安徒生童話:The Beetle Who Went on His Travels屎殼郎
The Beetle Who Went on His Travels
by Hans Christian Andersen（1861）
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.
皇帝的馬釘上了金掌，兩隻蹄子上各一個。
爲甚麼牠會得到金馬掌？
牠是最漂亮的動物，有漂亮的腿，眼睛露出很機智的神情，馬鬃散掛在脖子上像一片絲紗。牠曾馱着它的主人奔馳於槍林彈雨之中，聽到過子彈呼嘯。敵人逼近的時候，牠用口咬，用腿踢四周的敵人，參加了戰鬥。牠馱着自己的皇帝一步縱過倒下的敵人的馬，拯救了自己皇帝的赤金皇冠，拯救了自己皇帝的比金冠還重要的性命。因此，皇帝的馬得了金掌，兩隻蹄子上各一個。
屎殼郎往前爬了過來。“先給大的釘，再給小的釘，”牠說道，“然而，並不是尺寸的問題。”於是牠伸出了它那些又瘦又細的腿來。“你要幹甚麼？”鐵匠問道。“金掌！”屎殼郎回答道。“你怕是頭腦發昏了吧！”鐵匠說道，“你也要金掌？”“金掌！”屎殼郎說道，“難道我不是跟那頭大獸一樣地貨真價實嗎？有人照料它，給它刷洗，伺候它，餵它吃，餵它喝。難道我不也是皇帝馬廄裏的嗎？”“可是，那匹馬是怎麼得到金掌的？”鐵匠問道，“你不清楚嗎？”“清楚？我清楚，這是對我的蔑視，”屎殼郎說道，“這是一種侮辱——現在，所以我要出走到大世界裏去了。”“去你的吧！”鐵匠說道。“粗暴的傢伙！”屎殼郎說道。之後便走出去了。飛了一小程，牠便來到了一個可愛的小花園，那裏飄着玫瑰和薰衣草的香味。“這兒不是很漂亮嗎？”一隻小瓢蟲說道。小瓢蟲拍着牠那像盾牌一樣堅硬的帶黑點的紅翅膀飛來飛去。“這兒的氣味多香甜，這兒多美麗！”“我住慣更好的地方，”屎殼郎說道，“你說這兒美麗？這兒連一堆糞都沒有。”
於是它繼續往前爬去，爬進了一大叢紫羅蘭的蔭影中。紫羅蘭上爬着一隻毛毛蟲。“世界還真是美麗啊！”毛毛蟲說道，“太陽暖暖的！一切都這麼美好！有朝一日我睡着了，而且像人們說的那樣死掉，那麼，我再醒過來的時候就變成一隻蝴蝶了。”“虧你想得出來！”屎殼郎說道，“現在我們像蝴蝶一樣飛起來了！我是皇帝馬廄裏來的。可是那裏，就連皇帝那匹蹄上釘了我不要的金掌的寶貝寵馬，都沒有這種非分之想。長上翅膀！飛啊！是啊，現在我們飛了！”接着屎殼郎便飛了起來。“我不要生氣的，可是我仍然有氣了。”
之後，牠落到了一大塊草皮上。牠在這裏躺了一小會兒，接着就睡着了。
天呀！好急的雨喲！雨點聲把屎殼郎吵醒了，牠立刻就想鑽到地裏去，但是沒有辦到。牠翻了過來，一會兒肚子朝下，一會兒又肚子朝天地遊了一程。飛起來是連想都不能想的事，看來牠是無法活着逃出這片草地了。他乾脆就在它躺的地方躺下來，就那麼躺着。
