The first story is about a mirror and its fragments

Please note! Now we're going to get started. When we hear the end of this story, we will know more than we do now, because he is a very bad imp. He's the worst guy because he's the devil. One day he was very happy because he had made a mirror. This mirror has one characteristic: that is, all that is good and beautiful, when it is reflected in it, shrinks into a ball and becomes nothing; However, something that has no value and is ugly will stand out and look worse than the original. The most beautiful scenery will look like boiled spinach in this mirror; The best people are either disgusting, with their heads down, their feet up, without a body, and their faces are distorted and unrecognizable. If you have a freckle, you need not doubt that it can expand to cover your nose and mouth.

The devil said, "It's funny." When a pious and kind thought appears in a person's heart, it manifests itself in this mirror as a toothy grin. Then the devil laughed triumphantly at his ingenious invention. Those who have been to the school of the devil — because he started a school — go wherever they go, preaching that a miracle is happening right now. For the first time, they say, people can see the world and humanity as it is. They run around with this mirror, so that there is not a country or people that has not been distorted in it. Now they want to fly into the sky and laugh at Angel or "our God." The higher the mirror flew with them, the more it grinned. They could barely hold it. They flew higher and higher, closer to God and Angel; Then the mirror and its strange smile began to shake horribly, causing it to fall from their hands to the ground, and fall into hundreds of millions, hundreds of billions, and countless pieces. In this way, the mirror does something even more unfortunate than before, because there are many fragments smaller than grains of sand. They fly around the world, and as long as they fly into people's eyes, they stick there and don't move. These people don't look right at all, or only see the bad side of things, because each little piece still has the magic of the whole mirror. Some people even have such a fragment hidden in their hearts, and unfortunately, this heart turns into an ice cube.

Some of the pieces were large enough to be used as glass in a window, but it was not appropriate to look through such glass to see one's friends. Some of the pieces were made into glasses. If people want to wear such glasses to see things correctly or judge things fairly, that's also wrong. This caused the devil to laugh and make his stomach hurt with laughter, because he was very happy with such a thing. However, there were still a few pieces of debris flying in the air outside. Now let's hear it!

The second story is a little boy and a little girl

In a big city, there are so many houses and inhabitants, so little space, people don't even have a small garden. As a result, most people have to settle for a few flowers in a pot. There lived two poor children who had a garden that was slightly larger than a flower pot. They are not brother and sister, but they are very dear to each other, like brother and sister. Their parents lived in two attics facing each other. The roofs of the two houses almost collided; There is a water pipe under the two eaves; Each room has a small window open. One can get through one window to that one just by crossing the water pipe.

The parents of each family had a large box with a small rose and the vegetables they needed. The roses in both boxes are very beautiful. Now the two parents lay the box horizontally on the water pipe, and the ends of the box almost touched the windows on both sides, like two embankments full of flowers. The pea vine hangs over the box, and the rose sticks out of its long branches. They coiled in the window and intertwined with each other, almost like a triumphal arch woven of green leaves and flowers. Because the box was so high, the children knew that they could not climb on it casually, but sometimes they were allowed to climb up, and the two came together and sat down on a small stool under the roses. They can have a good time here.

This pastime will be over in the winter. The windows are often covered with ice. But then they heated a copper plate on the stove and pressed it against the windowpane, dissolving a small, round peephole! Behind the peephole in each window there is a beautiful, gentle eyeball peeking in. That's the little boy and the little girl. The boy's name was Gay; The girl's name is Gerda.

In the summer, they are just a hop away from coming together; In winter, though, you have to walk down a long ladder and then climb a long ladder. Snowflakes were flying outside.

"That's white bees gathering." Said the elderly grandmother.

"Do they have a queen bee too?" The little boy asked. Because he knows that a real bee colony has a queen bee.

"Yes, they have one!" Grandmother said, "Wherever there is the most dense bees, she will fly." She is the biggest bee. She never lived quietly in this world; She flew into the dense colony in a few moments. She used to fly through the streets of the city on winter nights and look out the window. There were strange ice cubes on the windows, as if they were blooming flowers. ”

"Yes, I've seen this!" The two children said in unison. They know it's true.

"Can the Snow Queen come in here?" The little girl asked.

