The first story is about a mirror and its fragments
Please pay attention! Now we are going to tell it. When we hear the end of this story, we will know more than we do now, because he is a very bad kid. He is the worst kind of guy,
Because he is a devil. One day he was very happy because he created a mirror. This mirror has a characteristic: that is, all good and beautiful things shrink into nothing when they are reflected in it.
But something worthless and ugly will stand out and look worse than it really is. The most beautiful scenery will look like boiled spinach in this mirror; the best people will not appear disgusting.
The appearance is that the head is down, the feet are up, there is no body, the face is deformed and unrecognizable. If you have a freckle, you don't have to doubt that it can expand to cover your nose and mouth.
The devil said: This is really interesting. When a pious and kind thought appears in a person's heart, it will appear as a toothy smile in the mirror. So the devil was proud of his ingenious invention.
The laughter came. Those who had gone to the devil's school - because he opened a school - spread the word wherever they went, saying that a miracle had happened. They said that for the first time, people could see the world.
and the original face of human beings. They run around with this mirror, leaving no country or nation that has not been distorted in it. Now they actually want to fly to the sky to laugh at Angel or "our God".
The higher the mirror and they flew, the weirder it smiled. They could hardly hold it. They flew higher and higher, closer to God and Angel; then the mirror and its weird smile began to shake horribly, causing
It fell from their hands to the ground and broke into billions, hundreds of billions and countless fragments. In this way, the mirror did even more unfortunate things than before, because many of the fragments were smaller than grains of sand. They were in
Things are flying around in the world, and as long as they fly into people's eyes, they will stick there without moving. These people don't see anything right, or they only see the bad side of things, because every little fragment is still
It has the magic power of the entire mirror. Some people even have such a fragment hidden in their hearts. Unfortunately, the heart turns into an ice cube.
Some fragments are large enough to be used as glass for windows, but it is not appropriate to see one's friends through such glass. Some fragments are made into glasses. If people want to wear such glasses to see things correctly or
It is also wrong to judge things fairly. This will cause the devil to laugh until his stomach hurts because he takes great pleasure in such things. But there are still a few pieces flying around in the air outside. Now let us listen
Listen!
The second story a little boy and a little girl
In a big city, there are so many houses and residents, and so little space, that people don't even have a small garden. As a result, most people have to be satisfied with a few flowers planted in flower pots. Two poor people live here
They have a garden that is slightly larger than a flower pot. They are not brother and sister, but they love each other very much, just like brother and sister. Their parents live in two attics facing each other. The roofs of the two houses are almost the same.
They meet together; there is a gutter under the two eaves; each room has a small window. People can get in from this window to that window as long as they cross the gutter.
The two parents each have a big box, in which grows a small rose and the vegetables they need. The roses in both boxes are very beautiful. Now the two parents put the box horizontally on the water table.
, the two ends of the box almost touch the windows on both sides, like two banks full of flowers. Pea vines hang on the box, and roses stretch out long branches. They are coiled on the window, and entwined with each other, almost
It's like a triumphal arch made of green leaves and flowers. Because the box is placed high, the children know that they can't climb up to it casually, but sometimes they are allowed to climb up, and the two of them come together and sit in the small box under the roses.
On the stool. They can have fun here.
This pastime ends in winter. The windows are often covered with ice. But then they heat a copper plate on the stove and stick it to the window glass to create a small, round peephole! Every day
There is a beautiful, gentle eye peeking out from behind the peephole of the window. These are the little boy and the little girl. The boy's name is Gay; the girl's name is Gerda.
In the summer, they only had to jump to get together; but in the winter, they had to go down a long flight of stairs and then climb up a long flight of stairs. Snowflakes were flying outside.
"That's the gathering of white bees." said the old grandmother.
"Do they also have a queen?" the little boy asked. Because he knew that there is a queen in every real bee colony.
"Yes, they have one!" Grandma said, "She will fly wherever bees are densest. She is the biggest bee. She never lives quietly in this world; she will fly in a moment
She was among the dense swarms of bees. She often flew through the streets of the city on winter nights and looked into the windows. There were strange ice cubes on the windows, as if they were blooming flowers."
"Yes, I have seen this before!" the two children said in unison. They knew it was true.
"Can Queen Snow come in here?" the little girl asked.
