The Wizard’s Fairy Tale

The first story about a mirror and its fragments

Please note! Now we're going to start talking. When we hear the end of the story, we'll know more than we do now, because he was a very bad kid. He's the worst guy because he's the devil. One day he was very happy because he made a mirror. This mirror has a characteristic: that is, all good and beautiful things shrink into a ball and become nothing when they are illuminated in it; but some worthless and ugly things will stand out and look smaller than the original. worse. The most beautiful landscapes will be like boiled spinach in this mirror; the best people will either appear abominable, or have their heads down and their feet up, bodyless, with faces deformed and unrecognizable. If you have a freckle, you have no doubts that it can enlarge to cover your nose and mouth.

The devil said: This is really interesting. When a pious and good thought arises in a man's heart, it appears in this mirror as a grinning grin. Then the devil laughed triumphantly at his ingenious invention. Those who went to the devil's school - because he opened a school - spread the word everywhere they went, saying that now a miracle happened. For the first time, they say, people can see the world and human beings for what they really are. They run around with this mirror, and there is not a single country or nation that has not been distorted in it. Now they want to fly to the sky and laugh at Angel or our God. The higher the mirror and they flew, the more it smiled strangely. They can barely hold it. Higher and higher they flew, nearer God and the Angel; and the mirror, with its mirth, began to tremble horribly, so that it fell from their hands to the earth in billions, hundreds of billions, and countless pieces. Thus the mirror does even more unfortunate things than before, for there are many fragments smaller than grains of sand. They fly around the world, as long as they fly into people's eyes, they stick there and don't move. These people see that nothing is right, or only see the bad side of things, because each little fragment still has the magic of the whole mirror. Some people even harbor such a fragment in their hearts, and as a result, unfortunately, the heart turns into a block of ice.

Some of the fragments were large enough to be panes in windows, but it was not proper to see one's friends through such panes. Some fragments were made into glasses. Nor is it right if one wants to wear such glasses to see things correctly or to judge things impartially. This would make the devil laugh until his stomach hurts, because he was so happy about such things. But there are still a few pieces flying around in the air outside. Now let's hear it!

The second story a little boy and a little girl

In a big city, there are so many houses and people, and so little space, that people don't even have a small garden. It turns out that most people are content with a few flowers in pots. Here lived two poor children who had a garden a little bigger than a pot. They were not brother and sister, but they were very dear to each other, as if they were brother and sister. Their respective parents live in two attics facing each other. The roofs of the two houses are almost touching; there is a water pot under the two eaves; each house has a small window. People can go from one window to another as long as they cross the spanner.

The parents of the two families each have a large box, in which grows a small rose and the vegetables they need. The roses in both boxes were growing very nicely. Now the two parents put the box horizontally on the water pan, and the two ends of the box almost touch the windows on both sides, like two embankments full of flowers. The pea-vines hung from the boxes, and the roses stretched out their long branches. They coiled around the windows, and intertwined with each other, almost like a triumphal arch of green leaves and flowers. As the box was placed so high, the children knew they could not climb on it casually, but sometimes they were allowed to climb up, and the two of them came together and sat on little stools under the roses.

They can have a good time here.

This pastime is over in winter. The windows are often covered with ice. But then they heat a copper plate on the stove, stick it to the window-pane, and melt out a small, round peep-hole! From the peephole in every window a beautiful, gentle eye peeps. This is the little boy and the little girl. The boy's name was Kay; the girl's name was Gerda.

In summer they would be together in a single jump; but in winter they would have to walk down a long flight of ladders and then climb a long flight of ladders again. Snowflakes are flying outside.

That's the gathering of white bees, said the old grandmother.

Do they have a queen too? asked the little boy. Because he knows that every real bee colony has a queen.

Yes, they have one! said the grandmother. Wherever bees are densest, she will come. She is the biggest bee. She never lives quietly in this world; she flies in a moment. To the thick swarms of bees. She used to fly over the city streets on winter nights, and look in the windows, which were covered with strange icicles, as if they were blooming.

Yes, I've seen that! said the two children in unison. They know it's true.

