and all the passing ships sheered off in alarm when they saw her sitting there with her long hair streaming loose in the wind.

所有的船只绕过她坐着的那块地方，惊惶地远远避开。

In the evening the sky became overcast with dark clouds;

不过在黄昏的时分，天上忽然布起了一片乌云。

it thundered and lightened, and the huge icebergs glittering in the bright lightning, were lifted high into the air by the black waves.

电闪起来了，雷轰起来了。黑色的巨浪掀起整片整片的冰块，使它们在血红的雷电中闪着光。

All the ships shortened sail, and there was fear and trembling on every side,

所有的船只都收下了帆，海上萦绕着惊惶和恐怖的气氛;

but she sat quietly on her floating iceberg watching the blue lightning flash in zigzags down on to the shining sea.

但是她却安静地坐在那浮动的冰山上，望着蓝色的闪电，弯弯曲曲地射进反光的海里。

The first time any of the sisters rose above the water she was delighted by the novelties and beauties she saw;

这些姐妹中随便哪一位，只要是第一次升到海面上去，总是非常高兴地观看这些新鲜和美丽的东西。

but once grown up, and at liberty to go where she liked, she became indifferent and longed for her home;

可是现在呢，她们已经是大女孩子了，可以随便游到她们喜欢去的地方，因此这些东西就不再让她们那么痴迷了。她们只渴望回到海底的王宫。

in the course of a month or so they all said that after all their own home in the deep was best, it was so cosy there.

一个来月以后，她们说，还是住在海里好——家里是多么舒服啊！

Many an evening the five sisters interlacing their arms would rise above the water together.

在黄昏的时候，这五个姐妹常常手挽着手地浮上来，在水面上排成一行。

They had lovely voices, much clearer than any mortal,

她们唱出的歌声——比任何人类的声音都要悦耳。

and when a storm was rising, and they expected ships to be wrecked,

当风暴快要到来、她们认为有些船只快要出事的时候，

they would sing in the most seductive strains of the wonders of the deep, bidding the seafarers have no fear of them.

她们就游到这些船的面前，唱起动听的旋律，诉说是海底是多么可爱，同时告诉这些水手不要害怕沉到海底，