有人說「醜小鴨可以變天鵝，那也得他媽媽是天鵝啊」，我對這句話嚴重的質疑。 如果他媽媽真是天鵝，又怎麼會讓他和鴨子在一起呢？ 我想，故事應該是這樣的——
Someone once said, “The ugly duckling can only become a swan if its mother is a swan.” I strongly question this. If his mother really were a swan, why would she leave him with ducks? I think the story should go like this—
有一天，天鵝湖的天鵝王子，正和一群天鵝夥伴在湖面悠閒滑行。
One day, the Swan Prince of Swan Lake was gliding leisurely across the lake with his fellow swans.
忽然，一聲槍響劃破寧靜，獵人來了。 天鵝們驚慌四散，王子不慎中槍，拖著傷翅拼命飛離。
Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the calm — hunters had arrived. The swans scattered in panic; the Prince was hit, and with injured wings, he fled desperately.
他飛了很久，最後跌落在一個安靜的小池塘。
He flew for a long time before finally crashing into a quiet pond.
那裡，有一位溫柔又細心的母鴨。 她為他清理傷口，陪他在森林間散步，在池塘裡戲水。 日子一天一天過去，傷口慢慢癒合，感情也一點一點累積。
There lived a gentle and caring mother duck. She cleaned his wounds, walked with him in the forest, and played with him in the pond. Day by day, his wounds healed, and their bond grew stronger.
天鵝王子有時會望著遠方的湖面發呆， 母鴨看得出來，那裡有他必須回去的世界。 她沒有挽留，只是在最後一個黃昏， 陪他靜靜地漂在池塘中央，看夕陽落下。
Sometimes the Swan Prince would gaze at the distant lake. The mother duck knew — that was the world he had to return to. She did not try to keep him; on their last evening, she simply floated with him in the middle of the pond, watching the sunset sink.
第二天清晨，王子展翅，飛向天鵝湖。 母鴨留在小池塘，巢裡多了一顆和其他鴨蛋不一樣的蛋。
The next morning, the Prince spread his wings and flew toward Swan Lake. The mother duck stayed by the pond, her nest now holding an egg unlike the rest.
它靜靜地躺在巢裡，和其他蛋一起被孵化、一起長大。 後面的故事，大家都聽過了。
It lay quietly in the nest, hatching and growing alongside the other eggs. The rest of the story — you already know.
媽媽是誰，當然不會錯。
至於爸爸是誰，那可就不一定了。Who the mother is—that’s never in doubt.
But the father… that’s another matter entirely.
