"Your beautiful form, your graceful walk, and your expressiveeyes; surely with these you can enchain a man's heart. Well, haveyou lost your courage? Put out your little tongue that I may cut itoff as my payment; then you shall have the powerful draught."
  "It shall be," said the little mermaid.
  Then the witch placed her cauldron on the fire, to prepare themagic draught.
  "Cleanliness is a good thing," said she, scouring the vesselwith snakes, which she had tied together in a large knot; then shepricked herself in the breast, and let the black blood drop into it.The steam that rose formed itself into such horrible shapes that noone could look at them without fear. Every moment the witch threwsomething else into the vessel, and when it began to boil, the soundwas like the weeping of a crocodile. When at last the magic draughtwas ready, it looked like the clearest water. "There it is for you,"said the witch. Then she cut off the mermaid's tongue, so that shebecame dumb, and would never again speak or sing. "If the polypishould seize hold of you as you return through the wood," said thewitch, "throw over them a few drops of the potion, and their fingerswill be torn into a thousand pieces." But the little mermaid had nooccasion to do this, for the polypi sprang back in terror when theycaught sight of the glittering draught, which shone in her hand like atwinkling star.
  So she passed quickly through the wood and the marsh, andbetween the rushing whirlpools. She saw that in her father's palacethe torches in the ballroom were extinguished, and all withinasleep; but she did not venture to go in to them, for now she was dumband going to leave them forever, she felt as if her heart would break.She stole into the garden, took a flower from the flower-beds ofeach of her sisters, kissed her hand a thousand times towards thepalace, and then rose up through the dark blue waters. The sun had notrisen when she came in sight of the prince's palace, and approachedthe beautiful marble steps, but the moon shone clear and bright.Then the little mermaid drank the magic draught, and it seemed as if atwo-edged sword went through her delicate body: she fell into a swoon,and lay like one dead. When the sun arose and shone over the sea,she recovered, and felt a sharp pain; but just before her stood thehandsome young prince. He fixed his coal-black eyes upon her soearnestly that she cast down her own, and then became aware that herfish's tail was gone, and that she had as pretty a pair of whitelegs and tiny feet as any little maiden could have; but she had noclothes, so she wrapped herself in her long, thick hair. The princeasked her who she was, and where she came from, and she looked athim mildly and sorrowfully with her deep blue eyes; but she couldnot speak. Every step she took was as the witch had said it wouldbe, she felt as if treading upon the points of needles or sharpknives; but she bore it willingly, and stepped as lightly by theprince's side as a soap-bubble, so that he and all who saw herwondered at her graceful-swaying movements. She was very soonarrayed in costly robes of silk and muslin, and was the most beautifulcreature in the palace; but she was dumb, and could neither speaknor sing.
  Beautiful female slaves, dressed in silk and gold, stepped forwardand sang before the prince and his royal parents: one sang better thanall the others, and the prince clapped his hands and smiled at her.This was great sorrow to the little mermaid; she knew how much moresweetly she herself could sing once, and she thought, "Oh if hecould only know that!