| Once upon a time there
was a little boy who had caught cold. He had got his feet wet,
and no one could imagine how, for the weather had been dry for
days. His mother undressed him and put him to bed; then she
took out the teapot to make elderberry tea, for that is such
a good remedy for colds. Just at that moment the pleasant old
man who had his lodgings on the top floor entered. He lived
completely alone, for he had neither wife nor children of his
own, but he was very fond of other people's children and knew
how to tell the most amusing fairy tales and stories. |
Der var engang en lille
Dreng, der var forkjølet; han havde gaaet og faaet vaade Fødder,
Ingen kunde begribe, hvor han havde faaet dem fra, thi det var
ganske tørt Veir. Nu klædte hans Moder ham af, bragte ham i
Seng og lod Theemaskinen komme ind, for at lave ham en god Kop
Hyldethee, for det varmer! I det samme kom ind ad Døren den
gamle morsomme Mand, som boede øverst oppe i Huset og levede
saa alene, for han havde hverken Kone eller Børn, men holdt
saa meget af alle Børn og vidste at fortælle saa mange Eventyr
og Historier, at det var en Lyst. |
| "Now drink your tea
like a good boy," said the mother, "and maybe you will be told
a story." |
"Nu drikker du din Thee!"
sagde Moderen, "maaskee faaer du saa et Eventyr." |
| "If I only knew one
that he hasn't heard already," said the old man, and nodded
kindly. "But tell me, how did the little fellow get his feet
wet?" |
"Ja naar man bare kunde
noget nyt!" sagde den gamle Mand og nikkede saa mildt. "Men
hvor har den lille faaet de vaade Fødder?" spurgte han. |
| "Where, indeed!" The
mother shook her head. "That is a mystery." |
"Ja, hvor har han det!"
sagde Moderen, "det kan der Ingen begribe." |
| "Are you going to tell
me a story?" asked the boy. |
"Faaer jeg et Eventyr?"
spurgte Drengen. |
| "Maybe, if you can tell
me exactly how deep the ditch is that runs along the lane next
to your school; I would rather like to know that." |
"Ja, kan du sige mig
temmelig nøiagtigt, for det maa jeg først vide, hvor dyb er
Rendestenen omme i den lille Gade, hvor du gaaer i Skole." |
| "In the deepest place,
the water is halfway up to the top of my boots," answered the
boy. |
"Akkurat til midt paa
Skafterne," sagde Drengen, "men saa maa jeg gaae i det dybe
Hul!" |
| "That solves the mystery
of the wet feet," said the old gentleman. "Now I should tell
you a story, but I can't remember any that you haven't heard." |
"See derfra har vi de
vaade Fødder," sagde den Gamle. "Nu skulde jeg rigtignok fortælle
et Eventyr, men jeg kan ingen flere!" |
| "You can make one up.
Mother says that anything you touch becomes a fairy tale." |
"De kan lave et lige
strax," sagde den lille Dreng. "Moder siger, at Alt hvad De
seer paa, kan blive et Eventyr, og Alt hvad De rører ved, kan
De faae en Historie af!" |
| "No, that kind of story
or fairy tale is not worth much; it is not like the real ones
who come knocking on my forehead and say: 'Here I am, let me
in.'" |
"Ja, men de Eventyr
og Historier due ikke! nei, de rigtige, de komme af sig selv,
de banke mig paa Panden og sige: her er jeg!" |
| "Won't one come knocking
soon?" asked the boy. And his mother laughed as she put the
elderberries in the teapot and poured boiling water on them.
|
"Banker det ikke snart?"
spurgte den lille Dreng, og Moderen loe, kom Hyldethee paa Potten
og skjænkede kogende Vand over. |
| "Please tell me a story!
Please!" begged the boy. |
"Fortæl! fortæl!" |
| "A fairy tale only comes
when it wants to, for fairy tales and stories are so highborn
that they won't obey anyone, not even kings . . . Stop!" he
cried suddenly, and held up his forefinger. "There it is! Be
careful. It is in the teapot." |
"Ja, naar der vilde
komme et Eventyr af sig selv, men saadant et er fornemt, det
kommer kun naar det selv har Lyst -! stop!" sagde han lige med
Et. "Der har vi det! pas paa, nu er der et paa Theepotten!"
|
| The boy looked at the
teapot. Slowly the lid lifted; up out of the top of the pot
came fresh elderberry branches and from them hung clusters of
white flowers. Now they were coming out of the spout as well.
