第158章
《安徒生童话英文版 全TXT版》章节:第158章,宠文网网友提供全文无弹窗免费在线阅读。!
asked he.
"That depends upon yourself," replied the fairy. "If you do not,like Adam, long for what is forbidden, you can remain here always."
"I should not touch the fruit on the tree of knowledge," saidthe prince; there is abundance of fruit equally beautiful."
"Examine your own heart," said the princess, "and if you do notfeel sure of its strength, return with the East Wind who broughtyou. He is about to fly back, and will not return here for a hundredyears. The time will not seem to you more than a hundred hours, yeteven that is a long time for temptation and resistance. Every evening,when I leave you, I shall be obliged to say, 'Come with me,' and tobeckon to you with my hand. But you must not listen, nor move fromyour place to follow me; for with every step you will find yourpower to resist weaker. If once you attempted to follow me, youwould soon find yourself in the hall, where grows the tree ofknowledge, for I sleep beneath its perfumed branches. If you stoopedover me, I should be forced to smile. If you then kissed my lips,the garden of paradise would sink into the earth, and to you itwould be lost. A keen wind from the desert would howl around you; coldrain fall on your head, and sorrow and woe be your future lot."
"I will remain," said the prince.
So the East Wind kissed him on the forehead, and said, "Be firm;then shall we meet again when a hundred years have passed. Farewell,farewell." Then the East Wind spread his broad pinions, which shonelike the lightning in harvest, or as the northern lights in a coldwinter.
"Farewell, farewell," echoed the trees and the flowers.
Storks and pelicans flew after him in feathery bands, to accompanyhim to the boundaries of the garden.
"Now we will commence dancing," said the fairy; and when it isnearly over at sunset, while I am dancing with you, I shall make asign, and ask you to follow me: but do not obey. I shall be obliged torepeat the same thing for a hundred years; and each time, when thetrial is past, if you resist, you will gain strength, tillresistance becomes easy, and at last the temptation will be quiteovercome. This evening, as it will be the first time, I have warnedyou."
After this the fairy led him into a large hall, filled withtransparent lilies. The yellow stamina of each flower formed a tinygolden harp, from which came forth strains of music like the mingledtones of flute and lyre. Beautiful maidens, slender and graceful inform, and robed in transparent gauze, floated through the dance, andsang of the happy life in the garden of paradise, where death neverentered, and where all would bloom forever in immortal youth. As thesun went down, the whole heavens became crimson and gold, and tintedthe lilies with the hue of roses. Then the beautiful maidens offeredto the prince sparkling wine; and when he had drank, he felt happinessgreater than he had ever known before. Presently the background of thehall opened and the tree of knowledge appeared, surrounded by a haloof glory that almost blinded him. Voices, soft and lovely as hismother's sounded in his ears, as if she were singing to him, "Mychild, my beloved child." Then the fairy beckoned to him, and saidin sweet accents, "Come with me, come with me." Forgetting hispromise, forgetting it even on the very first evening, he rushedtowards her, while she continued to beckon to him and to smile. Thefragrance around him overpowered his senses, the music from theharps sounded more entrancing, while around the tree appeared millionsof smiling faces, nodding and singing. "Man should know everything;man is the lord of the earth." The tree of knowledge no longer wepttears of blood, for the dewdrops shone like glittering stars.
"Come, come," continued that thrilling voice, and the princefollowed the call. At every step his cheeks glowed, and the bloodrushed wildly through his veins. "I must follow," he cried; "it is nota sin, it cannot be, to follow beauty and joy. I only want to seeher sleep, and nothing will happen unless I kiss her, and that Iwill not do, for I have strength to resist, and a determined will."
The fairy threw off her dazzling attire, bent back the boughs, andin another moment was hidden among them.
"I have not sinned yet," said the prince, "and I will not;" andthen he pushed aside the boughs to follow the princess. She waslying already asleep, beautiful as only a fairy in the garden ofparadise could be. She smiled as he bent over her, and he saw tearstrembling out of her beautiful eyelashes. "Do you weep for me?"