| Once there was a little
girl who was pretty and delicate but very poor. In the summer
she had to go barefoot and in the winter she had to wear wooden
shoes that rubbed against her poor little ankles and made them
red and sore. |
Der var en lille Pige,
saa fiin og saa nydelig, men om Sommeren maatte hun altid gaae
med bare Fødder, for hun var fattig, og om Vinteren med store
Træskoe, saa at den lille Vrist blev ganske rød og det saa grueligt.
|
| In the same village
there lived an old widow whose husband had been a shoemaker;
and she sat sewing a pair of shoes from scraps of red material.
She did her very best, but the shoes looked a bit clumsy, though
they were sewn with kindness. They were meant for the poor little
girl, whose name was Karen. |
Midt i Bondebyen boede
den gamle Moer Skomagers, hun sad og syede, saa godt hun kunde
det, af røde, gamle Klæde-Strimler et Par smaa Skoe, ganske
kluntede, men godt meente vare de, og dem skulde den lille Pige
have. Den lille Pige hedte Karen. |
| Now on that very day
that her mother was to be buried, Karen was given the red shoes.
Though they weren't the proper color for mourning, she had no
others, so she put them on. Raggedly dressed, barelegged, with
red shoes on her feet, she walked behind the pauper's coffin.
|
Just den Dag hendes
Moder blev begravet fik hun de røde Skoe og havde dem første
Gang paa; det var jo rigtignok ikke noget at sørge med, men
hun havde nu ingen andre og saa gik hun med bare Been i dem,
bag efter den fattige Straakiste. |
| A big old-fashioned
carriage drove by; in it sat an old lady. She noticed the little
girl and felt so sorry for her that she went at once to the
minister and spoke to him. "Let me have that little girl, and
I shall be good to her and bring her up." |
Da kom der i det samme
en stor, gammel Vogn, og i den sad der en stor, gammel Frue,
hun saae paa den lille Pige og havde ondt af hende og saa sagde
hun til Præsten: "hør, giv mig den lille Pige, saa skal jeg
være god imod hende!" |
| Karen thought it was
because of her new red shoes that the old lady had taken a fancy
to her. But the old lady declared that the shoes looked frightful
and had them thrown into the stove and burned. Karen was dressed
in nice clean clothes and taught to read and to sew. Everyone
agreed that she was a very pretty child; but the mirror said,
"You are more than pretty, you are beautiful." |
Og Karen troede det
var altsammen for de røde Skoe, men den gamle Frue sagde at
de vare gruelige, og de bleve brændte, men Karen selv blev klædt
paa reent og net; hun maatte lære at læse og sye, og Folk sagde
at hun var nydelig, men Speilet sagde: "Du er meget mere end
nydelig, Du er deilig!" |
| It happened that the
queen was making a journey throughout the country, and she had
her daughter, the little princess, with her. Everywhere people
streamed to see them. When they arrived at a castle near Karen's
village, the little girl followed the crowd out there. Looking
out of one of the great windows of the castle was the little
princess. So that people could see her, she was standing on
a little stool. She had no crown on her head but she wore a
very pretty white dress and the loveliest red shoes, made from
morocco. They were certainly much prettier than the ones the
old shoemaker's widow had made for Karen. But even they had
been red shoes, and to Karen nothing else in the world was so
desirable. |
Da reiste Dronningen
engang igjennem Landet og hun havde med sig sin lille Datter,
der var en Prindsesse, og Folk strømmede til udenfor Slottet
og der var da Karen ogsaa, og den lille Prindsesse stod i fine,
hvide Klæder i et Vindue og lod sig see paa; hun havde hverken
Slæb eller Guldkrone, men deilige røde Saphians-Skoe; de vare
rigtignok anderledes nette, end de Moer Skomagers havde syet
til lille Karen. Intet i Verden kunde dog lignes ved røde Skoe!
