Andersens eventyr
Sammenligne indeværende historie på to sprog
"Mine stakkels blomster er ganske døde!" sagde den lille Ida. "De var så smukke i aftes, og nu hænger alle bladene visne! Hvorfor gør de det?" spurgte hun studenten, der sad i sofaen; for ham holdt hun så meget af, han kunne de allerdejligste historier og klippede sådanne morsomme billeder: hjerter med små madammer i, der dansede; blomster og store slotte, hvor dørene kunne lukkes op; det var en lystig student! "Hvorfor ser blomsterne så dårlige ud i dag?" spurgte hun igen, og viste ham en hel buket, der var ganske vissen.
"My poor flowers are quite dead," said little Ida, "they were so pretty yesterday evening, and now all the leaves are hanging down quite withered. What do they do that for," she asked, of the student who sat on the sofa; she liked him very much, he could tell the most amusing stories, and cut out the prettiest pictures; hearts, and ladies dancing, castles with doors that opened, as well as flowers; he was a delightful student. "Why do the flowers look so faded to-day?" she asked again, and pointed to her nosegay, which was quite withered.
"Ja ved du, hvad de fejler!" sagde studenten. "Blomsterne har været på bal i nat, og derfor hænger de med hovedet!"
"Don't you know what is the matter with them?" said the student. "The flowers were at a ball last night, and therefore, it is no wonder they hang their heads."
"Men blomsterne kan jo ikke danse!" sagde den lille Ida.
"But flowers cannot dance?" cried little Ida.
"Jo," sagde studenten, "når det bliver mørkt og vi andre sover, så springer de lystigt omkring; næsten hver evige nat har de bal!"
"Yes indeed, they can," replied the student. "When it grows dark, and everybody is asleep, they jump about quite merrily. They have a ball almost every night."
"Kan der ingen børn komme med på det bal?"
"Can children go to these balls?"
"Jo," sagde studenten, "småbitte gåseurter og liljekonvaller!"
"Yes," said the student, "little daisies and lilies of the valley."
"Hvor danser de pæneste blomster," spurgte lille Ida. "Har du ikke tit været ude af porten ved det store slot, hvor kongen bor om sommeren, hvor den dejlige have er med de mange blomster? Du har jo set svanerne, der svømmer hen til dig, når du vil give dem brødkrummer. Derude er rigtigt bal, kan du tro!"
"Where do the beautiful flowers dance?" asked little Ida. "Have you not often seen the large castle outside the gates of the town, where the king lives in summer, and where the beautiful garden is full of flowers? And have you not fed the swans with bread when they swam towards you? Well, the flowers have capital balls there, believe me."
"Jeg var der ude i haven i går med min moder!" sagde Ida, "men alle bladene var af træerne, og der var slet ingen blomster mere! hvor er de? I sommer så jeg så mange!"
"I was in the garden out there yesterday with my mother," said Ida, "but all the leaves were off the trees, and there was not a single flower left. Where are they? I used to see so many in the summer."
"De er inde på slottet!" sagde studenten. "Du må vide, at lige så snart kongen og alle hoffolkene flytter herind til byen, så løber blomsterne straks fra haven op på slottet og er lystige. Det skulle du se! De to allersmukkeste roser sætter sig på tronen, og så er de konge og dronning. Alle de røde hanekamme stiller sig op ved siden, og står og bukker, de er kammerjunkere. Så kommer alle de nydeligste blomster, og så er der stort bal, de blå violer forestiller små søkadetter, de danser med hyacinter og krokus, som de kalder frøkener! Tulipanerne og de store gule liljer, det er gamle fruer, de passer på, at der bliver danset net, og at det går pænt til!"
"They are in the castle," replied the student. "You must know that as soon as the king and all the court are gone into the town, the flowers run out of the garden into the castle, and you should see how merry they are. The two most beautiful roses seat themselves on the throne, and are called the king and queen, then all the red cockscombs range themselves on each side, and bow, these are the lords-in-waiting. After that the pretty flowers come in, and there is a grand ball. The blue violets represent little naval cadets, and dance with hyacinths and crocuses which they call young ladies. The tulips and tiger-lilies are the old ladies who sit and watch the dancing, so that everything may be conducted with order and propriety."
