| The well was deep, and
therefore the rope that held the bucket was long and the winch
difficult to turn. Although the water was clear, the sun had
never mirrored itself in it; but as far as its rays reached,
green plants grew among the stones. |
Brønden var dyb, derfor
var Snoren lang; Vinden gik trangt om, naar man skulde have
Spanden med Vand over Brøndkanten. Solen kunde aldrig naae ned
at speile sig i Vandet, hvor klart det end var, men saa langt
den naaede at skinne, voxte Grønt mellem Stenene. |
| In the well lived a
family of toads. They were immigrants and had arrived there--or
rather the old mother toad, who was still alive, had arrived
there--head over heels. The green frogs, who had been the earliest
inhabitants and swam in the water, acknowledged the toads as
part of the family and called them guests. The toads, however,
had no thought of leaving. They lived in the "dry part" of the
well; that is what they called the wet stones. |
Der boede en Familie
af Skrubtudseslægten, den var indvandret, den var egenlig kommen
der hovedkulds ned ved gamle Skrubtudsemo'er, som levede endnu;
de grønne Frøer, som langt tidligere vare hjemme her og svømmede
i Vandet, erkjendte Fætterskabet og kaldte dem "Brøndgjesterne".
Disse havde nok isinde at blive der; de levede her meget behageligt
paa det Tørre, som de kaldte de vaade Stene. |
| The mother frog had
once been on a journey; she had traveled in the water bucket
on its way up. The light had been too much for her, it had hurt
her eyes; and happily, she had escaped. With a huge splash she
had landed in the well again. She had survived the jump, but
her back had ached for three days. She could not tell much about
the world above, but that the well was not the whole world both
she and her children knew. The old mother toad could have told
them something about it, but she never answered any of the questions
anyone asked her, which made the frogs tired of talking to her,
but not about her. |
Frømo'er havde engang
reist, været i Vandspanden, da den gik op, men det blev hende
for lyst, hun fik Øienklemme, heldigvis slap hun ud af Spanden;
hun faldt med et forfærdeligt Plump i Vandet, og laae i tre
Dage derefter af Rygpine. Meget skulde hun ikke kunne fortælle
om Verden ovenfor, men det vidste hun, og det vidste de Alle,
at Brønden var ikke hele Verden. Skrubtudsemo'er kunde nok have
fortalt Eet og Andet, men hun svarede aldrig, naar man spurgte,
og saa spurgte man ikke. |
| "Fat and ugly, and ugly
and fat, she is," they said. "And her children will be just
as ugly as she is." |
"Tyk og styg, led og
fed er hun!" sagde de unge, grønne Frøer. "Hendes Unger blive
lige saa lede!" |
| "It may be true," grumbled
the old toad. "But one of them has a precious stone--a gem--in
his head; or maybe I have it." |
"Kan gjerne være!" sagde
Skrubtudsemo'er, "men Een af dem har en Ædelsteen i Hovedet,
eller jeg har den!" |
| The young frogs heard
her and stared at her but, not liking what they saw, they dived
back down into the deep water. But the young toads stretched
their back legs in pride and kept their heads perfectly still.
After a while, when they had got tired of that, they, asked
their mother what it was they were proud of and what it meant
to have a "precious stone" in one's head. |
Og de grønne Frøer hørte
og de gloede, og da de ikke syntes om det, saa vrængede de og
gik tilbunds. Men SkrubtudseUngerne strakte Bagbenene af bare
Stolthed; enhver af dem troede at have Ædelstenen; og saa sad
de ganske stille med Hovedet, men endelig spurgte de om, hvad
de vare stolte af, og hvad en saadan Ædelsteen egenlig var. |
| "It is something so
valuable, so costly," said their mother, "that I cannot even
describe it. One has it for one's own pleasure, and everybody
envies one for having it. But don't ask any more questions,
for I am not going to answer them." |
"Det er Noget saa herligt
og kosteligt!" sagde Skrubtudsemo'er, "at jeg ikke kan beskrive
det! Det er Noget, man gaaer med for sin egen Fornøielse, og
som de Andre gaae og ærgre sig over. Men spørg ikke, jeg svarer
ikke!" |
| "I am sure I don't have
any precious stone in my head," said the smallest of the toads,
who was particularly ugly. "Such splendor is not for me. And
if it made everyone envy me, then it wouldn't give me any pleasure.
