自私的巨人
每天下午，孩子們放學後總喜歡到巨人的花園裡去玩耍。
這是一個很可愛的大花園，長滿了綠茸茸的青草，美麗的鮮花隨處可見，多得像天上的
星星。草地上還長著十二棵桃樹，一到春天就開放出粉撲撲的團團花朵，秋天裡則結下累累
果實。棲息在樹枝上鳥兒唱著歡樂的曲子，每當這時，嬉戲中的孩子們會停下來側耳玲聽鳥
兒的鳴唱，並相互高聲喊著，“我們多麼快樂啊1”
一天，巨人回來了。原來他到自己的妖怪朋友科尼西家串門去了，在妖怪家裡一住就是
七年。七年的時間裡他把要講的話都講完了，便決定回自己的城堡。進了家門，他一眼就看
見在花園中戲耍的孩子們。
“你們在這兒於什麼？”他粗聲粗氣地吼叫起來，孩子們都跑掉了。
“我的花園就是我自己的花園，”巨人說，“誰都清楚，我不准外人來這裡玩。”於
是，他沿著花園築起一堵高高的圍牆，還掛出一塊告示：閒人莫入違者重罰
他的確是一個非常自私的巨人。
從此可憐的孩子們沒有了玩耍的地方，他們只得來到馬路上，但是街道上滿是塵土和硬
硬的石塊，讓他們掃興極了。放學後他們仍常常在高聳的圍牆外徘徊，談論著牆內花園中的
美麗景色。 “在裡面我們多麼快樂啊，”他們彼此訴說著。
春天又來了，整個鄉村到處開故著小花，處處有小鳥在歡唱。然而只有自私的巨人的花
園卻依舊是一片寒冬景象。由於看不見孩子們，小鳥便無心唱歌，樹兒也忘了開花。有一朵
花兒從草中探出頭來，看見那塊告示後，它對孩子們的遭遇深感同情，於是又把頭縮回去，
繼續睡覺了。只有雪和霜對此樂不可支。 “春天已忘記了這座花園，”他們叫喊著，“這樣
我們可以一年四季住在這兒了。 ”雪用她那巨大的白色斗篷把草地藍得嚴嚴實實，霜也讓所
有的樹木披上假裝，隨後他們還逸來北風和他們同住。北風應邀而至，穿—身毛皮大衣，他
對著花園呼嘯了整整一天，把煙囪管帽也給吹掉了。 “這是個令人開心的地方，”他說，
“我們還得把冰雹叫來。”於是，冰雹來了。每天三個鐘頭他不停地敲打著城堡的房頂，房
上的石板瓦被砸得七零八落，然後又圍著花園一圈接一圈地猛跑起來。他渾身上下灰濛蒙
的，呼出陣陣襲人的寒氣。
“我真弄不懂春天為什麼遲遲不來，”巨人坐在窗前望著外面冰天雪地的花園說，“我
盼望天氣發生變化。 ”
然而春天再也沒有出現，夏天也不見踪影。秋天把金色的碩果送給了千家萬戶的花園，
卻什麼也沒給巨人的花園。 “他太自私了，”秋天說。就這樣，巨人的花園裡是終年的寒
冬，只有北風、冰雹，還有霜和雪在園中的林間上竄下跳。
一日清晨，巨人睜著雙眼躺在床上，這時耳邊傳來陣陣美妙的音樂。音樂悅耳動聽，他
想一定是國王的樂師路經此地。原來窗外唱歌的不過是一隻小紅雀，只因巨人好長時間沒聽
到鳥兒在花園中歌唱，此刻感到它妙不可言。這時，巨人頭頂上的冰雹已不再狂舞，北風也
停止了呼嘯，縷縷芳香透過敞開的窗廓撲面而來。 “我相信春天終於來到了，”巨人說著，
從床上跳起來，朝窗外望去。
他看見了什麼呢？
他看見了一幕動人的景象：孩子們爬過牆上的小洞已進了花園，正坐在樹枝上，每棵樹
上都坐著一個孩子。迎來了孩子的樹木欣喜若狂，井用鮮花把自己打扮一新，還揮動手臂輕
輕撫摸孩子們的頭。鳥兒們在樹梢翩翩起舞，興奮地歡唱著，花朵也紛紛從草地裡伸出頭來
露著笑臉。這的確是一幅動人的畫面。滿園春色中只有一個角落仍籠罩在嚴冬之中，那是花
園中最遠的一個角落，一個小男孩正孤零零地站在那兒，因為他個頭太小爬不上樹，只能圍
