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The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, The Fir-tree

The Fir-tree

There was once a pretty little fir-tree in a wood. It was in a capital position, for it could get sun, and there was enough air, and all around grew many tall companions, both pines and firs. It did not heed the warm sun and the fresh air, or notice the little peasant children who ran about chattering when they came out to gather wild strawberries and raspberries. Often they found a whole basketful and strung strawberries on a straw; they would sit down by the little fir-tree and say, 'What a pretty little one this is!' The tree did not like that at all.

By the next year it had grown a whole ring taller, and the year after that another ring more, for you can always tell a fir-tree's age from its rings. 'Oh! if I were only a great tree like the others!' sighed the little fir-tree, 'then I could stretch out my branches far and wide and look out into the great world! The birds would build their nests in my branches, and when the wind blew I would bow to it politely just like the others!' It took no pleasure in the sunshine, nor in the birds, nor in the rose-coloured clouds that sailed over it at dawn and at sunset. Then the winter came, and the snow lay white and sparkling all around, and a hare would come and spring right over the little fir-tree, which annoyed it very much. But when two more winters had passed the fir-tree was so tall that the hare had to run round it. 'Ah! to grow and grow, and become great and old! that is the only pleasure in life,' thought the tree. In the autumn the woodcutters used to come and hew some of the tallest trees; this happened every year, and the young fir-tree would shiver as the magnificent trees fell crashing and crackling to the ground, their branches hewn off, and the great trunks left bare, so that they were almost unrecognisable. But then they were laid on waggons and dragged out of the wood by horses. 'Where are they going? What will happen to them?' In spring, when the swallows and storks came, the fir-tree asked them, 'Do you know where they were taken? Have you met them?' The swallows knew nothing of them, but the stork nodded his head thoughtfully, saying, 'I think I know. I met many new ships as I flew from Egypt; there were splendid masts on the ships. I'll wager those were they! They had the scent of fir-trees. Ah! those are grand, grand!' 'Oh! if I were only big enough to sail away over the sea too! What sort of thing is the sea? what does it look like?' 'Oh! it would take much too long to tell you all that,' said the stork, and off he went. 'Rejoice in your youth,' said the sunbeams, 'rejoice in the sweet growing time, in the young life within you.' And the wind kissed it and the dew wept tears over it, but the fir-tree did not understand.

Towards Christmas-time quite little trees were cut down, some not as big as the young fir-tree, or just the same age, and now it had no peace or rest for longing to be away. These little trees, which were chosen for their beauty, kept all their branches; they were put in carts and drawn out of the wood by horses.

'Whither are those going?' asked the fir-tree; 'they are no bigger than I, and one there was much smaller even! Why do they keep their branches? Where are they taken to?' 'We know! we know!' twittered the sparrows. 'Down there in the city we have peeped in at the windows, we know where they go! They attain to the greatest splendour and magnificence you can imagine! We have looked in at the windows and seen them planted in the middle of the warm room and adorned with the most beautiful things-golden apples, sweet-meats, toys and hundreds of candles.' 'And then?' asked the fir-tree, trembling in every limb with eagerness, 'and then? what happens then?' 'Oh, we haven't seen anything more than that. That was simply matchless!' 'Am I too destined to the same brilliant career?' wondered the fir-tree excitedly. 'That is even better than sailing over the sea! I am sick with longing. If it were only Christmas! Now I am tall and grown-up like those which were taken away last year. Ah, if I were only in the cart! If I were only in the warm room with all the splendour and magnificence! And then? Then comes something better, something still more beautiful, else why should they dress us up? There must be something greater, something grander to come—but what? Oh! I am pining away! I really don't know what's the matter with me!' 'Rejoice in us,' said the air and sunshine, 'rejoice in your fresh youth in the free air!' But it took no notice, and just grew and grew; there it stood fresh and green in winter and summer, and all who saw it said, 'What a beautiful tree!' And at Christmas-time it was the first to be cut down. The axe went deep into the pith; the tree fell to the ground with a groan; it felt bruised and faint. It could not think of happiness, it was sad at leaving its home, the spot where it had sprung up; it knew, too, that it would never see again its dear old companions, or the little shrubs and flowers, perhaps not even the birds. Altogether the parting was not pleasant.

When the tree came to itself again it was packed in a yard with other trees, and a man was saying, 'This is a splendid one, we shall only want this.' Then came two footmen in livery and carried the fir-tree to a large and beautiful room. There were pictures hanging on the walls, and near the Dutch stove stood great Chinese vases with lions on their lids; there were armchairs, silk-covered sofas, big tables laden with picture-books and toys, worth hundreds of pounds-at least, so the children said. The fir-tree was placed in a great tub filled with sand, but no one could see that it was a tub, for it was all hung with greenery and stood on a gay carpet. How the tree trembled! What was coming now? On its branches they hung little nets cut out of coloured paper, each full of sugarplums; gilt apples and nuts hung down as if they were growing, over a hundred red, blue, and white tapers were fastened among the branches. Dolls as life-like as human beings—the fir-tree had never seen any before were suspended among the green, and right up at the top was fixed a gold tinsel star; it was gorgeous, quite unusually gorgeous!

'To-night,' they all said, 'to-night it will be lighted!' 'Ah!' thought the tree, 'if it were only evening! Then the tapers would soon be lighted. What will happen then? I wonder whether the trees will come from the wood to see me, or if the sparrows will fly against the window panes? Am I to stand here decked out thus through winter and summer?' It was not a bad guess, but the fir-tree had real bark-ache from sheer longing, and bark-ache in trees is just as bad as head-ache in human beings.