"If you let her in," said the boy, "I will ask her to sit on the warm stove, and she will melt into water."
But the old grandmother cut his hair and told other stories.
In the evening, when little Gay was at home and half of his clothes were off, he climbed onto the chair by the window and looked out through the small peephole. There were several snowflakes falling slowly outside, and among them
The largest one fell on the edge of the flower box. The snowflake grew bigger and bigger, and finally turned into a woman. She was covered with the finest white gauze made of snowflakes like countless stars. She was very beautiful and beautiful.
Delicate, but she is made of ice - shiny, shining ice. However, she is alive: her eyes shine like two bright stars; but her eyes
There was no peace or quiet in the room. She nodded and waved to Kai. The little boy became frightened. He jumped off the chair and felt as if a giant bird was flying past the window.
There was a frost the next day... Then came the thaw... Spring has arrived. The sun is shining, green buds are emerging, swallows are building nests, the windows are open, and children are sitting high on the roof of the building again.
In the small garden on the bed.
The roses bloomed really beautifully this summer! The little girl recited a hymn by heart, and roses were mentioned there. When talking about roses, she couldn't help but think of her own flowers. So she told the little boy
Singing this hymn, he also sang:
Roses grow abundantly in the valley,
There we meet the Baby Jesus.
The two little ones were holding hands, kissing the roses, looking at the shining sun of God, talking to it as if the Baby Jesus were there. What a sunny summer day it was! Outside, among the roses
How beautiful everything is among the flowers—these roses seem to bloom forever!
Gay and Gerda were sitting looking at a picture album with pictures of birds and animals. Just then the bell on the cathedral tower struck five times. Then Gay said: "Ah! something pierces my heart!"
Something fell into my eye!"
The little girl hugged his neck. He blinked. No, he didn't see anything.
"I think there's nothing left!" he said. But that was not the case. What fell was a broken glass shard from the mirror. We still remember clearly that it was a magic mirror, an ugly piece of glass.
It makes everything that is great and good look small and hateful, but it highlights everything that is vulgar and sinful, and at the same time draws everyone's attention to the shortcomings of everything. Poor little Gay's heart
There was such a fragment stuck to it, and his heart immediately became like an ice cube. He didn't feel unhappy, but the fragment was hidden in his heart.
"Why are you crying?" he asked. "This makes you look really ugly! I don't like this look at all. Bah!" He suddenly shouted: "That rose was eaten by insects!
Look, this one is crooked too! They are indeed ugly roses! They look just like the box they were planted in!"
So he kicked the box hard and pulled out the two roses.
"Gay, what are you doing?" the little girl called.
As soon as he saw her frightened look, he plucked up another rose. Then he jumped into his window, leaving gentle little Gerda outside.
When she later followed him in with the picture album, he said that this book was only suitable for nursing children. When grandma was telling stories, he always inserted a "but...", and when he
When he had the opportunity, he would secretly follow her, wear a pair of reading glasses, and imitate her speech: he did it so skillfully that everyone laughed at him. Soon he learned to imitate the street.
The way people talk and walk. Gay will imitate all the weird and ugly things about people. Everyone says: "This kid must have a special mind!" However, this is all because there is a piece of glass hidden in his eyes.
There was a shard of glass hidden in his heart. He even laughed at little Gerda - the Gerda who loved him wholeheartedly.
His game was obviously different from before, and he played it much smarter than before. One winter day, when the snowflakes were flying, he came out with a magnifying glass, lifted up the hem of his blue coat, and
Let the snowflakes fall on it.
"Gerda, come and look at this mirror!" he said.
Each snowflake is enlarged, like a beautiful flower, or a star with six points. This is really wonderful.
"Look, how ingenious this is!" said Gay. "It's much more interesting than real flowers: there's nothing wrong with it at all - as long as they don't melt, they're perfectly neat."
After a while, Gay came up wearing thick gloves and carrying a sled on his back. He shouted into Gerda's ear: "I have permission to go to the square--many other children are playing there."
"So he left.
In the square the boldest children used to tie their sleighs to the backs of the countrymen's carriages, and ride on them for long distances. They ran with great joy. While they were playing there was a big sleigh.
