| "What a pity, all my
flowers are dead!" said little Ida. "Last night they were so
beautiful, and now all their leaves have withered. Why does
that happen?" she asked the student who had come visiting. The
young man was sitting on the sofa. Ida was very fond of him
because he knew the most marvelous stories, and with a pair
of scissors could cut out of paper the most wonderful pictures:
flowers, hearts, little dancing ladies, and castles with doors
that could open. He was a happy young man and fond of children.
"Why do my flowers look so sad today?" she asked again, and
showed the student her bouquet of dying flowers. |
"Mine stakkels Blomster
ere ganske døde!" sagde den lille Ida. "De vare saa smukke iaftes,
og nu hænge alle Bladene visne! Hvorfor gjøre de det?" spurgte
hun Studenten, der sad i Sophaen; for ham holdt hun saa meget
af, han kunde de allerdeiligste Historier og klippede saadanne
morsomme Billeder: Hjerter med smaa Madammer i, der dandsede;
Blomster og store Slotte, hvor Dørene kunde lukkes op; det var
en lystig Student! "Hvorfor see Blomsterne saa daarlige ud i
Dag?" spurgte hun igjen, og viste ham en heel Bouquet, der var
ganske vissen. |
| He looked at them a
moment before he said, "I know what is wrong with them, they
have been dancing all night and that is why they look so tired
and hang their heads." |
"Ja veed Du, hvad de
feile!" sagde Studenten. "Blomsterne have været paa Bal i Nat,
og derfor hænge de med Hovedet!" |
| "But flowers can't dance,"
said little Ida. |
"Men Blomsterne kunne
jo ikke dandse!" sagde den lille Ida. |
| "Sure they can," replied
the student. "When darkness comes and we go to bed and sleep,
then the flowers jump about gaily enough. Nearly every night
they hold a grand ball." |
"Jo," sagde Studenten,
"naar det bliver mørkt og vi andre sove, saa springe de lystigt
omkring; næsten hver evige Nat har de Bal!" |
| "Are children allowed
to come to the ball too?" asked little Ida, who was eager to
know how flowers brought up their children. |
"Kan der ingen Børn
komme med paa det Bal?" |
| "Oh yes, both the little
daisies and the lilies of the valley are allowed to come," smiled
the student. |
"Jo," sagde Studenten,
"smaabitte Gaaseurter og Lillieconvaller!" |
| "Where do the most beautiful
of the flowers dance?" |
"Hvor dandse de pæneste
Blomster," spurgte lille Ida. |
| "You have been in the
park near the king's summer castle, the one that has the splendid
garden. You've been there to feed the swans. Remember how they
swim toward you when you throw bread crumbs? That's where the
grand ball is held; and very grand it is." |
"Har Du ikke tidt været
ude af Porten ved det store Slot, hvor Kongen boer om Sommeren,
hvor den deilige Have er med de mange Blomster? Du har jo seet
Svanerne, der svømme hen til dig, naar Du vil give dem Brødkrummer.
Derude er rigtigt Bal, kan Du troe!" |
| "I was there yesterday
with my mother," little Ida said, and looked pensive. "But there
wasn't a leaf on any of the trees, and not a flower anywhere.
There were a lot this summer. Where are they now?" |
"Jeg var der ude i Haven
igaar med min Moder!" sagde Ida, "men alle Bladene vare af Træerne,
og der var slet ingen Blomster meer! hvor ere de? I Sommer saae
jeg saa mange!" |
| "As soon as the king
and all his courtiers move into town, then the flowers move
up to the castle. There they live a merry life; I wish you could
see it. The two most beautiful roses sit on the throne; they
are the king and queen. The big red tiger lilies are lords in
waiting; they stand behind the throne and bow. Then in come
all the most beautiful flowers and the grand ball begins. The
blue violets are midshipmen. They dance with the hyacinths and
the crocuses, and call them Miss. The tulips and the big yellow
lilies are the old ladies, they see to it that everyone behaves
and dances in time to the music." |
"De ere inde paa Slottet!"
sagde Studenten. "Du maa vide, at ligesaa snart Kongen og alle
Hoffolkene flytte herind til Byen, saa løbe Blomsterne strax
fra Haven op paa Slottet og ere lystige. Det skulde Du see!
