"Is it
possible
?
Warner - World's Best Literature - v01 - A to Apu
” And then he told all he knew.
“In the kingdom where we now are, there lives a princess,
who is vastly clever; for she has read all the newspapers in the
whole world, and has forgotten them again, — so clever is she.
Some time ago, they say, she was sitting on her throne, - which is
no great fun, after all, — when she began humming an old tune,
and it was just “Oh, why should I not be married ? Come,
now, there is something in that,' said she, and so then she was
bound to marry; but she would have a husband who knew how
to give an answer when he was spoken to, - not one who was
good for nothing but to stand and be looked at, for that is very
tiresome. She then had all the ladies of the court drummed
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together; and when they heard what she meant to do, all were
well pleased, and said, “We are quite glad to hear it: it is the
very thing we were thinking of. ' You may believe every word I
say,” said the Crow, "for I have a tame sweetheart that hops
about in the palace quite freely, and she told me all.
“ The newspapers at once came out with a border of hearts
and the initials of the Princess; and you could read in them that
every good-looking young man was free to come to the palace
and speak to the Princess; and he who spoke in such wise as
showed he felt himself at home there, and talked best, that one
the Princess would choose for her husband.
“Yes — yes,” said the Crow, you may believe it; it is as true
as I am sitting here. People came in crowds; there was a crush
and a hurry, but no one had good luck either on the first or
second day. They could all talk well enough when they were out
in the street; but as soon as they came inside the palace gates,
and saw the guard richly dressed in silver, and the lackeys in
gold, on the staircase, and the large lighted halls, then they
were dumb; and when they stood before the throne on which
the Princess was sitting, all they could do was to repeat the last
word she had said, and she didn't care to hear that again. It
was just as if the people within were under a charm, and had
fallen into a trance till they came out again into the street; for
then - oh, then they could chatter enough. There was a whole
row of them from the town gates to the palace.
to the palace. I was there
myself to look on,” said the Crow. “They grew hungry and
thirsty; but from the palace they got not so much as a glass of
Some of the cleverest, it is true, had taken bread and
butter with them; but none shared it with his neighbor, for each
thought, “Let him look hungry, and then the Princess won't
have him. ) »
"But Kay -- little Kay," asked Gerda, "when did he come?
Was he among the number ? ”
“Give me time! give me time! we are coming to him. It
was on the third day, when a little personage, without horse or
carriage, came marching right boldly up to the palace; his eyes
shone like yours, he had beautiful long hair, but his clothes were
very shabby. ”
« That was Kay,” cried Gerda, with a voice of delight. Oh,
now I've found him! ” and she clapped her hands.
"He had a little knapsack at his back," said the Crow.
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“No, that was certainly his sled,” said Gerda; “for he went
away with his sled. »
“That may be," said the Crow; “I did not see, him close to;
but I know from my tame sweetheart that when he came into the
courtyard of the palace, and saw the body-guard in silver, and
the lackeys on the staircase in gold, he was not in the least cast
down; he nodded and said to them, It must be very tiresome to
stand on the stairs; for my part, I shall go in. ' The halls were
bright with lights. Court people and fine folks were walking
about on bare feet; it was all very solemn. His boots creaked,
too, very loudly; but still he was not at all afraid. ”
“That's Kay, for certain,” said Gerda. "I know he had on
new boots; I have heard them creaking in grandmamma's room.
“Yes, they creaked," said the Crow. “And on he went boldly
up to the Princess, who was sitting on a pearl as large as a spin-
ning-wheel. All the ladies of the court stood about, with their
maids and their maids' maids, and all the gentlemen with their
servants and their servants' servants, who kept a boy; and the
nearer they stood to the door, the prouder they looked. The boy
of the servants servants, who always goes in slippers, hardly
looked at one, so very proudly did he stand in the doorway. ”
“It must have been terrible,” said little Gerda. “And did
Kay get the Princess ? »
"Were I not a Crow, I should have taken the Princess myself,
although I am engaged. It is said he spoke as well as I speak
when I talk crow language; this I learned from my tame sweet-
heart. He was bold and nicely behaved; he had not come to
woo the Princess, but only to hear her wisdom. She pleased
him and he pleased her. ”
“Yes, yes, for certain that was Kay,” said Gerda.
“He was
so clever; he could do sums with fractions. Oh, won't you take
me to the palace ? ”
« That is very easily said," answered the Crow. But how are
we to manage it ? I'll speak to my tame sweetheart about it;
she can tell us what to do; for so much I must tell you, such a
little girl as you are will never get leave to go in the common
way. ”
“Oh, yes, I shall,” said Gerda: “when Kay hears that I am
here, he will come out at once to fetch me. ”
“Wait for me here on these steps," said the Crow. He
wagged his head and flew away.
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523
-
When it grew dark the Crow came back. « Caw! caw! ” said
he. "I bring you a great many good wishes from her; and here
is a bit of bread for you. She took it out of the kitchen, where
,
there is bread enough, and you are hungry, no doubt. It is not
possible for you to enter the palace, for you are barefoot; the
guards in silver and the lackeys in gold would not allow it: but
do not cry, you shall come in still. My sweetheart knows a little
back stair that leads to the chamber, and she knows where she
can get the key of it. ”
And they went into the garden by the broad path, where one
leaf was falling after the other; and when the lights in the palace
were all put out, one after the other, the Crow led little Gerda to
the back door, which stood ajar.
Oh, how Gerda's heart beat with doubt and longing! It was
just as if she had been about to do something wrong; and yet
she only wanted to know if little Kay was there. Yes, he must
be there. She called to mind his clear eyes and his long hair so
vividly, she could quite see him as he used to laugh when they
were sitting under the roses at home. He would surely be glad
to see her — to hear what a long way she had come for his sake;
to know how unhappy all at home were when he did not come
back. Oh, what a fright and what a joy it was!
Now they were on the stairs. A single lamp was burning
there; and on the floor stood the tame Crow, turning her head on
every side and looking at Gerda, who bowed as her grandmother
had taught her to do.
«My intended has told me so much good of you, my dear
young lady,” said the tame Crow. «Your Life, as they call it, is
very affecting. If you will take the lamp, I will go before. We
will go straight on, for we shall meet no one. ”
“I think there is somebody just behind us,” said Gerda; and
it rushed past her. It was like shadows on the wall; horses with
flowing manes and thin legs, huntsmen, ladies and gentlemen on
horseback.
« They are only dreams,” said the Crow. “They come to fetch
the thoughts of the fine folk to the chase; 'tis well, for now you
can see them asleep all the better. But let me find, when
you
come to have honor and fame, that you possess a grateful
heart. ”
«Tut! that's not worth talking about,” said the Crow from the
woods.
c
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Now they came into the first hall, which was of rose-colored
satin, with painted flowers on the wall. Here the dreams were
rushing past, but they hurried by so quickly that Gerda could not
see the fine people. One hall was more showy than the other
well might people be abashed; and at last they came into the
bed-chamber.
