the emperor's horse was shod with gold．it had a golden shoe on each of its feet．
and why was this？
he was a beautiful creature，with delicate legs，bright intelligent eyes，and a mane that hung down over his neck like a veil．he had carried his master through the fire and smoke of battle，and heard the bullets whistling around him，had kicked，bitten，and taken part in the fight when the enemy advanced，and had sprung with his master on his back over the fallen enemy's horse，and had saved the crown of red gold，and the life of the emperor，which was more valuable than the red gold；and that is why the emperor's horse had gold-en shoes．
and a beetle came creeping forth．
“first the great ones，”said he，“and then the little ones；but it's not size that does it．”and so saying，he stretched out his thin legs．
“what do you want？”asked the smith．
“golden shoes，”replied the beetle．
“why，you must be out of your senses，”cried the smith．“do you want to have golden shoes too？”
“golden shoes！”i said the beetle．“am i not just as good as that big creature，that is waited on，and brushed，and has meat and drink put before him？don't i belong to the imperial stable？”
“but why is the horse to have golden shoes？don't you understand that？”asked the smith．
“understand？i understand that it is a slight to me，”cried the beetle．“it is an insult，and therefore i am now going into the wide world．”
“go along！”said the smith．
“you're a rude fellow！”cried the beetle；and then he went out of the stable，flew a little way，and soon afterwards found himself in a beautiful flower garden，all fragrant with roses and lavender．
“is it not beautiful here？”asked one of the little ladybirds that flew about，with black spots on their red shield-like wings．“how sweet it smells here—how beautiful it is！”
“i'm accustomed to better things．”said the beetle．“do you call this beautiful？why，there is not so much as a dung-heap．”
then he went on，under the shadow of a great stock，and found a caterpillar crawling along．
“how beautiful the world is！”said the caterpillar：“the sun is so warm，and everything so enjoyable！and when i go to sleep，and die，as they call it，i shall wake up as a butterfly．”
“how conceited you are！”exclaimed the beetle．“you fly about as a butterfly，indeed！i've come out of the stable of the emperor，and no one there，not even the emperor's favorite horse，that wears my cast-off golden shoes，has any such idea．to have wings to fly！why，we can fly now；”and he spread his wings and flew away．“i don't want to be annoyed，and yet i am annoyed，”said he，as he flew off．
soon afterwards he fell down upon a great lawn．here he lay for a little，and then he fell asleep．
suddenly a heavy shower of rain came falling from the clouds．the beetle woke up at the noise，and wanted to escape into the earth，but could not．he was tumbled over and over：sometimes he was swimming on his stomach，sometimes on his back，and as for flying，that was out of the question；he doubted whether he should escape from he place with his life．he therefore remained lying where he was．
