It was summer in the country. In a quiet nest beside the water, a mother duck waited while her eggs began to open.
那是乡村里的夏天。水边一个安静的巢里，鸭妈妈等待着她的蛋一枚枚裂开。
One egg was larger than all the others. When it finally broke, a grey young bird came out. He did not look like his yellow brothers and sisters.
有一枚蛋比其他的都大。它终于破开时，里面出来一只灰色的小鸟。他看起来和黄色的兄弟姐妹完全不同。
The other animals laughed at him. “You are too big and too strange,” they said. The little bird felt lonely, so he left the farm and travelled through the cold autumn.
其他动物嘲笑他：“你太大，也太奇怪了。”小鸟感到孤单，于是离开农场，穿过寒冷的秋天。
Winter came, and the water turned to ice. The young bird hid among reeds and tried to stay warm. In spring he saw three beautiful white birds flying above the lake.
冬天来了，水面结成冰。小鸟躲在芦苇里，努力保持温暖。春天，他看见三只美丽的白鸟从湖面上飞过。
He went close to the water and looked at his reflection. He was no longer a grey duckling. He had grown into a swan, and the other swans welcomed him home.
他走近水边，看见自己的倒影。他已经不是一只灰色的小鸭子，而是长成了一只天鹅，其他天鹅欢迎他回家。