今天starry来讲第五个故事The Remarkable Rocket.这个故事读完也让人觉得有点闷闷的，应该能从中读到不少的东西吧。
下面来讲故事。

国王的儿子要结婚了，新娘是一位来自俄国的美丽公主。当她坐着像天鹅一样的雪橇来到城堡，全城的人们都被这朵美丽的白玫瑰惊艳。公主与王子举行了盛大的婚礼庆典，举国上下一片欢腾。

舞会后是盛大的焰火表演，因为新娘从来没有看过焰火，所以这次表演就显得尤为重要。是夜，在存放烟花的仓库里，发生了这样的对话。

131'

`The world is certainly very beautiful，' cried a little Squib. `Just look at those yellow tulips. Why！ if they were real crackers they could not be lovelier. I am very glad I have travelled. Travel improves the mind wonderfully， and does away with all one's prejudices.'

`The King's garden is not the world， you foolish squib，' said a big Roman Candle； `the world is an enormous place， and it would take you three days to see it thoroughly.'

`Any place you love is the world to you，' exclaimed a pensive Catharine Wheel， who had been attached to an old deal box in early life， and prided herself on her broken heart； `but love is not fashionable any more， the poets have killed it.'
They wrote so much about it that nobody believed them， and I am not surprised. True love suffers， and is silent. I remember myself once - But it is no matter now. Romance is a thing of the past.

`Nonsense！ said the Roman Candle， `Romance never dies. It is like the moon， and lives for ever. The bride and bridegroom， for instance， love each other very dearly. I heard all about them this morning from a brown-paper cartridge， who happened to be staying in the same drawer as myself and knew the latest Court news.'

But the Catharine Wheel shook her head. `Romance is dead， Romance is dead， Romance is dead，' she murmured. She was one of those people who think that， if you say the same thing over and over a great many times， it becomes true in the end.

之后，在一片叽喳碎语中，我们的主角——那位了不起的火箭先生出场了。

141'

Suddenly， a sharp， dry cough was heard， and they all looked round.

It came from a tall， supercilious-looking Rocket， who was tied to the end of a long stick. He always coughed before he made any observation， so as to attract attention.

`Ahem！ ahem！' he said， `How fortunate it is for the King's son，' he remarked， `that he is to be married on the very day on which I am to be let off. Really， if it had been arranged beforehand， it could not have turned out better for him； but Princes are always lucky.'

`Dear me！ said the little Squib， `I thought it was quite the other way， and that we were to be let off in the Prince's honour.'

`It may be so with you，' he answered； `indeed， I have no doubt that it is， but with me it is different. I am a very remarkable Rocket， and come of remarkable parents. My mother was the most celebrated Catharine Wheel of her day， and was renowned for her graceful dancing. When she made her great public appearance she spun round nineteen times before she went out， and each time that she did so she threw into the air seven pink stars. She was three feet and a half in diameter， and made of the very best gunpowder. My father was a Rocket like myself， and of French extraction. He flew so high that the people were afraid that he would never come down again. He did， though， for he was of a kindly disposition， and he made a most brilliant descent in a shower of golden rain. The newspapers wrote about his performance in very flattering terms. Indeed， the Court Gazette called him a triumph of Pylotechnic art.'
多么骄傲的火箭啊，连国王的儿子都应该为自己的婚礼恰好和这枚火箭发射在同一天而感到庆幸。

然后发生了什么呢，在一群礼弹唧唧喳喳地讨论的时候，这枚非凡的火箭幻想了这样的一个故事∶“噢，或许王子和公主会到有条深深河流的乡村去住；或许他们只有一个儿子，那
个小男孩会和王子一样有一头金发和紫色眼晴；或许有一天小男孩会跟保姆一起出去散步；或许保姆会在一株古老的大树下睡觉；或许小男孩会掉进深深的流水中淹死了。多么可怕的灾难啊！可怜的人儿，失去了他们唯一的儿子！这真是太可怕了！我永远也忘不了。”

显然，这是一个并没有发生的故事，一切只是这颗火箭炮的臆想罢了，但我们多愁善感的火箭呵，被自己的故事感动，不顾他人劝阻地哭了起来。小炮仗和各种礼花们吓坏了，哪有敢流泪的烟火啊，把火药打湿了可不是闹着玩的事情。然而如果这枚火箭听了劝告，他就不会是“了不起的火箭”了。于是——

169'

It was certainly a magnificent display.

Whizz！ Whizz！ went the Catharine Wheel， as she spun round and round. Boom！ Boom！ went the Roman Candle. Then the Squibs danced all over the place， and the Bengal Lights made everything look scarlet. `Good-bye，' cried the Fire-balloon， as he soared away dropping tiny blue sparks. Bang！ Bang！ answered the Crackers， who were enjoying themselves immensely. Every one was a great success except the Remarkable Rocket. He was so damp with crying that he could not go off at all. The best thing in him was the gunpowder， and that was so wet with tears that it was of no use. All his poor relations， to whom he would never speak， except with a sneer， shot up into the sky like wonderful golden flowers with blossoms of fire. Huzza！ Huzza！ cried the Court； and the little Princess laughed with pleasure.

`I suppose they are reserving me for some grand occasion，' said the Rocket； `no doubt that is what it means，' and he looked more supercilious than ever.

