| Poor Johannes was miserable;
his father was ill and there was no hope of his recovering.
It was late in the evening; they were alone together. The lamp
on the table was burning low. |
Den stakkels Johannes
var saa bedrøvet, for hans Fader var meget syg og kunde ikke
leve. Der var slet ingen uden de to inde i den lille Stue; Lampen
paa Bordet var ved at brænde ud, og det var ganske sildigt paa
Aftenen. |
| "You have been a good
son," whispered the father. I am sure that God will help you
and protect you." The dying man looked kindly and earnestly
at his son, then he breathed very deeply and died. He looked
as if he were asleep. Johannes wept, for now he was alone in
the world. He had neither father or mother, nor brothers or
sisters. He kneeled down and kissed his father's hand. Many
a tear ran down his cheeks before he finally fell asleep with
his head resting against the hard board of the bedstead. |
"Du var en god
Søn, Johannes!" sagde den syge Fader, "vor Herre vil
nok hjælpe Dig frem i Verden!" og han saae med alvorlige
milde Øine paa ham, trak Veiret ganske dybt og døde; det var
ligesom om han sov. Men Johannes græd, nu havde han slet ingen
i hele Verden, hverken Fader eller Moder, Søster eller Broder.
Den stakkels Johannes! Han laae paa sine Knæ foran Sengen og
kyssede den døde Faders Haand, græd saa mange salte Taarer,
men tilsidst lukkede hans Øine sig og han sov ind med Hovedet
paa den haarde Sengefjæl. |
| He dreamed a strange
dream, in which the sun and the moon curtsied before him. He
saw his father, too, alive and well. He heard him laugh as he
always did whenever something amused him. A lovely girl, with
long beautiful hair and a gold crown on her head, took his hand
in hers; and his father said to him, "This is your bride: the
most beautiful girl in the world," Then he woke, the dream was
over. His father was dead. There lay his cold body. He was all
alone, poor Johannes! |
Da drømte han en underlig
Drøm; han saae, hvor Sol og Maane neiede for ham, og han saae
sin Fader frisk og sund igjen og hørte ham lee, som han altid
loe naar han var rigtig fornøiet. En deilig Pige, med Guldkrone
paa sit lange smukke Haar, rakte Johannes Haanden, og hans Fader
sagde, "seer Du, hvilken Brud Du har faaet? Hun er den
deiligste i hele Verden." Saa vaagnede han, og alt det
Smukke var borte, hans Fader laae død og kold i Sengen, der
var slet ingen hos dem; den stakkels Johannes! |
| Next week his father
was buried. Johannes walked behind the coffin. He could no longer
see his father, whom he loved so much. He heard the earth fall
on the coffin lid. He peered down into the grave. He could see
the comer of the burial chest; another shovelful of earth and
that, too, was out of sight. At that moment Johannes felt that
his heart would break from sorrow. A psalm was sung and it sounded
so beautiful that he burst out crying, and the tears relieved
his grief. The sunlight played on the leaves of the trees; it
was as if the sun wanted to say, "Do not be sad, Johannes! Can't
you see how beautiful the blue sky is? Your father is up there
and he is begging God to help, so that all may go well for you." |
Ugen derefter blev den
Døde begravet; Johannes gik tæt bag Kisten, kunde nu ikke mere
faae den gode Fader at see, som havde holdt saa meget af ham;
han hørte, hvor de kastede Jorden ned paa Kisten, saae nu det
sidste Hjørne af den, men ved den næste Skuffe Jord, der blev
kastet ned, var det ogsaa borte; da var det ligesom hans Hjerte
vilde gaae i Stykker, saa bedrøvet var han. Rundt om sang de
en Psalme, det klang saa smukt og Taarerne kom Johannes i Øinene,
han græd og det gjorde godt i hans Sorg. Solen skinnede deiligt
paa de grønne Træer, ligesom den vilde sige: "Du skal ikke
være saa bedrøvet Johannes! kan Du see, hvor smuk blaa Himmelen
er; deroppe er nu Din Fader og beder den gode Gud, at det altid
maa gaae Dig vel!" |
| "I will try always to
be good," thought Johannes. "Then I, too, will go to heaven
when I die and see my father again. I will have so much to tell
him, and he will teach me about all the beautiful things in
heaven, as he taught me about all that is beautiful here on
earth. Oh, how wonderful it will be!" |
"Jeg vil altid
være god!" sagde Johannes, "saa kommer jeg ogsaa op
i Himlen til min Fader, og hvor det vil blive en Glæde, naar
vi see hinanden igjen! hvor der vil være meget, jeg kan fortælle
ham, og han vil igjen vise mig saa mange Ting, lære mig saa
meget af alt det Deilige i Himlen, ligesom han lærte mig her
paa Jorden. 0 hvor det vil blive en Glæde!" |
| For a moment, as the
words became a picture in Johannes' mind, he smiled though tears
ran down his face. The little birds in the chestnut tree sang,
"Tweet . . . Tweet." They were happy even though they were
attending a funeral; or maybe they were happy because they knew
that the dead man now had wings more beautiful than theirs,
for he had been good while he lived on earth. Johannes saw how
the little birds flew from the branches of the tree far out
into the world, and he wanted to fly with them. But first he
must carve a wooden cross to put on his father's grave. In the
evening when he was finished, he returned to the churchyard
and found the grave covered with sand and decorated with flowers.
The people of the village had wanted to show that they, too,
loved his father and felt sorrow at his death. |
Johannes tænkte sig
det saa tydeligt, at han smilede derved, medens Taarerne endnu
løb ham ned over Kinderne. De smaa Fugle sad oppe i Kastanietræerne
og qviddrede "qvi vit, qvi vit!" de vare saa fornøiede,
skjøndt de jo vare med ved Begravelsen, men de vidste nok, at
den døde Mand nu var oppe i Himlen, havde Vinger, langt smukkere
og større end deres, var nu lykkelig, fordi han havde været
god her paa Jorden, og derover vare de fornøiede. Johannes saae,
hvor de fløi fra de grønne Træer, langt ud i Verden, og han
fik da ogsaa saadan Lyst til at flyve med, Men først skar han
et stort Trækors til at sætte paa sin Faders Grav, og da han
om Aftenen bragte det der hen, var Graven pyntet med Sand og
Blomster; det havde fremmede Folk gjort, for de holdt allesammen
saa meget af den kjære Fader, som nu var død. |
| Early the next morning
Johannes packed his few belongings into a small bundle and put
his inheritance of fifty silver marks in a purse which he hid
under his belt. Now he was ready to go out into the world, but
first he went to his father's grave to pray and say good-by.
"I shall always be good, Father" he promised, "so that you may,
without shame, bid God to protect me." |
Tidlig næste Morgen
pakkede Johannes sin lille Byldt sammen, gjemte i sit Belte
hele sin Arvepart, der var 50 Rdlr. og et Par Sølvskillinger,
dermed vilde han vandre ud i Verden. Men først gik han hen paa
Kirkegaarden til sin Faders Grav, læste sit "Fader vor",
og sagde: "Farvel Du kjære Fader! Jeg vil altid være et
godt Menneske, og saa tør Du nok bede den gode Gud, at det maa
gaae mig godt!" |
| As he walked across
the fields, leaving the village behind him, the flowers nodded
as the wind blew over them and said, "Welcome, Johannes! Welcome
to our green world, is it not beautiful?" But Johannes could
not hear them; he turned to look once more at the old church
where he had been baptized and where every Sunday he had attended
service with his father and sung hymns. High up in one of the
little windows of the tower he saw the church pixy with his
red woolen hat. The pixy was shading his eyes with his hand,
the sun was shining right in his face. Johannes waved good-by
to him and the pixy took off his hat and swung it over his head;
then he put his hand on his heart and blew kisses toward Johannes,
to show that he wished him good luck and a happy journey. |
Ude paa Marken, hvor
Johannes gik, stode alle Blomsterne saa friske og deilige i
det varme Solskin, og de nikkede i Vinden ligesom om de vilde
sige: "Velkommen i det Grønne! Er her ikke nydeligt?"
Men Johannes dreiede sig endnu engang om, for at see den gamle
Kirke, hvor han, som lille Barn, var døbt, hvor han hver Søndag
med sin gamle Fader havde været i Kirke og sjunget sin Psalme;
da saae han høit oppe i et af Hullerne i Taarnet, Kirke-Nissen
staae med sin lille røde, spidse Hue, han skyggede for sit Ansigt
med den bøiede Arm, da ellers Solen skar ham i Øinene. Johannes
nikkede Farvel til ham, og den lille Nisse svingede sin røde
Hue, lagde Haanden paa Hjertet og kyssede mange Gange paa Fingrene,
for at vise, hvor godt han ønskede ham det, og at han ret maatte
gjøre en lykkelig Reise. |
| Johannes thought about
all the beautiful things he would see in the big marvelous world
as he walked on, farther and farther away from all that he knew.
Soon he no longer recognized the countryside. He passed through
villages and towns he had never seen before, and all the people
he met were strangers. |
Johannes tænkte paa
hvor meget smukt han nu skulde faae at see i den store prægtige
Verden, og gik længer og længer bort, saa langt som han aldrig
før havde været; han kjendte slet ikke de Byer, han kom igjennem,
eller de Mennesker, han mødte, nu var han langt ude mellem Fremmede. |
| The first night he slept
in a haystack and thought it was as fine a bed as anyone could
have, that a king could not have offered him one more comfortable.
The fields, the little river, the haystack, and the blue heaven
above him. What a lovely bedchamber! The green grass dotted
with red and white flowers was a carpet; the hedge of wild roses
and the elderberry bushes were better than bouquets of flowers
in vases; and the river, with its clear water, was his washing
basin. The reeds that grew along its edge nodded to say both
good morning and good night to him, and the moon was an excellent
night lamp that couldn't set fire to the curtains. Here Johannes
could sleep peacefully and he did, and only woke after the sun
had risen and all the little birds started singing, "Good morning!
