КРАСНОКУРГАНСКАЯ СРЕДНЯЯОБЩЕОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНАЯ ШКОЛА № 10
Спектакль по сказке Х.-К. Андерсена
«Снежная Королева» – « The Snow Queen ».
Цели:
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Оборудование:
2. Костюмы.
3. Афиша.
4. Цветы.
Музыкальное сопровождение.
Бенгальские огни, фейерверки.
The Snow Queen.
Cast.
Kay.
Gerda.
The Snow Queen.
Granny.
The King"s Counselor.
The Rose.
Gentleman-Crow.
Lady-Crow.
Prince Kay.
Princess.
The Old Robber Woman.
The Little Robber Girl.
Reindeer.
3 Robbers.
The servants of the King.
Teacher’s words.
Good afternoon, Ladies & Gentlemen! Good afternoon, boys & girls! Nice to see you. Today is a special day. We are going to perform you a new play. One day I’ve heard somebody say “ I’ve been waiting impatiently for a new performance!” How do you think who it was? To tell the truth it was our headmaster! But I hope these words regard you too!
So, as for the performance, it will be the Snow Queen, a wonderful fairy-tale written by H.-Ch. Anderson. As you know he is a famous story-teller from Denmark. His fairy-tales are very interesting. By reading them we learn it be kind, hornest & friendly, to love & respect each other. I think you’ll understand what I mean by watching our “Snow Queen”.
So, let’s imagine ourselves in a faraway land of fairy-tales…
Scene I
A poor but tidy room with a fireplace and a large, frost-covered window. There are two armchairs: one by the window and the other by the fireplace, there is a rose bush in front of the stage. Kay and Gerda are in the room.
Gerda. Hallo, boys and girls! This is my brother. We live here, in
this little house with our Granny. My name is Gerda.
Kay. And my name is Kay.
The children go to the fireplace, sit down on the carpet near the fireplace and begin to look at the pictures in a book. The sound of creaking stairs.
Kay. What is it? ;
Gerda. Somebody is coming...
Kay. Oh, yes.Somebody is really coming.
Gerda. Here is our Granny. (There is a knock at the door.) Why is
She knocking? Keep quiet! Let"s frighten her and hide
somewhere.
Kay. All right!
Gerda hides behind the armchair near the fireplace and Kay behind the armchair near the window. The door opens and a tall thin man enters the room. He is dressed in black.
Kay. Bow-wow-wow! (Rushes from behind the armchair on fours.)
Gerda. Miaow, miaow!
Man. What is going on in this house? Why are you shouting, you
silly children?
Gerda. We are very sorry. We thought you were our Granny.
Man. What nonsense! As you can see, I am not your Granny!
(He looks around.) Where are the roses?
Gerda (in confusion). Here they are.
Man. I see. They are rather beautiful! They are in blossom.
The door opens and a clean white-haired old woman enters the room .
Kay. Granny!
Gerda. Our Granny!
Granny. My dear children... (Suddenly she sees the man and stops
smiling.)
Man. Good evening, ma"am,
Granny. Good evening, sir. What can I do for you?
And who are you?
Man. I"m the King"s Counselor. I"ve heard about your roses,
and I want to buy them.
Granny. Do you like flowers so much?
King’s Counselor. Not at all. I hate them.
Granny. Then why do you want to buy our roses?
King"s Counselor. I buy rarities. In winter flowers are rare.
That"s why I want to buy your roses.
I can see that you are very poor.
Here are ten pounds for your roses.
Granny. I am not going to sell the roses. We like them so much.
Gerda. Yes, we enjoy them greatly.
King"s Counselor. Twenty pounds.
Granny. No.
King"s Counselor. Thirty... fifty... one hundred.
Granny. No.
King"s Counselor. Oh, I see you are very sly.
Two hundred pounds for your roses!
Granny. No.
King"s Counselor. I don"t think you understand who I am, ma"am. I"ll say it again! I am the King"s Counselor. I am very, very rich. I sell ice. I know the Snow Queen herself. She helps me. I can buy everything. I"ll ask you the second time: how much are these roses?
Granny. These roses are not for sale.
King"s Counselor. Then... then you are a crazy old woman.
Kay. Don"t shout at our Granny! Everybody respects her.
She is so kind.
Gerda. Yes, yes, don"t shout at her. We love her so much.
King"s Counselor. Well, I am leaving. But I"ll take revenge on you. And it will be very soon. I"ll tell the Snow Queen about you. (Goes out of the room.)
Kay. What an angry old man!
Gerda. He wanted to take our roses. And he said that he would tell the Snow Queen about us. Granny, who is she?
Granny. The Snow Queen lives in the North in her ice palace.
She is very beautiful, but very cruel.
Kay. Granny, have you ever seen her?
Granny. No, I haven"t. But I"ve heard a lot about her.
Be calm, children!
Suddenly a beautiful woman appears in the room. She is dressed in white.
Kay. Oh, who are you?
Snow Queen. I am the Snow Queen. Good evening, all of you.
Granny. Good evening, Your Majesty. Sit down, please.
Would you like some tea?
Snow Queen. No, no! It"s too hot for me.
I want to have a talk with you, ma"am.
I was told about you. You are a very nice woman, but you are very poor. And you have two children. I suppose it must be difficult for you to bring them both up. And I am quite alone, but very rich. So, I will take this boy from you.
Kay. What?
Snow Queen. He will live with me, and he will be a son to me. Kay. Granny, I don 4 want to go with her!
Gerda. Granny, don"t give Kay to this woman.
Granny. Don"t worry, children. I will never let him go.
Kay (to the Snow Queen). Did you hear my Granny?
Snow Queen. You must think, Kay. You will be my only son.
You will live in the palace with me and I"ll give you everything you want!
Kay. No. I don"t want to leave Gerda and Granny!
Snow Queen. All right, Kay. Stay here. (Comes up to Kay and touches his chest with her magic wand.) Good-bye to you all. (To Kay.) See you soon, my boy.
Kay. (Touches his chest) Ha-ha-ha! Oh, how funny and fat you
are, Granny! And you, Gerda, you are so ugly!
Gerda. Granny, Granny, what"s the matter with him?
Granny. Kay, I don"t recognize you.
Kay. Oh, I am sick and tired of you both. I hate everything here.
I don"t want to live in this poor house. I am leaving.
Good-bye! (Runs out.).
Gerda. Kay! Kay! (Embraces her Granny and weeps.)
Scene II.
Gerda is crying near the roses.
Gerda. Oh, my God! Kay is dead! He’ll never come back!
Oh, my poor Kay!
The Rose. Don’t believe it! Don’t believe!
Gerda. Rose? Do you believe that he is alive?
The Rose. He is alive, my pretty girl! Believe me! My roots have never seen him under the ground, so Kay has never been to the Kingdom of the Death. You should find him!
Gerda. How it is strange! What’s up with me? Certainly I should find him!
The Rose. Gerda, my dear girl, listen to the sun, listen to the wind, listen to the rivers, listen to the trees, listen to all in the world, but mainly listen to your heart! Your heart is so kind, so lovely and so brave! It’s really a gold one! Go anywhere your heart wants you to go and you’ll find Kay, I know it!
Gerda. But the Snow Queen…
The Rose. Don’t be afraid of her! Go, go, my dear! Your kind heart will be able to save you both!
Gerda. Thank you, my dear Rose! I have no time to stand! I am going all around the Earth to save him! Good buy.
The Rose. Good buy Gerda, and good luck, good luck!
Scene III.
Gerda is singing “Why no replay?”
There is a stone in front of the curtain. Being extremely tired, Gerda comes slowly up to this stone and sits down on it.
Gerda. Oh, how tired I am! I"ve been looking for Kay for so long, but nobody seems to know anything about him. Now I know what it is to be lonely. I am very sad and tired, but I must go on and find my brother.
Lady-Crow and Gentleman-Crow come from behind the curtain. Gentleman-Crow speaks tonelessly and not very distinctly .
Gentleman-Crow. Caw, Caw! Good morning, young lady.
Gerda. Good morning to you.
Lady-Crow. Where are you going, young lady?
Gerda. I am looking for my brother Kay.
Gentleman-Crow and Lady-Crow (together). Caw! Caw! Caw! Lady -Crow. Oh, we happen to know this name.
It"s the name of our prince.
We live in the palace and if you want to see him,
we"ll take you there.
Gentleman-Crow. And you"ll see your brother.
Gerda. Oh, thank you very much!
Gentleman-Crow. Let"s go.
(They leave.)
Scene IV.
A hall in the King"s palace. The Prince and the Princess are playing chess.
Prince. Stop playing this game, Elza. I am tired of chess.
Let"s play another game.
Princess. Then let"s play hide-and-seek, Kay.
Prince. All right! You hide now and I"ll count up to twenty! I"ll begin now: one, two, three...
He turns back and counts. The Princess is running round the hall, searching for shelter. Suddenly she sees Gerda and the two Crows. The Princess shrieks with fear and jumps to one side.
Princess. Oh, who"s there?
Prince. Is it a rat?
Princess. No, it is not a rat. It"s a little girl and two Crows.
Prince. What are you doing here, young lady? How did you get here? And why are you crying?
Gerda. My name is Gerda. I am crying because you are not my brother Kay. He was carried away by the Snow Queen. The Crows have told me that my brother has become a prince and that he lives in the palace. That"s why I am here! (She sighs.) But I see now that the Crows were mistaken!
Prince. Don"t cry, Gerda. We"ll help you. Where will you go from here?
Gerda. I"ll go farther, to the North. I must find the Snow Queen.
Princess. But that"s a long way. Gerda, Never mind, Г am not afraid.
Prince. I think I know what to do. We"ll give her a carriage.
Princess (clapping her hands). What a brilliant idea! A gold carriage!
Prince. And you, Elza, give her a coat, a hat, fur boots and a muff! Princess. With great pleasure. I have lots of them. (To the servants.) Bring my clothes for Gerda!
The servants bring the Princess"s clothes and give them to Gerda.
Gerda. Thank you very much!
Scene V.
Gerda is singing “Why no reply?”
Suddenly a piercing whistle is heard.
Gerda. Kay! Kay!
A camp of robbers in the forest. The Old Woman Robber is sitting near the fire. There is a lot of noise and shouting, a group of robbers appears. They have brought Gerda.
1st Robber. Look what we"ve got!
2nd Robber. Here is a gold carriage!
1st Robber. And this is the girl from the carriage!
Old Woman Robber. Hey! Hey! Stop talking! Show me it!
1st Robber. This girl is a princess I know!
Old Woman Robber. Princess?
2nd Robber. Yes! Yes! Look here!
Old Woman Robber. Oh, how nice and fat she is! I think she will be very tasty. (Takes out a knife.)
Gerda. Don"t kill me, please! Wait a little. Take my muff, my hat, my coat, and my fur boots. Only let me go.
2nd Robber. What a silly girl!
1st Robber. (To Gerda). You"ll be killed!
Gerda. Dear robbers, listen to me, please. Don"t laugh at me. Let me go. Kay will die without me and he is a very, very good boy. (Through tears.) Please, I beg you. Let me go.
1st Robber and 2nd Robber. No, no come here!
Old Woman Robber. No, I"m going to eat you up!
3rd Robber. Come to me, my dear, come, come…
She raises her hand. At that moment a pretty, healthy, black-haired girl rushes in.
Little Girl Robber. Don"t touch her! Oh, what a nice girl! She will play with me. She will be mine.
2 nd Robber. No, she will be mine.
3rd Robber. No, mine. I want to play with her too.
She will be my doll!
Old Woman Robber . (To the robbers.) All of you go away or I"ll kill you, I give her to my daughter.
Little Girl Robber. (To Gerda.) Oh, how pretty you are! You"ll be my friend. Give me your muff, your coat and your hat. What is your name, girl?
Gerda. Gerda. You can take my clothes, but I am afraid I"ll be very cold when I get to the Snow Queen"s Kingdom.
Little Girl Robber (stamping her foot). No! You won"t go there... You will live with me. Look what I"ve got. (She whistles.) Come, come here quickly! (The Reindeer appears.) Gerda, look, how funny he is. (She gets a big knife out and touches the Reindeer"s neck.)
Gerda. Oh, please, don"t do it.
Little Girl Robber. But why? I like the way he trembles all over.
Gerda (to the Little Girl Robber). May I ask him a question?
Little Girl Robber. Yes, you may.
Gerda. Tell me, Reindeer, did you live in the North?
Reindeer. Oh, yes. (Sighs.)
Gerda. And have you ever seen the Snow Queen?
Reindeer. Yes, I have.
Gerda. He has seen he:
Reindeer. Yes, I have seen her. Once she passed me. She had a little boy by her side. He was white with cold, but he was smiling. The Snow Queen called him Kay.
Gerda. Kay, it was Kay! He is my brother. Oh, dear girl, let me go, please. I must save Kay. He was white with cold. He will die there, in the North. If you don’t leave me, it will be crime!
Reindeer. Do let her go. I"ll take Gerda to the Snow Queen"s Kingdom.
Little Girl Robber. But Love is no crime! Come here!
She is singing “Love is no crime”. Everybody is dancing.
Little Girl Robber.
All right! There is nothing to be done. Take
your coat and your hat. But I won"t give you your muff "I like it myself. And you should dance, then you can go.
Gerda is dancing.
Little Girl Robber. Kiss me. Good luck, Gerda!
Gerda. Thank you, girl. (Kisses her.) Good-bye! Good-bye!
Scene VI.
The head of the Reindeer appears in the middle of the curtain. He looks around and doesn"t go any farther. Gerda follows him.
Gerda. Tell me, Reindeer; is this the Kingdom of the Snow Queen? Reindeer. Yes, it is. But I can"t go any farther. Aren"t you afraid to go there?
Gerda. Certainly, I am. But I have to go and set my brother free. Reindeer. There is one thing you must remember. The Snow Queen is very cruel and it is very difficult to get into the palace.
Gerda. Nevertheless I will go there.
Reindeer. Hurry up, then! The Snow Queen is out today. (Disappears.)
Gerda (shouts). Thank you, my dear friend!
Scene VII.
The Snow Queen is sitting on her throne.
Kay is sitting on the small chair.
Snow Queen. Kay, my boy! How are you? Oh, you quite frozen I see. It’s good, very good! This night I have been flying over the land, and how do think, what I’ve seen? A little silly girl Gerda by name.
Kay. Gerda?
Snow Queen. Gerda, Gerda! Ha-ha-ha! Poor girl! She is so crazy that wants to be a rival of mine! I know she has gone a long way to my Kingdom and very soon she will be here, very soon… Kay, my dear, do you hear? Gerda! She wants to take you away of me, to deprive you of this wonderful life at my Kingdom. If you go away with Gerda, you’ll never see this palace, this world and me! Do you want to leave me, Kay?
Kay. No, you are my Queen! But, Gerda… Who is she?
Snow Queen. Excellent! You really have forgotten her! Stand up, Kay, come to me, please. This is anew quiz for you. You must make the word “Eternity” out of this icicles and I’ll give you the whole world as a present and a pair of skates.
Kay. O.K.
Snow Queen. Now I am leaving you. I should whitewash everything a little. Winter is my season, my time, you see…Oh! Snow is very useful for grapes and lemons. See you soon, Kay!
The Snow Queen is singing “Winter Time”.
Scene VIII.
The hall in the Snow Queen"s palace. Kay is sitting on a big throne. He is pale. He is playing with icicles.
Gerda. Kay, dear Kay; it"s me!
Kay. Yes, I see.
Gerda. Kay, have you forgotten me?
Kay. No. I never forget anything.
Gerda. How can you speak to me in such a way? You didn"t even
say to me "Glad to see you".
Kay. Glad to see you.
Gerda. You sound so cold and far away. I"ve been looking for you
all over the world and now I am even afraid to come up to you. Are
you really my brother Kay?
Kay. I am really Kay, but I am very busy now. 1 must make the word ETERNITY out of the icicles. And the Snow Queen will give me the whole world as a present and a pair of skates.
Gerda. Kay, my silly boy, let"s go home. I can"t leave you here, all alone. I don"t like it here. You just remember. It"s spring now. The sky is blue. The sun is shining.
Kay. You... you are disturbing me.
King’s Counselor. What’s up here?
Gerda. I want Kay to go with me. You’ve stolen his life!
King’s Counselor. It’s his life, his problems, girl!
Kay. It’s my life!
They are singing “It’s my Life”.
Gerda. Kay, let"s go away!
Gerda. Our Granny is waiting for us. She"s been waiting for you all this time. (Weeps and embraces Kay.)