when the weather had moderated a little，and the beetle had blinked the water out of his eyes，he saw something white．it was linen that had been placed there to bleach．he managed to make his way up to it，and crept into a fold of the damp linen．certainly the place was not so comfortable to lie in as the warm stable；but there was no better to be had，and therefore he remained lying there for a whole day and a whole night，and the rain kept on during all the time．towards morning he crept forth：he was very much out of temper because of the climate．
on the linen two frogs were sitting．their bright eyes absolutely gleamed with pleasure．
“wonderful weather this！”one of them cried．“how refreshing！and the linen keeps the water together．so beautifully．my hind legs seem to quiver as if i were going to swim．”
“i should like to know，”said the second，“if the swallow，who flies so far round in her many journeys in foreign lands，ever meets with a better climate than this．what delicious dampness！it is really as if one were lying in a wet ditch．whoever does not rejoice in this，certainly does not love his fatherland．”
“have you then never been in the emperor's stable！”asked the beetle；“there the dampness is warm and refreshing．that's the climate for me；but i cannot take it with me on my journey．is there never a muck-heap，here in the garden，where a person of rank，like myself，can feel himself at home，and take up his quarters？”
but the frogs either did not or would not understand him．
“i never ask a question twice，”said the beetle，after he had already asked this one three times without receiving any answer．
then he went a little farther，and stumbled against a fragment of pottery，that certainly ought not to have been lying there；but since it was there，it gave a good shelter against wind and weather．here dwelt several families of earwigs；and these did not require much house-room，but only companionship．the females are specially gifted with maternal affection，and accordingly each one considered her own child the most beautiful and cleverest of all．
“our son has engaged himself，”said one mother．“dear，innocent boy！his greatest hope is that he may creep one day into a clergy man's ear．that is very art-less and lovable；and being engaged will keep him steady．what joy for a mother！”
“our son，”said another mother，“had scarcely crept out of the egg，when he was already off on his travels．he's all life and spirits；he'll run his horns off！what joy that is for a mother！is it not so，mr．beetle？”for she knew the stranger by his shape．
“you are both quite right，”said he；so they begged him to walk in；that is to say，to come as far as he could under the bit of pottery．
“now，you also see my little earwig，”observed a third mother and a fourth；“they are lovely little things，and highly amusing．they are never ill-behaved，except when they are uncomfortable in their inside；but one is very subject to that at their age．”