The ceiling of the room was like a great palm-tree, with leaves
of glass, of costly glass; and in the middle of the floor, from
a thick golden stalk, hung two beds, each of which was shaped
like a lily. One was white, and in this lay the Princess: the
other was red, and it was here that Gerda was to look for little
Kay. She bent back one of the red leaves, and saw a brown
neck - oh, that was Kay! She called him quite loud by name,
held the lamp toward him — the dreams rushed again on horse-
back into the chamber — he awoke, turned his head, and — it was
not little Kay!
The Prince was only like him about the neck; but he was
young and handsome. And out of the white lily leaves the
Princess peeped too, and asked what was the matter. Then little
Gerda cried and told her whole history, and all that the Crows
had done for her.
Poor little thing! ” said the Prince and the Princess, and they
praised the Crows very much, and told them they were not at all
angry with them, but they were not to do so again. However,
they should have a reward.
“Will you fly about at liberty ? ” asked the Princess; ”or would
you like to have a steady place as court Crows with all the
broken bits from the kitchen ? »
And both the Crows nodded, and begged for a steady place;
for they thought of their old age, and said it was a good thing
to have something for the old folks," as the saying is.
And the Prince got up and let Gerda sleep in his bed, and
more than this he could not do. She folded her little hands, and
thought, “How good men and animals are! ” and then she shut
her eyes and slept soundly. All the dreams came flying in again,
and they now looked like the angels; they drew a little sled, on
which Kay sat and nodded his head: but the whole was only a
dream, and so it was all gone as soon as she awoke.
The next day she was dressed from top to toe in silk and
velvet. They offered to let her stay at the palace, and lead a
happy life; but she begged only to have a little carriage with a
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525
horse in front, and for a small pair of shoes; then, she said, she
would again go forth in the wide world and look for Kay.
And she got both shoes and a muff; she was dressed very
nicely, too; and when she was about to set off, a new carriage
stopped before the door. It was of pure gold, and the arms of
the Prince and Princess shone like a star upon it; the coachman,
the footmen, and the outriders, for outriders were there too, all
wore golden crowns. The Prince and Princess helped her into
the carriage themselves, and wished her good luck. The Crow
of the woods, who was now married, went with her for the first
three miles. He sat beside Gerda, for he could not bear riding
backward; the other Crow stood in the doorway, and flapped her
wings; she could not go with Gerda, because she suffered from
headache since she had had a steady place, and ate so much.
The carriage was lined inside with sugar-plums, and in the seats
were fruits and cookies.
"Good-by! good-by! ” cried Prince and Princess; and little
Gerda wept, and the Crows wept. Thus passed the first miles;
and then the Crow said good-by, and this was the worst good-by
of all. He flew into a tree, and beat his black wings as long as
he could see the carriage, that shone from afar like the clear
sunlight.
THE NIGHTINGALE
From “Riverside Literature Series): copyright 1891, by Houghton, Miffin & Co.
I THE
REAL
NIGHTINGALE
I
N CHINA, you must know, the Emperor is a Chinaman, and all
whom he has about him are Chinamen too. It happened a
good many years ago, but that's just why it's worth while to
hear the story before it is forgotten.
The Emperor's palace was the most splendid in the world. It
was made wholly of fine porcelain, very costly, but so brittle and
so hard to handle that one had to take care how one touched it.
In the garden were to be seen the most wonderful flowers, and
to the prettiest of them silver bells were tied, which tinkled, so
that nobody should pass by without noticing the flowers.
Yes, everything in the Emperor's garden was nicely set out,
and it reached so far that the gardener himself did not know
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where the end was. If a man went on and on, he came into a
glorious forest with high trees and deep lakes. The wood went
straight down to the sea, which was blue and deep; great ships
could sail to and fro beneath the branches of the trees; and in the
trees lived a Nightingale, which sang so finely that even the poor
Fisherman, who had many other things to do, stopped still and
listened, when he had gone out at night to throw out his nets,
and heard the Nightingale.
“How beautiful that is ! ” he said; but he had to attend to his
work, and so he forgot the bird. But the next night, when the
bird sang again, and the Fisherman heard it, he said as before,
“How beautiful that is ! »
From all the countries of the world travelers came to the city
of the Emperor, and admired it, and the palace, and the garden;
but when they heard the Nightingale, they all said, “That is the
best of all !
And the travelers told of it when they came home; and the
learned men wrote many books about the town, the palace, and
the garden. But they did not forget the Nightingale; that was
spoken of most of all; and all those who were poets wrote great
poems about the Nightingale in the wood by the deep lake.
The books went all over the world, and a few of them once
came to the Emperor. He sat in his golden chair, and read, and
read; every moment he nodded his head, for it pleased him to
hear the fine things that were said about the city, the palace,
and the garden. But the Nightingale is the best of all! " -- it
stood written there.
“What's that ? exclaimed the Emperor. « The Nightingale ?
I don't know that at all! Is there such a bird in my empire, and
in my garden to boot? I've never heard of that. One has to
read about such things. ”
Hereupon he called his Cavalier, who was so grand that if any
one lower in rank than he dared to speak to him, or to ask him
any question, he answered nothing but “P! "--and that meant
nothing.
« There is said to be a strange bird here called a Nightin-
gale! ” said the Emperor. “They say it is the best thing in all
my great empire. Why has no ever told me anything
about it ? »
"I have never heard it named,” replied the Cavalier. « It has
never been presented at court. ”
one
1
-
-
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527
"I command that it shall come here this evening, and sing
before me,” said the Emperor. "All the world knows what I
have, and I do not know it myself ! ”
"I have never heard it mentioned,” said the Cavalier. "I will
seek for it. I will find it. ”
But where was it to be found ? The Cavalier ran up and
down all the stairs, through halls and passages, but no one
among all those whom he met had heard talk of the Nightingale.
And the Cavalier ran back to the Emperor, and said that it must
be a fable made up by those who write books.
“Your Imperial Majesty must not believe what is written. It
is fiction, and something that they call the black art.
But the book in which I read this,” said the Emperor, was
sent to me by the high and mighty Emperor of Japan, and so it
cannot be a falsehood. I will hear the Nightingale! It must be
here this evening! It has my high favor; and if it does not
come, all the court shall be trampled upon after it has supped! ”
«Tsing-pe! ” said the Cavalier; and again he ran up and down
all the stairs, and through all the halls and passages, and half
the court ran with him, for the courtiers did not like being
trampled upon. There was a great inquiry after the wonderful
Nightingale, which all the world knew, but not the people at
court.
At last they met with a poor little girl in the kitchen. She
said:
“The Nightingale ? I know it well; yes, how it can sing!
Every evening I get leave to carry my poor sick mother the
scraps from the table. She lives down by the beach, and when
I get back and am tired, and rest in the wood, then I hear the
Nightingale sing. And then the tears come into my eyes, and it
is just as if my mother kissed me! ”
Little Kitchen-girl," said the Cavalier, "I will get you a
fixed place in the kitchen, with leave to see the Emperor dine,
if you will lead us to the Nightingale, for it is promised for this
evening. "
So they all went out into the wood where the Nightingale
was wont to sing; half the court went out. When they were on
the way, a cow began to low.
“Oh! ” cried the court pages, “now we have it! That shows
a great power in so small a creature! We have certainly heard it
before. ”
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are
"No, those cows mooing! ” said the little Kitchen-girl.