Kay. Our Granny! (He shivers.) I am cold, Gerda. Is it you? What"s the matter with you? Why are you crying? How did you get here? (Looks around.) It"s so cold here. (He tries to stand up and walk, but his legs won"t obey him.) I can"t walk.
Gerda. You can. Let"s go. Never mind your legs. You"ll learn to walk. We will get home. (Takes off her fur coat and puts it on Kay"s shoulders.)
Scene IX.
The same room as in Scene 1. Granny is sitting in the armchair knitting. The Little Girl Robber, the Prince, the Princess and the Crows are in the room.
Granny. I"ve been, waiting and waiting for them for such a long time. But I feel that tonight my children will come back at last.
Old Woman Robber. Can you hear? The stairs are creaking.
Gentleman-Crow. They are coming!
Princess. The stairs are creaking so merrily.
The door opens and Kay and Gerda rush into the room holding each other by their hands.
Little Girl Robber. Granny, look, this is Gerda!
Princess. Granny, look, this is Kay!
1 st Robber. Welcome home!
Granny. My dear children! You have come back at last! (Embraces the children.)
The door opens and the Snow Queen and the King"s Counselor dash into room.
Snow Queen. You must give this boy back to me at once or I"ll turn you into ice!
King"s Counselor. And after that I"ll crack you all into pieces and sell you.
Snow Queen. Kay, you must go with me?
Gerda, Prince, Princess, Gentleman-Crow, Lady-Crow and the Little Girl Robber take each other by hands and fence Kay in. Granny embraces him.
Gerda. Nobody is afraid of you here. You can"t turn people with warm hearts into ice.
Snow Queen. Oh, we"ll see! (Raises her hands. The whistle and the howling of the wind is heard.)
3 rd Robber. You can wave arms, your legs and your tail, but we won"t give you Kay.
Prince. And I am not cold at all.
The Rose. Usually I catch a cold easily, and now I haven"t even got a running nose.
Snow Queen. Kay! Words don’t come easy to me…
She is singing “Words”.
Old Woman Robber. You are lying!Shame on you!
Gerda. You can’t love!
The Rose. Your heart is ice!
Snow Queen. What do you mean by this?
Granny. You even don’t know what the love is!
Snow Queen. How dare you? What a nuisance! It’s a bit thick!
King"s Counselor. I’ll do you!
Gerda. Go away, you, two! We are not afraid of you.
Snow Queen. For Heaven’s sake! But, Kay, my boy! You’ll be sorry I know it! Alas, my friend! It will be too late! There are millions of children on our planet, the Earth! They will be glad to live with me at my wonderful Kingdom, you see?! I can find somebody else! Let’s go!
The King"s Counselor and the Snow Queen step back and go away. Gerda takes Kay by his hand.
Gerda.
What a wander! I can’t believe my eyes!Thank you, dear friends. I would have never been
able to save Kay without your help. Now we all know that goodness
defeats evil and friendship works miracles.
Teacher’s words.
Dear friends, as you know a friend in need is a friend indeed. I think there are people in our modern life who are ready to sacrifice their life for the sake of love & friendship. I mean the real friends. We wish you to have such a good friend as Gerda & to be better friend than she!
As they say all is well that ends well! That’s all. You see now the power of real love & friendship. We hope you’ve liked this wonderful fairy-tale & you keep our play in your mind for a long time! We say good-bay to you! Thank you for your attention. See you again !
LOVE IS NO CRIME.
Just believe in your feelings
Give him your hand
And you soon understand
Love come straight
From his heart.
Love is no crime
Life is to love
All the time
As long as the world
is still alive, baby!
Love is no crime
Love is for you
Hold on tight
Tight to your dreams
and you will see
Love is no crime!
Come back and stay.
Trying to wash away the pain
You went away
You made me cry so many days.
Come back and stay, don’t keep me waiting
Come back and stay, don’t say goodbye
Don’t let my love die.
Come back and stay and try again.
Don’t walk away for I am still your friend.
Where are you now, where did you go.
Come back and stay, I miss you so!
Thinking about the game I play
I am to blame
I lost my Lovin’ yesterday.
IT’S MY LIFE.
Take it or leave it
Set me free
So you bed
So you lie
What you see
Is what you get
I got my life
You got your life
Live your life
And set me free.
Mind your business
And leave my business.
Stop bugging me,
Stop bothering me,
Stop bugging me,
Stop forcing me,
Stop fighting me,
Stop yelling me
It"s my life!
It’s my life! It’s my life, my worries!
It’s my life! It’s my life, my problems!
>Ганс Христиан Андерсен/ Hans Christian Andersen "The Snow Queen"
In Seven Stories
Story the First
,
Which Describes a Looking-Glass and the Broken Fragments.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Second Story:
A Little Boy and a Little Girl
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. They were not brother and sister, but they loved each other almost as much as if they had been. 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. In each house was a little window, so that any one could step across the gutter from one window to the other. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Their names were Kay and 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.
“See there are the white bees swarming,” said Kay’s old grandmother one day when it was snowing.
“Have they a queen bee?” asked the little boy, for he knew that the real bees had a queen.
“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.”
“Yes, I have seen them,” said both the children, and they knew it must be true.
“Can the Snow Queen come in here?” asked the little girl.
“Only let her come,” said the boy, “I’ll set her on the stove and then she’ll melt.”
Then the grandmother smoothed his hair and told him some more tales. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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:-
“Roses bloom and cease to be,
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. 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. 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.”
The little girl put her arm round his neck, and looked into his eye, but she could see nothing.
“I think it is gone,” he said. But it was not gone; 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. Poor little Kay had also received a small grain in his heart, which very quickly turned to a lump of ice. He felt no more pain, but the glass was there still. “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.
“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.
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. By-and-by he began to mimic the speech and gait of persons in the street. 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. 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. “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. “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.”
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.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The boy was frightened, and tried to say a prayer, but he could remember nothing but the multiplication table.
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.
“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.
“Are you still cold,” she asked, as she kissed him on the forehead. 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.
“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. The Snow Queen kissed little Kay again, and by this time he had forgotten little Gerda, his grandmother, and all at home.
“Now you must have no more kisses,” she said, “or I should kiss you to death.”
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. In his eyes she was perfect, and she 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. 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.
Third Story:
The Flower Garden of the Woman Who Could Conjure
But how fared little Gerda during Kay’s absence? 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. 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. But at last spring came, with warm sunshine. “Kay is dead and gone,” said little Gerda.
“I don’t believe it,” said the sunshine.
“He is dead and gone,” she said to the sparrows.
“We don’t believe it,” they replied; and at last little Gerda began to doubt it herself. “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.” 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. “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.” 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. 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. 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. 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!” 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. “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. And Gerda was glad to feel herself on dry ground, although she was rather afraid of the strange old woman. “Come and tell me who you are,” said she, “and how came you here.”
Then Gerda told her everything, while the old woman shook her head, and said, “Hem-hem;” and when she had finished, Gerda asked if she had not seen little Kay, and the old woman told her he had not passed by that way, but he very likely would come. So she told Gerda not to be sorrowful, but to taste the cherries and look at the flowers; they were better than any picture-book, for each of them could tell a story. Then she took Gerda by the hand and led her into the little house, and the old woman closed the door. The windows were very high, and as the panes were red, blue, and yellow, the daylight shone through them in all sorts of singular colors. On the table stood beautiful cherries, and Gerda had permission to eat as many as she would. While she was eating them the old woman combed out her long flaxen ringlets with a golden comb, and the glossy curls hung down on each side of the little round pleasant face, which looked fresh and blooming as a rose. “I have long been wishing for a dear little maiden like you,” said the old woman, “and now you must stay with me, and see how happily we shall live together.” And while she went on combing little Gerda’s hair, she thought less and less about her adopted brother Kay, for the old woman could conjure, although she was not a wicked witch; she conjured only a little for her own amusement, and now, because she wanted to keep Gerda. Therefore she went into the garden, and stretched out her crutch towards all the rose-trees, beautiful though they were; and they immediately sunk into the dark earth, so that no one could tell where they had once stood. The old woman was afraid that if little Gerda saw roses she would think of those at home, and then remember little Kay, and run away. Then she took Gerda into the flower-garden. How fragrant and beautiful it was! Every flower that could be thought of for every season of the year was here in full bloom; no picture-book could have more beautiful colors. Gerda jumped for joy, and played till the sun went down behind the tall cherry-trees; then she slept in an elegant bed with red silk pillows, embroidered with colored violets; and then she dreamed as pleasantly as a queen on her wedding day. The next day, and for many days after, Gerda played with the flowers in the warm sunshine. She knew every flower, and yet, although there were so many of them, it seemed as if one were missing, but which it was she could not tell. One day, however, as she sat looking at the old woman’s hat with the painted flowers on it, she saw that the prettiest of them all was a rose. The old woman had forgotten to take it from her hat when she made all the roses sink into the earth. But it is difficult to keep the thoughts together in everything; one little mistake upsets all our arrangements.
“What, are there no roses here?” cried Gerda; and she ran out into the garden, and examined all the beds, and searched and searched. There was not one to be found. Then she sat down and wept, and her tears fell just on the place where one of the rose-trees had sunk down. The warm tears moistened the earth, and the rose-tree sprouted up at once, as blooming as when it had sunk; and Gerda embraced it and kissed the roses, and thought of the beautiful roses at home, and, with them, of little Kay.
“Oh, how I have been detained!” said the little maiden, “I wanted to seek for little Kay. Do you know where he is?” she asked the roses; “do you think he is dead?”
And the roses answered, “No, he is not dead. We have been in the ground where all the dead lie; but Kay is not there.”
“Thank you,” said little Gerda, and then she went to the other flowers, and looked into their little cups, and asked, “Do you know where little Kay is?” But each flower, as it stood in the sunshine, dreamed only of its own little fairy tale of history. Not one knew anything of Kay. Gerda heard many stories from the flowers, as she asked them one after another about him.
And what, said the tiger-lily? “Hark, do you hear the drum?- ‘turn, turn,’-there are only two notes, always, ‘turn, turn.’ Listen to the women’s song of mourning! Hear the cry of the priest! In her long red robe stands the Hindoo widow by the funeral pile. The flames rise around her as she places herself on the dead body of her husband; but the Hindoo woman is thinking of the living one in that circle; of him, her son, who lighted those flames. Those shining eyes trouble her heart more painfully than the flames which will soon consume her body to ashes. Can the fire of the heart be extinguished in the flames of the funeral pile?”
“I don’t understand that at all,” said little Gerda.
“That is my story,” said the tiger-lily.
What, says the convolvulus? “Near yonder narrow road stands an old knight’s castle; thick ivy creeps over the old ruined walls, leaf over leaf, even to the balcony, in which stands a beautiful maiden. She bends over the balustrades, and looks up the road. No rose on its stem is fresher than she; no apple-blossom, wafted by the wind, floats more lightly than she moves. Her rich silk rustles as she bends over and exclaims, ‘Will he not come?’
“Is it Kay you mean?” asked Gerda.
“I am only speaking of a story of my dream,” replied the flower.
What, said the little snow-drop? “Between two trees a rope is hanging; there is a piece of board upon it; it is a swing. Two pretty little girls, in dresses white as snow, and with long green ribbons fluttering from their hats, are sitting upon it swinging. Their brother who is taller than they are, stands in the swing; he has one arm round the rope, to steady himself; in one hand he holds a little bowl, and in the other a clay pipe; he is blowing bubbles. As the swing goes on, the bubbles fly upward, reflecting the most beautiful varying colors. The last still hangs from the bowl of the pipe, and sways in the wind. On goes the swing; and then a little black dog comes running up. He is almost as light as the bubble, and he raises himself on his hind legs, and wants to be taken into the swing; but it does not stop, and the dog falls; then he barks and gets angry. The children stoop towards him, and the bubble bursts. A swinging plank, a light sparkling foam picture,-that is my story.”
“It may be all very pretty what you are telling me,” said little Gerda, “but you speak so mournfully, and you do not mention little Kay at all.”
What do the hyacinths say? “There were three beautiful sisters, fair and delicate. The dress of one was red, of the second blue, and of the third pure white. Hand in hand they danced in the bright moonlight, by the calm lake; but they were human beings, not fairy elves. The sweet fragrance attracted them, and they disappeared in the wood; here the fragrance became stronger. Three coffins, in which lay the three beautiful maidens, glided from the thickest part of the forest across the lake. The fire-flies flew lightly over them, like little floating torches. Do the dancing maidens sleep, or are they dead? The scent of the flower says that they are corpses. The evening bell tolls their knell.”
“You make me quite sorrowful,” said little Gerda; “your perfume is so strong, you make me think of the dead maidens. Ah! is little Kay really dead then? The roses have been in the earth, and they say no.”
“Cling, clang,” tolled the hyacinth bells. “We are not tolling for little Kay; we do not know him. We sing our song, the only one we know.”
Then Gerda went to the buttercups that were glittering amongst the bright green leaves.
“You are little bright suns,” said Gerda; “tell me if you know where I can find my play-fellow.”
And the buttercups sparkled gayly, and looked again at Gerda. What song could the buttercups sing? It was not about Kay.
“The bright warm sun shone on a little court, on the first warm day of spring. His bright beams rested on the white walls of the neighboring house; and close by bloomed the first yellow flower of the season, glittering like gold in the sun’s warm ray. An old woman sat in her arm chair at the house door, and her granddaughter, a poor and pretty servant-maid came to see her for a short visit. When she kissed her grandmother there was gold everywhere: the gold of the heart in that holy kiss; it was a golden morning; there was gold in the beaming sunlight, gold in the leaves of the lowly flower, and on the lips of the maiden. There, that is my story,” said the buttercup.
“My poor old grandmother!” sighed Gerda; “she is longing to see me, and grieving for me as she did for little Kay; but I shall soon go home now, and take little Kay with me. It is no use asking the flowers; they know only their own songs, and can give me no information.”
And then she tucked up her little dress, that she might run faster, but the narcissus caught her by the leg as she was jumping over it; so she stopped and looked at the tall yellow flower, and said, “Perhaps you may know something.”
Then she stooped down quite close to the flower, and listened; and what did he say?
“I can see myself, I can see myself,” said the narcissus. “Oh, how sweet is my perfume! Up in a little room with a bow window, stands a little dancing girl, half undressed; she stands sometimes on one leg, and sometimes on both, and looks as if she would tread the whole world under her feet. She is nothing but a delusion. She is pouring water out of a tea-pot on a piece of stuff which she holds in her hand; it is her bodice. ‘Cleanliness is a good thing,’ she says. Her white dress hangs on a peg; it has also been washed in the tea-pot, and dried on the roof. She puts it on, and ties a saffron-colored handkerchief round her neck, which makes the dress look whiter. See how she stretches out her legs, as if she were showing off on a stem. I can see myself, I can see myself.”
“What do I care for all that,” said Gerda, “you need not tell me such stuff.” And then she ran to the other end of the garden. The door was fastened, but she pressed against the rusty latch, and it gave way. The door sprang open, and little Gerda ran out with bare feet into the wide world. She looked back three times, but no one seemed to be following her. At last she could run no longer, so she sat down to rest on a great stone, and when she looked round she saw that the summer was over, and autumn very far advanced. She had known nothing of this in the beautiful garden, where the sun shone and the flowers grew all the year round.
“Oh, how I have wasted my time?” said little Gerda; “it is autumn. I must not rest any longer,” and she rose up to go on. But her little feet were wounded and sore, and everything around her looked so cold and bleak. The long willow-leaves were quite yellow. The dew-drops fell like water, leaf after leaf dropped from the trees, the sloe-thorn alone still bore fruit, but the sloes were sour, and set the teeth on edge. Oh, how dark and weary the whole world appeared!
Fourth Story:
The Prince and Princess
“Gerda was obliged to rest again, and just opposite the place where she sat, she saw a great crow come hopping across the snow toward her. He stood looking at her for some time, and then he wagged his head and said, “Caw, caw; good-day, good-day.” He pronounced the words as plainly as he could, because he meant to be kind to the little girl; and then he asked her where she was going all alone in the wide world.
The word alone Gerda understood very well, and knew how much it expressed. So then she told the crow the whole story of her life and adventures, and asked him if he had seen little Kay.
The crow nodded his head very gravely, and said, “Perhaps I have-it may be.”
“No! Do you think you have?” cried little Gerda, and she kissed the crow, and hugged him almost to death with joy.
“Gently, gently,” said the crow. “I believe I know. I think it may be little Kay; but he has certainly forgotten you by this time for the princess.”
“Does he live with a princess?” asked Gerda.
“Yes, listen,” replied the crow, “but it is so difficult to speak your language. If you understand the crows’ language1 then I can explain it better. Do you?”
