| The ugly duckling It was lovely summer weather in the country , and the golden corn , the green oats , and the haystacks piled up in the meadows looked beautiful . The stork walking about on his long red legs chattered in the Egyptian language which he had learnt from his mother . The corn-fields and meadows were surrounded by large forests , in the midst of which were deep pools . It was , indeed , delightful to walk about in the country . In a sunny spot stood a pleasant old farm-house close by a deep river , and from the house down to the water side grew great burdock leaves , so high , that under the tallest of them a little child could stand upright . The spot was as wild as the centre of a thick wood . In this snug retreat sat a duck on her nest , watching for her young brood to hatch ; she was beginning to get tired of her task , for the little ones were a long time coming out of their shells , and she seldom had any visitors . The other ducks liked much better to swim about in the river than to climb the slippery banks , and sit under a burdock leaf , to have a gossip with her . At length one shell cracked , and then another , and from each egg came a living creature that lifted its head and cried , “ Peep , peep . ” “ Quack , quack , ” said the mother , and then they all quacked as well as they could , and looked about them on every side at the large green leaves . Their mother allowed them to look as much as they liked , because green is good for the eyes . “ How large the world is , ” said the young ducks , when they found how much more room they now had than while they were inside the egg-shell . “ Do you imagine this is the whole world ? ” asked the mother ; “ Wait till you have seen the garden ; it stretches far beyond that to the parson 's field , but I have never ventured to such a distance . Are you all out ? ” she continued , rising ; “ No , I declare , the largest egg lies there still . I wonder how long this is to last , I am quite tired of it ; ” and she seated herself again on the nest . “ Well , how are you getting on ? ” asked an old duck , who paid her a visit . “ One egg is not hatched yet , ” said the duck , “ it will not break . But just look at all the others , are they not the prettiest little ducklings you ever saw ? They are the image of their father , who is so unkind , he never comes to see . ” “ Let me see the egg that will not break , ” said the duck ; “ I have no doubt it is a turkey 's egg . I was persuaded to hatch some once , and after all my care and trouble with the young ones , they were afraid of the water . I quacked and clucked , but all to no purpose . I could not get them to venture in . Let me look at the egg . Yes , that is a turkey 's egg ; take my advice , leave it where it is and teach the other children to swim . ” “ I think I will sit on it a little while longer , ” said the duck ; “ as I have sat so long already , a few days will be nothing . ” “ Please yourself , ” said the old duck , and she went away . At last the large egg broke , and a young one crept forth crying , “ Peep , peep . ” It was very large and ugly . The duck stared at it and exclaimed , “ It is very large and not at all like the others . I wonder if it really is a turkey . We shall soon find it out , however when we go to the water . It must go in , if I have to push it myself . ” On the next day the weather was delightful , and the sun shone brightly on the green burdock leaves , so the mother duck took her young brood down to the water , and jumped in with a splash . “ Quack , quack , ” cried she , and one after another the little ducklings jumped in . The water closed over their heads , but they came up again in an instant , and swam about quite prettily with their legs paddling under them as easily as possible , and the ugly duckling was also in the water swimming with them . “ Oh , ” said the mother , “ that is not a turkey ; how well he uses his legs , and how upright he holds himself ! He is my own child , and he is not so very ugly after all if you look at him properly . Quack , quack ! come with me now , I will take you into grand society , and introduce you to the farmyard , but you must keep close to me or you may be trodden upon ; and , above all , beware of the cat . ” When they reached the farmyard , there was a great disturbance , two families were fighting for an eel 's head , which , after all , was carried off by the cat . “ See , children , that is the way of the world , ” said the mother duck , whetting her beak , for she would have liked the eel 's head herself . “ Come , now , use your legs , and let me see how well you can behave . You must bow your heads prettily to that old duck yonder ; she is the highest born of them all , and has Spanish blood , therefore , she is well off . Do n't you see she has a red flag tied to her leg , which is something very grand , and a great honor for a duck ; it shows that every one is anxious not to lose her , as she can be recognized both by man and beast . Come , now , do n't turn your toes , a well-bred duckling spreads his feet wide apart , just like his father and mother , in this way ; now bend your neck , and say ‘ quack . ’ ” The ducklings did as they were bid , but the other duck stared , and said , “ Look , here comes another brood , as if there were not enough of us already ! and what a queer looking object one of them is ; we do n't want him here , ” and then one flew out and bit him in the neck . “ Let him alone , ” said the mother ; “ he is not doing any harm . ” “ Yes , but he is so big and ugly , ” said the spiteful duck “ and therefore he must be turned out . ” “ The others are very pretty children , ” said the old duck , with the rag on her leg , “ all but that one ; I wish his mother could improve him a little . ” “ That is impossible , your grace , ” replied the mother ; “ he is not pretty ; but he has a very good disposition , and swims as well or even better than the others . I think he will grow up pretty , and perhaps be smaller ; he has remained too long in the egg , and therefore his figure is not properly formed ; ” and then she stroked his neck and smoothed the feathers , saying , “ It is a drake , and therefore not of so much consequence . I think he will grow up strong , and able to take care of himself . ” “ The other ducklings are graceful enough , ” said the old duck . “ Now make yourself at home , and if you can find an eel 's head , you can bring it to me . ” And so they made themselves comfortable . But the poor duckling , who had crept out of his shell last of all , and looked so ugly , was bitten and pushed and made fun of , not only by the ducks , but by all the poultry . “ He is too big , ” they all said , and the turkey cock , who had been born into the world with spurs , and fancied himself really an emperor , puffed himself out like a vessel in full sail , and flew at the duckling , and became quite red in the head with passion , so that the poor little thing did not know where to go , and was quite miserable because he was so ugly and laughed at by the whole farmyard . So it went on from day to day till it got worse and worse . The poor duckling was driven about by every one ; even his brothers and sisters were unkind to him , and would say , “ Ah , you ugly creature , I wish the cat would get you , ” and his mother said she wished he had never been born . The ducks pecked him , the chickens beat him , and the girl who fed the poultry kicked him with her feet . So at last he ran away , frightening the little birds in the hedge as he flew over the palings . “ They are afraid of me because I am ugly , ” he said . So he closed his eyes , and flew still farther , until he came out on a large moor , inhabited by wild ducks . Here he remained the whole night , feeling very tired and sorrowful . In the morning , when the wild ducks rose in the air , they stared at their new comrade . “ What sort of a duck are you ? ” they all said , coming round him . He bowed to them , and was as polite as he could be , but he did not reply to their question . “ You are exceedingly ugly , ” said the wild ducks , “ but that will not matter if you do not want to marry one of our family . ” Poor thing ! he had no thoughts of marriage ; all he wanted was permission to lie among the rushes , and drink some of the water on the moor . After he had been on the moor two days , there came two wild geese , or rather goslings , for they had not been out of the egg long , and were very saucy . “ Listen , friend , ” said one of them to the duckling , “ you are so ugly , that we like you very well . Will you go with us , and become a bird of passage ? Not far from here is another moor , in which there are some pretty wild geese , all unmarried . It is a chance for you to get a wife ; you may be lucky , ugly as you are . ” “ Pop , pop , ” sounded in the air , and the two wild geese fell dead among the rushes , and the water was tinged with blood . “ Pop , pop , ” echoed far and wide in the distance , and whole flocks of wild geese rose up from the rushes . The sound continued from every direction , for the sportsmen surrounded the moor , and some were even seated on branches of trees , overlooking the rushes . The blue smoke from the guns rose like clouds over the dark trees , and as it floated away across the water , a number of sporting dogs bounded in among the rushes , which bent beneath them wherever they went . How they terrified the poor duckling ! He turned away his head to hide it under his wing , and at the same moment a large terrible dog passed quite near him . His jaws were open , his tongue hung from his mouth , and his eyes glared fearfully . He thrust his nose close to the duckling , showing his sharp teeth , and then , “ splash , splash , ” he went into the water without touching him . “ Oh , ” sighed the duckling , “ how thankful I am for being so ugly ; even a dog will not bite me . ” And so he lay quite still , while the shot rattled through the rushes , and gun after gun was fired over him . It was late in the day before all became quiet , but even then the poor young thing did not dare to move . He waited quietly for several hours , and then , after looking carefully around him , hastened away from the