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

Then she stroked his neck and smoothed the feathers and said:

“It is a drake, and drake may be not very beautiful. I think he will grow up strong and smart”.

“The other ducklings are graceful enough,” said the old duck. “Now make yourself at home[7 - make yourself at home – будьте как дома], and if you find an eel’s head you can bring it to me”.

And so they made themselves comfortable. But everybody began to bite and push and beat the poor duckling who crept out of his shell last of all and looked so ugly.

“He is too big,” they all said; and the turkey cock, who had spurs and fancied himself really an emperor. The turkey cock puffed himself out like a vessel in full sail and flew at the duckling. He became quite red in the head with passion. At first, the poor little duckling did not know where to go, and was quite miserable. He was very ugly and the whole farmyard laughed at him.

So it went on from day to day; it got worse and worse. Everybody was driving the poor duckling away; even his brothers and sisters were unkind to him. They were saying:

“Ah, you ugly duckling! When will the cat eat you?”

And his mother was asking all the time: “Why were you born? What for?”

The ducks pecked him, the chickens beat him, and the girl who fed the poultry pushed him with her feet. So at last he ran away. He frightened the little birds in the hedge as he flew over the palings.

“They are afraid because I am so ugly,” he said.

So he ran farther, until he came out on a large moor. Wild ducks inhabited it. Here he remained the whole night. He was feeling very sorrowful.

In the morning, when the wild ducks rose in the air, they stared at their new comrade.

“What sort of a duck are you?” they all said and came round him.

He bowed to them politely, but he did not reply to their question.

“You are exceedingly ugly,” said the wild ducks; “but that will not matter if you do not want to marry one of our family.

The poor duckling had no thoughts of marriage. All he wanted was permission to lie among the rushes and drink some of the water on the moor.

He was on the moor for two days, there came two wild geese, or rather goslings.

“Listen, friend,” said one of them to the duckling; “you are so ugly that we like you very well.