FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN THE GARDEN OF PARADISE

                                       1872

                     FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

                             THE GARDEN OF PARADISE

                           by Hans Christian Andersen

    THERE was once a king's son who had a larger and more beautiful

collection of books than any one else in the world, and full of

splendid copper-plate engravings. He could read and obtain information

respecting every people of every land; but not a word could he find to

explain the situation of the garden of paradise, and this was just

what he most wished to know. His grandmother had told him when he

was quite a little boy, just old enough to go to school, that each

flower in the garden of paradise was a sweet cake, that the pistils

were full of rich wine, that on one flower history was written, on

another geography or tables; so those who wished to learn their

lessons had only to eat some of the cakes, and the more they ate,

the more history, geography, or tables they knew. He believed it all

then; but as he grew older, and learnt more and more, he became wise

enough to understand that the splendor of the garden of paradise

must be very different to all this. "Oh, why did Eve pluck the fruit

from the tree of knowledge? why did Adam eat the forbidden fruit?"

thought the king's son: "if I had been there it would never have

happened, and there would have been no sin in the world." The garden

of paradise occupied all his thoughts till he reached his

seventeenth year.

    One day he was walking alone in the wood, which was his greatest

pleasure, when evening came on. The clouds gathered, and the rain

poured down as if the sky had been a waterspout; and it was as dark as

the bottom of a well at midnight; sometimes he slipped over the smooth

grass, or fell over stones that projected out of the rocky ground.

Every thing was dripping with moisture, and the poor prince had not

a dry thread about him. He was obliged at last to climb over great

blocks of stone, with water spurting from the thick moss. He began

to feel quite faint, when he heard a most singular rushing noise,

and saw before him a large cave, from which came a blaze of light.

In the middle of the cave an immense fire was burning, and a noble

stag, with its branching horns, was placed on a spit between the

trunks of two pine-trees. It was turning slowly before the fire, and

an elderly woman, as large and strong as if she had been a man in

disguise, sat by, throwing one piece of wood after another into the

flames.

    "Come in," she said to the prince; "sit down by the fire and dry

yourself."

    "There is a great draught here," said the prince, as he seated

himself on the ground.

    "It will be worse when my sons come home," replied the woman; "you

are now in the cavern of the Winds, and my sons are the four Winds

of heaven: can you understand that?"

    "Where are your sons?" asked the prince.

    "It is difficult to answer stupid questions," said the woman.

"My sons have plenty of business on hand; they are playing at

shuttlecock with the clouds up yonder in the king's hall," and she

pointed upwards.

    "Oh, indeed," said the prince; "but you speak more roughly and

harshly and are not so gentle as the women I am used to."

    "Yes, that is because they have nothing else to do; but I am

obliged to be harsh, to keep my boys in order, and I can do it,

although they are so head-strong. Do you see those four sacks

hanging on the wall? Well, they are just as much afraid of those

sacks, as you used to be of the rat behind the looking-glass. I can

bend the boys together, and put them in the sacks without any

resistance on their parts, I can tell you. There they stay, and dare

not attempt to come out until I allow them to do so. And here comes

one of them."

    It was the North Wind who came in, bringing with him a cold,

piercing blast; large hailstones rattled on the floor, and

snowflakes were scattered around in all directions. He wore a bearskin

dress and cloak. His sealskin cap was drawn over his ears, long

icicles hung from his beard, and one hailstone after another rolled

from the collar of his jacket.

    "Don't go too near the fire," said the prince, "or your hands

and face will be frost-bitten."

    "Frost-bitten!" said the North Wind, with a loud laugh; "why frost

is my greatest delight. What sort of a little snip are you, and how

did you find your way to the cavern of the Winds?"

    "He is my guest," said the old woman, "and if you are not

satisfied with that explanation you can go into the sack. Do you

understand me?"

    That settled the matter. So the North Wind began to relate his

adventures, whence he came, and where he had been for a whole month.

"I come from the polar seas," he said; "I have been on the Bear's

Island with the Russian walrus-hunters. I sat and slept at the helm of

their ship, as they sailed away from North Cape. Sometimes when I

woke, the storm-birds would fly about my legs. They are curious birds;

they give one flap with their wings, and then on their outstretched

pinions soar far away.