“We are a long way from the place yet. ”
Now the frogs began to croak in the marsh.
« Glorious! ” said the Chinese Court Preacher. "Now I hear
it — it sounds just like little church bells. ”
"No, those are frogs! ” said the little Kitchen-maid. “But
now I think we shall soon hear it. ”
And then the Nightingale began to sing.
« That is it! ) exclaimed the little Girl. "Listen, listen! and
yonder it sits. ”
And she pointed to a little gray bird up in the boughs.
"Is it possible ? ” cried the Cavalier. "I should never have
thought it looked like that! How simple it looks! It must cer-
tainly have lost its color at seeing so many famous people
around. ”
"Little Nightingale! ” called the little Kitchen-maid, quite
loudly, our gracious Emperor wishes you to sing before him. ”
“With the greatest pleasure! ” replied the Nightingale, and
sang so that it was a joy to hear it.
It sounds just like glass bells! ” said the Cavalier. “And
look at its little throat, how it's working! It's wonderful that we
should never have heard it before. That bird will be a great
success at court. ”
«Shall I sing once more before the Emperor ? ” asked the
Nightingale, for it thought the Emperor was present.
"My excellent little Nightingale," said the Cavalier, "I have
great pleasure in inviting you to a court festival this evening,
when you shall charm his Imperial Majesty with your beautiful
singing. ”
“My song sounds best in the greenwood! ” replied the Night-
ingale; still it came willingly when it heard what the Emperor
wished.
In the palace there was a great brushing up. The walls and
the floor, which were of porcelain, shone with many thousand
golden lamps. The most glorious flowers, which could ring
clearly, had been placed in the halls. There was a running to
and fro, and a draught of air, but all the bells rang so exactly
together that one could not hear any noise.
In the midst of the great hall, where the Emperor sat, a
golden perch had been placed, on which the Nightingale was to
sit. The whole court was there, and the little Cook-maid had
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529
leave to stand behind the door, as she had now received the title
of a real cook-maid. All were in full dress, and all looked at
the little gray bird, to which the Emperor nodded.
And the Nightingale sang so gloriously that the tears came
into the Emperor's eyes, and the tears ran down over his cheeks;
and then the Nightingale sang still more sweetly; that went
straight to the heart. The Emperor was happy, and he said the
Nightingale should have his golden slipper to wear round its
neck. But the Nightingale thanked him, it had already got
reward enough.
"I have seen tears in the Emperor's eyes — that is the real
treasure to me. An Emperor's tears have a strange power.
I
am paid enough! ” Then it sang again with a sweet, glorious
voice.
That's the most lovely way of making love I ever saw! )
said the ladies who stood round about, and then they took water
in their mouths to gurgle when any one spoke to them. They
thought they should be nightingales too. And the lackeys and
maids let it be known that they were pleased too; and that was
saying a good deal, for they are the hardest of all to please. In
short, the Nightingale made a real hit.
It was now to remain at court, to have its own cage, with
freedom to go out twice every day and once at night. It had
twelve servants, and they all had a silken string tied to the
bird's leg which they held very tight. There was really no
pleasure in going out.
The whole city spoke of the wonderful bird, and when two
people met, one said nothing but Nightin," and the other said
"gale”; and then they sighed, and understood one another.
Eleven storekeepers' children were named after the bird, but not
one of them could sing a note.
II — THE TOY NIGHTINGALE
One day a large parcel came to the Emperor, on which was
written «The Nightingale. ”
Here we have a new book about this famous bird,” said the
Emperor.
But it was not a book: it was a little work of art, that lay in
a box; a toy nightingale, which was to sing like a live one, but
II-34
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it was all covered with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. So soon
as the toy bird was wound up, he could sing one of the pieces
that the real one sang, and then his tail moved up and down,
and shone with silver and gold. Round his neck hung a little
ribbon, and on that was written, “The Emperor of Japan's
Nightingale is poor beside that of the Emperor in China. ”
“That is capital! ” said they all, and he who had brought the
toy bird at once got the title Imperial Head-Nightingale-Bringer.
“Now they must sing together: what a duet that will be!
And so they had to sing together; but it did not sound very
well, for the real Nightingale sang in its own way, and the toy
bird sang waltzes.
« That's not its fault,” said the Play-master: "it's quite per-
fect, and very much in my style. ”
Now the toy bird was to sing alone. It made just as much of
a hit as the real one, and then it was so much more fine to look
at - it shone like bracelets and breastpins.
Three-and-thirty times over did it sing the same piece, and yet
was not tired. The people would gladly have heard it again, but
the Emperor said that the living Nightingale ought to sing a little
something. But where was it? No one had noticed that it had
flown away, out of the open window, back to its green woods.
« But what is become cf it ? asked the Emperor.
Then all the courtiers scolded, and thought the Nightingale
was a very thankless creature.
“We have the best bird, after all,” said they.
And so the toy bird had to sing again, and this was the thirty-
fourth time they had listened to the same piece. For all that,
they did not know it quite by heart, for it was so very difficult.
And the Play-master praised the bird highly; yes, he declared that
it was better than the real Nightingale, not only in its feathers
and its many beautiful diamonds, but inside as well.
"For you see, ladies and gentlemen, and above all, your Im-
perial Majesty, with the real Nightingale one can never make
sure what is coming, but in this toy bird everything is settled. It
is just so, and not any other way. One can explain it; one can
open it, and can show how much thought went to making it,
where the waltzes come from, how they go, and how one follows
another. ”
“Those are quite our own ideas,” they all said. And the Play-
master got leave to show the bird to the people on the next
-
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531
Sunday. The people were to hear it sing too, said the Emperor;
and they did hear it, and were as much pleased as if they had all
had tea, for that's quite the Chinese fashion; and they all said
"Oh! ” and held their forefingers up in the air and nodded. But
the poor Fisherman, who had heard the real Nightingale, said: --
“It sounds pretty enough, and it's a little like, but there's
something wanting, though I know not what ! »
The real Nightingale was exiled from the land and empire.
The toy bird had its place on a silken cushion close to the
Emperor's bed. All the presents it had received, gold and pre-
cious stones, were ranged about it. In title it had come to be
High Imperial After-Dinner-Singer, and in rank it was Number
One on the left hand; for the Emperor reckoned that side the most
important on which the heart is placed, and even in an Emperor
the heart is on the left side. And the Play-master wrote a work
of five-and-twenty volumes about the toy bird: it was so learned
and so long, full of the most difficult Chinese words, that all the
people said they had read it and understood it, or else they would
have been thought stupid, and would have had their bodies tram-
pled on.
So a whole year went by. The Emperor, the court, and all
the other Chinese knew every little twitter in the toy bird's song
by heart. But just for that reason it pleased them best -- they
could sing with it themselves, and they did so. The street boys
sang, «Tsi-tsi-tsi-glug-glug! ” and the Emperor himself sang it
too. Yes, that was certainly famous.
But one evening, when the toy bird was singing its best, and
the Emperor lay in bed and heard it, something inside the bird
said, “Svup! ” Something cracked. “Whir-r-r! ” All the wheels
ran round, and then the music stopped.
