引導語：鐘聲的安徒生童話故事，下面就是小編整理的中英文版本，與大家分享閱讀學習。
黃昏的時候，太陽正在下沉，煙囪上飄着的雲塊泛出一片金黃的光彩;這時在一個大城市的小巷裏，一忽兒這個人，一忽兒那個人全都聽到類似教堂鐘聲的奇異聲音。不過聲音每次持續的時間非常短。因爲街上隆隆的車聲和嘈雜的人聲總是把它打斷了。
“暮鐘響起來了!"人們說，"太陽落下去了!”
城外的房子彼此之間的距離比較遠，而且都有花園和草坪;因此城外的人就可以看出天還是很亮的，所以也能更清楚地聽到這個鐘聲。它似乎是從一個藏在靜寂而清香的森林裏的教堂裏發出來的。大家朝這聲音飄來的方向望，不禁起了一種莊嚴的感覺。
過了好長一段時間，人們開始互相傳說："我不知道，樹林裏會不會有一個教堂?鐘聲的調子是那麼奇怪和美麗，我們不妨去仔細瞧一瞧。”
於是富人坐着車子去，窮人步行去;不過路似乎怎樣也走不完。當他們來到森林外面的柳樹林跟前的時候，就坐下來。
他們望着長長的柳樹枝，以爲真的已經走進森林裏來了。城裏賣糕餅的人也搬到這兒來，並且搭起了帳篷。接着又來了一個賣糖果的人，這人在自己的帳篷上掛起了一口鐘;這口鐘上還塗了一層防雨的瀝青，不過它裏面卻沒有鍾舌。
大家回到家裏來以後，都說這事情很新奇，比他們吃過一次茶還要新奇得多。有三個人說，他們把整個的樹林都走完了，直走到樹林的盡頭;他們老是聽到這個奇怪的鐘聲，不過那時它似乎是從城裏飄來的。有一位甚至還編了一支歌，把鐘聲比成一個母親對一個親愛的好孩子唱的歌——什麼音樂也沒有這種鐘聲好聽。
這個國家的皇帝也聽到了這件事情。他下一道聖旨，說無論什麼人，只要能找出鐘聲的發源地，就可以被封爲"世界的敲鐘人"——哪怕他所發現的不是鍾也沒有關係。
這麼一來，許多人爲了飯碗問題，就到樹林裏去尋找鍾。不過在回來的人當中只有一個人能說出一點道理，誰也沒有深入樹林，這人當然也沒有，可是他卻說聲音是住在一株空樹裏的大貓頭鷹發出來的。這隻貓頭鷹的腦袋裏裝的全是智慧。它不停地把腦袋撞着樹。不過這聲音是從它的腦袋裏發出來的呢，還是從空樹幹裏發出來的呢，他可沒有把握下個判斷。他總算得到了"世界的敲鐘人"這個職位，因此他每年寫一篇關於貓頭鷹的短論。不過大家並沒有因爲讀了他的論文而變得比以前更聰明。
在舉行堅信禮的那一天，牧師發表了一篇漂亮而動人的演說。受堅信禮的孩子們都受到了極大的感動，因爲這是他們生命中極重要的一天。他們在這一天從孩子變成了成年人。他們稚氣的靈魂也要變成更有理智的成年人的靈魂。當這些受了堅信禮的人走出城外的時候，處處照着燦爛的太陽光，樹林裏那個神祕的大鐘發出非常洪亮的聲音。他們想立刻就去找這個鐘聲;因此他們全都去了，只有三個人是例外。一個要回家去試試她的參加舞會的禮服，因爲她這次來受堅信禮完全是爲了這件禮服和舞會，否則她就決不會來的。第二個是一個窮苦的孩子。他受堅信禮穿的衣服和靴子是從主人的少爺那兒借來的;他必須在指定的時間內歸還。第三個說，在他沒有得到父母的同意以前，決不到一個陌生的地方去。他一直是一個聽話的孩子，即使受了堅信禮，仍然是如此。人們不應該笑他!——但是人們卻仍然笑他。
因此這三個人就不去了。別的.人都連蹦帶跳地走了。太陽在照耀着，鳥兒在唱着，這些剛剛受了堅信禮的人也在唱着。他們彼此手挽着手，因爲他們還沒得到什麼不同的職位，而且在受堅信禮的這天大家在我們的上帝面前都是平等的。
不過他們之中有兩個最小的孩子馬上就感到膩煩了，所以他們兩個人就回到城裏去了。另外還有兩個小女孩子坐下來扎花環，也不願意去。當其餘的孩子走到那個賣糕餅的人所在的柳樹林裏的時候，他們說："好，我們算是到了。鍾連影子都沒有，這完全是一個幻想!”