“No, I have never learnt it,” said Gerda, “but my grandmother understands it, and used to speak it to me. I wish I had learnt it.”
“It does not matter,” answered the crow; “I will explain as well as I can, although it will be very badly done;” and he told her what he had heard. “In this kingdom where we now are,” said he, “there lives a princess, who is so wonderfully clever that she has read all the newspapers in the world, and forgotten them too, although she is so clever. A short time ago, as she was sitting on her throne, which people say is not such an agreeable seat as is often supposed, she began to sing a song which commences in these words:
‘Why should I not be married?’
‘Why not indeed?’ said she, and so she determined to marry if she could find a husband who knew what to say when he was spoken to, and not one who could only look grand, for that was so tiresome. Then she assembled all her court ladies together at the beat of the drum, and when they heard of her intentions they were very much pleased. ‘We are so glad to hear it,’ said they, ‘we were talking about it ourselves the other day.’ You may believe that every word I tell you is true,” said the crow, “for I have a tame sweetheart who goes freely about the palace, and she told me all this.”
Of course his sweetheart was a crow, for “birds of a feather flock together,” and one crow always chooses another crow.
“Newspapers were published immediately, with a border of hearts, and the initials of the princess among them. They gave notice that every young man who was handsome was free to visit the castle and speak with the princess; and those who could reply loud enough to be heard when spoken to, were to make themselves quite at home at the palace; but the one who spoke best would be chosen as a husband for the princess. Yes, yes, you may believe me, it is all as true as I sit here,” said the crow. “The people came in crowds. There was a great deal of crushing and running about, but no one succeeded either on the first or second day. They could all speak very well while they were outside in the streets, but when they entered the palace gates, and saw the guards in silver uniforms, and the footmen in their golden livery on the staircase, and the great halls lighted up, they became quite confused. And when they stood before the throne on which the princess sat, they could do nothing but repeat the last words she had said; and she had no particular wish to hear her own words over again. It was just as if they had all taken something to make them sleepy while they were in the palace, for they did not recover themselves nor speak till they got back again into the street. There was quite a long line of them reaching from the town-gate to the palace. I went myself to see them,” said the crow. “They were hungry and thirsty, for at the palace they did not get even a glass of water. Some of the wisest had taken a few slices of bread and butter with them, but they did not share it with their neighbors; they thought if they went in to the princess looking hungry, there would be a better chance for themselves.”
“But Kay! tell me about little Kay!” said Gerda, “was he amongst the crowd?”
“Stop a bit, we are just coming to him. It was on the third day, there came marching cheerfully along to the palace a little personage, without horses or carriage, his eyes sparkling like yours; he had beautiful long hair, but his clothes were very poor.”
“That was Kay!” said Gerda joyfully. “Oh, then I have found him;” and she clapped her hands.
“He had a little knapsack on his back,” added the crow.
“No, it must have been his sledge,” said Gerda; “for he went away with it.”
“It may have been so,” said the crow; “I did not look at it very closely. But I know from my tame sweetheart that he passed through the palace gates, saw the guards in their silver uniform, and the servants in their liveries of gold on the stairs, but he was not in the least embarrassed. ‘It must be very tiresome to stand on the stairs,’ he said. ‘I prefer to go in.’ The rooms were blazing with light. Councillors and ambassadors walked about with bare feet, carrying golden vessels; it was enough to make any one feel serious. His boots creaked loudly as he walked, and yet he was not at all uneasy.”
“It must be Kay,” said Gerda, “I know he had new boots on, I have heard them creak in grandmother’s room.”
“They really did creak,” said the crow, “yet he went boldly up to the princess herself, who was sitting on a pearl as large as a spinning wheel, and all the ladies of the court were present with their maids, and all the cavaliers with their servants; and each of the maids had another maid to wait upon her, and the cavaliers’ servants had their own servants, as well as a page each. They all stood in circles round the princess, and the nearer they stood to the door, the prouder they looked. The servants’ pages, who always wore slippers, could hardly be looked at, they held themselves up so proudly by the door.”
“It must be quite awful,” said little Gerda, “but did Kay win the princess?”
“If I had not been a crow,” said he, “I would have married her myself, although I am engaged. He spoke just as well as I do, when I speak the crows’ language, so I heard from my tame sweetheart. He was quite free and agreeable and said he had not come to woo the princess, but to hear her wisdom; and he was as pleased with her as she was with him.”
“Oh, certainly that was Kay,” said Gerda, “he was so clever; he could work mental arithmetic and fractions. Oh, will you take me to the palace?”
“It is very easy to ask that,” replied the crow, “but how are we to manage it? However, I will speak about it to my tame sweetheart, and ask her advice; for I must tell you it will be very difficult to gain permission for a little girl like you to enter the palace.”
“Oh, yes; but I shall gain permission easily,” said Gerda, “for when Kay hears that I am here, he will come out and fetch me in immediately.”
“Wait for me here by the palings,” said the crow, wagging his head as he flew away.
It was late in the evening before the crow returned. “Caw, caw,” he said, “she sends you greeting, and here is a little roll which she took from the kitchen for you; there is plenty of bread there, and she thinks you must be hungry. It is not possible for you to enter the palace by the front entrance. The guards in silver uniform and the servants in gold livery would not allow it. But do not cry, we will manage to get you in; my sweetheart knows a little back-staircase that leads to the sleeping apartments, and she knows where to find the key.”
Then they went into the garden through the great avenue, where the leaves were falling one after another, and they could see the light in the palace being put out in the same manner. And the crow led little Gerda to the back door, which stood ajar. Oh! how little Gerda’s heart beat with anxiety and longing; it was just as if she were going to do something wrong, and yet she only wanted to know where little Kay was. “It must be he,” she thought, “with those clear eyes, and that long hair.” She could fancy she saw him smiling at her, as he used to at home, when they sat among the roses. He would certainly be glad to see her, and to hear what a long distance she had come for his sake, and to know how sorry they had been at home because he did not come back. Oh what joy and yet fear she felt! They were now on the stairs, and in a small closet at the top a lamp was burning. In the middle of the floor stood the tame crow, turning her head from side to side, and gazing at Gerda, who curtseyed as her grandmother had taught her to do.
“My betrothed has spoken so very highly of you, my little lady,” said the tame crow, “your life-history, Vita, as it may be called, is very touching. If you will take the lamp I will walk before you. We will go straight along this way, then we shall meet no one.”
“It seems to me as if somebody were behind us,” said Gerda, as something rushed by her like a shadow on the wall, and then horses with flying manes and thin legs, hunters, ladies and gentlemen on horseback, glided by her, like shadows on the wall.
“They are only dreams,” said the crow, “they are coming to fetch the thoughts of the great people out hunting.”
“All the better, for we shall be able to look at them in their beds more safely. I hope that when you rise to honor and favor, you will show a grateful heart.”
“You may be quite sure of that,” said the crow from the forest.
They now came into the first hall, the walls of which were hung with rose-colored satin, embroidered with artificial flowers. Here the dreams again flitted by them but so quickly that Gerda could not distinguish the royal persons. Each hall appeared more splendid than the last, it was enought to bewilder any one. At length they reached a bedroom. The ceiling was like a great palm-tree, with glass leaves of the most costly crystal, and over the centre of the floor two beds, each resembling a lily, hung from a stem of gold. One, in which the princess lay, was white, the other was red; and in this Gerda had to seek for little Kay. She pushed one of the red leaves aside, and saw a little brown neck. Oh, that must be Kay! She called his name out quite loud, and held the lamp over him. The dreams rushed back into the room on horseback. He woke, and turned his head round, it was not little Kay! The prince was only like him in the neck, still he was young and pretty. Then the princess peeped out of her white-lily bed, and asked what was the matter. Then little Gerda wept and told her story, and all that the crows had done to help her.
“You poor child,” said the prince and princess; then they praised the crows, and said they were not angry for what they had done, but that it must not happen again, and this time they should be rewarded.
“Would you like to have your freedom?” asked the princess, “or would you prefer to be raised to the position of court crows, with all that is left in the kitchen for yourselves?”
Then both the crows bowed, and begged to have a fixed appointment, for they thought of their old age, and said it would be so comfortable to feel that they had provision for their old days, as they called it. And then the prince got out of his bed, and gave it up to Gerda,-he could do no more; and she lay down. She folded her little hands, and thought, “How good everyone is to me, men and animals too;” then she closed her eyes and fell into a sweet sleep. All the dreams came flying back again to her, and they looked like angels, and one of them drew a little sledge, on which sat Kay, and nodded to her. But all this was only a dream, and vanished as soon as she awoke.
The following day she was dressed from head to foot in silk and velvet, and they invited her to stay at the palace for a few days, and enjoy herself, but she only begged for a pair of boots, and a little carriage, and a horse to draw it, so that she might go into the wide world to seek for Kay. And she obtained, not only boots, but also a muff, and she was neatly dressed; and when she was ready to go, there, at the door, she found a coach made of pure gold, with the coat-of-arms of the prince and princess shining upon it like a star, and the coachman, footman, and outriders all wearing golden crowns on their heads. The prince and princess themselves helped her into the coach, and wished her success. The forest crow, who was now married, accompanied her for the first three miles; he sat by Gerda’s side, as he could not bear riding backwards. The tame crow stood in the door-way flapping her wings. She could not go with them, because she had been suffering from headache ever since the new appointment, no doubt from eating too much. The coach was well stored with sweet cakes, and under the seat were fruit and gingerbread nuts. “Farewell, farewell,” cried the prince and princess, and little Gerda wept, and the crow wept; and then, after a few miles, the crow also said “Farewell,” and this was the saddest parting. However, he flew to a tree, and stood flapping his black wings as long as he could see the coach, which glittered in the bright sunshine.
Fifth Story:
Little Robber-Girl
The coach drove on through a thick forest, where it lighted up the way like a torch, and dazzled the eyes of some robbers, who could not bear to let it pass them unmolested.
“It is gold! it is gold!” cried they, rushing forward, and seizing the horses. Then they struck the little jockeys, the coachman, and the footman dead, and pulled little Gerda out of the carriage.
“She is fat and pretty, and she has been fed with the kernels of nuts,” said the old robber-woman, who had a long beard and eyebrows that hung over her eyes. “She is as good as a little lamb; how nice she will taste!” and as she said this, she drew forth a shining knife, that glittered horribly. “Oh!” screamed the old woman the same moment; for her own daughter, who held her back, had bitten her in the ear. She was a wild and naughty girl, and the mother called her an ugly thing, and had not time to kill Gerda.
“She shall play with me,” said the little robber-girl; “she shall give me her muff and her pretty dress, and sleep with me in my bed.” And then she bit her mother again, and made her spring in the air, and jump about; and all the robbers laughed, and said, “See how she is dancing with her young cub.”
“I will have a ride in the coach,” said the little robber-girl; and she would have her own way; for she was so self-willed and obstinate.
She and Gerda seated themselves in the coach, and drove away, over stumps and stones, into the depths of the forest. The little robber-girl was about the same size as Gerda, but stronger; she had broader shoulders and a darker skin; her eyes were quite black, and she had a mournful look. She clasped little Gerda round the waist, and said,-
“They shall not kill you as long as you don’t make us vexed with you. I suppose you are a princess.”
“No,” said Gerda; and then she told her all her history, and how fond she was of little Kay.
The robber-girl looked earnestly at her, nodded her head slightly, and said, “They sha’nt kill you, even if I do get angry with you; for I will do it myself.” And then she wiped Gerda’s eyes, and stuck her own hands in the beautiful muff which was so soft and warm.
The coach stopped in the courtyard of a robber’s castle, the walls of which were cracked from top to bottom. Ravens and crows flew in and out of the holes and crevices, while great bulldogs, either of which looked as if it could swallow a man, were jumping about; but they were not allowed to bark. In the large and smoky hall a bright fire was burning on the stone floor. There was no chimney; so the smoke went up to the ceiling, and found a way out for itself. Soup was boiling in a large cauldron, and hares and rabbits were roasting on the spit.
“You shall sleep with me and all my little animals to-night,” said the robber-girl, after they had had something to eat and drink. So she took Gerda to a corner of the hall, where some straw and carpets were laid down. Above them, on laths and perches, were more than a hundred pigeons, who all seemed to be asleep, although they moved slightly when the two little girls came near them. “These all belong to me,” said the robber-girl; and she seized the nearest to her, held it by the feet, and shook it till it flapped its wings. “Kiss it,” cried she, flapping it in Gerda’s face. “There sit the wood-pigeons,” continued she, pointing to a number of laths and a cage which had been fixed into the walls, near one of the openings. “Both rascals would fly away directly, if they were not closely locked up. And here is my old sweetheart ‘Ba;’” and she dragged out a reindeer by the horn; he wore a bright copper ring round his neck, and was tied up. “We are obliged to hold him tight too, or else he would run away from us also. I tickle his neck every evening with my sharp knife, which frightens him very much.” And then the robber-girl drew a long knife from a chink in the wall, and let it slide gently over the reindeer’s neck. The poor animal began to kick, and the little robber-girl laughed, and pulled down Gerda into bed with her.
“Will you have that knife with you while you are asleep?” asked Gerda, looking at it in great fright.
“I always sleep with the knife by me,” said the robber-girl. “No one knows what may happen. But now tell me again all about little Kay, and why you went out into the world.”
Then Gerda repeated her story over again, while the wood-pigeons in the cage over her cooed, and the other pigeons slept. The little robber-girl put one arm across Gerda’s neck, and held the knife in the other, and was soon fast asleep and snoring. But Gerda could not close her eyes at all; she knew not whether she was to live or die. The robbers sat round the fire, singing and drinking, and the old woman stumbled about. It was a terrible sight for a little girl to witness.
Then the wood-pigeons said, “Coo, coo; we have seen little Kay. A white fowl carried his sledge, and he sat in the carriage of the Snow Queen, which drove through the wood while we were lying in our nest. She blew upon us, and all the young ones died excepting us two. Coo, coo.”
“What are you saying up there?” cried Gerda. “Where was the Snow Queen going? Do you know anything about it?”
“She was most likely travelling to Lapland, where there is always snow and ice. Ask the reindeer that is fastened up there with a rope.”
“Yes, there is always snow and ice,” said the reindeer; “and it is a glorious place; you can leap and run about freely on the sparkling ice plains. The Snow Queen has her summer tent there, but her strong castle is at the North Pole, on an island called Spitzbergen.”
“Oh, Kay, little Kay!” sighed Gerda.
“Lie still,” said the robber-girl, “or I shall run my knife into your body.”
In the morning Gerda told her all that the wood-pigeons had said; and the little robber-girl looked quite serious, and nodded her head, and said, “That is all talk, that is all talk. Do you know where Lapland is?” she asked the reindeer.
“Who should know better than I do?” said the animal, while his eyes sparkled. “I was born and brought up there, and used to run about the snow-covered plains.”
“Now listen,” said the robber-girl; “all our men are gone away,- only mother is here, and here she will stay; but at noon she always drinks out of a great bottle, and afterwards sleeps for a little while; and then, I’ll do something for you.” Then she jumped out of bed, clasped her mother round the neck, and pulled her by the beard, crying, “My own little nanny goat, good morning.” Then her mother filliped her nose till it was quite red; yet she did it all for love.
When the mother had drunk out of the bottle, and was gone to sleep, the little robber-maiden went to the reindeer, and said, “I should like very much to tickle your neck a few times more with my knife, for it makes you look so funny; but never mind,-I will untie your cord, and set you free, so that you may run away to Lapland; but you must make good use of your legs, and carry this little maiden to the castle of the Snow Queen, where her play-fellow is. You have heard what she told me, for she spoke loud enough, and you were listening.”
Then the reindeer jumped for joy; and the little robber-girl lifted Gerda on his back, and had the forethought to tie her on, and even to give her her own little cushion to sit on.
“Here are your fur boots for you,” said she; “for it will be very cold; but I must keep the muff; it is so pretty. However, you shall not be frozen for the want of it; here are my mother’s large warm mittens; they will reach up to your elbows. Let me put them on. There, now your hands look just like my mother’s.”
But Gerda wept for joy.
“I don’t like to see you fret,” said the little robber-girl; “you ought to look quite happy now; and here are two loaves and a ham, so that you need not starve.” These were fastened on the reindeer, and then the little robber-maiden opened the door, coaxed in all the great dogs, and then cut the string with which the reindeer was fastened, with her sharp knife, and said, “Now run, but mind you take good care of the little girl.” And then Gerda stretched out her hand, with the great mitten on it, towards the little robber-girl, and said, “Farewell,” and away flew the reindeer, over stumps and stones, through the great forest, over marshes and plains, as quickly as he could. The wolves howled, and the ravens screamed; while up in the sky quivered red lights like flames of fire. “There are my old northern lights,” said the reindeer; “see how they flash.” And he ran on day and night still faster and faster, but the loaves and the ham were all eaten by the time they reached Lapland.