The Emperor jumped at once out of bed, and had his own
doctor called; but what could he do? Then they sent for a watch-
maker, and after a good deal of talking and looking, he got the
bird into some sort of order; but he said that it must be looked
after a good deal, for the barrels were worn, and he could not
put new ones in in such a manner that the music would go.
There was a great to-do; only once in a year did they dare to let
the bird sing, and that was almost too much. But then the Play-
master made a little speech, full of heavy words, and said this
was just as good as before —— and so, of course, it was as good as
before.
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III — THE REAL NIGHTINGALE AGAIN
ran
to pay
Five years had gone by, and a real grief came upon the whole
nation. The Chinese were really fond of their Emperor, and now
he was sick, and could not, it was said, live much longer. Al-
ready a new Emperor had been chosen, and the people stood out
in the street and asked the Cavalier' how their old Emperor did.
“P! ” said he, and shook his head.
Cold and pale lay the Emperor in his great, gorgeous bed;
the whole court thought him dead, and each one
respect to the new ruler. The chamberlains ran out to talk it
over, and the ladies’-maids had a great coffee party. All about,
in all the halls and passages, cloth had been laid down so that no
one could be heard go by, and therefore it was quiet there, quite
quiet. But the Emperor was not dead yet: stiff and pale he lay
on the gorgeous bed with the long velvet curtains and the heavy
gold tassels; high up, a window stood open, and the moon shone
in upon the Emperor and the toy bird.
The poor Emperor could scarcely breathe; it was just as if
something lay upon his breast. He opened his eyes, and then he
saw that it was Death who sat upon his breast, and had put on
his golden crown, and held in one hand the Emperor's sword,
and in the other his beautiful banner. And all around, from
among the folds of the splendid velvet curtains, strange heads
peered forth; a few very ugly, the rest quite lovely and mild.
These were all the Emperor's bad and good deeds, that stood
before him now that Death sat upon his heart.
“Do you remember this ? ” whispered one to the other. "Do
you remember that ? ” and then they told him so much that the
sweat ran from his forehead.
"I did not know that! ” said the Emperor. “Music! music!
the great Chinese drum! ” he cried, “so that I need not hear all
they say! ”
And they kept on, and Death nodded like a Chinaman to all
they said.
«Music! music! ” cried the Emperor. “You little precious
golden bird, sing, sing! I have given you gold and costly pres-
ents; I have even hung my golden slipper around your neck —
sing now, sing! ”
But the bird stood still, no one was there to wind him up,
and he could not sing without that; but Death kept on staring
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533
ers.
at the Emperor with his great hollow eyes, and it was quiet,
fearfully quiet.
Then there sounded close by the window the most lovely
song. It was the little live Nightingale, that sat outside on a
spray It had heard of the Emperor's need, and had come to
sing to him of trust and hope. And as it sang the spectres grew
paler and paler; the blood ran more and more quickly through
the Emperor's weak limbs, and Death himself listened, and
said:
Go on, little Nightingale, go on! ”
“But will you give me that splendid golden sword? Will you
give me that rich banner? Will you give me the Emperor's
crown ? »
And Death gave up each of these treasures for a song. And
the Nightingale sang on and on; it sang of the quiet church-
yard where the white roses grow, where the elder-blossom smells
sweet, and where the fresh grass is wet with the tears of mourn-
Then Death felt a longing to see his garden, and floated
out at the window in the form of a cold, white mist.
« Thanks! thanks! ” said the Emperor. “You heavenly little
bird! I know you well. I drove you from my land and empire,
and yet you have charmed away the evil faces from my bed, and
driven Death from my heart! How can I pay you ? ”
"You have paid me! ” replied the Nightingale. I drew tears
from your eyes, the first time I sang- I shall never forget that.
Those are the jewels that make a singer's heart glad.
But now
sleep and grow fresh and strong again. I will sing you some-
thing. "
And it sang, and the Emperor fell into a sweet sleep. Ah!
how mild and refreshing that sleep was! The sun shone upon
him through the windows, when he awoke strong and sound.
Not one of his servants had yet come back, for they all thought
that he was dead; but the Nightingale still sat beside him and
sang.
“You must always stay with me,” said the Emperor. “You
shall sing as you please; and I'll break the toy bird into a thou-
sand pieces. ”
“Not so," replied the Nightingale. “It did well as long as it
could; keep it as you have done till now. I cannot build my
nest in the palace to dwell in it, but let me come when I feel
the wish; then I will sit in the evening on the spray yonder by
c
(
.
## p. 534 (#572) ############################################
534
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.
I love your
>
the window, and sing for you, so that you may be glad and
thoughtful at once. I will sing of those who are happy and of
those who suffer. I will sing of good and of evil that remain
hidden round about you. The little singing bird flies far around,
to the poor fisherman, to the peasant's roof, to every one who
dwells far away from you and from
your court.
heart more than your crown, and yet the crown has an air of
sanctity about it. I will come and sing to you — but one thing
you must promise me. ”
“Everything! ” said the Emperor; and he stood there in his
royal robes, which he had put on himself, and pressed the sword
which was heavy with gold to his heart.
“One thing I beg of you: tell no one that you have a little
bird who tells you everything. Then all will go well. ”
And the Nightingale flew away. '
The servants came in to look on their dead Emperor, and
yes, there he stood, and the Emperor said, "Good-morning! ”
((
»
THE MARKET PLACE AT ODENSE (1836)
From The Story of My Life)
F
I
(
THE reader was a child who lived in Odense, he would just
need to say the words “St. Knud's Fair,” and it would rise
before him in the brightest colors, lighted by the beams of
childish fancy.
Somewhere near the middle of the town,
five streets meet and make a little square.
There the
town crier, in striped homespun, with a yellow bandoleer, beat his
drum and proclaimed from a scroll the splendid things to be seen
in the town.
“He beats a good drum,” said the chamberlain.
«It would delight Spontini and Rossini to hear the fellow,”
said William. “Really, Odense at New Year would just suit
these composers.
The drums and fifes are in their glory. They
drum the New Year in. Seven or eight little drummers, or fifers,
go from door to door, with troops of children and old women,
and they beat the drum-taps and the reveille. That fetches the
.
pennies. Then when the New Year is well drummed in the city,
they go into the country and drum for meat and porridge. The
drumming in of the New Year lasts until Lent. ”
## p. 535 (#573) ############################################
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
535
»
.
“And then we have new sports,” said the chamberlain. “The
fishers come from Stege with a full band, and on their shoulders
a boat with all sorts of flags.
Then they lay a board
between two boats, and on this two of the youngest and spryest
wrestle till one falls into the water.
But all the fun's
gone now. When I was young, there was different sport going.
That was a sight! the corporation procession with the banners
and the harlequin atop, and at Shrovetide, when the butchers led
about an ox decked with ribbons and carnival twigs, with a boy
on his back with wings and a little shirt.
All that's past
now, people are got so fine. St. Knud's Fair is not what it used
to be. »
(
Well, I'm glad it isn't,” said William; “but let us go into
the market and look at the Jutlanders, who are sitting with their
pottery amidst the hay.
