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安徒生童話故事第13篇：野天鵝The Wild Swans
引導(dǎo)語：野天鵝是安徒生童話故事的第13篇，還有英文版，歡迎大家閱讀！
當(dāng)我們的冬天到來的時候，燕子就向一個遼遠(yuǎn)的地方飛去。在這塊遼遠(yuǎn)的地方住著一個國王。他有十一個兒子和一個女兒艾麗莎。這十一個弟兄都是王子。他們上學(xué)校的時候，胸前佩帶著心形的徽章，身邊掛著寶劍。他們用鉆石筆在金板上寫字。他們能夠把書從頭背到尾，從尾背到頭。人們一聽就知道他們是王子。他們的妹妹艾麗莎坐在一個鏡子做的小凳上。她有一本畫冊，那需要半個王國的代價才能買得到。
啊，這些孩子是非常幸福的;然而他們并不是永遠(yuǎn)這樣。他們的父親是這整個國家的國王。他和一個惡毒的王后結(jié)了婚。她對這些可憐的孩子非常不好。他們在頭一天就已經(jīng)看得出來。整個宮殿里在舉行盛大的慶祝，孩子們都在作招待客人的游戲。可是他們卻沒有得到那些多余的點心和烤蘋果吃，她只給他們一茶杯的沙子;而且對他們說，這就算是好吃的東西。
一個星期以后，她把小妹妹艾麗莎送到一個鄉(xiāng)下農(nóng)人家里去寄住。過了不久，她在國王面前說了許多關(guān)于那些可憐的王子的壞話，弄得他再也不愿意理他們了。
“你們飛到野外去吧，你們自己去謀生吧，”惡毒的王后說。“你們像那些沒有聲音的巨鳥一樣飛走吧。”可是她想做的壞事情并沒有完全實現(xiàn)。他們變成了十一只美麗的野天鵝。他們發(fā)出了一陣奇異的叫聲，便從宮殿的窗子飛出去了，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)地飛過公園，飛向森林里去了。
他們的妹妹還沒有起來，正睡在農(nóng)人的屋子里面。當(dāng)他們在這兒經(jīng)過的時候，天還沒有亮多久。他們在屋頂上盤旋著，把長脖頸一下掉向這邊，一下掉向那邊，同時拍著翅膀。可是誰也沒有聽到或看到他們。他們得繼續(xù)向前飛，高高地飛進云層，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)地飛向茫茫的世界。他們一直飛進伸向海岸的一個大黑森林里去。
可憐的小艾麗莎呆在農(nóng)人的屋子里，玩著一片綠葉，因為她沒有別的玩具。她在葉子上穿了一個小洞，通過這個小洞她可以朝著太陽望，這時她似乎看到了她許多哥哥的明亮的眼睛。每當(dāng)太陽照在她臉上的時候，她就想起哥哥們給她的吻。
日子一天接著一天地過去了。風(fēng)兒吹過屋外玫瑰花組成的籬笆;它對這些玫瑰花兒低聲說：“還有誰比你們更美麗呢?”可是玫瑰花兒搖搖頭，回答說：“還有艾麗莎!”星期天，當(dāng)老農(nóng)婦在門里坐著、正在讀《圣詩集》的時候，風(fēng)兒就吹起書頁，對這書說：“還有誰比你更好呢?”《圣詩集》就說：“還有艾麗莎!”玫瑰花和《圣詩集》所說的話都是純粹的真理。
當(dāng)她到了十五歲的時候，她得回家去。王后一眼看到她是那樣美麗，心中不禁惱怒起來，充滿了憎恨。她倒很想把她變成一只野天鵝，像她的哥哥們一樣，但是她還不敢馬上這樣做，因為國王想要看看自己的女兒。
一天大清早，王后走到浴室里去。浴室是用白大理石砌的，里面陳設(shè)著柔軟的坐墊和最華麗的地氈。她拿起三只癩蛤蟆，把每只都吻了一下，于是對第一只說：
“當(dāng)艾麗莎走進浴池的時候，你就坐在她的頭上，好使她變得像你一樣呆笨。”她對第二只說：“請你坐在她的前額上，好使她變得像你一樣丑惡，叫她的父親認(rèn)識她不出來。”她對第三只低聲地說：“請你躺在她的心上，好使她有一顆罪惡的心，叫她因此而感到痛苦。”
她于是把這幾只癩蛤蟆放進清水里;它們馬上就變成了綠色。她把艾麗莎喊進來，替她脫了衣服，叫她走進水里。當(dāng)她一跳進水里去的時候，頭一只癩蛤蟆就坐到她的頭發(fā)上，第二只就坐到她的前額上，第三只就坐到她的胸口上。可是艾麗莎一點也沒有注意到這些事兒。當(dāng)她一站起來的時候，水上浮漂了三朵花。如果這幾只動物不是有毒的話，如果它們沒有被這巫婆吻過的話，它們就會變成幾朵紅色的玫瑰。但是無論怎樣，它們都得變成花，因為它們在她的頭上和心上躺過。她是太善良、太天真了，魔力沒有辦法在她身上發(fā)生效力。
當(dāng)這惡毒的王后看到這情景時，就把艾麗莎全身都擦了核桃汁，使這女孩子變得棕黑。她又在這女孩子美麗的臉上涂上一層發(fā)臭的油膏，并且使她漂亮的頭發(fā)亂糟糟地揪做一團。美麗的艾麗莎，現(xiàn)在誰也沒有辦法認(rèn)出來了。
當(dāng)她的父親看到她的時候，不禁大吃一驚，說這不是他的女兒。除了看家狗和燕子以外，誰也不認(rèn)識她了。但是他們都是可憐的動物，什么話也說不出來。
可憐的艾麗莎哭起來了。她想起了她遠(yuǎn)別了的十一個哥哥。她悲哀地偷偷走出宮殿，在田野和沼澤地上走了一整天，一直走到一個大黑森林里去。她不知道自己要到什么地方去，只是覺得非常悲哀;她想念她的哥哥們：他們一定也會像自己一樣，被趕進這個茫茫的世界里來了。她得尋找他們，找到他們。
她到這個森林不久，夜幕就落下來了。她迷失了方向，離開大路和小徑很遠(yuǎn);所以她就在柔軟的青苔上躺下來。她做完了晚禱以后，就把頭枕在一個樹根上休息。周圍非常靜寂，空氣是溫和的;在花叢中，在青苔里，閃著無數(shù)螢火蟲的亮光，像綠色的火星一樣。當(dāng)她把第一根樹枝輕輕地用手搖動一下的時候，這些閃著亮光的小蟲就向她身上起來，像落下來的星星。
她一整夜夢著她的幾個哥哥：他們又是在一起玩耍的一群孩子了，他們用鉆石筆在金板上寫著字，讀著那價值半個王國的、美麗的畫冊。不過，跟往時不一樣，他們在金板上寫的不是零和線：不是的，而是他們做過的一些勇敢的事跡——他們親身體驗過和看過的事跡。于是那本畫冊里面的一切東西也都有了生命——鳥兒在唱，人從畫冊里走出來，跟艾麗莎和她的哥哥們談著話。不過，當(dāng)她一翻開書頁的時候，他們馬上就又跳進去了，為的是怕把圖畫的位置弄得混亂。
當(dāng)她醒來的時候，太陽已經(jīng)升得很高了。事實上她看不見它，因為高大的樹兒展開一片濃密的枝葉。不過太陽光在那上面搖晃著，像一朵金子做的花。這些青枝綠葉散發(fā)出一陣香氣，鳥兒幾乎要落到她的肩上。她聽到了一陣潺潺的水聲。這是幾股很大的泉水奔向一個湖泊時發(fā)出來的。這湖有非常美麗的沙底。它的周圍長著一圈濃密的灌木林，不過有一處被一些雄鹿打開了一個很寬的缺口——艾麗莎就從這個缺口向湖水那兒走去。水是非常地清亮。假如風(fēng)兒沒有把這些樹枝和灌木林吹得搖動起來的話，她就會以為它們是繪在湖的底上的東西，因為每片葉子，不管被太陽照著的還是深藏在蔭處，全都很清楚地映在湖上。
當(dāng)她一看到自己的面孔的時候，馬上就感到非常驚恐：她是那么棕黑和丑陋。不過當(dāng)她把小手兒打濕了、把眼睛和前額揉了一會以后，她雪白的皮膚就又顯露出來了。于是她脫下衣服，走到清涼的水里去：人們在這個世界上再也找不到比她更美麗的公主了。
當(dāng)她重新穿好了衣服、扎好了長頭發(fā)以后，就走到一股奔流的泉水那兒去，用手捧著水喝。隨后她繼續(xù)向森林的深處前進，但是她不知道自己究竟會到什么地方去。她想念親愛的哥哥們，她想著仁慈的上帝——他決不會遺棄她的。上帝叫野蘋果生長出來，使饑餓的人有得吃。他現(xiàn)在就指引她到這樣的一株樹旁去。它的權(quán)丫全被果子壓彎了。她就在這兒吃午飯。她在這些枝子下面安放了一些支柱;然后就朝森林最蔭深的地方走去。
四周是那么靜寂，她可以聽出自己的腳步聲，聽出在她腳下碎裂的每一片干枯的葉子。這兒一只鳥兒也看不見了，一絲陽光也透不進這些濃密的樹枝。那些高大的樹干排得那么緊密，當(dāng)她向前一望的時候，就覺得好像看見一排木柵欄，密密地圍在她的四周。啊，她一生都沒有體驗過這樣的孤獨!
