海王已经鳏居多年，他年迈的母亲为他管家。
the sea king had been a widower for many years, and his aged mother kept house for him
她是一个非常聪明的女人，并且对自己的高贵出身极为自豪；
she was a very wise woman, and exceedingly proud of her high birth;
因此她在尾巴上戴了十二只牡蛎；
on that account she wore twelve oysters on her tail;
而其他同样出身高贵的人只被允许戴六只。
while others, also of high rank, were only allowed to wear six
然而，她非常值得高度赞扬，尤其是她对小海公主们，也就是她的孙女们的照顾。
she was, however, deserving of very great praise, especially for her care of the little sea - princesses, her grand - daughters
她们是六个美丽的孩子；
they were six beautiful children;
但最小的那个是最漂亮的；
but the youngest was the prettiest of them all;
她的皮肤像玫瑰花瓣一样清澈娇嫩，她的眼睛像最深的海洋一样湛蓝；
her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose - leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea;
但是，和其他所有人一样，她没有脚，她的身体末端是一条鱼尾。
but, like all the others, she had no feet, and her body ended in a fish’s tail
她们整天在城堡的大厅里玩耍，或者在从墙壁上生长出来的有生命的花朵间嬉戏。
all day long they played in the great halls of the castle, or among the living flowers that grew out of the walls
大大的琥珀色窗户敞开着，鱼儿游了进来，就像我们打开窗户时燕子飞进我们的房子一样，不同的是鱼儿游向公主们，从她们手中吃食，还让公主们抚摸自己。
the large amber windows were open, and the fish swam in, just as the swallows fly into our houses when we open the windows, excepting that the fishes swam up to the princesses, ate out of their hands, and allowed themselves to be stroked
城堡外面有一个美丽的花园，里面生长着鲜红和深蓝的花朵，还有像火焰般的花朵；
outside the castle there was a beautiful garden, in which grew bright red and dark blue flowers, and blossoms like flames of fire;
果实像金子一样闪闪发光，叶子和茎干不停地来回摆动。
the fruit glittered like gold, and the leaves and stems waved to and fro continually
大地本身是极细的沙子，但蓝得像燃烧的硫磺火焰。
the earth itself was the finest sand, but blue as the flame of burning sulphur
一切都笼罩着一种奇特的蓝色光辉，仿佛它被上面的空气所包围，透过这空气蓝天闪耀着，而不是深海的黑暗深处。
over everything lay a peculiar blue radiance, as if it were surrounded by the air from above, through which the blue sky shone, instead of the dark depths of the sea
在平静的天气里，可以看到太阳，看起来像一朵紫色的花，光线从花萼中流泻出来。
in calm weather the sun could be seen, looking like a purple flower, with the light streaming from the calyx
每位年轻的公主在花园里都有一小块地，在那里她可以随心所欲地挖掘和种植。
each of the young princesses had a little plot of ground in the garden, where she might dig and plant as she pleased
一个把她的花坛布置成鲸鱼的形状；
one arranged her flower - bed into the form of a whale;
另一个认为把自己的花坛布置成小美人鱼的形状更好；
another thought it better to make hers like the figure of a little mermaid;
但最小的公主的花坛是圆的，像太阳一样，里面种着像日落时阳光一样红的花朵。
but that of the youngest was round like the sun, and contained flowers as red as his rays at sunset
她是个奇怪的孩子，安静又爱思考；
she was a strange child, quiet and thoughtful;
当她的姐妹们为从沉船残骸中得到的奇妙东西而高兴时，她除了自己那像太阳一样的美丽红花，只关心一座美丽的大理石雕像。
and while her sisters would be delighted with the wonderful things which they obtained from the wrecks of vessels, she cared for nothing but her pretty red flowers, like the sun, excepting a beautiful marble statue
这是一个英俊男孩的雕像，由纯白色的石头雕刻而成，是从一艘沉船落到海底的。
it was the representation of a handsome boy, carved out of pure white stone, which had fallen to the bottom of the sea from a wreck
她在雕像旁种了一棵玫瑰色的垂柳。
she planted by the statue a rose - colored weeping willow
它长得非常茂盛，很快就把新鲜的枝条垂在雕像上，几乎垂到蓝色的沙滩上。
it grew splendidly, and very soon hung its fresh branches over the statue, almost down to the blue sands
影子带有紫罗兰色的色调，像树枝一样来回摆动；
the shadow had a violet tint, and waved to and fro like the branches;
看起来好像树冠和树根在嬉戏，试图互相亲吻。
it seemed as if the crown of the tree and the root were at play, and trying to kiss each other
没有什么比听关于海面之上的世界更让她快乐的了。
nothing gave her so much pleasure as to hear about the world above the sea