"As long as you let her in," said the boy, "I'm going to ask her to sit on the warm stove, and she'll melt into water." ”

But the old grandmother cut his hair and told other stories.

In the evening, when little Gay was at home and halfway undressed, he climbed into the chair by the window and looked out through the little peephole. Several snowflakes were falling slowly, the largest of them falling on the edge of the flower box. The snowflake grew bigger and bigger, and finally turned into a woman. She was draped in the thinnest white veil of snowflakes like countless stars. She was very beautiful and delicate, but she was made of ice—shining, shining ice. Yet she was alive: her eyes shone like two bright stars; But there was no peace in her eyes, and there was no silence. She nodded and beckoned to Gay. The little boy became scared. He jumped out of his chair and felt as if a giant bird was flying outside the window.

The next day there was a frost...... Then it's time to thaw...... Spring has arrived. The sun is shining, green shoots are popping up, swallows are nesting, windows are open, and children are sitting high in the little garden on the top of the building.

The roses are blooming so beautifully this summer! The little girl recited a hymn that mentioned roses. When she talks about roses, she can't help but think of her own flowers. So she sang this hymn to the little boy, and he sang it too:

The valley is full of roses,

There we meet the Child Jesus.

The two little ones held hands, kissed the roses, looked at the shining sun of God, and spoke to it as if the Holy Child Jesus were there. What a sunny summer! Outside, among the roses, how beautiful it was—as if the roses never bloomed!

Gay and Gerda sat looking at a picture book of birds and animals. At this time, the bell on the tower of the cathedral struck exactly five times. So Ghai said, "Ah! Something pierced my heart! Something fell into my eyes! ”

The little girl put her arms around his neck. He blinked. No, he didn't see anything.

"I don't think there's anything left!" He said. But that's not the case. It was a shard of glass that had cracked from the mirror. We remember very well that it was a magic mirror, an ugly piece of glass. It shines a light on all that is great and good, and abomination, but it highlights all that is vulgar and sinful, and draws attention to the shortcomings of every thing. Poor little Gay's heart was glued to such a fragment, and his heart immediately became like an ice cube. He was not unpleasant, but the fragments were hidden in his heart.

"Why are you crying?" He asked. "This makes you look so ugly! I don't like it at all. Bah! He suddenly cried out, "That rose has been eaten by worms!" You see, this one is crooked, too! They're ugly roses! They're like the box that planted them! ”

So he kicked the box so hard that he pulled out all the two roses.

"Gay, what are you doing?" The little girl cried out.

As soon as he saw her frightened look, he immediately plucked another rose. So he jumped into his window, leaving the gentle little Gerda outside.

When she walked in with the picture book, he said that it was only for nursing children. When his grandmother was telling stories, he always inserted a "but......", and when he had the chance, he secretly followed her, wearing a pair of reading glasses, and spoke like her: he learned it so skillfully that everyone laughed at him. Soon he learned to imitate the conversation and walking of pedestrians on the street. Everything that is strange and ugly in people, Gay will imitate. Everyone said, "This kid, he must have a special mind!" But it's all because he has a shard of glass in his eye and a shard of glass in his heart. He even laughed at little Gorda, the Gerda who loved him with all his heart.

His game is obviously a little different than before, and he plays much smarter than before. One winter day, when the snowflakes were flying, he came out with a magnifying glass and lifted the hem of his blue shirt to let the snowflakes fall on it.

"Gerda, come and see this mirror!" He said.

Each snowflake is magnified, like a beautiful flower, or a star with six sharp horns. It's really wonderful.

"Look, how ingenious that is!" "It's a lot more interesting than the real flowers: there's nothing wrong with them — as long as they don't melt and they're very neat." ”

After a while, Gay walked over wearing thick gloves and carrying a sleigh on his back. He cried out into Gerda's ear, "I got permission to go to the square—many other children were playing there." So he departed.