They grew and grew until they became a full-grown elderberry
tree whose limbs crossed his bed and pushed aside the curtains.
It was a grand tree! And how beautifully it smelled! In the
middle of the tree sat an old woman. She wore a dress that was
as green as the elder leaves and had a pattern of white elder
flowers. It was hard to tell whether her dress was made of cloth
or out of real flowers and leaves. The old woman smiled kindly
down at the boy. |
Og den lille Dreng saae
hen til Theepotten, Laaget hævede sig meer og meer, og Hyldeblomsterne
kom frem saa friske og hvide, de skjøde store lange Grene, selv
ud af Tuden bredte de sig til alle Sider og bleve større og
større, det var den deiligste Hyldebusk, et heelt Træ, det ragede
ind i Sengen og skjød Gardinerne til Side; nei, hvor det blomstrede
og duftede! og midt i Træet sad en gammel, venlig Kone med en
underlig Kjole paa, den var ganske grøn, ligesom Hyldetræets
Blade og besat med store hvide Hyldeblomster, man kunde ikke
strax see, om det var Tøi eller levende Grønt og Blomster. |
| "What is her name?"
the lad asked. |
"Hvad hedder den Kone?"
spurgte den lille Dreng. |
| "The Greeks and the
Romans thought she was a wood nymph and called her dryad. Down
in the 'new cottages'--which aren't very new, being three hundred
years old--the old sailors who live there call her Mother Elderberry,"
the old man explained. "Now keep an eye on her. I shall tell
you a story, while you look at the beautiful elder tree. |
"Ja, disse Romere og
Grækere", sagde den gamle Mand, "de kaldte hende en Dryade,
men det forstaae vi ikke; ude i Nyboder have de et bedre Navn
til hende, der kaldes hun: 'Hyldemoer', og det er nu hende,
du skal passe paa; hør bare efter, og see paa det deilige Hyldetræ: |
| "It takes place in the
'new cottages.' Down in one of those tiny, narrow yards that
the old sailors call their gardens, there grew a lovely elder
tree, just like the one you are looking at. One sunny afternoon
an old couple were sitting in its shade. He was an old, retired
sailor, and she was a very old woman, who was his wife. They
were so old that they had great-grandchildren and soon would
celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary. But, alas! they
could not remember the date. Mother Elderberry sat up in her
tree looking very pleased with herself. 'I know which day it
is,' she said. "The old couple hadn't heard her. They were talking
about the old times, when they had been young. |
Netop saadant et stort,
blomstrende Træ staaer der ude i Nyboder; det voxede henne i
Krogen i en lille fattig Gaard; under dette Træ sad en Eftermiddag,
i det deiligste Solskin, to gamle Folk, det var en gammel, gammel
Sømand og hans gamle, gamle Kone, de vare Oldeforældre og skulde
snart holde deres Guldbryllup, men de kunde ikke rigtig huske
Datoen, og Hyldemoer sad i Træet og saae saa fornøiet ud, ligesom
her. "Jeg veed nok, naar det er Guldbryllup!" sagde hun, men
de hørte det ikke, de talte om de gamle Dage. |
| "'Can you remember,'
began the old seaman, 'when we were children and played in this
very yard, how we used to stick twigs in the earth and make
believe we were making a garden?' |
"Ja, kan du huske,"
sagde den gamle Sømand, "den Gang vi vare ganske smaa Unger
og løb og legede, det var netop i den samme Gaard, hvor vi nu
sidde, og vi stak Pinde i Jorden og gjorde en Have." |
| "'Yes, I remember,'
said his wife. 'We watered them and one of them was an elder
branch and it struck roots and began to grow. And now it is
such a big tree that we two old souls can sit in its shade.'
