English Original
There was once a little girl named Karen, who was very pretty but very poor. In summer she ran barefoot, and in winter she wore large wooden shoes that made her feet red.
In the village lived an old shoemaker. She sewed a clumsy pair of shoes from old red cloth for Karen. Karen received them on the day her mother was buried and wore them for the first time.
An old lady in a carriage saw Karen, felt compassion for her, and adopted her. She thought the red shoes were horrible and burned them. Karen was dressed nicely and learned to read and sew. People said she was nice, but her mirror said she was beautiful.
Once, the queen travelled through the land with her daughter, a princess. People streamed to see them. The princess wore splendid red morocco shoes. Karen thought nothing in the world could compare to red shoes.
When Karen was old enough to be confirmed, she needed new shoes. A rich shoemaker measured her foot in his shop, which was filled with elegant shoes. Among them was a pair of red shoes, just like the princess's. They were beautiful and fitted Karen perfectly. The old lady, who could not see well, bought them, not knowing they were red. Karen wore the red shoes to her confirmation.
Everyone looked at her feet. In church, she felt as if the old figures on the tombs and the portraits were staring at her red shoes. She thought only of them during the ceremony, forgetting to sing or pray.
The old lady later learned the shoes were red and scolded Karen, saying she must only wear black shoes to church in the future.
The next Sunday, for the sacrament, Karen looked at the black shoes, then at the red ones, and put on the red shoes.
On the way to church, an old soldier with a crutch and a red beard admired her shoes, calling them "beautiful dancing shoes." In church, everyone looked at her red shoes. At the altar, she thought only of them, forgetting her psalm and prayer.
After church, the old soldier again praised her shoes. Karen could not help but dance a few steps. Once she began, she could not stop. The shoes seemed to have power over her. She danced uncontrollably until the coachman caught her and removed the shoes.
The shoes were placed in a closet, but Karen often looked at them.
The old lady fell sick. While she needed care, Karen was invited to a great ball. She looked at the sick lady, then at the red shoes, put them on, and went to the ball.
At the ball, the shoes controlled her dancing. They danced opposite to her will, leading her out of the city and into a gloomy wood.
There, she saw the old soldier with the red beard, who again said, "Look, what beautiful dancing shoes!"
She was terrified and tried to remove the shoes, but they were stuck fast. She was forced to dance endlessly over fields and meadows, in rain and sunshine, day and night.
She danced over a churchyard and saw an angel at the church door. The angel condemned her: "Dance in thy red shoes till thou art pale and cold! Till thy skin shrivels up and thou art a skeleton!"
The shoes carried her away. One morning, she danced past a house where a funeral was taking place for the old lady. She felt abandoned and condemned.
She danced until she came to the house of the executioner. She begged him to cut off her feet in the red shoes, confessing her sin. He did so, and the shoes danced away with her feet into the wood.
The executioner made her wooden feet and crutches and taught her a psalm. She kissed his hand and left.
Thinking she had suffered enough, Karen tried to go to church, but the red shoes danced before her, frightening her away. After a week of sorrow, she tried again boldly but was again frightened by the shoes at the churchyard gate. She turned back and repented sincerely.
She went to the parsonage and begged for service. The clergyman's wife took her in. Karen was industrious and thoughtful, listening quietly when the Bible was read.
The following Sunday, the family went to church. Karen stayed in her small chamber, reading her Prayer-Book. She prayed, "O God, help me!"
The sun shone clearly, and the angel of God appeared before her, now holding a green spray of roses instead of a sword. He touched the ceiling and walls of her room, which expanded, and she found herself in the church with the congregation. They welcomed her.
"It was through mercy!" she said.
The organ played, children sang, and sunshine filled her heart with peace and joy. Her soul flew to God, and no one asked after the red shoes again.