The sleigh came over. It was painted snow white, and there was a man sitting on it, wearing a thick white leather robe and a thick white hat. The sleigh slid around the square twice. So Gay quickly tied his sled to
On top of it, he slid with it. It slid faster and faster until it reached a nearby street. The man sledging turned around and nodded kindly to Gay. They seemed to know each other.
Each time Gay tried to untie his sleigh, the man nodded to him again; and Gay sat down again, and so they slid out of the city gate, while the snow fell thickly on the ground.
The boy could not see his hands, but he was still sliding forward. Now he loosened the rope quickly and tried to get away from the big sled. But it was no use, his little sled was tied tightly. They were like
He slid forward like the wind. At this time he shouted loudly, but no one paid attention to him. The snowflakes were flying, and the sled was also flying. From time to time they jumped upward, as if they were flying over fences and ditches. He was very
He became frightened. He wanted to pray, but all he could remember was the multiplication table.
It snowed harder and harder. Finally, the snowflakes looked like giant white chickens. The big sleigh suddenly jumped to the side and stopped; the sledger stood up. The man's fur coat and hat were made entirely of snowflakes.
.This turned out to be a woman, tall and slender, with a whole body shining with white light. She was the Snow Queen.
"We're skating just fine," she said, "but you're shivering, aren't you? Get into my leather jacket."
She carried him into her sleigh, sat him beside her, and wrapped him in her fur coat. He seemed to have fallen into a snowdrift.
"Are you still cold?" she asked, kissing his forehead.
Ah! This kiss was colder than ice! It penetrated all the way into the half of his heart that had turned into ice - he felt as if he was about to die. However, this feeling did not last long, and he immediately felt comfortable.
He no longer felt the cold around him.
"My sleigh! Don't forget my sleigh!"
This was the first thing that came to his mind. It had been fastened to a white chicken, and the chicken was flying behind them on the sleigh. The Snow Queen kissed Gay again. From then on he
Completely forgetting little Gerda, her grandmother and everyone in the family.
"You don't need any more kisses now," she said, "because if you do again I'll kiss you to death."
Gay looked at her. She was so beautiful that he could not imagine a more beautiful and intelligent face. She looked nothing like her before when she sat outside the window and waved to him.
She was made of snow. In his eyes she was perfect; he was not afraid at all now. He told her that he could do mental arithmetic and even calculate fractions; he knew the entire area of the country and its inhabitants.
She just smiled. At this time, he seemed to feel that he didn't know too much. He raised his head and looked at the vast sky; she took him to fly above the dark clouds. The storm was blowing and howling, as if
Singing ancient songs. They flew over woods and lakes, over seas and land; below them, the cold wind howled, the jackals howled, and the snowflakes flashed. Above them flew a flock of screaming crows. But more
There was a bright moon shining above, and Gay kept looking at it throughout the long winter night. At dawn he fell asleep at the feet of the Snow Queen.
The Third Story: The Garden of a Magic Woman
How did little Gerda feel when Gay did not come back? Where had he gone? No one knew, and no one brought any news. Some boys told her that they
I saw him tie the sled to a beautiful big sleigh, drive up the street, and slide out of the city gate. No one knew where he was. Many people shed tears, and little Gerda cried especially for a long time.
Sad. Later everyone thought he was dead - he fell into the river that ran by the city and was drowned. Oh, what dark and long winter days those were!
Now spring has come with the warm sunshine.
"Gay is dead and gone!" said little Gerda.
"I don't believe it!" said Sunlight.
"He is dead and gone!" she said to Yanzi.
"I don't believe it!" they replied. Finally, little Gerda herself didn't believe it either.
"I will put on my new red shoes," she said one morning, "shoes that Gay has never seen before. And then I will go to the river to look for him!"
It was still very early. She kissed her sleeping grandmother, put on her red shoes, and walked out of the city alone to the river.
"Did you really take my dear playmate away? If you return him to me, I will give you these red shoes!"
She seemed to feel that the waves were nodding strangely to her. So she took off her most beloved thing-red shoes. She threw the shoes into the river. But they fell very close to the shore, and the waves hit them again.
Go back to the shore and return it to her. The river seemed unwilling to accept her beloved thing, because it did not take her dear Gay away. But she thought she had thrown the shoes far enough, so she threw them
She went into a boat that was parked among the reeds. She went to the other end of the boat and threw the shoes out. But the boat was not fastened, and when she moved, it drifted away from the shore.
