with illustrations of Vilhelm Pedersen

Med Illustrationer af Vilhelm Pedersen.

Story the First, Which Describes a Looking-Glass and the Broken Fragments

Første Historie, der handler om Speilet og Stumperne.

You must attend to the commencement of this story, for when we get to the end we shall know more than we do now about a very wicked hobgoblin; he was one of the very worst, for he was a real demon.

See saa! nu begynde vi. Naar vi ere ved Enden af Historien, veed vi mere, end vi nu vide, for det var en ond Trold! det var een af de allerværste, det var »Dævelen«!

One day, when he was in a merry mood, he made a looking-glass which had the power of making everything good or beautiful that was reflected in it almost shrink to nothing, while everything that was worthless and bad looked increased in size and worse than ever.

Een Dag var han i et rigtigt godt Humeur, thi han havde gjort et Speil, der havde den Egenskab, at alt Godt og Smukt, som speilede sig deri, svandt der sammen til næsten Ingenting, men hvad der ikke duede og tog sig ilde ud, det traadte ret frem og blev endnu værre.

The most lovely landscapes appeared like boiled spinach, and the people became hideous, and looked as if they stood on their heads and had no bodies. Their countenances were so distorted that no one could recognize them, and even one freckle on the face appeared to spread over the whole of the nose and mouth.

De deiligste Landskaber saae ud deri som kogt Spinat, og de bedste Mennesker bleve ækle eller stode paa Hovedet uden Mave, Ansigterne bleve saa fordreiede, at de vare ikke til at kjende, og havde man en Fregne, saa kunde man være saa vis paa, at den løb ud over Næse og Mund.

The demon said this was very amusing. When a good or pious thought passed through the mind of any one it was misrepresented in the glass; and then how the demon laughed at his cunning invention.

Det var udmærket morsomt, sagde »Dævelen.« Gik der nu en god from Tanke gjennem et Menneske, da kom der et Griin i Speilet, saa Trolddjævelen maatte lee af sin kunstige Opfindelse.

All who went to the demon’s school—for he kept a school—talked everywhere of the wonders they had seen, and declared that people could now, for the first time, see what the world and mankind were really like.

Alle de som gik i Trold-Skole, for han holdt Trold-Skole, de fortalte rundt om, at der var skeet et Mirakel; nu kunde man først see, meente de, hvorledes Verden og Menneskene rigtigt saae ud.

They carried the glass about everywhere, till at last there was not a land nor a people who had not been looked at through this distorted mirror.

De løb omkring med Speilet, og tilsidst var der ikke et Land eller et Menneske, uden at det havde været fordreiet deri.

They wanted even to fly with it up to heaven to see the angels, but the higher they flew the more slippery the glass became, and they could scarcely hold it, till at last it slipped from their hands, fell to the earth, and was broken into millions of pieces.

Nu vilde de ogsaa flyve op mod Himlen selv for at gjøre Nar af Englene og »vor Herre«. Jo høiere de fløi med Speilet, des stærkere grinede det, de kunde neppe holde fast paa det; høiere og høiere fløi de, nærmere Gud og Englene; da zittrede Speilet saa frygteligt i sit Griin, at det foer dem ud af Hænderne og styrtede ned mod Jorden, hvor det gik i hundrede Millioner, Billioner og endnu flere Stykker,

But now the looking-glass caused more unhappiness than ever, for some of the fragments were not so large as a grain of sand, and they flew about the world into every country.

og da just gjorde det megen større Ulykke end før; thi nogle Stykker vare knap saa store som et Sandkorn, og disse fløi rundt om i den vide Verden,

When one of these tiny atoms flew into a person’s eye, it stuck there unknown to him, and from that moment he saw everything through a distorted medium, or could see only the worst side of what he looked at, for even the smallest fragment retained the same power which had belonged to the whole mirror.

og hvor de kom Folk i Øinene, der bleve de siddende, og da saae de Mennesker Alting forkeert, eller havde kun Øine for hvad der var galt ved en Ting, thi hvert lille Speilgran havde beholdt samme Kræfter, som det hele Speil havde;

Some few persons even got a fragment of the looking-glass in their hearts, and this was very terrible, for their hearts became cold like a lump of ice.

nogle Mennesker fik endogsaa en lille Speilstump ind i Hjertet, og saa var det ganske grueligt, det Hjerte blev ligesom en Klump Iis.

