| The sculptor Hans Alfred,
you know him, I am sure. We all know him. He received the gold
medal when he graduated from the Art Academy, then he traveled
to Italy and came home again. That was when he was young. Oh,
he is still young, although he is at least ten years older now
than he was then. |
Billedhuggeren Alfred,
ja Du kjender ham vel? Vi kjende ham Allesammen: han fik Guldmedaillen,
reiste til Italien og kom hjem igjen; da var han ung, ja det
er han da endnu, men dog altid en halv Snees Aar ældre end dengang.
|
| After his return he
visited one of the smaller towns on Zealand. Everybody knew
who he was and in his honor a party was given by one of the
richer families of the town. Everyone who was anybody, or owned
anything, was invited. It was an important event and the whole
town knew about it without the town crier having mentioned it.
Outside the house stood a group of apprentices and children--and
a few of their parents, too--staring up at the curtained windows
through which a festive glare shone. One might think that the
night watchmen were having a party, so many people were there
in the street. The spectators felt that they at least got a
whiff of the amusements going on inside. And truly it was a
grand party; after all, Mr. Alfred the sculptor was there. |
Han kom hjem, kom i
Besøg i en af Sjællands Smaastæder, hele Byen vidste om den
Fremmede, vidste hvem han var; for hans Skyld var Selskab hos
en af de rigeste Familier, Alt, hvad der var Noget eller havde
Noget, var indbudt, det var en Begivenhed, Byen vidste det uden
Trommeslag, Haandværksdrenge og Smaafolks Børn, et Par af Forældrene
med, stode udenfor og saae paa de nedrullede, belyste Gardiner,
Vægteren kunde bilde sig ind, han gjorde Selskab, saa mange
Folk stod der i hans Boldgade; det smagte af Fornøielse, og
indenfor var rigtignok Fornøielse tilhuse, der var Hr. Alfred,
Billedhuggeren. |
| He liked to talk, to
tell about his travels, and everyone listened to him with pleasure
and some with more than that. An elderly widow, whose husband
had been a civil servant, was particularly impressed by the
young man. Like a sponge she soaked up everything he said and
asked for more. She was most naive and unbelievably ignorant:
a female Caspar Hauser. |
Han talte, han fortalte,
og Alle derinde hørte paa ham med Glæde, med Salvelse, men Ingen
mere end en ældre Enkefrue af Embedsstanden, og hun var for
Alt hvad Hr. Alfred sagde, et ubeskrevet graat Papir, der sugede
det Sagte strax i sig og bad om Mere, høist modtagelig, utrolig
uvidende, en qvindelig Caspar Hauser. |
| "I wouldn't mind seeing
Rome," she said. "It must be a pretty town. Why, everyone in
the whole world visits it. Now describe Rome for us. What do
you see when you enter the city gate?" |
"Rom gad jeg nok see!"
sagde hun, "det maa være en yndig By med alle de mange Fremmede,
som komme der, beskriv os nu Rom! hvorledes seer der nu ud idet
man kommer ind af Porten?" |
| "It is not so easy to
describe," said the young sculptor. "There is a great square
and in the center of it stands an obelisk that is four thousand
years old." |
"Det er ikke let at
beskrive!" sagde den unge Billedhugger. "Der er en stor Plads;
midt paa den staaer en Obelisk, som er fire tusind Aar gammel!"
|
| "An organist!" exclaimed
the widow. She had never heard of an obelisk before. Some of
the other guests smiled, and others were about to laugh--the
young man among them. But he didn't, for just at that moment
he noticed two eyes, as blue as the sea, staring at him. They
belonged to the daughter of the widow; and if one has such a
daughter, it does not matter that one is a bit naive and talkative.