When she discovered this, she wanted to leave the ship quickly, but before she reached the other end, the ship was already a few miles away from the shore. It drifted faster than before.
Little Gerda was very frightened and began to cry loudly. But no one could hear her except the sparrows; and the sparrows could not bring her back to the land. But they flew along the river bank and sang, as if
As if to comfort her: "We are here! We are here!" The boat went down the river. Little Gerda only wore socks on her feet and sat still. Her pair of little red shoes were on her
They were floating behind. But they couldn't float to the side of the ship because the ship was moving very fast.
The two sides of the bank are very beautiful. There are beautiful flowers and ancient trees on the bank, and there are hillsides with cattle and sheep, but there is no one there.
"Maybe the river will take me to little Gay," thought Gerda.
This made her mood better. She stood up and looked at the beautiful green river banks on both sides for a long time. Soon she came to a large cherry orchard. There was a small house in it, which had some strange features.
There are blue windows and red windows, a thatched roof, and two wooden soldiers standing outside: they salute everyone who passes by in a boat.
Gerda called to them, for she thought they were real soldiers. Of course they would not answer. She came to them, and the river had floated the boat to the shore.
Gerda shouted louder. At this time, a very old woman walked out on crutches: she was wearing a big straw hat with many beautiful flowers painted on it.
"You poor little baby!" said the old woman, "how did you end up floating so far on this turbulent river?"
So the old woman went into the water, hooked the boat with her crutch, dragged it to the shore, and took little Gerda out.
Gerda was happy to be back on land again, but she was a little afraid of this strange old woman.
"Come, tell me who you are? How did you get here?" she said, and Gerda told her everything. The old woman shook her head and said: "Huh! Huh!" When Gerda told her everything
After finishing speaking, when she asked her if she had seen little Gay, the old woman said that he had not been here yet, but he would definitely come. Gerda should not be too sad, she could taste the cherries and look at the flowers.
They were better than the pictures in any picture album, because each of them told a story. So she took Gerda by the hand, took her to the small room, and locked the door.
The windows were opened high; the panes were painted red, blue and yellow. The sunlight came in wonderfully and shone out in many different colours. On the table were many of the most delicious cherries. Gerda ate as much as she could
One pass, because she can eat more, it doesn't matter. While she was eating, the old woman used a golden comb to comb her hair. Her hair became long strings of beautiful yellow circles, and in her kindness
Her little face hangs down like a blooming rose.
"I have long wished for a lovely little girl like you," said the old woman, "and now you see how we two will live happily together!"
While the old woman was combing her hair, she gradually forgot about her playmate Kay, because the old woman could do magic, but she was not a vicious witch. She just did a little magic for her own entertainment.
At the same time she wanted to keep little Gerda. So now she went out into the garden and pointed with her stick at all the roses. Although they were in full bloom, they soon sunk to the dark ground.
They went down: no one could tell where they were. The old woman was afraid: if Gerda saw the roses, she would think of her own flowers, and therefore of little Gay. As a result
Will definitely run away.
Now she led Gerda into the garden. Hello! How sweet and beautiful it is! Here are blooming every imaginable flower and every season: no picture album can be so colorful and beautiful.
Gerda jumped up with joy. She played until the sun went down behind the tall cherry trees. Then she went to sleep in a beautiful bed; the eiderdown was made of red silk with blue violets inside.
.Here she fell asleep and had strange dreams, like a queen on her wedding day.
The next day she could play with the flowers in the warm sunshine again - after several days of this, Gerda got to know every kind of flower. Although there were many types of flowers, she seemed to feel that one was missing, but
She didn't know which one it was. One day she sat and stared blankly at the flowers painted on the old woman's straw hat: the most beautiful one among them was a rose. When the old woman hid all the roses,
When she went underground, she forgot to take off the flower on her hat. But if a person is not careful, the result will always be like this.
"What, there are no roses here?" said Gerda.
So she jumped into the middle of the flower bed and searched again and again, but she couldn't find any. Then she sat on the ground and began to cry: her hot tears fell exactly where a rose had sunk. When the hot tears fell,
After the soil was moistened, the rose immediately emerged and bloomed as lushly as when it fell into the soil. Gerda hugged it and kissed the rose flowers, and then she thought of those at home.
Beautiful roses, but also reminds me of little Kay.
