| The little mermaid Far out in the ocean , where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower , and as clear as crystal , it is very , very deep ; so deep , indeed , that no cable could fathom it : many church steeples , piled one upon another , would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above . There dwell the Sea King and his subjects . We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand . No , indeed ; the most singular flowers and plants grow there ; the leaves and stems of which are so pliant , that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life . Fishes , both large and small , glide between the branches , as birds fly among the trees here upon land . In the deepest spot of all , stands the castle of the Sea King . Its walls are built of coral , and the long , gothic windows are of the clearest amber . The roof is formed of shells , that open and close as the water flows over them . Their appearance is very beautiful , for in each lies a glittering pearl , which would be fit for the diadem of a queen . The Sea King had been a widower for many years , and his aged mother kept house for him . She was a very wise woman , and exceedingly proud of her high birth ; on that account she wore twelve oysters on her tail ; while others , also of high rank , were only allowed to wear six . She was , however , deserving of very great praise , especially for her care of the little sea-princesses , her grand-daughters . They were six beautiful children ; but the youngest was the prettiest of them all ; her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf , and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea ; but , like all the others , she had no feet , and her body ended in a fish 's tail . All day long they played in the great halls of the castle , or among the living flowers that grew out of the walls . The large amber windows were open , and the fish swam in , just as the swallows fly into our houses when we open the windows , excepting that the fishes swam up to the princesses , ate out of their hands , and allowed themselves to be stroked . Outside the castle there was a beautiful garden , in which grew bright red and dark blue flowers , and blossoms like flames of fire ; the fruit glittered like gold , and the leaves and stems waved to and fro continually . The earth itself was the finest sand , but blue as the flame of burning sulphur . Over everything lay a peculiar blue radiance , as if it were surrounded by the air from above , through which the blue sky shone , instead of the dark depths of the sea . In calm weather the sun could be seen , looking like a purple flower , with the light streaming from the calyx . Each of the young princesses had a little plot of ground in the garden , where she might dig and plant as she pleased . One arranged her flower-bed into the form of a whale ; another thought it better to make hers like the figure of a little mermaid ; but that of the youngest was round like the sun , and contained flowers as red as his rays at sunset . She was a strange child , quiet and thoughtful ; and while her sisters would be delighted with the wonderful things which they obtained from the wrecks of vessels , she cared for nothing but her pretty red flowers , like the sun , excepting a beautiful marble statue . It was the representation of a handsome boy , carved out of pure white stone , which had fallen to the bottom of the sea from a wreck . She planted by the statue a rose-colored weeping willow . It grew splendidly , and very soon hung its fresh branches over the statue , almost down to the blue sands . The shadow had a violet tint , and waved to and fro like the branches ; it seemed as if the crown of the tree and the root were at play , and trying to kiss each other . Nothing gave her so much pleasure as to hear about the world above the sea . She made her old grandmother tell her all she knew of the ships and of the towns , the people and the animals . To her it seemed most wonderful and beautiful to hear that the flowers of the land should have fragrance , and not those below the sea ; that the trees of the forest should be green ; and that the fishes among the trees could sing so sweetly , that it was quite a pleasure to hear them . Her grandmother called the little birds fishes , or she would not have understood her ; for she had never seen birds . “ When you have reached your fifteenth year , ” said the grand-mother , “ you will have permission to rise up out of the sea , to sit on the rocks in the moonlight , while the great ships are sailing by ; and then you will see both forests and towns . ” In the following year , one of the sisters would be fifteen : but as each was a year younger than the other , the youngest would have to wait five years before her turn came to rise up from the bottom of the ocean , and see the earth as we do . However , each promised to tell the others what she saw on her first visit , and what she thought the most beautiful ; for their grandmother could not tell them enough ; there were so many things on which they wanted information . None of them longed so much for her turn to come as the youngest , she who had the longest time to wait , and who was so quiet and thoughtful . Many nights she stood by the open window , looking up through the dark blue water , and watching the fish as they splashed about with their fins and tails . She could see the moon and stars shining faintly ; but through the water they looked larger than they do to our eyes . When something like a black cloud passed between her and them , she knew that it was either a whale swimming over her head , or a ship full of human beings , who never imagined that a pretty little mermaid was standing beneath them , holding out her white hands towards the keel of their ship . As soon as the eldest was fifteen , she was allowed to rise to the surface of the ocean . When she came back , she had hundreds of things to talk about ; but the most beautiful , she said , was to lie in the moonlight , on a sandbank , in the quiet sea , near the coast , and to gaze on a large town nearby , where the lights were twinkling like hundreds of stars ; to listen to the sounds of the music , the noise