| There once was a little
fish. He was of good family; his name I have forgotten--if you
want to know it, you must ask someone learned in these matters.
He had one thousand and eight hundred brothers and sisters,
all born at the same time. They did not know their parents and
had to take care of themselves. They swam around happily in
the sea. They had enough water to drink--all the great oceans
of the world. They did not speculate upon where their food would
come from, that would come by itself. Each wanted to follow
his own inclinations and live his own life; not that they gave
much thought to that either. |
Der var en lille Havfisk
af god Familie, Navnet husker jeg ikke, det maa de Lærde sige
Dig. Den lille Fisk havde attenhundrede Søskende, alle lige
gamle; de kjendte ikke deres Fader eller Moder, de maatte strax
skjøtte sig selv og svømme om, men det var en stor Fornøielse;
Vand havde de nok at drikke, hele Verdenshavet, Føden tænkte
de ikke paa, den kom nok; hver vilde følge sin Lyst, hver vilde
faae sin egen Historie, ja det tænkte heller Ingen af dem paa.
|
| The sun shone down into
the sea and illuminated the water. It was a strange world, filled
with the most fantastic creatures; some of them were so big
and had such huge jaws that they could have swallowed all eighteen
hundred of the little fish at once. But this, too, they did
not worry about, for none of them had been eaten yet. |
Solen skinnede ned i
Vandet, det lyste om dem, det var saa klart, det var en Verden
med de forunderligste Skabninger, og nogle saa gruelig store,
med voldsomme Gab, de kunde sluge de attenhundrede Søskende,
men det tænkte de heller ikke paa, for Ingen af dem var endnu
bleven slugt. |
| The little fishes swam
close together, as herring or mackerel do. They were thinking
about nothing except swimming. Suddenly they heard a terrible
noise, and from the surface of the sea a great thing was cast
among them. There was more and more of it; it was endless and
had neither head nor tail. It was heavy and every one of the
small fishes that it hit was either stunned and thrown aside
or had its back broken. The fishes--big and small, the ones
who lived up near the waves and those who dwelled in the depths--all
fled, while this monstrous serpent grew longer and longer as
it sank deeper and deeper, until at last it was hundreds of
miles long, and lay at the bottom of the sea, crossing the whole
ocean. |
De Smaa svømmede sammen,
tæt op til hverandre, som Sildene og Makrelerne svømme; men
som de allerbedst svømmede i Vandet og tænkte paa Ingenting,
sank, med forfærdelig Lyd, ovenfra, midt ned imellem dem, en
lang, tung Ting, der slet ikke vilde holde op; længere og længere
strakte den sig, og hver af Smaafiskene, som den ramte, blev
qvaset eller fik et Knæk, som de ikke kunde forvinde. Alle Smaafisk,
de store med, lige oppe fra Havets Flade og ned til dets Bund,
foer i Forfærdelse tilside; den tunge, voldsomme Ting sænkede
sig dybere og dybere, den blev længere og længere, milelang,
gjennem hele Havet. |
| All the fishes--yes,
even the snails and all the other animals that live in the sea--saw
or heard about the strange, gigantic, unknown eel that had descended
into the sea from the air above. |
Fisk og Snegle, Alt
hvad svømmer, Alt hvad kryber, eller drives af Strømninger,
fornam denne forfærdelige Ting, denne umaadelige, ubekjendte
Havaal, der lige med Eet var kommet ned ovenfra. |
| What was it? We know
that it was the telegraph cable, thousands of miles long, that
human beings had laid to connect America and Europe. |
Hvad var det dog for
en Ting? Ja det vide vi! det var det store, milelange Telegraph-Toug,
Menneskene sænkede mellem Europa og Amerika. |
| All the inhabitants
of the sea were frightened of this new huge animal that had
come to live among them. The flying fishes leaped up from the
sea and into the air; and the gurnard since it knew how, shot
up out of the water like a bullet. Others went down into the
depths of the ocean so fast that they were there before the
telegraph cable. They frightened both the cod and the flounder,
who were swimming around peacefully, hunting and eating their
fellow creatures. |
Der blev en Forskrækkelse,
der blev et Røre mellem Havets retmæssige Beboere, hvor Touget
sænkedes. Flyvefisken satte til Veirs over Havfladen, saa høit
den kunde, ja Knurhanen tog Fart et heelt Bøsseskud over Vandet,
for det kan den; andre Fisk søgte mod Havbunden, de foer med
saadan Hastighed, at de kom længe for Telegraphtouget endnu
var seet dernede; de skræmmede baade Kabliau og Flynder, som
gik fredeligt i Havets Dyb og aad deres Medskabninger. |
| A couple of sea cucumbers
were so petrified that they spat out their own stomachs in fright;
but they survived, for they knew how to swallow them again.