"Ah, how much time I wasted!" said the little girl. "I want to find little Gay! Do you know where he is?" she asked the roses. "Do you know he is dead?"
"He is not dead!" said the rose. "We were in the field for a while, and all the dead people were there. But Gay was not there!"
"Thank you!" said little Gerda. Then she went to the other flowers, looked into their calyxes, and asked: "Do you know where little Gay is?"
But each flower was 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 Gay.
What did Rollanthemum talk about?
Have you ever heard the sound of the drum "Winter-Winter"? It always has only two tones: Winter-Winter! Please listen to the lamentations of the women! Please listen to the calls of the priests! The widows of India wear red robes,
Standing on the pyre, the flames burned towards her and her dead husband's bodies. But the Indian widow was thinking of one living person in the group who stood around her: this person's eyes burned brighter than the flames.
It was even hotter. The fire in his eyes penetrated into her heart, hotter than the flames that were about to burn her body to ashes. Will the fire in her heart die in the flames on the funeral pyre?
"I don't understand this at all!" said little Gerda.
"This is the fairy tale I want to tell." Rollanthemum said.
What does the morning glory say?
An ancient castle loomed on a narrow mountain road. Its old red walls were covered with dense ivy. The leaves climbed one after another towards the balcony. On the balcony stood a beautiful girl. She
She bent down on the railing and glanced at the road. No flowers on the rose branches were as bright as hers. No apple blossoms blowing in the wind were as light as hers. Her beautiful silk clothes made a crisp rustling sound.
!
"He hasn't come yet?"
"Do you mean Gay?" asked little Gerda.
"I'm just telling my fairy tale - my dream!" replied Morning Glory.
What did Snowball Flower say?
There is a long wooden board hanging on a rope between the trees. It is a swing. Two beautiful little girls, wearing clothes as white as snow and wearing hats with long green ribbons, are sitting on it playing on the swing.
Their brother stood on the swing, holding the rope with his arm to steady himself, for he held a small saucer in one hand and a clay cigarette holder in the other. He was blowing soap bubbles. The swing flew up
, colorful and beautiful soap bubbles also flew up. The last soap bubble was still hanging on the cigarette holder, swaying in the wind. The swing was flying; a little black dog as light as a soap bubble stood up on its hind legs,
I also wanted to climb on the swing. The swing continued to fly, and the puppy rolled down, barking and getting angry. Everyone laughed at it, and the soap bubble burst. A flying swing board and a burst bubble - this
That's my song!
"The story you told may be very beautiful, but you told it so sadly, and you didn't mention little Gay."
What did Hyacinth say?
Once upon a time there were three beautiful, transparent and delicate sisters. The first one was wearing red clothes, the second one was wearing blue clothes, and the third one was wearing white clothes. They were holding hands by a quiet lake in the bright moonlight.
Dancing. They are not trolls. They are the daughters of the world. The air is filled with sweet fragrance! These girls disappeared in the woods. Then the fragrance became stronger. Three coffins - inside lay these three beauties.
The dancing girls - floated from the bushes to the lake. Fireflies flew above them like little flying lanterns. These dancing girls were sleeping or dead. The fragrance of the flowers said that they were dead, and at the same time the evening bell
Also making sounds of condolences!
"You make me feel very sad," said little Gerda. "You give off such a strong fragrance that I can't help but think of those dead girls. Hey, is little Gay really dead?
?The roses once went underground to see them, but they said they didn’t exist.”
"Ding! Ding!" the hyacinth bell rang. "We are not ringing for little Gay - we don't know him! We are just singing our song - the only song we know."
Gerda went to the buttercup. The flower smiled among the shining green leaves.
"You are a shining little sun," said Gerda. "Please tell me, if you know, where I can find my playmate?"
Goldilocks radiated beautiful light and looked at Gerda again. What song could Goldilocks sing? This song had nothing to do with Gay.
In a small courtyard, the sun of our God shines warmly on the first day of spring. Its light glides on the white walls of the neighbor's house. Nearby, the first yellow flower blooms, in the warmth
The sun shines like gold. The old grandmother is sitting on a chair outside the door. Her granddaughter, a very beautiful and poor little girl, is returning home for a short visit. She is kissing her grandmother.
There is gold in this happy kiss, gold in the heart. The lips are gold, the whole body is gold, and this morning moment is gold too. This! This is my story!
