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Little Mermaid - Hans Christian Andersen · Fiction Library

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Speaker 1: Part one of The Little Mermaid. This is a LibriVox recording.
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Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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Speaker 1: information nor a volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
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Speaker 1: by Phil Schinevert The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen,
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Speaker 1: Part one. Far out at sea, the water is as
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Speaker 1: blue as the bluest corn flower, and as clear as
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Speaker 1: the clearest crystal. But it is very deep, too deep
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Speaker 1: for any cable to fathom. And if many steeples were
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Speaker 1: piled on the top of one another, they would not
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Speaker 1: reach from the bed of the sea to the surface
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Speaker 1: of the water. It is down there that the mermen live. Now.
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Speaker 1: Don't imagine that there are only bare white sands at
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Speaker 1: the bottom. Oh No, the most wonderful trees and plants
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Speaker 1: grow there, with such flexible stalk and leaves that at
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Speaker 1: the slightest motion of the water they move just as
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Speaker 1: if they were alive. All the fish, big and little
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Speaker 1: glide among the branches, just as up here birds glide
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Speaker 1: through the air. The palace of the Merman King lies
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Speaker 1: in the very deepest part. Its walls are of coral,
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Speaker 1: and the long pointed windows of the clearest amber but
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Speaker 1: the roof is made of mussel shells, which open and
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Speaker 1: shut with the lapping of the water. This has a
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Speaker 1: lovely effect, for there are gleaming pearls in every shell,
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Speaker 1: any one of which would be the pride of a
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Speaker 1: queen's crown. The Merman king had been for many years
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Speaker 1: a widower, but his old mother kept house for him.
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Speaker 1: She was a clever woman, but so proud of her
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Speaker 1: noble birth that she wore twelve oysters on her tail,
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Speaker 1: while the other grandees were only allowed sick. Otherwise, she
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Speaker 1: was worthy of all praise, especially because she was so
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Speaker 1: fond of the little mermaid princesses, her grandchildren. They were
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Speaker 1: six beautiful children, but the youngest was the prettiest of all.
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Speaker 1: Her skin was as soft and delicate as a rose leaf,
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Speaker 1: her eyes as blue as the deepest sea. But like
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Speaker 1: all the others, she had no feet, and instead of legs,
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Speaker 1: she had a fish's tail. All the livelong day they
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Speaker 1: used to play in the palace, in the great halls,
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Speaker 1: where living flowers grew out of the walls. When the
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Speaker 1: great amber windows were thrown open, the fish swam in,
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Speaker 1: just as the swallows fly into our rooms when we
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Speaker 1: opened the windows, but the fish swam right up to
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Speaker 1: the little princesses, ate out of their hands and allowed
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Speaker 1: themselves to be patted. Outside the palace was a large
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Speaker 1: garden with fiery red and deep blue trees, the fruit
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Speaker 1: of which shone like gold, while the flowers glowed like
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Speaker 1: fire on their ceaselessly waving stalks. The ground was of
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Speaker 1: the finest sand, but it was of a blue phosphorescent tint.
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Speaker 1: Everything was bathed in a wondrous blue light. Down there,
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Speaker 1: you might more readily have supposed yourself to be high
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Speaker 1: up in the air, with only the sky above and
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Speaker 1: below you, than that you were at the bottom of
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Speaker 1: the ocean in a dead calm. You could just catch
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Speaker 1: a glimpse of the sun, like a purple flower, with
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Speaker 1: streams of light radiating from its calyx. Each little princess
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Speaker 1: had her own little plot of garden, where she could
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Speaker 1: dig and plant just as she liked. One made her
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Speaker 1: flower bed in the shape of a whale. Another thought
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Speaker 1: it nice to have hers like a little mermaid. But
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Speaker 1: the youngest made her quite round like the sun, and
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Speaker 1: she would only have flowers of a rosy hue like
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Speaker 1: its beams. She was a curious child, quiet and thoughtful.
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Speaker 1: And while the other sisters decked out their gardens with
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Speaker 1: all kinds of extraordinary objects which they got from wrecks,
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Speaker 1: she would have nothing beside the rosy flowers like the
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Speaker 1: sun up above, except a statue of a beautiful boy.
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Speaker 1: It was hewn out of the purest white marble, and
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Speaker 1: had gone to the bottom from some wreck. By the
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Speaker 1: statue she planted a rosy red weeping willow, which grew splendidly,
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Speaker 1: and the fresh, delicate branches hung round and over it
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Speaker 1: till they almost touched the blue sand, where the shadows
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Speaker 1: showed violet and were ever moving like the branches. It
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Speaker 1: looked as if the leaves and the roots were playfully
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Speaker 1: interchanging kisses. Nothing gave her greater pleasure than to hear
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Speaker 1: about the world of human beings up above. She made
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Speaker 1: her old grandmother tell her all that she knew about
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Speaker 1: ships and towns, people and animals. But above all, it
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Speaker 1: seemed strangely beautiful to her that up on the earth
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Speaker 1: the flowers were scented, for they were not so at
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Speaker 1: the bottom of the sea. Also that the woods were green,
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Speaker 1: and that the fish which were to be seen among
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Speaker 1: the branches could sing so loudly and sweetly that it
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Speaker 1: was a delight to listen to them. You see, the
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Speaker 1: grandmother called little birds fish, or the mermaids would not
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Speaker 1: have understood her, as they had never seen a bird.
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Speaker 1: When you are fifteen, said the grandmother, you will be
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Speaker 1: allowed to rise up from the sea and sit on
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Speaker 1: the rocks in the moonlight, and look at the big
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Speaker 1: ships sailing by, and you will also see woods and towns.
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Speaker 1: One of the sisters would be fifteen the following year,
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Speaker 1: but the others, well, they were each one year younger
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Speaker 1: than the other, so that the youngest had five whole
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Speaker 1: years to wait before she would be allowed to come
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Speaker 1: up from the bottom to see what things were like
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Speaker 1: on earth. But each one promised the others to give
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Speaker 1: a full account of all that she had seen and
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Speaker 1: found most wonderful on the first day. Their grandmother could
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Speaker 1: never tell them enough, for there were so many things
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Speaker 1: about which they wanted information. None of them was so
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Speaker 1: full of longings as the youngest, the very one who
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Speaker 1: had the longest time to wait, and who was so
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Speaker 1: quiet and dreaming. Many a night she stood by the
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Speaker 1: open windows and looked up through the dark blue water
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Speaker 1: which the fish were lashing with their tails and fins.
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Speaker 1: She could see the moon and the stars. It is
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Speaker 1: true their light was pale, but they looked much bigger
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Speaker 1: through the water than they do to our eyes. When
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Speaker 1: she saw a dark shadow glide between her and them,
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Speaker 1: she knew that it was either a whale swimming above her,
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Speaker 1: or else a ship laden with human beings. I am
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Speaker 1: certain they never dreamt that a lovely little mermaid was
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Speaker 1: standing down below, stretching up her white hands toward the keel.
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Speaker 1: The eldest Princess had now reached her fifteenth birthday and
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Speaker 1: was to venture above the water. When she came back.
