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The Gift of the Magi《麦琪的礼物》
作者：欧·亨利（O. Henry，本名 William Sydney Porter）
首次出版：1905 年 12 月 10 日首次发表，
1906 年收入短篇小说集正式结集出版。
首次收录：收录于短篇小说集《四百万》，
英文原名 The Four Million，
首发刊物为《纽约星期日世界报》（The New York Sunday World）。
出版背景：美国纽约，最先以报纸刊载形式面世，
后以英文短篇小说集形式刊印，后世多有英法双语选编版本流通。
收录说明：该版本为本篇故事权威原始定本，
讲述一对贫苦夫妻为给对方准备圣诞礼物，各自牺牲自己最珍贵之物，
结局充满温暖与心酸，充分体现欧·亨利标志性的反转叙事，
是世界短篇小说宝库中家喻户晓的经典名篇。
创作背景：
时值二十世纪初美国都市快速发展时期，
美国作家欧·亨利长期扎根纽约市井，
观察底层普通人平凡又动人的生活，
用充满温情与巧思的故事，
诠释爱与奉献才是世间最珍贵的礼物。
英文原文
One dollar and eighty-seven cents.
That was all.
And sixty cents of it was in pennies.
Pennies saved one and two at a time
by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher
until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony
that such close dealing implied.
Three times Della counted it.
One dollar and eighty-seven cents.
And the next day would be Christmas.
There was clearly nothing to do
but flop down on the shabby little couch and cry.
So Della did it.
Which instigates the moral reflection
that life is made up of sobs,sniffles,and smiles,
with sniffles predominating.
Della finished her cry
and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag.
She stood by the window
and looked out dully at a gray cat walking along a gray fence
in a gray backyard.
Tomorrow would be Christmas Day,
and she had only one dollar and eighty-seven cents
to buy her Jim a present.
She had been saving every penny she could for months,
with this result.
Twenty dollars a week does not go far.
Expenses have been greater than she had calculated.
They always are.
Only one dollar and eighty-seven cents
to buy a gift for Jim.
Her Jim.
Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him.
Something fine and rare and sterling—
something just a little bit near to being
worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.
There were two possessions
in which they both took a mighty pride.
One was Jim’s gold watch
that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s.
The other was Della’s hair.
Della’s beautiful hair fell about her,
rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters.
It reached below her knee
and made itself almost a garment for her.
And then she did it up again nervously and quickly.
Once she faltered for a minute
and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.
On went her old brown jacket;
on went her old brown hat.
With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes,
she fluttered out the door
and down the stairs to the street.
Where she stopped,
the sign read: “Mme. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.”
She ran up the flight of stairs
and collected herself, panting.
“Will you buy my hair?” asked Della.
“I buy hair,” said the madame.
“Take your hat off and let me have a look at it.”
Down rippled the brown cascade.
“Twenty dollars,” said the madame,
lifting the mass with a practiced hand.
“Give it to me quickly,” said Della.
The next two hours tripped by on rosy wings.
She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present.
She found it at last.
It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design,
properly proclaiming its value by substance alone
and not by meretricious ornamentation.
It was even worthy of The Watch.
As soon as she saw it
she knew that it must be Jim’s.
It was like him.
Quietness and value—the description applied to both.
Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it.
And she hurried home with the eighty-seven cents that remained.
When Della arrived home,
her ecstasy sobered a little to prudence and reason.
She got out her curling irons
and lighted the gas
and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love.
Within forty minutes,
her head was covered with tiny,
close-lying curls
that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy.
“If Jim does not kill me,” she said to herself,
“before he takes a second look at me,
he’ll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl.
But what could I do—oh!
what could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?”
At seven o’clock the coffee was made,
and the frying pan was on the back of the stove
hot and ready for the chops.
Jim was never late.
Della doubled the fob chain in her hand
and sat on the corner of the table near the door
that he always entered.
Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight,
and she turned white for just a moment.
The door opened and Jim stepped in
and closed it.
He looked thin and very serious.
Poor fellow,
he was only twenty-two—
and burdened with a family.
He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.
Jim’s eyes were fixed upon Della,
and there was an expression in them
that she could not read,
and it terrified her.
It was not anger,
nor surprise,
nor disapproval,
nor horror,
nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for.
He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.
Della wriggled off the table and went for him.
“Jim, darling,” she cried,
“don’t look at me that way.
I had my hair cut off and sold it
because I couldn’t have lived through Christmas
without giving you a present.
It’ll grow out again—you won’t mind, will you?
I just had to do it.
My hair grows awfully fast.
Say ‘Merry Christmas,’ Jim,
and let us be happy.
You don’t know what a nice,
what a beautiful,
nice gift I’ve got for you.”
“You’ve cut off your hair?” asked Jim, laboriously.
