The Beetle Who Went on His Travels

by Hans Christian Andersen（1861）

　　theRE was once an Emperor who had a horse shod with gold. He had a golden shoe on each foot， and why was this？ He was a beautiful creature， with slender legs， bright， intelligent eyes， and a mane that hung down over his neck like a veil. He had carried his master through fire and smoke in the battle-field， with the bullets whistling round him； he had kicked and bitten， and taken part in the fight， when the enemy advanced； and， with his master on his back， he had dashed over the fallen foe， and saved the golden crown and the Emperor's life， which was of more value than the brightest gold. This is the reason of the Emperor's horse wearing golden shoes.

　　A beetle came creeping forth from the stable， where the farrier had been shoeing the horse. “GREat ones， first， of course，” said he， “and then the little ones； but size is not always a proof of greatness.” He stretched out his thin leg as he spoke.

　　“And pray what do you want？” asked the farrier.

　　“Golden shoes，” replied the beetle.

　　“Why， you must be out of your senses，” cried the farrier. “Golden shoes for you， indeed！”

　　“Yes， certainly； golden shoes，” replied the beetle. “Am I not just as good as that GREat creature yonder， who is waited upon and brushed， and has food and drink placed before him？ And don't I belong to the royal stables？”

　　“But why does the horse have golden shoes？” asked the farrier； “of course you understand the reason？”

　　“Understand！ Well， I understand that it is a personal slight to me，” cried the beetle. “It is done to annoy me， so I intend to go out into the world and seek my fortune.”

　　“Go along with you，” said the farrier.

　　“You're a rude fellow，” cried the beetle， as he walked out of the stable； and then he flew for a short distance， till he found himself in a beautiful flower-garden， all fragrant with roses and lavender. The lady-birds， with red and black shells on their backs， and delicate wings， were flying about， and one of them said， “Is it not sweet and lovely here？ Oh， how beautiful everything is.”

　　“I am accustomed to better things，” said the beetle. “Do you call this beautiful？ Why， there is not even a dung-heap.” Then he went on， and under the shadow of a large haystack he found a caterpillar crawling along. “How beautiful this world is！” said the caterpillar. “The sun is so warm， I quite enjoy it. And soon I shall go to sleep， and die as they call it， but I shall wake up with beautiful wings to fly with， like a butterfly.”

　　“How conceited you are！” exclaimed the beetle. “Fly about as a butterfly， indeed！ what of that. I have come out of the Emperor's stable， and no one there， not even the Emperor's horse， who， in fact， wears my cast-off golden shoes， has any idea of flying， excepting myself. To have wings and fly！ why， I can do that already；” and so saying， he spread his wings and flew away. “I don't want to be disgusted，” he said to himself， “and yet I can't help it.” Soon after， he fell down upon an extensive lawn， and for a time pretended to sleep， but at last fell asleep in earnest. Suddenly a heavy shower of rain came falling from the clouds. The beetle woke up with the noise and would have been glad to creep into the earth for shelter， but he could not. He was tumbled over and over with the rain， sometimes swimming on his stomach and sometimes on his back； and as for flying， that was out of the question. He began to doubt whether he should escape with his life， so he remained， quietly lying where he was. After a while the weather cleared up a little， and the beetle was able to rub the water from his eyes， and look about him. He saw something gleaming， and he managed to make his way up to it. It was linen which had been laid to bleach on the grass. He crept into a fold of the damp linen， which certainly was not so comfortable a place to lie in as the warm stable， but there was nothing better， so he remained lying there for a whole day and night， and the rain kept on all the time. Towards morning he crept out of his hiding-place， feeling in a very bad temper with the climate. Two frogs were sitting on the linen， and their bright eyes actually glistened with pleasure.

　　“Wonderful weather this，” cried one of them， “and so refreshing. This linen holds the water together so beautifully， that my hind legs quiver as if I were going to swim.”

　　“I should like to know，” said another， “If the swallow who flies so far in her many journeys to foreign lands， ever met with a better climate than this. What delicious moisture！ It is as pleasant as lying in a wet ditch. I am sure any one who does not enjoy this has no love for his fatherland.”

