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安徒生童話故事第106篇：甲蟲The Beetle Who Went on His Travel
引導語：甲蟲，大家知道這種動物?下面小編整理的安徒生童話故事《甲蟲》，看看是否能從中了解這種動物，歡迎大家閱讀!
皇帝的馬兒釘?shù)糜薪瘃R掌①;每只腳上有一個金馬掌。為什么他有金馬掌呢?
他是一個很漂亮的動物，有細長的腿子，聰明的眼睛;他的鬃毛懸在頸上，像一起絲織的面紗。他背過他的主人在槍林彈雨中馳騁，聽到過子彈颯颯地呼嘯。當敵人逼近的時候，他踢過和咬過周圍的人，與他們作過戰(zhàn)。他背過他的主人在敵人倒下的馬身上跳過去，救過赤金制的皇冠，救過皇帝的生命——比赤金還要貴重的生命。因此皇帝的馬兒釘?shù)糜薪瘃R掌，每只腳上有一個金馬掌。
甲蟲這時就爬過來了。
“大的先來，然后小的也來，"他說，"問題不是在于身體的大小。"他這樣說的時候就伸出他的瘦小的腿來。
“你要什么呢?"鐵匠問。
“要金馬掌，"甲蟲回答說。
“乖乖!你的腦筋一定是有問題，"鐵匠說。"你也想要有金馬掌嗎?”
“我要金馬掌!"甲蟲說。"難道我跟那個大家伙有什么兩樣不成?他被人伺候，被人梳刷，被人看護，有吃的，也有喝的。難道我不是皇家馬廄里的一員么?”
“但是馬兒為什么要有金馬掌呢?"鐵匠問，"難道你還不懂得嗎?”
“懂得?我懂得這話對我是一種侮辱，"甲蟲說。"這簡直是瞧不起人。——好吧，我現(xiàn)在要走了，到外面廣大的世界里去。”
“請便!"鐵匠說。
“你簡直是一個無禮的家伙!"甲蟲說。
于是他走出去了。他飛了一小段路程，不久他就到了一個美麗的小花園里，這兒玫瑰花和薰衣草開得噴香。
“你看這兒的花開得美麗不美麗?"一只在附近飛來飛去的小瓢蟲問。他那紅色的、像盾牌一樣硬的紅翅膀上亮著許多黑點子。"這兒是多么香啊!這兒是多么美啊!”
“我是看慣了比這還好的東西的，"甲蟲說。"你認為這就是美嗎?咳，這兒連一個糞堆都沒有。”
于是他更向前走，走到一棵大紫羅蘭花蔭里去。這兒有一只毛蟲正在爬行。
“這世界是多么美麗啊!"毛蟲說："太陽是多么溫暖，一切東西是那么快樂!我睡了一覺——他就是大家所謂'死'了一次——以后，我醒轉(zhuǎn)來就變成了一只蝴蝶。”
“你真自高自大!"甲蟲說。"乖乖，你原來是一只飛來飛去的蝴蝶!我是從皇帝的馬廄里出來的呢。在那兒，沒有任何人，連皇帝那匹心愛的、穿著我不要的金馬掌的馬兒，也沒有這么一個想法。長了一雙翅膀能夠飛幾下!咳，我們來飛吧。”
于是甲蟲就飛走了。"我真不愿意生些閑氣，可是我卻生了閑氣了。”
不一會兒，他落到一大塊草地上來了。他在這里躺了一會兒，接著就睡去了。
我的天，多么大的一陣急雨啊!雨聲把甲蟲吵醒了。他倒很想馬上就鉆進土里去的，但是沒有辦法。他栽了好幾個跟頭，一會兒用他的肚皮、一會兒用他的背拍著水，至于說到起飛，那簡直是不可能了。無疑地，他再也不能從這地方逃出他的生命。他只好在原來的地方躺下，不聲不響地躺下。天氣略微有點好轉(zhuǎn)。甲蟲把他眼里的水擠出來。他迷糊地看到了一件白色的東西。這是晾在那兒的一床被單。他費了一番氣力爬過去，然后鉆進這潮濕單子的折紋里。當然，比起那馬廄里的溫暖土堆來，躺在這地方是并不太舒服的。可是更好的地方也不容易找到，因此他也只好在那兒躺了一整天和一整夜。雨一直是在不停地下著。到天亮的時分，甲蟲才爬了出來。他對這天氣頗有一點脾氣。
被單上坐著兩只青蛙。他們明亮的眼睛射出極端愉快的光芒。
“天氣真是好極了!”他們之中一位說。“多么使人精神爽快啊!被單把水兜住，真是再好也沒有!我的后腿有些發(fā)癢，像是要去嘗一下游泳的味兒。”
“我倒很想知道，”第二位說，“那些飛向遙遠的外國去的燕子，在他們無數(shù)次的航程中，是不是會碰到比這更好的天氣。這樣的暴風!這樣的雨水!這叫人覺得像是呆在一條潮濕的溝里一樣。凡是不能欣賞這點的人，也真算得是不愛國的人了。”
“你們大概從來沒有到皇帝的馬廄里去過吧?"甲蟲問。
“那兒的潮濕是既溫暖而又新鮮。那正是我所住慣了的環(huán)境;那正是合我胃口的氣候。不過我在旅途中沒有辦法把它帶來。難道在這個花園里找不到一個垃圾堆，使我這樣有身份的人能夠暫住進去，舒服一下子么?”