A few of the pieces were so large that they could be used as window-panes; it would have been a sad thing to look at our friends through them.

Nogle Speilstykker vare saa store, at de bleve brugte til Rudeglas, men gjennem den Rude var det ikke værd at see sine Venner;

Other pieces were made into spectacles; this was dreadful for those who wore them, for they could see nothing either rightly or justly. At all this the wicked demon laughed till his sides shook—it tickled him so to see the mischief he had done.

andre Stykker kom i Briller, og saa gik det daarligt, naar Folk toge de Briller paa for ret at see og være retfærdige; den Onde loe, saa hans Mave revnede, og det kildede ham saa deiligt.

There were still a number of these little fragments of glass floating about in the air, and now you shall hear what happened with one of them.

Men ude fløi endnu smaa Glasstumper om i Luften. Nu skulle vi høre!

Second Story: A Little Boy and a Little Girl

Anden Historie. En lille Dreng og en lille Pige.

In a large town, full of houses and people, there is not room for everybody to have even a little garden, therefore they are obliged to be satisfied with a few flowers in flower-pots. In one of these large towns lived two poor children who had a garden something larger and better than a few flower-pots.

Inde i den store By, hvor der ere saa mange Huse og Mennesker, saa at der ikke bliver Plads nok til, at alle Folk kunne faae en lille Have, og hvor derfor de fleste maa lade sig nøie med Blomster i Urtepotter, der var dog to fattige Børn som havde en Have noget større end en Urtepotte.

They were not brother and sister, but they loved each other almost as much as if they had been.

De vare ikke Broder og Søster, men de holdt ligesaa meget af hinanden, som om de vare det.

Their parents lived opposite to each other in two garrets, where the roofs of neighboring houses projected out towards each other and the water-pipe ran between them.

Forældrene boede lige op til hinanden; de boede paa to Tagkammere; der, hvor Taget fra det ene Nabohuus stødte op til det andet og Vandrenden gik langs med Tagskjæggene, der vendte fra hvert Huus et lille Vindue ud;

In each house was a little window, so that any one could step across the gutter from one window to the other.

man behøvede kun at skræve over Renden, saa kunde man komme fra det ene Vindue til det andet.

The parents of these children had each a large wooden box in which they cultivated kitchen herbs for their own use, and a little rose-bush in each box, which grew splendidly.

Forældrene havde udenfor hver en stor Trækasse, og i den voxte Kjøkkenurter, som de brugte, og et lille Rosentræ; der var eet i hver Kasse, det voxte saa velsignet.

Now after a while the parents decided to place these two boxes across the water-pipe, so that they reached from one window to the other and looked like two banks of flowers.

Nu fandt Forældrene paa at stille Kasserne saaledes tvers over Renden, at de næsten naaede fra det ene Vindue til det andet og saae ganske livagtig ud som to Blomster-Volde.

Sweet-peas drooped over the boxes, and the rose-bushes shot forth long branches, which were trained round the windows and clustered together almost like a triumphal arch of leaves and flowers.

Ærterankerne hang ned over Kasserne, og Rosentræerne skjøde lange Grene, snoede sig om Vinduerne, bøiede sig mod hinanden: det var næsten som en Æreport af Grønt og af Blomster.

The boxes were very high, and the children knew they must not climb upon them, without permission, but they were often, however, allowed to step out together and sit upon their little stools under the rose-bushes, or play quietly.

Da Kasserne vare meget høie, og Børnene vidste, at de ikke maatte krybe op, saa fik de tidt Lov hver at stige ud til hinanden, sidde paa deres smaa Skamler under Roserne, og der legede de nu saa prægtigt.

In winter all this pleasure came to an end, for the windows were sometimes quite frozen over. But then they would warm copper pennies on the stove, and hold the warm pennies against the frozen pane; there would be very soon a little round hole through which they could peep, and the soft bright eyes of the little boy and girl would beam through the hole at each window as they looked at each other.

