| Have you ever seen a
really old cabinet, the kind whose wood is dark from age and
that doesn't have a spot on it that isn't carved, so that it
looks like a mass of vines and twirls? Once there stood in a
parlor just such an heirloom that had been in the family for
four generations. From the bottom to the top there were roses
and tulips; everywhere there were curlicues, and little deer
heads with numerous antlers peered out from among them. But
the most amazing figure was in the center panel. It was a man
with a long beard, who had little horns sticking out of his
forehead and the legs of a goat. He had a grin on his face--for
you could hardly call it a smile. He looked so funny that the
children who lived in the house gave him a name. They called
him Mr. Goat-legged Commanding-General-Private-War-Sergeant
because it was so difficult to say, even for a grownup; and
they knew of no one--either living or carved--who could boast
of such a fine title. From his cabinet he was always looking
straight across the room at a little table that stood beneath
a mirror, for on the table was the loveliest little porcelain
shepherdess. She had her skirt pinned up with a red rose; on
her feet were golden shoes. on her head she had a golden hat,
and in her hand was a shepherds crook. Oh, she was beautiful!
Next to her stood a little chimney sweep, and he was black as
coal, except for his face, which was as pink and white as hers.
Somehow this seemed wrong; he ought to have had at least a dab
of soot on his nose or his cheek. But he was of porcelain too,
and his profession was make-believe; he might just as well have
been a prince. |
Har Du nogensinde seet
et rigtig gammelt Træskab, ganske sort af Alderdom og skaaret
ud med Snirkler og Løvværk? Just saadant et stod der i en Dagligstue,
det var arvet fra Oldemoder, og udskaaret med Roser og Tulipaner
fra øverst til nederst; der vare de underligste Snirkler og
mellem dem stak smaa Hjorte Hovedet frem med mange Takker, men
midt paa Skabet stod snittet en heel Mand, han var rigtignok
griinagtig at see paa og grine gjorde han, man kunde ikke kalde
det at lee, han havde Gjedebukkebeen, smaa Horn i Panden og
et langt Skjæg. Børnene i Stuen kaldte ham altid Gjedebukkebeens-Overogundergeneralkrigskommandeersergeanten,
for det var et svært Navn at sige, og der ere ikke mange der
faae den Titel; men at lade ham skjære ud det var ogsaa noget.
Dog nu var han der jo! altid saae han hen til Bordet under Speilet,
for der stod en yndig lille Hyrdinde af Porcelain; Skoene vare
forgyldte, Kjolen nydelig hæftet op med en rød Rose og saa havde
hun Guldhat og Hyrdestav; hun var deilig. Tæt ved hende stod
en lille Skorsteensfeier, saa sort som et Kul, men iøvrigt ogsaa
af Porcelain; han var ligesaa reen og peen som nogen Anden,
at han var Skorsteensfeier, det var jo bare noget han forestillede,
Porcelainsmageren kunde ligesaa godt have gjort en Prinds af
ham, for det var eet! |
| There he stood with
his ladder in his hands looking as delicate as the shepherdess.
They had been standing close together, for that was the way
they had always been placed; and so they thought it was natural
that they be engaged. They had much in common: both were young,
both were made from the same clay, both were breakable. |
Der stod han med sin
Stige saa nydeligt, og med et Ansigt, saa hvidt og rødt, som
en Pige og det var egentligt en Feil, for lidt sort kunde han
gjerne have været. Han stod ganske nær ved Hyrdinden; de vare
begge to stillede hvor de stode, og da de nu vare stillede,
saa havde de forlovet sig, de passede jo for hinanden, de vare
unge Folk, de vare af samme Porcelain og begge lige skrøbelige.