Lots of lobsters and crabs left their shells in the confusion. |
Et Par Søpølser bleve
saa forskrækkede, at de spyede deres Mave ud, men levede endda,
for det kunne de. Mange Hummer og Taskekrabber gik ud af deres
gode Harnisk og maatte lade Benene blive tilbage. |
| During all this, the
eighteen hundred little fishes were separated; most of them
never saw one another again, nor would they have recognized
one another if they had. Only a dozen of them stayed in the
same spot, and after they had lain still a couple of hours their
worst fright was over and curiosity became stronger than fear. |
Under al den Skræk og
Forvirring kom de attenhundrede Søskende fra hverandre, og mødtes
ikke mere, eller kjendte ikke hverandre, kun en halv Snees blev
paa samme Plet, og da de i et Par Timer havde holdt sig stille,
forvandt de den første Skræk og begyndte at blive nysgjerrige. |
| They looked about, both
above and below themselves, and there at the bottom of the sea
they thought they saw the monster that had frightened them all.
It looked thin, but who knew how big it could make itself or
how strong it was. It lay very still, but it might be up to
something. |
De saae sig om, de saae
op og de saae ned, og der i Dybden troede de at øine den forfærdelige
Ting, som havde skræmmet dem, skræmmet Store og Smaa. Tingen
laae henover Havbunden, saa langt de kunde øine; meget tynd
var den, men de vidste jo ikke, hvor tyk den kunde gjøre sig,
eller hvor stærk den var. Den laae ganske stille, men, tænkte
de, det kunde være Lumskhed. |
| The more timid of the
small fish said, "Let it lie where it is, it is no concern of
ours." But the tiniest of them were determined to find out what
it was. Since the monster had come from above, it was better
to seek information about it up there. They swam up to the surface
of the ocean. The wind was still and the sea was like a mirror.
|
"Lad den ligge, hvor
den ligger! Den kommer ikke os ved!" sagde den forsigtigste
af Smaafiskene, men den Allermindste af dem vilde ikke opgive
at komme til Kundskab om hvad den Ting kunde være; ovenfra var
den kommen ned, ovenfra maatte man bedst kunne hente Besked,
og saa svømmede de op mod Havfladen, det var blikstille Veir.
|
| They met a dolphin.
He is a fellow who likes to jump and to turn somersaults in
the sea. The dolphin has eyes to see with and ought to have
seen what happened, and therefore the little fishes approached
it. But a dolphin only thinks about himself and his somersaults;
he didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything, but looked
very proud. |
Der mødte de en Delphin;
det er saadan en Springfyr, en Havstryger, der kan slaae Kolbytter
hen ad Havfladen; Øine har den at see med, og den maatte have
seet og vide Besked; den spurgte de ad, men den havde kun tænkt
paa sig selv og sine Kolbytter, ikke seet Noget, vidste ikke
at svare, og saa taug den og saae stolt ud. |
| A seal came swimming
by just at that moment, and even though it eats small fishes,
it was more polite than the dolphin. Luckily it happened to
be full, and it knew more than the jumping fish. |
Derpaa henvendte de
sig til Sælhunden, der just dukkede ned; den var høfligere,
uagtet den æder Smaafisk; men i Dag var den mæt. Den vidste
lidt Mere end Springfisken. |
| "Many a night have I
lain on a wet stone--miles and miles away from here and looked
toward land, where live those treacherous creatures who call
themselves, in their own language, men. They are always hunting
me and my kind, though usually we manage to escape. That is
exactly what happened to the great sea serpent that you are
asking about--it got away from them. They had had it in their
power for ever so long, and kept it up on land. Now men wanted
to transport it to another country, across the sea.--Why? you
may ask, but I can't answer.--They had a lot of trouble getting
it on board the ship. But they finally succeeded; after all,
it was weakened from its stay on land. They rolled it up, round
and round into a coil. It wiggled and writhed, and what a lot
of noise it made! I heard it. When the ship got out to sea,
the great eel slipped overboard. They tried to stop it. I saw
them, there were dozens of hands holding onto its body. But
they couldn't. Now it is lying down at the bottom of the sea,
and I guess it will stay there for a while." |
"Jeg har mangen Nat
ligget paa en vaad Steen og seet ind mod Land, milevidt herfra;
der er lumske Skabninger, de kaldes i deres Sprog Mennesker,
de efterstræbe os, men oftest smutte vi dog fra dem, det har
jeg forstaaet, og det har nu ogsaa den Havaal, I spørge om.