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Speaker 1: She had hundreds of things to tell them, But the
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Speaker 1: most delightful of all, she said, was to lie in
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Speaker 1: the moonlight on a sand bank in a calm sea,
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Speaker 1: and to gaze at a large town close to the shore,
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Speaker 1: where the lights twinkled like hundreds of stars, To listen
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Speaker 1: to music and the noise and bustle of carriages and people,
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Speaker 1: to see the many church inspires, and to hear the
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Speaker 1: bells ringing. And just because she could not go on shore,
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Speaker 1: she longed for that most of all. Oh, how eagerly
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Speaker 1: the youngest sister listened, and when later in the evening
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Speaker 1: she stood at the open window and looked up through
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Speaker 1: the dark blue water, she thought of the big town
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Speaker 1: with all its noise and bustle, and fancied that she
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Speaker 1: could even hear the church bells ringing. The year after
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Speaker 1: the second sister was allowed to mount up through the
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Speaker 1: water and swim about wherever she liked. The sun was
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Speaker 1: just going down when she reached the surface. The most
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Speaker 1: beautiful sight she thought that she had ever seen. The
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Speaker 1: whole sky had looked like gold, she said. And as
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Speaker 1: for the clouds, well, their beauty was beyond description. They
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Speaker 1: floated in red and violet splendor over her head, and
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Speaker 1: far faster than they went, a flock of wild swans
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Speaker 1: flew like a long white veil over the water, toward
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Speaker 1: the setting sun. She swam toward it, but it sank,
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Speaker 1: and all the rosy lightling clouds and water faded away.
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Speaker 1: The year after that, the third sister went up, and,
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Speaker 1: being much the most venturesome of them all, swam up
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Speaker 1: a broad river which ran into the sea. She saw beautiful, green,
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Speaker 1: fine clad hills, palaces and country seats peeping through splendid woods.
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Speaker 1: She heard the birds singing, and the sun was so
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Speaker 1: hot that she was often obliged to dive to cool
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Speaker 1: her burning face. In a tiny bay, she found a
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Speaker 1: troop of little children running about, naked and paddling in
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Speaker 1: the water. She wanted to play with them, but they
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Speaker 1: were frightened and ran away. Then a little black animal
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Speaker 1: came up. It was a dog, but she had never
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Speaker 1: seen one before. It barked so furiously at her that
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Speaker 1: she was frightened and made for the open sea. She
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Speaker 1: could never forget the beautiful woods, the green hills, and
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Speaker 1: the lovely children who could swim in the water, although
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Speaker 1: they had no fish's tails. The fourth sister was not
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Speaker 1: so brave. She stayed in the remotest part of the ocean,
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Speaker 1: and according to her account, that was the most beautiful spot.
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Speaker 1: You could see for miles and miles around you, and
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Speaker 1: the sky above was like a great glass dome. She
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Speaker 1: had seen ships, but only far away, so that they
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Speaker 1: looked like sea gulls. There were grotesque dolphins turning somersaults,
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Speaker 1: and gigantic whales squirting water through their nostrils like hundreds
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Speaker 1: of fountains on every side. Now, the fifth sister's turn came.
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Speaker 1: Her berth. They fell in the word winter, so that
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Speaker 1: she saw sights that the others had not seen on
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Speaker 1: their trips. The sea looked quite green, and large icebergs
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Speaker 1: were floating about, each one of which looked like a pearl,
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Speaker 1: she said, but was much bigger than the church towers
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Speaker 1: built by men. They took the most wonderful shapes and
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Speaker 1: sparkled like diamonds. She had seated herself on one of
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Speaker 1: the largest, and all the passing ships sheered off in
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Speaker 1: alarm when they saw her sitting there, with her long
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Speaker 1: hair streaming loose in the wind. In the evening, the
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Speaker 1: sky became overcast with dark clouds. It thundered and lightened,
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Speaker 1: and the huge icebergs, glittering in the bright lightning, were
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Speaker 1: lifted high into the air by the black waves. All
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Speaker 1: the ships shortened sail, and there was fear and trembling
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Speaker 1: on every side. But she sat quietly on her floating iceberg,
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Speaker 1: watching the blue lightning flash in zigzags down on to
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Speaker 1: the shining sea. The first time any of the sisters
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Speaker 1: rose above the water. She was delighted by the novelties
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Speaker 1: and beauty she saw, but once grown up and at
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Speaker 1: liberty to go where she liked, she became indifferent and
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Speaker 1: longed for her home. In the course of a month
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Speaker 1: or so, they all said that, after all, their own
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Speaker 1: home in the deep was best. It was so cozy there.
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Speaker 1: Many an evening, the five sisters, interlacing their arms, would
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Speaker 1: rise above the water together. They had lovely voices, much
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Speaker 1: clearer than any mortal, and when a storm was rising
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Speaker 1: and they expected ships to be wrecked, they would sing
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Speaker 1: in the most seductive strains of the wonders of the deep,
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Speaker 1: bidding the seafarers have no fear of them. But the
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Speaker 1: sailors could not understand the words. They thought it was
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Speaker 1: the voice of the storm. Nor could it be theirs
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Speaker 1: to see this elysium of the deep, for when the
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Speaker 1: ship sank, they were drowned, and only reached the mermaid's
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Speaker 1: palace in death. When the elder sisters rose up in
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Speaker 1: this manner, arm in arm in the evening, the youngest
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Speaker 1: remained behind, quite alone, looking after them, as if she
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Speaker 1: must weep. But mermaids have no tears, and so they
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Speaker 1: suffer all the more. Oh, if I were only fifteen,
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Speaker 1: she said, I know how fond I shall be of
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Speaker 1: the world above and of the mortals who dwell there.
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Speaker 1: At last her fifteenth birthday came. Now we shall have
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Speaker 1: you off our hands, said her grandmother, the old Queen Dowager.
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Speaker 1: Come now, let me a darn you like your other sisters.
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Speaker 1: And she put a wreath of white lilies round her hair,
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Speaker 1: But every petal of the flowers was happy pearl. Then
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Speaker 1: the old Queen had eight oysters fixed on to the
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Speaker 1: princess's tail to show her high rank. But it hurts,
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Speaker 1: so said the little mermaid. You must endure the pain
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Speaker 1: for the sake of the finery, said her grandmother. But oh,
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Speaker 1: how gladly would she have shaken off all this splendor
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Speaker 1: and laid aside the heavy wreath. Her red flowers in
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Speaker 1: her garden suited her much better. But she did not
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Speaker 1: dare to make any alteration. Good Bye, she said, and
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Speaker 1: mounted as lightly and airily as a bubble through the water.
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Speaker 1: The sun had just set when her head rose above
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Speaker 1: the water, but the clouds were still lighted up with
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Speaker 1: a rosy and golden splendor, and the evening star sparkled
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Speaker 1: in the soft pink sky. The air was mild and fresh,
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Speaker 1: and the sea as calm as.
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Speaker 2: A mill pond.
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Speaker 1: A big three masted ship lay close by, with only
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Speaker 1: a single sail set, for there was not a breath
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Speaker 1: of wind, and the sailors were sitting about the ris,
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Speaker 1: digging on the cross trees and at the mastheads. There
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Speaker 1: was music and singing on board, and as the evening
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Speaker 1: closed in, hundreds of gaily colored lanterns were lighted. They
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Speaker 1: looked like the flags of all nations waving in the air.
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Speaker 1: The little Mermaids swam right up to the cabin windows,
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Speaker 1: and every time she was lifted by the swell, she
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Speaker 1: could see through the transparent panes crowds of gaily dressed people.
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Speaker 1: The handsomest of them all was the young Prince, with
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Speaker 1: large dark eyes. He could not be much more than sixteen,
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Speaker 1: and all these festivities were in honor of his birthday.
