第388章
《安徒生童话英文版 全TXT版》章节:第388章,宠文网网友提供全文无弹窗免费在线阅读。!
That's difficult forme to understand, however enlightened I may be with sun, moon,stearine, train oil, and tallow. My old wood-work and my oldbrick-work will rise again from the dust!
"I will hope that I may keep my old thoughts, the father in themill, and the mother, great ones and little ones- the family; for Icall them all, great and little, the company of thoughts, because Imust, and cannot refrain from it.
"And I must also remain 'myself,' with my throat in my chest, mywings on my head, the gallery round my body; else I should not knowmyself, nor could the others know me, and say, 'There's the mill onthe hill, proud to look at, and yet not proud at all.'"
That is what the mill said. Indeed, it said much more, but that isthe most important part.
And the days came, and the days went, and yesterday was the lastday.
Then the mill caught fire. The flames rose up high, and beat outand in, and bit at the beams and planks, and ate them up. The millfell, and nothing remained of it but a heap of ashes. The smokedrove across the scene of the conflagration, and the wind carried itaway.
Whatever had been alive in the mill remained, and what had beengained by it has nothing to do with this story.
The miller's family- one soul, many thoughts, and yet only one-built a new, a splendid mill, which answered its purpose. It was quitelike the old one, and people said, "Why, yonder is the mill on thehill, proud to look at!" But this mill was better arranged, moreaccording to the time than the last, so that progress might be made.The old beams had become worm-eaten and spongy- they lay in dust andashes. The body of the mill did not rise out of the dust as they hadbelieved it would do. They had taken it literally, and all thingsare not to be taken literally.
THE END.
1872
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT
by Hans Christian Andersen
THAT was a terrible affair!" said a hen, and in a quarter of thetown, too, where it had not taken place. "That was a terrible affairin a hen-roost. I cannot sleep alone to-night. It is a good thing thatmany of us sit on the roost together." And then she told a storythat made the feathers on the other hens bristle up, and the cock'scomb fall. There was no doubt about it.
But we will begin at the beginning, and that is to be found in ahen-roost in another part of the town. The sun was setting, and thefowls were flying on to their roost; one hen, with white feathersand short legs, used to lay her eggs according to the regulations, andwas, as a hen, respectable in every way. As she was flying upon theroost, she plucked herself with her beak, and a little feather cameout.
"There it goes," she said; "the more I pluck, the more beautifuldo I get." She said this merrily, for she was the best of the hens,and, moreover, as had been said, very respectable. With that shewent to sleep.
It was dark all around, and hen sat close to hen, but the onewho sat nearest to her merry neighbour did not sleep. She had heardand yet not heard, as we are often obliged to do in this world, inorder to live at peace; but she could not keep it from her neighbouron the other side any longer. "Did you hear what was said? I mentionno names, but there is a hen here who intends to pluck herself inorder to look well. If I were a cock, I should despise her."
Just over the fowls sat the owl, with father owl and the littleowls. The family has sharp ears, and they all heard every word thattheir neighbour had said. They rolled their eyes, and mother owl,beating her wings, said: "Don't listen to her!