後來，雨小了一些。屎殼郎眨眨眼，甩掉蒙在眼上的雨水。它隱約地看到了有點白色的東西，那是一塊人家準備漂白的牀單。牠爬到那裏，爬到了溼牀單的一個摺縫裏去。這真不像躺在馬廄裏那暖和的糞堆裏。可是，現在這裏比這再舒服的地方是沒有了。於是它在這裏呆了一天，又一夜，雨還是不停地下着。清早，屎殼郎爬了出來，它對天氣惱火極了。
牀單上有兩隻青蛙，牠們那明亮的眼睛閃着歡快的光。“這天氣真舒服！”一隻青蛙說道。“多麼清新！牀單又兜了這麼多的水！我的後腳有些發癢，就好像我要游水了一樣。”“我真不知道，”另外一隻說道，“那到處飛來飛去的燕子，它在國外的旅行中，是否發現過有比我們國家天氣更好的地方。濛濛的細雨，潮溼的空氣！就好像你是躺在一條潮溼的水溝裏一樣！要是有人不喜歡這個，那他真叫是不愛國了。”“這麼說，你們從來沒有去過皇帝的馬廄裏，是不是？”屎殼郎問道。“那裏面的那種潮溼是又溫暖又有滋味！我習慣那種氣候，那是我的天氣，可是，那是無法帶着出門的。這園子裏，沒有那種像我這樣體面的人可以爬進去舒服舒服的地方嗎？”
但是，青蛙不明白牠說的，或許是不願意明白。“我是從來不問第二遍的，”屎殼郎在他說了第三遍而沒有得到回答時這麼說道。
於是牠又往前爬了一程，到了一塊破花盆片的地方。牠本不該在這個地方，但是既然已經在這兒，於是這裏便成了可以蔽身的地方。有幾家蠷？住在這裏。牠們要求的居住空間不大，只要求大家擠在一起。雌的特別有母性，所以牠們的每個孩子都是最漂亮的，最聰明的。“我們的兒子訂婚了，”有一位母親說道，“我那可愛的天真活潑的小寶寶！他的最高的願望就是有那麼一天，能爬到一個牧師的耳朵裏去。他非常可愛，非常天真，訂了婚會對他有所約束；當媽媽的是非常高興的。”“我們的兒子，”另外一位母親說道，“剛從蛋殼出來便玩耍起來。他精力充沛得不得了，把自己頭上的鬚子都跑丟了。做媽媽的簡直太高興了！是不是？屎殼郎先生？”牠們從牠的長相認出了牠來。“你們兩位都是對的，”屎殼郎說道。接着牠便被邀請進屋去，一直深到破盆片下面能爬到的地方。“現在您也該看看我的小蠷？了，”第三位、第四位母親說道，“他們真是最可愛的孩子了，非常有趣！他們從來不調皮，除非他們肚子疼。可是，他們這些個孩子，肚子疼的事是常有的事。”
接着，一位位當母親的都講起了自己的孩子。孩子們也參加談論，而且還用他們的尾鋏子去捋屎殼郎嘴上的鬚子。“他們總是甚麼都要摸摸動動的，這些小混帳！”幾位母親都說道，流露出了深深的母愛。可是，屎殼郎覺得太無聊了，於是它打聽是不是離開糞肥堆很遠。“那真是遠在天邊，在溝的那邊，”蠷？說道，“那麼遠，我真的希望我的孩子誰也別跑到那邊去，那樣我就活不成了。”“那麼遠，我倒要試試爬到那麼遠的地方去呢，”屎殼郎說道，連道別一聲都沒有說便走開了。這樣對待女性可真夠體面的了。
在水溝旁邊，它遇到了幾位自己一類的東西，全是屎殼郎。“我們住在這兒，”它們說道。“我們過得挺自在！熱忱歡迎您到我們這塊肥沃的地方！旅途一定叫您疲乏了。”“就是的，”屎殼郎說道。“我下雨天在牀單裏睡過，潔淨的環境大大地消耗了我的體力。在一塊破花盆碎片下面的對流風裏呆着，又使我的翅膀骨受了寒。能夠碰到自己的同類，真是太叫我舒心了。”“您大約是從糞堆裏來的吧，”年最長的那一個問道。“還要講究呢，”屎殼郎說道。“我是從皇帝的馬廄裏來的，在那裏我生下來腳上就有金掌。我這次出來負有祕密的使命，這事你們不用向我打聽，我是不會說的。”
