| Out in the forest grew
a very nice-looking little pine tree. It had plenty of space
around it, so that it got both fresh air and all the sunshine
it could want. Near it grew some larger pine and other evergreen
trees; but the little pine was so busy growing that it took
no notice of them, or of the children who came to the forest
to pick wild strawberries and raspberries, not even when they
sat down near it and said so loudly that anyone could have heard
them: "Goodness, what a beautiful little tree!" No, the tree
heard nothing, for it was not listening. |
Ude i Skoven stod der
saadant et nydeligt Grantræ; det havde en god Plads, Sol kunde
det faae, Luft var der nok af, og rundtom voxte mange større
Kammerater, baade Gran og Fyr; men det lille Grantræ var saa
ilter med at voxe; det tænkte ikke paa den varme Sol og den
friske Luft, det brød sig ikke om Bønderbørnene der gik og smaasnakkede,
naar de vare ude at samle Jordbær eller Hindbær; tidt kom de
med en heel Krukke fuld eller havde Jordbær trukket paa Straa,
saa satte de sig ved det lille Træ og sagde: "nei! hvor
det er nydeligt lille!" Det vilde Træet slet ikke høre.
|
| The following year it
was a little taller and had a new ring of branches; and the
next year it had one more. That is the way you can tell the
age of a pine tree--by the rings of branches it has. |
Aaret efter var det
en lang Stilk større, og Aaret efter igjen var det endnu een
meget længer; thi paa et Grantræ kan man altid, efter de mange
Led, det har, see hvor mange Aar det har voxet. |
| "Oh, how I wish I were
as big as the big trees," moaned the little pine tree. "Then
I could spread my branches out, and with my top, I could see
far out into the wide world! The birds would come and nest in
me; and when the wind blew, then I would bend and sway as elegantly
as the other trees." |
"0, var jeg dog saadant
et stort Træ, som de Andre!" sukkede det lille Træ, "saa kunde
jeg brede mine Grene saa langt omkring og med Toppen see ud
i den vide Verden! Fuglene vilde da bygge Rede imellem mine
Grene, og naar det blæste kunde jeg nikke saa fornemt, ligesom
de Andre der!" |
| The warm sunshine gave
it no pleasure, nor did the songs of the little birds or the
sight of the red clouds that drifted across the sky at sunset.
|
Det havde slet ingen
Fornøielse af Solskinnet, af Fuglene eller de røde Skyer, som
Morgen og Aften seilede hen over det. |
| Winter came. The snow
lay white and sparkling. Rabbits came running, and jumped over
the little pine tree. "Oh, how mortifying!" it cried every time.
But two years passed before the little tree had grown so tall
that the rabbits could no longer jump over it but had to run
around it instead. "To grow, to grow," thought the pine tree,
"to become tall and old; there's nothing in the world so marvelous!"
|
Var det nu Vinter, og
Sneen rundt omkring laae gnistrende hvid, saa kom tidt en Hare
springende, og satte lige over det lille Træ, - o, det var saa
ærgerligt! - Men to Vintre gik, og ved den tredie var Træet
saa stort, at Haren maatte gaae uden om det. 0, voxe, voxe,
blive stor og gammel, det var dog det eneste deilige i denne
Verden, tænkte Træet. |
| In the autumn the woodcutter
came to chop down some of the older trees. He came every year
and the young tree, now that it was growing up, shook inside
itself when the tall, mighty trees fell with a thunderous crash
to the ground. Their branches were shorn and there they lay:
naked, thin, and long. One could hardly recognize them. They
were loaded onto a horse-drawn wagon and carried out of the
forest. |
I Efteraaret kom altid
Brændehuggerne og fældede nogle af de største Træer, det skete
hvert Aar, og det unge Grantræ, som nu var ganske godt voxent,
skjælvede derved, thi de store, Prægtige Træer faldt med en
Knagen og Bragen til Jorden;. Grenene bleve hugne fra, de saae
ganske nøgne, lange og smalle ud; de vare næsten ikke til at
kjende, men saa bleve de lagte paa Vogne, og Heste trak dem
afsted ud af Skoven. |
| Where were they being
taken? What would happen to them? |
Hvor skulde de hen?