Can the Snow Queen come in here? asked the little girl.

If you will let her in, said the boy, I will sit her on the warm stove, and she will melt into water.

But the old grandmother cut his hair and told some other stories.

In the evenings, when little Kay was in the house half undressed, he would climb into a chair by the window and look out through the little peephole. There were several snowflakes falling slowly outside, and the largest of them fell on the edge of the flower box. The snowflake grew bigger and bigger, and finally turned into a woman. She was draped in the thinnest white gauze woven of snowflakes like countless stars. She was very beautiful and delicate, but she was made of ice—shining, sparkling ice. Yet she was alive: her eyes shone like two bright stars; but there was neither peace nor quiet in her eyes. She nodded and waved at Kay. The little boy became frightened. He jumped out of the chair and felt as if a huge bird was flying past the window.

There was a frost the next day... followed by a thaw... and spring came. The sun is shining, green shoots are emerging, swallows are building their nests, windows are open, and children are sitting high in the little garden on the roof of the building.

Roses are blooming so beautifully this summer! The little girl read a hymn by heart, and roses were mentioned there. Speaking of roses, she couldn't help thinking of her own flowers. So she sang this hymn to the little boy, and he sang too:

Roses grow in abundance in the valley,

There we meet the Baby Jesus.

Arm in arm, the two little ones kissed the roses, and looked at the shining sun of God, and spoke to it as if the Baby Jesus were there. What a sunny summer it is! How beautiful it all was outside, among those rose bushes--these roses seemed to never end!

Kay and Gerda sat looking at a picture book of birds and animals. Just then the clock in the cathedral tower struck five. Then Kay said: Ah! something pierces my heart! something falls into my eye!

The little girl put her arms around his neck. He blinked. No, he saw nothing.

I don't think there's anything left! he said. But that's not the case. What fell was a shard of glass cracked from the mirror. We remember very well that it was a magic mirror, an ugly piece of glass. It makes all that is great and good small and abominable, but it highlights all that is base and criminal, and at the same time calls attention to the defects of everything. Poor little Kay had such a splinter stuck to his heart, and his heart became like a block of ice at once. He wasn't unhappy, but the fragments were in his heart.

Why are you crying? he asked. It makes you look so ugly! I don't like it at all. Pooh! he exclaimed suddenly: That rose was eaten by a worm! Look, this one is crooked too! They are ugly roses indeed! They are just like the box in which they were planted!

So he gave the box a good kick, and pulled up the two roses.

Kay, what are you doing? the little girl called out.

As soon as he saw her panic, he plucked another rose. So he jumped in through his window, leaving tender little Gerda outside.

When she followed her in with the album, he said that the book was only for nursing children. When my grandmother was telling a story, he always inserted a but..., and whenever he got the chance, he would sneak behind her, wearing a pair of reading glasses, and imitating her Speech: He learned so cleverly that everyone laughed at him. Before long he learned to imitate the conversation and walk of people on the street. Whatever was weird and ugly in people, Kay would imitate. Everyone said: This boy must have a special mind! But it was all because he had a shard of glass in his eye and a shard of glass in his heart. He even laughed at little Gerda—the Gerda who loved him with all his heart.

His game was obviously a little different, and he played it much smarter than before. One winter's day, when the snowflakes were flying, he came out with a magnifying glass, and lifted the hem of his blue coat so that the snowflakes fell on it.

Gerda, come and look at this mirror! he said.

Each snowflake is magnified, like a beautiful flower, or a star with six pointed points. It's really wonderful.

You see, how ingenious it is! said Kay. It's much more interesting than real flowers: there's nothing wrong with it--as long as they don't melt, it's very neat.

After a while, Kay came with thick gloves and a sledge on his back. He called into Gerda's ear: I have permission to go to the square—a lot of other children are playing there. And he went away.