thus each mother spoke about her young ones；and the young ones also talked，and made use of the little nippers they have in their tails to nip the beard of the beetle．
“yes，they are always busy about something，the little rogues！”said the mothers；and they quite beamed with maternal pride；but the beetle felt bored by it all，and therefore he inquired how far it was to the nearest muck-heap．
“that is quite out in the big world，on the other side of the ditch，”answered an earwig．“i hope none of my children will go so far away，for it would be the death of me．”
“but i shall try to get so far，”said the beetle；and he went off without taking formal leave；for that is considered the polite thing to do．and by the ditch he met several friends；beetles，all of them．
“here we live，”they said．“we are very comfort-able here．might we ask you to step down into this rich mud？you must be fatigued after your journey．”
“certainly，”replied the beetle．“i have been ex-posed to the rain，and have had to lie upon linen，and cleanliness is a thing that greatly exhausts me．i have also pains in one of my wings，from standing in a draught under a fragment of pottery．it is really quite refreshing to be among one's companions once more．”
“perhaps you come from a muck-heap？”observed the oldest of them．
“from higher up，”replied the beetle．“i come from the emperor's stable，where i was born with golden shoes on my feet．i am traveling on a secret embassy．you must not ask any questions，for i may tell you nothing．”
with this the beetle stepped down into the rich mud．there sat three young maiden beetles；and they tittered，because they did not know what to say．
“not one of them is engaged yet，”said their mother；and the beetle maidens tittered again，this time from embarrassment．
“i have never seen greater beauties in the royal stables，”exclaimed the traveling beetle．
“don't spoil my girls，”said the mother；“and don't talk to them，please，unless you have serious intentions．but of course your intentions are serious，and therefore i give you my blessing．”
“hurrah！”cried all the other beetles together；and our friend was engaged．immediately after the betrothal came the marriage，for there was no reason for delay．
the following day passed very pleasantly，and the next in tolerable comfort；but on the third it was time to think of food for the wife，and perhaps also for children．
“i have allowed myself to be taken in，” said our beetle himself，“so i must just take them in，in turn．”
so said，so done．away he went，and he stayed away all day，and stayed away all night；and his wife sat there，a forsaken widow．
“oh，”said the other beetles，“this fellow whom we received into our family is nothing more than a thorough vagabond．he has gone away，and has left his wife a burden upon our hands．”
“well，then，she shall be unmarried again，and sit here my daughters，”said the mother．“fie on the villain who forsook her！”