Om Vinteren var jo den Fornøielse forbi. Vinduerne vare tidt ganske tilfrosne, men saa varmede de Kobberskillinger paa Kakkelovnen, lagde den hede Skilling paa den frosne Rude, og saa blev der et deiligt Kighul, saa rundt, saa rundt; bag ved tittede et velsignet mildt Øie, eet fra hvert Vindue; det var den lille Dreng og den lille Pige.

Their names were Kay and Gerda.

Han hed Kay og hun hed Gerda.

In summer they could be together with one jump from the window, but in winter they had to go up and down the long staircase, and out through the snow before they could meet.

Om Sommeren kunde de i eet Spring komme til hinanden, om Vinteren maatte de først de mange Trapper ned og de mange Trapper op; ude fygede Sneen.

“See there are the white bees swarming,” said Kay’s old grandmother one day when it was snowing.

»Det er de hvide Bier, som sværme,« sagde den gamle Bedstemoder.

“Have they a queen bee?” asked the little boy, for he knew that the real bees had a queen.

»Har de ogsaa en Bidronning?« spurgte den lille Dreng, for han vidste, at imellem de virkelige Bier er der saadan een.

“To be sure they have,” said the grandmother. “She is flying there where the swarm is thickest. She is the largest of them all, and never remains on the earth, but flies up to the dark clouds. Often at midnight she flies through the streets of the town, and looks in at the windows, then the ice freezes on the panes into wonderful shapes, that look like flowers and castles.”

»Det har de!« sagde Bedstemoderen. »Hun flyver der, hvor de sværme tættest! hun er størst af dem alle, og aldrig bliver hun stille paa Jorden, hun flyver op igjen i den store Sky. Mangen Vinternat flyver hun gjennem Byens Gader og kiger ind af Vinduerne, og da fryse de saa underligt, ligesom med Blomster.«

“Yes, I have seen them,” said both the children, and they knew it must be true.

»Ja, det har jeg seet!« sagde begge Børnene og saa vidste de, at det var sandt.

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

»Kan Sneedronningen komme herind?« spurgte den lille Pige.

“Only let her come,” said the boy, “I’ll set her on the stove and then she’ll melt.”

»Lad hende kun komme,« sagde Drengen, »saa sætter jeg hende paa den varme Kakkelovn, og saa smelter hun.«

Then the grandmother smoothed his hair and told him some more tales.

Men Bedstemoderen glattede hans Haar og fortalte andre Historier.

One evening, when little Kay was at home, half undressed, he climbed on a chair by the window and peeped out through the little hole. A few flakes of snow were falling, and one of them, rather larger than the rest, alighted on the edge of one of the flower boxes. This snow-flake grew larger and larger, till at last it became the figure of a woman, dressed in garments of white gauze, which looked like millions of starry snow-flakes linked together.

Om Aftenen da den lille Kay var hjemme og halv afklædt, krøb han op paa Stolen ved Vinduet og tittede ud af det lille Hul; et Par Sneeflokker faldt derude, og een af disse, den allerstørste, blev liggende paa Kanten af den ene Blomster-Kasse; Sneeflokken voxte meer og meer, den blev tilsidst til et heelt Fruentimmer, klædt i de fineste, hvide Flor, der vare som sammensatte af Millioner stjerneagtige Fnug.

She was fair and beautiful, but made of ice—shining and glittering ice. Still she was alive and her eyes sparkled like bright stars, but there was neither peace nor rest in their glance.

Hun var saa smuk og fiin, men af Iis, den blændende, blinkende Iis, dog var hun levende; Øinene stirrede som to klare Stjerner, men der var ingen Ro eller Hvile i dem.

She nodded towards the window and waved her hand. The little boy was frightened and sprang from the chair; at the same moment it seemed as if a large bird flew by the window.

Hun nikkede til Vinduet og vinkede med Haanden. Den lille Dreng blev forskrækket og sprang ned af Stolen, da var det, som der udenfor fløi en stor Fugl forbi Vinduet.

On the following day there was a clear frost, and very soon came the spring. The sun shone; the young green leaves burst forth; the swallows built their nests; windows were opened, and the children sat once more in the garden on the roof, high above all the other rooms.

Næste Dag blev det klar Frost, — og saa kom Foraaret, Solen skinnede, det Grønne pippede frem, Svalerne byggede Rede, Vinduerne kom op, og de smaa Børn sad igjen i deres lille Have høit oppe i Tagrenden over alle Etagerne.