In the square the most daring children used to tie their sledges to the back of country folk's wagons, and ride in them for long distances. They run very happily. While they were playing, a large sleigh rolled by. It was painted snow-white, and sitting on it was a man wearing a thick-haired white fur robe and a thick-haired white hat. The sled slid twice around the square. Kay hastily fastened his own sled to it, and slid along with it. It slid faster and faster until it slid into a neighboring street. The man on the sled turned around and nodded kindly to Kay. They seemed to know each other. Every time Kay tried to untie his sledge, the man nodded to him again; and Kay sat down again. In this way, they slid out of the city gate. At this time, the snowflakes were falling densely on the ground, and the child could not see his fingers, but he was still sliding forward. He let go of the rope hastily now, trying to free himself from the big sled. But it was of no use, his little sled was fastened very fast. They slide forward like the wind. Then he cried out loudly, but no one paid any attention to him. The snowflakes are flying, and the sleigh is flying. Now and then they jumped up, as if flying over fences and ditches. He was very frightened. He misses praying, but all he remembers is the multiplication table.

The snow is falling more and more. In the end the snowflakes looked like giant white chickens. The big sled suddenly jumped sideways and stopped; the sledger stood up. The man's fur coat and hat were made entirely of snowflakes. It turned out to be a woman, tall and slender, with white light shining all over her body. She is the Snow Queen.

We're gliding well, she said, but you're shivering, aren't you? Get into my fur coat.

She carried him into her sleigh, seated him beside her, and wrapped him up in her furs. He seemed to have fallen into a snowdrift.

Are you still cold? she asked, kissing his forehead.

ah! This kiss is colder than ice! It penetrated into the frozen half of his heart—he felt as if he was dying. But this feeling didn't last long, and I immediately felt comfortable. He also no longer felt the cold around him.

My sled! Don't forget my sled!

That was the first thing that came to his mind. It was fastened securely to a white chicken, and the broiler was flying behind them with the sled on its back. Snow Queen kissed Kay again. From then on he completely forgot about little Gerda, his grandmother, and everyone in the family.

You don't need any more kisses now, she said, because if you do, I'll kiss you to death.

Kay looked at her. She was so beautiful that he could never imagine a more beautiful and intelligent face. Unlike the way she was sitting outside the window waving to him before, she doesn't look like snow at all now. She was perfect in his eyes; he felt no fear at all now. He told her that he could do mental calculations, even fractions; he knew the entire size of the country and its inhabitants. She just smiles. At this time, he seemed to feel that he didn't know too much. He looked up at the vast sky; she flew with him above the clouds. The storm is blowing and whistling, as if singing an ancient song. They flew over woods and lakes, over sea and land; and below them the wind howled, the wolves howled, and the snowflakes shone. A flock of screeching crows flew overhead. But above was a bright moon, and Kay had been looking at it all through the long winter night. At dawn he fell asleep at the feet of Queen Snow.

third story a garden of a magic woman

How did little Gerda feel when Kay did not come back? Where has he gone? No one knew, and no one brought any news. Some of the boys told her that they had seen him tie the sledge to a big, beautiful sledge, drive up the street, and slide out of the city gate. Nobody knew where he was. Many tears were shed, but little Gerda cried for a long time and was very sad. Afterwards it was thought he was dead--drowned in the river that ran past the town. Ah, what a dark and long winter day it was!

Now spring comes with warm sun rays.

Kay is dead and gone! said little Gerda.

I don't believe it! Sunlight said.

He's dead, gone! she said to Swallow.

I don't believe it! they replied. At last little Gerda herself did not believe it.

I'll put on my new red shoes, she said one morning, the ones Kay never saw before. Then I'll go to the river and look for him!

It was still early in the day. She kissed the sleeping grandmother, put on her red shoes, and went out of town alone to the river.

Did you really take my dear playmate away? If you give him back to me, I'll give you these red shoes!

It seemed to her that the waves were nodding strangely at her. So she took off her most beloved thing - red shoes. She threw the shoes into the river. But they landed so close to the shore that the surf brought them back to land and returned them to her. The river seemed unwilling to take this beloved of hers, since it had not taken her darling Kay away. But she thought she hadn't cast the shoes far enough. So got into a boat that was anchored among the reeds. She went to the other end of the boat and threw the shoes out. But the boat was not fastened, and a movement of hers sent it drifting away from the shore. As soon as she saw this, she wanted to get out of the boat quickly, but before she reached the other end, the boat was an Aaron away from the shore. It drifts faster than before.