"Men," spurgte lille Ida, "er der ingen, som gør blomsterne noget, fordi de danser på kongens slot?"
"But," said little Ida, "is there no one there to hurt the flowers for dancing in the king's castle?"
"Der er ingen, som rigtigt ved af det!" sagde studenten, "sommetider, om natten, kommer rigtignok den gamle slotsforvalter, der skal passe på der ude, han har et stort knippe nøgler med sig, men så snart blomsterne hører nøglerne rasle, så bliver de ganske stille, skjuler sig bag ved de lange gardiner og stikker hovedet frem. 'Jeg kan lugte, her er nogle blomster inde,' siger den gamle slotsforvalter, men han kan ikke se dem."
"No one knows anything about it," said the student. "The old steward of the castle, who has to watch there at night, sometimes comes in; but he carries a great bunch of keys, and as soon as the flowers hear the keys rattle, they run and hide themselves behind the long curtains, and stand quite still, just peeping their heads out. Then the old steward says, 'I smell flowers here,' but he cannot see them."
"Det er morsomt!" sagde den lille Ida og klappede i hænderne. "Men kunne jeg heller ikke se blomsterne?"
"Oh how capital," said little Ida, clapping her hands. "Should I be able to see these flowers?"
"Jo," sagde studenten, "husk bare på, når du kommer der ud igen, at kigge ind af vinduet, så ser du dem nok. Det gjorde jeg i dag, der lå en lang gul påskelilje i sofaen og strakte sig, det var en hofdame!"
"Yes," said the student, "mind you think of it the next time you go out, no doubt you will see them, if you peep through the window. I did so to-day, and I saw a long yellow lily lying stretched out on the sofa. She was a court lady."
"Kan også blomsterne i den botaniske have komme der ud? Kan de komme den lange vej?"
"Can the flowers from the Botanical Gardens go to these balls?" asked Ida. "It is such a distance!"
"Ja, det kan du tro!" sagde studenten, "for når de vil, så kan de flyve. Har du ikke nok set de smukke sommerfugle, de røde, gule og hvide, de ser næsten ud som blomster, det har de også været, de er sprunget af stilken højt op i luften, og har da slået med bladene, ligesom de var små vinger, og så fløj de; og da de førte sig godt op, fik de lov at flyve om også ved dagen, skulle ikke hjem igen, og sidde stille på stilken, og så blev bladene til sidst til virkelige vinger. Det har du jo selv set! Det kan ellers gerne være, at blomsterne inde i den botaniske have aldrig har været ude på kongens slot, eller ved, at der er så lystigt der om natten. Nu skal jeg derfor sige dig noget! så vil han blive så forbavset, den botaniske professor, der bor ved siden af, Du kender ham jo nok? Når du kommer ind i hans have, skal du fortælle én af blomsterne, at der er stort bal ude på slottet, så siger den det igen til alle de andre, og da flyver de af sted; kommer da professoren ud i haven, så er der ikke en eneste blomst, og han kan slet ikke forstå, hvor de er henne."
"Oh yes," said the student "whenever they like, for they can fly. Have you not seen those beautiful red, white, and yellow butterflies, that look like flowers? They were flowers once. They have flown off their stalks into the air, and flap their leaves as if they were little wings to make them fly. Then, if they behave well, they obtain permission to fly about during the day, instead of being obliged to sit still on their stems at home, and so in time their leaves become real wings. It may be, however, that the flowers in the Botanical Gardens have never been to the king's palace, and, therefore, they know nothing of the merry doings at night, which take place there. I will tell you what to do, and the botanical professor, who lives close by here, will be so surprised. You know him very well, do you not? Well, next time you go into his garden, you must tell one of the flowers that there is going to be a grand ball at the castle, then that flower will tell all the others, and they will fly away to the castle as soon as possible. And when the professor walks into his garden, there will not be a single flower left. How he will wonder what has become of them!"
"Men hvor kan blomsten fortælle det til de andre? Blomsterne kan jo ikke tale!"
"But how can one flower tell another? Flowers cannot speak?"
