“是的，”老太婆回答说，“我记得很清楚：我们在那些树枝上浇过水，它们之中有一根是接骨木树枝。这树枝生了根，发了绿芽，现在变成了这样一棵大树——我们老年人现在就在它下面坐着。”
“Certainly，you are right，”he said，“and in yonder corner stood a large watertub.There I used to sail my boat，which I had cut out myself—it sailed so well.But soon I had to sail somewhere else.”
“一点也不错，”他说，“在那边的一个角落里有一个水盆；我把我自己剪的一只船放在那上面浮着——我的船。它航行得真好！但是不久我自己也航行起来了，不过方式不同罢了。”
“But first we went to school to learn something，”she said，“and then we were confirmed.We both wept on that day，but in the afternoon we went out hand in hand，and ascended the high round tower and looked out into the wide world right over Copenhagen(Copenhagen n.哥本哈根)and the sea.Then we walked to Fredericksburg，where the king and the queen were sailing about in their magnificent boat on the canals.”
“是的，我们刚开始进学校，学习了一点什么东西，”她说，“接着我们就受了坚信礼；那一天，我们两个人都哭起来了。不过在下午我们就手挽着手爬到高圆塔上去，我们把哥本哈根和大海以外的这个广大世界凝望了好一会儿。于是我们又走到佛列得里克斯堡公园去——国王和王后常常在这儿的运河上驾着华丽的船航行。”
“But soon I had to sail about somewhere else，and for many years I was travelling about far away from home.”
“不过我又得去航行，而且一去就是好几年，那是很遥远的长途旅行。”
“And I often cried about you，for I was afraid lest you were drowned and lying at the bottom of the sea.Many a time I got up in the night and looked if the weathercock had turned.It turned often，but you did not return.I remember one day distinctly：the rain was pouring down in torrents.The dustman had come to the house where I was in service.I went down with the dustbin and stood for a moment in the doorway，and looked at the dreadful weather.Then the postman gave me a letter.It was from you.Heavens！how that letter had travelled about.I tore it open and read it.I cried and laughed at the same time，and was so happy！Therein was written that you were staying in the hot countries，where the coffee grows.These must be marvellous(marvellous adj.绝妙的；了不起的)countries.You said a great deal about them，and I read all while the rain was pouring down and I was standing there with the dustbin.Then suddenly some one put his arm round my waist—”
“对，我常常想你想得哭起来，”她说，“我担心你溺水了，躺在海底。不只一个夜晚我起床，去看风信鸡是不是在转动。是的，它常常是在转动，但是你没有回来。我记得很清楚，有一天雨下得很大。那个收垃圾的人来到我主人的门口。我提着垃圾桶走下来，到门口那儿我就站着不动了。糟糕的天气看着这时候，邮差走到我身旁来了，交给我一封信。是你写来的信！这封信该是旅行了多少路程啊！我马上把它撕开，读着。我笑着哭着，我是多么高兴呀。事情现在大白了，你正生活在一个出产咖啡豆的温暖国度里。那一定是一个非常美丽的国度！你信上写了许多关于他们的事情，我在大雨倾盆的时候读它，站在一个垃圾桶旁边读它。正在这时候来了一个人，他双臂把我的腰抱住！——”
“Yes，and you gave him a hearty smack on the cheek.”said the old man.
“——一点也不错，于是你就结结实实地给了他一记耳光——一记很响亮的耳光。”
“I did not know that it was you—you had come as quickly as your letter.And you looked so handsome，and so you do still.You had a large yellow silk handkerchief in your pocket and a shining hat on.You looked so well，and the weather in the street was horrible！”
“我不知道那人就是你，你跟你的信来得一样快。你那时是一个美男子——现在还是这样。你袋里装着一条黄色的丝织的长手帕，你头上戴着光亮的帽子。你是那么漂亮！天啦，那时的天气真坏，街上真难看！”
“Then we married.’he said，‘Do you remember how we got our first boy，and then Mary，Niels，Peter，John，and Christian？”
“接着我们就结婚了，”他说，“你记得吗？接着我们就有了第一个孩子，接着玛莉，接着尼尔斯，接着比得、汉斯、克利斯蒂安都出生了。”
“Oh yes.And now they have all grown up，and have become useful members of society，whom everybody cares for.”
“他们大家都长得多么好，成为大家所喜爱的、善良的对社会有用的人！”
“And their children have had children again.”said the old sailor，“Yes，these are childrens children，and they are strong and healthy.If I am not mistaken，our wedding took place at this season of the year.”
“于是他们的孩子又生了他们自己的孩子，”老水手说。“是的，那些都是孩子们的孩子！他们都长得很健壮。——假如我没有记错的话，我们正是在那年头的这个季节里结婚的。——”
“Yes，today is your golden weddingday.”said the little eldertree mother，stretching her head down between the two old people，who thought that she was their neighbour who was nodding to them.They looked at each other and clasped hands.Soon afterwards the children and grandchildren came，for they knew very well that it was the golden weddingday.They had already wished them joy and happiness in the morning，but the old people had forgotten it，although they remembered things so well that had passed many，many years ago.The eldertree smelt strongly，and the setting sun illuminated(illuminate vt.照明，照亮，阐明，说明，使灿烂vi.照亮)the faces of the two old people，so that they looked quite rosy.The youngest of the grandchildren danced round them，and cried merrily that there would be a feast in the evening，for they were to have hot potatoes；and the elder mother nodded in the tree and cried‘Hooray’with the others.”
“是的，今天是你们的金婚纪念日。”接骨木树妈妈说，同时把她的头伸到这两个老人的中间来。他们还以为这是隔壁的一位太太在向他们点头哪。他们互相望了一眼，同时彼此握着手。不一会儿，他们的儿子和孙子都来了；他们都知道这是金婚纪念日。他们早晨就已经来祝贺过，不过这对老夫妇却把这日子忘记了，虽然多少年以前发生的一切事情，他们还能记得很清楚。接骨木树发出强烈的香气。正在下沉的太阳照在这对老夫妇的脸上，弄得他们的双颊都泛出一阵红晕来。他们最小的孙子们围着他们跳舞，兴高采烈地叫着，说是今晚将有一个宴会——那时他们将会吃到热呼呼的土豆！接骨木树妈妈在树上点点头，跟大家一起喊着：“好！”
“But that was no fairy tale.”said the little boy who had listened to it.
“不过这并不是一个童话呀！”小孩听完了说。
“You will presently understand it.”said the old man who told the story.“Let us ask little eldertree mother about it.”
“唔，假如你能听懂它的话，”讲这段故事的老人说。“不过让我来问问接骨木树妈妈的意见吧。”
“That was no fairy tale，”said the little eldertree mother，“but now it comes！Real life furnishes us with subjects for the most wonderful fairy tales，For otherwise my beautiful elderbush could not have grown forth out of the teapot.”
“这并不是一个童话，”接骨木树妈妈说。“可是现在它来了；最奇异的童话是从真实的生活里产生出来的，否则我的美丽的接骨木树丛就不会从茶壶里冒出来了。”
