and that he

　　now forced his way through all fastenings with the intention of offering

　　me his hand and heart. My repugnance to his magic arts was, however,

　　so great, that I vouchsafed him no answer. He remained for a time standing

　　without moving, apparently with the idea of waiting for a favorable decision,

　　but as I continued to keep silence, he angrily declared he would revenge

　　himself and find means to punish my pride, and left the room. I passed the

　　night in the greatest disquietude, and only fell asleep towards morning.

　　When I awoke, I hurried to my brother, but did not find him in his room,

　　and the attendants told me that he had ridden forth with the stranger to the

　　chase by daybreak.

　　"I at once suspected nothing good. I dressed myself quickly,

　　ordered my palfrey to be saddled, and accompanied only by one

　　servant, rode full gallop to the forest. The servant fell with his

　　horse, and could not follow me, for the horse had broken its foot.

　　I pursued my way without halting, and in a few minutes I saw the

　　stranger coming towards me with a beautiful stag which he led by

　　a cord. I asked him where he had left my brother, and how he had

　　come by this stag, out of whose great eyes I saw tears flowing.

　　Instead of answering me, he began to laugh loudly. I fell into a

　　great rage at this, pulled out a pistol and discharged it at the monster;

　　but the ball rebounded from his breast and went into my horse's head.

　　I fell to the ground, and the stranger muttered some words which

　　deprived me of consciousness.

　　"When I came to my senses again I found myself in this underground

　　cave in a glass coffin. The magician appeared once again, and said he

　　had changed my brother into a stag, my castle with all that belonged

　　to it, diminished in size by his arts, he had shut up in the other glass

　　chest, and my people, who were all turned into smoke, he had confined

　　in glass bottles. He told me that if I would now comply with his wish,

　　it was an easy thing for him to put everything back in its former state,

　　as he had nothing to do but open the vessels, and everything would

　　return once more to its natural form. I answered him as little as I had

　　done the first time. He vanished and left me in my prison, in which a

　　deep sleep came on me. Amongst the visions which passed before my

　　eyes, that was the most comforting in which a young man came and set

　　me free, and when I opened my eyes to-day I saw thee, and beheld my

　　dream fulfilled. Help me to accomplish the other things which happened

　　in those visions. The first is that we lift the glass chest in which my castle

　　is enclosed, on to that broad stone."

　　As soon as the stone was laden, it began to rise up on high with

　　the maiden and the young man, and mounted through the opening

　　of the ceiling into the upper hall, from whence they then could

　　easily reach the open air. Here the maiden opened the lid, and

　　it was marvellous to behold how the castle, the houses, and the

　　farm buildings which were enclosed, stretched themselves out

　　and grew to their natural size with the greatest rapidity. After

　　this, the maiden and the tailor returned to the cave beneath the

　　earth, and had the vessels which were filled with smoke carried

　　up by the stone. The maiden had scarcely opened the bottles

　　when the blue smoke rushed out and changed itself into living

　　men, in whom she recognized her servants and her people.

　　Her joy was still more increased when her brother, who had

　　killed the magician in the form of the bull, came out of the

　　forest towards them in his human form, and on the self-same

　　day the maiden, in accordance with her promise, gave her hand

　　at the altar to the lucky tailor.

　　结束语：

　　格林童话带有浓厚的地域特色、民族特色，富于趣味性和娱乐性，对培养儿童养成真、善、美的良好品质有积极意义。这些内容丰富又饱含趣味性的童话故事扩展了儿童的思维世界，在轻松愉说的阅读中总结经验教训，唤起儿童对生活的热爱与期待，激发儿童善恶观的形成。以上的格林童话故事希望大家能够喜欢。