"Nej, det kan de rigtignok ikke!" svarede studenten; "men så gør de pantomime! Har du ikke nok set, at når det blæser lidt, så nikker blomsterne, og bevæger alle de grønne blade, det er lige så tydeligt, som om de talte!"
"No, certainly not," replied the student; "but they can make signs. Have you not often seen that when the wind blows they nod at one another, and rustle all their green leaves?"
"Kan professoren da forstå pantomime?" spurgte Ida.
"Can the professor understand the signs?" asked Ida.
"Ja, det kan du tro! Han kom en morgen ned i sin have og så en stor brændenælde stå at gøre pantomine med bladene til en dejlig rød nellike; den sagde, du er så nydelig og jeg holder så meget af dig! men sådan noget kan professoren nu slet ikke lide, og slog straks brændenælden over bladene, for de er dens fingre, men så brændte han sig, og fra den tid tør han aldrig røre ved en brændenælde."
"Yes, to be sure he can. He went one morning into his garden, and saw a stinging nettle making signs with its leaves to a beautiful red carnation. It was saying, 'You are so pretty, I like you very much.' But the professor did not approve of such nonsense, so he clapped his hands on the nettle to stop it. Then the leaves, which are its fingers, stung him so sharply that he has never ventured to touch a nettle since."
"Det var morsomt!" sagde den lille Ida og lo.
"Oh how funny!" said Ida, and she laughed.
"Er det at bilde barnet sådan noget ind!" sagde den kedelige kancelliråd, der var kommen i visit og sad i sofaen; han kunne slet ikke lide studenten og gnavede alle tider, når han så ham klippe de løjerlige, morsomme billeder: snart en mand, der hang i en galge og holdt et hjerte i hånden, for han var en hjertetyv, snart en gammel heks, der red på en kost og havde sin mand på næsen; det kunne kancelliråden ikke lide, og så sagde han, ligesom nu, "er det noget, at bilde barnet ind! det er den dumme fantasi!"
"How can anyone put such notions into a child's head?" said a tiresome lawyer, who had come to pay a visit, and sat on the sofa. He did not like the student, and would grumble when he saw him cutting out droll or amusing pictures. Sometimes it would be a man hanging on a gibbet and holding a heart in his hand as if he had been stealing hearts. Sometimes it was an old witch riding through the air on a broom and carrying her husband on her nose. But the lawyer did not like such jokes, and he would say as he had just said, "How can anyone put such nonsense into a child's head! what absurd fancies there are!"
Men den lille Ida syntes dog, det var så morsomt, hvad studenten fortalte om hendes blomster, og hun tænkte så meget derpå. Blomsterne hang med hovedet, fordi de var trætte af at danse hele natten, de var bestemt syge. Så gik hun med dem hen til alt sit andet legetøj, der stod på et pænt lille bord, og hele skuffen var fuld af stads. I dukkesengen lå hendes dukke, Sophie, og sov, men den lille Ida sagde til hende: "Du må virkelig stå op, Sophie, og tage til takke med at ligge i skuffen i nat, de stakkels blomster er syge, og så må de ligge i din seng, måske de da bliver raske!" og så tog hun dukken op, men den så så tvær ud og sagde ikke et eneste ord, for den var vred, fordi den ikke måtte beholde sin seng.
But to little Ida, all these stories which the student told her about the flowers, seemed very droll, and she thought over them a great deal. The flowers did hang their heads, because they had been dancing all night, and were very tired, and most likely they were ill. Then she took them into the room where a number of toys lay on a pretty little table, and the whole of the table drawer besides was full of beautiful things. Her doll Sophy lay in the doll's bed asleep, and little Ida said to her, "You must really get up Sophy, and be content to lie in the drawer to-night; the poor flowers are ill, and they must lie in your bed, then perhaps they will get well again." So she took the doll out, who looked quite cross, and said not a single word, for she was angry at being turned out of her bed.
Så lagde Ida blomsterne i dukkesengen, trak det lille tæppe helt op om dem og sagde, nu skulle de ligge smukt stille, så ville hun koge tevand til dem, at de kunne blive raske og komme op i morgen, og hun trak gardinerne tæt om den lille seng, for at solen ikke skulle skinne dem i øjnene.