“In the kingdom where we now are, there lives a princess,
who is vastly clever; for she has read all the newspapers in the
whole world, and has forgotten them again, — so clever is she.
Some time ago, they say, she was sitting on her throne, - which is
no great fun, after all, — when she began humming an old tune,
and it was just “Oh, why should I not be married ? Come,
now, there is something in that,' said she, and so then she was
bound to marry; but she would have a husband who knew how
to give an answer when he was spoken to, - not one who was
good for nothing but to stand and be looked at, for that is very
tiresome. She then had all the ladies of the court drummed
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HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
521
together; and when they heard what she meant to do, all were
well pleased, and said, “We are quite glad to hear it: it is the
very thing we were thinking of. ' You may believe every word I
say,” said the Crow, "for I have a tame sweetheart that hops
about in the palace quite freely, and she told me all.
“ The newspapers at once came out with a border of hearts
and the initials of the Princess; and you could read in them that
every good-looking young man was free to come to the palace
and speak to the Princess; and he who spoke in such wise as
showed he felt himself at home there, and talked best, that one
the Princess would choose for her husband.
“Yes — yes,” said the Crow, you may believe it; it is as true
as I am sitting here. People came in crowds; there was a crush
and a hurry, but no one had good luck either on the first or
second day. They could all talk well enough when they were out
in the street; but as soon as they came inside the palace gates,
and saw the guard richly dressed in silver, and the lackeys in
gold, on the staircase, and the large lighted halls, then they
were dumb; and when they stood before the throne on which
the Princess was sitting, all they could do was to repeat the last
word she had said, and she didn't care to hear that again. It
was just as if the people within were under a charm, and had
fallen into a trance till they came out again into the street; for
then - oh, then they could chatter enough. There was a whole
row of them from the town gates to the palace.
to the palace. I was there
myself to look on,” said the Crow. “They grew hungry and
thirsty; but from the palace they got not so much as a glass of
Some of the cleverest, it is true, had taken bread and
butter with them; but none shared it with his neighbor, for each
thought, “Let him look hungry, and then the Princess won't
have him. ) »
"But Kay -- little Kay," asked Gerda, "when did he come?
Was he among the number ? ”
“Give me time! give me time! we are coming to him. It
was on the third day, when a little personage, without horse or
carriage, came marching right boldly up to the palace; his eyes
shone like yours, he had beautiful long hair, but his clothes were
very shabby. ”
« That was Kay,” cried Gerda, with a voice of delight. Oh,
now I've found him! ” and she clapped her hands.
"He had a little knapsack at his back," said the Crow.
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HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
“No, that was certainly his sled,” said Gerda; “for he went
away with his sled. »
“That may be," said the Crow; “I did not see, him close to;
but I know from my tame sweetheart that when he came into the
courtyard of the palace, and saw the body-guard in silver, and
the lackeys on the staircase in gold, he was not in the least cast
down; he nodded and said to them, It must be very tiresome to
stand on the stairs; for my part, I shall go in. ' The halls were
bright with lights. Court people and fine folks were walking
about on bare feet; it was all very solemn. His boots creaked,
too, very loudly; but still he was not at all afraid. ”
“That's Kay, for certain,” said Gerda. "I know he had on
new boots; I have heard them creaking in grandmamma's room.
“Yes, they creaked," said the Crow. “And on he went boldly
up to the Princess, who was sitting on a pearl as large as a spin-
ning-wheel. All the ladies of the court stood about, with their
maids and their maids' maids, and all the gentlemen with their
servants and their servants' servants, who kept a boy; and the
nearer they stood to the door, the prouder they looked. The boy
of the servants servants, who always goes in slippers, hardly
looked at one, so very proudly did he stand in the doorway. ”
“It must have been terrible,” said little Gerda. “And did
Kay get the Princess ? »
"Were I not a Crow, I should have taken the Princess myself,
although I am engaged. It is said he spoke as well as I speak
when I talk crow language; this I learned from my tame sweet-
heart. He was bold and nicely behaved; he had not come to
woo the Princess, but only to hear her wisdom. She pleased
him and he pleased her. ”
“Yes, yes, for certain that was Kay,” said Gerda.
“He was
so clever; he could do sums with fractions. Oh, won't you take
me to the palace ? ”
« That is very easily said," answered the Crow. But how are
we to manage it ? I'll speak to my tame sweetheart about it;
she can tell us what to do; for so much I must tell you, such a
little girl as you are will never get leave to go in the common
way. ”
“Oh, yes, I shall,” said Gerda: “when Kay hears that I am
here, he will come out at once to fetch me. ”
“Wait for me here on these steps," said the Crow. He
wagged his head and flew away.
## p. 523 (#561) ############################################
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523
-
When it grew dark the Crow came back. « Caw! caw! ” said
he. "I bring you a great many good wishes from her; and here
is a bit of bread for you. She took it out of the kitchen, where
,
there is bread enough, and you are hungry, no doubt. It is not
possible for you to enter the palace, for you are barefoot; the
guards in silver and the lackeys in gold would not allow it: but
do not cry, you shall come in still. My sweetheart knows a little
back stair that leads to the chamber, and she knows where she
can get the key of it. ”
And they went into the garden by the broad path, where one
leaf was falling after the other; and when the lights in the palace
were all put out, one after the other, the Crow led little Gerda to
the back door, which stood ajar.
Oh, how Gerda's heart beat with doubt and longing! It was
just as if she had been about to do something wrong; and yet
she only wanted to know if little Kay was there. Yes, he must
be there. She called to mind his clear eyes and his long hair so
vividly, she could quite see him as he used to laugh when they
were sitting under the roses at home. He would surely be glad
to see her — to hear what a long way she had come for his sake;
to know how unhappy all at home were when he did not come
back. Oh, what a fright and what a joy it was!
Now they were on the stairs. A single lamp was burning
there; and on the floor stood the tame Crow, turning her head on
every side and looking at Gerda, who bowed as her grandmother
had taught her to do.
«My intended has told me so much good of you, my dear
young lady,” said the tame Crow. «Your Life, as they call it, is
very affecting. If you will take the lamp, I will go before. We
will go straight on, for we shall meet no one. ”
“I think there is somebody just behind us,” said Gerda; and
it rushed past her. It was like shadows on the wall; horses with
flowing manes and thin legs, huntsmen, ladies and gentlemen on
horseback.
« They are only dreams,” said the Crow. “They come to fetch
the thoughts of the fine folk to the chase; 'tis well, for now you
can see them asleep all the better. But let me find, when
you
come to have honor and fame, that you possess a grateful
heart. ”
«Tut! that's not worth talking about,” said the Crow from the
woods.
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524
Now they came into the first hall, which was of rose-colored
satin, with painted flowers on the wall. Here the dreams were
rushing past, but they hurried by so quickly that Gerda could not
see the fine people. One hall was more showy than the other
well might people be abashed; and at last they came into the
bed-chamber.
The ceiling of the room was like a great palm-tree, with leaves
of glass, of costly glass; and in the middle of the floor, from
a thick golden stalk, hung two beds, each of which was shaped
like a lily. One was white, and in this lay the Princess: the
other was red, and it was here that Gerda was to look for little
Kay. She bent back one of the red leaves, and saw a brown
neck - oh, that was Kay! She called him quite loud by name,
held the lamp toward him — the dreams rushed again on horse-
back into the chamber — he awoke, turned his head, and — it was
not little Kay!