|
| Near them on the table
there was another figure; he was three times as big as either
of them. He was a Chinese mandarin and he knew how to nod. He
was of porcelain too, and insisted that he was the shepherdess'
grandfather. Although he couldn't really prove that he was related
to her at all, he behaved as if he had as much right over her
as her parents and demanded that she obey him. Now Mr. Goat-legged
Commanding-General-Private-War-Sergeant had asked for the shepherdess'
hand in marriage, and the Chinese mandarin had nodded. |
Tæt ved dem stod der
nok en Dukke, der var tre Gange større, det var en gammel Chineser,
som kunde nikke; han var ogsaa af Porcelain og sagde at han
var Bedstefader til den lille Hyrdinde, men det kunde han nok
ikke bevise, han paastod at han havde Magt over hende, og derfor
havde han nikket til Gjedebukkebeens-Overogundergeneralkrigscommandeersergeanten,
der friede til den lille Hyrdinde. |
| "You will have a husband
who I am almost certain is made of mahogany," said the old mandarin.
"You will be called Mrs. Goatlegged Commanding-General-Private-War-Sergeant.
He has a whole cabinetful of silverware, plus all that he has
hidden in the secret compartments." |
"Der faaer Du en Mand,"
sagde den gamle Chineser, "en Mand, som jeg næsten troer er
af Mahognitræ, han kan gjøre Dig til Gjedebukkebeens-Overogundergeneralkrigscommandeersergeantinde,
han har hele Skabet fuldt af Sølvtøj, foruden hvad han har i
de hemmelige Gjemmer!" |
| "I don't want to live
in a dark closet!" wailed the shepherdess. "They say that he
has eleven porcelain wives in there already." |
"Jeg vil ikke ind i
det mørke Skab!" sagde den lille Hyrdinde, "jeg har hørt sige,
at han har derinde elleve Porcelains Koner!" |
| "Then you shall be number
twelve!" declared the Chinese mandarin. "And tonight! As soon
as the cabinet creaks, there shall be a wedding, my dear, and
that is as certain as it is that I am Chinese!" And he nodded
his head back and forth until he fell asleep. |
"Saa kan Du være den
tolvte!" sagde Chineseren, "inat, saasnart det knager i det
gamle Skab, skal I have Bryllup, saasandt som jeg er en Chineser!"
og saa nikkede han med Hovedet og faldt i Søvn. |
| The little shepherdess
cried and cried; then she looked up at her beloved, the chimney
sweep. |
Men den lille Hyrdinde græd og saae
paa sin Hjertensallerkjæreste, den Porcelains Skorsteensfeier.
|
| "I beg you to go with
me out into the world, for we cannot stay here," she sobbed. |
"Jeg troer jeg vil bede Dig," sagde
hun, "at Du vil gaae med mig ud i den vide Verden, for her kunne
vi ikke blive!" |
| "I will do anything
that you ask," he replied. "Let's go at once. I must be able
to earn a living at my profession." |
"Jeg vil alt hvad Du vil!" sagde
den lille Skorsteensfeier, "lad os strax gaae, jeg tænker nok
jeg kan ernære Dig ved Professionen!" |
| "If only we were down
on the floor already," she said anxiously. "I won't feel safe
before we are out in the wide world." |
"Bare vi vare vel nede af Bordet!"
sagde hun, "jeg bliver ikke glad før vi ere ude i den vide Verden!"
|
| The chimney sweep did
his best to console her. He showed her where she should set
her little feet along the carved edges of the table and on the
leaves of the gilded vines that wound themselves around its
legs. He made use of his ladder and soon they had reached the
floor. But then they looked up at the cabinet, where there was
an uproar. All the carved deer were shaking their antlers in
fury; and Mr. Goat-legged Commanding-General-Private-War-Sergeant
was jumping up and down. "They're eloping! They're eloping!"