I just wish that I could get up to the top of the well and look
out, just once. That must be delightful!" |
"Ja, jeg har ikke Ædelstenen!"
sagde den mindste Skrubtudse; den var saa styg, som den kunde
være. "Hvorfor skulde jeg have saadan en Herlighed? Og naar
den ærgrer Andre, kan den jo ikke fornøie mig! nei, jeg ønsker
kun, at jeg engang maatte komme op til Brøndkanten og see ud;
der maa være yndigt!" |
| "You stay where you
are," croaked old mother toad. "You know the well, and what
is familiar is best. Be careful of the bucket, so you don't
get hit by it. And if you should get caught inside it, jump!
Though not everyone can be as lucky as I was and make such a
great leap without breaking one of my legs or losing my eggs!" |
"Bliv Du helst hvor
Du er!" sagde den Gamle, "det kjender Du, det veed Du hvad er!
Tag Dig iagt for Spanden, den qvaser Dig; og kommer Du vel i
den, saa kan Du falde ud, ikke Alle falde saa heldigt, som jeg,
og beholde Lemmerne hele og Æggene hele!" |
| "Croak," said the little
toad; and that in human language means, "Oh!" |
"Qvak!" sagde den Lille,
og det var ligesom naar vi Mennesker sige "Ak!" |
| Still its longing for
the green world above did not cease, and the next morning, when
the full bucket paused for a moment right near the stone that
the little toad was sitting on, he jumped in and lay still at
the bottom of the bucket. |
Den havde saadan en
Lyst til at komme op ved Brøndkanten og see ud; den følte saadan
en Længsel efter det Grønne deroppe; og da næste Morgen, tilfældigt,
Spanden fyldt med Vand, løftedes op, og den et Øieblik blev
staaende stille foran Stenen, hvorpaa Skrubtudsen sad, bævrede
det indeni det lille Dyr, den sprang i den fyldte Spand, faldt
tilbunds i Vandet, som derefter kom op og heldtes ud. |
| "Pooh! What an ugly
fellow!" said the young man who had drawn the water. "That is
the most repulsive thing I have ever seen." Then he poured the
water out on the ground and tried to kick the little toad with
his wooden shoes, but the little creature escaped among the
nettles. It looked at the stalks of the nettles and up above
at the leaves; they were transparent and the sunlight sifted
through them. For the little toad it was the same experience
as we have when we come to a great forest and see the sunlight
playing on the branches and leaves of very tall trees. |
"Fy, for en Ulykke!"
sagde Karlen, som saae den. "Det er da det Ledeste jeg har seet!"
og saa sparkede han med sin Træsko efter Skrubtudsen, der nær
var bleven lemlæstet, men slap dog ved at komme ind mellem de
høie Brændenelder. Den saae Stilk ved Stilk, den saae ogsaa
opad! Solen skinnede paa Bladene; de vare ganske transparente;
det var for den, som for os Mennesker, naar vi med Eet komme
ind i en stor Skov, hvor Solen skinner mellem Grene og Blade. |
| "It is much prettier
here than it was in the well! I think I could stay here all
my life!" said the little toad, and lay down in the nettle forest.