In the square, the most daring children used to tie their sleighs to the back of the countrymen's carriages and sit on them for long distances. They ran with great pleasure. While they were playing, a big sleigh slid over. It was painted snow-white, and on it sat a man dressed in a thick-haired white leather robe and a thick-haired white hat. The sleigh slid around the square twice. So Gay hurriedly tied his sleigh to it and skated with it. It slid faster and faster until it reached a nearby street. The man on the sled turned around and nodded kindly to Gay. They seemed to know each other. Every time Ghai tried to untie his little sleigh, the man nodded to him again; So Gay sat down again. And so they kept sliding out of the gates. The snow was falling so tightly that the boy couldn't see his fingers, but he was still sliding forward. He was now quickening the rope to get out of the sled. But it didn't work at all, and his little sleigh was fastened tightly. They slide forward like the wind. Then he cried out loudly, but no one paid any attention to him. Snowflakes are flying, and so are sleds. From time to time, they leap upwards as if flying over fences and ditches. He was very scared. He missed the prayer, but all he remembered was the multiplication table.

The snow is getting heavier and heavier. At the end, the snowflakes look like giant white chickens. The big sleigh suddenly jumped to the side and stopped; The man in the sled stood up. The man's fur coat and hat were made entirely of snowflakes. It turned out to be a woman, tall and slender, with a white glow all over her body. She is the Snow Queen.

"We're gliding well," she said, "but you're shivering from the cold, aren't you?" Get into my leather coat. ”

She carried him into her sleigh and sat him beside her, and she wrapped him in her own leather coat. It was as if he had fallen into a snowdrift.

"Are you still cold?" She asked, kissing him on the forehead.

Yes! This kiss is colder than ice! It had been seeping into his half-frozen heart—he felt as if he was dying. However, this feeling didn't last long, and I immediately felt comfortable. He also no longer felt the cold around him.

"My sled! Don't forget my sleigh! ”

It was the first thing that came to his mind. It was already firmly tied to a white chicken, which was flying behind them with a sleigh on its back. The Snow Queen kissed Gay again. Since then, he has completely forgotten little Gerda, his grandmother and all the people in the family.

"You don't need any more kisses now," she said, "because if you ask again, I'll kiss you to death." ”

Gary looked at her. She was so beautiful that he couldn't imagine a more beautiful and intelligent face. Unlike when she used to sit outside the window and wave to him, she didn't look like snow at all. In his eyes, she was flawless; He wasn't scared at all. He told her that he could do mental arithmetic, and that he could even calculate the scores; He knows the entire size of the country and its inhabitants. She just smiled. At this point, he seemed to feel that he didn't know much. He looked up at the vast sky; She flew with him above the clouds. The storm was blowing and howling, as if singing an old song. They flew over woods and lakes, over the sea and land; Below them, the cold wind howled, the jackals howled, and the snowflakes flashed. A flock of screaming crows flew overhead. But above it was a bright moon, and Gary had been looking at it all this long winter night. At dawn he fell asleep at the feet of the snow.

The third story: the garden of a woman who can do magic

When Gay didn't come back, how was little Gerda feeling? Where did he go? No one knows, no one brings any news. Some of the boys told her that they saw him tie the sleigh to a beautiful big sleigh, drive up the street, and slide out of the city gates. No one knows where he is. Many people shed tears, and little Gerda cried for a long time, especially sadly. Later it was thought he was dead—he fell into the river that flowed through the city and drowned. Ah, what a dark and long winter day it was!

Now spring is coming with the warm rays of the sun.

"Gay is dead, gone!" Tiny Gerda said.

"I don't believe it!" Sunlight said.

"He's dead, gone!" She said to the swallow.

"I don't believe it!" They replied. In the end, little Gerda himself didn't believe it anymore.

"I'm going to put on my new red shoes," she said one morning, "shoes that Gay has never seen before." Then I went to the river to look for him! ”

It was still early in the morning. She kissed her sleeping grandmother, and put on her red shoes, and went out of the city alone to the river.

"Did you really take my dear playmate with you? If you give him back to me, I'll give you these red shoes! ”

She seemed to feel the waves nodding strangely at her. So she took off her most beloved thing, the red shoes. She threw the shoes into the river. But they landed very close to the shore, and the waves brought them back to shore and returned them to her. The river seems reluctant to accept her beloved thing, because it has not taken away her dear Gai. But she didn't think she had thrown the shoes far enough. So he got into a boat that was parked in the reeds. She walked to the other end of the boat and threw the shoes out. But the boat was not fastened, and she drifted it off the shore as soon as she moved. As soon as she found out about this, she tried to leave the ship quickly, but before she could reach the other end, the boat was already a little Aaron (1) away from shore. It's drifting faster than before.