he cried as loud as he could over to the Chinese mandarin. |
Og han trøstede hende og viste hvor
hun skulde sætte sin lille Fod paa de udskaarne Kanter og det
forgyldte Løvværk ned om Bordbenet, sin Stige tog han ogsaa
til Hjælp og saa vare de nede paa Gulvet, men da de saae hen
til det gamle Skab, var der saadant et Røre; alle de udskaarne
Hjorte stak Hovederne længere frem, reiste Takkerne og dreiede
med Halsen; Gjedebukkebeens-Overogundergeneralkrigscommandeersergeanten
sprang høit i Veiret, og raabte over til den gamle Chineser,
"nu løbe de! nu løbe de!" |
| A drawer in the wall,
just a little above the floor, was luckily open and the frightened
lovers jumped inside it. |
Da bleve de lidt forskrækkede, og
sprang gesvindt op i Skuffen til Forhøiningen. |
| Here lay three or four
incomplete decks of cards and a little puppet theater. The puppets
were performing a play. In the front row of the audience sat
all the queens: hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs, fanning
themselves with their tulips; behind them sat the knaves and
looked both above and below the ladies in the front row, just
to show that they had heads at both ends, exactly as they always
do in a deck of cards. The play was about two lovers who weren't
allowed to be together and reminded the poor shepherdess so
much of her own situation that she wept and wept. |
Her laae tre, fire Spil Kort, som
ikke vare complette og et lille Dukke-Theater, der var reist
op, saa godt det lod sig gjøre; der blev spillet Komedie og
alle Damerne, baade Ruder og Hjerter, Kløver og Spader, sade
i første Række og viftede sig med deres Tulipan og bag ved dem
stode alle Knægtene og viste at de havde Hoved, baade foroven
og forneden, saaledes som Spille-Kort have det. Komedien handlede
om to, som ikke maatte faae hinanden, og Hyrdinden græd derover,
for det var ligesom hendes egen Historie. |
| "I can't bear it!" she
said. "We must get out of here." By the time they were back
down on the floor again, the old Chinese mandarin was awake.
He was nodding his head and rocking back and forth with his
whole body, which was rounded at the bottom, for he had no legs.
|
"Det kan jeg ikke holde ud!" sagde
hun. "Jeg maa op af Skuffen!" men da de kom paa Gulvet og saae
op til Bordet, saa var den gamle Chineser vaagnet, og rokkede
med hele Kroppen, han var jo en Klump forneden! |
| "Here comes the old
mandarin!" screamed the little shepherdess, and fell down on
her porcelain knees because she was so upset. |
"Nu kommer den gamle Chineser!" skreg
den lille Hyrdinde og saa faldt hun lige ned paa sine Porcelains
Knæe, saa bedrøvet var hun. |
| "I have an idea," said
the chimney sweep. We could climb down into the potpourri jar,
over there in the corner. There we shall be among roses and
lavender and we can throw salt in the eyes of anyone who comes."
|
"Jeg faaer en Tanke," sagde Skorsteensfeieren,
"skulle vi krybe ned i den store Potpourrikrukke der staaer
i Krogen, der kunne vi ligge paa Roser og Lavendler og kaste
ham Salt i Øinene naar han kommer." |
| "It won't do!" cried
the shepherdess. "The potpourri jar and the mandarin were once
engaged. It's a long time ago but a certain amount of affection
always remains for the lovers of one's youth... No, we have
no choice, we must go out into the wide world." |
"Det kan ikke forslaae!" sagde hun,
"desuden veed jeg at gamle Chineser og Potpourrikrukken have
været forlovede og der bliver altid lidt Godhed tilbage naar
man saaledes har staaet i Forhold! nei der er ikke andet for
end at gaae ud i den vide Verden!" |
| "But do you realize
what that means?" asked the chimney sweep. "Have you thought
about how wide the world is and that we can never come back?" |
"Har Du virkelig Mod til at gaae
med mig ud i den vide Verden?" spurgte Skorsteensfeieren. "Har
Du betænkt hvor stor den er, og at vi aldrig mere kunne komme
her tilbage!" |
| "I have!" she said determinedly.
|
"Det har jeg!" sagde hun. |
| The chimney sweep looked
steadfastly into her eyes. "The only way I know how to get out
is through the chimney. Have you the courage to climb into the
belly of the stove and up through the flue into the chimney?