於是屎殼郎便爬到那堆肥爛泥上。那兒有三個年輕的屎殼郎小姐，牠們在偷偷地笑，因爲牠們不知道該說些甚麼。“她們都還沒有訂婚，”母親說道。於是牠們又偷偷笑了笑，不過這回是由於難爲情。“就在皇帝的馬廄裏，我也沒有見過比她們更美的小姐了，”這位屎殼郎客人說道。“可不要把我的女孩子寵壞了！請別和她們講話，若是您的打算不真誠的話；——當然您的打算是真誠的，我真祝福她們。”“妙極了！”其他的屎殼郎都喊了起來，於是這個屎殼郎便訂了婚了。先是訂婚，接着就結婚。你知道，這沒有甚麼可等的。
結婚後的第一天，日子過得很不錯。第二天也滿自在地就過去了。但是到了第三天它就得考慮一下妻子，甚至孩子的吃飯問題了。“我讓這點意外的事纏住了，”牠說道，“所以我也要讓他們意外一下——。”
牠真這麼做了。牠不見了；一整天不見了，一整夜不見了。——妻子成了活寡婦了。其他的屎殼郎說，牠它們收留到家裏來的真是一個不折不扣的漂泊浪子，牠的妻子成了牠們的累贅了。“那麼她還可以當她的姑娘的，”母親說道，“還當我的女兒。天殺的，拋棄了她的那壞蛋。”
而它，則在繼續它的旅程，乘着一片圓白菜葉子過了水溝。天亮的時候，來了兩個人。他們看到了這隻屎殼郎，把牠抓了起來，把它翻過來又復過去。兩人都博學多識，特別是那個男孩子。“真主在黑石山的黑石上看到了黑屎殼郎1！可蘭經上不是這麼寫的嗎？”他這樣問道，把屎殼郎的名字譯成拉丁文，講了講它的屬類和屬性。年紀大一點的那位學識豐富的反對把它帶回家去，他們家裏已經有了同樣的好標本，他這麼說。這話說得不夠禮貌，這隻屎殼郎這麼說。接着它便從他的手中飛走，飛了不短的一程。它的翅膀已經幹了，它飛到了暖房。因爲有一扇窗子是開着的，它很輕鬆地便溜進去了，鑽到了新鮮的糞肥裏去了。“這兒真舒服，”它說道。
很快它便睡熟了，夢見皇帝的馬蹄壞了，屎殼郎先生得到了它的金掌，還得到允諾可以再得到兩隻。這真痛快！在這隻屎殼郎醒過來的時候，它爬了出來，朝上看了看。暖房裏多麼美啊！巨大的棕櫚樹葉在高處舒張着，陽光使得它們成爲透明的。棕櫚樹下是一片碧綠，綠中點綴着朵朵鮮花，紅的火紅，黃的琥珀，白的似雪。“這真是一片美麗無比的植物勝景。等它們爛了以後，那味道一定美妙無比！”屎殼郎說道。“這是一間美妙的餐室。這裏一定住得有我們的族類，我要去找一找，看看能不能找到幾位我能與之交往的。我很高傲，這是我的高傲之處！”於是它走了起來，心中想着那匹死馬，想着它得到的金掌。
這時，一隻手一下子抓住了這隻屎殼郎，它被捏住了，被手翻了過來，又轉了幾轉。