Little Gerda was very frightened and began to cry. But no one could hear her but the sparrow; and the sparrow could not bring her back to land. But they flew along the bank and sang as if to comfort her: Here we are! Here we are! and the boat went down stream. Little Gerda sat still with her socks on her feet. Her pair of little red shoes floated behind her. But they couldn't come to the boat because the boat was going very fast.

The two sides are very beautiful. There are beautiful flowers and old trees on the shore, and there are hillsides with cattle and sheep, but there is no one.

Perhaps the river will take me to little Kay, thought Gerda.

This made her feel better. She stood up and looked for a long time at the beautiful green banks on both sides. Soon she came to a large cherry orchard. Here was a little house, with strange blue and red windows, and a thatched roof, and outside stood two wooden soldiers: they saluted all who passed by in their boats.

Gerda called them because she thought they were real soldiers. Of course they won't answer. She came near them, and the river had carried the boat ashore.

Gerda cried out louder. Then a very old woman came out with a cane: she was wearing a big straw hat with many beautiful flowers painted on it.

You poor little darling! said the old woman, how did you come so far on this rolling river?

Then the old woman went into the water, hooked the boat with her stick, dragged her to the bank, and took little Gerda down in her arms.

Gerda was glad to be back on dry land now, but she was a little afraid of the strange old woman.

Come, tell me who you are and how you got here, she said, and Gerda told her everything. The old woman shook her head and said: Hum! Hm! When Gerda had finished all the story and asked her if she had seen little Kay, the old woman said that he had not come, but that he would come, Don't be too sad for Gerda, she can taste the cherries and look at the flowers, which are better than any picture book, because they each tell a story. So she took Gerda by the hand, and led her into the little room, and locked the door.

The windows opened high; the glass was painted red, blue, and yellow. The sunlight streams in wonderfully, in many different colors. There were many of the best cherries on the table. Gerda ate as much as she could, because she could eat more, and that was all right. While she was eating, the old woman combed her hair with a golden comb. Her hair was swished in long, beautiful yellow rings, hanging down her kindly little face like roses in full bloom.

I have long wished for a lovely little girl like you, said the old woman, and now you will see how we shall live happily together!

When the old woman combed her hair, she gradually forgot her playmate Kay, because the old woman could do magic tricks, but she was not a wicked witch. She was just playing a little trick for her own amusement, while she wanted to keep little Gerda. So she went out into the garden now, and pointed with her stick to all the roses. Although the flowers bloomed beautifully, they soon sank to the dark ground: no one could tell where they were. The old woman was terrified: if Gerda saw the roses, she would think of her own flowers, and therefore of little Kay, and would run away.

She now led Gerda into the garden. Hi! How fragrant and beautiful it is inside! Here blooms every flower imaginable, every season: no picture book is more colorful, more beautiful. Gerda jumped up with joy. She played till the sun went down behind the tall cherry trees. So she went to sleep in a beautiful bed; the eiderdown was of red silk, with blue violets in it. Here she fell asleep and had strange dreams, like a queen on her wedding day.

The next day she was again able to play with the flowers in the warm sunlight—and after several days like this, Gerda knew every flower. Although there are many types of flowers, she still seems to feel that one is missing, but she doesn't know which one it is. One day she sat and looked at the flowers painted on the old woman's straw hat: the most beautiful of them was a rose. When the old woman hid all the roses in the ground, she forgot to take this one off her hat. But this is always the result if one is not careful.

Why, are there no roses here? said Gerda.

So she jumped into the middle of the flower-bed, and searched and searched, but she could not find any. Then she sat on the ground and wept: her hot tears fell just where a rose-bush sank. As soon as the hot tears had moistened the earth, the rose rose up in full bloom, just as it had fallen into the earth. Gerda hugged it and kissed the rose, and she thought of the beautiful roses at home, and of little Kay at the same time.