De to allersmukkeste Røser sætte sig paa Thronen, og saa ere
de Konge og Dronning. Alle de røde Hanekamme stille sig op ved
Siden, og staae og bukke, de ere Kammerjunkere. - Saa komme
alle de nydeligste Blomster, og saa er der stort Bal, de blaa
Violer forestille smaa Søcadetter, de dandse med Hyazinter og
Crocus, som de kalde Frøkener! Tulipanerne og de store gule
Lillier, det er gamle Fruer, de passe paa, at der bliver dandset
net, og at det gaaer pænt til!" |
| "But," interrupted little
Ida, "are the flowers allowed to dance in the king's castle?" |
"Men," spurgte lille
Ida, "er der ingen, som gjør Blomsterne noget, fordi de dandse
paa Kongens Slot?" |
| "No one knows they are
there," continued the student. "Sometimes the old night watchman,
who is supposed to take care of the castle when the king is
away, does walk through it. He carries a great bunch of keys,
one for every door in the castle; and as soon as the flowers
hear the rattle of the keys they hide. The old night watchman
can smell them but he has never seen them." |
"Der er Ingen, som rigtigt
veed af det!" sagde Studenten. "Sommetider, om Natten, kommer
rigtignok den gamle Slotsforvalter, der skal passe paa derude,
han har et stort Knippe Nøgler med sig, men saasnart Blomsterne
høre Nøglerne rasle, saa blive de ganske stille, skjule sig
bag ved de lange Gardiner og stikke Hovedet frem. 'Jeg kan lugte,
her ere nogle Blomster inde,' siger den gamle Slotsforvalter,
men han kan ikke see dem." |
| "Oh, how wonderful!"
little Ida clapped her hands, "Wouldn't I see the flowers either
if I were there?" |
"Det er morsomt!" sagde
den lille Ida og klappede i Hænderne. "Men kunde jeg heller
ikke see Blomsterne?" |
| "I think you could,"
said the student. "Next time you are in the park, look in through
the windows of the castle and you will probably see them. I
was out there today, I saw a long yellow daffodil, she was lying
stretched out on a sofa. She was a lady in waiting." |
"Jo," sagde Studenten,
"husk bare paa, naar du kommer der ud igjen, at kige ind af
Vinduet, saa seer Du dem nok. Det gjorde jeg i Dag, der laae
en lang guul Paaskelillie i Sophaen og strakte sig, det var
en Hofdame!" |
| "What about the flowers
in the botanical garden; are they allowed to attend the ball
too? And how do they get out there? It is a very long way from
where they live to the castle." |
"Kan ogsaa Blomsterne
i den botaniske Have komme der ud? Kan de komme den lange Vei?" |
| "Oh sure, they can
come!" exclaimed the student. "When flowers want to, they can
fly. You have seen butterflies. Don't they look like yellow,
red, and white flowers? That is exactly what they were once.
They are flowers who have jumped off their stems and have learned
to fly with their petals; and when they first get a taste for
it, they never return to their stems, and their little petals
become real wings. There's no way of knowing whether the flowers
from the botanical garden know about what goes on in the castle.
The next time you are there, you can whisper to one of the flowers
that there will be a grand ball that night in the castle, and
see what happens. Flowers can't keep a secret, so that flower
will tell it to the others; and when night comes, they will
all fly to the castle. That will certainly surprise the professor
who is in charge of the garden. The next day when he takes his
morning walk, there won't be a single flower left in the whole
botanical garden; and I am sure he will write a paper about
it." |
"Ja, det kan Du troe!"
