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015 - The Wild Swans · Hans Christian Andersen Fairytales & Short Stories Vol. 1

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Speaker 1: Section fifteen of Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales and Short Stories,
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Speaker 1: Volume one. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
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Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Christopher Taylor. Hans
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Speaker 1: Christian Anderson Fairy Tales and Short Stories, Volume one, eighteen
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Speaker 1: thirty five to eighteen forty two by Hans Christian Andersen,
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Speaker 1: translated by H. P. Paul. The Wild Swans far away
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Speaker 1: in the land to which the swallows fly when it
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Speaker 1: is winter dwelt the king, who had eleven sons and
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Speaker 1: one daughter, meamed Eliza. The eleven brothers were princes, and
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Speaker 1: each went to school with a star on his breast
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Speaker 1: and a sword by his side. They wrote with diamond
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Speaker 1: pencils on gold slates, and learned the lessons so quickly
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Speaker 1: and read so easily that every one might know they
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Speaker 1: were princes. Their sister Eliza, set on a little stool
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Speaker 1: of plateglass, and had a book full of pictures, which
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Speaker 1: had cost as much as half a kingdom. Oh, these
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Speaker 1: children were indeed happy, but it was not to remain
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Speaker 1: so always. Their father, who was King of the country
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Speaker 1: married a very wicked queen who did not love the
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Speaker 1: poor children at all. They knew this from the very
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Speaker 1: first day after the wedding. In the palace, there were
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Speaker 1: great festivities, and the children played at receiving company. But
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Speaker 1: instead of having as usual all the cakes and apples
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Speaker 1: that were left, she gave them some sand and a
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Speaker 1: teacup and told them to pretend it was cake. The
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Speaker 1: week after she sent little Eliza into the country to
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Speaker 1: a peasant and his wife. And then she told the
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Speaker 1: king so many untrue things about the young princes that
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Speaker 1: he gave himself no more trouble respecting them. Go out
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Speaker 1: into the world and get your own living, said the queen.
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Speaker 1: Fly like great birds who have no voice, But she
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Speaker 1: cannot make them as ugly as she wished for. They
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Speaker 1: were turned into a loving, beautiful wild swans. Then with
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Speaker 1: a strange cry, they flew through the windows of the
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Speaker 1: palace over the park to the forest beyond. It was
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Speaker 1: early morning when they passed the peasant's cottage, where their
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Speaker 1: sister Eliza lay asleep in her room. They hovered over
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Speaker 1: the roof, twisted their long necks, and flapped their wings,
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Speaker 1: but no one heard them or saw them, so they
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Speaker 1: were at last obliged to fly away, high up in
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Speaker 1: the clouds, and over the wide world they flew till
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Speaker 1: they came to a thick, dark wood which stretched far
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Speaker 1: away to the sea shore. Poor little Eliza was alone
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Speaker 1: in her room, playing with a green leaf, for she
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Speaker 1: had no weather playthings. And she peers to hold through
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Speaker 1: the leaf and look through it at the sun, And
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Speaker 1: it was as if she saw her brother's clear eyes.
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Speaker 1: And when the warm sun shone on her cheeks, she
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Speaker 1: thought of all the kisses they had given her. One
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Speaker 1: day passed just like another. Sometimes the winds rustled through
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Speaker 1: the leaves of the rose bush and would whisper to
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Speaker 1: the roses, who can be more beautiful than you? But
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Speaker 1: the roses would shake their heads and say, Eliza is.
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Speaker 1: And when the old woman sat at the cottage door
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Speaker 1: on Sunday and read her hymn book, the wind would
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Speaker 1: flutter the leaves and say to the book, who can
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Speaker 1: be more pious than you? And then the hymn book
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Speaker 1: would answer Eliza, and the roses in the hymn book
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Speaker 1: told the real truth. At fifteen, she returned home. But
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Speaker 1: when the queen saw how beautiful she was, she became
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Speaker 1: full of spite and hatred towards her. Willingly would she
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Speaker 1: had turned her into a swan like a brother's, but
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Speaker 1: she did not dare to do so yet, because the
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Speaker 1: king wished to see his daughter. Early one morning, the
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Speaker 1: queen went into the bathroom. It was built of marble
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Speaker 1: and had soft cushions trimmed with the most beautiful tapestry.
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Speaker 1: She took three toads with her and kissed them, and
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Speaker 1: said to one, when Eliza comes to the bath, seat
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Speaker 1: yourself upon her head, that she may become as stupid
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Speaker 1: as you are. Then she said to another, place yourself
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Speaker 1: on her forehead, that she may become as ugly as
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Speaker 1: you are, and that her father may not know her.
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Speaker 1: Rest on her heart, she whispered to the third, then
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Speaker 1: she will have evil inclinations and suffer in consequence. So
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Speaker 1: she put the toads into the clear water, and they
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Speaker 1: turned green immediately. She next called Eliza and helped her
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Speaker 1: to undress and get into the bath. As Eliza dipped
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Speaker 1: her head under the water, one of the toads set
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Speaker 1: on her hair, a second on her forehead, and a
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Speaker 1: third on her breast, But she did not seem to notice. Them,
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Speaker 1: and when she rose out of the water there were
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Speaker 1: three red poppies floating upon it. Had not the creatures
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Speaker 1: been venomous or been kissed by the witch, they would
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Speaker 1: have been changed into red roses. At all events, they
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Speaker 1: became flowers because they had rested on Eliza's head and
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Speaker 1: on her heart. She was too good and too innocent
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Speaker 1: for witchcraft to have any power over her. When the
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Speaker 1: wicked queen saw this, she rubbed her face with walnut
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Speaker 1: juice so that she was quite brown, And then she
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Speaker 1: tangled her beautiful hair and smeared it with disgusting ointment,
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Speaker 1: till it was quite impossible to recognize the beautiful Eliza.