Little Gerda was so frightened that she began to cry. But no one could hear her, but the sparrows; And the sparrows can't send her back to land. But they flew along the riverbank, singing as if to comfort her: "Here we are! We're here! "The boat went down the river. Tiny Gerda sat still with only socks on her feet. One of her little red shoes floated behind her. But they couldn't float to the side of the boat, because the boat went fast.

Both sides of the strait are very beautiful. There were beautiful flowers and old trees on the shore, and there were hillsides with cattle and sheep, but there was no one.

"Maybe the river will send me to little Gay." Gerda thought.

Then her mood improved a little. She stood up and looked at the beautiful green banks on either side for a long time. Soon she came to a large cherry orchard. There was a small house with some strange blue and red windows, and a thatched roof, and two wooden soldiers standing outside: they saluted all who passed by by boat.

Gerda called them because she thought they were real soldiers. Of course, they won't answer. She came near them, and the river had already floated the boat to the shore.

Gerda shouted even louder. Then a very old woman came out on crutches: she wore a large straw hat with many beautiful flowers painted on it.

"You poor little darling!" The old woman said, "How did you come so far away on this rough river?" ”

So the old woman went into the water, hooked the boat with her cane, dragged it to the shore, and carried little Gerda down.

Gerda was glad that she was back on land now, but she was a little afraid of the strange old woman.

"Come on, tell me who you are? How did you get here? She said Gerda had told her everything. The old woman shook her head and said, "Humph! Hum! When Gerda had finished talking and asked her if she had seen little Gay, the old woman said that he had not yet come, but that he would come, and that Gerda should not be too sad, for she could taste the cherries and look at the flowers, which were better than any picture in the album, for each of them could tell a story. So she took Gerda by the hand, took her into the hut, and locked the door.

The windows are open high; The glass is painted red, blue and yellow. The sunlight shines in wonderfully and shines in many different colors. There are many of the best cherries on the table. Gerda ate as much as she could, because she could eat a little more, and it didn't matter. While she was eating, the old woman combed her hair with a golden comb. Her hair was fashionable in long, beautiful yellow circles, hanging from her kind little face like a blooming rose.

"I have long wished for a lovely little girl like you," said the old woman, "and now you see how the two of us will live happily together!" ”

As the old woman combed her hair, she gradually forgot about her playmate Gai, for this old woman could do magic, but she was not a vicious witch. She's just playing a little illusion for her own amusement, and at the same time she wants to keep little Gerda behind. So now she went out into the garden and pointed to all the roses with her cane. Although the flowers bloomed beautifully, they all sank into the dark ground in a few moments: no one could tell where they were. The old woman was afraid: if Gerda saw the roses, she would think of her own flowers, and therefore little Gai, and she would have run away.

She now led Gerda into the garden. Hi! How fragrant and beautiful it is! It is full of imaginable flowers and seasonal flowers: no album is so colorful and so beautiful. Gerda jumped for joy. She played until the sun went down behind the tall cherry trees. So she went to sleep in a beautiful bed; The eiderdown duvet is made of red silk with blue violets on it. Here she fell asleep and dreamed strange dreams, like a queen on her wedding day.

The next day she was able to play with the flowers in the warm sunlight – and over the course of several days, Gerda got to know each flower. Although there were many types of flowers, she seemed to feel that one was missing, but she did not know which one it was. One day she sat and stared blankly at the flowers painted on the old woman's straw hat: the most beautiful of them all was a rose. When the old woman hid all the roses in the ground, she forgot to remove the one from her hat. But if one is not careful, this will always be the case.

"Why, aren't there any roses here?" Gerda said.

So she jumped into the middle of the flowers, and searched and searched, but she could not find any of them. Then she sat down on the ground and began to weep: her tears fell precisely to the place where a rose had sunk. When the tears moistened the soil, the rose sprang up and bloomed luxuriantly, just as it had fallen into the soil. Gerda hugged it and kissed the roses, and she remembered the beautiful roses at home, and at the same time little Gai.

