[Denmark] Andersen

As you probably know, in China, the emperor is from China; The people around him are also from China. This story happened many years ago; But because of this, it is worth listening to before people forget it. The emperor's palace is the most magnificent in the world. It is made entirely of exquisite tiles. It is very precious, but it is also very fragile. If you want to touch it, you must be extremely careful. People can see the strangest flowers in the world in the royal garden. The most expensive flowers are tied with silver bells, so that passers-by have to pay attention as soon as they hear them. Yes, everything in the emperor's garden is beautifully decorated. This garden is so big that even the gardener doesn't know where its end is. If a person goes straight ahead, he can go through a dense forest with tall trees and a deep lake. The forest extends all the way to the deep blue sea. The great ship can sail under the branches. There lived a nightingale in the Woods. Its singing is so beautiful that even a busy poor fisherman has to stop to enjoy the nightingale as soon as he hears its singing when he goes out to close the net at night.

"My God, how beautiful!" He said. But he must do his job, so he must forget the bird. But the next night, the bird sang again. Hearing this, the fisherman couldn't help saying the same thing: "My God, how beautiful!" "

Travelers from all over the world came to the emperor's capital to enjoy the imperial city, palaces and gardens. But when they heard the nightingale, they all said, "This is the most beautiful thing!" " "

When these travelers returned to their motherland, they talked about it. So many scholars have written many books about imperial cities, palaces and gardens. But they didn't forget the nightingale. They put it in the highest position. People who can write poems have also written many beautiful poems, praising the nightingale who lives in the Woods near the deep sea.

These books are popular all over the world. Several books were actually very popular with the emperor. He sat in his golden chair, reading and nodding every second, because the detailed description of the imperial city, palaces and gardens made him feel very comfortable to read. "But the nightingale is the most beautiful of all things." This sentence was clearly in front of him.

"What is this?" The emperor said, "Nightingale! I didn't know this nightingale existed! Is there such a bird in my empire? Is it in my garden? I have never heard of such a thing! This can only be read in books! "

So he called his entourage. This is a noble figure. Anyone who is slightly inferior to him, as long as he dares to talk to him or ask him anything, he always answers simply: "bah!" " "-the word is meaningless.

"It is said that there is a strange bird called nightingale here!" The emperor said, "People say it is the most precious thing in my great empire. Why has no one ever mentioned it in front of me? "

"I have never heard of its name," said the courtier. "No one has ever brought it to the palace!"

"I command: I must bring it here tonight and sing in front of me," said the emperor. "The whole world knows what good things I have, but I don't know myself!"

"I have never heard of its name," said the courtier. "I have to look for it! I have to look for it! "

But where can I find it? Courtiers walked up and down the steps and ran around the halls and corridors, but everyone he met said that he had never heard of any nightingale. The courtiers had to run back to the emperor and said that this must be a myth fabricated by the writer.

"Your majesty, please don't believe what is written in the book. Most of these things are nonsense-the so-called' nonsense'. "

"But the book I read," said the emperor, "was sent by the powerful Japanese emperor, so it must not be fabricated. I want to hear the nightingale! We must get it tonight! I ordered it to come! If it can't come tonight, all the people in the palace will get a few strong slaps on their stomachs as soon as they finish eating! "

"admire 1!" The courtiers said. So he walked up and down the steps again, running up and down the halls and corridors. Half the people in the palace ran around with him because no one wanted to be beaten in the stomach.

So they began a large-scale investigation, investigating this strange nightingale, and everyone knew it except the court.

Finally, they met a poor little girl in the kitchen. She said:

"Oh, my God, you are looking for the nightingale! I know all this too well. It sings beautifully. Every night, I am allowed to take some rice grains left on the table home to my poor sick mother, who lives by the sea. When I was tired on my way home, I rested in the Woods, and then I heard the nightingale singing. Then my tears came out and I felt like my mother was kissing me! "

"Little girl!" The courtiers said, "I will try to get you a fixed position in the kitchen and show you the emperor's privilege to eat." But you must take us to see the nightingale, because it will perform in front of the emperor tonight. "

In this way, they went to the forest where nightingales often sang. Half the people in the palace have gone out. When they were walking, a cow began to crow.

