第5章 公主和豌豆 The Princess and the Pea (第1/5页)

《公主和豌豆》，1835 年

the princess and the pea, 1835

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安徒生声称小时候就听过这个故事，他很可能受到了类似于瑞典的《躺在七颗豌豆上的公主》这个版本的启发。

Andersen claimed to have heard this story as a child, and it is likely that he was inspired by a version akin to the Swedish “princess who Lay on Seven peas.”

那个故事的女主人公是个孤儿，她带着宠物猫或狗踏入社会，并且自称是公主。

the heroine of that tale is an orphaned child who sets out into the world acpanied by a pet cat or dog and who presents herself as a princess.

受到多疑的王后的质疑，女孩的王室血统在夜间接受考验，当时一个小物件（一粒豆子、一颗豌豆或者一根稻草）被悄悄塞到她的床垫下。

challenged by a suspicious queen, the girl’s royal ancestry is put to the test at night, when a small object (a bean, a pea, or a straw) is slipped under her mattress.

在猫或狗告知她这个物件后，女孩抱怨自己无法入睡，于是被宣告拥有王室血统。

Informed by the cat or the dog about the object, the girl plains about her inability to sleep and is declared to be of royal blood.

民间故事中的女主人公用欺骗手段来提升自己的社会地位，但安徒生笔下的公主是 “真正的” 公主，不必歪曲自己的敏感。

the folktale heroine uses deceit to raise her social rank, but Andersen’s princess is the “real” thing and does not have to misrepresent her sensitivity.

对安徒生来说，一个表明 “真正的” 高贵在于敏感而非出身的故事具有一定的吸引力。

For Andersen, a story demonstrating that “true” nobility resides in sensitivity rather than birth had a certain appeal.

他的许多恩人以及朋友和评论家不断提醒他低微的社会出身，安徒生通过创作故事来弥补这一点，这些故事表明那些出生在谷仓场院（丑小鸭）或者不知从哪里出现在王室门口（公主）的人可能是真正的贵族。

constantly reminded of his lowly social origins by his many benefactors as well as