　　“Have you ever been in the Emperor's stable？” asked the beetle. “There the moisture is warm and refreshing； that's the climate for me， but I could not take it with me on my travels. Is there not even a dunghill here in this garden， where a person of rank， like myself， could take up his abode and feel at home？” But the frogs either did not or would not understand him.

　　“I never ask a question twice，” said the beetle， after he had asked this one three times， and received no answer. Then he went on a little farther and stumbled against a piece of broken crockery-ware， which certainly ought not to have been lying there. But as it was there， it formed a good shelter against wind and weather to several families of earwigs who dwelt in it. Their requirements were not many， they were very sociable， and full of affection for their children， so much so that each mother considered her own child the most beautiful and clever of them all.

　　“Our dear son has engaged himself，” said one mother， “dear innocent boy； his GREatest ambition is that he may one day creep into a clergyman's ear. That is a very artless and loveable wish； and being engaged will keep him steady. What happiness for a mother！”

　　“Our son，” said another， “had scarcely crept out of the egg， when he was off on his travels. He is all life and spirits， I expect he will wear out his horns with running. How charming this is for a mother， is it not Mr. Beetle？” for she knew the stranger by his horny coat.

　　“You are both quite right，” said he； so they begged him to walk in， that is to come as far as he could under the broken piece of earthenware.

　　“Now you shall also see my little earwigs，” said a third and a fourth mother， “they are lovely little things， and highly amusing. They are never ill-behaved， except when they are uncomfortable in their inside， which unfortunately often happens at their age.”

　　Thus each mother spoke of her baby， and their babies talked after their own fashion， and made use of the little nippers they have in their tails to nip the beard of the beetle.

　　“they are always busy about something， the little rogues，” said the mother， beaming with maternal pride； but the beetle felt it a bore， and he therefore inquired the way to the nearest dung-heap.

　　“That is quite out in the GREat world， on the other side of the ditch，” answered an earwig， “I hope none of my children will ever go so far， it would be the death of me.”

　　“But I shall try to get so far，” said the beetle， and he walked off without taking any formal leave， which is considered a polite thing to do.

　　When he arrived at the ditch， he met several friends， all them beetles； “We live here，” they said， “and we are very comfortable. May we ask you to step down into this rich mud， you must be fatigued after your journey.”

　　“Certainly，” said the beetle， “I shall be most happy； I have been exposed to the rain， and have had to lie upon linen， and cleanliness is a thing that GREatly exhausts me； I have also pains in one of my wings from standing in the draught under a piece of broken crockery. It is really quite refreshing to be with one's own kindred again.”

　　“Perhaps you came from a dung-heap，” observed the oldest of them.

　　“No， indeed， I came from a much grander place，” replied the beetle； “I came from the emperor's stable， where I was born， with golden shoes on my feet. I am travelling on a secret embassy， but you must not ask me any questions， for I cannot betray my secret.”

　　then the beetle stepped down into the rich mud， where sat three young-lady beetles， who tittered， because they did not know what to say.

　　“None of them are engaged yet，” said their mother， and the beetle maidens tittered again， this time quite in confusion.

　　“I have never seen GREater beauties， even in the royal stables，” exclaimed the beetle， who was now resting himself.

　　“Don't spoil my girls，” said the mother； “and don't talk to them， pray， unless you have serious intentions.”

　　But of course the beetle's intentions were serious， and after a while our friend was engaged. The mother gave them her blessing， and all the other beetles cried “hurrah.”

　　Immediately after the betrothal came the marriage， for there was no reason to delay. The following day passed very pleasantly， and the next was tolerably comfortable； but on the third it became necessary for him to think of getting food for his wife， and， perhaps， for children.

　　“I have allowed myself to be taken in，” said our beetle to himself， “and now there's nothing to be done but to take them in， in return.”

　　No sooner said than done. Away he went， and stayed away all day and all night， and his wife remained behind a forsaken widow.

　　“Oh，” said the other beetles， “this fellow that we have received into our family is nothing but a complete vagabond. He has gone away and left his wife a burden upon our hands.”