in the meantime the beetle had been journeying on，and had sailed across the ditch on a cabbage leaf．in the morning two persons came to the ditch．when they saw him，they took him up，and turned him over and over；they were very learned，especially one of them—a boy．
“allah sees the black beetle in the black stone and in the black rock．is not that written in the koran？”then he translated the beetle's name into latin，and enlarged upon the creature's nature and history．the older scholar voted against carrying him home．he said they had just as good specimens；and this seemed an uncivil speech to our beetle，and in consequence he flew suddenly out of the speaker's hand．as he had now dry wings，he flew a consider-able distance，and reached a hothouse，where a sash of the glass roof was partly open，so he quietly slipped in and buried himself in the warm earth．
“very comfortable it is here，”said he．
soon after he went to sleep，and dreamed that the emperor's horse had fallen，and that mr．beetle had got its golden shoes，with the promise that he should have two more．
that was all very charming．when the beetle woke up，he crept forth and looked around him．what splendour was in the hothouse！great palm trees growing up on high；the sun made them look transparent；and beneath them what a luxuriance of green，and of beaming flowers，red as fire，yellow as amber，or white as fresh-fallen snow！
“this is an incomparable show of plants，”cried the beetle．“how good they will taste when they are decayed！a capital store-room this！there must certainly be relations of mine living here．i will just see if i can find any one with whom i may associate．i'm proud，certainly，and i'm proud of being so．”
and so he prowled about in the earth，and thought what a pleasant dream that was about the dead horse，and the golden shoes he had inherited．
suddenly a hand seized the beetle，and pressed him，and turned him round and round．
the gardener's little son and a companion were in the hothouse，had espied the beetle，and wanted to have their fun with him．first he was wrapped in a vine leaf，and then put into a warm trousers-pocket．he crept and crawled；but he got a good pressing from the boy's hand for this．then the boy went rapidly towards the great lake that lay at the end of the garden．here the beetle was put in an old broken wooden shoe，on which a little stick was placed upright for a mast，and to this mast the beetle was bound with a woolen thread．now he was a sailor，and had to sail away．
the lake was very large，to the beetle it seemed an ocean；and he was so astonished，that he fell over on his back and kicked out with his legs．
the little ship sailed away．the current of the water seized it；but whenever it went too far from the shore，one of the boys turned up his trousers and went in after it，and brought it back to the land．but at length，just as it went merrily out again，the two boys were called away，and very urgently，so that they hurried away，and left the wooden shoe to its fate．thus it drove away from the shore，farther and farther into the open sea：it was terrible work for the beetle，for he could not get away，in consequence of being bound to the mast．