夜是漆黑的。青苔里連一點螢火蟲的亮光都沒有。她躺下來睡覺的時候，心情非常沉重。不一會她好像覺得頭上的樹枝分開了，我們的上帝正在以溫柔的眼光凝望著她。許多許多安琪兒，在上帝的頭上和臂下偷偷地向下窺看。
當(dāng)她早晨醒來的時候，她不知道自己是在做夢呢，還是真正看見了這些東西。
她向前走了幾步，遇見一個老太婆提著一籃漿果。老太婆給了她幾個果子。艾麗莎問她有沒有看到十一個王子騎著馬兒走過這片森林。
“沒有，”老太婆說，“不過昨天我看到十一只戴著金冠的天鵝在附近的河里游過去了。”
她領(lǐng)著艾麗莎向前走了一段路，走上一個山坡。在這山坡的腳下有一條蜿蜒的小河。生長在兩岸的樹木，把長滿綠葉的長樹枝伸過去，彼此交叉起來。有些樹天生沒有辦法把枝子伸向?qū)Π?在這種情形下，它們就讓樹根從土里穿出來，以便伸到水面之上，與它們的枝葉交織在一起。
艾麗莎對這老太婆說了一聲再會。然后就沿著河向前走，一直走到這條河流入廣闊的海口的那塊地方。
現(xiàn)在在這年輕女孩子面前展開來的是一個美麗的大海，可是海上卻見不到一片船帆，也見不到一只船身。她怎樣再向前進呢?她望著海灘上那些數(shù)不盡的小石子：海水已經(jīng)把它們洗圓了。玻璃、鐵皮、石塊——所有淌到這兒來的東西，都給海水磨出了新的面貌——它們顯得比她細(xì)嫩的手還要柔和。
水在不倦地流動，因此堅硬的東西也被它改變成為柔和的東西了。我也應(yīng)該有這樣不倦的精神!多謝您的教訓(xùn)，您——清亮的、流動的水波。我的心告訴我，有一天您會引導(dǎo)我見到我親愛的哥哥的。
在浪濤上淌來的海草上有十一根白色的天鵝羽毛。她拾起它們，扎成一束。它們上面還帶有水滴——究竟這是露珠呢，還是眼淚，誰也說不出來。海濱是孤寂的。但是她一點也不覺得，因為海時時刻刻地在變幻——它在幾點鐘以內(nèi)所起的變化，比那些美麗的湖泊在一年中所起的變化還要多。當(dāng)一大塊烏云飄過來的時候，那就好像海在說：“我也可以顯得很陰暗呢。”隨后風(fēng)也吹起來了，浪也翻起了白花。不過當(dāng)云塊發(fā)出了霞光、風(fēng)兒靜下來的時候，海看起來就像一片玫瑰的花瓣：它一忽兒變綠，一忽兒變白。但是不管它變得怎樣地安靜，海濱一帶還是有輕微的波動。海水這時在輕輕地向上升，像一個睡著了的嬰孩的胸脯。
當(dāng)太陽快要落下來的時候，艾麗莎看見十一只戴著金冠的野天鵝向著陸地飛行。它們一只接著一只地掠過去，看起來像一條長長的白色帶子。這時艾麗莎走上山坡，藏到一個灌木林的后邊去。天鵝們拍著它們白色的大翅膀，徐徐地在她的附近落了下來。
太陽一落到水下面去了以后，這些天鵝的羽毛就馬上脫落了，變成了十一位美貌的王子——艾麗莎的哥哥。她發(fā)出一聲驚叫。雖然他們已經(jīng)有了很大的改變，可是她知道這就是他們，一定是他們。所以她倒到他們的懷里，喊出他們的名字。當(dāng)他們看到、同時認(rèn)出自己的小妹妹的時候，他們感到非常快樂。她現(xiàn)在長得那么高大，那么美麗。他們一會兒笑，一會兒哭。他們立刻知道了彼此的遭遇，知道了后母對他們是多么不好。
最大的哥哥說：“只要太陽還懸在天上，我們弟兄們就得變成野天鵝，不停地飛行。不過當(dāng)它一落下去的時候，我們就恢復(fù)了人的原形。因此我們得時刻注意，在太陽落下去的時候，要找到一個立腳的處所。如果這時還向云層里飛，我們一定會變成人墜落到深海里去。我們并不住在這兒。在海的另一邊有一個跟這同樣美麗的國度。不過去那兒的路程是很遙遠(yuǎn)的。我們得飛過這片汪洋大海，而且在我們的旅程中，沒有任何海島可以讓我們過夜;中途只有一塊礁石冒出水面。它的面積只夠我們幾個人緊緊地在上面擠在一起休息。當(dāng)海浪涌起來的時候，泡沫就向我們身上打來。不過，我們應(yīng)該感謝上帝給了我們這塊礁石，在它上面我們變成人來度過黑夜。要是沒有它，我們永遠(yuǎn)也不能看見親愛的祖國了，因為我們飛行過去要花費一年中最長的兩天。
“一年之中，我們只有一次可以拜訪父親的家。不過只能在那兒停留十一天。我們可以在大森林的上空盤旋，從那里望望宮殿，望望這塊我們所出生和父親所居住的地方，望望教堂的塔樓。這教堂里埋葬著我們的母親。在這兒，灌木林和樹木就好像是我們的親屬;在這兒，野馬像我們兒時常見的一樣，在原野上奔跑;在這兒，燒炭人唱著古老的歌曲，我們兒時踏著它的調(diào)子跳舞;這兒是我們的祖國：有一種力量把我們吸引到這兒來;在這兒我們尋到了你，親愛的小妹妹!我們還可以在這兒居留兩天，以后就得橫飛過海，到那個美麗的國度里去，然而那可不是我們的祖國。有什么辦法把你帶去呢?我們既沒有大船，也沒有小舟。”
“我怎樣可以救你們呢?”妹妹問。
他們差不多談了一整夜的話;他們只小睡了一兩個鐘頭。艾麗莎醒來了，因為她頭上響起一陣天鵝的拍翅聲。哥哥們又變了樣子。他們在繞著大圈子盤旋;最后就向遠(yuǎn)方飛去。不過他們當(dāng)中有一只——那最年輕的一只——掉隊了。他把頭藏在她的懷里。她撫摸著他的白色的翅膀。他們整天偎在一起。黃昏的時候，其他的天鵝又都飛回來了。當(dāng)太陽落下來以后，他們又恢復(fù)了原形。
“明天我們就要從這兒飛走，大概整整一年的時間里，我們不能夠回到這兒來。不過我們不能就這么地離開你呀!你有勇氣跟我們一塊兒去么?我們的手臂既有足夠的氣力抱著你走過森林，難道我們的翅膀就沒有足夠的氣力共同背著你越過大海么?”