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Speaker 1: When her father saw her, he was much shocked and
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Speaker 1: declared she was not his daughter. No one but the
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Speaker 1: watchdog and the swallows knew her, and they were only
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Speaker 1: poor animals and could say nothing. Then poor Eliza wept
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Speaker 1: and thought of her eleven brothers, who were all away. Sorrowfully,
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Speaker 1: she stole away from the palace and walked the whole
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Speaker 1: day over fields and moors till she came to the
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Speaker 1: great forest. She knew not in what direction to go,
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Speaker 1: but she was so unhappy and longs for her brothers,
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Speaker 1: who had been like herself, driven out into the world,
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Speaker 1: that she was determined to seek them. She had been
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Speaker 1: but a short time in the wood when night came
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Speaker 1: on and she quite lost the path. So she laid
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Speaker 1: herself down on the soft moss, offered up her evening prayer,
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Speaker 1: and leaned her head against the stump of a tree.
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Speaker 1: All nature was still, and the soft mild air fanned
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Speaker 1: her forehead. The light of hundreds of glow worms shone
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Speaker 1: in amidst the grass and the moss like green fire,
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Speaker 1: and she touched a twig with her hand, ever so lightly.
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Speaker 1: The brilliant insects fell down around her like shooting stars.
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Speaker 1: All night long, she dreamt of her brothers. She and
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Speaker 1: they were children again, playing together. She saw them writing
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Speaker 1: with their diamond pencils on golden slates while she looked
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Speaker 1: at the beautiful picture book which had cost half a kingdom.
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Speaker 1: They were not writing lines in letters, as they used
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Speaker 1: to do, but descriptions of the noble deeds they had performed,
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Speaker 1: and of all they had discovered and seen in the
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Speaker 1: picture book too. Everything was living. The birds sang, and
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Speaker 1: the people came out of the book and spoke to
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Speaker 1: Eliza and her brothers, But as the leaves turned over,
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Speaker 1: they darted back again to their places, that all might
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Speaker 1: be in order. When she awoke, the sun was high
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Speaker 1: in the heavens, yet she could not see him, for
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Speaker 1: the lofty trees spread their branches thickly over her head.
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Speaker 1: But his beams were glancing through the leaves here and
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Speaker 1: there like a golden mist. There was a sweet fragrance
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Speaker 1: from the fresh green verdure, and the birds almost perched
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Speaker 1: upon her shoulders. She heard water rippling from a number
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Speaker 1: of springs, all flowing in a lake with golden sands.
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Speaker 1: Bushes grew thickly around the lake, and at one spot
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Speaker 1: an opening had been made by a deer through which
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Speaker 1: Eliza went down to the water. The lake was so
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Speaker 1: clear that had not the wind rustled the branches of
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Speaker 1: the trees and the bushes so that they moved, they
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Speaker 1: would have appeared as if painted in the depths of
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Speaker 1: the lake, for every leaf was reflected in the water,
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Speaker 1: whether it stood in the shade or the sunshine. As
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Speaker 1: soon as Eliza saw her own face, she was quite
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Speaker 1: terrified at finding it so brown and ugly. But when
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Speaker 1: she wetted her little hand and rubbed her eyes and forehead.
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Speaker 1: The white skin gleamed forth once more, and after she
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Speaker 1: had undressed and dipped herself in the fresh water, a
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Speaker 1: more beautiful king's daughter could not be found in the
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Speaker 1: wide world. As soon as she had dressed herself again
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Speaker 1: and braided her long hair, she went to the bubbling
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Speaker 1: spring and drank some water out of the hollow of
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Speaker 1: her hand. Then she wandered far into the forest, not
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Speaker 1: knowing whither she went. She thought of her brothers and
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Speaker 1: felt sure that God had not forsaken her. It is
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Speaker 1: God who makes the wild apples grow in the wood
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Speaker 1: to satisfy the hungry, And he now led her to
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Speaker 1: one of these trees, which was so loaded with fruit
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Speaker 1: that the boughs bent beneath the weight. Here she held
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Speaker 1: her noonday repast, placed props under the boughs, and then
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Speaker 1: went into the gloomiest depths of the forest. It was
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Speaker 1: so still that she could hear the sound of her
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Speaker 1: own footsteps, as well as the rustling of every withered
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Speaker 1: leaf which she crushed under her feet. Not a bird
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Speaker 1: was to be seen, not a sunbeam could penetrate through
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Speaker 1: the large, dark boughs of the trees. Their lofty trunks
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Speaker 1: stood so close together that when she looked before her,
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Speaker 1: it seemed as if there were enclosed with intrellis work
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Speaker 1: such solitude she had never known before. The night was
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Speaker 1: very dark. Not a single glow worm glittered in the moss. Sorrowfully,
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Speaker 1: she laid herself down to sleep, and after a while
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Speaker 1: it seemed to her as if the branches of the
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Speaker 1: trees parted over her head, and that the mild eyes
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Speaker 1: of angels looked down upon her from heaven. When she
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Speaker 1: awoke in the morning, she knew not whether she had
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Speaker 1: dreamt this or if it had really been so. Then
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Speaker 1: she continued her wandering, But she had not gone many
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Speaker 1: steps forward when she met an old woman with berries
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Speaker 1: in her basket, and she gave her a few to eat.