Den har været i deres Magt, været oppe paa Landjorden, vist
i umindelige Tider; derfra have de ført den paa Fartøi for at
bringe den over Havet til et andet fjerntliggende Land. Jeg
saae, hvilket Besvær de havde, men magte den kunde de, den var
jo bleven mat paa Landjorden. De lagde den i Krands og Kreds,
jeg hørte, hvor den ringlede og ranglede, da de lagde den, men
den slap dog fra dem, slap herud. De holdt paa den af alle Kræfter,
mange Hænder holdt fast, den smuttede dog og naaede til Bunds;
der ligger den, tænker jeg, til videre!" |
| "It looks awfully thin,"
said the tiny fishes. |
"Den er noget tynd!"
sagde de smaa Fisk. |
| "They have starved it,"
explained the seal. "But it will soon get its old figure and
strength back. I am sure it is the great sea serpent: the one
men are so afraid of that they talk about it all the time. I
had not believed it existed, but now I do. And that was it."
With a flip of its tail, the seal dived and was gone. |
"De have sultet den!"
sagde Sælhunden, "men den kommer sig snart, faaer sin gamle
Tykkelse og Storhed. Jeg antager, at den er den store Søslange,
som Menneskene ere saa bange for og tale saa meget om; jeg havde
før aldrig seet den og aldrig troet paa den; nu troer jeg, den
er det!" og saa dukkede Sælhunden. |
| "How much he knew and
how well he talked," said one of the little fishes admiringly.
I have never known so much as I do now--I just hope it wasn't
all lies." |
"Hvor han vidste Meget!
Hvor han talte Meget!" sagde de smaa Fisk. "Jeg har aldrig været
saa klog før! - Naar det bare ikke er Løgn!" |
| "We could swim down
and look," suggested the tiniest of the tiny fishes. "And on
the way down we could hear what the other fishes think." |
"Vi kunne jo svømme
ned og undersøge!" sagde den Mindste; "paa Veien høre vi de
Andres Mening!" |
| "We wouldn't move a
fin to know anything more," said all the other tiny fishes,
turned, and swam away. |
"Jeg gjør ikke et Slag
med mine Finner, for at faae Noget at vide!" sagde de Andre
og dreiede af. |
| "But I will," shouted
the tiniest one, and swam down into the depths. But he was far
away from where the great sea serpent had sunk. The little fish
searched in every direction. |
"Men jeg gjør det!"
sagde den Mindste og styrede afsted ned i det dybe Vand; men
den var langt fra Stedet, hvor "den lange sænkede Ting" laae.
Den lille Fisk saae og søgte til alle Sider ned mod Dybet. |
| Never had he realized
that the world was so big. Great shoals of herring glided by
like silver boats, and behind them came schools of mackerel
that were even more splendid and brilliant. There were fishes
of all shapes, with all kinds of markings and colors. Jellyfish,
looking like transparent plants, floated by, carried by the
currents. Down at the bottom of the sea the strangest things
grew: tall grasses and palm-shaped trees whose every leaf was
covered with crustaceans. |
Aldrig før havde den
fornummet sin Verden saa stor. Sildene gik i store Stimer, skinnende
som en Kæmpebaad af Sølv, Makrelerne fulgtes ogsaa ad og saae
endnu prægtigere ud. Der kom Fisk i alle Skikkelser og med Tegninger
i alle Farver; Medusaer, som halvgjennemsigtige Blomster, der
lode sig bære og føre af Strømningerne. Store Planter voxte
fra Havbunden, favnehøit Græs og palmeformede Træer, hvert Blad
besat med skinnende Skaldyr. |
| At last the tiny fish
spied a long dark line far below it and swam down to it. It
was not the giant serpent but the railing of a sunken ship,
whose upper and lower decks had been torn in two by the pressure
of the sea. The little fish entered the great cabin, where the
terrified passengers had gathered as the ship went down; they
had all drowned and the currents of the sea had carried their
bodies away, except for two of them: a young woman who lay on
a bench with her babe in her arms. The sea rocked them gently;
they looked as though they were sleeping. The little fish grew
frightened as he looked at them. What if they were to wake?
The cabin was so quiet and so lonely that the tiny fish hurried
away again, out into the light, where there were other fishes.