moor as fast as he could . He ran over field and meadow till a storm arose , and he could hardly struggle against it . Towards evening , he reached a poor little cottage that seemed ready to fall , and only remained standing because it could not decide on which side to fall first . The storm continued so violent , that the duckling could go no farther ; he sat down by the cottage , and then he noticed that the door was not quite closed in consequence of one of the hinges having given way . There was therefore a narrow opening near the bottom large enough for him to slip through , which he did very quietly , and got a shelter for the night . A woman , a tom cat , and a hen lived in this cottage . The tom cat , whom the mistress called , “ My little son , ” was a great favorite ; he could raise his back , and purr , and could even throw out sparks from his fur if it were stroked the wrong way . The hen had very short legs , so she was called “ Chickie short legs . ” She laid good eggs , and her mistress loved her as if she had been her own child . In the morning , the strange visitor was discovered , and the tom cat began to purr , and the hen to cluck . “ What is that noise about ? ” said the old woman , looking round the room , but her sight was not very good ; therefore , when she saw the duckling she thought it must be a fat duck , that had strayed from home . “ Oh what a prize ! ” she exclaimed , “ I hope it is not a drake , for then I shall have some duck 's eggs . I must wait and see . ” So the duckling was allowed to remain on trial for three weeks , but there were no eggs . Now the tom cat was the master of the house , and the hen was mistress , and they always said , “ We and the world , ” for they believed themselves to be half the world , and the better half too . The duckling thought that others might hold a different opinion on the subject , but the hen would not listen to such doubts . “ Can you lay eggs ? ” she asked . “ No. ” “ Then have the goodness to hold your tongue . ” “ Can you raise your back , or purr , or throw out sparks ? ” said the tom cat . “ No. ” “ Then you have no right to express an opinion when sensible people are speaking . ” So the duckling sat in a corner , feeling very low spirited , till the sunshine and the fresh air came into the room through the open door , and then he began to feel such a great longing for a swim on the water , that he could not help telling the hen . “ What an absurd idea , ” said the hen . “ You have nothing else to do , therefore you have foolish fancies . If you could purr or lay eggs , they would pass away . ” “ But it is so delightful to swim about on the water , ” said the duckling , “ and so refreshing to feel it close over your head , while you dive down to the bottom . ” “ Delightful , indeed ! ” said the hen , “ why you must be crazy ! Ask the cat , he is the cleverest animal I know , ask him how he would like to swim about on the water , or to dive under it , for I will not speak of my own opinion ; ask our mistress , the old woman – there is no one in the world more clever than she is . Do you think she would like to swim , or to let the water close over her head ? ” “ You do n't understand me , ” said the duckling . “ We do n't understand you ? Who can understand you , I wonder ? Do you consider yourself more clever than the cat , or the old woman ? I will say nothing of myself . Do n't imagine such nonsense , child , and thank your good fortune that you have been received here . Are you not in a warm room , and in society from which you may learn something . But you are a chatterer , and your company is not very agreeable . Believe me , I speak only for your own good . I may tell you unpleasant truths , but that is a proof of my friendship . I advise you , therefore , to lay eggs , and learn to purr as quickly as possible . ” “ I believe I must go out into the world again , ” said the duckling . “ Yes , do , ” said the hen . So the duckling left the cottage , and soon found water on which it could swim and dive , but was avoided by all other animals , because of its ugly appearance . Autumn came , and the leaves in the forest turned to orange and gold . Then , as winter approached , the wind caught them as they fell and whirled them in the cold air . The clouds , heavy with hail and snow-flakes , hung low in the sky , and the raven stood on the ferns crying , “ Croak , croak . ” It made one shiver with cold to look at him . All this was very sad for the poor little duckling . One evening , just as the sun set amid radiant clouds , there came a large flock of beautiful birds out of the bushes . The duckling had never seen any like them before . They were swans , and they curved their graceful necks , while their soft plumage shown with dazzling whiteness . They uttered a singular cry , as they spread their glorious wings and flew away from those cold regions to warmer countries across the sea . As they mounted higher and higher in the air , the ugly little duckling felt quite a strange sensation as he watched them . He whirled himself in the water like a wheel , stretched out his neck