安徒生童话The Dryad.docx

1、安徒生童话The Dryad安徒生童话：The DryadWE are travelling to Paris to the Exhibition.Now we are there. That was a journey， a flight without magic. We flew on the wings of steam over the sea and across the land.Yes， our time is the time of fairy tales.We are in the midst of Paris， in a great hotel. Blooming flo

2、wers ornament the staircases， and soft carpets the floors.Our room is a very cosy one， and through the open balcony door we have a view of a great square. Spring lives down there； it has come to Paris， and arrived at the same time with us. It has come in the shape of a glorious young chestnut tree，

3、with delicate leaves newly opened. How the tree gleams， dressed in its spring garb， before all the other trees in the place！ One of these latter had been struck out of the list of living trees. It lies on the ground with roots exposed. On the place where it stood， the young chestnut tree is to be pl

4、anted， and to flourish.It still stands towering aloft on the heavy wagon which has brought it this morning a distance of several miles to Paris. For years it had stood there， in the protection of a mighty oak tree， under which the old venerable clergyman had often sat， with children listening to his

5、 stories.The young chestnut tree had also listened to the stories； for the Dryad who lived in it was a child also. She remembered the time when the tree was so little that it only projected a short way above the grass and ferns around. These were as tall as they would ever be； but the tree grew ever

6、y year， and enjoyed the air and the sunshine， and drank the dew and the rain. Several times it was also， as it must be， well shaken by the wind and the rain； for that is a part of education.The Dryad rejoiced in her life， and rejoiced in the sunshine， and the singing of the birds； but she was most r

7、ejoiced at human voices； she understood the language of men as well as she understood that of animals.Butterflies， cockchafers， dragon-flies， everything that could fly came to pay a visit. They could all talk. They told of the village， of the vineyard， of the forest， of the old castle with its parks

8、 and canals and ponds. Down in the water dwelt also living beings， which， in their way， could fly under the water from one place to anotherbeings with knowledge and delineation. They said nothing at all； they were so clever！And the swallow， who had dived， told about the pretty little goldfish， of th

9、e thick turbot， the fat brill， and the old carp. The swallow could describe all that very well， but， “Self is the man，” she said. “One ought to see these things ones self.” But how was the Dryad ever to see such beings？ She was obliged to be satisfied with being able to look over the beautiful count

10、ry and see the busy industry of men.It was glorious； but most glorious of all when the old clergyman sat under the oak tree and talked of France， and of the great deeds of her sons and daughters， whose names will be mentioned with admiration through all time.Then the Dryad heard of the shepherd girl

11、， Joan of Arc， and of Charlotte Corday； she heard about Henry the Fourth， and Napoleon the First； she heard names whose echo sounds in the hearts of the people.The village children listened attentively， and the Dryad no less attentively； she became a school-child with the rest. In the clouds that we

12、nt sailing by she saw， picture by picture， everything that she heard talked about. The cloudy sky was her picture-book.She felt so happy in beautiful France， the fruitful land of genius， with the crater of freedom. But in her heart the sting remained that the bird， that every animal that could fly，

13、was much better off than she. Even the fly could look about more in the world， far beyond the Dryads horizon.France was so great and so glorious， but she could only look across a little piece of it. The land stretched out， world-wide， with vineyards， forests and great cities. Of all these Paris was

14、the most splendid and the mightiest. The birds could get there； but she， never！Among the village children was a little ragged， poor girl， but a pretty one to look at. She was always laughing or singing and twining red flowers in her black hair.“Dont go to Paris！” the old clergyman warned her. “Poor

15、child！ if you go there， it will be your ruin.”But she went for all that.The Dryad often thought of her； for she had the same wish， and felt the same longing for the great city.The Dryads tree was bearing its first chestnut blossoms； the birds were twittering round them in the most beautiful sunshine

16、. Then a stately carriage came rolling along that way， and in it sat a grand lady driving the spirited， light-footed horses. On the back seat a little smart groom balanced himself. The Dryad knew the lady， and the old clergyman knew her also. He shook his head gravely when he saw her， and said：“So y