不過這兩只青蛙不懂得他的意思，或者還是不愿意懂得他的意思。
“我從來不問第二次的!"甲蟲說，但是他已經(jīng)把這問題問了三次了，而且都沒有得到回答。
于是他又向前走了一段路。他碰到了一塊花盆的碎片。這東西的確不應該躺在這地方;但是他既然躺在這兒，他也就成了一個可以躲避風雨的窩棚了。在他下面，住著好幾家蠼螋。他們不需要廣大的空間，但卻需要許多朋友。他們的女性是特別富于母愛的，因此每個母親就認為自己的孩子是世上最美麗、最聰明的人。
“我的兒子已經(jīng)訂婚了，"一位母親說。"我天真可愛的寶貝!他最偉大的希望是想有一天能夠爬到牧師的耳朵里去。他真是可愛和天真�，F(xiàn)在他既訂了婚，大概可以穩(wěn)定下來了。對一個母親說來，這真算是一件喜事!”
“我們的兒子剛一爬出卵子就馬上頑皮起來了，"另外一位母親說。"他真是生氣勃勃。他簡直可以把他的角都跑掉了!對于一個母親說來，這是一件多大的愉快啊!你說對不對，甲蟲先生?"她們根據(jù)這位陌生客人的形狀，已經(jīng)認出他是誰了。
“你們兩個人都是對的，"甲蟲說。這樣他就被請進她們的屋子里去——也就是說，他在這花盆的碎片下面能鉆進多少就鉆進多少。
“現(xiàn)在也請你瞧瞧我的小蠼螋吧，"第三位和第四位母親齊聲說，"他們都是非�？蓯鄣男|西，而且也非常有趣。他們從來不搗蛋，除非他們感到肚皮不舒服。不過在他們這樣的年紀，這是常有的事。”
這樣，每個母親都談到自己的孩子。孩子們也在談論著，同時用他們尾巴上的小鉗子來夾甲蟲的胡須。
“他們老是閑不住的，這些小流氓!"母親們說。她們的臉上射出母愛之光�？墒羌紫x對于這些事兒感到非常無聊;因此他就問起最近的垃圾堆離此有多遠。
“在世界很遼遠的地方——在溝的另一邊，”一只蠼螋回答說。“我希望我的孩子們沒有誰跑得那么遠，因為那樣就會把我急死了。”
“但是我倒想走那么遠哩，"甲蟲說。于是他沒有正式告別就走了;這是一種很漂亮的行為。
他在溝旁碰見好幾個族人——都是甲蟲之流。
“我們就住在這兒，"他們說。"我們在這兒住得很舒服。請準許我們邀您光臨這塊肥沃的土地好嗎?你走了這么遠的路，一定是很疲倦了。”
“一點也不錯，"甲蟲回答說。"我在雨中的濕被單里躺了一陣子。清潔這種東西特別使我吃不消。我翅膀的骨節(jié)里還得了風濕病，因為我在一塊花盆碎片下的陰風中站過�；氐阶约旱淖迦酥衼恚媸禽p松愉快。”
“可能你是從一個垃圾堆上來的吧?"他們之中最年長的一位說。
“比那還高一點，”甲蟲說。“我是從皇帝的馬廄里來的。我在那兒一生下來，腳上就有金馬掌。我是負有一個秘密使命來旅行的。請你們不要問什么問題，因為我不會回答的。”
于是甲蟲就走到這堆肥沃的泥巴上來。這兒坐著三位年輕的甲蟲姑娘。她們在格格地憨笑，因為她們不知道講什么好。
“她們誰也不曾訂過婚，"她們的母親說。
這幾位甲蟲又格格地憨笑起來，這次是因為她們感到難為情。
“我在皇家的馬廄里，從來沒有看到過比這還漂亮的美人兒，"這位旅行的甲蟲說。
“請不要慣壞了我的女孩子;也請您不要跟她們談話，除非您的意圖是嚴肅的。——不過，您的意圖當然是嚴肅的，因此我祝福您。”
“恭喜!"別的甲蟲都齊聲地說。
我們的甲蟲就這樣訂婚了。訂完婚以后接踵而來的就是結婚，因為拖下去是沒有道理的。
婚后的一天非常愉快;第二天也勉強稱得上舒服;不過在第三天，太太的、可能還有小寶寶的吃飯問題就需要考慮了。