How beautiful the roses blossomed this summer. The little girl had learnt a hymn in which roses were spoken of, and then she thought of their own roses, and she sang the hymn to the little boy, and he sang too:—

Roserne blomstrede den Sommer saa mageløst; den lille Pige havde lært en Psalme, og i den stod der om Roser; og ved de Roser tænkte hun paa sine egne; og hun sang den for den lille Dreng, og han sang den med:

“Roses bloom and cease to be,
But we shall the Christ-child see.”

»Roserne voxe i Dale,
Der faae vi Barn-Jesus i Tale!«

Then the little ones held each other by the hand, and kissed the roses, and looked at the bright sunshine, and spoke to it as if the Christ-child were there.

Og de Smaa holdt hinanden i Hænderne, kyssede Roserne og saae ind i Guds klare Solskin og talte til det, som om Jesusbarnet var der.

Those were splendid summer days. How beautiful and fresh it was out among the rose-bushes, which seemed as if they would never leave off blooming.

Hvor det var deilige Sommerdage, hvor det var velsignet at være ude ved de friske Rosentræer, der aldrig syntes at ville holde op med at blomstre.

One day Kay and Gerda sat looking at a book full of pictures of animals and birds, and then just as the clock in the church tower struck twelve, Kay said, “Oh, something has struck my heart!” and soon after, “There is something in my eye.”

Kay og Gerda sad og saae i Billedbogen med Dyr og Fugle, da var det — Klokken slog akkurat fem paa det store Kirketaarn, — at Kay sagde: »au! det stak mig i Hjertet! og nu fik jeg Noget ind i Øiet!«

The little girl put her arm round his neck, and looked into his eye, but she could see nothing.

Den lille Pige tog ham om Halsen; han plirede med Øinene; nei, der var ikke Noget at see.

“I think it is gone,” he said. But it was not gone;

»Jeg troer, det er borte!« sagde han; men borte var det ikke.

it was one of those bits of the looking-glass—that magic mirror, of which we have spoken—the ugly glass which made everything great and good appear small and ugly, while all that was wicked and bad became more visible, and every little fault could be plainly seen.

Det var just saadant et af disse Glaskorn, der sprang fra Speilet, Troldspeilet, vi huske det nok, det fæle Glas, som gjorde at alt Stort og Godt, der afspeilede sig deri, blev Smaat og Hæsligt, men det Onde og Slette traadte ordenlig frem, og hver Feil ved en Ting blev strax til at bemærke.

Poor little Kay had also received a small grain in his heart, which very quickly turned to a lump of ice.

Den stakkels Kay han havde ogsaa faaet et Gran lige ind i Hjertet. Det vilde snart blive ligesom en Iisklump.

He felt no more pain, but the glass was there still.

Nu gjorde det ikke ondt mere, men det var der.

“Why do you cry?” said he at last; “it makes you look ugly. There is nothing the matter with me now. Oh, see!” he cried suddenly, “that rose is worm-eaten, and this one is quite crooked. After all they are ugly roses, just like the box in which they stand,” and then he kicked the boxes with his foot, and pulled off the two roses.

»Hvorfor græder Du?« spurgte han. »Saa seer Du styg ud! jeg feiler jo ikke noget! Fy!« raabte han ligemed eet: »den Rose der er gnavet af en Orm! og see, den der er jo ganske skjæv! det er i Grunden nogle ækle Roser! de ligne Kasserne, de staae i!« og saa stødte han med Foden haardt imod Kassen og rev de to Roser af.

“Kay, what are you doing?” cried the little girl; and then, when he saw how frightened she was, he tore off another rose, and jumped through his own window away from little Gerda.

»Kay, hvad gjør Du!« raabte den lille Pige; og da han saae hendes Forskrækkelse, rev han endnu en Rose af og løb saa ind af sit Vindue bort fra den velsignede lille Gerda.

When she afterwards brought out the picture book, he said, “It was only fit for babies in long clothes,” and when grandmother told any stories, he would interrupt her with “but;”. Or, when he could manage it, he would get behind her chair, put on a pair of spectacles, and imitate her very cleverly, to make people laugh.