of carriages , and the voices of human beings , and then to hear the merry bells peal out from the church steeples ; and because she could not go near to all those wonderful things , she longed for them more than ever . Oh , did not the youngest sister listen eagerly to all these descriptions ? and afterwards , when she stood at the open window looking up through the dark blue water , she thought of the great city , with all its bustle and noise , and even fancied she could hear the sound of the church bells , down in the depths of the sea . In another year the second sister received permission to rise to the surface of the water , and to swim about where she pleased . She rose just as the sun was setting , and this , she said , was the most beautiful sight of all . The whole sky looked like gold , while violet and rose-colored clouds , which she could not describe , floated over her ; and , still more rapidly than the clouds , flew a large flock of wild swans towards the setting sun , looking like a long white veil across the sea . She also swam towards the sun ; but it sunk into the waves , and the rosy tints faded from the clouds and from the sea . The third sister 's turn followed ; she was the boldest of them all , and she swam up a broad river that emptied itself into the sea . On the banks she saw green hills covered with beautiful vines ; palaces and castles peeped out from amid the proud trees of the forest ; she heard the birds singing , and the rays of the sun were so powerful that she was obliged often to dive down under the water to cool her burning face . In a narrow creek she found a whole troop of little human children , quite naked , and sporting about in the water ; she wanted to play with them , but they fled in a great fright ; and then a little black animal came to the water ; it was a dog , but she did not know that , for she had never before seen one . This animal barked at her so terribly that she became frightened , and rushed back to the open sea . But she said she should never forget the beautiful forest , the green hills , and the pretty little children who could swim in the water , although they had not fish 's tails . The fourth sister was more timid ; she remained in the midst of the sea , but she said it was quite as beautiful there as nearer the land . She could see for so many miles around her , and the sky above looked like a bell of glass . She had seen the ships , but at such a great distance that they looked like sea-gulls . The dolphins sported in the waves , and the great whales spouted water from their nostrils till it seemed as if a hundred fountains were playing in every direction . The fifth sister 's birthday occurred in the winter ; so when her turn came , she saw what the others had not seen the first time they went up . The sea looked quite green , and large icebergs were floating about , each like a pearl , she said , but larger and loftier than the churches built by men . They were of the most singular shapes , and glittered like diamonds . She had seated herself upon one of the largest , and let the wind play with her long hair , and she remarked that all the ships sailed by rapidly , and steered as far away as they could from the iceberg , as if they were afraid of it . Towards evening , as the sun went down , dark clouds covered the sky , the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed , and the red light glowed on the icebergs as they rocked and tossed on the heaving sea . On all the ships the sails were reefed with fear and trembling , while she sat calmly on the floating iceberg , watching the blue lightning , as it darted its forked flashes into the sea . When first the sisters had permission to rise to the surface , they were each delighted with the new and beautiful sights they saw ; but now , as grown-up girls , they could go when they pleased , and they had become indifferent about it . They wished themselves back again in the water , and after a month had passed they said it was much more beautiful down below , and pleasanter to be at home . Yet often , in the evening hours , the five sisters would twine their arms round each other , and rise to the surface , in a row . They had more beautiful voices than any human being could have ; and before the approach of a storm , and when they expected a ship would be lost , they swam before the vessel , and sang sweetly of the delights to be found in the depths of the sea , and begging the sailors not to fear if they sank to the bottom . But the sailors could not understand the song , they took it for the howling of the storm . And these things were never to be beautiful for them ; for if the ship sank , the men were drowned , and their dead bodies alone reached the palace of the Sea King . When the sisters rose , arm-in-arm , through the water in this way , their youngest sister would stand quite alone , looking after them , ready to cry , only that the mermaids have no tears , and therefore they suffer more . “ Oh , were I but fifteen years old , ” said she : “ I know that I shall love the world up there , and all the people who live in it . ” At last she reached her fifteenth year . “ Well , now , you are grown up , ” said the old dowager , her grandmother ; “ so you must let me adorn you like your other sisters ; ” and she placed a wreath of white lilies in her hair , and every flower leaf was half a pearl . Then the old lady ordered eight great oysters to attach themselves to the tail of the princess to show her high rank . “ But they hurt me so , ” said the little mermaid . “ Pride must suffer pain , ” replied the old lady . Oh , how gladly she would have shaken off all this grandeur , and laid aside the heavy wreath ! The red flowers in her own garden would have suited her much better , but she could not help herself : so she said , “ Farewell , ” and rose as lightly as a bubble to the surface of the water . The sun had just set as she raised her head above the waves ; but the clouds were tinted with crimson and gold , and through the glimmering twilight beamed the evening star in all its beauty . The sea was calm , and the air mild and fresh . A large ship , with three masts , lay becalmed on the water , with only one sail set ; for