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安徒生童話故事第7篇：旅伴The Travelling Companion
引導(dǎo)語：旅伴這篇安徒生的童話故事，大家喜歡?下面是小編收集的安徒生童話故事，歡迎大家閱讀!
可憐的約翰奈斯真是非常難過，因為他的父親病得很厲害，不容易再好起來。這間小房子里只住著他們兩人，此外，沒有別人。桌上的燈已經(jīng)快要滅了，夜已經(jīng)很深了。
“約翰奈斯，你是一個很好的孩子!”病中的父親說，“我們的上帝會在這個世界里幫助你的!”于是他莊嚴(yán)地、慈愛地望了他一眼，深深地吸了一口氣，隨后就死了;好像是睡著了似的。約翰奈斯哭起來，他在這個世界上現(xiàn)在什么親人也沒有了，沒有父親，也沒有母親;沒有姊妹，也沒有兄弟�？蓱z的約翰奈斯!他跪在床面前，吻著他死去的父親的手，流了很多辛酸的眼淚，不過最后他閉起眼睛，把頭靠在硬床板上睡去了。
這時他做了一個很奇怪的夢：他看到太陽和月亮向他鞠躬，看到他的父親又變得活潑和健康起來，聽到他的父親像平常高興的時候那樣又大笑起來。一位可愛的姑娘——她美麗的長發(fā)上戴著一頂金王冠——向約翰奈斯伸出手來。他的父親說：“看到?jīng)]有，你現(xiàn)在得到一位多么漂亮的新娘?她是全世界最美麗的姑娘!”于是他醒了，這一切美麗的東西也消逝了。他的父親冰冷地、僵直地躺在床上，再沒有別的人跟他們在一起�？蓱z的約翰奈斯!
死者在第二周就埋葬了。約翰奈斯緊跟在棺材后面送葬;從此以后他再也看不見這個非常愛他的、慈祥的父親了。他親耳聽見人們把土蓋在棺材上，親眼看到棺材的最后的一角。不過再加上一鏟土，就連這一角也要不見了。這時他悲慟到了萬分，他的心簡直好像要裂成碎片。人們在他的周圍唱起圣詩，唱得那么美麗，約翰奈斯不禁流出眼淚來。他大聲地哭起來;在悲哀中哭一下是有好處的。太陽在綠色樹上光耀地照著，好像是說：“約翰奈斯!你再也不會感到悲哀了，天空是那么美麗，一片藍(lán)色，你看見了嗎?你的父親就在那上面，他在請求仁慈的上帝使你將來永遠(yuǎn)幸福!”
“我要永遠(yuǎn)做一個好人，”約翰奈斯說，“好使我也能到天上去看我的父親;如果我們再見面，我們將會多么快樂啊!我將有多少話要告訴他啊!他將會指許多東西給我看;他將會像活在人世間的時候一樣，把天上許多美麗的東西教給我。哦，那該是多么快樂的事啊!”
約翰奈斯想著這些情景，像親眼看見過似的，他不禁笑起來。在這同時，他的眼淚仍然在臉上滾滾地流。小鳥們高高地棲在栗樹上，唱道：“唧喳!唧喳!”雖然它們也參加了葬禮，卻仍然很高興;不過它們知道得很清楚，死者已經(jīng)上了天，并且還長出了翅膀——這些翅膀比它們的還要寬廣和美麗得多;他現(xiàn)在是幸福的，因為他生前曾經(jīng)是一個好人。它們都為他高興。約翰奈斯看到它們從綠樹林里向廣大的世界飛去，他自己也非常想跟它們一起飛。但是他先做了一個木十字架豎在他父親的墳?zāi)股稀．?dāng)他晚間把十字架送去時，墳?zāi)股弦呀?jīng)裝飾著沙子和花朵——這都是一些陌生人做的，因為這些人都喜歡這位死去了的親愛的父親。
第二天大清早約翰奈斯把他的一小捆行李打好，同時把他繼承的全部財產(chǎn)——五十塊錢和幾個小銀幣——扎進他的腰帶里。他帶著這點東西走向這個茫茫的世界。但是他先到教堂墓地去看看父親的墳，念了《主禱文》①;于是他說：“再會吧，親愛的爸爸!我要永遠(yuǎn)做一個好人。你可以大膽地向好心腸的上帝祈禱，請他保佑我一切都好。”
約翰奈斯在田野上走。田野里的花兒在溫暖的太陽光中開得又鮮艷、又美麗。它們在風(fēng)中點著頭，好像是說：“歡迎你到綠草地上來。你看這兒好不好?”但是約翰奈斯掉轉(zhuǎn)頭又向那個老教堂望了一眼;他小時候就是在那里受洗禮的，他每個星期天跟父親一道在那里做禮拜，唱贊美詩。這時他看到教堂的小妖精，高高地站在教堂塔樓上的一個窗洞里。他戴著尖頂小紅帽，把手膀彎上來遮住臉，免得太陽射著他的眼睛。約翰奈斯對他點點頭，表示告別。小妖精也揮著紅帽，把手貼在心上，用手指飛吻了好幾次，表示他多么希望約翰奈斯一切都好，能有一個愉快的旅程。
約翰奈斯想，在這個廣大而美麗的世界里，他將會看到多少好的東西啊。他越走越遠(yuǎn)——他以前從來沒有走過怎樣遠(yuǎn)的路。他所走過的城市，他所遇見的人，他全都不認(rèn)識。他現(xiàn)在來到遙遠(yuǎn)的陌生人中間了。
第一天夜里他睡在田野里的一個干草堆下，因為他沒有別的床。不過他覺得這也很有趣;就是一個國王也不會有比這還好的地方。這兒是一大片田野，有溪流，有干草堆，上面還有蔚藍(lán)的天;這的確算得是一間美麗的睡房。開著小紅花和白花的綠草是地毯，接骨木樹叢和野玫瑰籬笆是花束，盛滿了新鮮清水的溪流是他的洗臉池。小溪里的燈芯草對他鞠躬，祝他“晚安”和“早安”。高高地掛在藍(lán)天花板下的月亮，無疑的是一盞巨大的夜明燈，而這燈決不會燒著窗簾。約翰奈斯可以安安心心地睡著;他事實上也是這樣。他一覺睡到太陽出來，周圍所有的小鳥對他唱著歌：“早安!早安!你還沒有起來嗎?”
做禮拜的鐘聲響起來了，這是星期天;大家都去聽牧師講道，約翰奈斯也跟著一塊兒去。他唱了一首圣詩，聽了上帝的教義。他覺得好像又回到了他受洗的那個老教堂里，跟父親在一起唱圣詩。
教堂的墓地里有許多墳?zāi)梗袔鬃鶋炦�長滿了很高的草。約翰奈斯這時想起了父親的墳?zāi)梗耗且欢ㄒ彩歉@些墳?zāi)挂粯樱驗樗荒苋ヤz草和修整它。因此他坐下來拔去那些荒草，把倒了的十字架重新豎起來，把風(fēng)吹走了的花圈又搬到墳上來。在這同時，他想：“現(xiàn)在我既然不在家，也許有人會同樣照料我父親的墳?zāi)拱?”
教堂墓地門外有一個年老的乞丐。他拄著一根拐杖站著。約翰奈斯把他所有的幾個銀幣全都給他了，然后帶著愉快和高興的心情繼續(xù)向這茫茫大世界走去。
到晚間，天氣忽然變得非常壞。約翰奈斯急忙去找一個藏身的地方，但是馬上黑夜就到來了。最后他在一個山上找到了一座孤寂的小教堂。很幸運地，門還沒有關(guān)。他輕輕地走進去了：打算在里面呆到暴風(fēng)雨停息為止。
“我就在這個角落里坐下來吧!”他說：“我相當(dāng)疲倦，需要休息一下。”于是他就坐下來了。他把雙手合在一起，念了晚禱。外面正是雷鳴電閃，他在不知不覺之間就睡過去了，并且做起夢來。
他醒來的時候，正是半夜，不過暴風(fēng)雨已經(jīng)過去了，月亮穿過窗子向他照進來。教堂的中央停著一具開著的棺材，里面躺著一個還沒有埋葬的死人。約翰奈斯一點也不害怕，因為他的良心很平安;同時他也知道得很清楚，死人是不會害人的，能害人的倒還是活著的壞人�，F(xiàn)在就有這樣兩個惡劣的人。他們就站在死人的旁邊。這死人是停在教堂里，等待埋葬的。他們想害他一下，不讓他睡在棺材里，而要把他扔到教堂門外去——可憐的死人啊!
“你們?yōu)槭裁匆鲞@樣的事情呢?”約翰奈斯問，“這是不對的，惡劣的。看耶穌的面子，讓他休息吧。”
“廢話!”這兩個惡人說。“他騙了我們呀!他欠我們的錢，一直沒有還;現(xiàn)在他又忽然死掉了，我們連一毛錢也收不回來!我們非報復(fù)他一下不可;我們要叫他像一只狗似的躺在教堂門外!”