sagde Studenten, "for naar de ville, saa kunne de flyve. Har
Du ikke nok seet de smukke Sommerfugle, de røde, gule og hvide,
de see næsten ud som Blomster, det have de ogsaa været, de ere
sprungne af Stilken høit op i Luften, og har da slaaet med Bladene,
ligesom de vare smaa Vinger, og saa fløi de; og da de førte
sig godt op, fik de Lov at flyve om ogsaa ved Dagen, skulde
ikke hjem igjen, og sidde stille paa Stilken, og saa blev Bladene
tilsidst til virkelige Vinger. Det har Du jo selv seet! Det
kan ellers gjerne være, at Blomsterne inde i den botaniske Have
aldrig have været ude paa Køngens Slot, eller veed, at der er
saa lystigt der om Natten. Nu skal jeg derfor sige dig noget!
saa vil han blive saa forbauset, den botaniske Professor, der
boer ved Siden af, Du kjender ham jo nok? Naar Du kommer ind
i hans Have, skal Du fortælle en af Blomsterne, at der er stort
Bal ude paa Slottet, saa siger den det igjen til alle de andre,
og da flyve de afsted; kommer da Professoren ud i Haven, saa
er der ikke en eneste Blomst, og han kan slet ikke forstaae,
hvor de ere henne." |
| "But how will the flower
I tell it to talk to the others? I am sure that I have never
seen a flower speak," said little Ida. |
"Men hvor kan Blomsten
fortælle det til de andre? Blomsterne kunne jo ikke tale!" |
| "They mime. It's a regular
pantomime. You have seen how, when the wind blows, all the flowers
shake their heads and rustle their leaves; what they are saying
to each other is just as plain as what we say with our tongues
is to us." |
"Nei, det kunne de rigtignok
ikke!" svarede Studenten; "men saa gjøre de Pantomime! Har Du
ikke nok seet, at naar det blæser lidt, saa nikke Blomsterne,
og bevæge alle de grønne Blade, det er ligesaa tydeligt, som
om de talte!" |
| "Does the professor
understand what they are saying?" asked little Ida. |
"Kan Professoren da
forstaae Pantomime?" spurgte Ida. |
| "Sure he does. One morning
when he came into the garden he saw a large nettle rustle its
leaves at a carnation. It was saying, 'You are so beautiful
that I love you.' But that kind of talk the professor doesn't
like, so he hit the nettle across the fingers--that is, its
leaves. But the nettle burned him, and since then the professor
has never dared touch a nettle." |
"Ja, det kan Du troe!
Han kom en Morgen ned i sin Have og saae en stor Brændenelde
staae at gjøre Pantomime med Bladene til en deilig rød Nellike;
den sagde, du er saa nydelig og jeg holder saa meget af dig!
men saadan noget kan Professoren nu slet ikke lide, og slog
strax Brændenelden over Bladene, for de ere dens Fingre, men
saa brændte han sig, og fra den Tid tør han aldrig røre ved
en Brændenelde." |
| "That is very funny!"
little Ida laughed. |
"Det var morsomt!" sagde
den lille Ida og loe. |
| "I don't think that
it's the least bit funny," said the old chancellor, who had
just come into the room and had overheard the last part of the
conversation; but he never found anything funny. "Such fantastic
ideas are nonsense; they are harmful to a child and boring for
grownups." The old chancellor did not like the student, especially
when he found him cutting pictures out of paper with a pair
of scissors. The student had just finished cutting a hanged
man holding a heart; he'd been condemned for stealing hearts.