|
"Ja," sagde den gamle
Kone, "det husker jeg godt! og vi vandede Pindene, og een af
dem var en Hyldepind, den satte Rod, skjød grønne Skud og er
nu blevet til det store Træ, vi gamle Mennesker sidde under."
|
| "'Yes,' agreed the old
sailor. 'Over there in the comer of the yard there used to stand
an old tub, filled with water; that was the ocean my ships sailed
on. I had carved them myself with my own knife. But it didn't
take long before I walked the deck of a real ship, did it?' |
"Ja vist!" sagde han,
"og derhenne i Krogen stod en Vandballe, der flød mit Fartøi,
jeg havde selv skaaret det, hvor det kunde seile! men jeg kom
rigtignok snart anderledes ud at seile!" |
| "'No, but first we went
to school,' the old woman smiled. 'And then we were confirmed
and we both cried in church that day. In the afternoon we walked
hand in hand up to the top of the Round Tower and looked out
over the world. Later, we trudged all the way out to the Royal
Gardens in Frederiksberg; there we saw the king and queen being
rowed in their beautiful boat through the canals of the park.' |
"Ja, men først gik vi
i Skole og lærte Noget!" sagde hun, "og saa bleve vi confirmerede;
vi græd begge to; men om Eftermiddagen gik vi Haand i Haand
op paa Rundetaarn og saae ud i Verden over Kjøbenhavn og Vandet;
saa gik vi paa Frederiksberg, hvor Kongen og Dronningen i deres
prægtige Baade seilede om i Kanalerne." |
| "'Rougher voyages than
that were to be my lot. Remember how long I was to be away;
it was not months but years.' |
"Men jeg kom rigtignok
anderledes til at seile, og det i mange Aar, langt bort paa
de store Reiser!" |
| "'And I cried.' Again
the old woman smiled. 'I thought for sure that you were dead
and I would never see you again. I thought you were drowned
and were lying deep down, under the dark waves. Many a night
I got out of my warm bed to look at the weather vane to see
if the wind had changed; it changed often enough but still you
didn't come home. I remember one day--oh, what terrible weather
we had; it was pouring!--I had heard the garbage wagon rumbling
down the street and I came running down from the kitchen with
the garbage pail. I was a servant then. I stood for a moment
in the open door to look at the rain, and the mailman came and
gave me a letter. It was from you. I tore it open and read it
right through. I was so happy that I both laughed and cried.
You wrote that you were in the warm countries where coffee grows.--How
lovely it must be there!--You described it all so well that
I feel as if I had been there. . . There I stood with the garbage
pail in my hand, while the rain streamed down, when all at once
I felt an arm around my waist--' |
"Ja, jeg græd tidt for
dig!" sagde hun, "jeg troede, du var død og borte og skulde
ligge og pjanke dernede i det dybe Vand! mangen Nat stod jeg
op og saae om Fløien dreiede sig; ja den dreiede sig nok, men
du kom ikke! jeg husker saa tydelig, hvorledes det skyllede
ned en Dag, Skrallemanden kom udenfor, hvor jeg tjente, jeg
kom ned med Fjerdingen og blev staaende ved Døren; - hvor det
var et fælt Veir! og ligesom jeg stod der, var Postbudet ved
Siden af mig og gav mig et Brev; det var fra dig! ja hvor det
havde reist om! jeg foer lige i det og læste; jeg loe og jeg
græd; jeg var saa glad! der stod, at du var i de varme Lande,
hvor Kaffebønnerne groe! hvor det maa være et velsignet Land!
du fortalte saa meget, og jeg saae det altsammen, mens Regnen
skyllede ned, og jeg stod med Fjerdingen. I det samme var der
Een, som tog mig om Livet - -!" |
| "'Yes, and you gave
that poor fellow such a box on the ears that it could be heard
all the way down the street.' |
"- Ja, men du gav ham
et godt Slag paa Øret, saa det kladskede efter." |
| "'How could I have known
it was you! You had come home as fast as your letter. Oh, how
handsome you were, and that you are still! You had a long yellow
silk handkerchief sticking out of your pocket and a shiny hat
on your head. You looked so fine. But what a day it was, the
street looked like a river.' |
"Jeg vidste jo ikke,
at det var dig! Du var kommet ligesaa tidligt som dit Brev;
og du var saa kjøn! - det er du da endnu, du havde et langt,
guult Silkelommetørklæde i Lommen og en blank Hat paa; du var
saa fiin. Gud, hvor det dog var et Veir, og hvor Gaden saae
ud!" |
| "'And then we got married,'
laughed the old man. 'Do you remember? Then came the children:
first the boy, then Marie, Niels, Peter, and Hans Christian.' |
"Saa bleve vi gifte!"
