{"id":523,"date":"2025-08-26T09:09:04","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T09:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snow-ibis-471361.hostingersite.com\/?p=523"},"modified":"2025-09-13T20:41:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T20:41:26","slug":"%e4%b8%91%e5%b0%8f%e9%b8%ad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/en\/%e4%b8%91%e5%b0%8f%e9%b8%ad\/","title":{"rendered":"Ugly Duckling"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/TheUglyDuckling1-2-3mp3.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The country was very lovely just then\u2014it was summer. The wheat was golden and the oats still green. The hay was stacked in the rich low meadows\uff0cwhere the stork marched about on his long red legs\uff0cchattering in Egyptian\uff0cthe language his mother had taught him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Round about field and meadow lay great woods\uff0cin the midst of which were deep lakes. Yes\uff0cthe country certainly was lovely. In the sunniest spot stood an old mansion surrounded by a deep moat\uff0cand great dock leaves grew from the walls of the house right down to the water's edge. Some of them were so tall that a small child could stand upright under them. In among the leaves it was as secluded as in the depths of a forest\uff0cand there a duck was sitting on her nest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u56fe2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2755\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Her little ducklings were just about to be hatched\uff0cbut she was quite tired of sitting\uff0cfor it had lasted such a long time. Moreover\uff0cshe had very few visitors\uff0cas the other ducks liked swimming about in the moat better than waddling up to sit under the dock leaves and gossip with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At last one egg after another began to crack.\u201cCheep\uff0ccheep\uff01\u201dthey said. All the chicks had come to life and were poking their heads out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cQuack\uff0cquack\uff01\u201dsaid the duck\uff0cand then they all quacked their hardest and looked about them on all sides among the green leaves. Their mother allowed them to look as much as they liked\uff0cfor green is good for the eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow big the world is\uff0cto be sure\uff01\u201dsaid all the young ones. They certainly now had ever so much more room to move about than when they were inside their eggshells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDo you imagine this is the whole world\uff1f\u201dsaid the mother.\u201cIt stretches a long way on the other side of the garden\uff0cright into the parson's field\uff0cthough I have never been as far as that. I suppose you are all here now\uff1f\u201dShe got up and looked about.\u201cNo\uff0cI declare I have not got you all yet\uff01The biggest egg is still there. How long is this going to take\uff1f\u201dshe said\uff0cand settled herself on the nest again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWell\uff0chow are you getting on\uff1f\u201dsaid an old duck who had come to pay her a visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis one egg is taking such a long time\uff01\u201danswered the sitting duck. \u201cThe shell will not crack. But now you must look at the others. They are the finest ducklings I have ever seen. They are all exactly like their father\uff0cthe rascal\uff01\u2014yet he never comes to see me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLet me look at the egg which won't crack\uff0c\u201dsaid the old duck.\u201cYou may be sure that it is a turkey's egg\uff01I was cheated like that once and I had no end of trouble and worry with the creatures\uff0cfor I may tell you that they are afraid of the water. I simply could not get them into it. I quacked and snapped at them\uff0cbut it all did no good. Let me see the egg\uff01Yes\uff0cit is a turkey's egg. You just leave it alone\uff0cand teach the other children to swim.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI will sit on it a little longer. I have sat so long already that I may as well go on till the Midsummer Fair comes round.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPlease yourself\uff0c\u201dsaid the old duck\uff0cand away she went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At last the big egg cracked.\u201cCheep\uff0ccheep\uff01\u201dsaid the young one and tumbled out. How big and ugly he was\uff01The duck looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u56fe3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2756\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat is a monstrous big duckling\uff0c\u201dshe said.\u201cNone of the others looked like that. Can he be a turkey chick\uff1fWell\uff0cwe shall soon find that out. Into the water he shall go\uff0cif I have to kick him in myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next day was gloriously fine\uff0cand the sun shone on all the green dock leaves. The mother duck with her whole family went down to the moat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Splash\uff01into the water she sprang.