English Original
Once upon a time there was a little girl, pretty and dainty. But in summer she was obliged to go barefooted because she was poor, and in winter she had to wear large wooden shoes, which made her little instep grow quite red.
In the middle of the village lived an old shoemaker’s wife. She made a pair of little shoes out of some old pieces of red cloth. They were clumsy, but she meant well, for they were intended for the little girl, whose name was Karen.
Karen received the shoes and wore them for the first time on the day of her mother’s funeral. They were not suitable for mourning, but she had no others. Just then a large old carriage came by, and in it sat an old lady who took pity on her. The lady asked the clergyman if she could take care of Karen.
Karen believed this was because of the red shoes, but the old lady thought them hideous and had them burnt. Karen was dressed neatly, taught to read and sew, and people said she was pretty. But the mirror told her, "You are more than pretty—you are beautiful."
One day, the Queen travelled through the country with her little daughter, the princess. All the people streamed towards the castle to see her. The princess wore beautiful red morocco shoes, finer than Karen's cloth ones. "There is really nothing in the world that can be compared to red shoes!" Karen thought.
When Karen was old enough to be confirmed, she went to get new shoes. In the shoemaker's shop, amongst many pretty shoes, stood a pair of beautiful red ones, like the princess's. They fitted her perfectly and were bought, though the old lady, who could not see well, did not know they were red.
At her confirmation, everyone looked at her red shoes. It seemed to Karen that even the stone figures on the monuments had their eyes fixed on them. She could think only of the shoes during the holy ceremony. When the old lady found out, she was furious and forbade Karen from ever wearing red shoes to church again.
The following Sunday was Communion. Karen looked at the black shoes, then at the red ones... and put the red ones on. At the church door, an old soldier with a red beard remarked on her "pretty dancing-shoes." Inside the church, Karen could only think of her red shoes, forgetting to pray. After the service, as she was about to enter the carriage, the soldier's comment made her dance a few steps. She could not stop. Her legs danced on their own, as if the shoes had power over them. They had to take the shoes off to make her stop.
The shoes were put away, but Karen could not stop thinking about them. When the old lady fell ill and Karen was to nurse her, a grand ball was held in town. Karen was invited. She told herself there was no harm in looking at the shoes, then no harm in wearing them, and finally went to the ball in them.
But at the ball, the shoes controlled her. When she wanted to go right, they danced left. They danced her out of the ballroom, down the stairs, through the streets, and out of the town into a dark forest. There, she saw the old soldier with the red beard, who again praised her dancing shoes.
Terrified, she tried to throw the shoes away, but they were stuck fast. She danced on and on, over fields and meadows, day and night, with no rest. She danced past an open church door and saw a stern angel with a sword, who condemned her to dance endlessly in the red shoes as a warning to proud and wicked children.
One morning, she danced past a familiar house where a funeral was taking place. She realized she was forsaken by all and damned by God. Exhausted, torn, and bleeding from dancing over thorns, she came to the executioner's house and begged him to cut off her feet with the red shoes. He did so, and the shoes danced away with her feet into the forest. He gave her wooden feet and crutches.
Believing she had suffered enough, Karen tried to go to church to be seen, but the red shoes danced before her, frightening her away. After a week of sorrow, she tried again boldly, but at the churchyard gate, the shoes appeared once more. Truly repentant, she went to the pastor's house and begged to be taken into service. She worked hard, was thoughtful, and no longer cared for finery.
One Sunday, while alone in her small room reading her hymn-book, she heard the organ from the church and cried to God for help. Suddenly, the sun shone brightly, and the angel appeared before her, now holding a green rose branch instead of a sword. He touched her room, and it transformed. She found herself in the church, sitting with the pastor's family, who welcomed her. Her heart filled with peace, joy, and sunshine until it broke. Her soul flew to Heaven on the sunbeams, and no one ever asked after the Red Shoes again.