From there on, it's upward, ever upward, where no one can reach
us, till we come to the opening; and then we shall be out in
the wide world." |
Og Skorsteensfeieren saae ganske
stivt paa hende og saa sagde han: "Min Vei gaaer gjennem Skorstenen!
har Du virkelig Mod til at krybe med mig gjennem Kakkelovnen
baade gjennem Tromlen og Røret? saa komme vi ud i Skorstenen
og der forstaaer jeg at bruge mig! vi stige saa høit at de ikke
kunne naae os, og øverst oppe er der et Hul ud til den vide
Verden!" |
| He led her over to the
stove and opened the door. |
Og han førte hende hen til Kakkelovns-Døren.
|
| "Oh, how dark it looks,"
she said. But she followed him into the belly of the stove and
crawled with him up the flue, though it was pitch-dark. |
"Der seer sort ud!" sagde hun, men
hun gik dog med ham, baade gjennem Tromlen og gjennem Røret,
hvor der var den bælmørke Nat. |
| "Now we are in the chimney.
Look up and you will see a star!" |
"Nu ere vi i Skorstenen!" sagde han,
"og see! see! ovenover skinner den deiligste Stjerne!" |
| It was true, there was
a star shining through the darkness, as if it wished to guide
them on their way. They climbed, they crawled; it was a terrible
journey: up, up they went. The chimney sweep hoisted and held
onto the shepherdess, showing her where to put her little porcelain
feet. Finally they reached the top of the chimney and sat down
on the edge of it. They were exhausted and they had every right
to be. |
Og det var en virkelig Stjerne paa
Himmelen, der skinnede lige ned til dem, ligesom om den vilde
vise dem Veien. Og de kravlede og de krøb, en gruelig Vei var
det, saa høit, saa høit; men han løftede og lettede, han holdt
hende og viste de bedste Steder hvor hun skulde sætte sine smaa
Porcelains Fødder og saa naaede de lige op til Skorsteens-Randen
og paa den satte de sig, for de vare rigtignok trætte og det
kunde de ogsaa være. |
| The star-filled sky
was above them and all the roofs of the city were below them.
They could see far and wide, out into the world. The poor little
shepherdess had never imagined that the wide world would be
so big. She leaned her head on the chimney sweep's shoulder
and cried so hard that the gold in her waistband began to chip.
|
Himlen med alle sine Stjerner vare
oven over, og alle Byens Tage neden under; de saae saa vidt
omkring, saa langt ud i Verden; den stakkels Hyrdinde havde
aldrig tænkt sig det saaledes, hun lagde sit lille Hoved op
til sin Skorsteensfeier og saa græd hun, saa at Guldet sprang
af hendes Livbaand. |
| "It's far too much!"
she sobbed. "I cannot bear it! The world is much too big. I
wish I were back on the table beneath the mirror. I shall never
be happy again until I am! I followed you out into the wide
world; now you must take me home, if you care for me at all." |
"Det er altfor meget!" sagde hun.
"Det kan jeg ikke holde ud! Verden er altfor stor! gid jeg var
igjen paa det lille Bord under Speilet! jeg bliver aldrig glad
før jeg er der igjen! nu har jeg fulgt Dig ud til den vide Verden,
nu kan Du gjerne følge mig hjem igjen, dersom Du holder noget
af mig!" |
| The chimney sweep tried
to reason with her. He talked about the Chinese mandarin and
Mr. Goat-legged Commanding-General-Private-War-Sergeant; but
that just made her cry all the more. Finally she kissed him,
and then he could only obey her. |
Og Skorsteensfeieren talte fornuftig
for hende, talte om gamle Chineser og om Gjedebukkebeens-Overogundergeneralkrigscommandeersergeanten,
men hun hulkede saa gruelig, og kyssede sin lille Skorsteensfeier,
saa han kunde ikke andet end føie hende, skjøndt det var galt.
|
| And they climbed back
down the chimney with great difficulty, crawled through the
flue, and entered the belly of the stove; there they peeped
out through the door to see what was going on in the parlor.