Good morning! Aren't you up yet?" |
Den første Nat maatte
han lægge sig at sove i en Høstak paa Marken, anden Seng havde
han ikke. Men det var just nydeligt, syntes han, Kongen kunde
ikke have det pænere. Den hele Mark med Aaen, Høstakken og saa
den blaa Himmel oven over, var just et smukt Sovekammer. Det
grønne Græs med de smaa røde og hvide Blomster var Gulvtæppe,
Hyldebuskene og de vilde Rosenhækker vare Blomsterbouquetter,
og som Vandfad havde han hele Aaen med det klare, friske Vand,
hvor Sivene neiede, og sagde baade god Aften og god Morgen.
Maanen var en rigtig stor Natlampe, høit oppe under det blaa
Loft, og den stak ikke Ild i Gardinerne; Johannes kunde sove
ganske roligt, og han gjorde det ogsaa, vaagnede først igjen,
da Solen stod op og alle de smaa Fugle rundt omkring, sang:
"god Morgen! god Morgen! Er Du ikke oppe?" |
| The bells rang from
the church tower; it was Sunday. The people were going to church
and Johannes went too; he sang a hymn and listened to the minister
preach. Everything was just as it was in the church where he
had been baptized and attended service with his father. |
Klokkerne ringede til
Kirke, det var Søndag, Folk gik hen at høre Præsten og Johannes
fulgte med dem, sang en Psalme og hørte Guds Ord, og det var
ham ligesom han var i sin egen Kirke, hvor han var døbt, og
havde sjunget Psalmer med sin Fader. |
| In the churchyard there
were many graves where the grass grew high, for there was no
one to tend them. Johannes thought of his own father's grave
which soon would look like these, now that he was not there
to weed and plant flowers on it. He pulled up some of the grass
and straightened the wooden crosses that had fallen; then he
took the wreaths that the wind had blown from the graves and
put them back where he thought they belonged, hoping that some
stranger would do the same for his father's grave. |
Ude paa Kirkegaarden
var der saa mange Grave, og paa nogle voxte der høit Græs. Da
tænkte Johannes paa sin Faders Grav, der ogsaa maatte komme
til at see ud som disse, nu han ikke kunde luge og pynte den.
Han satte sig da ned og rykkede Græsset af, reiste Trækorsene
op, der vare faldne om, og lagde Krandsene, som Vinden havde
revet bort fra Gravene, igjen paa deres Sted, idet han tænkte,
maaskee at En gjør det samme ved min Faders Grav, nu jeg ikke
kan gjøre det! |
| Outside the church stood
a beggar. Johannes gave him a silver coin and then walked on,
happy and content, out into the wide, wide world. |
Uden for Kirkegaardsporten
stod en gammel Tigger og støttede sig paa sin Krykke, Johannes
gav ham de Sølvskillinger han havde og gik saa lykkelig og fornøiet
længer frem, ud i den vide Verden. |
| Toward evening a storm
began to gather. Johannes looked for shelter but the landscape
was bare and uninhabited; finally, when night had already fallen,
he saw a little church on a hill. The door to the church was
ajar; here he would seek shelter until the storm was over. |
Mod Aften blev det et
skrækkeligt ondt Veir, Johannes skyndte sig for at komme under
Tag, men det blev snart mørk Nat; da naaede han endelig en lille
Kirke, der laae ganske eensom oppe paa en Høi, Døren stod til
Lykke paa Klem, og han smuttede ind; her vilde han blive, til
det onde Veir lagde sig. |
| "I will just sit in
a comer," he thought. "I am tired and need some rest." He sat
down, folded his hands, and said his prayers; then he feel asleep
and dreamed, while the storm broke and lightning flashed and
the thunder roared. |
"Her vil jeg sætte
mig i en Krog!" sagde han, "jeg er ganske træt, og
kan nok trænge til at hvile mig lidt," saa satte han sig
ned, foldede sine Hænder, og læste sin Aftenbøn og, inden han
vidste af det, sov og drømte han, mens det lynede og tordnede
udenfor. |
| When he woke it was
past midnight, the storm was over, and the moonlight shone through
the windows into the church. Near the altar stood a coffin;
it was open and in it lay a dead man who was to be buried the
next day. Johannes was not afraid, for he had a good conscience,
and he knew that the dead cannot do anyone any harm. It is living,
evil human beings one has to fear. Two such worthless men, were
now standing before the open coffin. They wanted to harm the
dead man; they were preparing to take him out of his coffin
and throw him out of the church. Poor dead man! |
Da han vaagnede igjen,
var det midt ud paa Natten, men det onde Veir var trukket over,
og Maanen skinnede ind af Vinduerne til ham. Midt paa Kirkegulvet
stod der en aaben Liigkiste med en død Mand i, for han var endnu
ikke begravet. Johannes var slet ikke bange, for han havde en
god Samvittig hed, og han vidste nok, at de Døde gjør ingen
noget; det er levende, onde Mennesker, der gjør Fortræd. Saadanne
to levende, slemme Folk stod tæt ved den døde Mand, der var
sat herind i Kirken, før han blev lagt ned i Graven, de vilde
gjøre ham Fortræd, ikke lade ham ligge i sin Liigkiste, men
kaste ham uden for Kirkedøren, den stakkels døde Mand. |
| "What are you doing?"
cried Johannes. "It is sinful to disturb the dead. Let the poor
man sleep in Jesus' name!" |
"Hvorfor vil I
gjøre det!" spurgte Johannes, "det er ondt og slemt,
lad ham sove i Jesu Navn!" |
| "Nonsense!" screamed
one of the wicked men. "He has cheated us. He owed us money,
which he couldn't pay back, and now he has died, on top of it,
and we shan't ever see a penny of our money again. But we shall
have our revenge. We shall throw him in front of the church
door and there he can lie like a dog." |
"0, Sniksnak!"
sagde de to fæle Mennesker, "han har narret os! han skylder
os Penge, dem kunde han ikke betale, og nu er han ovenikjøbet
død, saa faae vi ikke en Skilling, derfor vil vi rigtig hævne
os, han skal ligge som en Hund udenfor Kirkedøren!" |
| "I have only fifty marks,"
said Johannes, "it is my inheritance from my father. I will
give it to you if you will promise me to let the dead man lie
in peace. I can get along without money, I am strong and God
will help me." |
"Jeg har ikke meer
end 50 Rdlr.!" sagde Johannes, "det er hele min Arvepart,
men den vil jeg gjerne give Eder, naar I vil ærligt love mig,
at lade den stakkels døde Mand i Fred. Jeg skal nok komme ud
af det, uden de Penge; jeg har sunde stærke Lemmer, og vor Herre
vil altid hjælpe mig!" |
| "Yes," sneered the wicked
men, "if you will pay his debts, we shan't harm him." They took
Johannes' money and, laughing at his goodness, went on their
way. Johannes put the dead man back into his coffin, folded
the cold hands, and then as happily as ever entered the dark
forest just beyond the church. |
"Ja," sagde
de hæslige Mennesker, "naar Du saaledes vil betale hans
Gæld, skal vi saamæn ikke gjøre ham noget, det kan Du være vis
paa!" og saa tog de Pengene, Johannes gav dem, loe ordentligt
ganske høit over hans Godhed, og gik deres Vei; men Johannes
lagde Liget tilrette igjen i Kisten, foldede Hænderne paa det,
sagde Farvel, og gik nok saa tilfreds videre gjennem den store
Skov. |
| The moonlight shone
down through the leaves of the trees and Johannes saw the little
elves playing, for they did not mind his coming. They knew he
was a good and innocent human being; only from evil and dishonest
people do the elves hide. Some of them were no bigger than Johannes'
finger. Their long yellow hair was held in place by golden combs.
Two by two, they would swing on the drops of dew that clung
to the leaves and the tops of the high grass. Sometimes the
dewdrops would roll down in among the grass and how the elves
would laugh. Oh, it was a joy to watch them! They sang all the
songs that Johannes had learned when he was a child. Colorful
spiders, with silver crowns on their heads, spun palaces and
bridges from bush to bush, which caught the dew and looked like
glass in the moonlight. The elves played the whole night through;
only when the sun rose did they climb back into their flowers.
Then the wind grabbed their bridges and palaces and carried
them high into the air as flying spider webs. |
Rundtomkring, hvor Maanen
kunde skinne ind i mellem Træerne, saae han de nydelige smaa
Alfer lege nok saa lystigt; de lode sig ikke forstyrre, de vidste
nok, han var et godt uskyldigt Menneske, og det er kun de onde
Folk, der ikke maae faae Alferne at see. Nogle af dem vare ikke
større end en Finger og havde deres lange gule Haar heftet op
med Guldkamme, to og to gyngede de paa de store Dugdraaber,
der laae paa Bladene og det høie Græs; sommetider trillede Draaben,
saa faldt de ned mellem de lange Græsstraa og der blev en Latter
og Støi af de andre Smaapuslinger. Det var uhyre morsomt! De
sang og Johannes kjendte ganske tydeligt alle de smukke Viser,
han havde lært som lille Dreng. Store brogede Ædderkoppe med
Sølvkroner paa Hovedet, maatte fra den ene Hæk til den anden
spinde lange Hængebroer og Palladser, der, da den fine Due,
faldt paa, saae ud som skinnende Glas i det klare Maaneskin.