“我讓我自己上了鉤，”他說。“那么我也要讓她們上一下鉤，作為報復。——”
他這樣說了，也就這樣辦了。他開小差溜了。他走了一整天，也走了一整夜。——他的妻子成了一個活寡婦。
別的甲蟲說，他們請到他們家里來住的這位仁兄，原來是一個不折不扣的流浪漢子;現(xiàn)在他卻把養(yǎng)老婆的這個擔子送到他們手里了。
“唔，那么讓她離婚、仍然回到我的女兒中間來吧，"母親說。"那個惡棍真該死，遺棄了她!”
在這期間，甲蟲繼續(xù)他的旅行。他在一漂白菜葉上渡過了那條溝。在快要天亮的時候，有兩個人走過來了。他們看到了甲蟲，把他撿起來，于是把他翻轉(zhuǎn)來，復過去。他們兩人是很有學問的。尤其是他們中的一位——一個男孩子。
“安拉②在黑山石的黑石頭里發(fā)現(xiàn)黑色的甲蟲《古蘭經(jīng)》上不是這樣寫著的嗎?他問;于是他就把甲蟲的名字譯成拉丁文，并且把這動物的種類和特性敘述了一番。這位年輕的學者反對把他帶回家。他說他們已經(jīng)有了同樣好的標本。甲蟲覺得這話說得有點不太禮貌，所以他就忽然從這人的手里飛走了�，F(xiàn)在他的翅膀已經(jīng)干了，他可以飛得很遠。他飛到一個溫室里去。這兒屋頂有一部分是開著的，所以他輕輕地溜進去，鉆進新鮮的糞土里。
“這兒真是很舒服，"他說。
不一會兒他就睡去了。他夢見皇帝的馬死了，夢見甲蟲先生得到了馬兒的金馬掌，而且人們還答應將來再造一雙給他。
這都是很美妙的事情。于是甲蟲醒來了。他爬出來，向四周看了一眼。溫室里面算是可愛之至!巨大的棕櫚樹高高地向空中伸去;太陽把它們照得透明。在它們下面展開一起豐茂的綠葉，一起光彩奪目、紅得像火、黃得像琥珀、白得像新雪的花朵!
“這要算是一個空前絕后的展覽了，”甲蟲說。“當它們腐爛了以后;它們的味道將會是多美啊!這真是一個食物儲藏室!我一定有些親戚住在這兒。我要跟蹤而去，看看能不能找到一位可以值得跟我來往的人物。當然我是很驕傲的，同時我也正因為這而感到驕傲。”
這樣，他就高視闊步地走起來。他想著剛才關于那只死馬和他獲得的那雙金馬掌的夢。
忽然一只手抓住了甲蟲，抱著他，同時把他翻來翻去。原來園丁的小兒子和他的玩伴正在這個溫室里。他們瞧見了這只甲蟲，想跟他開開玩笑。他們先把他裹在一起葡萄葉子里，然后把他塞進一個溫暖的褲袋里。他爬著，掙扎著，不過孩子的手緊緊地捏住了他。后來這孩子跑向小花園的盡頭的一個湖那邊去。在這兒，甲蟲就被放進一個破舊的、失去了鞋面的木鞋里。這里面插著一根小棍子，作為桅桿。甲蟲就被一根毛線綁在這桅桿上面。所以現(xiàn)在他成為一個船長了;他得駕著船航行。
這是一個很大的湖;對甲蟲說來，它簡直是一個大洋。他害怕得非常厲害，所以他只有仰躺著，亂彈著他的腿子。
這只木鞋浮走了。它被卷入水流中去。不過當船一起得離岸太遠的時候，便有一個孩子扎起褲腳，在后面追上，把它又拉回來。不過，當它又漂出去的時候，這兩個孩子忽然被喊走了，而且被喊得很急迫。所以他們就匆忙地離去了，讓那只木鞋順水漂流。這樣，它就離開了岸，越漂越遠。甲蟲嚇得全身發(fā)抖，因為他被綁在桅桿上，沒有辦法飛走。
這時有一個蒼蠅來訪問他。
“天氣是多好啊!”蒼蠅說。“我想在這兒休息一下，在這兒曬曬太陽。你已經(jīng)享受得夠久了。”
“你只是憑你的理解胡扯!難道你沒有看到我是被綁著的嗎?”