The Prince was only like him about the neck; but he was
young and handsome. And out of the white lily leaves the
Princess peeped too, and asked what was the matter. Then little
Gerda cried and told her whole history, and all that the Crows
had done for her.
Poor little thing! ” said the Prince and the Princess, and they
praised the Crows very much, and told them they were not at all
angry with them, but they were not to do so again. However,
they should have a reward.
“Will you fly about at liberty ? ” asked the Princess; ”or would
you like to have a steady place as court Crows with all the
broken bits from the kitchen ? »
And both the Crows nodded, and begged for a steady place;
for they thought of their old age, and said it was a good thing
to have something for the old folks," as the saying is.
And the Prince got up and let Gerda sleep in his bed, and
more than this he could not do. She folded her little hands, and
thought, “How good men and animals are! ” and then she shut
her eyes and slept soundly. All the dreams came flying in again,
and they now looked like the angels; they drew a little sled, on
which Kay sat and nodded his head: but the whole was only a
dream, and so it was all gone as soon as she awoke.
The next day she was dressed from top to toe in silk and
velvet. They offered to let her stay at the palace, and lead a
happy life; but she begged only to have a little carriage with a
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525
horse in front, and for a small pair of shoes; then, she said, she
would again go forth in the wide world and look for Kay.
And she got both shoes and a muff; she was dressed very
nicely, too; and when she was about to set off, a new carriage
stopped before the door. It was of pure gold, and the arms of
the Prince and Princess shone like a star upon it; the coachman,
the footmen, and the outriders, for outriders were there too, all
wore golden crowns. The Prince and Princess helped her into
the carriage themselves, and wished her good luck. The Crow
of the woods, who was now married, went with her for the first
three miles. He sat beside Gerda, for he could not bear riding
backward; the other Crow stood in the doorway, and flapped her
wings; she could not go with Gerda, because she suffered from
headache since she had had a steady place, and ate so much.
The carriage was lined inside with sugar-plums, and in the seats
were fruits and cookies.
"Good-by! good-by! ” cried Prince and Princess; and little
Gerda wept, and the Crows wept. Thus passed the first miles;
and then the Crow said good-by, and this was the worst good-by
of all. He flew into a tree, and beat his black wings as long as
he could see the carriage, that shone from afar like the clear
sunlight.
THE NIGHTINGALE
From “Riverside Literature Series): copyright 1891, by Houghton, Miffin & Co.
I THE
REAL
NIGHTINGALE
I
N CHINA, you must know, the Emperor is a Chinaman, and all
whom he has about him are Chinamen too. It happened a
good many years ago, but that's just why it's worth while to
hear the story before it is forgotten.
The Emperor's palace was the most splendid in the world. It
was made wholly of fine porcelain, very costly, but so brittle and
so hard to handle that one had to take care how one touched it.
In the garden were to be seen the most wonderful flowers, and
to the prettiest of them silver bells were tied, which tinkled, so
that nobody should pass by without noticing the flowers.
Yes, everything in the Emperor's garden was nicely set out,
and it reached so far that the gardener himself did not know
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HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
where the end was. If a man went on and on, he came into a
glorious forest with high trees and deep lakes. The wood went
straight down to the sea, which was blue and deep; great ships
could sail to and fro beneath the branches of the trees; and in the
trees lived a Nightingale, which sang so finely that even the poor
Fisherman, who had many other things to do, stopped still and
listened, when he had gone out at night to throw out his nets,
and heard the Nightingale.
“How beautiful that is ! ” he said; but he had to attend to his
work, and so he forgot the bird. But the next night, when the
bird sang again, and the Fisherman heard it, he said as before,
“How beautiful that is ! »
From all the countries of the world travelers came to the city
of the Emperor, and admired it, and the palace, and the garden;
but when they heard the Nightingale, they all said, “That is the
best of all !
And the travelers told of it when they came home; and the
learned men wrote many books about the town, the palace, and
the garden. But they did not forget the Nightingale; that was
spoken of most of all; and all those who were poets wrote great
poems about the Nightingale in the wood by the deep lake.
The books went all over the world, and a few of them once
came to the Emperor. He sat in his golden chair, and read, and
read; every moment he nodded his head, for it pleased him to
hear the fine things that were said about the city, the palace,
and the garden. But the Nightingale is the best of all! " -- it
stood written there.
“What's that ? exclaimed the Emperor. « The Nightingale ?
I don't know that at all! Is there such a bird in my empire, and
in my garden to boot? I've never heard of that. One has to
read about such things. ”
Hereupon he called his Cavalier, who was so grand that if any
one lower in rank than he dared to speak to him, or to ask him
any question, he answered nothing but “P! "--and that meant
nothing.
« There is said to be a strange bird here called a Nightin-
gale! ” said the Emperor. “They say it is the best thing in all
my great empire. Why has no ever told me anything
about it ? »
"I have never heard it named,” replied the Cavalier. « It has
never been presented at court. ”
one
1
-
-
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527
"I command that it shall come here this evening, and sing
before me,” said the Emperor. "All the world knows what I
have, and I do not know it myself ! ”
"I have never heard it mentioned,” said the Cavalier. "I will
seek for it. I will find it. ”
But where was it to be found ? The Cavalier ran up and
down all the stairs, through halls and passages, but no one
among all those whom he met had heard talk of the Nightingale.
And the Cavalier ran back to the Emperor, and said that it must
be a fable made up by those who write books.
“Your Imperial Majesty must not believe what is written. It
is fiction, and something that they call the black art.
But the book in which I read this,” said the Emperor, was
sent to me by the high and mighty Emperor of Japan, and so it
cannot be a falsehood. I will hear the Nightingale! It must be
here this evening! It has my high favor; and if it does not
come, all the court shall be trampled upon after it has supped! ”
«Tsing-pe! ” said the Cavalier; and again he ran up and down
all the stairs, and through all the halls and passages, and half
the court ran with him, for the courtiers did not like being
trampled upon. There was a great inquiry after the wonderful
Nightingale, which all the world knew, but not the people at
court.
At last they met with a poor little girl in the kitchen. She
said:
“The Nightingale ? I know it well; yes, how it can sing!
Every evening I get leave to carry my poor sick mother the
scraps from the table. She lives down by the beach, and when
I get back and am tired, and rest in the wood, then I hear the
Nightingale sing. And then the tears come into my eyes, and it
is just as if my mother kissed me! ”
Little Kitchen-girl," said the Cavalier, "I will get you a
fixed place in the kitchen, with leave to see the Emperor dine,
if you will lead us to the Nightingale, for it is promised for this
evening. "
So they all went out into the wood where the Nightingale
was wont to sing; half the court went out. When they were on
the way, a cow began to low.
“Oh! ” cried the court pages, “now we have it! That shows
a great power in so small a creature! We have certainly heard it
before. ”
## p. 528 (#566) ############################################
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HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
are
"No, those cows mooing! ” said the little Kitchen-girl.