Now the young man had started on another. It was the picture
of a witch who was riding on a broom and was carrying her husband
on the end of her nose. |
"Er det at bilde Barnet
saadan noget ind!" sagde den kjedelige Cancellieraad, der var
kommen i Visit og sad i Sophaen; han kunde slet ikke lide Studenten
og gnavede alletider, naar han saae ham klippe de løierlige,
moersomme Billeder: snart en Mand, der hang i en Galge og holdt
et Hjerte i Haanden, for han var en Hjertetyv, snart en gammel
Hex, der red paa en Kost og havde sin Mand paa Næsen; det kunde
Cancellieraaden ikke lide, og saa sagde han, ligesom nu, "er
det noget, at bilde Barnet ind! det er den dumme Phantasie!" |
| Little Ida thought that
everything the student did was amusing; and she thought a great
deal about what he had said about her flowers. "My flowers are
tired from dancing," she thought, and carried her bouquet over
to the little table on which her playthings were. She had a
whole drawer full of toys too, and even a doll that lay in its
own bed. The doll's name was Sophie. Little Ida picked her up
and explained, "Please, be a good doll and sleep in the drawer
tonight. The flowers are sick and have to sleep in your bed,
so they can get well." The doll didn't answer; she was angry
because someone else was to sleep in her bed. |
Men den lille Ida syntes
dog, det var saa morsomt, hvad Studenten fortalte om hendes
Blomster, og hun tænkte saa meget derpaa. Blomsterne hang med
Hovedet, fordi de vare trætte af at dandse hele Natten, de vare
bestemt syge. Saa gik hun med dem hen til alt sit andet Legetøi,
der stod paa et pænt lille Bord, og hele Skuffen var fuld af
Stads. I Dukkesengen laae hendes Dukke, Sophie, og sov, men
den lille Ida sagde til hende: "Du maa virkelig staae op, Sophie,
og tage til Takke med at ligge i Skuffen i Nat, de stakkels
Blomster ere syge, og saa maa de ligge i din Seng, maaskee de
da blive raske!" og saa tog hun Dukken op, men den saae saa
tvær ud og sagde ikke et eneste Ord, for den var vred, fordi
den ikke maatte beholde sin Seng. |
| Little Ida put the flowers
in the bed and pulled the covers up around them. She promised
them that if they would be good and lie still she would make
them a cup of tea. "You will be well enough to be up and around
tomorrow morning," she added. Then she drew the curtains around
the bed so the sun wouldn't shine in their eyes. |
Saa lagde Ida Blomsterne
i Dukkesengen, trak det lille Teppe heelt op om dem og sagde,
nu skulde de ligge smukt stille, saa vilde hun koge Theevand
til dem, at de kunde blive raske og komme op imorgen, og hun
trak Gardinerne tæt om den lille Seng, for at Solen ikke skulde
skinne dem ind i Øinene. |
| All that evening she
could not think about anything but what the student had told
her. When her bedtime came, she ran over to the window and pulled
aside the drapes to look at her mother's plants, which were
sitting in flowerpots on the window sill. She whispered to both
the tulips and the hyacinths, "I know where you are going tonight."
The flowers acted as though they hadn't heard her. They moved
neither a petal nor a leaf; but little Ida believed what she
had been told. |
Hele Aftenen igjennem
kunde hun ikke lade være at tænke paa, hvad Studenten havde
fortalt hende, og da hun nu selv skulde i Seng, maatte hun først
hen bag Gardinerne, der hang ned for Vinduerne, hvor hendes
Moders deilige Blomster stod, baade Hyacinther og Tulipaner,
og saa hvidskede hun ganske sagte: Jeg veed nok, I skal paa
Bal i Nat! men Blomsterne lod, som om de ingenting forstod og
rørte ikke et Blad, men lille Ida vidste nok, hvad hun vidste. |
| When she got into bed,
little Ida lay awake thinking about how beautiful it must have
been when all the flowers danced in the royal castle. "I wonder
if my flowers have really been there," she muttered; and then
she fell asleep. Late at night she woke; she had dreamed about
the flowers and the student, who the chancellor had said was
filling her head with nonsense. It was very quiet in the bedroom.
On the table beside her parents' bed, the night light burned. |
Da hun var kommet i
Seng, laae hun længe og tænkte paa, hvor nydeligt det kunde
være at see de deilige Blomster dandse derude paa Kongens Slot.