|
| Karen became old enough
to be confirmed. She was to have a new dress and new shoes for
this solemn occasion. The old lady took her to the finest shoemaker
in the nearby town and he measured her little foot. Glass cabinets
filled with the most elegant shoes and boots covered the walls
of his shop. But the old lady's eyesight was so poor that she
didn't get much out of looking at the display. Karen did; between
two pairs of boots stood a pair of red shoes just like the ones
the princess had worn. Oh, how beautiful they were! The shoemaker
said that they had been made for the daughter of a count but
that they hadn't fit her. |
Nu var Karen saa gammel
at hun skulde confirmeres, nye Klæder fik hun, og nye Skoe skulde
hun ogsaa have. Den rige Skomager inde i Byen tog Maal af hendes
lille Fod, det var hjemme i hans egen Stue, og der stode store
Glasskabe med yndige Skoe og blanke Støvler. Det saae nydeligt
ud, men den gamle Frue saae ikke godt, og saa havde hun ingen
Fornøielse deraf; midt imellem Skoene stode et Par røde, ganske
som de Prindsessen havde baaret; hvor de vare smukke! Skomageren
sagde ogsaa at de vare syede til et Greve-Barn, men de havde
ikke passet. |
| "I think they are patent
leather," remarked the old lady. "They shine." |
"Det er nok Blanklæder!"
sagde den gamle Frue, "de skinne!" |
| "Yes, they shine!" sighed
Karen as she tried them on. They fit the child and the old woman
bought them. Had she known that they were red, she wouldn't
have because it was not proper to wear red shoes when you were
being confirmed. But her eyesight was failing--poor woman!--and
she had not seen the color. |
"Ja de skinne!" sagde
Karen; og de passede og de bleve kjøbte; men den gamle Frue
vidste ikke af at de vare røde, thi hun havde aldrig tilladt
Karen at gaae til Confirmation i røde Skoe, men det gjorde hun
nu. |
| Everyone in the church
looked at Karen's feet, as she walked toward the altar. On the
walls of the church hung paintings of the former ministers and
their wives who were buried there; they were portrayed wearing
black with white ruffs around their necks. Karen felt that even
they were staring at her red shoes. When the old bishop laid
his hands on her head and spoke of the solemn promise she was
about to make--of her covenant with God to be a good Christian--her
mind was not on his words. The ritual music was played on the
organ; the old cantor sang, and the sweet voices of the children
could be heard, but Karen was thinking of her red shoes. |
Alle Mennesker saae
paa hendes Fødder, og da hun gik op ad Kirkegulvet til Chordøren,
syntes hun at selv de gamle Billeder paa Begravelserne, disse
Portrætter af Præster og Præstekoner med stive Kraver og lange
sorte Klæder, hæftede Øinene paa hendes røde Skoe, og kun paa
disse tænkte hun, da Præsten lagde sin Haand paa hendes Hoved
og talte om den hellige Daab, om Pagten med Gud og at hun nu
skulde være et stort christent Menneske; og Orgelet spillede
saa høitideligt, de smukke Børnestemmer sang og den gamle Kantor
sang, men Karen tænkte kun paa de røde Skoe. |
| By afternoon, everyone
had told the old lady about the color of Karen's shoes. She
was very angry and scolded the girl, telling her how improper
it was to have worn red shoes in church, and that she must remember
always to wear black ones, even if she had to put on an old
pair. |
Om Eftermiddagen vidste
da den gamle Frue af alle Mennesker at Skoene havde været røde
og hun sagde at det var stygt, at det passede sig ikke og at
Karen herefter, naar hun gik i Kirke, skulde altid gaae med
sorte Skoe, selv om de vare gamle. |
| Next Sunday Karen was
to attend communion. She looked at her black shoes and she looked
at her red shoes; then she looked at her red shoes once more
and put them on. |
Næste Søndag var der
Altergang, og Karen saae paa de sorte Skoe, hun saae paa de
røde - og saa saae hun paa de røde igjen og tog de røde paa.