    "Don't make such a long story of it," said the mother of the

winds; "what sort of a place is Bear's Island?"

    "A very beautiful place, with a floor for dancing as smooth and

flat as a plate. Half-melted snow, partly covered with moss, sharp

stones, and skeletons of walruses and polar-bears, lie all about,

their gigantic limbs in a state of green decay. It would seem as if

the sun never shone there. I blew gently, to clear away the mist,

and then I saw a little hut, which had been built from the wood of a

wreck, and was covered with the skins of the walrus, the fleshy side

outwards; it looked green and red, and on the roof sat a growling

bear. Then I went to the sea shore, to look after birds' nests, and

saw the unfledged nestlings opening their mouths and screaming for

food. I blew into the thousand little throats, and quickly stopped

their screaming. Farther on were the walruses with pig's heads, and

teeth a yard long, rolling about like great worms.

    "You relate your adventures very well, my son," said the mother,

"it makes my mouth water to hear you.

    "After that," continued the North Wind, "the hunting commenced.

The harpoon was flung into the breast of the walrus, so that a smoking

stream of blood spurted forth like a fountain, and besprinkled the

ice. Then I thought of my own game; I began to blow, and set my own

ships, the great icebergs sailing, so that they might crush the boats.

Oh, how the sailors howled and cried out! but I howled louder than

they. They were obliged to unload their cargo, and throw their

chests and the dead walruses on the ice. Then I sprinkled snow over

them, and left them in their crushed boats to drift southward, and

to taste salt water. They will never return to Bear's Island."

    "So you have done mischief," said the mother of the Winds.

    "I shall leave others to tell the good I have done," he replied.

"But here comes my brother from the West; I like him best of all,

for he has the smell of the sea about him, and brings in a cold, fresh

air as he enters."

    "Is that the little Zephyr?" asked the prince.

    "Yes, it is the little Zephyr," said the old woman; "but he is not

little now. In years gone by he was a beautiful boy; now that is all

past."

    He came in, looking like a wild man, and he wore a slouched hat to

protect his head from injury. In his hand he carried a club, cut

from a mahogany tree in the American forests, not a trifle to carry.

    "Whence do you come?" asked the mother.

    "I come from the wilds of the forests, where the thorny brambles

form thick hedges between the trees; where the water-snake lies in the

wet grass, and mankind seem to be unknown."

    "What were you doing there?"

    "I looked into the deep river, and saw it rushing down from the

rocks. The water drops mounted to the clouds and glittered in the

rainbow. I saw the wild buffalo swimming in the river, but the

strong tide carried him away amidst a flock of wild ducks, which

flew into the air as the waters dashed onwards, leaving the buffalo to

be hurled over the waterfall. This pleased me; so I raised a storm,

which rooted up old trees, and sent them floating down the river."

    "And what else have you done?" asked the old woman.

    "I have rushed wildly across the savannahs; I have stroked the

wild horses, and shaken the cocoa-nuts from the trees. Yes, I have

many stories to relate; but I need not tell everything I know. You

know it all very well, don't you, old lady?" And he kissed his

mother so roughly, that she nearly fell backwards. Oh, he was, indeed,

a wild fellow.

    Now in came the South Wind, with a turban and a flowing Bedouin

cloak.

    "How cold it is here!" said he, throwing more wood on the fire.

"It is easy to feel that the North Wind has arrived here before me."

    "Why it is hot enough here to roast a bear," said the North Wind.

    "You are a bear yourself," said the other.

    "Do you want to be put in the sack, both of you?" said the old

woman. "Sit down, now, on that stone, yonder, and tell me where you

have been."

    "In Africa, mother. I went out with the Hottentots, who were

lion-hunting in the Kaffir land, where the plains are covered with

grass the color of a green olive; and here I ran races with the

ostrich, but I soon outstripped him in swiftness. At last I came to

the desert, in which lie the golden sands, looking like the bottom

of the sea. Here I met a caravan, and the travellers had just killed

their last camel, to obtain water; there was very little for them, and

they continued their painful journey beneath the burning sun, and over

the hot sands, which stretched before them a vast, boundless desert.

