自私的巨人
自私的巨人
每天下午，孩子们放学后总喜欢到巨人的花园里去玩耍。
这是一个很可爱的大花园，长满了绿茸茸的青草，美丽的鲜花随处可见，多得像天上的
星星。草地上还长着十二棵桃树，一到春天就开放出粉扑扑的团团花朵，秋天里则结下累累
果实。栖息在树枝上鸟儿唱着欢乐的曲子，每当这时，嬉戏中的孩子们会停下来侧耳玲听鸟
儿的鸣唱，并相互高声喊着，“我们多么快乐啊1”
一天，巨人回来了。原来他到自己的妖怪朋友科尼西家串门去了，在妖怪家里一住就是
七年。七年的时间里他把要讲的话都讲完了，便决定回自己的城堡。进了家门，他一眼就看
见在花园中戏耍的孩子们。
“你们在这儿于什么？”他粗声粗气地吼叫起来，孩子们都跑掉了。
“我的花园就是我自己的花园，”巨人说，“谁都清楚，我不准外人来这里玩。”于
是，他沿着花园筑起一堵高高的围墙，还挂出一块告示：闲人莫入违者重罚
他的确是一个非常自私的巨人。
从此可怜的孩子们没有了玩耍的地方，他们只得来到马路上，但是街道上满是尘土和硬
硬的石块，让他们扫兴极了。放学后他们仍常常在高耸的围墙外徘徊，谈论着墙内花园中的
美丽景色。“在里面我们多么快乐啊，”他们彼此诉说着。
春天又来了，整个乡村到处开故着小花，处处有小鸟在欢唱。然而只有自私的巨人的花
园却依旧是一片寒冬景象。由于看不见孩子们，小鸟便无心唱歌，树儿也忘了开花。有一朵
花儿从草中探出头来，看见那块告示后，它对孩子们的遭遇深感同情，于是又把头缩回去，
继续睡觉了。只有雪和霜对此乐不可支。“春天已忘记了这座花园，”他们叫喊着，“这样
我们可以一年四季住在这儿了。”雪用她那巨大的白色斗篷把草地蓝得严严实实，霜也让所
有的树木披上假装，随后他们还逸来北风和他们同住。北风应邀而至，穿—身毛皮大衣，他
对着花园呼啸了整整一天，把烟囱管帽也给吹掉了。“这是个令人开心的地方，”他说，
“我们还得把冰雹叫来。”于是，冰雹来了。每天三个钟头他不停地敲打着城堡的房顶，房
上的石板瓦被砸得七零八落，然后又围着花园一圈接一圈地猛跑起来。他浑身上下灰蒙蒙
的，呼出阵阵袭人的寒气。
“我真弄不懂春天为什么迟迟不来，”巨人坐在窗前望着外面冰天雪地的花园说，“我
盼望天气发生变化。”
然而春天再也没有出现，夏天也不见踪影。秋天把金色的硕果送给了千家万户的花园，
却什么也没给巨人的花园。“他太自私了，”秋天说。就这样，巨人的花园里是终年的寒
冬，只有北风、冰雹，还有霜和雪在园中的林间上窜下跳。
一日清晨，巨人睁着双眼躺在床上，这时耳边传来阵阵美妙的音乐。音乐悦耳动听，他
想一定是国王的乐师路经此地。原来窗外唱歌的不过是一只小红雀，只因巨人好长时间没听
到鸟儿在花园中歌唱，此刻感到它妙不可言。这时，巨人头顶上的冰雹已不再狂舞，北风也
停止了呼啸，缕缕芳香透过敞开的窗廓扑面而来。“我相信春天终于来到了，”巨人说着，
从床上跳起来，朝窗外望去。
他看见了什么呢？
他看见了一幕动人的景象：孩子们爬过墙上的小洞已进了花园，正坐在树枝上，每棵树
上都坐着一个孩子。迎来了孩子的树木欣喜若狂，井用鲜花把自己打扮一新，还挥动手臂轻
轻抚摸孩子们的头。鸟儿们在树梢翩翩起舞，兴奋地欢唱着，花朵也纷纷从草地里伸出头来
露着笑脸。这的确是一幅动人的画面。满园春色中只有一个角落仍笼罩在严冬之中，那是花
园中最远的一个角落，一个小男孩正孤零零地站在那儿，因为他个头太小爬不上树，只能围