Mama was a gushing fountain of questions, her daughter was the
fountain's beautiful nymph. She was lovely! There was something
for a sculptor to look at and admire, he need not talk with
her. And the young lady hardly ever opened her mouth. |
"En Organist!" udbrød
Fruen, hun havde aldrig før hørt Ordet Obelisk; Nogle vare nær
ved at lee, Billedhuggeren med, men det Smiil som kom, gled
hen i Beskuelse, thi han saae tæt ved Fruen et Par store, havblaae
Øine, det var Datteren af hende, der talte, og naar man har
en saadan Datter, kan man ikke være eenfoldig! Moderen var et
øsende Spørgsmaals Væld, Datteren Vældets Skjønheds Najade der
hørte til. Hvor var hun deilig! hun var Noget for en Billedhugger
at see paa, men ikke tale med, og hun talte Intet, idetmindste
meget lidt. |
| "Has the Pope a big
family?" asked Mama. |
"Har Paven en stor Familie?"
spurgte Fruen. |
| The young man answered
as if the question had been just incorrectly phrased. "No, the
Pope does not come from a large family." |
Og den unge Mand svarede,
som Spørgsmaalet bedre kunde have været stillet: "Nei, han er
ikke af stor Familie!" |
| "That is not what I
mean!" said the old lady. "Does he have a wife and children?"
|
"Det mener jeg ikke!"
sagde Fruen; "jeg mener, har han Kone og Børn?" |
| "The Pope does not dare
marry," said the young man. |
"Paven tør ikke gifte
sig!" svarede han. |
| "I don't like that!"
was the widow's verdict. |
"Det holder jeg ikke
af!" sagde Fruen. |
| She could have spoken
more cleverly and asked more intelligent questions, but if she
had, would her daughter have leaned so close to her and looked
at her with such a gentle and sweet smile? |
Kløgtigere kunde hun
vel have spurgt og talt, men om hun ikke havde spurgt og talt,
som hun gjorde det, mon da vel Datteren saaledes havde heldet
sig op til hendes Skulder og seet med dette næsten rørende Smiil?
|
| Mr. Alfred spoke about
the splendid colors of Italy, the pale blue mountains and the
deep blue Mediterranean Sea. "Only in the color of the eyes
of our women here in the north," he declared, "is that blueness
surpassed." It was meant as allusion to the young lady's eyes,
but she acted as if she had not understood it; and that, too,
the sculptor found "lovely." |
Og Hr. Alfred talte,
talte om Italiens Farvepragt, de blaanende Bjerge, det blaa
Middelhav, Sydens Blaa, en Deilighed, som man i Norden kun fandt
overtruffen i den nordiske Qvindes blaae Øine. Og det blev her
sagt med Hentydning, men hun som skulde forstaae det, hun lod
sig ikke mærke med at hun forstod det; og det var jo nu ogsaa
deiligt! |
| "Italy," sighed some
of the guests. "To travel," whispered others. "Lovely, lovely."
|
"Italien!" sukkede Nogle,
"reise!" sukkede Andre. "Deilig! deilig!" |
| "When I win the fifty
thousand silver marks in the lottery," exclaimed Mama, "then
my daughter and I will travel. We will take you, Mr. Alfred,
along as a guide. We will go abroad, the three of us. And we
will take a few of our old friends along too." And then she
nodded so gaily to everyone around her that each had a right
to believe that she meant him. "Yes, we will go to Italy. But
not in any of the places where there are bandits. No, we will
stick to Rome and the big highways where one is safe." |
"Ja, naar jeg nu vinder
de halvtredsindstyve Tusind Rigsdaler i Lotteriet," sagde Enkefruen,
"saa reise vi! jeg og min Datter, og De, Hr. Alfred! skal føre
os an! vi reise alle Tre! og et Par andre gode Venner med!"
og saa nikkede hun fornøieligt til dem Allesammen, Enhver havde
Lov at troe, det er mig der skal med. "Til Italien ville vi!
men vi ville ikke hvor der er Røvere, vi blive i Rom og paa
de store Landeveie, hvor man er sikker!" |
| Her daughter sighed.