正在這時候，一個柔和而莊嚴的鐘聲在樹林的深處響起來;有四五個孩子決計再向樹林裏走去。樹很密，葉子又多，要向前走真是不太容易。車葉草和秋牡丹長得非常高，盛開的旋花和黑莓像長花環似的從這棵樹牽到那棵樹。夜鶯在這些樹上唱歌，太陽光在這些樹上嬉戲。啊，這地方真是美麗得很，不過這條路卻不是女孩子可以走的，因爲她們在這兒很容易撕破自己的衣服，這兒有長滿各色青苔的石塊，有潺潺流着的新鮮泉水，發出一種"骨碌，骨碌"的怪聲音。
“這不會是那個鍾吧?"孩子中有一個問。於是他就躺下來靜靜地聽。"我倒要研究一下!”
他一個人留下來，讓別的孩子向前走。
他們找到一座用樹皮和樹枝蓋的房子。房子上有一棵結滿了蘋果的大樹。看樣子它好像是把所有的幸福都搖到這個開滿玫瑰花的屋頂上似的。它的長枝子盤在房子的三角牆上，而這牆上正掛着一口小小的鐘。難道大家聽到的鐘聲就是從這裏發出來的嗎?是的，他們都有這種看法，只有一個人是例外。這人說，這口鐘太小，太精緻，決不會叫他們在很遠的地方就聽得見!此外，他們聽到過的鐘聲跟這鐘聲完全不同，因爲它能打動人的心。說這話的人是國王的兒子。因此別的人都說："這種人總是想裝得比別人聰明一點。”
這樣，大家就讓他一個人向前走。他越向前走，他的心裏就越充滿了一種森林中特有的靜寂之感。不過他仍聽見大家所欣賞的那陣小小的鐘聲。有時風把那個糕餅店裏的聲音吹來，於是他就聽到大家在一面吃茶，一面唱歌。不過洪亮的鐘聲比這些聲音還要大，好像有風琴在伴奏似的。這聲音是從左邊來的——從心所在的那一邊來的。
有一個沙沙的響聲從一個灌木叢中飄出來。王子麪前出現了一個男孩子。這孩子穿着一雙木鞋和一件非常短的上衣——短得連他的手肘也蓋不住。他們彼此都認識，因爲這個孩子也是在這天參加過堅信禮的。他沒有能跟大家一起來，因爲他得回去把衣服和靴子還給老闆的少爺。他辦完了這件事以後，就穿着木鞋和寒磣的上衣獨自一人走來，因爲鐘聲是那麼洪亮和深沉，他非來不可。
“我們一塊兒走吧!"王子說。
這個穿着木鞋的孩子感到非常尷尬。他把上衣的短袖子拉了一下，說他恐怕不能走得像王子那樣快;此外，他認爲鐘聲一定是從右邊來的，因爲右邊的景象很莊嚴和美麗。
“這樣一來，我們就碰不到頭了!"王子說，對這窮苦的孩子點了點頭。孩子向這樹林最深最密的地方走去。荊棘把他寒磣的衣服鉤破了，把他的臉、手和腳劃得流出血來。王子身上也有好幾處傷痕，不過他所走的路卻充滿了太陽光。我們現在就要注意他的行程，因爲他是一個聰明的孩子。
“即使我走到世界的盡頭，"他說，"我也要找到這口鐘!”
難看的猢猻高高地坐在樹上做怪臉，露出牙齒。"我們往他身上扔些東西吧!"它們說，"我們打他吧，因爲他是一個國王的兒子!”