"Mon mine Blomster virkelig have været med?" Men saa faldt hun
i Søvn. Ud paa Natten vaagnede hun igjen, hun havde drømt om
Blomsterne og Studenten, som Cancellieraaden skjændte paa og
sagde vilde bilde hende noget ind. Der var ganske stille i Sovekammeret,
hvor Ida laae; Natlampen brændte henne paa Bordet, og hendes
Fader og Moder sov. |
| "I wonder if my flowers
are still lying in Sophie's bed," she whispered. "Oh, God, how
I would love to know!" She sat up in bed and looked toward the
door. It was ajar; in the next room were her flowers and all
her playthings. She listened; someone was playing the piano
softly and more beautifully than she had ever heard it played
before. |
"Mon mine Blomster nu
ligge i Sophies Seng?" sagde hun ved sig selv, "hvor jeg dog
gjerne vilde vide det!" Hun reiste sig lidt og saae hen til
Døren, der stod halv paa Klem, derinde laae Blomsterne og alt
hendes Legetøi. Hun lyttede efter, og da var det ligesom om
hun hørte, at der blev spillet paa Claveer inde i Stuen, men
ganske sagte, og saa nydeligt, som hun aldrig før havde hørt
det. |
| "Now all the flowers
are dancing. Oh, God, how I would love to see it," she whispered.
But she didn't dare get up, for she was afraid she would wake
her father and mother. "If only the flowers would come in here,"
she thought. But the flowers didn't come, and the music kept
on playing. Finally she climbed out of bed, tiptoed over to
the door, and looked into the living room. |
"Nu dandse vist alle
Blomsterne derinde!" sagde hun, "o Gud, hvor jeg dog gjerne
vilde see det!" men hun turde ikke staae op, for saa vækkede
hun sin Fader og Moder. "Bare de dog vilde komme herind," sagde
hun; men Blomsterne kom ikke og Musiken vedblev at spille saa
nydeligt, da kunde hun slet ikke lade være, for det var altfor
deiligt, hun krøb ud af sin lille Seng og gik ganske sagte hen
til Døren og kigede ind i Stuen. Nei, hvor det var moersomt,
hvad hun fik at see! |
| There was no night light
burning in there, but she could see anyway, for the moon shone
in through the windows onto the floor. It was so bright that
it was almost as light as day. All the tulips and the hyacinths
stood in two long rows on the floor; on the window sill stood
only their empty flowerpots. The flowers danced so gracefully,
holding onto each other's leaves. They formed chains and swung
each other around, just as children do when they dance. A big
yellow Ely sat at the piano and played. Little Ida remembered
that she had seen it in the garden that summer. The student
had said, "Why, it looks like Miss Line!" Everybody had laughed
at him then; but now little Ida thought that the slender yellow
flower really did look like Miss Line; and behaved just as she
did when she played. There the flower was, turning its yellow
face from side to side and nodding in time to the music. None
of the flowers noticed little Ida. Suddenly a big blue crocus
jumped up on the table where her playthings were, went right
over to the doll's bed, and drew the curtains. There lay the
sick flowers. But they didn't seem sick any more. They leaped
out of bed. They wanted to dance too. The little porcelain man,
whose chin was chipped, bowed to the flowers. They jumped down
onto the floor; and what a good time they had! |
Der var slet ingen Natlampe
derinde, men alligevel ganske lyst, Maanen skinnede gjennem
Vinduet midt ind paa Gulvet! det var næsten ligesom det kunde
være Dag. Alle Hyacintherne og Tulipanerne stode i to lange
Rækker paa Gulvet, der vare slet ingen flere i Vinduet, der
stode tomme Potter, nede paa Gulvet dandsede alle Blomsterne
saa nydeligt rundt om hinanden, gjorde ordentlig Kjæde og holdt
hverandre i de lange grønne Blade, naar de svingede rundt. Men
henne ved Claveret sad en stor guul Lillie, som lille Ida bestemt
havde seet i Sommer, for hun huskede godt, Studenten havde sagt:
"nei, hvor den ligner Frøken Line!" men da loe de Allesammen
af ham; men nu syntes virkelig Ida ogsaa, at den lange gule
Blomst lignede Frøkenen, og den bar sig ogsaa ligesaadan ad
med at spille, snart lagde den sit aflange gule Ansigt paa den