着树转来转去，哭泣着不知所措。那棵可怜的树仍被霜雪裹得严严实实的，北风也对它肆意
地咆哮着。“快爬上来呀，小孩子1”树儿说，并尽可能地垂下枝条，可是小孩还是太矮小了。
此情此景深深地感化了巨人的心。“我真是太自私了！”他说，“现在我明白为什么春
天不肯到我这儿来了。我要把那可怜的孩子抱上树，然后再把围墙都推倒，让我的花园永远
成为孩子们的游戏场所。”他真为自己过去的所做所为感到羞愧。
巨人轻轻地走下楼，悄悄地打开前门，走到花园里。但是孩子们一看巨人，都吓得逃走
了，花园再次回到了冬天里。唯有那个小男孩没有跑，因为他的眼里充满了泪水，没有看见
走过来的巨人。巨人悄悄来到小孩的身后，双手轻轻托起孩子放在树枝上。树儿立即怒放出
朵朵鲜花，鸟儿们也飞回枝头放声欢唱，小男孩伸出双臂搂着巨人的脖子，亲吻巨人的脸。
其他孩子看见巨人不再那么凶恶，都纷纷跑了回来，春天也跟着孩子们来了。“孩子们，这
是你们的花园了，”巨人说。接着他提起一把大斧头，把围墙统统给砍倒了。中午12点，
人们去赶集的时候，欣喜地看见巨人和孩子们一起在他们所见到的最美丽的花园中游戏玩耍。
他们玩了整整一天，夜幕降临后，孩子们向巨人道晚安。
“可你们的那个小伙伴在哪儿呢？”巨人问，“就是我抱到树上的男孩。”巨人最爱那
个男孩，因为男孩吻过他。
“我们不知道啊，”孩子们回答说，“他已经走了。”
巨人又说：“你们一定要告诉他，叫他明天来这里。”但是孩子们告诉巨人他们不知道
小男孩家住何处，而且从前没见过他，巨人听后心里很不是个滋味。
每天下午，孩子们一放学就来找巨人一起玩。可是巨人喜爱的那个小男孩再也没有来
过。巨人对每一个小孩都非常友善，然而他更想念那个小男孩，还常常提起他。“我多么想
见到他啊：”巨人常常感叹道。
许多年过去了，巨人变得年迈而体弱。他已无力再与孩子们一起嬉戏，只能坐在一把巨
大的扶手椅上，一边观看孩于们玩游戏，一边欣赏着自己的花园。“我有好多美丽的鲜
花，”他说，“但孩子们才是最美的花朵。”
冬天的一个早晨，巨人起床穿衣时朝窗外望了望。现在他已不讨厌冬天了，因为他心里
明白这只不过是让春天打个吨，让花儿们歇口气罢了。
突然，他惊讶地揉揉眼，定睛看了又看。眼前的景色真是美妙无比：在花园尽头的角落
里，有一棵树上开满了逗人喜爱的白花，满树的枝条金光闪闪，枝头上垂挂着银色的果实，
树的下边就站着巨人特别喜爱的那个小男孩。
巨人激动地跑下楼，出门朝花园奔去。他急匆匆地跑过草地，奔向孩子。来到孩子面
前，他脸红脖子粗地愤愤说道，“谁敢把你弄成这样？”只见孩子的一双小手掌心上留有两
个钉痕，他的一双小脚上也有两个钉痕。
“谁敢把你弄成这样？”巨人吼道，“告诉我，我去取我的长剑把他杀死。”
“不要！”孩子回答说，“这些都是爱的烙印啊。”
“你是谁？”巨人说着，心中油然生出一种奇特的敬畏之情。他一下子跪在小男孩的面
前。
小男孩面带笑容地看着巨人说道：“你让我在你的花园中玩过一次。今天我要带你去我
的花园，那就是天堂。”
那天下午孩子们跑进花园的时候，他们看见巨人躺在那棵树下，已经死了，满身都盖着
白花。
THE SELFISH GIANT
Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used
to go and play in the Giants garden.