“啊，但我并沒有被綁著呀，"蒼蠅說;接著他就飛走了。
“我現(xiàn)在可認識這個世界了，”甲蟲說。“這是一個卑鄙的世界!而我卻是它里面唯一的老實人。第一，他們不讓我得到那只金馬掌;我得躺在濕被單里，站在陰風里;最后他們硬送給我一個太太。于是我得采取緊急措施，逃離這個大世界里來。我發(fā)現(xiàn)了人們是在怎樣生活，同時我自己應該怎樣生活。這時人間的一個小頑童來了，把我綁起，讓那些狂暴的波濤來對付我，而皇帝的那騎馬這時卻穿著金馬掌散著步。這簡直要把我氣死了。不過你在這個世界里不能希望得到什么同情的!我的事業(yè)一直是很有意義的;不過，如果沒有任何人知道它的話，那又有什么用呢?世人也不配知道它，否則，當皇帝那匹愛馬在馬廄里伸出它的腿來讓人釘上馬掌的時候，大家就應該讓我得到金馬掌了。如果我得到金馬掌的話，我也可以算做那馬廄的一種光榮。現(xiàn)在馬廄對我說來，算是完了。這世界也算是完了。一切都完了!”
不過一切倒還沒有完了。有一條船到來了，里面坐著幾個年輕的女子。
“看!有一只木鞋在漂流著，"一位說。
“還有一個小生物綁在上面，"另外一位說。
這只船駛近了木鞋。她們把它從水里撈起來。她們之中有一位取出一把剪刀，把那根毛線剪斷，而沒有傷害到甲蟲。當她們走上岸的時候，她就把他放到草上。
“爬吧，爬吧!飛吧，飛吧!如果你可能的話!"她說。
“自由是一種美麗的東西。”
甲蟲飛起來，一直飛到一個巨大建筑物的窗子里去。然后他就又累又困地落下來，恰恰落到國王那只愛馬的又細又長的鬃毛上去。馬兒正是立在它和甲蟲同住在一起的那個馬廄里面。甲蟲緊緊地抓住馬鬃，坐了一會兒，恢復恢復自己的精神。
“我現(xiàn)在坐在皇帝愛馬的身上——作為其他的人坐著!我剛才說的什么呢?現(xiàn)在我懂得了。這個想法很對，很正確。馬兒為什么要有金馬掌呢?那個鐵匠問過我這句話�，F(xiàn)在我可懂得他的意思了。馬兒得到金馬掌完全是為了我的緣故。”
現(xiàn)在甲蟲又變得心滿意足了。
“一個人只有旅行一番以后，頭腦才會變得清醒一些，"他說。
這時太陽照在他身上，而且照得很美麗。
“這個世界仍然不能說是太壞，”甲蟲說。“一個人只須知道怎樣應付它就成。”
這個世界是很美的，因為皇帝的馬兒釘上金馬掌，而他釘上金馬掌完全是因為甲蟲要其他的緣故。
“現(xiàn)在我將下馬去告訴別的甲蟲，說大家把我伺候得如何周到。我將告訴他們我在國外的旅行中所得到的一切愉快。我還要告訴他們，說從今以后，我要待在家里，一直到馬兒把他的金馬掌穿破了為止。”
�、僭氖荊uldskoe，直譯即“金鞋”的意思。這兒因為牽涉到馬，所以一律譯為馬掌。
�、诎怖�(Allab)即真主。
甲蟲英文版：
The Beetle Who Went on His Travels
THERE was once an Emperor who had a horse shod with gold. He had a golden shoe on each foot, and why was this? He was a beautiful creature, with slender legs, bright, intelligent eyes, and a mane that hung down over his neck like a veil. He had carried his master through fire and smoke in the battle-field, with the bullets whistling round him; he had kicked and bitten, and taken part in the fight, when the enemy advanced; and, with his master on his back, he had dashed over the fallen foe, and saved the golden crown and the Emperor’s life, which was of more value than the brightest gold. This is the reason of the Emperor’s horse wearing golden shoes.