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Speaker 1: The sailors danced on deck, and when the Prince appeared
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Speaker 1: among them, hundreds of rockets were let off, making it
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Speaker 1: as light as day and frightening the little Mermaids so
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Speaker 1: much that she had to dive under the water. She
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Speaker 1: soon ventured up again, and it was just as if
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Speaker 1: all the star jars of heaven were falling in showers
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Speaker 1: round about her. She had never seen such magic fires,
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Speaker 1: great suns whirled round, gorgeous firefish hung in the blue air,
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Speaker 1: and all was reflected in the calm and glassy sea.
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Speaker 1: It was so light on board the ship that every
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Speaker 1: little rope could be seen. And the people still better. Oh,
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Speaker 1: how handsome the prince was, How he laughed and smiled
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Speaker 1: as he greeted his guests, while the music rang out
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Speaker 1: in the quiet night. It got quite late, but the
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Speaker 1: little mermaid could not take her eyes off the ship
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Speaker 1: and the beautiful prints. The colored lanterns were put out,
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Speaker 1: no more rockets were sent up, and the cannon had
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Speaker 1: ceased its thunder. But deep down in the sea there
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Speaker 1: was a dull murmuring and moaning sound. Meanwhile, she was
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Speaker 1: rocked up and down on the waves so that she
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Speaker 1: could look into the cabin. But the ship got bore
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Speaker 1: and more way on sail. After sail was lifted by
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Speaker 1: the wind, the waves grew stronger, great clouds gathered, and
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Speaker 1: it lightened in the distance. Oh, there was going to
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Speaker 1: be a fearful storm, and soon the sailors had to
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Speaker 1: shorten sail. The great ship rocked and rolled as she
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Speaker 1: dashed over the angry sea. The black waves rose like
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Speaker 1: mountains high enough to overwhelm her, but she dived like
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Speaker 1: a swan through them, and rose again and again on
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Speaker 1: their towering crests. The little mermaid thought it a most
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Speaker 1: amusing race, but not so the sailors. The ship creaked
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Speaker 1: and groaned, the mighty timbers bulged and bent under the
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Speaker 1: heavy blows. The water broke over the decks, snapping the
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Speaker 1: mainmast like a reed. She heeled over on her side,
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Speaker 1: and the water rushed into the hold. Now the little
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Speaker 1: her mates saw that they were in danger, and she
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Speaker 1: had for her own sake to beware of the floating
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Speaker 1: beams and wreckage. One moment, it was so pitch dark
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Speaker 1: that she could not see at all, but when the
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Speaker 1: lightning flashed, it became so light that she could see
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Speaker 1: all on board. Every man was looking out for his
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Speaker 1: own safety as best he could, but she more particularly
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Speaker 1: followed the young prince with her eyes, and when the
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Speaker 1: ship went down, she saw him sink in the deep sea.
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Speaker 1: At first she was quite delighted, for now he was
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Speaker 1: coming to be with her, But then she remembered that
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Speaker 1: human beings could not live under water, and that only
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Speaker 1: if he were dead could he go to her father's palace. No,
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Speaker 1: he must not die. So she swam toward him, all
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Speaker 1: among the drifting beams and planks, quite forgetting that they
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Speaker 1: might crush her. She dived deep down under the water
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Speaker 1: and came up again through the waves, and at last
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Speaker 1: reached the young prince, just as he was becoming unable
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Speaker 1: to swim any further in the stormy sea. His limbs
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Speaker 1: were numbed, his beautiful eyes were closing, and he must
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Speaker 1: have died if the little mermaid had not come to
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Speaker 1: the rescue. She held his head above the water and
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Speaker 1: let the waves drive them whithersoever they would. By daybreak,
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Speaker 1: all the storm was over of the ship. Not a
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Speaker 1: trace was to be seen. The sun rose from the
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Speaker 1: water in radiant brilliance, and his rosy beams seemed to
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Speaker 1: cast a glow of life into the prince's cheeks. But
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Speaker 1: his eyes remained closed. The mermaid kissed his fair and
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Speaker 1: lofty brow and stroked back the dripping hair. It seemed
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Speaker 1: to her that he was like the marble statue in
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Speaker 1: her little garden. She kissed him again, and longed that
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Speaker 1: he might live. At last, she saw dry land before her,
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Speaker 1: high blue mountains, on whose summits the white snow glistened
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Speaker 1: as if a flock of swans had settled there. Down
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Speaker 1: by the shore were beautiful green woods, and in the
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Speaker 1: foreground a church or temple. She did not quite know which,
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Speaker 1: but it was a building of some sort. Lemon and
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Speaker 1: orange trees grew in the garden, and lofty palms stood
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Speaker 1: by the gate. At this point the sea formed a
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Speaker 1: little bay, where the water was quite calm but very deep.
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Speaker 1: Right up to the cliffs. At their foot was a
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Speaker 1: strip of fine white sand, to which she swam with
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Speaker 1: the beautiful Prince and laid him down on it, taking
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Speaker 1: great care that his head should rest high up in
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Speaker 1: the warm sunshine. The bells now began to ring in
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Speaker 1: the great white building, and a number of young maidens
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Speaker 1: came into the garden. Then the little mermaids swam further
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Speaker 1: off behind some high rocks, and covered her hair and
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Speaker 1: breast with foam so that no one should see her face.
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Speaker 1: And then she watched to see who would discover the
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Speaker 1: poor prince. End Part one, Part two of The Little
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Speaker 1: Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. This LibriVox recording is in
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Speaker 1: the public domain. Part two. It was not long before
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Speaker 1: one of the maidens came up to him. At first
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Speaker 1: she seemed quite frightened, but only for a moment, and
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Speaker 1: then she fetched several others, and the mermaids saw that
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Speaker 1: the Prince was coming to life, and that he smiled
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Speaker 1: at all those around him. But he never smiled at her.
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Speaker 1: You see, he did not know that she had saved him.
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Speaker 1: She felt so sad that when he was led away
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Speaker 1: into the great building, she dived sorrowfully into the water
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Speaker 1: and made her way home to her father's palace. Always
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Speaker 1: silent and thoughtful, she became more so now than ever.
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Speaker 1: Her sisters often asked her what she had seen on
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Speaker 1: her first visit to the surface, but she never would
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Speaker 1: tell them anything. Many an evening and many a morning,
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Speaker 1: she would rise to the place where she had left
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Speaker 1: the Prince. She saw the fruit in the garden ripen
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Speaker 1: and then gathered. She saw the snow melt on the
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Speaker 1: mountain tops, but she never saw the Prince. So she
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Speaker 1: always went home still sadder than before. At home, her
22:46
Speaker 1: only consolation was to sit in her little garden with
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Speaker 1: her arms twined round the handsome marble statue, which reminded
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Speaker 1: her of the Prince. It was all gloomy shade now
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Speaker 1: as she had ceased to tend her flowers, and the
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Speaker 1: garden had become a neglected wilderness of long stalks and
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Speaker 1: leaves entangled with the branches of the tree. At last,
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Speaker 1: she could not bear it any longer, so she told
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Speaker 1: one of her sisters, and from her it soon spread
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Speaker 1: to the others, but to no one else except one
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Speaker 1: or two other mermaids, who only told their dearest friends.
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Speaker 1: One of these knew all about the prince. She had
23:29
Speaker 1: also seen the festivities on the ship. She knew where
23:33
Speaker 1: he came from, and where his kingdom was situated. Come,
23:38
Speaker 1: little sister, said the other princesses, and throwing their arms
23:43
Speaker 1: round each other's shoulders, they rose from the water in
23:47
Speaker 1: a long line, just in front of the prince's palace.
