安徒生童话OUR AUNT.docx

安徒生童话OUR AUNT.docx

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安徒生童话OURAUNT

1872

FAIRYTALESOFHANSCHRISTIANANDERSEN

OURAUNT

byHansChristianAndersen

Yououghttohaveknownouraunt;shewascharming!

Thatisto

say,shewasnotcharmingatallasthewordisusuallyunderstood;

butshewasgoodandkind,amusinginherway,andwasjustasanyone

oughttobewhompeoplearetotalkaboutandtolaughat.Shemight

havebeenputintoaplay,andwhollyandsolelyonaccountofthe

factthatsheonlylivedforthetheatreandforwhatwasdone

there.Shewasanhonorablematron;butAgentFabs,whomsheusedto

call"Flabs,"declaredthatourauntwasstage-struck.

"Thetheatreismyschool,"saidshe,"thesourceofmyknowledge.

FromthenceIhaveresuscitatedBiblicalhistory.Now,'Moses'and

'JosephinEgypt'-thereareoperasforyou!

Igetmyuniversal

historyfromthetheatre,mygeography,andmyknowledgeofmen.Out

oftheFrenchpiecesIgettoknowlifeinParis-slippery,but

exceedinglyinteresting.HowIhavecriedover"LaFamille

Roquebourg'-thatthemanmustdrinkhimselftodeath,sothatshemay

marrytheyoungfellow!

Yes,howmanytearsIhaveweptinthefifty

yearsIhavesubscribedtothetheatre!

"

Ourauntkneweveryactingplay,everybitofscenery,every

character,everyonewhoappearedorhadappeared.Sheseemedreally

onlytoliveduringtheninemonthsthetheatrewasopen.Summertime

withoutasummertheatreseemedtobeonlyatimethatmadeherold;

while,ontheotherhand,atheatricaleveningthatlastedtill

midnightwasalengtheningofherlife.Shedidnotsay,asother

peopledo,"Nowweshallhavespring,thestorkishere,"or,"They've

advertisedthefirststrawberriesinthepapers."She,onthe

contrary,usedtoannouncethecomingofautumn,with"Haveyou

heardthey'resellingboxesforthetheatre?

nowtheperformanceswill

begin."

Sheusedtovaluealodgingentirelyaccordingtoitsproximityto

thetheatre.Itwasarealsorrowtoherwhenshehadtoleavethe

littlelanebehindtheplayhouse,andmoveintothegreatstreet

thatlayalittlefartheroff,andlivethereinahousewhereshehad

nooppositeneighbors.

"Athome,"saidshe,"mywindowsmustbemyopera-box.One

cannotsitandlookintoone'sselftillone'stired;onemustsee

people.ButnowIlivejustasifI'dgointothecountry.IfIwant

toseehumanbeings,Imustgointomykitchen,andsitdownonthe

sink,forthereonlyIhaveoppositeneighbors.No;whenIlivedinmy

dearlittlelane,Icouldlookstraightdownintotheironmonger's

shop,andhadonlythreehundredpacestothetheatre;andnowI've

threethousandpacestogo,militarymeasurement."

Ourauntwassometimesill,buthoweverunwellshemightfeel,she

nevermissedtheplay.Thedoctorprescribedonedaythatsheshould

putherfeetinabranbath,andshefollowedhisadvice;butshe

drovetothetheatreallthesame,andsatwithherfeetinbran

there.Ifshehaddiedthere,shewouldhavebeenveryglad.

Thorwaldsendiedinthetheatre,andshecalledthatahappydeath.

Shecouldnotimaginebutthatinheaventheremustbeatheatre

too.Ithadnot,indeed,beenpromisedus,butwemightverywell

imagineit.Themanydistinguishedactorsandactresseswhohadpassed

awaymustsurelyhaveafieldfortheirtalent.

Ouraunthadanelectricwirefromthetheatretoherroom.A

telegramusedtobedispatchedtoheratcoffee-time,anditusedto

consistofthewords,"HerrSivertsenisatthemachinery;"foritwas

hewhogavethesignalfordrawingthecurtainupanddownandfor

changingthescenes.

Fromhimsheusedtoreceiveashortandconcisedescriptionof

everypiece.HisopinionofShakspeare's"Tempest,"was,"Mad

nonsense!

There'ssomuchtoputup,andthefirstscenebeginswith

'Watertothefrontofthewings.'"Thatistosay,thewaterhadto

comeforwardsofar.Butwhen,ontheotherhand,thesameinterior

sceneremainedthroughfiveacts,heusedtopronounceita

sensible,well-writtenplay,arestingplay,whichperformeditself,

withoutputtingupscenes.

Inearliertimes,bywhichnameourauntusedtodesignate

thirtyyearsago,sheandthebefore-mentionedHerrSivertsenhadbeen

younger.Atthattimehehadalreadybeenconnectedwiththe

machinery,andwas,asshesaid,herbenefactor.Itusedtobethe

custominthosedaysthatintheeveningperformancesintheonly

theatrethetownpossessed,spectatorswereadmittedtothepart

calledthe"flies,"overthestage,andeverymachinisthadoneortwo

placestogiveaway.Oftentheflieswerequitefullofgood

company;itwassaidthatgenerals'wivesandprivycouncillors'wives

hadbeenupthere.Itwasquiteinterestingtolookdownbehindthe

scenes,andtoseehowthepeoplewalkedtoandfroonthestage

whenthecurtainwasdown.