“We are a long way from the place yet. ”
Now the frogs began to croak in the marsh.
« Glorious! ” said the Chinese Court Preacher. "Now I hear
it — it sounds just like little church bells. ”
"No, those are frogs! ” said the little Kitchen-maid. “But
now I think we shall soon hear it. ”
And then the Nightingale began to sing.
« That is it! ) exclaimed the little Girl. "Listen, listen! and
yonder it sits. ”
And she pointed to a little gray bird up in the boughs.
"Is it possible ? ” cried the Cavalier. "I should never have
thought it looked like that! How simple it looks! It must cer-
tainly have lost its color at seeing so many famous people
around. ”
"Little Nightingale! ” called the little Kitchen-maid, quite
loudly, our gracious Emperor wishes you to sing before him. ”
“With the greatest pleasure! ” replied the Nightingale, and
sang so that it was a joy to hear it.
It sounds just like glass bells! ” said the Cavalier. “And
look at its little throat, how it's working! It's wonderful that we
should never have heard it before. That bird will be a great
success at court. ”
«Shall I sing once more before the Emperor ? ” asked the
Nightingale, for it thought the Emperor was present.
"My excellent little Nightingale," said the Cavalier, "I have
great pleasure in inviting you to a court festival this evening,
when you shall charm his Imperial Majesty with your beautiful
singing. ”
“My song sounds best in the greenwood! ” replied the Night-
ingale; still it came willingly when it heard what the Emperor
wished.
In the palace there was a great brushing up. The walls and
the floor, which were of porcelain, shone with many thousand
golden lamps. The most glorious flowers, which could ring
clearly, had been placed in the halls. There was a running to
and fro, and a draught of air, but all the bells rang so exactly
together that one could not hear any noise.
In the midst of the great hall, where the Emperor sat, a
golden perch had been placed, on which the Nightingale was to
sit. The whole court was there, and the little Cook-maid had
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529
leave to stand behind the door, as she had now received the title
of a real cook-maid. All were in full dress, and all looked at
the little gray bird, to which the Emperor nodded.
And the Nightingale sang so gloriously that the tears came
into the Emperor's eyes, and the tears ran down over his cheeks;
and then the Nightingale sang still more sweetly; that went
straight to the heart. The Emperor was happy, and he said the
Nightingale should have his golden slipper to wear round its
neck. But the Nightingale thanked him, it had already got
reward enough.
"I have seen tears in the Emperor's eyes — that is the real
treasure to me. An Emperor's tears have a strange power.
I
am paid enough! ” Then it sang again with a sweet, glorious
voice.
That's the most lovely way of making love I ever saw! )
said the ladies who stood round about, and then they took water
in their mouths to gurgle when any one spoke to them. They
thought they should be nightingales too. And the lackeys and
maids let it be known that they were pleased too; and that was
saying a good deal, for they are the hardest of all to please. In
short, the Nightingale made a real hit.
It was now to remain at court, to have its own cage, with
freedom to go out twice every day and once at night. It had
twelve servants, and they all had a silken string tied to the
bird's leg which they held very tight. There was really no
pleasure in going out.
The whole city spoke of the wonderful bird, and when two
people met, one said nothing but Nightin," and the other said
"gale”; and then they sighed, and understood one another.
Eleven storekeepers' children were named after the bird, but not
one of them could sing a note.
II — THE TOY NIGHTINGALE
One day a large parcel came to the Emperor, on which was
written «The Nightingale. ”
Here we have a new book about this famous bird,” said the
Emperor.
But it was not a book: it was a little work of art, that lay in
a box; a toy nightingale, which was to sing like a live one, but
II-34
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HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
it was all covered with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. So soon
as the toy bird was wound up, he could sing one of the pieces
that the real one sang, and then his tail moved up and down,
and shone with silver and gold. Round his neck hung a little
ribbon, and on that was written, “The Emperor of Japan's
Nightingale is poor beside that of the Emperor in China. ”
“That is capital! ” said they all, and he who had brought the
toy bird at once got the title Imperial Head-Nightingale-Bringer.
“Now they must sing together: what a duet that will be!
And so they had to sing together; but it did not sound very
well, for the real Nightingale sang in its own way, and the toy
bird sang waltzes.
« That's not its fault,” said the Play-master: "it's quite per-
fect, and very much in my style. ”
Now the toy bird was to sing alone. It made just as much of
a hit as the real one, and then it was so much more fine to look
at - it shone like bracelets and breastpins.
Three-and-thirty times over did it sing the same piece, and yet
was not tired. The people would gladly have heard it again, but
the Emperor said that the living Nightingale ought to sing a little
something. But where was it? No one had noticed that it had
flown away, out of the open window, back to its green woods.
« But what is become cf it ? asked the Emperor.
Then all the courtiers scolded, and thought the Nightingale
was a very thankless creature.
“We have the best bird, after all,” said they.
And so the toy bird had to sing again, and this was the thirty-
fourth time they had listened to the same piece. For all that,
they did not know it quite by heart, for it was so very difficult.
And the Play-master praised the bird highly; yes, he declared that
it was better than the real Nightingale, not only in its feathers
and its many beautiful diamonds, but inside as well.
"For you see, ladies and gentlemen, and above all, your Im-
perial Majesty, with the real Nightingale one can never make
sure what is coming, but in this toy bird everything is settled. It
is just so, and not any other way. One can explain it; one can
open it, and can show how much thought went to making it,
where the waltzes come from, how they go, and how one follows
another. ”
“Those are quite our own ideas,” they all said. And the Play-
master got leave to show the bird to the people on the next
-
## p. 531 (#569) ############################################
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
531
Sunday. The people were to hear it sing too, said the Emperor;
and they did hear it, and were as much pleased as if they had all
had tea, for that's quite the Chinese fashion; and they all said
"Oh! ” and held their forefingers up in the air and nodded. But
the poor Fisherman, who had heard the real Nightingale, said: --
“It sounds pretty enough, and it's a little like, but there's
something wanting, though I know not what ! »
The real Nightingale was exiled from the land and empire.
The toy bird had its place on a silken cushion close to the
Emperor's bed. All the presents it had received, gold and pre-
cious stones, were ranged about it. In title it had come to be
High Imperial After-Dinner-Singer, and in rank it was Number
One on the left hand; for the Emperor reckoned that side the most
important on which the heart is placed, and even in an Emperor
the heart is on the left side. And the Play-master wrote a work
of five-and-twenty volumes about the toy bird: it was so learned
and so long, full of the most difficult Chinese words, that all the
people said they had read it and understood it, or else they would
have been thought stupid, and would have had their bodies tram-
pled on.
So a whole year went by. The Emperor, the court, and all
the other Chinese knew every little twitter in the toy bird's song
by heart. But just for that reason it pleased them best -- they
could sing with it themselves, and they did so. The street boys
sang, «Tsi-tsi-tsi-glug-glug! ” and the Emperor himself sang it
too. Yes, that was certainly famous.
But one evening, when the toy bird was singing its best, and
the Emperor lay in bed and heard it, something inside the bird
said, “Svup! ” Something cracked. “Whir-r-r! ” All the wheels
ran round, and then the music stopped.
