安徒生童話:Two Brothers兩兄弟
Two Brothers
by Hans Christian Andersen（1859）
ON one of the Danish islands， where old Thingstones， the seats of justice of our forefathers， still stand in the cornfields， and huge trees rise in the forests of beech， there lies a little town whose low houses are covered with red tiles. In one of these houses strange things were brewing over the glowing coals on the open hearth； there was a boiling going on in glasses， and a mixing and distilling， while herbs were being cut up and pounded in mortars. An elderly man looked after it all.
“One must only do the right thing，” he said； “yes， the right—the correct thing. One must find out the truth concerning every created particle， and keep to that.”
In the room with the good housewife sat her two sons； they were still small， but had GREat thoughts. Their mother， too， had always spoken to them of right and justice， and exhorted them to keep to the truth， which she said was the countenance of the Lord in this world.
the elder of the boys looked roguish and enterprising. He took a delight in reading of the forces of nature， of the sun and the moon； no fairy tale pleased him so much. Oh， how beautiful it must be， he thought， to go on voyages of discovery， or to find out how to imitate the wings of birds and then to be able to fly！ Yes， to find that out was the right thing. Father was right， and mother was right—truth holds the world together.
the younger brother was quieter， and buried himself entirely in his books. When he read about Jacob dressing himself in sheep-skins to personify Esau， and so to usurp his brother's birthright， he would clench his little fist in anger against the deceiver； when he read of tyrants and of the injustice and wickedness of the world， tears would come into his eyes， and he was quite filled with the thought of the justice and truth which must and would triumph.
One evening he was lying in bed， but the curtains were not yet drawn close， and the light streamed in upon him； he had taken his book into bed with him， for he wanted to finish reading the story of Solon. His thoughts lifted and carried him away a wonderful distance； it seemed to him as if the bed had become a ship flying along under full sail. Was he dreaming， or what was happening？ It glided over the rolling waves and across the ocean of time， and to him came the voice of Solon； spoken in a strange tongue， yet intelligible to him， he heard the Danish motto： “By law the land is ruled.”
the genius of the human race stood in the humble room， bent down over the bed and imprinted a kiss on the boy's forehead： “Be thou strong in fame and strong in the battle of life！ With truth in thy heart fly toward the land of truth！”
the elder brother was not yet in bed； he was standing at the window looking out at the mist which rose from the meadows. They were not elves dancing out there， as their old nurse had told him； he knew better—they were vapours which were warmer than the air， and that is why they rose. A shooting star lit up the sky， and the boy's thoughts passed in a second from the vapours of the earth up to the shining meteor. The stars gleamed in the heavens， and it seemed as if long golden threads hung down from them to the earth.
“Fly with me，” sang a voice， which the boy heard in his heart. And the mighty genius of mankind， swifter than a bird and than an arrow—swifter than anything of earthly origin—carried him out into space， where the heavenly bodies are bound together by the rays that pass from star to star. Our earth revolved in the thin air， and the cities upon it seemed to lie close to each other. Through the spheres echoed the words：
“What is near， what is far， when thou art lifted by the mighty genius of mind？”
And again the boy stood by the window， gazing out， whilst his younger brother lay in bed. Their mother called them by their names： “Anders Sandoe” and “Hans Christian.”
Denmark and the whole world knows them—the two brothers Orsted.