not a breeze stiffed , and the sailors sat idle on deck or amongst the rigging . There was music and song on board ; and , as darkness came on , a hundred colored lanterns were lighted , as if the flags of all nations waved in the air . The little mermaid swam close to the cabin windows ; and now and then , as the waves lifted her up , she could look in through clear glass window-panes , and see a number of well-dressed people within . Among them was a young prince , the most beautiful of all , with large black eyes ; he was sixteen years of age , and his birthday was being kept with much rejoicing . The sailors were dancing on deck , but when the prince came out of the cabin , more than a hundred rockets rose in the air , making it as bright as day . The little mermaid was so startled that she dived under water ; and when she again stretched out her head , it appeared as if all the stars of heaven were falling around her , she had never seen such fireworks before . Great suns spurted fire about , splendid fireflies flew into the blue air , and everything was reflected in the clear , calm sea beneath . The ship itself was so brightly illuminated that all the people , and even the smallest rope , could be distinctly and plainly seen . And how handsome the young prince looked , as he pressed the hands of all present and smiled at them , while the music resounded through the clear night air . It was very late ; yet the little mermaid could not take her eyes from the ship , or from the beautiful prince . The colored lanterns had been extinguished , no more rockets rose in the air , and the cannon had ceased firing ; but the sea became restless , and a moaning , grumbling sound could be heard beneath the waves : still the little mermaid remained by the cabin window , rocking up and down on the water , which enabled her to look in . After a while , the sails were quickly unfurled , and the noble ship continued her passage ; but soon the waves rose higher , heavy clouds darkened the sky , and lightning appeared in the distance . A dreadful storm was approaching ; once more the sails were reefed , and the great ship pursued her flying course over the raging sea . The waves rose mountains high , as if they would have overtopped the mast ; but the ship dived like a swan between them , and then rose again on their lofty , foaming crests . To the little mermaid this appeared pleasant sport ; not so to the sailors . At length the ship groaned and creaked ; the thick planks gave way under the lashing of the sea as it broke over the deck ; the mainmast snapped asunder like a reed ; the ship lay over on her side ; and the water rushed in . The little mermaid now perceived that the crew were in danger ; even she herself was obliged to be careful to avoid the beams and planks of the wreck which lay scattered on the water . At one moment it was so pitch dark that she could not see a single object , but a flash of lightning revealed the whole scene ; she could see every one who had been on board excepting the prince ; when the ship parted , she had seen him sink into the deep waves , and she was glad , for she thought he would now be with her ; and then she remembered that human beings could not live in the water , so that when he got down to her father 's palace he would be quite dead . But he must not die . So she swam about among the beams and planks which strewed the surface of the sea , forgetting that they could crush her to pieces . Then she dived deeply under the dark waters , rising and falling with the waves , till at length she managed to reach the young prince , who was fast losing the power of swimming in that stormy sea . His limbs were failing him , his beautiful eyes were closed , and he would have died had not the little mermaid come to his assistance . She held his head above the water , and let the waves drift them where they would . In the morning the storm had ceased ; but of the ship not a single fragment could be seen . The sun rose up red and glowing from the water , and its beams brought back the hue of health to the prince 's cheeks ; but his eyes remained closed . The mermaid kissed his high , smooth forehead , and stroked back his wet hair ; he seemed to her like the marble statue in her little garden , and she kissed him again , and wished that he might live . Presently they came in sight of land ; she saw lofty blue mountains , on which the white snow rested as if a flock of swans were lying upon them . Near the coast were beautiful green forests , and close by stood a large building , whether a church or a convent she could not tell . Orange and citron trees grew in the garden , and before the door stood lofty palms . The sea here formed a little bay , in which the water was quite still , but very deep ; so she swam with the handsome prince to the beach , which was covered with fine , white sand , and there she laid him in the warm sunshine , taking care to raise his head higher than his body . Then bells sounded in the large white building , and a number of young girls came into the garden . The little mermaid swam out farther from the shore and placed herself between some high rocks that rose out of the water ; then she covered her head and neck with the foam of the sea so that her little face might not be seen , and watched to see what would become of the poor prince . She did not wait long before she saw a young girl approach the spot where he lay . She seemed frightened at first , but only for a moment ; then she fetched a number of people , and the mermaid saw that the prince came to life again , and smiled upon those who stood round him . But to her he sent no smile ; he knew not that she had saved him . This made her very unhappy , and when he was led away into the great building , she dived down sorrowfully into the water , and returned to her father 's castle . She had always been silent and thoughtful , and now she was more so than ever . Her sisters asked her what she had seen during her first visit to the surface of the water ; but she would tell them nothing . Many an evening and morning did she rise to the place where she had left the prince . She saw the fruits in the garden ripen till they were gathered , the snow on the