sagde han, "husker du? og saa da vi fik den første lille Dreng
og saa Marie og Niels og Peter og Hans Christian!" |
| "'And they all turned
out so well. They are liked and respected by everyone.' |
"Ja, og hvor de Allesammen
ere voxede op og blevne skikkelige Mennesker, hvem Alle holde
af!" |
| "'And their children,
in turn, have got little ones now,' said the old sailor, and
nodded. 'We have great-grandchildren who have spirit. You know,
I think it was about this time of the year that we got married.'
|
"Og deres Børn igjen,
de have faaet Smaa!" sagde den gamle Matros; "ja det er Børnebørnsbørn,
der er Krummer i! - det var jo dog, synes mig, paa denne Tid
af Aaret vi holdt Bryllup -!" |
| "'Yes, this very day
is your golden wedding day,' said Mother Elderberry, and put
her head between the old man and his wife. They thought she
was a neighbor who had stuck her head in over the fence. "They
looked at each other; and each reached out for the other's hand.
A few minutes later their children and grandchildren came to
congratulate them, for they knew that it was the old couple's
fiftieth wedding anniversary and had been there earlier that
day; but the old couple had forgotten their visit, while they
could recall everything that had happened half of a century
ago. "The scent of the elder flowers was heavy; the sun was
just setting, and its glow gave the old man and his wife red
cheeks. Their youngest grandchild danced around them happily.
'Tonight we are going to have a feast and eat roast potatoes.'
That was his favorite food. "Old Mother Elderberry nodded and
shouted, 'Hurrah!' with everyone else." |
"Ja, just i Dag er det
Guldbryllupsdagen!" sagde Hyldemoer og stak Hovedet lige ind
imellem de to Gamle, og de troede, at det var Nabokonen, der
nikkede; de saae paa hinanden og holdt hinanden i Hænderne;
lidt efter kom Børn og Børnebørn; de vidste godt, at det var
Guldbryllupsdagen, de havde allerede imorges gratuleret, men
det var glemt af de Gamle, medens de huskede saa godt Alt, hvad
der var skeet for mange Aar tilbage; og Hyldetræet duftede saa
stærkt og Solen, som var ved at gaae ned, skinnede de to Gamle
lige ind i Ansigtet; de saae begge to saa rødmussede ud, og
den mindste af Børnebørnene dandsede rundt om dem og raabte
nok saa lyksalig, at i Aften skulde der være rigtig Stads, de
skulde have varme Kartofler; og Hyldemoer nikkede i Træet og
raabte Hurra med alle de Andre. -" |
| "But that was no fairy
tale," complained the little boy. |
- "Men det var jo intet
Eventyr!" sagde den lille Dreng, som hørte det fortælle. |
| "That is your opinion,"
said the kind old man who had told the story. "Let us ask Mother
Elderberry." |
"Ja, det maa du forstaae!"