“我所有的錢還不到五十塊大洋，”約翰奈斯說，“這是我所繼承的全部遺產(chǎn)，可是我愿意把這錢送給你們，只要你們能老老實實地答應(yīng)我讓這個可憐的死人安靜地睡著。沒有錢我也可以活的。我年富力強，有一雙健壯的手，一雙健壯的腳，而且上帝也會幫助我的。”
“好吧，”這兩個丑惡的人說，“只要你能還他的債，我們當(dāng)然可以放開他的，你盡管放心好了!”于是他們就把約翰奈斯所給的錢都接過來，大笑了一陣，覺得他太老實，隨后他們就走開了。他把死人在棺材里放好，同時把死人的手合在一起。他說了一聲“再會”，就很滿意地走進一個大森林里去。
周圍有月光從樹枝之間射進來，他看到許多可愛的小山精在快樂地玩耍。他們對他一點也不害怕，因為他們知道他是一個好人;只有壞人才看不慣小山精。他們有些還沒有手指那樣粗，他們長長的金發(fā)是用金梳子朝上扎著的。他們成雙成對地騎著樹葉和長草上的露珠搖來搖去。有時露珠一滾，他們就跌到長草之間的空隙里去了。這就使得其他的小山精大笑大叫起來。這真是好玩極了!他們唱著歌。約翰奈斯一下子就聽出這都是他小時候?qū)W過的那些美麗的歌兒。戴著王冠的雜色蜘蛛，正在灌木林之間織著長長的吊橋和宮殿;當(dāng)微小的露珠落到它們身上的時候，它們就像月光底下發(fā)亮的玻璃，直到太陽升起來時才不是這樣。這時小山精就鉆進花苞里去，風(fēng)把他們的吊橋和宮殿吹走，它們成為一面大蜘蛛網(wǎng)，在空中飄蕩。
約翰奈斯這時走出了樹林。他后面有一個人在高聲喊他：“喂，朋友!你到什么地方去呀?”
“到廣大的世界里去!”約翰奈斯說，“我沒有父親，也沒有母親。我是一個窮苦的孩子;但是上帝會幫助我!”
“我也要到廣大的世界里去，”這陌生人說，“我們兩人一塊兒走好嗎?”
“很好!”約翰奈斯說。于是他們就一起走了。不多久他們就建立起很好的友情，因為他們兩個人都是好人。不過約翰奈斯發(fā)現(xiàn)這陌生人比自己聰明得多，他差不多走遍了全世界，什么事情都知道。
太陽已經(jīng)升得很高。他們在一株大樹下坐下來吃早餐。正在這時候，來了一個老太婆�？�!她的年紀(jì)才老呢。她拄著一根拐杖走路，腰彎得很厲害。她的背上背著一捆在樹林里撿來的柴。她的圍裙兜著東西，約翰奈斯看出里面是鳳尾草桿子和楊柳枝。當(dāng)她走近他們的時候，一只腳滑了一下。于是她大叫一聲，倒下來了，因為她——可憐的老太婆——跌斷了腿!
約翰奈斯馬上就說，他們應(yīng)該把這老太婆背著送回家去。不過這陌生人把背包打開，取出一個小瓶子，說他有一種藥膏可以使她的腿立刻長好和有氣力，使她可以自己走回家去，好像沒有跌斷過腿一樣。但是，他要求她把她兜在圍裙里的三根枝條送給他。
“那么你得到的酬勞就不小了!”老太婆說，同時很神秘地把頭點了一下。她不愿意交出這幾根枝條來，但是她又覺得腿斷了，躺在這兒也不太舒服。因此她只好把這幾根枝條送給他了。當(dāng)他把藥膏一涂到她腿上的時候，老太婆馬上就站起來，走起路來比以前更有勁。這藥膏的效力真不小，但是它在藥房里是買不到的。
“你要這幾根枝條有什么用呢?”約翰奈斯問他的旅伴。
“它們是三把漂亮的掃帚呀，”他回答說，“我就喜歡這些玩意兒，因為我是一個古怪的人。”
他們走了很長一段路。
“你看天陰起來了，”約翰奈斯指著前面說，“那是一大堆可怕的烏云!”
“你錯了，”旅伴回答說，“那不是云塊，那是高山呀。那是壯麗的大山。你一爬上山就鉆進云層和新鮮的空氣中去了。請相信我，這才是奇觀呢!明天我們就可以走進這些山里去了!”
不過這些山并不是像我們所看到的那樣近。他們要走一整天才能到達。山上的黑森林長得很高，把天都遮著了;有些石頭真大，跟整個的城市差不多。爬上這些山真是一趟艱難的旅程。因此約翰奈斯和他的旅伴就到一個旅店里歇下來，打算好好地休息一晚，養(yǎng)好了精神準(zhǔn)備明天再旅行。
這個旅店的客廳里坐著許多人，因為有一個人在演木偶戲。這人剛剛布置好了一個小舞臺，大家坐在它的周圍，準(zhǔn)備看戲。坐在頂前面的是一個胖胖的老屠夫;他占了一個最好的位置。他有一只大哈巴狗，噢!它的樣子才兇呢!它坐在他旁邊。它像所有看戲的人一樣，把眼睛睜得斗大。
現(xiàn)在戲開演了。這是一出好戲，戲中有國王和王后。他們坐在華麗的皇位上，每人頭上戴一頂金王冠;他的衣服后面拖著一條長長的后裾，因為他們有錢可以這樣擺闊。裝了玻璃眼睛和大把胡子的漂亮木偶，站在門邊開門和關(guān)門，使新鮮空氣可以流進屋子里來。這是一出逗人喜歡的戲。一點也不悲慘。不過——正當(dāng)那位王后立起來要走過舞臺的時候——真是天曉得，不知那個哈巴狗的心里想著什么東西——胖屠夫沒有抓住這只狗，它忽然跳上舞臺，一口把王后纖細(xì)的腰咬住，同時說：“咬呀，咬呀!”這真嚇人啦!
演這出戲的人真可憐;他嚇得不成樣子。他替這個王后感到非常難過，因為她是他的一個最可愛的木偶，而現(xiàn)在這個丑惡的哈巴狗卻把她的頭咬掉了。不過大家散了以后，跟約翰奈斯一同來的那個陌生人說，他可以把她修好。于是他把他的小瓶子取出來，把藥膏涂到木偶身上——這就是把那個老太婆跌斷了的腿子治好過的藥膏。木偶一涂上了藥膏，馬上就復(fù)原了。墜的，她甚至還可以自己動著手腳，再也不要人牽線了。這木偶現(xiàn)在好像是一個活人似的，只是不能說話罷了。木偶戲老板現(xiàn)在非常高興，因為他不必再牽著木偶了。她可以自己跳舞。這一點別的木偶都做不到。
夜深了。旅店的客人都上床去睡了。這時有一個人發(fā)出可怕的嘆息聲來。嘆息聲一直沒有停，旅店的人都起來，要看看這究竟是一個什么人。演木偶戲的人跑到他的小劇場去，因為嘆息聲正是從那兒來的。所有的木偶，包括國王和他的隨員們在內(nèi)，都亂七八糟地滾作一團：原來是他們在可憐傷心地嘆氣。他們的玻璃眼睛在發(fā)呆，因為他們也希望像王后一樣，能夠涂上一點兒藥膏，使自己動起來。王后馬上跪到地上，舉起她美麗的王冠，懇求說：“我把這送給你!不過請在我的丈夫和使臣們的身上涂點藥膏!”
可憐的劇場和木偶們的老板，不禁哭起來，因為他真是替他們難過。他馬上跟旅伴說，只要他能把他四五個最漂亮的木偶涂上一點藥膏，他愿意把第二天晚上演出的收入全部送給他。不過旅伴說他什么也不需要，他只是希望得到這人身邊掛著的那把劍。他得到了這劍以后，就在六個木偶身上擦了藥膏。這六個木偶馬上就跳起舞來，而且跳得很可愛。在場的女子們——真正有生命的、人間的女子——也不禁一同跳起舞來了。馬車夫跟女廚子跳舞，茶役跟女侍者跳舞。所有的客人，所有的火鏟和火鉗也都跳起舞來了。不過后面的這兩件東西一開始跳就跌交。是的，這是歡樂的一夜!
第二天早晨，約翰奈斯和旅伴就離開大家了，他們爬上高山，走過巨大的松樹林。他們爬得非常高，下邊的教堂尖塔看起來簡直像綠樹林中的小紅漿果。他們可以望到很遠(yuǎn)、望到許多許多里以外他們從來沒有到過的地方!約翰奈斯從來沒有在這個可愛的世界里一眼看到這么多的美景。太陽溫暖地照著;在新鮮蔚藍(lán)色的空中，他聽到獵人在山上快樂地吹起號角。他高興得流出眼淚，不禁大聲說：“仁慈的上帝!我要吻您，因為您對我們是這樣好，您把世界上最美的東西都拿給我們看!”