It had not swum very far when it met a young whale; it was awfully
big. |
Endelig øinede den lille
Havfisk en lang mørk Stribe dernede og styrede mod den, men
det var hverken Fisk eller Toug, det var Relingen af et stort
sunket Fartøi, hvis øverste og nederste Dæk var brudt itu ved
Havets Tryk. Den lille Fisk svømmede ind i Rummet, hvor de mange
Mennesker, der vare omkomne da Skibet sank, nu vare skyllede
bort, paa to nær: en ung Qvinde laae der udstrakt med et lille
Barn i sine Arme. Vandet lettede dem og ligesom vuggede dem,
de syntes at sove. Den lille Fisk blev ganske forskrækket, den
var uvidende om, at de ikke kunde vaagne mere. Vandplanter hang
som Løvværk ned over Relingen, hen over de to smukke Liig af
Moder og Barn. Der var saa stille, der var saa eensomt. Den
lille Fisk skyndte sig bort saa hurtigt den kunde, ud hvor Vandet
var klarere belyst og hvor der var Fisk at see. Den var ikke
kommen langt, da mødte den en ung Hval, saa forfærdelig stor.
|
| "Please don't swallow
me," pleaded the little fish. "I am so little you could hardly
taste me, and I find it such a great pleasure to live." |
"Slug mig ikke!" sagde
den lille Fisk. "Jeg er ikke engang en Mundsmag, saa lille er
jeg, og mig er det en stor Behagelighed at leve!" |
| "What are you doing
down here?" grunted the whale. "It is much too deep for your
kind." Then the tiny fish told the whale about the great eel--
or whatever it could be--that had come from the air and descended
into the sea, frightening even the most courageous fishes. |
"Hvad vil Du saa dybt
hernede, hvor din Art ikke kommer?" spurgte Hvalen. Og saa fortalte
den lille Fisk om den lange forunderlige Aal, eller hvad den
Ting nu var, der ovenfra havde sænket sig ned og forskrækket
selv de allermodigste Havskabninger. |
| "Ha, ha, ha!" laughed
the whale, and swallowed so much water that it had to surface
in order to breathe and spout the water out. "Ho-ho . . . ha-ha.
That must have been the thing that tickled my back when I was
turning over. I thought it was the mast of a ship and was just
about to use it as a back scratcher; but it must have been that.
It lies farther out. I think I will go and have a look at it;
I haven't anything else to do." |
"Ho, ho!" sagde Hvalen
og trak saa voldsomt Vand til sig, at den maatte sætte en mægtig
Vandstraale naar den kom op og trak Veiret. "Ho, ho!" sagde
den, "saa det var den Ting, som krillede mig paa Ryggen, idet
jeg vendte mig! Jeg troede, at det var en Skibsmast, jeg kunde
bruge til Kløpind! Men paa dette Sted her var det ikke. Nei,
langt længere ude ligger den Ting. Jeg vil dog undersøge den,
jeg har ikke Andet at bestille!" |
| The whale swam away
and the tiny fish followed it, but not too closely for the great
animal left a turbulent wake behind it. |
Og saa svømmede den
fremad og den lille Fisk bagefter, ikke for nær, thi der kom
ligesom en rivende Strøm, hvor den store Hval skød Fart gjennem
Vandet. |
| They met a shark and
an old sawfish. They, too, had heard about the strange great
eel that was so thin and yet longer than any other fish. They
hadn't seen it but wanted to. |
De mødte en Hai og en
gammel Savfisk; de To havde ogsaa hørt om den selsomme Havaal,
saa lang og saa tynd; seet den havde de ikke, men det vilde
de. |
| A catfish joined them. |
Nu kom der en Havkat.
|
| |
"Jeg tager med!" sagde
han, den vilde samme Vei. |
| "If that sea serpent
is not thicker than an anchor cable, then I will cut it in two,
in one bite," he said, and opened his monstrous jaws to show
his six rows of teeth. "If I can make a mark in an anchor I
guess I can bite a stem like that in two." |
"Er den store Søslange
ikke tykkere end et Ankertoug, saa skal jeg bide den over i
eet Bid!" og den aabnede sit Gab og viste sine sex Rækker Tænder.
"Jeg kan bide Mærke i et Skibsanker, sagtens kan jeg bide den
Stilk over!" |
| "There it is," cried
the whale. "Look how it moves, twisting and turning." The whale
thought he had better eyesight than the others. |
"Der er den!" sagde
den store Hval, "jeg seer den!" Han troede, han saae bedre end
de Andre. "See hvor den løfter sig, see hvor den svaier, bugter
og krummer sig!" |
| As a matter of fact
he hadn't; what he had seen was merely an old conger eel, several
yards long, that was swimming toward them. |
Det var dog ikke den,
men en umaadelig stor Havaal, flere Alen lang, som nærmede sig.
|
| "That fellow has never
caused any commotion in the sea before, or frightened any other
big fish," said the catfish with disgust. "I have met him often." |
"Den der har jeg seet
før!" sagde Savfisken, "den bar aldrig gjort stort Rabalder
i Havet, eller skræmmet nogen Storfisk!" |
| They told the conger
about the new sea serpent and asked him if he wanted to go with
them to discover what it was. |
Og saa talte de til
den om den nye Aal og spurgte, om den vilde med paa Opdagelse.
|
| "I wonder if it is longer
than I am," said the conger eel, and stretched himself. "If
it is, then it will be sorry." |
"Er den Aal længere
end jeg!" sagde Havaalen, "saa skal den skee en Ulykke!" |
| "It certainly will,"
said the rest of the company. "There are enough of us so we
don't have to tolerate it if we don't want to!" they exclaimed,
and hurried on. |
"Det skal den!" sagde
de Andre. "Vi ere Nok til ikke at taale den!" og saa skyndte
de sig fremad. |
| |
Men da kom der Noget
lige i Veien, et underligt Uhyre, større end dem Allesammen.
|
| |
Det saae ud som en svømmende
Ø, der ikke kunde holde sig oppe. |
| It was an old whale.