Oh, what a waste of time I have wasted! said the little girl. I'm going to find little Kay! Do you know where he is? she asked the roses. Do you know he's dead?

He's not dead! said the rose. We were in the field for a while, and all the dead were there. But Kay wasn't there!

Thank you! said little Gerda. So she went to the other flowers, and looked into their cups, and asked, Do you know where little Kay is?

But each flower is basking in the sun and dreaming of its own story or fairy tale. Gerda had heard many of these stories or fairy tales, but no flower knew anything about Kay.

What did the lilac talk about?

Have you ever heard the drumbeat Winter-Winter? It always has only two tones: Dong-dong! Hear the dirges of the women! Hear the call of the priests! Indian widows in red robes stand on the funeral pyre. Flames burned up her body and that of her dead husband. But the Indian widow was thinking of a living man among the crowd standing around her: the eyes of this man burned hotter than flames, and the fire in his eyes penetrated into her heart faster than this. The flames of her body burning to ashes were even hotter. Will the fire in the heart die in the flames on the funeral pyre?

I don't understand that at all! said little Gerda.

This is the fairy tale I want to tell, said the tiger lily.

What did the morning glory talk about?

An old castle looms on a narrow mountain road. Its ancient red walls are covered with dense ivy. The leaves climbed up the balcony one by one. On the balcony stood a beautiful girl. She bent over the railing and glanced down the road. No rose-bush had flowers so bright as hers. No apple blossom blows in the wind so lightly as she does. Her beautiful silk dress made a crisp rustle!

Has he not come yet?

Do you mean Kay? asked little Gerda.

I'm only telling my fairy tales—my dreams! answered Morning Glory.

What did Snowball Flower say?

There was a long plank hanging from a rope between the trees. This is a swing. Two beautiful little girls, dressed in snow-white dresses and hats with long green ribbons, were sitting on it and playing on the swings. Their older brother stood on the swing, holding himself steady with his arm on the rope, as he held a small saucer in one hand and a clay cigarette holder in the other. He is blowing soap bubbles. The swing flew up, and the colorful and beautiful soap bubbles also flew up. The last soap bubble is still hanging on the cigarette holder, swaying in the wind. The swing was flying; a little black dog, as light as soap bubbles, stood up on its hind legs and wanted to climb onto the swing too. The swing continued to fly, and the puppy rolled down, barking and angry. Everyone laughed at it, and the soap bubble burst. A flying swing board and a bursting bubble - that's my song!

This story you tell may be very sweet, but you tell it so sadly, and you don't mention little Kay.

What did Hyacinth say?

Once upon a time there were three beautiful, transparent, and delicate sisters. The first was dressed in red, the second in blue, and the third in white. They danced arm in arm by a silent lake in the bright moonlight. They are not trolls. They are the daughters of the world. The air is full of sweet aroma! The girls disappeared in the woods. So the aroma becomes stronger. Three coffins - in which lay the three beautiful girls - floated out of the groves onto the lake. Fireflies flew above them like little flying lights. Are the dancing girls sleeping, or dead. The scent of the flowers said they were dead, and the evening bell was mourning!

You make me very sorry, said little Gerda, you give off such a strong scent that I cannot help thinking of the dead girls. Oh, is little Kay really dead? ? I went to the ground to look at the roses, and they said no.

Ding! Dang! Hyacinth's bell rang. We're not knocking for little Kay - we don't know him! We're just singing our song - the only one we know.

Gerda went to the buttercups. The flower smiles among the shimmering green leaves.

You are a shining little sun, said Gerda. Please tell me where I can find my playmate, if you know?

The buttercups, beaming with beauty, cast another glance at Gerda. What song will Goldilocks sing? This song has nothing to do with Kay.

In a small courtyard, the sun of our God shone warmly on the first day of spring. Its light glides across the white walls of the neighbor's house. Nearby, the first yellow flowers bloomed, shining like gold in the warm sun. The old grandmother was sitting in a chair outside the door, and her granddaughter--a very beautiful, poor little girl--was coming home for a short visit. She kisses grandma. There is gold in this happy kiss, gold in the heart. The lips are gold, the whole body is gold, and this morning is also gold. this! This is my story!

said Goldilocks.