Ouraunthadbeenthereseveraltimes,aswellwhentherewasa

tragedyaswhentherewasaballet;forthepiecesinwhichtherewere

thegreatestnumberofcharactersonthestagewerethemost

interestingtoseefromtheflies.Onesatprettymuchinthedark

upthere,andmostpeopletooktheirsupperupwiththem.Oncethree

applesandagreatpieceofbreadandbutterandsausagefelldown

rightintothedungeonofUgolino,wherethatunhappymanwastobe

starvedtodeath;andtherewasgreatlaughteramongtheaudience.The

sausagewasoneoftheweightiestreasonswhytheworthymanagement

refusedinfuturetohaveanyspectatorsupintheflies.

"ButIwasthereseven-and-thirtytimes,"saidouraunt,"andI

shallalwaysrememberMr.Sivertsenforthat."

Ontheverylasteveningwhentheflieswerestillopentothe

public,the"JudgmentofSolomon"wasperformed,asouraunt

rememberedverywell.Shehad,throughtheinfluenceofher

benefactor,HerrSivertsen,procuredafreeadmissionfortheAgent

Fabs,althoughhedidnotdeserveitintheleast,forhewasalways

cuttinghisjokesaboutthetheatreandteasingouraunt;butshe

hadprocuredhimafreeadmissiontotheflies,forallthat.He

wantedtolookatthisplayer-stufffromtheotherside.

"Thosewerehisownwords,andtheywerejustlikehim,"said

ouraunt.

Helookeddownfromaboveonthe'JudgmentofSolomon,"andfell

asleepoverit.Onewouldhavethoughtthathehadcomefroma

dinnerwheremanytoastshadbeengiven.Hewenttosleep,andwas

lockedin.Andtherehesatthroughthedarknightintheflies,and

whenhewoke,hetoldastory,butourauntwouldnotbelieveit.

"The'JudgmentofSolomon'wasover,"hesaid,"andallthepeople

hadgoneaway,upstairsanddownstairs;butnowtherealplaybegan,

theafter-piece,whichwasthebestofall,"saidtheagent."Then

lifecameintotheaffair.Itwasnotthe'JudgmentofSolomon'that

wasperformed;no,arealcourtofjudgmentwashelduponthe

stage."AndAgentFabshadtheimpudencetotryandmakeouraunt

believeallthis.Thatwasthethanksshegotforhavinggothima

placeintheflies.

Whatdidtheagentsay?

Why,itwascuriousenoughtohear,but

therewasmaliceandsatireinit.

"Itlookeddarkenoughupthere,"saidtheagent;"butthenthe

magicbusinessbegan-agreatperformance,'TheJudgmentinthe

Theatre.'Thebox-keeperswereattheirposts,andeveryspectatorhad

toshowhisghostlypass-book,thatitmightbedecidedifhewasto

beadmittedwithhandslooseorbound,andwithorwithoutamuzzle.

Grandpeoplewhocametoolate,whentheperformancehadbegun,and

youngpeople,whocouldnotalwayswatchthetime,weretiedup

outside,andhadlistslippersputontheirfeet,withwhichtheywere

allowedtogoinbeforethebeginningofthenextact,andtheyhad

muzzlestoo.Andthenthe'JudgmentontheStage'began."

"Allmalice,andnotabitoftruthinit,"saidouraunt.

Thepainter,whowantedtogettoParadise,hadtogoupa

staircasewhichhehadhimselfpainted,butwhichnomancould

mount.Thatwastoexpiatehissinsagainstperspective.Allthe

plantsandbuildings,whichtheproperty-manhadplaced,withinfinite

pains,incountriestowhichtheydidnotbelong,thepoorfellow

wasobligedtoputintheirrightplacesbeforecockcrow,ifhewanted

togetintoParadise.LetHerrFabsseehowhewouldgetinhimself;

butwhathesaidoftheperformers,tragediansandcomedians,

singersanddancers,thatwasthemostrascallyofall.Mr.Fabs,

indeed!

-Flabs!

Hedidnotdeservetobeadmittedatall,andouraunt

wouldnotsoilherlipswithwhathesaid.Andhesaid,didFlabs,

thatthewholewaswrittendown,anditshouldbeprintedwhenhe

wasdeadandburied,butnotbefore,forhewouldnotriskhaving

hisarmsandlegsbroken.

Onceouraunthadbeeninfearandtremblinginhertempleof

happiness,thetheatre.Itwasonawinterday,oneofthosedaysin

whichonehasacoupleofhoursofdaylight,withagraysky.Itwas

terriblycoldandsnowy,butauntmustgotothetheatre.Alittle

operaandagreatballetwereperformed,andaprologueandan

epilogueintothebargain;andthatwouldlasttilllateatnight.Our

auntmustneedsgo;sosheborrowedapairoffurbootsofherlodger-

bootswithfurinsideandout,andwhichreachedfarupherlegs.

Shegottothetheatre,andtoherbox;thebootswerewarm,and

shekeptthemon.Suddenlytherewasacryof"Fire!

"Smokewascoming

fromoneofthesidescenes,andstreameddownfromtheflies,and

therewasaterriblepanic.Thepeoplecamerushingout,andour

auntwasthelastinthebox,"onthesecondtier,left-handside,for

fromtherethescenerylooksbest,"sheusedtosay."Thescenesare

alwaysarrangedthattheylookbestfromtheKing'sside."Auntwanted

tocomeout,butthepeoplebeforeher,intheirfrightand