23:53
Speaker 1: It was built of light yellow, glistening stone, with great
23:57
Speaker 1: marble staircases, one of which led into the garden. Magnificent
24:02
Speaker 1: gilded cupolos rose above the roof, and the spaces between
24:07
Speaker 1: the columns which encircled the building were filled with lifelike
24:11
Speaker 1: marble statues. Through the clear glass of the lofty windows,
24:17
Speaker 1: you could see gorgeous halls adorned with costly silken hangings
24:21
Speaker 1: and the pictures on the walls were a sight worth seeing.
24:26
Speaker 1: In the midst of the central hall, a large fountain played,
24:31
Speaker 1: throwing its jets of spray upwards to a glass dome
24:34
Speaker 1: in the roof, through which the sunbeams lighted up the
24:38
Speaker 1: water and the beautiful plants which grew in the great basin.
24:43
Speaker 1: She knew now where he lived, and often used to
24:47
Speaker 1: go there in the evenings and by night. Over the water,
24:51
Speaker 1: she swam much nearer the land than any of the
24:54
Speaker 1: others dared. She even ventured right up to the narrow
24:58
Speaker 1: channel under the splin did Marble Terrace, which threw a
25:02
Speaker 1: long shadow over the water. She used to sit there
25:06
Speaker 1: looking at the young Prince, who thought he was quite alone.
25:10
Speaker 1: In the clear moonlight. She saw him many an evening,
25:14
Speaker 1: sailing about in his beautiful boat, with flags waving and
25:18
Speaker 1: music playing. She used to peep through the green rushes,
25:23
Speaker 1: and if the wind happened to catch her long silvery veil,
25:27
Speaker 1: and anyone saw it, they only thought it was a
25:30
Speaker 1: swan flapping its wings. Many a night she heard the
25:35
Speaker 1: fishermen who were fishing by torchlight, talking over the good
25:39
Speaker 1: deeds of the young Prince, and she was happy to
25:43
Speaker 1: think that she had saved his life when he was
25:46
Speaker 1: strifting about on the waves, half dead, and she could
25:49
Speaker 1: not forget how closely his head had pressed her breast,
25:53
Speaker 1: and how passionately she had kissed him. But he knew
25:56
Speaker 1: nothing of all this and never saw her. And his dreams.
26:03
Speaker 1: She became fonder and fonder of mankind, and longed more
26:08
Speaker 1: and more to be able to live among them. Their
26:11
Speaker 1: worlds seemed so infinitely bigger than hers. With their ships,
26:16
Speaker 1: they could scour the ocean, they could ascend the mountains
26:20
Speaker 1: high above the clouds, and their wooded, grass grown lands
26:25
Speaker 1: extended further than her eye could reach. There was so
26:29
Speaker 1: much that she wanted to know, but her sisters could
26:32
Speaker 1: not give an answer to all her questions. So she
26:35
Speaker 1: asked her old grandmother, who knew the upper world well
26:39
Speaker 1: and rightly called it the country above the sea. If
26:43
Speaker 1: men are not drowned, asked the little mermaid, do they
26:47
Speaker 1: live forever? Do they not die as we do down
26:51
Speaker 1: here in the sea, Yes, said the old lady. They
26:56
Speaker 1: have to die too, and their lifetime is even shorter
27:00
Speaker 1: than ours. We may live here for three hundred years,
27:05
Speaker 1: but when we cease to exist, we become mere foam
27:10
Speaker 1: on the water, and do not have so much as
27:13
Speaker 1: a grave among our dear ones. We have no immortal souls,
27:19
Speaker 1: We have no future life. We are just like the
27:23
Speaker 1: green sea weed, which once cut down, can never revive again. Men,
27:29
Speaker 1: on the other hand, have a soul which lives for
27:33
Speaker 1: ever lives. After the body has become dust. It rises
27:38
Speaker 1: through the clear air up to the shining stars, just
27:43
Speaker 1: as we rise from the water to see the land
27:45
Speaker 1: of mortals, So they rise up to unknown, beautiful regions
27:52
Speaker 1: which we shall never see. Why do we have no
27:56
Speaker 1: immortal souls, asked the little mermaid. Sadly, I would give
28:00
Speaker 1: all my three hundred years to be a human being
28:03
Speaker 1: for one day, and afterwards to have a share in
28:06
Speaker 1: the heavenly kingdom. You must not be thinking about that,
28:11
Speaker 1: said the grandmother. We are much better off and happier
28:15
Speaker 1: than human beings. Then I shall have to die and
28:19
Speaker 1: to float his foam on the water, and never hear
28:22
Speaker 1: the music of the waves, or see the beautiful flowers
28:26
Speaker 1: or the red sun. Is there nothing I can do
28:30
Speaker 1: to gain an immortal soul? No, said the grandmother. Only
28:35
Speaker 1: if a human being so loved you that you were
28:39
Speaker 1: more to him than father or mother. If all his
28:43
Speaker 1: thoughts and all his love were so centered in you,
28:48
Speaker 1: that he would let the priest join your hands, and
28:52
Speaker 1: would vow to be faithful to you here and to
28:54
Speaker 1: all eternity, then your body would become infused with his soul. Thus,
29:01
Speaker 1: and only thus could you gain a share in the
29:05
Speaker 1: felicity of mankind. He would give you a soul, while
29:10
Speaker 1: yet keeping his own. But that can never happen. That
29:15
Speaker 1: which is the greatest beauty in the sea. Your fish's
29:18
Speaker 1: tail is thought hideous upon earth, so little do they
29:23
Speaker 1: understand about it. To be pretty there you must have
29:28
Speaker 1: two clumsy supports, which they call legs. Then the little
29:35
Speaker 1: mermaid sighed and looked sadly at her fish's tail. Let
29:39
Speaker 1: us be happy, said the grandmother. We will hop and
29:43
Speaker 1: skip during our three hundred years of life. It is
29:47
Speaker 1: surely a long enough time, and after it is over
29:52
Speaker 1: we shall rest all the better in our graves. There
29:56
Speaker 1: is to be a court ball to night. This was
29:59
Speaker 1: a a much more splendid affair than we ever see
30:02
Speaker 1: on earth. The walls and the ceiling of the great
30:06
Speaker 1: ball room were of thick but transparent glass. Several hundreds
30:11
Speaker 1: of colossal mussel shells rose red and grass green were
30:16
Speaker 1: ranged in ardor round the sides, holding blue lights, which
30:21
Speaker 1: illuminated the whole room and shone through the walls, so
30:25
Speaker 1: that the sea outside was quite lit up. You could
30:30
Speaker 1: see countless fish, great and small, swimming towards the glass walls,
30:36
Speaker 1: some with shining scales of crimson hue, while others were
30:40
Speaker 1: golden and silvery. In the middle of the room was
30:45
Speaker 1: a broad stream of running water, and on this the
30:48
Speaker 1: mermaids and murmin danced to their own beautiful singing. No
30:54
Speaker 1: earthly beings have such lovely voices. The little mermaids sang
30:59
Speaker 1: more sweet than any of them, and they all applauded her.