“Cut it off and sold it,” said Della.
“Don’t you like me just as well, anyhow?
I’m me without my hair, ain’t I?”
Jim looked about the room curiously.
“You say your hair is gone?” he said,
with an air almost of idiocy.
“You needn’t look for it,” said Della.
“It’s sold, I tell you—sold and gone, too.
It’s Christmas Eve, boy.
Be good to me,
for it went for you.
Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered,”
she went on with sudden serious sweetness,
“but nobody could ever count my love for you.”
Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake.
He enfolded his Della.
Then Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket
and threw it upon the table.
“Do not make any mistake about me, Dell,” he said.
“Nothing could ever make me like you less.
But if you unwrap that package
you may see why I went off at first.”
White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper.
And then an ecstatic scream of joy;
and then,
alas!
a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails,
requiring the immediate comforting touches of her lord.
For there lay The Combs—
the set of combs,
side and back,
that Della had worshipped long in a Broadway window.
Beautiful combs,
pure tortoise shell,
with jeweled rims—
just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair.
They were expensive combs,
she knew,
and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them
without the least hope of possession.
And now they were hers,
but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.
But she hugged them to her bosom,
and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile
and say: “My hair grows so fast, Jim!”
And then Della leaped up like a little singed cat
and cried, “Oh, oh!”
Jim had not yet seen her beautiful present.
She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm.
The dull precious metal seemed to flash
with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit.
“Isn’t it a dandy, Jim?
I hunted all over town to find it.
You’ll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now.
Give me your watch.
I want to see how it looks on it.”
Instead of obeying,
Jim tumbled down on the couch,
put his hands under the back of his head,
and smiled.
“Dell,” he said,
“let us put our Christmas presents away and keep them a while.
They’re too nice to use just at present.
I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs.”
译文
一元八角七分，仅此而已。
其中六十分还是一分一分的铜币。
这些零钱，
都是她一次次和杂货店主、菜贩、屠夫讨价还价攒下的，
每次分毫必争的计较，都让她窘迫难堪。
德拉数了三遍，依旧只有一元八角七分。
而第二天，就是圣诞节。