中文翻译
从前有一个名叫珈伦的小女孩，她非常漂亮但非常贫穷。夏天她赤脚奔跑，冬天她穿着让双脚发红的大木鞋。
村里住着一位老鞋匠。她用旧红布为珈伦缝制了一双笨拙的鞋子。珈伦在母亲下葬那天收到了这双鞋，并第一次穿上它们。
一位坐在马车里的老妇人看到了珈伦，心生怜悯，收养了她。她觉得红鞋很可怕，就把它们烧掉了。珈伦穿上了干净漂亮的衣服，学习读书和缝纫。人们说她很可爱，但她的镜子说她很美丽。
有一次，皇后带着她的公主女儿巡游全国。人们蜂拥前去观看。公主穿着华丽的红色摩洛哥皮鞋。珈伦认为世界上没有什么能比得上红鞋。
当珈伦到了可以受坚信礼的年龄时，她需要新鞋。一位富有的鞋匠在他的店里为珈伦量脚，店里摆满了精致的鞋子。其中有一双红鞋，和公主的一模一样。它们很漂亮，并且非常合珈伦的脚。那位视力不好的老妇人买下了它们，并不知道是红色的。珈伦穿着红鞋去参加了坚信礼。
所有人都看着她的脚。在教堂里，她觉得墓碑上的古老雕像和画像都在盯着她的红鞋。在整个仪式中，她只想着红鞋，忘记了唱诗和祈祷。
老妇人后来得知鞋子是红色的，便责备了珈伦，说她以后去教堂必须只穿黑鞋。
下一个星期日，举行圣餐礼时，珈伦看了看黑鞋，又看了看红鞋，然后穿上了红鞋。
在去教堂的路上，一个拄着拐杖、留着红胡子的老兵称赞她的鞋子是“漂亮的舞鞋”。在教堂里，所有人都看着她的红鞋。在圣坛前，她只想着红鞋，忘记了唱圣诗和祷告。
离开教堂后，那个老兵再次称赞她的鞋子。珈伦忍不住跳了几步舞。她一开始跳，就停不下来了。鞋子似乎控制了她。她无法控制地跳着舞，直到车夫抓住她并脱掉了鞋子。
鞋子被放在橱柜里，但珈伦经常去看它们。
老妇人生病了。在她需要照顾的时候，珈伦被邀请参加一个盛大的舞会。她看了看生病的老妇人，又看了看红鞋，穿上它们去了舞会。
在舞会上，鞋子控制了她的舞蹈。它们违背她的意愿舞动，带着她出了城，进入一片阴森的树林。
在那里，她看到了那个红胡子老兵，他又说：“看，多么漂亮的舞鞋啊！”
她吓坏了，试图脱掉鞋子，但鞋子紧紧粘住了。她被迫在田野和草地上，在雨中和阳光下，日日夜夜不停地跳舞。
她跳过一个教堂墓地，在教堂门口看到了一位天使。天使谴责她：“穿着你的红鞋跳舞吧，直到你脸色苍白、全身冰冷！直到你的皮肤皱缩，变成一架骷髅！”
鞋子带着她离开了。一天早晨，她跳过一个房子，那里正在为老妇人举行葬礼。她感到被所有人抛弃，被上帝谴责。
她一直跳，直到来到刽子手的房子前。她恳求他砍掉她穿着红鞋的双脚，并忏悔了自己的罪过。他照做了，鞋子带着她的脚跳进了树林。
刽子手为她做了木脚和拐杖，并教了她一首圣诗。她吻了他的手，然后离开了。
珈伦认为自己受的苦已经够了，便试图去教堂，但红鞋在她面前跳舞，吓跑了她。经过一周的悲伤后，她再次鼓起勇气尝试，但在教堂墓地门口又被鞋子吓到。她转身回去，真诚地忏悔了。
她去了牧师住所，请求做佣人。牧师的妻子收留了她。珈伦勤劳而体贴，听读《圣经》时安静聆听。
接下来的星期日，全家人都去教堂了。珈伦待在她的小房间里读祈祷书。她祈祷：“上帝啊，帮帮我！”
阳光明媚，上帝的天使出现在她面前，现在他手里拿着的不是剑，而是一根开满玫瑰的绿枝。他触碰了她房间的天花板和墙壁，房间扩大了，她发现自己和会众一起在教堂里。他们欢迎她。
“这是出于仁慈！”她说。
风琴奏响，孩子们歌唱，阳光使她的心中充满和平与喜悦。她的灵魂飞向上帝，再也没有人问起红鞋。