A CHEERFUL TEMPER.docx

A CHEERFUL TEMPER.docx

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ACHEERFULTEMPER

1872

FAIRYTALESOFHANSCHRISTIANANDERSEN

ACHEERFULTEMPER

byHansChristianAndersen

FROMmyfatherIreceivedthebestinheritance,namelya"good

temper.""Andwhowasmyfather?

"Thathasnothingtodowiththegood

temper;butIwillsayhewaslively,good-lookinground,andfat;

hewasbothinappearanceandcharacteracompletecontradictionto

hisprofession."Andpraywhatwashisprofessionandhisstanding

inrespectablesociety?

"Well,perhaps,ifinthebeginningofa

bookthesewerewrittenandprinted,many,whentheyreadit,would

laythebookdownandsay,"Itseemstomeaverymiserabletitle,I

don'tlikethingsofthissort."Andyetmyfatherwasnota

skin-dressernoranexecutioner;onthecontrary,hisemployment

placedhimattheheadofthegrandestpeopleofthetown,andit

washisplacebyright.Hehadtoprecedethebishop,andeventhe

princesoftheblood;healwayswentfirst,-hewasahearsedriver!

There,now,thetruthisout.AndIwillown,thatwhenpeoplesaw

myfatherperchedupinfrontoftheomnibusofdeath,dressedin

hislong,wide,blackcloak,andhisblack-edged,three-corneredhat

onhishead,andthenglancedathisround,jocundface,roundas

thesun,theycouldnotthinkmuchofsorroworthegrave.Thatface

said,"Itisnothing,itwillallendbetterthanpeoplethink."So

Ihaveinheritedfromhim,notonlymygoodtemper,butahabitof

goingoftentothechurchyard,whichisgood,whendoneinaproper

humor;andthenalsoItakeintheIntelligencer,justasheusedto

do.

Iamnotveryyoung,Ihaveneitherwifenorchildren,nora

library,but,asIsaid,IreadtheIntelligencer,whichisenoughfor

me;itistomeadelightfulpaper,andsoitwastomyfather.It

isofgreatuse,foritcontainsallthatamanrequirestoknow;

thenamesofthepreachersatthechurch,andthenewbookswhich

arepublished;wherehouses,servants,clothes,andprovisionsmay

beobtained.Andthenwhatanumberofsubscriptionstocharities,and

whatinnocentverses!

Personsseekinginterviewsandengagements,

allsoplainlyandnaturallystated.Certainly,amanwhotakesinthe

Intelligencermaylivemerrilyandbeburiedcontentedly,andbythe

endofhislifewillhavesuchacapitalstockofpaperthathecan

lieonasoftbedofit,unlesshepreferswoodshavingsforhis

resting-place.Thenewspaperandthechurchyardwerealwaysexciting

objectstome.Mywalkstothelatterwerelikebathing-placestomy

goodhumor.Everyonecanreadthenewspaperforhimself,butcome

withmetothechurchyardwhilethesunshinesandthetreesare

green,andletuswanderamongthegraves.Eachofthemislikea

closedbook,withthebackuppermost,onwhichwecanreadthetitle

ofwhatthebookcontains,butnothingmore.Ihadagreatdealof

informationfrommyfather,andIhavenoticedagreatdealmyself.

Ikeepitinmydiary,inwhichIwriteformyownuseandpleasure

ahistoryofallwholiehere,andafewmorebeside.

Nowweareinthechurchyard.Here,behindthewhiteiron

railings,oncearose-treegrew;itisgonenow,butalittlebitof

evergreen,fromaneighboringgrave,stretchesoutitsgreentendrils,

andmakessomeappearance;thererestsaveryunhappyman,andyet

whilehelivedhemightbesaidtooccupyaverygoodposition.Hehad

enoughtoliveupon,andsomethingtospare;butowingtohis

refinedtastestheleastthingintheworldannoyedhim.Ifhewentto

atheatreofanevening,insteadofenjoyinghimselfhewouldbequite

annoyedifthemachinisthadputtoostrongalightintoonesideof

themoon,oriftherepresentationsoftheskyhungoverthescenes

whentheyoughttohavehungbehindthem;orifapalm-treewas

introducedintoascenerepresentingtheZoologicalGardensofBerlin,

oracactusinaviewofTyrol,orabeech-treeinthenorthof

Norway.Asifthesethingswereofanyconsequence!

Whydidhenot

leavethemalone?

Whowouldtroublethemselvesaboutsuchtrifles?

especiallyatacomedy,whereeveryoneisexpectedtobeamused.Then

sometimesthepublicapplaudedtoomuch,ortoolittle,topleasehim.