Hvad forestod dem? |
| In spring, when the
swallows and the storks returned, the young pine put the question
to them: "Do any of you know where the trees go and what happens
to them?" |
I Foraaret, da Svalen
og Storken kom, spurgte Træet dem: "Veed I ikke, hvor de førtes
hen? Har I ikke mødt dem?" |
| The swallows didn't
know, but the storks looked thoughtful for a moment. Then one
of them said, "I think I know. I have met many tall ships on
my way to Egypt. The ships have lofty masts and they smell of
pine, so I'm sure they must be pine. I tell you, they stood
proudly." |
Svalerne vidste ikke
noget, men Storken saae betænkelig ud, nikkede med Hovedet og
sagde: "Jo, jeg troer det! jeg mødte mange nye Skibe da jeg
fløi fra Ægypten; paa Skibene vare prægtige Mastetræer, jeg
tør sige, at det var dem, de lugtede af Gran; jeg kan hilse
mange Gange, de kneise, de kneise!" |
| "If only I were old
enough to become a mast and sail across the ocean," said the
pine tree. "Tell me about the ocean. What does it look like?" |
"0, var jeg dog ogsaa
stor nok til at flyve hen over Havet! Hvorledes er det egentligt
dette Hav, og hvad ligner det?" |
| "It's too big for me
to try to tell about it," replied the stork, and walked away.
|
"Ja det er saa vidtløftigt
at forklare!" sagde Storken, og saa gik den. |
| "Be glad that you are
young," whispered the sun's rays. "Enjoy your strength and the
pleasure of being alive." |
"Glæd Dig ved din Ungdom!"
sagde Solstraalerne; "glæd Dig ved din friske Væxt, ved det
unge Liv, som er Dig!" |
| The wind kissed the
young tree and the dew shed tears over it; but the pine tree
noticed neither. |
Og Vinden kyssede Træet,
og Duggen græd Taarer over det, men det forstod Grantræet ikke.
|
| Just before Christmas,
some of the trees that were cut down weren't any older or taller
than the one who was so dissatisfied. These trees did not have
their branches shorn; but they were loaded onto wagons and driven
out of the forest just as the other, larger trees had been. |
Naar det var ved Juletid,
da bleve ganske unge Træer fældede, Træer som tidt ikke engang
vare saa store eller i Alder med dette Grantræ, der hverken
havde Rast eller Ro, men altid vilde afsted; disse unge Træer,
og de vare just de allersmukkeste, beholdt altid alle deres
Grene, de bleve lagte paa Vogne og Heste trak dem afsted ud
af Skoven. |
| "Where are they going?"
asked the pine tree. "None of them was any taller than I am;
and I saw one that was at least a foot shorter. Why were they
allowed to keep their branches? And where were they going?"
|
"Hvorhen skulle de?"
spurgte Grantræet. "De ere ikke større end jeg, der var endogsaa
eet, der var meget mindre i hvorfor beholde de alle deres Grene?
Hvor kjøre de hen?" |
| "W know! We know! We
know!" chirped the sparrows. "We have been in the town and looked
through the windows. We know where they are. They have come
to glory. They have been given the greatest honor a tree could
wish for. They have been planted right in the middle of the
warm living rooms of people's houses. They are decorated with
silver and gold tinsel. There are apples and toys and heartshaped
cookies and hundreds of candles on their branches." |
"Det vide vi! det vide
vi!" qviddrede Graaspurvene. "Vi have nede i Byen kiget ind
ad Ruderne! vi vide, hvor de kjøre hen! 0, de komme til den
største Glands og Herlighed, der kan tænkes! Vi have kiget ind
af Vinduerne og seet at de blive plantede midt i den varme Stue
og pyntede med de deiligste Ting, baade forgyldte Æbler, Honningkager,
Legetøi og mange hundrede Lys!" |
| The pine tree was so
excited that its boughs trembled. "And what else happened to
them?" |
"Og saa - ?" spurgte
Grantræet og bævede i alle Grene. "Og saa? Hvad skeer saa?"
|
| "We don't know," chirped
the sparrows. "We've told you everything we saw." |
"Ja, mere have vi ikke
seet! Det var mageløst!" |
| "Have I been created
to become like that?" thought the tree jubilantly. "Will that
glory be mine? Why, that is much better than sailing across
the oceans. Oh, how I long for it to happen! I wish it soon
would be Christmas again. I am as tall and as good looking as
the trees that were chosen last year. I wish I were on the wagon
already. I wish I were in the warm room being decorated. I wonder
what will happen after that? Something even better, even grander
will happen, why else should they put gold and silver on me?
