The Bell-Deep

Name: The Bell-Deep
ISBN: 9787557506087

Hans Christian AndersenJilin Fine Arts Press2016

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Series: The Bell-Deep (Danish: Klokkedybet, commonly rendered in English as The Bell-Deep) is a short fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1857, drawn from a local legend of his hometown, Odense, on the Danish island of Funen. The story opens with the "ding-dong" of a bell by the Odense River: yellow water lilies and brown reeds grow along the banks, and old willows lean down over the water; in the middle of the river, opposite the old nunnery, lies a spot so deep that no oar can reach the bottom, and people call it the "Bell-Deep." There lives an aged water sprite, who sleeps in the sunlight by day and rises to the surface only on starry, moonlit nights. He is all alone, and his only companion for conversation is an ancient bell—a bell that once hung in the belfry of St. Alban's Church until, one evening, the beam broke and the great bell plunged through the sunset glow into the deepest part of the river, and it has never stopped ringing since. People say the bell's tolling is an evil omen, but in truth the bell is telling stories to the water sprite: of the gaze of a young monk in the monastery, of a greedy bailiff and a suffering woman, of the tragedy of King Canute, and of everything it has heard from the wind. Day after day and year after year, bell and sprite exchange memories through sound. At the end of the story, the narrator talks with his grandmother about whether the bell is real; the schoolmaster insists there is neither bell nor sprite at the bottom of the river, and that the sound is merely the vibration of air, while the grandmother says that the air surrounds us and enters our hearts, records people's thoughts and deeds, and carries farther than any bell beneath the river. The language throughout is clear and lovely, the mood deep and quiet, and within the fairy-tale imagination lies a meditation on memory, faith and eternity.
ISBN: 9787557506087

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Summary

The Bell-Deep (Danish: Klokkedybet) is a short fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1857, drawn from a folk legend of his hometown, Odense, on the Danish island of Funen. The story begins with the ding-dong of a bell by the banks of the Odense River, where yellow water lilies and brown reeds grow and old willows lean low over the water; opposite the old nunnery, at a spot in midstream so deep that no oar can touch bottom, lies what people call the Bell-Deep. There dwells an aged water sprite who sleeps soundly in the daylight and rises to the surface only on starlit and moonlit nights. He is all alone, and his only companion for conversation is an ancient bell—a bell that once hung in the belfry of St. Alban's Church until, one evening, its beam broke and it plunged through the sunset glow into the deepest part of the river, and it has never ceased ringing since. People say the tolling is an omen of misfortune, but in truth the bell is simply telling stories to the water sprite: of the gaze of a young monk in the nunnery, of a greedy bailiff and a suffering woman, of the tragedy of King Canute, and of everything it has heard from the wind. Day after day and year after year, bell and water sprite trade memories through sound. At the story's end, the narrator speaks with his grandmother about whether the bell is real, and the schoolmaster insists that there is neither bell nor water sprite at the bottom of the river—the sound is merely the vibration of air; but the grandmother says that the air surrounds us and enters our hearts as well, recording human thoughts and deeds and carrying them farther than any bell beneath the river. The language throughout is lucid and graceful and the mood profound, enfolding within fairy-tale imagination a meditation on memory, faith, and eternity.

Editor's review

安徒生的童话里有不少名篇被反复讲述，《钟渊》则属于那种安静、容易被忽略，却相当耐读的一类。它几乎没有传统童话的冒险情节，通篇是水声、钟声与低语：一口坠河的老钟，一个穿鳗鱼皮裤子的水灵，两条孤独的生命用故事彼此取暖。安徒生把故乡奥登塞的河、旧教堂与修女院的传说融进文本，写的是声音如何成为记忆的容器——石头坍塌、名字消散，而钟声与空气仍在替人记着做过的事、想过的事。结尾祖孙两代人的分歧尤其动人：一方要科学解释，一方相信万物有灵，作者并不裁决，只把问题轻轻留给读者。篇幅短小，却适合慢读、重读，也适合朗读给孩子听，再由大人独自回味。

Who it's for

A good fit for

喜欢安徒生非典型短篇、偏爱抒情静谧风格的读者
对北欧民间传说与丹麦地方风物感兴趣的读者
希望为孩子挑选有文学质感的短篇童话的家长
做童话研究、比较文学或英文原版精读的学生与教师

Not a good fit for

期待完整冒险情节、人物成长线的儿童读者
偏好快节奏叙事、强冲突剧情的读者

Reading tips

建议先通读一遍感受钟声与水声的节奏，再回头细读祖孙对话的结尾。
可对照英文译本（如 H. P. Paull 译本）对读，体会安徒生语言的音韵与重复。
与《钟声》等安徒生同期作品并读，观察他对“声音—记忆—信仰”主题的持续书写。

About the publisher

Jilin Fine Arts Press China · Founded in 1984

Jilin Fine Arts Press publishes across such categories as classic works, world literature, biography, art, inspirational growth, and popular science. Judging from the books in the collection, the press offers classical readings that emphasize textual editions and visual presentation, including the complete definitive edition of The Art of War with fine illustrations, the carefully translated and annotated edition of The Book of Songs with illustrations, and the rare full manuscript edition of Jen-chien Tz'u-hua. It also publishes modern literary classics such as Camel Xiangzi, Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, and The Scarecrow, as well as a fully annotated edition of Nalan's Ci and biographical works such as Liang Qichao Zhuan. Its authors include Sun Wu, Lao She, Wang Guowei, Lu Xun, Ye Shengtao, and Confucius. Its publishing character lies in combining textual collation, annotation and commentary with illustration and binding, balancing reading convenience with aesthetic experience; public information on the press's fuller publishing scope is limited.

FAQ

《钟渊》是安徒生的哪一年作品？

创作并首次出版于 1857 年，丹麦语原名 Klokkedybet，英文常译作 The Bell-Deep，属于安徒生中后期童话。

这个故事为什么叫“钟渊”？

奥登塞河中旧修女院对面有一处河心最深的地方，传说圣阿尔巴尼教堂的大钟坠入其中，因此人们把这片水域称为“钟渊”。

故事里有魔法或打斗情节吗？

没有。全文以钟与水灵夜谈的方式串联起若干往事片段，更接近抒情散文式的童话，氛围神秘而克制。

吉林美术出版社的中译本可靠吗？

该译本由聂文聪翻译，收入《安徒生童话全集》丛书，ISBN 为 9787557506087，是较为常见的中文版本；购买时可核对封面与书号。

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