園丁的小兒子和一個夥伴在暖房裏，看到了這隻屎殼郎，對它很感興趣。它被擱在一片葡萄葉裏，被裝進一個暖和的褲兜裏。它在兜裏掙扎、亂扒拉。於是孩子的一隻手便使勁把它按住，孩子飛快地朝園子頭上的一個小湖跑去。這隻屎殼郎在這裏被放進了一隻幫子壞了的舊木鞋裏。鞋子上牢牢插着一根木籤子算是桅桿，屎殼郎被用一根毛線綁在籤子上。於是它就成了船長，要開航了。
那是一個很大的湖，屎殼郎認爲，它是世界上的大洋。它被嚇得一下子捧得肚子朝天，它的腳在空中亂蹬。
木鞋漂走了，湖面的水在流動，於是船漂流得遠了一點。一個小男孩立刻便挽起褲腿下水走過來抓船。可是就在它又漂走的時候，有人在喊孩子，喊得挺認真，孩子便匆匆走開，把木鞋丟在了腦後。木鞋漸漸地漂離陸地，越漂越遠。這對屎殼郎真是太可怕了。飛，它是不行的，它被綁牢在桅桿上了。
有隻蒼蠅飛來看它。“我們的天氣真不錯，”蒼蠅說道。“我可以在這裏歇口氣！我可以在這裏烤烤太陽。舒服得很！”“怎麼盡說些沒有頭腦的話！您沒有瞅見我是被綁着的嗎。”“我可沒有挨綁。”蒼蠅說道，之後便飛走了。“現在我算見識過世界了，”屎殼郎說道，“這是一個卑鄙的世界，我是裏面唯一一位高尚的！先是不給我金掌，接着我又得臥在溼牀單裏，站在對流風中；最後又硬塞給我一個妻子。待我一大步跑進這世界裏來，看看大家的日子是怎麼過的，我又會怎麼樣的時候，又來了一個小仔子，把我綁起送到汪洋大海里來。可是皇帝的馬卻腳踏金掌走來走去！這是叫我傷心得要死的事。可是這個世界哪裏會對你有絲毫的同情！我的事業是很有趣的，可是沒有人賞識又有甚麼用呢。世界也不配欣賞它，否則世界便會在皇帝的馬廄裏，在皇帝的寵馬伸腳等待釘掌的時候，給我釘上金掌了。我得到金掌，那我便是馬廄的一種光榮。現在馬廄失掉了我，世界也將失去我，一切都完了！”
但是並非一切都完了。來了一隻船，上面有幾個年輕姑娘。“那邊漂着一隻木鞋，”一位姑娘說道。“上面綁牢了一個小蟲子，”另一個說道。
她們到了木鞋的旁邊，她們把木鞋拿起來，一位姑娘拿出一把剪刀來，小心不傷着那隻屎殼郎把毛線剪斷。回到岸上以後，她們把它放到草上。“爬吧爬，飛吧飛，要是你能的話！”她說道。“自由是好事！”
屎殼郎便從一扇開着的窗子，一下子飛進一個高大的建築裏面。在裏面，它精疲力盡地落到站在馬廄裏的皇帝寵馬的柔軟的長鬃毛上，那匹馬和屎殼郎的家正在那裏。它牢牢地抓住馬鬃，坐了一會兒，喘了口氣。“瞧我這下騎在皇帝的寵馬上了！就像一名騎士！我怎麼說來的！是啊，現在我明白了！這是個好主意，很正確。爲甚麼這匹馬得到金掌？他，那鐵匠，也問過我這個問題。現在我看出來了！就是因爲我的緣故，這匹馬纔得到金掌的。”
屎殼郎這纔開心起來。“旅行使人頭腦清醒。”它說道。
太陽射進來照着它，閃耀得很美。“世界還不算那麼壞，”屎殼郎說道，“可是你要懂得怎麼對待它！”世界是美好的，因爲皇帝的寵馬有了金掌，因爲屎殼郎要成爲它的騎士。“現在我要爬下去找別的屎殼郎，跟它們說說，人們爲我做了多少事。我要把我出國旅行中獲得的那許多享受告訴它們。我要說，現在我要留在家裏，直到那馬把它的金掌磨光。”
1這是丹麥文學家厄倫施萊爾的一句詩，而不是《可蘭經》上的文字。
