引導語：燭，從火從蜀。蜀爲葵蟲。古時火炬多以葦麻做芯，外用布包裹，其樣子像葵蟲。關於安徒生的童話《燭》，下面就是小編整理的中英文版本，歡迎大家閱讀!
從前有一支粗蠟燭。它知道自己的價值。
“我是用蠟造出來的，”它說。“我能發出強烈的光，而且燃燒的時間也比別的蠟燭長。我應該插在枝形燭架上或銀燭臺上!”
“這種生活一定很可愛!”牛油燭說。“我不過是牛油做的一種普通燭，但我常常安慰自己，覺得我總比一枚銅板買來的那種小燭要好些：這種燭只澆了兩次蠟，而我卻澆了八次纔能有這樣粗，我感到很滿意!當然，出身於蠟是比出身於牛油要好得多，幸運得多，不過一個人在這世界上的地位並不是自己可以主動選擇的。你是放在大廳的玻璃枝形燭臺上，而我卻待在廚房裏——不過這也是一個很好的地方，因爲全家的飯食就是在這兒做出來的!
“不過還有一件東西比飯食更重要，”蠟燭說。“社交!請看看社交的光輝和你自己在社交中射出來的光輝吧!今晚有一個舞會，不久我就要和我整個家族去參加了。”
這話剛剛一說完，所有的蠟燭就都被拿走了，這支牛油燭也一同被拿走了。太太用她細嫩的手親自拿着它，把它帶到廚房裏去。這兒有一個小小的孩子提着滿滿一籃土豆，裏面還有兩三個蘋果，這些東西都是這位好太太送給這個窮孩子的。
“我的小朋友，還有一支蠟燭送給你，”她說，“你的媽媽坐着工作到夜深，這對她有用!”
這家的小女兒正站在旁邊。當她聽到“到夜深”這幾個字的時候，就非常高興地說：“我也要待到夜深!我們將有一個舞會，我將要戴上那個大紅蝴蝶結!”
她的臉上是多麼光亮啊!這是因爲她感到很高興的緣故!什麼蠟燭也發出孩子兩隻眼睛裏閃射出的光怦!
“瞧着這副樣兒真叫人感到幸福!”牛油燭說，“我永遠也忘記不了這副樣兒，當然我再也沒有機會看見它了!”
於是它就被放進籃子，蓋上了蓋。孩子把它帶走了。
“我現在會到什麼地方去呢?”牛油燭想。“我將到窮人家裏去，可能我連一個銅燭臺也沒有。但是蠟燭卻坐在銀燭臺上，觀看一些大人物。爲那些大人物發出光來是多麼痛快啊!但我命中註定是牛油，而不是蠟!”
這樣，牛油燭就到窮人家裏來了：一個寡婦和三個孩子住在這位富人家對面的一個又矮又小的房間裏。
“那位好太太贈送我們這些好禮物，願上帝祝福她!”媽媽說，“這根燭真是可愛!它可以一直點到深夜。”
這支牛油燭就被點着了。
“呸!呸!”它說，“她拿來點着我的那根火柴，氣味真壞透了!在那個富人家裏，人們決不會給蠟燭這種待遇的。”
那裏的蠟燭也點起來了。它們的亮光一直射到街上。馬車載來許多參加舞會的華貴客人。音樂也奏起來了。
“對面已經開始了!”牛油燭覺察到了，同時想起了那個有錢的小姑娘的發光的面孔——它比所有的蠟燭還要亮。“那副樣兒我永遠也看不見了!”
這個窮人家最小的孩子——一個小女孩——走過來摟着她哥哥和姐姐的脖子。她有一件非常重要的事情要告訴他們，因此她必須低聲講：“今晚我們將會有——猜猜看吧!——今晚我們將會有熱土豆吃!”
她臉上立刻射出幸福的'光彩來：牛油燭正照着這張小臉，它看到了一種快樂，一種像對面那富人家所有的幸福——那兒的小姑娘說：“今天夜晚我們將有一個舞會，我將要戴上那個大紅蝴蝶結!”
“能得到熱土豆吃跟戴上蝴蝶結是同樣重要的，”牛油燭想。“這兒的孩子們也感到同樣的快樂!”想到這兒，它就打了一個噴嚏，這也就是說，它發出僻僻啪啪的響聲來——牛油燭所能做到的事情也就只有這一點。
桌子鋪好了，熱土豆也吃掉了。啊，味道多香啊!這簡直是像打一次牙祭。除此以外，每人還分得了一個蘋果。那個頂小的孩子不禁唱出一支小曲子來：
好上帝，我感謝你，
你又送給我飯吃!
阿門!
“媽媽，你看這支歌的意思好不好?”小傢伙天真地說。
“你不應該再問這樣的話，”媽媽說。“你只能心裏想着好上帝，他給你飯吃!”