Now the tapers were lighted. What a glitter! What splendour! The tree quivered in all its branches so much, that one of the candles caught the green, and singed it. 'Take care!' cried the young ladies, and they extinguished it.

Now the tree did not even dare to quiver. It was really terrible! It was so afraid of losing any of its ornaments, and it was quite bewildered by all the radiance.

And then the folding doors were opened, and a crowd of children rushed in, as though they wanted to knock down the whole tree, whilst the older people followed soberly. The children stood quite silent, but only for a moment, and then they shouted again, and danced round the tree, and snatched off one present after another.

'What are they doing?' thought the tree. 'What is going to happen?' And the tapers burnt low on the branches, and were put out one by one, and then the children were given permission to plunder the tree. They rushed at it so that all its boughs creaked; if it had not been fastened by the gold star at the top to the ceiling, it would have been overthrown.

The children danced about with their splendid toys, and no one looked at the tree, except the old nurse, who came and peeped amongst the boughs, just to see if a fig or an apple had been forgotten.

'A story! a story!' cried the children, and dragged a little stout man to the tree; he sat down beneath it, saying, 'Here we are in the greenwood, and the tree will be delighted to listen! But I am only going to tell one story. Shall it be Henny Penny or Humpty Dumpty who fell downstairs, and yet gained great honour and married a princess?' 'Henny Penny!' cried some; 'Humpty Dumpty!' cried others; there was a perfect babel of voices! Only the fir-tree kept silent, and thought, 'Am I not to be in it? Am I to have nothing to do with it?' But it had already been in it, and played out its part. And the man told them about Humpty Dumpty who fell downstairs and married a princess. The children clapped their hands and cried, 'Another! another!' They wanted the story of Henny Penny also, but they only got Humpty Dumpty. The fir-tree stood quite astonished and thoughtful; the birds in the wood had never related anything like that. 'Humpty Dumpty fell downstairs and yet married a princess! yes, that is the way of the world!' thought the tree, and was sure it must be true, because such a nice man had told the story. 'Well, who knows? Perhaps I shall fall downstairs and marry a princess.' And it rejoiced to think that next day it would be decked out again with candles, toys, glittering ornaments, and fruits. 'To-morrow I shall quiver again with excitement. I shall enjoy to the full all my splendour. To-morrow I shall hear Humpty Dumpty again, and perhaps Henny Penny too.' And the tree stood silent and lost in thought all through the night.

Next morning the servants came in. 'Now the dressing up will begin again,' thought the tree. But they dragged it out of the room, and up the stairs to the lumber-room, and put it in a dark corner, where no ray of light could penetrate. 'What does this mean?' thought the tree. 'What am I to do here? What is there for me to hear?' And it leant against the wall, and thought and thought. And there was time enough for that, for days and nights went by, and no one came; at last when some one did come, it was only to put some great boxes into the corner. Now the tree was quite covered; it seemed as if it had been quite forgotten.

'Now it is winter out-doors,' thought the fir-tree. 'The ground is hard and covered with snow, they can't plant me yet, and that is why I am staying here under cover till the spring comes. How thoughtful they are! Only I wish it were not so terribly dark and lonely here; not even a little hare! It was so nice out in the wood, when the snow lay all around, and the hare leapt past me; yes, even when he leapt over me: but I didn't like it then. It's so dreadfully lonely up here.' 'Squeak, squeak!' said a little mouse, stealing out, followed by a second. They sniffed at the fir-tree, and then crept between its boughs. 'It's frightfully cold,' said the little mice. 'How nice it is to be here! Don't you think so too, you old fir-tree?' 'I'm not at all old,' said the tree; 'there are many much older than I am.' 'Where do you come from?' asked the mice, 'and what do you know?' They were extremely inquisitive. 'Do tell us about the most beautiful place in the world. Is that where you come from? Have you been in the storeroom, where cheeses lie on the shelves, and hams hang from the ceiling, where one dances on tallow candles, and where one goes in thin and comes out fat?' 'I know nothing about that,' said the tree. 'But I know the wood, where the sun shines, and the birds sing.' And then it told them all about its young days, and the little mice had never heard anything like that before, and they listened with all their ears, and said: 'Oh, how much you have seen! How lucky you have been!' 'I?' said the fir-tree, and then it thought over what it had told them. 'Yes, on the whole those were very happy times.' But then it went on to tell them about Christmas Eve, when it had been adorned with sweet-meats and tapers.

'Oh!' said the little mice, 'how lucky you have been, you old fir-tree!' 'I'm not at all old' said the tree. 'I only came from the wood this winter. I am only a little backward, perhaps, in my growth.' 'How beautifully you tell stories!' said the little mice. And next evening they came with four others, who wanted to hear the tree's story, and it told still more, for it remembered everything so clearly and thought: 'Those were happy times! But they may come again. Humpty dumpty fell downstairs, and yet he married a princess; perhaps I shall also marry a princess!' And then it thought of a pretty little birch-tree that grew out in the wood, and seemed to the fir-tree a real princess, and a very beautiful one too.

'Who is Humpty Dumpty?' asked the little mice.

And then the tree told the whole story; it could remember every single word, and the little mice were ready to leap on to the topmost branch out of sheer joy! Next night many more mice came, and on Sunday even two rats; but they did not care about the story, and that troubled the little mice, for now they thought less of it too.

'Is that the only story you know?' asked the rats.