It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and
there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there
were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out into
delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich
fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the
children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. "How
happy we are here!" they cried to each other.
One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the
Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the
seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his
conversation was limited, and he determined to return to his own
castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.
"What are you doing here?" he cried in a very gruff voice, and the
children ran away.
"My own garden is my own garden," said the Giant; "any one can
understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself."
So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.
TRESPASSERS
WILL BE
PROSECUTED
He was a very selfish Giant.
The poor children had now nowhere to play. They tried to play on
the road, but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones, and
they did not like it. They used to wander round the high wall when
their lessons were over, and talk about the beautiful garden
inside. "How happy we were there," they said to each other.
Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little
blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant
it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there
were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a
beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw
the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped
back into the ground again, and went off to sleep. The only people
who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost. "Spring has
forgotten this garden," they cried, "so we will live here all the
year round." The Snow covered up the grass with her great white
cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they
invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was
wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew
the chimney-pots down. "This is a delightful spot," he said, "we
must ask the Hail on a visit." So the Hail came. Every day for
three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most
of the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as fast
as he could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like
ice.
"I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming," said the
Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold
white garden; "I hope there will be a change in the weather."
But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden
fruit to every garden, but to the Giants garden she gave none.
"He is too selfish," she said. So it was always Winter there, and
the North Wind, and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced
about through the trees.
One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some
lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it
must be the Kings musicians passing by. It was really only a
little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since
he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be
the most beautiful music in the world. Then the Hail stopped
dancing over his head, and the North Wind ceased roaring, and a
delicious perfume came to him through the open casement. "I
believe the Spring has come at last," said the Giant; and he jumped
out of bed and looked out.
What did he see?
He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall
the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of
the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little
child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again
that they had covered themselves with blossoms, and were waving
their arms gently above the childrens heads. The birds were
flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were
looking up through the green grass and laughing. It was a lovely
scene, only in one corner it was still winter. It was the farthest
corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was
so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree,
and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The poor tree
was still quite covered with frost and snow, and the North Wind was
blowing and roaring above it. "Climb up! little boy," said the
Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the boy
was too tiny.
And the Giants heart melted as he looked out. "How selfish I have
been!" he said; "now I know why the Spring would not come here. I
will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I
will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the childrens
playground for ever and ever." He was really very sorry for what
he had done.
So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and
went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were
so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became winter
again. Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so full
of tears that he did not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole
up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into
the tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds
came and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms
and flung them round the Giants neck, and kissed him. And the
other children, when they saw that the Giant was not wicked any
longer, came running back, and with them came the Spring. "It is
your garden now, little children," said the Giant, and he took a
great axe and knocked down the wall. And when the people were
going to market at twelve oclock they found the Giant playing with
the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen.
All day long they played, and in the evening they came to the Giant
to bid him good-bye.
"But where is your little companion?" he said: "the boy I put into
the tree." The Giant loved him the best because he had kissed him.
"We dont know," answered the children; "he has gone away."
"You must tell him to be sure and come here to-morrow," said the
Giant. But the children said that they did not know where he
lived, and had never seen him before; and the Giant felt very sad.
Every afternoon, when school was over, the children came and played
with the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never
seen again. The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet he
longed for his first little friend, and often spoke of him. "How I
would like to see him!" he used to say.
Years went over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could
not play about any more, so he sat in a huge armchair, and watched
the children at their games, and admired his garden. "I have many
beautiful flowers," he said; "but the children are the most
beautiful flowers of all."
One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing.
He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was merely the
Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting.
Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder, and looked and looked. It
certainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the
garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its
branches were all golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and
underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.
Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He
hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he
came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, "Who
hath dared to wound thee?" For on the palms of the childs hands
were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on
the little feet.
"Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the Giant; "tell me, that I
may take my big sword and slay him."
"Nay!" answered the child; "but these are the wounds of Love."
"Who art thou?" said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and
he knelt before the little child.
And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, "You let me
play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my
garden, which is Paradise."