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Speaker 1: Then Eliza asked her if she had not seen eleven
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Speaker 1: princes riding through the forest. No, replied the old woman,
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Speaker 1: but I saw yesterday eleven swans with gold crowns on
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Speaker 1: their heads swimming on a river close by. Then she
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Speaker 1: led Eliza a little distance further to a sloping bank,
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Speaker 1: and at the foot of it wound a little river.
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Speaker 1: The trees on its banks stretched their long leafy branches
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Speaker 1: across the water towards each other, and where the growth
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Speaker 1: prevented them from eating naturally, the roots had torn themselves
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Speaker 1: away from the ground so that the branches might mingle
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Speaker 1: their foliage as they hung over the water. Eliza bathed
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Speaker 1: the old women farewell, and walked by the flowing river
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Speaker 1: till she reached the shore of the open sea. And
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Speaker 1: there before the young maiden's eyes lay the glorious ocean,
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Speaker 1: But not a sail appeared on its surface, Not even
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Speaker 1: a boat could be seen. How was she to go farther?
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Speaker 1: She noticed how the countless pebbles on the seashore had
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Speaker 1: been smoothed and rounded by the action of the water,
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Speaker 1: glass iron stones. Everything that lay there, mingled together, had
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Speaker 1: taken its shape from the same power, and felt as smooth,
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Speaker 1: or even smoother than her own delicate hand. The water
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Speaker 1: rolls on without weariness, she said, till all that is
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Speaker 1: hard becomes smooth. So will I be unwearied in my task?
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Speaker 1: Thanks for your lessons, bright rolling waves. My heart tells
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Speaker 1: me that you will lead me to my dear brothers.
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Speaker 1: On the foam covered seaweeds lay eleven white swan feathers,
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Speaker 1: which she gathered up and placed together. Drops of water
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Speaker 1: lay upon them. Whether they were dewdrops or tears, no
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Speaker 1: one could say. Lonely as it was on the sea shore,
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Speaker 1: she did not observe it, for the ever moving sea
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Speaker 1: showed more changes in a few hours than the most
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Speaker 1: varying lake could produce during a whole year. If a black,
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Speaker 1: heavy cloud arose, it was as if the sea said,
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Speaker 1: I can look dark and angry too. And then the
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Speaker 1: wind blew, and the waves turned to white foam as
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Speaker 1: they rolled. When the wind slept and the clouds glowed
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Speaker 1: with the red sunlight, then the sea looked like a
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Speaker 1: rose leaf. But however, quietly its white, glassy surface rested.
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Speaker 1: There was still a motion on the shore as its
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Speaker 1: waves rose and fell, like the breast of a sleeping child.
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Speaker 1: When the sun was about to set, Eliza saw eleven
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Speaker 1: white swans with golden crowns on their heads, flying towards
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Speaker 1: the land, one behind the other, like a long white ribbon.
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Speaker 1: Then Eliza went down the slope from the shore and
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Speaker 1: hid herself behind the bushes. The swans a lighted quite
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Speaker 1: close to her and flapped their great white wings. As
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Speaker 1: soon as the sun had disappeared under the water, the
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Speaker 1: feathers of the swans fell off, and eleven beautiful princes,
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Speaker 1: says Eliza's brothers, stood near her. She uttered a loud cry,
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Speaker 1: for although they were very much changed, she knew them immediately.
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Speaker 1: She sprang into their arms and called them each by name. Then,
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Speaker 1: how happy the princes were at meeting their little sister again,
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Speaker 1: for they recognized her, although she had grown so tall
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Speaker 1: and beautiful. They laughed, and they wept, and very soon
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Speaker 1: understood how wickedly their mother had acted to them. All
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Speaker 1: we brothers, said the eldest, fly about as wild swans
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Speaker 1: so long as the sun is in the sky, but
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Speaker 1: as soon as it sinks behind the hills, we recover
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Speaker 1: our human shape. Therefore, we must always be near a
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Speaker 1: resting place for our feet before sunset, For if we
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Speaker 1: should be flying towards the clouds at the time we
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Speaker 1: recovered our natural shape as men, we should sink deep
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Speaker 1: into the sea. We do not dwell here, but in
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Speaker 1: a land just as fair, that lies beyond the ocean,
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Speaker 1: which we have to cross for a long distance. There
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Speaker 1: is no island in our passage upon which we could
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Speaker 1: pass the night, nothing but a little rock rising on
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Speaker 1: the sea, upon which we can scarcely stand with safety,
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Speaker 1: even closely crowded together. If the sea is rough, the
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Speaker 1: foam dashes over us. Yet we thank God even for
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Speaker 1: this rock. We have passed whole nights upon it, or
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Speaker 1: we should never have reached our beloved fatherland. For our
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Speaker 1: flight across the sea occupies two of the longest days
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Speaker 1: in the year. We have permission to visit our home
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Speaker 1: once and every year, and to remain eleven days during
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Speaker 1: which we fly across the forest to look once more
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Speaker 1: at the palace where our father dwells and where we
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Speaker 1: were born, and at the church where our mother lies buried.