旅伴也停下來，合著雙手，朝著浸在溫暖陽光中的森林和城市望。在這同時，他們的上空響起一個美麗的聲音：他們抬頭看見空中有一只大白天鵝在飛翔。這鳥兒非常美麗;它在唱歌——他們一直到現(xiàn)在還沒有聽見任何鳥兒唱過歌。不過歌聲慢慢地、慢慢地消沉下去：鳥兒垂下頭，慢慢地落到他們腳下——這只美麗的鳥兒就躺在這兒死了。
“這鳥兒的兩只翅膀真漂亮，”旅伴說，“又白又寬，是很值錢的。我要把它們帶走。有一把劍是很有用的，你現(xiàn)在可知道了吧?”
于是他一下就把死天鵝的翅膀砍下來了，因為他要把它們帶走。
他們兩人在山中又走了許多許多里路。后來他們看到一個很大的城市。城里有一百多尊塔，這些塔體像銀子一樣反射著太陽光。城中央有一座美麗的大理石宮殿。它的屋頂是用赤金蓋的，國王就住在里面。
約翰奈斯和他的旅伴不愿立刻就進城，他們停在城外的一個旅店里，打算換換衣服，因為他們希望走到街上去的時候，外表還像個樣子。旅店的老板告訴他們說，國王是一個有德行的君主，從來不傷害任何人。不過他的女兒，糟糕得很，是一個很壞的公主。她的相貌是夠漂亮的——誰也沒有她那樣美麗和迷人——可是這又有什么用呢?她是一個惡毒的巫婆，許多可愛的王子在她手上喪失了生命。任何人都可以向她求婚，這是她許可的。誰都可以來，王子也好，乞丐也好——對她都沒有什么分別。求婚者只須猜出她所問的三件事情就得了。如果他能猜得出，他就可以和她結(jié)婚，而且當(dāng)她的父親死了以后，他還可以做全國的國王。但是如果他猜不出這三件事情，她就得把他絞死，或者砍掉他的腦袋!這個美麗的公主是那么壞和惡毒啦!
她的父親——這位老國王——心里非常難過。不過他沒有辦法叫她不要這樣惡毒，因為他有一次答應(yīng)過決不干涉任何與她的求婚者有關(guān)的事情——她喜歡怎么辦就怎么辦。每次一個王子來猜答案，想得到這位公主的時候，他總是失敗，結(jié)果不是被絞死便是被砍掉腦袋。的確，他事先并不是沒有得到警告的他很可以放棄求婚的念頭。老國王對于這種痛苦和悲慘的事情，感到萬分難過，所以每年都要花一整天的工夫和他所有的軍隊跪在地上祈禱，希望這個公主變好，可是她卻偏偏不愿意改好。老太婆在喝白蘭地的時候，總是先把它染上黑色②才吞下去，因為她們感到悲哀——的確，她們再也沒有其他的辦法。
“丑惡的公主!”約翰奈斯說;“應(yīng)該結(jié)結(jié)實實地把她抽一頓，這樣對她才有好處。如果我是老國王的話，我要抽得她全身流血!”
這時外面有人聽到這話，他們都喊“好”!公主正在旁邊經(jīng)過，她的確是非常漂亮的，所以老百姓一時忘記了她的惡毒，也對著她叫：“好!”十二個美麗的年輕姑娘，穿著白色的綢衣，每人手中拿著一朵金色的郁金香，騎著十二匹漆黑的駿馬，在她的兩旁護衛(wèi)。公主本人騎著一匹戴著鉆石和紅玉的白馬。她騎馬穿的服裝是純金做的，她手中的馬鞭亮得像太陽的光線。她頭上戴著的金冠像是從天上摘下來的小星星，她的外衣是用一千多只美麗的蝴蝶翅膀縫成的。但是她本人要比她的衣服美麗得多。
約翰奈斯一看到她的時候，臉上就變得像血一樣地鮮紅。他一句話也說不出來。公主的樣子很像他在父親死去的那個晚上所夢見的那個戴著金冠的美女子。他覺得她是那么動人，不禁也非常愛起她來。他說，他不相信她是一個惡毒的巫婆，專門把猜不出她的問題的人送上絞架或砍頭。
“她既然準(zhǔn)許每個人向她求婚，甚至最窮的乞丐也包括在內(nèi)，那么我也要到宮殿里去一趟，因為我實在沒有別的辦法!”
大家都勸他不要嘗試這件事，因為他所得到的結(jié)果一定會跟別人一樣。他的旅伴也勸他不要這樣做，但是約翰奈斯認(rèn)為一切都會很順利的。他把鞋子和上衣刷了，把臉和手也洗了，把他的美麗的黃頭發(fā)也梳了。于是他獨自進了城，直接向王官走去。
“請進吧!”約翰奈斯敲門的時候，老國王說。
約翰奈斯把門推開。老國王穿著長便服和繡花拖鞋來接見他。他的頭上戴著王冠，一手拿著代表王權(quán)的王笏，一手拿著象征王權(quán)的金珠。“請等一下吧!”他說，同時把金珠夾在腋下，以便跟約翰奈斯握手。不過，當(dāng)他一聽到他的客人是一位求婚者的時候，他就開始抽咽地哭起來，他的王笏和金珠都滾到地上來了，同時不得不用睡衣來揩眼淚�？蓱z的老國王!
“請你不要來!”他說。“你會像別人一樣，碰上禍害的。你只要看看就知道!”
于是他把約翰奈斯帶到公主游樂的花園里去。那兒的情景才可怕呢!每一株樹上懸著三四個王子的尸首。他們都是向公主求過婚的。但是他們都猜不出她所提的問題。微風(fēng)一吹動，這些骸骨就吱格吱格地響起來，小鳥都嚇跑了，再也不敢飛到花園里來。花兒都盤在人骨上;骷髏躺在花盆里，發(fā)出冷笑。這確實稱得上是一個公主的花園。
“你可以在這里仔細(xì)瞧瞧!”老國王說。“你所看到的這些人的命運，也會是你的命運。你最好還是放棄你的念頭吧。我感到很難過，因為我關(guān)心這一件事情。”
約翰奈斯把這和善老國王的手吻了一下;他說，結(jié)果會很好的，因為他很喜歡這位美麗的公主。
這時公主帶著所有的侍女騎著馬走進宮殿的院子。他們都走過去問候她。她的樣子真是非常美麗。她和約翰奈斯握手。約翰奈斯現(xiàn)在比從前更愛她了——她決不會像大家所說的那樣，是一個惡毒的巫婆。他們一起走進大廳里去，小童仆們端出蜜餞和椒鹽核桃仁來款待他們�？墒抢蠂醺械椒浅ｋy過;他什么東西也吃不下，當(dāng)然椒鹽核桃仁對他說來也是太硬了。
他們約定好，第二天早晨約翰奈斯再到宮里來;那時法官和全體樞密大臣將到場來聽他怎樣回答問題。如果回答得好，他還要再來兩次。不過，到目前為止，還沒有什么人能夠通過第一關(guān)，因此他們都喪失了生命。
約翰奈斯對于自己的命運一點也不感到難過。他反而感到快樂。他的心目中只有這個美麗的公主，同時覺得仁慈的上帝一定會來幫助他的，不過是怎樣幫助法，他一點也不知道，同時他也不愿意想這件事情。他邊走邊跳地回到旅店來——他的旅伴正在等他。
約翰奈斯說公主對他怎樣好，公主是怎樣美麗——他說得簡直沒有完。他渴望著第二天的到來，好到宮里去，碰碰自已猜謎的運氣。不過旅伴搖搖頭，非常難過。“我很喜歡你!”他說。“我們很可以在一起多呆一會兒，但是現(xiàn)在我卻要失去你了!你，可憐的、親愛的約翰奈斯!我真想哭一場，但是我不愿意擾亂你今晚的快樂心情，這可能是我們在一起的最后一個晚上了。我們來歡樂吧，痛快地歡樂吧!明天早晨你走了以后，我再痛哭一番。”
市民馬上都知道公主又有了一位新的求婚者，對老百姓來說，這當(dāng)然是一件非常悲哀的事情。戲院都關(guān)上門，賣糕餅的老太婆在糖豬身上系一條黑紗，國王和牧師們在教堂里跪著祈禱。處處是悲悼的情緒，因為大家都覺得約翰奈斯的運氣決不會比別的求婚者好多少。