31:04
Speaker 1: For a moment, she felt glad at heart, for she
31:08
Speaker 1: knew that she had the finest voice, either in the
31:11
Speaker 1: sea or on land. But she soon began to think
31:15
Speaker 1: again about the upper world. She could not forget the
31:18
Speaker 1: handsome prince, and her sorrow in not possessing like him
31:23
Speaker 1: an immortal soul. Therefore she stole out of her father's palace,
31:28
Speaker 1: and while all within was joy and merriment, she sat
31:33
Speaker 1: sadly in her little garden. Suddenly she heard the sound
31:38
Speaker 1: of a horn through the water, and she thought, now
31:41
Speaker 1: he is out sailing up there, He whom I love
31:45
Speaker 1: more than father or mother, He to whom my thoughts cling,
31:51
Speaker 1: and to whose hands I am ready to commit the
31:53
Speaker 1: happiness of my life. I will dare anything to win him,
31:58
Speaker 1: and to gain any immortal soul. While my sisters are
32:03
Speaker 1: dancing in my father's palace, I will go to the
32:07
Speaker 1: sea witch, of whom I have always been very much afraid.
32:11
Speaker 1: She will perhaps be able to advise and help me. Thereupon,
32:17
Speaker 1: the little mermaid left the garden and went toward the
32:20
Speaker 1: roaring whirlpools at the back of which the witch lived.
32:25
Speaker 1: She had never been that way before. No flowers grew there,
32:29
Speaker 1: no seaweed, Only the bare gray sands stretched towards the whirlpools, which,
32:36
Speaker 1: like rushing mill wheels swirled round, dragging everything that came
32:41
Speaker 1: within reach down to the depths. She had to pass
32:46
Speaker 1: between these boiling eddies to reach the witch's domain, and
32:51
Speaker 1: for a long way the only path led over a warm,
32:55
Speaker 1: bubbling mud, which the witch called her peat bog. Her
33:00
Speaker 1: house stood behind this, in the midst of a weird forest.
33:04
Speaker 1: All the trees and bushes were polyps, half animal and
33:08
Speaker 1: half plant. They looked like hundred headed snakes growing out
33:13
Speaker 1: of the sand. The branches were long, slimy arms with
33:18
Speaker 1: tentacles like wriggling worms, every joint of which, from the
33:23
Speaker 1: root to the outermost tip, was in constant motion. They
33:28
Speaker 1: wound themselves tightly round whatever they could lay hold up,
33:32
Speaker 1: and never let it escape. The little mermaid standing outside
33:38
Speaker 1: was quite frightened. Her heart beat fast with terror, and
33:42
Speaker 1: she nearly turned back. But then she remembered the Prince
33:47
Speaker 1: and the immortal soul of mankind, and took courage. She
33:52
Speaker 1: bound her long flowing hair tightly round her head so
33:56
Speaker 1: that the polyps should not seize her by it, folded
34:00
Speaker 1: her hands over her breast, and darted like a fish
34:04
Speaker 1: through the water. In between the hideous polyps, which stretched
34:08
Speaker 1: out their sensitive arms and tentacles towards her. She could
34:13
Speaker 1: see that every one of them had something or other
34:16
Speaker 1: which they had grasped with their hundred arms, and which
34:20
Speaker 1: they held as if in iron bands. The bleached bones
34:24
Speaker 1: of men who had perished at sea and sunk below
34:27
Speaker 1: peeped forth from the arms of some, while others clutched
34:32
Speaker 1: rudders and sea chests, or the skeletons of some land animal,
34:37
Speaker 1: and most horrible of all, a little mermaid, whom they
34:40
Speaker 1: had caught and suffocated. Then she came to a large
34:45
Speaker 1: opening in the wood, where the ground was all slimy,
34:49
Speaker 1: and where some huge, fat water snakes were gamboling about.
34:54
Speaker 1: In the middle of this opening was a house built
34:58
Speaker 1: of the bones of the wreck. There sat the witch,
35:03
Speaker 1: letting a toad eat out of her mouth, just as
35:06
Speaker 1: mortals let a little canary eat sugar. She called hideous
35:11
Speaker 1: water snakes her little chickens, and allow them to crawl
35:15
Speaker 1: about on her unsightly bosom. I know very well what
35:21
Speaker 1: you have come here for, said the witch. It is
35:26
Speaker 1: very foolish of you. All the same, you shall have
35:32
Speaker 1: your way, because it will lead you into misfortune. My
35:37
Speaker 1: fine princess, you want to get rid of your fish's
35:42
Speaker 1: tail and instead to have two stumps to walk about
35:47
Speaker 1: like human beings, so that the young prince may fall
35:52
Speaker 1: in love with you, and that you may win him
35:56
Speaker 1: in an immortal soul.
35:59
Speaker 2: Eh.
36:01
Speaker 1: Saying this, she gave such a loud, hideous laugh that
36:06
Speaker 1: the toad and the snakes fell to the ground and
36:09
Speaker 1: wriggled about. There you are just in the nick of time,
36:14
Speaker 1: said the witch. After sunrise tomorrow I should not be
36:20
Speaker 1: able to help you until another year had run its course.
36:25
Speaker 1: I will make you a potion, and before sunrise you
36:32
Speaker 1: must swim ashore with it, seat yourself on the beach,
36:37
Speaker 1: and drake it. Then your tail will divide and shrivel up.
36:44
Speaker 2: To what men call beautiful legs.
36:49
Speaker 1: But it hurts.
36:51
Speaker 2: It is as if a sharp sword were running through you.
36:56
Speaker 2: All who see you will say you the most beautiful
37:01
Speaker 2: child of men they have ever seen. You will keep
37:07
Speaker 2: your gliding gait. No dancer will rival you, but every
37:14
Speaker 2: step you take will be as if you were treading
37:19
Speaker 2: upon sharp knives, so sharp ast to draw blood. If
37:26
Speaker 2: you are willing to suffer all this, I am ready
37:31
Speaker 2: to help you.
37:34
Speaker 1: Yes, said the little princess with a trembling voice, thinking
37:38
Speaker 1: of the prince and of winning an undying soul. But remember,
37:44
Speaker 1: said the witch, when once you have received a human form,
37:50
Speaker 1: you can never be a mermaid again. You will never
37:55
Speaker 1: again be able to dive down through the water to
37:59
Speaker 1: you assist hand to your father's palace. And if you
38:04
Speaker 1: do not succeed.
38:06
Speaker 2: In winning the Prince's love, so that for your sake
38:10
Speaker 2: he will forget father and mother cleave to you with
38:13
Speaker 2: his whole heart. Let the priests join your hands and
38:17
Speaker 2: make you man and wife. You will gain no immortal soul.
38:24
Speaker 2: The first morning after his marriage with another, your heart
38:30
Speaker 2: will break, and you will turn into foam of the sea.
38:38
Speaker 2: I will do it, said the little Mermaid, as pale
38:41
Speaker 2: as steph. But you will have to pay me two.
38:46
Speaker 1: Said the witch.
38:48
Speaker 2: And it is no trifle that I demand. You have
38:53
Speaker 2: the most beautiful voice of any at the bottom of
38:56
Speaker 2: the sea, and I dare say that you think you
38:59
Speaker 2: will fascinate him with it. But you must give me
39:06
Speaker 2: that voice. I will have the best you possess in
39:12
Speaker 2: return for my precious potion. I have to mingle my
39:16
Speaker 2: own blood with it so as to make it as
39:20
Speaker 2: sharp as a two edged sword.
39:23
Speaker 1: But if you take my voice, said the little mermaid,
39:26
Speaker 1: what have I.
39:27
Speaker 2: Left your beautiful farm?
39:30
Speaker 1: Said the witch.
39:32
Speaker 2: You are glading gait and your speaking eyes. With these
39:38
Speaker 2: you ought surely to be able to bewitch a human heart.
39:44
Speaker 2: Well have you lost your courage? Put out your little
39:50
Speaker 2: tongue and I will cut it off, and payment for
39:53
Speaker 2: the powerful draft.