then a fly came and paid him a visit．
“what beautiful weather！”said the fly．“i'll rest here，and sun myself．you have an agreeable time of it．”
“you speak according to your intelligence，”replied the beetle．“don't you see that i'm a prisoner？”
“ah！but i'm not a prisoner，”observed the fly；and he flew away accordingly．
“well，now i know the world，”said the beetle to himself．“it is an abominable world． i'm the only honest person in it．first，they refuse me my golden shoes；then i have to lie on wet linen，and to stand in the draught；and，to crown all，they fasten a wife upon me．then，when i've taken a quick step out into the world，and found out how one can have it there，and how i wished to have it，one of those human whelps comes and ties me up，and leaves me to the mercy of the wild waves，while the emperor's horse prances about proudly in golden shoes．that is what annoys me more than all．but one must not look for sympathy in this world！my career has been very interesting；but what's the use of that，if nobody knows it？the world does not deserve to know it either，otherwise it would have given me golden shoes，in the emperor's stable，when his favorite horse stretched out its legs and was shod．if i had received golden shoes，i should have become an ornament to the stable．now the stable has lost me，and the world has lost me．it is all over！”
but all was not over yet．there came a boat，with some young girls．
“there sails a wooden shoe，”said one of the girls．
“there's a little creature bound fast to it，”said an-other．
the boat came quite close to our beetle's ship，and the young girls fished him out of the water．one of them drew a small pair of scissors from her pocket，and cut the woollen thread，without hurting the beetle；and when she stepped on shore，she put him down on the grass．
“greep，creep—fly，fly—if thou canst，”she said．“liberty is a splendid thing．”
and the beetle flew up，and straight through the open window of a great building；there he sank down，tired and exhausted，exactly on the fine，soft，long mane of the emperor's favorite horse，who stood in the stable where he and the beetle had their home．the beetle clung fast to the mane，and sat there a short time to re-cover himself．
“here i'm sitting on the emperor's favorite horse—sitting like a knight！”he cried．“what is that i am saying？now it becomes clear to me．that's a good thought，and quite correct．the smith asked me why the golden shoes were given to the horse．now i'm quite clear about he answer．they were given to the horse on my account．”
and now the beetle was in a good temper again．
“one becomes clear-headed by traveling，”said he．
the sun shone very beautifully upon him．
“the world is nor so bad，upon the whole，”said the beetle；“but one must just know how to take it．”the world was beautiful，for the emperor's horse had got golden shoes，because the beetle was to be its rider．