My poor old grandmother! sighed Gerda. Yes, she must be thinking of me and worrying about me, just as she was worried about little Kay. But I'm going home soon, and I'm going home with Kay. Ask the flowers They're no use at all. They only know how to sing their own songs, and they can't tell me anything! So she tied up her little blouse, so that she might run faster. But when she jumped over the daffodils, the flowers caught her legs. She stopped to look at the long flower, and asked, Perhaps you know something?

So she bent down to the flower. What does the flower say?

I can see myself! I can see myself! Oh My God! Oh My God! How fragrant I am! In that little garret stood a little naked dancer: now she stood on one leg, now on two. Her heels hop all over the world. She is nothing but an illusion. She pours water from a teapot onto one of her cloths - it's her bodice - loving cleanliness is a good habit! Her white robe hangs from a nail. It, too, had been washed in a teapot and dried on the roof: she put it on and made it whiter with an orange kerchief around her neck. Her legs were crossed. You see the way she stands on one leg. I can see myself! I can see myself!

That doesn't interest me at all! said Gerda. It means nothing to me! So she ran to the end of the garden. The door is locked. But she twisted the rusty lock, and it came loose, and the door opened of its own accord. So little Gerda ran outside with her bare feet. She looked back three times, but no one was chasing her. At last she could not run any longer, so she sat down on a large rock. When she looked around, summer had passed—it was late fall. In that beautiful garden, people don't notice this thing-there is always sunshine, and there are always flowers in all seasons.

Ah! how much time I've wasted! said little Gerda. It's autumn! I can't rest anymore! So she stood up and walked on. oh! How sore and tired her little feet were! All around is a cold and gloomy landscape. The leaves of the willows had turned yellow, and the fog was dripping down on them. The leaves are rustling down. Only the hawthorn bears fruit, so sour that the teeth are about to fall out. ah! How gray and desolate this vast world is!

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

①The name of length in Denmark, which is equal to 0.627 meters.

Fourth Story Prince and Princess

Gerda had to rest again. Across from where she sat a large crow hopped across the snow. The crow had been sitting for a long time, staring at her, turning his head. Now he said, Cack! Cack! Good day! Good day! It was the only sound he could make, and he had a fondness for the little girl. It asked her where she wanted to be alone in this big big world. Gerda deeply understood the meaning of the word alone. She told the crow all about her life and what had happened, and at the same time asked him if he had seen Kay.

The crow nodded thoughtfully, and said at the same time: Maybe I have seen it! I may have seen it!

Why, did you really see it? cried the little girl, almost suffocating the crow in her arms--she kissed it so passionately.

Easy! Ease! said the crow. I believe it may be little Kay! But he forgot about you because of that princess!

Does he live with a princess? asked Gerda.

Yes, please listen! said the crow, but it is too difficult for me to speak your language. If you can understand the crow's language, then I can speak more clearly!

No, I haven't learned it! said Gerda, but my grandmother knew and could speak the language. I only wish I had learned it.

That's all right! said the crow. I'll try to speak clearly, but the more I speak, the more confused I may be.

So the crow told all that he knew.

In this kingdom we're in now, there's a very wise princess. She's read all the newspapers in the world, and then she's forgotten all about them, because she's so smart. It's not very funny - and then she hums a song, and it's just this: 'Why don't I get married now?' She says, 'Yes, there's a point in that line.' So she wants to Marriage. But what she wanted in a husband was that he must answer when people spoke to him, not just stand there, but look good—for it was a nuisance. So she called the maids in: when they When they found out what she meant, they were all very happy. 'Excellent!' They said, 'We also had the same opinion not long ago.' Please believe that every word I have told you is true! Crow explain. I have a very docile lover who can come and go freely in the palace, so she told me everything.

Of course, the so-called lover is nothing more than a crow, because a crow will only look for similar things-it will always be a crow.