But what will it be? How I long for it to happen! How I suffer
from anticipation. I can hardly understand myself. . . . Oh,
how difficult it is to be me!" |
"Mon jeg er blevet til
for at gaae denne straalende Vei?" jublede Træet. "Det er endnu
bedre, end at gaae over Havet! Hvor jeg lider af Længsel! Var
det dog Juul! nu er jeg høi og udstrakt, som de andre, der førtes
afsted sidste Aar! - 0, var jeg alt paa Vognen! var jeg dog
i den varme Stue med al den Pragt og Herlighed i og da - ? Ja,
da kommer noget endnu Bedre, endnu Skjønnere, hvorfor skulle
de ellers saaledes pynte mig! der maa komme noget endnu større,
endnu herligere - ! men hvad? 0, jeg lider! jeg længes! jeg
veed ikke selv, hvorledes det er med mig!" |
| "Be happy with us,"
said the wind and the sunshine. "Be glad that you are young;
enjoy your youth and your freedom, here in nature." |
"Glæd Dig ved mig!"
sagde Luften og Sollyset; "glæd Dig ved din friske Ungdom ude
i det Frie!" |
| But the tree was not
happy. It grew and grew; and now it was dark green both in winter
and summer, and people who passed by often remarked, "What a
lovely tree!" Then one Christmas, it was the first tree to be
cut down. It felt the ax sever it from its roots; and it fell
with a sigh to the ground. A feeling of pain, of helplessness,
came over it, and never for a moment did it think of the glory
that was to come. It only felt the sadness of leaving the place
where it had grown. It knew that it would never see again the
little bushes and flowers that had grown around it, or hear
the songs of the little birds that had sat on its branches.
No, parting was no pleasure. |
Men det glædede sig
slet ikke; det voxte og voxte, Vinter og Sommer stod det grønt;
mørkegrønt stod det; Folk, som saae det, sagde: "det er et deiligt
Træ!" og ved Juletid blev det fældet først af alle. Øxen hug
dybt igjennem Marven, Træet faldt med et Suk hen ad Jorden,
det følte en Smerte, en Afmagt, det kunde slet ikke tænke paa
nogen Lykke, det var bedrøvet ved at skilles fra Hjemmet, fra
den Plet, hvor det var skudt frem; det vidste jo, at det aldrig
mere saae de kjære gamle Kammerater, de smaae Buske og Blomster
rundtom, ja maaskee ikke engang Fuglene. Afreisen var slet ikke
noget behageligt. |
| The tree didn't recover
before it was being unloaded in town and heard someone say,
"What a beautiful tree! We shall have that one and no other."
|
Træet kom først til
sig selv, da det i Gaarden, afpakket med de andre Træer, hørte
en Mand sige: "Det der er prægtigt! vi bruge ikke uden det!" |
| Two servants in livery
carried the tree up to a magnificent hall. Portraits were hanging
on the walls, and next to the big tile stove stood two Chinese
vases with lions on their lids. There were rocking chairs, and
sofas covered with silk; and on a table lay picture books and
toys worth more than a hundred times a hundred crowns--so at
least the children claimed. The tree was planted in a bucket
filled with sand, but nobody could see that it was an old one,
for it was covered by a green cloth and stood on a many-colored
rug. The tree shook with expectation. What was about to happen?
The servants and the young ladies of the family started to decorate
it. On the branches they hung little colored nets that were
filled with sweets; and golden apples and walnuts were tied
to the tree so that they looked as if they were growing there.
A hundred little red, blue, and white candles were fastened
on the branches; and among them, on the green needles, sat little
dolls that looked exactly like human beings. At last, on the
very top of the tree was placed a golden star. It was magnificent,
unbelievably magnificent! |
Nu kom to Tjenere i
fuld Stads og bar Grantræet ind i en stor, deilig Sal. Rundtom
paa Væggene hang Portrætter, og ved den store Flisekakkelovn
stode store chinesiske Vaser med Løver paa Laaget; der var Gyngestole,
Silkesophaer, store Borde fulde af Billedbøger, og med Legetøi
for hundred Gange hundred Rigsdaler - idetmindste sagde Børnene
det. Og Grantræet blev reist op i en stor Fjerding, fyldt med
Sand, men Ingen kunde see, at det var en Fjerding, thi der blev
hængt grønt Tøi rundt om, og den stod paa et stort broget Teppe.