Saaledes varede det ved, lige til Solen stod op. De smaa Alfer
krøb da ind i Blomsterknoppene og Vinden tog i deres Broer og
Slotte, der da fløi hen i Luften, som store Spindelvæv. |
| Johannes had just come
out of the forest when he heard someone call behind him, "Wait,
where are you going?" |
Johannes var nu kommet
ud af Skoven, da en stærk Mandsstemme raabte bag ved ham: "Holla,
Kammerat! hvorhen gjælder Reisen?" |
| "Out into the wide world,"
answered Johannes. "I am a poor fellow who has neither father
nor mother, but I am sure that God will help me." |
"Ud i den vide
Verden!" sagde Johannes. "Jeg har hverken Fader eller
Moder, er en fattig Knøs, men vor Herre hjælper mig nok!" |
| "I want to go out in
the wide world too," said the stranger. "Let's be traveling
companions." |
"Jeg vil ogsaa
ud i den vide Verden!" sagde den fremmede Mand. "Skal
vi to gjøre Følgeskab!" |
| "That's a good idea,"
agreed Johannes, and so they went on together. It took no time
for them to become fond of each other, for they were both good
and kind. Johannes soon realized that the stranger was much
wiser than he; he seemed to be able to talk about everything
and to have been everywhere. There was hardly anything that
existed that he did not know something about. |
"Ja nok!"
sagde Johannes, og saa fulgtes de ad. De kom snart til at holde
meget af hinanden, for de vare gode Mennesker begge to. Men
Johannes mærkede nok, at den Fremmede var meget klogere end
han, han havde været næsten hele Verden rundt, og vidste at
fortælle om alt det Muelige, der er til. |
| The sun was high in
the sky when they stopped to rest under a large tree. There
they ate their lunch. Just as they were finishing, an old woman
came hobbling along. Her back was bent and she had a crutch
under one arm. Strapped to her back was a bundle of firewood,
which she had gathered in the forest; and in her apron, which
she had tied together to make a little sack, there were three
bunches of birch switches. Suddenly she slipped and fell. She
screamed, for she had broken her leg. The poor woman! |
Solen var allerede høit
oppe, da de satte dem under et stort Træ, for at spise deres
Frokost; i det samme kom der en gammel Kone. 0, hun var saa
gammel og gik ganske krum, støttede sig paa en Krykkestok, og
havde paa sin Ryg et Knippe Brænde, som hun havde samlet sig
i Skoven. Hendes Forklæde var heaftet op, og Johannes saae at
tre store Riis af Bregner og Pileqviste stak ud fra det. I det
hun var ganske nær ved dem, gleed hendes ene Fod, hun faldt
om og gav et høit Skrig, for hun havde brækket sit Been, den
stakkels gamle Kone. |
| Johannes suggested that
they carry her to her home, but the stranger opened his knapsack
and took out a little jar. In this there was a salve which he
said could cure her leg, make it whole and well again, so that
she could walk home by herself, as if her leg had never been
broken. As payment he wanted the three bunches of birch switches
she carried in her apron. |
Johannes vilde strax,
at de skulde bære hende hjem, hvor hun boede, men den Fremmede
lukkede sin Randsel op, tog en Krukke frem, og sagde, at han
havde her en Salve, der strax kunde gjøre hendes Been heelt
og raskt, saa at hun selv kunde gaae hjem, og det som om hun
aldrig havde brækket Benet. Men derfor vilde han ogsaa, at hun
skulde forære ham de tre Riis, hun havde i sit Forklæde. |
| "You want to be well
paid," said the old woman, and nodded very strangely. She did
not want to give up her switches, yet it was not pleasant to
lie there on the road with a broken leg, so she gave the switches
to the stranger. As soon as he had rubbed a little salve on
her leg she was up and walking better than she had before. It
was an unusual salve, not the kind that you can buy at the pharmacy. |
"Det er godt betalt!"
sagde den Gamle og nikkede ganske underligt med Hovedet; hun
vilde ikke saameget gjerne af med sine Riis, men det var heller
ikke saa rart, at ligge med Benet brækket; saa gav hun ham Risene,
og ligesaa snart han havde gnedet Salven paa Benet, reiste ogsaa
den gamle Mutter sig op, og gik meget bedre end før. Det kunde
den Salve gjøre. Men den var heller ikke at faae paa Apotheket. |
| "What will you do with
the switches?" asked Johannes. |
"Hvad vil Du med
de Riis?" spurgte Johannes nu sin Reisekammerat. |
| "Oh, I just took a fancy
to them because I am a strange fellow, I suppose," said the
wayfarer, and they walked on in silence. |
"Det er tre pæne
Urtekoste!" sagde han, "dem kan jeg just lide, for
jeg er en løierlig Fyr!" |
| |
Saa gik de endnu et
godt Stykke. |
| "Look at those heavy,
dark clouds," remarked Johannes, pointing to the horizon. "We
are in for a storm." |
"Nei, hvor det
trækker op!" sagde Johannes, og pegede ligefrem; "det
er nogle forskrækkelige tykke Skyer!" |
| "No," laughed his companion,
"they are not clouds, they are mountains. Beautiful high mountains
which one can climb right up into the sky, where the air is
always fresh. They are marvelous, believe me. Tomorrow we shall
reach that far out in the wide world." |
"Nei," sagde
Reisekammeraten, "det er ikke Skyer, det er Bjergene. De
deilige store Bjerge, hvor man kommer heelt, op over Skyen i
den friske Luft! Det er herligt, kan Du troe! Imorgen ere vi
vist saalangt ude i Verden!" |
| But the mountains were
farther away than they thought; it was the next evening before
they came to the foothills. Here started the great black forests
that covered most of the mountainsides. There were boulders
as large as whole villages. It would not be easy to cross these
mountains; therefore Johannes' traveling companion suggested
that they stay at an inn for the night to be fresh for the morning's
climb. |
Det var ikke saa nær
ved, som det saae ud, de brugte en heel Dag at gaae, før de
kom til Bjergene, hvor de sorte Skove voxte lige op mod Himmelen,
og hvor der vare Stene ligesaa store som en heel By; det vilde
rigtignok blive en svær Tour at komme der heelt over, men derfor
gik ogsaa Johannes og Reisekammeraten ind i Vertshuset, for
at hvile sig godt og samle Kræfter til Marschen imorgen. |
| In the public room of
the inn a crowd had gathered; a traveling puppet theater was
just about to give a performance. The spectators sat in rows
facing the little stage. In the first row was a fat old butcher.
He had taken the best seat and next to him sat his dog, a ferocious-looking
bulldog. |
Nede i den støre Skjænkestue
i Vertshuset vare saa mange Mennesker samlede, for der var en
Mand, som gjorde Dukke-Comedie; han havde just stillet sit lille
Theater op, og Folk sad rundt omkring for at see den Comedie,
men allerforrest havde en gammel tyk Slagter taget Plads, og
det den allerbedste; hans store Bulbider, uh, den saae saa glubsk
ud! sad ved Siden af ham og gjorde Øine, ligesom alle de andre. |
| The comedy began. It
was a very nice play with a king and a queen in it. They sat
on a throne and had golden crowns on their heads. The queen
had a long dress that trailed behind her; it was expensive but
she could afford it. Wooden dolls with handlebar mustaches and
glass eyes stood at the doors, opening and closing them in order
to air the room. It was a lovely comedy with nothing tragic
about it at all; but just as the queen was crossing the stage
the bulldog---God knows what the dog was thinking; his master,
in any case, was not holding onto him--jumped right up on the
stage and grabbed the queen by her waist with his great jaws.
Crunch! Crack! It was a tragedy after all! |
Nu begyndte Comedien,
og det var en pæn Comedie med en Konge og en Dronning, de sad
paa den deiligste Throne, havde Guldkroner paa Hovedet og lange
Slæb paa Kjolerne, for det havde de Raad til. De nydeligste
Trædukker med Glas-Øine og store Knebelsbarter stode ved alle
Døre, og lukkede op og i for at der kunde komme frisk Luft i
Stuen! Det var just en nydelig Komedie, og den var slet ikke
sørgelig, men lige idet Dronningen reiste sig op og gik hen
ad Gulvet, saa - ja Gud maa vide, hvad den store Bulbider tænkte;
men da den tykke Slagter ikke holdt paa ham, gjorde han et Spring
lige ind paa Theatret, tog Dronningen midt i hendes tynde Liv,
saa det sagde "knik, knak!" Det var ganske forskrækkeligt! |
| The poor man who owned
the puppet theater and had played all the parts was beside himself
with misery. The queen was the most beautiful of all his dolls
and now the bulldog had beheaded her. When all the rest of the
audience had gone, Johannes' traveling companion said that he
would repair the doll. He took out his little jar and put some
salve on it. It was the same salve that had helped the poor
woman when she broke her leg. As soon as the salve had been
smeared on the doll she was whole again, but that was not all!
The doll could move her little limbs by herself. The puppeteer
was delighted; now he didn't have to pull her strings any more.
The queen could dance by herself and that was more than any
of the other dolls could do. |
Den stakkels Mand, som
gjorde den hele Comedie, blev saa forskrækket og saa bedrøvet
for sin Dronning, for det var den allernydeligste Dukke, han
havde, og nu havde den ækle Bulbider bidt Hovedet af hende;
men da Folk siden gik bort, sagde den Fremmede, han som var
kommet med Johannes, at han nok skulde gjøre hende istand; og
saa tog han sin Krukke frem og smurte Dukken med den Salve,
han hjalp den stakkels gamle Kone med, da hun havde brækket
sit Been. Ligesaa snart Dukken var smurt, blev den strax heel
igjen, ja den kunde endogsaa selv røre alle sine Lemmer, man
behøvede slet ikke at trække i Snoren; Dukken var som et levende
Menneske, paa det nær at den ikke kunde tale. Manden, som havde
det lille Dukketheater, blev saa fornøiet, nu behøvede han slet
ikke at holde paa den Dukke, den kunde jo dandse af sig selv.
Det var der ingen af de andre der kunde. |
| When night came and
everyone at the inn had gone to bed, deep and sorrowful sighs
were heard. The lamenting kept on, and finally they all got
up to see what was the matter. The sighing came from the theater.
The puppeteer opened the box that was also the small stage.
