有声英语儿童童话故事 海的女儿 第2章

She was, however, deserving ofvery great praise, especially for her care of the little sea princesses, hersix granddaughters. They were beautiful children, but the youngest was theprettiest of them all. Her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose leaf, andher eyes as blue as the deepest sea; but, like all the others, she had no feetand her body ended in a fish’s tail. All day long they played in the greathalls of the castle or among the living flowers that grew out of the walls. Thelarge amber windows were open, and the fish swam in, just as the swallows flyinto our houses when we open the windows; only the fishes swam up to theprincesses, ate out of their hands, and allowed themselves to be stroked.

Outside the castle there was abeautiful garden, in which grew bright-red and dark-blue flowers, and blossomslike flames of fire; the fruit glittered like gold, and the leaves and stemswaved to and fro continually. The earth itself was the finest sand, but blue asthe flame of burning sulphur. Over everything lay a peculiar blue radiance, asif the blue sky were everywhere, above and below, instead of the dark depths ofthe sea. In calm weather the sun could be seen, looking like a reddish-purpleflower with light streaming from the calyx.