0, hvor Træet bævede! Hvad vilde der dog skee? Baade Tjenere
og Frøkener gik og pyntede det. Paa een Green hang de smaa Næt,
udklippede af kouleurt Papir; hvert Næt var fyldt med Sukkergodt;
forgyldte Æbler og Valdnødder hang, som om de vare voxede fast,
og over hundrede røde, blaae og hvide Smaalys bleve stukne fast
i Grenene. Dukker, der saae livagtig ud som Mennesker, - Træet
havde aldrig seet saadanne før - svævede i det Grønne, og allerøverst
oppe i Toppen blev sat en stor Stjerne af Flitter-Guld; det
var prægtigt, ganske mageløst prægtigt. |
| "Tonight . . . tonight,"
everyone said. "Tonight it will be glorious!" |
"Iaften," sagde de Allesammen,
"iaften skal det straale!" |
| "0h," thought the tree,
"why doesn't night come! The candles will be lit-- I wonder
what will happen then! Will the other trees come from the forest
and look at me? Will the sparrows peep in through the windows?
Will I grow roots and stand here both summer and winter?" |
"0!" tænkte Træet, "var
det dog Aften! var bare Lysene snart tændte! og hvad mon da
skeer? Mon der komme Træer fra Skoven og see paa mig? Mon Graaspurvene
flyve ved Ruden? Mon jeg her voxer fast og skal staae pyntet
Vinter og Sommer?" |
| The poor tree had a
bark-ache from anticipation, which for a tree is as annoying
as headache is to a human being. |
Jo, det vidste god Besked;
men det havde ordentligt Barkepine af bare Længsel, og Barkepine
er ligesaa slem for et Træ, som Hovedpine for os Andre. |
| Finally evening did
come, and the candles were lit. Oh, how beautiful it looked.
The poor tree trembled with emotion. In fact, it shook so much
that one of its branches caught on fire, which smarted and hurt.
|
Nu bleve Lysene tændte.
Hvilken Glands, hvilken Pragt, Træet bævede i alle Grene derved,
saa at eet af Lysene stak Ild i det Grønne; det sved ordentligt. |
| "God preserve us!" cried
the ladies, and put out the fire. |
"Gud bevare os!" skreg
Frøknerne og slukkede i en Hast. |
| Now the poor tree didn't
even dare tremble; it was horrible! There it stood, rigid and
still, and fearing every moment that it might lose some of its
decorations. How bewildering everything was! The big doors opened
and the children came running in. They were so wild, especially
the older ones, they looked as if they wanted to overturn the
tree. The little children were so overawed by the tree that
they just stood and stared silently. But that didn't last long;
soon they were making as much noise as the older ones. The grownups
came last; but they had seen the sight many times before. Soon
they all were dancing and singing around the tree; then the
presents, which had been hung on the tree, were given out. |
Nu turde Træet ikke
engang bæve. 0, det var en Gru! Det var saa bange for at tabe
noget af al sin Stads; det var ganske fortumlet i al den Glands,
- - og nu gik begge Fløidøre op, og en Mængde Børn styrtede
ind, som om de vilde vælte hele Træet; de ældre Folk kom besindige
bag efter; de Smaa stode ganske tause, - men kun et Øieblik,
saa jublede de igjen saa at det rungede efter; de dandsede rundt
om Træet, og den ene Present efter den anden blev plukket af.
|
| "What are they doing?"
thought the tree. "What is going to happen now?" The candles
burned down and were extinguished, and the children were allowed
to plunder the tree. They grabbed the little nets with sweets
in them and pulled at the candied fruit and the nuts. They were
so rough that they almost broke off the branches; and they would
certainly have upset the tree, had it not been for the string
with which its top was attached to the ceiling. |
"Hvad er det, de gjør?"
tænkte Træet. "Hvad skal der skee?" Og Lysene brændte lige ned
til Grenene, og eftersom de brændte ned, slukkede man dem, og
saa fik Børnene Lov til at plyndre Træet. 0, de styrtede ind
paa det, saa at det knagede i alle Grene; havde det ikke ved
Snippen og Guldstjernen været bundet fast til Loftet, saa var
det styrtet om. |
| Now the children danced
and played, and no one but the old nurse paid any attention
to the tree; she kept walking around and around it, looking
among the branches to see if she could find an apple or a fig
which the youngsters might have overlooked. |
Børnene dandsede rundt
med deres prægtige Legetøi, Ingen saae paa Træet uden den gamle
Barnepige, der gik og tittede ind imellem Grenene, men det var
bare for at see, om der ikke var glemt endnu en Figen eller
et Æble. |
| "A story! A story!"
screamed all the children, and pushed a fat man toward the Christmas
tree. He sat down beneath it, for, as he said, he liked sitting
among the "greenery," and it wouldn't harm the tree to hear
a story. "But I shall tell only one," he declared. "You can
choose between 'Willowy, Wollowy' and 'How Humpty-dumpty Fell
Down the Stairs but Won the Princess Anyway'." |
"En Historie i en Historie!"