39:57
Speaker 1: Let it be done, said the little Mermaid, And the
40:01
Speaker 1: witch put on her cauldron to brew the magic potion.
40:06
Speaker 2: There is nothing like cleanliness.
40:09
Speaker 1: Said she, as she scoured the pot with a bundle
40:12
Speaker 1: of snakes. Then she punctured her breast and let the
40:16
Speaker 1: black blood drop into the cauldron, and the steam took
40:20
Speaker 1: the most weird shapes, enough to frighten anyone. Every moment
40:26
Speaker 1: the witch threw new ingredients into the pot, and when
40:30
Speaker 1: it boiled, the bubbling was like the sound of crocodiles weeping.
40:35
Speaker 1: At last the potion was ready, and it looked like
40:39
Speaker 1: the clearest water. There it is, said the witch, And
40:45
Speaker 1: thereupon she cut off the tongue of the little mermaid,
40:49
Speaker 1: who was dumb now and could neither sing nor speak.
40:55
Speaker 1: If the polyps should seize you when you go back
40:59
Speaker 1: through my woods, said the witch, just drop a single
41:03
Speaker 1: drop of this liquid on them, and their arms and
41:07
Speaker 1: fingers will burst into a thousand pieces. But the little
41:12
Speaker 1: mermaid had no need to do this, for at the
41:16
Speaker 1: mere sight of the bright liquid, which sparkled in her
41:20
Speaker 1: hand like a shining star, they drew back in terror.
41:25
Speaker 1: So she soon got past the wood, the bog, and
41:29
Speaker 1: the eddying whirlpools, she saw her father's palace, The lights
41:34
Speaker 1: were all out in the great ball room, and no
41:37
Speaker 1: doubt all the household was asleep. But she did not
41:40
Speaker 1: dare to go in. Now that she was dumb and
41:43
Speaker 1: about to leave her home forever, she felt as if
41:47
Speaker 1: her heart would break with grief. She stole into the
41:51
Speaker 1: garden and plucked the flower from each of her sister's plots,
41:55
Speaker 1: wafted with her hand countless kisses towards the palace, and
42:00
Speaker 1: then rose up through the dark blue water. The sun
42:06
Speaker 1: had not risen when she came in sight of the
42:08
Speaker 1: princess palace and landed at the beautiful marble steps. The
42:12
Speaker 1: moon was shining bright and clear. The little mermaid drank
42:17
Speaker 1: the burning, stinging draft, and it was like a sharp,
42:21
Speaker 1: two edged sword running through her tender frame. She fainted
42:25
Speaker 1: away and lay as if she were dead. When the
42:28
Speaker 1: sun rose on the sea, she woke up and became
42:32
Speaker 1: conscious of a sharp pang. But just in front of
42:37
Speaker 1: her stood the handsome young prince, fixing his coal black
42:42
Speaker 1: eyes on her. She cast hers down and saw that
42:45
Speaker 1: her fish's tail was gone, and that she had the
42:48
Speaker 1: prettiest little white legs any maiden could desire. But she
42:53
Speaker 1: was quite naked, so she wrapped her long, thick hair
42:57
Speaker 1: around her. The Prince said, asked who she was and
43:01
Speaker 1: how she came there. She looked at him tenderly and
43:05
Speaker 1: with a sad expression in her dark blue eyes, but
43:08
Speaker 1: could not speak. Then he took her by the hand
43:13
Speaker 1: and led her into the palace. Every step she took was,
43:18
Speaker 1: as the witch had warned her beforehand, as if she
43:21
Speaker 1: were treading on sharp knives and spikes, but she bore
43:25
Speaker 1: it gladly. Led by the Prince, she moved as lightly
43:29
Speaker 1: as a bubble, and he and everyone else marveled at
43:34
Speaker 1: her graceful, gliding gait. Clothed in the costliest silks and muslins,
43:39
Speaker 1: she was the greatest beauty in the palace, but she
43:43
Speaker 1: was dumb and could neither sing nor speak. Beautiful slaves
43:48
Speaker 1: clad in silks and gold came forward and sang to
43:52
Speaker 1: the Prince and his royal parents. One of them sang
43:56
Speaker 1: better than all the others, and the Prince clapped his
43:59
Speaker 1: hands and smiled her. That made the little mermaid very sad,
44:04
Speaker 1: for she knew that she used to sing far better herself.
44:08
Speaker 1: She thought, Oh, if he only knew that, for the
44:12
Speaker 1: sake of being with him, I had given up my
44:15
Speaker 1: voice forever. Now the slaves began to dance graceful, undulating
44:22
Speaker 1: dances to enchanting music. Thereupon the Little Mermaid, lifting her
44:27
Speaker 1: beautiful white arms and raising herself on tiptoe, glided on
44:32
Speaker 1: the floor with a grace which none of the other
44:35
Speaker 1: dancers had yet attained. With every motion, her grace and
44:40
Speaker 1: beauty became more apparent, and her eyes appealed more deeply
44:44
Speaker 1: to the heart than the songs of the slaves. Everyone
44:48
Speaker 1: was delighted with it, especially the Prince, who called her
44:53
Speaker 1: his little foundling. And she danced on and on, notwithstanding
44:59
Speaker 1: that every time her foot touched the ground it was
45:02
Speaker 1: like treading on sharp knives. The Prince said that she
45:07
Speaker 1: should always be near him, and she was allowed to
45:10
Speaker 1: sleep outside his door on a velvet cushion. End of
45:16
Speaker 1: Part two Part three of The Little Mermaid by Hans
45:28
Speaker 1: Christian Andersen. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
45:34
Speaker 1: Part three. He had a man's dress made for her
45:38
Speaker 1: so that she could ride about with him. They used
45:41
Speaker 1: to ride through scented woods, where the green branches brushed
45:45
Speaker 1: her shoulders and little birds sang among the fresh leaves.
45:49
Speaker 1: She climbed up the highest mountains with the Prince, and
45:53
Speaker 1: although her delicate feet bled so that others saw it,
45:56
Speaker 1: she only laughed and followed him until they saw the
45:59
Speaker 1: cloud ceiling below them, like a flock of birds taking
46:03
Speaker 1: flight to distant lands. At home in the Princess Palace,
46:08
Speaker 1: when at night the others were asleep, she used to
46:11
Speaker 1: go out on to the marble steps. It cooled her
46:14
Speaker 1: burning feet to stand in the cold sea water, and
46:18
Speaker 1: at such times she used to think of those she
46:21
Speaker 1: had left in the deep. One night, her sisters came
46:25
Speaker 1: arm in arm. They sang so sorrowfully as they swam
46:29
Speaker 1: on the water that she beckoned to them, and they
46:32
Speaker 1: recognized her and told her how she had grieved them.
46:36
Speaker 1: All after that, they had visited her every night, and
46:40
Speaker 1: one night she saw a long way out her old grandmother,
46:45
Speaker 1: who for many years had not been above the water,
46:48
Speaker 1: and the mermaid came with his crown on his head.
46:52
Speaker 1: They stretched out their hands toward her, but did not
46:56
Speaker 1: venture so close to land as her sisters. By day
47:00
Speaker 1: she became dearer to the Prince. He loved her as
47:04
Speaker 1: one loves a good sweet child, but it never entered
47:08
Speaker 1: his head to make her his queen. Yet unless she
47:11
Speaker 1: became his wife, she would never win an everlasting soul.
47:15
Speaker 1: But on his wedding morning would turn to sea foam.
47:19
Speaker 2: Am.