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Speaker 1: Here it seems as if the very trees and bushes
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Speaker 1: were related to us. The wild horses leap over the plains,
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Speaker 1: as we have seen them in our childhood. The charcoal
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Speaker 1: burners sing the old songs to which we have danced
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Speaker 1: as children. This is our fatherland, to which we are
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Speaker 1: drawn by loving ties. And here we have found you,
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Speaker 1: our dear little sister. Two days longer we can remain here,
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Speaker 1: and then we must fly away to a beautiful land
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Speaker 1: which is not our home. And how can we take
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Speaker 1: you with us? We have neither ship nor boat. How
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Speaker 1: can I break this spell, said their sister, and then
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Speaker 1: she talked about it nearly the whole night. Only slumbering
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Speaker 1: for a few hours, Eliza was awakened by the rustling
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Speaker 1: of the swan's wings as they sword above. Her brothers
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Speaker 1: were again changed to swans, and they flew in circles
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Speaker 1: wider and wider till they were far away. But one
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Speaker 1: of them, the youngest swan, remained behind and laid his
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Speaker 1: head in his sister's lap while she stroked his wings,
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Speaker 1: and they remained together the whole day. Towards evening, the
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Speaker 1: rest came back, and as the sun went down they
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Speaker 1: resumed their natural forms. Tomorrow, said one, we shall fly away,
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Speaker 1: not to return again until a whole year has passed.
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Speaker 1: But we cannot leave you here. Have you courage to
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Speaker 1: go with us? My arm is strong enough to carry
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Speaker 1: you through the wood, and will not all our wings
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Speaker 1: be strong enough to fly with you over the sea. Yes,
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Speaker 1: take me with you, said Eliza. Then they spent the
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Speaker 1: whole night in weaving a net with the pliant willow
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Speaker 1: in rushes. It was very large and strong. Eliza laid
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Speaker 1: herself down on the net, and when the sun rose
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Speaker 1: and her brothers again became wild swans. They took up
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Speaker 1: the net with their beaks, and they flew up to
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Speaker 1: the clouds with their dear sister, who still slept. The
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Speaker 1: sunbeams fell on her face. Therefore, one of the swans
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Speaker 1: soared over her head so that his broad wings might
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Speaker 1: shade her. They were far from the land. When Eliza woke,
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Speaker 1: she thought she must still be dreaming. It seemed so
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Speaker 1: strange to her to feel herself being carried so high
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Speaker 1: in the air over the sea. By her side lay
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Speaker 1: a branch full of beautiful ripe berries and a bundle
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Speaker 1: of sweet roots. The youngest of her brothers had gathered
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Speaker 1: them for her and placed them by her side. She
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Speaker 1: smiled her thanks to him. She knew it was the
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Speaker 1: same who had hovered over her to shade her with
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Speaker 1: his wings. They were now so high that a large
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Speaker 1: ship beneath them looked like a white sea gull skimming
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Speaker 1: the waves. A great cloud floating behind them appeared like
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Speaker 1: a vast mountain, and upon it Eliza saw her own
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Speaker 1: shadow and those of the eleven swans, looking gigantic in size. Altogether,
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Speaker 1: it formed a more beautiful picture than she had ever seen.
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Speaker 1: But as the sun rose higher, and the clouds were
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Speaker 1: left behind. The shadowy picture vanished away onward. The whole
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Speaker 1: day they flew through the air like a winged arrow,
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Speaker 1: yet more slowly than usual, for they had their sister
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Speaker 1: to carry. The weather seemed inclined to be stormy, and
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Speaker 1: Eliza watched the sinking sun with great anxiety, for the
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Speaker 1: little rock of the ocean was not yet in sight.
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Speaker 1: It appeared to her as if the swans were making
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Speaker 1: great efforts with their wings, alas she was the cause
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Speaker 1: of their not advancing more quickly. When the sun set,
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Speaker 1: they would change them in fall into the sea and
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Speaker 1: be drowned. Then she offered a prayer from her inmost heart,
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Speaker 1: but still no appearance of the rock. Dark clouds came nearer.
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Speaker 1: The gusts of wind told of a coming storm, while
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Speaker 1: from a thick, heavy mass of clouds the lightning burst forth,
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Speaker 1: flash after flash. The sun had reached the edge of
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Speaker 1: the sea when the swan darted down so swiftly that
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Speaker 1: Eliza's head trembled. She believed they were falling, but they
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Speaker 1: again soared onward. Presently she caught sight of the rock
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Speaker 1: just below them, and by this time the sun was
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Speaker 1: half hidden by the waves, the rock did not appear
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Speaker 1: larger than a seal's head. Thrust out of the water,
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Speaker 1: they sunk so rapidly that at the moment their feet
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Speaker 1: touched the rock, it shone only like a star, and
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Speaker 1: at last disappeared like the last spark in a piece
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Speaker 1: of burnt paper. Then she saw her brothers standing closely
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Speaker 1: round her with their arms linked together. There was but
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Speaker 1: just room enough for them, and not the smallest space
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Speaker 1: to spare. The sea dashed against the rock and covered
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Speaker 1: them with spray. The heavens were lighted up with continual flashes,
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Speaker 1: and peel after peal of thunder rolled, but the sister
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Speaker 1: and brothers sat holding each other's hands and singing hymns
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Speaker 1: from which they gained hope and courage. In the early dawn,
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Speaker 1: the air became calm and still, and at sunrise's swans
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Speaker 1: flew away from the rock with Eliza. The sea was still,
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Speaker 1: and from their high position in the air, the white
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Speaker 1: foam on the dark green waves looked like millions of
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Speaker 1: swans swimming on the water. As the sun rose higher,
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Speaker 1: Eliza saw before her, floating on the air a range
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Speaker 1: of mountains with shining masses of ice on their summits.