"ah!" A young aristocrat said, "Now we can find it!" Such a small animal is very loud! I've heard this voice somewhere before. "

"Wrong, this is Niu Jiao!" Meidochan in the kitchen said, "We are still far from that place."

Now the frogs in the swamp are barking.

The court priest in China said, "Now I hear it-it sounds like Jason Chung in a temple."

"Wrong, this is the frog's cry!" Meidochan in the kitchen said, "But I think we can hear the nightingale soon."

So the nightingale began to sing.

"This is it!" Meidochan said, "Listen, listen! It lives there. "

She pointed to a gray bird on the branch.

"Is this possible?" The courtier said, "I didn't expect such kindness!" Look how ordinary it is! This must be because it lost its luster when it saw so many officials around it. "

"Little Nightingale!" Meidochan in the kitchen shouted, "Our kind emperor wants you to sing in front of him."

"I am very happy!" The nightingale said that it sang a beautiful song.

"Sounds like a glass bell!" The courtiers said, "Look, how well it sings in a small voice! Strange to say, we have never heard of it before. This bird will definitely make everyone happy when it comes to the palace! "

"Do you want me to sing in front of the emperor again?" Asked the nightingale, because it thought the emperor was there.

"My lovely little nightingale!" The courtier said, "I feel very honored to order you to attend the banquet in the palace." You have to entertain the emperor of the holy dynasty with your wonderful voice. "

"My song can only be sung best in the green forest!" Said the nightingale. However, when it heard that the emperor wanted to see it, it went anyway.

The palace is newly decorated. Tile walls and paved floors sparkle in the light of countless golden lamps. The most beautiful bell flower is now moved to the corridor. There were a lot of people running around in the corridor, and a breeze rolled up, making all the silver bells jingle so that people couldn't even hear themselves.

In the center of the hall where the emperor sat, a golden perch was erected on which the nightingale could stand. The whole court came, and Meidochan in the kitchen was allowed to stand behind the door and wait on her-because she now has a real title "kitchen servant". Everyone put on their best clothes. Everyone looks at the gray bird: the emperor is nodding to it.

So the nightingale began to sing-so beautifully that even the emperor burst into tears. When the nightingale sang more beautifully, its song touched the emperor's heartstrings. The emperor looked so happy that he even ordered his gold slippers to be hung around the bird's neck. But the nightingale refused, saying that she had given enough.

"I saw the tears in the eyes of the emperor-this is the most precious thing for me. The emperor's tears have a special power. God knows, I have paid a lot! " So it sang again with a sweet and happy voice.

"I have never seen such a lovely coquetry!" Some ladies-in-waiting present said. When people talk to them, they deliberately pour water into their mouths and giggle: they think they are nightingales, too. Pages and maids also express their opinions and say that they are satisfied-this kind of comment is not simple, because they are the most difficult people to be satisfied. Bottom line: The Nightingale was a great success.

The nightingale will now live in the palace and have its own cage-it will only go out freely twice during the day and take a walk once at night. There are always twelve servants following each time; They are holding a silk thread tied to its leg-they always pull it tightly. Traveling like this is not an easy and pleasant thing.

People all over the capital are talking about this strange bird. When two people meet, one only says "night" and the other goes on to say "warbler". Then they sigh and understand each other. 1 1 Every child who works as a street vendor is named "Nightingale", but none of them can sing a tune.

One day, the emperor received a big package, which read "Nightingale".

"This is another book about our famous birds!" The emperor said.

But this is not a book, but a handicraft in a box-an artificial nightingale. It is like a natural nightingale, but it is full of diamonds, rubies and sapphires. This artificial bird can sing a song sung by a real nightingale as long as it is wound properly; At the same time, its tail moves up and down, emitting gold and silver light. There is a small ribbon around its neck, which reads: "The nightingale of the Japanese emperor is very shabby compared with the nightingale of the Japanese emperor."

"It's beautiful!" Everyone said. The man who sent this artificial nightingale immediately got a title: "Royal Chief Nightingale Messenger."

"Now let them sing together; What a wonderful duet this will be! "

In this way, they have to sing together; But this method doesn't work, because the real nightingale just sings in her own way, and this artificial bird can only sing the old tune of "waltz"

"I can't blame it," said the musician "It's very good. It's from my school."