A beetle came creeping forth from the stable, where the farrier had been shoeing the horse. “Great ones, first, of course,” said he, “and then the little ones; but size is not always a proof of greatness.” He stretched out his thin leg as he spoke.
“And pray what do you want?” asked the farrier.
“Golden shoes,” replied the beetle.
“Why, you must be out of your senses,” cried the farrier. “Golden shoes for you, indeed!”
“Yes, certainly; golden shoes,” replied the beetle. “Am I not just as good as that great creature yonder, who is waited upon and brushed, and has food and drink placed before him? And don’t I belong to the royal stables?”
“But why does the horse have golden shoes?” asked the farrier; “of course you understand the reason?”
“Understand! Well, I understand that it is a personal slight to me,” cried the beetle. “It is done to annoy me, so I intend to go out into the world and seek my fortune.”
“Go along with you,” said the farrier.
“You’re a rude fellow,” cried the beetle, as he walked out of the stable; and then he flew for a short distance, till he found himself in a beautiful flower-garden, all fragrant with roses and lavender. The lady-birds, with red and black shells on their backs, and delicate wings, were flying about, and one of them said, “Is it not sweet and lovely here? Oh, how beautiful everything is.”
“I am accustomed to better things,” said the beetle. “Do you call this beautiful? Why, there is not even a dung-heap.” Then he went on, and under the shadow of a large haystack he found a caterpillar crawling along. “How beautiful this world is!” said the caterpillar. “The sun is so warm, I quite enjoy it. And soon I shall go to sleep, and die as they call it, but I shall wake up with beautiful wings to fly with, like a butterfly.”
“How conceited you are!” exclaimed the beetle. “Fly about as a butterfly, indeed! what of that. I have come out of the Emperor’s stable, and no one there, not even the Emperor’s horse, who, in fact, wears my cast-off golden shoes, has any idea of flying, excepting myself. To have wings and fly! why, I can do that already;” and so saying, he spread his wings and flew away. “I don’t want to be disgusted,” he said to himself, “and yet I can’t help it.” Soon after, he fell down upon an extensive lawn, and for a time pretended to sleep, but at last fell asleep in earnest. Suddenly a heavy shower of rain came falling from the clouds. The beetle woke up with the noise and would have been glad to creep into the earth for shelter, but he could not. He was tumbled over and over with the rain, sometimes swimming on his stomach and sometimes on his back; and as for flying, that was out of the question. He began to doubt whether he should escape with his life, so he remained, quietly lying where he was. After a while the weather cleared up a little, and the beetle was able to rub the water from his eyes, and look about him. He saw something gleaming, and he managed to make his way up to it. It was linen which had been laid to bleach on the grass. He crept into a fold of the damp linen, which certainly was not so comfortable a place to lie in as the warm stable, but there was nothing better, so he remained lying there for a whole day and night, and the rain kept on all the time. Towards morning he crept out of his hiding-place, feeling in a very bad temper with the climate. Two frogs were sitting on the linen, and their bright eyes actually glistened with pleasure.
“Wonderful weather this,” cried one of them, “and so refreshing. This linen holds the water together so beautifully, that my hind legs quiver as if I were going to swim.”
“I should like to know,” said another, “If the swallow who flies so far in her many journeys to foreign lands, ever met with a better climate than this. What delicious moisture! It is as pleasant as lying in a wet ditch. I am sure any one who does not enjoy this has no love for his fatherland.”
“Have you ever been in the Emperor’s stable?” asked the beetle. “There the moisture is warm and refreshing; that’s the climate for me, but I could not take it with me on my travels. Is there not even a dunghill here in this garden, where a person of rank, like myself, could take up his abode and feel at home?” But the frogs either did not or would not understand him.
“I never ask a question twice,” said the beetle, after he had asked this one three times, and received no answer. Then he went on a little farther and stumbled against a piece of broken crockery-ware, which certainly ought not to have been lying there. But as it was there, it formed a good shelter against wind and weather to several families of earwigs who dwelt in it. Their requirements were not many, they were very sociable, and full of affection for their children, so much so that each mother considered her own child the most beautiful and clever of them all.