“是的，把我一同帶去吧，”艾麗莎說。
他們花了一整夜工夫用柔軟的柳枝皮和堅韌的蘆葦織成了一個又大又結(jié)實的網(wǎng)子。艾麗莎在網(wǎng)里躺著。當(dāng)太陽升起來、她的哥哥又變成了野天鵝的時候，他們用嘴銜起這個網(wǎng)。于是他們帶著還在熟睡著的親愛的妹妹，高高地向云層里飛去。陽光正射到她的臉上，因此就有一只天鵝在她的上空飛，用他寬闊的翅膀來為她擋住太陽。
當(dāng)艾麗莎醒來的時候，他們已經(jīng)離開陸地很遠(yuǎn)了。她以為自己仍然在做著夢;在她看來，被托在海上高高地飛過天空，真是非常奇異。她身旁有一根結(jié)著美麗的熟漿果的枝條和一束甜味的草根。這是那個最小的哥哥為她采來并放在她身旁的。她感謝地向他微笑，因為她已經(jīng)認(rèn)出這就是他。他在她的頭上飛，用翅膀為她遮著太陽。
他們飛得那么高，他們第一次發(fā)現(xiàn)下面浮著一條船;它看起來就像浮在水上的一只白色的海鷗。在他們的后面聳立著一大塊烏云——這就是一座完整的山。艾麗莎在那上面看到她自己和十一只天鵝倒映下來的影子。他們飛行的行列是非常龐大的。這好像是一幅圖畫，比他們從前看到的任何東西還要美麗。可是太陽越升越高，在他們后面的云塊也越離越遠(yuǎn)了。那些浮動著的形象也消逝了。
他們整天像呼嘯著的箭頭一樣，在空中向前飛。不過，因為他們得帶著妹妹同行，他們的速度比起平時來要低得多了。天氣變壞了，黃昏逼近了。艾麗莎懷著焦急的心情看到太陽徐徐地下沉，然而大海中那座孤獨的礁石至今還沒有在眼前出現(xiàn)。她似乎覺得這些天鵝現(xiàn)在正以更大的氣力來拍著翅膀。咳!他們飛不快，完全是因為她的緣故。在太陽落下去以后，他們就得恢復(fù)人的原形，掉到海里淹死。這時她在心的深處向我們的主祈禱了一番，但是她還是看不見任何礁石。大塊烏云越逼越近，狂風(fēng)預(yù)示著暴風(fēng)雨就要到來。烏云結(jié)成一片。洶涌的、帶有威脅性的狂濤在向前推進，像一大堆鉛塊。閃電掣動起來，一忽兒也不停。
現(xiàn)在太陽已經(jīng)接近海岸線了。艾麗莎的心顫抖起來。這時天鵝就向下疾飛，飛得那么快，她相信自己一定會墜落下來。不過他們馬上就穩(wěn)住了。太陽已經(jīng)有一半沉到水里去。這時她才第一次看到她下面有一座小小的礁石——它看起來比冒出水面的海豹的頭大不了多少。太陽在很快地下沉，最后變得只有一顆星星那么大了。這時她的腳就踏上堅實的陸地。太陽像紙燒過后的殘余的火星，一忽兒就消逝了。她看到她的哥哥們手挽著手站在她的周圍，不過除了僅夠他們和她自己站著的空間以外，再也沒有多余的地位了。海濤打著這塊礁石，像陣雨似的向他們襲來。天空不停地閃著燃燒的火焰，雷聲一陣接著一陣地在隆隆作響。可是兄妹們緊緊地手挽著手，同時唱起圣詩來——這使他們得到安慰和勇氣。
在晨曦中，空氣是純潔和沉靜的。太陽一出來的時候，天鵝們就帶著艾麗莎從這小島上起飛。海浪仍然很洶涌。不過當(dāng)他們飛過高空以后，下邊白色的泡沫看起來就像浮在水上的無數(shù)的天鵝。wωw奇Qìsuu書com網(wǎng)
太陽升得更高了，艾麗莎看到前面有一個多山的國度，浮在空中。那些山上蓋著發(fā)光的冰層;在這地方的中間聳立著一個有兩三里路長的宮殿，里面豎著一排一排的莊嚴(yán)的圓柱。在這下面展開一片起伏不平的棕櫚樹林和許多像水車輪那么大的鮮艷的花朵。她問這是不是她所要去的那個國度。但是天鵝們都搖著頭，因為她看到的只不過是仙女莫爾甘娜①的華麗的、永遠(yuǎn)變幻的云中宮殿罷了，他們不敢把凡人帶進里面去。艾麗莎凝視著它。忽然間，山岳、森林和宮殿都一起消逝了，而代替它們的是二十所壯麗的教堂。它們?nèi)际且粋�樣子：高塔，尖頂窗子。她在幻想中以為聽到了教堂風(fēng)琴的聲音，事實上她所聽到的是海的呼嘯。
她現(xiàn)在快要飛進這些教堂，但是它們都變成了一行帆船，浮在她的下面。她向下面望。那原來不過是漂在水上的一層海霧。的確，這是一連串的、無窮盡的變幻，她不得不看。但是現(xiàn)在她已看到她所要去的那個真正的國度。這兒有壯麗的青山、杉木林、城市和王宮。在太陽還沒有落下去以前，她早已落到一個大山洞的前面了。洞口生滿了細(xì)嫩的、綠色的蔓藤植物，看起來很像錦繡的地毯。
“我們要看看你今晚會在這兒做些什么夢!”她最小的哥哥說，同時把她的臥室指給她看。
“我希望夢見怎樣才能把你們解救出來!”她說。
她的心中一直鮮明地存在著這樣的想法，這使她熱忱地向上帝祈禱，請求他幫助。是的，就是在夢里，她也在不斷地祈禱。于是她覺得自己好像已經(jīng)高高地飛到空中去了，飛到莫爾甘娜的那座云中宮殿里去了。這位仙女來迎接她。她是非常美麗的，全身射出光輝。雖然如此，但她卻很像那個老太婆——那個老太婆曾經(jīng)在森林中給她吃漿果，并且告訴她那些頭戴金冠的天鵝的行蹤。
“你的哥哥們可以得救的!”她說，“不過你有勇氣和毅力么?海水比你細(xì)嫩的手要柔和得多，可是它能把生硬的石頭改變成別的形狀。不過它沒有痛的感覺，而你的手指卻會感到痛的。它沒有一顆心，因此它不會感到你所忍受的那種苦惱和痛楚。請看我手中這些有刺的蕁麻!在你睡覺的那個洞子的周圍，就長著許多這樣的蕁麻。只有它——那些生在教堂墓地里的蕁麻——才能發(fā)生效力。請你記住這一點。你得采集它們，雖然它們可以把你的手燒得起泡。你得用腳把這些蕁麻踩碎，于是你就可以得出麻來。你可以把它搓成線，織出十一件長袖的披甲來。你把它們披到那十一只野天鵝的身上，那么他們身上的魔力就可以解除。不過要記住，從你開始工作的那個時刻起，一直到你完成的時候止，即使這全部工作需要一年的光陰，你也不可以說一句話。你說出一個字，就會像一把鋒利的短劍刺進你哥哥的心脯。他們的生命是懸在你的舌尖上的。請記住這一點。”
于是仙女讓她把蕁麻摸了一下。它像燃燒著的火。艾麗莎一接觸到它就醒轉(zhuǎn)來了。天已經(jīng)大亮。緊貼著她睡覺的這塊地方就有一根蕁麻——它跟她在夢中所見的是一樣的。她跪在地上，感謝我們的主。隨后她就走出了洞子，開始工作。
她用她柔嫩的手拿著這些可怕的蕁麻。這植物是像火一樣地刺人。她的手上和臂上燒出了許多泡來。不過只要能救出親愛的哥哥，她樂意忍受這些苦痛。于是她赤著腳把每一根蕁麻踏碎，開始編織從中取出的、綠色的麻。
當(dāng)太陽下沉以后，她的哥哥們都回來了。他們看到她一句話也不講，就非常驚恐起來。他們相信這又是他們惡毒的后母在耍什么新的妖術(shù)。不過，他們一看到她的手，就知道她是在為他們而受難。那個最年輕的哥哥這時就不禁哭起來。他的淚珠滴到的地方，她就不感到痛楚，連那些灼熱的水泡也不見了。
她整夜在工作著，因為在親愛的哥哥得救以前，她是不會休息的。第二天一整天，當(dāng)天鵝飛走了以后，她一個人孤獨地坐著，但是時間從來沒有過得像現(xiàn)在這樣快。一件披甲織完了，她馬上又開始織第二件。
這時山間響起了一陣打獵的號角聲。她害怕起來。聲音越來越近。她聽到獵狗的叫聲，她驚慌地躲進洞子里去。她把她采集到的和梳理好的蕁麻扎成一小捆，自己在那上面坐著。
在這同時，一只很大的獵狗從灌木林里跳出來了;接著第二只、第三只也跳出來了。它們狂吠著，跑轉(zhuǎn)去，又跑了回來。不到幾分鐘的光景，獵人都到洞口來了;他們之中最好看的一位就是這個國家的國王。他向艾麗莎走來。他從來沒有看到過比她更美麗的姑娘。
“你怎樣到這地方來了呢，可愛的孩子?”他問。
艾麗莎搖著頭。她不敢講話——因為這會影響到她哥哥們的得救和生命。她把她的手藏到圍裙下面，使國王看不見她所忍受的痛苦。
“跟我一塊兒來吧!”他說。“你不能老在這兒。假如你的善良能比得上你的美貌，我將使你穿起絲綢和天鵝絨的衣服，在你頭上戴起金制的王冠，把我最華貴的宮殿送給你作為你的家。”
于是他把她扶到馬上。她哭起來，同時痛苦地扭著雙手。可是國王說：
“我只是希望你得到幸福，有一天你會感謝我的。”
這樣他就在山間騎著馬走了。他讓她坐在他的前面，其余的獵人都在他們后面跟著。
當(dāng)太陽落下去的時候，他們面前出現(xiàn)了一座美麗的、有許多教堂和圓頂?shù)亩汲恰醢阉I(lǐng)進宮殿里去——這兒巨大的噴泉在高闊的、大理石砌的廳堂里噴出泉水，這兒所有的墻壁和天花板上都繪著輝煌的壁畫。但是她沒有心情看這些東西。她流著眼淚，感到悲哀。她讓宮女們隨意地在她身上穿上宮廷的衣服，在她的發(fā)里插上一些珍珠，在她起了泡的手上戴上精致的手套。
她站在那兒，盛裝華服，美麗得眩人的眼睛。整個宮廷的人在她面前都深深地彎下腰來。國王把她選為自己的新娘，雖然大主教一直在搖頭，低聲私語，說這位美麗的林中姑娘是一個巫婆，蒙住了大家的眼睛，迷住了國王的心。
可是國王不理這些謠傳。他叫把音樂奏起來，把最華貴的酒席擺出來;他叫最美麗的宮女們在她的周圍跳起舞來。艾麗莎被領(lǐng)著走過芬芳的花園，到華麗的大廳里去;可是她嘴唇上沒有露出一絲笑容，眼睛里沒有發(fā)出一點光彩。它們是悲愁的化身。現(xiàn)在國王推開旁邊一間臥室的門——這就是她睡覺的地方。房間里裝飾著貴重的綠色花氈，形狀跟她住過的那個洞子完全一樣。她抽出的那一捆蕁麻仍舊擱在地上，天花板下面懸著她已經(jīng)織好了的那件披甲。這些東西是那些獵人作為稀奇的物件帶回來的。
“你在這兒可以從夢中回到你的老家去，”國王說。“這是你在那兒忙著做的工作。現(xiàn)在住在這華麗的環(huán)境里，你可以回憶一下那段過去的日子，作為消遣吧。”
