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Andersen's Fairy Tales, The shoes of fortune, II. What Happened to the Councillor, part 1

The shoes of fortune, II. What Happened to the Councillor, part 1

II. What Happened to the Councillor

It was late; Councillor Knap, deeply occupied with the times of King Hans, intended to go home, and malicious Fate managed matters so that his feet, instead of finding their way to his own galoshes, slipped into those of Fortune. Thus caparisoned the good man walked out of the well-lighted rooms into East Street. By the magic power of the shoes he was carried back to the times of King Hans; on which account his foot very naturally sank in the mud and puddles of the street, there having been in those days no pavement in Copenhagen.

"Well! This is too bad! How dirty it is here!" sighed the Councillor.

"As to a pavement, I can find no traces of one, and all the lamps, it seems, have gone to sleep." The moon was not yet very high; it was besides rather foggy, so that in the darkness all objects seemed mingled in chaotic confusion. At the next corner hung a votive lamp before a Madonna, but the light it gave was little better than none at all; indeed, he did not observe it before he was exactly under it, and his eyes fell upon the bright colors of the pictures which represented the well-known group of the Virgin and the infant Jesus.

"That is probably a wax-work show," thought he; "and the people delay taking down their sign in hopes of a late visitor or two." A few persons in the costume of the time of King Hans passed quickly by him.

"How strange they look! The good folks come probably from a masquerade!" Suddenly was heard the sound of drums and fifes; the bright blaze of a fire shot up from time to time, and its ruddy gleams seemed to contend with the bluish light of the torches. The Councillor stood still, and watched a most strange procession pass by. First came a dozen drummers, who understood pretty well how to handle their instruments; then came halberdiers, and some armed with cross-bows. The principal person in the procession was a priest. Astonished at what he saw, the Councillor asked what was the meaning of all this mummery, and who that man was.

"That's the Bishop of Zealand," was the answer. "Good Heavens! What has taken possession of the Bishop?" sighed the Councillor, shaking his head. It certainly could not be the Bishop; even though he was considered the most absent man in the whole kingdom, and people told the drollest anecdotes about him. Reflecting on the matter, and without looking right or left, the Councillor went through East Street and across the Habro-Platz. The bridge leading to Palace Square was not to be found; scarcely trusting his senses, the nocturnal wanderer discovered a shallow piece of water, and here fell in with two men who very comfortably were rocking to and fro in a boat.


The shoes of fortune, II. What Happened to the Councillor, part 1 Die Schuhe des Glücks, II. Was mit dem Stadtrat geschah, Teil 1 Los zapatos de la fortuna, II. Qué fue del concejal, parte 1 Les chaussures de la fortune, II. Ce qu'il est advenu du conseiller, partie 1 Buty fortuny, II. Co się stało z radnym, część 1 Os sapatos da fortuna, II. O que aconteceu ao conselheiro, parte 1 Talihin ayakkabıları, II. Konsey Üyesine Ne Oldu, Bölüm 1 Взуття фортуни, II. Що сталося з радником, частина 1 幸运之鞋，II.议员怎么了》，第一部分

II. What Happened to the Councillor

It was late; Councillor Knap, deeply occupied with the times of King Hans, intended to go home, and malicious Fate managed matters so that his feet, instead of finding their way to his own galoshes, slipped into those of Fortune. Було вже пізно; радник Кнап, глибоко занурений у часи короля Ганса, мав намір іти додому, та підступна Доля розпорядилася так, що його ноги, замість того, щоб знайти шлях до власних калош, посковзнулися в калоші Фортуни. Thus caparisoned the good man walked out of the well-lighted rooms into East Street. Thus caparisoned the good man walked out of the well-lighted rooms into East Street. Отак захоплений, добрий чоловік вийшов з добре освітлених кімнат на Іст-стріт. By the magic power of the shoes he was carried back to the times of King Hans; on which account his foot very naturally sank in the mud and puddles of the street, there having been in those days no pavement in Copenhagen. By the magic power of the shoes he was carried back to the times of King Hans; on which account his foot very naturally sank in the mud and puddles of the street, there having been in those days no pavement in Copenhagen. Магічною силою взуття він перенісся в часи короля Ганса, тому його нога дуже природно потонула в багнюці та калюжах вулиці, адже в ті часи в Копенгагені не було бруківки.