不過他不怕困難，他一步一步地向樹林的深處走。那兒長着許多奇異的花：含有紅蕊的、像星星一樣的百合花，在微風中射出光彩的、天藍色的鬱金香，結着像大肥皂泡一樣發亮的果實的蘋果樹。你想想看，這些樹在太陽光中該是多麼光彩奪目啊。
四周是一片非常美麗的綠草原。草上有公鹿和母鹿在嬉戲，而且還有茂盛的櫟樹和山毛櫸。草和藤本植物從樹縫裏長出來。這一大片林木中還有靜靜的湖，湖裏還有游泳着的白天鵝，它們在拍着翅膀。王子站着靜靜地聽。他常常覺得鐘聲是從深沉的湖裏飄上來的;不過他馬上就注意到，鐘聲並不是從湖裏來的，而是從森林的深處來的。
太陽現在下沉了，天空像火一樣地發紅，森林裏是一片靜寂。這時他就跪下來，唱了黃昏的讚美歌，於是他說：
“我將永遠看不到我所追尋的東西!現在太陽已經下沉了，夜——漆黑的夜——已經到來了。也許在圓圓的紅太陽沒有消逝以前，我還能夠看到它一眼吧。我要爬到崖石上去，因爲它比最高的樹還要高!"他攀着樹根和藤蔓在潮溼的石壁上爬。壁上盤着水蛇，有些癩蛤蟆也似乎在對他狂叫。不過，在太陽沒有落下去以前，他已經爬上去了。他在這塊高處仍然可以看見太陽。啊，這是多麼美麗的景象啊!海，他的眼前展開一片美麗的茫茫大海，洶涌的海濤向岸上襲來。太陽懸在海天相連的那條線上，像一座發光的大祭壇。一切融化成爲一片鮮紅的色彩。樹林在唱着歌，大海在唱着歌，他的心也跟它們一起在唱着歌。整個大自然成了一個偉大的、神聖的教堂：樹木和浮雲就是它的圓柱，花朵和綠葉就是它的柔軟的地氈，天空就是它的廣闊的圓頂。正在這時候，那個穿着短袖上衣和木鞋的窮苦孩子從右邊走來了。他是沿着他自己的道路，在同一個時候到來的。他們急忙走到一起，在這大自然和詩的教堂中緊緊地握着雙手。那口看不見的、神聖的鐘在他們的上空發出聲音。幸福的精靈在教堂的周圍跳舞，唱着歡樂的頌歌!
鐘聲英文版：
The Bell
IN the narrow streets of a large town people often heard in the evening, when the sun was setting, and his last rays gave a golden tint to the chimney-pots, a strange noise which resembled the sound of a church bell; it only lasted an instant, for it was lost in the continual roar of traffic and hum of voices which rose from the town. “The evening bell is ringing,” people used to say; “the sun is setting!” Those who walked outside the town, where the houses were less crowded and interspersed by gardens and little fields, saw the evening sky much better, and heard the sound of the bell much more clearly. It seemed as though the sound came from a church, deep in the calm, fragrant wood, and thither people looked with devout feelings.
A considerable time elapsed: one said to the other, “I really wonder if there is a church out in the wood. The bell has indeed a strange sweet sound! Shall we go there and see what the cause of it is?” The rich drove, the poor walked, but the way seemed to them extraordinarily long, and when they arrived at a number of willow trees on the border of the wood they sat down, looked up into the great branches and thought they were now really in the wood. A confectioner from the town also came out and put up a stall there; then came another confectioner who hung a bell over his stall, which was covered with pitch to protect it from the rain, but the clapper was wanting.
When people came home they used to say that it had been very romantic, and that really means something else than merely taking tea. Three persons declared that they had gone as far as the end of the wood; they had always heard the strange sound, but there it seemed to them as if it came from the town. One of them wrote verses about the bell, and said that it was like the voice of a mother speaking to an intelligent and beloved child; no tune, he said, was sweeter than the sound of the bell.
The emperor of the country heard of it, and declared that he who would really find out where the sound came from should receive the title of “Bellringer to the World,” even if there was no bell at all.
Now many went out into the wood for the sake of this splendid berth; but only one of them came back with some sort of explanation. None of them had gone far enough, nor had he, and yet he said that the sound of the bell came from a large owl in a hollow tree. It was a wisdom owl, which continually knocked its head against the tree, but he was unable to say with certainty whether its head or the hollow trunk of the tree was the cause of the noise.
He was appointed “Bellringer to the World,” and wrote every year a short dissertation on the owl, but by this means people did not become any wiser than they had been before.
It was just confirmation-day. The clergyman had delivered a beautiful and touching sermon, the candidates were deeply moved by it; it was indeed a very important day for them; they were all at once transformed from mere children to grown-up people; the childish soul was to fly over, as it were, into a more reasonable being.
The sun shone most brightly; and the sound of the great unknown bell was heard more distinctly than ever. They had a mind to go thither, all except three. One of them wished to go home and try on her ball dress, for this very dress and the ball were the cause of her being confirmed this time, otherwise she would not have been allowed to go. The second, a poor boy, had borrowed a coat and a pair of boots from the son of his landlord to be confirmed in, and he had to return them at a certain time. The third said that he never went into strange places if his parents were not with him; he had always been a good child, and wished to remain so, even after being confirmed, and they ought not to tease him for this; they, however, did it all the same. These three, therefore did not go; the others went on. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the confirmed children sang too, holding each other by the hand, for they had no position yet, and they were all equal in the eyes of God. Two of the smallest soon became tired and returned to the town; two little girls sat down and made garlands of flowers, they, therefore, did not go on. When the others arrived at the willow trees, where the confectioner had put up his stall, they said: “Now we are out here; the bell does not in reality exist—it is only something that people imagine!”