ene Side, snart paa den anden, og nikkede Takten til den deilige
Musik i Slet ingen mærkede den lille Ida. Nu saae hun en stor
blaa Crocus hoppe midt op paa Bordet, hvor Legetøiet stod, gaae
lige hen til Dukkesengen og trække Gardinerne til Side, der
laae de syge Blomster, men de reiste sig strax op og nikkede
ned til de andre at de ogsaa vilde med at dandse. Den gamle
Røgmand, som Underlæben var brækket af, stod op og bukkede for
de pæne Blomster, de saae slet ikke syge ud, de hoppede ned
mellem de andre og vare saa fornøiede. |
| Now in Denmark at Shrovetide
little children are given a bunch of birch and beech branches
tied together with ribbons, and fastened to their twigs are
paper flowers, little toys, and candies. It is an old custom
for the children to whip their parents out of bed with these
switches on Shrove Monday. The switches are pretty and most
of the children keep them. Little Ida's had been lying on the
table among her other toys. Bump! Down they jumped with their
ribbons flying; they thought they were flowers. A handsome little
wax doll, with a broad-brimmed hat just like the one the chancellor
wore, was tied to the top of the longest branch. The switches
danced the mazurka, for they were stronger than the flowers
and could stamp their feet. |
Det var ligesom om noget
faldt ned af Bordet, Ida saae derhen, det var Fastelavns-Riset,
der sprang ned, det syntes ogsaa, at det hørte med til Blomsterne.
Det var ogsaa meget nydeligt, og oveni sad en lille Voxdukke,
der havde just saadan en bred Hat paa Hovedet, som den Cancellieraaden
gik med. Fastelavns-Riset hoppede paa sine tre røde Træbeen
midt ind imellem Blomsterne, og trampede ganske stærkt, for
det dandsede Masurka, og den Dands kunde de andre Blomster ikke,
fordi de vare saa lette og kunde ikke trampe. |
| All at once the wax
doll began to grow. It became taller and bigger and started
screaming at the paper flowers: "What a lot of nonsense to tell
a child! What a lot of nonsense!" Now the wax doll looked exactly
like the chancellor; for he, too, wore a broad-brimmed hat and
had a yellow complexion and a sour expression. The ribbons started
to hit the wax doll across the legs, and he had to pull himself
together till he was only a little wax doll again. It was all
so funny that little Ida could not help laughing. The switches
kept on dancing, and the chancellor had to dance too--when he
was as big and tall as a man and when he was only a little wax
doll. He was given no rest, until the flowers begged the switches
to stop; the flowers who had lain in the doll's bed felt especially
sorry for the little wax doll. As soon as the switches stopped
dancing there came a knocking from the drawer where the doll
Sophie lay. The little porcelain man went carefully to the edge
of the table, leaned over the side of it, and pulled the drawer
open as much as he could--which wasn't very much. Sophie stuck
out her head. "I see there is a ball. Why hasn't anyone told
me about it?" |
Voxdukken paa Fastelavnsriset
blev lige med eet stor og lang, snurrede sig rundt ovenover
Papirsblomsterne og raabte ganske høit: "Er det at bilde Barnet
saadan noget ind! det er den dumme Phantasie!" og saa lignede
Voxdukken ganske accurat Cancellieraaden med den brede Hat,
saae ligesaa guul og gnaven ud, men Papirsblomsterne slog ham
om de tynde Been, og saa krøb han sammen igjen og blev en lille
bitte Voxdukke. Det var saa moersomt at see! den lille Ida kunde
ikke lade være at lee. Fastelavnsriset blev ved at dandse, og
Cancellieraaden maatte dandse med, det hjalp ikke, enten han
gjorde sig stor og lang eller blev den lille gule Voxdukke med
den store, sorte Hat. Da bad de andre Blomster for ham, især
de, der havde ligget i Dukkesengen, og saa lod Fastelavnsriset
være. I det samme bankede det ganske stærkt inde i Skuffen,
hvor Idas Dukke, Sophie, laae ved saa meget andet Legetøi; Røgmanden
løb hen til Kanten af Bordet, lagde sig langs ud paa sin Mave
og fik Skuffen en lille Smule trukket ud. Der reiste Sophie
sig op, og saae ganske forundret rundtomkring. "Her er nok Bal!"