All the wooden dolls were lying in a great heap. There were
the king and his followers, and it was they who were sighing
so mournfully. They stared with their glass eyes out into the
darkness; they wanted to be rubbed with the magic salve so they,
too, would be able to move and dance like the queen. The queen
kneeled down and held out her golden crown, while she spoke:
"Please take this in return for putting some salve on my husband
and his courtiers." The puppeteer, who owned the theater and
all the dolls, felt so sad that he cried, and promised the wayfarer
that he would give him all the money he received the following
night if only he would smear a little salve on four or five
of the other dolls. Johannes' friend said he cared not for money;
what he wanted was the old sword that the theater director had
hanging from his belt. As soon as it was given to him, he rubbed
a little salve on six of the dolls. They started instantly to
dance so prettily that all the real people, who had been standing
about watching them, began to dance too. The coachman danced
with the cook, and the waiters with the maids. The poker tried
to dance with the little brass shovel that stood by the fireplace;
but they didn't dance far: they fell with a clatter after they
had taken their first step. It was an exciting night! |
Da det siden blev Nat,
og alle Folk i Vertshuset vare gaaet i Seng, var der een, der
sukkede saa forskrækkelig dybt, og blev saa længe ved, saa de
allesammen stod op, for at see hvem det kunde være. Manden,
der havde gjort Comedien, gik hen til sit lille Theater, for
det var der inde, at nogen sukkede. Alle Trædukkerne laae imellem
hinanden, Kongen og alle Drabanterne, og det var dem, som sukkede
saa ynkeligt og stirrede med deres store Glas-Øine, for de vilde
saa gjerne blive smurt lidt ligesom Dronningen, at de ogsaa
kunde komme til at røre sig af sig selv. Dronningen lagde sig
lige ned paa sine Knæ, og rakte sin deilige Guldkrone i Veiret,
mens hun bad; "tag kun den, men smør min Gemal og mine
Hoffolk!" da kunde den stakkels Mand, der eiede Comedien
og alle Dukkerne, ikke lade være at græde, for det gjorde ham
virkelig saa ondt for dem; han lovede strax Reisekammeraten,
at han vilde give ham alle de Penge, han fik for sin Comedie
næste Aften, naar han bare vilde smøre fire, fem af hans pæneste
Dukker; men Reisekammeraten sagde, at han forlangte slet ikke
andet, end den store Sabel, han havde ved sin Side, og da han
fik den, smurte han sex Dukker, der strax dandsede og det saa
nydeligt, at alle Pigerne, de levende Menneske-Piger, som saae
derpaa, gav sig til at dandse med. Kudsken og Kokkepigen dandsede,
Tjeneren og Stuepigen, alle de Fremmede, og Ildskuffen og Ildklemmen;
men de to faldt om, lige i det de gjorde de første Spring, -
jo det var en lystig Nat. |
| The next day Johannes
and his friend left the inn and started to climb the mountains.
Upward they went through the dark forest of fir trees, until
the church steeples in the valley looked like little red berries
amidst all the greenery below them. They could see far and wide;
before them were views of dozens of places where they had not
been. Johannes had never seen so much of the beautiful world
all at once. The sun shone down from a cloudless blue sky. From
the valleys they heard the sound of the hunters' horns; the
melody was so beautiful that tears came into his eyes and he
could not help saying out loud: "Oh, God, I could kiss you for
your kindness to us all, for having given us such a beautiful
world to live in!" |
Næste Morgen gik Johannes
med sin Reisekammerat bort fra dem allesammen, og opad de høie
Bjerge, og igjennem de støre Granskove. De kom saa høit op,
at Kirketaarnene dybt under dem tilsidst saae ud som smaa røde
Bær, nede i alt det Grønne, og de kunde see saa langt bort,
mange, mange Mile, hvor de aldrig havde været! saameget smukt
af den deilige Verden havde Johannes aldrig før seet paa eengang,
og Solen skinnede saa varmt fra den friske blaa Luft, han hørte
ogsaa Jægerne blæse paa Valdhorn inde mellem Bjergene, saa smukt
og vel signet, at han fik Vandet i Øinene af Glæde, og kunde
ikke lade være at sige: "Du gode vor Herre! jeg kunde kysse
Dig, fordi Du er saa god mod os allesammen, og har givet os
al den Deilighed, der er i Verden!" |
| His companion had also
folded his hands and was looking out over the forest and the
towns. All at once they heard a strange but pleasant sound above
them; they looked up. There was a great white swan and the beautiful
bird was singing as they had never heard a bird sing before.
But its voice grew weaker and weaker; and finally it bent its
head toward its body and fell to the ground, right at their
feet. There the lovely bird lay, dead. |
Reisekammeraten stod
ogsaa med foldede Hænder, og saae ud over Skoven og Byerne,
i det varme Solskin. I det samme klang det forunderligt deiligt
over deres Hoveder, de saae op i Veiret: en stor hvid Svane
svævede i Luften; den var saa smuk, og sang, som de aldrig før
havde hørt nogen Fugl synge; men det blev mere og mere svagt,
den bøiede sit Hoved og sank, ganske langsomt ned for deres
Fødder, hvor den laae død, den smukke Fugl. |
| "What wonderful wings!"
cried the wayfarer. "A pair of wings as white and large as those
must be worth a lot. I shall have them! It is fortunate I have
a sword." With a single stroke he cut off both of the dead swan's
wings, and now they were his. |
"To saa deilige
Vinger," sagde Reisekammeraten, "saa hvide og store,
som de, Fuglen har, ere Penge værd, dem vil jeg tage med mig!
kan du nu see, at det var godt, jeg fik en Sabel!" og saa
hug han med eet Slag begge Vingerne af den døde Svane, dem vilde
han beholde. |
| They traveled mile after
mile, and yet they still were in the mountains. At last they
came to a large town. More than a hundred towers shone as if
they were made of silver, while the sunlight played upon them.
In the middle of the town there was a great marble castle with
a roof of gold, and that was where the king lived. |
De reiste nu mange,
mange Mile frem over Bjergene, til de tilsidst foran dem saae
en stor Stad, med over hundrede Taarne, der skinnede som Sølv
i Solskinnet; midt i Byen var et prægtigt Marmorslot, tækket
med det røde Guld, og her boede Kongen. |
| Johannes and his friend
stopped at an inn outside the walls because they wanted to wash
and change their clothes before entering the city. The innkeeper
told them that the king was a very kind and friendly man who
never did anyone any harm; but what a daughter he had! Oh, God
preserve us, she was a horrible princess! Oh, she was beautiful
enough. There was no one lovelier to look at; but what good
was that when she was as cruel and wicked as any witch, and
had already caused the death of many a fine prince? She had
proclaimed that anyone could propose to her--prince or beggar
alike. She didn't care who her suitor was; all he had to do
to win her hand and become king when her father died was to
answer correctly three questions that she asked him; but if
he failed, then he must have his head chopped off or be hanged--that's
how heartless the beautiful princess was. Her poor old father
was very sad indeed, but he could do nothing about it, for once,
long ago, he had promised her never to interfere in the manner
she chose a husband. Every prince who had come to woo the princess
had failed to guess the correct answers to her questions and
had been either beheaded or hanged; but there was not one who
had not been warned beforehand, and he need not have proposed.
Still the old king was so upset and sorry about all the suffering
that once a year he spent a whole day on his knees and ordered
his whole army to do the same. They prayed that the princess
would become good, but she didn't. The old ladies who drank
schnapps colored it black to show that they were in mourning,
and that was the most they could do. |
Johannes og Reisekammeraten
vilde ikke strax gaae ind i Byen, men bleve i Vertshuset udenfor,
at de kunde pynte sig, thi de vilde see pæne ud, naar de kom
paa Gaden. Verten fortalte dem, at Kongen var saadan en god
Mand, der aldrig gjorde noget Menneske noget, hverken det ene
eller det andet, men at hans Datter, ja Gud bevare os! det var
en slem Prindsesse. Deilighed havde hun nok af, ingen kunde
være saa smuk og nydelig, som hun, men hvad hjalp det, hun var
en slem, ond Hex, der var Skyld i, at saa mange deilige Prindser
havde mistet deres Liv. - Alle Mennesker havde hun givet Lov
at frie til hende; enhver kunde komme, enten han var en Prinds,
eller en Staadder, det kunde være lige eet og det samme; han
skulde bare gjætte tre Ting, hun spurgte ham om, kunde han det,
saa vilde hun gifte sig med ham, og han skulde være Konge over
det hele Land, naar hendes Fader døde; men kunde han ikke gjætte
de tre Ting, saa lod hun ham hænge eller halshugge, saa slem
og ond var den deilige Prindsesse. Hendes Fader, den gamle Konge,
var saa bedrøvet derover, men han kunde ikke forbyde hende,
at være saa ond, for han havde eengang sagt, han vilde aldrig
have det mindste at gjøre med hendes Kjærester, hun kunde selv
gjøre, ligesom hun vilde. Hver engang der kom en Prinds og skulde
gjætte, for at faae Prindsessen, saa kunde han ikke komme ud
af det, og saa blev han hængt eller halshugget; de havde jo
varet ham i Tide, han kunde lade viere at frie. Den gamle Konge
var saa bedrøvet over al den Sorg og Elendighed, at han en heel
Dag om Aaret laae paa Knæ, med alle sine Soldater, og bad, at
Prindsessen maatte blive god, men det vilde hun slet ikke. De
gamle Koner, som drak Brændeviin, farvede det ganske sort, før
de drak det, saaledes sørgede de, og mere kunde de ikke gjøre. |
| "What a horrible princess,"
said Johannes. "She should be switched, that is what she deserves.