|
| The sun was shining,
it was a beautiful day. The old lady and Karen took the path
across the fields and their shoes got a bit dirty. |
Det var deiligt Solskins
Veir; Karen og den gamle Frue gik ad Stien gjennem Kornet; der
støvede det lidt. |
| At the entrance to the
church stood an old invalid soldier leaning on a crutch. He
had a marvelously long beard that was red with touches of white
in it. He bowed low toward the old lady and asked her permission
to wipe the dust off her feet. Karen put her little foot forward
too. "What pretty little dancing shoes!" said the soldier and,
tapping them on the soles, he added, "Remember to stay on her
feet for the dance." |
Ved Kirkedøren stod
en gammel Soldat med en Krykkestok og med et underligt langt
Skjæg, det var meer rødt end hvidt, for det var rødt; og han
bøiede sig lige ned til Jorden og spurgte den gamle Frue, om
han maatte tørre hendes Skoe af. Og Karen strakte ogsaa sin
lille Fod ud. "See, hvilke deilige Dandseskoe!" sagde Soldaten,
"sid fast naar I dandse!" og saa slog han med Haanden paa Saallerne. |
| The old lady gave the
soldier a penny, and she and Karen entered the church. |
Og den gamle Frue gav
Soldaten en lille Skilling og saa gik hun med Karen ind i Kirken.
|
| Again everyone looked
at Karen's feet, even the people in the paintings on the wall.
When she knelt in front of the altar and the golden cup was
lifted to her lips, she thought only of the red shoes and saw
them reflected in the wine. She did not join in the singing
of the psalm and she forgot to say the Lord's Prayer. |
Og alle Mennesker derinde
saae paa Karens røde Skoe, og alle Billederne saae paa dem og
da Karen knælede for Alteret og satte Guldkalken for sin Mund,
tænkte hun kun paa de røde Skoe og det var som om de svømmede
om i Kalken for hende; og hun glemte at synge sin Psalme, hun
glemte at læse sit "Fader vor". |
| The coachman had come
with the carriage to drive them home from church. The old lady
climbed in and Karen was about to follow her when the old soldier,
who was standing nearby, remarked, "Look at those pretty dancing
shoes." His words made her take a few dancing steps. Once she
had begun, her feet would not stop. It was as if the shoes had
taken command of them. She danced around the corner of the church;
her will was not her own. The coachman jumped off the carriage
and ran after her. When he finally caught up with her, he grabbed
her and lifted her up from the ground, but her feet kept on
dancing in the air, even after he managed to get her into the
carriage. The poor old woman was kicked nastily while she and
the coachman took Karen's shoes off her feet, so she could stop
dancing. |
Nu gik alle Folk fra
Kirke og den gamle Frue steg ind i sin Vogn. Karen løftede Foden
for at stige bag efter, da sagde den gamle Soldat, som stod
tætved: "see hvilke deilige Dandseskoe!" og Karen kunde ikke
lade være, hun maatte gjøre nogle Dandsetrin, og da hun begyndte
bleve Benene ved at dandse, det var ligesom om Skoene havde
faaet Magt over dem; hun dandsede omkring Kirkehjørnet, hun
kunde ikke lade være, Kudsken maatte løbe bag efter og tage
fat paa hende, og han løftede hende ind i Vognen, men Fødderne
bleve ved at dandse, saa hun sparkede saa grueligt den gode
gamle Frue. Endelig fik de Skoene af og Benene kom i Ro. |
| When they got home,
the red shoes were put away in a closet, but Karen could not
help sneaking in to look at them. |
Hjemme bleve Skoene
satte op i et Skab, men Karen kunde ikke lade være at see paa
dem. |
| The old lady was very
ill. The doctors had come and said that she would not live much
longer. She needed careful nursing and constant care, and who
else but Karen ought to give it to her? In the town there was
to be a great ball and Karen had been invited to go. She looked
at the old lady, who was going to die anyway, and then she glanced
at her red shoes. To glance was no sin. Then she put them on;
that too did no great harm. But she went to the ball! |
Nu laae den gamle Frue
syg, de sagde at hun kunde ikke leve! pleies og passes skulde
hun og ingen var nærmere til det, end Karen; men henne i Byen
var der et stort Bal, Karen var inviteret; - hun saae paa den
gamle Frue, der jo dog ikke kunde leve, hun saae paa de røde
Skoe, og det syntes hun der ingen Synd var i; - hun tog de røde
Skoe paa, det kunde hun jo ogsaa nok; - men saa gik hun paa
Bal og saa begyndte hun at dandse. |
| She danced! But when
she wanted to dance to the left, the shoes danced to the right;
and when she wanted to dance up the ballroom floor, the shoes
danced right down the stairs and out into the street. |
Men da hun vilde til
Høire, saa dandsede Skoene til Venstre, og da hun vilde op ad
Gulvet, saa dandsede Skoene ned ad Gulvet, ned ad Trappen, gjennem
Gaden og ud af Byens Port. |
| Dance she did, out through
the city gates and into the dark forest. |
Dandse gjorde hun og
dandse maatte hun, lige ud i den mørke Skov. |
| Something shone through
the trees. She thought it was the moon because it had a face.