"Ah, how much time I've been delayed!" The little girl said. "I'm going to find little Gay! Do you know where he is? She asked the roses. Did you know he was dead? ”

"He's not dead!" Rose said. "We used to be in the field for a while, and all the dead were there. Gye wasn't there, though! ”

"Thank you!" Tiny Gerda said. So she went to the other flowers, looked into their calyxes, and asked, "Do you know where little Gay is?" ”

But every flower is basking in the sun and dreaming of its own story or fairy tale. Gerda heard a lot of these stories or fairy tales, but none of the flowers knew anything about Gay.

What did Juan Danhua say?

Have you ever heard the drum "Winter-Winter"? It always has only two tones: winter - winter! Listen to the lamentations of the women! Listen to the call of the priests! Widows in India wear red robes and stand on cremation piles. Flames burned up at her and her dead husband's bodies. But the Indian widow was thinking of one of the living men in the crowd standing around her: this man's eyes burned hotter than flames, and the fire in his eyes penetrated her heart hotter than the flames that were about to burn her body to ashes. Will the flame in the heart die in the flames on the cremation pile?

"I don't understand this at all!" Tiny Gerda said.

"That's the fairy tale I'm going to tell." Juan Danhua said.

What does Morning Glory say?

An old castle looms on a narrow mountain road. Its ancient red walls are covered with dense ivy. One by one, the leaves climbed up to the balcony. There was a beautiful girl standing on the balcony. She bent over the railing and glanced out into the road. The flowers on any rose branch were not as bright as hers. Any apple blossom blowing in the wind was not as light as she was. Her beautiful silk garments made a crisp rustle!

"Hasn't he come yet?"

"Do you mean Gai?" Little Gerda asked.

"I'm just telling my fairy tales—my dreams!" Morning glory replied.

What does Snowball say?

There was a long plank hanging from a rope between the trees. It's a swing. Two beautiful little girls, dressed as white as snow and wearing hats with long green ribbons, were sitting on them and playing swings. Their brother stood on the swing, holding himself steady with his arm on the rope, as he held a small saucer in one hand and a clay cigarette holder in the other. He's blowing soap bubbles. The swings flew, as did the beautiful soap bubbles of all colors. The last soap bubble still hangs on the cigarette holder, swaying in the wind. The swings are flying; A little black dog as light as a soap bubble stood up on its hind legs and tried to climb on top of the swing as well. The swing continued to fly, and the puppy rolled down, barking, and angry. Everyone laughed at it, and the soap bubble burst. A flying swing board and a burst bubble – that's my song!

"The story you're telling may be beautiful, but you're telling it so miserably, and you don't mention little Gay."

What did Hyacinth say?

Once upon a time there were three beautiful, transparent, delicate sisters. The first was dressed in red, the second in blue, and the third in white. They danced arm in arm by a silent lake in the bright moonlight. They weren't mountain demons. They are the daughters of the earth. The air is filled with sweet aromas! The girls vanished in the woods. So the aroma becomes stronger. Three coffins—in which lay the three beautiful maidens—floated out of the bushes to the lake. Fireflies flew above them, like tiny flying lights. The dancing girls are sleeping, or are they dead. The scent of the flowers says they're dead, and Twilight makes mourning noises!

"You have made me feel strangely sad," said little Gerda, "and you give off such a strong fragrance that I cannot help thinking of the dead girls." Hi, is little Gai really dead? The roses had gone down to the ground to see them, and they said no. ”

"Ding! While! "The hyacinth's bell is ringing." We didn't knock for little Gay – we didn't know him! We just sang our song—the only song we knew. ”

Gerda walked over to the golden phoenix. The flower smiles among the glittering green leaves.

"You are a shining little sun," Gerda said. "Tell me, if you know, where can I find my playmate?"

The goldenrod radiated a beautiful brilliance and glanced at Gerda again. What kind of song will the golden phoenix sing? This song has nothing to do with Gai.

In a small courtyard, the sun of our God shines warmly on the first day of spring. Its light glided across the white walls of the neighbor's house. Nearby, the first yellow flowers bloomed, shining like gold in the warm sunlight. The old grandmother sat in a chair outside the door, and her granddaughter, a very beautiful poor little girl, was returning home for a short visit. She kissed her grandmother. There is gold hidden in this happy kiss, the gold in the heart. The lips are gold, the whole body is gold, and this morning hour is also gold. This one! That's my story!

Jin Fenghua said.