當(dāng)艾麗莎看到這些心愛的物件的時候，她嘴上飄出一絲微笑，同時一陣紅暈回到臉上來。她想起了她要解救她的哥哥，于是吻了一下國王的手。他把她抱得貼近他的心，同時命令所有的教堂敲起鐘來，宣布他舉行婚禮。這位來自森林的美麗的啞姑娘，現(xiàn)在成了這個國家的王后。
大主教在國王的耳邊偷偷地講了許多壞話，不過這些話并沒有打動國王的心。婚禮終于舉行了。大主教必須親自把王冠戴到她的頭上。他以惡毒藐視的心情把這個狹窄的帽箍緊緊地按到她的額上，使她感到痛楚。不過她的心上還有一個更重的箍子——她為哥哥們而起的悲愁。肉體上的痛苦她完全感覺不到。她的嘴是不說話的，因為她說出一個字就可以使她的哥哥們喪失生命。不過，對于這位和善的、美貌的、想盡一切方法要使她快樂的國王，她的眼睛露出一種深沉的愛情。她全心全意地愛他，而且這愛情是一天一天地在增長。啊，她多么希望能夠信任他，能夠把自己的痛苦全部告訴他啊!然而她必須沉默，在沉默中完成她的工作。因此夜里她就偷偷地從他的身邊走開，走到那間裝飾得像洞子的小屋子里去，一件一件地織著披甲。不過當(dāng)她織到第七件的時候，她的麻用完了。
她知道教堂的墓地里生長著她所需要的蕁麻。不過她得親自去采摘。可是她怎樣能夠走到那兒去呢?
“啊，比起我心里所要忍受的痛苦來，我手上的一點痛楚又算得什么呢?”她想。“我得去冒一下險!我們的主不會不幫助我的。”
她懷著恐懼的心情，好像正在計劃做一樁罪惡的事兒似的，偷偷地在這月明的夜里走到花園里去。她走過長長的林蔭夾道，穿過無人的街路，一直到教堂的墓地里去。她看到一群吸血鬼②，圍成一個小圈，坐在一塊寬大的墓石上。這些奇丑的怪物脫掉了破爛衣服，好像要去洗澡似的。他們把又長又細(xì)的手指挖掘新埋的墳，拖出尸體，然后吃掉這些人肉。艾麗莎不得不緊緊地走過他們的身旁。他們用可怕的眼睛死死地盯著她。但是她念著禱告，采集著那些刺手的蕁麻。最后她把它帶回到宮里去。
只有一個人看見了她——那位大主教。當(dāng)別人正在睡覺的時候，他卻起來了。他所猜想的事情現(xiàn)在完全得到了證實：這位王后并不是一個真正的王后——她是一個巫婆，因此她迷住了國王和全國的人民。
他在懺悔室里把他所看到的和疑慮的事情都告訴了國王。當(dāng)這些苛刻的字句從他的舌尖上流露出來的時候，眾神的雕像都搖起頭來，好像想要說：“事實完全不是這樣!艾麗莎是沒有罪的!”不過大主教對這作了另一種解釋——他認(rèn)為神仙們看到過她犯罪，因此對她的罪孽搖頭。這時兩行沉重的眼淚沿著國王的雙頰流下來了。他懷著一顆疑慮的心回到家里去。他在夜里假裝睡著了，可是他的雙眼一點睡意也沒有。他看到艾麗莎怎樣爬起來。她每天晚上都這樣作;每一次他總是在后面跟著她，看見她怎樣走到她那個單獨的小房間里不見了。
他的面孔顯得一天比一天陰暗起來。艾麗莎注意到這情形，可是她不懂得其中的道理。但這使她不安起來——而同時她心中還要為她的哥哥忍受著痛苦!她的眼淚滴到她王后的天鵝絨和紫色的衣服上面。這些淚珠停在那兒像發(fā)亮的鉆石。凡是看到這種豪華富貴的情形的人，也一定希望自己能成為一個王后。在此期間，她的工作差不多快要完成，只缺一件披甲要織。可是她再也沒有麻了——連一根蕁麻也沒有。因此她得到教堂的墓地里最后去一趟，再去采幾把蕁麻來。她一想起這孤寂的路途和那些可怕的吸血鬼，就不禁害怕起來。可是她的意志是堅定的，正如她對我們的上帝的信任一樣。
艾麗莎去了，但是國王和大主教卻跟在她后面。他們看到她穿過鐵格子門到教堂的墓地里不見了。當(dāng)他們走近時，墓石上正坐著那群吸血鬼，樣子跟艾麗莎所看見過的完全一樣。國王馬上就把身子掉過去，因為他認(rèn)為她也是他們中間的一員。這天晚上，她還把頭在他的懷里躺過。
“讓眾人來裁判她吧!”他說。
眾人裁判了她：應(yīng)該用通紅的火把她燒死③。
人們把她從那華麗的深宮大殿帶到一個陰濕的地窖里去——這兒風(fēng)從格子窗呼呼地吹進來。人們不再讓她穿起天鵝絨和絲制的衣服，卻給她一捆她自己采集來的蕁麻。她可以把頭枕在這蕁麻上面，把她親手織的、粗硬的披甲當(dāng)做被蓋。不過再也沒有什么別的東西比這更能使她喜愛的了。她繼續(xù)工作著，同時向上帝祈禱。在外面，街上的孩子們唱著譏笑她的歌曲。沒有任何人說一句好話來安慰她。
在黃昏的時候，有一只天鵝的拍翅聲在格子窗外響起來了——這就是她最小的一位哥哥，他現(xiàn)在找到了他的妹妹。她快樂得不禁高聲地嗚咽起來，雖然她知道快要到來的這一晚可能就是她所能活過的最后一晚。但是她的工作也只差一點就快要全部完成了，而且她的哥哥們也已經(jīng)到場。
現(xiàn)在大主教也來了，和她一起度過這最后的時刻——因為他答應(yīng)過國王要這么辦。不過她搖著頭，用眼光和表情來請求他離去，因為在這最后的一晚，她必須完成她的工作，否則她全部的努力，她的一切，她的眼淚，她的痛苦，她的失眠之夜，都會變成徒勞。大主教對她說了些惡意的話，終于離去了。不過可憐的艾麗莎知道自己是無罪的。她繼續(xù)做她的工作。
小耗子在地上忙來忙去，把蕁麻拖到她的腳跟前來，多少幫助她做點事情。畫眉鳥棲在窗子的鐵欄桿上，整夜對她唱出它最好聽的歌，使她不要失掉勇氣。
天還沒有大亮。太陽還有一個鐘頭才出來。這時，她的十一位哥哥站在皇宮的門口，要求進去朝見國王。人們回答他們說，這事不能照辦，因為現(xiàn)在還是夜間，國王正在睡覺，不能把他叫醒。他們懇求著，他們威脅著，最后警衛(wèi)來了，是的，連國王也親自走出來了。他問這究竟是怎么一回事。這時候太陽出來了，那些兄弟們忽然都不見了，只剩下十一只白天鵝，在王宮上空盤旋。
所有的市民像潮水似地從城門口向外奔去，要看看這個巫婆被火燒死。一匹又老又瘦的馬拖著一輛囚車，她就坐在里面。人們已經(jīng)給她穿上了一件粗布的喪服。她可愛的頭發(fā)在她美麗的頭上蓬松地飄著;她的兩頰像死一樣的沒有血色;嘴唇在微微地顫動，手指在忙著編織綠色的蕁麻。她就是在死亡的路途上也不中斷她已經(jīng)開始了的工作。她的腳旁放著十件披甲，現(xiàn)在她正在完成第十一件。眾人都在笑罵她。
“瞧這個巫婆吧!瞧她又在喃喃地念什么東西!她手中并沒有《圣詩集》;不，她還在忙著弄她那可憎的妖物——把它從她手中奪過來，撕成一千塊碎片吧!”
大家都向她擁過去，要把她手中的東西撕成碎片。這時有十一只白天鵝飛來了，落到車上，圍著她站著，拍著寬大的翅膀。眾人于是驚恐地退到兩邊。
“這是從天上降下來的一個信號!她一定是無罪的!”許多人互相私語著，但是他們不敢大聲地說出來。
這時劊子手緊緊地抓住她的手。她急忙把這十一件衣服拋向天鵝，馬上十一個美麗的王子就出現(xiàn)了，可是最年幼的那位王子還留著一只天鵝的翅膀作為手臂，因為他的那件披甲還缺少一只袖子——她還沒有完全織好。
“現(xiàn)在我可以開口講話了!”她說。“我是無罪的!”
眾人看見這件事情，就不禁在她面前彎下腰來，好像是在一位圣徒面前一樣。可是她倒到她哥哥們的懷里，失掉了知覺，因為激動、焦慮、痛楚都一起涌到她心上來了。
“是的，她是無罪的，”最年長的那個哥哥說。
他現(xiàn)在把一切經(jīng)過情形都講出來了。當(dāng)他說話的時候，有一陣香氣在徐徐地散發(fā)開來，好像有幾百朵玫瑰花正在開放，因為柴火堆上的每根木頭已經(jīng)生出了根，冒出了枝子——現(xiàn)在豎在這兒的是一道香氣撲鼻的籬笆，又高又大，長滿了紅色的玫瑰。在這上面，一朵又白又亮的鮮花，射出光輝，像一顆星星。國王摘下這朵花，把它插在艾麗莎的胸前。她蘇醒過來，心中有一種和平與幸福的感覺。
所有教堂的鐘都自動地響起來了，鳥兒成群結(jié)隊地飛來。回到宮里去的這個新婚的行列，的確是從前任何王國都沒有看到過的。
①這是關(guān)于國王亞瑟一系列傳說中的一個仙女。據(jù)說她能在空中變出海市蜃樓(Morganas Skyslot)。
②原文是Lamier，這是古代北歐神話中的一種怪物，頭和胸像女人，身體像蛇，專門誘騙小孩，吸吮他們的血液。
③這是歐洲中世紀(jì)對巫婆的懲罰。
野天鵝英文版：
The Wild Swans