\u201cQuack\uff0cquack\uff0c\u201dshe said\uff0cand one duckling after another plumped in. The water dashed over their heads\uff0cbut they came up again and floated beautifully. Their legs went of themselves\uff0cand they were all there. Even the big ugly gray one swam about with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo\uff0cthat is no turkey\uff0c\u201dshe said. \u201cSee how beautifully he uses his legs and how erect he holds himself. He is my own chick\uff0cafter all\uff0cand not bad looking when you come to look at him properly. Quack\uff0cquack\uff01Now come with me and I will take you out into the world and introduce you to the duckyard. But keep close to me all the time so that no one may tread upon you. And beware of the cat\uff01\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then they went into the duckyard. There was a fearful uproar going on\uff0cfor two broods were fighting for the head of an eel\uff0cand in the end the cat captured it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat's how things go in this world\uff0c\u201dsaid the mother duck. She licked her bill\uff0cbecause she wanted the eel's head herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow use your legs\uff0c\u201dsaid she. \u201cMind you quack properly\uff0cand bend your necks to the old duck over there. She is the grandest of us all. She has Spanish blood in her veins and that accounts for her size. And do you see\uff1fShe has a red rag round her leg. That is a wonderfully fine thing\uff0cand the most extraordinary mark of distinction any duck can have. Itshows clearly that she is not to be parted with\uff0cand that she is worthy of recognition both by beasts and men\uff01Quack\uff0cnow\uff01Don't turn your toes in\uff01A well-brought-up duckling keeps his legs wide apart just like father and mother. That's it. Now bend your necks and say quack\uff01\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They did as they were bid\uff0cbut the other ducks round about looked at them and said\uff0cquite loud\uff0c\u201cJust look there\uff01Now we are to have that tribe\uff0cjust as if there were not enough of us already. And\uff0coh dear\uff0chow ugly that duckling is\uff01We won't stand him.\u201dAnd a duck flew at him at once and bit him in the neck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLet him be\uff0c\u201dsaid the mother.\u201cHe is doing no harm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cVery likely not\uff0c\u201dsaid the biter.\u201cBut he is so ungainly and queer that he must be whacked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThose are handsome children mother has\uff0c\u201dsaid the old duck with the rag round her leg.\u201cThey are all good looking except this one. He is not a good specimen. It's a pity you can't make him over again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u56fe4-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2757\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat can't be done\uff0cyour grace\uff0c\u201dsaid the mother duck.\u201cHe is not handsome\uff0cbut he is a thoroughly good creature\uff0cand he swims as beautifully as any of the others. I think I might venture even to add that I think he will improve as he goes on\uff0cor perhaps in time he may grow smaller. He was too long in the egg\uff0cand so he has not come out with a very good figure.\u201dAnd then she patted his neck and stroked him down.\u201cBesides\uff0che is a drake\uff0c\u201dsaid she. \u201cSo it does not matter so much. I believe he will be very strong\uff0cand I don't doubt but he will make his way in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe other ducklings are very pretty\uff0c\u201dsaid the old duck.\u201cNow make yourselves quite at home\uff0cand if you find the head of an eel you may bring it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After that they felt quite at home. But the poor duckling which had been the last to come out of the shell\uff0cand who was so ugly\uff0cwas bitten\uff0cpushed about\uff0cand made fun of by both the ducks and the hens.\u201cHe is too big\uff0c\u201dthey all said. And the turkey cock\uff0cwho was born with his spurs on and therefore thought himself quite an emperor\uff0cpuffed himself up like a vessel in full sail\uff0cmade for him\uff0cand gobbled and gobbled till he became quite red in the face. The poor duckling was at his wit's end\uff0cand did not know which way to turn. He was in despair because he was so ugly and the butt of the whole duckyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the first day passed\uff0cand afterwards matters grew worse and worse. The poor duckling was chased and hustled by all of them. Even his brothers and sisters illused him. They were always saying\uff0c\u201cIf only the cat would get hold of you\uff0cyou hideous object\uff01\u201dEven his mother said\uff0c\u201cI wish to goodness you were miles away.\u201dThe ducks bit him\uff0cthe hens pecked him\uff0cand the girl who fed them kicked him aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then he ran off and flew right over the hedge\uff0cwhere the little birds flew up into the air in a fright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat is because I am so ugly\uff0c\u201dthought the poor duckling\uff0cshutting his eyes\uff0cbut he ran on all the same. Then he came to a great marsh where the wild ducks lived. He was so tired and miserable that he stayed there the whole night. In the morning the wild ducks flew up to inspect their new comrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u4e11\u5c0f\u9e2d5-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2754\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat sort of a creature are you\uff1f\u201dthey inquired\uff0cas the duckling turned from side to side and greeted them as well as he could.\u201cYou are frightfully ugly\uff0c\u201dsaid the wild ducks\uff0c\u201cbut that does not matter to us\uff0cso long as you do not marry into our family.