晚上旅伴調(diào)了一大碗混合酒，對約翰奈斯說：“我們現(xiàn)在應(yīng)該快樂一番，并且為公主的健康干杯。”不過約翰奈斯喝了兩杯就想要睡，他的眼睛已睜不開，只好呼呼地睡去了。旅伴輕輕地把他從椅子上抱起來，放到床上。夜深的時候，他把那兩只從天鵝身上砍下的大翅膀取出來，系到自己的肩上，同時把那個跌斷了腿的老太婆的一根最長的枝條裝進自己的袋里。然后他就打開窗子，飛到城里去，一直飛向王宮。他在面對公主睡房的一個窗子下邊的角落里坐下來。
全城都非常靜寂。這時鐘敲起來，時間是11點45分。窗子開了，公主穿著一件白色的長外衣，展開她的黑翅膀，越過城市的上空向一座大山飛去。旅伴隱去了自己的原形，她完全看不見他。他在公主后面跟著飛，用枝條抽打著她。枝條落到什么地方，血就流到什么地方。啊，這才算是空中旅行呢!風(fēng)鼓起她的外衣，使它向四面張開，像一大片船帆。月光透射進去。
“冰雹真厲害!冰雹真厲害!”公主被枝條抽一下就這樣叫一聲。這對她是一個教訓(xùn);最后她飛到山上，在山上敲了一下。這時好像天在打雷，山裂開了。公主走進去，旅伴也跟著走進去。誰也沒有看見他，因為他是看不見的。他們走進一條又長又寬的通道，兩邊壁上發(fā)出奇異的光。這是因為壁上有一千多只發(fā)亮的蜘蛛的緣故;它們在上上下下地爬行著，散出火一樣的彩霞。他們走進一個用金銀砌成的大廳。墻上有向日葵那么大的紅花和藍(lán)花，射出光來�？墒钦l也不能摘下這些花，因為花梗全是些丑惡的、有毒的長蛇。事實上這些花朵就是它們噴出的火焰。天花板上全是發(fā)亮的螢火蟲和拍著薄翅膀的天藍(lán)色的蝙蝠。這情景真有些嚇人。地中央設(shè)有一個王座。它是由四匹死馬的骸骨托著的。這些死馬的挽具全是血紅的蜘蛛所組成的。王座則是乳白色的玻璃做的，它的坐墊就是一堆互相咬著尾巴的小黑耗子。華蓋是一面粉紅色的蛛網(wǎng);它里面鑲著許多漂亮的、像寶石一樣的小綠蒼蠅。王座上坐著一個老巫師。他丑惡的頭上戴著一頂王冠，手中拿著一個王笏。他在公主的額上吻了一下，請她在他身邊、在這貴重的王座上坐下來。于是音樂奏起來了。巨大的黑蚱蜢彈起獨弦琴，貓頭鷹用翅膀敲著肚皮——因為她沒有鼓。這真是一個很妙的合奏!許多小黑妖精，戴著鑲有鬼火的帽子，在大廳里跳舞�？墒钦l也看不見旅伴，因為他隱身在王座后面。他什么都聽見了。朝臣們這時都進來了。他們都神氣十足，不可一世。不過有眼力的人一看就知道他們是些什么寶貝東西。他們原來是頂著幾棵老白菜根的掃帚。魔法師只不過用魔力使它們有了生命，同時給它們穿上幾件繡花衣服罷了。不過這倒沒有什么關(guān)系，因為他們在這兒只不過是擺擺場面。
跳了一陣舞以后，公主告訴魔法師說，她又有一位新的求婚者。她問他，明天這人來到宮里的時候，他覺得她應(yīng)該叫他猜一個什么問題好。
“聽著!”魔法師說，“我告訴你，你應(yīng)該給他一件最容易的東西猜，這樣他才想不到。你覺得你的一只鞋子怎樣?這東西他一定是猜不著的。把他的頭砍下來吧：不過請不要忘記明晚你來的時候，千萬把他的眼珠帶來，因為我想嘗嘗味道。”
公主彎腰行了禮，同時答應(yīng)地決不會忘記那對眼珠。魔法師于是就打開山。她又飛回家去。不過旅伴在跟著她，同時用技條拼命抽她。她不禁大聲嘆氣，說冰雹真厲害。她加速地飛，希望早點飛進窗子，回到睡房里去。旅伴飛回旅店的時候，約翰奈斯還在熟睡。他摘下翅膀，也躺到床上睡了，因為他已經(jīng)很疲倦了。
當(dāng)約翰奈斯醒來的時候，天已經(jīng)亮了。旅伴也起來了，并且說他昨夜做了一個非常奇怪的夢，夢見公主和她的一只鞋子。因此旅伴就叫約翰奈斯問一問公主，她心里是不是在想一只鞋子!這正是他從山里魔法師口中所聽到的東西。但是他一點也不把實情告訴約翰奈斯。他只是叫他問她是不是在想一只鞋子。
“我當(dāng)然可以問她這件事，正如我可以問她任何別的事一樣，”約翰奈斯說。“也許你的夢是有道理的，因為我一直相信，上帝會幫助我。不過我現(xiàn)在得向你告別了，因為如果我猜錯了的話，我就再也不能見到你了。”
于是他們互相擁抱了一下。約翰奈斯走進城，直接到宮里去。大殿里擠滿了人：裁判官都坐在靠椅上，而且還在腦袋后邊墊了許多鴨絨枕頭——因為他們有很多事情要費腦筋來想。老國王站起來，用一塊白手帕措了一下眼睛。這時公主也進來了。她的樣子比昨天還要漂亮。她很和氣地向大家行禮，不過她對約翰奈斯伸出手來，說：“祝你平安!”
現(xiàn)在約翰奈斯要猜猜她心里想的是什么東西。老天爺!她瞧著他的那副樣兒真可愛，不過當(dāng)她一聽到他說出“一只鞋子”以后，她臉上立刻變得比粉筆還要慘白。她的全身發(fā)抖，但是這也解決不了問題，因為他猜對了!真想不到：老國王才高興呢!他翻了一個跟頭，樣子真好看。所有在場的人都為他和約翰奈斯鼓掌——他是第一次猜中了的人!
旅伴聽到這個圓滿的結(jié)果，也感到很高興。但是約翰奈斯合著雙手，感謝仁慈的上帝——他下一次一定也會幫助他的。第二天他又得去猜。
這天晚上過得像昨天一樣。當(dāng)約翰奈斯睡著了的時候，旅伴仍舊跟在公主后面飛到山里去。他在路上把她拍得比上次還要厲害，因為這次他帶著兩根枝條。誰也看不見他，可是他什么都能聽見。公主這次心里要想的是一只手套。旅伴把這事又作為一個夢告訴了約翰奈斯。因此約翰奈斯又猜中了。宮里的人全都非常高興。所有的大臣，照上次他們看到國王翻跟頭的那個樣子，也都翻起跟頭來。只有公主一個人躺在沙發(fā)上，一句話也說不出來�，F(xiàn)在的問題是：約翰奈斯是不是第三次也能猜得中呢?如果他能猜中的話，他不僅有了這位美麗的公主，還可以在國王死后繼承整個的王國哩。如果他猜不中，他就要喪失生命，而且那個魔法師還要把他的那一對美麗的藍(lán)眼珠吃掉。
這天晚上約翰奈斯上床很早。他念了晚禱就安靜地睡著了。不過旅伴照舊把翅膀系在背上，把寶劍掛在身邊，拿起三根枝條，向?qū)m中飛去。
這是一個漆黑的夜。風(fēng)吹得厲害，連屋頂上的瓦都吹走了;花園里掛著骸骨的那些樹，在暴風(fēng)中像蘆葦似地倒下來了。每秒鐘都在閃電，雷聲不停，好像只有這一個雷聲整夜在響似的。這時窗子大開，公主向外飛出去了。她的面色像死人一樣慘白，不過她仍然對這惡劣的天氣發(fā)笑，覺得它還不夠惡劣。她的白外衣在風(fēng)中鼓動著，像一片大船帆�？墒锹冒檫@次用三根枝條抽她，她的血直往地上滴，弄得她幾乎沒有氣力再向前飛了。最后她好容易才飛到那個山上。
“冰雹和狂風(fēng)真厲害!”她說。‘哦從來沒有在這樣的天氣里飛過。”
“好事多磨!”魔法師說。
她把約翰奈斯第二天又猜中了的事情告訴他。如果他明天又猜中的話，那么他就勝利了，她將再也不能飛到山里來看他，再也不能像以前那樣使魔法了，因此她現(xiàn)在感到非常難過。
“這次決不叫他猜中，”魔法師說。“我要找出一件叫他連做夢也想不到的東西，如果他再猜中的話，那么他簡直是一個比我還要高明的魔法師了。不過我們現(xiàn)在還是快樂一番吧。”
于是他拉著公主的雙手，跟屋子里所有的妖精和鬼火一同跳起舞來。紅蜘蛛也同樣在墻上跳上跳下，好像有許多火紅的花朵在射出火花似的。貓頭鷹在擊鼓，蟋蟀在吹蕭管，黑蚱蜢在彈著獨弦琴。這真是一個歡樂的舞會!