"My poor old grandmother!" Gerda said with a sigh. "Yes, she must be missing me, worrying about me, just as she was worried about little Gay. But I'm going home soon, and I'm going home with Gay. It is of no use to inquire about these flowers. They only know how to sing their own songs, and they can't tell me any news! So she tied up her little blouse so that she could run faster. But when she jumped over the daffodils, the flowers tripped her legs. She paused to look at the long flower and asked, "Maybe you know a little bit of news?" ”

So she bent down to the flower. What does this flower say?

I can see myself! I can see myself! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! How fragrant I am! In that little penthouse stood a little dancer: she stood on one leg and on two legs. Her heels jump all over the world. She's just an illusion. She pours water from a teapot onto one of her cloths – it's her tight top – and it's a good habit to love cleanliness! Her white robe hung from a nail. It was also washed in a teapot and dried on the roof: she wore it and wore an orange turban around her neck to make it whiter. Her legs stilted. Look at the look on her standing on one leg. I can see myself! I can see myself!

"It doesn't interest me at all!" Gerda said. "It doesn't mean anything to me at all!" So she ran to the end of the garden. The door is locked. But she twisted the rusty lock, and it loosened, and the door opened. So little Gerda ran outside with a pair of bare feet. She looked back three times, and no one was chasing her. Eventually, she couldn't run, so she sat down on a large rock. When she looked around, summer was over—it was late autumn. In that beautiful garden, one doesn't notice it – there's always the sun, there's always the flowers of the four seasons.

"Ahem! What a time I've wasted! Little Gerda said. It's autumn! I can't rest anymore! So she stood up and walked on. Oh! How sore and tired her little feet were! All around is a cold and gloomy landscape. The leaves of the willow trees were already yellow, and the mist turned into water dripping down on them. The leaves are falling in a flurry. Only the hawthorn bears fruit, so sour that the teeth fall out. Yes! How gray and desolate this vast world is!

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

(1) The length of Denmark is equal to 0.627 meters.

The fourth story is the prince and the princess

Gerda had to take another break. On the opposite side of the spot where she was sitting, a large crow jumped over in the snow. The crow had been sitting for a long time, staring at her and turning its head. Now it says, "Quack! Wail! Good day! Good day! It was the only sound it could make, and it had a good impression of this little girl. It asked her where she wanted to go alone in this big world. Gerda deeply understands the meaning of the word "alone". She told the raven all about her life and what had happened to her, and asked if it had ever seen Gay.

The crow nodded thoughtfully, and said, "You may have seen it!" You may have seen it! ”

"What, have you really seen it?" The little girl cried out, and almost suffocated the crow—she kissed it so passionately.

"Lighten up! Lighter! Raven said. I'm sure it could be little Gay! But he forgot about you because of that princess! ”

"Is he living with a princess?" Gerda asked.

"Yes, listen to it!" The raven said, "But it's too hard for me to speak your language." If you can understand the language of the crow, then I can speak it more clearly! ”

"No, I didn't learn!" "But my grandmother knew and could speak the language." I only wish I had learned it too. ”

"It doesn't matter!" "I'll try to make it as clear as I can," said the crow, "but the more I speak, the more confused I become." ”

So the raven told him all he knew.

"In the kingdom where we are now, there is a very wise princess. She had read all the newspapers in the world and then forgot about them because she was so smart. Recently she sat on the throne – which is said to be not very interesting – when she hummed a song that all this was: 'Why don't I get married now?' She said: 'Yes, there is truth in that.' That's why she wanted to get married. But what she wanted from her husband was that when people spoke to him, he had to be able to answer, not just to stand there, but to look good—because it was weird and nasty. So she summoned all the maids-in-waiting, and when they learned of her intentions, they were all very happy. 'Yay! They said: 'Not long ago we had this opinion.' Believe me that every word I say to you is true! Raven said. I had a very tame lover who could come and go freely in the palace, so she told me everything. ”

Of course, the so-called "lover" is nothing more than a crow, because a crow will only look for something similar - it will always be a crow.