And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant
lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.
每天下午，孩子们放学后总喜欢到巨人的花园里去玩耍。
这是一个很可爱的大花园，长满了绿茸茸的青草，美丽的鲜花随处可见，多得像天上的
星星。草地上还长着十二棵桃树，一到春天就开放出粉扑扑的团团花朵，秋天里则结下累累
果实。栖息在树枝上鸟儿唱着欢乐的曲子，每当这时，嬉戏中的孩子们会停下来侧耳玲听鸟
儿的鸣唱，并相互高声喊着，“我们多么快乐啊1”
一天，巨人回来了。原来他到自己的妖怪朋友科尼西家串门去了，在妖怪家里一住就是
七年。七年的时间里他把要讲的话都讲完了，便决定回自己的城堡。进了家门，他一眼就看
见在花园中戏耍的孩子们。
“你们在这儿于什么？”他粗声粗气地吼叫起来，孩子们都跑掉了。
“我的花园就是我自己的花园，”巨人说，“谁都清楚，我不准外人来这里玩。”于
是，他沿着花园筑起一堵高高的围墙，还挂出一块告示：闲人莫入违者重罚
他的确是一个非常自私的巨人。
从此可怜的孩子们没有了玩耍的地方，他们只得来到马路上，但是街道上满是尘土和硬
硬的石块，让他们扫兴极了。放学后他们仍常常在高耸的围墙外徘徊，谈论着墙内花园中的
美丽景色。“在里面我们多么快乐啊，”他们彼此诉说着。
春天又来了，整个乡村到处开故着小花，处处有小鸟在欢唱。然而只有自私的巨人的花
园却依旧是一片寒冬景象。由于看不见孩子们，小鸟便无心唱歌，树儿也忘了开花。有一朵
花儿从草中探出头来，看见那块告示后，它对孩子们的遭遇深感同情，于是又把头缩回去，
继续睡觉了。只有雪和霜对此乐不可支。“春天已忘记了这座花园，”他们叫喊着，“这样
我们可以一年四季住在这儿了。”雪用她那巨大的白色斗篷把草地蓝得严严实实，霜也让所
有的树木披上假装，随后他们还逸来北风和他们同住。北风应邀而至，穿—身毛皮大衣，他
对着花园呼啸了整整一天，把烟囱管帽也给吹掉了。“这是个令人开心的地方，”他说，
“我们还得把冰雹叫来。”于是，冰雹来了。每天三个钟头他不停地敲打着城堡的房顶，房
上的石板瓦被砸得七零八落，然后又围着花园一圈接一圈地猛跑起来。他浑身上下灰蒙蒙
的，呼出阵阵袭人的寒气。
“我真弄不懂春天为什么迟迟不来，”巨人坐在窗前望着外面冰天雪地的花园说，“我
盼望天气发生变化。”
然而春天再也没有出现，夏天也不见踪影。秋天把金色的硕果送给了千家万户的花园，
却什么也没给巨人的花园。“他太自私了，”秋天说。就这样，巨人的花园里是终年的寒
冬，只有北风、冰雹，还有霜和雪在园中的林间上窜下跳。
一日清晨，巨人睁着双眼躺在床上，这时耳边传来阵阵美妙的音乐。音乐悦耳动听，他
想一定是国王的乐师路经此地。原来窗外唱歌的不过是一只小红雀，只因巨人好长时间没听
到鸟儿在花园中歌唱，此刻感到它妙不可言。这时，巨人头顶上的冰雹已不再狂舞，北风也
停止了呼啸，缕缕芳香透过敞开的窗廓扑面而来。“我相信春天终于来到了，”巨人说着，
从床上跳起来，朝窗外望去。
他看见了什么呢？
他看见了一幕动人的景象：孩子们爬过墙上的小洞已进了花园，正坐在树枝上，每棵树
上都坐着一个孩子。迎来了孩子的树木欣喜若狂，井用鲜花把自己打扮一新，还挥动手臂轻
轻抚摸孩子们的头。鸟儿们在树梢翩翩起舞，兴奋地欢唱着，花朵也纷纷从草地里伸出头来
露着笑脸。这的确是一幅动人的画面。满园春色中只有一个角落仍笼罩在严冬之中，那是花