sagde han, som fortalte, "men lad os spørge Hyldemoer!" |
| "The child is right,
it was no fairy tale," said Mother Elderberry. "But now it comes,
for out of reality are our tales of imagination fashioned. If
this were not true, then my elder tree could not have grown
out of the teapot." Mother Elderberry lifted the boy in her
arms and pressed him to her breast. The flowering branches of
the elder tree enfolded them. Now they were in an arbor and
it was flying through the air with them inside it. It was a
most delightful feeling. All at once Mother Elderberry changed
into a young girl. She still had on her green dress with the
pattern of white elder flowers, but there was a live flower
pinned to her breast and around her curly golden hair there
was a wreath of elder flowers. She and the boy kissed each other;
and then they were one in age and desires. |
"Det var intet Eventyr;"
sagde Hyldemoer, "men nu kommer det! Ud af det Virkelige voxer
just det forunderligste Eventyr; ellers kunde jo min deilige
Hyldebusk ikke være sprunget ud af Theepotten!" og saa tog hun
den lille Dreng ud af Sengen, lagde ham ved sit Bryst, og Hyldegrenene,
fulde af Blomster, sloge sammen omkring dem, de sad, som i det
tætteste Lysthuus, og det fløi med dem igjennem Luften, det
var saa mageløst deiligt. Hyldemoer var med eet blevet en ung,
nydelig Pige, men Kjolen var endnu af samme grønne, hvidblomstrede
Tøi, som Hyldemoer havde baaret; paa Brystet havde hun en virkelig
Hyldeblomst, og om sit gule, krøllede Haar en heel Krands af
Hyldeblomster; hendes Øine vare saa store, saa blaa, o, hun
var saa velsignet at see paa! hun og Drengen kyssedes, og saa
vare de i lige Alder og af lige Lyst. |
| Hand in hand, they left
the arbor. On the green lawn lay his father's cane, tethered
to a stick; for, to the children the cane was a horse. And when
they mounted it to gallop around the garden, it had both a head
and a flowing black mane. "Now we shall ride for miles and miles!"
shouted the boy. "We shall ride all the way to the castle we
visited last year." They rode round and round the garden. The
little girl, who we know was none other than Mother Elderberry,
said to the boy, "Now we are out in the country. Look, that's
a farmer's house. See that wall with the big lump, protruding
from the wall, like a giant egg, that's the oven for baking
bread. In the shade of the elder tree nearby, you can see a
flock of hens scratching the earth for worms. Look at the cock.
See how he swaggers! . . . Now we are passing the church. It
is built on a hill; near it are two ancient oak trees; one of
them is wizened. . . . Now we are at the blacksmith's shop.
The red fire glows. The man is naked to the waist. See his muscles
as he lifts his hammer. . . . The sparks are flying all about
him. . . . Away we go to the castle!" Everything the little
girl, who was riding behind him on the stick, described, the
little boy saw; and yet they had only ridden around the lawn.
Later they played on the gravel path and made a little garden
of their own, and the girl took the elder flowers from the wreath
in her hair and planted them. They grew just as the branch had,
which the old seaman and his wife had planted; and they walked,
hand in hand, just as the old people had done when they were
children. But they didn't climb up the Round Tower or go out
to the Royal Gardens of Frederiksberg. No, the little girl put
her arm around the boy's waist and away they flew all around
Denmark. Spring changed into summer; soon it was harvest; and
then the white winter came. A thousand pictures were mirrored
in the little boy's eyes and heart, while the little girl repeated:
"This you shall never forget!" During their flight the sweet
scent of elder flowers was all about them. The boy smelled only
faintly the perfume of the roses and the fragrance of the fresh
beech branches, for the elder flower bloomed in the girl's heart,
and the boy never strayed from her. |
De gik Haand i Haand
ud af Løvhytten og stode nu i Hjemmets smukke Blomsterhave;
ved den friske Græsplet var Faders Stok tøiret til en Pind;
for de Smaa var der Liv i Stokken; saasnart de satte sig skrævs
over den, forvandlede sig den blanke Knap til et prægtigt, vrinskende
Hoved, den lange sorte Manke flagrede, fire slanke, stærke Been
skjød ud; Dyret var stærkt og væligt; i Gallop foer de rundt
om Græspletten; hussa! "Nu ride vi mange Mile bort!" sagde Drengen;
"vi ride til Herregaarden, hvor vi vare ifjor!" og de reed og
reed Græspletten rundt; og altid raabte den lille Pige, der,
som vi veed, var ingen anden end Hyldemoer: "Nu ere vi paa Landet!