It lay there for an hour, it lay for two. But then it started
thinking, "I wonder what is beyond here. Since I have gotten
this far, I might as well go on." He crept out of the nettles
and onto a road. The sun baked down upon him and the dry dust
of the road powdered his little body white. |
"Her er langt deiligere
end nede i Brønden! Her kan man have Lyst til at blive sin hele
Levetid!" sagde den lille Skrubtudse. Den laae der en Time,
den laae der i to! "Hvad mon der er udenfor? Er jeg kommen saa
langt, maa jeg see at komme videre!" og den krøb saa rask den
krybe kunde og kom ud paa Veien, hvor Solen skinnede paa den
og hvor Støvet puddrede den, idet den marscherede tværs over
Landeveien. |
| "This is really dry
land, almost too much of a good thing. It makes my back itch,"
the toad said to himself as he marched across the road. |
"Her er man rigtig paa
det Tørre!" sagde Skrubtudsen, "jeg faaer næsten for Meget af
det Gode, det kriller i mig!" |
| In the ditch on the
other side, forget-me-nots and meadowsweet were in bloom; and
on the bank of the ditch grew elderberry and hawthorn bushes;
bindweed twined itself around their branches. Here were colors
to look at! A little butterfly flew up and the toad thought
that it was a flower who had decided to fly out and see the
world just as he had--and that was not an altogether stupid
thought. |
Nu naaede den Grøften;
der voxte Forglemmigei og Spiræa, der var levende Gjerde tæt
ved med Hyld og Hvidtjørn; der groede "Marias hvide Særkeærmer"
som Slyngplanter; her var Couleurer at see; ogsaa fløi der en
Sommerfugl; Skrubtudsen troede, at det var en Blomst, der havde
revet sig løs for desbedre at see sig om i Verden, det var jo
saa rimeligt. |
| "If only one could fly
like that flower," said the little toad. "Croak! Oh, how beautiful
it is here!" |
"Kunde man saadan tage
Fart som den," sagde Skrubtudsen, "Qvak! ak! hvilken Deilighed!" |
| The toad stayed for
eight days and eight nights in the ditch and didn't eat a thing
during all that time. On the ninth day he thought, "I must go
on," though how anything could be more beautiful than the ditch
was hard for him to imagine, unless it were toads or some frogs.
The night before, the wind had blown, and he had heard his cousins'
voices. |
Den blev otte Nætter
og Dage her ved Grøften og den savnede ikke Føde. Den niende
Dag tænkte den: "videre frem!" - men hvad Deiligere kunde der
vel findes? Maaskee en lille Skrubtudse eller nogle grønne Frøer.
Det havde i den sidste Nat lydt i Vinden, som vare der "Fættere"
i Nærheden. |
| "It is wonderful to
live," he said to himself. "It is wonderful to have come out
of the well, to have lain in the the nettle forest and to have
crawled across the dusty road, and to have rested in the damp
ditch; but I must go on! I must find another toad or at least
a frog, one cannot do without company. Nature is not enough!"
And right then and there he set out on another journey. |
"Det er deiligt at leve!
komme op af Brønden, ligge i Brændenelder, krybe hen ad den
støvede Vei og hvile ud i den vaade Grøft! men videre frem!
see at finde Frøer eller en lille Skrubtudse, det kan man dog
ikke undvære, Naturen er En ikke nok!" Og saa tog den igjen
paa Vandring. |
| He wandered across a
great field until he came to a lake surrounded by a forest of
reeds. |
Den kom i Marken til
en stor Dam med Siv om; den søgte derind. |
| "It may be too wet for
you here," said the frogs, "but you are welcome. Are you a he
or a she? Not that it matters, you are equally welcome whichever
you are." |
"Her er nok for vaadt
for Dem?" sagde Frøerne; "men De er meget velkommen! - Er De
en Han eller en Hun? Det er nu det Samme, De er lige velkommen!" |
| That night he was invited
to a concert, a family concert. You know what that kind of affair
is like: there's a great deal of enthusiasm with rather feeble
voices. There was nothing to eat, but there were free drinks
from the lake. |
Og saa blev den indbudt
til Concert om Aftenen, Familieconcert: stor Begeistring og
tynde Stemmer; det kjende vi. Der var ingen Bevertning, kun
fri Drikkevarer, hele Dammen, om de kunde. |
| "I think I will move
on," said the little toad. He was always seeking something better. |
"Nu reiser jeg videre!"
sagde den lille Skrubtudse; den følte altid Trang til noget
Bedre. |
| He saw the stars blinking
in the sky, the new moon, and he noticed how the sun rose higher
and higher in the heavens. |
Den saae Stjernerne
blinke, saa store og saa klare, den saae Nymaanen lyse, den
saae Solen staae op, høiere og høiere. |
| "I am still in a well,"
he thought. "It is just a bigger one. I must try and get up
higher. I feel so restless, there is a strange longing within
me!" Later, when the moon grew full and round, the poor animal
thought, "I wonder if that is the bucket they will let down
into the well. I will jump into it and rise even higher; or
maybe the sun is the great bucket? It is so big and shines so
brightly. I am sure there is room enough for all of us to get
into it. I must watch for an opportunity. I have so many thoughts
in my head; it feels as if a flame were burning there. I am
sure it shines brighter than any precious stone. That gem I
am sure I don't have; and I won't cry about it either. No, I
just want to travel upward, upward to greater beauty and glory.
