安徒生童话UNDER THE WILLOWTREE.docx

安徒生童话UNDER THE WILLOWTREE.docx

《安徒生童话UNDER THE WILLOWTREE.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《安徒生童话UNDER THE WILLOWTREE.docx（18页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

安徒生童话UNDERTHEWILLOWTREE

1872

FAIRYTALESOFHANSCHRISTIANANDERSEN

UNDERTHEWILLOW-TREE

byHansChristianAndersen

THEregionroundthelittletownofKjogeisverybleakand

cold.Thetownliesontheseashore,whichisalwaysbeautiful;but

hereitmightbemorebeautifulthanitis,foroneverysidethe

fieldsareflat,anditisalongwaytotheforest.Butwhen

personsresideinaplaceandgetusedtoit,theycanalwaysfind

somethingbeautifulinit,-somethingforwhichtheylong,eveninthe

mostcharmingspotintheworldwhichisnothome.Itmustbeowned

thatthereareintheoutskirtsofthetownsomehumblegardensonthe

banksofalittlestreamthatrunsontowardsthesea,andinsummer

thesegardenslookverypretty.Suchindeedwastheopinionoftwo

littlechildren,whoseparentswereneighbors,andwhoplayedinthese

gardens,andforcedtheirwayfromonegardentotheotherthroughthe

gooseberry-bushesthatdividedthem.Inoneofthegardensgrewan

elder-tree,andintheotheranoldwillow,underwhichthechildren

wereveryfondofplaying.Theyhadpermissiontodoso,although

thetreestoodclosebythestream,andtheymighteasilyhave

fallenintothewater;buttheeyeofGodwatchesoverthelittle

ones,otherwisetheywouldneverbesafe.Atthesametime,these

childrenwereverycarefulnottogotoonearthewater;indeed,the

boywassoafraidofit,thatinthesummer,whiletheother

childrenweresplashingaboutinthesea,nothingcouldenticehim

tojointhem.Theyjeeredandlaughedathim,andhewasobligedto

bearitallaspatientlyashecould.Oncetheneighbor'slittlegirl,

Joanna,dreamedthatshewassailinginaboat,andtheboy-Knud

washisname-wadedoutinthewatertojoinher,andthewatercame

uptohisneck,andatlastclosedoverhishead,andinamomenthe

haddisappeared.WhenlittleKnudheardthisdream,itseemedasifhe

couldnotbearthemockingandjeeringagain;howcouldhedareto

gointothewaternow,afterJoanna'sdream!

Heneverwoulddoit,for

thisdreamalwayssatisfiedhim.Theparentsofthesechildren,who

werepoor,oftensattogetherwhileKnudandJoannaplayedinthe

gardensorintheroad.Alongthisroad-arowofwillow-treeshad

beenplantedtoseparateitfromaditchononesideofit.They

werenotveryhandsometrees,forthetopshadbeencutoff;

however,theywereintendedforuse,andnotforshow.Theold

willow-treeinthegardenwasmuchhandsomer,andthereforethe

childrenwereveryfondofsittingunderit.Thetownhadalarge

market-place;andatthefair-timetherewouldbewholerows,like

streets,oftentsandboothscontainingsilksandribbons,andtoys

andcakes,andeverythingthatcouldbewishedfor.Therewere

crowdsofpeople,andsometimestheweatherwouldberainy,andsplash

withmoisturethewoollenjacketsofthepeasants;butitdidnot

destroythebeautifulfragranceofthehoney-cakesandgingerbread

withwhichoneboothwasfilled;andthebestofitwas,thatthe

manwhosoldthesecakesalwayslodgedduringthefair-timewith

littleKnud'sparents.Soeverynowandthenhehadapresentof

gingerbread,andofcourseJoannaalwayshadashare.And,more

delightfulstill,thegingerbreadsellerknewallsortsofthingsto

tellandcouldevenrelatestoriesabouthisowngingerbread.Soone

eveninghetoldthemastorythatmadesuchadeepimpressiononthe

childrenthattheyneverforgotit;andthereforeIthinkwemayas

wellhearittoo,foritisnotverylong.

"Onceuponatime,"saidhe,"therelayonmycountertwo

gingerbreadcakes,oneintheshapeofamanwearingahat,the

otherofamaidenwithoutabonnet.Theirfaceswereontheside

thatwasuppermost,forontheothersidetheylookedvery

different.Mostpeoplehaveabestsidetotheircharacters,which

theytakecaretoshowtotheworld.Ontheleft,justwheretheheart

is,thegingerbreadmanhadanalmondstuckintorepresentit,but

themaidenwashoneycakeallover.Theywereplacedonthecounteras

samples,andafterlyingtherealongtimetheyatlastfellinlove

witheachother;butneitherofthemspokeofittotheother,asthey

shouldhavedoneiftheyexpectedanythingtofollow.'Heisaman,he

oughttospeakthefirstword,'thoughtthegingerbreadmaiden;but

shefeltquitehappy-shewassurethatherlovewasreturned.Buthis

thoughtswerefarmoreambitious,asthethoughtsofamanoften

are.Hedreamedthathewasarealstreetboy,thathepossessed

fourrealpennies,andthathehadboughtthegingerbreadlady,and

ateherup.Andsotheylayonthecounterfordaysandweeks,till

theygrewhardanddry;butthethoughtsofthemaidenbecameever

moretenderandwomanly.'Ahwell,itisenoughformethatIhave

beenabletoliveonthesamecounterwithhim,'saidsheoneday;

whensuddenly,'crack,'andshebrokeintwo.'Ah,'saidthe

gingerbreadmantohimself,'ifshehadonlyknownofmylove,she

wouldhavekepttogetheralittlelonger.'Andheretheybothare,and

thatistheirhistory,"saidthecakeman."Youthinkthehistoryof

theirlivesandtheirsilentlove,whichnevercametoanything,

veryremarkable;andtheretheyareforyou."Sosaying,hegave

Joannathegingerbreadman,whowasstillquitewhole-andtoKnudthe

brokenmaiden;butthechildrenhadbeensomuchimpressedbythe

story,thattheyhadnotthehearttoeattheloversup.