Goldilocks said.
"My poor old grandmother!" Gerda sighed. "Yes, she must be thinking about me and worrying about me, just like she is worried about little Gay. But I will be there soon.
I'm going home, taking Kay with me. There's no use asking about these flowers. They only know how to sing their own songs and can't tell me anything!" So she tied up her little blouse and gave it to her.
Yes, she could run faster. But when she jumped over the daffodils, the flowers tripped her legs. She stopped to look at the long flowers and asked: "Maybe you know some news?
?”
So she bent down to the flower. What did the flower say?
I can see myself! I can see myself! Oh my God! Oh my God! How sweet I am! In the little attic stands a little dancer who is dancing: she uses a pair of
Standing on her legs, now on two legs. Her heels danced over the whole world. She was nothing more than an illusion. She poured water from a teapot onto a piece of her cloth - which was her bodice.
——Love of cleanliness is a good habit! Her white robe hung on a peg. It had also been washed in a teapot and dried on the roof: she put it on and tied an orange kerchief around her neck.
, making the dress even whiter. Her legs were crossed. Look at the way she stood on one leg. I can see myself! I can see myself!
"This doesn't interest me at all!" said Gerda. "It means nothing to me!" Then she ran to the end of the garden. The door was locked, but she turned the rusty lock
With a twist, the lock was loosened and the door opened automatically. Then little Gerda ran outside with her bare feet. She looked back three times, but no one was chasing her. In the end she couldn't run anymore.
Then she sat down on a big rock. When she looked around, she saw that summer had passed - it was late autumn. In that beautiful garden, people would not notice this - there were always people there.
The sun always has flowers in all four seasons.
"Ahem! How much time have I wasted!" said little Gerda. "It's autumn already! I can't rest anymore!" So she stood up and continued walking forward. Oh! Her little feet were
How sore and tired! There is a cold and gloomy scenery all around. The leaves of the willow trees have turned yellow, and the fog has turned into water droplets on them. The leaves are falling rustlingly. Only the hawthorns bear fruit, which is so sour that it makes the teeth.
They all fall off. Ah! How gray and desolate this vast world is!
-----------------------------------------------
①The length of Denmark is equal to 0.627 meters.
The fourth story The Prince and the Princess
Gerda had to rest again. Opposite where she sat, a large crow jumped across the snow. The crow had been sitting for a long time, staring at her, turning its head. Now it said:
"Quack! Quack! Good day! Good day!" This was the only sound it could make. It had a good impression of this little girl. It asked her where she wanted to go alone in this vast world.
Gerda deeply realized the meaning of the word "alone". She told the crow all her life and experiences, and asked it if it had seen Gay.
The crow nodded thoughtfully and said at the same time: "Maybe I have seen it! Maybe I have seen it!"
"Why, have you really seen that?" cried the little girl, almost suffocating the crow in her arms - she kissed it so passionately.
"Be gentle! Be gentle!" said the crow. "I believe that may be little Gai! But he forgot about you because of the 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 it and could speak it. I only wish I had learned it."
"It doesn't matter!" Crow said, "I tried my best to speak clearly, but the more I speak, the more confused I may be."
So the crow told everything he knew.
"In this kingdom where we are now, there lived a very clever princess. She read all the newspapers in the world and then forgot all about them because she was so clever. Recently she sat on the throne - it is said that this
It wasn't very interesting - and then she hummed a song, and the only line in the song was: 'Why don't I get married now?' And she said, 'Yeah, there's something in that.' So she really wanted to
Marry. But what she wanted in her husband was that when people spoke to him, he must be able to answer, not just stand there and just look good-because this is very annoying. So she called in all the maids: when they
When they knew her intention, they were all very happy. 'Great!' They said, 'We also had this opinion not long ago.' Please believe that every word I tell you is true!" Crow
Said, "I have a very tame lover who can come and go freely in the palace, so she tells me everything."
Of course, the so-called "lover" is nothing more than a crow, because crows only look for similar things - it will always be a crow.
"All newspapers were published immediately, with chicken hearts and the first letters of the princess's names printed on the edges as decorations. People can read: Every beautiful young man is free to come to the palace and talk to the princess, and the conversation is
If a man can make others feel that he is free from restraint and can answer questions fluently, the princess will choose him as her husband! Yes, yes!" said the crow, "Please believe me. My words are true and there is no lie in them.