But it was not; it was the old soldier with the red beard. He
nodded to her and exclaimed, "Look what beautiful dancing shoes!"
|
Da skinnede det oppe
mellem Træerne og hun troede at det var Maanen, for det var
et Ansigt, men det var den gamle Soldat med det røde Skjæg,
han sad og nikkede og sagde: "see hvilke deilige Dandseskoe!"
|
| Terrified, she tried
to pull off her shoes. She tore her stockings but the shoes
stayed on. They had grown fast to her feet. Dance she did! And
dance she must! Over the fields and meadows, in the rain and
sunshine, by night and by day. But it was more horrible and
frightening at night when the world was dark. |
Da blev hun forfærdet
og vilde kaste de røde Skoe, men de hang fast, og hun flængede
sine Strømper af, men Skoene vare voxede fast til hendes Fødder,
og dandse gjorde hun og dandse maatte hun over Mark og Eng,
i Regn og i Solskin, ved Nat og ved Dag, men om Natten var det
grueligst. |
| She danced through the
gates of the churchyard; but the dead did not dance with her,
they had better things to do. She wanted to sit down on the
pauper's grave, where the bitter herbs grew, but for her there
was no rest. The church door was open and she danced toward
it, but an angel, dressed in white, who had on his back great
wings that reached almost to the ground, barred her entrance.
His face was stern and grave, and in his hand he held a broad,
shining sword. |
Hun dandsede ind paa
den aabne Kirkegaard, men de Døde der dandsede ikke, de have
noget meget bedre at bestille end at dandse; hun vilde sætte
sig paa den Fattiges Grav hvor den bittre Regnfang groede, men
for hende var ikke Ro eller Hvile og da hun dandsede henimod
den aabne Kirkedør, saae hun der en Engel i lange hvide Klæder,
med Vinger som naaede ham fra Skuldrene ned til Jorden, hans
Ansigt var strængt og alvorligt, og i Haanden holdt han et Sværd,
saa bredt og skinnende: |
| "You shall dance," he
said, "dance in your red shoes until you become pale and thin.
Dance till the skin on your face turns yellow and clings to
your bones as if you were a skeleton. Dance you shall from door
to door, and when you pass a house where proud and vain children
live, there you shall knock on the door so that they will see
you and fear your fate. Dance, you shall dance. . . . Dance!"
|
"Dandse skal Du!" sagde
han, "dandse paa dine røde Skoe, til Du bliver bleg og kold!
til din Hud skrumper sammen som en Beenrads! dandse skal Du
fra Dør til Dør og hvor der boe stolte forfængelige Børn, skal
Du banke paa, saa at de høre Dig og frygte Dig! Dandse skal
Du, dandse - -!" |
| "Mercy!" screamed Karen,
but heard not what the angel answered, for her red shoes carried
her away, down through the churchyard, over the meadows, along
the highways, through the lanes: always dancing. |
"Naade!" raabte Karen.
Men hun hørte ikke hvad Engelen svarede, thi Skoene bare hende
igjennem Laagen, ud paa Marken, over Vei og over Sti og altid
maatte hun dandse. |
| One morning she danced
past a house that she knew well. From inside she heard psalms
being sung. The door opened and a coffin decked with flowers
was carried out. The old lady who had been so kind to her was
dead. Now she felt that she was forsaken by all of mankind and
cursed by God's angel. |
En Morgenstund dandsede
hun forbi en Dør, hun kjendte godt; indenfor lød Psalmesang,
de bare en Kiste ud, som var pyntet med Blomster; da vidste
hun, at den gamle Frue var død og hun syntes at nu var hun forladt
af Alle og forbandet af Guds Engel. |
| Dance she must, and
dance she did. The shoes carried her across fields and meadows,
through nettles and briars that tore her feet so they bled.