seer du Bondens Huus med den store Bagerovn, der synes et kjæmpestort
Æg i Muren ud mod Veien; Hyldetræet hælder sine Grene hen over
den, og Hanen gaaer og skraber for Hønsene, see, hvor den bryster
sig! - nu ere vi ved Kirken! den ligger høit paa Bakken mellem
de store Egetræer, hvoraf det ene er halvt gaaet ud! - Nu er
vi ved Smedien, hvor Ilden brænder, og de halvnøgne Mænd slaae
med Hammeren, saa Gnisterne flyve vidtomkring. Afsted, afsted
til den prægtige Herregaard!" og Alt, hvad den lille Pige, der
sad bag paa Stokken, sagde, det fløi ogsaa forbi; Drengen saae
det, og dog kom de kun Græspletten rundt. Saa legede de i Sidegangen
og ridsede i Jorden en lille Have, og hun tog Hyldeblomsten
af sit Haar, plantede den, og den voxte akkurat ligesom det
var skeet for de Gamle Folk i Nyboder den Gang de vare Smaa,
og som der tidligere er fortalt om. De gik Haand i Haand, ligesom
de Gamle Folk havde gjort det som Børn, men ikke op paa det
runde Taarn, eller til Frederiksberghave, nei, den lille Pige
tog Drengen om Livet, og saa fløi de vidt omkring i hele Danmark,
og det var Vaar og det blev Sommer, og det var Høst og det blev
Vinter, og tusinde Billeder afspeilede sig i Drengens Øine og
Hjerte, og altid sang den lille Pige for ham: "det vil du aldrig
glemme!" og paa den hele Flugt duftede Hyldetræet saa sødt og
saa deiligt; han mærkede vel Roserne og de friske Bøge, men
Hyldetræet duftede endnu mere forunderligt, thi dets Blomster
hang ved den lille Piges Hjerte, og til det hældede han i Flugten
tidt sit Hoved. |
| "How beautiful spring
is here!" she said; and they were standing in the midst of the
tender green beech forest. At their feet grew the woodruff like
a green carpet; and the fragile anemones, with their pale pink
petals, were everywhere. "Oh, I wish it were always spring!"
exclaimed the little boy. |
"Her er deiligt i Vaaren!"
sagde den unge Pige, og de stode i den nys udsprungne Bøgeskov,
hvor den grønne Bukkar duftede for deres Fødder, og de blegrøde
Anemoner saae saa deilige ud i det Grønne. "0, var det altid
Vaar i den duftende danske Bøgeskov!" |
| "How beautiful summer
is here!" she said. Now they were flying past an old castle.
Its red brick walls reflected in the water of the moat, where
white swans made ripples in the mirror-like surface. The great
white birds were looking at the long cool avenue of trees. The
wind made waves in the field of grain as if it were a sea. In
the ditches along the roads, yellow and red flowers bloomed;
and the stone hedges were covered with wild hops and flowering
bindweed. In the evening the pale moon rose. Down in the meadow
the scent of newly cut hay filled the air. "This you will never
forget." |
"Her er deiligt i Sommeren!"
sagde hun, og de foer forbi gamle Herregaarde fra Riddertiden,
hvor de røde Mure og takkede Gavle speilede sig i Kanalerne,
hvor Svanerne svømmede og kiggede op i de gamle kjølige Alleer.
Paa Marken bølgede Kornet, ligesom det var en Sø, Grøfterne
stode med røde og gule Blomster, Gjærderne med vild Humle og
blomstrende Convolvoli; og om Aftenen steg Maanen rund og stor,
Høstakkene paa Engene duftede saa sødt. "Det glemmes aldrig!"
|
| "How beautiful autumn
is here!" said the little girl; and the sky suddenly seemed
twice as high and twice as blue. The woods had turned yellow,
brown, and red, and they heard the barking of the hunting dogs.
