THE
LITTLE MERMAID
A fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen
Far out in the ocean, where
the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it
is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church
steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to
the surface of the water above. There dwell the Sea King and his subjects. We
must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow
sand. No, indeed; the most singular flowers and plants grow there; the leaves
and stems of which are so pliant, that the slightest agitation of the water
causes them to stir as if they had life. Fishes, both large and small, glide
between the branches, as birds fly among the trees here upon land. In the
deepest spot of all, stands the castle of the Sea King. Its walls are built of
coral, and the long, gothic windows are of the clearest amber. The roof is
formed of shells, that open and close as the water flows over them. Their
appearance is very beautiful, for in each lies a glittering pearl, which would
be fit for the diadem of a queen.
There were once
five-and-twenty tin soldiers, who were all brothers, for they had been made out
of the same old tin spoon. They shouldered arms and looked straight before
them, and wore a splendid uniform, red and blue. The first thing in the world
they ever heard were the words, "Tin soldiers!" uttered by a little
boy, who clapped his hands with delight when the lid of the box, in which they
lay, was taken off. They were given him for a birthday present, and he stood at
the table to set them up. The soldiers were all exactly alike, excepting one,
who had only one leg; he had been left to the last, and then there was not
enough of the melted tin to finish him, so they made him to stand firmly on one
leg, and this caused him to be very remarkable.1222