'The only one,' answered the tree. 'I heard that on my happiest evening, but I did not realise then how happy I was.' 'That's a very poor story. Don't you know one about bacon or tallow candles? a storeroom story?' 'No,' said the tree. 'Then we are much obliged to you,' said the rats, and they went back to their friends. At last the little mice went off also, and the tree said, sighing: 'Really it was very pleasant when the lively little mice sat round and listened whilst I told them stories. But now that's over too. But now I will think of the time when I shall be brought out again, to keep up my spirits.' But when did that happen? Well, it was one morning when they came to tidy up the lumber-room; they threw it really rather roughly on the floor, but a servant dragged it off at once downstairs, where there was daylight once more.

'Now life begins again!' thought the tree. It felt the fresh air, the first rays of the sun, and there it was out in the yard! Everything passed so quickly; the tree quite forgot to notice itself, there was so much to look at all around. The yard opened on a garden full of flowers; the roses were so fresh and sweet, hanging over a little trellis, the lime-trees were in blossom, and the swallows flew about, saying: 'Quirre-virre-vil, my husband has come home;' but it was not the fir-tree they meant. 'Now I shall live,' thought the tree joyfully, stretching out its branches wide; but, alas! they were all withered and yellow; and it was lying in a corner among weeds and nettles. The golden star was still on its highest bough, and it glittered in the bright sunlight. In the yard some of the merry children were playing, who had danced so gaily round the tree at Christmas. One of the little ones ran up, and tore off the gold star.

'Look what was left on the ugly old fir-tree!' he cried, and stamped on the boughs so that they cracked under his feet.

And the tree looked at all the splendour and freshness of the flowers in the garden, and then looked at itself, and wished that it had been left lying in the dark corner of the lumber-room; it thought of its fresh youth in the wood, of the merry Christmas Eve, and of the little mice who had listened so happily to the story of Humpty Dumpty.

'Too late! Too late!' thought the old tree. 'If only I had enjoyed myself whilst I could. Now all is over and gone.' And a servant came and cut the tree into small pieces, there was quite a bundle of them; they flickered brightly under the great copper in the brew-house; the tree sighed deeply, and each sigh was like a pistol-shot; so the children who were playing there ran up, and sat in front of the fire, gazing at it, and crying, 'Piff! puff! bang!' But for each report, which was really a sigh, the tree was thinking of a summer's day in the wood, or of a winter's night out there, when the stars were shining; it thought of Christmas Eve, and of Humpty Dumpty, which was the only story it had heard, or could tell, and then the tree had burnt away. The children played on in the garden, and the youngest had the golden star on his breast, which the tree had worn on the happiest evening of its life; and now that was past—and the tree had passed away—and the story too, all ended and done with.

And that's the way with all stories! Here our Danish author ends. This is what people call sentiment, and I hope you enjoy it!


The Fir-tree El abeto

There was once a pretty little fir-tree in a wood. It was in a capital position, for it could get sun, and there was enough air, and all around grew many tall companions, both pines and firs. Byl na skvělém místě, protože měl dostatek slunce a vzduchu a všude kolem rostlo mnoho vysokých společníků, borovic i jedlí. It did not heed the warm sun and the fresh air, or notice the little peasant children who ran about chattering when they came out to gather wild strawberries and raspberries. Nevšímala si hřejivého slunce a čerstvého vzduchu, ani malých venkovských dětí, které pobíhaly a štěbetaly, když vyšly ven sbírat lesní jahody a maliny. Often they found a whole basketful and strung strawberries on a straw; they would sit down by the little fir-tree and say, 'What a pretty little one this is!' Často jich našli plný košík a navlékali jahody na slámu; sedávali u malé jedličky a říkali: "To je ale pěkná jedlička!". The tree did not like that at all. To se stromu vůbec nelíbilo.

By the next year it had grown a whole ring taller, and the year after that another ring more, for you can always tell a fir-tree's age from its rings. Do dalšího roku vyrostla o celý letokruh vyšší a o rok později o další letokruh vyšší, protože stáří jedle se vždy pozná podle letokruhů. 'Oh! if I were only a great tree like the others!' kéž bych byl velkým stromem jako ostatní! sighed the little fir-tree, 'then I could stretch out my branches far and wide and look out into the great world! povzdechla si malá jedlička, "pak bych mohla roztáhnout své větve do dálky a rozhlédnout se do velkého světa! The birds would build their nests in my branches, and when the wind blew I would bow to it politely just like the others!' Ptáci si stavěli hnízda v mých větvích, a když foukal vítr, zdvořile jsem se mu klaněl jako ostatní! It took no pleasure in the sunshine, nor in the birds, nor in the rose-coloured clouds that sailed over it at dawn and at sunset. Neměla radost ze slunečního svitu, z ptáků ani z růžových mraků, které nad ní pluly za úsvitu a při západu slunce. Then the winter came, and the snow lay white and sparkling all around, and a hare would come and spring right over the little fir-tree, which annoyed it very much. Pak přišla zima, všude kolem ležel bílý a třpytivý sníh a zajíc přilétal a skákal přímo přes jedličku, což ji velmi rozčilovalo. But when two more winters had passed the fir-tree was so tall that the hare had to run round it. Když však uplynuly další dvě zimy, byla jedle tak vysoká, že ji zajíc musel obejít. 'Ah! to grow and grow, and become great and old! růst a růst a stát se velkým a starým! that is the only pleasure in life,' thought the tree. to je jediné potěšení v životě," pomyslel si strom. In the autumn the woodcutters used to come and hew some of the tallest trees; this happened every year, and the young fir-tree would shiver as the magnificent trees fell crashing and crackling to the ground, their branches hewn off, and the great trunks left bare, so that they were almost unrecognisable. Na podzim přicházeli dřevorubci a pokáceli některé z nejvyšších stromů; to se dělo každý rok a mladé jedle se chvěly, když ty nádherné stromy padaly s rachotem a praskotem k zemi, jejich větve byly odřezány a velké kmeny zůstaly holé, takže je téměř nebylo možné rozeznat. But then they were laid on waggons and dragged out of the wood by horses. Pak je ale naložili na vozy a koně je vytáhli z lesa. 'Where are they going? "Kam jdou? What will happen to them?' Co se s nimi stane? In spring, when the swallows and storks came, the fir-tree asked them, 'Do you know where they were taken? Když na jaře přiletěly vlaštovky a čápi, jedle se jich zeptala: "Nevíte, kde je vzali? Have you met them?' Setkali jste se s nimi? The swallows knew nothing of them, but the stork nodded his head thoughtfully, saying, 'I think I know. Vlaštovky o nich nic nevěděly, ale čáp zamyšleně pokýval hlavou a řekl: "Myslím, že vím. I met many new ships as I flew from Egypt; there were splendid masts on the ships. Když jsem letěl z Egypta, potkal jsem mnoho nových lodí; na lodích byly nádherné stěžně. I'll wager those were they! Vsadím se, že to byli oni! They had the scent of fir-trees. Voněly po jedlích. Ah! those are grand, grand!' ty jsou skvělé, skvělé! 'Oh! if I were only big enough to sail away over the sea too! kéž bych byl tak velký, abych mohl odplout přes moře! What sort of thing is the sea? Co je to moře? what does it look like?' jak to vypadá? 'Oh! it would take much too long to tell you all that,' said the stork, and off he went. To by trvalo příliš dlouho, než bych ti to všechno vyprávěl," řekl čáp a odešel. 'Rejoice in your youth,' said the sunbeams, 'rejoice in the sweet growing time, in the young life within you.' "Raduj se ze svého mládí," řekly sluneční paprsky, "raduj se ze sladkého času, který v tobě roste, z mladého života. And the wind kissed it and the dew wept tears over it, but the fir-tree did not understand. Vítr ji líbal a rosa nad ní plakala, ale jedle to nechápala.