His head was overgrown with seaweed, and on his back were so
many mussels and oysters that its black skin looked as if it
had white spots. |
Det var en ældgammel
Hval. Dens Hoved var overgroet med Havplanter, dens Ryg besat
med Krybdyr og saa umaadelig mange Østers og Muslinger, at dens
sorte Skind var ganske hvidspættet. |
| "Come on, old man,"
the young whale said. "There is a new fish in the ocean and
we won't tolerate it!" |
"Kom med, Gamle!" sagde
de. "Her er kommen en ny Fisk, som ikke skal taales." |
| "Oh, let me stay where
I am!" grumbled the old whale. "Peace is all I ask, to be left
in peace. Ow! Ow! . . . I am very sick, it will be the death
of me. My only comfort is to let my back emerge above the water,
then the sea gulls scratch it: the sweet birds. That helps a
lot as long as they don't dig too deep with their bills and
get into the blubber. There's the skeleton of one still sitting
on my back. It got stuck and couldn't get loose when I had to
submerge. The little fishes picked his bones clean. You can
see it. . . . Look at him, and look at me. . . . Oh, I am very
sick." |
"Jeg vil hellere ligge,
hvor jeg ligger!" sagde den gamle Hval. "Lad mig i Ro! Lad mig
ligge! Aa ja, ja, ja! Jeg bærer paa en svær Sygdom! Min Lindring
har jeg ved at naae op i Havfladen og faae Ryggen ovenfor! Saa
komme de store, rare Søfugle og pille mig, det gjør saa godt,
naar bare de ikke slaae Næbbet for dybt i, det gaaer tidt lige
ind i mit Spæk. See engang dog! Hele Beenraden af en Fugl sidder
mig endnu i Ryggen; Fuglen slog Kløerne for dybt og kunde ikke
komme løs, da jeg gik tilbunds. Nu have Smaafiskene pillet ham.
See hvorledes han seer ud og jeg seer ud! Jeg har Sygdom!" |
| "You are just imagining
all that," said the young whale. "I am not sick, no one that
lives in the sea is ever sick." |
"Det er bare Indbildning!"
sagde Hajen. "Jeg er aldrig syg. Ingen Fisk er syg!" |
| "I am sorry!" said the
old whale. "The eels have skin diseases, the carp have smallpox,
and we all suffer from worms." |
"Undskyld!" sagde den
gamle Hval; "Aalen har Hudsygdom, Karpen skal have Kopper, og
Alle have vi Indvoldsorme!" |
| "Nonsense!" shouted
the shark, who didn't like to listen to that kind of talk. Neither
did the others, so they all swam on. |
"Vrøvl!" sagde Haien,
han gad ikke høre Mere, de Andre ikke heller, de havde jo Andet
at tage Vare. |
| At last they came to
the place where part of the telegraph cable lies, that stretches
from Europe to America across sand shoals and high mountains,
through endless forests of seaweed and coral. The currents move
as the winds do in the heavens above, and through them swim
schools of fishes, more numerous than the flocks of migratory
birds that fly through the air. There was a noise, a sound,
a humming, the ghost of which you hear in the great conch shell
when you hold it up to your ear. |
Endelig kom de til Stedet,
hvor Telegraphtouget laae. Det har et langt Leie paa Havbunden,
fra Europa til Amerika, hen over Sandbanker og Havdynd, Klippegrund
og Plantevildnis, hele Skove af Koraller, og saa vexle Strømmene
dernede, Vandhvirvler dreie sig, Fisk mylre frem, flere i Flok
end de talløse Fugleskarer, som Menneskene see i Trækfuglstiden.