“Our dear son has engaged himself,” said one mother, “dear innocent boy; his greatest ambition is that he may one day creep into a clergyman’s ear. That is a very artless and loveable wish; and being engaged will keep him steady. What happiness for a mother!”
“Our son,” said another, “had scarcely crept out of the egg, when he was off on his travels. He is all life and spirits, I expect he will wear out his horns with running. How charming this is for a mother, is it not Mr. Beetle?” for she knew the stranger by his horny coat.
“You are both quite right,” said he; so they begged him to walk in, that is to come as far as he could under the broken piece of earthenware.
“Now you shall also see my little earwigs,” said a third and a fourth mother, “they are lovely little things, and highly amusing. They are never ill-behaved, except when they are uncomfortable in their inside, which unfortunately often happens at their age.”
Thus each mother spoke of her baby, and their babies talked after their own fashion, and made use of the little nippers they have in their tails to nip the beard of the beetle.
“They are always busy about something, the little rogues,” said the mother, beaming with maternal pride; but the beetle felt it a bore, and he therefore inquired the way to the nearest dung-heap.
“That is quite out in the great world, on the other side of the ditch,” answered an earwig, “I hope none of my children will ever go so far, it would be the death of me.”
“But I shall try to get so far,” said the beetle, and he walked off without taking any formal leave, which is considered a polite thing to do.
When he arrived at the ditch, he met several friends, all them beetles; “We live here,” they said, “and we are very comfortable. May we ask you to step down into this rich mud, you must be fatigued after your journey.”
“Certainly,” said the beetle, “I shall be most happy; I have been exposed to the rain, and have had to lie upon linen, and cleanliness is a thing that greatly exhausts me; I have also pains in one of my wings from standing in the draught under a piece of broken crockery. It is really quite refreshing to be with one’s own kindred again.”
“Perhaps you came from a dung-heap,” observed the oldest of them.
“No, indeed, I came from a much grander place,” replied the beetle; “I came from the emperor’s stable, where I was born, with golden shoes on my feet. I am travelling on a secret embassy, but you must not ask me any questions, for I cannot betray my secret.”
Then the beetle stepped down into the rich mud, where sat three young-lady beetles, who tittered, because they did not know what to say.
“None of them are engaged yet,” said their mother, and the beetle maidens tittered again, this time quite in confusion.
“I have never seen greater beauties, even in the royal stables,” exclaimed the beetle, who was now resting himself.
“Don’t spoil my girls,” said the mother; “and don’t talk to them, pray, unless you have serious intentions.”
But of course the beetle’s intentions were serious, and after a while our friend was engaged. The mother gave them her blessing, and all the other beetles cried “hurrah.”
Immediately after the betrothal came the marriage, for there was no reason to delay. The following day passed very pleasantly, and the next was tolerably comfortable; but on the third it became necessary for him to think of getting food for his wife, and, perhaps, for children.
“I have allowed myself to be taken in,” said our beetle to himself, “and now there’s nothing to be done but to take them in, in return.”
No sooner said than done. Away he went, and stayed away all day and all night, and his wife remained behind a forsaken widow.
“Oh,” said the other beetles, “this fellow that we have received into our family is nothing but a complete vagabond. He has gone away and left his wife a burden upon our hands.”
“Well, she can be unmarried again, and remain here with my other daughters,” said the mother. “Fie on the villain that forsook her!”
In the mean time the beetle, who had sailed across the ditch on a cabbage leaf, had been journeying on the other side. In the morning two persons came up to the ditch. When they saw him they took him up and turned him over and over, looking very learned all the time, especially one, who was a boy. “Allah sees the black beetle in the black stone, and the black rock. Is not that written in the Koran?” he asked.