Towards Christmas-time quite little trees were cut down, some not as big as the young fir-tree, or just the same age, and now it had no peace or rest for longing to be away. K Vánocům byly pokáceny docela malé stromky, některé nebyly tak velké jako mladá jedle nebo byly stejně staré, a teď už neměla klid a odpočinek, protože toužila být pryč. These little trees, which were chosen for their beauty, kept all their branches; they were put in carts and drawn out of the wood by horses. Tyto malé stromky, které byly vybrány pro svou krásu, si ponechaly všechny své větve; byly naloženy na vozy a vytaženy z lesa koňmi.

'Whither are those going?' "Kam jdou? asked the fir-tree; 'they are no bigger than I, and one there was much smaller even! zeptala se jedle; "nejsou větší než já, a jeden z nich byl dokonce mnohem menší! Why do they keep their branches? Proč si nechávají své větve? Where are they taken to?' Kam je odvezli? 'We know! "My víme! we know!' víme! twittered the sparrows. cvrlikali vrabci. 'Down there in the city we have peeped in at the windows, we know where they go! "Tam dole ve městě jsme nahlíželi do oken, víme, kam chodí! They attain to the greatest splendour and magnificence you can imagine! Dosahují té největší nádhery a velkoleposti, jakou si dokážete představit! We have looked in at the windows and seen them planted in the middle of the warm room and adorned with the most beautiful things-golden apples, sweet-meats, toys and hundreds of candles.' Nahlédli jsme do oken a viděli je zasazené uprostřed teplé místnosti a vyzdobené těmi nejkrásnějšími věcmi - zlatými jablky, sladkostmi, hračkami a stovkami svíček. 'And then?' "A pak? asked the fir-tree, trembling in every limb with eagerness, 'and then? zeptala se jedle, chvějící se v každém údu nedočkavostí, "a pak? what happens then?' co se stane potom? 'Oh, we haven't seen anything more than that. "Nic víc jsme neviděli. That was simply matchless!' To bylo prostě bezkonkurenční! 'Am I too destined to the same brilliant career?' "Jsem i já předurčen ke stejně skvělé kariéře? wondered the fir-tree excitedly. zajímala se vzrušeně jedle. 'That is even better than sailing over the sea! "To je ještě lepší než plavba po moři! I am sick with longing. Je mi špatně z touhy. If it were only Christmas! Kdyby byly jen Vánoce! Now I am tall and grown-up like those which were taken away last year. Teď jsem vysoký a dospělý jako ti, které mi loni vzali. Ah, if I were only in the cart! Ach, kdybych tak byl ve voze! If I were only in the warm room with all the splendour and magnificence! Kdybych tak byl v té teplé místnosti se vší tou nádherou a velkolepostí! And then? Then comes something better, something still more beautiful, else why should they dress us up? Pak přijde něco lepšího, něco ještě krásnějšího, proč by nás jinak oblékali? There must be something greater, something grander to come—but what? Musí přijít něco většího, něco velkolepějšího - ale co? Oh! I am pining away! Stýská se mi! I really don't know what's the matter with me!' Opravdu nevím, co se to se mnou děje! 'Rejoice in us,' said the air and sunshine, 'rejoice in your fresh youth in the free air!' "Raduj se z nás," řekl vzduch a slunce, "raduj se ze svého svěžího mládí na svobodném vzduchu! But it took no notice, and just grew and grew; there it stood fresh and green in winter and summer, and all who saw it said, 'What a beautiful tree!' Ale on si toho nevšímal a rostl a rostl; stál tam svěží a zelený v zimě i v létě a všichni, kdo ho viděli, říkali: "Jaký krásný strom! And at Christmas-time it was the first to be cut down. O Vánocích byl pokácen jako první. The axe went deep into the pith; the tree fell to the ground with a groan; it felt bruised and faint. Sekera zajela hluboko do jádra, strom se se sténáním skácel k zemi, cítil se pohmožděný a zesláblý. It could not think of happiness, it was sad at leaving its home, the spot where it had sprung up; it knew, too, that it would never see again its dear old companions, or the little shrubs and flowers, perhaps not even the birds. Nemohlo myslet na štěstí, bylo smutné, že opouští svůj domov, místo, kde vyrostlo; vědělo také, že už nikdy neuvidí své staré milé společníky, keříky a květiny, možná ani ptáky. Altogether the parting was not pleasant. Celkově nebylo loučení příjemné.