FAR away in the land to which the swallows fly when it is winter, dwelt a king who had eleven sons, and one daughter, named Eliza. The eleven brothers were princes, and each went to school with a star on his breast, and a sword by his side. They wrote with diamond pencils on gold slates, and learnt their lessons so quickly and read so easily that every one might know they were princes. Their sister Eliza sat on a little stool of plate-glass, and had a book full of pictures, which had cost as much as half a kingdom. Oh, these children were indeed happy, but it was not to remain so always. Their father, who was king of the country, married a very wicked queen, who did not love the poor children at all. They knew this from the very first day after the wedding. In the palace there were great festivities, and the children played at receiving company; but instead of having, as usual, all the cakes and apples that were left, she gave them some sand in a tea-cup, and told them to pretend it was cake. The week after, she sent little Eliza into the country to a peasant and his wife, and then she told the king so many untrue things about the young princes, that he gave himself no more trouble respecting them.
“Go out into the world and get your own living,” said the queen. “Fly like great birds, who have no voice.” But she could not make them ugly as she wished, for they were turned into eleven beautiful wild swans. Then, with a strange cry, they flew through the windows of the palace, over the park, to the forest beyond. It was early morning when they passed the peasant’s cottage, where their sister Eliza lay asleep in her room. They hovered over the roof, twisted their long necks and flapped their wings, but no one heard them or saw them, so they were at last obliged to fly away, high up in the clouds; and over the wide world they flew till they came to a thick, dark wood, which stretched far away to the seashore. Poor little Eliza was alone in her room playing with a green leaf, for she had no other playthings, and she pierced a hole through the leaf, and looked through it at the sun, and it was as if she saw her brothers’ clear eyes, and when the warm sun shone on her cheeks, she thought of all the kisses they had given her. One day passed just like another; sometimes the winds rustled through the leaves of the rose-bush, and would whisper to the roses, “Who can be more beautiful than you!” But the roses would shake their heads, and say, “Eliza is.” And when the old woman sat at the cottage door on Sunday, and read her hymn-book, the wind would flutter the leaves, and say to the book, “Who can be more pious than you?” and then the hymn-book would answer “Eliza.” And the roses and the hymn-book told the real truth. At fifteen she returned home, but when the queen saw how beautiful she was, she became full of spite and hatred towards her. Willingly would she have turned her into a swan, like her brothers, but she did not dare to do so yet, because the king wished to see his daughter. Early one morning the queen went into the bath-room; it was built of marble, and had soft cushions, trimmed with the most beautiful tapestry. She took three toads with her, and kissed them, and said to one, “When Eliza comes to the bath, seat yourself upon her head, that she may become as stupid as you are.” Then she said to another, “Place yourself on her forehead, that she may become as ugly as you are, and that her father may not know her.” “Rest on her heart,” she whispered to the third, “then she will have evil inclinations, and suffer in consequence.” So she put the toads into the clear water, and they turned green immediately. She next called Eliza, and helped her to undress and get into the bath. As Eliza dipped her head under the water, one of the toads sat on her hair, a second on her forehead, and a third on her breast, but she did not seem to notice them, and when she rose out of the water, there were three red poppies floating upon it. Had not the creatures been venomous or been kissed by the witch, they would have been changed into red roses. At all events they became flowers, because they had rested on Eliza’s head, and on her heart. She was too good and too innocent for witchcraft to have any power over her. When the wicked queen saw this, she rubbed her face with walnut-juice, so that she was quite brown; then she tangled her beautiful hair and smeared it with disgusting ointment, till it was quite impossible to recognize the beautiful Eliza.
