THE SWINEHERD [0]
1872
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
THE SWINEHERD
by Hans Christian Andersen
ONCE upon a time lived a poor prince; his kingdom was very
small, but it was large enough to enable him to marry, and marry he
would. It was rather bold of him that he went and asked the
emperor's daughter: "Will you marry me?" but he ventured to do so, for
his name was known far and wide, and there were hundreds of princesses
who would have gladly accepted him, but would she do so? Now we
shall see.
On the grave of the prince's father grew a rose-tree, the most
beautiful of its kind. It bloomed only once in five years, and then it
had only one single rose upon it, but what a rose! It had such a sweet
scent that one instantly forgot all sorrow and grief when one smelt
it. He had also a nightingale, which could sing as if every sweet
melody was in its throat. This rose and the nightingale he wished to
give to the princess; and therefore both were put into big silver
cases and sent to her.
The emperor ordered them to be carried into the great hall where
the princess was just playing "Visitors are coming" with her
ladies-in-waiting; when she saw the large cases with the presents
therein, she clapped her hands for joy.
"I wish it were a little pussy cat," she said. But then the
rose-tree with the beautiful rose was unpacked.
"Oh, how nicely it is made," exclaimed the ladies.
"It is more than nice," said the emperor, "it is charming."
The princess touched it and nearly began to cry.
"For shame, pa," she said, "it is not artificial, it is natural!"
"For shame, it is natural" repeated all her ladies.
"Let us first see what the other case contains before we are
angry," said the emperor; then the nightingale was taken out, and it
sang so beautifully that no one could possibly say anything unkind
about it.
"Superbe, charmant," said the ladies of the court, for they all
prattled French, one worse than the other.
"How much the bird reminds me of the musical box of the late
lamented empress," said an old courtier, "it has exactly the same
tone, the same execution."
"You are right," said the emperor, and began to cry like a
little child.
"I hope it is not natural," said the princess.
"Yes, certainly it is natural," replied those who had brought
the presents.
"Then let it fly," said the princess, and refused to see the
prince.
But the prince was not discouraged. He painted his face, put on
common clothes, pulled his cap over his forehead, and came back.
"Good day, emperor," he said, "could you not give me some
employment at the court?"
"There are so many," replied the emperor, "who apply for places,
that for the present I have no vacancy, but I will remember you. But
wait a moment; it just comes into my mind, I require somebody to
look after my pigs, for I have a great many."
Thus the prince was appointed imperial swineherd, and as such he
lived in a wretchedly small room near the pigsty; there he worked
all day long, and when it was night he had made a pretty little pot.
There were little bells round the rim, and when the water began to
boil in it, the bells began to play the old tune:
"A jolly old sow once lived in a sty,
Three little piggies had she," &c.
But what was more wonderful was that, when one put a finger into the
steam rising from the pot, one could at once smell what meals they
were preparing on every fire in the whole town. That was indeed much
more remarkable than the rose. When the princess with her ladies
passed by and heard the tune, she stopped and looked quite pleased,
for she also could play it- in fact, it was the only tune she could
play, and she played it with one finger.
"That is the tune I know," she exclaimed. "He must be a
well-educated swineherd. Go
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
THE SWINEHERD
by Hans Christian Andersen
ONCE upon a time lived a poor prince; his kingdom was very
small, but it was large enough to enable him to marry, and marry he
would. It was rather bold of him that he went and asked the
emperor's daughter: "Will you marry me?" but he ventured to do so, for
his name was known far and wide, and there were hundreds of princesses
who would have gladly accepted him, but would she do so? Now we
shall see.
On the grave of the prince's father grew a rose-tree, the most
beautiful of its kind. It bloomed only once in five years, and then it
had only one single rose upon it, but what a rose! It had such a sweet
scent that one instantly forgot all sorrow and grief when one smelt
it. He had also a nightingale, which could sing as if every sweet
melody was in its throat. This rose and the nightingale he wished to
give to the princess; and therefore both were put into big silver
cases and sent to her.
The emperor ordered them to be carried into the great hall where
the princess was just playing "Visitors are coming" with her
ladies-in-waiting; when she saw the large cases with the presents
therein, she clapped her hands for joy.
"I wish it were a little pussy cat," she said. But then the
rose-tree with the beautiful rose was unpacked.
"Oh, how nicely it is made," exclaimed the ladies.
"It is more than nice," said the emperor, "it is charming."
The princess touched it and nearly began to cry.
"For shame, pa," she said, "it is not artificial, it is natural!"
"For shame, it is natural" repeated all her ladies.
"Let us first see what the other case contains before we are
angry," said the emperor; then the nightingale was taken out, and it
sang so beautifully that no one could possibly say anything unkind
about it.
"Superbe, charmant," said the ladies of the court, for they all
prattled French, one worse than the other.
"How much the bird reminds me of the musical box of the late
lamented empress," said an old courtier, "it has exactly the same
tone, the same execution."
"You are right," said the emperor, and began to cry like a
little child.
"I hope it is not natural," said the princess.
"Yes, certainly it is natural," replied those who had brought
the presents.
"Then let it fly," said the princess, and refused to see the
prince.
But the prince was not discouraged. He painted his face, put on
common clothes, pulled his cap over his forehead, and came back.
"Good day, emperor," he said, "could you not give me some
employment at the court?"
"There are so many," replied the emperor, "who apply for places,
that for the present I have no vacancy, but I will remember you. But
wait a moment; it just comes into my mind, I require somebody to
look after my pigs, for I have a great many."
Thus the prince was appointed imperial swineherd, and as such he
lived in a wretchedly small room near the pigsty; there he worked
all day long, and when it was night he had made a pretty little pot.
There were little bells round the rim, and when the water began to
boil in it, the bells began to play the old tune:
"A jolly old sow once lived in a sty,
Three little piggies had she," &c.
But what was more wonderful was that, when one put a finger into the
steam rising from the pot, one could at once smell what meals they
were preparing on every fire in the whole town. That was indeed much
more remarkable than the rose. When the princess with her ladies
passed by and heard the tune, she stopped and looked quite pleased,
for she also could play it- in fact, it was the only tune she could
play, and she played it with one finger.
"That is the tune I know," she exclaimed. "He must be a
well-educated swineherd. Go