Then suddenly the sound of the bell was heard so beautifully and solemnly from the wood that four or five made up their minds to go still further on. The wood was very thickly grown. It was difficult to advance: wood lilies and anemones grew almost too high; flowering convolvuli and brambles were hanging like garlands from tree to tree; while the nightingales were singing and the sunbeams played. That was very beautiful! But the way was unfit for the girls; they would have torn their dresses. Large rocks, covered with moss of various hues, were lying about; the fresh spring water rippled forth with a peculiar sound. “I don’t think that can be the bell,” said one of the confirmed children, and then he lay down and listened. “We must try to find out if it is!” And there he remained, and let the others walk on.
They came to a hut built of the bark of trees and branches; a large crab-apple tree spread its branches over it, as if it intended to pour all its fruit on the roof, upon which roses were blooming; the long boughs covered the gable, where a little bell was hanging. Was this the one they had heard? All agreed that it must be so, except one who said that the bell was too small and too thin to be heard at such a distance, and that it had quite a different sound to that which had so touched men’s hearts.
He who spoke was a king’s son, and therefore the others said that such a one always wishes to be cleverer than other people.
Therefore they let him go alone; and as he walked on, the solitude of the wood produced a feeling of reverence in his breast; but still he heard the little bell about which the others rejoiced, and sometimes, when the wind blew in that direction, he could hear the sounds from the confectioner’s stall, where the others were singing at tea. But the deep sounds of the bell were much stronger; soon it seemed to him as if an organ played an accompaniment—the sound came from the left, from the side where the heart is. Now something rustled among the bushes, and a little boy stood before the king’s son, in wooden shoes and such a short jacket that the sleeves did not reach to his wrists. They knew each other: the boy was the one who had not been able to go with them because he had to take the coat and boots back to his landlord’s son. That he had done, and had started again in his wooden shoes and old clothes, for the sound of the bell was too enticing—he felt he must go on.
“We might go together,” said the king’s son. But the poor boy with the wooden shoes was quite ashamed; he pulled at the short sleeves of his jacket, and said that he was afraid he could not walk so fast; besides, he was of opinion that the bell ought to be sought at the right, for there was all that was grand and magnificent.
“Then we shall not meet,” said the king’s son, nodding to the poor boy, who went into the deepest part of the wood, where the thorns tore his shabby clothes and scratched his hands, face, and feet until they bled. The king’s son also received several good scratches, but the sun was shining on his way, and it is he whom we will now follow, for he was a quick fellow. “I will and must find the bell,” he said, “if I have to go to the end of the world.”
Ugly monkeys sat high in the branches and clenched their teeth. “Shall we beat him?” they said. “Shall we thrash him? He is a king’s son!”
But he walked on undaunted, deeper and deeper into the wood, where the most wonderful flowers were growing; there were standing white star lilies with blood-red stamens, sky-blue tulips shining when the wind moved them; apple-trees covered with apples like large glittering soap bubbles: only think how resplendent these trees were in the sunshine! All around were beautiful green meadows, where hart and hind played in the grass. There grew magnificent oaks and beech-trees; and if the bark was split of any of them, long blades of grass grew out of the clefts; there were also large smooth lakes in the wood, on which the swans were swimming about and flapping their wings. The king’s son often stood still and listened; sometimes he thought that the sound of the bell rose up to him out of one of these deep lakes, but soon he found that this was a mistake, and that the bell was ringing still farther in the wood. Then the sun set, the clouds were as red as fire; it became quiet in the wood; he sank down on his knees, sang an evening hymn and said: “I shall never find what I am looking for! Now the sun is setting, and the night, the dark night, is approaching. Yet I may perhaps see the round sun once more before he disappears beneath the horizon. I will climb up these rocks, they are as high as the highest trees!” And then, taking hold of the creepers and roots, he climbed up on the wet stones, where water-snakes were wriggling and the toads, as it were, barked at him: he reached the top before the sun, seen from such a height, had quite set. “Oh, what a splendour!” The sea, the great majestic sea, which was rolling its long waves against the shore, stretched out before him, and the sun was standing like a large bright altar and there where sea and heaven met—all melted together in the most glowing colours; the wood was singing, and his heart too. The whole of nature was one large holy church, in which the trees and hovering clouds formed the pillars, the flowers and grass the woven velvet carpet, and heaven itself was the great cupola; up there the flame colour vanished as soon as the sun disappeared, but millions of stars were lighted; diamond lamps were shining, and the king’s son stretched his arms out towards heaven, towards the sea, and towards the wood. Then suddenly the poor boy with the short-sleeved jacket and the wooden shoes appeared; he had arrived just as quickly on the road he had chosen. And they ran towards each other and took one another’s hand, in the great cathedral of nature and poesy, and above them sounded the invisible holy bell; happy spirits surrounded them, singing hallelujahs and rejoicing.