The young people came in droves. When they came into the street, they could talk about anything; but when they entered the palace gate together, they saw the porter in silver uniform, and on the steps stood the doorman in gold uniform.
When they saw the servants and the dazzling hall, they couldn't say anything, they could only repeat the last word of the princess's words - and she didn't want to listen to her own words anymore. It seemed that these people had all the words in their bellies.
They were stuffed with snuff and seemed to have fallen asleep. They could only speak when they came back to the street. These people stood in a long queue from the city gate to the palace gate. I once went to see it with my own eyes.
"Once!" said the crow. "They became hungry and thirsty, but when they got to the palace they couldn't get even a glass of warm water. The wisest ones took a little bread with butter, but they didn't distinguish it.
Give it to the people next to you, because they think, 'Let this guy look like a hungry ghost, the princess won't want him!'"
"But where is Gay, little Gay?" asked Gerda. "When will he come? Will he be among them?"
"Wait! Wait! We shall speak of him presently! It was not until the third day that a little man arrived. He did not ride a horse or a carriage. He strode into the palace cheerfully.
.His eyes are as bright as yours. His hair is long and thin, but his clothes are very shabby!"
"That's Gay!" Gerda said happily. "Oh, I finally found him!" Then she clapped her hands.
"He has a little bag on his back!" said the crow.
"No, it must be his sleigh!" said Gerda, "because he went there with a sleigh."
"Maybe it is!" said the crow, "because I didn't look at it carefully! But I heard my tame lover say that when he walked into the palace door, he saw the guards in silver uniforms and the steps in gold.
He was not at all flustered as he walked down the uniformed servants. He nodded and said to them: 'Standing on those steps must be a very tiresome job - I'd rather walk in!' The hall was filled with candlelight.
It was like daytime. The privy counselors and ministers were walking around with their bare feet carrying golden plates. It gave people a solemn feeling! His boots made a creaking sound, but he was not afraid at all.
!”
"This must be Gay!" said Gerda. "I know he is wearing a new pair of boots; I heard them creaking in my grandmother's room."
"Yes, they do make a noise!" said the crow, "and he walked bravely up to the princess, who was sitting on a pearl as big as a spinning wheel. All the maids and their maids and their maids' maids
Around the ring, all the courtiers and their servants and servants' servants - each with a boy - were standing around. The nearer they stood to the door, the more splendid they looked! These servants
The servant's boy - he was always in uniform - it was almost impossible to look at him, for he stood in the doorway looking so proud!"
"It must be terrible!" said little Gerda, "but does Gay get the princess?"
"Had I not been a crow, I might have had her, though I was engaged. He could speak as I speak crow--I heard it from my tame lover. He is brave
, and can please people. He did not come to propose to the princess, but came to listen to the princess's wisdom. He took a fancy to her; she also took a fancy to him."
"Yes, that must be Gay!" Gerda said. "He is so smart, he can do mental arithmetic right down to the fraction. Oh! Can you take me to the palace?"
"This is easy to say!" said the crow. "But how do we put it into practice? Let me first discuss it with my tame lover. She may give us some advice. I want to tell you something - a little girl like you
Girls generally won't get permission to go inside."
"Yes, I have permission!" Gerda said. "When Gay knows that I am coming, he will come out immediately and invite me in."
"Please wait for me at the gate," said the crow, and then he turned his head and flew away.
When the crow came back, it had been dark for a long time.
"Quack! Quack!" it said, "I greet you on behalf of my love. This is a small piece of bread I brought you. This is what she took out from the kitchen. There is a lot of bread there. You must be very happy now.
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 please don't cry; you
It's still possible to get in. My wife knows a small back staircase that leads to the bedroom, and she also knows where to get the key!"
So they went into the garden and walked along a wide avenue of trees. Here the leaves were falling rustlingly. When the lights in the palace were extinguished one after another, the crows took little Gerda to them.
Go to the back door. It's ajar.
Alas! How Gerda's heart beat with fear and fear! It seemed to her that she was doing something bad; but all she wished to know was little Kay. Yes, that must be it.
