H. C. Andersen best fairy tales / Лучшие сказки Г.Х. Андерсена. Уровень 1

Suddenly young girl came that way, and was quite terrified, but only for a moment. Then she fetched more people, and the Prince revived. But he, of course, did not know that she rescued him. She felt very sad and dived sorrowfully down into the water. She swam home to her father’s palace.

The sisters were asking her about the outer world, but she did not tell them anything about it.

Every evening and morning she went up to that place. She saw how the fruits in the garden grew ripe and were picked. She saw how the snow melted on the high mountains.

But she never saw the Prince. So she always turned homeward sadder than before.

At home, she was sitting in her little garden and looking at the fair marble statue which was like the Prince. At last she told one of her sisters. One of her sister’s friend knew who the Prince was. She knew where he came from and where his kingdom lay.

“Come, little sister,” said the other Princesses, and they rose in a long line out of the sea in front of the spot where they knew the Prince’s palace was.

It was a palace of pale yellow shining stone, with great marble steps. Stately gilded domes rose above the roof, and between the pillars stood statues of marble. Through the clear glass of the tall windows you could see into the noble halls. In the middle of the largest hall a great fountain.

Now the little mermaid knew where the Prince lived. She swam close to the land. She even went right up the narrow canal beneath the balcony of marble.

Here she was sitting and gazing at the young Prince.

Many times she saw him in his splendid boat, where the flags waved. She thought of how close his head lay on her bosom, and how lovingly she kissed him then. He knew nothing about it, and could not dream about her.

She became fonder and fonder of human people. Their world, she thought, was far larger than hers. They could fly over the sea in ships, climb the mountains; and the lands they owned stretched over forests and fields.

She wanted to know a lot, but her sisters could not answer all her questions. So she asked the old grandmother: she knew well the upper world, as she called the countries above the sea.

“If the human people aren’t drowned,” the little mermaid inquired, “do they for ever? Don’t they die as we do down here in the sea?”

“Yes,” said the old lady, “they die, too, and besides, their lifetime is shorter than ours.