The Emperor jumped at once out of bed, and had his own
doctor called; but what could he do? Then they sent for a watch-
maker, and after a good deal of talking and looking, he got the
bird into some sort of order; but he said that it must be looked
after a good deal, for the barrels were worn, and he could not
put new ones in in such a manner that the music would go.
There was a great to-do; only once in a year did they dare to let
the bird sing, and that was almost too much. But then the Play-
master made a little speech, full of heavy words, and said this
was just as good as before —— and so, of course, it was as good as
before.
## p. 532 (#570) ############################################
532
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
III — THE REAL NIGHTINGALE AGAIN
ran
to pay
Five years had gone by, and a real grief came upon the whole
nation. The Chinese were really fond of their Emperor, and now
he was sick, and could not, it was said, live much longer. Al-
ready a new Emperor had been chosen, and the people stood out
in the street and asked the Cavalier' how their old Emperor did.
“P! ” said he, and shook his head.
Cold and pale lay the Emperor in his great, gorgeous bed;
the whole court thought him dead, and each one
respect to the new ruler. The chamberlains ran out to talk it
over, and the ladies’-maids had a great coffee party. All about,
in all the halls and passages, cloth had been laid down so that no
one could be heard go by, and therefore it was quiet there, quite
quiet. But the Emperor was not dead yet: stiff and pale he lay
on the gorgeous bed with the long velvet curtains and the heavy
gold tassels; high up, a window stood open, and the moon shone
in upon the Emperor and the toy bird.
The poor Emperor could scarcely breathe; it was just as if
something lay upon his breast. He opened his eyes, and then he
saw that it was Death who sat upon his breast, and had put on
his golden crown, and held in one hand the Emperor's sword,
and in the other his beautiful banner. And all around, from
among the folds of the splendid velvet curtains, strange heads
peered forth; a few very ugly, the rest quite lovely and mild.
These were all the Emperor's bad and good deeds, that stood
before him now that Death sat upon his heart.
“Do you remember this ? ” whispered one to the other. "Do
you remember that ? ” and then they told him so much that the
sweat ran from his forehead.
"I did not know that! ” said the Emperor. “Music! music!
the great Chinese drum! ” he cried, “so that I need not hear all
they say! ”
And they kept on, and Death nodded like a Chinaman to all
they said.
«Music! music! ” cried the Emperor. “You little precious
golden bird, sing, sing! I have given you gold and costly pres-
ents; I have even hung my golden slipper around your neck —
sing now, sing! ”
But the bird stood still, no one was there to wind him up,
and he could not sing without that; but Death kept on staring
## p. 533 (#571) ############################################
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
533
ers.
at the Emperor with his great hollow eyes, and it was quiet,
fearfully quiet.
Then there sounded close by the window the most lovely
song. It was the little live Nightingale, that sat outside on a
spray It had heard of the Emperor's need, and had come to
sing to him of trust and hope. And as it sang the spectres grew
paler and paler; the blood ran more and more quickly through
the Emperor's weak limbs, and Death himself listened, and
said:
Go on, little Nightingale, go on! ”
“But will you give me that splendid golden sword? Will you
give me that rich banner? Will you give me the Emperor's
crown ? »
And Death gave up each of these treasures for a song. And
the Nightingale sang on and on; it sang of the quiet church-
yard where the white roses grow, where the elder-blossom smells
sweet, and where the fresh grass is wet with the tears of mourn-
Then Death felt a longing to see his garden, and floated
out at the window in the form of a cold, white mist.
« Thanks! thanks! ” said the Emperor. “You heavenly little
bird! I know you well. I drove you from my land and empire,
and yet you have charmed away the evil faces from my bed, and
driven Death from my heart! How can I pay you ? ”
"You have paid me! ” replied the Nightingale. I drew tears
from your eyes, the first time I sang- I shall never forget that.
Those are the jewels that make a singer's heart glad.
But now
sleep and grow fresh and strong again. I will sing you some-
thing. "
And it sang, and the Emperor fell into a sweet sleep. Ah!
how mild and refreshing that sleep was! The sun shone upon
him through the windows, when he awoke strong and sound.
Not one of his servants had yet come back, for they all thought
that he was dead; but the Nightingale still sat beside him and
sang.
“You must always stay with me,” said the Emperor. “You
shall sing as you please; and I'll break the toy bird into a thou-
sand pieces. ”
“Not so," replied the Nightingale. “It did well as long as it
could; keep it as you have done till now. I cannot build my
nest in the palace to dwell in it, but let me come when I feel
the wish; then I will sit in the evening on the spray yonder by
c
(
.
## p. 534 (#572) ############################################
534
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.
I love your
>
the window, and sing for you, so that you may be glad and
thoughtful at once. I will sing of those who are happy and of
those who suffer. I will sing of good and of evil that remain
hidden round about you. The little singing bird flies far around,
to the poor fisherman, to the peasant's roof, to every one who
dwells far away from you and from
your court.
heart more than your crown, and yet the crown has an air of
sanctity about it. I will come and sing to you — but one thing
you must promise me. ”
“Everything! ” said the Emperor; and he stood there in his
royal robes, which he had put on himself, and pressed the sword
which was heavy with gold to his heart.
“One thing I beg of you: tell no one that you have a little
bird who tells you everything. Then all will go well. ”
And the Nightingale flew away. '
The servants came in to look on their dead Emperor, and
yes, there he stood, and the Emperor said, "Good-morning! ”
((
»
THE MARKET PLACE AT ODENSE (1836)
From The Story of My Life)
F
I
(
THE reader was a child who lived in Odense, he would just
need to say the words “St. Knud's Fair,” and it would rise
before him in the brightest colors, lighted by the beams of
childish fancy.
Somewhere near the middle of the town,
five streets meet and make a little square.
There the
town crier, in striped homespun, with a yellow bandoleer, beat his
drum and proclaimed from a scroll the splendid things to be seen
in the town.
“He beats a good drum,” said the chamberlain.
«It would delight Spontini and Rossini to hear the fellow,”
said William. “Really, Odense at New Year would just suit
these composers.
The drums and fifes are in their glory. They
drum the New Year in. Seven or eight little drummers, or fifers,
go from door to door, with troops of children and old women,
and they beat the drum-taps and the reveille. That fetches the
.
pennies. Then when the New Year is well drummed in the city,
they go into the country and drum for meat and porridge. The
drumming in of the New Year lasts until Lent. ”
## p. 535 (#573) ############################################
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
535
»
.
“And then we have new sports,” said the chamberlain. “The
fishers come from Stege with a full band, and on their shoulders
a boat with all sorts of flags.
Then they lay a board
between two boats, and on this two of the youngest and spryest
wrestle till one falls into the water.
But all the fun's
gone now. When I was young, there was different sport going.
That was a sight! the corporation procession with the banners
and the harlequin atop, and at Shrovetide, when the butchers led
about an ox decked with ribbons and carnival twigs, with a boy
on his back with wings and a little shirt.
All that's past
now, people are got so fine. St. Knud's Fair is not what it used
to be. »
(
Well, I'm glad it isn't,” said William; “but let us go into
the market and look at the Jutlanders, who are sitting with their
pottery amidst the hay.