"All the newspapers were published at once, and the first letters of the princess's name were printed on the sides of the newspapers as decorations. One reads that every beautiful young man is free to come to the palace and talk to the princess, and that the princess is to choose her husband if the person who talks to him can make people think that he is unrestrained and fluent! Yes! The raven said, "Believe me." My words are true, and there is no half-truth. Young people arrived in droves. When they come out into the streets, they will say anything; But when they entered the palace door together, and saw the guards in silver uniforms, and the servants in gold uniforms standing on the steps, and the glittering hall, they could not say anything, but repeated the last word of the princess's words—and she did not listen to her own again. It was as if their bellies were full of snuff and they had fallen asleep. Only when they are back in the street can they speak. These people stood in a long line from the city gate to the palace gate. I went to see it myself once! Raven said. They became hungry and thirsty, but when they got to the palace they could not get even a glass of warm water. The smartest men brought a little buttered bread with them, but they didn't give it to the people next to them, because they thought, 'Let this guy look like a hungry ghost, the princess won't want him!' ’”

"But what about Gay, little Gay?" Gerda asked, "When will he come?" Will he be among them? ”

"Wait! Wait! We're going to talk about him in a moment! It was only on the third day that a small figure arrived. He didn't ride a horse, he didn't ride in a chariot. He strode happily into the palace. His eyes, like yours, shine brightly. His hair was long and thin, but his clothes were shabby! ”

"That's Gay!" Gerda said happily, "Oh, I've finally found him!" So she clapped her hands.

"He's got a little bag on his back!" Raven said.

"No, it must be his sleigh!" "Because he's going with a sled." ”

"Or maybe it's!" The raven said, "Because I didn't look at it closely!" But I heard from my tame lover that he did not panic at all when he entered the palace door and saw the guards in silver uniforms and the servants in gold uniforms on the steps. He nodded, and said to them, 'It must be a tiresome job to stand on these steps—I'd rather go in!' The candlelight in the hall shone like day. Privy counsellors and ministers walked barefoot with gold plates. It gives rise to a sense of solemnity! His boots creaked, but he wasn't scared at all! ”

"This must be Gay!" Gerda said. "I know he's wearing a new pair of boots; I heard them squeak and squeak in my grandmother's room. ”

"Yes, they do make noises!" "He bravely went all the way to the princess, who sat on a pearl the size of a spinning wheel," said the raven. All the maids and their rings and their rings, all the courtiers and their servants and the servants of the servants, each with a servant, stood around. The closer they stood to the door, the more they looked amazing! The servant's servant's servant, who was always in uniform, almost made no one dare to look at him, for he stood at the door with great pride! ”

"This must be terrible!" Little Gerda said, "But did Gay get the princess?" ”

"If I weren't a raven, I could have her, even though I'm already engaged. He speaks like I speak crows—I heard this from my tame lover. He was both brave and likable. He had not come to propose to the princess, but to hear her wisdom, and he had taken a fancy to her; She also took a fancy to him. ”

"Yes, it must be Gay!" Gerda said. "He's so smart, he can do mental arithmetic, all the way down to the score. Oh! Can you take me to the palace? ”

"That's easier said than done!" Raven said. But how do we do it? Let me start with my tame lover. She might give us a little advice. I'll tell you something - a girl as young as you wouldn't normally be allowed to go inside. ”

"Yes, I've got permission!" Gerda said. "When Gay knew I was coming, he would have walked out and invited me in."

"Please wait for me at the gaterail." The crow said, and it turned its head and flew away.

When the crow returned, it had been dark for a long time.

"Quack! Wail! It says, "I greet you on behalf of my beloved." This is a small slice of bread that I brought you. This is what she took out of the kitchen. There's a lot of bread there. You must be hungry right now! …… It is impossible for you to go to the palace, because you are barefoot. The guards in silver uniforms and the servants in gold uniforms won't let you in. But please don't cry; You can still go in. My wife knows a small back staircase leading to the bedroom, and she knows where to get the key! ”

So they went out into the garden and walked on a wide boulevard. Here the leaves are falling. When the lights in the palace were extinguished one by one, the crow took little Gerda to the back door. The door was ajar.

Cough! How Gerda's frightened and anxious heart was beating! It was as if she was doing something bad; However, all she wanted to know was a tiny little Gay. Yes, that must be him. She was vividly recalling his bright eyes and long hair. She could imagine how he was smiling—the kind of smile he had when he sat under the rose tree at home. He must have been glad to see her; Hearing that she had traveled so far to find him; Hearing how sad the family was for his departure. Ah, it frightens and delights at the same time.