tops of the mountains melt away ; but she never saw the prince , and therefore she returned home , always more sorrowful than before . It was her only comfort to sit in her own little garden , and fling her arm round the beautiful marble statue which was like the prince ; but she gave up tending her flowers , and they grew in wild confusion over the paths , twining their long leaves and stems round the branches of the trees , so that the whole place became dark and gloomy . At length she could bear it no longer , and told one of her sisters all about it . Then the others heard the secret , and very soon it became known to two mermaids whose intimate friend happened to know who the prince was . She had also seen the festival on board ship , and she told them where the prince came from , and where his palace stood . “ Come , little sister , ” said the other princesses ; then they entwined their arms and rose up in a long row to the surface of the water , close by the spot where they knew the prince 's palace stood . It was built of bright yellow shining stone , with long flights of marble steps , one of which reached quite down to the sea . Splendid gilded cupolas rose over the roof , and between the pillars that surrounded the whole building stood life-like statues of marble . Through the clear crystal of the lofty windows could be seen noble rooms , with costly silk curtains and hangings of tapestry ; while the walls were covered with beautiful paintings which were a pleasure to look at . In the centre of the largest saloon a fountain threw its sparkling jets high up into the glass cupola of the ceiling , through which the sun shone down upon the water and upon the beautiful plants growing round the basin of the fountain . Now that she knew where he lived , she spent many an evening and many a night on the water near the palace . She would swim much nearer the shore than any of the others ventured to do ; indeed once she went quite up the narrow channel under the marble balcony , which threw a broad shadow on the water . Here she would sit and watch the young prince , who thought himself quite alone in the bright moonlight . She saw him many times of an evening sailing in a pleasant boat , with music playing and flags waving . She peeped out from among the green rushes , and if the wind caught her long silvery-white veil , those who saw it believed it to be a swan , spreading out its wings . On many a night , too , when the fishermen , with their torches , were out at sea , she heard them relate so many good things about the doings of the young prince , that she was glad she had saved his life when he had been tossed about half-dead on the waves . And she remembered that his head had rested on her bosom , and how heartily she had kissed him ; but he knew nothing of all this , and could not even dream of her . She grew more and more fond of human beings , and wished more and more to be able to wander about with those whose world seemed to be so much larger than her own . They could fly over the sea in ships , and mount the high hills which were far above the clouds ; and the lands they possessed , their woods and their fields , stretched far away beyond the reach of her sight . There was so much that she wished to know , and her sisters were unable to answer all her questions . Then she applied to her old grandmother , who knew all about the upper world , which she very rightly called the lands above the sea . “ If human beings are not drowned , ” asked the little mermaid , “ can they live forever ? do they never die as we do here in the sea ? ” “ Yes , ” replied the old lady , “ they must also die , and their term of life is even shorter than ours . We sometimes live to three hundred years , but when we cease to exist here we only become the foam on the surface of the water , and we have not even a grave down here of those we love . We have not immortal souls , we shall never live again ; but , like the green sea-weed , when once it has been cut off , we can never flourish more . Human beings , on the contrary , have a soul which lives forever , lives after the body has been turned to dust . It rises up through the clear , pure air beyond the glittering stars . As we rise out of the water , and behold all the land of the earth , so do they rise to unknown and glorious regions which we shall never see . ” “ Why have not we an immortal soul ? ” asked the little mermaid mournfully ; “ I would give gladly all the hundreds of years that I have to live , to be a human being only for one day , and to have the hope of knowing the happiness of that glorious world above the stars . ” “ You must not think of that , ” said the old woman ; “ we feel ourselves to be much happier and much better off than human beings . ” “ So I shall die , ” said the little mermaid , “ and as the foam of the sea I shall be driven about never again to hear the music of the waves , or to see the pretty flowers nor the red sun . Is there anything I can do to win an immortal soul ? ” “ No , ” said the old woman , “ unless a man were to love you so much that you were more to him than his father or mother ; and if all his thoughts and all his love were fixed upon you , and the priest placed his right hand in yours , and he promised to be true to you here and hereafter , then his soul would glide into your body and you would obtain a share in the future happiness of mankind . He would give a soul to you and retain his own as well ; but this can never happen . Your fish 's tail , which amongst us is considered so beautiful , is thought on earth to be quite ugly ; they do not know any better , and they think it necessary to have two stout props , which they call legs , in order to be handsome . ” Then the little mermaid sighed , and looked sorrowfully at her fish 's tail . “ Let us be happy , ” said the old lady , “ and dart and spring about during the three hundred years that we have to live , which is really quite long enough ; after that we can rest ourselves all the better . This evening we are going to have a court ball . ” It is one of those splendid sights which we can never see on earth . The walls and the ceiling of the large ball-room were of thick , but transparent crystal . May hundreds