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Speaker 1: In the center rosa castle apparently a mile long, with
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Speaker 1: rows of columns rising one above another, while around it
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Speaker 1: palm trees waved and flowers bloomed as large as mill wheells.
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Speaker 1: She asked if this was the land to which they
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Speaker 1: were hastening. The swans shook their heads, for what she
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Speaker 1: beheld were the beautiful, ever changing cloud palaces of the
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Speaker 1: Fata morgana into which no mortal can enter. Eliza was
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Speaker 1: still gazing at the scene when mountains, forests, and castles
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Speaker 1: melted away, and twenty stately churches rose in their stead
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Speaker 1: with high towers and pointed Gothic windows. Eliza even fancied
18:55
Speaker 1: she could hear the tones of the organ, but it
18:57
Speaker 1: was the music of the murmuring sea which she heard.
19:00
Speaker 1: As they drew nearer to the churches, they also changed
19:03
Speaker 1: into a fleet of ships which seemed to be sailing
19:06
Speaker 1: beneath her, But as she looked again, she found it
19:08
Speaker 1: was only a sea mist gliding over the ocean. So
19:11
Speaker 1: there continued to pass before her eyes a constant change
19:14
Speaker 1: of scene, till at last she saw the real land
19:17
Speaker 1: to which they were bound, with its blue mountains, its
19:20
Speaker 1: cedar forests, and its cities and palaces. Long before the
19:24
Speaker 1: sun went down, she sat on a rock in front
19:27
Speaker 1: of a large cave, on the floor of which the
19:29
Speaker 1: overgrown yet delicate, green creeping plants looked like an embroidered carpet.
19:34
Speaker 1: Now we shall expect to hear what you dream of
19:37
Speaker 1: to night, said the youngest brother, as he showed his
19:39
Speaker 1: sister her bedroom. Heaven, grant that I may dream how
19:43
Speaker 1: to save you, she replied, And this thought took such
19:47
Speaker 1: hold upon her mind that she prayed earnestly to God
19:50
Speaker 1: for help, and even in her sleep she continued to pray.
19:53
Speaker 1: Then it appeared to her as if she were flying
19:55
Speaker 1: high in the air towards the cloudy palace of the
19:58
Speaker 1: Fata Margana, and a fairy came out to meet her,
20:02
Speaker 1: radiant and beautiful in appearance, and yet very much like
20:05
Speaker 1: the old woman who had given her berries in the wood,
20:08
Speaker 1: and who had told her of the swans with the
20:10
Speaker 1: golden crowns on their heads. Your brothers can be released,
20:14
Speaker 1: said she, if you have only courage and perseverance. True
20:19
Speaker 1: water is softer than your own delicate hands, and yet
20:22
Speaker 1: it polishes stones into shapes. It feels no pain, as
20:26
Speaker 1: your fingers would feel. It has no soul. I cannot
20:29
Speaker 1: suffer such agony and torment as you will have to endure.
20:32
Speaker 1: Do you see the stinging nettle which I hold in
20:34
Speaker 1: my hand. Quantities of the same sort grow round the
20:38
Speaker 1: cave in which you sleep, but none will be of
20:40
Speaker 1: any use to you unless they grow upon the graves
20:43
Speaker 1: in a churchyard. These you must gather, even while they
20:46
Speaker 1: burn blisters on your hands. Break them to pieces with
20:50
Speaker 1: your hands and feet, and they will become flax, from
20:53
Speaker 1: which you must spin and weave eleven coats with long sleeves.
20:57
Speaker 1: If these are then thrown over the eleven swans, the
21:01
Speaker 1: spell will be broken. But remember that from the moment
21:05
Speaker 1: you commence your task until it is finished, even should
21:08
Speaker 1: it occupy years of your life, you must not speak.
21:12
Speaker 1: The first word you utter will pierce through the hearts
21:15
Speaker 1: of your brothers like a deadly dagger. Their lives hang
21:18
Speaker 1: upon your tongue. Remember all I have told you. And
21:22
Speaker 1: as she finished speaking, she touched her hand lightly with
21:26
Speaker 1: the nettle, and a pain as of burning fire awoke Eliza.
21:31
Speaker 1: It was broad daylight, and close by where she had
21:34
Speaker 1: been sleepingly, a nettle like the ones she had seen
21:37
Speaker 1: in her dream. She fell on her knees and offered
21:39
Speaker 1: her thanks to God. Then she went forth from the
21:42
Speaker 1: cave to begin her work. With her delicate hands, she
21:45
Speaker 1: groped in amongst the ugly nettles, which burnt great blisters
21:49
Speaker 1: on her hands and arms. But she determined to bear
21:51
Speaker 1: it gladly if only she could release her dear brothers.
21:55
Speaker 1: So she bruised the nettles with her bare feet and
21:57
Speaker 1: spun the flax. At sunset, her her brothers returned and
22:01
Speaker 1: were very much frightened when they found her dumb. They
22:04
Speaker 1: believed it to be some new sorcery of their wicked stepmother.
