The Best English Fairy Tales / Лучшие английские сказки

Imagine what he looked like now! The children tried to catch him, they laughed and they shouted. Luckily the door was open, and the duckling escaped through it into the bushes.

The winter was very cruel to the little duckling. But the weather started changing, the duckling was still alive. The birds began to sing again. It was beautiful springtime.

One day the duckling understood that his wings were strong. He could fly! Before he knew what was happening, he was high in the sky.

Then he saw a great garden with apple trees. There were beautiful sweet flowers. Oh, it was wonderful here!

Then the duckling saw three lovely white swans. They swam slowly in the river. The duckling remembered these noble birds. He became very sad.

“I can’t fly near these noble birds, they will peck me because I am so very ugly. But I don’t care. Better be killed by them than to be pecked by the ducks, hens, kicked by the hen-yard girl, or to be frozen in winter.

”

So he flew into the water and swam to the beautiful swans. They saw him.

“Kill me!” cried the poor duckling, and he bowed his head down over the water. But what did he see there, mirrored in the clear river? It was no longer a dirty, gray duckling. He was a swan!

He felt happy because now he knew who he was. He was born in the duck’s yard but from a swan’s egg.

The great swans swam all around him and stroked him with their wings.

Some little children came into the garden. The smallest child cried, “Here’s a new one,” and the others said, “yes, a new swan has come.” They clapped their hands, danced around, and ran to their father and mother.

They threw bread and cake upon the water, and they all said, “The new one is the most beautiful of all.

He’s so young and so lovely” The old swans bowed.

Then he felt very shy and hid his head under his wing. He did not know what this was all about. He felt so very happy, but he wasn’t at all proud. A good heart never grows proud. He thought about how unhappy he was when he was a duckling. And now they all called him the most beautiful of all beautiful birds. The sun was so warm.