towards them , and uttered a cry so strange that it frightened himself . Could he ever forget those beautiful , happy birds ; and when at last they were out of his sight , he dived under the water , and rose again almost beside himself with excitement . He knew not the names of these birds , nor where they had flown , but he felt towards them as he had never felt for any other bird in the world . He was not envious of these beautiful creatures , but wished to be as lovely as they . Poor ugly creature , how gladly he would have lived even with the ducks had they only given him encouragement . The winter grew colder and colder ; he was obliged to swim about on the water to keep it from freezing , but every night the space on which he swam became smaller and smaller . At length it froze so hard that the ice in the water crackled as he moved , and the duckling had to paddle with his legs as well as he could , to keep the space from closing up . He became exhausted at last , and lay still and helpless , frozen fast in the ice . Early in the morning , a peasant , who was passing by , saw what had happened . He broke the ice in pieces with his wooden shoe , and carried the duckling home to his wife . The warmth revived the poor little creature . But when the children wanted to play with him , the duckling thought they would do him some harm ; so he started up in terror , fluttered into the milk-pan , and splashed the milk about the room . Then the woman clapped her hands , which frightened him still more . He flew first into the butter-cask , then into the meal-tub , and out again . What a condition he was in ! The woman screamed , and struck at him with the tongs ; the children laughed and screamed , and tumbled over each other , in their efforts to catch him ; but luckily he escaped . The door stood open ; the poor creature could just manage to slip out among the bushes , and lie down quite exhausted in the newly fallen snow . It would be very sad , were I to relate all the misery and privations which the poor little duckling endured during the hard winter ; but when it had passed , he found himself lying one morning in a moor , amongst the rushes . He felt the warm sun shining , and heard the lark singing , and saw that all around was beautiful spring . Then the young bird felt that his wings were strong , as he flapped them against his sides , and rose high into the air . They bore him onwards , until he found himself in a large garden , before he well knew how it had happened . The apple-trees were in full blossom , and the fragrant elders bent their long green branches down to the stream which wound round a smooth lawn . Everything looked beautiful , in the freshness of early spring . From a thicket close by came three beautiful white swans , rustling their feathers , and swimming lightly over the smooth water . The duckling remembered the lovely birds , and felt more strangely unhappy than ever . “ I will fly to those royal birds , ” he exclaimed , “ and they will kill me , because I am so ugly , and dare to approach them ; but it does not matter : better be killed by them than pecked by the ducks , beaten by the hens , pushed about by the maiden who feeds the poultry , or starved with hunger in the winter . ” Then he flew to the water , and swam towards the beautiful swans . The moment they espied the stranger , they rushed to meet him with outstretched wings . “ Kill me , ” said the poor bird ; and he bent his head down to the surface of the water , and awaited death . But what did he see in the clear stream below ? His own image ; no longer a dark , gray bird , ugly and disagreeable to look at , but a graceful and beautiful swan . To be born in a duck 's nest , in a farmyard , is of no consequence to a bird , if it is hatched from a swan 's egg . He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble , because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure and happiness around him ; for the great swans swam round the new-comer , and stroked his neck with their beaks , as a welcome . Into the garden presently came some little children , and threw bread and cake into the water . “ See , ” cried the youngest , “ there is a new one ; ” and the rest were delighted , and ran to their father and mother , dancing and clapping their hands , and shouting joyously , “ There is another swan come ; a new one has arrived . ” Then they threw more bread and cake into the water , and said , “ The new one is the most beautiful of all ; he is so young and pretty . ” And the old swans bowed their heads before him . Then he felt quite ashamed , and hid his head under his wing ; for he did not know what to do , he was so happy , and yet not at all proud . He had been persecuted and despised for his ugliness , and now he heard them say he was the most beautiful of all the birds . Even the elder-tree bent down its bows into the water before him , and the sun shone warm and bright . Then he rustled his feathers , curved his slender neck , and cried joyfully , from the depths of his heart , “ I never dreamed of such happiness as this , while I was an ugly duckling . ” |