Oh, how much can be expressed in a sigh, and how much can one
imagine is being expressed in a sigh! The young sculptor found
profound depth of feeling in it. The two lovely blue eyes hid
within them all the treasures of the heart and spirit. Riches
far greater than all the wealth of Rome. When he left the party
he was lost; he had fallen in love with the young lady. |
Og Datteren drog et
lille Suk; hvormeget kan der ikke ligge i et lille Suk, eller
lægges deri; den unge Mand lagde Meget deri; de to blaae Øine,
denne Aften belyste for ham, skjulte Skatte, Aandens og Hjertets
Skatte, rige, som alle Roms Herligheder, og da han forlod Selskabet,
- ja saa var han væk, væk i Frøkenen. |
| The widow's house was
the place where you most often found Mr. Alfred. Everyone realized
that it couldn't be because of Mama that he came, although she
was the one who talked to him, so it had to be because of her
daughter. She was called Kala. Her name was really Karen Malene,
and by adding the two names together and subtracting a few letters,
her pet name, Kala, had been invented. Lovely she was, though
a bit lazy, some people said, for she never got up very early.
|
Enkefruens Huus blev
af alle Huse det, Hr. Alfred, Billedhuggeren, besøgte; man indsaae,
at det ikke kunde være for Moderens Skyld, uagtet han og hun
altid vare de Talende, det maatte være for Datterens Skyld han
kom. Kala blev hun kaldt, hun hed Karen Malene, de to Navne
vare trukne sammen til det ene Navn Kala; deilig var hun, men
lidt dvask, sagde Een og Anden; hun laae gjerne lidt længe om
Morgenen. |
| "She is used to that
from childhood," explained her mother. "She has always been
a Venus child and they tire easily. She sleeps a little late
but that keeps her eyes bright." |
"Det er hun vant til
fra sin Barndom!" sagde Moderen, "hun har altid været en Venus-Unge,
og de blive saa let trætte. Hun ligger lidt længe, men deraf
har hun sine klare Øine!" |
| What power there was
in those eyes! Those sea-blue eyes! Still waters run deep. The
young man felt their power. After all, he had run aground in
those still waters. He talked and explained, and Mama asked
the questions with the same ease as she had on their first meeting. |
Hvilken Magt var der
ikke i disse klare Øine! disse havblaae Vande; det stille Vand
med den dybe Grund, det fornam den unge Mand, han sad fast paa
den dybe Grund. Han talte og fortalte, og Mama spurgte altid
lige levende, freidigt og flot, som ved første Møde. |
| It was a pleasure to
hear Mr. Alfred talk. He described Naples. He told about the
walks he had taken up Vesuvius, and showed them pictures, in
color, of the volcano erupting. Mama had never head of a volcano
before, nor ever imagined that such a thing could exist. |
Det var en Fornøielse
at høre Hr. Alfred fortælle; han fortalte om Neapel, om Vandringerne
paa Vesuv og fremviste dertil i farvede Billeder flere af Eruptionerne.
Og Enkefruen havde aldrig før hørt om det eller faaet det i
Overveielse. |
| "God preserve us!" she
said. "A mountain that spouts fire! Isn't it dangerous?" |
"Bevar os!" sagde hun,
"det er da et ildspruddendes Bjerg! kan der Ingen komme til
Skade ved det?" |
| "Whole towns have been
buried by it," explained the young man, "Pompeii and Herculaneum."
|
"Hele Byer ere gaaede
tilgrunde!" svarede han, "Pompeji og Herculanum!" |
| "Oh, the poor wretched
people! Did you see it happen?" |
"Men de ulykkelige Mennesker!
og alt Det har De selv seet!" |
| "No, but I will draw
you a picture of one little eruption that I did see." |
"Nei, ingen af de Udbrud,
jeg her har i Billeder, men jeg skal vise Dem i en Tegning af
mig selv, hvorledes Udbruddet var da jeg saae det!" |
| He took his sketch block
and pencil and started to draw. Mama, who had just been looking
at the very colorful pictures he had shown her, looked with
surprise at the pale pencil drawing. |
Og han tog frem en Skizze
gjort med Blyant, og Mama, der sad opfyldt i Beskuelsen af de
stærkt colorerede Billeder, saae paa den blege Blyants-Skizze
og udbrød i Overraskelse: |
| "But why is what's shooting
up from it white?" she exclaimed. |
"De har seet det sprudde
hvidt!" |
| At that moment Mr. Alfred's
respect for Mama reached an all-time low. But soon, with the
help of Kala, he understood that Mama just did not have much
sense of color. And after all, what did that matter, when she
had the best, the most beautiful thing in the whole world? She
had Kala. |
Det blev et Øieblik
sort i Hr. Alfreds Høiagtelse for Mama, men snart, i Kalas Belysning,
forstod han, at hendes Moder ikke havde Farvesands, det var
det Hele, hun havde det Bedste, det Skjønneste, hun havde Kala.