在丹麥的一個島上，在麥粟田中間高高兀出古議事會址1的所在，在生長着高大的山毛櫸樹林的地方，有一個很小的鎮子2.這裏矮小屋子都是紅頂的。在這樣的一所屋子裏，在火爐裏燒得白晃晃的火和灰的上面，燉着很奇特的東西；玻璃杯裏有東西被燒開翻滾；有些東西被摻和在一起，有的東西被蒸溜了，鉢裏的草類的植物被搗碎了。這都是一位老年人乾的。“我們必須按照正確的原則辦事！”他說道，“是啊，正確的，真實的，我們得認識和把握住每一件事物的真諦。”在屋子裏，在賢惠的主婦身邊，坐着他們的兩個兒子，都還小，但是已經有成年人的思想了。母親時常對他們講正義，講合理合法，講堅持真理，真理是上帝在這個世界上的化身。大的那個孩子，看來很聰明、敏銳。他的興趣是研究自然力，研究太陽星星之類的事物，這些比任何童話對他都要美好得多。啊，出去旅行探險，或者去探索如何才能仿造鳥類的翅膀，然後飛起來，那會是多麼幸福！是的，就是探索正確的事物！父親很對，母親很對；把世界維繫在一起的是真理。
弟弟則更安靜一些，完全專注於書籍。讀到雅可布披上羊皮裝成以掃把長子權騙到手3的時候，他便憤憤地攥緊自己的小拳頭，對詐騙十分惱怒。讀到暴君，讀到存在於世上的不公平和邪惡的時候，他會流出眼淚。正義和真理最終必定勝利的思想，強烈地充滿他的胸懷。有一天夜裏，他已經上了牀，但是窗簾沒有完全拉嚴，有光線射進照着他，他帶着書躺在牀上，他得把梭倫4的故事讀完。
他的思想奇異地領着他飄得很遠。牀好像成了一條大船，船帆被風吹得完全脹了起來。他是在做夢呢還是怎麼回事？他航行在波濤洶涌的海上，在時間的大海之中，他聽到了梭倫的喊聲，用的是外國語言但卻又能聽得懂。這聲音喊出了丹麥的那競選名言：“以法立國5！”
人類的智慧之神，來到了這貧寒的屋裏。他把身子彎向了牀，在孩子的面頰上吻了一下：“在榮譽中保持堅強，在生活的鬥爭中保持堅強！把真理放在胸中，飛向真理之鄉！”哥哥還沒有上牀，他站在窗前，望着草地上升起的霧靄。那不是山精姑娘在跳舞，一位老年真誠的幫工千真萬確對他講到過山精跳舞。但是他有更聰慧的見解，那是水蒸汽，比空氣還暖，所以它們便升了起來。有一顆流星閃光滑過，這孩子的思想一下子便從地面上的霧靄高高地飛到那閃光體上去了。天空中星星在閃動，就好像有金線從星星上垂到我們的地面上一樣。“隨我去翱翔吧！”這聲音一直傳到了這孩子的心中。人類的偉大的智慧之神，用比鳥、比箭、比世界上任何能飛的東西都要快的速度，把他一下子帶到了太空之中，帶到了一顆顆星用發出的光把各天體綁在一起的地方。我們的地球在稀薄的空氣中轉動，一個個城市好像都靠得很近。有一個聲音穿過了各天體響了起來：“偉大的精神智慧之神把你托起的時候，甚麼是近，甚麼是遠？”
小孩又站到了窗前，朝外望去，弟弟躺在牀上。母親叫着他們的名字：“安諾斯和漢斯·克里斯欽！”
丹麥知道他們，世界知道這兩兄弟——奧斯特。
題註：這裏講的是丹麥兩位奧斯特的事。哥哥是對安徒生有過很多影響的丹麥科學家，電磁的發現者。關於他，可參見《天鵝巢》注10和《演木偶戲的人》注5.弟弟安諾斯·桑德·奧斯特（1778-1860）是丹麥法學家和政治家。
他們的父親蘇昂·克里斯欽·奧斯特（1750-1822）是藥劑師，藥鋪老闆。
1在部落時代，部落的人聚在一個特定的地方商量本部落的大事。這是後來議會的雛形。
2丹麥朗厄蘭島上的魯茲奎賓城。
3聖經舊約《創世紀》第27章講，猶太人的始祖亞布拉罕的兒子以撒在暮年時要給他的長子以掃祝福。這事被以撒的妻子利巴加知道了，她讓她的次子——以掃的孿生弟弟披上羊皮僞裝成以掃（以掃身上有毛），以騙取以撒的祝福。
4希臘的詩人和法律起草人（公元前約640-560）。他寫成的法律是日後雅典法律的基礎。
5這是1241年丹麥制定的《日德蘭法》的序言的序詞。這個法律至今仍然有效。這句話也成了丹麥最着名的政治口號。現在在哥本哈根法院的大門上方的壁上還刻着這句話。