Then I rolled myself in the loose sand, and whirled it in burning

columns over their heads. The dromedarys stood still in terror,

while the merchants drew their caftans over their heads, and threw

themselves on the ground before me, as they do before Allah, their

god. Then I buried them beneath a pyramid of sand, which covers them

all. When I blow that away on my next visit, the sun will bleach their

bones, and travellers will see that others have been there before

them; otherwise, in such a wild desert, they might not believe it

possible."

    "So you have done nothing but evil," said the mother. "Into the

sack with you;" and, before he was aware, she had seized the South

Wind round the body, and popped him into the bag. He rolled about on

the floor, till she sat herself upon him to keep him still.

    "These boys of yours are very lively," said the prince.

    "Yes," she replied, "but I know how to correct them, when

necessary; and here comes the fourth." In came the East Wind,

dressed like a Chinese.

    "Oh, you come from that quarter, do you?" said she; "I thought you

had been to the garden of paradise."

    "I am going there to-morrow," he replied; "I have not been there

for a hundred years. I have just come from China, where I danced round

the porcelain tower till all the bells jingled again. In the streets

an official flogging was taking place, and bamboo canes were being

broken on the shoulders of men of every high position, from the

first to the ninth grade. They cried, 'Many thanks, my fatherly

benefactor;' but I am sure the words did not come from their hearts,

so I rang the bells till they sounded, 'ding, ding-dong.'"

    "You are a wild boy," said the old woman; "it is well for you that

you are going to-morrow to the garden of paradise; you always get

improved in your education there. Drink deeply from the fountain of

wisdom while you are there, and bring home a bottleful for me."

    "That I will," said the East Wind; "but why have you put my

brother South in a bag? Let him out; for I want him to tell me about

the phoenix-bird. The princess always wants to hear of this bird

when I pay her my visit every hundred years. If you will open the

sack, sweetest mother, I will give you two pocketfuls of tea, green

and fresh as when I gathered it from the spot where it grew."

    "Well, for the sake of the tea, and because you are my own boy,

I will open the bag."

    She did so, and the South Wind crept out, looking quite cast down,

because the prince had seen his disgrace.

    "There is a palm-leaf for the princess," he said. "The old

phoenix, the only one in the world, gave it to me himself. He has

scratched on it with his beak the whole of his history during the

hundred years he has lived. She can there read how the old phoenix set

fire to his own nest, and sat upon it while it was burning, like a

Hindoo widow. The dry twigs around the nest crackled and smoked till

the flames burst forth and consumed the phoenix to ashes. Amidst the

fire lay an egg, red hot, which presently burst with a loud report,

and out flew a young bird. He is the only phoenix in the world, and

the king over all the other birds. He has bitten a hole in the leaf

which I give you, and that is his greeting to the princess."

    "Now let us have something to eat," said the mother of the

Winds. So they all sat down to feast on the roasted stag; and as the

prince sat by the side of the East Wind, they soon became good

friends.

    "Pray tell me," said the prince, "who is that princess of whom you

have been talking! and where lies the garden of paradise?"

    "Ho! ho!" said the East Wind, "would you like to go there? Well,

you can fly off with me to-morrow; but I must tell you one thing- no

human being has been there since the time of Adam and Eve. I suppose

you have read of them in your Bible."

    "Of course I have," said the prince.

    "Well," continued the East Wind, "when they were driven out of the

garden of paradise, it sunk into the earth; but it retained its warm

sunshine, its balmy air, and all its splendor. The fairy queen lives

there, in the island of happiness, where death never comes, and all is

beautiful. I can manage to take you there to-morrow, if you will sit

on my back. But now don't talk any more, for I want to go to sleep;"

and then they all slept.

    When the prince awoke in the early morning, he was not a little

surprised at finding himself high up above the clouds. He was seated

on the back of the East Wind, who held him faithfully; and they were

so high in the air that woods and fields, rivers and lakes, as they

lay beneath them, looked like a painted map.

    "Good morning," said the East Wind. "You might have slept on a

while; for there is very little to see in the flat country over

which we are passing unless you like to count the churches; they

look like spots of chalk on a green board." The green board was the

name he gave to the green fields and meadows.

    "It was very rude of me not to say good-bye to your mother and

your brothers," said the prince.

    "They will excuse you, as you were asleep," said the East Wind;

and then they flew on faster than ever.