Sixth Story:
The Lapland Woman and the Finland Woman
They stopped at a little hut; it was very mean looking; the roof sloped nearly down to the ground, and the door was so low that the family had to creep in on their hands and knees, when they went in and out. There was no one at home but an old Lapland woman, who was cooking fish by the light of a train-oil lamp. The reindeer told her all about Gerda’s story, after having first told his own, which seemed to him the most important, but Gerda was so pinched with the cold that she could not speak. “Oh, you poor things,” said the Lapland woman, “you have a long way to go yet. You must travel more than a hundred miles farther, to Finland. The Snow Queen lives there now, and she burns Bengal lights every evening. I will write a few words on a dried stock-fish, for I have no paper, and you can take it from me to the Finland woman who lives there; she can give you better information than I can.” So when Gerda was warmed, and had taken something to eat and drink, the woman wrote a few words on the dried fish, and told Gerda to take great care of it. Then she tied her again on the reindeer, and he set off at full speed. Flash, flash, went the beautiful blue northern lights in the air the whole night long. And at length they reached Finland, and knocked at the chimney of the Finland woman’s hut, for it had no door above the ground. They crept in, but it was so terribly hot inside that that woman wore scarcely any clothes; she was small and very dirty looking. She loosened little Gerda’s dress, and took off the fur boots and the mittens, or Gerda would have been unable to bear the heat; and then she placed a piece of ice on the reindeer’s head, and read what was written on the dried fish. After she had read it three times, she knew it by heart, so she popped the fish into the soup saucepan, as she knew it was good to eat, and she never wasted anything. The reindeer told his own story first, and then little Gerda’s, and the Finlander twinkled with her clever eyes, but she said nothing. “You are so clever,” said the reindeer; “I know you can tie all the winds of the world with a piece of twine. If a sailor unties one knot, he has a fair wind; when he unties the second, it blows hard; but if the third and fourth are loosened, then comes a storm, which will root up whole forests. Cannot you give this little maiden something which will make her as strong as twelve men, to overcome the Snow Queen?”
“The Power of twelve men!” said the Finland woman; “that would be of very little use.” But she went to a shelf and took down and unrolled a large skin, on which were inscribed wonderful characters, and she read till the perspiration ran down from her forehead. But the reindeer begged so hard for little Gerda, and Gerda looked at the Finland woman with such beseeching tearful eyes, that her own eyes began to twinkle again; so she drew the reindeer into a corner, and whispered to him while she laid a fresh piece of ice on his head, “Little Kay is really with the Snow Queen, but he finds everything there so much to his taste and his liking, that he believes it is the finest place in the world; but this is because he has a piece of broken glass in his heart, and a little piece of glass in his eye. These must be taken out, or he will never be a human being again, and the Snow Queen will retain her power over him.”
“But can you not give little Gerda something to help her to conquer this power?”
“I can give her no greater power than she has already,” said the woman; “don’t you see how strong that is? How men and animals are obliged to serve her, and how well she has got through the world, barefooted as she is. She cannot receive any power from me greater than she now has, which consists in her own purity and innocence of heart. If she cannot herself obtain access to the Snow Queen, and remove the glass fragments from little Kay, we can do nothing to help her. Two miles from here the Snow Queen’s garden begins; you can carry the little girl so far, and set her down by the large bush which stands in the snow, covered with red berries. Do not stay gossiping, but come back here as quickly as you can.” Then the Finland woman lifted little Gerda upon the reindeer, and he ran away with her as quickly as he could.
“Oh, I have forgotten my boots and my mittens,” cried little Gerda, as soon as she felt the cutting cold, but the reindeer dared not stop, so he ran on till he reached the bush with the red berries; here he set Gerda down, and he kissed her, and the great bright tears trickled over the animal’s cheeks; then he left her and ran back as fast as he could.
There stood poor Gerda, without shoes, without gloves, in the midst of cold, dreary, ice-bound Finland. She ran forwards as quickly as she could, when a whole regiment of snow-flakes came round her; they did not, however, fall from the sky, which was quite clear and glittering with the northern lights. The snow-flakes ran along the ground, and the nearer they came to her, the larger they appeared. Gerda remembered how large and beautiful they looked through the burning-glass. But these were really larger, and much more terrible, for they were alive, and were the guards of the Snow Queen, and had the strangest shapes. Some were like great porcupines, others like twisted serpents with their heads stretching out, and some few were like little fat bears with their hair bristled; but all were dazzlingly white, and all were living snow-flakes. Then little Gerda repeated the Lord’s Prayer, and the cold was so great that she could see her own breath come out of her mouth like steam as she uttered the words. The steam appeared to increase, as she continued her prayer, till it took the shape of little angels who grew larger the moment they touched the earth. They all wore helmets on their heads, and carried spears and shields. Their number continued to increase more and more; and by the time Gerda had finished her prayers, a whole legion stood round her. They thrust their spears into the terrible snow-flakes, so that they shivered into a hundred pieces, and little Gerda could go forward with courage and safety. The angels stroked her hands and feet, so that she felt the cold less, and she hastened on to the Snow Queen’s castle.
But now we must see what Kay is doing. In truth he thought not of little Gerda, and never supposed she could be standing in the front of the palace.
Seventh Story:
Of the Palace of the Snow Queen and What Happened There At Last
The walls of the palace were formed of drifted snow, and the windows and doors of the cutting winds. There were more than a hundred rooms in it, all as if they had been formed with snow blown together. The largest of them extended for several miles; they were all lighted up by the vivid light of the aurora, and they were so large and empty, so icy cold and glittering! There were no amusements here, not even a little bear’s ball, when the storm might have been the music, and the bears could have danced on their hind legs, and shown their good manners. There were no pleasant games of snap-dragon, or touch, or even a gossip over the tea-table, for the young-lady foxes. Empty, vast, and cold were the halls of the Snow Queen. The flickering flame of the northern lights could be plainly seen, whether they rose high or low in the heavens, from every part of the castle. In the midst of its empty, endless hall of snow was a frozen lake, broken on its surface into a thousand forms; each piece resembled another, from being in itself perfect as a work of art, and in the centre of this lake sat the Snow Queen, when she was at home. She called the lake “The Mirror of Reason,” and said that it was the best, and indeed the only one in the world.
Little Kay was quite blue with cold, indeed almost black, but he did not feel it; for the Snow Queen had kissed away the icy shiverings, and his heart was already a lump of ice. He dragged some sharp, flat pieces of ice to and fro, and placed them together in all kinds of positions, as if he wished to make something out of them; just as we try to form various figures with little tablets of wood which we call “a Chinese puzzle.” Kay’s fingers were very artistic; it was the icy game of reason at which he played, and in his eyes the figures were very remarkable, and of the highest importance; this opinion was owing to the piece of glass still sticking in his eye. He composed many complete figures, forming different words, but there was one word he never could manage to form, although he wished it very much. It was the word “Eternity.” The Snow Queen had said to him, “When you can find out this, you shall be your own master, and I will give you the whole world and a new pair of skates.” But he could not accomplish it.
“Now I must hasten away to warmer countries,” said the Snow Queen. “I will go and look into the black craters of the tops of the burning mountains, Etna and Vesuvius, as they are called,-I shall make them look white, which will be good for them, and for the lemons and the grapes.” And away flew the Snow Queen, leaving little Kay quite alone in the great hall which was so many miles in length; so he sat and looked at his pieces of ice, and was thinking so deeply, and sat so still, that any one might have supposed he was frozen.
Just at this moment it happened that little Gerda came through the great door of the castle. Cutting winds were raging around her, but she offered up a prayer and the winds sank down as if they were going to sleep; and she went on till she came to the large empty hall, and caught sight of Kay; she knew him directly; she flew to him and threw her arms round his neck, and held him fast, while she exclaimed, “Kay, dear little Kay, I have found you at last.”
But he sat quite still, stiff and cold.
Then little Gerda wept hot tears, which fell on his breast, and penetrated into his heart, and thawed the lump of ice, and washed away the little piece of glass which had stuck there. Then he looked at her, and she sang-
“Roses bloom and cease to be,
But we shall the Christ-child see.”
Then Kay burst into tears, and he wept so that the splinter of glass swam out of his eye. Then he recognized Gerda, and said, joyfully, “Gerda, dear little Gerda, where have you been all this time, and where have I been?” And he looked all around him, and said, “How cold it is, and how large and empty it all looks,” and he clung to Gerda, and she laughed and wept for joy. It was so pleasing to see them that the pieces of ice even danced about; and when they were tired and went to lie down, they formed themselves into the letters of the word which the Snow Queen had said he must find out before he could be his own master, and have the whole world and a pair of new skates. Then Gerda kissed his cheeks, and they became blooming; and she kissed his eyes, and they shone like her own; she kissed his hands and his feet, and then he became quite healthy and cheerful. The Snow Queen might come home now when she pleased, for there stood his certainty of freedom, in the word she wanted, written in shining letters of ice.
Then they took each other by the hand, and went forth from the great palace of ice. They spoke of the grandmother, and of the roses on the roof, and as they went on the winds were at rest, and the sun burst forth. When they arrived at the bush with red berries, there stood the reindeer waiting for them, and he had brought another young reindeer with him, whose udders were full, and the children drank her warm milk and kissed her on the mouth. Then they carried Kay and Gerda first to the Finland woman, where they warmed themselves thoroughly in the hot room, and she gave them directions about their journey home. Next they went to the Lapland woman, who had made some new clothes for them, and put their sleighs in order. Both the reindeer ran by their side, and followed them as far as the boundaries of the country, where the first green leaves were budding. And here they took leave of the two reindeer and the Lapland woman, and all said-Farewell. Then the birds began to twitter, and the forest too was full of green young leaves; and out of it came a beautiful horse, which Gerda remembered, for it was one which had drawn the golden coach. A young girl was riding upon it, with a shining red cap on her head, and pistols in her belt. It was the little robber-maiden, who had got tired of staying at home; she was going first to the north, and if that did not suit her, she meant to try some other part of the world. She knew Gerda directly, and Gerda remembered her: it was a joyful meeting.
“You are a fine fellow to go gadding about in this way,” said she to little Kay, “I should like to know whether you deserve that any one should go to the end of the world to find you.”
But Gerda patted her cheeks, and asked after the prince and princess.
“They are gone to foreign countries,” said the robber-girl.
“And the crow?” asked Gerda.
“Oh, the crow is dead,” she replied; “his tame sweetheart is now a widow, and wears a bit of black worsted round her leg. She mourns very pitifully, but it is all stuff. But now tell me how you managed to get him back.”
Then Gerda and Kay told her all about it.
“Snip, snap, snare! it’s all right at last,” said the robber-girl.
Then she took both their hands, and promised that if ever she should pass through the town, she would call and pay them a visit. And then she rode away into the wide world. But Gerda and Kay went hand-in-hand towards home; and as they advanced, spring appeared more lovely with its green verdure and its beautiful flowers. Very soon they recognized the large town where they lived, and the tall steeples of the churches, in which the sweet bells were ringing a merry peal as they entered it, and found their way to their grandmother’s door. They went upstairs into the little room, where all looked just as it used to do. The old clock was going “tick, tick,” and the hands pointed to the time of day, but as they passed through the door into the room they perceived that they were both grown up, and become a man and woman. The roses out on the roof were in full bloom, and peeped in at the window; and there stood the little chairs, on which they had sat when children; and Kay and Gerda seated themselves each on their own chair, and held each other by the hand, while the cold empty grandeur of the Snow Queen’s palace vanished from their memories like a painful dream. The grandmother sat in God’s bright sunshine, and she read aloud from the Bible, “Except ye become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of God.” And Kay and Gerda looked into each other’s eyes, and all at once understood the words of the old song,
“Roses bloom and cease to be,
But we shall the Christ-child see.”
And they both sat there, grown up, yet children at heart; and it was summer,-warm, beautiful summer.
Now then! We will begin. When the story is done you shall know a great deal more than you do know.
He was a terribly bad hobgoblin, a goblin of the very wickedest sort and, in fact, he was the devil himself. One day the devil was in a very good humor because he had just finished a mirror which had this peculiar power: everything good and beautiful that was reflected in it seemed to dwindle to almost nothing at all, while everything that was worthless and ugly became most conspicuous and even uglier than ever. In this mirror the loveliest landscapes looked like boiled spinach, and the very best people became hideous, or stood on their heads and had no stomachs. Their faces were distorted beyond any recognition, and if a person had a freckle it was sure to spread until it covered both nose and mouth.
"That"s very funny!" said the devil. If a good, pious thought passed through anyone"s mind, it showed in the mirror as a carnal grin, and the devil laughed aloud at his ingenious invention.
All those who went to the hobgoblin"s school-for he had a school of his own-told everyone that a miracle had come to pass. Now, they asserted, for the very first time you could see how the world and its people really looked. They scurried about with the mirror until there was not a person alive nor a land on earth that had not been distorted.
Then they wanted to fly up to heaven itself, to scoff at the angels, and our Lord. The higher they flew with the mirror, the wider it grinned. They could hardly manage to hold it. Higher they flew, and higher still, nearer to heaven and the angels. Then the grinning mirror trembled with such violence that it slipped from their hands and fell to the earth, where it shattered into hundreds of millions of billions of bits, or perhaps even more. And now it caused more trouble than it did before it was broken, because some of the fragments were smaller than a grain of sand and these went flying throughout the wide world. Once they got in people"s eyes they would stay there. These bits of glass distorted everything the people saw, and made them see only the bad side of things, for every little bit of glass kept the same power that the whole mirror had possessed.
A few people even got a glass splinter in their hearts, and that was a terrible thing, for it turned their hearts into lumps of ice. Some of the fragments were so large that they were used as window panes-but not the kind of window through which you should look at your friends. Other pieces were made into spectacles, and evil things came to pass when people put them on to see clearly and to see justice done. The fiend was so tickled by it all that he laughed till his sides were sore. But fine bits of the glass are still flying through the air, and now you shall hear what happened.
In the big city it was so crowded with houses and people that few found room for even a small garden and most people had to be content with a flowerpot, but two poor children who lived there managed to have a garden that was a little bigger than a flowerpot. These children were not brother and sister, but they loved each other just as much as if they had been. Their parents lived close to one another in the garrets of two adjoining houses. Where the roofs met and where the rain gutter ran between the two houses, their two small windows faced each other. One had only to step across the rain gutter to go from window to window.
In these windows, the parents had a large box where they planted vegetables for their use, and a little rose bush too. Each box had a bush, which thrived to perfection. Then it occurred to the parents to put these boxes across the gutter, where they very nearly reached from one window to the other, and looked exactly like two walls of flowers. The pea plants hung down over the boxes, and the rose bushes threw out long sprays that framed the windows and bent over toward each other. It was almost like a little triumphal arch of greenery and flowers. The boxes were very high, and the children knew that they were not to climb about on them, but they were often allowed to take their little stools out on the roof under the roses, where they had a wonderful time playing together.
Winter, of course, put an end to this pleasure. The windows often frosted over completely. But they would heat copper pennies on the stove and press these hot coins against the frost-coated glass. Then they had the finest of peepholes, as round as a ring, and behind them appeared a bright, friendly eye, one at each window-it was the little boy and the little girl who peeped out. His name was Kay and hers was Gerda. With one skip they could join each other in summer, but to visit together in the wintertime they had to go all the way downstairs in one house, and climb all the way upstairs in the other. Outside the snow was whirling.
"See the white bees swarming," the old grandmother said.
"Do they have a queen bee, too?" the little boy asked, for he knew that real bees have one.
"Yes, indeed they do," the grandmother said. "She flies in the thick of the swarm. She is the biggest bee of all, and can never stay quietly on the earth, but goes back again to the dark clouds. Many a wintry night she flies through the streets and peers in through the windows. Then they freeze over in a strange fashion, as if they were covered with flowers."
"Oh yes, we"ve seen that," both the children said, and so they knew it was true.
"Can the Snow Queen come in here?" the little girl asked.
"Well, let her come!" cried the boy. "I would put her on the hot stove and melt her."
But Grandmother stroked his head, and told them other stories.
That evening when little Kay was at home and half ready for bed, he climbed on the chair by the window and looked out through the little peephole. A few snowflakes were falling, and the largest flake of all alighted on the edge of one of the flower boxes. This flake grew bigger and bigger, until at last it turned into a woman, who was dressed in the finest white gauze which looked as if it had been made from millions of star-shaped flakes. She was beautiful and she was graceful, but she was ice-shining, glittering ice. She was alive, for all that, and her eyes sparkled like two bright stars, but in them there was neither rest nor peace. She nodded toward the window and beckoned with her hand. The little boy was frightened, and as he jumped down from the chair it seemed to him that a huge bird flew past the window.