of colossal shells , some of a deep red , others of a grass green , stood on each side in rows , with blue fire in them , which lighted up the whole saloon , and shone through the walls , so that the sea was also illuminated . Innumerable fishes , great and small , swam past the crystal walls ; on some of them the scales glowed with a purple brilliancy , and on others they shone like silver and gold . Through the halls flowed a broad stream , and in it danced the mermen and the mermaids to the music of their own sweet singing . No one on earth has such a lovely voice as theirs . The little mermaid sang more sweetly than them all . The whole court applauded her with hands and tails ; and for a moment her heart felt quite gay , for she knew she had the loveliest voice of any on earth or in the sea . But she soon thought again of the world above her , for she could not forget the charming prince , nor her sorrow that she had not an immortal soul like his ; therefore she crept away silently out of her father 's palace , and while everything within was gladness and song , she sat in her own little garden sorrowful and alone . Then she heard the bugle sounding through the water , and thought – “ He is certainly sailing above , he on whom my wishes depend , and in whose hands I should like to place the happiness of my life . I will venture all for him , and to win an immortal soul , while my sisters are dancing in my father 's palace , I will go to the sea witch , of whom I have always been so much afraid , but she can give me counsel and help . ” And then the little mermaid went out from her garden , and took the road to the foaming whirlpools , behind which the sorceress lived . She had never been that way before : neither flowers nor grass grew there ; nothing but bare , gray , sandy ground stretched out to the whirlpool , where the water , like foaming mill-wheels , whirled round everything that it seized , and cast it into the fathomless deep . Through the midst of these crushing whirlpools the little mermaid was obliged to pass , to reach the dominions of the sea witch ; and also for a long distance the only road lay right across a quantity of warm , bubbling mire , called by the witch her turfmoor . Beyond this stood her house , in the centre of a strange forest , in which all the trees and flowers were polypi , half animals and half plants ; they looked like serpents with a hundred heads growing out of the ground . The branches were long slimy arms , with fingers like flexible worms , moving limb after limb from the root to the top . All that could be reached in the sea they seized upon , and held fast , so that it never escaped from their clutches . The little mermaid was so alarmed at what she saw , that she stood still , and her heart beat with fear , and she was very nearly turning back ; but she thought of the prince , and of the human soul for which she longed , and her courage returned . She fastened her long flowing hair round her head , so that the polypi might not seize hold of it . She laid her hands together across her bosom , and then she darted forward as a fish shoots through the water , between the supple arms and fingers of the ugly polypi , which were stretched out on each side of her . She saw that each held in its grasp something it had seized with its numerous little arms , as if they were iron bands . The white skeletons of human beings who had perished at sea , and had sunk down into the deep waters , skeletons of land animals , oars , rudders , and chests of ships were lying tightly grasped by their clinging arms ; even a little mermaid , whom they had caught and strangled ; and this seemed the most shocking of all to the little princess . She now came to a space of marshy ground in the wood , where large , fat water-snakes were rolling in the mire , and showing their ugly , drab-colored bodies . In the midst of this spot stood a house , built with the bones of shipwrecked human beings . There sat the sea witch , allowing a toad to eat from her mouth , just as people sometimes feed a canary with a piece of sugar . She called the ugly water-snakes her little chickens , and allowed them to crawl all over her bosom . “ I know what you want , ” said the sea witch ; “ it is very stupid of you , but you shall have your way , and it will bring you to sorrow , my pretty princess . You want to get rid of your fish 's tail , and to have two supports instead of it , like human beings on earth , so that the young prince may fall in love with you , and that you may have an immortal soul . ” And then the witch laughed so loud and disgustingly , that the toad and the snakes fell to the ground , and lay there wriggling about . “ You are but just in time , ” said the witch ; “ for after sunrise to-morrow I should not be able to help you till the end of another year . I will prepare a draught for you , with which you must swim to land tomorrow before sunrise , and sit down on the shore and drink it . Your tail will then disappear , and shrink up into what mankind calls legs , and you will feel great pain , as if a sword were passing through you . But all who see you will say that you are the prettiest little human being they ever saw . You will still have the same floating gracefulness of movement , and no dancer will ever tread so lightly ; but at every step you take it will feel as if you were treading upon sharp knives , and that the blood must flow . If you will bear all this , I will help you . ” “ Yes , I will , ” said the little princess in a trembling voice , as she thought of the prince and the immortal soul . “ But think again , ” said the witch ; “ for when once your shape has become like a human being , you can no more be a mermaid . You will never return through the water to your sisters , or to your father 's palace again ; and if you do not win the love of the prince , so that he is willing to forget his father and mother for your sake , and to love you with his whole soul , and allow the priest to join your hands that you may be man and wife , then you will never have an immortal soul . The first morning after he marries another your heart will break , and you will become foam on the crest of the waves . ” “ I will do it , ” said