　　“Well， she can be unmarried again， and remain here with my other daughters，” said the mother. “Fie on the villain that forsook her！”

　　In the mean time the beetle， who had sailed across the ditch on a cabbage leaf， had been journeying on the other side. In the morning two persons came up to the ditch. When they saw him they took him up and turned him over and over， looking very learned all the time， especially one， who was a boy. “Allah sees the black beetle in the black stone， and the black rock. Is not that written in the Koran？” he asked.

　　then he translated the beetle's name into Latin， and said a GREat deal upon the creature's nature and history. The second person， who was older and a scholar， proposed to carry the beetle home， as they wanted just such good specimens as this. Our beetle considered this speech a great insult， so he flew suddenly out of the speaker's hand. His wings were dry now， so they carried him to a great distance， till at last he reached a hothouse， where a sash of the glass roof was partly open， so he quietly slipped in and buried himself in the warm earth. “It is very comfortable here，” he said to himself， and soon after fell asleep. Then he dreamed that the emperor's horse was dying， and had left him his golden shoes， and also promised that he should have two more. All this was very delightful， and when the beetle woke up he crept forth and looked around him. What a splendid place the hothouse was！ At the back， large palm-trees were growing； and the sunlight made the leaves—look quite glossy； and beneath them what a profusion of luxuriant green， and of flowers red like flame， yellow as amber， or white as new-fallen snow！ “What a wonderful quantity of plants，” cried the beetle； “how good they will taste when they are decayed！ This is a capital store-room. There must certainly be some relations of mine living here； I will just see if I can find any one with whom I can associate. I'm proud， certainly； but I'm also proud of being so. Then he prowled about in the earth， and thought what a pleasant dream that was about the dying horse， and the golden shoes he had inherited. Suddenly a hand seized the beetle， and squeezed him， and turned him round and round. The gardener's little son and his playfellow had come into the hothouse， and， seeing the beetle， wanted to have some fun with him. First， he was wrapped， in a vine-leaf， and put into a warm trousers' pocket. He twisted and turned about with all his might， but he got a good squeeze from the boy's hand， as a hint for him to keep quiet. Then the boy went quickly towards a lake that lay at the end of the garden. Here the beetle was put into an old broken wooden shoe， in which a little stick had been fastened upright for a mast， and to this mast the beetle was bound with a piece of worsted. Now he was a sailor， and had to sail away. The lake was not very large， but to the beetle it seemed an ocean， and he was so astonished at its size that he fell over on his back， and kicked out his legs. Then the little ship sailed away； sometimes the current of the water seized it， but whenever it went too far from the shore one of the boys turned up his trousers， and went in after it， and brought it back to land. But at last， just as it went merrily out again， the two boys were called， and so angrily， that they hastened to obey， and ran away as fast as they could from the pond， so that the little ship was left to its fate. It was carried away farther and farther from the shore， till it reached the open sea. This was a terrible prospect for the beetle， for he could not escape in consequence of being bound to the mast. Then a fly came and paid him a visit. ”What beautiful weather，“ said the fly； ”I shall rest here and sun myself. You must have a pleasant time of it.“

　　“You speak without knowing the facts，” replied the beetle； “don't you see that I am a prisoner？”

　　“Ah， but I'm not a prisoner，” remarked the fly， and away he flew.

　　“Well， now I know the world，” said the beetle to himself； “it's an abominable world； I'm the only respectable person in it. First， they refuse me my golden shoes； then I have to lie on damp linen， and to stand in a draught； and to crown all， they fasten a wife upon me. Then， when I have made a step forward in the world， and found out a comfortable position， just as I could wish it to be， one of these human boys comes and ties me up， and leaves me to the mercy of the wild waves， while the emperor's favorite horse goes prancing about proudly on his golden shoes. This vexes me more than anything. But it is useless to look for sympathy in this world. My career has been very interesting， but what's the use of that if nobody knows anything about it？ The world does not deserve to be made acquainted with my adventures， for it ought to have given me golden shoes when the emperor's horse was shod， and I stretched out my feet to be shod， too. If I had received golden shoes I should have been an ornament to the stable； now I am lost to the stable and to the world. It is all over with me.”