Now the artificial bird has to sing alone. Its success is comparable to that of a real nightingale; In addition, its appearance is much more beautiful-shining like a gold bracelet and collar button.

It sang the same tune for thirty-three times and didn't feel tired. Everyone is willing to continue listening, but the emperor said that the living nightingale should also sing something-but where did it go? No one noticed that it had flown out of the window and returned to its green forest.

"But what does this mean?" The emperor said.

All courtiers cursed the nightingale, saying it was an ungrateful thing.

"We finally have the best bird," they said.

So the artificial bird is going to sing again. They listened to the same tune for the thirty-fourth time. Even so, they still can't remember it, because it's a difficult piece of music. The musician spoke highly of the bird. Yes, he affirmed, it is much better than a real nightingale: not only its feathers and many diamonds, but also its interior.

"Because, ladies and gentlemen, especially your Majesty, you should know that you will never guess what a real nightingale will sing; However, in this artificial nightingale's body, everything has been arranged: it can sing whatever it wants! You can tell a truth, you can take it apart, and you can see its internal activities: where does its' waltz' start and end, and what is the connection. "

"This is exactly what we want." Everyone said.

So musicians are allowed to show the bird to the public next Sunday. The emperor said that ordinary people should also listen to its songs. They heard about it later and were very satisfied. It's as if they've had tea-because tea is a habit in China. They all said, "Hey!" At the same time, erect your index finger and nod. But the fisherman who heard the real nightingale sing said:

"It sings well, just like a real bird, but it always seems to be missing something-although I don't know what it is!"

The real nightingale was banished from this land and empire.

The artificial nightingale sat on the silk cushion beside the emperor's bed. All the gifts it got-gold and precious stones-were displayed around it. In terms of title, it has been rated as "noble royal night singer". In terms of rank, it was promoted to the position of "left head" because the emperor thought that the left side of the atrium was the most important side-even an emperor's heart remained. The musician wrote a 25-volume book about this artificial bird: it's a profound and long book, written in the most difficult Chinese characters. So the ministers said that they had all read the book and understood its contents, because they were all afraid of being considered stupid and being beaten in the stomach.

A whole year has passed. The emperors, courtiers and others in China remembered every tune of the song sung by this artificial bird. But now everyone has learned, and everyone likes this bird more-now everyone can sing with it, and they actually do. The children in the street are singing: cheep-cheep-cheep-glug-glug! The emperor sang it himself-yes, it's lovely!

But one night, when the artificial bird was singing the most vigorously, when the emperor was lying in bed listening, the bird suddenly hissed. Something is broken. "Shh-"All the wheels are turning wildly, and the singing stops.

The emperor immediately jumped out of bed and ordered his doctor to be called. But what can doctors do? So everyone went to hire a watchmaker. After some consultation and inspection, he finally managed to repair the bird; However, he said that the bird must be carefully protected in the future, because the gear inside it has worn out, and it is difficult to match it with a new gear that can play music. This is really a sad thing! This bird can only sing once a year, which is too much! But the musician made a short speech-full of difficult words-and he said the bird was as good as before, so of course it was as good as before. ...

Five years have passed. A very sad thing happened in this country at last, because the people of this country like their emperor very much, and now he is treating diseases. It is said that he can't stay in this world for long. The new emperor has been chosen. The common people ran into the street and asked the courtiers about their old emperor's illness.

"Bah!" He shook his head and said.

The emperor was lying on his gorgeous big bed, cold and pale. The whole court thought he was dead; Everyone went to pay tribute to the new emperor. The servants all ran out to talk about it, and the maids held a grand coffee party. All the places, halls and corridors, are covered with cloth, so that footsteps will not ring; So now it's very quiet here, very quiet. But the emperor is not dead yet: he lies stiff and pale on a gorgeous bed with velvet curtains and thick golden ears. The window above is open; The moon shines on the emperor and the artificial bird.

