| Far out in the country
there was an ancient manor house. The squire who lived in it
had two sons. Both of them were so clever that they could answer
more questions than anyone would care to ask them. They decided
to propose to the princess; this they dared do because the princess
had officially proclaimed that she would marry the man in her
kingdom who spoke most wittily. |
Ude paa Landet var der
en gammel Gaard, og i den var der en gammel Herremand, som havde
to Sønner, der vare saa vittige, at det Halve var nok; de vilde
frie til Kongens Datter og det turde de, for hun havde ladet
kundgjøre at hun vilde tage til Mand, den, hun fandt bedst kunde
tale for sig. |
| They had only a week
to prepare themselves, but that was enough, for they were well
educated and that is an advantage. One of them knew by heart
the Latin dictionary and the town newspaper for the last three
years, and that backward as well as forward. The other one had
memorized all the guild laws and regulations, even the ones
that most guild masters had never heard about. He felt that
this enabled him to discourse on politics; besides that, he
could embroider suspenders, for he was artistic. |
De To forberedte sig
nu i otte Dage, det var den længste Tid de havde til det, men
det var ogsaa nok, for de havde Forkundskaber og de ere nyttige.
Den Ene kunde udenad hele det latinske Lexicon og Byens Avis
for tre Aar, og det baade forfra og bagfra; den Anden havde
gjort sig bekjendt med alle Laugs-Artiklerne og hvad hver Oldermand
maatte vide, saa kunde han tale med om Staten, meente han, dernæst
forstod han ogsaa at brodere Seler, for han var fiin og fingernem. |
| "I will win the princess!"
said both of them. Their father gave them each a horse; the
son who knew the dictionary and the newspapers by heart was
given a black one; the embroiderer and expert on guild laws,
one as white as milk. Now they greased their jaws with cod liver
oil in order to be able to speak even faster than usually; and
then they were ready to depart. All the servants were lined
up to wave good-by. Just as the two brothers were mounting their
horses, their younger brother came running out of the house.
I haven't mentioned him before because no one thought anything
of him, and he wasn't really considered part of the family.
He was not a scholar like the other two, and that is why they
called him Clod Hans. |
"Jeg faaer Kongedatteren!"
sagde de begge To, og saa gav deres Fader dem hver en deilig
Hest; han, som kunde Lexiconet og Aviserne fik en kulsort, og
han, som var oldermands-klog og broderede fik en melkehvid,
og saa smurte de sig i Mundvigerne med Levertran, forat de kunde
blive mere smidige. Alle Tjenestefolkene vare nede i Gaarden
for at see dem stige til Hest; i det samme kom den tredie Broder,
for der var tre, men der var Ingen der regnede ham med, som
Broder, for han havde ikke saadan Lærdom som de To, og ham kaldte
de bare Klods-Hans. |
| "You are all dressed
up, where are you going?" shouted Clod Hans. |
"Hvor skal I hen siden
I er i Stadstøiet?" spurgte han. |
| "To the king's castle,
to win the princess by our wit. Havent you heard what the drums
have announced and the herald proclaimed?" one of them asked;
and the other brother told Hans of the princess' decision to
marry the man who could speak most wittily. |
"Til Hove for at snakke
os Kongedatteren til! har Du ikke hørt hvad Trommen gaaer om
over hele Landet!" og saa fortalte de ham det. |
| "Goodness me! I am going
too!" declared Clod Hans while his brothers laughed and rode
off. |
"Hille den, saa maa
jeg nok med!" sagde Klods-Hans og Brødrene loe af ham og red
afsted. |
| "Father, let me have
a horse!" he shouted. "I have just decided to get married. If
she takes me, well and good. If she doesnt, then I will take
her." |
"Fader, lad mig faae
en Hest!" raabte Klods-Hans. "Jeg faaer saadan en Lyst til at
gifte mig. Ta'er hun mig, saa ta'er hun mig! og ta'er hun mig
ikke, saa ta'er jeg hende alligevel!" |
| "Nonsense!" said the
father. "I will not give you a horse; you can't speak well;
you have no wit. You're not even presentable!" |
"Det er noget Snak!"
sagde Faderen, "Dig giver jeg ingen Hest. Du kan jo ikke tale!
nei, Brødrene det er Stads-Karle!" |
| "Well, if I can't have
a horse," laughed Clod Hans, "then I will take the billy goat;
that is mine and I can ride it." Up he jumped on the billy goat,
dug his heels into its sides, and away he rode. The goat ran
as fast as it could and Clod Hans sang and shouted as loud as
he could: "Here am! here am I!" |
"Maa jeg ingen Hest
faae!" sagde Klods-Hans, "saa ta'er jeg Gedebukken, den er min
egen, og den kan godt bære mig!" og saa satte han sig skrævs
over Gedebukken, stak sine Hæle i Siden paa den og foer afsted
hen ad Landeveien. Hui! hvor det gik. "Her kommer jeg!" sagde
Klods-Hans, og saa sang han saa at det skingrede efter. |
| His two brothers did
not say a word to each other. They were too busy getting witty
ideas. They rode so sedately you might think they were attending
a funeral. |
Men Brødrene red ganske
stille forud; de talte ikke et Ord, de maatte tænke over paa
alle de gode Indfald, de vilde komme med, for det skulde nu
være saa udspekuleret! |
| "Hello! Hello!" shouted
Hans as soon as he caught up with them. "Here am I! And look
what I found in the middle of the road!" He held up a dead crow
for them to look at. |
"Halehoi!" raabte Klods-Hans,
"her kommer jeg! see hvad jeg fandt paa Landeveien!" og saa
viste han dem en død Krage, han havde fundet! |
| "Clod!" they said. "And
what are you going to do with that?" |
"Klods!" sagde de, "hvad
vil Du med den?" |
| "Give it to the princess!" |
"Den vil jeg forære
til Kongedatteren!" |
| "You do just that!"