　　But all was not yet over. A boat， in which were a few young girls， came rowing up. “Look， yonder is an old wooden shoe sailing along，” said one of the younger girls.

　　“And there's a poor little creature bound fast in it，” said another.

　　the boat now came close to our beetle's ship， and the young girls fished it out of the water. One of them drew a small pair of scissors from her pocket， and cut the worsted without hurting the beetle， and when she stepped on shore she placed him on the grass. “There，” she said， “creep away， or fly， if thou canst. It is a splendid thing to have thy liberty.” Away flew the beetle， straight through the open window of a large building； there he sank down， tired and exhausted， exactly on the mane of the emperor's favorite horse， who was standing in his stable； and the beetle found himself at home again. For some time he clung to the mane， that he might recover himself. “Well，” he said， “here I am， seated on the emperor's favorite horse，—sitting upon him as if I were the emperor himself. But what was it the farrier asked me？ Ah， I remember now，—that's a good thought，—he asked me why the golden shoes were given to the horse. The answer is quite clear to me， now. They were given to the horse on my account.” And this reflection put the beetle into a good temper. The sun's rays also came streaming into the stable， and shone upon him， and made the place lively and bright. “Travelling expands the mind very much，” said the beetle. “The world is not so bad after all， if you know how to take things as they come.

　　皇帝的马钉上了金掌，两只蹄子上各一个。

　　为甚么牠会得到金马掌？

　　牠是最漂亮的动物，有漂亮的腿，眼睛露出很机智的神情，马鬃散挂在脖子上像一片丝纱。牠曾驮着它的主人奔驰於枪林弹雨之中，听到过子弹呼啸。敌人逼近的时候，牠用口咬，用腿踢四周的敌人，参加了战斗。牠驮着自己的皇帝一步纵过倒下的敌人的马，拯救了自己皇帝的赤金皇冠，拯救了自己皇帝的比金冠还重要的性命。因此，皇帝的马得了金掌，两只蹄子上各一个。

　　屎壳郎往前爬了过来。“先给大的钉，再给小的钉，”牠说道，“然而，并不是尺寸的问题。”於是牠伸出了它那些又瘦又细的腿来。“你要干甚么？”铁匠问道。“金掌！”屎壳郎回答道。“你怕是头脑发昏了吧！”铁匠说道，“你也要金掌？”“金掌！”屎壳郎说道，“难道我不是跟那头大兽一样地货真价实吗？有人照料它，给它刷洗，伺候它，喂它吃，喂它喝。难道我不也是皇帝马厩里的吗？”“可是，那匹马是怎么得到金掌的？”铁匠问道，“你不清楚吗？”“清楚？我清楚，这是对我的蔑视，”屎壳郎说道，“这是一种侮辱——现在，所以我要出走到大世界里去了。”“去你的吧！”铁匠说道。“粗暴的傢伙！”屎壳郎说道。之后便走出去了。飞了一小程，牠便来到了一个可爱的小花园，那里飘着玫瑰和薰衣草的香味。“这儿不是很漂亮吗？”一只小瓢虫说道。小瓢虫拍着牠那像盾牌一样坚硬的带黑点的红翅膀飞来飞去。“这儿的气味多香甜，这儿多美丽！”“我住惯更好的地方，”屎壳郎说道，“你说这儿美丽？这儿连一堆粪都没有。”

　　於是它继续往前爬去，爬进了一大丛紫罗兰的荫影中。紫罗兰上爬着一只毛毛虫。“世界还真是美丽啊！”毛毛虫说道，“太阳暖暖的！一切都这么美好！有朝一日我睡着了，而且像人们说的那样死掉，那么，我再醒过来的时候就变成一只蝴蝶了。”“亏你想得出来！”屎壳郎说道，“现在我们像蝴蝶一样飞起来了！我是皇帝马厩里来的。可是那里，就连皇帝那匹蹄上钉了我不要的金掌的宝贝宠马，都没有这种非分之想。长上翅膀！飞啊！是啊，现在我们飞了！”接着屎壳郎便飞了起来。“我不要生气的，可是我仍然有气了。”