Der er et Røre, en Pladsken, en Summen, en Susen: den Susen
spøger der lidt af endnu i de store, tomme Havconchylier, naar
vi holde dem for vort Øre. |
| |
Nu kom de til Stedet.
|
| "There is the serpent!"
shouted the bigger fish and the little fishes too. They had
caught sight of some of the telegraph cable but neither the
beginning nor the end of it, for they were both lost in the
far distance. |
"Der ligger Dyret!"
sagde de store Fisk, og den lille sagde det ogsaa. De saae Touget,
hvis Begyndelse og Ende svandt i deres Synskreds. |
| Sponges, polyps, and
gorgonia swayed above it and leaned against it, sometimes hiding
it from view. Sea urchins and snails climbed over it; and great
crabs, like giant spiders, walked tightrope along it. Deep blue
sea cucumbers--or whatever those creatures are called who eat
with their whole body--lay next to it; one would think that
they were trying to smell it. Flounders and cod kept turning
from side to side, in order to be able to listen to what everyone
was saying. The starfishes had dug themselves down in the mire;
only two of their points were sticking up, but they had eyes
on them and were staring at the black snake, hoping to see something
come out of it. |
Svampe, Polyper og Gorgoner
svaiede fra Grunden, sænkede og bøiede sig over det, saa at
det snart skjultes, snart var at see. Søpindsviin, Snegle og
Orme rørte sig om det; kæmpemæssige Edderkopper, der havde en
heel Besætning af Krybdyr paa sig, spankede hen ad Touget. Mørkeblaae
Søpølser, eller hvad det Kryb hedder, de æde med hele Kroppen,
laae ligesom og lugtede til det nye Dyr, der havde lagt sig
paa Havbunden. Flynder og Kabliau vendte sig i Vandet for at
høre efter fra alle Sider. Stjernefisken, der altid borer sig
ned i Dyndet og kun har de to lange Stilke med Øine udenfor,
laae og gloede for at see hvad der kom ud af det Røre. |
| The telegraph cable
lay perfectly still, as if it were lifeless; but inside, it
was filled with life: with thoughts, human thoughts. |
Telegraphtouget laae
uden Bevægelse. Men Liv og Tanke var der i det; Mennesketanker
gik igjennem det. |
| "That thing is treacherous,"
said the whale. "It might hit me in the stomach, and that is
my weak point." |
"Den Ting er lumsk!"
sagde Hvalen. "Den er istand til at slaae mig paa Maven, og
den er nu min ømme Side!" |
| "Let's feel our way
forward," said one of the polyps. "I have long arms and flexible
fingers. I've already touched it, but now I'll take a firmer
grasp." |
"Lad os føle os for!"
sagde Polypen. "Jeg har lange Arme, jeg har smidige Fingre!
jeg har rørt ved den, jeg vil nu tage lidt fastere." |
| And it stuck out its
arms and encircled the cable. |
Og den strakte sine
smidige, længste Arme ned til Touget og rundt om det. |
| "I have felt both its
stomach and its back. It is not scaly. I don't think it has
any skin either. I don't believe it lays eggs and I don't think
it gives birth to live children." |
"Den har ingen Skæl!"
sagde Polypen, "den har ingen Skind! Jeg troer, den aldrig føder
levende Unger!" |
| The conger eel lay down
beside the cable and stretched itself as far as it could. |
Havaalen lagde sig langs
Telegraphtouget og strakte sig saa langt den kunde. |
| "It is longer than I
am," it admitted. "But length isn't everything. One has to have
skin, a good stomach and, above all, suppleness." |
"Den Ting er længere
end jeg!" sagde den. "Men det er ikke Længden om at gjøre, man
maa have Hud, Mave og Smidighed." |
| The whale--the young
strong whale!--bowed more deeply than it ever had before. |
Hvalen, den unge, stærke
Hval, neiede sig lige ned, dybere end den nogensinde havde været.
|
| "Are you a fish or a
plant?" he asked. "Or are you a surface creation, one those
who can't live down here?" |
"Er Du Fisk eller Plante?"
spurgte den. "Eller er Du kun Ovenfras-Værk, der ikke kan trives
hernede hos os?" |
| The telegraph didn't
answer, though it was filled with words. Thoughts traveled through
it so fast that they took only seconds to move from one end
to the other: hundreds of miles away. |
Men Telegraphtouget
svarede ikke; det har det ikke paa den Led. Der gik Tanker igjennem
det, Mennesketanker; de løde i eet Secund de mange hundrede
Mile fra Land til Land. |
| "Will you answer or
be bitten in two?" asked the ill-mannered shark. All the other
fishes repeated the question: "Answer or be bitten in two?"