Naar hun siden kom med Billedbogen, sagde han, at den var for Pattebørn, og fortalte Bedstemoderen Historier, kom han alletider med et men — kunde han komme til det, saa gik han bag efter hende, satte Briller paa og talte ligesom hun; det var ganske akkurat, og saa loe Folk af ham.

By-and-by he began to mimic the speech and gait of persons in the street.

Han kunde snart tale og gaae efter alle Mennesker i hele Gaden.

All that was peculiar or disagreeable in a person he would imitate directly, and people said, “That boy will be very clever; he has a remarkable genius.” But it was the piece of glass in his eye, and the coldness in his heart, that made him act like this. He would even tease little Gerda, who loved him with all her heart.

Alt, hvad der var aparte hos dem og ikke kjønt, det vidste Kay at gjøre bag efter, og saa sagde Folk: »Det er bestemt et udmærket Hoved, han har den Dreng!« men det var det Glas, han havde faaet i Øiet, det Glas der sad i Hjertet, derfor var det, han drillede selv den lille Gerda, som med hele sin Sjæl holdt af ham.

His games, too, were quite different; they were not so childish. One winter’s day, when it snowed, he brought out a burning-glass, then he held out the tail of his blue coat, and let the snow-flakes fall upon it.

Hans Lege bleve nu ganske anderledes end før, de vare saa forstandige: — en Vinterdag, som Sneeflokkerne fygede, kom han med et stort Brændeglas, holdt sin blaa Frakke-Flig ud og lod Sneeflokkerne falde paa den.

“Look in this glass, Gerda,” said he; and she saw how every flake of snow was magnified, and looked like a beautiful flower or a glittering star.

»See nu i Glasset, Gerda!« sagde han, og hver Sneeflok blev meget større og saae ud, som en prægtig Blomst eller en tikantet Stjerne; det var deiligt at see paa.

“Is it not clever?” said Kay, “and much more interesting than looking at real flowers. There is not a single fault in it, and the snow-flakes are quite perfect till they begin to melt.”

»Seer Du, hvor kunstigt!« sagde Kay, »det er meget interessantere end med de virkelige Blomster! og der er ikke en eneste Feil ved dem, de ere ganske akkurate, naar de blot ikke smelte!«

Soon after Kay made his appearance in large thick gloves, and with his sledge at his back. He called up stairs to Gerda, “I’ve got to leave to go into the great square, where the other boys play and ride.” And away he went.

Lidt efter kom Kay med store Handsker og sin Slæde paa Ryggen, han raabte Gerda lige ind i Ørene: »jeg har faaet Lov at kjøre paa den store Plads, hvor de Andre lege!« og afsted var han.

In the great square, the boldest among the boys would often tie their sledges to the country people’s carts, and go with them a good way. This was capital.

Derhenne paa Pladsen bandt tidt de kjækkeste Drenge deres Slæde fast ved Bondemandens Vogn og saa kjørte de et godt Stykke med. Det gik just lystigt.

But while they were all amusing themselves, and Kay with them, a great sledge came by; it was painted white, and in it sat some one wrapped in a rough white fur, and wearing a white cap. The sledge drove twice round the square, and Kay fastened his own little sledge to it, so that when it went away, he followed with it.

Som de bedst legede, kom der en stor Slæde; den var ganske hvidmalet, og der sad i den Een, indsvøbt i en laaden hvid Pels og med hvid laaden Hue; Slæden kjørte Pladsen to Gange rundt, og Kay fik gesvindt sin lille Slæde bunden fast ved den, og nu kjørte han med.

It went faster and faster right through the next street, and then the person who drove turned round and nodded pleasantly to Kay, just as if they were acquainted with each other, but whenever Kay wished to loosen his little sledge the driver nodded again, so Kay sat still, and they drove out through the town gate.

Det gik raskere og raskere lige ind i den næste Gade; den, som kjørte, dreiede Hovedet, nikkede saa venligt til Kay, det var ligesom om de kjendte hinanden; hver Gang Kay vilde løsne sin lille Slæde, nikkede personen igjen, og saa blev Kay siddende; de kjørte lige ud af Byens Port.

Then the snow began to fall so heavily that the little boy could not see a hand’s breadth before him, but still they drove on; then he suddenly loosened the cord so that the large sled might go on without him, but it was of no use, his little carriage held fast, and away they went like the wind.