I have faith in myself, and yet I am fearful. It is difficult
to take the first step, but I must travel on: forward, straight
ahead." |
"Jeg er nok endnu i
Brønden, i en større Brønd, jeg maa høiere op! jeg har en Uro
og Længsel!" og da Maanen blev heel og rund, tænkte det stakkels
Dyr: mon det er Spanden, der tridses ned, og som jeg maa springe
i for at komme høiere op? eller er Solen den store Spand? hvor
den er stor, hvor den er straalende, den kan rumme os Allesammen!
jeg maa passe paa Leiligheden! o, hvor det lyser i mit Hoved!
jeg troer ikke at Ædelstenen kan lyse bedre! men den har jeg
ikke og den græder jeg ikke for, nei, høiere op i Glands og
Glæde! jeg har en Forvisning, og dog en Angest, -det er et svært
Skridt at gjøre! men det maa man! fremad! lige ud ad Landeveien!" |
| And it took the kind
of steps that such a little animal could take, and soon it was
on the road again. And then it came to a place where human beings
lived. There were both a flower and a vegetable garden; the
toad rested under a cabbage. |
Og den tog Skridt, som
saadant et Kravledyr kan, og saa var den paa Alfarvei, hvor
Menneskene boede; der var baade Blomsterhaver og Kaalhaver.
Den hvilede ud ved en Kaalhave. |
| "How many different
creatures there are that I have never seen before. How huge
and glorious is the world! One should look around in it and
not stay in one place. It is so beautifully green here!" |
"Hvor der dog ere mange
forskjellige Skabninger, jeg aldrig har kjendt! og hvor Verden
er stor og velsignet! men man skal ogsaa see sig om i den og
ikke blive siddende paa eet Sted." Og saa hoppede den ind i
Kaalhaven. "Hvor her er grønt! hvor her er kjønt!" |
| "I should say it is!"
said a caterpillar that was sitting on a cabbage leaf "My leaf
is the biggest in the whole garden; half the world is hidden
by it: the half I don't care about." |
"Det veed jeg nok!"
sagde Kaalormen paa Bladet. "Mit Blad er det største herinde!
det skjuler den halve Verden, men den kan jeg undvære!" |
| "Cluck! Cluck!" said
a couple of hens who were out for a walk among the cabbages.
The foremost of them was farsighted. She spied the caterpillar
first, and pecked at the cabbage leaf so that the little creature
fell. Once on the ground, the caterpillar twisted himself from
one side to the other, while the hen looked at it, first with
one eye and then with the other, wondering what it hoped to
accomplish by its acrobatics. |
"Kluk! kluk!" sagde
det, der kom Høns; de trippede i Kaalhaven. Den forreste Høne
var langsynet; hun saae Ormen paa det krusede Blad og huggede
efter den, saa at den faldt paa Jorden, hvor den vred og vendte
sig. Hønen saae først med det ene Øie, saa med det andet, for
den vidste ikke hvad der kunde komme ud af den Vridning. |
| "I don't think it is
doing it for pleasure," thought the hen, while she lifted her
head, in readiness for pecking it. The toad was horrified at
what he saw, and hopped over toward the hen. |
"Den gjør det ikke godvilligt!"
tænkte Hønen og løftede Hovedet for at hugge til. Skrubtudsen
blev saa forfærdet, at den kravlede lige hen imod Hønen. |
| "So it has auxiliary
troops!" exclaimed the hen. "What a horrible crawling thing!"
And she backed away and let the caterpillar be. "I really don't
care about that little green mouthful, it tickles your throat."
The other hen was of the same opinion and both of them left. |
"Saa den har Hjelpetropper!"
sagde den. "See mig til det Kravl!" og saa vendte Hønen om.
