小学英语 英语故事（童话故事）The Windmill 风车

The Windmill 风车Onthehilltherestoodawindmillstatelytolookatandveryproudofitself."ButI'mnotproudatall,"itsaid,"thoughI'mmuchenlightened,outsideandinside.OntheoutsideIhavethesunandmoon,andforinwarduse,too;andIalsohavewaxcandles,oillamps,andtallowcandles.Yes,IdaresayI'menlightened.I'mathinkingindividualandsowellbuiltthatI'mapleasuretolookat.Ihaveagoodwindpipeinmychest,andIhavefourwingsplaceduponmyhead,justundermyhat.Eventhebirdshaveonlytwowingsandhavetocarrythemontheirbacks.I'maDutchmanbybirth-youcantellthatfrommyfigure-aFlyingDutchman!Peoplecallthemsupernaturalbeings,Iknow,andyetI'mquitenatural.There'sagalleryroundmystomach,andadwellingplaceunderneathit;that'swheremythoughtslive.Mystrongestthought,whorulesandgoverns,iscalledbytheotherthoughts:'TheMillers.'Heknowswhathewants,andrulesovertheflourandtheoats;buthehasamate,too,whocallsherself'Mother.'Sheismyrealheart.Shedoesn'trunaroundawkwardly;sheknowswhatshewantsandwhatshecando.She'sasgentleasthewindandasstrongasatempest;sheknowshowtoleaduptoathingcarefullybutgetherownway.Sheismysofterside,andthefatherismyharder;theyaretwoandyetone;andeachcallstheother'Mybetterhalf.'"Thesetwohaveyoungsters,littlethoughtsthatwillgrowup,andtheselittleonesmakealotofnoise."TheotherdayIwiselyletthefatherandhishelpersexaminemythroatandtheholeinmychest.Iwantedtoknowwhatwaswrong,forsomethingwaswrong,andwhenyou'reoutoforderit'swelltolookintoyourself.Theyoungstersmadeatremendousracket,whichwasveryannoyingtome;for,remember,onthetophillwhereIstandIaminthelimelight,andoneisjudgedaccordingly.Theyoungestonejumpedupintomyhatandshoutedsouptherethatittickledme.Yes,Iknowthoselittlethoughtswillgrowup.Outintheworldthoughtscome,too,butthey'renotmysort;asfarasIcansee,Icannotmakeoutanythinglikeme.Thosewinglesshouses,thatcan'tmakeanoiseintheirthroats,havethoughts,too,andthesesometimescometomythoughts,andmakelovetothem,aspeoplecallit.Yes,it'sverystrange,buttherearemanystrangethings.Somechangehascomeoverme,orinsideme,somethingisdifferentintheworkingofthemill.Itseemsasiftheonehalf,thefather,hasalteredandgotanevengentlerandmoreaffectionatemate-youngandgoodasbefore,butmoretenderandgentlethroughthecourseoftime.Thebitterhassomehowpassedaway,andeverythingismuchmorepleasant."Thedayspass,andthedayscome,alwaysforwardtobrightnessandhappiness,untilthedaycomeswhenitwillbealloverwithmeandyetnotentirelyover.I'llhavetobetorndownsothatIcanbebuiltupagain,newandbetter;Ishallcease,butI'llstilllive!Becomeadifferentbeing,andyetbethesame!EnlightenedasIamwithsun,moon,wax,oil,andtallow,Istillfindthatdifficulttounderstand.Myoldtimbersandbrickworkwillriseagainfromthedust!"IhopeI'llbeabletokeepmyoldthoughts,theMiller,themother,thegreatonesandlittleones-thefamily,asIcallallthatgreatandlittlecompanyofthoughts;becauseIcannotdowithoutthem."AndImustalsoremainmyself,withmythroatinmychest,wingsonmyhead,andthebalconyaroundmywaist;otherwiseIwouldn'tknowmyself,andotherpeoplewouldn'tknowmeandsay,"There'stheMillonthehill,aproudsighttosee,andyetnotproudatall!"That'swhattheMillsaid.Itsaidagreatmanymorethings,too,butthat'sthemostimportantpartofit.Andthedayscameandthedayspassed,andyesterdaywasthelastday.ThentheMillcaughtfire.Theflamesshotup:theywhippedin;theywhippedout;theylickedbeamsandplanksandatethemup.TheMilldisappeared,andonlyaheapofashesremained.Thesmokerosefromtheembersuntilthewindcarrieditaway.WhateverhadbeenaliveintheMillstillremained;nothinghappenedtoanyofthem;indeed,theygainedbyit.TheMiller'sfamily-onesoul,maythoughts,andyetonlyonethought-gotanew,abeautifulmill,amilltheycouldbeveryproudof.Itlookedexactlyliketheoldone,andpeoplesaid,"Why,there'stheMillonthehill,aproudsighttosee!"ButthisMillwasbetterarranged,muchmoreuptodatethantheotherone,forthereisalwayssomeprogress.Theoldtimber,whichhadbecomedampandworm-eaten,nowwasdustandashes.ThebodyoftheMilldidnotactuallyriseoutofthedust,asithadbelieveditwoulddo;ithadtakenthethoughtliterally,andnoteverythingissupposedtobetakenliterally.