Da begyndte Sneen saaledes at vælte ned, at den lille Dreng ikke kunde see en Haand for sig, men han foer afsted, da slap han hurtigt Snoren, for at komme løs fra den store Slæde, men det hjalp ikke, hans lille Kjøretøi hang fast, og det gik med Vindens Fart.

Then he called out loudly, but nobody heard him, while the snow beat upon him, and the sledge flew onwards. Every now and then it gave a jump as if it were going over hedges and ditches.

Da raabte han ganske høit, men Ingen hørte ham, og Sneen fygede og Slæden fløi afsted; imellem gav den et Spring, det var, som om han foer over Grøfter og Gjærder.

The boy was frightened, and tried to say a prayer, but he could remember nothing but the multiplication table.

Han var ganske forskrækket, han vilde læse sit Fader vor, men han kunde kun huske den store Tabel.

The snow-flakes became larger and larger, till they appeared like great white chickens. All at once they sprang on one side, the great sledge stopped, and the person who had driven it rose up. The fur and the cap, which were made entirely of snow, fell off, and he saw a lady, tall and white, it was the Snow Queen.

Sneeflokkerne bleve større og større, tilsidst saae de ud, som store hvide Høns; med eet sprang de til Side, den store Slæde holdt, og den Person, som kjørte i den, reiste sig op, Pelsen og Huen var af bare Snee; en Dame var det, saa høi og rank, saa skinnende hvid, det var Sneedronningen.

“We have driven well,” said she, “but why do you tremble? here, creep into my warm fur.” Then she seated him beside her in the sledge, and as she wrapped the fur round him he felt as if he were sinking into a snow drift.

»Vi ere komne godt frem!« sagde hun, »men er det at fryse! kryb ind i min Bjørnepels!« og hun satte ham i Slæden hos sig, slog Pelsen om ham, det var, som om han sank i en Sneedrive.

“Are you still cold,” she asked, as she kissed him on the forehead.

»Fryser Du endnu!« spurgde hun, og saa kyssede hun ham paa Panden.

The kiss was colder than ice; it went quite through to his heart, which was already almost a lump of ice; he felt as if he were going to die, but only for a moment; he soon seemed quite well again, and did not notice the cold around him.

Uh! det var koldere end Iis, det gik ham lige ind til hans Hjerte, der jo dog halv var en Iisklump; det var, som om han skulde døe; — men kun et Øieblik, saa gjorde det just godt; ham mærkede ikke mere til Kulden rundt om.

“My sledge! don’t forget my sledge,” was his first thought, and then he looked and saw that it was bound fast to one of the white chickens, which flew behind him with the sledge at its back.

»Min Slæde! glem ikke min Slæde!« det huskede han først paa; og den blev bunden paa een af de hvide Høns, og den fløi bag efter med Slæden paa Ryggen.

The Snow Queen kissed little Kay again, and by this time he had forgotten little Gerda, his grandmother, and all at home.

Sneedronningen kyssede Kay endnu en Gang, og da havde han glemt lille Gerda og Bedstemoder og dem alle der hjemme.

“Now you must have no more kisses,” she said, “or I should kiss you to death.”

»Nu faaer Du ikke flere Kys!« sagde hun, »for saa kyssede jeg Dig ihjel!«

Kay looked at her, and saw that she was so beautiful, he could not imagine a more lovely and intelligent face; she did not now seem to be made of ice, as when he had seen her through his window, and she had nodded to him.

Kay saae paa hende, hun var saa smuk, et klogere, deiligere Ansigt kunde han ikke tænke sig, nu syntes hun ikke af Iis, som den Gang hun sad udenfor Vinduet og vinkede ad ham;

In his eyes she was perfect, and he did not feel at all afraid. He told her he could do mental arithmetic, as far as fractions, and that he knew the number of square miles and the number of inhabitants in the country. And she always smiled so that he thought he did not know enough yet, and she looked round the vast expanse as she flew higher and higher with him upon a black cloud, while the storm blew and howled as if it were singing old songs.

for hans Øine var hun fuldkommen, han følte sig slet ikke bange, han fortalte hende at han kunde Hoved-Regning, og det med Brøk, Landenes Qvadrat-Mile og »hvor mange Indvaanere,« og hun smilte altid; da syntes han, det var dog ikke nok, hvad han vidste, og han saae op i det store, store Luftrum og hun fløi med ham, fløi høit op paa den sorte Sky, og Stormen susede og brusede, det var, som sang den gamle Viser.