When her father saw her, he was much shocked, and declared she was not his daughter. No one but the watch-dog and the swallows knew her; and they were only poor animals, and could say nothing. Then poor Eliza wept, and thought of her eleven brothers, who were all away. Sorrowfully, she stole away from the palace, and walked, the whole day, over fields and moors, till she came to the great forest. She knew not in what direction to go; but she was so unhappy, and longed so for her brothers, who had been, like herself, driven out into the world, that she was determined to seek them. She had been but a short time in the wood when night came on, and she quite lost the path; so she laid herself down on the soft moss, offered up her evening prayer, and leaned her head against the stump of a tree. All nature was still, and the soft, mild air fanned her forehead. The light of hundreds of glow-worms shone amidst the grass and the moss, like green fire; and if she touched a twig with her hand, ever so lightly, the brilliant insects fell down around her, like shooting-stars.
All night long she dreamt of her brothers. She and they were children again, playing together. She saw them writing with their diamond pencils on golden slates, while she looked at the beautiful picture-book which had cost half a kingdom. They were not writing lines and letters, as they used to do; but descriptions of the noble deeds they had performed, and of all they had discovered and seen. In the picture-book, too, everything was living. The birds sang, and the people came out of the book, and spoke to Eliza and her brothers; but, as the leaves turned over, they darted back again to their places, that all might be in order.
When she awoke, the sun was high in the heavens; yet she could not see him, for the lofty trees spread their branches thickly over her head; but his beams were glancing through the leaves here and there, like a golden mist. There was a sweet fragrance from the fresh green verdure, and the birds almost perched upon her shoulders. She heard water rippling from a number of springs, all flowing in a lake with golden sands. Bushes grew thickly round the lake, and at one spot an opening had been made by a deer, through which Eliza went down to the water. The lake was so clear that, had not the wind rustled the branches of the trees and the bushes, so that they moved, they would have appeared as if painted in the depths of the lake; for every leaf was reflected in the water, whether it stood in the shade or the sunshine. As soon as Eliza saw her own face, she was quite terrified at finding it so brown and ugly; but when she wetted her little hand, and rubbed her eyes and forehead, the white skin gleamed forth once more; and, after she had undressed, and dipped herself in the fresh water, a more beautiful king’s daughter could not be found in the wide world. As soon as she had dressed herself again, and braided her long hair, she went to the bubbling spring, and drank some water out of the hollow of her hand. Then she wandered far into the forest, not knowing whither she went. She thought of her brothers, and felt sure that God would not forsake her. It is God who makes the wild apples grow in the wood, to satisfy the hungry, and He now led her to one of these trees, which was so loaded with fruit, that the boughs bent beneath the weight. Here she held her noonday repast, placed props under the boughs, and then went into the gloomiest depths of the forest. It was so still that she could hear the sound of her own footsteps, as well as the rustling of every withered leaf which she crushed under her feet. Not a bird was to be seen, not a sunbeam could penetrate through the large, dark boughs of the trees. Their lofty trunks stood so close together, that, when she looked before her, it seemed as if she were enclosed within trellis-work. Such solitude she had never known before. The night was very dark. Not a single glow-worm glittered in the moss.
Sorrowfully she laid herself down to sleep; and, after a while, it seemed to her as if the branches of the trees parted over her head, and that the mild eyes of angels looked down upon her from heaven. When she awoke in the morning, she knew not whether she had dreamt this, or if it had really been so. Then she continued her wandering; but she had not gone many steps forward, when she met an old woman with berries in her basket, and she gave her a few to eat. Then Eliza asked her if she had not seen eleven princes riding through the forest.
“No,” replied the old woman, “But I saw yesterday eleven swans, with gold crowns on their heads, swimming on the river close by.” Then she led Eliza a little distance farther to a sloping bank, and at the foot of it wound a little river. The trees on its banks stretched their long leafy branches across the water towards each other, and where the growth prevented them from meeting naturally, the roots had torn themselves away from the ground, so that the branches might mingle their foliage as they hung over the water. Eliza bade the old woman farewell, and walked by the flowing river, till she reached the shore of the open sea. And there, before the young maiden’s eyes, lay the glorious ocean, but not a sail appeared on its surface, not even a boat could be seen. How was she to go farther? She noticed how the countless pebbles on the sea-shore had been smoothed and rounded by the action of the water. Glass, iron, stones, everything that lay there mingled together, had taken its shape from the same power, and felt as smooth, or even smoother than her own delicate hand. “The water rolls on without weariness,” she said, “till all that is hard becomes smooth; so will I be unwearied in my task. Thanks for your lessons, bright rolling waves; my heart tells me you will lead me to my dear brothers.” On the foam-covered sea-weeds, lay eleven white swan feathers, which she gathered up and placed together. Drops of water lay upon them; whether they were dew-drops or tears no one could say. Lonely as it was on the sea-shore, she did not observe it, for the ever-moving sea showed more changes in a few hours than the most varying lake could produce during a whole year. If a black heavy cloud arose, it was as if the sea said, “I can look dark and angry too;” and then the wind blew, and the waves turned to white foam as they rolled. When the wind slept, and the clouds glowed with the red sunlight, then the sea looked like a rose leaf. But however quietly its white glassy surface rested, there was still a motion on the shore, as its waves rose and fell like the breast of a sleeping child. When the sun was about to set, Eliza saw eleven white swans with golden crowns on their heads, flying towards the land, one behind the other, like a long white ribbon. Then Eliza went down the slope from the shore, and hid herself behind the bushes. The swans alighted quite close to her and flapped their great white wings. As soon as the sun had disappeared under the water, the feathers of the swans fell off, and eleven beautiful princes, Eliza’s brothers, stood near her. She uttered a loud cry, for, although they were very much changed, she knew them immediately. She sprang into their arms, and called them each by name. Then, how happy the princes were at meeting their little sister again, for they recognized her, although she had grown so tall and beautiful. They laughed, and they wept, and very soon understood how wickedly their mother had acted to them all. “We brothers,” said the eldest, “fly about as wild swans, so long as the sun is in the sky; but as soon as it sinks behind the hills, we recover our human shape. Therefore must we always be near a resting place for our feet before sunset; for if we should be flying towards the clouds at the time we recovered our natural shape as men, we should sink deep into the sea. We do not dwell here, but in a land just as fair, that lies beyond the ocean, which we have to cross for a long distance; there is no island in our passage upon which we could pass, the night; nothing but a little rock rising out of the sea, upon which we can scarcely stand with safety, even closely crowded together. If the sea is rough, the foam dashes over us, yet we thank God even for this rock; we have passed whole nights upon it, or we should never have reached our beloved fatherland, for our flight across the sea occupies two of the longest days in the year. We have permission to visit out home once in every year, and to remain eleven days, during which we fly across the forest to look once more at the palace where our father dwells, and where we were born, and at the church, where our mother lies buried. Here it seems as if the very trees and bushes were related to us. The wild horses leap over the plains as we have seen them in our childhood. The charcoal burners sing the old songs, to which we have danced as children. This is our fatherland, to which we are drawn by loving ties; and here we have found you, our dear little sister., Two days longer we can remain here, and then must we fly away to a beautiful land which is not our home; and how can we take you with us? We have neither ship nor boat.”