园中最远的一个角落，一个小男孩正孤零零地站在那儿，因为他个头太小爬不上树，只能围
着树转来转去，哭泣着不知所措。那棵可怜的树仍被霜雪裹得严严实实的，北风也对它肆意
地咆哮着。“快爬上来呀，小孩子1”树儿说，并尽可能地垂下枝条，可是小孩还是太矮小了。
此情此景深深地感化了巨人的心。“我真是太自私了！”他说，“现在我明白为什么春
天不肯到我这儿来了。我要把那可怜的孩子抱上树，然后再把围墙都推倒，让我的花园永远
成为孩子们的游戏场所。”他真为自己过去的所做所为感到羞愧。
巨人轻轻地走下楼，悄悄地打开前门，走到花园里。但是孩子们一看巨人，都吓得逃走
了，花园再次回到了冬天里。唯有那个小男孩没有跑，因为他的眼里充满了泪水，没有看见
走过来的巨人。巨人悄悄来到小孩的身后，双手轻轻托起孩子放在树枝上。树儿立即怒放出
朵朵鲜花，鸟儿们也飞回枝头放声欢唱，小男孩伸出双臂搂着巨人的脖子，亲吻巨人的脸。
其他孩子看见巨人不再那么凶恶，都纷纷跑了回来，春天也跟着孩子们来了。“孩子们，这
是你们的花园了，”巨人说。接着他提起一把大斧头，把围墙统统给砍倒了。中午12点，
人们去赶集的时候，欣喜地看见巨人和孩子们一起在他们所见到的最美丽的花园中游戏玩耍。
他们玩了整整一天，夜幕降临后，孩子们向巨人道晚安。
“可你们的那个小伙伴在哪儿呢？”巨人问，“就是我抱到树上的男孩。”巨人最爱那
个男孩，因为男孩吻过他。
“我们不知道啊，”孩子们回答说，“他已经走了。”
巨人又说：“你们一定要告诉他，叫他明天来这里。”但是孩子们告诉巨人他们不知道
小男孩家住何处，而且从前没见过他，巨人听后心里很不是个滋味。
每天下午，孩子们一放学就来找巨人一起玩。可是巨人喜爱的那个小男孩再也没有来
过。巨人对每一个小孩都非常友善，然而他更想念那个小男孩，还常常提起他。“我多么想
见到他啊：”巨人常常感叹道。
许多年过去了，巨人变得年迈而体弱。他已无力再与孩子们一起嬉戏，只能坐在一把巨
大的扶手椅上，一边观看孩于们玩游戏，一边欣赏着自己的花园。“我有好多美丽的鲜
花，”他说，“但孩子们才是最美的花朵。”
冬天的一个早晨，巨人起床穿衣时朝窗外望了望。现在他已不讨厌冬天了，因为他心里
明白这只不过是让春天打个吨，让花儿们歇口气罢了。
突然，他惊讶地揉揉眼，定睛看了又看。眼前的景色真是美妙无比：在花园尽头的角落
里，有一棵树上开满了逗人喜爱的白花，满树的枝条金光闪闪，枝头上垂挂着银色的果实，
树的下边就站着巨人特别喜爱的那个小男孩。
巨人激动地跑下楼，出门朝花园奔去。他急匆匆地跑过草地，奔向孩子。来到孩子面
前，他脸红脖子粗地愤愤说道，“谁敢把你弄成这样？”只见孩子的一双小手掌心上留有两
个钉痕，他的一双小脚上也有两个钉痕。
“谁敢把你弄成这样？”巨人吼道，“告诉我，我去取我的长剑把他杀死。”
“不要！”孩子回答说，“这些都是爱的烙印啊。”
“你是谁？”巨人说着，心中油然生出一种奇特的敬畏之情。他一下子跪在小男孩的面
前。
小男孩面带笑容地看着巨人说道：“你让我在你的花园中玩过一次。今天我要带你去我
的花园，那就是天堂。”
那天下午孩子们跑进花园的时候，他们看见巨人躺在那棵树下，已经死了，满身都盖着
白花。
THE SELFISH GIANT
Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used
to go and play in the Giants garden.