\u201dPoor fellow\uff01He had not thought of marriage. All he wanted was permission to lie among the rushes and to drink a little of the marsh water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He stayed there two whole days. Then two wild geese came\uff0cor rather two wild ganders. They were not long out of the shell and therefore rather pert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI say\uff0ccomrade\uff0c\u201dthey said\uff0c\u201cyou are so ugly that we have taken quite a fancy to you\uff01Will you join us and be a bird of passage\uff1fThere is another marsh close by\uff0cand there are some charming wild geese there. All are sweet young ladies who can say quack\uff01You are ugly enough to make your fortune among them.\u201dJust at that moment\uff0cbang\uff01bang\uff01was heard up above\uff0cand both the wild geese fell dead among the reeds\uff0cand the water turned blood red. Bang\uff01bang\uff01went the guns\uff0cand whole flocks of wild geese flew up from the rushes and the shots peppered among them again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was a grand shooting party\uff0cand the sportsmen lay hidden round the marsh. Some even sat on the branches of the trees which overhung the water. The blue smoke rose like clouds among the dark trees and swept over the pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The retrieving dogs wandered about in the swamp\u2014splash\uff01splash\uff01The rushes and reeds bent beneath their tread on all sides. It was terribly alarming to the poor duckling. He twisted his head round to get it under his wing\uff0cand just at that moment a frightful big dog appeared close beside him. His tongue hung right out of his mouth and his eyes glared wickedly. He opened his great chasm of a mouth close to the duckling\uff0cshowed his sharp teeth\uff0cand\u2014splash\uff01\u2014went on without touching him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh\uff0cthank Heaven\uff01\u201dsighed the duckling. \u201cI am so ugly that even the dog won't bite me\uff01\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then he lay quite still while the shots whistled among the bushes\uff0cand bang after bang rent the air. Late in the day the noise ceased\uff0cbut even then the poor duckling did not dare to get up. He waited several hours more before he looked about\uff0cand then he hurried away from the marsh as fast as he could. He ran across fields and meadows\uff0cand there was such a wind that he had hard work to make his way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Towards night he reached a poor little cottage. It was such a miserable hovel that it remained standing only because it could not make up its mind which way to fall. The wind whistled so fiercely round the duckling that he had to sit on his tail to resist it\uff0cand it blew harder and ever harder. Then he saw that the door had fallen off one hinge and hung so crookedly that he could creep into the house through the crack\uff0cand by this means he made his way into the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An old woman lived here with her cat and her hen. The cat\uff0cwhom she called \u201cSonnie\uff0c\u201dcould arch his back\uff0cpurr\uff0cand even give off sparks\uff0cthough for that you had to stroke his fur the wrong way. The hen had quite tiny short legs\uff0cand so she was called\u201cChickie-low-legs. \u201dShe laid good eggs\uff0cand the old woman was as fond of her as if she had been her own child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the morning the strange duckling was discovered immediately\uff0cand the cat began to purr and the hen to cluck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat on earth is that\uff1f\u201dsaid the old woman\uff0clooking round\uff0cbut her sight was not good and she thought the duckling was a fat duck which had escaped. \u201cThis is a wonderful find\uff01\u201dsaid she. \u201cNow I shall have duck's eggs\u2014if only it is not a drake. We must wait and see about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So she took the duckling on trial for three weeks\uff0cbut no eggs made their appearance. The cat was master of this house and the hen its mistress. They always said\u201cWe and the world\uff0c\u201dfor they thought that they represented the half of the world\uff0cand that quite the better half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The duckling thought there might be two opinions on the subject\uff0cbut the cat would not hear of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCan you lay eggs\uff1f\u201dshe asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHave the goodness to hold your tongue then\uff01\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the cat said\uff0c\u201cCan you arch your back\uff0cpurr\uff0cor give off sparks\uff1f\u201d\n\"No\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThen you had better keep your opinions to yourself when people of sense are speaking\uff01\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The duckling sat in the corner nursing his ill humor. Then he began to think of the fresh air and the sunshine\uff0cand an uncontrollable longing seized him to float on the water. At last he could not help telling the hen about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u56fe\u72476-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2758\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat on earth possesses you\uff1f\u201dshe asked. \u201cYou have nothing to do. That is why you get these freaks into your head. Lay some eggs or take to purring\uff0cand you will get over it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut it is so delicious to float on the water\uff0c\u201dsaid the duckling. \u201cIt is so delicious to feel it rushing over your head when you dive to the bottom.