The poor emperor could hardly breathe. Something seemed to be pressing on his chest: he opened his eyes and saw death sitting on his chest, wearing his golden crown, holding the emperor's sword in one hand and his luxurious flag in the other. There are many grotesque heads sneaking out from the folds of velvet curtains around, some are ugly, some are gentle and lovely. These things represent the good and bad things that the emperor did. Now death is on his heart, and they stick their heads out to see him.

"Do you remember this?" One after another they whispered, "Do you remember?" They told him many things, which made his forehead sweat a lot.

"I don't know about it!" The emperor said. "Quick play music! Play the music quickly! Knock on the big drum! " He shouted, "so I can't hear what they are saying!" " "

However, they have been talking. Death nodded at what they said-just like China.

"Play music! Play music! " The emperor cried, "You precious little golden bird, sing, sing!" I gave you a valuable gold gift; I used to hang my gold slippers around your neck myself-now please sing, sing! "

But the bird stood still, because no one would wind it, and it couldn't sing without winding it. But death continued to stare at the emperor with his big empty eyes. There was silence all around, terrible silence.

At this moment, at this moment, there is a most beautiful song singing at the window. This is a little nightingale alive; It stopped on a branch outside. It heard the emperor's sadness, and now it comes to sing some songs of comfort and hope to him. When it is singing, the faces of those ghosts gradually fade away; At the same time, blood began to flow actively in the weak limbs of the emperor. Even death himself began to listen to music; He said, "Sing, little nightingale, please sing!" " "

"However, would you like to give me that beautiful Jin Jian? Can you give me that luxurious flag? Will you give me the emperor's crown? "

Death traded all these precious things for a song. So the nightingale continued to sing. It sings about the quiet churchyard-where white roses grow, elderberry trees exude sweet fragrance, and the new grass is covered with tears of survivors. At this time, death misses his garden affectionately; So he turned into a cold white fog and disappeared in front of the window.

"Thank you! Thank you! " The emperor said, "You sacred bird! I understand you now. I drove you out of my land and empire, but you drove away the evil faces by my bed with your songs and removed death from my heart. What can I repay you? "

"You have repaid me!" The nightingale said, "When I first sang, I got your tears from your eyes-I will never forget it." Every tear is a gem-it can make the singer's heart bloom. But please go to sleep now, please keep your spirit and become healthy, and I will sing another song for you. "

It sang like this-the emperor fell asleep sweetly. Ah, how gentle and pleasant this feeling is!

When he woke up, he felt refreshed and refreshed, and the sun shone on him through the window. None of his followers came because they thought he was dead. But the nightingale still stood beside him, singing.

"Please live with me forever," said the emperor. "You can sing how you like. I will tear that artificial bird into 1000 pieces. "

"Please don't do this," said the nightingale. "It has done its best. Let it stay with you. I can't build a nest in the palace; However, when I think of coming, please let me come. I will perch on the branches outside the window at dusk and sing you a song that makes you happy and thoughtful. I will sing about those who are happy and those who suffer. I will sing about the good and evil hidden around you. Your little songbird will start a long journey now: it will fly to the poor fisherman, to the farmer's roof, and to all the people far away from you and your yard. I love your heart more than your crown; However, the crown also has its sacred side. I'll come and sing for you again-but I ask you to promise me one thing. "

"Anything will do!" The emperor said. He stood in royal robes and held the heavy Jin Jian to his chest.

"I ask you one thing: please don't tell anyone that you have a bird that will tell you everything. Only in this way will everything be beautiful. "

So the nightingale flew away.

The attendants all came in to see their dead emperor-yes, they all stood there, and the emperor said, "Good morning!" " "(Ye Junjian translation)

Precautions:

This is a transliteration of a Chinese word quoted by Andersen. The original text is "Qing Pei!" .

② Nightingale is Nattergal in Danish. The author seems to have deliberately played a joke here, because if the word is taken apart, the first half will become natter (night-plural) and the second half will become gal, and the word Gal means "crazy" in Danish.

(3) Inviting friends for coffee and chatting (Kafeeselskab) is a social habit in Northern Europe, but it is not in China.