著樹轉來轉去，哭泣著不知所措。那棵可憐的樹仍被霜雪裹得嚴嚴實實的，北風也對它肆意
地咆哮著。 “快爬上來呀，小孩子1”樹兒說，並儘可能地垂下枝條，可是小孩還是太矮小了。
此情此景深深地感化了巨人的心。 “我真是太自私了！”他說，“現在我明白為什麼春
天不肯到我這兒來了。我要把那可憐的孩子抱上樹，然後再把圍牆都推倒，讓我的花園永遠
成為孩子們的遊戲場所。 ”他真為自己過去的所做所為感到羞愧。
巨人輕輕地走下樓，悄悄地打開前門，走到花園裡。但是孩子們一看巨人，都嚇得逃走
了，花園再次回到了冬天裡。唯有那個小男孩沒有跑，因為他的眼裡充滿了淚水，沒有看見
走過來的巨人。巨人悄悄來到小孩的身後，雙手輕輕托起孩子放在樹枝上。樹兒立即怒放出
朵朵鮮花，鳥兒們也飛回枝頭放聲歡唱，小男孩伸出雙臂摟著巨人的脖子，親吻巨人的臉。
其他孩子看見巨人不再那麼兇惡，都紛紛跑了回來，春天也跟著孩子們來了。 “孩子們，這
是你們的花園了，”巨人說。接著他提起一把大斧頭，把圍牆統統給砍倒了。中午12點，
人們去趕集的時候，欣喜地看見巨人和孩子們一起在他們所見到的最美麗的花園中游戲玩耍。
他們玩了整整一天，夜幕降臨後，孩子們向巨人道晚安。
“可你們的那個小伙伴在哪兒呢？”巨人問，“就是我抱到樹上的男孩。”巨人最愛那
個男孩，因為男孩吻過他。
“我們不知道啊，”孩子們回答說，“他已經走了。”
巨人又說：“你們一定要告訴他，叫他明天來這裡。”但是孩子們告訴巨人他們不知道
小男孩家住何處，而且從前沒見過他，巨人聽後心裡很不是個滋味。
每天下午，孩子們一放學就來找巨人一起玩。可是巨人喜愛的那個小男孩再也沒有來
過。巨人對每一個小孩都非常友善，然而他更想念那個小男孩，還常常提起他。 “我多麼想
見到他啊：”巨人常常感嘆道。
許多年過去了，巨人變得年邁而體弱。他已無力再與孩子們一起嬉戲，只能坐在一把巨
大的扶手椅上，一邊觀看孩於們玩遊戲，一邊欣賞著自己的花園。 “我有好多美麗的鮮
花，”他說，“但孩子們才是最美的花朵。 ”
冬天的一個早晨，巨人起床穿衣時朝窗外望瞭望。現在他已不討厭冬天了，因為他心裡
明白這只不過是讓春天打個噸，讓花兒們歇口氣罷了。
突然，他驚訝地揉揉眼，定睛看了又看。眼前的景色真是美妙無比：在花園盡頭的角落
裡，有一棵樹上開滿了逗人喜愛的白花，滿樹的枝條金光閃閃，枝頭上垂掛著銀色的果實，
樹的下邊就站著巨人特別喜愛的那個小男孩。
巨人激動地跑下樓，出門朝花園奔去。他急匆匆地跑過草地，奔向孩子。來到孩子麵
前，他臉紅脖子粗地憤憤說道，“誰敢把你弄成這樣？”只見孩子的一雙小手掌心上留有兩
個釘痕，他的一雙小腳上也有兩個釘痕。
“誰敢把你弄成這樣？”巨人吼道，“告訴我，我去取我的長劍把他殺死。”
“不要！”孩子回答說，“這些都是愛的烙印啊。”
“你是誰？”巨人說著，心中油然生出一種奇特的敬畏之情。他一下子跪在小男孩的面
前。
小男孩面帶笑容地看著巨人說道：“你讓我在你的花園中玩過一次。今天我要帶你去我
的花園，那就是天堂。 ”
那天下午孩子們跑進花園的時候，他們看見巨人躺在那棵樹下，已經死了，滿身都蓋著
白花。
THE SELFISH GIANT
Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used
to go and play in the Giants garden.