\u201d\n\u201cThat would be a fine amusement\uff01\u201dsaid the hen.\u201cI think you have gone mad. Ask the cat about it. He is the wisest creature I know. Ask him if he is fond of floating on the water or diving under it. I say nothing about myself. Ask our mistress herself\uff0cthe old woman. There is no one in the world cleverer than she is. Do you suppose she has any desire to float on the water or to duck underneath it\uff1f\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou do not understand me\uff0c\u201dsaid the duckling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWell\uff0cif we don't understand you\uff0cwho should\uff1fI suppose you don't consider yourself cleverer than the cat or the old woman\uff0cnot to mention me\uff01Don't make a fool of yourself\uff0cchild\uff0cand thank your stars for all the good we have done you. Have you not lived in this warm room\uff0cand in such society that you might have learned something\uff1fBut you are an idiot\uff0cand there is no pleasure in associating with you. You may believe me\uff1aI mean you well. I tell you home truths\uff0cand there is no surer way than that of knowing who are one's friends. You just set about laying some eggs\uff0cor learn to purr\uff0cor to emit sparks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think I will go out into the wide world\uff0c\u201dsaid the duckling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh\uff0cdo so by all means\uff0c\u201dsaid the hen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So away went the duckling. He floated on the water and ducked underneath it\uff0cbut he was looked askance at and slighted by every living creature for his ugliness. Now the autumn came on. The leaves in the woods turned yellow and brown. The wind took hold of them\uff0cand they danced about. The sky looked very cold and the clouds hung heavy with snow and hail. A raven stood on the fence and croaked\uff0c\u201cCaw\uff0ccaw\uff01\u201dfrom sheer cold. It made one shiver only to think of it. The poor duckling certainly was in a bad case\uff01<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One evening\uff0cthe sun was just setting in wintry splendor when a flock of beautiful large birds appeared out of the bushes. The duckling had never seen anything so beautiful. They were dazzlingly white with long waving necks. They were swans\uff0cand uttering a peculiar cry they spread out their magnificent broad wings and flew away from the cold regions to warmer lands and open seas. They mounted so high\uff0cso very high\uff0cand the ugly little duckling became strangely uneasy. He circled round and round in the water like a wheel\uff0ccraning his neck up into the air after them. Then he uttered a shriek so piercing and so strange that he was quite frightened by it himself. Oh\uff0che could not forget those beautiful birds\uff0cthose happy birds. And as soon as they were out of sight he ducked right down to the bottom\uff0cand when he came up again he was quite beside himself. He did not know what the birds were\uff0cor whither they flew\uff0cbut all the same he was more drawn towards them than he had ever been by any creatures before. He did not envy them in the least. How could it occur to him even to wish to be such a marvel of beauty\uff1fHe would have been thankful if only the ducks would have tolerated him among them\u2014the poor ugly creature.\nThe winter was so bitterly cold that the duckling was obliged to swim about in the water to keep it from freezing over\uff0cbut every night the hole in which he swam got smaller and smaller. Then it froze so hard that the surface ice cracked\uff0cand the duckling had to use his legs all the time so that the ice should not freeze around him. At last he was so weary that he could move no more\uff0cand he was frozen fast into the ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u56fe\u72477-1-683x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2753\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Early in the morning a peasant came along and saw him. He went out onto the ice and hammered a hole in it with his heavy wooden shoe\uff0cand carried the duckling home to his wife. There he soon revived. The children wanted to play with him\uff0cbut the duckling thought they were going to ill-use him\uff0cand rushed in his fright into the milk pan\uff0cand the milk spurted out all over the room. The woman shrieked andthrew up her hands. Then he flew into the butter cask\uff0cand down into the meal tub and out again. Just imagine what he looked like by this time\uff01The woman screamed and tried to hit him with the fire tongs. The children tumbled over one another in trying to catch him\uff0cand they screamed with laughter. By good luck the door stood open\uff0cand the duckling flew out among the bushes and the newly fallen snow. And he lay there thoroughly exhausted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it would be too sad to mention all the privation and misery he had to go through during the hard winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u56fe-8-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2759\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When the sun began to shine warmly again\uff0cthe duckling was in the marsh\uff0clying among the rushes. The larks were singing and the beautiful spring had come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then all at once he raised his wings and they flapped with much greater strength than before and bore him off vigorously. Before he knew where he was\uff0che found himself in a large garden where the apple trees were in full blossom