All the newspapers were published at once, and decorated with chicken hearts and the princess's initials on the border. One could read: Every handsome young man was free to come to the palace and talk to the princess, and the words of the conversation If a man can make people think that he is free and easy to answer, the princess will choose him as her husband! Yes, yes! said the crow, Please believe me. My words are true and there is no falsehood. Young people come in droves. When they come to the street, they can talk about anything; but they go through the gates of the palace together, and see the gatekeepers in silver uniforms, and the golden uniforms standing on the steps. The servants and the dazzling hall, they can't say anything, they can only repeat the last word of the princess's words-and she doesn't want to listen to her own words. It seems that the belly of these people Stuffed with snuff, as if in a coma. Only when they are back in the street can they speak. These people stand in a long line from the city gate to the palace gate. I have seen it myself Once! said the crow. They became hungry and thirsty, but in the palace they were denied even a cup of warm water. The wisest took with them a little bread and butter, but they did not give it to those next to them, because They thought, 'Let's make this guy look like a hungry ghost, the princess won't want him!'

But Kay, little Kay? asked Gerda. When will he come? Will he be among them?

Wait! Wait! We'll be talking about him soon! On the third day a little figure arrives. He rides no horse and rides no chariot. He strides merrily into the palace His eyes are as bright as yours. His hair is long and thin, but his clothes are poor!

That's Kay! said Gerda happily. Oh, I've found him at last! And she clapped her hands.

He has a little knapsack on his back! said the crow.

No, that must be his sleigh! said Gerda, for he was taking it with him.

Maybe! said the crow, because I didn't look at it! But I've heard from my tame love that when he entered the palace gates he saw guards in silver uniforms and gold on the steps. He was not at all flustered as he subdued the servants. He nodded and said to them: 'It must be a tiresome job to stand on those steps—I'd rather walk in!' It's like daytime. Privy Councilors and ministers walk around barefoot with gold plates. It's a solemn feeling! His boots creak, but he's not afraid at all !

This must be Kay! said Gerda. I know he's wearing a new pair of boots; I heard them creaking in my grandmother's room.

Yes, they do make noise! said the Crow, and he walked bravely up to the Princess, who sat on a pearl the size of a spinning wheel. All the maids and their maids and maids' maids Ring, all the courtiers and their servants and servants of servants--and a boy each--stand around. The closer they stand to the door, the more impressive they look! These servants Servant's boy--he's always in uniform--it's almost hard to look at him, for he's so proud standing in the doorway!

It must be terrible! said little Gerda, but has Kay got the princess?

I could have her if I hadn't been a crow, though I'm engaged. He could speak as I speak a crow--that's what I've heard from my tame love. He's brave He is not here to propose to the princess, but to listen to the wisdom of the princess. He has taken a fancy to her; she has also taken a fancy to him.

Yes, that must be Kay! said Gerda. He's so clever, he can do the math in his head, right down to the fraction. Oh! Will you take me to the palace?

That's easy to say! said the crow. But how shall we carry it out? Let me first consult with my docile lover. She may give us some advice. I will tell you this--girls as young as you are not usually allowed to go in went inside.

Yes, I have permission! said Gerda. When Kay knew I was coming, he would come out immediately and invite me in.

Wait for me at the gate, please, said the crow, and it turned away and flew away.

It had been dark for a long time when the crow came back.

said it, I greet you on behalf of my love. Here is a little piece of bread I brought you. Here she took it from the kitchen. There is plenty of bread there. You must be very Hungry!... It is impossible for you to go to the palace, because you are barefoot. The guards in silver uniforms and the servants in gold uniforms will not let you in. But don't cry; you It's still possible to get in. My love knows a little back staircase that leads to the bedroom, and she knows where to get the key!

So they went into the garden, and walked along a broad avenue of trees. Here the leaves are rustling. When the lights in the palace went out one by one, the crow led little Gerda to the back door. The door was ajar.

cough! How Gerda's heart beat with fear and impatience! It seemed to her that she was doing something wrong; but all she wished to know was little Kay. Yes, that must be him. She was vividly remembering his bright eyes and long hair. She could imagine how he smiled--the way he smiled when he sat at home under the rose-tree. He must have been glad to see her; to hear how she had come so far to find him; to hear how sorry the family was for his absence. Ah, this is both frightening and delightful.