they laughed, and rode on a little bit faster, for they didn't
want to be seen in company with their brother. |
"Ja, gjør Du det!" sagde
de, loe og red videre. |
| "Hello, hello, here
I am again. Look what I have found! It is not every day that
one stumbles across such a treasure!" |
"Halehoi! her kommer
jeg! see, hvad jeg nu har fundet, det finder man ikke hver Dag
paa Landeveien!" |
| The two brothers turned
around in their saddles to see what their little brother had
now. "Clod!" they said. "It is only an old wooden shoe and broken
at that. Are you going to give that to the princess too?" |
Og Brødrene vendte om
igjen for at see hvad det var. "Klods!" sagde de, "det er jo
en gammel Træsko, som Overstykket er gaaet af! skal Kongedatteren
ogsaa ha' den?" |
| "I certainly will!"
declared Hans, while his brothers laughed and spurred their
horses. |
"Det skal hun!" sagde
Klods-Hans; og Brødrene loe og de red og de kom langt forud. |
| "Hello, hello! Here
am I!" screamed Clod Hans a little while later. "It is too marvelous,
just look!" |
"Halehoi! her er jeg!"
raabte Klods-Hans; "nei, nu bliver det værre og værre! halehoi!
det er mageløst!" |
| "What have you found
now?" asked the brothers. |
"Hvad har Du nu fundet!"
sagde Brødrene. |
| "Oh!" sighed Hans. "Can
you imagine how pleased the princess will be?" |
"0!" sagde Klods-Hans,
"det er ikke til at tale om! hvor hun vil blive glad, Kongedatteren!" |
| "Ugh!" exclaimed his
brothers. "Why, it is only mud from a ditch." |
"Uh!" sagde Brødrene,
"det er jo Pludder der er kastet lige op af Grøften!" |
| "Yes, that is exactly
what it is," agreed Hans, "but of the very best quality, the
kind that slips right through your fingers. I have filled my
pockets with it." |
"Ja det er det!" sagde
Klods-Hans, "og det er den fineste Slags, man kan ikke holde
paa den!" og saa fyldte han Lommen. |
| This time the brothers
did not laugh, they just rode as fast as they could and arrived
at the city gate a whole hour before Clod Hans. Everyone who
had come to propose to the princess was given a number and had
to line up in a row. They stood so close together that they
couldn't move their arms; and that was fortunate, for otherwise
they would have torn each other's eyes out, just because one
had got there ahead of the other. |
Men Brødrene red alt
hvad Tøiet kunde holde, og saa kom de en heel Time forud og
holdt ved Byens Port, og der fik Frierne Nummer eftersom de
kom, og blev sat i Række, sex i hvert Geled og saa tæt at de
ikke kunde røre Armene, og det var nu meget godt, for ellers
havde de sprættet Rygstykkerne op paa hverandre, bare fordi
den Ene stod foran den Anden. |
| All the other citizens
of the town crowded around the castle and tried to look through
the windows; they wanted to watch the princess receiving her
suitors. But as each of them entered the royal hall, he seemed
to lose his tongue, for all of them could only stammer and mutter. |
Alle Landets øvrige
Indvaanere stode rundt om Slottet, lige op til Vinduerne for
at see Kongedatteren tage mod Frierne, og ligesom een af dem
kom ind i Stuen, slog Talegaven klik for ham. |
| "No good!" said the
princess every time. "Out!" |
"Duer ikke!" sagde Kongedatteren.
"Væk!" |
| The first of the brothers
entered, the one who knew the Latin dictionary and the newspapers
by heart; but he had forgotten every word of them while he stood
in the row with the other suitors. The floor creaked as he walked
across it, and the ceiling of the room was an enormous mirror
that reflected everything upside down. At one of the windows
stood three scribes and an alderman, who wrote down all that
was said, so that it could be printed in the newspaper, which
would be sold in the streets that very afternoon for twopence.
