UNDER THE WILLOW-TREE [7]
Poor Knud! he seized his master's hand, and
cried out loud, "Joanna," but no one heard him, excepting his
master, for the music sounded above everything.
"Yes, yes, it is Joanna," said his master; and he drew forth a
printed bill, and pointed to her name, which was there in full. Then
it was not a dream. All the audience applauded her, and threw
wreaths of flowers at her; and every time she went away they called
for her again, so that she was always coming and going. In the
street the people crowded round her carriage, and drew it away
themselves without the horses. Knud was in the foremost row, and
shouted as joyously as the rest; and when the carriage stopped
before a brilliantly lighted house, Knud placed himself close to the
door of her carriage. It flew open, and she stepped out; the light
fell upon her dear face, and he could see that she smiled as she
thanked them, and appeared quite overcome. Knud looked straight in her
face, and she looked at him, but she did not recognize him. A man,
with a glittering star on his breast, gave her his arm, and people
said the two were engaged to be married. Then Knud went home and
packed up his knapsack; he felt he must return to the home of his
childhood, to the elder-tree and the willow. "Ah, under that
willow-tree!" A man may live a whole life in one single hour.
The old couple begged him to remain, but words were useless. In
vain they reminded him that winter was coming, and that the snow had
already fallen on the mountains. He said he could easily follow the
track of the closely-moving carriages, for which a path must be kept
clear, and with nothing but his knapsack on his back, and leaning on
his stick, he could step along briskly. So he turned his steps to
the mountains, ascended one side and descended the other, still
going northward till his strength began to fail, and not a house or
village could be seen. The stars shone in the sky above him, and
down in the valley lights glittered like stars, as if another sky were
beneath him; but his head was dizzy and his feet stumbled, and he felt
ill. The lights in the valley grew brighter and brighter, and more
numerous, and he could see them moving to and fro, and then he
understood that there must be a village in the distance; so he exerted
his failing strength to reach it, and at length obtained shelter in
a humble lodging. He remained there that night and the whole of the
following day, for his body required rest and refreshment, and in
the valley there was rain and a thaw. But early in the morning of
the third day, a man came with an organ and played one of the melodies
of home; and after that Knud could remain there no longer, so he
started again on his journey toward the north. He travelled for many
days with hasty steps, as if he were trying to reach home before all
whom he remembered should die; but he spoke to no one of this longing.
No one would have believed or understood this sorrow of his heart, the
deepest that can be felt by human nature. Such grief is not for the
world; it is not entertaining even to friends, and poor Knud had no
friends; he was a stranger, wandering through strange lands to his
home in the north.
He was walking one evening through the public roads, the country
around him was flatter, with fields and meadows, the air had a
frosty feeling. A willow-tree grew by the roadside, everything
reminded him of home. He felt very tired; so he sat down under the
tree, and very soon began to nod, then his eyes closed in sleep. Yet
still he seemed conscious that the willow-tree was stretching its
branches over him; in his dreaming state the tree appeared like a
strong, old man- the "willow-father" himself, who had taken his
tired son up in his arms to carry him back to the land of home, to the
garden of his childhood, on the bleak open shores of Kjoge. And then
he dreamed that it was really the willow-tree itself from Kjoge, which
had travelled out in the world to seek him, and now
cried out loud, "Joanna," but no one heard him, excepting his
master, for the music sounded above everything.
"Yes, yes, it is Joanna," said his master; and he drew forth a
printed bill, and pointed to her name, which was there in full. Then
it was not a dream. All the audience applauded her, and threw
wreaths of flowers at her; and every time she went away they called
for her again, so that she was always coming and going. In the
street the people crowded round her carriage, and drew it away
themselves without the horses. Knud was in the foremost row, and
shouted as joyously as the rest; and when the carriage stopped
before a brilliantly lighted house, Knud placed himself close to the
door of her carriage. It flew open, and she stepped out; the light
fell upon her dear face, and he could see that she smiled as she
thanked them, and appeared quite overcome. Knud looked straight in her
face, and she looked at him, but she did not recognize him. A man,
with a glittering star on his breast, gave her his arm, and people
said the two were engaged to be married. Then Knud went home and
packed up his knapsack; he felt he must return to the home of his
childhood, to the elder-tree and the willow. "Ah, under that
willow-tree!" A man may live a whole life in one single hour.
The old couple begged him to remain, but words were useless. In
vain they reminded him that winter was coming, and that the snow had
already fallen on the mountains. He said he could easily follow the
track of the closely-moving carriages, for which a path must be kept
clear, and with nothing but his knapsack on his back, and leaning on
his stick, he could step along briskly. So he turned his steps to
the mountains, ascended one side and descended the other, still
going northward till his strength began to fail, and not a house or
village could be seen. The stars shone in the sky above him, and
down in the valley lights glittered like stars, as if another sky were
beneath him; but his head was dizzy and his feet stumbled, and he felt
ill. The lights in the valley grew brighter and brighter, and more
numerous, and he could see them moving to and fro, and then he
understood that there must be a village in the distance; so he exerted
his failing strength to reach it, and at length obtained shelter in
a humble lodging. He remained there that night and the whole of the
following day, for his body required rest and refreshment, and in
the valley there was rain and a thaw. But early in the morning of
the third day, a man came with an organ and played one of the melodies
of home; and after that Knud could remain there no longer, so he
started again on his journey toward the north. He travelled for many
days with hasty steps, as if he were trying to reach home before all
whom he remembered should die; but he spoke to no one of this longing.
No one would have believed or understood this sorrow of his heart, the
deepest that can be felt by human nature. Such grief is not for the
world; it is not entertaining even to friends, and poor Knud had no
friends; he was a stranger, wandering through strange lands to his
home in the north.
He was walking one evening through the public roads, the country
around him was flatter, with fields and meadows, the air had a
frosty feeling. A willow-tree grew by the roadside, everything
reminded him of home. He felt very tired; so he sat down under the
tree, and very soon began to nod, then his eyes closed in sleep. Yet
still he seemed conscious that the willow-tree was stretching its
branches over him; in his dreaming state the tree appeared like a
strong, old man- the "willow-father" himself, who had taken his
tired son up in his arms to carry him back to the land of home, to the
garden of his childhood, on the bleak open shores of Kjoge. And then
he dreamed that it was really the willow-tree itself from Kjoge, which
had travelled out in the world to seek him, and now