万般无奈之下，
她只能瘫坐在破旧的小沙发上默默落泪。
德拉就这样哭了起来。
也由此让人悟出一个人生道理：
人生由哭泣、抽噎与微笑组成，
而多数时刻，皆是心酸与无奈。
哭过之后，德拉擦干脸颊的泪痕。
她伫立窗前，茫然望着灰暗的猫咪，
沿着灰暗的栅栏，行走在灰暗的后院里。
明日便是圣诞佳节，她翻遍全身，
却只有一元八角七分，
想给心爱的吉姆准备一份圣诞礼物。
数月以来，她省吃俭用、分毫积攒，
最终只攒下这点微薄的积蓄。
一周二十美元的收入本就捉襟见肘，
日常开销，永远超出预算，
生活向来如此。
区区一元八角七分，
不足以置办一份像样的礼物，
送给她最珍视的吉姆。
为了给心上人挑选一件称心的礼物，
她曾无数次满怀欢喜地憧憬。
她想要一份精致、珍贵、纯粹的礼物，
一份配得上吉姆温柔与珍贵的心意。
夫妻俩各有两样视若珍宝的珍藏。
一样是吉姆祖传的金表，
承载着父辈与祖辈的岁月传承。
另一样，便是德拉一头秀丽的长发。
德拉的秀发倾泻而下，
如棕色流水般波光潋滟、层层荡漾，
发丝垂至膝下，
宛若一袭温柔的天然华裳。
她慌乱又急促地将长发挽起，
迟疑片刻，
几滴泪水悄然落在破旧的红地毯上。
她匆匆穿上陈旧的棕色外套，
戴上老旧的棕色帽子。
裙摆轻扬，眼底闪烁着坚定的光亮，
她推门而出，
快步走下楼梯，奔向街头。
她在一家店铺前驻足，
招牌上写着：苏菲夫人店，专营各类美发饰品。
她快步跑上楼梯，
气喘吁吁地稳住心神。
“您收头发吗？”德拉轻声问道。
“收的。”店主答道，
“摘下帽子，让我看看发质。”
一袭棕发，如流水般簌簌垂落。
“二十美元。”店主抬手抚过长发，
熟练地给出报价。
“麻烦立刻结算。”德拉果断说道。
接下来的两个小时，
她满心欢喜、步履匆匆，
穿梭在各家店铺之间，
只为寻觅一份契合心意的礼物。
终于，她找到了。
一条简约素雅的铂金表链，
没有浮华冗余的装饰，
仅凭纯粹的质感彰显珍贵，
低调内敛，温润高级。
这般质朴沉稳的质感，
恰好配得上那枚传世金表。
初见的那一刻，
她便笃定，这就是属于吉姆的礼物。
沉稳内敛、温润无价，
正如吉姆本人的品性。
她花费二十一美元买下表链，
揣着剩余的零钱，匆匆归家。
回到家中，
满心的狂喜渐渐沉淀为温柔的期许。
她拿出卷发器、点燃煤气灯，
细心打理剪短的发丝，
弥补为爱付出的改变。
短短四十分钟，
她的满头短发便烫出细密卷曲的纹路，
模样灵动俏皮，
像个稚气的逃课少年。
“吉姆看到肯定会愣住，”她暗自思忖，
“说不定会觉得我像街头歌舞女郎。
可我又能怎么办呢？
仅有微薄积蓄的我，
只能以这样的方式，赠予他温柔心意。”
傍晚七点，咖啡已然煮好，
煎锅置于炉火之上，
温热待用，
静待晚餐与归人。
吉姆向来守时，从不迟到。
德拉将表链对折握在掌心，
坐在门口的桌边静静等候。
听见楼下熟悉的脚步声，
她瞬间心头一紧，面色发白。
房门推开，吉姆缓步走入，
轻轻关上房门。
他身形清瘦、神色沉静。
年仅二十二岁的他，
早已扛起家庭的重担，
没有体面的大衣，
也无御寒的手套，生活朴素清贫。
吉姆的目光紧紧落在德拉身上，
眼底浮现出一种难以读懂的神情，
让德拉心生惶恐。
那不是愤怒，不是惊讶，
没有不满，也没有错愕，
完全不在她预想的情绪之中。
他只是静静伫立，定定地望着她。
德拉起身快步走向他。
“亲爱的吉姆，别这样看着我。”
她哽咽着说道，“我剪掉长发卖掉了，
我无法忍受圣诞节来临，
却没能送你一份礼物。
头发很快就会长出来的，
你不会介意的，对不对？
我别无选择，只能这样做。
我的头发长得很快的。
圣诞快乐，吉姆，
我们开开心心过节好不好？
你不知道，我为你准备了一份多么美好珍贵的礼物。”
“你把头发剪掉了？”吉姆难以置信地轻声问道。
“剪掉卖掉了。”德拉坦然应答，
“就算没有长发，我依旧是我，
你依旧爱我，对不对？”
吉姆茫然环顾四周，神情恍惚。
“你的头发，真的没了？”他语气呆滞。
“不用找了。”德拉说道，
“已经卖掉、不复存在了。
今夜是平安夜，亲爱的，
请你好好待我，
我的一切牺牲，皆是为你。
或许我头上的发丝可数，
可我对你的爱意，浩瀚无边，无人能数。”
吉姆瞬间回过神来，
紧紧将德拉拥入怀中。
随后从大衣口袋掏出一个包裹，
轻轻放在桌上。
“亲爱的德拉，你不要误会。”
他温柔说道，
“我对你的爱意，分毫未减。
你拆开包裹，
就会明白我方才失神的缘由。”
纤细白皙的手指，
迅速拆开包裹的绳结与包装纸。
先是极致喜悦的惊呼，
转瞬之间，又化作温柔又心酸的泪水，
让人忍不住温柔安抚。
包裹里静静躺着一套发梳，
侧边梳、后背梳一应俱全，
是德拉无数次在橱窗里满心向往的珍宝。
精致的龟甲发梳，镶着璀璨的花边，
恰好适配她曾经那头秀丽长发。
她深知这套发梳价格不菲，
只能遥遥观望、满心向往，
从未奢望能够拥有。
如今心心念念的珍宝就在眼前，
可能够佩戴它的长发，已然不复存在。
她将发梳紧紧拥在胸口，
含泪含笑轻声说道：
“我的头发，很快就会长长的。”
忽然，德拉像雀跃的小猫一般跃起，
惊呼出声：“哦！对了！”
吉姆还未曾看见她准备的礼物。
她摊开手掌，
满心欢喜地递出那条精致表链，
澄澈的眼底，盛满炙热温柔的爱意。
“是不是特别好看，吉姆？
我跑遍全城才找到它。
以后你每天都可以无数次看时间了。
把你的金表给我，
我想看看它配在上面有多完美。”
吉姆没有伸手取表，
而是慵懒地靠在沙发上，
枕着双手，温柔浅笑。
“德拉，”他轻声说道，
“我们先把圣诞礼物好好收起来吧。
这份心意太过珍贵，
此刻贸然使用太过可惜。
我卖掉了祖传的金表，
才换来了钱，买下你最爱的发梳。”
🔍长难句赏析与拆解
原句：
Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him.
Something fine and rare and sterling—
something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.