Ida placed the flowers in the doll's bed, and drew the quilt over them. Then she told them to lie quite still and be good, while she made some tea for them, so that they might be quite well and able to get up the next morning. And she drew the curtains close round the little bed, so that the sun might not shine in their eyes.
Hele aftnen igennem kunne hun ikke lade være at tænke på, hvad studenten havde fortalt hende, og da hun nu selv skulle i seng, måtte hun først hen bag gardinerne, der hang ned for vinduerne, hvor hendes moders dejlige blomster stod, både hyacinter og tulipaner, og så hviskede hun ganske sagte: Jeg ved nok, I skal på bal i nat! men blomsterne lod, som om de ingenting forstod og rørte ikke et blad, men lille Ida vidste nok, hvad hun vidste.
During the whole evening she could not help thinking of what the student had told her. And before she went to bed herself, she was obliged to peep behind the curtains into the garden where all her mother's beautiful flowers grew, hyacinths and tulips, and many others. Then she whispered to them quite softly, "I know you are going to a ball to-night." But the flowers appeared as if they did not understand, and not a leaf moved; still Ida felt quite sure she knew all about it.
Da hun var kommet i seng, lå hun længe og tænkte på, hvor nydeligt det kunne være at se de dejlige blomster danse derude på kongens slot. "Mon mine blomster virkelig har været med?" Men så faldt hun i søvn. Ud på natten vågnede hun igen, hun havde drømt om blomsterne og studenten, som kancelliråden skændte på og sagde ville bilde hende noget ind. Der var ganske stille i sovekammeret, hvor Ida lå; natlampen brændte henne på bordet, og hendes fader og moder sov.
She lay awake a long time after she was in bed, thinking how pretty it must be to see all the beautiful flowers dancing in the king's garden. "I wonder if my flowers have really been there," she said to herself, and then she fell asleep. In the night she awoke; she had been dreaming of the flowers and of the student, as well as of the tiresome lawyer who found fault with him. It was quite still in Ida's bedroom; the night-lamp burnt on the table, and her father and mother were asleep.
"Mon mine blomster nu ligger i Sophies seng?" sagde hun ved sig selv, "hvor jeg dog gerne ville vide det!" Hun rejste sig lidt og så hen til døren, der stod halv på klem, derinde lå blomsterne og alt hendes legetøj. Hun lyttede efter, og da var det ligesom om hun hørte, at der blev spillet på klaver inde i stuen, men ganske sagte, og så nydeligt, som hun aldrig før havde hørt det.
"I wonder if my flowers are still lying in Sophy's bed," she thought to herself; "how much I should like to know." She raised herself a little, and glanced at the door of the room where all her flowers and playthings lay; it was partly open, and as she listened, it seemed as if some one in the room was playing the piano, but softly and more prettily than she had ever before heard it.
"Nu danser vist alle blomsterne derinde!" sagde hun, "oh Gud, hvor jeg dog gerne ville se det!" men hun turde ikke stå op, for så vækkede hun sin fader og moder. "Bare de dog ville komme herind," sagde hun; men blomsterne kom ikke og musikken vedblev at spille så nydeligt, da kunne hun slet ikke lade være, for det var alt for dejligt, hun krøb ud af sin lille seng og gik ganske sagte hen til døren og kiggede ind i stuen. Nej, hvor det var morsomt, hvad hun fik at se!
"Now all the flowers are certainly dancing in there," she thought, "oh how much I should like to see them," but she did not dare move for fear of disturbing her father and mother. "If they would only come in here," she thought; but they did not come, and the music continued to play so beautifully, and was so pretty, that she could resist no longer. She crept out of her little bed, went softly to the door and looked into the room. Oh what a splendid sight there was to be sure!