當(dāng)他們舞了相當(dāng)長的一段時間以后，公主就不得不回家去了，否則宮里的人就要找她了。魔法師說他愿意送她回去，因為這樣他又可以跟她在一起多呆一段時間。
他們在惡劣的天氣中飛。旅伴把他的三根枝條都在他們背上抽斷了。魔法師從來沒有在這樣厲害的冰雹中旅行過。他在宮殿前向公主告別，同時低聲在她耳邊說：“你心中想著我的頭吧。”旅伴又聽到了這句話。正在這時候，公主從窗子飛進她的睡房里去了。魔法師正要掉轉(zhuǎn)身，旅伴就一把抓住他又長又黑的胡子，用劍把他的丑惡的腦袋砍下來，弄得魔法師連回頭看他一下的機會都沒有。他把他的尸體扔進海里去喂了魚;至于他的腦袋，他只放進水里浸一下，然后把它包在濕手帕里，帶回到旅店里來，接著他就躺在床上睡了。
第二天早晨他把手帕交給約翰奈斯，但是他說：在公主沒有要他猜測她心中所想的東西以前，切記不要打開。
宮中的大殿里現(xiàn)在有許多人。他們緊緊地擠在一起，好像一大捆蘿卜。裁判官坐在有柔軟枕頭的椅子上，老國王也換上了新衣服，金王冠和王笏也擦亮了，看起來非常漂亮。不過公主的面色慘白，她穿著一身深黑色的衣服，好像要去參加葬禮似的。
“我現(xiàn)在心里想著什么東西呢?”她問。約翰立刻打開他的手帕。當(dāng)他看見魔法師難看的腦袋時，他自己也大吃一驚。所有在場的人也都嚇了一跳，因為這實在太可怕了。不過公主坐著像一尊石像，一句話也說不出來。最后她站起來，把手伸向約翰奈斯，因為他猜中了。她誰也不看，只是唉聲嘆氣。她說：“你現(xiàn)在是我的主人了!今晚我們就舉行婚禮吧。”
“這才叫我高興呢!”老國王說。“這滿足了我的心愿。”
所有在場的人都高呼：“萬歲!”軍樂隊在街上奏起樂來，教堂的鐘聲響起來，賣糕餅的老太婆把糖豬身上的黑紗取下來，因為現(xiàn)在大家都非常快樂。三只烤熟了的整牛——肚里全填滿了雞鴨——現(xiàn)在放在市場中央，任何人都可以去割一塊下來吃。噴泉現(xiàn)在流出美酒。老百姓只要到面包店去花一個毫子買一塊面包，就可以同時得到六塊甜面包的贈品——而且這些甜面包里還有葡萄干呢。
夜里整個城市亮得像白天一樣。兵士放禮炮，孩子放鞭炮。宮里在舉行宴會，喝酒，干杯和跳舞。紳士和小姐們在成對跳舞。就是住在很遠(yuǎn)的人都能聽到他們的歌聲——
這里有這么多的美女
她們個個都喜歡跳舞。
她們跳著《大鼓進行曲》，
美麗的姑娘喲，旋轉(zhuǎn)吧!。
舞一步，又跳一步，
一直跳到鞋底落下。
然而這公主仍然是一個巫婆。她并不太喜歡約翰奈斯。這一點，旅伴早已料想到了，因此他給約翰奈斯三根天鵝翅上的羽毛，和一個裝有幾滴水的小瓶。他叫他在公主的床前放一個裝滿了水的澡盆，當(dāng)公主要上床的時候，他可以把她輕輕一推，使她落到水里;他先把羽毛和瓶子里的水倒進去，然后把她按進水里三次;這樣就可以使她失去魔力，熱烈地愛起他來。
約翰奈斯照旅伴說的話辦了。當(dāng)他把公主按進水里的時候，她大叫了一聲，同時變成了一只睜著亮眼睛的黑天鵝，在他的手下面掙扎。這天鵝第二次冒出水面的時候，就變成了白色，只是頭頸上有一道黑圈;約翰奈斯向上帝祈禱，然后又把這天鵝第三次按進水里。這時它立刻又變成一個可愛的公主。她比以前還要美麗。她感謝他，她的眼里含著水汪汪的淚珠，因為他把附在她身上的魔力驅(qū)走了。
第二天老國王帶著全體朝臣來了。盛大的慶祝會舉運了一整天。旅伴是最后來的一位客人。他手里拄著手杖，背上背著行羹。約翰奈斯吻了他好幾次，請他不要離開，請他和自己住在一起，因為約翰奈斯的幸福完全是他帶來的。不過旅伴搖搖頭，同時溫和地、善意地說：“不行，我的時刻已經(jīng)到了。我只不過是還清我的債務(wù)罷了。你記得兩個壞人想要傷害的那具尸體嗎?你把你所有的東西都拿出來給他們，好叫死人能安靜地睡在里面。我就是那個死人。”
說完以后他就不見了。
結(jié)婚的慶祝繼續(xù)了一整個月。約翰奈斯和公主真誠地相親相愛。老國王長時期過著愉快的日子;公主的孩子們騎在他的膝上，玩弄著他的王笏，后來約翰奈斯就成了整個國家的君主。
�、龠@是《圣經(jīng)·新約全書·馬太福音》里第六章九至十三節(jié)中的一段話�；酵礁兄x上帝時都念這個禱告。
�、诟鶕�(jù)歐洲的習(xí)慣，黑色象征哀傷。
旅伴英文版：
The Travelling Companion
OOR John was very sad; for his father was so ill, he had no hope of his recovery. John sat alone with the sick man in the little room, and the lamp had nearly burnt out; for it was late in the night.
“You have been a good son, John,” said the sick father, “and God will help you on in the world.” He looked at him, as he spoke, with mild, earnest eyes, drew a deep sigh, and died; yet it appeared as if he still slept.
John wept bitterly. He had no one in the wide world now; neither father, mother, brother, nor sister. Poor John! he knelt down by the bed, kissed his dead father’s hand, and wept many, many bitter tears. But at last his eyes closed, and he fell asleep with his head resting against the hard bedpost. Then he dreamed a strange dream; he thought he saw the sun shining upon him, and his father alive and well, and even heard him laughing as he used to do when he was very happy. A beautiful girl, with a golden crown on her head, and long, shining hair, gave him her hand; and his father said, “See what a bride you have won. She is the loveliest maiden on the whole earth.” Then he awoke, and all the beautiful things vanished before his eyes, his father lay dead on the bed, and he was all alone. Poor John!
During the following week the dead man was buried. The son walked behind the coffin which contained his father, whom he so dearly loved, and would never again behold. He heard the earth fall on the coffin-lid, and watched it till only a corner remained in sight, and at last that also disappeared. He felt as if his heart would break with its weight of sorrow, till those who stood round the grave sang a psalm, and the sweet, holy tones brought tears into his eyes, which relieved him. The sun shone brightly down on the green trees, as if it would say, “You must not be so sorrowful, John. Do you see the beautiful blue sky above you? Your father is up there, and he prays to the loving Father of all, that you may do well in the future.”
“I will always be good,” said John, “and then I shall go to be with my father in heaven. What joy it will be when we see each other again! How much I shall have to relate to him, and how many things he will be able to explain to me of the delights of heaven, and teach me as he once did on earth. Oh, what joy it will be!”
He pictured it all so plainly to himself, that he smiled even while the tears ran down his cheeks.
The little birds in the chestnut-trees twittered, “Tweet, tweet;” they were so happy, although they had seen the funeral; but they seemed as if they knew that the dead man was now in heaven, and that he had wings much larger and more beautiful than their own; and he was happy now, because he had been good here on earth, and they were glad of it. John saw them fly away out of the green trees into the wide world, and he longed to fly with them; but first he cut out a large wooden cross, to place on his father’s grave; and when he brought it there in the evening, he found the grave decked out with gravel and flowers. Strangers had done this; they who had known the good old father who was now dead, and who had loved him very much.
Early the next morning, John packed up his little bundle of clothes, and placed all his money, which consisted of fifty dollars and a few shillings, in his girdle; with this he determined to try his fortune in the world. But first he went into the churchyard; and, by his father’s grave, he offered up a prayer, and said, “Farewell.”
As he passed through the fields, all the flowers looked fresh and beautiful in the warm sunshine, and nodded in the wind, as if they wished to say, “Welcome to the green wood, where all is fresh and bright.”
Then John turned to have one more look at the old church, in which he had been christened in his infancy, and where his father had taken him every Sunday to hear the service and join in singing the psalms. As he looked at the old tower, he espied the ringer standing at one of the narrow openings, with his little pointed red cap on his head, and shading his eyes from the sun with his bent arm. John nodded farewell to him, and the little ringer waved his red cap, laid his hand on his heart, and kissed his hand to him a great many times, to show that he felt kindly towards him, and wished him a prosperous journey.