小傢伙們都上牀了，每人得到一個吻，接着大家就睡着了。媽媽坐着縫衣服，一直縫到深夜，爲的是要養活這一家人和她自己。在對面那個有錢人的家裏，蠟燭點得非常亮，音樂也很熱鬧。星星在所有的屋子上照着——在富人的屋子上和在窮人的屋子上，同樣光明和快樂地照着。
“這真是一個美麗的晚上!”牛油燭說。“我倒很想知道，是不是插在銀燭臺上的蠟燭就能遇到比這還美麗的晚上。在我沒有點完以前，我倒想知道一個究竟呢!”
於是它想起了兩個幸福的孩子：一個被蠟燭照着，另一個被牛油燭照着。
是的，這就是整個故事!
《燭》英文版：
The Candles
THERE was once a big wax-candle which knew its own importance quite well.
“I am born of wax and moulded in a shape,” it said “I give better light and burn longer than other candles my place is in a chandelier or on a silver candlestick!”
“That must be a lovely existence!” said the tallow-candle. “I am only made of tallow, but I comfort myself with the thought that it is always a little better than being a farthing dip: that is only dipped twice, and I am dipped eight times to get my proper thickness. I am content! it is certainly finer and more fortunate to be born of wax instead of tallow, but one does not settle one’s own place in this world. You are placed in the big room in the glass chandelier, I remain in the kitchen, but that is also a good place; from there the whole house gets its food.”
“But there is something which is more important than food,” said the wax-candle. “Society! to see it shine, and to shine oneself! There is a ball this evening, and soon I and all my family will be fetched.”
Scarcely was the word spoken, when all the wax-candles were fetched, but the tallow-candle also went with them. The lady herself took it in her dainty hand, and carried it out to the kitchen: a little boy stood there with a basket, which was filled with potatoes; two or three apples also found their way there. The good lady gave all this to the poor boy.
“There is a candle for you as well, my little friend,” said she. “Your mother sits and works till late in the night; she can use it!”
The little daughter of the house stood close by, and when she heard the words “late in the night,” she said with great delight, “I also shall stay up till late in the night! We shall have a ball, and I shall wear My big red sash!;” How her face shone! that was with joy! No wax-candle can shine like two childish eyes!
“That is a blessing to see,” thought the tallow-candle; “I shall never forget it, and I shall certainly never see it again.”
And so it was laid in the basket, under the lid, and the boy went away with it.
“Where shall I go now?” thought the candle; “I shall go to poor people, and perhaps not even get a brass candlestick, while the wax-candle sits in silver and sees all the grand people. How lovely it must be to shine for the grand people! but it was my lot to be tallow and not way!”
And so the candle came to poor people, a widow with three children, in a little, low room, right opposite the rich house.
“God bless the good lady for her gifts,” said the mother, “what a lovely candle that is! it can burn till late in the night.”
And then the candle was lighted.
“Fut, foi,” it said, “what a horrid-smelling match that was she lighted me with! the wax-candle over in the rich house would not have such treatment offered to it.”
There also the candles were lighted: they shone, out across the street; the carriages rolled up with the elegant ball-guests and the music played.
“Now they begin across there,” the tallow-candle noticed, and thought of the beaming face of the rich little girl, more sparkling than all the wax-lights. “That sight I shall never see again!”
Then the smallest of the children in the poor house, a little girl, came and took her brother and sister round the neck: she had something very important to tell them, and it must be whispered. “To-night we shall have just think!—To-night we shall have hot potatoes!”
And her face shone with happiness: the tallow-candle shone right into it, and it saw a gladness, a happiness as great as over in the rich house, where the little girl said, “We shall have a ball to-night, and I shall wear my big red sash!”
“It is just as much to get hot potatoes,” thought the candle. “Here there is just as much joy amongst the children.” And it sneezed at that; that is to say, it spattered; a tallow-candle can do no more.
The table was laid, and the potatoes eaten. Oh, how good they tasted! it was a perfect feast, and each one got an apple besides, and the smallest child said the little verse:
“Thou good God, I give thanks to Thee
That Thou again bast nourished me. Amen!”
“Was that not nicely said, Mother?” broke out the little one.
“You must not ask that again,” said the mother; “you must think only of the good God who has fed you.”
The little ones went to bed, got a kiss and fell asleep at once, and the mother sat and sewed late into the night to get the means of support for them and for herself. And over from the big house the lights shone and the music sounded. The stars shone over all the houses, over the rich and over the poor, equally clear and blessed.
“This has really been a delightful evening!” thought the tallow-candle. “I wonder if the wax-candles had it any better in the silver candlestick? I would like to know that before I am burn burned out.”
And it thought of the two happy ones, the one lighted by the wax-candle, and the other by the tallow-candle.
Yes, that is the whole story!