"Jeg bryder mig ikke om den lille, grønne Mundfuld, den giver
kun Kildren i Halsen!" De andre Høns vare af samme Mening, og
saa gik de. |
| "I wiggled away from
them!" shouted the caterpillar. "It is important to keep one's
presence of mind. But the most difficult problem is left. How
do I get up on my cabbage leaf again? Where is it?" |
"Jeg vred mig fra den!"
sagde Kaalormen; "det er godt at have Aandsnærværelse; men det
Sværeste er tilbage, at komme op paa mit Kaalblad. Hvor er det?"
|
| The little toad was
very happy that its ugliness had saved the caterpillar and offered
his sympathy for its being so defenseless. |
Og den lille Skrubtudse
kom og yttrede sin Deeltagelse. Den var glad ved at den i sin
Styghed havde skræmmet Hønsene. |
| "What do you mean?"
grumbled the caterpillar. "I twisted myself and managed to wiggle
away from the hen. It is true that you are pretty horrible to
look at, but I saved myself. I owe nothing to anyone. Where
is my cabbage leaf? I smell it. Here is the stalk. There is
nothing like one's own property! But I must get up a little
higher." |
"Hvad mener De dermed?"
spurgte Kaalormen. "Jeg vred mig jo selv fra dem. De er meget
ubehagelig at see paa! maa jeg have Lov at være i mit Eget?
Nu lugter jeg Kaal! Nu er jeg ved mit Blad! Der er ikke noget
saa Deiligt, som Ens Eget. Men høiere op maa jeg!" |
| "Yes, higher up!" echoed
the little toad as he went away. "Higher up, I bet it feels
just as I do. Such a frightful experience would put anyone out
of humor. We all want to climb higher." And the little toad
looked up as high as it could. |
"Ja, høiere op!" sagde
den lille Skrubtudse, "høiere op! den føler ligesom jeg! men
den er ikke i Humeur idag, det kommer af Forskrækkelsen. Vi
ville Alle høiere op!" og den saae saa høit den kunde. |
| On top of the roof of
the farmer's house was a stork's nest. The male stork was chattering
with his long bill, and his wife was answering him. |
Storken sad i Reden
paa Bondens Tag; han knebbrede og Storkemo'er knebbrede. |
| |
"Hvor de boe høit!"
tænkte Skrubtudsen. "Hvo der kunde komme derop!" |
| Inside the farmhouse
lived two young students: one was a poet, the other a scientist.
One sang and wrote joyfully about everything God had created
that mirrored itself in his heart. He sang about it in brief
powerful verses. The other examined the things themselves, even
cut them up at times, if he had to. He looked at God's work
as a huge mathematical formula; he added and divided, and wanted
to understand everything with his mind--and it was an intelligent
mind. He talked of nature with both understanding and appreciation.
They were good young people, both of them. |
Inde i Bondehuset boede
to unge Studenter: den Ene var Poet, den Anden Naturforsker;
den Ene sang og skrev i Glæde om Alt, hvad Gud havde skabt,
og som det speilede sig i hans Hjerte; han sang det ud, kort,
klart og rigt i klangfulde Vers; den Anden tog fat paa Tingen
selv, ja sprættede den op, naar saa maatte være. Han tog Vorherres
Gjerning som et stort Regnestykke, subtraherede, multiplicerede,
vilde kjende det ud og ind og tale med Forstand derom, og det
var heel Forstand, og han talte i Glæde og med Klogskab derom.
Det var gode, glade Mennesker, begge To. |
| "Look, there is a fine
example of a toad. I will catch it and keep it as a specimen
in alcohol," said the scientist when he saw the little toad. |
"Der sidder jo et godt
Exemplar af en Skrubtudse!" sagde Naturforskeren; "den maa jeg
have i Spiritus!" |
| "You have two already.
