Steeples and roofs lay far， far beneath it， and the people looked as tiny as possible. Then it began to descend much more rapidly than the rabbit had done， made somersaultssomersault n.翻筋斗vi.翻筋斗 in the air， and felt itself quite young and unfetteredunfettered adj.被除去脚镣的，无拘无束的， although it was half full of wine. But this did not last long. What a journey it was！ All the people could see the bottle； for the sun shone upon it. The balloon was already far away， and very soon the bottle was far away also； for it fell upon a roof， and broke in pieces. But the pieces had got such an impetus in them， that they could not stop themselves. They went jumping and rolling about， till at last they fell into the courtyard， and were broken into still smaller pieces； only the neck of the bottle managed to keep whole， and it was broken off as clean as if it had been cut with a diamond.
这时它开始下降，而下降的速度比兔子快得多。瓶子在空中翻了好几个跟头，觉得非常年轻，非常自由自在。它还装着半瓶酒，虽然它再也装不了多久。这真是了不起的旅行！太阳照在瓶子上；许多人在看着它。气球已经飞得很远了，瓶子也落得很远了。它落到一个屋顶上，因此跌碎了。但是碎片产生出一种动力，弄得它们简直静止不下来。它们跳，滚，一直落到院子里，跌成更小的碎片。只有瓶颈算是保持完整，像是用金刚钻锯下来的一样。
“That would make a capital birds glass，” said one of the cellarmen； but none of them had either a bird or a cage， and it was not to be expected they would provide one just because they had found a bottle neck that could be used as a glass. But the old maid who lived in the garret had a bird， and it really might be useful to her； so the bottle neck was provided with a corkcork n.软木塞， 软木， (用塞子)塞住， and taken up to her； and， as it often happens in life， the part that had been uppermost was now turned downwards， and it was filled with fresh water. Then they hung it in the cage of the little bird， who sang and twittered more merrily than ever.
“把它用做鸟儿的水盅倒是非常合适！”住在地下室的一个人说。但是他既没有鸟儿，也没有鸟笼。只是因为有一个可以当作水盅用的瓶颈就去买一只鸟和一个鸟笼来，那未免太不实际了。但是住在顶楼上的那位老小姐可能用得着它。于是瓶颈就被拿到楼上来了，并且还有了一个塞子。原来朝上的那一部分，现在朝下了——当客观情势一变的时候，这类事儿是常有的。它里面盛满了新鲜的水，并且被系在笼子上，面对着小鸟。鸟儿现在正在唱歌，唱得很美。
“Ah， you have good reason to sing，” said the bottle neck， which was looked upon as something very remarkable， because it had been in a balloon； nothing further was known of its history. As it hung there in the birdscage， it could hear the noise and murmur of the people in the street below， as well as the conversation of the old maid in the room within. An old friend had just come to visit her， and they talked， not about the bottle neck， but of the myrtle in the window.
“是的，你倒可以唱歌！”瓶颈说。它的确是了不起，因为它在气球里待过——关于它的历史，大家知道的只有这一点。现在它却是鸟儿的水盅，吊在那儿，听着下边街道上的喧闹声和低语声以及房间里那个老小姐的讲话声：一个老朋友刚才来拜访她，她们聊了一阵天——不是关于瓶颈，而是关于窗子上的那棵桃金娘。
“No， you must not spend a dollar for your daughters bridal bouquetbouquet n.花束，” said the old maid； “you shall have a beautiful little bunch for a nosegay， full of blossoms. Do you see how splendidly the tree has grown？ It has been raised from only a little sprig of myrtle that you gave me on the day after my betrothal， and from which I was to make my own bridal bouquet when a year had passed； but that day never came； the eyes were closed which were to have been my light and joy through life. In the depths of the sea my beloved sleeps sweetly； the myrtle has become an old tree， and I am a still older woman. Before the sprig you gave me faded， I took a sprayspray n.喷雾， 飞沫vt.喷射， 喷溅， and planted it in the earth； and now， as you see， it has become a large tree， and a bunch of the blossoms shall at last appear at a wedding festival， in the bouquet of your daughter.”
“不，花两块大洋为你的女儿买一个结婚的花环，的确没有这个必要！”老小姐说。“我送给你一个开满了花的、美丽的花束吧。你看，这棵树长得多么可爱！是的，它就是一根桃金娘枝子栽大的。这枝子是你在我订婚后的第一天送给我的。那年过去以后，我应当用它为我自己编成一个结婚的花环。但是那个日子永远也没有到来！那双应该是我一生快乐和幸福的眼睛闭上了。他，我亲爱的人，现在睡在海的深处。这棵桃金娘已经成了一棵老树，而我却成了一个更老的人。当它凋零了以后，我摘下它最后的一根绿枝，把它插在土里，现在它长成了一株树。现在你可以用它为你的女儿编成一个结婚的花环，它总算碰上一次婚礼，有些用处！”
There were tears in the eyes of the old maid， as she spoke of the beloved of her youth， and of their betrothal in the wood. Many thoughts came into her mind； but the thought never came， that quite close to her， in that very window， was a remembrance of those olden times，—the neck of the bottle which had， as it were shouted for joy when the cork flew out with a bang on the betrothal day. But the bottle neck did not recognize the old maid； he had not been listening to what she had related， perhaps because he was thinking so much about her.
这位老小姐的眼里含有泪珠。她谈起她年轻时代的恋人，和他们在树林里的订婚。她想起了的事情真多，但是她却从没有想到在她的近旁，在这窗子前面，就有那些时光的一个纪念物：一个瓶颈——这瓶子当它的塞子为了大家的干杯而被拔出来的时候，曾经发出过一声快乐的欢呼。不过瓶颈也没有认出她，因为它没有听她讲话——主要是因为它老在想着自己。