“now i shall go down to the other beetles and tell them how much has been done for me．i shall tell them about all the advantages i have enjoyed in my foreign travels；and i shall say，that now i am going to stay at home until the horse has worn out his golden shoes．”
甲虫
皇帝的马儿钉有金马掌；每只脚上有一个金马掌。为什么他有金马掌呢？
他是一个很漂亮的动物，有细长的腿子，聪明的眼睛；他的鬃毛悬在颈上，像一片丝织的面纱。他背着他的主人在枪林弹雨中驰骋过，听到过子弹飒飒地呼啸。当敌人逼近的时候，他踢过和咬过周围的人，与他们做过战。
他曾背着他的主人在敌人倒下的马身上跳过去，救过赤金制的皇冠，救过皇帝的生命——比赤金还要贵重的生命。因此皇帝的马儿钉有金马掌，[每只脚上有一个金马掌]。
甲虫这时就爬过来了。
“大的先来，然后小的也来，”他说，“问题不是在于身体的大小。”他这样说的时候就伸出他的瘦小的腿来。
“你要什么呢？”铁匠问。
“要金马掌，”甲虫回答说。
“乖乖！你的脑筋一定是有问题，”铁匠说。“你也想要有金马掌吗？”
“我要金马掌！”甲虫说。“难道我跟那个大家伙有什么两样不成？他被人伺候，被人梳刷，被人看护，有吃的，也有喝的。难道我不是皇家马厩里的一员么”？
“但是马儿为什么要有金马掌呢？”铁匠问，“难道你还不懂得吗？”
“懂得？我懂得这话对我是一种侮辱，”甲虫说。“这简直是瞧不起人。——好吧，我现在要走了，到外面广大的世界里去。”
“请便！”铁匠说。
“你简直是一个无礼的家伙！”甲虫说。
于是他走出去了。他飞了一小段路程，不久他就到了一个美丽的小花园里，这儿玫瑰花和薰衣草开得喷香。
“你看这儿的花开得美丽不美丽？”一只在附近飞来飞去的小瓢虫问。他那红色的、像盾牌一样硬的翅膀上亮着许多黑点子。“这儿是多么香啊！这儿是多么美啊！”
“我是看惯了比这还好的东西的，”甲虫说。“你认为这就是美吗？咳，这儿连一个粪堆都没有。”
于是他更向前走，走到一棵大紫罗兰花荫里去。这儿有一只毛虫正在爬行。
“这世界是多么美丽啊！”毛虫说：“太阳是那么温暖，一切东西是那么快乐！我睡了一觉——也就是大家所谓‘死’了一次——以后，我醒转来就变成了一只蝴蝶。”
“你真自高自大！”甲虫说。“乖乖，你原来是一只飞来飞去的蝴蝶！我是从皇帝的马厩里出来的呢。在那儿，没有任何人，连皇帝那匹心爱的、穿着我不要的金马掌的马儿，也没有这么一个想法。长了一双翅膀能够飞几下！咳，我们来飞吧。”
于是甲虫就飞走了。“我真不愿意生些闲气，可是我却生了闲气了。”
不一会儿，他落到一大块草地上来了。他在这里躺了一会儿，接着就睡去了。
我的天，多么大的一阵急雨啊！雨声把甲虫吵醒了。他倒很想马上就钻进土里去的，但是没有办法。他栽了好几个跟头，一会儿用他的肚皮、一会儿用他的背拍着水，至于说到起飞，那简直824 是不可能了。无疑地，他再也不能从这地方逃出他的性命。他只好在原来的地方躺下，不声不响地躺下。
天气略微有点好转，甲虫把他眼里的水挤出来。他迷糊地看到了一件白色的东西，这是晾在那儿的一床被单。他费了一番气力爬过去，然后钻进这潮湿单子的折纹里。当然，比起那马厩里的温暖土堆来，躺在这地方是并不太舒服的。可是更好的地方也不容易找到，因此他也只好在那儿躺了一整天和一整夜。雨一直在不停地下着。到天亮的时分，甲虫才爬了出来。他对这天气颇有一点脾气。
被单上坐着两只青蛙，他们明亮的眼睛射出极端愉快的光芒。
“天气真是好极了！”他们之中一位说。“多么使人精神爽快啊！被单把水兜住，真是再好也没有！我的后腿有些发痒，像是要去尝一下游泳的味儿。”
“我倒很想知道，”第二位说，“那些飞向遥远的外国去的燕子，在他们无数次的航程中，是不是会碰到比这更好的天气。这样的暴风！这样的雨水！这叫人觉得像是呆在一条潮湿的沟里一样。凡是不能欣赏这点的人，也真算得是不爱国的人了。”
“你们大概从来没有到皇帝的马厩里去过吧？”甲虫问。“那儿的潮湿是既温暖而又新鲜。那正是我所住惯了的环境；那正是合我胃口的气候。不过我在旅途中没有办法把它带来。难道在这个花园里找不到一个垃圾堆，使我这样有身份的人能够暂住进去，舒服一下子么？”
不过这两只青蛙不懂得他的意思，或者是不愿意懂得他的意思。
“我从来不问第二次的！”甲虫说，但是他已经把这问题问了三次了，而且都没有得到回答。
于是他又向前走了一段路。他碰到了一块花盆的碎片。这东西的确不应该躺在这地方；但是他既然躺在这儿，他也就成了一个可以躲避风雨的窝棚了。在他下面，住着好几家蠼螋。他们不需要广大的空间，但却需要许多朋友。他们的女性是特别富于母爱的，因此每个母亲就认为自己的孩子是世上最美丽、最聪明的人。
“我的儿子已经订婚了，”一位母亲说。“我天真可爱的宝贝！他最伟大的希望是想有一天能够爬到牧师的耳朵里去。他真是可爱和天真。现在他既订了婚，大概可以稳定下来了。对一个母亲说来，这真算是一件喜事！”
“我们的儿子刚一爬出卵子就马上顽皮起来了，”另外一位母亲说。“他真是生气勃勃。他简直可以把他的角都跑掉了！对于一个母亲说来，这是一件多大的愉快啊！你说对不对，甲虫先生？”她们根据这位陌生客人的形状，已经认出他是谁了。
“你们两个人都是对的，”甲虫说。这样他就被请进她们的屋子里去——也就是说，他在这花盆的碎片下面能钻进多少就钻进多少。
“现在也请你瞧瞧我的小蠼螋吧，”第三位和第四位母亲齐声说，“他们都是非常可爱的小东西，而且也非常有趣。他们从来不捣蛋，除非他们感到肚皮不舒服。不过在他们这样的年纪，这是常有的事。”
这样，每个母亲都谈到自己的孩子。孩子们也在谈论着，同时用他们尾巴上的小钳子来夹甲虫的胡须。
“他们老是闲不住的，这些小流氓！”母亲们说。她们的脸上射出母爱之光。可是甲虫对于这些事儿感到非常无聊；因此他就问起最近的垃圾堆离此有多少远。
“在世界很遥远的地方——在沟的另一边，”一只蠼螋回答说。“我希望我的孩子们没有谁跑得那么远，因为那样就会把我急死了。”
“但是我倒想走那么远哩，”甲虫说。于是他没有正式告别就走了；这是一种很漂亮的行为。他在沟旁碰见好几个族人——都是甲虫之流。
“我们就住在这儿，”他们说。“我们在这儿住得很舒服。请准许我们邀您光临这块肥沃的土地好吗？你走了这么远的路，一定是很疲倦了。”
“一点也不错，”甲虫回答说。“我在雨中的湿被单里躺了一阵子。清洁这种东西特别使我吃不消。我翅膀的骨节里还得了风湿病，因为我在一块花盆碎片下的阴风中站过。回到自己的族人中来，真是轻松愉快。”
“可能你是从一个垃圾堆上来的吧？”他们之中最年长的一位说。
“比那还高一点，”甲虫说。“我是从皇帝的马厩里来的。我在那儿一生下来，脚上就有金马掌。我是负有一个秘密使命来旅行的。请你们不要问什么问题，因为我不会回答的。”