22:08
Speaker 1: But when they saw her hands, they understood what she
22:11
Speaker 1: was doing on their behalf, and the youngest brother wept,
22:14
Speaker 1: and where his tears fell, the pain ceased, and the
22:17
Speaker 1: burning blisters vanished. She kept to her work all night,
22:21
Speaker 1: for she could not rest till she had released her
22:23
Speaker 1: dear brothers. During the whole of the following day, while
22:26
Speaker 1: her brothers were absent, she sat in solitude. But never
22:29
Speaker 1: before had the time flown so quickly. One coat was
22:33
Speaker 1: already finished, and she begun the second. When she heard
22:36
Speaker 1: the huntsman's horn and was struck with fear. The sound
22:39
Speaker 1: came nearer and nearer. She heard the dogs barking, and
22:42
Speaker 1: fled with terror into the cave. She hastily bound together
22:46
Speaker 1: the nettles she had gathered into a bundle and set
22:48
Speaker 1: upon them. Immediately a great dog came bounding towards her
22:52
Speaker 1: out of the ravine, and then another and another. They
22:55
Speaker 1: barked loudly, ran back, and then came again. In a
22:58
Speaker 1: very few minutes, all all the huntsman stood before the cave,
23:02
Speaker 1: and the handsomest of them was the King of the country.
23:05
Speaker 1: He advanced towards her, for he had never seen a
23:08
Speaker 1: more beautiful maiden. How did you come here, my sweet child,
23:13
Speaker 1: he asked, But Eliza shook her head. She dared not
23:16
Speaker 1: speak at the cost of her brother's lives, and she
23:19
Speaker 1: hid her hands under her apron so that the king
23:22
Speaker 1: might not see how she must be suffering. Come with me,
23:25
Speaker 1: he said, here, you cannot remain. If you are as
23:29
Speaker 1: good as you are beautiful. I will dress you in
23:32
Speaker 1: silken velvet. I will place a golden crown upon your head,
23:35
Speaker 1: and you shall dwell and rule and make your home
23:38
Speaker 1: in my richest castle. And then he lifted her on
23:41
Speaker 1: his horse. She wept and wrung her hands, but the
23:44
Speaker 1: king said, I wish only for your happiness. A time
23:48
Speaker 1: will come when you will thank me for this, And
23:50
Speaker 1: then he galloped away over the mountains, holding her before
23:53
Speaker 1: him on his horse, and the hunters followed behind them.
23:56
Speaker 1: As the sun went down, they approached a fair, roar
24:00
Speaker 1: royal city with churches and cupolas. On arriving at the castle,
24:04
Speaker 1: the king led her into marble halls, where large fountains played,
24:08
Speaker 1: and where the walls and ceilings were covered with rich paintings.
24:12
Speaker 1: But she had no eyes for all these glorious sights.
24:15
Speaker 1: She could only mourn and weep patiently. She allowed the
24:19
Speaker 1: women to array her in royal robes, to weave pearls
24:22
Speaker 1: in her hair, and to draw soft gloves over her
24:25
Speaker 1: blistered fingers. As she stood before them in all her
24:28
Speaker 1: rich dress, she looked so dazzlingly beautiful that the court
24:32
Speaker 1: bowed low in her presence. Then the king declared his
24:36
Speaker 1: intention of making her his bride. But the archbishop shook
24:39
Speaker 1: his head and whispered that the fair young maiden was
24:42
Speaker 1: only a witch who had blinded the king's eyes and
24:45
Speaker 1: bewitched his heart. But the King would not listen to this.
24:49
Speaker 1: He ordered the music to sound, the daintiest dishes to
24:52
Speaker 1: be served, and the loveliest maidens to dance. Afterwards, he
24:56
Speaker 1: led her through fragrant gardens and lofty halls, but not
25:00
Speaker 1: a smile appeared on her lips or sparkled in her eyes.
25:04
Speaker 1: She looked the very picture of grief. Then the King
25:07
Speaker 1: opened the door of a little chamber in which she
25:09
Speaker 1: was to sleep. It was adorned with rich green tapestry,
25:13
Speaker 1: and resembled the cave in which he had found her.
25:16
Speaker 1: On the floor lay the bundle of flax which she
25:19
Speaker 1: had spun from the nettles, and under the ceiling hung
25:22
Speaker 1: the coat she had made. These things had been brought
25:24
Speaker 1: away from the cave as curiosities by one of the huntsmen.
25:28
Speaker 1: Here you can dream yourself back again in the old
25:31
Speaker 1: home in the cave, said the King. Here is the
25:33
Speaker 1: work with which you employed yourself. It will amuse you now,
25:36
Speaker 1: in the midst of all this splendor, to think of
25:38
Speaker 1: that time when Eliza saw all these things which lay
25:43
Speaker 1: so near her heart. A smile played around her mouth,
25:46
Speaker 1: and the crimson blood rushed to her cheeks. She thought
25:49
Speaker 1: of her brothers, and the release made her so joyful
25:52
Speaker 1: that she kissed the king's hand. Then he pressed her
25:55
Speaker 1: to his heart. Very soon the joyous church bells announced
25:59
Speaker 1: the merry feast and that the beautiful, dumb girl out
26:02
Speaker 1: of the wood was to be made the queen of
26:04
Speaker 1: the country. Then the archbishop whispered wicked words in the
26:08
Speaker 1: king's ear, but they did not sink into his heart.
26:11
Speaker 1: The marriage was still to take place, and the archbishop
26:14
Speaker 1: himself had to place the crown on the bride's head.
