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She had never seen such fireworks before. Greatsun spurted fire about,
splendid fireflies flew into the blue air, andeverything was reflected in the clear,
calm sea beneath. The ship itself was so brightlyilluminated that all the people,
and even the smallest rope, could be distinctlyseen. How handsome the young prince looked,
as he pressed the hands of all his guests andsmiled at them, while the music resounded through
the clear night air. It was very late, yet thelittle mermaid could not take her eyes from the
beautiful prince. The colored lanterns had beenextinguished, no more rockets rose in the air,
and the cannon had ceased firing, but the seabecame restless, and a moaning, grumbling sound
could be heard beneath the waves. Still the littlemermaid remained by the cabin window,
rocking up and down on the water, so that shecould look within. After a while the sails were
quickly set, and the ship went on her way. Butsoon the waves rose higher, heavy clouds darkened
the sky, and lightning appeared in the distance. Adreadful storm was approaching. Once more the
sails were furled, and the great ship pursued herflying course over the raging sea. The waves
rose mountain high, as if they would overtop themast, but the ship dived like a swan between them,
then rose again on their lofty, foaming crests. Tothe little mermaid this was pleasant sport,
but not so to the sailors. At length the ship groaned and creaked, the thick planks gave way
under the lashing of the sea, as the waves brokeover the deck, the main mast snapped asunder like
a reed, and as the ship lay over on her side, thewater rushed in. The little mermaid now
perceived that the crew were in danger, even shewas obliged to be careful, to avoid the beams
and planks of the wreck which lay scattered on thewater. At one moment it was pitch dark so that
she could not see a single object, but when aflash of lightning came it revealed the wholescene.
She could see everyone who had been on boardexcept the prince. When the ship parted,
she had seen him sink into the deep waves, and shewas glad, for she thought he would now be with
her. Then she remembered that human beings couldnot live in the water, so that when he got down to
her father's palace he would certainly be quitedead. No, he must not die. So she swam about
among the beams and planks which strewed thesurface of the sea, forgetting that they could
crush her to pieces. Diving deep under the darkwaters, rising and falling with the waves,
she at length managed to reach the young prince,who was fast losing the power to swim in that
stormy sea. His limbs were failing him, hisbeautiful eyes were closed, and he would have
died had not the little mermaid come to hisassistance. She held his head above the water
and let the waves carry them where they would. Inthe morning the storm had ceased, but of the
ship not a single fragment could be seen. The suncame up red and shining out of the water,
and its beams brought back the hue of health tothe prince's cheeks, but his eyes remained
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closed. The mermaid kissed his high, smoothforehead and stroked back his wet hair. He
seemed to her like the marble statue in her littlegarden, so she kissed him again and wished that
he might live. Presently they came in sight ofland, and she saw lofty blue mountains on which
the white snow rested as if a flock of swans werelying upon them. Beautiful green forests were
near the shore, and close by stood a largebuilding, whether a church or a convent she
could not tell. Orange and citron trees grew inthe garden, and before the door stood lofty palms.
The sea here formed a little bay, in which thewater lay quiet and still, but very deep.
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 hisbody.
Then bells sounded in the large white building,and some young girls came into the garden.
The little mermaid swam out farther from the shoreand hid herself among some high rocks that rose
out of the water. Covering her head and neck withthe foam of the sea, she watched there to see what
would become of the poor prince. It was not longbefore she saw a young girl approach the spot
where the prince lay. She seemed frightened atfirst, but only for a moment, then she brought a
number of people, and the mermaid saw that theprince came to life again and smiled upon those
who stood about him. But to her he sent no smile,he knew not that she had saved him. This made
her very sorrowful, and when he was led away intothe great building, she dived down into the water
and returned to her father's castle. She hadalways been silent and thoughtful, and now she
was more so than ever. Her sisters asked her whatshe had seen during her first visit to the surface
of the water, but she could tell them nothing.Many an evening and morning did she rise to the
place where she had left the prince. She saw thefruits in the garden ripen and watched them
dathered, she watched the snow on the mountaintops melt away, but never did she see the prince,
and therefore she always returned home more sorrowful than before. It was her only comfort
to sit in her own little garden and fling her armaround the beautiful marble statue,
which was like the prince. She gave up tending herflowers, and they grew in wild confusion over the
paths, twining their long leaves and stems roundthe branches of the tree so that the whole place
became dark and gloomy. At length she could bearit no longer and told one of her sisters all about
it. Then the others heard the secret, and verysoon it became known to several mermaids,
one of whom had an intimate friend who happened toknow about the prince. She had also seen the
festival on board ship, and she told them wherethe prince came from and where his palace stood.
Come, little sister, said the other princesses.Then they entwined their arms and rose together to
the surface of the water, near the spot where theyknew the prince's palace stood.