　　之后，牠落到了一大块草皮上。牠在这里躺了一小会儿，接着就睡着了。

　　天呀！好急的雨哟！雨点声把屎壳郎吵醒了，牠立刻就想钻到地里去，但是没有办到。牠翻了过来，一会儿肚子朝下，一会儿又肚子朝天地游了一程。飞起来是连想都不能想的事，看来牠是无法活着逃出这片草地了。他乾脆就在它躺的地方躺下来，就那么躺着。

　　后来，雨小了一些。屎壳郎眨眨眼，甩掉蒙在眼上的雨水。它隐约地看到了有点白色的东西，那是一块人家准备漂白的床单。牠爬到那里，爬到了湿床单的一个摺缝里去。这真不像躺在马厩里那暖和的粪堆里。可是，现在这里比这再舒服的地方是没有了。於是它在这里呆了一天，又一夜，雨还是不停地下着。清早，屎壳郎爬了出来，它对天气恼火极了。

　　床单上有两只青蛙，牠们那明亮的眼睛闪着欢快的光。“这天气真舒服！”一只青蛙说道。“多么清新！床单又兜了这么多的水！我的后脚有些发痒，就好像我要游水了一样。”“我真不知道，”另外一只说道，“那到处飞来飞去的燕子，它在国外的旅行中，是否发现过有比我们国家天气更好的地方。濛濛的细雨，潮湿的空气！就好像你是躺在一条潮湿的水沟里一样！要是有人不喜欢这个，那他真叫是不爱国了。”“这么说，你们从来没有去过皇帝的马厩里，是不是？”屎壳郎问道。“那里面的那种潮湿是又温暖又有滋味！我习惯那种气候，那是我的天气，可是，那是无法带着出门的。这园子里，没有那种像我这样体面的人可以爬进去舒服舒服的地方吗？”

　　但是，青蛙不明白牠说的，或许是不愿意明白。“我是从来不问第二遍的，”屎壳郎在他说了第三遍而没有得到回答时这么说道。

　　於是牠又往前爬了一程，到了一块破花盆片的地方。牠本不该在这个地方，但是既然已经在这儿，於是这里便成了可以蔽身的地方。有几家蠷？住在这里。牠们要求的居住空间不大，只要求大家挤在一起。雌的特别有母性，所以牠们的每个孩子都是最漂亮的，最聪明的。“我们的儿子订婚了，”有一位母亲说道，“我那可爱的天真活泼的小宝宝！他的最高的愿望就是有那么一天，能爬到一个牧师的耳朵里去。他非常可爱，非常天真，订了婚会对他有所约束；当妈妈的是非常高兴的。”“我们的儿子，”另外一位母亲说道，“刚从蛋壳出来便玩耍起来。他精力充沛得不得了，把自己头上的鬚子都跑丢了。做妈妈的简直太高兴了！是不是？屎壳郎先生？”牠们从牠的长相认出了牠来。“你们两位都是对的，”屎壳郎说道。接着牠便被邀请进屋去，一直深到破盆片下面能爬到的地方。“现在您也该看看我的小蠷？了，”第三位、第四位母亲说道，“他们真是最可爱的孩子了，非常有趣！他们从来不调皮，除非他们肚子疼。可是，他们这些个孩子，肚子疼的事是常有的事。”

　　接着，一位位当母亲的都讲起了自己的孩子。孩子们也参加谈论，而且还用他们的尾铗子去捋屎壳郎嘴上的鬚子。“他们总是甚么都要摸摸动动的，这些小混帐！”几位母亲都说道，流露出了深深的母爱。可是，屎壳郎觉得太无聊了，於是它打听是不是离开粪肥堆很远。“那真是远在天边，在沟的那边，”蠷？说道，“那么远，我真的希望我的孩子谁也别跑到那边去，那样我就活不成了。”“那么远，我倒要试试爬到那么远的地方去呢，”屎壳郎说道，连道别一声都没有说便走开了。这样对待女性可真够体面的了。