John continued his journey, and thought of all the wonderful things he should see in the large, beautiful world, till he found himself farther away from home than ever he had been before. He did not even know the names of the places he passed through, and could scarcely understand the language of the people he met, for he was far away, in a strange land. The first night he slept on a haystack, out in the fields, for there was no other bed for him; but it seemed to him so nice and comfortable that even a king need not wish for a better. The field, the brook, the haystack, with the blue sky above, formed a beautiful sleeping-room. The green grass, with the little red and white flowers, was the carpet; the elder-bushes and the hedges of wild roses looked like garlands on the walls; and for a bath he could have the clear, fresh water of the brook; while the rushes bowed their heads to him, to wish him good morning and good evening. The moon, like a large lamp, hung high up in the blue ceiling, and he had no fear of its setting fire to his curtains. John slept here quite safely all night; and when he awoke, the sun was up, and all the little birds were singing round him, “Good morning, good morning. Are you not up yet?”
It was Sunday, and the bells were ringing for church. As the people went in, John followed them; he heard God’s word, joined in singing the psalms, and listened to the preacher. It seemed to him just as if he were in his own church, where he had been christened, and had sung the psalms with his father. Out in the churchyard were several graves, and on some of them the grass had grown very high. John thought of his father’s grave, which he knew at last would look like these, as he was not there to weed and attend to it. Then he set to work, pulled up the high grass, raised the wooden crosses which had fallen down, and replaced the wreaths which had been blown away from their places by the wind, thinking all the time, “Perhaps some one is doing the same for my father’s grave, as I am not there to do it ”
Outside the church door stood an old beggar, leaning on his crutch. John gave him his silver shillings, and then he continued his journey, feeling lighter and happier than ever. Towards evening, the weather became very stormy, and he hastened on as quickly as he could, to get shelter; but it was quite dark by the time he reached a little lonely church which stood on a hill. “I will go in here,” he said, “and sit down in a corner; for I am quite tired, and want rest.”
So he went in, and seated himself; then he folded his hands, and offered up his evening prayer, and was soon fast asleep and dreaming, while the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed without. When he awoke, it was still night; but the storm had ceased, and the moon shone in upon him through the windows. Then he saw an open coffin standing in the centre of the church, which contained a dead man, waiting for burial. John was not at all timid; he had a good conscience, and he knew also that the dead can never injure any one. It is living wicked men who do harm to others. Two such wicked persons stood now by the dead man, who had been brought to the church to be buried. Their evil intentions were to throw the poor dead body outside the church door, and not leave him to rest in his coffin.
“Why do you do this?” asked John, when he saw what they were going to do; “it is very wicked. Leave him to rest in peace, in Christ’s name.”
“Nonsense,” replied the two dreadful men. “He has cheated us; he owed us money which he could not pay, and now he is dead we shall not get a penny; so we mean to have our revenge, and let him lie like a dog outside the church door.”
“I have only fifty dollars,” said John, “it is all I possess in the world, but I will give it to you if you will promise me faithfully to leave the dead man in peace. I shall be able to get on without the money; I have strong and healthy limbs, and God will always help me.”
“Why, of course,” said the horrid men, “if you will pay his debt we will both promise not to touch him. You may depend upon that;” and then they took the money he offered them, laughed at him for his good nature, and went their way.
Then he laid the dead body back in the coffin, folded the hands, and took leave of it; and went away contentedly through the great forest. All around him he could see the prettiest little elves dancing in the moonlight, which shone through the trees. They were not disturbed by his appearance, for they knew he was good and harmless among men. They are wicked people only who can never obtain a glimpse of fairies. Some of them were not taller than the breadth of a finger, and they wore golden combs in their long, yellow hair. They were rocking themselves two together on the large dew-drops with which the leaves and the high grass were sprinkled. Sometimes the dew-drops would roll away, and then they fell down between the stems of the long grass, and caused a great deal of laughing and noise among the other little people. It was quite charming to watch them at play. Then they sang songs, and John remembered that he had learnt those pretty songs when he was a little boy. Large speckled spiders, with silver crowns on their heads, were employed to spin suspension bridges and palaces from one hedge to another, and when the tiny drops fell upon them, they glittered in the moonlight like shining glass. This continued till sunrise. Then the little elves crept into the flower-buds, and the wind seized the bridges and palaces, and fluttered them in the air like cobwebs.
As John left the wood, a strong man’s voice called after him, “Hallo, comrade, where are you travelling?”
“Into the wide world,” he replied; “I am only a poor lad, I have neither father nor mother, but God will help me.”
“I am going into the wide world also,” replied the stranger; “shall we keep each other company?”
“With all my heart,” he said, and so they went on together. Soon they began to like each other very much, for they were both good; but John found out that the stranger was much more clever than himself. He had travelled all over the world, and could describe almost everything. The sun was high in the heavens when they seated themselves under a large tree to eat their breakfast, and at the same moment an old woman came towards them. She was very old and almost bent double. She leaned upon a stick and carried on her back a bundle of firewood, which she had collected in the forest; her apron was tied round it, and John saw three great stems of fern and some willow twigs peeping out. just as she came close up to them, her foot slipped and she fell to the ground screaming loudly; poor old woman, she had broken her leg! John proposed directly that they should carry the old woman home to her cottage; but the stranger opened his knapsack and took out a box, in which he said he had a salve that would quickly make her leg well and strong again, so that she would be able to walk home herself, as if her leg had never been broken. And all that he would ask in return was the three fern stems which she carried in her apron.
“That is rather too high a price,” said the old woman, nodding her head quite strangely. She did not seem at all inclined to part with the fern stems. However, it was not very agreeable to lie there with a broken leg, so she gave them to him; and such was the power of the ointment, that no sooner had he rubbed her leg with it than the old mother rose up and walked even better than she had done before. But then this wonderful ointment could not be bought at a chemist’s.
“What can you want with those three fern rods?” asked John of his fellow-traveller.
“Oh, they will make capital brooms,” said he; “and I like them because I have strange whims sometimes.” Then they walked on together for a long distance.
“How dark the sky is becoming,” said John; “and look at those thick, heavy clouds.”
“Those are not clouds,” replied his fellow-traveller; “they are mountains—large lofty mountains—on the tops of which we should be above the clouds, in the pure, free air. Believe me, it is delightful to ascend so high, tomorrow we shall be there.” But the mountains were not so near as they appeared; they had to travel a whole day before they reached them, and pass through black forests and piles of rock as large as a town. The journey had been so fatiguing that John and his fellow-traveller stopped to rest at a roadside inn, so that they might gain strength for their journey on the morrow. In the large public room of the inn a great many persons were assembled to see a comedy performed by dolls. The showman had just erected his little theatre, and the people were sitting round the room to witness the performance. Right in front, in the very best place, sat a stout butcher, with a great bull-dog by his side who seemed very much inclined to bite. He sat staring with all his eyes, and so indeed did every one else in the room. And then the play began. It was a pretty piece, with a king and a queen in it, who sat on a beautiful throne, and had gold crowns on their heads. The trains to their dresses were very long, according to the fashion; while the prettiest of wooden dolls, with glass eyes and large mustaches, stood at the doors, and opened and shut them, that the fresh air might come into the room. It was a very pleasant play, not at all mournful; but just as the queen stood up and walked across the stage, the great bull-dog, who should have been held back by his master, made a spring forward, and caught the queen in the teeth by the slender wrist, so that it snapped in two. This was a very dreadful disaster. The poor man, who was exhibiting the dolls, was much annoyed, and quite sad about his queen; she was the prettiest doll he had, and the bull-dog had broken her head and shoulders off. But after all the people were gone away, the stranger, who came with John, said that he could soon set her to rights. And then he brought out his box and rubbed the doll with some of the salve with which he had cured the old woman when she broke her leg. As soon as this was done the doll’s back became quite right again; her head and shoulders were fixed on, and she could even move her limbs herself: there was now no occasion to pull the wires, for the doll acted just like a living creature, excepting that she could not speak. The man to whom the show belonged was quite delighted at having a doll who could dance of herself without being pulled by the wires; none of the other dolls could do this.
During the night, when all the people at the inn were gone to bed, some one was heard to sigh so deeply and painfully, and the sighing continued for so long a time, that every one got up to see what could be the matter. The showman went at once to his little theatre and found that it proceeded from the dolls, who all lay on the floor sighing piteously, and staring with their glass eyes; they all wanted to be rubbed with the ointment, so that, like the queen, they might be able to move of themselves. The queen threw herself on her knees, took off her beautiful crown, and, holding it in her hand, cried, “Take this from me, but do rub my husband and his courtiers.”
