Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner)/The Swineherd

by Hans Christian Andersen

For other English-language translations of this work, see The Swineherd.

THE SWINEHERD

THE PRINCE MADE A PRETTY CALDRON WITH BELLS ALL AROUND IT.

THE SWINEHERD

THERE was once upon a time a poor prince who had a kingdom which was very small, but quite big enough to get married upon, and married he would be.

It was rather bold of him, to be sure, that he should dare to say to the emperor's daughter: "Will you have me?" But he did do it, for his name was renowned far and wide, and hundreds of princesses would have said, "Yes," and thanked him into the bargain; but do you think she did?

Now you shall hear.

On the grave of the prince's father there grew a rose-tree—oh, such a lovely rose-tree! It blossomed only every fifth year, and then it bore only a single rose, the fragrance of which was so sweet that every one who smelled it forgot all his cares and troubles. And then he had a nightingale which could sing as if every possible melody was fixed in its little throat. This rose and this nightingale the princess should have, and they were therefore both put into two large silver caskets and sent to her.

The emperor ordered the presents to be carried into the large hall, where the princess was playing at "receiving visitors" with her maids of honor,—they had nothing else to do,—and when she saw the large silver caskets with the presents she clapped her hands with joy.

"If it were only a little pussy cat!" she exclaimed — but it was only the lovely rose.

" Oh, how beautit'ully it is made ! " said the maids of honor.

" It is more than beautiful ! " said the emperor; " it is pretty ! "

But when the princess put out her hand to feel it she very nearly burst out crying.

" Fie, papa ! " she said. " Why, it is not an artificial one, it is a real one ! "

" Fie," said all the court, " it is a real rose ! "

" Let us first see what there is in the other casket before we get angry ! " remarked the emperor, and so the nightingale was brought out. It sang so beautifully that no one could have anything to say against it at the time.

"Superbe! Charmant!" exclaimed the maids of honor ; they all spoke French, the one worse than the other.

" How that bird reminds me of our kite bchned empress's musical box ! " said an old cavalier. " Ah, ves ! it is tpiite the same tone, the same execution."

"Yes! " said the emperor, and he began to cry like a little child.

" I should n't have thought it was a real bird! " said the princess.

"Yes, it is a real bird," said they who had brought it.

" Well, you may let that bird fly," said the princess, and she would on no account allow the prince to come and present himself.

Hut he did ncU let himself be disheartened ; he blackened his face, pulled his cap down over his eyes, and knocked at the gate.

"Good day. Emperor!" he said; "can you find something for me to do here in the palace?"

"Well, there are so many that come here to ask for a place! " said the emperor; "but wait a bit — I want some one o can look after pigs. We have got a good many of them."

And so the prince was engaged as imperial swineherd. He got a miserable little room near the pigsty, and there he had to remain. He sat working all day and toward evening he had made a pretty little caldron, with bells all round it, and as soon as the caldron boiled the bells rang out so prettily and playctl the old melodv :

" Oh, thou darling Augustin,

All 's lost and gone I '"

But the most remarkable thing about it was that, when one put one's fingers into the steam that came from the caldron, one could at once smell what kind of dinner was being prepared in every kitchen in the town. That was quite a different thing to the rose.

The princess soon came walking past with all her maids of honor, and

when she heard the melody she stopped and looked quite pleased, for she

THE MAIDS OF HONOR WERE SO TAKEN UP WITH COUNTING THE KISSES THAT THEY DID NOT NOTICE THE EMPEROR.

could also play "Oh, thou darling Augustiu "; it was the only tune she could play, and that she played with one Hnger.

"Why, that 's the one I play!" she said. "This must he a well hrought up swineherd. Just go and ask hiin the price of the instru- nient."

And so one ot the maids of honor had to run in, hut first she put on her wooden clogs.

" What will you take for that caldron ?" asked the maid ot honor.

" I want ten kisses from the princess for it ! " said the swineherd.

"Gracious goodness!" said the maid of honor.

" Well, I sha'n't take less! " said the swineherd.