Thenextdaytheywentintothechurchyard,andtookthetwo

cakefigureswiththem,andsatdownunderthechurchwall,which

wascoveredwithluxuriantivyinsummerandwinter,andlookedas

ifhungwithrichtapestry.Theystuckupthetwogingerbread

figuresinthesunshineamongthegreenleaves,andthentoldthe

story,andallaboutthesilentlovewhichcametonothing,toagroup

ofchildren.Theycalledit,"love,"becausethestorywasso

lovely,andtheotherchildrenhadthesameopinion.Butwhenthey

turnedtolookatthegingerbreadpair,thebrokenmaidenwasgone!

Agreatboy,outofwickedness,hadeatenherup.Atfirstthe

childrencriedaboutit;butafterwards,thinkingveryprobablythat

thepoorloveroughtnottobeleftaloneintheworld,theyatehim

uptoo:

buttheyneverforgotthestory.

Thetwochildrenstillcontinuedtoplaytogetherbythe

elder-tree,andunderthewillow;andthelittlemaidensangbeautiful

songs,withavoicethatwasasclearasabell.Knud,onthe

contrary,hadnotanoteofmusicinhim,butknewthewordsofthe

songs,andthatofcourseissomething.ThepeopleofKjoge,and

eventherichwifeofthemanwhokeptthefancyshop,wouldstandand

listenwhileJoannawassinging,andsay,"Shehasreallyaverysweet

voice."

Thosewerehappydays;buttheycouldnotlastforever.The

neighborswereseparated,themotherofthelittlegirlwasdead,

andherfatherhadthoughtsofmarryingagainandofresidinginthe

capital,wherehehadbeenpromisedaverylucrativeappointmentas

messenger.Theneighborspartedwithtears,thechildrenweptsadly;

buttheirparentspromisedthattheyshouldwritetoeachotherat

leastonceayear.

Afterthis,Knudwasboundapprenticetoashoemaker;hewas

growingagreatboy,andcouldnotbeallowedtorunwildany

longer.Besides,hewasgoingtobeconfirmed.Ah,howhappyhe

wouldhavebeenonthatfestaldayinCopenhagenwithlittleJoanna;

buthestillremainedatKjoge,andhadneverseenthegreatcity,

thoughthetownisnotfivemilesfromit.Butfaracrossthebay,

whentheskywasclear,thetowersofCopenhagencouldbeseen;andon

thedayofhisconfirmationhesawdistinctlythegoldencrosson

theprincipalchurchglitteringinthesun.Howoftenhisthoughts

werewithJoanna!

butdidshethinkofhim?

Yes.AboutChristmas

camealetterfromherfathertoKnud'sparents,whichstatedthat

theyweregoingonverywellinCopenhagen,andmentioning

particularlythatJoanna'sbeautifulvoicewaslikelytobringhera

brilliantfortuneinthefuture.Shewasengagedtosingataconcert,

andshehadalreadyearnedmoneybysinging,outofwhichshesenther

dearneighborsatKjogeawholedollar,forthemtomakemerryon

Christmaseve,andtheyweretodrinkherhealth.Shehadherself

addedthisinapostscript,andinthesamepostscriptshewrote,

"KindregardstoKnud."

Thegoodneighborswept,althoughthenewswassopleasant;but

theywepttearsofjoy.Knud'sthoughtshadbeendailywithJoanna,

andnowheknewthatshealsohadthoughtofhim;andthenearerthe

timecameforhisapprenticeshiptoend,theclearerdiditappear

tohimthathelovedJoanna,andthatshemustbehiswife;anda

smilecameonhislipsatthethought,andatonetimehedrewthe

threadsofastasheworked,andpressedhisfootsohardagainst

thekneestrap,thatherantheawlintohisfinger;butwhatdidhe

careforthat?

Hewasdeterminednottoplaythedumbloverasboth

thegingerbreadcakeshaddone;thestorywasagoodlessontohim.

Atlengthhebecomeajourneyman;andthen,forthefirsttime,he

preparedforajourneytoCopenhagen,withhisknapsackpackedand

ready.Amasterwasexpectinghimthere,andhethoughtofJoanna,and

howgladshewouldbetoseehim.Shewasnowseventeen,andhe

nineteenyearsold.HewantedtobuyagoldringforherinKjoge,but

thenherecollectedhowfarmorebeautifulsuchthingswouldbein

Copenhagen.Sohetookleaveofhisparents,andonarainyday,

lateintheautumn,wanderedforthonfootfromthetownofhisbirth.

Theleaveswerefallingfromthetrees;and,bythetimehearrivedat

hisnewmaster'sinthegreatmetropolis,hewaswetthrough.Onthe

followingSundayheintendedt