When the tree came to itself again it was packed in a yard with other trees, and a man was saying, 'This is a splendid one, we shall only want this.' Když se strom opět vzpamatoval, byl na dvoře spolu s dalšími stromy a nějaký muž říkal: "Tenhle je nádherný, ten budeme chtít jenom tenhle. Then came two footmen in livery and carried the fir-tree to a large and beautiful room. Pak přišli dva lokajové v livrejích a odnesli jedli do velké a krásné místnosti. There were pictures hanging on the walls, and near the Dutch stove stood great Chinese vases with lions on their lids; there were armchairs, silk-covered sofas, big tables laden with picture-books and toys, worth hundreds of pounds-at least, so the children said. Na stěnách visely obrazy, u holandských kamen stály velké čínské vázy se lvy na víčkách, byla tu křesla, pohovky potažené hedvábím, velké stoly obtěžkané knihami s obrázky a hračkami, které stály stovky liber - alespoň to říkaly děti. The fir-tree was placed in a great tub filled with sand, but no one could see that it was a tub, for it was all hung with greenery and stood on a gay carpet. Jedle byla umístěna ve velké kádi naplněné pískem, ale nikdo nemohl poznat, že je to kádě, protože byla celá zavěšená v zeleni a stála na veselém koberci. How the tree trembled! Jak se strom zachvěl! What was coming now? Co přijde teď? On its branches they hung little nets cut out of coloured paper, each full of sugarplums; gilt apples and nuts hung down as if they were growing, over a hundred red, blue, and white tapers were fastened among the branches. Na větvích visely malé sítě vystřižené z barevného papíru, každá plná cukrových švestek; pozlacená jablka a ořechy visely dolů, jako by rostly, mezi větvemi bylo připevněno přes sto červených, modrých a bílých kohoutků. Dolls as life-like as human beings—the fir-tree had never seen any before were suspended among the green, and right up at the top was fixed a gold tinsel star; it was gorgeous, quite unusually gorgeous! Mezi zelení byly zavěšeny panenky jako živé - jedle nikdy předtím žádné neviděla - a přímo nahoře byla připevněna zlatá pozlátková hvězda; byla nádherná, neobyčejně nádherná!

'To-night,' they all said, 'to-night it will be lighted!' "Dnes v noci," říkali všichni, "dnes v noci se rozsvítí! 'Ah!' thought the tree, 'if it were only evening! pomyslel si strom, "kdyby byl teprve večer! Then the tapers would soon be lighted. Pak se brzy zapálí vatry. What will happen then? Co se stane potom? I wonder whether the trees will come from the wood to see me, or if the sparrows will fly against the window panes? Zajímalo by mě, jestli se na mě přijdou podívat stromy z lesa, nebo jestli vrabci poletí proti okenním tabulím? Am I to stand here decked out thus through winter and summer?' Mám tu stát takto vyzdobený přes zimu i léto? It was not a bad guess, but the fir-tree had real bark-ache from sheer longing, and bark-ache in trees is just as bad as head-ache in human beings. Nebyl to špatný odhad, ale jedle měla opravdovou bolest z touhy, a ta je u stromů stejně silná jako u lidí.

Now the tapers were lighted. Nyní byly zapáleny pochodně. What a glitter! To je ale třpyt! What splendour! Jaká nádhera! The tree quivered in all its branches so much, that one of the candles caught the green, and singed it. Strom se třásl ve všech větvích tak, že jedna ze svíček zachytila zeleň a zapálila ji. 'Take care!' "Dávejte na sebe pozor! cried the young ladies, and they extinguished it. vykřikly mladé dámy a uhasily ho.

Now the tree did not even dare to quiver. Nyní se strom neodvážil ani zachvět. It was really terrible! Bylo to opravdu hrozné! It was so afraid of losing any of its ornaments, and it was quite bewildered by all the radiance. Tolik se bála, že přijde o některou ze svých ozdob, a byla ze vší té záře úplně zmatená.

And then the folding doors were opened, and a crowd of children rushed in, as though they wanted to knock down the whole tree, whilst the older people followed soberly. Pak se otevřely skládací dveře a dovnitř se nahrnula spousta dětí, které jako by chtěly celý strom zbořit, zatímco starší lidé je střízlivě následovali. The children stood quite silent, but only for a moment, and then they shouted again, and danced round the tree, and snatched off one present after another. Děti stály docela tiše, ale jen chvíli, pak se znovu rozkřičely, tančily kolem stromu a loupily jeden dárek za druhým.