47:19
Speaker 1: I not dearer to you than any of them, the
47:22
Speaker 1: little Mermaid's eyes seemed to say when he took her
47:25
Speaker 1: in his arms and kissed her beautiful brow. Yes, you
47:29
Speaker 1: are the dearest one to me, said the prince, for
47:33
Speaker 1: you have the best heart of them all, and you
47:35
Speaker 1: are fondest of me. You are also like a young
47:39
Speaker 1: girl I once saw, but whom I never expect to
47:42
Speaker 1: see again. I was on board a ship which was wrecked.
47:46
Speaker 1: I was driven on shore by the waves, close to
47:49
Speaker 1: a holy temple where several young girls were ministering at
47:52
Speaker 1: a service. The youngest of them found me on the
47:55
Speaker 1: beach and saved my life. I saw her but twice.
48:00
Speaker 1: She was the only person I could love in this world.
48:03
Speaker 1: But you are like her. You almost drive her image
48:07
Speaker 1: out of my heart. She belongs to the holy Temple,
48:11
Speaker 1: and therefore, by good fortune you have been sent to me.
48:15
Speaker 1: We will never part Alas he does not know that
48:20
Speaker 1: it was I who saved his life, thought the little Mermaid.
48:25
Speaker 1: I bore him over the sea to the wood where
48:27
Speaker 1: the temple stands. I sat behind the foam and watched
48:31
Speaker 1: to see if any one would come. I saw the
48:34
Speaker 1: pretty girl he loves better than me, and the mermaid
48:38
Speaker 1: heaved a bitter sigh, for she could not weep. The
48:43
Speaker 1: girl belongs to the holy Temple. He has said. She
48:47
Speaker 1: will never return to the world. They will never meet again.
48:51
Speaker 1: I am here with him, I see him every day. Yes,
48:56
Speaker 1: I will tend him, love him, and give up my
48:59
Speaker 1: life to him. But now the rumor ran that the
49:03
Speaker 1: prince was to be married to the beautiful daughter of
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Speaker 1: a neighboring king, and for that reason was fitting out
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Speaker 1: a splendid ship. It was given out that the prince
49:14
Speaker 1: was going on a voyage to see the adjoining countries,
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Speaker 1: but it was without doubt to see the king's daughter.
49:21
Speaker 1: He was to have a great sweet with him. But
49:25
Speaker 1: the little mermaid shook her head and laughed. She knew
49:28
Speaker 1: the Prince's intentions much better than any of the others.
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Speaker 1: I must take this voyage, he had said to her.
49:36
Speaker 1: I must go and see the beautiful princess. My parents
49:39
Speaker 1: demand that, but they will never force me to bring
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Speaker 1: her home as my bride. I can never love her.
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Speaker 1: She will not be like the lovely girl in the temple,
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Speaker 1: whom you resemble. If ever I had to choose a bride,
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Speaker 1: it would sooner be with you, with your speaking eyes,
49:56
Speaker 1: my sweet dumbfoundling. And he kissed her rosy mouth, played
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Speaker 1: with her long hair, and laid his head upon her heart,
50:05
Speaker 1: which already dreamt of human joys and an immortal soul.
50:10
Speaker 1: You are not frightened of the sea, I suppose, my
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Speaker 1: dumb child, he said, as they stood on the proud ship,
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Speaker 1: which was to carry them to the country of the
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Speaker 1: neighboring king. And he told her about storms and calms,
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Speaker 1: about curious fish in the deep, and the marvels seen
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Speaker 1: by divers. And she smiled at his tails, for she
50:31
Speaker 1: knew all about the bottom of the sea much better
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Speaker 1: than any one else. At night, in the moonlight, when
50:38
Speaker 1: all were asleep except the steersman who stood at the helm,
50:42
Speaker 1: she sat at the side of the ship, trying to
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Speaker 1: pierce the clear water with her eyes, and fancied. She
50:49
Speaker 1: saw her father's palace, and above it her old grandmother,
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Speaker 1: with her silver crown on her head, looking up through
50:57
Speaker 1: the cross currents toward the keel of the ship. Then
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Speaker 1: her sisters rose above the water, they gazed sadly at her,
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Speaker 1: wringing their white hands. She beckoned to them, smiled, and
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Speaker 1: was about to tell them that all was going well
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Speaker 1: and happily with her, when the cabin boy approached and
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Speaker 1: the sisters dived down. But he supposed that the white
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Speaker 1: objects he had seen were nothing but flakes of foam.
51:25
Speaker 1: The next morning, the ship entered the harbor of the
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Speaker 1: neighboring king's magnificent city. The church bells rang and trumpets
51:32
Speaker 1: were sounded from every lofty tower, while the soldiers paraded
51:37
Speaker 1: with flying flags and glittering bayonets. There was a fete
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Speaker 1: every day. There was a succession of balls, and receptions
51:46
Speaker 1: followed one after the other. But the princess was not
51:50
Speaker 1: yet present. She was being brought up a long way
51:53
Speaker 1: off in a holy temple, they said, and was learning
51:57
Speaker 1: all the royal virtues. At last she came. The little
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Speaker 1: mermaid stood eager to see her beauty, and she was
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Speaker 1: obliged to confess that a lovelier creature she had never beheld.
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Speaker 1: Her complexion was exquisitely pure and delicate, and her trustful
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Speaker 1: eyes of the deepest blue shone through their dark lashes.
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Speaker 1: It is you, said the prince, you who saved me
52:25
Speaker 1: when I lay almost lifeless on the beach, and he
52:28
Speaker 1: clasped his blushing bride to his heart. Oh I am
52:32
Speaker 1: too happy, he exclaimed to the little mermaid. A greater
52:38
Speaker 1: joy than I had dared to hope for has come
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Speaker 1: to pass. You will rejoice at my joy, for you
52:45
Speaker 1: love me better than any one. Then the little mermaid
52:48
Speaker 1: kissed his hand and felt as if her heart were
52:52
Speaker 1: broken already. His wedding morn would bring death to her
52:56
Speaker 1: and change her to foam. All the church bells peeled,
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Speaker 1: and heralds rode through the town, proclaiming the nuptials upon
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Speaker 1: every altar throughout the land. Fragrant oil was burnt in
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Speaker 1: costly silver lamps. Amidst the swinging of censers by the priests.
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Speaker 1: The bride and bridegroom joined hands and received the bishop's blessing.
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Speaker 1: A little mermaid, dressed in silk and gold, stood holding
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Speaker 1: the bride's train, But her ears were deaf to the
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Speaker 1: festal strains. Her eyes saw nothing of the sacred ceremony.
53:34
Speaker 1: She was thinking of her coming death and of all
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Speaker 1: that she had lost in this world. That same evening,
53:42
Speaker 1: the bride and bridegroom embarked. Amidst the roar of cannon
53:46
Speaker 1: and the waving of banners. A royal tint of purple
53:50
Speaker 1: and gold, softly cushioned, was raised amidships, where the bridal
53:54
Speaker 1: pair were to repose. During the calm, cool night. The
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Speaker 1: sail swelled in the wind, and the ship skimmed lightly
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Speaker 1: and almost without motion, over the transparent sea. At dusk,
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Speaker 1: lanterns of many colors were lighted, and the sailors danced
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Speaker 1: merrily on deck. The little mermaid could not help thinking
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Speaker 1: of the first time she came up from the sea
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Speaker 1: and saw the same splendor and gayety. And she now
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Speaker 1: threw herself among the dancers, whirling as the swallow skims
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Speaker 1: through the air. When pursued, the onlookers cheered her in amazement.