|
| And Kala and Alfred
became engaged, and that was not surprising. An announcement
of the engagement was printed in the local newspaper, and Mama
bought thirty copies of it so that she could send one to each
of her friends. The young couple were very happy and so was
Mama. She felt that now she was related to Thorvaldsen, the
most famous Danish sculptor. |
Og med Kala blev Alfred
forlovet, det var saa rimeligt; og Forlovelsen stod i Byens
Avis. Mama fik sig tredive Exemplarer af den, for at klippe
det Stykke ud og lægge i Breve til Venner og Bekjendte. Og de
Forlovede vare lykkelige og Svigermama med, hun var ligesom
kommen i Familie med Thorvaldsen. |
| "After all, you are
his successor," she said. |
"De er dog hans Fortsættelse!"
sagde hun. |
| And for once Mr. Alfred
thought she had said something Kala did not say anything at
all, but her eyes were bright, and she smiled so prettily, and
the movements of her body were so graceful and lovely. Oh yes,
lovely she was: lovely it cannot be repeated too often. |
Og Alfred syntes at
hun sagde noget Aandrigt. Kala sagde ikke Noget, men hendes
Øine lyste, Smilet sad om Munden, hver Bevægelse var deilig;
og deilig var hun, det kan ikke siges for tidt. |
| Alfred made two busts:
one of his future mother-in-law and one of Kala. They were his
models and they watched him form the soft clay with his hands.
|
Alfred formede Kalas
og Svigermamas Buste; de sade for ham og saae, hvorledes han
med Fingeren glattede og bøiede det bløde Leer. |
| "Is it for our sake
that you do the simple work yourself?" asked the widow. "You
might have hired someone to throw the clay together, then your
hands wouldn't get dirty." |
"Det er nu for vor Skyld,"
sagde Svigermama, "at De selv gjør det simple Arbeide, og ikke
lader Deres Karl klatte det sammen!" |
| "It is necessary that
I form it myself from the very beginning," said Alfred. |
"Det er just nødvendigt
at jeg former det i Leret!" sagde han. |
| "I am sure that is very
gallant of you," said Mama; and Kala pressed his clay-covered
hand. |
"Ja De er nu altid saa
overordenlig galant!" sagde Mama, og Kala trykkede stille hans
Haand, som Leret sad paa. |
| While he worked he explained
to them his theory of why creation gave expression to the wonder
of nature. Living matter, he said, was more important than dead,
plants were above minerals, animals above plants, and man above
animals. Spirit and beauty could be seen in form, and the sculptor
revealed the human form in its perfection. |
Og han udviklede for
dem begge To Naturens Herlighed i det Skabte, hvorledes det
Levende stod over det Døde, Planten over Mineraliet, Dyret over
Planten, Mennesket over Dyret; hvorledes Aand og Skjønhed aabenbarede
sig gjennem Formen og at Billedhuggeren gav den jordiske Skikkelse
af det Herligste i dets Aabenbarelse. |
| Kala was silent, although
she seemed to sway a little in time with his thoughts and ideas.
His future mother-in-law confessed openly: |
Kala stod taus, vuggende
hans udtalte Tanke, Svigermama tilstod: |
| "It is difficult to
follow you! My thoughts walk a little slower, but I am holding
my own and I am sure I will catch up." |
"Det er svært at følge
med! men jeg gaaer langsomt efter med Tankerne, og de surre
ved det, men jeg har fast!" |
| The loveliness of Kala
bound the young sculptor, it touched and fascinated him; it
captured him. It was not only the single parts but all of Kala
that was lovely. Her body, her glance, her mouth, even the movement
of her fingers. That was Mr. Alfred's judgment; and he was a
sculptor. He understood that sort of thing. He talked only about
her, he thought only about her, the two of them had become one!