中文翻译
从前有一个漂亮娇嫩的小女孩。但因为贫穷，夏天她不得不赤脚，冬天则要穿一双大木鞋，把她的脚背磨得通红。
村子中央住着一位老鞋匠的妻子。她用一些旧红布片，尽力缝制了一双小鞋。鞋子很笨拙，但她是出于好意，因为这鞋是给那个名叫卡伦的小女孩的。
卡伦在母亲葬礼那天收到了这双鞋，并第一次穿上它们。这鞋当然不适合哀悼，但她没有别的鞋。就在这时，一辆旧大马车经过，车里坐着一位老妇人，她怜悯卡伦，便向牧师请求收养她。
卡伦相信这是因为红鞋的缘故，但老妇人觉得鞋很丑，把它们烧掉了。卡伦被打扮得整洁干净，学习读书和缝纫，人们都说她漂亮。但镜子告诉她：“你不仅仅是漂亮——你是美丽。”
一天，女王带着她的小公主女儿途经此地。所有人都涌向城堡去看公主。公主穿着精美的红色摩洛哥皮鞋，比卡伦的布鞋漂亮多了。“世界上真的没有什么能比得上红鞋了！”卡伦想。
当卡伦到了行坚信礼的年龄，她去购置新鞋。在鞋店的众多漂亮鞋子中，有一双美丽的红鞋，就像公主穿的那样。鞋子非常合脚，于是被买下了，尽管眼神不好的老妇人并不知道鞋是红色的。
在坚信礼上，所有人都看着她的红鞋。卡伦觉得连纪念碑上那些穿着硬领长袍的石像都盯着她的鞋。在整个神圣仪式中，她只想着这双鞋。老妇人知道后勃然大怒，禁止卡伦再穿红鞋去教堂。
接下来的周日是圣餐日。卡伦看了看黑鞋，又看了看红鞋……然后穿上了红鞋。在教堂门口，一个红胡子老兵称赞了她的“漂亮舞鞋”。在教堂里，卡伦满脑子都是红鞋，忘记了祈祷。仪式结束后，正当她要上马车时，老兵的话让她不由自主地跳了几步舞。她停不下来，双腿自己跳着，仿佛鞋子控制了她。他们不得不脱下她的鞋，她才停下来。
鞋子被收起来了，但卡伦无法不去想它们。当老妇人生病需要卡伦照料时，镇上举办了一场盛大的舞会，卡伦受到了邀请。她告诉自己看看鞋没关系，穿上也没关系，最终穿着红鞋去了舞会。
但在舞会上，鞋子控制了她。她想往右，鞋子却跳向左。鞋子带着她跳出了舞厅，下了楼梯，穿过街道，出了城，进入一片黑暗的森林。在那里，她又见到了那个红胡子老兵，他再次称赞她的舞鞋。
卡伦吓坏了，想扔掉鞋子，但鞋子牢牢粘在脚上。她不停地跳啊跳，越过田野和草地，日夜不休，不得安宁。她跳过一个敞开的教堂门口，看见一个手持利剑、神情严厉的天使。天使判罚她必须穿着红鞋永远跳下去，作为对骄傲邪恶孩子的警示。
一天早晨，她跳过一个熟悉的房子，里面正在举行葬礼。她意识到自己被所有人抛弃，并遭到了上帝的诅咒。她跳得筋疲力尽，被荆棘划得遍体鳞伤、鲜血淋漓，来到了刽子手的房子前，请求他砍掉她穿着红鞋的双脚。刽子手照做了，红鞋带着她的双脚跳进了森林深处。他给她做了一双木脚和一副拐杖。
卡伦以为自己受的苦够了，便想去教堂让人看到，但红鞋在她面前跳舞，吓退了她。悲伤了一周后，她鼓起勇气再去，但刚到教堂墓地门口，红鞋又出现了。她真心忏悔了，去到牧师家请求收留做佣人。她辛勤工作，体贴周到，不再在乎华服美饰。
一个周日，当她独自在小房间里读赞美诗时，听到了从教堂传来的风琴声，她泪流满面地向上帝求助。忽然，阳光灿烂，那位天使出现在她面前，手中不再是利剑，而是一根满是玫瑰的绿枝。他触碰了她的房间，房间发生了变化。她发现自己身在教堂，和牧师的家人坐在一起，他们欢迎她的到来。她的心中充满了阳光、安宁和喜悦，直到心破碎了。她的灵魂乘着阳光飞向了天堂，再也没有人问起过那双红舞鞋。