They flew over woods and lakes, over sea and land; below them roared the wild wind; the wolves howled and the snow crackled; over them flew the black screaming crows, and above all shone the moon, clear and bright,—and so Kay passed through the long winter’s night, and by day he slept at the feet of the Snow Queen.

De fløi over Skove og Søer, over Have og Lande; neden under susede den kolde blæst, Ulvene hylede, Sneen gnistrede, hen over den fløi de sorte skrigende Krager, men oven over skinnede Maanen saa stor og klar, og paa den saae Kay den lange, lange Vinternat; om Dagen sov han ved Sneedronningens Fødder.

Third Story: The Flower Garden of the Woman Who Could Conjure

Tredie Historie. Blomster-Haven hos Konen, som kunde Trolddom.

But how fared little Gerda during Kay’s absence?

Men hvorledes havde den lille Gerda det, da Kay ikke mere kom?

What had become of him, no one knew, nor could any one give the slightest information, excepting the boys, who said that he had tied his sledge to another very large one, which had driven through the street, and out at the town gate.

Hvor var han dog? — Ingen vidste det, Ingen kunde give Besked. Drengene fortalte kun, at de havde seet ham binde sin lille Slæde til en prægtig stor, der kjørte ind i Gaden og ud af Byens Port.

Nobody knew where it went; many tears were shed for him, and little Gerda wept bitterly for a long time. She said she knew he must be dead; that he was drowned in the river which flowed close by the school. Oh, indeed those long winter days were very dreary.

Ingen vidste, hvor han var, mange Taarer flød, den lille Gerda græd saa dybt og længe; — saa sagde de, at han var død, han var sjunket i Floden, der løb tæt ved Byen; o, det var ret lange, mørke Vinterdage.

But at last spring came, with warm sunshine.

Nu kom Vaaren med varmere Solskin.

“Kay is dead and gone,” said little Gerda.

»Kay er død og borte!« sagde den lille Gerda.

“I don’t believe it,” said the sunshine.

»Det troer jeg ikke!« sagde Solskinnet.

“He is dead and gone,” she said to the sparrows.

»Han er død og borte!« sagde hun til Svalerne.

“We don’t believe it,” they replied; and at last little Gerda began to doubt it herself.

»Det troer jeg ikke!« svarede de, og tilsidst troede den lille Gerda det ikke heller.

“I will put on my new red shoes,” she said one morning, “those that Kay has never seen, and then I will go down to the river, and ask for him.”

»Jeg vil tage mine ny røde Skoe paa,« sagde hun en Morgenstund, »dem Kay aldrig har seet, og saa vil jeg gaae ned til Floden og spørge den ad!«

It was quite early when she kissed her old grandmother, who was still asleep; then she put on her red shoes, and went quite alone out of the town gates toward the river.

Og det var ganske tidligt; hun kyssede den gamle Bedstemoder, som sov, tog de røde Skoe paa og gik ganske ene ud af Porten til Floden.

“Is it true that you have taken my little playmate away from me?” said she to the river. “I will give you my red shoes if you will give him back to me.”

»Er det sandt, at Du har taget min lille Legebroder? Jeg vil forære Dig mine røde Skoe, dersom Du vil give mig ham igjen!«

And it seemed as if the waves nodded to her in a strange manner. Then she took off her red shoes, which she liked better than anything else, and threw them both into the river, but they fell near the bank, and the little waves carried them back to the land, just as if the river would not take from her what she loved best, because they could not give her back little Kay.