于是甲虫就走到这堆肥沃的泥巴上来。这儿坐着三位年轻的甲虫姑娘。她们在格格地憨笑，因为她们不知道讲什么好。
“她们谁也不曾订过婚，”她们的母亲说。
这几位甲虫又格格地憨笑起来，这次是因为她们感到难为情。
“我在皇家的马厩里，从来没有看到过比这还漂亮的美人儿，”这位旅行的甲虫说。
“请不要惯坏了我的女孩子，也请您不要跟她们谈话，除非您的意图是严肃的。——不过，您的意图当然是严肃的，因此我祝福您。”
“恭喜！”别的甲虫都齐声他说。
我们的甲虫就这样订婚了。订完婚以后接踵而来的就是结婚，因为拖下去是没有道理的。
婚后的一天非常愉快；第二天也勉强称得上舒服；不过在第三天，太太的、可能还有小宝宝的吃饭问题就需要考虑了。
“我让我自己上了钩，”他说，“那么我也要让她们上一下钩，作为报复。”
他这样说了，也就这样办了。他开小差溜了。他走了一整天，也走了一整夜，——他的妻子成了一个活寡妇。
别的甲虫说：“我们请到家里来住的这位仁兄，原来是一个不折不扣的流浪汉子；现在他却把养老婆的这个担子送到我们手里了。”
“唔，那么让她离婚，仍然回到我的女儿中间来吧，”母亲说。“那个恶棍真该死，遗弃了她！”
在这期间，甲虫继续他的旅行。他在一片白菜叶上渡过了那条沟。
在快要天亮的时候，有两个人走来了。他们看到了甲虫，把他捡起来，把他翻转来，覆过去。他们两人是很有学问的。尤其是他们中的一位——一个男孩子。
“安拉1 在黑山石的黑石头里发现黑色的甲虫。《古兰经》上不是这样写着的吗？”他问；于是他就把甲虫的名字译成拉丁文，并且把这动物的种类和特性叙述了一番。那位年长些的学者反对把他带回家去。他说他们已经有了同样好的标本。甲虫觉得这话说得有点不太礼貌，所以他就忽然从这人的手里飞走了。现在他的翅膀已经干了，他可以飞得很远。他飞到一个温室里去。这儿屋顶有一部分是开着的，所以他轻轻地溜进去，钻进新鲜的粪土里。
“这儿真是很舒服，”他说。
不一会他就睡去了。他梦见皇帝的马死了，梦见甲虫先生得到了马儿的金马掌，而且人们还答应将来再造一双给他。
这都是很美妙的事情。于是甲虫醒来了。他爬出来，向四周看了一眼。这温室里面真是可爱之至！巨大的棕榈树高高地向空中伸去；太阳把它们照得透明。在它们下面展开一片丰茂的绿叶，一片光彩夺目、红得像火、黄得像琥珀、白得像新雪的花朵！
“这要算是一个空前绝后的展览了，”甲虫说。“当它们腐烂了以后；它们的味道将会是多美啊！这真是一个食物储藏室！我一定有些亲戚住在这儿。我要跟踪而去，看看能不能找到一位可以值得跟我来往的人物。当然我是很骄傲的，同时我也正因为这而感到骄傲。”
这样，他就高视阔步地走起来。他想着刚才关于那匹死马和他获得的那双金马掌的梦。
忽然一只手抓住了甲虫，掐着他，同时把他翻来翻去。
原来园丁的小儿子和他的玩伴正在这个温室里。他们瞧见了这只甲虫，想跟他开开玩笑。他们先把他裹在一片葡萄叶子里子然后把他塞进一个温暖的裤袋里。他爬着，挣扎着，不过孩子的手紧紧地捏住了他他后来这孩子跑向小花园的尽头的一个湖那边去。在这儿，甲虫就被放进一个破旧的、失去了鞋面的木鞋里。这里面插着一根小棍子，作为桅杆。甲虫就被一根毛线绑在这桅杆上面。所以现在他成为一个船长了；他得驾着船航行。
这是一个很大的湖；对甲虫说来，它简直是一个大洋。他害怕得非常厉害，所以他只有仰躺着，乱弹着他的腿子。
这只木鞋浮走了。它被卷入水流中去。不过当船一漂得离岸太远的时候，便有一个孩子扎起裤脚，在后面追上，把它又拉回来。不过，当它又漂出去的时候，这两个孩子忽然被喊走了，而且被喊得很急迫。所以他们就匆忙地离去了，让那只木鞋顺水漂流。这样，它就离开了岸，越漂越远。甲虫吓得全身发抖，因为他被绑在桅杆上，没有办法飞走。
这时有一个苍蝇来访问他。
“天气是多好啊！”苍蝇说。“我想在这儿休息一下，在这儿晒晒太阳。你已经享受得够久了。”
“你只是凭你的理解胡扯！难道你没有看到我是被绑着的吗？”
“啊，但我并没有被绑着呀，”苍蝇说；接着他就飞走了。
“我现在可认识这个世界了，”甲虫说。“这是一个卑鄙的世界！而我却是它里面唯一的老实人。第一，他们不让我得到那只金马掌；我得躺在湿被单里，站在阴风里；最后他们硬送给我一个太太。于是我得采取紧急措施，逃到这个大世界里来。我发现了人们是在怎样生活，同时我自己应该怎样生活。这时人间的一个小顽童来了，把我绑起，让那些狂暴的波涛来对付我，而皇帝的那匹马这时却穿着金马掌散着步。这简直要把我气死了。不过你在这个世界里不能希望得到什么同情的！我的事业一直是很有意义的；不过，如果没有任何人知道它的话，那又有什么用呢？世人也不配知道它，否则，当皇帝那匹爱马在马厩里伸出它的腿来让人钉上马掌的时候，大家就应该让我得到金马掌了。如果我得到金马掌的话，我也可以算做那马厩的一种光荣。现在马厩对我说来，算是完了；这世界也算是完了。一切都完了！”
不过一切倒还没有完了。有一条船到来了，里面坐着几个年轻的女子。
“看！有一只木鞋在漂流着，”一位说。
“还有一个小生物绑在里面，”另外一位说。
这只船驶近了木鞋。她们把它从水里捞起来。她们之中有一位取出一把剪刀，把那根毛线剪断，而没有伤害到甲虫。当她们走上岸的时候，她就把他放在草上。
“爬吧，爬吧！飞吧，飞吧！如果你可能的话！”她说。“自由是一种美丽的东西。”
甲虫飞起来，一直飞到一个巨大建筑物的窗子里去。然后他就又累又困地落下来，恰恰落到国王那匹爱马的又细又长的鬃毛上去。马儿正是立在它和甲虫同住在一起的那个马厩里面。甲虫紧紧地抓住马鬃，坐了一会儿，恢复恢复自己的精神。
“我现在坐在皇帝爱马的身上——像骑士一样坐着！我刚才说的什么呢？现在我懂得了。这个想法很对，很正确。马儿为什么要有金马掌呢？那个铁匠问过我这句话。现在我可懂得他的意思了。马儿得到金马掌完全是为了我的缘故。”
现在甲虫又变得心满意足了。
“一个人只有旅行一番以后，头脑才会变得清醒一些，”他说。
这时太阳照在他身上，而且照得很美丽。
“这个世界仍然不能说是太坏，”甲虫说。
“一个人只须知道怎样应付它就成。”
这个世界是很美的，因为皇帝的马儿钉上金马掌，而他钉上金马掌完全是因为甲虫要骑他的缘故。
“现在我将下马去告诉别的甲虫，说大家把我伺候得如何周到。我将告诉他们我在国外的旅行中所得到的一切愉快。我还要告诉他们，说从今以后，我要呆在家里，一直到马儿把他的金马掌穿破了为止。”
这篇具有讽刺意味的作品，最初发表在1861年哥本哈根出版的《新的童话和故事集》第2卷第1部里。那只甲虫看样子颇具有一点我们的“阿q精神”。不过它还有足够的世故而没有遭受到阿q的同样命运：“这个世界仍然不能说是太坏，一个人只须知道怎样应付它就成。”关于这个故事的背景，安徒生写道 ：“在一些‘流行俗话’中狄更斯（英国著名小说家，安徒生的好朋友）收集了许多阿拉伯的谚语和成语，其中有一则是这样的：‘当皇帝的马钉上金马掌的时候，甲虫也把它的脚伸出来’。狄更斯在手记中说‘我希望安徒生能写一个关于它的故事。’我一直有这个想法，但是故事却不到来。只有9年以后，我住在巴士纳斯的温暖的农庄时，偶然又读到狄更斯的这句话，于是《甲虫》的故事就忽然到来了。”