In this manner silent Kala became talkative too, for Mr. Alfred
talked enough for two, if not three. |
Og Deiligheden havde
ham fast, den fyldte ham, betog og beherskede ham. Deiligheden
lyste ud af hele Kalas Skikkelse, ud af hendes Blik, fra Mundvigerne,
fra selv Fingrenes Bevægelse, det udtalte Alfred og han, Billedhuggeren,
forstod sig paa det, han talte kun om hende, tænkte kun paa
hende, de To blev Eet, og saaledes talte hun ogsaa meget, for
han talte særdeles meget. |
| That was the engagement,
then came the wedding. There were bridemaids and gifts. Both
were mentioned in the speech to the bridal couple. |
Det var Forlovelsesdagene,
nu kom Brylluppet med Brudepiger og Brudegaver, og de bleve
nævnte i Brudetalen. |
| Mama had put a bust
of Thorvaldsen at the end of the table and draped her husband's
old dressing gown around it. She wanted the famous sculptor
to be among the guests; it was her own idea. Several songs had
been written for the occasion, and innumerable toasts were drunk.
It was a delightful wedding with a lovely bridal couple. "Pygmalion
got his Galatea," so ran one of the lines in one of the songs
written for the occasion. "That is mythology!" declared Mama-in-law.
|
Svigermama havde i Brudehuset
stillet op for Bordenden Thorvaldsens Buste med Slobrok om,
han skulde være Gjest, det var hendes Idee; der blev sjunget
Viser og der blev drukket Skaaler, det var et fornøieligt Bryllup,
et deiligt Par: "Pygmalion fik sin Galathea", stod der i en
af Sangene: "Det er nu saadan Mythologie!" sagde Svigermama.
|
| The day after the wedding
the young couple left for Copenhagen; there they were going
to build their nest. Mama-in-law followed. She was to attend
to the coarse part, she said. She was to run the household,
Kala was just to sit in the doll's house. Everything was new,
bright, and lovely! There they sat, the three of them. And how
did Mr. Alfred sit? Well, to explain it, one might use an old
proverb: he sat as a bishop does in a goose's nest. |
Dagen derpaa reiste
det unge Par til Kjøbenhavn for der at boe og bygge, Svigermama
fulgte med for at tage sig af det Grove! sagde hun, det vil
sige styre Huusvæsenet. Kala skulde sidde i Dukkeskab! Alt var
Nyt, blankt og deiligt! der sad de alle Tre, - og Alfred, ja,
for at bruge et Ordsprog, der belyser hvorledes han sad, han
sad som en Bisp i en Gaaserede. |
| The magic of form had
charmed him, he had looked at the beautiful decoration of the
box without bothering to find out what was inside it. And that
is a misfortune, a great misfortune in a marriage. When the
gluing comes apart and the gilding wears off the casing, then
one regrets the bargain. When you are out at a grand party,
it is a horrible sensation to be aware that you have lost two
of your suspender buttons and you can't depend upon your belt
because you have forgotten to put one on. But what is even worse
at such a party is to be aware that both your wife and your
mother-in-law say one stupidity after another, while you are
not certain that you can think up witty replies to counteract
their foolishness. |
Formens Trolddom havde
daaret ham, han havde seet paa Foderalet og ikke paa hvad der
stak i Foderalet og det er Uheld, meget Uheld i Ægtestanden;
gaaer Foderalet op i Liimningerne og Glimmerguldet falder af,
saa fortryder man Handelen. I stort Selskab er det høist ubehageligt
at mærke, at man har mistet begge sine Seleknapper og vide,
at man ikke kan stole paa sit Spænde, for man har intet Spænde,
men endnu værre er det i stort Selskab at fornemme, at Kone
og Svigermama tale dumt og da, ikke at kunne stole paa selv
at faae et vittigt Indfald der bortveirer Dumheden. |
| Often the young couple
would sit, hand in hand, and he would talk; she would only say
a word every now and then, and they were always the same. The
same little notes from the bell, the same melodies. Her girl
friend Sophie, when she came for a visit, provided a breath
of fresh air, spiritually speaking. |
Saa tidt sad det unge
Ægtepar Haand i Haand, og han talte og hun dryppede et Ord,
samme Melodie, samme to, tre Klokketoner. Det var en Aandsluftning,
naar Sophie, een af Veninderne, kom. |
| Sophie was not beautiful.