Let it live in peace," suggested the poet. |
"Du har jo allerede
to Andre!" sagde Poeten; "lad den sidde i Ro og fornøie sig!" |
| "But that one is so
wonderfully ugly," said the scientist regretfully. |
"Men den er saa deilig
grim!" sagde den Anden. |
| "If we could be sure
it had a precious stone in its head, I would help you cut it
up myself," laughed the poet. |
"Ja, naar vi kunne finde
Ædelstenen i Hovedet paa den!" sagde Poeten, "saa vilde jeg
selv være med at sprætte den op!" |
| "Precious stone?" his
friend retorted unbelievingly. "I don't think you know any zoology."
|
"Ædelstenen!" sagde
den Anden, "Du kan godt Naturhistorie!" |
| "I think that there
is a bit of poetry in the old folklore that the toad, the ugliest
of all animals, hides inside its head the most precious of all
stones. Think of Æsop and Socrates: didn't each of them have
a precious jewel in his unhandsome head?" |
"Men er der ikke just
noget meget Smukt i den Folketro, at Skrubtudsen, det allergrimmeste
Dyr, tidt gjemmer i sit Hoved den kosteligste Ædelsteen! Gaaer
det ikke med Menneskene ligesaa? Hvilken Ædelsteen havde ikke
Æsop, og nu Sokrates? -" |
| The toad did not hear
any more of the conversation and it only understood half of
it. The two friends walked on, and the toad escaped being preserved
in alcohol. |
Mere hørte Skrubtudsen
ikke, og den forstod ikke det Halve deraf. De to Venner gik,
og den slap for at komme i Spiritus. |
| "They also talked of
precious stones," mumbled the little toad. "How fortunate for
me that I do not possess one or I would have been in trouble." |
"De talte ogsaa om Ædelstenen!"
sagde Skrubtudsen. "Det er godt, at jeg ikke har den, ellers
var jeg kommen i Ubehagelighed!" |
| From the top of the
roof came the sound of the male stork clattering; he was giving
a lecture to his family, but he kept his glance downward, for
he was watching the two young men at the same time. |
Da knebbrede det paa
Bondens Tag; Storkefa'er holdt Foredrag for Familien, og denne
saae skjevt ned paa de to unge Mennesker i Kaalhaven. |
| "The human being is
the most conceited of all the animals," he said. "Listen to
them chattering; they should give their bills a rest. They pride
themselves on their ability to speak, their linguistic ability!
But if they travel as far as we do in a single day, they cannot
comprehend one word that is spoken. They cannot understand each
other, while we storks talk the same language all over the world,
both in Egypt and in Denmark. As for flying, the human beings
can't. When they want to move fast from one place to another,
they have to use something called a railroad. It is an invention
they will break their necks on. The very thought of it makes
a chill run up and down my bill. The world can exist without
them. We do not need human beings, all we need are frogs and
worms." |
"Mennesket er det meest
indbildske Kræ!" sagde Storken. "Hør, hvor Knebbren gaaer
paa dem! og saa kunne de dog ikke slaae en rigtig Skralde. De
kroe sig af deres Talegaver, deres Sprog! det er et rart Sprog:
det løber over i det Uforstaaelige for dem ved hver Dagreise,
vi gjøre; den Ene forstaaer ikke den Anden. Vort Sprog kunne
vi tale over hele Jorden, baade i Danmark og i Ægypten. Flyve
kunne Menneskene heller ikke! de tage Fart ved en Opfindelse,
som de kalde "Jernbanen", men de brække da ogsaa der tidt Halsen.
Jeg faaer Kuldegys i Næbbet, naar jeg tænker derpaa! Verden
kan bestaae uden Mennesker. Vi kunne undvære dem! Maae vi bare
beholde Frøer og Regnorme!" |
| "That was a great speech,"
thought the little toad. "The stork is a very important animal
and it lives so high up, I have never seen anyone who lives
higher!" And look how it can swim!" the toad exclaimed out loud
as the stork spread its wings and flew away through the air. |
"Det var da en mægtig
Tale!" tænkte den lille Skrubtudse. "Hvor det er en stor Mand!
og hvor han sidder høit, som jeg endnu Ingen har seet sidde!