"Well, what does he say?" said the princess.

" I really cannot tell vou," said the maid of honor, " it is too dreadful ! "

"Then you may whisper it!" said the princess, and the maid of honor whispered it.

" He is very rude!" said the princess, and walked away at once. But when she had gone some distance the hells rang again so prettily :

"Oh, thou darling Augustin,

All 's lost and gonr I "

" Listen!" said the princess; "just ask him if he will take ten kisses from mv maids of honor."

"No, thank you," replied the swineherd; "ten kisses from the princess, or I keep my caldron."

" How tiresome! " said the princess; "hut you ladies will have to stand in front of me, so that nobody can see me."

And the maids of honor stood round her and spread out their skirts, and so the swineherd got the ten kisses and she got the caldron.

Well, now they had a merry time of it ! The pot was kept boiling the whole evening and all day long ; there was not a kitchen in the whole town hut what they knew what was being cooked there, at the chamber- lain's as well as at the shoemaker's.

The maids of honor danced about and clapped their hands.

" We know who is going to have sweet soup and pancakes. We know who is going to have porridge and cutlets. How interesting it is ! "

" Highly interesting !" said the first lady of honor.

"Yes, yes, but hold your tongues, for I am the emperor's daughter!"

" Gracious goodness!" said all of them.

The swineherd, that is to say the prince — but of course they did not know he was anything but a real swineherd— did not let a day pass without doing something, and so he made a rattle, which, on being swung round. played all the waltzes, galops, and polkas known from the creation of the world.

"That is superbe!" said the princess as she passed by; "I have never heard a more beautiful composition! Listen! Just go in and ask him the price of the instrument; but I sha'n't kiss him."

"He wants a hundred kisses from the princess!" said the maid of honor who had been in to ask him.

"I think he is crazy!" said the princess, and so she walked away, but when she had gone some distance she stopped. "We ought to encourage

"OH, WHAT A MISERABLE CREATURE I AM!" CRIED THE PRINCESS.

art," she said, "and I am the emperor's daughter. Tell him he shall have ten kisses like yesterday, and the rest he can have from my maids of honor!"

"But we would rather not!" said the maids of honor.

"That's all nonsense," said the princess; "if I can kiss him, surely you can do so as well. Remember I give you your board and wages." And so the maid of honor had to go in to the swineherd again.

"A hundred kisses from the princess," he said, "Or each keeps his own!"

"Stand before me!" she said, and all the maids of honor placed themselves around while he kissed the princess.

"What is that crowd doing down there by the pigsty?" asked the emperor, as he stepped out on the balcony; he rubbed his eyes and put on his spectacles." Why, it is the maids of honor at some of their tricks. I shall have to go down there!" And so he pulled up his slippers at the back; for they were shoes which were trodden down at the heel.

Gracious goodness! what a hurry he was in!

As soon as he came down into the courtyard, he began to walk quietly; the maids of honor were so taken up with counting the kisses in order that there might be fair play — that he should not get too many, but at the same time not too few — they did not notice the emperor. He raised himself on the tips of his toes.

"What does this mean?" he exclaimed, when he saw them kissing, and he hit them on the head with his slipper, just as the swineherd got his eightieth kiss. "Off you go!" shouted the emperor, for he was angry, and both the princess and the swineherd were expelled from his empire.

There she was sitting, crying, while the swineherd was scolding and the rain pouring down.

"Oh, what a miserable creature I am!" cried the princess; "if only I had taken that handsome prince ! Oh, how unhappy I am!"

And the swineherd went behind a tree, rubbed the blacking off his face, threw aside the dirty clothes, and stepped out in his princely dress, looking so handsome and grand that the princess could not help courtesying to him.

"I have learned to despise you!" he said, "You would not have an honest prince! You did not understand the rose and the nightingale, but you could kiss the swineherd for the sake of a musical toy ! Now you can make the best of it!"

And so he went into his kingdom, shut the door after him, and bolted it; she could now stand outside and sing:

"Oh, thou darling Augustin,

All's lost and gone!"