'What are they doing?' "Co to dělají? thought the tree. myslel si strom. 'What is going to happen?' "Co se stane? And the tapers burnt low on the branches, and were put out one by one, and then the children were given permission to plunder the tree. Na větvích hořely nízko zapálené pochodně, které jedna po druhé zhasínaly, a pak děti dostaly povolení strom vyplenit. They rushed at it so that all its boughs creaked; if it had not been fastened by the gold star at the top to the ceiling, it would have been overthrown. Vrhli se na něj tak, že všechny jeho větve zaskřípaly; kdyby nebyl připevněn zlatou hvězdou nahoře ke stropu, byl by se vyvrátil.

The children danced about with their splendid toys, and no one looked at the tree, except the old nurse, who came and peeped amongst the boughs, just to see if a fig or an apple had been forgotten. Děti tančily se svými nádhernými hračkami a na strom se nikdo nedíval, jen stará sestra přišla a nahlédla mezi větve, aby se podívala, jestli někdo nezapomněl fík nebo jablko.

'A story! "Příběh! a story!' cried the children, and dragged a little stout man to the tree; he sat down beneath it, saying, 'Here we are in the greenwood, and the tree will be delighted to listen! vykřikly děti a přitáhly malého statného muže ke stromu; posadil se pod něj a řekl: "Tady jsme v zeleném lese a strom bude rád poslouchat! But I am only going to tell one story. Ale budu vyprávět jen jeden příběh. Shall it be Henny Penny or Humpty Dumpty who fell downstairs, and yet gained great honour and married a princess?' Bude to Henny Penny nebo Humpty Dumpty, kdo spadl ze schodů, a přesto získal velkou čest a oženil se s princeznou? 'Henny Penny!' cried some; 'Humpty Dumpty!' někteří křičeli: "Humpty Dumpty! cried others; there was a perfect babel of voices! křičeli ostatní; byl to dokonalý hukot hlasů! Only the fir-tree kept silent, and thought, 'Am I not to be in it? Jen jedle mlčela a myslela si: "Nemám v ní být? Am I to have nothing to do with it?' Nemám s tím mít nic společného? But it had already been in it, and played out its part. Ale už v něm byl a sehrál svou roli. And the man told them about Humpty Dumpty who fell downstairs and married a princess. A ten jim vyprávěl o Humpty Dumptym, který spadl ze schodů a vzal si princeznu. The children clapped their hands and cried, 'Another! Děti tleskaly a volaly: "Další! another!' They wanted the story of Henny Penny also, but they only got Humpty Dumpty. Chtěli také příběh Hennyho Pennyho, ale dostali jen Humpty Dumptyho. The fir-tree stood quite astonished and thoughtful; the birds in the wood had never related anything like that. Jedle stála překvapeně a zamyšleně; ptáci v lese nikdy nic takového nevyprávěli. 'Humpty Dumpty fell downstairs and yet married a princess! "Humpty Dumpty spadl ze schodů, a přesto si vzal princeznu! yes, that is the way of the world!' ano, takový je svět! thought the tree, and was sure it must be true, because such a nice man had told the story. pomyslel si strom a byl si jistý, že to musí být pravda, protože to vyprávěl takový milý člověk. 'Well, who knows? "No, kdo ví? Perhaps I shall fall downstairs and marry a princess.' Možná spadnu dolů a vezmu si princeznu. And it rejoiced to think that next day it would be decked out again with candles, toys, glittering ornaments, and fruits. A těšilo se z pomyšlení, že příští den bude opět vyzdobeno svíčkami, hračkami, třpytivými ozdobami a ovocem. 'To-morrow I shall quiver again with excitement. "Zítra se budu zase třást vzrušením. I shall enjoy to the full all my splendour. Budu si naplno užívat své nádhery. To-morrow I shall hear Humpty Dumpty again, and perhaps Henny Penny too.' Zítra zase uslyším Humptyho Dumptyho a možná i Hennyho Pennyho. And the tree stood silent and lost in thought all through the night. A strom stál celou noc tiše a zamyšleně.

Next morning the servants came in. Druhý den ráno přišlo služebnictvo. 'Now the dressing up will begin again,' thought the tree. "Teď se zase začne převlékat," pomyslel si strom. But they dragged it out of the room, and up the stairs to the lumber-room, and put it in a dark corner, where no ray of light could penetrate. Odtáhli ji však z pokoje nahoru po schodech do dřevníku a uložili ji do tmavého kouta, kam nepronikl žádný paprsek světla. 'What does this mean?' "Co to znamená? thought the tree. myslel si strom. 'What am I to do here? "Co tu mám dělat? What is there for me to hear?' Co mám slyšet? And it leant against the wall, and thought and thought. Opřela se o zeď a přemýšlela a přemýšlela. And there was time enough for that, for days and nights went by, and no one came; at last when some one did come, it was only to put some great boxes into the corner. A bylo na to dost času, protože dny a noci ubíhaly a nikdo nepřicházel; když už konečně někdo přišel, tak jen proto, aby do rohu uložil několik velkých krabic. Now the tree was quite covered; it seemed as if it had been quite forgotten. Nyní byl strom zcela zakrytý; vypadalo to, jako by na něj někdo docela zapomněl.