“How can I break this spell?” said their sister. And then she talked about it nearly the whole night, only slumbering for a few hours. Eliza was awakened by the rustling of the swans’ wings as they soared above. Her brothers were again changed to swans, and they flew in circles wider and wider, till they were far away; but one of them, the youngest swan, remained behind, and laid his head in his sister’s lap, while she stroked his wings; and they remained together the whole day. Towards evening, the rest came back, and as the sun went down they resumed their natural forms. “To-morrow,” said one, “we shall fly away, not to return again till a whole year has passed. But we cannot leave you here. Have you courage to go with us? My arm is strong enough to carry you through the wood; and will not all our wings be strong enough to fly with you over the sea?”
“Yes, take me with you,” said Eliza. Then they spent the whole night in weaving a net with the pliant willow and rushes. It was very large and strong. Eliza laid herself down on the net, and when the sun rose, and her brothers again became wild swans, they took up the net with their beaks, and flew up to the clouds with their dear sister, who still slept. The sunbeams fell on her face, therefore one of the swans soared over her head, so that his broad wings might shade her. They were far from the land when Eliza woke. She thought she must still be dreaming, it seemed so strange to her to feel herself being carried so high in the air over the sea. By her side lay a branch full of beautiful ripe berries, and a bundle of sweet roots; the youngest of her brothers had gathered them for her, and placed them by her side. She smiled her thanks to him; she knew it was the same who had hovered over her to shade her with his wings. They were now so high, that a large ship beneath them looked like a white sea-gull skimming the waves. A great cloud floating behind them appeared like a vast mountain, and upon it Eliza saw her own shadow and those of the eleven swans, looking gigantic in size. Altogether it formed a more beautiful picture than she had ever seen; but as the sun rose higher, and the clouds were left behind, the shadowy picture vanished away. Onward the whole day they flew through the air like a winged arrow, yet more slowly than usual, for they had their sister to carry. The weather seemed inclined to be stormy, and Eliza watched the sinking sun with great anxiety, for the little rock in the ocean was not yet in sight. It appeared to her as if the swans were making great efforts with their wings. Alas! she was the cause of their not advancing more quickly. When the sun set, they would change to men, fall into the sea and be drowned. Then she offered a prayer from her inmost heart, but still no appearance of the rock. Dark clouds came nearer, the gusts of wind told of a coming storm, while from a thick, heavy mass of clouds the lightning burst forth flash after flash. The sun had reached the edge of the sea, when the swans darted down so swiftly, that Eliza’s head trembled; she believed they were falling, but they again soared onward. Presently she caught sight of the rock just below them, and by this time the sun was half hidden by the waves. The rock did not appear larger than a seal’s head thrust out of the water. They sunk so rapidly, that at the moment their feet touched the rock, it shone only like a star, and at last disappeared like the last spark in a piece of burnt paper. Then she saw her brothers standing closely round her with their arms linked together. There was but just room enough for them, and not the smallest space to spare. The sea dashed against the rock, and covered them with spray. The heavens were lighted up with continual flashes, and peal after peal of thunder rolled. But the sister and brothers sat holding each other’s hands, and singing hymns, from which they gained hope and courage. In the early dawn the air became calm and still, and at sunrise the swans flew away from the rock with Eliza. The sea was still rough, and from their high position in the air, the white foam on the dark green waves looked like millions of swans swimming on the water. As the sun rose higher, Eliza saw before her, floating on the air, a range of mountains, with shining masses of ice on their summits. In the centre, rose a castle apparently a mile long, with rows of columns, rising one above another, while, around it, palm-trees waved and flowers bloomed as large as mill wheels. She asked if this was the land to which they were hastening. The swans shook their heads, for what she beheld were the beautiful ever-changing cloud palaces of the “Fata Morgana,” into which no mortal can enter. Eliza was still gazing at the scene, when mountains, forests, and castles melted away, and twenty stately churches rose in their stead, with high towers and pointed gothic windows. Eliza even fancied she could hear the tones of the organ, but it was the music of the murmuring sea which she heard. As they drew nearer to the churches, they also changed into a fleet of ships, which seemed to be sailing beneath her; but as she looked again, she found it was only a sea mist gliding over the ocean. So there continued to pass before her eyes a constant change of scene, till at last she saw the real land to which they were bound, with its blue mountains, its cedar forests, and its cities and palaces. Long before the sun went down, she sat on a rock, in front of a large cave, on the floor of which the over-grown yet delicate green creeping plants looked like an embroidered carpet. “Now we shall expect to hear what you dream of to-night,” said the youngest brother, as he showed his sister her bedroom.
“Heaven grant that I may dream how to save you,” she replied. And this thought took such hold upon her mind that she prayed earnestly to God for help, and even in her sleep she continued to pray. Then it appeared to her as if she were flying high in the air, towards the cloudy palace of the “Fata Morgana,” and a fairy came out to meet her, radiant and beautiful in appearance, and yet very much like the old woman who had given her berries in the wood, and who had told her of the swans with golden crowns on their heads. “Your brothers can be released,” said she, “if you have only courage and perseverance. True, water is softer than your own delicate hands, and yet it polishes stones into shapes; it feels no pain as your fingers would feel, it has no soul, and cannot suffer such agony and torment as you will have to endure. Do you see the stinging nettle which I hold in my hand? Quantities of the same sort grow round the cave in which you sleep, but none will be of any use to you unless they grow upon the graves in a churchyard. These you must gather even while they burn blisters on your hands. Break them to pieces with your hands and feet, and they will become flax, from which you must spin and weave eleven coats with long sleeves; if these are then thrown over the eleven swans, the spell will be broken. But remember, that from the moment you commence your task until it is finished, even should it occupy years of your life, you must not speak. The first word you utter will pierce through the hearts of your brothers like a deadly dagger. Their lives hang upon your tongue. Remember all I have told you.” And as she finished speaking, she touched her hand lightly with the nettle, and a pain, as of burning fire, awoke Eliza.
It was broad daylight, and close by where she had been sleeping lay a nettle like the one she had seen in her dream. She fell on her knees and offered her thanks to God. Then she went forth from the cave to begin her work with her delicate hands. She groped in amongst the ugly nettles, which burnt great blisters on her hands and arms, but she determined to bear it gladly if she could only release her dear brothers. So she bruised the nettles with her bare feet and spun the flax. At sunset her brothers returned and were very much frightened when they found her dumb. They believed it to be some new sorcery of their wicked step-mother. But when they saw her hands they understood what she was doing on their behalf, and the youngest brother wept, and where his tears fell the pain ceased, and the burning blisters vanished. She kept to her work all night, for she could not rest till she had released her dear brothers. During the whole of the following day, while her brothers were absent, she sat in solitude, but never before had the time flown so quickly. One coat was already finished and she had begun the second, when she heard the huntsman’s horn, and was struck with fear. The sound came nearer and nearer, she heard the dogs barking, and fled with terror into the cave. She hastily bound together the nettles she had gathered into a bundle and sat upon them. Immediately a great dog came bounding towards her out of the ravine, and then another and another; they barked loudly, ran back, and then came again. In a very few minutes all the huntsmen stood before the cave, and the handsomest of them was the king of the country. He advanced towards her, for he had never seen a more beautiful maiden.
“How did you come here, my sweet child?” he asked. But Eliza shook her head. She dared not speak, at the cost of her brothers’ lives. And she hid her hands under her apron, so that the king might not see how she must be suffering.