　　在水沟旁边，它遇到了几位自己一类的东西，全是屎壳郎。“我们住在这儿，”它们说道。“我们过得挺自在！热忱欢迎您到我们这块肥沃的地方！旅途一定叫您疲乏了。”“就是的，”屎壳郎说道。“我下雨天在床单里睡过，洁净的环境大大地消耗了我的体力。在一块破花盆碎片下面的对流风里呆着，又使我的翅膀骨受了寒。能够碰到自己的同类，真是太叫我舒心了。”“您大约是从粪堆里来的吧，”年最长的那一个问道。“还要讲究呢，”屎壳郎说道。“我是从皇帝的马厩里来的，在那里我生下来脚上就有金掌。我这次出来负有秘密的使命，这事你们不用向我打听，我是不会说的。”

　　於是屎壳郎便爬到那堆肥烂泥上。那儿有三个年轻的屎壳郎小姐，牠们在偷偷地笑，因为牠们不知道该说些甚么。“她们都还没有订婚，”母亲说道。於是牠们又偷偷笑了笑，不过这回是由於难为情。“就在皇帝的马厩里，我也没有见过比她们更美的小姐了，”这位屎壳郎客人说道。“可不要把我的女孩子宠坏了！请别和她们讲话，若是您的打算不真诚的话；——当然您的打算是真诚的，我真祝福她们。”“妙极了！”其他的屎壳郎都喊了起来，於是这个屎壳郎便订了婚了。先是订婚，接着就结婚。你知道，这没有甚么可等的。

　　结婚后的第一天，日子过得很不错。第二天也满自在地就过去了。但是到了第三天它就得考虑一下妻子，甚至孩子的吃饭问题了。“我让这点意外的事缠住了，”牠说道，“所以我也要让他们意外一下——。”

　　牠真这么做了。牠不见了；一整天不见了，一整夜不见了。——妻子成了活寡妇了。其他的屎壳郎说，牠它们收留到家里来的真是一个不折不扣的漂泊浪子，牠的妻子成了牠们的累赘了。“那么她还可以当她的姑娘的，”母亲说道，“还当我的女儿。天杀的，抛弃了她的那坏蛋。”

　　而它，则在继续它的旅程，乘着一片圆白菜叶子过了水沟。天亮的时候，来了两个人。他们看到了这只屎壳郎，把牠抓了起来，把它翻过来又复过去。两人都博学多识，特别是那个男孩子。“真主在黑石山的黑石上看到了黑屎壳郎1！可兰经上不是这么写的吗？”他这样问道，把屎壳郎的名字译成拉丁文，讲了讲它的属类和属性。年纪大一点的那位学识丰富的反对把它带回家去，他们家里已经有了同样的好标本，他这么说。这话说得不够礼貌，这只屎壳郎这么说。接着它便从他的手中飞走，飞了不短的一程。它的翅膀已经干了，它飞到了暖房。因为有一扇窗子是开着的，它很轻松地便溜进去了，钻到了新鲜的粪肥里去了。“这儿真舒服，”它说道。

　　很快它便睡熟了，梦见皇帝的马蹄坏了，屎壳郎先生得到了它的金掌，还得到允诺可以再得到两只。这真痛快！在这只屎壳郎醒过来的时候，它爬了出来，朝上看了看。暖房里多么美啊！巨大的棕榈树叶在高处舒张着，阳光使得它们成为透明的。棕榈树下是一片碧绿，绿中点缀着朵朵鲜花，红的火红，黄的琥珀，白的似雪。“这真是一片美丽无比的植物胜景。等它们烂了以后，那味道一定美妙无比！”屎壳郎说道。“这是一间美妙的餐室。这里一定住得有我们的族类，我要去找一找，看看能不能找到几位我能与之交往的。我很高傲，这是我的高傲之处！”於是它走了起来，心中想着那匹死马，想着它得到的金掌。