The next day was clear and cold. Then the snow thawed, and springtime came. The sun shone, the green grass sprouted, swallows made their nests, windows were thrown open, and once again the children played in their little roof garden, high up in the rain gutter on top of the house.
That summer the roses bloomed their splendid best. The little girl had learned a hymn in which there was a line about roses that reminded her of their own flowers. She sang it to the little boy, and he sang it with her:
The children held each other by the hand, kissed the roses, looked up at the Lord"s clear sunshine, and spoke to it as if the Christ Child were there. What glorious summer days those were, and how beautiful it was out under those fragrant rose bushes which seemed as if they would never stop blooming.
Kay and Gerda were looking at a picture book of birds and beasts one day, and it was then-just as the clock in the church tower was striking five-that Kay cried:
"Oh! something hurt my heart. And now I"ve got something in my eye."
The little girl put her arm around his neck, and he blinked his eye. No, she couldn"t see anything in it.
"I think it"s gone," he said. But it was not gone. It was one of those splinters of glass from the magic mirror. You remember that goblin"s mirror-the one which made everything great and good that was reflected in it appear small and ugly, but which magnified all evil things until each blemish loomed large. Poor Kay! A fragment had pierced his heart as well, and soon it would turn into a lump of ice. The pain had stopped, but the glass was still there.
"Why should you be crying?" he asked. "It makes you look so ugly. There"s nothing the matter with me." And suddenly he took it into his head to say:
"Ugh! that rose is all worm-eaten. And look, this one is crooked. And these roses, they are just as ugly as they can be. They look like the boxes they grow in." He gave the boxes a kick, and broke off both of the roses.
"Kay! what are you doing?" the little girl cried. When he saw how it upset her, he broke off another rose and then leaped home through his own window, leaving dear little Gerda all alone.
Afterwards, when she brought out her picture book, he said it was fit only for babes in the cradle. And whenever Grandmother told stories, he always broke in with a "but-." If he could manage it he would steal behind her, perch a pair of spectacles on his nose, and imitate her. He did this so cleverly that it made everybody laugh, and before long he could mimic the walk and the talk of everyone who lived on that street. Everything that was odd or ugly about them, Kay could mimic so well that people said, "That boy has surely got a good head on him!" But it was the glass in his eye and the glass in his heart that made him tease even little Gerda, who loved him with all her soul.
Now his games were very different from what they used to be. They became more sensible. When the snow was flying about one wintry day, he brought a large magnifying glass out of doors and spread the tail of his blue coat to let the snowflakes fall on it.
"Now look through the glass," he told Gerda. Each snowflake seemed much larger, and looked like a magnificent flower or a ten-pointed star. It was marvelous to look at.
"Look, how artistic!" said Kay. "They are much more interesting to look at than real flowers, for they are absolutely perfect. There isn"t a flaw in them, until they start melting."
A little while later Kay came down with his big gloves on his hands and his sled on his back. Right in Gerda"s ear he bawled out, "I"ve been given permission to play in the big square where the other boys are!" and away he ran.
In the square some of the more adventuresome boys would tie their little sleds on behind the farmer"s carts, to be pulled along for quite a distance. It was wonderful sport. While the fun was at its height, a big sleigh drove up. It was painted entirely white, and the driver wore a white, shaggy fur cloak and a white, shaggy cap. As the sleigh drove twice around the square, Kay quickly hooked his little sled behind it, and down the street they went, faster and faster. The driver turned around in a friendly fashion and nodded to Kay, just as if they were old acquaintances. Every time Kay started to unfasten his little sleigh, its driver nodded again, and Kay held on, even when they drove right out through the town gate.
Then the snow began to fall so fast that the boy could not see his hands in front of him, as they sped on. He suddenly let go the slack of the rope in his hands, in order so get loose from the big sleigh, but it did no good. His little sled was tied on securely, and they went like the wind. He gave a loud shout, but nobody heard him. The snow whirled and the sleigh flew along. Every now and then it gave a jump, as if it were clearing hedges and ditches. The boy was terror-stricken. He tried to say his prayers, but all he could remember was his multiplication tables.
The snowflakes got bigger and bigger, until they looked like big white hens. All of a sudden the curtain of snow parted, and the big sleigh stopped and the driver stood up. The fur coat and the cap were made of snow, and it was a woman, tall and slender and blinding white-she was the Snow Queen herself.
"We have made good time," she said. "Is it possible that you tremble from cold? Crawl under my bear coat." She took him up in the sleigh beside her, and as she wrapped the fur about him he felt as if he were sinking into a snowdrift.
"Are you still cold?" she asked, and kissed him on the forehead. Brer-r-r. That kiss was colder than ice. He felt it right down to his heart, half of which was already an icy lump. He felt as if he were dying, but only for a moment. Then he felt quite comfortable, and no longer noticed the cold.
"My sled! Don"t forget my sled!" It was the only thing he thought of. They tied it to one of the white hens, which flew along after them with the sled on its back. The Snow Queen kissed Kay once more, and then he forgot little Gerda, and Grandmother, and all the others at home.
"You won"t get any more kisses now," she said, "or else I should kiss you to death." Kay looked at her. She was so beautiful! A cleverer and prettier face he could not imagine. She no longer seemed to be made of ice, as she had seemed when she sat outside his window and beckoned to him. In his eyes she was perfect, and she was not at all afraid. He told her how he could do mental arithmetic even with fractions, and that he knew the size and population of all the countries. She kept on smiling, and he began to be afraid that he did not know as much as he thought he did. He looked up at the great big space overhead, as she flew with him high up on the black clouds, while the storm whistled and roared as if it were singing old ballads.
They flew over forests and lakes, over many a land and sea. Below them the wind blew cold, wolves howled, and black crows screamed as they skimmed across the glittering snow. But up above the moon shone bright and large, and on it Kay fixed his eyes throughout that long, long winter night. By day he slept at the feet of the Snow Queen.
How did little Gerda get along when Kay did not come back? Where could he be? Nobody knew. Nobody could give them any news of him. All that the boys could say was that they had seen him hitch his little sled to a fine big sleigh, which had driven down the street and out through the town gate. Nobody knew what had become of Kay. Many tears were shed, and little Gerda sobbed hardest of all. People said that he was dead-that he must have been drowned in the river not far from town. Ah, how gloomy those long winter days were!
But spring and its warm sunshine came at last.
"Kay is dead and gone," little Gerda said.
"I don"t believe it," said the sunshine.
"He"s dead and gone," she said to the swallows.
"We don"t believe it," they sang. Finally little Gerda began to disbelieve it too. One morning she said to herself:
"I"ll put on my new red shoes, the ones Kay has never seen, and I"ll go down by the river to ask about him."
It was very early in the morning. She kissed her old grandmother, who was still asleep, put on her red shoes, and all by herself she hurried out through the town gate and down to the river.
"Is it true that you have taken my own little playmate? I"ll give you my red shoes if you will bring him back to me."
It seemed to her that the waves nodded very strangely. So she took off her red shoes that were her dearest possession, and threw them into the river. But they fell near the shore, and the little waves washed them right back to her. It seemed that the river could not take her dearest possession, because it did not have little Kay. However, she was afraid that she had not thrown them far enough, so she clambered into a boat that lay among the reeds, walked to the end of it, and threw her shoes out into the water again. But the boat was not tied, and her movements made it drift away from the bank. She realized this, and tried to get ashore, but by the time she reached the other end of the boat it was already more than a yard from the bank, and was fast gaining speed.
Little Gerda was so frightened that she began to cry, and no one was there to hear her except the sparrows. They could not carry her to land, but they flew along the shore twittering, "We are here! Here we are!" as if to comfort her. The boat drifted swiftly down the stream, and Gerda sat there quite still, in her stocking feet. Her little red shoes floated along behind, but they could not catch up with her because the boat was gathering headway. It was very pretty on both sides of the river, where the flowers were lovely, the trees were old, and the hillsides afforded pasture for cattle and sheep. But not one single person did Gerda see.
"Perhaps the river will take me to little Kay," she thought, and that made her feel more cheerful. She stood up and watched the lovely green banks for hour after hour.
Then she came to a large cherry orchard, in which there was a little house with strange red and blue windows. It had a thatched roof, and outside it stood two wooden soldiers, who presented arms to everyone who sailed past.
Gerda thought they were alive, and called out to them, but of course they did not answer her. She drifted quite close to them as the current drove the boat toward the bank. Gerda called even louder, and an old, old woman came out of the house. She leaned on a crooked stick; she had on a big sun hat, and on it were painted the most glorious flowers.
"You poor little child!" the old woman exclaimed. "However did you get lost on this big swift river, and however did you drift so far into the great wide world?" The old woman waded right into the water, caught hold of the boat with her crooked stick, pulled it in to shore, and lifted little Gerda out of it.
Gerda was very glad to be on dry land again, but she felt a little afraid of this strange old woman, who said to her:
"Come and tell me who you are, and how you got here." Gerda told her all about it. The woman shook her head and said, "Hmm, hmm!" And when Gerda had told her everything and asked if she hadn"t seen little Kay, the woman said he had not yet come by, but that he might be along any day now. And she told Gerda not to take it so to heart, but to taste her cherries and to look at her flowers. These were more beautiful than any picture book, and each one had a story to tell. Then she led Gerda by the hand into her little house, and the old woman locked the door.
The windows were placed high up on the walls, and through their red, blue, and yellow panes the sunlight streamed in a strange mixture of all the colors there are. But on the table were the most delicious cherries, and Gerda, who was no longer afraid, ate as many as she liked. While she was eating them, the old woman combed her hair with a golden comb. Gerda"s pretty hair fell in shining yellow ringlets on either side of a friendly little face that was as round and blooming as a rose.
"I"ve so often wished for a dear little girl like you," the old woman told her. "Now you"ll see how well the two of us will get along." While her hair was being combed, Gerda gradually forgot all about Kay, for the old woman was skilled in magic. But she was not a wicked witch. She only dabbled in magic to amuse herself, but she wanted very much to keep little Gerda. So she went out into her garden and pointed her crooked stick at all the rose bushes. In the full bloom of their beauty, all of them sank down into the black earth, without leaving a single trace behind. The old woman was afraid that if Gerda saw them they would remind her so strongly of her own roses, and of little Kay, that she would run away again.
Then Gerda was led into the flower garden. How fragrant and lovely it was! Every known flower of every season was there in full bloom. No picture book was ever so pretty and gay. Gerda jumped for joy, and played in the garden until the sun went down behind the tall cherry trees. Then she was tucked into a beautiful bed, under a red silk coverlet quilted with blue violets. There she slept, and there she dreamed as gloriously as any queen on her wedding day.
The next morning she again went out into the warm sunshine to play with the flowers-and this she did for many a day. Gerda knew every flower by heart, and, plentiful though they were, she always felt that there was one missing, but which one she didn"t quite know. One day she sat looking at the old woman"s sun hat, and the prettiest of all the flowers painted on it was a rose. The old woman had forgotten this rose on her hat when she made the real roses disappear in the earth. But that"s just the sort of thing that happens when one doesn"t stop to think.
"Why aren"t there any roses here?" said Gerda. She rushed out among the flower beds, and she looked and she looked, but there wasn"t a rose to be seen. Then she sat down and cried. But her hot tears fell on the very spot where a rose bush had sunk into the ground, and when her warm tears moistened the earth the bush sprang up again, as full of blossoms as when it disappeared. Gerda hugged it, and kissed the roses. She remembered her own pretty roses, and thought of little Kay.
"Oh how long I have been delayed," the little girl said. "I should have been looking for Kay. Don"t you know where he is?" she asked the roses. "Do you think that he is dead and gone?"
"He isn"t dead," the roses told her. "We have been down in the earth where the dead people are, but Kay is not there."
"Thank you," said little Gerda, who went to all the other flowers, put her lips near them and asked, "Do you know where little Kay is?"
But every flower stood in the sun, and dreamed its own fairy tale, or its story. Though Gerda listened to many, many of them, not one of the flowers knew anything about Kay.
What did the tiger lily say?
"Do you hear the drum? Boom, boom! It was only two notes, always boom, boom! Hear the women wail. Hear the priests chant. The Hindoo woman in her long red robe stands on the funeral pyre. The flames rise around her and her dead husband, but the Hindoo woman is thinking of that living man in the crowd around them. She is thinking of him whose eyes are burning hotter than the flames-of him whose fiery glances have pierced her heart more deeply than these flames that soon will burn her body to ashes. Can the flame of the heart die in the flame of the funeral pyre?"
"I don"t understand that at all," little Gerda said.
"That"s my fairy tale," said the lily.
What did the trumpet flower say?
"An ancient castle rises high from a narrow path in the mountains. The thick ivy grows leaf upon leaf where it climbs to the balcony. There stands a beautiful maiden. She leans out over the balustrade to look down the path. No rose on its stem is as graceful as she, nor is any apple blossom in the breeze so light. Hear the rustle of her silk gown, sighing, "Will he never come?""
"Do you mean Kay?" little Gerda asked.
"I am talking about my story, my own dream," the trumpet flower replied.
What did the little snowdrop say?
"Between the trees a board hangs by two ropes. It is a swing. Two pretty little girls, with frocks as white as snow, and long green ribbons fluttering from their hats, are swinging. Their brother, who is bigger than they are, stands behind them on the swing, with his arms around the ropes to hold himself. In one hand he has a little cup, and in the other a clay pipe. He is blowing soap bubbles, and as the swing flies the bubbles float off in all their changing colors. The last bubble is still clinging to the bowl of his pipe, and fluttering in the air as the swing sweeps to and fro. A little black dog, light as a bubble, is standing on his hind legs and trying to get up in the swing. But it does not stop. High and low the swing flies, until the dog loses his balance, barks, and loses his temper. They tease him, and the bubble bursts. A swinging board pictured in a bubble before it broke-that is my story."
"It may be a very pretty story, but you told it very sadly and you didn"t mention Kay at all."
What did the hyacinths say?
"There were three sisters, quite transparent and very fair. One wore a red dress, the second wore a blue one, and the third went all in white. Hand in hand they danced in the clear moonlight, beside a calm lake. They were not elfin folk. They were human beings. The air was sweet, and the sisters disappeared into the forest. The fragrance of the air grew sweeter. Three coffins, in which lie the three sisters, glide out of the forest and across the lake. The fireflies hover about them like little flickering lights. Are the dancing sisters sleeping or are they dead? The fragrance of the flowers says they are dead, and the evening bell tolls for their funeral."
"You are making me very unhappy," little Gerda said. "Your fragrance is so strong that I cannot help thinking of those dead sisters. Oh, could little Kay really be dead? The roses have been down under the ground, and they say no."
"Ding, dong," tolled the hyacinth bells. "We do not toll for little Kay. We do not know him. We are simply singing our song-the only song we know."
And Gerda went on to the buttercup that shone among its glossy green leaves.
"You are like a bright little sun," said Gerda. "Tell me, do you know where I can find my playmate?"
And the buttercup shone brightly as it looked up at Gerda. But what sort of song would a buttercup sing? It certainly wouldn"t be about Kay.
"In a small courtyard, God"s sun was shining brightly on the very first day of spring. Its beams glanced along the white wall of the house next door, and close by grew the first yellow flowers of spring shining like gold in the warm sunlight. An old grandmother was sitting outside in her chair. Her granddaughter, a poor but very pretty maidservant, had just come home for a little visit. She kissed her grandmother, and there was gold, a heart full of gold, in that kiss. Gold on her lips, gold in her dreams, and gold above in the morning beams. There, I"ve told you my little story," said the buttercup.
"Oh, my poor old Grandmother," said Gerda. "She will miss me so. She must be grieving for me as much as she did for little Kay. But I"ll soon go home again, and I"ll bring Kay with me. There"s no use asking the flowers about him. They don"t know anything except their own songs, and they haven"t any news for me."
Then she tucked up her little skirts so that she could run away faster, but the narcissus tapped against her leg as she was jumping over it. So she stopped and leaned over the tall flower.
"Perhaps you have something to tell me," she said.
What did the narcissus say?
"I can see myself! I can see myself! Oh, how sweet is my own fragrance! Up in the narrow garret there is a little dancer, half dressed. First she stands on one leg. Then she stands on both, and kicks her heels at the whole world. She is an illusion of the stage. She pours water from the teapot over a piece of cloth she is holding-it is her bodice. Cleanliness is such a virtue! Her white dress hangs from a hook. It too has been washed in the teapot, and dried on the roof. She puts it on, and ties a saffron scarf around her neck to make the dress seem whiter. Point your toes! See how straight she balances on that single stem. I can see myself! I can see myself!"