|
"Vil Du svare eller
vil Du knækkes?" spurgte den glubende Hai, og alle de andre
store Fisk spurgte om det Samme: "Vil Du svare eller vil Du
knækkes?" |
| The telegraph cable
didn't move; it had its own ideas, which isn't surprising for
someone so full of thoughts. |
Touget rørte sig ikke,
det havde sin aparte Tanke, og en saadan kan Den have, der er
fyldt med Tanker. |
| "Let them bite me in
two," it thought. "Then I will be pulled up and repaired. It
has happened to lots of my relations, that are not half as long
as I am." |
"Lad dem kun knække
mig, saa hales jeg op og kommer i Stand igjen, det er skeet
ved Andre af mit Slags, i mindre Farvande!" |
| But it didn't speak,
it telegraphed; besides, it found the question impertinent;
after all, it was lying there on official business. |
Det svarede derfor ikke,
det havde Andet at bestille, det telegrapherede, laae i lovligt
Embede paa Havets Bund. |
| Dusk had come. The sun
was setting, as men say. It was a fiery red, and the clouds
were as brilliant as fire--one more beautiful than the other. |
Ovenover gik nu Solen
ned, som Menneskene kalde det, den blev som den rødeste Ild,
og alle Himmelens Skyer skinnede som Ild, den ene prægtigere
end den anden. |
| "Now comes the red illumination,"
said the polyp. "Maybe the thing will be easier to see in that
light, though I hardly think it worth looking at." |
"Nu faae vi den røde
Belysning!" sagde Polyperne, "saa sees den Ting maaskee bedre,
om saa behøves." |
| "Attack it! Attack it!"
screamed the catfish, and showed all his teeth. |
"Paa den, paa den!"
raabte Havkatten og viste alle sine Tænder. |
| "Attack it! Attack it!"
shouted the whale, the shark, the swordfish, and the conger
eel. |
"Paa den, paa den!"
sagde Sværdfisken og Hvalen og Havaalen. |
| They pushed forward.
The catfish was first; but just as it was going to bite the
cable the swordfish, who was a little too eager, stuck its sword
into the behind of the catfish. It was a mistake, but it kept
the catfish from using the full strength of its jaw muscles. |
De styrtede frem, Havkatten
foran; men lige idet den vilde bide om Touget, jog i bar Heftighed
Savfisken sin Sav lige ind i Bagdelen paa Havkatten; det var
en stor Feiltagelse, og Katten fik ikke Kræfter til Bid. |
| There was a great muddle
in the mud. The sea cucumbers, the big fishes, and the small
ones swam around in circles; they pushed and shoved and squashed
and ate each other up. The crabs and the lobsters fought, and
the snails pulled their heads into their houses. The telegraph
cable just minded its own business, which is the proper thing
for a telegraph cable to do. |
Der blev et Mudder nede
i det Mudder: Storfisk og Smaafisk, Søpølser og Snegle løbe
mod hverandre, aad hverandre, masede, qvasede. Touget laae stille
og øvede sin Gjerning, og det skal man. |
| Night came to the sky
above, but down in the ocean millions and millions of little
animals illuminated the water. Crayfish no larger than the head
of a pin gave off light. It is incredible and wonderful; and
quite true. |
Den mørke Nat rugede
ovenover, men Havets Milliarder og Milliarder levende Smaadyr
lyste. Krebs, ikke saa store som et Knappenaalshoved, lyste.
Det er ganske vidunderligt, men saaledes er det nu. |
| All the animals of the
sea looked at the telegraph cable. |
Havets Dyr saae paa
Telegraphtouget. |
| "If only we knew what
it was--or at least what it wasn't," said one of the fishes.
|
"Hvad er dog den Ting,
og hvad er den ikke?" |
| And that was a very
important question. |
Ja, det var Spørgsmaalet.
|
| An old sea cow--human
beings call them mermen and mermaids--came gliding by. This
one was a mermaid. She had a tail and short arms for splashing,
hanging breasts, and seaweed and parasites on her head--and
of these she was very proud. |
Da kom der en gammel
Havko. Menneskene kalde det Slags: Havfrue eller Havmand. En
Hun var hun, havde Hale og to korte Arme at pjaske med, hængende
Bryst, og Tang og Snyltedyr i Hovedet, og det var hun stolt
af. |
| "If you want learning
and knowledge," she said, "then I think I am the best equipped
to give it to you. But I want free passage on the bottom of
the sea for myself and my family. I am a fish like you, and
a reptile by training. I am the most intelligent citizen of
the ocean. I know about everything under the water and everything
above it. The thing that you are worrying about comes from up
there; and everything from above is dead and powerless, once
it comes down here. So let it lie, it is only a human invention
and of no importance." |
"Vil I have Kundskab
og Kjendskab?" sagde hun, "saa er jeg nok den Eneste, der kan
give den; men jeg forlanger herfor farefri Græsgang paa Havbunden
for mig og Mine. Jeg er Fisk som I, og jeg er ogsaa Krybdyr
ved Øvelse. Jeg er den Klogeste i Havet; jeg veed om Alt, hvad
der rører sig hernede, og om Alt, hvad der er ovenfor. Den Ting
der, I grubliserer over, er ovenfra, og hvad deroppefra dumper
ned, er dødt eller bliver dødt og magtesløst; lad den ligge
for hvad den er. Den er kun Menneske-Paafund!" |
| "I think it may be more
than that," said the tiny fish. |
"Jeg troer nu der er
noget Mere ved den!" sagde den lille Havfisk. |
| "Shut up, mackerel!"
said the sea cow. |
"Hold Mund, Makrel!"
sagde den store Havko. |
| "Shrimp!" shouted the
others, and they meant it as an insult. |
"Hundesteile!" sagde
de Andre, og det var endnu mere fornærmeligt sagt. |
| The sea cow explained
to them that the sea serpent who had frightened them--the cable
itself, by the way, didn't make a sound--was not dangerous.