If I were the old king, I would beat her until I drew blood." |
"Den hæslige Prindsesse!"
sagde Johannes, "hun skulde virkelig have Riis, det kunde
hun have godt af. Bare jeg var den gamle Konge, hun skulde nok
komme til at spytte røde Grise!" |
| Just at that moment
they heard the people outside shouting, "Hurrah!" The princess
was riding by. She was so beautiful that anyone who looked at
her forgot how wicked she was; and that's why everyone was now
shouting, "Hurrah!" Twelve lovely maidens in white silk dresses,
with golden tulips in their hands, riding on jet-black horses,
were with her. The princess herself rode a milk-white horse;
its bridle was set with rubies and diamonds. Her dress was of
the purest gold, and the whip she carried in her hand looked
like a sunbeam. The golden crown on her head was like the stars
of heaven, and her cape was made out of thousands of butterfly
wings; and yet she was far more beautiful than all her clothes. |
I det samme hørte de
Folk udenfor raabe Hurra! Prindsessen kom forbi, og hun var
virkelig saa deilig, at alle Folk glemte, hvor ond hun var,
derfor raabte de Hurra. Tolv deilige Jomfruer, allesammen i
hvide Silkekjoler, og med en Guldtulipan i Haanden, reed paa
kulsorte Heste, ved Siden af hende; Prindsessen selv havde en
kridhvid Hest, pyntet med Diamanter og Rubiner, hendes Ridedragt
var af det pure Guld, og Pidsken, hun havde i Haanden, saae
ud, som den var en Solstraale; Guldkronen paa Hovedet var ligesom
smaa Stjerner oppe fra Himlen, og Kaaben var syet af over tusinde
deilige Sommerfuglevinger; alligevel var hun meget smukkere,
end alle hendes Klæder. |
| When Johannes saw her,
his face became as red as blood dripping from a wound and he
could not utter a word. The princess looked like the girl with
a golden crown that he had dreamed about the night his father
died. She was so beautiful, and he already loved her so much,
that he could not believe that she was an evil witch who ordered
men to be beheaded or hanged, because they could not guess the
answers to the questions she asked them. "Anyone can propose
to her, even a poor man like me. I will go to the castle, for
nothing can stop me from going," Johannes announced. |
Da Johannes fik hende
at see, blev han saa rød i sit Ansigt, som et dryppende Blod,
og han kunde knap sige et eneste Ord; Prindsessen saae jo ganske
ud, som den deilige Pige med Guldkrone paa, han havde drømt
om den Nat, hans Fader var død. Han fandt hende saa smuk, og
kunde ikke lade være at holde saa meget af hende. Det var bestemt
ikke sandt, sagde han, at hun kunde være en ond Hex, der lod
Folk hænge eller halshugge, naar de ikke kunde gjætte, hvad
hun forlangte af dem. "Enhver har jo Lov at frie til hende,
endogsaa den fattigste Staadder, jeg vil virkelig gaae op paa
Slottet! for jeg kan ikke lade være!" |
| Everyone begged him
not to go, for they all agreed that he would fare no better
than the others who had tried; even his traveling companion
advised him against it, but Johannes was not to be dissuaded.
He brushed his clothes, polished his shoes, and combed his yellow
hair; then he went alone into the town and straight up to the
castle. |
De sagde allesammen,
at det skulde han ikke gjøre, det vilde bestemt gaae ham, ligesom
alle de andre. Reisekammeraten raadede ham ogsaa derfra, men
Johannes meente, det gik nok godt, børstede sine Skoe og sin
Kjole, vaskede Ansigt og Hænder, kæmmede sit smukke, gule Haar,
og gik saa ganske alene ind til Byen, og op paa Slottet. |
| "Come in!" called the
old king when Johannes came knocking. Johannes opened the door
to the castle, and the old king, wearing a dressing gown and
embroidered slippers, welcomed him. The king had his golden
crown on his head, his scepter in one hand, and the golden apple
of state in the other. "Wait a moment," he said, while he tucked
the apple under his arm so that he could shake hands with Johannes.
But as soon as he heard that it was another suitor who had come,
he started to cry so bitterly that both the apple and the scepter
fell on the floor, and he had to dry his eyes with his dressing
gown. Poor old king! |
"Kom ind!"
sagde den gamle Konge, da Johannes bankede paa Døren. - Johannes
lukkede op, og den gamle Konge, i Slaabrok og broderede Tøfler,
kom ham imøde, Guldkronen havde han paa Hovedet, Scepteret i
den ene Haand og Guldæblet i den anden. "Bi lidt!"
sagde han, og fik Æblet op under Armen, for at kunne række Johannes
Haanden. Men saasnart han fik at høre, det var en Frier, begyndte
han saaledes at græde, at baade Scepter og Æble faldt paa Gulvet,
og han maatte tørre Øinene i sin Slaabrok. Den stakkels gamle
Konge! |
| "Don't do it!" he begged.
"You will be no more fortunate than any of the others. Come
and see!" And he led Johannes into the princess' private garden.
Ugh! It was a horrible sight! In every tree were hanging the
bodies of three or four princes who had proposed marriage to
the princess but had not been able to answer the three questions
she asked. When the wind blew, their skeletons rattled and made
such a racket that they frightened all the birds, so that none
ever flew into the garden. The vines wound themselves around
human bones, and grinning skulls filled the flowerpots instead
of flowers. Wasn't that a fine garden for a princess! |
"Lad være!"
sagde han, "det gaaer Dig galt, ligesom alle de Andre.
Nu skal Du bare see!" saa førte han Johannes ud i Prindsessens
Lysthave, der saae forskrækkeligt ud! Oppe i hvert Træ hang
tre, fire Kongesønner, der havde friet til Prindsessen, men
ikke kunde gjætte de Ting, hun havde sagt dem. Hver Gang det
blæste, ranglede alle Knoklerne, saa de smaa Fugle bleve forskrækkede,
og turde aldrig komme ind i den Have; alle Blomsterne vare bundne
op med Menneskebeen, og i Urtepotterne stode Dødningehoveder
og grinte. Det var rigtignok en Have for en Prindsesse. |
| "Look around you," said
the king. "You will end up like all the others. So please, please
don't propose to my daughter, it really makes me very unhappy,
I am very sensitive on that point." |
"Her kan Du see!"
sagde den gamle Konge, "det vil gaae Dig, ligesom alle
de Andre, Du her seer, lad derfor heller være; Du gjør mig virkelig
ulykkelig, for jeg tager mig det saa nær!" |
| Johannes kissed the
old king's hand and said that he was sure everything would be
all right, for he was very much in love with the lovely princess. |
Johannes kyssede den
gode gamle Konge paa Haanden, og sagde, det gik nok godt, for
han holdt saa meget af den deilige Prindsesse. |
| At that moment the princess
came riding into the castle yard followed by all her ladies
in waiting. The king and Johannes went out to greet her. How
beautiful she was as she gave Johannes her hand. Now he was
even more in love than he had been before; surely, she could
not be a cruel and wicked witch. They all went up into the great
hall and there the page boys served cookies and jam. But the
old king was so sad that he didn't eat anything; besides, he
thought the cookies were too hard. |
I det samme kom Prindsessen
selv, med alle sine Damer, ridende ind i Slotsgaarden, de gik
derfor ud til hende, og sagde god Dag. Hun var saa nydelig,
rakte Johannes Haanden, og han holdt endnu meget mere af hende
end før, hun kunde bestemt ikke være en slem ond Hex, som alle
Folk sagde om hende. - De gik op i Salen, og de smaa Pager præsenterede
Syltetøi og Pebernødder for dem, men den gamle Konge var saa
bedrøvet, han kunde slet ikke spise noget, og Pebernødderne
vare ham ogsaa for haarde. |
| It was decided that
Johannes was to come to the castle the next morning and there
in front of the judges and the king's council answer the question
the princess would ask. If he could answer it, then he would
have to come back and answer two more questions on the two following
days, but no one as yet had ever answered the princess' first
question, so the day she asked it had been the last of their
lives. |
Det blev nu bestemt,
at Johannes skulde komme igjen op paa Slottet næste Morgen,
da vilde Dommerne og hele Raadet være forsamlede, og høre, hvorledes
han kom ud af det med at gjætte. Kom han godt ud af det, saa
skulde han endnu komme to Gange til, men der var endnu aldrig
nogen, som havde gjættet den første Gang, og saa maatte de miste
Livet. |
| Johannes was not worried
or frightened about what was going to happen. He was happily
dreaming about the beautiful princess. He was confident that
God would help him, though he didn't know exactly how; nor did
he give it much thought as he skipped through the streets on
his way back to the inn, where his friend was waiting for him. |
Johannes var slet ikke
bedrøvet for, hvorledes det vilde gaae ham, han var just fornøiet,
tænkte kun paa den deilige Prindsesse, og troede ganske vist,
at den gode Gud nok hjalp ham, men hvorledes, det vidste han
slet ikke, og vilde heller ikke tænke derpaa. Han dandsede hen
ad Landeveien, da han gik tilbage til Vertshuset, hvor Reisekammeraten
ventede paa ham. |
| Johannes could not stop
talking about how beautiful the princess was and how kindly
she had received him. He longed for the next day when he would
see her again and try his luck at guessing the answer to her
question. |
Johannes kunde ikke
blive færdig med at fortælle, hvor nydelig Prindsessen havde
været imod ham, og hvor deilig hun var; han længtes allerede
saameget efter den næste Dag, han skulde derind paa Slottet,
og forsøge sin Lykke med at gjætte. |
| His friend shook his
head; he was not happy. "I am very fond of you," he said. "We
could have remained together a long time yet, and now I have
to lose you. Poor, dear Johannes, I feel like crying but shan't
do it. It would spoil our last evening together, so let us be
happy. Let's be gay; tomorrow when you are gone there will be
time for my tears." |
Men Reisekammeraten
rystede med Hovedet, og var ganske bedrøvet. "Jeg holder
saa meget af Dig!" sagde han, "vi kunde endnu have
været længe sammen, og nu skal jeg allerede miste Dig! Du stakkels,
kjære Johannes, jeg kunde gjerne græde, men jeg vil ikke forstyrre
din Glæde den sidste Aften maaskee, vi ere sammen. Vi ville
være lystige, rigtig lystige; imorgen, naar Du er borte, har
jeg Lov til at græde!" |
| The whole town had heard
that the princess had a new suitor, and they all went into mourning.