The next day the workmen came to put everything tidy. `This is evidently a deputation，' said the Rocket； `I will receive them with becoming dignity：' so he put his nose in the air， and began to frown severely as if he were thinking about some very important subject. But they took no notice of him at all till they were just going away. Then one of them caught sight of him. `Hallo！' he cried， `what a bad rocket！' and he threw him over the wall into the ditch.

`BAD Rocket？ BAD Rocket？' he said as he whirled through the air； `impossible！ GRAND Rocket， that is what the man said. BAD and GRAND sound very much the same， indeed they often are the same；' and he fell into the mud.

了不起的火箭躺在泥坑里和喜欢谈话又讨厌争吵的青蛙、田地里的蜻蜓以及看重劳动不重身份的鸭子聊了聊天，厌恶了一番他们的情感价值。不过他多数的时间还是只能孤芳自赏，顾影自怜。

一天来了两个顽皮的男孩，他们把火箭从阴沟里捞出来，把它当成是一根旧木棍扔到柴火堆中帮忙烧水。

172'

So they piled the faggots together， and put the Rocket on top， and lit the fire.

`This is magnificent，' cried the Rocket， `they are going to let me off in broad daylight， so that every one can see me.'
`We will go to sleep now，' they said， `and when we wake up the kettle will be boiled；' and they lay down on the grass， and shut their eyes.

The Rocket was very damp， so he took a long time to burn. At last， however， the fire caught him.

`Now I am going off！' he cried， and he made himself very stiff and straight. `I know I shall go much higher than the stars， much higher than the moon， much higher than the sun. In fact， I shall go so high that——'

Fizz！ Fizz！ Fizz！ and he went straight up into the air.

`Delightful！ he cried， `I shall go on like this for ever. What a success I am！'

But nobody saw him.

Then he began to feel a curious tingling sensation all over him.
`Now I am going to explode，' he cried. `I shall set the whole world on fire， and make such a noise， that nobody will talk about anything else for a whole year.' And he certainly did explode. Bang！ Bang！ Bang！ went the gunpowder. There was no doubt about it.

But nobody heard him， not even the two little boys， for they were sound asleep.
Then all that was left of him was the stick， and this fell down on the back of a Goose who was taking a walk by the side of the ditch.

`Good heavens！' cried the Goose. `It is going to rain sticks；' and he rushed into the water.

`I knew I should create a great sensation，' gasped the Rocket， and he went out.

(因为这一段相当于故事的结尾，比较重要，所以我附上这一段的译文，方便更多人阅读)
于是他俩把柴火堆在一起，把火箭放在最上面，并点燃了火。
　　
“这下可太棒了，”火箭大声叫道，“他们要在大白天里把我给燃放了，这样人人都会看
见我了。”
　　
“我们现在去睡觉吧，”他俩说，“睡醒时水壶的水就会烧开了。”说完他们便在草地上
躺下身，闭上了眼睛。
　　
火箭浑身都湿透了，所以花了好长时间才把他烤干。不过，到最后火苗还是把他点燃了。
　　
“现在我就要升空了！”他大叫起来，同时把身体挺得笔直笔直的。“我知道我要飞得比
星星更高，比月亮更高，比太阳更高。其实，我会飞得高到——”
　　
嘶嘶！嘶嘶！嘶嘶！他垂直朝天空中飞去。

“太棒了！”他叫了起来，“我要这样一直飞下去，我是多么的成功啊！”
　　
不过，没有人看见他。
　　
这时他开始感到有一股奇怪的刺痛袭遍全身。
　　
“现在我就要爆炸了，”他大声喊道，“我要点燃整个世界，我要声威大震，让所有的人
在这一年里都不再谈论别的事情。”的确他真的爆炸了。呼！呼：呼！火药爆炸了。这是千真万确的。
　　
可是没有人听见他，就连那两个小孩也没有听见，因为他俩睡得可熟了。
　　
接着他所剩下的只有木棍了，木棍掉下去，正好落在一只在阴沟边散步的鹅的背上。
　　
“天呀！”鹅叫了起来，“怎么下起棍子来了。”说完就跳进河里去了。
　　
“我知道我会创造奇迹的，”火箭喘息着说，然后他就熄灭了。

这就是故事的结局，不可一世的火箭终于寂寞地绽放，没有人，即使是把它点燃的人，没有人欣赏他的美丽。他当然美，他的骄傲当然有资本，但是恰恰是他的自我毁了他。本来他可以在皇室的宴会上艳压群芳，为人们津津乐道，如果他没有任性地因为毫无意义的事掉眼泪的话。了不起没错，不对的在于认为自己了不起。过于自负，就会恃才放旷，最终可能毁了自己的才能。

不过，即使被打湿错过了庆典，他到最终还是绽放了美丽，虽然不会如他所愿被人铭记，但那些都是身后的浮名，于火箭自己来讲，他展现了最棒的一部分换回了自己的心满意足，应该就够了。从这个意义上讲，才能是永远不会被泯灭的，即使杨意不逢，又何必扶凌云而自惜呢？
By Starry
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到目前，王尔德的第一本童话集THE HAPPY PRINCE AND OTHER TALES(快乐王子及其他)就讲完了，之后我会讲他的第二个童话集A HOUSE OF POMEGRANATES(石榴屋)中的故事，敬请期待。

很抱歉这一篇拖了这么久，后面的故事会长一些，可能讲的速度也不会太快，希望大家谅解⊙ω⊙