'Now it is winter out-doors,' thought the fir-tree. "Teď je venku zima," pomyslela si jedle. 'The ground is hard and covered with snow, they can't plant me yet, and that is why I am staying here under cover till the spring comes. "Země je tvrdá a zasněžená, ještě mě nemohou zasadit, a proto tu zůstávám pod střechou, dokud nepřijde jaro. How thoughtful they are! Jak jsou pozorní! Only I wish it were not so terribly dark and lonely here; not even a little hare! Jen bych si přál, aby tu nebyla tak strašná tma a samota; ani zajíček! It was so nice out in the wood, when the snow lay all around, and the hare leapt past me; yes, even when he leapt over me: but I didn't like it then. V lese bylo tak hezky, když všude kolem ležel sníh a zajíc skákal kolem mě, ano, i když mě přeskočil, ale tehdy se mi to nelíbilo. It's so dreadfully lonely up here.' Tady nahoře je to tak strašně osamělé. 'Squeak, squeak!' "Píp, píp! said a little mouse, stealing out, followed by a second. řekla malá myška a vykradla se ven, následována druhou. They sniffed at the fir-tree, and then crept between its boughs. Přičichli k jedli a pak se vplížili mezi její větve. 'It's frightfully cold,' said the little mice. "Je strašná zima," řekly myšky. 'How nice it is to be here! "Jak je krásné být tady! Don't you think so too, you old fir-tree?' Nemyslíš si to také, ty stará jedle? 'I'm not at all old,' said the tree; 'there are many much older than I am.' "Nejsem vůbec starý," řekl strom, "je mnoho lidí mnohem starších než já. 'Where do you come from?' "Odkud pocházíte? asked the mice, 'and what do you know?' zeptal se myší: "A co vy víte? They were extremely inquisitive. Byli nesmírně zvědaví. 'Do tell us about the most beautiful place in the world. "Povězte nám o nejkrásnějším místě na světě. Is that where you come from? Odtud pocházíte? Have you been in the storeroom, where cheeses lie on the shelves, and hams hang from the ceiling, where one dances on tallow candles, and where one goes in thin and comes out fat?' Byl jsi někdy ve skladu, kde na policích leží sýry a u stropu visí šunky, kde se tančí na lojových svíčkách a kam se chodí hubený a odchází tlustý? 'I know nothing about that,' said the tree. "O tom nic nevím," řekl strom. 'But I know the wood, where the sun shines, and the birds sing.' "Ale já znám les, kde svítí slunce a zpívají ptáci. And then it told them all about its young days, and the little mice had never heard anything like that before, and they listened with all their ears, and said: 'Oh, how much you have seen! A pak jim vyprávělo o svých mladých dnech a myšky nikdy předtím nic takového neslyšely, poslouchaly na celé kolo a říkaly: "Ach, kolik jste toho viděly! How lucky you have been!' Jaké jsi měl štěstí! 'I?' 'I?' said the fir-tree, and then it thought over what it had told them. řekla jedle a pak se zamyslela nad tím, co jim řekla. 'Yes, on the whole those were very happy times.' "Ano, celkově to byly velmi šťastné časy. But then it went on to tell them about Christmas Eve, when it had been adorned with sweet-meats and tapers. Pak jim však vyprávěla o Štědrém večeru, kdy byla ozdobena sladkým masem a svíčkami.

'Oh!' said the little mice, 'how lucky you have been, you old fir-tree!' "Jaké jsi měl štěstí, ty starý smrku!" řekla myška. 'I'm not at all old' said the tree. "Vůbec nejsem starý," řekl strom. 'I only came from the wood this winter. "Přišel jsem z lesa teprve letos v zimě. I am only a little backward, perhaps, in my growth.' Snad jsem jen trochu zaostalý ve svém růstu. 'How beautifully you tell stories!' "Jak krásně vyprávíš příběhy! said the little mice. And next evening they came with four others, who wanted to hear the tree's story, and it told still more, for it remembered everything so clearly and thought: 'Those were happy times! A příštího večera přišli s dalšími čtyřmi lidmi, kteří chtěli slyšet příběh stromu, a ten vyprávěl ještě víc, protože si všechno tak jasně pamatoval a myslel si: "To byly šťastné časy! But they may come again. Mohou však přijít znovu. Humpty dumpty fell downstairs, and yet he married a princess; perhaps I shall also marry a princess!' Humpty Dumpty spadl ze schodů, a přesto si vzal princeznu; možná si také vezmu princeznu! And then it thought of a pretty little birch-tree that grew out in the wood, and seemed to the fir-tree a real princess, and a very beautiful one too. A pak si vzpomnělo na krásnou břízu, která rostla v lese a zdála se jedli opravdovou princeznou, a to velmi krásnou.

'Who is Humpty Dumpty?' asked the little mice.

And then the tree told the whole story; it could remember every single word, and the little mice were ready to leap on to the topmost branch out of sheer joy! A pak stromek vyprávěl celý příběh, pamatoval si každé slovo a myšky byly připravené vyskočit na nejvyšší větev ze samé radosti! Next night many more mice came, and on Sunday even two rats; but they did not care about the story, and that troubled the little mice, for now they thought less of it too. Příští noc přišlo ještě mnoho myší a v neděli dokonce dvě krysy, ale ty se o příběh nezajímaly, což malé myšky trápilo, protože teď už na něj také tolik nemyslely.

'Is that the only story you know?' "To je jediný příběh, který znáš? asked the rats. zeptaly se krysy.

