第374章
作者：安徒生[丹麦] 更新：2021-11-25 12:19
The woman screamed, andstruck at him with the tongs; the children laughed and screamed, andtumbled over each other, in their efforts to catch him; but luckily heescaped. The door stood open; the poor creature could just manage toslip out among the bushes, and lie down quite exhausted in the newlyfallen snow.
It would be very sad, were I to relate all the misery andprivations which the poor little duckling endured during the hardwinter; but when it had passed, he found himself lying one morningin a moor, amongst the rushes. He felt the warm sun shining, and heardthe lark singing, and saw that all around was beautiful spring. Thenthe young bird felt that his wings were strong, as he flapped themagainst his sides, and rose high into the air. They bore himonwards, until he found himself in a large garden, before he well knewhow it had happened. The apple-trees were in full blossom, and thefragrant elders bent their long green branches down to the streamwhich wound round a smooth lawn. Everything looked beautiful, in thefreshness of early spring. From a thicket close by came threebeautiful white swans, rustling their feathers, and swimming lightlyover the smooth water. The duckling remembered the lovely birds, andfelt more strangely unhappy than ever.
"I will fly to those royal birds," he exclaimed, "and they willkill me, because I am so ugly, and dare to approach them; but itdoes not matter: better be killed by them than pecked by the ducks,beaten by the hens, pushed about by the maiden who feeds thepoultry, or starved with hunger in the winter."
Then he flew to the water, and swam towards the beautiful swans.The moment they espied the stranger, they rushed to meet him withoutstretched wings.
"Kill me," said the poor bird; and he bent his head down to thesurface of the water, and awaited death.
But what did he see in the clear stream below? His own image; nolonger a dark, gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but agraceful and beautiful swan. To be born in a duck's nest, in afarmyard, is of no consequence to a bird, if it is hatched from aswan's egg. He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble,because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure andhappiness around him; for the great swans swam round the new-comer,and stroked his neck with their beaks, as a welcome.
Into the garden presently came some little children, and threwbread and cake into the water.
"See," cried the youngest, "there is a new one;" and the rest weredelighted, and ran to their father and mother, dancing and clappingtheir hands, and shouting joyously, "There is another swan come; a newone has arrived."
Then they threw more bread and cake into the water, and said, "Thenew one is the most beautiful of all; he is so young and pretty."And the old swans bowed their heads before him.
Then he felt quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wing; forhe did not know what to do, he was so happy, and yet not at all proud.He had been persecuted and despised for his ugliness, and now he heardthem say he was the most beautiful of all the birds. Even theelder-tree bent down its bows into the water before him, and the sunshone warm and bright. Then he rustled his feathers, curved hisslender neck, and cried joyfully, from the depths of his heart, "Inever dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an uglyduckling."
THE END.
1872
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
THE WICKED PRINCE
by Hans Christian Andersen
THERE lived once upon a time a wicked prince whose heart andmind were set upon conquering all the countries of the world, and onfrightening the people; he devastated their countries with fire andsword, and his soldiers trod down the crops in the fields anddestroyed the peasants' huts by fire, so that the flames licked thegreen leaves off the branches, and the fruit hung dried up on thesinged black trees. Many a poor mother fled, her naked baby in herarms, behind the still smoking walls of her cottage; but also therethe soldiers followed her, and when they found her, she served asnew nourishment to their diabolical enjoyments; demons could notpossibly have done worse things than these soldiers!
It would be very sad, were I to relate all the misery andprivations which the poor little duckling endured during the hardwinter; but when it had passed, he found himself lying one morningin a moor, amongst the rushes. He felt the warm sun shining, and heardthe lark singing, and saw that all around was beautiful spring. Thenthe young bird felt that his wings were strong, as he flapped themagainst his sides, and rose high into the air. They bore himonwards, until he found himself in a large garden, before he well knewhow it had happened. The apple-trees were in full blossom, and thefragrant elders bent their long green branches down to the streamwhich wound round a smooth lawn. Everything looked beautiful, in thefreshness of early spring. From a thicket close by came threebeautiful white swans, rustling their feathers, and swimming lightlyover the smooth water. The duckling remembered the lovely birds, andfelt more strangely unhappy than ever.
"I will fly to those royal birds," he exclaimed, "and they willkill me, because I am so ugly, and dare to approach them; but itdoes not matter: better be killed by them than pecked by the ducks,beaten by the hens, pushed about by the maiden who feeds thepoultry, or starved with hunger in the winter."
Then he flew to the water, and swam towards the beautiful swans.The moment they espied the stranger, they rushed to meet him withoutstretched wings.
"Kill me," said the poor bird; and he bent his head down to thesurface of the water, and awaited death.
But what did he see in the clear stream below? His own image; nolonger a dark, gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but agraceful and beautiful swan. To be born in a duck's nest, in afarmyard, is of no consequence to a bird, if it is hatched from aswan's egg. He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble,because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure andhappiness around him; for the great swans swam round the new-comer,and stroked his neck with their beaks, as a welcome.
Into the garden presently came some little children, and threwbread and cake into the water.
"See," cried the youngest, "there is a new one;" and the rest weredelighted, and ran to their father and mother, dancing and clappingtheir hands, and shouting joyously, "There is another swan come; a newone has arrived."
Then they threw more bread and cake into the water, and said, "Thenew one is the most beautiful of all; he is so young and pretty."And the old swans bowed their heads before him.
Then he felt quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wing; forhe did not know what to do, he was so happy, and yet not at all proud.He had been persecuted and despised for his ugliness, and now he heardthem say he was the most beautiful of all the birds. Even theelder-tree bent down its bows into the water before him, and the sunshone warm and bright. Then he rustled his feathers, curved hisslender neck, and cried joyfully, from the depths of his heart, "Inever dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an uglyduckling."
THE END.
1872
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
THE WICKED PRINCE
by Hans Christian Andersen
THERE lived once upon a time a wicked prince whose heart andmind were set upon conquering all the countries of the world, and onfrightening the people; he devastated their countries with fire andsword, and his soldiers trod down the crops in the fields anddestroyed the peasants' huts by fire, so that the flames licked thegreen leaves off the branches, and the fruit hung dried up on thesinged black trees. Many a poor mother fled, her naked baby in herarms, behind the still smoking walls of her cottage; but also therethe soldiers followed her, and when they found her, she served asnew nourishment to their diabolical enjoyments; demons could notpossibly have done worse things than these soldiers!
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