One morning she danced across the lonely heath until she came
to a solitary cottage. Here, she knew, the executioner lived.
With her fingers she tapped on his window. |
Dandse gjorde hun og
dandse maatte hun, dandse i den mørke Nat. Skoene bare hende
afsted over Tjørne og Stubbe, hun rev sig til Blods; hun dandsede
hen over Heden til et lille eensomt Huus. Her vidste hun at
Skarpretteren boede og hun bankede med Fingeren paa Ruden og
sagde: |
| "Come out! Come out!"
she called. "I cannot come inside, for I must dance." |
"Kom ud! - kom ud! -
Jeg kan ikke komme ind, for jeg dandser!" |
| The executioner opened
his door and came outside. When he saw Karen he said, "Do you
know who I am? I am the one who cuts off the heads of evil men;
and I can feel my ax beginning to quiver now." |
Og Skarpretteren sagde:
"Du veed nok ikke hvem jeg er? Jeg hugger Hovedet af de onde
Mennesker, og jeg kan mærke at min Øxe dirrer!" |
| "Do not cut off my head,"
begged Karen, "for then I should not be able to repent. But
cut off my feet!" |
"Hug ikke Hovedet af
mig!" sagde Karen, "for saa kan jeg ikke angre min Synd! men
hug mine Fødder af med de røde Skoe!" |
| She confessed her sins
and the executioner cut off her feet, and the red shoes danced
away with them into the dark forest. |
Og saa skriftede hun
hele sin Synd, og Skarpretteren huggede af hende Fødderne med
de røde Skoe, men Skoene dandsede med de smaa Fødder hen over
Marken ind i den dybe Skov. |
| The executioner carved
a pair of wooden feet for her and made her a pair of crutches.
He taught her the psalm that a penitent sings. She kissed the
hand that had guided the ax and went on her way. |
Og han snittede hende
Træbeen og Krykker, lærte hende en Psalme, den Synderne altid
synge, og hun kyssede den Haand, som havde ført Øxen, og gik
hen over Heden. |
| "Now I have suffered
enough because of those red shoes," thought Karen. "I shall
go to church now and be among other people." But when she walked
up to the door of the church, the red shoes danced in front
of her, and in horror she fled. |
"Nu har jeg lidt nok
for de røde Skoe!" sagde hun, "nu vil jeg gaae i Kirke at de
kunne see mig!" og hun gik nok saa rask mod Kirkedøren, men
da hun kom der, dandsede de røde Skoe foran hende og hun blev
forfærdet og vendte om. |
| All during that week
she felt sad and cried many a bitter tear. When Sunday came
she thought, "Now I have suffered and struggled long enough.
I am just as good as many of those who are sitting and praying
in church right now, and who dare to throw their heads back
with pride." This reasoning gave her courage, but she came no
farther than the gate of the churchyard. There were the shoes
dancing in front of her. In terror she fled, but this time she
really repented in the depth of her heart. |
Hele Ugen igjennem var
hun bedrøvet og græd mange tunge Taarer, men da det blev Søndag,
sagde hun: "see saa! nu har jeg lidt og stridt nok! jeg skulde
troe, at jeg er ligesaa god som Mange af dem der sidde og kneise
derinde i Kirken!" og saa gik hun nok saa modig; men hun kom
ikke længer end til Laagen, da saae hun de røde Skoe dandse
foran sig og hun forfærdedes og vendte om og angrede ret i Hjertet
sin Synd. |
| She went to the minister's
house and begged to be given work. She said that she did not
care about wages but only wanted a roof over her head and enough
to eat. The minister's wife hired the poor cripple because she
felt sorry for her. Karen was grateful that she had been given
a place to live and she worked hard. In the evening when the
minister read from the Bible, she sat and listened thoughtfully.