'The only one,' answered the tree. "Jediný," odpověděl strom. 'I heard that on my happiest evening, but I did not realise then how happy I was.' "Slyšel jsem to ve svůj nejšťastnější večer, ale tehdy jsem si neuvědomil, jak jsem šťastný. 'That's a very poor story. "To je velmi špatný příběh. Don't you know one about bacon or tallow candles? Neznáte nějakou o slanině nebo lojových svíčkách? a storeroom story?' příběh ze skladu? 'No,' said the tree. "Ne," řekl strom. 'Then we are much obliged to you,' said the rats, and they went back to their friends. "Tak to jsme vám velmi zavázáni," řekly krysy a vrátily se ke svým přátelům. At last the little mice went off also, and the tree said, sighing: 'Really it was very pleasant when the lively little mice sat round and listened whilst I told them stories. Nakonec myšky také odešly a strom si povzdechl: "Bylo to opravdu moc příjemné, když ty malé živé myšky seděly kolem a poslouchaly, zatímco jsem jim vyprávěl pohádky. But now that's over too. Ale i to už je pryč. But now I will think of the time when I shall be brought out again, to keep up my spirits.' Teď ale budu myslet na to, až mě zase vyvedou, abych si zachoval dobrou náladu. But when did that happen? Ale kdy se to stalo? Well, it was one morning when they came to tidy up the lumber-room; they threw it really rather roughly on the floor, but a servant dragged it off at once downstairs, where there was daylight once more. No, bylo to jednou ráno, když přišli uklízet dřevník; hodili ho opravdu dost hrubě na podlahu, ale sluha ho hned odtáhl dolů, kde bylo zase denní světlo.

'Now life begins again!' "Nyní život začíná znovu! thought the tree. myslel si strom. It felt the fresh air, the first rays of the sun, and there it was out in the yard! Ucítilo čerstvý vzduch, první sluneční paprsky a bylo na dvoře! Everything passed so quickly; the tree quite forgot to notice itself, there was so much to look at all around. Všechno ubíhalo tak rychle, že strom docela zapomněl vnímat sám sebe, bylo toho tolik k vidění všude kolem. The yard opened on a garden full of flowers; the roses were so fresh and sweet, hanging over a little trellis, the lime-trees were in blossom, and the swallows flew about, saying: 'Quirre-virre-vil, my husband has come home;' but it was not the fir-tree they meant. Dvůr se otevřel do zahrady plné květin; růže byly tak svěží a sladké, visely přes malou mřížku, lípy kvetly a vlaštovky poletovaly kolem a říkaly: "Quirre-virre-vil, můj muž se vrátil domů." Ale nebyla to jedle, kterou měly na mysli. 'Now I shall live,' thought the tree joyfully, stretching out its branches wide; but, alas! "Teď už budu žít," pomyslel si strom radostně a roztáhl větve, ale bohužel! they were all withered and yellow; and it was lying in a corner among weeds and nettles. byly všechny uschlé a žluté a ležely v koutě mezi plevelem a kopřivami. The golden star was still on its highest bough, and it glittered in the bright sunlight. Zlatá hvězda byla stále na nejvyšší větvi a třpytila se v jasném slunečním světle. In the yard some of the merry children were playing, who had danced so gaily round the tree at Christmas. Na dvoře si hrály veselé děti, které o Vánocích tak vesele tančily kolem stromečku. One of the little ones ran up, and tore off the gold star. Jeden z malých chlapců přiběhl a strhl zlatou hvězdu.

'Look what was left on the ugly old fir-tree!' "Podívej, co zůstalo na té staré ošklivé jedli! he cried, and stamped on the boughs so that they cracked under his feet. vykřikl a dupl na větve, až mu zapraskaly pod nohama.

And the tree looked at all the splendour and freshness of the flowers in the garden, and then looked at itself, and wished that it had been left lying in the dark corner of the lumber-room; it thought of its fresh youth in the wood, of the merry Christmas Eve, and of the little mice who had listened so happily to the story of Humpty Dumpty. A stromek se podíval na všechnu tu nádheru a svěžest květin v zahradě a pak se podíval na sebe a přál si, aby zůstal ležet v temném koutě dřevníku; myslel na své svěží mládí v lese, na veselý Štědrý večer a na malé myšky, které tak šťastně poslouchaly příběh o Humpty Dumptym.

'Too late! "Pozdě! Too late!' thought the old tree. pomyslel si starý strom. 'If only I had enjoyed myself whilst I could. "Kdybych si tak užíval, dokud jsem mohl. Now all is over and gone.' Teď je po všem a je pryč. And a servant came and cut the tree into small pieces, there was quite a bundle of them; they flickered brightly under the great copper in the brew-house; the tree sighed deeply, and each sigh was like a pistol-shot; so the children who were playing there ran up, and sat in front of the fire, gazing at it, and crying, 'Piff! Přišel sluha a rozřezal stromek na malé kousky, bylo jich docela dost; jasně se třpytily pod velkým měděným ohněm ve varně; stromek hluboce vzdychal a každý vzdech byl jako výstřel z pistole; takže děti, které si tam hrály, se rozběhly a seděly před ohněm, dívaly se na něj a volaly: "Pif! puff! bang!' But for each report, which was really a sigh, the tree was thinking of a summer's day in the wood, or of a winter's night out there, when the stars were shining; it thought of Christmas Eve, and of Humpty Dumpty, which was the only story it had heard, or could tell, and then the tree had burnt away. Ale při každém hlášení, které bylo vlastně povzdechem, strom myslel na letní den v lese nebo na zimní noc tam venku, kdy svítily hvězdy; myslel na Štědrý večer a na Humpty Dumptyho, což byla jediná pohádka, kterou slyšel nebo uměl vyprávět, a pak strom shořel. The children played on in the garden, and the youngest had the golden star on his breast, which the tree had worn on the happiest evening of its life; and now that was past—and the tree had passed away—and the story too, all ended and done with. Děti si dál hrály na zahradě a nejmladší z nich měl na prsou zlatou hvězdu, kterou strom nosil v nejšťastnější večer svého života; a teď už to bylo pryč - a strom zemřel - a příběh také skončil a skončil.

And that's the way with all stories! A tak je to se všemi příběhy! Here our Danish author ends. Zde náš dánský autor končí. This is what people call sentiment, and I hope you enjoy it! Tomuhle lidé říkají sentiment a já doufám, že se vám to bude líbit!