sagde hun; "hvorfor er der ingen, der har sagt mig det!" |
| "Would you like to dance
with me?" asked the porcelain man. |
"Vil Du dandse med mig?"
sagde Røgmanden. |
| "Pooh! You are chipped,"
said Sophie, and sat down on the edge of the drawer, with her
back to the poor little porcelain man. She thought that one
of the flowers would come and ask her to dance, but none of
them did. The porcelain man danced by himself and he didn't
dance badly at all. |
"Jo, Du er en pæn En
at dandse med!" sagde hun og vendte ham Ryggen. Saa satte hun
sig paa Skuffen og tænkte, at nok en af Blomsterne vilde komme
at engagere hende, men der kom ingen, saa hostede hun, hm, hm,
hm! men alligevel kom der ikke Een. Røgmanden dandsede saa ganske
alene, og det var ikke saa daarligt! |
| Since none of the flowers
seemed to notice her, Sophie jumped down upon the floor. She
landed with a crash and all the flowers came running over to
ask her whether she had hurt herself; the flowers who had lain
in her bed were especially considerate. But Sophie hadn't hurt
herself. Little Ida's flowers thanked her for having been allowed
to sleep in her bed, and they told her that they loved her;
then they took her out to the middle of the floor, where there
was a great splash of moonlight, and danced with her. All of
the other flowers made a circle around them, and Sophie was
so happy that she told the flowers they could keep her bed,
even though she didn't like sleeping in the drawer. |
Da nu ingen af Blomsterne
syntes at see Sophie, lod hun sig dumpe fra Skuff en lige ned
paa Gulvet, saa det gav en stor Alarm; alle Blomsterne kom ogsaa
løbende hen rundt omkring hende og spurgte, om hun ikke havde
slaaet sig, og de vare alle saa nydelige imod hende, især Blomsterne,
der havde ligget i hendes Seng; men hun havde slet ikke slaaet
sig, og alle Idas Blomster sagde Tak for den deilige Seng og
holdt saa meget af hende, tog hende midt hen paa Gulvet hvor
Maanen skinnede, dandsede med hende, og alle de andre Blomster
gjorde en Kreds udenom; nu var Sophie fornøiet! og hun sagde,
de maatte gjerne beholde hendes Seng, hun brød sig slet ikke
om at ligge i Skuffen. |
| "Thank you," the flowers
replied. "It is most kind of you, but our life is short. Tomorrow
we shall be dead. Tell little Ida to bury us out in the garden
where the canary is buried; and next year we shall come to life
again and be even more beautiful than we are now." |
Men Blomsterne sagde:
"Du skal have saa mange Tak, men vi kan ikke leve saa længe!
imorgen ere vi ganske døde; men siig til den lille Ida, at hun
skal begrave os ude i Haven, hvor Kanarifuglen ligger, saa voxe
vi op igjen til Sommer og blive meget smukkere!" |
| "You mustn't die!" cried
the doll, and kissed the flowers. At that moment the door of
the dining room opened and the most beautiful flowers came dancing
in. Little Ida could not imagine where they had come from, unless
they were the flowers from the park near the king's castle.
First entered two roses who wore gold crowns. They were the
king and the queen. Behind them came the carnations and the
lilies, bowing and waving to the other flowers. There was music.
Big poppies and peonies blew on the pods of sweet peas with
such vigor that their faces were red. The bluebells tingled.
It was a funny orchestra both to watch and to listen to. At
last came all the other flowers, dancing: violets, daisies,
and lilies of the valley; as they finished their dance, they
kissed each other. It was lovely to see. |
"Nei, I maae ikke døe!"
sagde Sophie, og saa kyssede hun Blomsterne; i det samme gik
Salsdøren op, og en heel Mængde deilige Blomster kom dandsende
ind, Ida kunde slet ikke begribe, hvor de vare komne fra, det
var bestemt alle Blomsterne ude fra Kongens Slot. Allerforrest
gik to deilige Roser, og de havde smaa Guldkroner paa, det var
en Konge og en Dronning, saa kom de nydeligste Levkøier og Nelliker
og de hilste til alle Sider. De havde Musik med, store Valmuer
og Pioner blæste i Ærtebælge saa de vare ganske røde i Hovedet.