It was only an invention of those animals up on dry land called
human beings. When she finished talking about the sea serpent,
she gave a little lesson in the craftiness and wickedness of
men: |
Og Havkoen forklarede
dem, at det hele Alarmdyr, som forresten jo ikke sagde et Muk,
var kun Paafund fra det tørre Land. Og den holdt et lille Foredrag
over Menneskenes Trædskhed. |
| "They are always trying
to catch us. That is the only reason for their existence. They
throw down nets, traps, and long fishing lines that have hooks,
with bait attached to them, to try and fool us. This is probably
another--bigger--fishing line. They are so stupid that they
expect us to bite on it. But we aren't as dumb as that. Don't
touch that piece of junk. It will unravel, fall apart, and become
mud and mire--the whole thing. Let it lie there and rot. Anything
that comes from above is worthless; it breaks or creaks; it
is no good!" |
"De ville have fat paa
os," sagde den, "det er det Eneste, de leve for; de spænde Garn
ud, komme med Mading paa Krog for at lokke os. Denne der er
et Slags stor Snøre, som de troe vi skulle bide paa, de ere
saa dumme! Det er vi ikke! Rør kun ikke det Makværk, det trevler
op, bliver til Smuld og Dynd, det Hele. Hvad ovenfra kommer,
har Knæk, Bræk, duer ikke!" |
| "No good!" said all
the creatures of the sea, accepting the mermaid's opinion in
order to have one. |
"Duer ikke!" sagde alle
Havskabningerne og holdt sig til Havkoens Mening for at have
en Mening. |
| The little tiny fish
didn't agree, but it had learned to keep its thoughts to itself.
"That enormously long snake may be the most marvelous fish in
the sea. I have a feeling that it is." |
Den lille Havfisk beholdt
sin egen Tanke. "Den umaadelig lange, tynde Slange er maaskee
den vidunderligste Fisk i Havet. Jeg har en Fornemmelse deraf."
|
| "Marvelous!" we human
beings agree; and we can prove that it is true. |
"Den Vidunderligste!"
sige vi Mennesker med, og sige det med Kjendskab og Forvisning.
|
| The great sea serpent
of the fable has become a fact. |
Den store Søslange er
det, omtalt længst forud i Sange og Sagn. |
| It was constructed by
human skill, conceived by human intelligence. It stretches from
the Eastern Hemisphere to the Western, carrying messages from
country to country faster than light travels from the sun down
to the earth. Each year the great serpent grows. Soon it will
stretch across all the great oceans, under the storm-whipped
waves and the glasslike water, through which the skipper can
look down as if he were sailing through the air and see the
multitude of fish and the fireworks of color. |
Den er født og baaren,
sprungen ud fra Menneskets Snille og lagt paa Havets Bund, strækkende
sig fra Østens Lande til Vestens Lande, bærende Budskab hurtig
som Lysets Straale fra Solen til vor Jord. Den voxer, voxer
i Magt og Udstrækning, voxer Aar for Aar, gjennem alle Have,
Jorden rundt, under de stormende Vande og de glasklare Vande,
hvor Skipperen seer ned, som seilede han gjennem den gjennemsigtige
Luft, seer mylrende Fisk, et heelt Farvefyrværkeri. |
| At the very depths is
a Midgards-worm, biting its own tail as it circumscribes the
world. Fish and reptiles hit their heads against it: it is impossible
to understand what it is by looking at it. Human thoughts expressed
in all the languages of the world, and yet silent: the snake
of knowledge of good and evil. The most wonderful of the wonders
of the sea: our time's great sea serpent! |
Dybest nede strækker
sig Slangen, en Velsignelsens Midgaardsorm, der bider i sin
Hale, idet den omslutter Jorden; Fisk og Krybdyr løbe med Panden
imod, de forstaae dog ikke den Ting ovenfra: Menneskehedens
tankefyldte, i alle Sprog forkyndende og dog lydløse Kundskabsslange
paa Godt og Ondt, den vidunderligste af Havets Vidundere, vor
Tids den store Søslange. |