She was not misshapen, her figure was a little "crooked," as
Kala claimed. But this "crookedness" was not so great that it
could be observed by anyone except Sophie's girl friends. She
was a sensible and intelligent girl who was completely unaware
that she might become dangerous in such company. She was a bit
of fresh air in the dollhouse, as I have said; and they needed
it, this they were all aware of. A change of air was needed,
so the young couple and Mama-in-law set off for Italy. |
Sophie var meget lidt
kjøn; ja hun var uden Skavank, lidt skjev var hun rigtignok,
sagde Kala, men det var visseligt ikke mere, end kun Veninder
kunne see det; hun var en meget fornuftig Pige, dog det faldt
hende ikke ind at hun her kunde blive farlig. Hun var en forfriskende
Luftning i Dukkeskabet, og frisk Luftning trængte man til, det
indsaae de Allesammen; luftes maatte der og saa kom de ud at
luftes, Svigermama og det unge Ægtepar reiste til Italien. |
| "Thank God that we are
home again," said both Mama and daughter when they returned
the following year together with Mr. Alfred. |
"Gud skee Lov vi ere
hjemme i vort Eget igjen!" sagde Moder og Datter, da de Aaret
efter med Alfred, alle Tre, kom tilbage. |
| "It is not amusing to
travel!" insisted Mama-in-law. "It is really very boring! Excuse
me for being so frank. But I was bored a good deal of the time,
even though I had my children along. And it is expensive! It
is terribly expensive to travel. Then there are all the galleries
and museums you have to visit. One is always running about.
You have to see everything so you can answer all the questions
people are going to ask when you get home. And what's the result?
Everyone tells you that you missed the most beautiful one of
all. I got tired of looking at those eternal madonnas; why,
you ended up looking like one yourself." |
"Det er ingen Fornøielse
at reise!" sagde Svigermama; "det er egenligt kjedeligt! undskyld
at jeg siger det. Jeg kjedede mig, uagtet jeg havde mine Børn
med, og det er dyrt, meget dyrt at reise! Alle de Gallerier
man skal see! Alt det man skal løbe efter! man kan jo ikke være
Andet bekjendt, naar man kommer hjem og bliver spurgt ud! og
saa maa man dog høre at det er det Deiligste, det man fik glemt
at see. Mig kjedede i Længden disse evige Madonnaer, man bliver
selv bare Madonna!" |
| "And the food one has
to eat!" interrupted Kala. |
"Og den Mad man faaer!"
sagde Kala. |
| "One can't get a decent
bowl of soup," agreed Mama. "Foreigners don't know how to cook
food!" |
"Ikke en ærlig Kjødsuppe!"
sagde Mama. "Det er Daarligdom med deres Madlavning!" |
| Kala was fatigued by
the journey. She couldn't get over it, and that was the worst
of it. Sophie came to help in the house; and she was a help. |
Og Kala var bleven fatigueret
af Reisen, vedvarende fatigueret, det var det Værste. Sophie
kom der i Huset, og Gavn gjorde hun. |
| "I have to admit it,"
said Mama-in-law. "Sophie knows how to run a house and she understands
all that art business. She is what one might call educated beyond
her position and fortune. And besides all that, she is really
a very decent human being and very loyal." The latter was proven
when Kala lay sick and grew daily weaker. |
Det maatte man erkjende,
sagde Svigermama, at Sophie forstod sig paa Huusvæsen og Kunstvæsen
og Alt hvad hun efter sin Formue ikke havde Raad til, og saa
var hun dertil meget agtbar, inderlig trofast; det viste hun
ret, da Kala laae syg og tabte sig. |
| Where the casing is
all, it must survive or all is over. The casing did not last:
Kala died. |
Hvor Foderalet er det
Hele, der maa Foderalet holde ud, ellers er det forbi med Foderalet
- og det var forbi med Foderalet, - Kala døde. |
| "She was lovely," said
Mama. "More beautiful than all those Greeks and Romans; they
were always missing their heads or arms. Beauty has to be whole,
and Kala was whole!" |
"Hun var deilig!" sagde
Moderen, "hun var rigtignok noget Andet end Antikkerne, de ere
saa rambonerede! Kala var heel og det skal en Skjønhed være!"