Flocks of screeching birds flew above the blackberry-covered
stones of the Viking graves. The sea had turned almost black,
and the sails appeared whiter against the dark color of the
water. Down in the barn old women and young girls and children
were busy picking the hops, dumping them into large vats. The
young people sang the songs of the day, but the old women told
stories of trolls and gnomes. What could be pleasanter? "How
beautiful winter is here!" said the little girl; and the trees
were decked in hoarfrost and looked like a coral forest. Snow
crunched under the children's boots and sounded as if they were
wearing new shoes. At night shooting stars fell from the dark
heavens. Christmas trees were lit and gifts exchanged. Someone
was playing the violin; there was dancing in the farmer's living
room, and from the kitchen came platters full of apple fritters
that were refilled as soon as they were eaten. Then even the
poorest child could say: "It is lovely in winter!" |
"Her er deiligt i Efteraaret!"
sagde den lille Pige, og Luften blev dobbelt saa høi og blaa,
Skoven fik de deiligste Couleurer af Rødt, Guult og Grønt, Jagthundene
foer afsted, hele Skarer Fuglevildt fløi skrigende henover Kæmpehøien,
hvor Brombær ranken hang om de gamle Stene; Havet var sortblaat
med hvide Seilere og i Loen sad gamle Koner, Piger og Børn og
pillede Humle i et stort Kar; de Unge sang Viser, men de Gamle
for talte Eventyr om Nisser og Trolde. Bedre kunde der ikke
være! "Her er deiligt i Vinteren!" sagde den lille Pige; og
alle Træer stode med Riimfrost, de saae ud som hvide Koraller,
Sneen knirkede under Fødderne, som om man altid havde nye Støvler
paa, og fra Himlen faldt det ene Stjerneskud efter det andet.
I Stuen tændtes Juletræet, der var Presenter og godt Humeur;
paa Landet klang Violen i Bondens Stue, Æbleskiver fløi i Grams;
selv det fattigste Barn sagde: "Det er dog deiligt om Vinteren!" |
| Yes, it was truly beautiful.
The little girl showed him the whole country of Denmark; and
everywhere they went there was the smell of elder flowers; and
there flew the flag with a white cross on the red background,
the same one that flew from the mast of the ship on which the
old sailor had sailed. The boy became a young man. Now he was
ready to journey out into the wide world: far, far away to the
warm countries, where coffee grows. When they parted the little
girl took the elder flower from her bosom and gave it to him.
He put it between two of the pages of his hymnbook, and far
from home, when he took down the book, it would always open
to the pages where the elder flower was. The more he gazed at
the dry, pressed flower, the more alive and fresh it became.
He smelled the perfume of the Danish forest, and among the green
branches he saw the face of the little girl peeking out at him
and whispering: "Oh, it is beautiful here in spring, in summer,
in autumn, and in winter." And his mind would paint a hundred
pictures of all that he had seen. |
Ja, det var deiligt!
og den lille Pige viste Alting til Drengen, og altid duftede
Hyldetræet og altid vaiede det røde Flag med det hvide Kors,
Flaget, hvorunder den gamle Sømand i Nyboder havde seilet; -
og Drengen blev Knøs, og han skulde ud i den vide Verden, langveis
bort til de varme Lande, hvor Kaffeen groer; men i Afskeden
tog den lille Pige en Hyldeblomst af sit Bryst, gav ham den
at gjemme og den blev lagt i Psalmebogen, og altid i fremmed
Land, naar han aabnede Bogen, var det just paa det Sted, hvor
Erindringsblomsten laae, og jo mere han saae paa den, des friskere
blev den; han ligesom følte en Duft fra de danske Skove, og
tydeligt saae han mellem Blomsterbladene den lille Pige titte
frem med sine klare blaa Øine, og hun hvidskede da: "her er
deiligt i Vaar, i Sommer, i Høst og Vinter!" og hundrede Billeder
glede gjennem hans Tanker. |
| Many years went by,
the young man became an old man who sat underneath the elder
tree with his wife. They held each other's hands, as the great-grandfather
and great-grandmother from the "new cottages" had. They talked
of bygone times and how it soon would be their golden anniversary.
The little girl with the big blue eyes and the wreath of elder
blossoms in her hair sat up in the tree and nodded kindly down
at them. "Today is your golden wedding day," she declared, and
took two elderberry flowers from her wreath and kissed them.
First they shone like silver and then like gold; she put one
on each of the old couple's heads and they became golden crowns.