Der var slet ingen natlampe derinde, men alligevel ganske lyst, månen skinnede gennem vinduet midt ind på gulvet! det var næsten ligesom det kunne være dag. Alle hyacinterne og tulipanerne stod i to lange rækker på gulvet, der var slet ingen flere i vinduet, dér stod tomme potter, nede på gulvet dansede alle blomsterne så nydeligt rundt om hinanden, gjorde ordentlig kæde og holdt hverandre i de lange grønne blade, når de svingede rundt. Men henne ved klaveret sad en stor gul lilje, som lille Ida bestemt havde set i sommer, for hun huskede godt, studenten havde sagt: "Nej, hvor den ligner frøken Line!" men da lo de alle sammen af ham; men nu syntes virkelig Ida også, at den lange gule blomst lignede frøkenen, og den bar sig også ligesådan ad med at spille, snart lagde den sit aflange gule ansigt paa den ene side, snart på den anden, og nikkede takten til den dejlige musik! Slet ingen mærkede den lille Ida. Nu så hun en stor blå krokus hoppe midt op på bordet, hvor legetøjet stod, gå lige hen til dukkesengen og trække gardinerne til side, der lå de syge blomster, men de rejste sig straks op og nikkede ned til de andre at de også ville med at danse. Den gamle røgmand, som underlæben var brækket af, stod op og bukkede for de pæne blomster, de så slet ikke syge ud, de hoppede ned mellem de andre og var så fornøjede.
There was no night-lamp burning, but the room appeared quite light, for the moon shone through the window upon the floor, and made it almost like day. All the hyacinths and tulips stood in two long rows down the room, not a single flower remained in the window, and the flower-pots were all empty. The flowers were dancing gracefully on the floor, making turns and holding each other by their long green leaves as they swung round. At the piano sat a large yellow lily which little Ida was sure she had seen in the summer, for she remembered the student saying she was very much like Miss Lina, one of Ida's friends. They all laughed at him then, but now it seemed to little Ida as if the tall, yellow flower was really like the young lady. She had just the same manners while playing, bending her long yellow face from side to side, and nodding in time to the beautiful music. Then she saw a large purple crocus jump into the middle of the table where the playthings stood, go up to the doll's bedstead and draw back the curtains; there lay the sick flowers, but they got up directly, and nodded to the others as a sign that they wished to dance with them. The old rough doll, with the broken mouth, stood up and bowed to the pretty flowers. They did not look ill at all now, but jumped about and were very merry, yet none of them noticed little Ida.
Det var ligesom om noget faldt ned af bordet, Ida så derhen, det var fastelavnsriset, der sprang ned, det syntes også, at det hørte med til blomsterne. Det var også meget nydeligt, og oveni sad en lille voksdukke, der havde just sådan en bred hat på hovedet, som den kancelliråden gik med. Fastelavnsriset hoppede på sine tre røde træben midt ind imellem blomsterne, og trampede ganske stærkt, for det dansede mazurka, og den dans kunne de andre blomster ikke, fordi de var så lette og kunne ikke trampe.
Presently it seemed as if something fell from the table. Ida looked that way, and saw a slight carnival rod jumping down among the flowers as if it belonged to them; it was, however, very smooth and neat, and a little wax doll with a broad brimmed hat on her head, like the one worn by the lawyer, sat upon it. The carnival rod hopped about among the flowers on its three red stilted feet, and stamped quite loud when it danced the Mazurka; the flowers could not perform this dance, they were too light to stamp in that manner.
Voksdukken på fastelavnsriset blev lige med ét stor og lang, snurrede sig rundt oven over papirsblomsterne og råbte ganske højt: "Er det at bilde barnet sådan noget ind! det er den dumme fantasi!" og så lignede voksdukken ganske akkurat kancelliråden med den brede hat, så lige så gul og gnaven ud, men papirsblomsterne slog ham om de tynde ben, og så krøb han sammen igen og blev en lille bitte voksdukke. Det var så morsomt at se! den lille Ida kunne ikke lade være at le. Fastelavnsriset blev ved at danse, og kancelliråden måtte danse med, det hjalp ikke, enten han gjorde sig stor og lang eller blev den lille gule voksdukke med den store, sorte hat. Da bad de andre blomster for ham, især de, der havde ligget i dukkesengen, og så lod fastelavnsriset være. I det samme bankede det ganske stærkt inde i skuffen, hvor Idas dukke, Sophie, lå ved så meget andet legetøj; røgmanden løb hen til kanten af bordet, lagde sig langs ud på sin mave og fik skuffen en lille smule trukket ud. Der rejste Sophie sig op, og så ganske forundret rundt omkring. "Her er nok bal!" sagde hun; "hvorfor er der ingen, der har sagt mig det!"