The poor man who owned the theatre could scarcely refrain from weeping; he was so sorry that he could not help them. Then he immediately spoke to John’s comrade, and promised him all the money he might receive at the next evening’s performance, if he would only rub the ointment on four or five of his dolls. But the fellow-traveller said he did not require anything in return, excepting the sword which the showman wore by his side. As soon as he received the sword he anointed six of the dolls with the ointment, and they were able immediately to dance so gracefully that all the living girls in the room could not help joining in the dance. The coachman danced with the cook, and the waiters with the chambermaids, and all the strangers joined; even the tongs and the fire-shovel made an attempt, but they fell down after the first jump. So after all it was a very merry night. The next morning John and his companion left the inn to continue their journey through the great pine-forests and over the high mountains. They arrived at last at such a great height that towns and villages lay beneath them, and the church steeples looked like little specks between the green trees. They could see for miles round, far away to places they had never visited, and John saw more of the beautiful world than he had ever known before. The sun shone brightly in the blue firmament above, and through the clear mountain air came the sound of the huntsman’s horn, and the soft, sweet notes brought tears into his eyes, and he could not help exclaiming, “How good and loving God is to give us all this beauty and loveliness in the world to make us happy!”
His fellow-traveller stood by with folded hands, gazing on the dark wood and the towns bathed in the warm sunshine. At this moment there sounded over their heads sweet music. They looked up, and discovered a large white swan hovering in the air, and singing as never bird sang before. But the song soon became weaker and weaker, the bird’s head drooped, and he sunk slowly down, and lay dead at their feet.
“It is a beautiful bird,” said the traveller, “and these large white wings are worth a great deal of money. I will take them with me. You see now that a sword will be very useful.”
So he cut off the wings of the dead swan with one blow, and carried them away with him.
They now continued their journey over the mountains for many miles, till they at length reached a large city, containing hundreds of towers, that shone in the sunshine like silver. In the midst of the city stood a splendid marble palace, roofed with pure red gold, in which dwelt the king. John and his companion would not go into the town immediately; so they stopped at an inn outside the town, to change their clothes; for they wished to appear respectable as they walked through the streets. The landlord told them that the king was a very good man, who never injured any one: but as to his daughter, “Heaven defend us!”
She was indeed a wicked princess. She possessed beauty enough—nobody could be more elegant or prettier than she was; but what of that? for she was a wicked witch; and in consequence of her conduct many noble young princes had lost their lives. Any one was at liberty to make her an offer; were he a prince or a beggar, it mattered not to her. She would ask him to guess three things which she had just thought of, and if he succeed, he was to marry her, and be king over all the land when her father died; but if he could not guess these three things, then she ordered him to be hanged or to have his head cut off. The old king, her father, was very much grieved at her conduct, but he could not prevent her from being so wicked, because he once said he would have nothing more to do with her lovers; she might do as she pleased. Each prince who came and tried the three guesses, so that he might marry the princess, had been unable to find them out, and had been hanged or beheaded. They had all been warned in time, and might have left her alone, if they would. The old king became at last so distressed at all these dreadful circumstances, that for a whole day every year he and his soldiers knelt and prayed that the princess might become good; but she continued as wicked as ever. The old women who drank brandy would color it quite black before they drank it, to show how they mourned; and what more could they do?
“What a horrible princess!” said John; “she ought to be well flogged. If I were the old king, I would have her punished in some way.”
Just then they heard the people outside shouting, “Hurrah!” and, looking out, they saw the princess passing by; and she was really so beautiful that everybody forgot her wickedness, and shouted “Hurrah!” Twelve lovely maidens in white silk dresses, holding golden tulips in their hands, rode by her side on coal-black horses. The princess herself had a snow-white steed, decked with diamonds and rubies. Her dress was of cloth of gold, and the whip she held in her hand looked like a sunbeam. The golden crown on her head glittered like the stars of heaven, and her mantle was formed of thousands of butterflies’ wings sewn together. Yet she herself was more beautiful than all.
When John saw her, his face became as red as a drop of blood, and he could scarcely utter a word. The princess looked exactly like the beautiful lady with the golden crown, of whom he had dreamed on the night his father died. She appeared to him so lovely that he could not help loving her.
“It could not be true,” he thought, “that she was really a wicked witch, who ordered people to be hanged or beheaded, if they could not guess her thoughts. Every one has permission to go and ask her hand, even the poorest beggar. I shall pay a visit to the palace,” he said; “I must go, for I cannot help myself.”
Then they all advised him not to attempt it; for he would be sure to share the same fate as the rest. His fellow-traveller also tried to persuade him against it; but John seemed quite sure of success. He brushed his shoes and his coat, washed his face and his hands, combed his soft flaxen hair, and then went out alone into the town, and walked to the palace.
“Come in,” said the king, as John knocked at the door. John opened it, and the old king, in a dressing gown and embroidered slippers, came towards him. He had the crown on his head, carried his sceptre in one hand, and the orb in the other. “Wait a bit,” said he, and he placed the orb under his arm, so that he could offer the other hand to John; but when he found that John was another suitor, he began to weep so violently, that both the sceptre and the orb fell to the floor, and he was obliged to wipe his eyes with his dressing gown. Poor old king! “Let her alone,” he said; “you will fare as badly as all the others. Come, I will show you.” Then he led him out into the princess’s pleasure gardens, and there he saw a frightful sight. On every tree hung three or four king’s sons who had wooed the princess, but had not been able to guess the riddles she gave them. Their skeletons rattled in every breeze, so that the terrified birds never dared to venture into the garden. All the flowers were supported by human bones instead of sticks, and human skulls in the flower-pots grinned horribly. It was really a doleful garden for a princess. “Do you see all this?” said the old king; “your fate will be the same as those who are here, therefore do not attempt it. You really make me very unhappy,—I take these things to heart so very much.”
John kissed the good old king’s hand, and said he was sure it would be all right, for he was quite enchanted with the beautiful princess. Then the princess herself came riding into the palace yard with all her ladies, and he wished her “Good morning.” She looked wonderfully fair and lovely when she offered her hand to John, and he loved her more than ever. How could she be a wicked witch, as all the people asserted? He accompanied her into the hall, and the little pages offered them gingerbread nuts and sweetmeats, but the old king was so unhappy he could eat nothing, and besides, gingerbread nuts were too hard for him. It was decided that John should come to the palace the next day, when the judges and the whole of the counsellors would be present, to try if he could guess the first riddle. If he succeeded, he would have to come a second time; but if not, he would lose his life,—and no one had ever been able to guess even one. However, John was not at all anxious about the result of his trial; on the contrary, he was very merry. He thought only of the beautiful princess, and believed that in some way he should have help, but how he knew not, and did not like to think about it; so he danced along the high-road as he went back to the inn, where he had left his fellow-traveller waiting for him. John could not refrain from telling him how gracious the princess had been, and how beautiful she looked. He longed for the next day so much, that he might go to the palace and try his luck at guessing the riddles. But his comrade shook his head, and looked very mournful. “I do so wish you to do well,” said he; “we might have continued together much longer, and now I am likely to lose you; you poor dear John! I could shed tears, but I will not make you unhappy on the last night we may be together. We will be merry, really merry this evening; to-morrow, after you are gone, shall be able to weep undisturbed.”
It was very quickly known among the inhabitants of the town that another suitor had arrived for the princess, and there was great sorrow in consequence. The theatre remained closed, the women who sold sweetmeats tied crape round the sugar-sticks, and the king and the priests were on their knees in the church. There was a great lamentation, for no one expected John to succeed better than those who had been suitors before.
In the evening John’s comrade prepared a large bowl of punch, and said, “Now let us be merry, and drink to the health of the princess.” But after drinking two glasses, John became so sleepy, that he could not keep his eyes open, and fell fast asleep. Then his fellow-traveller lifted him gently out of his chair, and laid him on the bed; and as soon as it was quite dark, he took the two large wings which he had cut from the dead swan, and tied them firmly to his own shoulders. Then he put into his pocket the largest of the three rods which he had obtained from the old woman who had fallen and broken her leg. After this he opened the window, and flew away over the town, straight towards the palace, and seated himself in a corner, under the window which looked into the bedroom of the princess.
The town was perfectly still when the clocks struck a quarter to twelve. Presently the window opened, and the princess, who had large black wings to her shoulders, and a long white mantle, flew away over the city towards a high mountain. The fellow-traveller, who had made himself invisible, so that she could not possibly see him, flew after her through the air, and whipped the princess with his rod, so that the blood came whenever he struck her. Ah, it was a strange flight through the air! The wind caught her mantle, so that it spread out on all sides, like the large sail of a ship, and the moon shone through it. “How it hails, to be sure!” said the princess, at each blow she received from the rod; and it served her right to be whipped.
