Light as bubbles they floated through the air without the aid of wings.

它们像气泡一样轻盈地漂浮在空中，而无需借助羽翼。

The little mermaid perceived that she had a form like theirs; it gradually took shape out of the foam.

小美人鱼认为她的身体像他们一样。泡沫逐渐成形。

''To whom am I coming?'' said she,

“我将向谁走去呢？”她问。

and her voice sounded like that of the other beings, so unearthly in its beauty that no music of ours could reproduce it.

她的声音跟其他的生物一样，显得虚无缥缈，人世间的任何音乐都不能和它相比。

''To the daughters of the air!'' answered the others;

“到天空的女儿那儿去呀！”别的声音回答说。

''a mermaid has no undying soul, and can never gain one without winning the love of a human being.

“人鱼是没有不灭的灵魂的，而且永远也不会有这样的灵魂，除非她获得了一个凡人的爱情，

Her eternal life must depend upon an unknown power.

她的永恒要依靠外来的力量。

Nor have the daughters of the air an everlasting soul, but by their own good deeds they may create one for themselves.

天空的女儿也没有永恒的灵魂，不过她们可以通过善良的行为创造出一个灵魂。

We fly to the tropics where mankind is the victim of hot and pestilent winds; there we bring cooling breezes.

我们飞向炎热的国度里去，那儿散布着病疫的空气在伤害着人民，我们可以吹起清凉的风，

We diffuse the scent of flowers all around, and bring refreshment and healing in our train.

可以在空气中传播花香，我们可以散布健康和愉快的氛围。

When, for three hundred years, we have laboured to do all the good in our power,

三百年以后，当我们尽力做完了我们可能做的一切善行以后，

we gain an undying soul and take a part in the everlasting joys of mankind.

我们就可以获得一个不灭的灵魂，就可以分享人类一切永恒的幸福了。