The theater was closed, and the little old ladies who sold candy
put black crepe around their chocolate pigs. The king and all
the priests went to church and prayed on their knees. Everyone
was miserable, for no one believed that poor Johannes would
fare better than all the other suitors had. |
Alle Folk inde i Byen
havde strax faaet at vide, at der var kommet en nye Frier til
Prindsessen, og der var derfor en stor Bedrøvelse. Comediehuset
blev lukket, alle Kagekonerne bandt sort Flor om deres Sukkergrise,
Kongen og Præsterne laae paa Knæ i Kirken, der var saadan en
Bedrøvelse, for det kunde jo ikke gaae Johannes bedre, end det
var gaaet alle de andre Friere. |
| Late in the evening
the wayfarer ordered a bowl of punch and said to Johannes that
now they ought to drink to the health of the princess. When
Johannes had drunk his second glass, he was so tired that he
no longer could keep his eyes open and fell asleep. His friend
lifted him gently from the chair and laid him on the bed. When
the darkest hour of the night had almost come, Johannes' friend
tied the swan's wings on his back and stuck into his pocket
the largest bunch of switches that he had got from the old lady
for curing her leg. He opened the window and flew out over the
town to the royal castle, where he landed on the balcony of
the princess and hid in a corner next to her window. |
Ud paa Aftenen lavede
Reisekammeraten en stor Bolle Punch, og sagde til Johannes,
at nu skulde de være rigtig lystige, og drikke Prindsessens
Skaal. Men da Johannes havde drukket to Glas, blev han saa søvnig,
det var ham ikke mueligt at holde Øinene oppe, han maatte falde
i Søvn. Reisekammeraten løftede ham ganske sagte op fra Stolen,
og lagde ham hen i Sengen, og da det saa blev mørk Nat, tog
han de to store Vinger, han havde hugget af Svanen, bandt dem
fast paa sine Skuldre, det største Riis, han havde faaet af
den gamle Kone, der faldt og brak Benene, stak han i sin Lomme,
lukkede Vinduet op, og fløi saa ind over Byen, lige hen til
Slottet, hvor han satte sig i en Krog, oppe under det Vindue,
der gik ind til Prindsessens Sovekammer. |
| The clock in the tower
struck the quarter before the hour; it would soon be midnight.
The whole town was still. Suddenly the princess' window opened
and out she flew, her white cape trailing behind her; on her
back were a pair of large black wings. The wayfarer made himself
invisible so that no one could see him. Behind the princess
he flew, whipping her so hard that he drew blood. She was flying
toward the big black mountain beyond the city. The wind took
hold of her cape and spread it out like the sail of a ship,
and the moon shone through it. |
Det var ganske stille
i hele Byen; nu slog Klokken tre Qvarteer til Tolv, Vinduet
gik op, og Prindsessen fløi i en stor hvid Kaabe og med lange
sorte Vinger, hen over Byen, ud til et stort Bjerg; men Reisekammeraten
gjorde sig usynlig, saaledes at hun slet ikke kunde see ham,
fløi bagefter, og pidskede paa Prindsessen med sit Riis, saa
at der ordentlig kom Blod, hvor han slog. Uh, det var en Fart
heelt igjennem Luften, Vinden tog i hendes Kaabe, der bredte
sig ud til alle Sider, ligesom et stort Skibsseil, og Maanen
skinnede igjennem den. |
| "Oh, how it is hailing!
How it is hailing!" moaned the princess every time the switches
hit her back. Finally, when she reached the mountain, she knocked
on it as if it were a door. The mountain rumbled like thunder
and opened itself so the princess could enter. Right behind
her was Johannes' friend, though she could not see him, for
he was invisible. They were walking through a long, high corridor.
The walls were lighted curiously by the glow of red spiders
who ran up and down like little flames. Now they were in a great
hall built of silver and gold. Along the walls was a row of
blue and red flowers, as large as sunflowers; but one could
not pick them, for their stems were snakes and their faces were
the fire shooting out of the snakes' mouths. The ceilings were
studded with glowworms and sky-blue bats whose thin, fragile
wings beat constantly. What a strange sight! In the middle of
the hall stood a throne, which rested on the skeletons of four
horses; their bridles were made of red spiders. The seat of
the throne itself was milk-white glass, and the pillows were
little black mice who were biting each other's tails. Above
it was a canopy made of pink spider webs, decorated with little
green flies that shone like precious stones. On the throne sat
an old troll with a crown on his ugly head and a scepter in
his hand. He kissed the princess on the forehead and invited
her to sit down beside him on the throne. Now the music began.
Big black grasshoppers played on mouth organs. Owls beat themselves
on their stomachs: they were the drums. It was a funny concert.
Small black trolls with jack-o'-lanterns in their hats were
dancing. No one could see the wayfarer, who was standing behind
the throne watching and listening to everything. The courtiers
entered; they were very elegant and distinguished. But anyone
who looked at them carefully could see what they really were:
cabbage heads attached to broomsticks, which the troll had made
alive by witchcraft, and then dressed in beautifully embroidered
robes. But they were of no importance: courtiers are only for
show. |
"Hvor det hagler!
hvor det hagler!" sagde Prindsessen ved hvert Slag, hun
fik af Riset, og det kunde hun have godt af. Endelig kom hun
da ud til Bjerget og bankede paa. Det rullede ligesom Torden,
idet Bjerget aabnede sig, og Prindsessen gik der ind, Reisekammeraten
fulgte med, for slet ingen kunde see ham, han var usynlig. De
gik igjennem en stor, lang Gang, hvor Væggene gnistrede ganske
forunderligt, det var over tusinde gloende Ædderkoppe, der løb
op og ned af Muren, og lyste ligesom Ild. Nu kom de i en stor
Sal, bygget af Sølv og Guld, Blomster, saa store som Solsikker,
røde og blaae, skinnede fra Væggene; men ingen kunde plukke
de Blomster, for Stilken var fæle, giftige Slanger, og Blomsterne
var Ild, der stod dem ud af Munden. Hele Loftet var besat med
skinnende Sanct Hans-Orme og himmelblaa Flaggermuus, der sloge
med de tynde Vinger, det saae ganske forunderligt ud. Midt paa
Gulvet var en Throne, den blev baaret af fire Hestebeenrade,
der havde Seletøi af de røde Ild-Ædderkoppe, Thronen selv var
af mælkehvidt Glas, og Puderne til at sidde paa var smaa sorte
Muus, der beed hinanden i Halen. Ovenover den var et Tag af
rosenrødt Spindelvæv, besat med de nydeligste smaa grønne Fluer,
der skinnede som Ædelstene. Midt paa Thronen sad en gammel Trold,
med Krone paa det stygge Hoved, og et Scepter i Haanden. Han
kyssede Prindsessen paa hendes Pande, lod hende sidde ved Siden
af sig paa den kostbare Throne, og nu begyndte Musikken. Store,
sorte Græshopper spillede paa Mundharpe, og Uglen slog sig selv
paa Maven, for den havde ingen Tromme. Det var en løierlig Concert.
Smaa sorte Nisser, med en Lygtemand paa Huen, dandsede rundt
i Salen. Ingen kunde see Reisekammeraten, han havde stillet
sig lige bagved Thronen, og hørte og saae alle Ting. Hoffolkene,
som nu ogsaa kom ind, vare saa pæne og fornemme, men den, der
rigtigt kunde see, mærkede nok, hvorledes de havde det. Det
var ikke andet, end Kosteskafter med Kaalhoveder paa, som Trolden
havde hexet Liv i, og givet de broderede Klæder. Men det kunde
jo ogsaa være det samme, de brugtes kun til Stads. |
| After the dancing had
gone on for a while, the princess told the troll about her new
suitor and asked him what question she should ask him the next
morning. |
Da der nu var dandset
noget, fortalte Prindsessen til Trolden, at hun havde faaet
en ny Frier, og spurgte derfor, hvad hun vel skulde tænke paa
at spørge ham om næste Morgen, naar han kom op paa Slottet. |
| "Listen," said the troll,
"ask him to guess what you are thinking about, and then think
about something very commonplace, because he will never guess
that. Just think of your shoes. Then have his head cut off,
but don't forget to bring me his eyes tomorrow night, I love
to eat them." |
"Hør!" sagde
Trolden, "nu skal jeg sige Dig noget! Du skal tage noget
meget let, for saa falder han slet ikke paa det. Tænk Du paa
din ene Sko. Det gjætter han ikke. Lad saa Hovedet hugge af
ham, men glem ikke, naar Du imorgen Nat kommer herud igjen til
mig, at bringe mig hans Øine, for dem vil jeg spise!" |
| The princess curtsied
most humbly and said that she wouldn't forget the eyes. Then
the troll commanded the mountain to open itself again and the
princess started her flight back to the castle. Johannes' friend
was flying right behind her, and he beat her so severely with
his switches that she moaned loudly about the terrible hailstorm
and was glad when she finally reached the window of her bedchamber.
The wayfarer flew back to the inn, where Johannes was still
sleeping. He took off his wings and went to bed, for he had
a right to be tired. |
Prindsessen neiede ganske
dybt, og sagde, hun skulde ikke glemme Øinene. Trolden lukkede
nu Bjerget op, og hun fløi hjem igjen, men Reisekammeraten fulgte
med, og pryglede hende saa stærkt med Riset, at hun sukkede
ganske dybt over det stærke Haglveir, og skyndte sig alt hvad
hun kunde, med at komme igjennem Vinduet ind i sit Sovekammer;
men Reisekammeraten fløi tilbage til Kroen, hvor Johannes endnu
sov, løste sine Vinger af, og lagde sig saa ogsaa paa Sengen,
for han kunde sagtens være træt. |
| Very early the next
morning, when Johannes awoke, his friend told him that he had
had a strange dream. He had dreamed about the princess and her
shoes. "So when the princess asks you what she is thinking about,
do remember to say, her shoes," he said. Of course, that was
what he had heard the troll tell the princess that she should
be thinking about; but the wayfarer did not tell Johannes about
his visit to the mountain. |
Det var ganske tidligt
paa Morgenen, da Johannes vaagnede, Reisekammeraten stod ogsaa
op, og fortalte, at han i Nat havde drømt en meget underlig
Drøm om Prindsessen og hendes Sko, og bad ham derfor endelig
at spørge, om Prindsessen ikke skulde have tænkt paa sin Sko!