句式解读：
本句采用倒装句式，将时间状语前置，
着重强调女主长久以来的用心筹备，
突出她对这份圣诞礼物的珍视。
连续三个并列形容词 fine、rare、sterling 层层递进，
细腻描摹出女主心中理想礼物的模样。
破折号后补充说明，升华内核：她不求昂贵奢华，
只求一份配得上爱人品性的纯粹心意。
句式舒缓优美，以细腻的心理描写，
铺垫出两人清贫生活里最真挚的双向奔赴。
句子主干：
She spent much time planning a worthy gift for Jim.
文学赏析
全文以圣诞节为时间节点，
以一对贫苦夫妻的圣诞礼物为叙事主线，
用平淡克制的叙事笔触，
书写了世间最纯粹、最动人的双向奔赴。
全篇没有轰轰烈烈的告白，
没有煽情刻意的渲染，
只用生活最朴素的窘迫、
普通人最温柔的牺牲，
诠释了爱情最本真的模样。
德拉为爱人剪掉视若珍宝的长发，
倾尽所有换取适配金表的表链；
吉姆为成全爱人的心愿，
卖掉世代相传的珍贵金表，
买下她心心念念的发梳。
两份礼物，最终双双失去了使用价值，
看似是一场徒劳的牺牲，
实则是最珍贵、最无价的深情。
欧·亨利以极具反差的叙事手法，
用物质的缺憾，成就了精神的圆满。
生活清贫、物资匮乏，
可两颗真心相互奔赴、彼此珍视，
便是人间最顶级的浪漫。
故事最动人的内核在于：
世俗的珍贵藏品终会贬值消逝，
唯有为爱心甘情愿的牺牲、
彼此包容的真心、双向奔赴的爱意，
永远珍贵、永远闪光。
所谓麦琪的礼物，
从不是昂贵的饰品，
而是平凡人纯粹无私的深情与成全。
写作迁移点拨
本文可用于人间温情、纯粹爱情、牺牲与成全、
平凡美好、双向奔赴、物质与精神、生活诗意
等记叙、抒情、议论文写作素材。
仿写：
The most precious gift in life
is never the luxurious possessions in the world.
It is the selfless dedication for the one you love,
the sincere affection hidden in trivial days,
and the warm compromise between ordinary people.
True love lies not in abundance,
but in wholehearted devotion.
仿写运用：
句式简洁规整、立意深刻，
适合用于作文结尾升华主旨，
诠释平凡生活中的真情与美好，
提升文章的思想高度与文学质感。
📖全篇句式特点
1. 全篇长短句错落排布，短句简洁叙事，长句抒情铺垫，
节奏舒缓自然，贴合温情治愈又略带遗憾的故事基调；
2. 大量运用细节白描，从环境、动作、神态、心理多角度刻画人物，
以清贫的生活细节，反衬极致纯粹的深情；
3. 运用欧亨利式结尾，前文层层铺垫，结尾反转留白，
意料之外、情理之中，极具文学张力；
4. 多处运用对比手法，以物质的贫瘠与精神的富足对照，
强化文章主旨，立意深远；
5. 语言朴素细腻、克制温柔，
无华丽辞藻堆砌，却字字走心、句句含情，
兼具可读性与文学性。
核心词汇
1. parsimony
/ˈpɑːsɪməni/
吝啬，节俭
名词 (n.)
2. predominant
/prɪˈdɒmɪnənt/
显著的，占主导的
形容词 (adj.)
3. cascade
/kæˈskeɪd/
瀑布，大量倾泻之物
名词 (n.)
4. chaste
/tʃeɪst/
简约朴素的，纯洁的
形容词 (adj.)
5. meretricious
/ˌmerəˈtrɪʃəs/
浮华的，华而不实的
形容词 (adj.)
6. ecstasy
/ˈekstəsi/
狂喜，极致愉悦
名词 (n.)
7. nimble
/ˈnɪmbl/
灵巧的，敏捷的
形容词 (adj.)
8. yearn
/jɜːn/
渴望，期盼
动词 (v.)
💡主旨品读
《麦琪的礼物》以底层贫苦夫妻的平凡生活为底色，
讲述了一场双向牺牲、彼此成全的圣诞温情故事。
在物质极度匮乏的生活里，
男女主人公舍弃自己最珍贵的私有之物，
只为赠予爱人一份满心欢喜的礼物。
两份精心筹备的礼物最终失去实用价值，
看似是一场遗憾的落空，
实则是灵魂最圆满的契合。
世间所有珍贵的情感，
从来无关财富与浮华，
无关物质的昂贵与否。
真正的爱意，
是甘愿为对方割舍所有珍视，
是平凡岁月里的相互体谅、彼此奔赴。
所谓“麦琪的礼物”，
象征着世间最纯粹、最无私的馈赠。
人生最好的幸福，
从不是坐拥万千珍宝，
而是平凡日子里，有人真心待你、用心惜你，
以赤诚之心，予你万般温柔。
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