English Original
Once upon a time, there was a darning needle who thought herself so fine that she believed she was an embroidery needle.
"Take great care to hold me tight!" she said to the Fingers holding her. "Don't let me fall! If I fall, I'll never be found again, I'm so fine!"
"It's all right," said the Fingers, seizing her.
The Fingers used her to mend a cook's shoe. "This is common work!" cried the needle. "I shall never get through it. I am breaking!" And she did break.
"Now she's good for nothing," said the Fingers. The cook then dabbed sealing wax on the broken needle and stuck it in her dress as a brooch.
"Now I am a breast-pin!" exclaimed the needle proudly. She sat up, looked around, and spoke to a pin beside her: "May I ask if you are gold? You have a peculiar head, but it's too small. You must make it grow." As she raised herself proudly to say this, she fell out of the dress and into the sink.
"Now I'm off on my travels!" she said, washing down into the gutter. "I am too fine for this world," she declared, "but I know who I am, and that is always a little satisfaction!"
She kept her proud bearing as all sorts of debris floated over her. One day, she saw something glittering and thought it a diamond. It was a piece of bottle glass. Each believed the other was costly and boasted of their worth.
The needle told of her origins from a cook's workbox and described the proud Five Fingers. Suddenly, more water washed the bottle glass away. "Ah! He has been promoted!" said the needle. "I remain; I am too fine. That is my pride."
She sat thinking lofty thoughts. "I must have been born a sunbeam, I am so fine!"
Later, two street boys found her. One pricked himself and cried, "He's a fine fellow!"
"I am not a fellow; I am a young lady!" retorted the needle, unheard. The boys stuck her into an eggshell floating in the gutter.
"White walls and I am black—what a pretty contrast!" she said. "Now I can be seen to advantage!"
A wagon wheel rolled over the eggshell, crushing it. "Oh! How it presses!" cried the needle. "I am breaking!" But she did not break. She lay there at full length, and there she may lie.
中文翻译
从前，有一根织补针，她自视甚高，以为自己是一根绣花针。
“一定要紧紧抓住我！”她对捏着她的手指们说。“别让我掉下去！如果我掉下去，就再也找不到了，我太纤细了！”
“没问题。”手指们说着，抓住了她。
手指们用她来补厨娘的鞋子。“这活儿太低级了！”针叫道。“我干不了。我要断了！”她果然断了。
“现在她没用了。”手指们说。厨娘在断针上滴了点封蜡，把它当作胸针别在了衣服上。
“现在我是一枚胸针了！”针骄傲地宣称。她坐直身子，环顾四周，对旁边的一根别针说：“请问你是金子做的吗？你的头很特别，但太小了。你得让它长大点。”她骄傲地挺起身子说这话时，从衣服上掉了下来，落进了水槽。
“现在我要去旅行了！”她说，随即被冲进了水沟。“这个世界配不上我，”她宣称，“但我知道我是谁，这总让人有点满足！”
各种垃圾从她身上漂过，她始终保持骄傲的姿态。一天，她看到有个东西闪闪发光，以为是一颗钻石。那其实是一块碎玻璃。两者都相信对方非常珍贵，并吹嘘着自己的价值。
针讲述了自己来自厨娘的针线盒，并描述了那五根骄傲的手指。突然，更多的水流来，冲走了玻璃片。“啊！他高升了！”针说。“我留在这里；我太纤细了。这就是我的骄傲。”
她坐在那里，想着崇高的念头。“我一定是阳光所生，我如此精致！”
后来，两个街头男孩发现了她。一个被扎了一下，叫道：“这家伙真不错！”
“我不是家伙；我是位年轻女士！”针反驳道，但没人听见。男孩们把她插进一个漂在水沟里的蛋壳中。
“墙壁是白的，我是黑的——多么漂亮的对比！”她说。“现在我能被清楚地看到了！”
一辆马车的轮子碾过蛋壳，把它压碎了。“哦！压得好重！”针叫道。“我要断了！”但她并没有断。她直挺挺地躺在那里，也许至今还在那里。