For det var jo det, han havde hørt af Trolden inde i Bjerget,
men han vilde ikke fortælle Johannes noget derom, bad ham bare
at spørge, om hun havde tænkt paa sin Sko. |
| "Well, I can just as
well say one thing as the other," said Johannes, "and maybe
you have dreamed the true answer, for I am sure that God wants
to help me. Still, I think we should say good-by to each other,
for if I guess wrong I shall never see you again." |
"Jeg kan ligesaa
godt spørge om det ene, som om det andet," sagde Johannes,
"maaskee kan det være ganske rigtigt, hvad Du har drømt,
for jeg troer nu alletider, vor Herre hjelper mig nok! Men jeg
vil dog sige Dig Farvel, for gjætter jeg galt, faaer jeg Dig
aldrig meer at see!" |
| They kissed and Johannes
went into the town and straight up to the castle. The big hall
was filled with people; all the judges sat in easy chairs and
had eiderdown pillows on which to rest their heads, for they
had grave matters to think about. The king paced the floor with
a white handkerchief in his hands and constantly dried his eyes.
The princess entered; she was even more beautiful than she had
been the day before. She greeted everyone graciously and kindly,
and took Johannes' hand in hers and said: "Good morning, dear
friend." |
Saa kyssede de hinanden,
og Johannes gik ind til Byen og op paa Slottet. Hele Salen var
ganske fyldt med Mennesker, Dommerne sad i deres Lænestole,
og havde Edderduuns Dyner under Hovedet, for de havde saa meget
at tænke paa. Den gamle Konge stod op og tørrede sine Øine i
et hvidt Lommetørklæde. Nu traadte Prindsessen ind, hun var
endnu meget deiligere, end igaar, og hilsede saa kjærligt til
dem allesammen, men Johannes gav hun Haanden, og sagde: "God
Morgen, Du!" |
| Now Johannes had to
guess what she was thinking about. She looked ever so kindly
toward him, but when she heard the word "shoes," her face grew
as white as chalk and her body shook. She couldn't hide that
Johannes had given the right answer. |
Nu skulde Johannes til
at gjætte, hvad hun havde tænkt paa. Gud hvor hun saae venligt
paa ham, men lige idet hun hørte ham sige det ene Ord: Sko,
blev hun kridhvid i Ansigtet, og rystede over sin hele Krop,
men det kunde ikke hjælpe hende noget, for han havde gjættet
rigtigt! |
| Glory be, how happy
the old king was! He turned a somersault, and the people clapped
both for him and for Johannes, who had guessed the answer to
the first question. |
Hille den! hvor den
gamle Konge blev glad; han slog en Kaalbøtte, saa det stod efter,
og alle Folk klappede i Hænderne for ham og for Johannes, der
nu havde gjættet rigtigt den første Gang. |
| Johannes' friend was
pleased when he heard how well everything had gone. But Johannes
folded his hands and thanked God, for he was certain that it
was He who had helped him and would probably help him with the
other questions. The following morning he would have to answer
the second one. |
Reisekammeraten blev
ogsaa fornøiet, da han fik at vide, hvor godt det var gaaet
af; men Johannes lukkede sine Hænder sammen og takkede den gode
Gud, der vistnok vilde hjælpe ham igjen de to andre Gange. Næste
Dag skulde der allerede gjættes igjen. |
| The second evening passed
just like the first. As soon as Johannes slept, his traveling
companion tied the swan's wings on his back and followed the
princess. But he now brought along two of the bundles of switches
and beat her even harder. Again no one saw him and he heard
everything that was said. This time the princess was to think
about her gloves. Early the next morning he told Johannes that
he had dreamed that the princess would think of her gloves.
When Johannes guessed correctly the whole court turned somersaults,
as they had seen the king do the day before. But the princess
had to lie down on her divan and wouldn't speak to anyone. Now
everything depended on what Johannes said the next morning.
If he guessed right the third time, she would have to marry
him and he would inherit the kingdom when her father died; but
if he didn't he would lose his life and the troll would eat
his pretty eyes. |
Aftenen gik ligesom
den igaar. Da Johannes sov, fløi Reisekammeraten efter Prindsessen
ud til Bjerget, og pryglede hende endnu stærkere, end forrige
Gang, for nu havde han taget to Riis; ingen fik ham at see,
og han hørte alle Ting. Prindsessen vilde tænke paa sin Handske,
og det fortalte han til Johannes, ligesom om det var en Drøm;
Johannes kunde da nok gjætte rigtigt, og der blev saadan en
Glæde paa Slottet. Hele Hoffet slog Kaalbøtter, ligesom de havde
seet Kongen gjøre den første Gang; men Prindsessen laae paa
Sophaen og vilde ikke sige et eneste Ord. Nu kom det an paa,
om Johannes kunde gjætte den tredie Gang. Gik det godt, skulde
han jo have den deilige Prindsesse, og arve det hele Kongerige,
naar den gamle Konge døde; gjættede han galt, saa skulde han
miste sit Liv, og Trolden vilde spise hans smukke blaa Øine. |
| That evening Johannes
went to bed early, said his prayers, and slept peacefully; while
the wayfarer tied the swan's wings on his back, stuck his sword
in his belt, and taking all three bundles of switches with him,
flew to the castle. |
Aftenen iforveien gik
Johannes tidlig i sin Seng, læste sin Aftenbøn, og sov saa ganske
roligt; men Reisekammeraten spændte Vingerne paa sin Ryg, bandt
Sabelen ved sin Side og tog alle tre Riis med sig, og fløi saa
til Slottet. |
| It was pitch-dark. There
was such a storm that the tiles were blown off the roofs, and
the trees in the princess' garden, in which the skeletons hung,
swayed as reeds do in the wind. Every minute the lightning flashed,
and the thunder roared continually, as if it were one great
thunderclap that lasted the whole night through. The window
opened, the princess flew out. Her face was as white as death,
but she laughed at the storm, which was not wild enough for
her taste. Her white cape whirled around her like a great sail.
Johannes' friend beat her so hard with the three bundles of
birch branches that blood dripped down on the earth far below
and the princess could hardly fly. At last she reached the mountain.
|
Det var ganske bælmørk
Nat, det stormede saa Tagstenene fløi af Husene, og Træerne
inde i Haven, hvor Beenradene hang, sveiede ligesom Siv, naar
det blæste; det lynede hvert Øieblik, og Tordenen rullede ligesom
om det kun var et eneste Skrald, der varede hele Natten. Nu
slog Vinduet op, og Prindsessen fløi ud; hun var saa bleg, som
en Død, men hun loe af det onde Veir, syntes det var ikke stuerkt
nok, hendes hvide Kaabe hvirvlede rundt i Luften, ligesom et
stort Skibsseil, men Reisekammeraten pidskede hende saadan med
sine tre Riis, saa Blodet dryppede ned paa Jorden, og hun tilsidst
neppe kunde flyve længer. Endelig kom hun da ud til Bjerget. |
| "It is hailing! What
a storm!" she said to the troll. "I have never been out in weather
like that before." |
"Det hagler og
stormer," sagde hun; "aldrig har jeg været ude i saadant
et Veir." |
| "Yes, you can get too
much of a good thing," said the troll. Now the princess told
him that Johannes had guessed what she had been thinking a second
time. "If he guesses right again tomorrow, then he will have
won. I shall never visit this mountain again and never be able
to do any more magic. Oh, it is so sad!" |
"Man kan ogsaa
faae for meget af det Gode," sagde Trolden. Nu fortalte
hun ham, at Johannes ogsaa havde gjættet rigtigt anden Gang;
gjorde han nu det samme i Morgen, da havde han vundet, og hun
kunde aldrig mere komme ud i Bjerget, skulde aldrig kunne gjøre
saadanne Troldkunster, som før; derfor var hun ganske bedrøvet. |
| "He will not be able
to guess your thoughts tomorrow, not unless he is a greater
wizard than I am! I shall think of something that he has never
seen. Now let us be merry!" The troll took the princess by the
hand and they danced among the little trolls and the jack-o'-lanterns.
On the walls the glowing red spiders ran up and down like tiny
tongues of fire. The owls beat the drums. The crickets sang.
The black grasshoppers blew on their mouth organs. It was a
grand ball! |
"Han skal ikke
kunne gjætte!" sagde Trolden, "jeg skal nok finde
paa noget, han aldrig har tænkt paa! eller ogsaa maa han være
en større Troldmand, end jeg. Men nu ville vi være lystige!"
og saa tog han Prindsessen i begge Hænder og de dandsede rundt
med alle de smaae Nisser og Lygtemænd, der vare i Stuen; de
røde Ædderkoppe sprang ligesaa lystigt op og ned af Væggen,
det saae ud som Ildblomsterne gnistrede. Uglen slog paa Tromme,
Faarekyllingerne peb og de sorte Græshopper blæste paa Mundharpe.
