far out in the sea the water is as blue as the petals of the most beautiful corn-flower, and as clear as the purest glass. but it is very deep, deeper than any cable will sound; many steeples must be placed one above the other to reach from the ground to the surface of the water. and down there live the sea-people.

now, you must not believe there is nothing down there but the naked sand; no,—the strangest trees and plants grow there, so pliable in their stalks and leaves that at the least motion of the water they move just as if they had life. all fishes, great and small, glide among the twigs, just as here the birds do in the trees. in the deepest spot of all lies the sea-king’s castle: the walls are of coral, and the tall, gothic windows of the clearest amber; shells form the roof, and they open and shut according as the water flows. it looks lovely, for in each shell lie gleaming pearls, a single one of which would have great value in a queen’s diadem.

the sea-king below there had been a widower for many years, while his old mother kept house for him. she was a clever woman, but proud of her rank, so she wore twelve oysters on her tail, while the other great people were only allowed to wear six. beyond this she was deserving of great praise, especially because she was very fond of her grand-daughters, the little sea-princesses. these were six pretty children; but the youngest was the most beautiful of all. her skin was as clear and as fine as a rose leaf; her eyes were as blue as the deepest sea; but, like all the rest, she had no feet, for her body ended in a fish-tail.

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作文地带知识拓展:

• 英语（English）属于印欧语系日耳曼语族西日耳曼语支，最早被中世纪的英国使用，并因其广阔的殖民地而成为世界使用面积最广的语言。英国人的祖先盎格鲁部落是后来迁移到大不列颠岛地区的日耳曼部落之一，称为英格兰。这两个名字都来自波罗地海半岛的Anglia。该语言与弗里斯兰语和下撒克森语密切相关，其词汇受到其他日耳曼语族语言的影响，尤其是北欧语（北日耳曼语），并在很大程度上由拉丁文和法文撰写。