"Theyarelikewetwood,"hewouldsay,lookingroundtoseewhatsort

ofpeoplewerepresent,"thisevening;nothingfiresthem."Thenhe

wouldvexandfrethimselfbecausetheydidnotlaughattheright

time,orbecausetheylaughedinthewrongplaces;andsohefretted

andworriedhimselftillatlasttheunhappymanfrettedhimself

intothegrave.

Hererestsahappyman,thatistosay,amanofhighbirthand

position,whichwasveryluckyforhim,otherwisehewouldhavebeen

scarcelyworthnotice.Itisbeautifultoobservehowwiselynature

ordersthesethings.Hewalkedaboutinacoatembroideredallover,

andinthedrawing-roomsofsocietylookedjustlikeoneofthoserich

pearl-embroideredbell-pulls,whichareonlymadeforshow;andbehind

themalwayshangsagoodthickcordforuse.Thismanalsohada

stout,usefulsubstitutebehindhim,whodiddutyforhim,and

performedallhisdirtywork.Andtherearestill,evennow,these

serviceablecordsbehindotherembroideredbell-ropes.Itisallso

wiselyarranged,thatamanmaywellbeinagoodhumor.

Hererests,-ah,itmakesonefeelmournfultothinkofhim!

-

buthererestsamanwho,duringsixty-sevenyears,wasnever

rememberedtohavesaidagoodthing;helivedonlyinthehopeof

havingagoodidea.Atlasthefeltconvinced,inhisownmind,that

hereallyhadone,andwassodelightedthathepositivelydiedofjoy

atthethoughtofhavingatlastcaughtanidea.Nobodygotanything

byit;indeed,nooneevenheardwhatthegoodthingwas.NowIcan

imaginethatthissameideamaypreventhimfromrestingquietlyin

hisgrave;forsupposethattoproduceagoodeffect,itis

necessarytobringouthisnewideaatbreakfast,andthathecanonly

makehisappearanceonearthatmidnight,asghostsarebelieved

generallytodo;whythenthisgoodideawouldnotsuitthehour,

andthemanwouldhavetocarryitdownagainwithhimintothegrave-

thatmustbeatroubledgrave.

Thewomanwholiesherewassoremarkablystingy,thatduring

herlifeshewouldgetupinthenightandmew,thatherneighbors

mightthinkshekeptacat.Whatamisershewas!

Hererestsayounglady,ofagoodfamily,whowouldalwaysmake

hervoiceheardinsociety,andwhenshesang"Mimancalavoce,"*

itwastheonlytruethingsheeversaidinherlife.

*"Iwantavoice,"or,"Ihavenovoice."

Hereliesamaidenofanotherdescription.Shewasengagedtobe

married,-but,herstoryisoneofevery-daylife;wewillleaveher

torestinthegrave.

Hererestsawidow,who,withmusicinhertongue,carriedgallin

herheart.Sheusedtogoroundamongthefamiliesnear,andsearch

outtheirfaults,uponwhichshepreyedwithalltheenvyandmalice

ofhernature.Thisisafamilygrave.Themembersofthisfamilyheld

sofirmlytogetherintheiropinions,thattheywouldbelieveinno

other.Ifthenewspapers,oreventhewholeworld,saidofacertain

subject,"Itisso-and-so;"andalittleschoolboydeclaredhehad

learnedquitedifferently,theywouldtakehisassertionastheonly

trueone,becausehebelongedtothefamily.Anditiswellknownthat

iftheyard-cockbelongingtothisfamilyhappenedtocrowat

midnight,theywoulddeclareitwasmorning,althoughthewatchmanand

alltheclocksinthetownwereproclaimingthehouroftwelveat

night.

ThegreatpoetGoetheconcludeshisFaustwiththewords,"may

becontinued;"somightourwanderingsinthechurchyardbecontinued.

Icomehereoften,andifanyofmyfriends,orthosewhoarenotmy

friends,aretoomuchforme,Igooutandchooseaplotofground

inwhichtoburyhimorher.ThenIburythem,asitwere;there

theylie,deadandpowerless,tilltheycomebacknewandbetter

characters.Theirlivesandtheirdeeds,lookedataftermyown

fashion,Iwritedowninmydiary,aseveryoneoughttodo.Then,

ifanyofourfriendsactabsurdly,nooneneedtobevexedabout

it.Letthemburytheoffendersoutofsight,andkeeptheirgood

temper.TheycanalsoreadtheIntelligencer,whichisapaperwritten

bythepeople,withtheirhandsguided.Whenthetimecomesforthe

historyofmylife,tobeboundbythegrave,thentheywillwrite

uponitasmyepitaph-

"Themanwithacheerfultemper."

Andthisismystory.

THEEND

.