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Speaker 1: Never had she danced so divinely. Her delicate feet pained
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Speaker 1: her as if they were cut with knives, but she
54:40
Speaker 1: did not feel it, for the pain at her heart
54:43
Speaker 1: was much sharper. She knew that it was the last
54:47
Speaker 1: night that she would breathe the same air as he,
54:50
Speaker 1: and would look upon the mighty deep and the blue,
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Speaker 1: starry heavens. An endless night without thought and without dreams
54:57
Speaker 1: awaited her, who neither had a soul nor could win one.
55:02
Speaker 1: The joy and revelry on board lasted till long past midnight.
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Speaker 1: She went on laughing and dancing, with the thought of
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Speaker 1: death all the time in her heart. The prince caressed
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Speaker 1: his lovely bride, and she played with his raven locks,
55:19
Speaker 1: and with their arms entwined, they retired to the gargeous tent.
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Speaker 1: All became hushed, and still on board the ship, only
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Speaker 1: the steersman stood at the helm. The little mermaid laid
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Speaker 1: her white arms on the gunwale and looked eastwards for
55:36
Speaker 1: the pink tinted dawn, the first sunbeam she knew would
55:40
Speaker 1: be her death. Then she saw her sisters rise from
55:44
Speaker 1: the water. They were as pale as she was. Their
55:48
Speaker 1: beautiful long hair no longer floated on the breeze, for
55:52
Speaker 1: it had been cut off. We have given it to
55:56
Speaker 1: the witch to obtain her help, so that you may
55:59
Speaker 1: not die tonight. She has given us a knife. Here
56:04
Speaker 1: it is, Look how sharp it is. Before the sun rises,
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Speaker 1: you must plunge it into the Prince's heart, and when
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Speaker 1: his warm blood sprinkles your feet, they will join together
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Speaker 1: and grow into a tail, and you will once more
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Speaker 1: be a mermaid. You will be able to come down
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Speaker 1: into the water to us and to live out your
56:26
Speaker 1: three hundred years before you are turned into dead salt
56:29
Speaker 1: sea foam. Make haste you, or he must die before
56:34
Speaker 1: sun rise. Our old grandmother is so full of grief
56:38
Speaker 1: that her white hair has fallen off, as ours fell
56:41
Speaker 1: under the witch's scissors. Slay the prince and come back
56:46
Speaker 1: to us, quick, quick, do you not see the rosy
56:50
Speaker 1: streak in the sky. In a few minutes, the sun
56:53
Speaker 1: will rise, and then you must die. Saying this, they
56:58
Speaker 1: heave a wondrous, dear deep sigh, and sank among the waves.
57:04
Speaker 1: The little mermaid drew aside the purple curtain from the
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Speaker 1: tent and looked at the beautiful bride asleep with her
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Speaker 1: head on the prince's breast. She bent over him and
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Speaker 1: kissed his fair brow. Looked at the sky, where the
57:19
Speaker 1: dawn was spreading fast, looked at the sharp knife, and
57:23
Speaker 1: again fixed her eyes on the prince, who in his
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Speaker 1: dream called his bride by name. Yes, she was alone
57:32
Speaker 1: in his thoughts. For a moment. The knife quivered in
57:36
Speaker 1: her grasp. Then she threw it far out among the waves,
57:41
Speaker 1: now rosy in the morning light, and where it fell,
57:44
Speaker 1: the water bubbled up like drops of blood. Once more,
57:48
Speaker 1: she looked at the prince with her eyes already dimmed
57:51
Speaker 1: by death, then dashed overboard and fell, her body dissolving
57:57
Speaker 1: into foam. Now the sun rose from the sea, and
58:02
Speaker 1: with its kindly beams warmed the deadly coal foam, so
58:06
Speaker 1: that the little Mermaid did not feel the chill of death.
58:10
Speaker 1: She saw the bright sun, and above her floated hundreds
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Speaker 1: of beauteous etheral beings, through which she could see the
58:18
Speaker 1: white ship and the rosy heavens. Their voices were melodious,
58:22
Speaker 1: but so spirit like that no human ear could hear
58:26
Speaker 1: them any more than earthly eye could see their forms
58:30
Speaker 1: light as bubbles. They floated through the air without the
58:33
Speaker 1: aid of wings. The little Mermaid perceived that she had
58:38
Speaker 1: a form like theirs. It gradually took shape out of
58:42
Speaker 1: the foam. To whom am I coming? Said she? And
58:47
Speaker 1: her voice sounded like that of the other beings, so
58:51
Speaker 1: unearthly in its beauty that no music of ours could
58:54
Speaker 1: reproduce it to the daughters of the Air, answered the others,
58:59
Speaker 1: A mermaid has no undying soul. And can never gain
59:03
Speaker 1: one without winning the love of a human being. Her
59:06
Speaker 1: eternal life must depend upon an unknown power. Nor have
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Speaker 1: the daughters of the Air an everlasting soul, but by
59:15
Speaker 1: their own good deeds they may create one for themselves.
59:20
Speaker 1: We fly to the tropics, where mankind is the victim
59:23
Speaker 1: of hot and pestilent winds. There we bring cooling breezes.
59:28
Speaker 1: We diffuse the scent of flowers all around, and bring
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Speaker 1: refreshment and healing in our train. When for three hundred
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Speaker 1: years we have labored to do all the good in
59:40
Speaker 1: our power, we gain an undying soul and take part
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Speaker 1: in the everlasting joys of mankind. You, poor little mermaid, have,
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Speaker 1: with your whole heart struggled for the same thing as
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Speaker 1: we have struggled for. You have suffered and endured, raised
59:59
Speaker 1: yourself to the spirit world of the air, and now,
1:00:03
Speaker 1: by your own good deeds, you may, in the course
1:00:06
Speaker 1: of three hundred years, work out for yourself an undying soul.
1:00:11
Speaker 1: Then the little Mermaid lifted her transparent arms towards God's
1:00:16
Speaker 1: son and for the first time shed tears. On board ship,
1:00:22
Speaker 1: all was again life and bustle. She saw the Prince
1:00:25
Speaker 1: with his lovely bride searching for her. They looked sadly
1:00:29
Speaker 1: at the bubbling foam, as if they knew that she
1:00:32
Speaker 1: had thrown herself into the waves unseen. She kissed the
1:00:37
Speaker 1: bride on her brow, smiled at the prince, and rose
1:00:40
Speaker 1: aloft with the other spirits of the air to the
1:00:43
Speaker 1: rosy clouds which sailed above. In three hundred years, we
1:00:49
Speaker 1: shall thus float into paradise. We might reach it sooner,
1:00:54
Speaker 1: whispered one unseen. We flit into those homes of men
1:00:59
Speaker 1: where there are children. And for every day that we
1:01:02
Speaker 1: find a good child who gives pleasure to its parents
1:01:06
Speaker 1: and deserves their love, God shortens our time of probation.
1:01:11
Speaker 1: The child does not know when we fly through the room,
1:01:15
Speaker 1: and when we smile with pleasure at it, one year
1:01:18
Speaker 1: of our three hundred is taken away. But if we
1:01:22
Speaker 1: see a naughty or badly disposed child, we cannot help
1:01:27
Speaker 1: shedding tears of sorrow, and every tear adds a day
1:01:31
Speaker 1: to the time of our probation. End of Part three,
1:01:38
Speaker 1: End of the Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. This
1:01:43
Speaker 1: story read by Phil Schinevert in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, October
1:01:48
Speaker 1: of two thousand and thirteen thank you for listening,