Not a sound came from the room. In the middle of the floor lay
the old Chinese mandarin. He had fallen off the table when he
tried to follow them. Now he was in three pieces and his head
had rolled over in a corner. Mr. Goat-legged Commanding-General-Private-War-Sergeant
stood where he always had been, deep in thought. |
Og saa kravlede de igjen med stor
Besværlighed ned af Skorstenen, og de krøb gjennem Tromlen og
Røret, det var slet ikke rart, og saa stode de i den mørke Kakkelovn;
der lurede de bag Døren for at faae at vide, hvorledes det stod
til i Stuen. Der var ganske stille; de kigede ud -ak, der laae
midt paa Gulvet den gamle Chineser, han var faldet ned af Bordet,
da han vilde efter dem og laae slaaet i tre Stykker; hele Ryggen
var gaaet af i een Stump og Hovedet laae trillet hen i en Krog;
Gjedebukke beens-Overogundergeneralkrigscommandeersergeanten
stod hvor han altid havde staaet og tænkte over. |
| "How horrible!" exclaimed
the little shepherdess. "Old Grandfather is broken and it's
all our fault! I shan't live through it!" |
"Det er grueligt!" sagde den lille
Hyrdinde, "gamle Bedstefader er slaaet i Stykker, og vi ere
Skyld deri! det kan jeg aldrig overleve!" og saa vred hun sine
smaa bitte Hænder. |
| "He can be glued," said
the chimney sweep. "He can be put together again. . . . Don't
carry on so! . . . All he needs is to be glued and have a rivet
put in his neck, and he'll be able to say as many nasty things
as he ever did." |
"Han kan klinkes endnu!" sagde Skorsteensfeieren.
"Han kan meget godt klinkes! - Vær bare ikke saa heftig! naar
de lime ham i Ryggen og give ham en god Klinke i Nakken, saa
vil han være saa god som ny igjen og kan sige os mange Ubehageligheder!"
|
| "Do you think so?" she
asked. They climbed up onto the table and stood where they had
before. |
"Troer Du?" sagde hun. Og saa krøb
de op igjen paa Bordet hvor de før havde staaet. |
| "Well, this is as far
as we got!" the chimney sweep said. "We could have saved ourselves
a whole lot of trouble." |
"See saa langt kom vi!" sagde Skorsteensfeieren,
"der kunde vi have sparet os al den Uleilighed!" |
| "Do you think it will
be expensive to have Grandfather put together again?" asked
the shepherdess. "Oh, how I wish it were already done!" |
"Bare vi havde den gamle Bedstefader
klinket!" sagde Hyrdinden. "Kan det være saa dyrt?" |
| And Grandfather was
glued and a rivet was put in his neck; and then he was as good
as new, except for one thing: he couldn't nod any more. |
Og klinket blev han; Familien lod
ham lime i Ryggen, han fik en god Klinke i Halsen, han var saa
god som ny, men nikke kunde han ikke. |
| "You seem to think so
much more highly of yourself since you have been broken," said
Mr. Goat-legged Commanding-General-Private-War-Sergeant. "I
can't understand why anyone should be proud of being glued.
Am I to have her or not?" |
"De er nok bleven hovmodig, siden
De har været slaaet istykker!" sagdeGjedebukkebeens-Overogundergeneralkrigscommandeersergeanten,
"jeg synes dog ikke, at det er noget at være saa forfærdeligt
af! skal jeg have hende eller skal jeg ikke have hende?" |
| The chimney sweep and
the little shepherdess looked pitifully at the Chinese mandarin;
they were so terrified that he would nod. But he couldn't nod;
and he didn't want to admit to a stranger that he had a rivet
in his neck and would never be able to nod again. So the two
young porcelain lovers stayed together. They blessed the rivet
in Grandfather's neck and loved each other until they broke.
|
Og Skorsteensfeieren og den lille
Hyrdinde saae saa rørende paa den gamle Chineser, de vare saa
bange han skulde nikke, men han kunde ikke og det var ham ubehageligt
at fortælle til en Fremmed, at han havde bestandig en Klinke
i Nakken, og saa bleve de Porcelains Folk sammen og de velsignede
Bedstefaders Klinke og holdt af hinanden til de gik i Stykker.
|