raabte Børnene og trak en lille tyk Mand hen imod Træet, og
han satte sig lige under det, "for saa ere vi i det Grønne,"
sagde han, "og Træet kan have besynderligt godt af at høre med!
men jeg fortæller kun een Historie. Vil I høre den om Ivede-Avede
eller den om Klumpe- Dumpe, som faldt ned af Trapperne og kom
dog i Høisædet og fik Prindsessen!" |
| "'Willowy Wollowy!'"
screamed several of the children. "'Humpty-dumpty'!" screamed
the others; and the room was filled with their shouting. "Isn't
there something that I am supposed to do?" thought the tree,
not knowing that it had already done everything that it was
supposed to do. |
"Ivede-Avede!" skreg
Nogle, "Klumpe-Dumpe!" skreg Andre; der var en Raaben og Skrigen,
kun Grantræet taug ganske stille og tænkte: "Skal jeg slet ikke
med, slet ikke gjøre Noget!" Det havde jo været med, havde gjort
hvad det skulde gjøre. |
| The man told the story
of "How Humpty-dumpty Fell Down the Stairs but Won the Princess
Anyway." When he had finished all the children screamed that
they wanted more, for they hoped to be able to persuade him
to tell the story of "Willowy, Wollowy" too; but they couldn't.
They had to be satisfied with the story about Humpty-dumpty.
The pine tree stood still, deep in its own thoughts. The birds
out in the forest had never told a story like that. "No, that's
the way of the world," it said to itself. "Humpty-dumpty falls
down the stairs but he wins the princess anyway." The tree believed
that the story it had heard was true because the man who had
told it looked so trustworthy. "Yes, who knows?" it whispered
to itself. "Maybe I, too, will fall down the stairs and win
the princess." And the tree looked forward to the next day,
when it would again be decorated with lights and hung with toys. |
Og Manden fortalte om
"Klumpe-Dumpe der faldt ned af Trapperne og kom dog i Høisædet
og fik Prindsessen." Og Børnene klappede i Hænderne og raabte:
"fortæl! fortæl!" de vilde ogsaa have "Ivede-Avede", men de
fik kun den om "Klumpe-Dumpe." Grantræet stod ganske stille
og tankefuld, aldrig havde Fuglene ude i Skoven fortalt Sligt.
"Klumpe-Dumpe faldt ned af Trapperne og fik dog Prindsessen!
Ja, ja, saaledes gaaer det til i Verden!" tænkte Grantræet og
troede at det var virkeligt, fordi det var saadan en net Mand,
som fortalte. "Ja, ja! hvem kan vide! maaskee falder jeg ogsaa
ned af Trapperne og faaer en Prindsesse!" Og det glædede sig
til næste Dag at blive klædt paa med Lys og Legetøi,
Guld og Frugter. |
| "Tomorrow," it thought,
"tomorrow I shan't tremble as I did today. I shall really enjoy
myself, and hear the story of Humpty-dumpty again; and maybe
the one about 'Willowy, Wollowy' too." All night long the tree
silently thought of the glory that was to come on the following
day. |
"Imorgen vil jeg ikke
ryste!" tænkte det, "Jeg vil ret fornøie mig i al min Herlighed.
Imorgen skal jeg igjen høre Historien om "Klumpe-Dumpe"
og maaskee den med om "Ivede-Avede"." Og Træet stod stille og
tankefuld den hele Nat. |
| The next morning the
servants came. |
Om Morgenen kom Karl
og Pige ind. |
| "Now it all starts all
over again," thought the tree. But it didn't. The servants dragged
the tree up two flights of stairs into the attic, where they
threw it in a dark corner which the daylight never reached.
"What is the meaning of this?" the tree asked itself. "Why have
I been put here? What will happen now?" The tree leaned itself
up against the wall and thought and thought. It had plenty of
time for thinking, because days and nights went by without anyone
coming into the attic to disturb it. When finally someone did
come, it was only to put some old boxes up there. The tree was
hidden in the corner and quite forgotten. |
"Nu begynder Stadsen
igjen!" tænkte Træet, men de slæbte det ud af Stuen, op ad Trappen,
ind paa Loftet, og her, i en mørk Krog, hvor ingen Dag skinnede,
stillede de det hen. "Hvad skal det betyde!" tænkte Træet. "Hvad
mon jeg her skal bestille? Hvad mon jeg her skal faae at høre?"
Og det hældede sig op til Muren og stod og tænkte og tænkte.