Him. She was vividly recalling his clever eyes and long hair. She could imagine how he smiled - the smile he would have had when he sat at home under the rose tree. He must have been happy to see it.
to hear of her; to hear that she had come so far to come to him; to hear how sorry the family was at his departure. Oh, it was both frightening and joyful.
They now went up 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 followed the instructions her grandmother had taught her.
He looked like he was curtsying①.
"My little girl, my betrothed has spoken very well of you," said the tame crow, "and your story, shall we say, is very touching! Will you please take up the lamp? I
I can lead the way for you. We can keep going because we won't run into anyone."
"I feel as if someone is following me," said Gerda, for something slid past her; it seemed to be a shadow on the wall, a thin-legged, leaping red-maned horse, a young
Hunters and gentlemen and ladies on horseback.
"These things are but a dream!" said the crow. "They come to take the minds of these noble people out on a safari. This is a good thing, because then you can watch them sleep.
Look at them for a while. But I hope that when you gain glory and wealth in the future, please don’t forget me!”
"Of course that's no problem!" said the crow in the woods.
They now entered the first hall. The walls were hung with many pink satin embroidered with flowers. Here, Dream ran past them, but she ran so fast that Gerda had no time to look at these important people. Chapter 1
The two halls were always more beautiful than the first. Yes, one would get dizzy just looking at it! Finally they came to the bedroom. Here, the ceiling looked like a crown of palm trees with glass - very precious glass - leaves.
In the center of the room there are two beds suspended on a thick golden pole, and each bed is like a lily. One is white, with the princess sleeping in it; the other is red.
, Gerda hoped to find little Gay inside. She separated a red petal, and then she saw a brown neck. Oh, this is Gay! She shouted his name loudly, and at the same time she
The lamp was brought to him. Dream came riding into the room again. He woke up and turned around, but - he was not little Gay!
The prince resembled him only in his neck, but he was young and beautiful. The princess peeped out from her bed of lilies, and asked who was there. Little Gerda burst into tears and told the crow the whole story.
All her help was told.
"Poor child!" said the prince and princess.
They complimented the crows and said they were not angry with them, but they couldn't do this kind of thing very often. Still, they deserved a reward.
"Would you rather fly out freely," asked the princess, "or would you rather have a fixed place as a crow in the palace, with the right to eat leftovers from the kitchen?"
The two crows bowed and asked for a fixed place, because they thought of their old age. They said: "It is always good to have some provisions when you are old, as the saying goes."
The prince climbed out of bed and let Gerda sleep in his bed - that was all he could do. She crossed her little hands and thought: "What kind things men and animals are!" and she closed her eyes.
She opened her eyes and fell into a blissful sleep. All the dreams came flying in again; this time they were like Angel. They were dragging a little sleigh, and Gay was sitting on it and nodding. It was all just a dream. She
As soon as I wake up, these dreams disappear.
The next day she was dressed entirely in silks and velvets. It was proposed to her that she should live in the palace and enjoy her time happily. But all she asked for was a horse-drawn cart and a pair of boots.
Then she could drive outside again and look for Gay.
She not only got a pair of boots, but also a muff, and wore clean and neat clothes. When she was leaving, a car made of pure gold was parked outside the door waiting for her. The emblem of the prince and princess
It shone like a star up there. The coachman, the waiters and the rider - for there was a rider - were all dressed in clothes embroidered with golden crowns. The prince and princess personally helped her into the carriage and wished her a safe journey. The forest bird
The crow in the house, who was now married, accompanied her for the first three miles of the journey. He sat beside Gerda, for he could not bear to sit with his back to the horse.
The other crow was standing in the doorway, flapping her wings. She couldn't go with them because she had a headache from eating too much since she got her permanent job. The walls of the car were full.
Sweet biscuits, ginger biscuits and fruit filled the seats.
"Goodbye! Goodbye!" cried the prince and princess, and little Gerda began to cry, and so did the crow. They walked the first few miles together in this way, and the crow also said good-bye—this was going to happen.
It was the saddest parting. The crow flew to a tree and flapped its black wings until it lost sight of the carriage - the carriage shone like the bright sun.
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① This is a kind of etiquette in Northern Europe. When doing this salute, bend the knee of your left leg and nod. Nowadays, primary school students in Northern Europe (especially Sweden) still do this salute when they meet their teachers on the street.
②One Danish mile is approximately equal to fifteen miles in our country’s calculation unit.