The old man and the old woman sat like a king and queen under
the fragrant elder tree. The old man told his wife the story
of Mother Elderberry as it had been told to him when he was
a little boy. And they both realized that much of the story
could have been about themselves, and that was the part they
liked best. |
Saaledes gik mange Aar,
og han var nu en gammel Mand og sad med sin gamle Kone under
et blomstrende Træ; de holdt hinanden i Hænderne, ligesom Oldefader
og Oldemoder gjorde det ude i Nyboder, og de talte ligesom de
om de gamle Dage, og om Guldbrylluppet; den lille Pige med de
blaae Øine og med Hyldeblomsterne i Haaret sad oppe i Træet,
nikkede til dem begge to, og sagde: "i Dag er det Guldbryllupsdag!"
og saa tog hun to Blomster af sin Krands, kyssede paa dem, og
de skinnede først som Sølv, saa som Guld, og da hun lagde dem
paa de gamle Folks Hoveder, blev hver Blomst til en Guldkrone;
der sad de, begge to som en Konge og en Dronning, under det
duftende Træ, der ganske og aldeles saae ud som et Hyldetræ,
og han fortalte sin gamle Kone Historien om Hyldemoer, saaledes
som den var fortalt ham, da han var en lille Dreng, og de syntes
begge to, at der var saa meget i den, som lignede deres egen,
og det der lignede, det syntes de bedst om. |
| "Well," said the little
girl in the tree, "some people call me Mother Elderberry; others
call me the dryad; but my real name is memory. I sit in the
tree that grows and grows; I can remember everything and therefore
I can tell stories. Now let me see, do you still have your flower?" |
"Ja, saadan er det!"
sagde den lille Pige i Træet, "Nogle kalde mig Hyldemoer, Andre
kalde mig Dryade, men egentlig hedder jeg Erindring, det er
mig, der sidder i Træet, som voxer og voxer, jeg kan huske,
jeg kan fortælle! Lad mig see, om du har din Blomst, endnu!"
|
| The old man opened his
hymnbook and there lay the elder flower, as fresh as if it had
just been put there. Memory nodded and the setting sun shone
on the heads of the two old people who were wearing golden crowns.
They closed their eyes and then . . . Well, then the fairy tale
is over. |
Og den gamle Mand aabnede
sin Psalmebog, der laae Hyldeblomsten, saa frisk, som den nylig
var lagt deri, og Erindringen nikkede, og de to Gamle med Guldkrone
paa sad i den rode Aftensol; de lukkede Øinene, og - og -! ja
saa var Eventyret ude! |
| The little boy lay in
his bed; he didn't quite know whether he had dreamed the last
part of the story or whether it had been told to him. The teapot
stood on the table, but no elder tree was growing out of it.
And the old man who had told him the story was about to go out
through the door; it closed, and he was gone. |
Den lille Dreng laae
i sin Seng, han vidste ikke, om han havde drømt, eller om han
havde hørt det fortælle; Tbeepotten stod paa Bordet, men der
voxte intet Hyldetræ ud af den, og den gamle Mand, som havde
fortalt, var lige ved at gaae ud af Døren, og det gjorde han. |
| "Mother, it was wonderful,"
said the little boy. "I have been in the warm countries." |
"Hvor det var deiligt!"
sagde den lille Dreng. "Moder, jeg har været i de varme Lande!"
|
| "I will believe that,"
laughed his mother. "If one drinks two big cups of elder tea,
it is no wonder!" Then she tucked the blankets around him so
he wouldn't be cold. "I think you fell asleep while we were
arguing about whether the story was a proper fairy tale or not." |
"Ja, det troer jeg nok!"
sagde Moderen, "naar man faaer to svingende Kopper Hyldethee
til Livs, saa kommer man nok til de varme Lande!" - og hun dækkede
godt til om ham, at han ikke skulde forkjøle sig. "Du har nok
sovet, mens jeg sad og med ham, om det var en Historie eller
et Eventyr!" |
| "And where is Mother
Elderberry?" asked the boy. |
"0g hvor er Hyldemoer?"
spurgte Drengen. |
| "She is in
the teapot," answered the mother, "and there she can stay."
|
"Hun er paa
Theepotten!" sagde Moderen, "og der kan hun blive!" |
|