It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and
there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there
were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out into
delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich
fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the
children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. "How
happy we are here!" they cried to each other.
One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the
Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the
seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his
conversation was limited, and he determined to return to his own
castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.
"What are you doing here?" he cried in a very gruff voice, and the
children ran away.
"My own garden is my own garden," said the Giant; "any one can
understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself."
So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.
TRESPASSERS
WILL BE
PROSECUTED
He was a very selfish Giant.
The poor children had now nowhere to play. They tried to play on
the road, but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones, and
they did not like it. They used to wander round the high wall when
their lessons were over, and talk about the beautiful garden
inside. "How happy we were there," they said to each other.
Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little
blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant
it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there
were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a
beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw
the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped
back into the ground again, and went off to sleep. The only people
who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost. "Spring has
forgotten this garden," they cried, "so we will live here all the
year round." The Snow covered up the grass with her great white
cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they
invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was
wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew
the chimney-pots down. "This is a delightful spot," he said, "we
must ask the Hail on a visit." So the Hail came. Every day for
three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most
of the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as fast
as he could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like
ice.
"I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming," said the
Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold
white garden; "I hope there will be a change in the weather."
But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden
fruit to every garden, but to the Giants garden she gave none.
"He is too selfish," she said. So it was always Winter there, and
the North Wind, and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced
about through the trees.
One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some
lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it
must be the Kings musicians passing by. It was really only a
little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since
he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be
the most beautiful music in the world. Then the Hail stopped
dancing over his head, and the North Wind ceased roaring, and a
delicious perfume came to him through the open casement. "I
believe the Spring has come at last," said the Giant; and he jumped
out of bed and looked out.
What did he see?
He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall
the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of
the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little
child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again
that they had covered themselves with blossoms, and were waving
their arms gently above the childrens heads. The birds were
flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were
looking up through the green grass and laughing. It was a lovely
scene, only in one corner it was still winter. It was the farthest
corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was
so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree,
and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The poor tree
was still quite covered with frost and snow, and the North Wind was
blowing and roaring above it. "Climb up! little boy," said the
Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the boy
was too tiny.
And the Giants heart melted as he looked out. "How selfish I have
been!" he said; "now I know why the Spring would not come here. I
will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I
will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the childrens
playground for ever and ever." He was really very sorry for what
he had done.
So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and
went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were
so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became winter
again. Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so full
of tears that he did not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole
up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into
the tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds
came and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms
and flung them round the Giants neck, and kissed him. And the
other children, when they saw that the Giant was not wicked any
longer, came running back, and with them came the Spring. "It is
your garden now, little children," said the Giant, and he took a
great axe and knocked down the wall. And when the people were
going to market at twelve oclock they found the Giant playing with
the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen.
All day long they played, and in the evening they came to the Giant
to bid him good-bye.
"But where is your little companion?" he said: "the boy I put into
the tree." The Giant loved him the best because he had kissed him.
"We dont know," answered the children; "he has gone away."
"You must tell him to be sure and come here to-morrow," said the
Giant. But the children said that they did not know where he
lived, and had never seen him before; and the Giant felt very sad.
Every afternoon, when school was over, the children came and played
with the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never
seen again. The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet he
longed for his first little friend, and often spoke of him. "How I
would like to see him!" he used to say.
Years went over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could
not play about any more, so he sat in a huge armchair, and watched
the children at their games, and admired his garden. "I have many
beautiful flowers," he said; "but the children are the most
beautiful flowers of all."
One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing.
He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was merely the
Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting.
Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder, and looked and looked. It
certainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the
garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its
branches were all golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and
underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.
Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He
hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he
came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, "Who
hath dared to wound thee?" For on the palms of the childs hands
were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on
the little feet.
"Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the Giant; "tell me, that I
may take my big sword and slay him."
"Nay!" answered the child; "but these are the wounds of Love."
"Who art thou?" said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and
he knelt before the little child.
And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, "You let me
play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my
garden, which is Paradise."
And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant
lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.