the little mermaid , and she became pale as death . “ But I must be paid also , ” said the witch , “ and it is not a trifle that I ask . You have the sweetest voice of any who dwell here in the depths of the sea , and you believe that you will be able to charm the prince with it also , but this voice you must give to me ; the best thing you possess will I have for the price of my draught . My own blood must be mixed with it , that it may be as sharp as a two-edged sword . ” “ But if you take away my voice , ” said the little mermaid , “ what is left for me ? ” “ Your beautiful form , your graceful walk , and your expressive eyes ; surely with these you can enchain a man 's heart . Well , have you lost your courage ? Put out your little tongue that I may cut it off as my payment ; then you shall have the powerful draught . ” “ It shall be , ” said the little mermaid . Then the witch placed her cauldron on the fire , to prepare the magic draught . “ Cleanliness is a good thing , ” said she , scouring the vessel with snakes , which she had tied together in a large knot ; then she pricked herself in the breast , and let the black blood drop into it . The steam that rose formed itself into such horrible shapes that no one could look at them without fear . Every moment the witch threw something else into the vessel , and when it began to boil , the sound was like the weeping of a crocodile . When at last the magic draught was ready , it looked like the clearest water . “ There it is for you , ” said the witch . Then she cut off the mermaid 's tongue , so that she became dumb , and would never again speak or sing . “ If the polypi should seize hold of you as you return through the wood , ” said the witch , “ throw over them a few drops of the potion , and their fingers will be torn into a thousand pieces . ” But the little mermaid had no occasion to do this , for the polypi sprang back in terror when they caught sight of the glittering draught , which shone in her hand like a twinkling star . So she passed quickly through the wood and the marsh , and between the rushing whirlpools . She saw that in her father 's palace the torches in the ballroom were extinguished , and all within asleep ; but she did not venture to go in to them , for now she was dumb and going to leave them forever , she felt as if her heart would break . She stole into the garden , took a flower from the flower-beds of each of her sisters , kissed her hand a thousand times towards the palace , and then rose up through the dark blue waters . The sun had not risen when she came in sight of the prince 's palace , and approached the beautiful marble steps , but the moon shone clear and bright . Then the little mermaid drank the magic draught , and it seemed as if a two-edged sword went through her delicate body : she fell into a swoon , and lay like one dead . When the sun arose and shone over the sea , she recovered , and felt a sharp pain ; but just before her stood the handsome young prince . He fixed his coal-black eyes upon her so earnestly that she cast down her own , and then became aware that her fish 's tail was gone , and that she had as pretty a pair of white legs and tiny feet as any little maiden could have ; but she had no clothes , so she wrapped herself in her long , thick hair . The prince asked her who she was , and where she came from , and she looked at him mildly and sorrowfully with her deep blue eyes ; but she could not speak . Every step she took was as the witch had said it would be , she felt as if treading upon the points of needles or sharp knives ; but she bore it willingly , and stepped as lightly by the prince 's side as a soap-bubble , so that he and all who saw her wondered at her graceful-swaying movements . She was very soon arrayed in costly robes of silk and muslin , and was the most beautiful creature in the palace ; but she was dumb , and could neither speak nor sing . Beautiful female slaves , dressed in silk and gold , stepped forward and sang before the prince and his royal parents : one sang better than all the others , and the prince clapped his hands and smiled at her . This was great sorrow to the little mermaid ; she knew how much more sweetly she herself could sing once , and she thought , “ Oh if he could only know that ! I have given away my voice forever , to be with him . ” The slaves next performed some pretty fairy-like dances , to the sound of beautiful music . Then the little mermaid raised her lovely white arms , stood on the tips of her toes , and glided over the floor , and danced as no one yet had been able to dance . At each moment her beauty became more revealed , and her expressive eyes appealed more directly to the heart than the songs of the slaves . Every one was enchanted , especially the prince , who called her his little foundling ; and she danced again quite readily , to please him , though each time her foot touched the floor it seemed as if she trod on sharp knives . The prince said she should remain with him always , and she received permission to sleep at his door , on a velvet cushion . He had a page 's dress made for her , that she might accompany him on horseback . They rode together through the sweet-scented woods , where the green boughs touched their shoulders , and the little birds sang among the fresh leaves . She climbed with the prince to the tops of high mountains ; and although her tender feet bled so that even her steps were marked , she only laughed , and followed him till they could see the clouds beneath them looking like a flock of birds travelling to distant lands . While at the prince 's palace , and when all the household were asleep , she would go and sit on the broad marble steps ; for it eased her burning feet to bathe them in the cold sea-water ; and then she thought of all those below in the deep . Once during the night her sisters came up arm-in-arm , singing sorrowfully , as they floated on the water . She beckoned to them , and then they recognized her , and told her how she had grieved them . After that , they came to the same place every night ; and once she saw in the distance her old grandmother , who had not been to the surface of the sea for many years , and the old Sea King , her