26:17
Speaker 1: In his wicked spite, he pressed the narrow circlet so
26:21
Speaker 1: tightly on her forehead that it caused her pain, but
26:24
Speaker 1: a heavier weight and circled her heart sorrow for her brother's.
26:28
Speaker 1: She felt not bodily pain. Her mouth was closed. A
26:31
Speaker 1: single word would cost the lives of her brothers. But
26:35
Speaker 1: she loved the kind, handsome king, who did everything to
26:38
Speaker 1: make her happy. More and more each day she loved
26:42
Speaker 1: him with all her heart, and her eyes beamed with
26:45
Speaker 1: the love. She dared not speak, oh as she had
26:48
Speaker 1: only been able to confide in him and tell him
26:51
Speaker 1: of her grief. But dumb she must remain till her
26:54
Speaker 1: task was finished. Therefore, at night She crept away into
26:58
Speaker 1: her little chamber, which had been decked out to look
27:01
Speaker 1: like the cave, and quickly wove one coat after another.
27:05
Speaker 1: But when she began the seventh, she found she had
27:07
Speaker 1: no more flax. She knew that the nettle she wanted
27:10
Speaker 1: to use grew in the churchyard, and that she must
27:13
Speaker 1: pluck them herself. How should she get out there? Oh,
27:17
Speaker 1: what is the pain in my fingers? To the torment
27:20
Speaker 1: which my heart endures? Said she, I must venture. I
27:24
Speaker 1: shall not be denied help from Heaven. Then, with a
27:27
Speaker 1: trembling heart, as if she were about to perform a
27:29
Speaker 1: wicked deed, she crept into the garden in the broad moonlight,
27:34
Speaker 1: and passed through the narrow walks in the deserted streets
27:37
Speaker 1: till she reached the churchyard. Then she saw on one
27:40
Speaker 1: of the broad tombstones a group of ghoules. These hideous
27:43
Speaker 1: creatures took off their rags as if they intended to bathe,
27:47
Speaker 1: and then, clawing open the fresh graves with their long,
27:50
Speaker 1: skinny fingers, pulled out the dead bodies and ate the flesh.
27:54
Speaker 1: Eliza had to pass close by them, and they fixed
27:57
Speaker 1: their wicked glances upon her, which she prayed silently gathered
28:01
Speaker 1: the burning nettles and carried them home with her to
28:03
Speaker 1: the castle. One person only had seen her, and that
28:07
Speaker 1: was the archbishop. He was awake while everybody was asleep.
28:11
Speaker 1: Now he thought his opinion was evidently correct. All was
28:15
Speaker 1: not right with the queen. She was a witch and
28:18
Speaker 1: had bewitched the king and all the people. Secretly, he
28:21
Speaker 1: told the king what he had seen and what he feared.
28:24
Speaker 1: And as the hard words came from his tongue, the
28:27
Speaker 1: carved images of the saints shook their heads, as if
28:30
Speaker 1: they would say, it is not so, Eliza is innocent.
28:35
Speaker 1: But the archbishop interpreted it in another way. He believed
28:39
Speaker 1: that they witnessed against her and were shaking their heads
28:42
Speaker 1: at her wickedness. Two large tears rolled down the King's cheeks,
28:47
Speaker 1: and he went home with doubt in his heart. And
28:49
Speaker 1: at night he pretended to sleep, but there came no
28:52
Speaker 1: real sleep to his eyes, for he saw Eliza get
28:55
Speaker 1: up every night and disappear in her own chamber. From
28:58
Speaker 1: day to day, his brow became darker, and Eliza saw
29:01
Speaker 1: it and did not understand the reason. But it alarmed
29:04
Speaker 1: her and made her heart tremble for her brothers, her
29:07
Speaker 1: hot tears glittered like pearls on the regal velvet, and diamonds,
29:11
Speaker 1: while all who saw her were wishing they could be queens.
29:14
Speaker 1: In the meantime, she had almost finished her task. Only
29:18
Speaker 1: one coat of mail was wanting, but she had no
29:20
Speaker 1: flax left, and not a single nettle. Once more, only,
29:25
Speaker 1: and for the last time, must she venture to the
29:27
Speaker 1: churchyard and pluck a few handfuls, She thought, with terror
29:31
Speaker 1: of the solitary walk and of the horrible ghouls. But
29:34
Speaker 1: her will was firm, as well as her trust in providence.
29:38
Speaker 1: Eliza went, and the King and the archbishop followed her.
29:41
Speaker 1: They saw her vanish through the wicked gate into the churchyard,
29:44
Speaker 1: and when they came nearer, they saw the ghouls sitting
29:47
Speaker 1: on the tombstone, as Eliza had seen them, And the
29:49
Speaker 1: King turned away his head, for he thought she was
29:52
Speaker 1: with them, she whose head had rested on his breast
29:55
Speaker 1: that very evening. The people must condemn her, said he,
29:59
Speaker 1: and she was very very quickly condemned by everyone, to
30:02
Speaker 1: suffer death by fire. Away from the gorgeous regal halls
30:05
Speaker 1: was she led to a dark, dreary cell, where the
30:08
Speaker 1: wind whistled through the iron bars. Instead of the velvet
30:11
Speaker 1: and silk dresses. They gave her the coats of mail
30:14
Speaker 1: which she had woven to cover her, and the bundle
30:17
Speaker 1: of nettles for a pillow. But nothing they could give
30:20
Speaker 1: her would have pleased her more. She continued her task
30:23
Speaker 1: with joy and prayed for help, while the street boy
30:27
Speaker 1: sang jeering songs about her, and not a soul comforted
30:30
Speaker 1: her with a kind word. Towards evening, she heard at
30:34
Speaker 1: the grating the flutter of a swan's wing. It was
30:37
Speaker 1: her youngest brother. He had found his sister, and she
30:40
Speaker 1: sobbed for joy. Although she knew that very likely this
30:44
Speaker 1: would be the last night she would have to live.