"Well! This is too bad! How dirty it is here!" sighed the Councillor.

"As to a pavement, I can find no traces of one, and all the lamps, it seems, have gone to sleep." "Щодо тротуару, то я не можу знайти жодних слідів, а всі ліхтарі, здається, заснули". The moon was not yet very high; it was besides rather foggy, so that in the darkness all objects seemed mingled in chaotic confusion. Місяць був ще не дуже високо, до того ж було досить туманно, так що в темряві всі предмети здавалися перемішаними в хаотичному безладі. At the next corner hung a votive lamp before a Madonna, but the light it gave was little better than none at all; indeed, he did not observe it before he was exactly under it, and his eyes fell upon the bright colors of the pictures which represented the well-known group of the Virgin and the infant Jesus. У наступному кутку висіла лампада перед Мадонною, але світло, яке вона давала, було трохи краще, ніж зовсім ніякого; насправді, він не помітив її, поки не опинився точно під нею, і його погляд впав на яскраві фарби картин, які представляли відому групу Богородиці і немовляти Ісуса.

"That is probably a wax-work show," thought he; "and the people delay taking down their sign in hopes of a late visitor or two." "Це, мабуть, виставка воскових фігур, - подумав він, - і люди зволікають зі зняттям вивіски, сподіваючись на пізнього відвідувача або двох". A few persons in the costume of the time of King Hans passed quickly by him. Повз нього швидко пройшло кілька людей в костюмах часів короля Ганса.

"How strange they look! The good folks come probably from a masquerade!" Suddenly was heard the sound of drums and fifes; the bright blaze of a fire shot up from time to time, and its ruddy gleams seemed to contend with the bluish light of the torches. The Councillor stood still, and watched a most strange procession pass by. Радник стояв на місці і дивився, як повз нього проходить дуже дивна процесія. First came a dozen drummers, who understood pretty well how to handle their instruments; then came halberdiers, and some armed with cross-bows. Спочатку з'явився десяток барабанщиків, які досить добре знали, як поводитися зі своїми інструментами; потім з'явилися алебардники, а деякі були озброєні арбалетами. The principal person in the procession was a priest. Astonished at what he saw, the Councillor asked what was the meaning of all this mummery, and who that man was.

"That's the Bishop of Zealand," was the answer. "Це єпископ Зеландії", - була відповідь. "Good Heavens! "Боже мій! What has taken possession of the Bishop?" Що заволоділо єпископом?". sighed the Councillor, shaking his head. It certainly could not be the Bishop; even though he was considered the most absent man in the whole kingdom, and people told the drollest anecdotes about him. Це точно не міг бути єпископ, хоча він вважався найбільш відсутньою людиною в усьому королівстві, і люди розповідали про нього найсмішніші анекдоти. Reflecting on the matter, and without looking right or left, the Councillor went through East Street and across the Habro-Platz. Роздумуючи над цим питанням, не дивлячись ні направо, ні наліво, радник пішов через Іст-стріт і через Хабро-плац. The bridge leading to Palace Square was not to be found; scarcely trusting his senses, the nocturnal  wanderer discovered a shallow piece of water, and here fell in with two men who very comfortably were rocking to and fro in a boat. A ponte que levava à Praça do Palácio não foi encontrada; mal confiando em seus sentidos, o andarilho noturno descobriu um pedaço de água raso, e aqui se deparou com dois homens que muito confortavelmente balançavam de um lado para o outro em um barco. Міст, що вів на Двірцеву площу, не знайшовся; ледь довіряючи своїм відчуттям, нічний мандрівник натрапив на мілководдя, і тут потрапив до двох чоловіків, які дуже зручно гойдалися в човні.