|
| Alfred wept and Mama
wept, and both of them dressed in black. Black was very becoming
on Mama; therefore she wore it longer than Alfred. She mourned
and soon had another cause for grief! Her son-in-law married
again. He took Sophie, the girl who was a bit "crooked." |
Alfred græd og Moderen
græd og de gik begge i sorte Klæder, Mama klædte Sort især,
og, hun gik længst i Sort, bar længst Sorg, og hun fik den Sorg
til, at Alfred giftede sig igjen, tog Sophie, der ikke havde
Udvortes. |
| "He went from one extreme
to another!" said his former mother-in-law. "From the loveliest
to the ugliest. He has forgotten my Kala! There is no loyalty
in men. My husband was different! But then he died before me."
|
"Han er gaaet til Yderligheder!"
sagde Svigermama, "gaaet fra det Deiligste til det Grimmeste,
han har kunnet glemme sin første Kone. Der er ikke Udholdenhed
hos Mandfolk! min Mand var anderledes! han døde ogsaa før jeg!"
|
| "Pygmalion got his Galatea,"
said Alfred. "That is a quote from a song that was written for
my first wedding. And it was true, I had fallen in love with
a beautiful statue, and it became alive in my arms. But that
kindred soul whom heaven sends us--one of the angels, who can
sympathize with us, understand our thoughts, and when we are
downhearted lift us up--I have not won until now. You, Sophie!
Not so beautiful, not so glorious, but pretty enough, lovelier
than one deserves. You came and taught the sculptor that his
works are only clay, dust; only an impression of the hidden
kernel inside one, the kernel that one should seek. Poor Kala,
our life together was merely a journey. If we meet up there,
where all the souls meet in eternal sympathy, we will be almost
strangers." |
"Pygmalion fik sin Galathea!"
sagde Alfred, "ja det stod i Brudevisen; jeg havde ogsaa virkelig
forelsket mig i den deilige Statue, der fik Liv i mine Arme!
men den beslægtede Sjæl, som Himlen sender os, en af dens Engle,
der kan føle med os, tænke med os, løfte os, hvor vi bøies,
har jeg nu først fundet og vundet. Du kom, Sophie! ikke i Form-Skjønhed,
i Straaleglands, -men god nok, mere smuk, end det behøves! Hovedsagen
er Hovedsagen! Du kom og lærte Billedhuggeren, at hans Værk
kun er Leer, Støv, kun et Aftryk i dette af den indre Kjærne,
den vi skulle søge. Stakkels Kala! vort Jordliv var som et Reiseliv!
deroppe, hvor man samles i Sympathie, ere vi hinanden maaskee
halv fremmede!" |
| "That was not very kind
to say," admonished Sophie. "It wasn't very Christian. Up there
where no one is to marry and all the souls meet in sympathy,
as you phrased it, up there where all unfold themselves fully,
her soul may ring with a sweeter and purer tone than mine. And
you! You will say again, as you did when you first saw her and
fell in love, 'Lovely, lovely!'" |
"Det var ikke kjærligt
sagt," sagde Sophie, "det var ikke christeligt! hist oppe, hvor
der ikke skal tages tilægte, men, som Du siger, Sjælene mødes
ved Sympathie, der, hvor alt Herligt udfolder og løfter sig,
vil hendes Sjæl maaskee klinge i saa fuldelig Kraft, at den
overklinger min, og Du - Du vil da igjen udbryde i dit første
Forelskelses-Udbrud: Deilig, deilig!" |