It was late on bitterly cold, snowy New Year"s Eve. A poor little girl was wandering i the dark, cold streets.She was bare-headed and bare-footed. She certainly had had slippers on when she left home, but they were not much good,for they were so huge and had last been worn by her mother. And they fell off the poor little girl"s feet when she was runing across the street to avoid two carriages that were rolling rapidly by. One of the shoes could not be found at all.And the other was pickde up by a boy who ran off with it, saying that it would do for a cradle when he had children of his own.
　　So the poor little girl had to go on with her little bare feet which were red and blue with the cold. She carried a quantity of matches in her old apron, and held a packet of them in her matches during all the long day. Nobody had even given her a copper.The poor little creature was hungry and perishing with cold and she looked the picture of misery.She found a corner where one house projected a little beyound the next one,and here, she crouched. drawing up her feet under her.But she was colder than ever.
　　Her little bands were almost dead with cold. One little match would do some good. Dare she pull one out of the bundle and strike it on the wall to warm her fingers? She pulled one out.rishhh…How it splattered,how it blazed.It burnt with a bright clear flame just like a candle when she held her hand on it. It was a very curious candle,too.The little girl fancied that she was sitting in front of a big stove with polished brass feet and handles. There was a splendid fire blazing in it and warming her so beautifuly.But what happened? Just as she was stretching out her feet to warm them,the blaze went out.
　　The stove vanished and she was left sitting with the end of a burnt-out match in her hand.Again she lit another.This time she was sitting under a lovely Christmas tree. It was much bigger and more beautifully decorated than the one she had seen when she peeped through the glass doors at the rich merchant"s house this very last Christmas. Thousands of lighted candles gleamed upon its branches and colored pictures such as she had seen in the shop windows looked down to her. The little girl stretched out both her hands towards them, and out went the match. (来源：英语学习门户网站EnglishCN.com)
　　All the Christmas candles rose higher and higher till she saw that they were only the twinkling stars.One of them fell, and made a bright streak of light across the sky.
　　Someone is dying,"thought the little girl.For her own grandmother, the only person who had ever been kind to her, used to say,"When a star falls, a soul is going up ot God."
　　Now she struck another match against the wall and this time it was her grandmother who appeared in the circle of flame. She saw her quite clearly and distinctly, looking so gentle and happy."Grandmother!"cried the little creature."Oh, do take me with you.I know you wil vanish when the match goes out. You will vanish like the warm stove, the delicious goose and the beautiful Christmas tree."
　　She hastily struck a whole bundle of matches because she did so long to keep her grandmother with her. The light of the matches made it as bright as day. Grandmother had never before looked so big or so beautiful.She lifted the little girl up in her arms, and they soared in a halo of light and joy, far, far above the earth where there was no more cold, no hunger, no pain.For they were with God.
 
参考译文：
卖火柴的小女孩
安徒生
　　这是一个寒冷的除夕之夜，天正下着雪。已经很晚了，一个衣衫褴褛的小女孩独自漫无目的地走在冷清黑暗的街道上。她赤着脚， 头上什么也没戴。离开家时，她的确穿关双拖鞋。可这双鞋一点用也没有。因为它们太大了，本来是妈妈穿的。在横穿马路时，为了躲开两辆马车，小女孩把鞋给跑丢了。一只鞋怎么也找不着。另一只被一个小男孩捡到。他拿着鞋一边跑，一边说这只鞋可以给他将来的孩子们做摇篮。
　　因此，可怜的小女孩只好赤着脚走路。脚冻得青一块，紫一块。在她破旧的围裙里，兜着许多火柴，没有人给过她一个铜板。可怜的小人饥寒交迫，看起来很凄惨。在一个屋顶伸出来的角落里，小女孩缩着脚价值 了下来，可是比原先更冷了。
　　小女孩的手几乎冻僵了，一根小小的火柴的也会带来点温暖。她敢不敢从中抽出一根，就着墙控着来暖和一下手指呢？她终于缺陷出了一根。哧……火花四溅，多么明亮啊！小女孩用手围拢着火柴。明亮的火焰犹如蜡烛。小女孩幻想着自己正坐在一个大火炉前。火炉的支脚和把手闪闪发亮，里面的炉火熊熊燃烧。多么温暖，多么美妙。可是怎么了？正当小女伸出脚来取暖时，火灭了。
　　火炉消失了， 只留下小女孩坐在地上，手里拿着快烧完的火柴梗。她又点烧了一根火柴。这次她坐在一株可爱的对诞树下这棵树比她去年圣诞透过富商家的玻璃门年垤的那棵还要大，装饰得还要美，盛行中上万的蜡烛照亮着树枝。一幅幅彩图，就像她曾在橱窗里看到的一样，俯视着她。小女孩伸出双手，火柴又熄灭了。
　　所有的圣诞蜡烛越升越高，最后她看清那只是夜空中闪烁的星星。其中有一颗星星落了下来，在空中滑过一道亮光。有人要死了，小女孩心想。因为奶奶，那惟一待，过去常说：“天上一颗星落下业，地上就有一个灵魂上天了。”
　　小女孩又在墙上擦亮了一根火柴，这次亮光中奶有出现了。小女孩清清楚楚看见了慈祥、快乐的奶奶。“奶奶！”小女孩哭喊着：“带我一起走吧。我知道火柴一灭，你就会不见的，就像那温暖的火炉，美味的烧鹅和美丽的圣诞树一样。”
　　小女孩急忙点烧整把的火柴，因为她多么渴望留住奶奶。火柴的亮光如同白昼。奶奶看起来从来没有像现在这样高大、美丽过。她把小女孩抱起来，在光明和快乐中冉冉飞翔，飞离地球，到达那不再有寒冷、饥饿和痛苦的天堂。
　　在寒冷的晨曦里，可怜的小女孩坐在屋角，脸红扑扑的，面带微笑。她死了。