"I"m not interested," said Gerda. "What a thing to tell me about!"
She ran to the end of the garden, and though the gate was fastened she worked the rusty latch till it gave way and the gate flew open. Little Gerda scampered out into the wide world in her bare feet. She looked back three times, but nobody came after her. At last she could run no farther, and she sat down to rest on a big stone, and when she looked up she saw that summer had gone by, and it was late in the fall. She could never have guessed it inside the beautiful garden where the sun was always shining, and the flowers of every season were always in full bloom.
"Gracious! how long I"ve dallied," Gerda said. "Fall is already here. I can"t rest any longer."
She got up to run on, but how footsore and tired she was! And how cold and bleak everything around her looked! The long leaves of the willow tree had turned quite yellow, and damp puffs of mist dropped from them like drops of water. One leaf after another fell to the ground. Only the blackthorn still bore fruit, and its fruit was so sour that it set your teeth on edge.
Oh, how dreary and gray the wide world looked.
The next time that Gerda was forced to rest, a big crow came hopping across the snow in front of her. For a long time he had been watching her and cocking his head to one side, and now he said, "Caw, caw! Good caw day!" He could not say it any better, but he felt kindly inclined toward the little girl, and asked her where she was going in the great wide world, all alone. Gerda understood him when he said "alone," and she knew its meaning all too well. She told the crow the whole story of her life, and asked if he hadn"t seen Kay. The crow gravely nodded his head and cawed, "Maybe I have, maybe I have!"
"What! do you really think you have?" the little girl cried, and almost hugged the crow to death as she kissed him.
"Gently, gently!" said the crow. "I think that it may have been little Kay that I saw, but if it was, then he has forgotten you for the Princess."
"Does he live with a Princess?" Gerda asked.
"Yes. Listen!" said the crow. "But it is so hard for me to speak your language. If you understand crow talk, I can tell you much more easily."
"I don"t know that language," said Gerda. "My grandmother knows it, just as well as she knows baby talk, and I do wish I had learned it."
"No matter," said the crow. "I"ll tell you as well as I can, though that won"t be any too good." And he told her all that he knew.
"In the kingdom where we are now, there is a Princess who is uncommonly clever, and no wonder. She has read all the newspapers in the world and forgotten them again - that"s how clever she is. Well, not long ago she was sitting on her throne. That"s by no means as much fun as people suppose, so she fell to humming an old tune, and the refrain of it happened to run:
"Why, oh, why, shouldn"t I get married?"
" "Why, that"s an idea!" said she. And she made up her mind to marry as soon as she could find the sort of husband who could give a good answer when anyone spoke to him, instead of one of those fellows who merely stand around looking impressive, for that is so tiresome. She had the drums drubbed to call together all her ladies-in-waiting, and when they heard what she had in mind they were delighted.
" "Oh, we like that!" they said. "We were just thinking the very same thing."
"Believe me," said the crow, "every word I tell you is true. I have a tame ladylove who has the run of the palace, and I had the whole story straight from her." Of course his ladylove was also a crow, for birds of a feather will flock together.
"The newspapers immediately came out with a border of hearts and the initials of the Princess, and you could read an announcement that any presentable young man might go to the palace and talk with her. The one who spoke best, and who seemed most at home in the palace, would be chosen by the Princess as her husband.
"Yes, yes," said the crow, "believe me, that"s as true as it is that here I sit. Men flocked to the palace, and there was much crowding and crushing, but on neither the first nor the second day was anyone chosen. Out in the street they were all glib talkers, but after they entered the palace gate where the guardsmen were stationed in their silver-braided uniforms, and after they climbed up the staircase lined with footmen in gold-embroidered livery, they arrived in the brilliantly lighted reception halls without a word to say. And when they stood in front of the Princess on her throne, the best they could do was to echo the last word of her remarks, and she didn"t care to hear it repeated.
"It was just as if everyone in the throne room had his stomach filled with snuff and had fallen asleep; for as soon as they were back in the streets there was no stopping their talk.
"The line of candidates extended all the way from the town gates to the palace. I saw them myself," said the crow. "They got hungry and they got thirsty, but from the palace they got nothing-not even a glass of lukewarm water. To be sure, some of the clever candidates had brought sandwiches with them, but they did not share them with their neighbors. Each man thought, "Just let him look hungry, then the Princess won"t take him!" "
"But Kay, little Kay," Gerda interrupted, "when did he come? Was he among those people?"
"Give me time, give me time! We are just coming to him. On the third day a little person, with neither horse nor carriage, strode boldly up to the palace. His eyes sparkled the way yours do, and he had handsome long hair, but his clothes were poor."
"Oh, that was Kay!" Gerda said, and clapped her hands in glee. "Now I"ve found him."
"He had a little knapsack on his back," the crow told her.
"No, that must have been his sled," said Gerda. "He was carrying it when he went away."
"Maybe so," the crow said. "I didn"t look at it carefully. But my tame ladylove told me that when he went through the palace gates and saw the guardsmen in silver, and on the staircase the footmen in gold, he wasn"t at all taken aback. He nodded and he said to them:
" "It must be very tiresome to stand on the stairs. I"d rather go inside."
"The halls were brilliantly lighted. Ministers of state and privy councilors were walking about barefooted, carrying golden trays in front of them. It was enough to make anyone feel solemn, and his boots creaked dreadfully, but he wasn"t a bit afraid."
"That certainly must have been Kay," said Gerda. "I know he was wearing new boots. I heard them creaking in Grandmother"s room."
"Oh, they creaked all right," said the crow. "But it was little enough he cared as he walked straight to the Princess, who was sitting on a pearl as big as a spinning wheel. All the ladies-in-waiting with their attendants and their attendants" attendants, and all the lords-in-waiting with their gentlemen and their gentlemen"s men, each of whom had his page with him, were standing there, and the nearer they stood to the door the more arrogant they looked. The gentlemen"s men"s pages, who always wore slippers, were almost too arrogant to look as they stood at the threshold."
"That must have been terrible!" little Gerda exclaimed. "And yet Kay won the Princess?"
"If I weren"t a crow, I would have married her myself, for all that I"m engaged to another. They say he spoke as well as I do when I speak my crow language. Or so my tame ladylove tells me. He was dashing and handsome, and he was not there to court the Princess but to hear her wisdom. This he liked, and she liked him."
"Of course it was Kay," said Gerda. "He was so clever that he could do mental arithmetic even with fractions. Oh, please take me to the palace."
"That"s easy enough to say," said the crow, "but how can we manage it? I"ll talk it over with my tame ladylove, and she may be able to suggest something, but I must warn you that a little girl like you will never be admitted."
"Oh, yes I shall," said Gerda. "When Kay hears about me, he will come out to fetch me at once."
"Wait for me beside that stile," the crow said. He wagged his head and off he flew.
Darkness had set in when he got back.
"Caw, caw!" he said. "My ladylove sends you her best wishes, and here"s a little loaf of bread for you. She found it in the kitchen, where they have all the bread they need, and you must be hungry. You simply can"t get into the palace with those bare feet. The guardsmen in silver and the footmen in gold would never permit it. But don"t you cry. We"ll find a way. My ladylove knows of a little back staircase that leads up to the bedroom, and she knows where they keep the key to it."
Then they went into the garden and down the wide promenade where the leaves were falling one by one. When, one by one, the lights went out in the palace, the crow led little Gerda to the back door, which stood ajar.
Oh, how her heart did beat with fear and longing. It was just as if she were about to do something wrong, yet she only wanted to make sure that this really was little Kay. Yes, truly it must be Kay, she thought, as she recalled his sparkling eyes and his long hair. She remembered exactly how he looked when he used to smile at her as they sat under the roses at home. Wouldn"t he be glad to see her! Wouldn"t he be interested in hearing how far she had come to find him, and how sad they had all been when he didn"t come home. She was so frightened, and yet so happy.
Now they were on the stairway. A little lamp was burning on a cupboard, and there stood the tame crow, cocking her head to look at Gerda, who made the curtsy that her grandmother had taught her.
"My fiancé has told me many charming things about you, dear young lady," she said. "Your biography, as one might say, is very touching. Kindly take the lamp and I shall lead the way. We shall keep straight ahead, where we aren"t apt to run into anyone."
"It seems to me that someone is on the stairs behind us," said Gerda. Things brushed past, and from the shadows on the wall they seemed to be horses with spindly legs and waving manes. And there were shadows of huntsmen, ladies and gentlemen, on horseback.
"Those are only dreams," said the crow. "They come to take the thoughts of their royal masters off to the chase. That"s just as well, for it will give you a good opportunity to see them while they sleep. But I trust that, when you rise to high position and power, you will show a grateful heart."
"Tut tut! You"ve no need to say that," said the forest crow.
Now they entered the first room. It was hung with rose-colored satin, embroidered with flowers. The dream shadows were flitting by so fast that Gerda could not see the lords and ladies. Hall after magnificent hall quite bewildered her, until at last they reached the royal bedroom.
The ceiling of it was like the top of a huge palm tree, with leaves of glass, costly glass. In the middle of the room two beds hung from a massive stem of gold. Each of them looked like a lily. One bed was white, and there lay the Princess. The other was red, and there Gerda hoped to find little Kay. She bent one of the scarlet petals and saw the nape of a little brown neck. Surely this must be Kay. She called his name aloud and held the lamp near him. The dreams on horseback pranced into the room again, as he awoke-and turned his head-and it was not little Kay at all.
The Prince only resembled Kay about the neck, but he was young and handsome. The Princess peeked out of her lily-white bed, and asked what had happened. Little Gerda cried and told them all about herself, and about all that the crows had done for her.
"Poor little thing," the Prince and the Princess said. They praised the crows, and said they weren"t the least bit angry with them, but not to do it again. Furthermore, they should have a reward.
"Would you rather fly about without any responsibilities," said the Princess, "or would you care to be appointed court crows for life, with rights to all scraps from the kitchen?"
Both the crows bowed low and begged for permanent office, for they thought of their future and said it was better to provide for their "old age," as they called it.
The Prince got up, and let Gerda have his bed. It was the utmost that he could do. She clasped her little hands and thought, "How nice the people and the birds are." She closed her eyes, fell peacefully asleep, and all the dreams came flying back again. They looked like angels, and they drew a little sled on which Kay sat. He nodded to her, but this was only in a dream, so it all disappeared when she woke up.
The next day she was dressed from her head to her heels in silk and in velvet too. They asked her to stay at the palace and have a nice time there, but instead she begged them to let her have a little carriage, a little horse, and a pair of little boots, so that she could drive out into the wide world to find Kay.
They gave her a pair of boots, and also a muff. They dressed her as nicely as could be and, when she was ready to go, there at the gate stood a brand new carriage of pure gold. On it the coat of arms of the Prince and the Princess glistened like a star.
The coachman, the footman, and the postilions-for postilions there were-all wore golden crowns. The Prince and the Princess themselves helped her into the carriage, and wished her Godspeed. The forest crow, who was now a married man, accompanied her for the first three miles, and sat beside Gerda, for it upset him to ride backward. The other crow stood beside the gate and waved her wings. She did not accompany them because she was suffering from a headache, brought on by eating too much in her new position. Inside, the carriage was lined with sugared cookies, and the seats were filled with fruit and gingerbread.
"Fare you well, fare you well," called the Prince and Princess. Little Gerda cried and the crow cried too, for the first few miles. Then the crow said good-by, and that was the saddest leave-taking of all. He flew up into a tree and waved his big black wings as long as he could see the carriage, which flashed as brightly as the sun.
The carriage rolled on into a dark forest. Like a blazing torch, it shone in the eyes of some robbers. They could not bear it.
"That"s gold! That"s gold!" they cried. They sprang forward, seized the horses, killed the little postilions, the coachman, and the footman, and dragged little Gerda out of the carriage.
"How plump and how tender she looks, just as if she"d been fattened on nuts!" cried the old robber woman, who had a long bristly beard, and long eyebrows that hung down over her eyes. "She looks like a fat little lamb. What a dainty dish she will be!" As she said this she drew out her knife, a dreadful, flashing thing.
"Ouch!" the old woman howled. At just that moment her own little daughter had bitten her ear. The little girl, whom she carried on her back, was a wild and reckless creature. "You beasty brat!" her mother exclaimed, but it kept her from using that knife on Gerda.
"She shall play with me," said the little robber girl. "She must give me her muff and that pretty dress she wears, and sleep with me in my bed." And she again gave her mother such a bite that the woman hopped and whirled around in pain. All the robbers laughed, and shouted:
"See how she dances with her brat."
"I want to ride in the carriage," the little robber girl said, and ride she did, for she was too spoiled and headstrong for words. She and Gerda climbed into the carriage and away they drove over stumps and stones, into the depths of the forest. The little robber girl was no taller than Gerda, but she was stronger and much broader in the shoulders. Her skin was brown and her eyes coal-black-almost sad in their expression. She put her arms around Gerda, and said:
"They shan"t kill you unless I get angry with you. I think you must be a Princess."
"No, I"m not," said little Gerda. And she told about all that had happened to her, and how much she cared for little Kay. The robber girl looked at her gravely, gave a little nod of approval, and told her:
"Even if I should get angry with you, they shan"t kill you, because I"ll do it myself!" Then she dried Gerda"s eyes, and stuck her own hands into Gerda"s soft, warm muff.
The carriage stopped at last, in the courtyard of a robber"s castle. The walls of it were cracked from bottom to top. Crows and ravens flew out of every loophole, and bulldogs huge enough to devour a man jumped high in the air. But they did not bark, for that was forbidden.
In the middle of the stone-paved, smoky old hall, a big fire was burning. The smoke of it drifted up to the ceiling, where it had to find its own way out. Soup was boiling in a big caldron, and hares and rabbits were roasting on the spit.
"Tonight you shall sleep with me and all my little animals," the robber girl said. After they had something to eat and drink, they went over to a corner that was strewn with rugs and straw. On sticks and perches around the bedding roosted nearly a hundred pigeons. They seemed to be asleep, but they stirred just a little when the two little girls came near them.
"They are all mine, " said the little robber girl. She seized the one that was nearest to her, held it by the legs and shook it until it flapped its wings. "Kiss it," she cried, and thrust the bird in Gerda"s face. "Those two are the wild rascals," she said, pointing high up the wall to a hole barred with wooden sticks. "Rascals of the woods they are, and they would fly away in a minute if they were not locked up."
"And here is my old sweetheart, Bae," she said, pulling at the horns of a reindeer that was tethered by a shiny copper ring around his neck. "We have to keep a sharp eye on him, or he would run away from us too. Every single night I tickle his neck with my knife blade, for he is afraid of that." From a hole in the wall she pulled a long knife, and rubbed it against the reindeer"s neck. After the poor animal had kicked up its heals, the robber girl laughed and pulled Gerda down into the bed with her.
"Are you going to keep that knife in bed with you?" Gerda asked, and looked at it a little frightened.
"I always sleep with my knife," the little robber girl said. "You never can tell what may happen. But let"s hear again what you told me before about little Kay, and about why you are wandering through the wide world."
Gerda told the story all over again, while the wild pigeons cooed in their cage overhead, and the tame pigeons slept. The little robber girl clasped one arm around Gerda"s neck, gripped her knife in the other hand, fell asleep, and snored so that one could hear her. But Gerda could not close her eyes at all. She did not know whether she was to live or whether she was to die. The robbers sat around their fire, singing and drinking, and the old robber woman was turning somersaults. It was a terrible sight for a little girl to see.
Then the wood pigeons said, "Coo, coo. We have seen little Kay. A white hen was carrying his sled, and Kay sat in the Snow Queen"s sleigh. They swooped low, over the trees where we lay in our nest. The Snow Queen blew upon us, and all the young pigeons died except us. Coo, coo."
"What is that you are saying up there?" cried Gerda. "Where was the Snow Queen going? Do you know anything about it?"
"She was probably bound for Lapland, where they always have snow and ice. Why don"t you ask the reindeer who is tethered beside you?"
"Yes, there is ice and snow in that glorious land," the reindeer told her. "You can prance about freely across those great, glittering fields. The Snow Queen has her summer tent there, but her stronghold is a castle up nearer the North Pole, on the island called Spitzbergen."
"Oh, Kay, little Kay," Gerda sighed.
"Lie still," said the robber girl, "or I"ll stick my knife in your stomach."
In the morning Gerda told her all that the wood pigeons had said. The little robber girl looked quite thoughtful. She nodded her head, and exclaimed, "Leave it to me! Leave it to me.