father , with his crown on his head . They stretched out their hands towards her , but they did not venture so near the land as her sisters did . As the days passed , she loved the prince more fondly , and he loved her as he would love a little child , but it never came into his head to make her his wife ; yet , unless he married her , she could not receive an immortal soul ; and , on the morning after his marriage with another , she would dissolve into the foam of the sea . “ Do you not love me the best of them all ? ” the eyes of the little mermaid seemed to say , when he took her in his arms , and kissed her fair forehead . “ Yes , you are dear to me , ” said the prince ; “ for you have the best heart , and you are the most devoted to me ; you are like a young maiden whom I once saw , but whom I shall never meet again . I was in a ship that was wrecked , and the waves cast me ashore near a holy temple , where several young maidens performed the service . The youngest of them found me on the shore , and saved my life . I saw her but twice , and she is the only one in the world whom I could love ; but you are like her , and you have almost driven her image out of my mind . She belongs to the holy temple , and my good fortune has sent you to me instead of her ; and we will never part . ” “ Ah , he knows not that it was I who saved his life , ” thought the little mermaid . “ I carried him over the sea to the wood where the temple stands : I sat beneath the foam , and watched till the human beings came to help him . I saw the pretty maiden that he loves better than he loves me ; ” and the mermaid sighed deeply , but she could not shed tears . “ He says the maiden belongs to the holy temple , therefore she will never return to the world . They will meet no more : while I am by his side , and see him every day . I will take care of him , and love him , and give up my life for his sake . ” Very soon it was said that the prince must marry , and that the beautiful daughter of a neighboring king would be his wife , for a fine ship was being fitted out . Although the prince gave out that he merely intended to pay a visit to the king , it was generally supposed that he really went to see his daughter . A great company were to go with him . The little mermaid smiled , and shook her head . She knew the prince 's thoughts better than any of the others . “ I must travel , ” he had said to her ; “ I must see this beautiful princess ; my parents desire it ; but they will not oblige me to bring her home as my bride . I cannot love her ; she is not like the beautiful maiden in the temple , whom you resemble . If I were forced to choose a bride , I would rather choose you , my dumb foundling , with those expressive eyes . ” And then he kissed her rosy mouth , played with her long waving hair , and laid his head on her heart , while she dreamed of human happiness and an immortal soul . “ You are not afraid of the sea , my dumb child , ” said he , as they stood on the deck of the noble ship which was to carry them to the country of the neighboring king . And then he told her of storm and of calm , of strange fishes in the deep beneath them , and of what the divers had seen there ; and she smiled at his descriptions , for she knew better than any one what wonders were at the bottom of the sea . In the moonlight , when all on board were asleep , excepting the man at the helm , who was steering , she sat on the deck , gazing down through the clear water . She thought she could distinguish her father 's castle , and upon it her aged grandmother , with the silver crown on her head , looking through the rushing tide at the keel of the vessel . Then her sisters came up on the waves , and gazed at her mournfully , wringing their white hands . She beckoned to them , and smiled , and wanted to tell them how happy and well off she was ; but the cabin-boy approached , and when her sisters dived down he thought it was only the foam of the sea which he saw . The next morning the ship sailed into the harbor of a beautiful town belonging to the king whom the prince was going to visit . The church bells were ringing , and from the high towers sounded a flourish of trumpets ; and soldiers , with flying colors and glittering bayonets , lined the rocks through which they passed . Every day was a festival ; balls and entertainments followed one another . But the princess had not yet appeared . People said that she was being brought up and educated in a religious house , where she was learning every royal virtue . At last she came . Then the little mermaid , who was very anxious to see whether she was really beautiful , was obliged to acknowledge that she had never seen a more perfect vision of beauty . Her skin was delicately fair , and beneath her long dark eye-lashes her laughing blue eyes shone with truth and purity . “ It was you , ” said the prince , “ who saved my life when I lay dead on the beach , ” and he folded his blushing bride in his arms . “ Oh , I am too happy , ” said he to the little mermaid ; “ my fondest hopes are all fulfilled . You will rejoice at my happiness ; for your devotion to me is great and sincere . ” The little mermaid kissed his hand , and felt as if her heart were already broken . His wedding morning would bring death to her , and she would change into the foam of the sea . All the church bells rung , and the heralds rode about the town proclaiming the betrothal . Perfumed oil was burning in costly silver lamps on every altar . The priests waved the censers , while the bride and bridegroom joined their hands and received the blessing of the bishop . The little mermaid , dressed in silk and gold , held up the bride 's train ; but her ears heard nothing of the festive music , and her eyes saw not the holy ceremony ; she thought of the night of death which was coming to her , and of all she had lost in the world . On the same evening the bride and bridegroom went on board ship ; cannons were roaring , flags waving , and in the centre of the ship a costly tent of purple and gold had been erected . It contained elegant couches , for the reception of the bridal pair during the night . The ship , with swelling sails and a favorable wind , glided away smoothly and lightly