    The leaves and branches of the trees rustled as they passed.

When they flew over seas and lakes, the waves rose higher, and the

large ships dipped into the water like diving swans. As darkness

came on, towards evening, the great towns looked charming; lights were

sparkling, now seen now hidden, just as the sparks go out one after

another on a piece of burnt paper. The prince clapped his hands with

pleasure; but the East Wind advised him not to express his

admiration in that manner, or he might fall down, and find himself

hanging on a church steeple. The eagle in the dark forests flies

swiftly; but faster than he flew the East Wind. The Cossack, on his

small horse, rides lightly o'er the plains; but lighter still passed

the prince on the winds of the wind.

    "There are the Himalayas, the highest mountains in Asia," said the

East Wind. "We shall soon reach the garden of paradise now."

    Then, they turned southward, and the air became fragrant with

the perfume of spices and flowers. Here figs and pomegranates grew

wild, and the vines were covered with clusters of blue and purple

grapes. Here they both descended to the earth, and stretched

themselves on the soft grass, while the flowers bowed to the breath of

the wind as if to welcome it. "Are we now in the garden of

paradise?" asked the prince.

    "No, indeed," replied the East Wind; "but we shall be there very

soon. Do you see that wall of rocks, and the cavern beneath it, over

which the grape vines hang like a green curtain? Through that cavern

we must pass. Wrap your cloak round you; for while the sun scorches

you here, a few steps farther it will be icy cold. The bird flying

past the entrance to the cavern feels as if one wing were in the

region of summer, and the other in the depths of winter."

    "So this then is the way to the garden of paradise?" asked the

prince, as they entered the cavern. It was indeed cold; but the cold

soon passed, for the East Wind spread his wings, and they gleamed like

the brightest fire. As they passed on through this wonderful cave, the

prince could see great blocks of stone, from which water trickled,

hanging over their heads in fantastic shapes. Sometimes it was so

narrow that they had to creep on their hands and knees, while at other

times it was lofty and wide, like the free air. It had the

appearance of a chapel for the dead, with petrified organs and

silent pipes. "We seem to be passing through the valley of death to

the garden of paradise," said the prince.

    But the East Wind answered not a word, only pointed forwards to

a lovely blue light which gleamed in the distance. The blocks of stone

assumed a misty appearance, till at last they looked like white clouds

in moonlight. The air was fresh and balmy, like a breeze from the

mountains perfumed with flowers from a valley of roses. A river, clear

as the air itself, sparkled at their feet, while in its clear depths

could be seen gold and silver fish sporting in the bright water, and

purple eels emitting sparks of fire at every moment, while the broad

leaves of the water-lilies, that floated on its surface, flickered

with all the colors of the rainbow. The flower in its color of flame

seemed to receive its nourishment from the water, as a lamp is

sustained by oil. A marble bridge, of such exquisite workmanship

that it appeared as if formed of lace and pearls, led to the island of

happiness, in which bloomed the garden of paradise. The East Wind took

the prince in his arms, and carried him over, while the flowers and

the leaves sang the sweet songs of his childhood in tones so full

and soft that no human voice could venture to imitate. Within the

garden grew large trees, full of sap; but whether they were palm-trees

or gigantic water-plants, the prince knew not. The climbing plants

hung in garlands of green and gold, like the illuminations on the

margins of old missals or twined among the initial letters. Birds,

flowers, and festoons appeared intermingled in seeming confusion.

Close by, on the grass, stood a group of peacocks, with radiant

tails outspread to the sun. The prince touched them, and found, to his

surprise, that they were not really birds, but the leaves of the

burdock tree, which shone with the colors of a peacock's tail. The

lion and the tiger, gentle and tame, were springing about like playful

cats among the green bushes, whose perfume was like the fragrant

blossom of the olive. The plumage of the wood-pigeon glistened like

pearls as it struck the lion's mane with its wings; while the

antelope, usually so shy, stood near, nodding its head as if it wished

to join in the frolic. The fairy of paradise next made her appearance.