17、ou went there after all， and it was your ruin， poor Mary！”“That one poor？” thought the Dryad. “No； she wears a dress fit for a countess” （she had become one in the city of magic changes）。 “Oh， if I were only there， amid all the splendor and pomp！ They shine up into the very clouds at night； when I l

18、ook up， I can tell in what direction the town lies.”Towards that direction the Dryad looked every evening. She saw in the dark night the gleaming cloud on the horizon； in the clear moonlight nights she missed the sailing clouds， which showed her pictures of the city and pictures from history.The chi

19、ld grasps at the picture-books， the Dryad grasped at the cloud-world， her thought-book. A sudden， cloudless sky was for her a blank leaf； and for several days she had only had such leaves before her.It was in the warm summer-time： not a breeze moved through the glowing hot days. Every leaf， every fl

20、ower， lay as if it were torpid， and the people seemed torpid， too.Then the clouds arose and covered the region round about where the gleaming mist announced “Here lies Paris.”The clouds piled themselves up like a chain of mountains， hurried on through the air， and spread themselves abroad over the w

21、hole landscape， as far as the Dryads eye could reach.Like enormous blue-black blocks of rock， the clouds lay piled over one another. Gleams of lightning shot forth from them.“These also are the servants of the Lord God，” the old clergyman had said. And there came a bluish dazzling flash of lightning

22、， a lighting up as if of the sun itself， which could burst blocks of rock asunder. The lightning struck and split to the roots the old venerable oak. The crown fell asunder. It seemed as if the tree were stretching forth its arms to clasp the messengers of the light.No bronze cannon can sound over t

23、he land at the birth of a royal child as the thunder sounded at the death of the old oak. The rain streamed down； a refreshing wind was blowing； the storm had gone by， and there was quite a holiday glow on all things. The old clergyman spoke a few words for honorable remembrance， and a painter made

24、a drawing， as a lasting record of the tree.“Everything passes away，” said the Dryad， “passes away like a cloud， and never comes back！”The old clergyman， too， did not come back. The green roof of his school was gone， and his teaching-chair had vanished. The children did not come； but autumn came， and

25、 winter came， and then spring also. In all this change of seasons the Dryad looked toward the region where， at night， Paris gleamed with its bright mist far on the horizon.Forth from the town rushed engine after engine， train after train， whistling and screaming at all hours in the day. In the eveni

26、ng， towards midnight， at daybreak， and all the day through， came the trains. Out of each one， and into each one， streamed people from the country of every king. A new wonder of the world had summoned them to Paris.In what form did this wonder exhibit itself？“A splendid blossom of art and industry，”

27、said one， “has unfolded itself in the Champ de Mars， a gigantic sunflower， from whose petals one can learn geography and statistics， and can become as wise as a lord mayor， and raise ones self to the level of art and poetry， and study the greatness and power of the various lands.”“A fairy tale flowe

28、r，” said another， “a many-colored lotus-plant， which spreads out its green leaves like a velvet carpet over the sand. The opening spring has brought it forth， the summer will see it in all its splendor， the autumn winds will sweep it away， so that not a leaf， not a fragment of its root shall remain.

29、”In front of the Military School extends in time of peace the arena of wara field without a blade of grass， a piece of sandy steppe， as if cut out of the Desert of Africa， where Fata Morgana displays her wondrous airy castles and hanging gardens. In the Champ de Mars， however， these were to be seen

30、more splendid， more wonderful than in the East， for human art had converted the airy deceptive scenes into reality.“The Aladdins Palace of the present has been built，” it was said. “Day by day， hour by hour， it unfolds more of its wonderful splendor.”The endless halls shine in marble and many colors

31、. “Master Bloodless” here moves his limbs of steel and iron in the great circular hall of machinery. Works of art in metal， in stone， in Gobelins tapestry， announce the vitality of mind that is stirring in every land. Halls of paintings， splendor of flowers， everything that mind and skill can create

32、 in the workshop of the artisan， has been placed here for show. Even the memorials of ancient days， out of old graves and turf-moors， have appeared at this general meeting.The overpowering great variegated whole must be divided into small portions， and pressed together like a plaything， if it is to be understood and described.Like a great table on Christmas Eve， the Champ de Mars carried a wonder-castle of industry and art， and around this knickknacks from all countries had been ranged， knickknacks on a grand scale， for