- - Og god Tid havde det, thi der gik Dage og Nætter; Ingen
kom herop, og da der endelig kom Nogen, saa var det for at stille
nogle store Kasser hen i Krogen; Træet stod ganske skjult, man
skulde troe, at det var reent glemt. |
| "Now it is winter outside,"
thought the tree. "The earth is so hard and covered with snow
that they cannot plant me. They are sheltering me here till
spring. How considerate man is! I just wish it weren't so dark
and so terribly lonely! There isn't even a rabbit here. It was
so nice out in the forest when the ground was covered with snow
and the rabbits darted about. Though I didn't like it when I
was very small and they could jump over me. But here it is so
quiet and I am terribly lonely." |
"Nu er det Vinter derude!"
tænkte Træet. "Jorden er haard og dækket med Snee, Menneskene
kunne ikke plante mig; der for skal jeg nok her staae i Læ til
Foraaret! hvor det er velbetænkt! hvor dog Menneskene ere gode!
- Var her kun ikke saa mørkt og saa skrækkeligt eensomt! - Ikke
engang en lille Hare! - Det var dog saa artigt der ude i Skoven,
naar Sneen laae, og Haren sprang forbi; ja, selv da den sprang
hen over mig, men det holdt jeg ikke af den Gang. Her oppe er
dog skrækkeligt eensomt!" |
| "Twick . . . twick,"
said a little mouse, and nipped its way out of the wall. "Twick
. . . twick..." And another, even smaller mouse appeared. The
two little mice sniffed at the tree and then climbed up among
the branches. |
"Pi, pi!" sagde en lille
Muus i det samme og smuttede frem; og saa kom der nok en lille.
De snusede til Grantræet og smuttede mellem Grenene paa det. |
| "It is cold," remarked
the mice. "But otherwise it is a quite nice attic. Don't you
think so, old pine tree?" |
"Det er en gruelig Kulde!"
sagde de smaa Muus. "Ellers er her velsignet at være! Ikkesandt,
du gamle Grantræ?" |
| "I am not old," protested
the pine tree. "There are lots of trees in the forest much older
than I am." |
"Jeg er slet ikke gammel!"
sagde Grantræet, "der ere mange, der ere meget ældre end jeg!"
|
| "Where do you come from?"
asked one of the little mice. Those little creatures were very
curious and they asked the tree one question after another.
"What do you know? What can you tell us? Tell us about the most
beautiful place in the world. Have you been there? . . . Have
you ever been in the larder, by the way? In the larder where
there are cheeses lying on shelves, hams hanging from the ceiling,
and where you can dance on tallow candles; and where you can
come in thin and go out fat?" |
"Hvor kommer Du fra?"
spurgte Musene, "og hvad veed du?" De vare nu saa grueligt nysgjerrige.
"Fortæl os dog om det deiligste Sted paa Jorden! Har Du været
der? Har Du været i Spisekammeret, hvor der ligger Oste paa
Hylderne og hænger Skinker under Loftet, hvor man dandser paa
Tællelys, og gaaer mager ind og kommer feed ud!" |
| "I don't know of any
such place," replied the tree. "But I know the forest where
the sun shines and the birds sing." And the pine tree told them
of its youth in the woods. The little mice listened quietly,
for they had never heard of such a place; and when the tree
was finished they said, "Think how much you have seen! How happy
you must have been!" |
"Det kjender jeg ikke!"
sagde Træet, "men Skoven kjender jeg, hvor Solen skinner, og
hvor Fuglene synge!" og saa fortalte det Alt fra sin Ungdom,
og de smaa Muus havde aldrig før hørt saadant noget, og de hørte
saadan efter og sagde: "nei, hvor Du har seet meget! hvor Du
har været lykkelig!" |
| "Happy?" repeated the
pine tree, and thought about what it had told the little mice.
"Yes, I suppose I had a quite good time," it confessed. Then
the tree told about Christmas Eve and how it had been decorated
with candles and sweets. |
"Jeg!" sagde Grantræet
og tænkte over, hvad det selv fortalte; "ja, det var, i Grunden,
ganske morsomme Tider!" men saa fortalte det om Juleaften, da
det var pyntet med Kager og Lys. |
| "Oh," sighed the mice,
"how fortunate you have been, old pine tree." |
"0!" sagde de smaa Muus,
"hvor Du har været lykkelig, du gamle Grantræ!" |
| "I am not old!" protested
the tree. "I have come this very winter from the forest. I am
in my prime. I just appear a little stunted because I have been
cut down." |
"Jeg er slet ikke gammel!"
sagde Træet, "det er jo i denne Vinter, jeg er kommet fra Skoven!