It was built of bright yellow, shining stone andhad 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 wholebuilding stood lifelike statues of marble.
Through the clear crystal of the lofty windowscould be seen noble rooms, with costly silk
curtains and hangings of tapestry and wallscovered with beautiful paintings. In the centre
of the largest salon a fountain threw itssparkling jets high up into the glass cupola of
the ceiling, through which the sun shone and uponthe water and upon the beautiful plants that grew
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in the basin of the fountain. Now that the littlemermaid knew where the prince lived,
she spent many an evening and many a night on thewater near the palace. She would swim much
nearer the shore than any of the others had ventured, and once she went up the narrow
channel under the marble balcony, which threw abroad shadow on the water. Here she sat and
watched the young prince, who thought himselfalone in the bright moonlight. She often saw him
evenings, sailing in a beautiful boat on whichmusic sounded and flags waved. She peeped out from
among the green rushes, and if the wind caught herlong silvery white veil, those who saw it
believed it to be a swan, spreading out its wings.Many a night, too, when the fishermen set their
nets by the light of their torches, she heard themrelate many good things about the young prince.
And this made her glad that she had saved his lifewhen he was tossed about half dead on the
waves. She remembered how his head had rested onher bosom and how heartily she had kissed him,
but he knew nothing of all this and could not evendream of her. She grew more and more to like
human beings and wished more and more to be ableto wander about with those whose worlds seemed
to be so much larger than her own. They could flyover the sea in ships and mount the high hills
which were far above the clouds, and the landsthey possessed, their woods and their fields,
stretched far away beyond the reach of her sight.There was so much that she wished to know.
But her sisters were unable to answer all herquestions. She then went to her old grandmother,
who knew all about the upper world, which sherightly called the lands above the sea.
If human beings are not drowned, asked the littlemermaid, can they live forever? Do they never
die, as we do here in the sea? Yes, replied theold lady, they must also die, and their term of
life is even shorter than ours. We sometimes livefor three hundred years, but when we cease to
exist here, we become only foam on the surface ofthe water and have not even a grave among those
we love. We have not immortal souls, we shallnever live again, like the green seaweed when
once it has been cut off, we can never flourishmore. Human beings, on the contrary, have souls
which live forever, even after the body has beenturned to dust. They rise up through the clear,
pure air, beyond the glittering stars. As we riseout of the water and behold all the land of
the earth, so do they rise to unknown and gloriousregions which we shall never see.
Why have not we immortal souls? asked the littlemermaid, mournfully. I would gladly give all the
hundreds of years that I have to live, to be ahuman being only for one day and to have the
hope of knowing the happiness of that gloriousworld above the stars. You must not think that,
said the old woman. We believe that we are muchhappier and much better off than human beings.
So I shall die, said the little mermaid, and asthe foam of the sea I shall be driven about,
never again to hear the music of the waves or tosee the pretty flowers or the red sun?
Is there anything I can do to win an immortalsoul? No, said the old woman, unless a man should
love you so much that you were more to him thanhis father or his mother, and if all his thoughts
and all his love were fixed upon you, and thepriest 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
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would obtain a share in the future happiness ofmankind. He would give to you a soul and retain
his own as well, but this can never happen. Yourfish's tail, which among us is considered so
beautiful, on earth is thought to be quite ugly.They do not know any better, and they think it
necessary, in order to be handsome, to have two stout props, which they call legs.
Then the little mermaid sighed and looked sorrowfully at her fish's tail.
Let us be happy, said the old lady, and dart andspring about during the three hundred years that
we have to live, which is really quite longenough. After that we can rest ourselves all
the better. This evening we are going to have acourt ball. It was one of those splendid sights
which we can never see on earth. The walls and theceiling of the large ballroom were of thick
but transparent crystal. Many hundreds of colossalshells, some of a deep red, others of a grass
green, with blue fire in them, stood in rows oneach side. These lighted up the whole salon,
and shone through the walls so that the sea wasalso illuminated. Innumerable fishes,
great and small, swam past the crystal walls, onsome of them the scales glowed with a purple
brilliance, and on others shone like silver andgold. Through the halls flowed a broad stream,
and in it danced the merman and the mermaids tothe music of their own sweet singing.
No one on earth has such lovely voices as they,but the little mermaid sang more
sweetly than all. The whole court applauded herwith hands and tails, and for a moment her heart
felt quite gay, for she knew she had the sweetestvoice either on earth or in the sea. But soon she
thought again of the world above her, she couldnot forget the charming prince, nor her sorrow
that she had not an immortal soul like his. Shecrept 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 buglesounding through the water and thought,
he is certainly sailing above, he in whom mywishes center and in whose hands I should
like to place the happiness of my life. I willventure all for him and win an immortal soul.
While my sisters are dancing in my father's palaceI will go to the sea witch,
of whom I have always been so much afraid, she cangive me counsel and help.
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