In Seven Stories

by Hans Christian Andersen

translation by H P Paull (1872)

Contents

1 Story The First
2 Second Story: Little Boy and Little Girl
3 Third Story: The Flower Garden Woman Conjure
4 Fourth Story: The Prince and Princess
5 Fifth Story: Little Robber-Girl
6 Sixth Story: The Lapland Woman Finland Woman
7 Seventh Story: Palace Snow Queen and What Happened There at Last

Story The First

WHICH describes looking-glass broken fragments

attend commencement story, for when we get end know more than now about very wicked hobgoblin; very worst, for real demon One day, when in merry mood, looking-glass which had the power of making everything good or beautiful that was reflected almost shrink to nothing, while everything that was worthless and bad looked increased in size and worse than ever The most lovely landscapes appeared like boiled spinach, people became hideous, and looked as stood on their heads and had no bodies Their countenances were so distorted that no one could recognize them, and even one freckle face appeared to spread over the whole nose and mouth The demon said very amusing When good or pious thought passed mind of misrepresented glass; and then how the demon laughed at his cunning invention All who went demon's school- for he kept school- talked everywhere wonders they had seen, and declared that people could now, first time, see what the world and mankind were really like They carried the glass about everywhere, till at last not land nor people who looked at distorted mirror They wanted even to fly with it heaven the angels, but the higher they flew the more slippery the glass became, and scarcely hold it, till at last it slipped from their hands, fell earth, and was broken into millions of pieces But now the looking-glass caused more unhappiness than ever, for fragments so large as grain of sand, flew world into every country When tiny atoms flew into person's eye, it stuck there unknown to him, and moment everything through distorted medium, or only the worst side of what he looked at, for even the smallest fragment retained the same power which had belonged whole mirror Some few persons even got fragment looking-glass in their hearts, and very terrible, for their hearts became cold like lump of ice few pieces were so large that be used as window-panes; it sad thing to look at our friends through them Other pieces were made into spectacles; dreadful who wore them, for see nothing either rightly or justly At all this the wicked demon laughed till his sides shook- it tickled him so the mischief he had done There were still number little fragments of glass floating about air, and now you shall hear what happened with [edit]

Second Story: Little Boy and Little Girl

In large town, full of houses and people, not room for everybody even little garden, therefore obliged satisfied with few flowers in flower-pots In large towns lived two poor children who had garden something larger and better than few flower-pots They brother and sister, but they loved almost as Their parents lived opposite to in two garrets, where the roofs of neighboring houses projected out towards water-pipe ran In each house was little window, could step across the gutter from one window other The parents children had each large wooden box they cultivated kitchen herbs for their own use, and little rose-bush in each box, which grew splendidly Now after while the parents decided these two boxes across the water-pipe, so reached from one window other and looked like two banks of flowers Sweet-peas drooped over the boxes, rose-bushes shot forth long branches, which were trained round the windows and clustered together almost like triumphal arch of leaves and flowers The boxes were very high, children knew not climb upon them, without permission, but they were often, however, allowed to step out together and sit upon their little stools under the rose-bushes, or play quietly In winter all this pleasure came to an end, windows were sometimes quite frozen over But then warm copper pennies stove, and hold the warm pennies against the frozen pane; there little round hole through which peep, soft bright eyes little boy and girl would beam hole at each window looked at Their names were Kay and Gerda In summer be together with one jump window, but in winter they had up and down the long staircase, and out snow could meet

"See the white bees swarming," said Kay's old grandmother one day when snowing

"Have they queen bee ? " asked the little boy, for real bees had queen

" ," said the grandmother " flying there where the swarm is thickest the largest all, and never remains earth, but flies dark clouds Often at midnight she flies streets town, and looks in windows, then the ice freezes panes into wonderful shapes, that look like flowers and castles "

"Yes, them," said both the children, knew it true

"Can the Snow Queen come in here ? " asked the little girl

"Only let her come," said the boy, "I'll set her stove and then she'll melt "

Then the grandmother smoothed his hair and told him some more tales One evening, when little Kay was at home, half undressed, he climbed on chair window and peeped out little hole few flakes of snow were falling, and , rather larger rest, alighted edge of flower boxes This snow-flake grew larger and larger, till at last it became the figure of woman, dressed in garments of white gauze, which looked like millions of starry snow-flakes linked together She was fair and beautiful, but made of ice- shining and glittering ice Still she was alive and her eyes sparkled like bright stars, but neither peace nor rest in their glance She nodded towards the window and waved her hand The little boy was frightened and sprang chair; same moment it seemed large bird flew window following day clear frost, and came the spring The sun shone; the young green leaves burst forth; the swallows built their nests; windows were opened, children sat once more garden roof, high above all the other rooms How beautiful the roses blossomed this summer The little girl had learnt hymn roses were spoken of, and then she thought own roses, and she sang the hymn little boy, and he sang too:-

"Roses bloom and cease , But the Christ-child see "

Then the little ones held hand, and kissed the roses, and looked bright sunshine, and spoke as Christ-child were there Those were splendid summer days How beautiful and fresh out rose-bushes, which seemed as never leave off blooming One day Kay and Gerda sat looking at book full of pictures of animals and birds, and then just clock church tower struck twelve, Kay said, "Oh, something has struck my heart ! " and soon after, " something in my eye "

The little girl put her arm round his neck, and looked into his eye, but she nothing

" gone," But not gone; one bits looking-glass- that magic mirror, spoken- the ugly glass which made everything great and good appear small and ugly, while all that was wicked and bad became more visible, and every little fault plainly seen Poor little Kay had also received small grain heart, which very quickly turned to lump of ice no more pain, but the glass was there still "Why cry ? " said he at last; "it makes you look ugly nothing the matter with me now Oh, see ! " he cried suddenly, "that rose is worm-eaten, and is quite crooked After all ugly roses, just like the box they stand," and then he kicked the boxes foot, and pulled off the two roses

"Kay, you doing ? " cried the little girl; and then, when how frightened she was, he tore off another rose, and jumped through his own window away from little Gerda