It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and
there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there
were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out into
delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich
fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the
children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. "How
happy we are here!" they cried to each other.
One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the
Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the
seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his
conversation was limited, and he determined to return to his own
castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.
"What are you doing here?" he cried in a very gruff voice, and the
children ran away.
"My own garden is my own garden," said the Giant; "any one can
understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself."
So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.
TRESPASSERS
WILL BE
PROSECUTED
He was a very selfish Giant.
The poor children had now nowhere to play. They tried to play on
the road, but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones, and
they did not like it. They used to wander round the high wall when
their lessons were over, and talk about the beautiful garden
inside. "How happy we were there," they said to each other.
Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little
blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant
it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there
were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a
beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw
the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped
back into the ground again, and went off to sleep. The only people
who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost. "Spring has
forgotten this garden," they cried, "so we will live here all the
year round." The Snow covered up the grass with her great white
cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they
invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was
wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew
the chimney-pots down. "This is a delightful spot," he said, "we
must ask the Hail on a visit." So the Hail came. Every day for
three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most
of the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as fast
as he could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like
ice.
"I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming," said the
Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold
white garden; "I hope there will be a change in the weather."
But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden
fruit to every garden, but to the Giants garden she gave none.
"He is too selfish," she said. So it was always Winter there, and
the North Wind, and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced
about through the trees.
One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some
lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it
must be the Kings musicians passing by. It was really only a
little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since
he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be
the most beautiful music in the world. Then the Hail stopped
dancing over his head, and the North Wind ceased roaring, and a
delicious perfume came to him through the open casement. "I
believe the Spring has come at last," said the Giant; and he jumped
out of bed and looked out.
What did he see?
He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall
the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of
the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little
child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again
that they had covered themselves with blossoms, and were waving
their arms gently above the childrens heads. The birds were
flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were
looking up through the green grass and laughing. It was a lovely
scene, only in one corner it was still winter. It was the farthest
corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was
so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree,
and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The poor tree
was still quite covered with frost and snow, and the North Wind was
blowing and roaring above it. "Climb up! little boy," said the
Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the boy
was too tiny.
And the Giants heart melted as he looked out. "How selfish I have
been!" he said; "now I know why the Spring would not come here. I
will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I
will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the childrens
playground for ever and ever." He was really very sorry for what
he had done.
So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and
went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were
so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became winter
again. Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so full
of tears that he did not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole
up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into
the tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds
came and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms
and flung them round the Giants neck, and kissed him. And the
other children, when they saw that the Giant was not wicked any
longer, came running back, and with them came the Spring. "It is
your garden now, little children," said the Giant, and he took a
great axe and knocked down the wall. And when the people were
going to market at twelve oclock they found the Giant playing with
the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen.
All day long they played, and in the evening they came to the Giant
to bid him good-bye.
"But where is your little companion?" he said: "the boy I put into
the tree." The Giant loved him the best because he had kissed him.
"We dont know," answered the children; "he has gone away."
"You must tell him to be sure and come here to-morrow," said the
Giant. But the children said that they did not know where he
lived, and had never seen him before; and the Giant felt very sad.
Every afternoon, when school was over, the children came and played
with the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never
seen again. The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet he
longed for his first little friend, and often spoke of him. "How I
would like to see him!" he used to say.
Years went over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could
not play about any more, so he sat in a huge armchair, and watched
the children at their games, and admired his garden. "I have many
beautiful flowers," he said; "but the children are the most
beautiful flowers of all."
One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing.
He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was merely the
Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting.
Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder, and looked and looked. It
certainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the
garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its
branches were all golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and
underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.
Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He
hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he
came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, "Who
hath dared to wound thee?" For on the palms of the childs hands
were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on
the little feet.
"Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the Giant; "tell me, that I
may take my big sword and slay him."
"Nay!" answered the child; "but these are the wounds of Love."
"Who art thou?" said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and
he knelt before the little child.
And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, "You let me
play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my
garden, which is Paradise."
And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant
lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.
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