At last she reached the side of the mountain, and knocked. The mountain opened with a noise like the roll of thunder, and the princess went in. The traveller followed her; no one could see him, as he had made himself invisible. They went through a long, wide passage. A thousand gleaming spiders ran here and there on the walls, causing them to glitter as if they were illuminated with fire. They next entered a large hall built of silver and gold. Large red and blue flowers shone on the walls, looking like sunflowers in size, but no one could dare to pluck them, for the stems were hideous poisonous snakes, and the flowers were flames of fire, darting out of their jaws. Shining glow-worms covered the ceiling, and sky-blue bats flapped their transparent wings. Altogether the place had a frightful appearance. In the middle of the floor stood a throne supported by four skeleton horses, whose harness had been made by fiery-red spiders. The throne itself was made of milk-white glass, and the cushions were little black mice, each biting the other’s tail. Over it hung a canopy of rose-colored spider’s webs, spotted with the prettiest little green flies, which sparkled like precious stones. On the throne sat an old magician with a crown on his ugly head, and a sceptre in his hand. He kissed the princess on the forehead, seated her by his side on the splendid throne, and then the music commenced. Great black grasshoppers played the mouth organ, and the owl struck herself on the body instead of a drum. It was altogether a ridiculous concert. Little black goblins with false lights in their caps danced about the hall; but no one could see the traveller, and he had placed himself just behind the throne where he could see and hear everything. The courtiers who came in afterwards looked noble and grand; but any one with common sense could see what they really were, only broomsticks, with cabbages for heads. The magician had given them life, and dressed them in embroidered robes. It answered very well, as they were only wanted for show. After there had been a little dancing, the princess told the magician that she had a new suitor, and asked him what she could think of for the suitor to guess when he came to the castle the next morning.
“Listen to what I say,” said the magician, “you must choose something very easy, he is less likely to guess it then. Think of one of your shoes, he will never imagine it is that. Then cut his head off; and mind you do not forget to bring his eyes with you to-morrow night, that I may eat them.”
The princess curtsied low, and said she would not forget the eyes.
The magician then opened the mountain and she flew home again, but the traveller followed and flogged her so much with the rod, that she sighed quite deeply about the heavy hail-storm, and made as much haste as she could to get back to her bedroom through the window. The traveller then returned to the inn where John still slept, took off his wings and laid down on the bed, for he was very tired. Early in the morning John awoke, and when his fellow-traveller got up, he said that he had a very wonderful dream about the princess and her shoe, he therefore advised John to ask her if she had not thought of her shoe. Of course the traveller knew this from what the magician in the mountain had said.
“I may as well say that as anything,” said John. “Perhaps your dream may come true; still I will say farewell, for if I guess wrong I shall never see you again.”
Then they embraced each other, and John went into the town and walked to the palace. The great hall was full of people, and the judges sat in arm-chairs, with eider-down cushions to rest their heads upon, because they had so much to think of. The old king stood near, wiping his eyes with his white pocket-handkerchief. When the princess entered, she looked even more beautiful than she had appeared the day before, and greeted every one present most gracefully; but to John she gave her hand, and said, “Good morning to you.”
Now came the time for John to guess what she was thinking of; and oh, how kindly she looked at him as she spoke. But when he uttered the single word shoe, she turned as pale as a ghost; all her wisdom could not help her, for he had guessed rightly. Oh, how pleased the old king was! It was quite amusing to see how he capered about. All the people clapped their hands, both on his account and John’s, who had guessed rightly the first time. His fellow-traveller was glad also, when he heard how successful John had been. But John folded his hands, and thanked God, who, he felt quite sure, would help him again; and he knew he had to guess twice more. The evening passed pleasantly like the one preceding. While John slept, his companion flew behind the princess to the mountain, and flogged her even harder than before; this time he had taken two rods with him. No one saw him go in with her, and he heard all that was said. The princess this time was to think of a glove, and he told John as if he had again heard it in a dream. The next day, therefore, he was able to guess correctly the second time, and it caused great rejoicing at the palace. The whole court jumped about as they had seen the king do the day before, but the princess lay on the sofa, and would not say a single word. All now depended upon John. If he only guessed rightly the third time, he would marry the princess, and reign over the kingdom after the death of the old king: but if he failed, he would lose his life, and the magician would have his beautiful blue eyes. That evening John said his prayers and went to bed very early, and soon fell asleep calmly. But his companion tied on his wings to his shoulders, took three rods, and, with his sword at his side, flew to the palace. It was a very dark night, and so stormy that the tiles flew from the roofs of the houses, and the trees in the garden upon which the skeletons hung bent themselves like reeds before the wind. The lightning flashed, and the thunder rolled in one long-continued peal all night. The window of the castle opened, and the princess flew out. She was pale as death, but she laughed at the storm as if it were not bad enough. Her white mantle fluttered in the wind like a large sail, and the traveller flogged her with the three rods till the blood trickled down, and at last she could scarcely fly; she contrived, however, to reach the mountain. “What a hail-storm!” she said, as she entered; “I have never been out in such weather as this.”
“Yes, there may be too much of a good thing sometimes,” said the magician.
Then the princess told him that John had guessed rightly the second time, and if he succeeded the next morning, he would win, and she could never come to the mountain again, or practice magic as she had done, and therefore she was quite unhappy. “I will find out something for you to think of which he will never guess, unless he is a greater conjuror than myself. But now let us be merry.”
Then he took the princess by both hands, and they danced with all the little goblins and Jack-o’-lanterns in the room. The red spiders sprang here and there on the walls quite as merrily, and the flowers of fire appeared as if they were throwing out sparks. The owl beat the drum, the crickets whistled and the grasshoppers played the mouth-organ. It was a very ridiculous ball. After they had danced enough, the princess was obliged to go home, for fear she should be missed at the palace. The magician offered to go with her, that they might be company to each other on the way. Then they flew away through the bad weather, and the traveller followed them, and broke his three rods across their shoulders. The magician had never been out in such a hail-storm as this. Just by the palace the magician stopped to wish the princess farewell, and to whisper in her ear, “To-morrow think of my head.”
But the traveller heard it, and just as the princess slipped through the window into her bedroom, and the magician turned round to fly back to the mountain, he seized him by the long black beard, and with his sabre cut off the wicked conjuror’s head just behind the shoulders, so that he could not even see who it was. He threw the body into the sea to the fishes, and after dipping the head into the water, he tied it up in a silk handkerchief, took it with him to the inn, and then went to bed. The next morning he gave John the handkerchief, and told him not to untie it till the princess asked him what she was thinking of. There were so many people in the great hall of the palace that they stood as thick as radishes tied together in a bundle. The council sat in their arm-chairs with the white cushions. The old king wore new robes, and the golden crown and sceptre had been polished up so that he looked quite smart. But the princess was very pale, and wore a black dress as if she were going to a funeral.
“What have I thought of?” asked the princess, of John. He immediately untied the handkerchief, and was himself quite frightened when he saw the head of the ugly magician. Every one shuddered, for it was terrible to look at; but the princess sat like a statue, and could not utter a single word. At length she rose and gave John her hand, for he had guessed rightly.
She looked at no one, but sighed deeply, and said, “You are my master now; this evening our marriage must take place.”
“I am very pleased to hear it,” said the old king. “It is just what I wish.”
Then all the people shouted “Hurrah.” The band played music in the streets, the bells rang, and the cake-women took the black crape off the sugar-sticks. There was universal joy. Three oxen, stuffed with ducks and chickens, were roasted whole in the market-place, where every one might help himself to a slice. The fountains spouted forth the most delicious wine, and whoever bought a penny loaf at the baker’s received six large buns, full of raisins, as a present. In the evening the whole town was illuminated. The soldiers fired off cannons, and the boys let off crackers. There was eating and drinking, dancing and jumping everywhere. In the palace, the high-born gentlemen and beautiful ladies danced with each other, and they could be heard at a great distance singing the following song:—
“Here are maidens, young and fair,
Dancing in the summer air;
Like two spinning-wheels at play,
Pretty maidens dance away-
Dance the spring and summer through
Till the sole falls from your shoe.”
But the princess was still a witch, and she could not love John. His fellow-traveller had thought of that, so he gave John three feathers out of the swan’s wings, and a little bottle with a few drops in it. He told him to place a large bath full of water by the princess’s bed, and put the feathers and the drops into it. Then, at the moment she was about to get into bed, he must give her a little push, so that she might fall into the water, and then dip her three times. This would destroy the power of the magician, and she would love him very much. John did all that his companion told him to do. The princess shrieked aloud when he dipped her under the water the first time, and struggled under his hands in the form of a great black swan with fiery eyes. As she rose the second time from the water, the swan had become white, with a black ring round its neck. John allowed the water to close once more over the bird, and at the same time it changed into a most beautiful princess. She was more lovely even than before, and thanked him, while her eyes sparkled with tears, for having broken the spell of the magician. The next day, the king came with the whole court to offer their congratulations, and stayed till quite late. Last of all came the travelling companion; he had his staff in his hand and his knapsack on his back. John kissed him many times and told him he must not go, he must remain with him, for he was the cause of all his good fortune. But the traveller shook his head, and said gently and kindly, “No: my time is up now; I have only paid my debt to you. Do you remember the dead man whom the bad people wished to throw out of his coffin? You gave all you possessed that he might rest in his grave; I am that man.” As he said this, he vanished.
The wedding festivities lasted a whole month. John and his princess loved each other dearly, and the old king lived to see many a happy day, when he took their little children on his knees and let them play with his sceptre. And John became king over the whole country.
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