English Original
Once upon a time, there was a pretty little fir-tree in a wood. It was in a good position, with sun and air, and tall companions grew around it. Yet, it did not heed the warm sun or the fresh air, nor notice the children who came to gather berries and admired it. The tree only sighed, "Oh! if I were only a great tree like the others!"
It took no pleasure in sunshine, birds, or clouds. In winter, a hare would spring over it, which annoyed it. After a few years, it grew tall enough that the hare had to run around it. "Ah! to grow and grow, and become great and old! that is the only pleasure in life," thought the tree.
Each autumn, woodcutters came and felled the tallest trees. The young fir-tree watched them being taken away and wondered where they went. In spring, it asked the swallows and the stork. The stork said he had seen such trees as splendid masts on ships sailing from Egypt. "Oh! if I were only big enough to sail over the sea too!" sighed the tree.
"Rejoice in your youth," said the sunbeams, but the tree did not understand.
As Christmas approached, smaller trees were cut down and taken away in carts. Sparrows told the fir-tree they were taken to warm rooms and adorned with beautiful things like candles, toys, and golden apples. "Am I too destined for such splendor?" the tree wondered excitedly, longing for Christmas.
It grew tall and beautiful, and at Christmas, it was the first to be cut down. The axe struck; the tree fell with a groan, sad to leave its home. It was taken to a grand house and placed in a tub decorated with greenery. It was adorned with sugarplums, gilt apples, nuts, hundreds of candles, dolls, and a gold star at its top.
"Tonight it will be lighted!" everyone said. The tree trembled with anticipation. When the candles were lit, it was a glittering spectacle. Children rushed in, danced around it, and took the presents from its branches. Then a story was told beneath it—the tale of Humpty Dumpty who fell downstairs and married a princess. The tree was astonished and thought, "Perhaps I shall fall downstairs and marry a princess too."
It expected more glory the next day, but instead, servants dragged it to a dark attic and left it forgotten. Days passed. It grew lonely until some mice came. The tree told them about its life in the wood and the glorious Christmas Eve. The mice thought it lucky. The tree told them the story of Humpty Dumpty, and the mice listened with joy, though later, some rats found the story dull and left.
Eventually, the mice left too. The tree was alone again, clinging to the hope of being brought out. One day, it was dragged out to the yard. "Now life begins again!" it thought joyfully. But its branches were withered and yellow. It lay among weeds and nettles. A child tore off its gold star and called it an "ugly old fir-tree."
The tree looked at the fresh flowers in the garden and remembered its youth in the wood, the merry Christmas, and the listening mice. "Too late! Too late!" it thought. "If only I had enjoyed myself whilst I could."
A servant came and chopped it into pieces. The pieces were burned under a great copper in the brew-house. As it burned, each sigh was like a shot, and the tree thought of summer days in the wood, winter nights under the stars, Christmas Eve, and the story of Humpty Dumpty. Then it was gone.
The children played on, and the youngest wore the gold star. And that was the end of the tree, and the story.
中文翻译
从前，树林里有一棵漂亮的小枞树。它位置很好，有阳光和空气，周围长着许多高大的伙伴。然而，它并不留意温暖的阳光和新鲜的空气，也不注意那些来采浆果并赞美它的孩子们。树只是叹息着：“唉！要是我能像其他树一样高大就好了！”
它对阳光、鸟儿或云彩都毫无兴趣。冬天，一只野兔会从它身上跳过去，这让它很烦恼。几年后，它长得足够高，野兔不得不绕着它跑。“啊！长大，变老！这才是生命中唯一的乐趣，”树想。
每年秋天，伐木工都会来砍倒最高的树。小枞树看着它们被运走，想知道它们去了哪里。春天，它问燕子和鹳鸟。鹳鸟说它在从埃及飞来的船上见过这样的树，做成了华丽的桅杆。“唉！要是我也能长得足够高大，漂洋过海就好了！”树叹息道。
“为你的青春欢欣吧，”阳光说，但树并不明白。
圣诞节临近时，一些更小的树被砍倒，用马车运走了。麻雀告诉枞树，它们被带到温暖的房间里，用蜡烛、玩具和金苹果等美丽的东西装饰起来。“难道我也注定会有这样的辉煌吗？”树兴奋地想着，渴望着圣诞节。
它长得高大美丽，在圣诞节时，它成了第一个被砍倒的。斧头落下；树呻吟着倒下，伤心地离开了家园。它被带到一所豪宅，放在一个用绿植装饰的大桶里。树上挂满了糖梅、镀金苹果、坚果、数百支蜡烛、玩偶，顶端还有一颗金色的星星。
“今晚就要点亮了！”大家都说。树激动得颤抖起来。蜡烛点燃时，景象璀璨夺目。孩子们冲进来，围着树跳舞，从树枝上取下礼物。然后，有人在树下讲了一个故事——关于矮胖子摔下楼梯却娶了公主的故事。树很惊讶，心想：“也许我也会摔下楼梯，娶一位公主呢。”
它期待着第二天的更多荣耀，但相反，仆人们把它拖到一个黑暗的阁楼里，遗忘了它。日子一天天过去。它变得孤独，直到一些老鼠出现。树给它们讲了自己在树林里的生活和那个辉煌的平安夜。老鼠觉得它很幸运。树给它们讲了矮胖子的故事，老鼠听得津津有味，尽管后来有些老鼠觉得故事无聊就离开了。
最后，老鼠们也走了。树又孤独了，只能抱着被再次带出去的希望。一天，它被拖到了院子里。“现在生活又要重新开始了！”它高兴地想。但它的枝条已经枯萎发黄。它躺在杂草和荨麻中。一个孩子扯下了它的金星，叫它“丑陋的老枞树”。
树看着花园里鲜艳的花朵，想起了自己在树林里的青春时光、快乐的圣诞节和那些倾听的老鼠。“太晚了！太晚了！”它想。“要是我在能够享受的时候享受了就好了。”
一个仆人过来把它劈成了碎片。碎片在酿酒房的大铜锅下燃烧。燃烧时，每一声叹息都像一声枪响，树想起了树林里的夏日、星空下的冬夜、平安夜，还有矮胖子的故事。然后，它就消失了。
孩子们继续玩耍，最小的那个孩子戴着那颗金星。这就是树和故事的结局。