“Come with me,” he said; “here you cannot remain. If you are as good as you are beautiful, I will dress you in silk and velvet, I will place a golden crown upon your head, and you shall dwell, and rule, and make your home in my richest castle.” And then he lifted her on his horse. She wept and wrung her hands, but the king said, “I wish only for your happiness. A time will come when you will thank me for this.” And then he galloped away over the mountains, holding her before him on this horse, and the hunters followed behind them. As the sun went down, they approached a fair royal city, with churches, and cupolas. On arriving at the castle the king led her into marble halls, where large fountains played, and where the walls and the ceilings were covered with rich paintings. But she had no eyes for all these glorious sights, she could only mourn and weep. Patiently she allowed the women to array her in royal robes, to weave pearls in her hair, and draw soft gloves over her blistered fingers. As she stood before them in all her rich dress, she looked so dazzingly beautiful that the court bowed low in her presence. Then the king declared his intention of making her his bride, but the archbishop shook his head, and whispered that the fair young maiden was only a witch who had blinded the king’s eyes and bewitched his heart. But the king would not listen to this; he ordered the music to sound, the daintiest dishes to be served, and the loveliest maidens to dance. After-wards he led her through fragrant gardens and lofty halls, but not a smile appeared on her lips or sparkled in her eyes. She looked the very picture of grief. Then the king opened the door of a little chamber in which she. was to sleep; it was adorned with rich green tapestry, and resembled the cave in which he had found her. On the floor lay the bundle of flax which she had spun from the nettles, and under the ceiling hung the coat she had made. These things had been brought away from the cave as curiosities by one of the huntsmen.
“Here you can dream yourself back again in the old home in the cave,” said the king; “here is the work with which you employed yourself. It will amuse you now in the midst of all this splendor to think of that time.”
When Eliza saw all these things which lay so near her heart, a smile played around her mouth, and the crimson blood rushed to her cheeks. She thought of her brothers, and their release made her so joyful that she kissed the king’s hand. Then he pressed her to his heart. Very soon the joyous church bells announced the marriage feast, and that the beautiful dumb girl out of the wood was to be made the queen of the country. Then the archbishop whispered wicked words in the king’s ear, but they did not sink into his heart. The marriage was still to take place, and the archbishop himself had to place the crown on the bride’s head; in his wicked spite, he pressed the narrow circlet so tightly on her forehead that it caused her pain. But a heavier weight encircled her heart—sorrow for her brothers. She felt not bodily pain. Her mouth was closed; a single word would cost the lives of her brothers. But she loved the kind, handsome king, who did everything to make her happy more and more each day; she loved him with all her heart, and her eyes beamed with the love she dared not speak. Oh! if she had only been able to confide in him and tell him of her grief. But dumb she must remain till her task was finished. Therefore at night she crept away into her little chamber, which had been decked out to look like the cave, and quickly wove one coat after another. But when she began the seventh she found she had no more flax. She knew that the nettles she wanted to use grew in the churchyard, and that she must pluck them herself. How should she get out there? “Oh, what is the pain in my fingers to the torment which my heart endures?” said she. “I must venture, I shall not be denied help from heaven.” Then with a trembling heart, as if she were about to perform a wicked deed, she crept into the garden in the broad moonlight, and passed through the narrow walks and the deserted streets, till she reached the churchyard. Then she saw on one of the broad tombstones a group of ghouls. These hideous creatures took off their rags, as if they intended to bathe, and then clawing open the fresh graves with their long, skinny fingers, pulled out the dead bodies and ate the flesh! Eliza had to pass close by them, and they fixed their wicked glances upon her, but she prayed silently, gathered the burning nettles, and carried them home with her to the castle. One person only had seen her, and that was the archbishop—he was awake while everybody was asleep. Now he thought his opinion was evidently correct. All was not right with the queen. She was a witch, and had bewitched the king and all the people. Secretly he told the king what he had seen and what he feared, and as the hard words came from his tongue, the carved images of the saints shook their heads as if they would say. “It is not so. Eliza is innocent.”
But the archbishop interpreted it in another way; he believed that they witnessed against her, and were shaking their heads at her wickedness. Two large tears rolled down the king’s cheeks, and he went home with doubt in his heart, and at night he pretended to sleep, but there came no real sleep to his eyes, for he saw Eliza get up every night and disappear in her own chamber. From day to day his brow became darker, and Eliza saw it and did not understand the reason, but it alarmed her and made her heart tremble for her brothers. Her hot tears glittered like pearls on the regal velvet and diamonds, while all who saw her were wishing they could be queens. In the mean time she had almost finished her task; only one coat of mail was wanting, but she had no flax left, and not a single nettle. Once more only, and for the last time, must she venture to the churchyard and pluck a few handfuls. She thought with terror of the solitary walk, and of the horrible ghouls, but her will was firm, as well as her trust in Providence. Eliza went, and the king and the archbishop followed her. They saw her vanish through the wicket gate into the churchyard, and when they came nearer they saw the ghouls sitting on the tombstone, as Eliza had seen them, and the king turned away his head, for he thought she was with them—she whose head had rested on his breast that very evening. “The people must condemn her,” said he, and she was very quickly condemned by every one to suffer death by fire. Away from the gorgeous regal halls was she led to a dark, dreary cell, where the wind whistled through the iron bars. Instead of the velvet and silk dresses, they gave her the coats of mail which she had woven to cover her, and the bundle of nettles for a pillow; but nothing they could give her would have pleased her more. She continued her task with joy, and prayed for help, while the street-boys sang jeering songs about her, and not a soul comforted her with a kind word. Towards evening, she heard at the grating the flutter of a swan’s wing, it was her youngest brother—he had found his sister, and she sobbed for joy, although she knew that very likely this would be the last night she would have to live. But still she could hope, for her task was almost finished, and her brothers were come. Then the archbishop arrived, to be with her during her last hours, as he had promised the king. But she shook her head, and begged him, by looks and gestures, not to stay; for in this night she knew she must finish her task, otherwise all her pain and tears and sleepless nights would have been suffered in vain. The archbishop withdrew, uttering bitter words against her; but poor Eliza knew that she was innocent, and diligently continued her work.
The little mice ran about the floor, they dragged the nettles to her feet, to help as well as they could; and the thrush sat outside the grating of the window, and sang to her the whole night long, as sweetly as possible, to keep up her spirits.
It was still twilight, and at least an hour before sunrise, when the eleven brothers stood at the castle gate, and demanded to be brought before the king. They were told it could not be, it was yet almost night, and as the king slept they dared not disturb him. They threatened, they entreated. Then the guard appeared, and even the king himself, inquiring what all the noise meant. At this moment the sun rose. The eleven brothers were seen no more, but eleven wild swans flew away over the castle.
And now all the people came streaming forth from the gates of the city, to see the witch burnt. An old horse drew the cart on which she sat. They had dressed her in a garment of coarse sackcloth. Her lovely hair hung loose on her shoulders, her cheeks were deadly pale, her lips moved silently, while her fingers still worked at the green flax. Even on the way to death, she would not give up her task. The ten coats of mail lay at her feet, she was working hard at the eleventh, while the mob jeered her and said, “See the witch, how she mutters! She has no hymn-book in her hand. She sits there with her ugly sorcery. Let us tear it in a thousand pieces.”
And then they pressed towards her, and would have destroyed the coats of mail, but at the same moment eleven wild swans flew over her, and alighted on the cart. Then they flapped their large wings, and the crowd drew on one side in alarm.
“It is a sign from heaven that she is innocent,” whispered many of them; but they ventured not to say it aloud.
As the executioner seized her by the hand, to lift her out of the cart, she hastily threw the eleven coats of mail over the swans, and they immediately became eleven handsome princes; but the youngest had a swan’s wing, instead of an arm; for she had not been able to finish the last sleeve of the coat.
“Now I may speak,” she exclaimed. “I am innocent.”
Then the people, who saw what happened, bowed to her, as before a saint; but she sank lifeless in her brothers’ arms, overcome with suspense, anguish, and pain.
“Yes, she is innocent,” said the eldest brother; and then he related all that had taken place; and while he spoke there rose in the air a fragrance as from millions of roses. Every piece of faggot in the pile had taken root, and threw out branches, and appeared a thick hedge, large and high, covered with roses; while above all bloomed a white and shining flower, that glittered like a star. This flower the king plucked, and placed in Eliza’s bosom, when she awoke from her swoon, with peace and happiness in her heart. And all the church bells rang of themselves, and the birds came in great troops. And a marriage procession returned to the castle, such as no king had ever before seen.
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