All at once the wax doll which rode on the carnival rod seemed to grow larger and taller, and it turned round and said to the paper flowers, "How can you put such things in a child's head? they are all foolish fancies;" and then the doll was exactly like the lawyer with the broad brimmed hat, and looked as yellow and as cross as he did; but the paper dolls struck him on his thin legs, and he shrunk up again and became quite a little wax doll. This was very amusing, and Ida could not help laughing. The carnival rod went on dancing, and the lawyer was obliged to dance also. It was no use, he might make himself great and tall, or remain a little wax doll with a large black hat; still he must dance. Then at last the other flowers interceded for him, especially those who had lain in the doll's bed, and the carnival rod gave up his dancing. At the same moment a loud knocking was heard in the drawer, where Ida's doll Sophy lay with many other toys. Then the rough doll ran to the end of the table, laid himself flat down upon it, and began to pull the drawer out a little way. Then Sophy raised himself, and looked round quite astonished, "There must be a ball here to-night," said Sophy. "Why did not somebody tell me?"
"Vil du danse med mig?" sagde røgmanden.
"Will you dance with me?" said the rough doll.
"Jo, du er en pæn én at danse med!" sagde hun og vendte ham ryggen. Så satte hun sig på skuffen og tænkte, at nok en af blomsterne ville komme at engagere hende, men der kom ingen, så hostede hun, hm, hm, hm! men alligevel kom der ikke én. Røgmanden dansede så ganske alene, og det var ikke så dårligt!
"You are the right sort to dance with, certainly," said she, turning her back upon him. Then she seated herself on the edge of the drawer, and thought that perhaps one of the flowers would ask her to dance; but none of them came. Then she coughed, "Hem, hem, a-hem;" but for all that not one came. The shabby doll now danced quite alone, and not very badly, after all.
Da nu ingen af blomsterne syntes at se Sophie, lod hun sig dumpe fra skuffen lige ned på gulvet, så det gav en stor alarm; alle blomsterne kom også løbende hen rundt omkring hende og spurgte, om hun ikke havde slået sig, og de var alle så nydelige imod hende, især blomsterne, der havde ligget hendes seng; men hun havde slet ikke slået sig, og alle Idas blomster sagde tak for den dejlige seng og holdt så meget af hende, tog hende midt hen på gulvet hvor månen skinnede, dansede med hende, og alle de andre blomster gjorde en kreds udenom; nu var Sophie fornøjet! og hun sagde, de måtte gerne beholde hendes seng, hun brød sig slet ikke om at ligge i skuffen.
As none of the flowers seemed to notice Sophy, she let herself down from the drawer to the floor, so as to make a very great noise. All the flowers came round her directly, and asked if she had hurt herself, especially those who had lain in her bed. But she was not hurt at all, and Ida's flowers thanked her for the use of the nice bed, and were very kind to her. They led her into the middle of the room, where the moon shone, and danced with her, while all the other flowers formed a circle round them. Then Sophy was very happy, and said they might keep her bed; she did not mind lying in the drawer at all.
Men blomsterne sagde: "Du skal have så mange tak, men vi kan ikke leve så længe! i morgen er vi ganske døde; men sig til den lille Ida, at hun skal begrave os ude i haven, hvor kanariefuglen ligger, så vokser vi op igen til sommer og blive meget smukkere!"
But the flowers thanked her very much, and said,– "We cannot live long. To-morrow morning we shall be quite dead; and you must tell little Ida to bury us in the garden, near to the grave of the canary; then, in the summer we shall wake up and be more beautiful than ever."
