“但是如果你拿走我的声音，” 小美人鱼说，“我还剩下什么呢？”
“but if you take away my voice,” said the little mermaid, “what is left for me”
“你美丽的外形、优雅的步态和富有表现力的眼睛；
“your beautiful form, your graceful walk, and your expressive eyes;
当然凭借这些你就能俘获一个男人的心。
surely with these you can enchain a man’s heart
怎么，你失去勇气了吗？
well, have you lost your courage
伸出你的小舌头，这样我就能把它割下来作为报酬；然后你就能得到这强效的药了。”
put out your little tongue that i may cut it off as my payment; then you shall have the powerful draught”
“就这样吧。” 小美人鱼说。
“it shall be,” said the little mermaid
然后巫婆把她的大锅放在火上，准备熬制魔药。
then the witch placed her cauldron on the fire, to prepare the magic draught
“干净是件好事，” 她说着，用蛇擦洗锅子，她把蛇系成一个大结；
“cleanliness is a good thing,” said she, scouring the vessel with snakes, which she had tied together in a large knot;
然后她刺向自己的胸部，让黑血滴进锅里。
then she pricked herself in the breast, and let the black blood drop into it
升起的蒸汽形成了非常恐怖的形状，没有人看到它们不害怕的。
the steam that rose formed itself into such horrible shapes that no one could look at them without fear
巫婆每时每刻都往锅里扔些别的东西，当它开始沸腾的时候，声音就像鳄鱼的哭泣声。
every moment the witch threw something else into the vessel, and when it began to boil, the sound was like the weeping of a crocodile
最后，魔药准备好了，它看起来就像最清澈的水。
when at last the magic draught was ready, it looked like the clearest water
“这是给你的。” 巫婆说。
“there it is for you,” said the witch
然后她割掉了小美人鱼的舌头，这样小美人鱼就变成哑巴了，再也不能说话或者唱歌。
then she cut off the mermaid’s tongue, so that she became dumb, and would never again speak or sing
“当你穿过树林返回的时候，如果珊瑚虫抓住你，” 巫婆说，“朝它们洒几滴药水，它们的手指就会被撕成碎片。”
“if the polypi should seize hold of you as you return through the wood,” said the witch, “throw over them a few drops of the potion, and their fingers will be torn into a thousand pieces”
但是小美人鱼没有机会这么做，因为当珊瑚虫看到她手里闪闪发光像闪烁星星一样的药水时，它们惊恐地缩了回去。
but the little mermaid had no occasion to do this, for the polypi sprang back in terror when they caught sight of the glittering draught, which shone in her hand like a twinkling star
于是她快速穿过树林和沼泽，越过湍急的漩涡。
so she passed quickly through the wood and the marsh, and between the rushing whirlpools
她看到在她父亲的宫殿里，舞厅里的火把都熄灭了，里面所有人都睡着了；
she saw that in her father’s palace the torches in the ballroom were extinguished, and all within asleep;
但是她不敢进去找他们，因为现在她变成了哑巴，而且即将永远离开他们，她感觉自己的心好像要碎了。
but she did not venture to go in to them, for now she was dumb and going to leave them forever, she felt as if her heart would break
她偷偷溜进花园，从每个姐姐的花坛里摘了一朵花，朝着宫殿千百次地亲吻自己的手，然后从深蓝色的海水中升了起来。
she stole into the garden, took a flower from the flower - beds of each of her sisters, kissed her hand a thousand times towards the palace, and then rose up through the dark blue waters
当她看到王子的宫殿并靠近美丽的大理石台阶时，太阳还没有升起，但是月亮清澈明亮地照耀着。
the sun had not risen when she came in sight of the prince’s palace, and approached the beautiful marble steps, but the moon shone clear and bright
然后小美人鱼喝下了魔药，就好像一把双刃剑穿过了她娇弱的身体：
then the little mermaid drank the magic draught, and it seemed as if a two - edged sword went through her delicate body:
她昏了过去，像死人一样躺着。
she fell into a swoon, and lay like one dead
当太阳升起，阳光洒在海面上时，她苏醒过来，感到一阵剧痛；
when the sun arose and shone over the sea, she recovered, and felt a sharp pain;
而就在她面前站着年轻英俊的王子。
but just before her stood the handsome young prince
他非常热切地将他乌黑的眼睛盯着她，她垂下了自己的眼睛，然后意识到自己的鱼尾不见了，她有了一双任何少女都会羡慕的漂亮的白腿和纤小的双脚；
he fixed his coal - black eyes upon her so earnestly that she cast down her own, and then became aware that her fish’s tail was gone, and that she had as pretty a pair of white legs and tiny feet as any little maiden could have;
但她没有衣服，所以她用自己又长又厚的头发裹住身体。
but she had no clothes, so she wrapped herself in her long, thick hair
王子问她是谁，从哪里来，她用深蓝色的眼睛温柔又悲伤地看着他；
the prince asked her who she was, and where she came from, and she looked at him mildly and sorrowfully with her deep blue eyes;