"Do you know where Lapland is?" she asked the reindeer.
"Who knows it better than I?" the reindeer said, and his eyes sparkled. "There I was born, there I was bred, and there I kicked my heels in freedom, across the fields of snow."
"Listen!" the robber girl said to Gerda. "As you see, all the men are away. Mother is still here, and here she"ll stay, but before the morning is over she will drink out of that big bottle, and then she usually dozes off for a nap. As soon as that happens, I will do you a good turn."
She jumped out of bed, rushed over and threw her arms around her mother"s neck, pulled at her beard bristles, and said, "Good morning, my dear nanny-goat." Her mother thumped her nose until it was red and blue, but all that was done out of pure love.
As soon as the mother had tipped up the bottle and dozed off to sleep, the little robber girl ran to the reindeer and said, "I have a good notion to keep you here, and tickle you with my sharp knife. You are so funny when I do, but never mind that. I"ll untie your rope, and help you find your way outside, so that you can run back to Lapland. But you must put your best leg forward and carry this little girl to the Snow Queen"s palace, where her playmate is. I suppose you heard what she told me, for she spoke so loud, and you were eavesdropping."
The reindeer was so happy that he bounded into the air. The robber girl hoisted little Gerda on his back, carefully tied her in place, and even gave her a little pillow to sit on. I don"t do things half way," she said. "Here, take back your fur boots, for it"s going to be bitter cold. I"ll keep your muff, because it"s such a pretty one. But your fingers mustn"t get cold. Here are my mother"s big mittens, which will come right up to your elbows. Pull them on. Now your hands look just like my ugly mother"s big paws."
And Gerda shed happy tears.
"I don"t care to see you blubbering," said the little robber girl. "You ought to look pleased now. Here, take these two loaves of bread and this ham along, so that you won"t starve."
When these provisions were tied on the back of the reindeer, the little robber girl opened the door and called in all the big dogs. Then she cut the tether with her knife and said to the reindeer, "Now run, but see that you take good care of the little girl."
Gerda waved her big mittens to the little robber girl, and said good-by. then the reindeer bounded away, over stumps and stones, straight through the great forest, over swamps and across the plains, as fast as he could run. The wolves howled, the ravens shrieked, and ker-shew, ker-shew! the red streaks of light ripped through the heavens, with a noise that sounded like sneezing.
"Those are my old Northern Lights," said the reindeer. "See how they flash." And on he ran, faster than ever, by night and day. The loaves were eaten and the whole ham was eaten-and there they were in Lapland.
They stopped in front of the little hut, and a makeshift dwelling it was. The roof of it almost touched the ground, and the doorway was so low that the family had to lie on their stomachs to crawl in it or out of it. No one was at home except an old Lapp woman, who was cooking fish over a whale-oil lamp. The reindeer told her Gerda"s whole story, but first he told his own, which he thought was much more important. Besides, Gerda was so cold that she couldn"t say a thing.
"Oh, you poor creatures," the Lapp woman said, "you"ve still got such a long way to go. Why, you will have to travel hundreds of miles into the Finmark. For it"s there that the Snow Queen is taking a country vacation, and burning her blue fireworks every evening. I"ll jot down a message on a dried codfish, for I haven"t any paper. I want you to take it to the Finn woman who lives up there. She will be able to tell you more about it than I can."
As soon as Gerda had thawed out, and had had something to eat and drink, the Lapp woman wrote a few words on a dried codfish, told Gerda to take good care of it, and tied her again on the back of the reindeer. Off he ran, and all night long the skies crackled and swished as the most beautiful Northern Lights flashed over their heads. At last they came to the Finmark, and knocked at the Finn woman"s chimney, for she hadn"t a sign of a door. It was so hot inside that the Finn woman went about almost naked. She was small and terribly dowdy, but she at once helped little Gerda off with her mittens and boots, and loosened her clothes. Otherwise the heat would have wilted her. Then the woman put a piece of ice on the reindeer"s head, and read what was written on the codfish. She read it three times and when she knew it by heart, she put the fish into the kettle of soup, for they might as well eat it. She never wasted anything.
The reindeer told her his own story first, and then little Gerda"s. The Finn woman winked a knowing eye, but she didn"t say anything.
"You are such a wise woman," said the reindeer, "I know that you can tie all the winds of the world together with a bit of cotton thread. If the sailor unties one knot he gets a favorable wind. If he unties another he gets a stiff gale, while if he unties the third and fourth knots such a tempest rages that it flattens the trees in the forest. Won"t you give this little girl something to drink that will make her as strong as twelve men, so that she may overpower the Snow Queen?"
"Twelve strong men," the Finn woman sniffed. " Much good that would be."
She went to the shelf, took down a big rolled-up skin, and unrolled it. On this skin strange characters were written, and the Finn woman read them until the sweat rolled down her forehead.
The reindeer again begged her to help Gerda, and little Gerda looked at her with such tearful, imploring eyes, that the woman began winking again. She took the reindeer aside in a corner, and while she was putting another piece of ice on his head she whispered to him:
"Little Kay is indeed with the Snow Queen, and everything there just suits him fine. He thinks it is the best place in all the world, but that"s because he has a splinter of glass in his heart and a small piece of it in his eye. Unless these can be gotten out, he will never be human again, and the Snow Queen will hold him in her power."
"But can"t you fix little Gerda something to drink which will give her more power than all those things?"
"No power that I could give could be as great as that which she already has. Don"t you see how men and beasts are compelled to serve her, and how far she has come in the wide world since she started out in her naked feet? We mustn"t tell her about this power. Strength lies in her heart, because she is such a sweet, innocent child. If she herself cannot reach the Snow Queen and rid little Kay of those pieces of glass, then there"s no help that we can give her. The Snow Queen"s garden lies about eight miles from here. You may carry the little girl there, and put her down by the big bush covered with red berries that grows on the snow. Then don"t you stand there gossiping, but hurry to get back here."?
The Finn woman lifted little Gerda onto the reindeer, and he galloped away as fast as he could.
"Oh!" cried Gerda, "I forgot my boots and I forgot my mittens." She soon felt the need of them in that knife-like cold, but the reindeer did not dare to stop. He galloped on until they came to the big bush that was covered with red berries. Here he set Gerda down and kissed her on the mouth, while big shining tears ran down his face. Then he ran back as fast as he could. Little Gerda stood there without boots and without mittens, right in the middle of icy Finmark.
She ran as fast as ever she could. A whole regiment of snowflakes swirled toward her, but they did not fall from the sky, for there was not a cloud up there, and the Northern Lights were ablaze.
The flakes skirmished along the ground, and the nearer they came the larger they grew. Gerda remembered how large and strange they had appeared when she looked at them under the magnifying glass. But here they were much more monstrous and terrifying. They were alive. They were the Snow Queen"s advance guard, and their shapes were most strange. Some looked like ugly, overgrown porcupines. Some were like a knot of snakes that stuck out their heads in every direction, and others were like fat little bears with every hair a-bristle. All of them were glistening white, for all were living snowflakes.
It was so cold that, as little Gerda said the Lord"s Prayer, she could see her breath freezing in front of her mouth, like a cloud of smoke. It grew thicker and thicker, and took the shape of little angels that grew bigger and bigger the moment they touched the ground. All of them had helmets on their heads and they carried shields and lances in their hands. Rank upon rank, they increased, and when Gerda had finished her prayer she was surrounded by a legion of angels. They struck the dread snowflakes with their lances and shivered them into a thousand pieces. Little Gerda walked on, unmolested and cheerful. The angels rubbed her hands and feet to make them warmer, and she trotted briskly along to the Snow Queen"s palace.
But now let us see how little Kay was getting on. Little Gerda was furthest from his mind, and he hadn"t the slightest idea that she was just outside the palace.
The walls of the palace were driven snow. The windows and doors were the knife-edged wind. There were more than a hundred halls, shaped as the snow had drifted, and the largest of these extended for many a mile. All were lighted by the flare of the Northern Lights. All of the halls were so immense and so empty, so brilliant and so glacial! There was never a touch of gaiety in them; never so much as a little dance for the polar bears, at which the storm blast could have served for music, and the polar bears could have waddled about on their hind legs to show off their best manners. There was never a little party with such games as blind-bear"s buff or hide the paw-kerchief for the cubs, nor even a little afternoon coffee over which the white fox vixens could gossip. Empty, vast, and frigid were the Snow Queen"s halls. The Northern Lights flared with such regularity that you could time exactly when they would be at the highest and lowest. In the middle of the vast, empty hall of snow was a frozen lake. It was cracked into a thousand pieces, but each piece was shaped so exactly like the others that it seemed a work of wonderful craftsmanship. The Snow Queen sat in the exact center of it when she was at home, and she spoke of this as sitting on her "Mirror of Reason." She said this mirror was the only one of its kind, and the best thing in all the world.
Little Kay was blue, yes, almost black, with the cold. But he did not feel it, because the Snow Queen had kissed away his icy tremblings, and his heart itself had almost turned to ice.
He was shifting some sharp, flat pieces of ice to and fro, trying to fit them into every possible pattern, for he wanted to make something with them. It was like the Chinese puzzle game that we play at home, juggling little flat pieces of wood about into special designs. Kay was cleverly arranging his pieces in the game of ice-cold reason. To him the patterns were highly remarkable and of the utmost importance, for the chip of glass in his eye made him see them that way. He arranged his pieces to spell out many words; but he could never find the way to make the one word he was so eager to form. The word was "Eternity." The Snow Queen had said to him, "If you can puzzle that out you shall be your own master, and I"ll give you the whole world and a new pair of skates." But he could not puzzle it out.
"Now I am going to make a flying trip to the warm countries," the Snow Queen told him. "I want to go and take a look into the black caldrons." She meant the volcanos of Etna and Vesuvius. "I must whiten them up a bit. They need it, and it will be such a relief after all those yellow lemons and purple grapes."
And away she flew. Kay sat all alone in that endless, empty, frigid hall, and puzzled over the pieces of ice until he almost cracked his skull. He sat so stiff and still that one might have thought he was frozen to death.
All of a sudden, little Gerda walked up to the palace through the great gate which was a knife-edged wind. But Gerda said her evening prayer. The wind was lulled to rest, and the little girl came on into the vast, cold, empty hall. Then she saw Kay. She recognized him at once, and ran to throw her arms around him. She held him close and cried, "Kay, dearest little Kay! I"ve found you at last!"
But he sat still, and stiff, and cold. Gerda shed hot tears, and when they fell upon him they went straight to his heart. They melted the lump of ice and burned away the splinter of glass in it. He looked up at her, and she sang:
"Where roses bloom so sweetly in the vale,
There shall you find the Christ Child, without fail."
Kay burst into tears. He cried so freely that the little piece of glass in his eye was washed right out. "Gerda!" He knew her, and cried out in his happiness, "My sweet little Gerda, where have you been so long? And where have I been?" He looked around him and said, "How cold it is here! How enormous and empty!" He held fast to Gerda, who laughed until happy tears rolled down her cheeks. Their bliss was so heavenly that even the bits of glass danced about them and shared in their happiness. When the pieces grew tired, they dropped into a pattern which made the very word that the Snow Queen had told Kay he must find before he became his own master and received the whole world and a new pair of skates.
Gerda kissed his cheeks, and they turned pink again. She kissed his eyes, and they sparkled like hers. She kissed his hands and feet, and he became strong and well. The Snow Queen might come home now whenever she pleased, for there stood the order for Kay"s release, written in letters of shining ice.
Hand in hand, Kay and Gerda strolled out of that enormous palace. They talked about Grandmother, and about the roses on their roof. Wherever they went, the wind died down and the sun shone out. When they came to the bush that was covered with red berries, the reindeer was waiting to meet them. He had brought along a young reindeer mate who had warm milk for the children to drink, and who kissed them on the mouth. Then these reindeer carried Gerda and Kay first to the Finn woman. They warmed themselves in her hot room, and when she had given them directions for their journey home they rode on to the Lapp woman. She had made them new clothes, and was ready to take them along in her sleigh.
Side by side, the reindeer ran with them to the limits of the North country, where the first green buds were to be seen. Here they said good-by to the two reindeer and to the Lapp woman. "Farewell," they all said.
Now the first little birds began to chirp, and there were green buds all around them in the forest. Through the woods came riding a young girl on a magnificent horse that Gerda recognized, for it had once been harnessed to the golden carriage. The girl wore a bright red cap on her head, and a pair of pistols in her belt. She was the little robber girl, who had grown tired of staying at home, and who was setting out on a journey to the North country. If she didn"t like it there, why, the world was wide, and there were many other places where she could go. She recognized Gerda at once, and Gerda knew her too. It was a happy meeting.
"You"re a fine one for gadding about," she told little Kay. "I"d just like to know whether you deserve to have someone running to the end of the earth for your sake."
But Gerda patted her cheek and asked her about the Prince and the Princess.
"They are traveling in foreign lands," the girl told her.
"Oh, the crow is dead," she answered. "His tame ladylove is now a widow, and she wears a bit of black wool wrapped around her leg. She takes great pity on herself, but that"s all stuff and nonsense. Now tell me what has happened to you and how you caught up with Kay."
Gerda and Kay told her their story.
"Snip snap snurre, basse lurre," said the robber girl. "So everything came out all right." She shook them by the hand, and promised that if ever she passed through their town she would come to see them. And then she rode away.
Kay and Gerda held each other by the hand. And as they walked along they had wonderful spring weather. The land was green and strewn with flowers, church bells rang, and they saw the high steeples of a big town. It was the one where they used to live. They walked straight to Grandmother"s house, and up the stairs, and into the room, where everything was just as it was when they left it. And the clock said tick-tock, and its hands were telling the time. But the moment they came in the door they noticed one change. They were grown-up now.
The roses on the roof looked in at the open window, and their two little stools were still out there. Kay and Gerda sat down on them, and held each other by the hand. Both of them had forgotten the icy, empty splendor of the Snow Queen"s palace as completely as if it were some bad dream. Grandmother sat in God"s good sunshine, reading to them from her Bible:
"Except ye become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven."
Kay and Gerda looked into each other"s eyes, and at last they understood the meaning of their old hymn:
"Where roses bloom so sweetly in the vale,
There shall you find the Christ Child, without fail."
And they sat there, grown-up, but children still-children at heart. And it was summer, warm, glorious summer.
Soyuzmultfilm Moscow 1957 THE SNOW QUEEN Based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen Screenplay: L. Grebner, L. Atamanov, N. Erdman Poems: N. Zabolotsky Song Lyrics: M. Svetlov Directed by: L. Atamanov Art Directors: A. Vinokurov, I. Shvartsman Assistant Director: N. Fedorov Director of Photography: M. Druyan Composer: A. Aivasyan Sound: N. Prilutsky Editor: L. Kyaksht Animators: F. Khitruk, E. Khludova, K. Chikin, R. Mirenkova, T. Fyodorova, V. Krumin, L. Reztsova, V. Likhachev, I. Podgorsky, V. Dolgikh, E. Komova, G. Novozhilov Animators" Assistants: B. Korneev, L. Model, A. Dudnikov Director"s Assistants: V. Shilina, L. Goryacheva, N. Orlova Camera Operator"s Assistants: N. Klimova, E. Rizo Background Painters: I. Svetlitsa, O. Gemmerling, P. Korobayev, D. Anpilov Production Manager: F. Ivanov Parts voiced by: Ole-Lukoie: V. Gribkov Gerda: Y. Zheimo Kay: A. Komolova Snow Queen: M. Babanova Little Robber Girl: G. Kozhakina Hans Christian Andersen "Fairy Tales and Stories" Wait. Wait. First umbrella. Second umbrella. Hmm. Hans Christian Andersen "Fairy Tales and Stories" Well, hello there. I"m very glad to see you. Hello to you too, dear friend of all the children in the world, Hans Christian Andersen. Birds, flowers, chairs, and even this old cupboard... all told him their fairy tales and stories. He learned a few tales from me as well. He said about me, "No one in the world knows more fairy tales than Ole-Lukoie." Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ole-Lukoie. The ancients used to call me the God of Dreams. But judge for yourself... do I really look like a god? I"m just a little man who works magic. At nights, when your lay your head on your pillow and get under your blanket, I creep up on tiptoe to each of you and blow gently on the back of your head... When I do that, you shut your eyes and you... fall asleep. Then I open my little umbrella... this one, with all the colors, over all the good, kind children. Then I twirl it just like this... and all night long they dream about wonderful fairy tales! This is the other umbrella. It"s for the naughty children. I open it and they fall asleep as well, but they just lie there like logs and don"t have any dreams at all. But since I have no doubt that all of you are very good, nice, obedient, and you aren"t bullies or lazybones, I"ll tell you a wonderful fairy tale. Listen and watch. In front of you is an ancient town. Gerda, Gerda, you are watering the street. Oh, what have I done? Good thing that he didn"t look up. There isn"t a cloud in the sky! Look, look! A swallow brought a little flower. Yes. I want to give you a present too. Here, I grew it for you. And I grew this one for you, Gerda. Thank you. Kay, let"s plant them in one pot. All right. Like that. And let them be inseparable. Just like us. - And let them be friends. - Just like us. And let them love each other. And let them love each other, - just like us. - Yes. - Kay! - Gerda! I"m coming! I"m coming! Goodbye, Gerda. Goodbye, Kay. They loved each other very much. During summer they played in their airy garden, and when the rains began, followed by winter with its long nights, Kay visited Gerda, and Gerda"s grandmother told the children fairy tales. How marvelous it is, children, to listen to the logs crackling on the fire when it"s cold out! Look, the snow is falling again, and every snowflake is like a little white bee. Grandmother, tell us, where do these white bee snowflakes come from? From the north. They fly here over cold seas, in icy winds, through blizzards and fogs. They are loyal servants of the Snow Queen. An ice palace stands there. The Snow Queen herself lives in that palace. Is she beautiful? Words cannot describe how beautiful she is. She"s made entirely of ice, of brilliant, sparkling ice, but she"s alive. Her eyes shine like
Старая сказка на новый лад. Погружение в сказочную атмосферу накануне волшебного Рождества – это всегда ожидание чуда и встреча с любимыми героями произведений. И когда эта встреча проходит в непринужденной обстановке драматизации с детства знакомых сказок, а с хорошо известными персонажами происходят совершено неожиданные события – это несомненно вызывает живой интерес зрителей. В нашей школе с углубленным изучением английского языка проведение общешкольных внеклассных мероприятий уже давно стало доброй традицией, которую с удовольствием поддерживают и сами учащиеся и учителя, помогающие им в проведении таких мероприятий. Зачастую в написании таких сценариев задействованы и актеры, и постановщики и творческий процесс никого не оставляет равнодушным.