The children were fond of her and she played with them, but
when they talked of finery and being beautiful like a princess,
she would sadly shake her head. |
Og hun gik hen til Præstegaarden
og bad om hun maatte komme i Tjeneste der, flittig vilde hun
være og gjøre Alt hvad hun kunde, paa Lønnen saae hun ikke,
kun at hun maatte faae Tag over Hovedet og være hos gode Mennesker.
Og Præstekonen havde ondt af hende og gav hende Tjeneste. Og
hun var flittig og tankefuld. Stille sad hun og hørte til naar
om Aftenen Præsten læste høit af Bibelen. Alle de Smaa holdt
meget af hende, men naar de talte om Pynt og Stads og at være
deilig som en Dronning, rystede hun med Hovedet. |
| When Sunday came, everyone
in the household got ready for church, and they asked her to
go with them. Poor Karen's eyes filled with tears. She sighed
and glanced toward her crutches. When the others had gone, she
went into her little room that was so small that a bed and a
chair were all it could hold. She sat down and began to read
from her psalmbook. The wind carried the music from the church
organ down to her, and she lifted her tear-stained face and
whispered, "Oh, God, help me!" |
Næste Søndag gik de
Alle til Kirke og de spurgte hende om hun vilde med, men hun
saae bedrøvet, med Taarer i Øinene, paa sine Krykker, og saa
gik de andre hen at høre Guds Ord, men hun gik alene ind i sit
lille Kammer; det var ikke større, end at der kunde staae Sengen
og en Stol, og her satte hun sig med sin Psalmebog; og alt som
hun med fromt Sind læste i den, bar Vinden Orgeltonerne fra
Kirken over til hende, og hun løftede med Taarer sit Ansigt
og sagde: "0, Gud hjælpe mig!" |
| Suddenly the sunlight
seemed doubly bright and an angel of God stood before her. He
was the same angel who with his sword had barred her entrance
to the church, but now he held a rose branch covered with flowers.
With this he touched the low ceiling of the room and it rose
high into the air and, where he had touched it, a golden star
shone. He touched the walls and they widened. Karen saw the
organ. She saw the old paintings of the ministers and their
wives; and there were the congregation holding their psalmbooks
in front of them and singing. The church had come to the poor
girl in her little narrow chamber; or maybe she had come to
the church. Now she sat among the others, and when they finished
singing the psalm they looked up and saw her. Someone whispered
to her: "It is good that you came, Karen." |
Da skinnede Solen saa
klart og lige foran hende stod den Guds Engel i de hvide Klæder,
ham hun hiin Nat havde seet i Kirkedøren, men han holdt ikke
længer det skarpe Sværd, men en deilig grøn Green, der var fuld
af Roser, og han rørte med den ved Loftet og det hævede sig
saa høit og hvor han havde rørt skinnede der en Guldstjerne,
og han rørte ved Væggene og de udvidede sig, og hun saae Orgelet,
som spillede, hun saae de gamle Billeder med Præster og Præstekoner;
Menigheden sad i de pyntede Stole og sang af deres Psalmebog.
- For Kirken var selv kommen hjem til den stakkels Pige i det
lille snevre Kammer eller ogsaa var hun kommen derhen; hun sad
i Stolen hos de andre Præstens Folk og da de havde endt Psalmen
og saae op, nikkede de og sagde: "Det var Ret Du kom, Karen!" |
| "This is His mercy,"
she replied. |
"Det var Naade!" sagde
hun. |
| The great organ played
and the voices of the children in the choir mingled sweetly
with it. The clear, warm sunshine streamed through the window.
The sunshine filled Karen's heart till it so swelled with peace
and happiness that it broke. Her soul flew on a sunbeam up to
God; and up there no one asked her about the red shoes. |
Og Orgelet klang og
Børnestemmerne i Choret løde saa blødt og deiligt! Det klare
Solskin strømmede saa varmt gjennem Vinduet ind i Kirkestolen
hvor Karen sad; hendes Hjerte blev saa fuldt af Solskin, af
Fred og Glæde, at det brast; hendes Sjæl fløi paa Solskin til
Gud, og der var der Ingen som spurgte om de røde Skoe. |