　　这时，一只手一下子抓住了这只屎壳郎，它被捏住了，被手翻了过来，又转了几转。

　　园丁的小儿子和一个夥伴在暖房里，看到了这只屎壳郎，对它很感兴趣。它被搁在一片葡萄叶里，被装进一个暖和的裤兜里。它在兜里挣扎、乱扒拉。於是孩子的一只手便使劲把它按住，孩子飞快地朝园子头上的一个小湖跑去。这只屎壳郎在这里被放进了一只帮子坏了的旧木鞋里。鞋子上牢牢插着一根木签子算是桅桿，屎壳郎被用一根毛线绑在签子上。於是它就成了船长，要开航了。

　　那是一个很大的湖，屎壳郎认为，它是世界上的大洋。它被吓得一下子捧得肚子朝天，它的脚在空中乱蹬。

　　木鞋漂走了，湖面的水在流动，於是船漂流得远了一点。一个小男孩立刻便挽起裤腿下水走过来抓船。可是就在它又漂走的时候，有人在喊孩子，喊得挺认真，孩子便匆匆走开，把木鞋丢在了脑后。木鞋渐渐地漂离陆地，越漂越远。这对屎壳郎真是太可怕了。飞，它是不行的，它被绑牢在桅桿上了。

　　有只苍蝇飞来看它。“我们的天气真不错，”苍蝇说道。“我可以在这里歇口气！我可以在这里烤烤太阳。舒服得很！”“怎么尽说些没有头脑的话！您没有瞅见我是被绑着的吗。”“我可没有挨绑。”苍蝇说道，之后便飞走了。“现在我算见识过世界了，”屎壳郎说道，“这是一个卑鄙的世界，我是里面唯一一位高尚的！先是不给我金掌，接着我又得卧在湿床单里，站在对流风中；最后又硬塞给我一个妻子。待我一大步跑进这世界里来，看看大家的日子是怎么过的，我又会怎么样的时候，又来了一个小仔子，把我绑起送到汪洋大海里来。可是皇帝的马却脚踏金掌走来走去！这是叫我伤心得要死的事。可是这个世界哪里会对你有丝毫的同情！我的事业是很有趣的，可是没有人赏识又有甚么用呢。世界也不配欣赏它，否则世界便会在皇帝的马厩里，在皇帝的宠马伸脚等待钉掌的时候，给我钉上金掌了。我得到金掌，那我便是马厩的一种光荣。现在马厩失掉了我，世界也将失去我，一切都完了！”

　　但是并非一切都完了。来了一只船，上面有几个年轻姑娘。“那边漂着一只木鞋，”一位姑娘说道。“上面绑牢了一个小虫子，”另一个说道。

　　她们到了木鞋的旁边，她们把木鞋拿起来，一位姑娘拿出一把剪刀来，小心不伤着那只屎壳郎把毛线剪断。回到岸上以后，她们把它放到草上。“爬吧爬，飞吧飞，要是你能的话！”她说道。“自由是好事！”

　　屎壳郎便从一扇开着的窗子，一下子飞进一个高大的建筑里面。在里面，它精疲力尽地落到站在马厩里的皇帝宠马的柔软的长鬃毛上，那匹马和屎壳郎的家正在那里。它牢牢地抓住马鬃，坐了一会儿，喘了口气。“瞧我这下骑在皇帝的宠马上了！就像一名骑士！我怎么说来的！是啊，现在我明白了！这是个好主意，很正确。为甚么这匹马得到金掌？他，那铁匠，也问过我这个问题。现在我看出来了！就是因为我的缘故，这匹马才得到金掌的。”

　　屎壳郎这才开心起来。“旅行使人头脑清醒。”它说道。

　　太阳射进来照着它，闪耀得很美。“世界还不算那么坏，”屎壳郎说道，“可是你要懂得怎么对待它！”世界是美好的，因为皇帝的宠马有了金掌，因为屎壳郎要成为它的骑士。“现在我要爬下去找别的屎壳郎，跟它们说说，人们为我做了多少事。我要把我出国旅行中获得的那许多享受告诉它们。我要说，现在我要留在家里，直到那马把它的金掌磨光。”

　　1这是丹麦文学家厄伦施莱尔的一句诗，而不是《可兰经》上的文字。