Og Bølgerne, syntes hun, nikkede saa underligt; da tog hun sine røde Skoe, det Kjæreste hun havde, og kastede dem begge to ud i Floden, men de faldt tæt inde ved Bredden, og de smaa Bølger bare dem strax i Land til hende, det var ligesom om Floden ikke vilde tage det Kjæreste hun havde, da den jo ikke havde den lille Kay;

But she thought the shoes had not been thrown out far enough. Then she crept into a boat that lay among the reeds, and threw the shoes again from the farther end of the boat into the water, but it was not fastened. And her movement sent it gliding away from the land.

men hun troede nu, at hun ikke kastede Skoene langt nok ud, og saa krøb hun op i en Baad, der laae i Sivene, hun gik heelt ud i den yderste Ende og kastede Skoene; men Baaden var ikke bundet fast, og ved den Bevægelse, hun gjorde, gled den fra Land;

When she saw this she hastened to reach the end of the boat, but before she could so it was more than a yard from the bank, and drifting away faster than ever.

hun mærkede det og skyndte sig for at komme bort, men før hun naaede tilbage, var Baaden over en Alen ude, og nu gled den hurtigere afsted.

Then little Gerda was very much frightened, and began to cry, but no one heard her except the sparrows, and they could not carry her to land, but they flew along by the shore, and sang, as if to comfort her, “Here we are! Here we are!”

Da blev den lille Gerda ganske forskrækket og gav sig til at græde, men Ingen hørte hende uden Graaspurvene, og de kunde ikke bære hende i Land, men de fløi langs med Bredden og sang, ligesom for at trøste hende: »her ere vi! her ere vi!«

The boat floated with the stream; little Gerda sat quite still with only her stockings on her feet; the red shoes floated after her, but she could not reach them because the boat kept so much in advance.

Baaden drev med Strømmen; den lille Gerda sad ganske stille i de bare Strømper; hendes smaa røde Skoe flød bag efter, men de kunde ikke naae Baaden, den tog stærkere Fart.

The banks on each side of the river were very pretty. There were beautiful flowers, old trees, sloping fields, in which cows and sheep were grazing, but not a man to be seen.

Smukt var der paa begge Bredder, deilige Blomster, gamle Træer og Skrænter med Faar og Køer, men ikke et Menneske at see.

Perhaps the river will carry me to little Kay, thought Gerda, and then she became more cheerful, and raised her head, and looked at the beautiful green banks; and so the boat sailed on for hours.

»Maaskee bærer Floden mig hen til lille Kay,« tænkte Gerda og saa blev hun i bedre Humeur, reiste sig op og saae i mange Timer paa de smukke grønne Bredder;

At length she came to a large cherry orchard, in which stood a small red house with strange red and blue windows. It had also a thatched roof, and outside were two wooden soldiers, that presented arms to her as she sailed past.

saa kom hun til en stor Kirsebær-Have, hvor der var et lille Huus med underlige røde og blaae Vinduer, forresten Straatag og udenfor to Træ-Soldater, som skuldrede for dem, der seilede forbi.

Gerda called out to them, for she thought they were alive, but of course they did not answer. And as the boat drifted nearer to the shore, she saw what they really were.

Gerda raabte paa dem, hun troede, at de vare levende, men de svarede naturligviis ikke; hun kom dem ganske nær, Floden drev Baaden lige ind imod Land.

Then Gerda called still louder, and there came a very old woman out of the house, leaning on a crutch. She wore a large hat to shade her from the sun, and on it were painted all sorts of pretty flowers.

Gerda raabte endnu høiere, og saa om ud af Huset en gammel, gammel Kone, der støttede sig paa en Krog-Kjæp; hun havde en stor Solhat paa, og den var bemalet med de deiligste Blomster.

“You poor little child,” said the old woman, “how did you manage to come all this distance into the wide world on such a rapid rolling stream?” And then the old woman walked in the water, seized the boat with her crutch, drew it to land, and lifted Gerda out.

»Du lille stakkels Barn!« sagde den gamle Kone; »hvorledes er Du dog kommet ud paa den store, stærke Strøm, drevet langt ud i den vide Verden!« og saa gik den gamle Kone heelt ud i Vandet, slog sin Krog-Kjæp fast i Baaden, trak den i Land og løftede den lille Gerda ud.

And Gerda was glad to feel herself on dry ground, although she was rather afraid of the strange old woman.

Og Gerda var glad ved at komme paa det Tørre, men dog lidt bange for den fremmede, gamle Kone.

“Come and tell me who you are,” said she, “and how came you here.”

»Kom dog og fortæl mig, hvem Du er, og hvorledes Du kommer her!« sagde hun.