De blaa Klokker og de smaa hvide Sommergjække klingede, ligesom
de havde Bjelder paa. Det var en morsom Musik. Saa kom der saa
mange andre Blomster, og de dandsede allesammen, de blaa Violer
og de røde Bellis, Gaaseurterne og Lillieconvallerne. Og alle
Blomsterne kyssede hinanden, det var nydeligt at see! |
| The flowers said good
night to each other, and little Ida climbed back into her little
bed and dreamed about everything she had seen. |
Tilsidst sagde Blomsterne
hinanden god Nat, saa listede ogsaa den lille Ida sig hen i
Sengen, hvor hun drømte om alt, hvad hun havde seet. |
| The next morning when
she woke, she ran right over to the doll's bed to see if the
flowers were still there. There they were, but now they were
all shriveled and dead. Her doll Sophie was in the drawer; she
looked awfully sleepy. |
Da hun næste Morgen
kom op, gik hun gesvindt hen til det lille Bord, for at see
om Blomsterne vare der endnu, hun trak Gardinet til Side fra
den lille Seng, ja, der laae de allesammen, men de vare ganske
visne, meget meer end igaar. Sophie laae i Skuffen, hvor hun
havde lagt hende, hun saae meget søvnig ud. |
| "Can you remember what
you are supposed to tell me?" little Ida asked. Sophie didn't
say a word. |
"Kan Du huske, hvad
Du skulde sige til mig," sagde den lille Ida, men Sophie saae
ganske dum ud og sagde ikke et eneste Ord. |
| "You are not a good
doll," scolded little Ida. "Remember how all the flowers danced
with you!" Then she took a paper box that had a lovely picture
of a bird on its lid and laid the flowers in it. "That will
be your honorable coffin," she said. "And when my cousins come
from Norway, then we'll have a funeral and bury you, so you
can come again next summer and be more beautiful than you are
now." |
"Du er slet ikke god,"
sagde Ida, "og de dandsede dog allesammen med Dig." Saa tog
hun en lille Papirsæske, der var tegnet nydelige Fugle paa,
den lukkede hun op og lagde de døde Blomster i den. "Det skal
være Eders nydelige Liigkiste," sagde hun, "og naar siden de
norske Fættere komme herhen, saa skal de være med at begrave
Eder ude i Haven, at I til Sommer kan voxe op og blive endnu
meget smukkere!" |
| The cousins from Norway
were two strong boys. Their names were Jonas and Adolph. Their
father had given them each a bow and some arrows; and these
they had brought along to show little Ida. She told them about
the poor flowers that had died and allowed them to attend the
funeral. It was almost a procession. First came the boys with
their bows slung over their shoulders, then little Ida, carrying
the pretty little paper box. In the corner of the garden they
dug a little grave. Ida kissed the flowers before she buried
them. Jonas and Adolph shot an arrow above the grave, for they
didn't have a gun or a cannon. |
De norske Fættere vare
to raske Drenge, de hed Jonas og Adolph; deres Fader havde foræret
dem to nye Flitsbuer, og disse havde de med at vise Ida. Hun
fortalte dem om de stakkels Blomster, der vare døde, og saa
fik de Lov at begrave dem. Begge Drengene gik foran med Flitsbuerne
paa Skuldren, og den lille Ida bagefter med de døde Blomster
i den nydelige Æske; ude i Haven blev gravet en lille Grav;
Ida kyssede først Blomsterne, satte dem saa med Æsken ned i
Jorden, og Adolph og Jonas skjød med Flitsbuer over Graven,
for de havde ingen Geværer eller Kanoner. |
|
English translation by:
Erik Christian Haugaard
Courtesy of Anchor Books: Doubleday
|
Copyright:
The Hans Christian Andersen Project |
|