"Nej, I må ikke dø!" sagde Sophie, og så kyssede hun blomsterne; i det samme gik salsdøren op, og en hel mængde dejlige blomster kom dansende ind, Ida kunne slet ikke begribe, hvor de var kommet fra, det var bestemt alle blomsterne ude fra kongens slot. Allerforrest gik to dejlige roser, og de havde små guldkroner på, det var en konge og en dronning, så kom de nydeligste levkøjer og nelliker og de hilste til alle sider. De havde musik med, store valmuer og pæoner blæste i ærtebælge så de var ganske røde i hovedet. De blå klokker og de små hvide sommergækker klingede, ligesom de havde bjælder på. Det var en morsom musik. Så kom der så mange andre blomster, og de dansede alle sammen, de blå violer og de røde bellis, gåseurterne og liljekonvallerne. Og alle blomsterne kyssede hinanden, det var nydeligt at se!
"No, you must not die," said Sophy, as she kissed the flowers. Then the door of the room opened, and a number of beautiful flowers danced in. Ida could not imagine where they could come from, unless they were the flowers from the king's garden. First came two lovely roses, with little golden crowns on their heads; these were the king and queen. Beautiful stocks and carnations followed, bowing to every one present. They had also music with them. Large poppies and peonies had pea-shells for instruments, and blew into them till they were quite red in the face. The bunches of blue hyacinths and the little white snowdrops jingled their bell-like flowers, as if they were real bells. Then came many more flowers: blue violets, purple heart's-ease, daisies, and lilies of the valley, and they all danced together, and kissed each other. It was very beautiful to behold.
Til sidst sagde blomsterne hinanden god nat, saa listede også den lille Ida sig hen i sengen, hvor hun drømte om alt, hvad hun havde set.
At last the flowers wished each other good-night. Then little Ida crept back into her bed again, and dreamt of all she had seen.
Da hun næste morgen kom op, gik hun gesvindt hen til det lille bord, for at se om blomsterne var der endnu, hun trak gardinet til side fra den lille seng, ja, der lå de alle sammen, men de var ganske visne, meget mere end i går. Sophie lå i skuffen, hvor hun havde lagt hende, hun så meget søvnig ud.
When she arose the next morning, she went quickly to the little table, to see if the flowers were still there. She drew aside the curtains of the little bed. There they all lay, but quite faded; much more so than the day before. Sophy was lying in the drawer where Ida had placed her; but she looked very sleepy.
"Kan du huske, hvad du skulle sige til mig," sagde den lille Ida, men Sophie så ganske dum ud og sagde ikke et eneste ord. "Du er slet ikke god," sagde Ida, "og de dansede dog alle sammen med dig." Så tog hun en lille papirsæske, der var tegnet nydelige fugle på, den lukkede hun op og lagde de døde blomster i den. "Det skal være eders nydelige ligkiste," sagde hun, "og når siden de norske fætre kommer herhen, så skal de være med at begrave eder ude i haven, at I til sommer kan vokse op og blive endnu meget smukkere.!"
"Do you remember what the flowers told you to say to me?" said little Ida. But Sophy looked quite stupid, and said not a single word. "You are not kind at all," said Ida; "and yet they all danced with you." Then she took a little paper box, on which were painted beautiful birds, and laid the dead flowers in it. "This shall be your pretty coffin," she said; "and by and by, when my cousins come to visit me, they shall help me to bury you out in the garden; so that next summer you may grow up again more beautiful than ever."
De norske fætre var to raske drenge, de hed Jonas og Adolph; deres fader havde foræret dem to nye flitsbuer, og disse havde de med at vise Ida. Hun fortalte dem om de stakkels blomster, der var døde, og så fik de lov at begrave dem. Begge drengene gik foran med flitsbuerne på skulderen, og den lille Ida bagefter med de døde blomster i den nydelige æske; ude i haven blev gravet en lille grav; Ida kyssede først blomsterne, satte dem så med æsken ned i jorden, og Adolph og Jonas skød med flitsbuer over graven, for de havde ingen geværer eller kanoner.
Her cousins were two good-tempered boys, whose names were James and Adolphus. Their father had given them each a bow and arrow, and they had brought them to show Ida. She told them about the poor flowers which were dead; and as soon as they obtained permission, they went with her to bury them. The two boys walked first, with their crossbows on their shoulders, and little Ida followed, carrying the pretty box containing the dead flowers. They dug a little grave in the garden. Ida kissed her flowers and then laid them, with the box, in the earth. James and Adolphus then fired their crossbows over the grave, as they had neither guns nor cannons.