Her raiment shone like the sun, and her serene countenance beamed with

happiness like that of a mother rejoicing over her child. She was

young and beautiful, and a train of lovely maidens followed her,

each wearing a bright star in her hair. The East Wind gave her the

palm-leaf, on which was written the history of the phoenix; and her

eyes sparkled with joy. She then took the prince by the hand, and

led him into her palace, the walls of which were richly colored,

like a tulip-leaf when it is turned to the sun. The roof had the

appearance of an inverted flower, and the colors grew deeper and

brighter to the gazer. The prince walked to a window, and saw what

appeared to be the tree of knowledge of good and evil, with Adam and

Eve standing by, and the serpent near them. "I thought they were

banished from paradise," he said.

    The princess smiled, and told him that time had engraved each

event on a window-pane in the form of a picture; but, unlike other

pictures, all that it represented lived and moved,- the leaves

rustled, and the persons went and came, as in a looking-glass. He

looked through another pane, and saw the ladder in Jacob's dream, on

which the angels were ascending and descending with outspread wings.

All that had ever happened in the world here lived and moved on the

panes of glass, in pictures such as time alone could produce. The

fairy now led the prince into a large, lofty room with transparent

walls, through which the light shone. Here were portraits, each one

appearing more beautiful than the other- millions of happy beings,

whose laughter and song mingled in one sweet melody: some of these

were in such an elevated position that they appeared smaller than

the smallest rosebud, or like pencil dots on paper. In the centre of

the hall stood a tree, with drooping branches, from which hung

golden apples, both great and small, looking like oranges amid the

green leaves. It was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, from

which Adam and Eve had plucked and eaten the forbidden fruit, and from

each leaf trickled a bright red dewdrop, as if the tree were weeping

tears of blood for their sin. "Let us now take the boat," said the

fairy: "a sail on the cool waters will refresh us. But we shall not

move from the spot, although the boat may rock on the swelling

water; the countries of the world will glide before us, but we shall

remain still."

    It was indeed wonderful to behold. First came the lofty Alps,

snow-clad, and covered with clouds and dark pines. The horn resounded,

and the shepherds sang merrily in the valleys. The banana-trees bent

their drooping branches over the boat, black swans floated on the

water, and singular animals and flowers appeared on the distant shore.

New Holland, the fifth division of the world, now glided by, with

mountains in the background, looking blue in the distance. They

heard the song of the priests, and saw the wild dance of the savage to

the sound of the drums and trumpets of bone; the pyramids of Egypt

rising to the clouds; columns and sphinxes, overthrown and buried in

the sand, followed in their turn; while the northern lights flashed

out over the extinguished volcanoes of the north, in fireworks none

could imitate.

    The prince was delighted, and yet he saw hundreds of other

wonderful things more than can be described. "Can I stay here

forever?" asked he.

    "That depends upon yourself," replied the fairy. "If you do not,

like Adam, long for what is forbidden, you can remain here always."

    "I should not touch the fruit on the tree of knowledge," said

the prince; there is abundance of fruit equally beautiful."

    "Examine your own heart," said the princess, "and if you do not

feel sure of its strength, return with the East Wind who brought

you. He is about to fly back, and will not return here for a hundred

years. The time will not seem to you more than a hundred hours, yet

even that is a long time for temptation and resistance. Every evening,

when I leave you, I shall be obliged to say, 'Come with me,' and to

beckon to you with my hand. But you must not listen, nor move from

your place to follow me; for with every step you will find your

power to resist weaker. If once you attempted to follow me, you

would soon find yourself in the hall, where grows the tree of

knowledge, for I sleep beneath its perfumed branches. If you stooped

over me, I should be forced to smile. If you then kissed my lips,

the garden of paradise would sink into the earth, and to you it

would be lost. A keen wind from the desert would howl around you; cold

rain fall on your head, and sorrow and woe be your future lot."

    "I will remain," said the prince.

    So the East Wind kissed him on the forehead, and said, "Be firm;

then shall we meet again when a hundred years have passed. Farewell,

farewell." Then the East Wind spread his broad pinions, which shone

like the lightning in harvest, or as the northern lights in a cold

winter.

    "Farewell, farewell," echoed the trees and the flowers.

    Storks and pelicans flew after him in feathery bands, to accompany

him to the boundaries of the garden.