and the air was scented with lilacs\uff0clong branches of which overhung the indented shores of the lake. Oh\uff0cthe spring freshness was delicious\uff01<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just in front of him he saw three beautiful white swans advancing towards him from a thicket. With rustling feathers they swam lightly over the water. The duckling recognized the majestic birds\uff0cand he was overcome by a strange melancholy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI will fly to them\uff0cthe royal birds\uff0cand they will hack me to pieces because I\uff0cwho am so ugly\uff0cventure to approach them. But it won't matter\uff01Better be killed by them than be snapped at by the ducks\uff0cpecked by the hens\uff0cspurned by the henwife\uff0cor suffer so much misery in the winter. \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So he flew into the water and swam towards the stately swans. They saw him and darted towards him with rufflted feathers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cKill me\uff01\u201dsaid the poor creature\uff0cand he bowed his head towards the water and awaited his death. But what did he see reflected in the transparent water\uff1f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He saw below him his own image\uff0cbut he was no longer a clumsy dark gray bird\uff0cugly and ungainly. He was himself a swan\uff01It does not matter in the least having been born in a duckyard\uff0cif only you come out of a swan's egg\uff01<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He felt quite glad of all the misery and tribulation he had gone through\uff0cfor he was the better able to appreciate his good fortune now and all the beauty which greeted him. The big swans swam round and round him and stroked him with their bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some little children came into the garden with corn and pieces of bread which they threw into the water\uff0cand the smallest one cried out\uff0c\u201cThere is a new one\uff01\u201dThe other children shouted with joy\uff0c\u201cYes\uff0ca new one has come. \u201dAnd they clapped their hands and danced about\uff0crunning after their father and mother. They threw the bread into the water\uff0cand one and all said\uff0c\u201cThe new one is the prettiest of them all. He is so young and handsome. \u201dAnd the old swans bent their heads and did homage before him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u56fe-9-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2760\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>He felt quite shy\uff0cand hid his head under his wing. He did not know what to think. He was very happy\uff0cbut not at all proud\uff0cfor a good heart never becomes proud. He thought of how he had been pursued and scorned\uff0cand now he heard them all say that he was the most beautiful of all beautiful birds. The lilacs bent their boughs right down into the water before him\uff0cand the bright sun was warm and cheering. He rustled his feathers and raised his slender neck aloft\uff0csaying with exultation in his heart\uff0c\u201cI never dreamt of so much happiness when I was the Ugly Duckling\uff01\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u56fe\u724710-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2761\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Allegorical Summary<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>True beauty comes from perseverance and growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ugly Duckling tells the story of a little duck who, because of his awkward appearance, was mocked, rejected, and left in loneliness. Yet he never gave up on life. Through storms and hardships, he endured until one day he transformed into a graceful white swan, earning admiration and respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Real beauty lies in one\u2019s hidden potential and the journey of becoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hardship and solitude are often the necessary paths to growth; only by enduring trials can true transformation take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Self-acceptance and resilience matter more than the judgment of others. Everyone carries a unique value and future waiting to unfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ugly duckling grew through loneliness, ridicule, and rejection, and in the end, became a swan. This was not only a turning point in his life, but also a tribute to courage and faith. In our own journeys, every struggle and every act of perseverance is the seed of future brilliance.\nThe Ugly Duckling is not merely a children\u2019s tale\u2014it is a timeless symbol: a reminder to hold fast to belief in oneself, never to dismiss one\u2019s own worth, for true radiance will always emerge when the time is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>\u2728 EverBook \u2014 where stories become mirrors, guiding you to the strength within.<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u6b63\u662f\u590f\u5929\uff0c\u4e61\u6751\u7684\u98ce\u5149\u771f\u662f\u7f8e\u4e3d\u6781\u4e86\u3002\u9ea6\u7a57\u91d1\u9ec4\uff0c\u800c\u71d5\u9ea6\u8fd8\u662f\u78a7\u7eff\u78a7\u7eff\u7684\u3002\u5e72\u8349\u5806\u5728\u8302\u5bc6\u7684\u7267\u573a\u4e0a\uff0c\u9e73\u79fb\u52a8\u7740\u4e24\u53ea\u7ea2\u8272\u7684\u957f\u817f [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-29"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2990,"href":"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523\/revisions\/2990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ever-book.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}