And if that was not frightening enough, the heat would have
made anyone uncomfortable; the stoves had red-hot potbellies. |
Nu kom den af Brødrene,
som kunde Lexiconet, men det havde han reent glemt ved at staae
i Række, og Gulvet knirkede og Loftet var af Speilglas, saa
at han saae sig selv paa Hovedet, og ved hvert Vindue stode
tre Skrivere og en Oldermand, der hver skrev op Alt hvad der
blev sagt, at det strax kunde komme i Avisen og sælges for to
Skilling paa Hjørnet. Det var frygteligt, og saa havde de fyret
saadan i Kakkelovnen, at den var rød i Tromlen! |
| "It is hot in here!"
said the unhappy suitor. |
"Det er en svær Varme
her er herinde!" sagde Frieren. |
| "That is because my
father is roasting roosters today," said the princess. |
"Det er fordi min Fader
i Dag steger Hanekyllinger!" sagde Kongedatteren. |
| "Bah!" That wasn't what
he had expected and there he stood with his mouth open. He wanted
to say something witty, but he couldn't. |
"Bæ!" der stod han,
den Tale havde han ikke ventet; ikke et Ord vidste han at sige,
for noget Morsomt vilde han have sagt. Bæ! |
| "No good!" said the
princess. "Out!" And outside he had to go. Now came the second
brother. |
"Duer ikke!" sagde Kongedatteren.
"Væk!" og saa maatte han afsted. Nu kom den anden Broder. |
| "It is terribly hot,"
he said. |
"Her er en forfærdelig
Hede!" - sagde han. |
| "Yes, we are roasting
roosters," said the princess. |
"Ja, vi stege Hanekyllinger
i Dag!" sagde Kongedatteren. |
| "What did--What?" mumbled
the poor man; and all the scribes wrote: "What did--what?" |
"Hvad be - hvad?" sagde
han, og alle Skriverne skrev Hvad be - hvad! |
| "No good!" said the
princess. "Out!" |
"Duer ikke!" sagde Kongedatteren.
"Væk!" |
| Now came Clod Hans.
He rode on his billy goat right into the royal hall. "Goodness
me, it is hot in here," he said. |
Nu kom Klods-Hans, han
red paa Gedebukken lige ind i Stuen. "Det var da en gloende
Hede!" sagde han. |
| "That is because I am
roasting roosters today," said the princess. |
"Det er fordi jeg steger
Hanekyllinger!" sagde Kongedatteren. |
| "That is fine," said
Clod Hans, "maybe I can get my crow fried as well." |
"Det var jo rart det!"
sagde Klods-Hans, "saa kan jeg vel faae en Krage stegt?" |
| "That might be possible,"
laughed the princess. "But do you have anything to fry it in?
All our pots and pans are in use." |
"Det kan De meget godt!"
sagde Kongedatteren, "men har De Noget at stege den i, for jeg
har hverken Potte eller Pande!" |
| "Sure, I have," said
Clod Hans, and held up the old wooden shoe. "Here is a pot to
put it in," and he dropped the crow into the broken shoe. |
"Men det har jeg!" sagde
Klods-Hans. "Her er Kogetøi med Tinkrampe!" og saa trak han
den gamle Træsko frem og satte Kragen midt i den. |
| "Why, it is enough for
a meal," said the princess, "but where are you going to get
the gravy?" |
"Det er til et heelt
Maaltid!" sagde Kongedatteren, "men hvor faae vi Dyppelse fra!" |
| "I've got pockets full
of it! So much that I have some to spare." And Clod Hans showed
her the mud. |
"Den har jeg i Lommen!"
sagde Klods-Hans. "Jeg har saa meget jeg kan spilde af det!"
og saa heldte han lidt Pludder af Lommen. |
| "That is what I like!"
exclaimed the princess. "Somebody who can speak up for himself.
I will marry you! But do you know that every word we have said
has been written down and will be printed in the newspaper?
At one of the windows stand three scribes and an old alderman,
and he is the worst, because he does not understand a word of
what anyone says." The princess said this to frighten Clod Hans,
and the scribes neighed like horses and shook their pens, so
blots of ink sprayed onto the floor. |
"Det kan jeg lide!"
sagde Kongedatteren, "Du kan da svare! og Du kan tale og Dig
vil jeg have til Mand! men veed Du, at hvert Ord vi sige og
har sagt, skrives op og kommer imorgen i Avisen! ved hvert Vindue
seer Du staae tre Skrivere og en gammel Oldermand, og Oldermanden
er den Værste for han kan ikke forstaae!" og det sagde hun nu
for at gjøre ham bange. Og alle Skriverne vrinskede og slog
en Blæk-Klat paa Gulvet. |
| "Well, if the alderman
is the most important, then he deserves the best!" shouted Clod
Hans, and took all the mud out of his pockets and threw it in
the old man's face. |
"Det er nok Herskabet!"
sagde Klods-Hans, "saa maa jeg give Oldermanden det Bedste!"
og saa vendte han sine Lommer og gav ham Pluddren i Ansigtet. |
| "That was nobly done!"
laughed the princess. "I couldn't have done it, but I am sure
I will learn how!" |
"Det var fiint gjort!"
sagde Kongedatteren, "det kunde jeg ikke have gjort! men jeg
skal nok lære det!" |
| Clod Hans married the
princess and became king. He sat on a throne with a crown on
his head. I got the story straight out of the alderman's newspaper
and that cannot be trusted. |
Og saa blev Klods-Hans
Konge, fik en Kone og en Krone og sad paa en Throne, og det
har vi lige ud af Oldermandens Avis - og den er ikke til at
stole paa! |