jeg er i min allerbedste Alder, jeg er bare sat i Væxten!" |
| "You tell about everything
so marvelously," exclaimed the little mice; and the next night
they brought along four of their friends. The pine tree again
told the story of its youth in the forest and what had happened
to it on Christmas Eve; and the more it told, the more clearly
it could remember everything. "Yes, they were good times; and
they can come again. They will come again! Humpty-dumpty fell
down the stairs but he won the princess anyway." And the pine
tree remembered a little birch tree that had grown nearby it
in the forest, for to the pine tree the little birch was a real
princess. |
"Hvor Du fortæller deiligt!"
sagde de smaa Muus, og næste Nat kom de med fire andre Smaa-Muus,
der skulde høre Træet fortælle, og jo mere det fortalte, desto
tydeligere huskede det selv Alt og syntes: "det var dog ganske
morsomme Tider! men de kan komme, de kan komme! Klumpe-Dumpe
faldt ned af Trapperne og fik dog Prindsessen, maaskee jeg kan
ogsaa faae en Prindsesse," og saa tænkte Grantræet paa saadant
et lille nydeligt Birketræ, der voxte ude i Skoven, det var
for Grantræet en virkelig deilig Prindsesse. |
| "Who was Humpty-dumpty?"
asked the little mice. The pine tree told them the fairy tale
it had heard. It could remember every word of it. The little
mice were so pleased that they climbed to the very top of the
tree to show their appreciation. The next night more mice came;
and on Sunday two rats arrived. But they criticized the story
and said it wasn't amusing at all. This made the poor little
mice sad, for now they thought less of the story too. |
"Hvem er Klumpe-Dumpe?"
spurgte de smaa Muus. Og saa fortalte Grantræet hele Eventyret,
det kunde huske hvert evige Ord; og de smaa Muus vare færdige
ved at springe op i Toppen paa Træet af bare Fornøielse. Næste
Nat kom der mange flere Muus, og om Søndagen endogsaa to Rotter;
men de sagde, at Historien var ikke morsom, og det bedrøvede
de smaa Muus, thi nu syntes de ogsaa mindre om den. |
| "Don't you know any
other stories?" asked one of the rats. |
"Kan De kun den ene
Historie?" spurgte Rotterne. |
| "No, I only know that
one," admitted the pine tree. "I heard it on the happiest night
of my life; but then I didn't know that it was the happiest
night." |
"Kun den ene!" svarede
Træet, "den hørte jeg min lykkeligste Aften, men den Gang tænkte
jeg ikke paa, hvor lykkelig jeg var!" |
| "It is a particularly
uninteresting story. Don't you know any about bacon or candle
stumps? No stories that take place in a larder?" |
"Det er en overmaade
daarlig Historie! kan De ingen med Flesk og Tællelys? Ingen
Spisekammer-Historier?" |
| "No," the tree answered.
|
"Nei!" sagde Træet.
|
| "Well, in that case
you're not worth listening to," said the rats, and left. |
"Ja, saa skal De have
Tak!" svarede Rotterne og gik ind til deres. |
| The mice stayed away
too; and the pine tree sighed in its loneliness. It was nice
when the quick little animals came visiting and listened to
what I had to tell. But now that is over too. I must remember
to be happy when I am taken out again," the tree muttered. |
De smaa Muus bleve tilsidst
ogsaa borte, og da sukkede Træet: "Det var dog ganske rart,
da de sad omkring mig de vævre Smaa-Muus og hørte, hvad jeg
fortalte! Nu er ogsaa det forbi! - men jeg skal huske at fornøie
mig, naar jeg nu tages frem igjen!" |
| "I wonder when that
will be." Finally, one morning it happened. The servants came
up to the attic and started moving boxes about; they were cleaning
up. When they found the tree in the corner they handled it roughly
and threw it about. At last a young man carried it down the
many flights of stairs out into the yard. |
Men naar skete det?
- Jo! det var en Morgenstund, da kom der Folk og rumsterede
paa Loftet; Kasserne bleve flyttede, Træet blev trukket frem;
de kastede det rigtignok lidt haardt mod Gulvet, men strax slæbte
en Karl det hen imod Trappen, hvor Dagen skinnede. |
| "Now life begins again,"
it thought. There was fresh air and it felt the sun's rays.
