The year after, the second sister was allowed to mount up through the water and swim about wherever she liked.

第二年，第二个姐姐得到许可，可以浮出水面随便游向什么地方了。

The sun was just going down when she reached the surface, the most beautiful sight, she thought, that she had ever seen.

她跳出水面的时候，太阳刚刚落下;她觉得这景象真是美极了。

The whole sky had looked like gold, she said, and as for the clouds! well, their beauty was beyond description;

她说，这时整个的天空看起来像一块黄金，而云块呢——唔，她真没有办法把它们的美形容出来！

they floated in red and violet splendour over her head, and, far faster than they went,

它们在她头上掠过，一忽儿红，一忽儿紫。不过，比天上还有一片又白又长的面纱，它们飞的比云朵还要快，

a flock of wild swans flew like a long white veil over the water towards the setting sun;

那是一群掠过水面的野天鹅。它们正朝着夕阳飞去，，

she swam towards it, but it sank and all the rosy light on clouds and water faded away.

她也向太阳游去。可是太阳落了。只留下一片玫瑰色的晚霞，漫漫地在海面和云块之间消逝了。

The year after that the third sister went up, and, being much the most venturesome of them all, swam up a broad river which ran into the sea.

又过了一年，第三个姐姐浮上去了。她是她们中最大胆的一位，因此她游向一条汇入海洋的大河里去了。

She saw beautiful green, vine-clad hills; palaces and country seats peeping through splendid woods.

她看到一些美丽的青山，上面种满了一行一行的葡萄。透过郁茂的树林可以隐约看见宫殿和田庄;

She heard the birds singing, and the sun was so hot that she was often obliged to dive, to cool her burning face.

她听到各种鸟儿悦耳的歌声，阳光温暖的沐浴着一切，她有时不得不沉入水里，才能使得她灼热的面孔得到一点清凉。

In a tiny bay she found a troop of little children running about naked and paddling in the water;

在一个小河湾里，她碰到一群人间的小孩子;他们光着身子，在水里游来游去。

she wanted to play with them, but they were frightened and ran away.

她倒很想跟他们玩一会儿，可是他们吓了一跳，逃走了。