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The Swineherd
Hans Christian Andersen
There was once a poor Prince, who had a kingdom. His
kingdom was very small, but still quite large enough to marry upon; and he
wished to marry.
It was certainly rather cool of him to say to the
Emperor's daughter, "Will you have me?" But so he did; for his name was renowned
far and wide; and there were a hundred princesses who would have answered,
"Yes!" and "Thank you kindly." We shall see what this princess said.
Listen!
It happened that where the Prince's father lay buried,
there grew a rose tree--a most beautiful rose tree, which blossomed only once in
every five years, and even then bore only one flower, but that was a rose! It
smelt so sweet that all cares and sorrows were forgotten by him who inhaled its
fragrance.
And furthermore, the Prince had a nightingale, who could
sing in such a manner that it seemed as though all sweet melodies dwelt in her
little throat. So the Princess was to have the rose, and the nightingale; and
they were accordingly put into large silver caskets, and sent to her.
The Emperor had them brought into a large hall, where
the Princess was playing at "Visiting," with the ladies of the court; and when
she saw the caskets with the presents, she clapped her hands for joy.
"Ah, if it were but a little pussy-cat!" said she; but
the rose tree, with its beautiful rose came to view.
"Oh, how prettily it is made!" said all the court
ladies.
"It is more than pretty," said the Emperor, "it is
charming!" But the Princess touched it, and was almost ready to cry.
"Fie, papa!" said she. "It is not made at all, it is
natural!"
"Let us see what is in the other casket, before we get
into a bad humor," said the Emperor. So the nightingale came forth and sang so
delightfully that at first no one could say anything ill-humored of her.
"Superbe! Charmant! exclaimed the ladies; for they all
used to chatter French, each one worse than her neighbor.
"How much the bird reminds me of the musical box that
belonged to our blessed Empress," said an old knight. "Oh yes! These are the
same tones, the same execution."
"Yes! yes!" said the Emperor, and he wept like a child
at the remembrance.
"I will still hope that it is not a real bird," said the
Princess.
"Yes, it is a real bird," said those who had brought it.
"Well then let the bird fly," said the Princess; and she positively refused to
see the Prince.
However, he was not to be discouraged; he daubed his
face over brown and black; pulled his cap over his ears, and knocked at the
door.
"Good day to my lord, the Emperor!" said he. "Can I have
employment at the palace?"
"Why, yes," said the Emperor. "I want some one to take
care of the pigs, for we have a great many of them."
So the Prince was appointed "Imperial Swineherd." He had
a dirty little room close by the pigsty; and there he sat the whole day, and
worked. By the evening he had made a pretty little kitchen-pot. Little bells
were hung all round it; and when the pot was boiling, these bells tinkled in the
most charming manner, and played the old melody,
"Ach! du lieber Augustin,
Alles ist weg, weg, weg!"*
("Ah! dear Augustine!
All is gone, gone, gone!" )
But what was still more curious, whoever held his
finger in the smoke of the kitchen-pot, immediately smelt all the dishes that
were cooking on every hearth in the city--this, you see, was something quite
different from the rose.
Now the Princess happened to walk that way; and when she
heard the tune, she stood quite still, and seemed pleased; for she could play "Lieber
Augustine"; it was the only piece she knew; and she played it with one finger.
"Why there is my piece," said the Princess. "That
swineherd must certainly have been well educated! Go in and ask him the price of
the instrument."
So one of the court-ladies must run in; however, she
drew on wooden slippers first.
"What will you take for the kitchen-pot?" said the lady.
"I will have ten kisses from the Princess," said the
swineherd.
"Yes, indeed!" said the lady.
"I cannot sell it for less," rejoined the swineherd.
"He is an impudent fellow!" said the Princess, and she
walked on; but when she had gone a little way, the bells tinkled so prettily
"Ach! du lieber Augustin,
Alles ist weg, weg, weg!"
"Stay," said the Princess. "Ask him if he will have ten
kisses from the ladies of my court."
"No, thank you!" said the swineherd. "Ten kisses from
the Princess, or I keep the kitchen-pot myself."
"That must not be, either!" said the Princess. "But do
you all stand before me that no one may see us."
And the court-ladies placed themselves in front of her,
and spread out their dresses--the swineherd got ten kisses, and the
Princess--the kitchen-pot.
That was delightful! The pot was boiling the whole
evening, and the whole of the following day. They knew perfectly well what was
cooking at every fire throughout the city, from the chamberlain's to the
cobbler's; the court-ladies danced and clapped their hands.
"We know who has soup, and who has pancakes for dinner
to-day, who has cutlets, and who has eggs. How interesting!"
"Yes, but keep my secret, for I am an Emperor's
daughter."
The swineherd--that is to say--the Prince, for no one
knew that he was other than an ill-favored swineherd, let not a day pass without
working at something; he at last constructed a rattle, which, when it was swung
round, played all the waltzes and jig tunes, which have ever been heard since
the creation of the world.
"Ah, that is superbe!" said the Princess when she passed
by. "I have never heard prettier compositions! Go in and ask him the price of
the instrument; but mind, he shall have no more kisses!"
"He will have a hundred kisses from the Princess!" said
the lady who had been to ask.
"I think he is not in his right senses!" said the
Princess, and walked on, but when she had gone a little way, she stopped again.
"One must encourage art," said she, "I am the Emperor's daughter. Tell him he
shall, as on yesterday, have ten kisses from me, and may take the rest from the
ladies of the court."
"Oh--but we should not like that at all!" said they.
"What are you muttering?" asked the Princess. "If I can kiss him, surely you
can. Remember that you owe everything to me." So the ladies were obliged to go
to him again.
"A hundred kisses from the Princess," said he, "or else
let everyone keep his own!"
"Stand round!" said she; and all the ladies stood round
her whilst the kissing was going on.
"What can be the reason for such a crowd close by the
pigsty?" said the Emperor, who happened just then to step out on the balcony; he
rubbed his eyes, and put on his spectacles. "They are the ladies of the court; I
must go down and see what they are about!" So he pulled up his slippers at the
heel, for he had trodden them down.
As soon as he had got into the court-yard, he moved very
softly, and the ladies were so much engrossed with counting the kisses, that all
might go on fairly, that they did not perceive the Emperor. He rose on his
tiptoes.
"What is all this?" said he, when he saw what was going
on, and he boxed the Princess's ears with his slipper, just as the swineherd was
taking the eighty-sixth kiss.
"March out!" said the Emperor, for he was very angry;
and both Princess and swineherd were thrust out of the city.
The Princess now stood and wept, the swineherd scolded,
and the rain poured down.
"Alas! Unhappy creature that I am!" said the Princess.
"If I had but married the handsome young Prince! Ah! how unfortunate I am!"
And the swineherd went behind a tree, washed the black
and brown color from his face, threw off his dirty clothes, and stepped forth in
his princely robes; he looked so noble that the Princess could not help bowing
before him.
"I am come to despise thee," said he. "Thou would'st not
have an honorable Prince! Thou could'st not prize the rose and the nightingale,
but thou wast ready to kiss the swineherd for the sake of a trumpery plaything.
Thou art rightly served."
He then went back to his own little kingdom, and shut
the door of his palace in her face. Now she might well sing,
"Ach! du lieber Augustin,
Alles ist weg, weg, weg!"
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