    "Now we will commence dancing," said the fairy; and when it is

nearly over at sunset, while I am dancing with you, I shall make a

sign, and ask you to follow me: but do not obey. I shall be obliged to

repeat the same thing for a hundred years; and each time, when the

trial is past, if you resist, you will gain strength, till

resistance becomes easy, and at last the temptation will be quite

overcome. This evening, as it will be the first time, I have warned

you."

    After this the fairy led him into a large hall, filled with

transparent lilies. The yellow stamina of each flower formed a tiny

golden harp, from which came forth strains of music like the mingled

tones of flute and lyre. Beautiful maidens, slender and graceful in

form, and robed in transparent gauze, floated through the dance, and

sang of the happy life in the garden of paradise, where death never

entered, and where all would bloom forever in immortal youth. As the

sun went down, the whole heavens became crimson and gold, and tinted

the lilies with the hue of roses. Then the beautiful maidens offered

to the prince sparkling wine; and when he had drank, he felt happiness

greater than he had ever known before. Presently the background of the

hall opened and the tree of knowledge appeared, surrounded by a halo

of glory that almost blinded him. Voices, soft and lovely as his

mother's sounded in his ears, as if she were singing to him, "My

child, my beloved child." Then the fairy beckoned to him, and said

in sweet accents, "Come with me, come with me." Forgetting his

promise, forgetting it even on the very first evening, he rushed

towards her, while she continued to beckon to him and to smile. The

fragrance around him overpowered his senses, the music from the

harps sounded more entrancing, while around the tree appeared millions

of smiling faces, nodding and singing. "Man should know everything;

man is the lord of the earth." The tree of knowledge no longer wept

tears of blood, for the dewdrops shone like glittering stars.

    "Come, come," continued that thrilling voice, and the prince

followed the call. At every step his cheeks glowed, and the blood

rushed wildly through his veins. "I must follow," he cried; "it is not

a sin, it cannot be, to follow beauty and joy. I only want to see

her sleep, and nothing will happen unless I kiss her, and that I

will not do, for I have strength to resist, and a determined will."

    The fairy threw off her dazzling attire, bent back the boughs, and

in another moment was hidden among them.

    "I have not sinned yet," said the prince, "and I will not;" and

then he pushed aside the boughs to follow the princess. She was

lying already asleep, beautiful as only a fairy in the garden of

paradise could be. She smiled as he bent over her, and he saw tears

trembling out of her beautiful eyelashes. "Do you weep for me?" he

whispered. "Oh weep not, thou loveliest of women. Now do I begin to

understand the happiness of paradise; I feel it to my inmost soul,

in every thought. A new life is born within me. One moment of such

happiness is worth an eternity of darkness and woe." He stooped and

kissed the tears from her eyes, and touched her lips with his.

    A clap of thunder, loud and awful, resounded through the trembling

air. All around him fell into ruin. The lovely fairy, the beautiful

garden, sunk deeper and deeper. The prince saw it sinking down in

the dark night till it shone only like a star in the distance

beneath him. Then he felt a coldness, like death, creeping over him;

his eyes closed, and he became insensible.

    When he recovered, a chilling rain was beating upon him, and a

sharp wind blew on his head. "Alas! what have I done?" he sighed; "I

have sinned like Adam, and the garden of paradise has sunk into the

earth." He opened his eyes, and saw the star in the distance, but it

was the morning star in heaven which glittered in the darkness.

    Presently he stood up and found himself in the depths of the

forest, close to the cavern of the Winds, and the mother of the

Winds sat by his side. She looked angry, and raised her arm in the air

as she spoke. "The very first evening!" she said. "Well, I expected

it! If you were my son, you should go into the sack."

    "And there he will have to go at last," said a strong old man,

with large black wings, and a scythe in his hand, whose name was

Death. "He shall be laid in his coffin, but not yet. I will allow

him to wander about the world for a while, to atone for his sin, and

to give him time to become better. But I shall return when he least

expects me. I shall lay him in a black coffin, place it on my head,

and fly away with it beyond the stars. There also blooms a garden of

paradise, and if he is good and pious he will be admitted; but if

his thoughts are bad, and his heart is full of sin, he will sink

with his coffin deeper than the garden of paradise has sunk. Once in

every thousand years I shall go and fetch him, when he will either

be condemned to sink still deeper, or be raised to a happier life in

the world beyond the stars."

                            THE END