Then he translated the beetle’s name into Latin, and said a great deal upon the creature’s nature and history. The second person, who was older and a scholar, proposed to carry the beetle home, as they wanted just such good specimens as this. Our beetle considered this speech a great insult, so he flew suddenly out of the speaker’s hand. His wings were dry now, so they carried him to a great distance, till at last he reached a hothouse, where a sash of the glass roof was partly open, so he quietly slipped in and buried himself in the warm earth. “It is very comfortable here,” he said to himself, and soon after fell asleep. Then he dreamed that the emperor’s horse was dying, and had left him his golden shoes, and also promised that he should have two more. All this was very delightful, and when the beetle woke up he crept forth and looked around him. What a splendid place the hothouse was! At the back, large palm-trees were growing; and the sunlight made the leaves—look quite glossy; and beneath them what a profusion of luxuriant green, and of flowers red like flame, yellow as amber, or white as new-fallen snow! “What a wonderful quantity of plants,” cried the beetle; “how good they will taste when they are decayed! This is a capital store-room. There must certainly be some relations of mine living here; I will just see if I can find any one with whom I can associate. I’m proud, certainly; but I’m also proud of being so. Then he prowled about in the earth, and thought what a pleasant dream that was about the dying horse, and the golden shoes he had inherited. Suddenly a hand seized the beetle, and squeezed him, and turned him round and round. The gardener’s little son and his playfellow had come into the hothouse, and, seeing the beetle, wanted to have some fun with him. First, he was wrapped, in a vine-leaf, and put into a warm trousers’ pocket. He twisted and turned about with all his might, but he got a good squeeze from the boy’s hand, as a hint for him to keep quiet. Then the boy went quickly towards a lake that lay at the end of the garden. Here the beetle was put into an old broken wooden shoe, in which a little stick had been fastened upright for a mast, and to this mast the beetle was bound with a piece of worsted. Now he was a sailor, and had to sail away. The lake was not very large, but to the beetle it seemed an ocean, and he was so astonished at its size that he fell over on his back, and kicked out his legs. Then the little ship sailed away; sometimes the current of the water seized it, but whenever it went too far from the shore one of the boys turned up his trousers, and went in after it, and brought it back to land. But at last, just as it went merrily out again, the two boys were called, and so angrily, that they hastened to obey, and ran away as fast as they could from the pond, so that the little ship was left to its fate. It was carried away farther and farther from the shore, till it reached the open sea. This was a terrible prospect for the beetle, for he could not escape in consequence of being bound to the mast. Then a fly came and paid him a visit. “What beautiful weather,” said the fly; “I shall rest here and sun myself. You must have a pleasant time of it.”
“You speak without knowing the facts,” replied the beetle; “don’t you see that I am a prisoner?”
“Ah, but I’m not a prisoner,” remarked the fly, and away he flew.
“Well, now I know the world,” said the beetle to himself; “it’s an abominable world; I’m the only respectable person in it. First, they refuse me my golden shoes; then I have to lie on damp linen, and to stand in a draught; and to crown all, they fasten a wife upon me. Then, when I have made a step forward in the world, and found out a comfortable position, just as I could wish it to be, one of these human boys comes and ties me up, and leaves me to the mercy of the wild waves, while the emperor’s favorite horse goes prancing about proudly on his golden shoes. This vexes me more than anything. But it is useless to look for sympathy in this world. My career has been very interesting, but what’s the use of that if nobody knows anything about it? The world does not deserve to be made acquainted with my adventures, for it ought to have given me golden shoes when the emperor’s horse was shod, and I stretched out my feet to be shod, too. If I had received golden shoes I should have been an ornament to the stable; now I am lost to the stable and to the world. It is all over with me.”
But all was not yet over. A boat, in which were a few young girls, came rowing up. “Look, yonder is an old wooden shoe sailing along,” said one of the younger girls.
“And there’s a poor little creature bound fast in it,” said another.
The boat now came close to our beetle’s ship, and the young girls fished it out of the water. One of them drew a small pair of scissors from her pocket, and cut the worsted without hurting the beetle, and when she stepped on shore she placed him on the grass. “There,” she said, “creep away, or fly, if thou canst. It is a splendid thing to have thy liberty.” Away flew the beetle, straight through the open window of a large building; there he sank down, tired and exhausted, exactly on the mane of the emperor’s favorite horse, who was standing in his stable; and the beetle found himself at home again. For some time he clung to the mane, that he might recover himself. “Well,” he said, “here I am, seated on the emperor’s favorite horse,—sitting upon him as if I were the emperor himself. But what was it the farrier asked me? Ah, I remember now,—that’s a good thought,—he asked me why the golden shoes were given to the horse. The answer is quite clear to me, now. They were given to the horse on my account.” And this reflection put the beetle into a good temper. The sun’s rays also came streaming into the stable, and shone upon him, and made the place lively and bright. “Travelling expands the mind very much,” said the beetle. “The world is not so bad after all, if you know how to take things as they come.
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