Det var et lystigt Bal! |
| They danced until it
was very late and the princess had to return or she would be
missed at the castle. The troll said he would follow her home:
that would give them a little more time together. |
Da de nu havde dandset
længe nok, maatte Prindsessen hjem, for ellers kunde hun blive
savnet paa Slottet; Trolden sagde, han nok vilde følge hende,
saa var de dog saalænge sammen endnu. |
| As they flew through
the storm, johannes' friend wore out his three bundles of switches
on their backs. Never before had the troll experienced such
a hailstorm. Outside the castle he said good-by to the princess
and whispered to her, "Think of my head." The wayfarer had heard
what the troll said. Just as the princess had disappeared into
her bedchamber and the troll turned to fly home, he grabbed
him by his long black beard and with one stroke of his sword
cut off the troll's head. He threw the body into the lake for
the fishes to eat, but the ugly head he wrapped in his silk
handkerchief and took it with him to the inn; then he went to
bed and to sleep. |
De fløi da afsted i
det onde Veir, og Reisekammeraten sled sine tre Riis op paa
deres Rygstykker; aldrig havde Trolden været ude i saadan et
Haglveir. Udenfor Slottet sagde han Farvel til Prindsessen,
og hvidskede i det samme til hende: "tænk paa mit Hoved,"
men Reisekammeraten hørte det nok, og lige i det Øieblik Prindsessen
smuttede igjennem Vinduet ind i sit Sovekammer, og Trolden vilde
vende om igjen, greb han ham i hans lange sorte Skjæg, og hug
med Sablen hans ækle Troldhoved af lige ved Skuldrene, saa Trolden
ikke engang fik det selv at see; Kroppen kastede han ud i Søen
til Fiskene, men Hovedet dykkede han kun ned i Vandet, og bandt
det saa ind i sit Silkelommetørklæde, tog det med hjem i Vertshuset,
og lagde sig saa til at sove. |
| The next morning he
gave the handkerchief to Johannes but told him that he must
not untie it before the princess had asked him to guess what
she was thinking about. |
Næste Morgen gav han
Johannes Lommetørklædet, men sagde, han ikke maatte løse det
op, før Prindsessen spurgte, hvad det var, hun havde tænkt paa. |
| The big hall in the
castle was so crowded with people that they stood as close together
as radishes do when they have been bound in bunches by a farmer.
The judges and the king's council were sitting in their easy
chairs, resting their heads on eiderdown pillows. The king had
put on brand-new robes and had had his crown and his scepter
polished, which made them look very nice. But the princess was
very pale and dressed in black; she looked as if she were attending
a funeral. |
Der vare saa mange Mennesker
i den store Sal paa Slottet, at de stode op paa hinanden, ligesom
Radiser, der ere bundne i et Knippe. Raadet sad i deres Stole
med de bløde Hovedpuder, og den gamle Konge havde nye Klæder
paa, Guldkronen og Scepteret var poleret, det saae ganske nydeligt
ud; men Prindsessen var ganske bleg, og havde en kulsort Kjole
paa, ligesom hun skulde til Begravelse. |
| "What am I thinking
about?" she asked. Johannes untied the handkerchief. He was
shocked and frightened when he saw the horrible head of the
troll. All the people shuddered, for it was a terrifying sight,
but the princess sat as still as a stone statue and did not
utter a word. At last she rose. Without looking at anyone or
at anything, without turning to the right or the left, she sighed
deeply, gave Johannes her hand, and said: "Now you are my master.
Tonight we shall be married." |
"Hvad har jeg tænkt
paa?" sagde hun til Johannes, og strax løste han Lommetørklædet
op, og blev selv ganske forskrækket, da han saae det fæle Troldhoved.
Det gjøs i alle Mennesker, for det var forskrækkeligt at see,
men Prindsessen sad ligesom et Steenbillede, og kunde ikke sige
et eneste Ord; tilsidst reiste hun sig op, og gav Johannes Haanden,
for han havde jo gjættet rigtigt; hun saae hverken paa den ene
eller den anden, men sukkede ganske dybt: "nu er Du min
Herre! Iaften vil vi holde Bryllup!" |
| "That's what I like
to hear!" shouted the king. "That's the way it ought to be!"
Everyone shouted, "Hurrah!" The royal guards marched down the
streets with a band in front of them. The church bells rang;
the old ladies who sold the candy took the black crepe off their
chocolate pigs. Three oxen, stuffed with ducks and chickens,
were roasted on the town square for everyone to eat. The fountains
splashed the finest wine; and if you bought two pennies' worth
of pretzels, then the baker gave you six muffins with raisins
as part of the bargain. |
"Det kan jeg lide!"
sagde den gamle Konge, "saaledes skal vi have det!"
Alle Folk raabte Hurra, Vagtparaden gjorde Musik i Gaderne,
Klokkerne ringede, og Kagekonerne tog det sorte Flor af deres
Sukkergrise, for nu var der Glæde. Tre hele stegte Oxer, fyldte
med Ænder og Høns, bleve satte midt paa Torvet, enhver kunde
der skære sig et Stykke; i Vandspringene sprang den deiligste
Viin, og kjøbte man en Skillings-Kringle hos Bageren, fik man
sex store Boller i Tilgift, og det Boller med Rosiner i. |
| When evening came, the
whole town was illuminated; the soldiers fired their cannons,
and little boys shot off firecrackers. In the castle all the
most elegant people in the country were gathered; they ate and
drank and toasted each other and all the young people danced;
one could hear the young girls singing far away: |
Om Aftenen var hele
Byen illumineret, og Soldaterne skjød med Kanoner, og Drengene
med Knaldperler, og der blev spist og drukket, klinket og sprunget
oppe paa Slottet, alle de fornemme Herrer og deilige Frøkener
dandsede med hinanden; man kunde langt borte høre, hvor de sang: |
"So many a fair maiden Calls for a dance so gay. The air
with music is laden. Beautiful maiden, turn about, Stamp
your feet, and whirl, Until your shoes are worn out.
|
"Her er' saamange smukke Piger,Som vil ha' dem en
Svingom, De begjære Tambourmarschen, Smukke Pige, vend Dig
om. Dandser og tramper, Saa Skoesaallerne faldera!"
|
| But the princess was
still a witch and didn't love Johannes at all. The wayfarer
had not forgotten this, so he gave Johannes three feathers from
the swan's wings and a little bottle filled with liquid, and
said to him: "Tonight, next to the marriage bed, place
a large tub of water and throw these feathers and empty this
liquid into it. When the princess starts to get into bed, push
her into the tub and duck her three times under the water; then
she will no longer be a witch and will love you dearly." |
Men Prindsessen var
jo en Hex endnu, og holdt slet ikke noget af Johannes; det huskede
Reisekammeraten paa, og derfor gav han Johannes tre Fjer af
Svanevingerne, og en lille Flaske med nogle Draaber i, sagde
til ham, at han skulde lade sætte ved Brudesengen et stort Kar,
fyldt med Vand, og naar da Prindsessen vilde stige op i Sengen,
skulde han give hende et lille Stød, saa hun faldt ned i Vandet,
hvor han skulde dykke hende tre Gange, efter først at have kastet
Fjerene og Draaberne deri, saa vilde hun blive fri for sin Trolddom,
og komme til at holde saa meget af ham. |
| Johannes took his friend's
advice. When he shoved the princess underneath the water the
first time, she screamed and changed into a black swan with
fiery eyes, who wiggled and strained in his grasp. The second
time she was plunged into the water, she becarne a white swan
with a black ring around her neck. Johannes prayed to God as
he pushed her under the third time; and instantly she changed
into the most beautiful princess. She was even lovelier than
before; and she thanked him, with tears in her eyes, for having
broken the evil spell. |
Johannes gjorde alt,
hvad Reisekammeraten havde raadet ham; Prindsessen skreg ganske
høit, idet han dykkede hende ned under Vandet, og sprællede
ham under Hænderne, som en stor, kulsort Svane, med gnistrende
Øine; da hun anden Gang kom op over Vandet igjen, var Svanen
hvid, paa en eneste sort Ring nær, den havde om Halsen. Johannes
bad fromt til vor Herre, og lod Vandet tredie Gang spille hen
over Fuglen, og i samme Øieblik forvandledes den til den deiligste
Prindsesse. Hun var endnu smukkere end før, og takkede ham med
Taarer i sine deilige Øine, fordi han havde hævet hendes Fortryllelse. |
| The next day the king
came visiting; so did the court and half of the people of the
town. They all wanted to pay their respects to the bridal couple.
Last of all came Johannes' traveling companion. He had a knapsack
on his back and a walking stick in his hand. Johannes kissed
him and begged him not to leave. "All my good fortune is your
doing!" he cried. But his friend shook his head; then he spoke
softly and gently. "No, my time on earth is over. I have paid
my debt. Do you remember the dead man whom the evil men wanted
to harm? You gave everything you owned so that he could rest
in his coffin. I am the dead man." |
Næste Morgen kom den
gamle Konge med hele sin Hofstat, og der var en Gratuleren til
langt op paa Dagen; til allersidst kom da Reisekammeraten, han
havde sin Stok i Haanden, og Randselen paa Nakken. Johannes
kyssede ham saa mange Gange, sagde, han maatte ikke reise bort,
han skulde blive hos ham, thi han var jo Skyld i hele hans Lykke.
Men Reisekammeraten rystede med Hovedet, og sagde saa mildt
og venligt: "Nei, nu er min Tid omme. Jeg har kun betalt
min Gjæld. Kan Du huske den døde Mand, de onde Mennesker vilde
gjøre Fortræd. Du gav alt, hvad Du eiede, for at han kunde have
Ro i sin Grav. Den Døde er jeg!" |
| With these words he
disappeared. |
I det samme var han
borte. |
| The wedding celebration
lasted a month. Johannes and the princess loved each other ever
so much. The old king lived for many years and enjoyed having
his grandchildren sit on his knee and play with his scepter
while Johannes ruled the whole kingdom. |
Brylluppet varede nu
en heel Maaned, Johannes og Prindsessen holdt saa meget af hinanden,
og den gamle Konge levede mange fornøiede Dage og lod deres
smaa bitte Børn ride Ranke paa sit Knæ og lege med sit Scepter;
men Johannes var Konge over hele Riget. |
|