30:47
Speaker 1: But still she could hope, for her task was almost finished,
30:51
Speaker 1: and her brothers were come. Then the archbishop arrived to
30:54
Speaker 1: be with her during her last hours, as he had
30:57
Speaker 1: promised the king, but she shook her head and begged
31:00
Speaker 1: him by looks and gestures not to stay. For in
31:03
Speaker 1: this night she knew she must finish her task, otherwise
31:06
Speaker 1: all her pain and tears and sleepless nights would have
31:09
Speaker 1: been suffered in vain. The archbishop withdrew, uttering bitter words
31:14
Speaker 1: against her, But poor Eliza knew that she was innocent,
31:17
Speaker 1: and diligently continued her work. The little mice ran about
31:21
Speaker 1: the floor. They dragged the nettles to her feet to
31:24
Speaker 1: help as well as they could, and the thrush sat
31:27
Speaker 1: outside the grating of the window and sang to her
31:29
Speaker 1: the whole night long, as sweetly as possible, to keep
31:32
Speaker 1: up her spirits. It was still twilight, and at least
31:36
Speaker 1: an hour before sunrise, when the eleven brothers stood at
31:39
Speaker 1: the castle gate and demanded to be brought before the king.
31:42
Speaker 1: They were told it could not be. It was yet
31:45
Speaker 1: almost night, and as the king slept, they dared not
31:48
Speaker 1: disturb him. They threatened, they entreated. Then the guard appeared,
31:52
Speaker 1: and even the king himself, inquiring what all the noise meant.
31:57
Speaker 1: At this moment the sun rose. The eleven brothers were
31:59
Speaker 1: seen no more, but eleven wild swans flew away over
32:03
Speaker 1: the castle. And now all the people came streaming forth
32:07
Speaker 1: from the gates of the city to see the witch burnt.
32:10
Speaker 1: An old horse drew the cart on which she sat.
32:12
Speaker 1: They had dressed her in a garment of coarse sackcloth.
32:16
Speaker 1: Her lovely hair hung loose on her shoulders, her cheeks
32:19
Speaker 1: were deadly pale. Her lips moved silently, while her fingers
32:23
Speaker 1: still worked at the green flax. Even on the way
32:26
Speaker 1: to death, she would not give up her task. The
32:29
Speaker 1: tin coats of male lay at her feet. She was
32:31
Speaker 1: working hard at the eleventh while the mob jeered her
32:34
Speaker 1: and said, see the witch, how she mutters? She has
32:38
Speaker 1: no hymn book in her hand. She sits there with
32:40
Speaker 1: her ugly sorcery. Let us tear it in a thousand pieces.
32:44
Speaker 1: And then they pressed towards her and would have destroyed
32:47
Speaker 1: the coats of male. But at the same moment, eleven
32:50
Speaker 1: wild swans flew over her and lighted on the cart.
32:53
Speaker 1: Then they flapped their large wings, and the crowd drew
32:55
Speaker 1: on one side in alarm. It is a sign from
32:58
Speaker 1: heaven that she is innocent, whispered many of them, but
33:01
Speaker 1: they ventured not to say it aloud. As the executioner
33:05
Speaker 1: seized her by the hand to lift her out of
33:07
Speaker 1: the cart, she hastily threw the eleven coats of mail
33:10
Speaker 1: over the swans, and they immediately became eleven handsome princes.
33:14
Speaker 1: But the youngest had a swan's wing instead of an arm,
33:17
Speaker 1: for she had not been able to finish the last
33:19
Speaker 1: sleeve of the coat. Now I may speak, she exclaimed,
33:24
Speaker 1: I am innocent. Then the people who saw what happened
33:28
Speaker 1: bowed to her as before a saint. But she sank
33:31
Speaker 1: lifeless in her brother's arms, overcome with suspense, anguish, and pain. Yes,
33:37
Speaker 1: she is innocent, said the eldest brother, And then he
33:40
Speaker 1: related all that had taken place. And while he spoke,
33:44
Speaker 1: the rose in the air of fragrances from millions of roses.
33:48
Speaker 1: Every piece of faggot in the pile had taken root
33:51
Speaker 1: and threw out branches, and appeared a thick hedge, large
33:54
Speaker 1: and high, covered with roses, while above all bloomed a
33:58
Speaker 1: white and shining flower that glittered like a star. This
34:02
Speaker 1: flower the king plucked and placed in Eliza's bosom. When
34:06
Speaker 1: she awoke from her swoon with peace and happiness in
34:09
Speaker 1: her heart, and all the church bells rang of themselves,
34:13
Speaker 1: and the birds came in great troops, and a marriage
34:15
Speaker 1: procession returned to the castle, such as no king had
34:19
Speaker 1: ever before seen. In Dove the Wild Swans recording by
34:27
Speaker 1: Christopher Taylor,