They are now up the stairs. There was a small lamp lit on the cupboard; In the center of the room stood the tame crow. It tilted its head around and looked at Gerda. She curtsy as her grandmother taught her (1).

"My little girl, my fiancé has spoken of you very well," said the tame crow, "and your origins—so we may speak—are very touching! Could you please pick up the lamp? I can lead the way before you. We can keep going because we won't run into anyone. ”

"I felt like someone was following me." Gerda said that something had slipped past her; It seemed to be a shadow on the wall, a thin-legged, leaping red-maned horse, a young hunter, and gentlemen and ladies on horseback.

"These things are just a dream!" Raven said. "They came to take the minds of these nobles out on a safari. This is a great thing because then you can watch them a little longer while they are sleeping. But I hope that when you will be prosperous and rich in the future, please do not forget me! ”

"Of course it's not a problem!" The crow in the woods said.

They now walked into the first hall. On the walls are many pink satin embroidered with flowers. Here, Dream ran past them, but it was so fast that Gerda didn't have time to check on the dignitaries. The second hall is always prettier than the first. Yes, a person will look dizzy! Finally they made their way to the bedroom. Here, the ceiling resembles a canopy of palm trees with glass—precious glass—leaves. In the center of the room were two beds suspended from a thick gold pole, each like a lily. One is white, and in it sleeps the princess; The other is red, and Gerda hopes to find little Gai in it. She parted a red petal, and she saw a brown neck. Oh, that's Gay! She shouted his name aloud as she brought the lamp to him. Dream came into the room on his horse again, and he woke up and turned around, but—he wasn't little Gay!

The prince only had a neck similar to his. But he was young and beautiful. The princess peeked out from Lily's bed and asked who was here. Little Gerda began to cry and told her all the story and the help the crow had given her.

"Poor boy!" Said the prince and princess.

They complimented the crows, saying that they weren't angry with them, but that they couldn't do that kind of thing very often. Still, they deserve a reward.

"Will you fly out freely," asked the princess, "or will you be given a fixed place as a raven of the palace and enjoy the right to eat the leftovers of the kitchen?" ”

The two crows bowed and asked for a fixed place, as they thought of their old age. They say, "It's always good to have some provision when you're old, as the saying goes." ”

The prince climbed out of bed and let Gerda sleep in his bed—all he could do. Her little hands were crossed and she thought, "What kind things people and animals are!" So she closed her eyes and fell asleep happily. All the dreams flew in again; This time they were like Angel. They dragged a small sleigh, on which Gye sat and nodded. It's all just a dream. As soon as she woke up, the dreams were gone.

The next day she was dressed in silk and velvet. Someone proposed to her that she be invited to stay in the palace and enjoy a happy time. But all she asked for was a horse-drawn cart and a pair of small boots. So that she could drive outside again and look for Gay.

Not only did she get a pair of boots, but she also got a hand warmer and was dressed in clean and neat clothes. When she was about to leave, a car made of pure gold stopped outside the door and waited for her. The coat of arms of the prince and princess shines like a star on it. The coachman, the attendant, and the rider—for there were riders—all wore garments embroidered with a golden crown. The prince and princess personally helped her into the car and wished her a safe journey. The crow in the woods, which was now married, accompanied her along the first three miles of Denmark (2). It sat next to Gerda, for it could not stand it if it sat with its back to the horse. The other crow stood in the doorway, flapping its wings. She couldn't walk with them because she had a bit of a headache that was caused by the amount she had eaten since she got that permanent position. The walls of the car are filled with sweet biscuits, and the seats are filled with ginger biscuits and fruit.

"Goodbye! Goodbye! The prince and princess cried, and little Gerda began to weep, and so did the raven. They walked together for the first few miles, and the crow said goodbye—the saddest parting of all. The crow flew up to a tree, flapping its black wings until it could no longer see the carriage, which shone like a bright sun.

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(1) This is a Norse etiquette, when performing this salute, bend the knee of the left leg and nod your head. Elementary school students in Northern Europe (especially Sweden) still practice this salute when they meet their teachers on the street.

(2) One Danish mile is approximately equal to fifteen miles of our unit of calculation.