The nightingale hinted at an unforgettable love in Andersen's life. The nightingale is a real person. She is a Swedish singer named Jenny Linde, who is known as the "Nightingale of Sweden". When Jenny came to perform in Copenhagen, Denmark, Andersen was deeply moved by Jenny's quiet smile and wonderful singing. In contact with Andersen, Jenny felt Andersen's love for her. At the farewell party, Jenny implicitly said to Andersen, "I hope to have a brother in Copenhagen. Will you be my brother? " Anne closed the heart of love and opened the door of friendship. The frustration of love inspired Andersen's creation and gave birth to the motivation to create The Nightingale. Andersen said affectionately, "Nightingale, beautiful nightingale, how I wish I could only describe you and write for you!" "

The nightingale was born. "Nightingale" has become the spiritual symbol of Jenny, which is alluded to in many fairy tales.

What impressed Andersen most about Jenny's beauty was her eyes. When they were alone, Jenny's gray eyes looked at Andersen so clearly and deeply. Andersen gave the nightingale Jenny a beautiful "gray" eye, saying it was "a gray bird". The elegance, profundity and beauty of Jenny's temperament are cleverly set off by Andersen's The Nightingale's Residence: "If one keeps going forward, one can meet a dense forest with tall trees and a deep lake. The forest extends all the way to the deep blue sea. The great ship can sail under the branches. There is a nightingale living in the Woods. " Jenny's singing was profaned by vulgarity, and the nightingale also made a meaningful reflection on it. When Jenny went to Denmark to perform, some upper-class people in Copenhagen showed disdain for her, saying that she was just a young girl in Scandinavia and people should watch Italian operas. In the nightingale, the nobles and officials of the imperial court are looking for the nightingale. On the way, they mistook Cleisthenes's Niu Jiao and croaking frogs for nightingales' songs, and then they naturally didn't know the natural beauty of Jenny's songs.

In addition to expressing his love for Jenny through the description of the nightingale, Andersen obviously has a deeper meaning.

The Imperial City of China is connected to the sea, and the nightingale's song is broadcast overseas, but the emperor is indifferent. This is a mockery of the high and self-righteous courts in China. The first people who know and sincerely praise the nightingale's singing are the "busy poor fisherman" and the "poor little girl" in the palace kitchen. After knowing the nightingale and looking for it, the emperor and the nobles in the court only temporarily abandoned it. Soon, they were fascinated by the mechanical singing of an artificial nightingale sent by the Japanese emperor-the feeling of the sound of nature, the emperor living in the temple and his entourage, far less than the poor living on the earth and close to nature. This is not only a satire on the emperor who doesn't know music and his entourage, but also implies respect and praise for the poor people.

The old tune of lifeless artificial nightingale has become a prelude to life and death, and the song of the living nightingale "can only be sung best in the green forest" has become a sonata for the dying to be reborn. This contrast not only highlights the worship of nature and the sounds of nature, but also has a deeper meaning. To be fair, the emperor in the work is not bad, but he is the opposite of the poor or the other side of the figure after all. Danish scholar George brandeis said, "Andersen did not describe human beings' * * *, but described the human nature of wild animals" (fairy tale poet Andersen). Therefore, in The Nightingale, Andersen's narrative style of the emperor is neutral. But when the emperor was facing death, Andersen released his nightingale to save the emperor: the nightingale's singing made the ghost's face fade gradually, made the god of death miss his garden, and thus revived the dying emperor. The nightingale forgave and saved the emperor. One reason is that the emperor once shed tears when listening to the nightingale's song. "Every tear is a jewel-it can make the singer's heart bloom. "Touched by beauty, the soul is washed; Secondly, Andersen's ubiquitous sympathy for the poor also extended to "this one" emperor. He said to the emperor through the nightingale's mouth, "I love your heart more than a crown." "Of course, this does not mean turning a blind eye to what the emperor did; He also said to the living emperor through the mouth of the nightingale: "I want to sing the good and evil hidden by you." "

A real singer is free and independent. He sings for everything in the world.

The nightingale is an elf flying between heaven and earth. At the end of the fairy tale, the nightingale who saved the emperor didn't stay in the palace, but flew to the distant place hidden by flowers and trees, beside the fisherman on the river whose fishing boat sang late, and on the roof of the farmhouse where the farmer lived at sunrise and sunset-that was the source of his singing and the eternal destination.

(Dada)