og hvor han kan svømme!" udbrød den, da Storken med udbredte
Vinger tog Fart igjennem Luften. |
| The female stayed in
the nest and told the young ones about Egypt, about the waters
of the great River Nile, and about all the remarkable mud to
be found in foreign countries. It was all new and wonderful
to the little toad. |
Og Storkemo'er talte
i Reden, fortalte om Ægyptens Land, om Nilens Vand og om al
det mageløse Mudder, der var i fremmed Land; det lød ganske
nyt og yndeligt for den lille Skrubtudse. |
| "I must travel to Egypt,"
he said aloud. "I wonder if the stork or one of its young ones
would take me. I would serve it faithfully all the rest of my
days. Yes, I will get to Egypt, I am sure of it, for I am so
happy. In me there is a longing and a desire that is sweet,
and so much more valuable than any precious stone." |
"Jeg maa til Ægypten!"
sagde den. "Bare Storken vilde tage mig med, eller en af dens
Unger. Jeg vilde tjene den igjen paa dens Bryllupsdag. Jo, jeg
kommer til Ægypten, for jeg er saa lykkelig! Al den Længsel
og Lyst jeg har, den er rigtignok bedre end at have en Ædelsteen
i Hovedet!" |
| And that was the precious
stone; and this was the toad who had it in his head: the eternal
longing and desire for rising ever upward. That was the jewel!
That was the flame that sparkled and shone with joy and desire. |
Og saa havde den just
Ædelstenen: den evige Længsel og Lyst, opad, altid opad! den
lyste derinde, den lyste i Glæde, den straalede i Lyst. |
| At that moment the stork
came. It had spied the little toad in the grass. Its bill did
not grab it gently; it squeezed the toad. He was uncomfortable
and frightened, yet he felt the wind blowing around him and
knew that his course was upward toward Egypt; and therefore
his eyes shone with expectation, as though a spark were flying
from them. |
Da kom i det Samme Storken;
den havde seet Skrubtudsen i Græsset, slog ned og tog just ikke
lempeligt paa det lille Dyr. Næbbet klemte, Vinden susede, det
var ikke behageligt, men opad gik det, opad til Ægypten, vidste
den; og derfor skinnede Øinene, det var, som der fløi en Gnist
ud af dem: |
| "Croak!" |
"Quak! ak!" |
| The heart stopped; the
body was still, the toad was dead. But the spark that had shone
in its eyes, what happened to that? |
Kroppen var død, Skrubtudsen
dræbt. Men Gnisten fra dens Øine, hvor blev den af? |
| The rays of the sun
caught it, caught the gem that the little toad had carried in
its head. But where did they take it? |
Solstraalen tog den,
Solstraalen bar Ædelstenen fra Skrubtudsens Hoved. Hvorhen? |
| Don't ask the scientist
that question, ask the poet. He will tell you the answer, as
a fable or a fairy tale. The caterpillar will be in his story,
and the family of storks as well: The caterpillar changes itself
into a beautiful butterfly. The stork flies over mountains and
across oceans to distant Africa, and returns by the shortest
route to Denmark--to that particular place, to that particular
house where his nest is. That, too, is magic and unexplainable,
and yet it happens. You may ask the scientist, he has to admit
it; and you yourself know it is true, for you have seen it. |
Du skal ikke spørge
Naturforskeren, spørg helst Poeten; han fortæller Dig det som
et Eventyr; og Kaalormen er med deri, og Storkefamilien er med
deri. Tænk! Kaalormen forvandles og bliver en deilig Sommerfugl!
Storkefamilien flyver over Bjerge og Have bort til det fjerne
Afrika, og finder dog den korteste Vei hjem igjen til det danske
Land, til det samme Sted, det samme Tag! ja, det er rigtignok
næsten altfor eventyrligt, og dog er det sandt; Du kan gjerne
spørge Naturforskeren, han maa indrømme det; og Du selv veed
det ogsaa, for Du har seet det. |
| But what about the gem
in the toad's head? |
- Men Ædelstenen i Skrubtudsens
Hoved? |
| Seek it in the sun,
see if you can find it there! |
Søg den i Solen! see
den om Du kan! |
| No, the light is too
intense; we do not yet have eyes that can see all the glory
God has created. But maybe someday we will have such eyes. That
will be the most wonderful fairy tale of all, for we ourselves
will be part of it. |
Glandsen der er for
stærk. Vi have endnu ikke Øine til at see ind i al den Herlighed,
Gud har skabt, men vi faae dem nok, og det bliver det deiligste
Eventyr, for vi ere selv med deri! |