Школьный театр на английском языке
Сценарий Рождественского мероприятия “ The Snow Queen ”
для обучающихся 8-11 классов
2) Ольхова Татьяна Климовна
Старая сказка на новый лад. Погружение в сказочную атмосферу накануне волшебного Рождества – это всегда ожидание чуда и встреча с любимыми героями произведений. И когда эта встреча проходит в непринужденной обстановке драматизации с детства знакомых сказок, а с хорошо известными персонажами происходят совершено неожиданные события – это несомненно вызывает живой интерес зрителей. В нашей школе с углубленным изучением английского языка проведение общешкольных внеклассных мероприятий уже давно стало доброй традицией, которую с удовольствием поддерживают и сами учащиеся и учителя, помогающие им в проведении таких мероприятий. Зачастую в написании таких сценариев задействованы и актеры, и постановщики и творческий процесс никого не оставляет равнодушным.
Цели: 1. Повышение эффективности учебно- воспитательного процесса
2. Разнообразие и внедрение проектных методов работы при обучении английскому языку
3. Повышение межкультурной грамотности, образовательного уровня и положительной мотивации обучающихся к изучению английского языка
4. Расширение знаний по страноведению англоговорящих стран
Задачи: Совершенствование устных речевых навыков
Воспитание уважительного отношения к англоязычной культуре
Развитие коллективно- творческих и эстетических способностей обучающихся
Развитие культуры публичного выступления и сценического поведения
Обучающихся
The characters:
The children: Every year at Christmas time
We can hear the Church Bells’ chime
They ring out at Christmas morn
For that’s the day when Jesus was born
And each year from Heaven above
A special angel brings us his love!
(на сцене появляется группа певцов исполняющих песню Ding! Dong! Ding!)
Интермедия I
The Snowman: From the earliest childhood
All of us hear
A plenty of fairy tales
Of X-mas and New Year.
Robin: We know all the heroes,
The change of events
Leads the curious listeners
To the familiar ends.
The Snowman: This time it will differ.
Please, follow the play!
You’ll enjoy an old story
Retold in a new way.
Robin: We are almost sure
That the new adaptation
Will not be worse
Than the real creation.
(Занавес открывается)
Scene 1
Gerda: Oh, Granny, look at our Christmas tree. Don’t you find it very bright?
Granny: Yes, dear, it looks very attractive.
Gerda: Kay, I’m so eager to celebrate this wonderful holiday. And what do you expect from Christmas?
Kay: Cards and presents, good things to eat, trimmings and decorations, carols and nativity plays, crackers and pantomimes. Granny, and what does Christmas mean to you?
Granny: For me it firstly means “Christ Mess”, the church service at which people give praise and glory to God.
Gerda: By the way do you chance to know when people began to mark this holiday?
Kay: Oh, yes, it would be very interesting to learn how it all started.
Granny: You know, kids, when I was little I also asked my Granny this question and she told me that people began to celebrate Christmas after the birth of Jesus, God’s son. About two hundred years ago an angel appeared to shepherds and told them that a Saviour had been born to Mary and Josef in a stable in Bethlehem. Three wise men from the East followed a wondrous star, which led them to the baby Jesus to whom they paid homage and presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
(занавес закрывается)
(на сцене вновь группа певцов с песней “Jesus is our Saviour”)
(занавес открывается)
Kay: Well, Gerda, don’t forget to put our stockings near the fireplace.
Gerda: You are right, Kay, it’s the most important thing as Santa Clause will put there the presents for us.
Kay: Let’s search for the biggest stockings. I want to get more presents.
(занавес закрывается)
(на сцене появляется Санта Клаус в импровизированных санях, в которые запряжен красноносый олень Рудольф)
Scene 2
Santa Claus : Hey, Hey, Let’s hurry my dear Rudolph, as Christmas is coming and we have to deliver all the presents for children.
Rudolph: Don’t forget that I am Red Nosed Rudolph and not a common horse. I’d ask you to treat me with respect and would you mind addressing me like Mr. Rudolph. And I mean you to say at least “please”.
Santa Clause : Ok. Ok, Mr. Rudolph. Be quick, please.
Snow Queen: Don’t hurry, dear, you always try to slip away from me, but this time you will not manage it! Let me have a look into your big sack. Don’t you have a present for me?
Santa Claus: Well, I think it was something there for you.
Snow Queen: Something, something… I want something special! I see nothing in your dusty sack with lots of holes.
Santa Claus: Oh, yes, yes, perhaps your present slid through one of those holes.
Rudolf: Your old brainless elves forgot to mend it as usually.
Santa Claus: Shut up, you, a speedy cow! It was your fault. You were flying like an arrow and we didn’t notice when Snow Queen’s present was lost.
Snow Queen: Well, I knew it! It’s your ordinary lame excuse! Nothing again. No miracle, no wonder, no surprise! If no presents for me then no presents for all the others. You, old greedy man, will follow me to my Ice Palace. There I’ll lock you in the cage until I get a real holiday.
Santa Claus: And how do expect to get it?
Snow Queen: I’m tired of always being alone. I want lots of presents, X-mas fun and a real X-mas tree.
Snow Queen: And, you, a speedy cow, will first take us to the Palace where you’ll entertain me with Christmas carols.
Rudolph: Oh, dear! I’m afraid my songs will hardly please you, as I have no musical ear. I’d better show you deer break dance.
Snow Queen: Off we go!!!
Проезжая мимо детей, лепящих снеговика на сцене Снежная королева произносит:
No presents for you, silly chickens, this year. I captured your stupid Santa with all gifts for you!
(занавес открывается)
(сцена с Каем и Гердой у камина, вбегают испуганные дети)
Scene 3
Girl: What are you doing here?
Gerda: We are waiting for Santa Claus with presents.
Boy: But you’ll not get them!
Kay: Why do you say so?
Girl: We’ve just seen Snow Queen stealing Santa Clause!
Gerda: Oh, My Lord, what is she going to do with him?
Boy: I think nothing good! Everybody knows she’s very cruel
Kay: She can spoil the whole holiday.
Girl: Poor Santa Claus, he won’t be able to resist such a mean woman.
Boy: We have to undertake something. I’m sure someone should rescue him. Who will dare?
Girl: Oh, no, I’m so frightened. The Snow Queen can turn us into ice!
Boy: And my Mom will not let me go for so long! I’ve heard that the Snow Queen lives far in the North.
Gerda: And I’m not afraid of cold and hardships. I’ve got a very warm sweater, which my Granny knitted, for me.
Kay: And besides we are not going to ask for the permission. We are starting just now.
Gerda: Tell our Grandma not to worry.
Kay: I’m sure it will not take us long to defeat this evil ice-cream maker. You know I’m brave and strong enough to put an end to her mean tricks.
Boy: See you soon.
Girl: We wish you good luck!
(Занавес закрывается)
Интермедия II
Snowman: Kay and Gerda are starting
The way to the North
Where they wish
To save Santa Clause
Robin: But at first they happen
To go to France
To learn Christmas traditions
They will have a chance
(занавес открывается)
(сценка на французском языке)
(занавес закрывается)
Snowman: The adventures of friends
Go on and this time
We can meet them in England
They’ll stop for a while
Robin: Here we see that
The Prince and Princess
Welcome them heartily
As the dearest guests.
(Замерзшие Кай и Герда бредут между елочками в лесу. Слышится завывание метели. За ними наблюдают вороны Карл и Клара)
Scene 4
Kay: Poor Gerda, Are you cold? Your eyelashes are covered with snow.
Gerda: Yes, I’m completely frozen. I can hardly move my feet.
Kay: And my cheeks are flaming. My hands are almost turned into icicles.
Carl: Dear Clara! Look at these lonely kids. When it’s time to sit near a cosy fireplace and wait for the X-mas to come they are strolling in this dark and snowy forest.
Clara: You are right, dear! It’s not the best weather for walking.
Carl: By the way, honey, look at that shiny thing you stole from our Prince. How is it called? It had slipped off my head… Frostmometre? Car, car…
Clara: As usually you’re mixing everything. It’s called a thermometer and it shows 30 below zero.
Carl: Unbelievable! It had never happen in our kingdom before! Such a frost, such a frost!
Clara: Dear children, what are you doing here at such a late hour?
Kay: We need to get to the Palace…
Clara: Poor things, they are so cold that they can hardly utter a word. You heard, Carl, they need to get to the Palace. Let’ help them.
Carl: Oh, yes, let’s take them to the Palace immediately.
(занавес открывается)
(сцена во дворце, где принц и принцесса радушно принимают Кая с Гердой)
Scene 5
Prince: You are welcome to our Palace!
Princess: We’ll be sincerely glad if you agree to join our celebration.
Gerda: Thanks a lot for your invitation, but…
Prince: You’re just on time cause soon the clock will strike twelve and Christmas will come.
Princess: And according to our English tradition all those who love each other should kiss under the wreath of mistletoe to find happiness in marriage…
Kay: You see we’re not going to marry…
Gerda: We are much obliged to you, but…
Princess: Well, and after the clock striking Santa Claus will bring each of us his wonderful presents.
Prince: We are looking forward this moment, as it is the most exciting one!
Kay: Let me tell you at last that we’ll fail to get presents from Santa this year.
Prince: Why? You don’t say so!
Princess: What’s the matter? I can’t believe my ears.
Gerda: The Snow Queen has stolen him.
Princess: Such disappointing news!
Prince: Are you going to say that I will not receive a microscope for my scientific research?
Princess: Your miserable tropical orange- green cockroaches again will remain uninvestigated!
Kay: You, see, we are on our way to the Palace of Snow Queen.
Gerda: We’ll try to set Santa Claus free.
Princess: What brave children! Can we help you anyway?
Prince: But the Palace is quite far from here. Let’s give them our best one-horse golden sleigh.
Princess: OK, You’re so noble and generous!
Kay: Thank you very much. We have to hurry. Be quick, Gerda!
Gerda: You are so kindhearted as soon as we rescue Santa Claus we will remind him of your microscope.
Princess: And where will you go now?
Prince: You’d better go to Scotland, it’s the quickest way to the North Pole. Let’s see them off.
Princess: Hope to meet you soon.
(Кай и Герда вместе с ребятами исполняют танец с санями под песню Jingle Bells)
Scene6
(Сцена в домике разбойников)
Snowman: Once again the brave children
Are ready to cope
With hardships and problems
And they’ll manage, we hope.
Robin: Scotland lies on the way of the kids
Kay and Gerda will meet the bandits
As First Foot they’re treated
But can’t stay so long
For the play should continue
Snowman and Robin: THE SHOW MUST GO ON.
Gerda: Stop! Stop! Let’s have a little rest. I’m so tired
Kay: Yes, we’ve covered quite a long distance.
Gerda: I see the light over there.
Kay: no reply. Let’s come inside…
The bandits: First foot! First foot!
Little bandit: You only look at this imprudent girl. How did you dare to cross the threshold of our house?
Her Mother: Seize these plain little things!
Kay: What’s up? Take your hands off my Gerda!
Gerda: We did nothing bad. Why do you want to seize us?
Little Bandit: You are asking, are you? You’ve ruined an old Scottish tradition of first Foot.
Gerda: You say First Foot? We’ve never heard about it.
Little Bandit: Don’t you know that the first visitor is very important for the hosts of the house in Scotland at Christmas time?
Kay: And why?
Little Bandit: Because the first visitor as we call him the First foot must be a true luck-bringer.
Gerda: And why do you think that I can’t bring luck to you?
Her Mother: But you are a girl.
Kay: And what?
Little Bandit: But it must be a healthy young good-looking boy. He must have black hair.
Kay: You are not fair. We came in together. Let’s consider that I was your first foot.
Little Bandit: if so, then you’re welcome to our Christmas rock concert. And do not reject! Or I’ll bite off your noses!
(выступление рок группы, под музыку которой веселятся все разбойники, а Кай с Гердой сидят в сторонке )
Her Mother: Look! Your guests are sitting with sour grimaces. Bump their heads to make them smile wider.
Little Bandit: You seem not to like my cool music. We robbed dozens of rich men to pay for this concert.
Gerda: You are mistaken! We like everything, but we have to leave you
Kay: And as soon as possible!
Little Bandit: Really? Any problems?
Kay: we must save Santa Claus from Snow Queen.
Gerda: Otherwise the children will not get the presents for Christmas and even for the New Year.
Little Bandit: Phee! I’ve never received the presents from this sickly marasmatic. I always take everything I want myself.
Kay: But the other children can’t afford themselves to do it.
Her Mother: Well, you’re a bore. Dear daughter, turn them out and we’ll continue our fun without these tiresome crybabies.
Little Bandit: OK. As you were our first foot we must receive you with hospitality and treat to tasty things!
Her mother: Hey, Donatello, fetch those stale mince pies which we forgot to eat last Christmas.
Donatello: Here you are, my boss!
Little bandit: And you will give me your nice muff.
Gerda: With great pleasure! Take it and let us go!
Kay: bye-bye!
(занавес закрывается)
Scene7
Snowman: Just over the snowy hill can be seen
The Palace of fearsome Snow Queen.
Robin: The heroes approach the ice-covered land
And soon we’ll be able to see happy end.
(Кай с Гердой проходят мимо чума в котором сидит лапландка )
Kay : Dear Lady, would you show us the way to the Snow Queen’s Palace?
The old woman: It’s quite near here, just beyond the hill.
Gerda: Have you seen her recently?
The old woman: I saw her the other day riding Red-nosed deer. And she was not alone. There I noticed a man in a red jacket who looked rather sad.
Kay: Then let’s follow them…
(занавес открывается)
Scene8
(сцена во дворце Снежной Королевы, где за ледяной решеткой сидит Санта Клаус )
Santa Claus: Well, old chap, play your sweet heart-braking melody on your sax for me. It just tunes my mood. For the first time in my life I’m celebrating X-mas in such a way.
(Пингвин исполняет грустную мелодию на саксофоне . Слушая эту мелодию Королева начинает плакать)
Snow Queen : I’m so lonely. Nobody loves me. Nobody gives me presents. Nobody decorates Christmas tree for me…
(входят Кай и Герда)
Gerda : Incredible! I’ve never thought before that such a pitiless lady cries so bitterly.
Kay: Stop crying! We invite you to our Christmas party. Let Santa Claus out and we’ll go back home together.
Gerda: You’ll not be alone any more. We’ll have fun, sing songs, and recite the poems.
Snow Queen: Well, it sounds good. For the last 125 years I’m sick and tired of keeping a solitary life. Let’s start the celebration without any delay.
(все участники спектакля выходят на сцену и под песню “Last Christmas” проходит их представление публике)