Everything was happening so fast, and it was so excited at being
outside, that the tree looked at the world about it but not
at itself. The yard was bordered by a garden where all the bushes
and trees were in flower. The roses covered the little fence
and smelled so sweetly. The linden tree was in bloom. The swallows
flew about singing, "Tweet, tweet.... My lover has come." But
they didn't mean the pine tree. |
"Nu begynder Livet igjen!"
tænkte Træet; det følte den friske Luft, den første Solstraale,
- og nu var det ude i Gaarden. Alt gik saa gesvindt, Træet glemte
reent at see paa sig selv, der var saa meget at see rundtom.
Gaarden stødte op til en Have, og Alt blomstrede derinde; Roserne
hang saa friske og duftende ud over det lille Rækværk, Lindetræerne
blomstrede, og Svalerne fløi om og sagde "qvirre-virre-vit,
min Mand er kommet!" men det var ikke Grantræet, de meente.
|
| "Now I am going to live!"
shouted the tree joyously, and spread out its branches. But
all its needles were yellow and dead. It was thrown into a corner
of the yard where the nettles prospered. The golden star from
Christmas Eve was still on its top and the sun reflected in
it. |
"Nu skal jeg leve!"
jublede det og bredte sine Grene vidt ud; ak, de vare alle visne
og gule; det var i Krogen mellem Ukrud og Nælder, at det laae.
Guldpapirs-Stjernen sad endnu oppe i Toppen og glimrede i det
klare Solskin. |
| Playing in the yard
were two of the children who had danced around the tree on Christmas
Eve and had loved it so much then. The younger child now ran
over and tore the golden star from the tree. |
I Gaarden selv legede
et Par af de lystige Børn, der ved Juletid havde dandset om
Træet og været saa glade ved det. Een af de Mindste foer hen
og rev Guldstjernen af. |
| "Look what I found on
this horrid old Christmas tree," he said. He was wearing boots
and he kicked the trees branches so that many of them broke.
|
"See, hvad der sidder
endnu paa det ækle, gamle Juletræ!" sagde han og trampede paa
Grenene, saa de knagede under hans Støvler. |
| The pine tree saw all
the greenness about it; then it looked at itself and wished
it had been left in the dark corner of the attic. It remembered
its youth in the forest, the glory of Christmas Eve, and the
little mice who had listened so contentedly to the story about
Humpty-dumpty. |
Og Træet saae paa al
den Blomster-Pragt og Friskhed i Haven, det saae paa sig selv,
og det ønskede, at det var blevet i sin mørke Krog paa Loftet;
det tænkte paa sin friske Ungdom i Skoven, paa den lystige Juleaften
og paa de smaa Muus, der saa glade havde hørt paa Historien
om Klumpe-Dumpe. |
| "Gone! Gone!" sighed
the poor tree. "If I only could have been happy while I had
a chance to be. Now it is all over and gone! Everything!" |
"Forbi! forbi!" sagde
det stakkels Træ. "Havde jeg dog glædet mig, da jeg kunde! forbi!
forbi!" |
| One of the servants
came and cut the tree up for kindling. It became a little pile
of wood. The cook used it to light the kitchen range. It flared
up instantly and the tree sighed so deeply that it sounded like
a shot. The children who were playing in the yard heard it,
and they ran in and sat down in front of the stove. "Bang! Bang!"
they cried. Every time the tree sighed, it thought of a summer
day in the forest, or a winter night when the stars are brightest,
and it remembered Christmas Eve and Humpty-dumpty: the only
fairy tale it had ever heard and knew how to tell. Then it became
ashes. |
Og Tjenestekarlen kom
og hug Træet i smaa Stykker, et heelt Bundt laae der; deiligt
blussede det op under den store Bryggerkjædel; og det sukkede
saa dybt, hvert Suk var som et lille Skud; derfor løbe Børnene,
som legede, ind og satte sig foran Ilden, saae ind i den og
raabte: "pif! paf!" men ved hvert Knald, der var et dybt Suk,
tænkte Træet paa en Sommerdag i Skoven, en Vinternat derude,
naar Stjernerne skinnede; det tænkte paa Juleaften og Klumpe-Dumpe,
det eneste Eventyr, det havde hørt og vidste at fortælle -,
og saa var Træet brændt ud. |
| The children returned
to the yard to play. The little boy had fastened the golden
star to his chest. The star the pine tree had worn on the happiest
evening of its life. But that was a long time ago; now the pine
tree is no more, just as this story is over; for all stories--no
matter how long they are--must eventually come to an end. |
Drengene legede i Gaarden,
og den Mindste havde paa Brystet Guldstjernen, som Træet havde
baaret sin lykkeligste Aften; nu var den forbi, og Træet var
forbi og Historien med; forbi, forbi, og det blive alle Historier!
|