They are now on the stairs. A small lamp was burning on the cupboard; in the center of the room stood the tame crow. It turned its head around and looked at Gerda. She curtseyed as her grandmother had taught her.

My little girl, my betrothed has told you very well, said the tame crow, and your history--we may say it--is very touching! Will you please hold up the lamp? I Can lead the way ahead of you. We can keep going because we won't run into anyone.

I feel as though someone was following me, said Gerda, for something slid past her; Hunters and gentlemen and ladies on horseback.

These things are but a dream! said the Crow. They come to take the minds of these nobles out on a safari. It's a good thing, because then you can watch them a little longer while they sleep. But I hope, when you When you gain glory and wealth in the future, please don't forget me!

Of course it's not a problem! said the crow in the woods.

They now enter the first hall. There are many pink satin embroidered with flowers on the wall. Here Dream ran past them, but so quickly that Gerda had no time to look at the important persons. The second hall is always prettier than the first. Yes, one can get dizzy looking! At last they came to the bedroom. Here the ceiling is like a canopy of palm trees with glass-very precious glass-leaves. In the middle of the room were two beds suspended from a thick golden pole, and each bed was like a lily. One was white, and the princess was asleep in it; the other was red, and Gerda hoped to find little Kay in it. She parted a red petal, and she saw a brown neck. Oh, this is Kay! She called out his name aloud, and at the same time held the lamp before him. Dream rode into the room again, he woke up, turned around, and yet—he was not little Kay!

The prince only resembled his neck. But he is young and handsome. The princess peeped out from the bed of lilies, and asked who was there. Little Gerda wept, and told her the whole story and the help the Crow had given her.

Poor boy! said the prince and princess.

They praised the crows, and said they were not mad at them, but they couldn't do such things very often. Still, they deserve a reward.

Would you like to fly freely, asked the princess, or would you like to have a fixed place as crows in the palace and the right to eat leftovers from the kitchen?

The two crows bowed and asked for a fixed place, as they thought of their old age. They say, It's always a good thing to have some provision when you're old, as the saying goes.

The Prince climbed out of bed and put Gerda to sleep in his bed--that was all he could do. She crossed her little hands and thought, What kind things are people and animals! So she closed her eyes and fell asleep happily. All the dreams flew in again; this time they were like angels. They were pulling a small sled, and Kay sat on it and nodded. All this is but a dream. As soon as she woke up, the dreams were gone.

The next day she was fully clothed in silk and velvet. Someone suggested to her that she should stay in the palace and have a happy time. But all she asked for was a horse-drawn cart, and a pair of little boots. That way she could drive outside again, looking for Kay.

Not only did she get a pair of boots, she also got a muff, and she was dressed in clean clothes. When she was about to leave, a car made of pure gold was waiting for her outside the door. The prince and princess crest shone like a star on it. Coachmen, waiters, and riders—for there were riders—were all dressed in embroidered gold crowns. The prince and princess personally helped her into the carriage, and at the same time wished her a safe journey. The crow in the woods—he was married now—accompanied her the first three Danish miles. She sat beside Gerda, because she could not bear to sit with her back to the horse. The other crow was standing in the doorway, flapping its wings. She couldn't go with them because she had a headache which came from eating too much after she got the regular job. The walls were stuffed with sweet biscuits, and the seats were stuffed with gingerbread and fruit.

Good-bye! Good-bye! cried the Prince and Princess, and little Gerda wept, and so did the Crow. They walked together in this way for the first few miles, and the Crow said good-bye--the saddest parting ever. The crow flew up to a tree, and flapped his black wings, till he lost sight of the carriage - which shone like a bright sun.

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① This is a Nordic etiquette. When performing this salute, bend the knee of your left leg and nod your head. Today, elementary school students in northern Europe (especially Sweden) still perform this salute when they meet their teachers on the street.

② One Danish mile is approximately equal to fifteen miles of our calculation unit.

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