over the calm sea . When it grew dark a number of colored lamps were lit , and the sailors danced merrily on the deck . The little mermaid could not help thinking of her first rising out of the sea , when she had seen similar festivities and joys ; and she joined in the dance , poised herself in the air as a swallow when he pursues his prey , and all present cheered her with wonder . She had never danced so elegantly before . Her tender feet felt as if cut with sharp knives , but she cared not for it ; a sharper pang had pierced through her heart . She knew this was the last evening she should ever see the prince , for whom she had forsaken her kindred and her home ; she had given up her beautiful voice , and suffered unheard-of pain daily for him , while he knew nothing of it . This was the last evening that she would breathe the same air with him , or gaze on the starry sky and the deep sea ; an eternal night , without a thought or a dream , awaited her : she had no soul and now she could never win one . All was joy and gayety on board ship till long after midnight ; she laughed and danced with the rest , while the thoughts of death were in her heart . The prince kissed his beautiful bride , while she played with his raven hair , till they went arm-in-arm to rest in the splendid tent . Then all became still on board the ship ; the helmsman , alone awake , stood at the helm . The little mermaid leaned her white arms on the edge of the vessel , and looked towards the east for the first blush of morning , for that first ray of dawn that would bring her death . She saw her sisters rising out of the flood : they were as pale as herself ; but their long beautiful hair waved no more in the wind , and had been cut off . “ We have given our hair to the witch , ” said they , “ to obtain help for you , that you may not die to-night . She has given us a knife : here it is , see it is very sharp . Before the sun rises you must plunge it into the heart of the prince ; when the warm blood falls upon your feet they will grow together again , and form into a fish 's tail , and you will be once more a mermaid , and return to us to live out your three hundred years before you die and change into the salt sea foam . Haste , then ; he or you must die before sunrise . Our old grandmother moans so for you , that her white hair is falling off from sorrow , as ours fell under the witch 's scissors . Kill the prince and come back ; hasten : do you not see the first red streaks in the sky ? In a few minutes the sun will rise , and you must die . ” And then they sighed deeply and mournfully , and sank down beneath the waves . The little mermaid drew back the crimson curtain of the tent , and beheld the fair bride with her head resting on the prince 's breast . She bent down and kissed his fair brow , then looked at the sky on which the rosy dawn grew brighter and brighter ; then she glanced at the sharp knife , and again fixed her eyes on the prince , who whispered the name of his bride in his dreams . She was in his thoughts , and the knife trembled in the hand of the little mermaid : then she flung it far away from her into the waves ; the water turned red where it fell , and the drops that spurted up looked like blood . She cast one more lingering , half-fainting glance at the prince , and then threw herself from the ship into the sea , and thought her body was dissolving into foam . The sun rose above the waves , and his warm rays fell on the cold foam of the little mermaid , who did not feel as if she were dying . She saw the bright sun , and all around her floated hundreds of transparent beautiful beings ; she could see through them the white sails of the ship , and the red clouds in the sky ; their speech was melodious , but too ethereal to be heard by mortal ears , as they were also unseen by mortal eyes . The little mermaid perceived that she had a body like theirs , and that she continued to rise higher and higher out of the foam . “ Where am I ? ” asked she , and her voice sounded ethereal , as the voice of those who were with her ; no earthly music could imitate it . “ Among the daughters of the air , ” answered one of them . “ A mermaid has not an immortal soul , nor can she obtain one unless she wins the love of a human being . On the power of another hangs her eternal destiny . But the daughters of the air , although they do not possess an immortal soul , can , by their good deeds , procure one for themselves . We fly to warm countries , and cool the sultry air that destroys mankind with the pestilence . We carry the perfume of the flowers to spread health and restoration . After we have striven for three hundred years to all the good in our power , we receive an immortal soul and take part in the happiness of mankind . You , poor little mermaid , have tried with your whole heart to do as we are doing ; you have suffered and endured and raised yourself to the spirit-world by your good deeds ; and now , by striving for three hundred years in the same way , you may obtain an immortal soul . ” The little mermaid lifted her glorified eyes towards the sun , and felt them , for the first time , filling with tears . On the ship , in which she had left the prince , there were life and noise ; she saw him and his beautiful bride searching for her ; sorrowfully they gazed at the pearly foam , as if they knew she had thrown herself into the waves . Unseen she kissed the forehead of her bride , and fanned the prince , and then mounted with the other children of the air to a rosy cloud that floated through the aether . “ After three hundred years , thus shall we float into the kingdom of heaven , ” said she . “ And we may even get there sooner , ” whispered one of her companions . “ Unseen we can enter the houses of men , where there are children , and for every day on which we find a good child , who is the joy of his parents and deserves their love , our time of probation is shortened . The child does not know , when we fly through the room , that we smile with joy at his good conduct , for we can count one year less of our three hundred years . But when we see a naughty or a wicked child , we shed tears of sorrow , and for every tear a day is added to our time of trial ! ” |