The Little Mermaid § Малката русалка

She saw her sisters rising out of the flood: they were as pale as herself; but their long beautiful hair waved no more in the wind, and had been cut off.

“We have given our hair to the witch,” said they, “to obtain help for you, that you may not die to-night. She has given us a knife: here it is, see it is very sharp. Before the sun rises you must plunge it into the heart of the prince; when the warm blood falls upon your feet they will grow together again, and form into a fish’s tail, and you will be once more a mermaid, and return to us to live out your three hundred years before you die and change into the salt sea foam.

The little mermaid, Hans Christian Andersen

Ала изведнъж из дълбините на морето изскочиха нейните сестри. Те бяха също тъй бледни като нея. Дългите им прекрасни коси не се развяваха вече от вятъра — те бяха отрязани.           
  — Ние ги дадохме на магьосницата, за да те спасим и да не те оставим да умреш тая нощ. А тя ни даде ето тоя нож. Виж колко е остър! Преди да изгрее слънцето, ти трябва да го забиеш в сърцето на княза и когато неговата топла кръв опръска твоите крака, те отново ще станат рибя опашка и ти ще се превърнеш пак в русалка, ще слезеш при нас на дъното на морето и ще изживееш твоите триста години, преди да станеш мъртва солена пяна върху морската повърхност.

Малката русалка, Ханс Кристиан Андерсен

La fée

la fée2.jpg

 

(…) and then an old, old woman came out of the house;
she was leaning upon a big, 
hooked stick,
and she wore a big sun hat,
which was covered 
with beautiful painted flowers.

Hans Christian Andersen

Under the willow-tree § Sous le saule

sous le saule

Yet still he seemed conscious that the willow-tree was stretching its branches over him; in his dreaming state the tree appeared like a strong, old man—the “willow-father” himself, who had taken his tired son up in his arms to carry him back to the land of home, to the garden of his childhood, on the bleak open shores of Kjoge.  And then he dreamed that it was really the willow-tree itself from Kjoge, which had travelled out in the world to seek him, and now had found him and carried him back into the little garden on the banks of the streamlet; and there stood Joanna, in all her splendor, with the golden crown on her head, as he had last seen her, to welcome him back.

Hans Christian Andersen

La vieille maison

 

Il y demeurait un vieillard qui portait des culottes de peau et un habit à grands boutons de métal, tout à fait à l’ancienne mode; il avait aussi une perruque, mais une perruque qui paraissait bien être une perruque, et qui ne servait pas à simuler habilement de vrais cheveux. Tous les matins, un vieux domestique venait, nettoyait, faisait le ménage et les commissions, puis s’en allait. Le vieillard à culottes de peau habitait tout seul la vieille maison.

un ladruncolo

Hans Christian Andersen

XV. Rudy

“I kissed you, when you were young, kissed you on your mouth! Now I kiss your feet, you are entirely mine!”
He vanished in the clear blue water.
Everything was still; the church bells stopped ringing; the last tones died away with the splendour of the red clouds.
“You are mine!” sounded in the deep. “You are mine!” sounded from on high, from the infinite.
How happy to fly from love to love, from earth to heaven!
A string broke, a cry of grief was heard, the icy kiss of death conquered; the prelude ended; so that the drama of life might commence, discord melted into harmony.

la vierge des glaces

The Ice-Maiden

Hans Christian Andersen

The Old Street Lamp

The old man would read aloud about Africa, with its great forests and the wild elephants, while his wife would listen attentively, stealing a glance now and then at the clay elephants which served as flowerpots. “I can almost imagine I am seeing it all,” she said.

Ah! how the lamp wished for a wax taper to be lighted in it, for then the old woman would have seen the smallest detail as clearly as it did itself; the lofty trees, with their thickly[243] entwined branches, the naked negroes on horseback, and whole herds of elephants treading down bamboo thickets with their broad, heavy feet.

stariat ulichen fener

 

Hans Christian Andersen

OLE-LUK-OIE

Il est bien habillé, son habit est de soie, mais il est impossible d’en dire la couleur, il semble vert, rouge ou bleu selon qu’il se tourne, il tient un parapluie sous chaque bras, l’un décoré d’images et celui-là il l’ouvre au-dessus des enfants sages qui rêvent alors toute la nuit des histoires ravissantes, et sur l’autre parapluie il n’y a rien. Il l’ouvre au-dessus des enfants méchants, alors ils dorment si lourdement que le matin en s’éveillant ils n’ont rien rêvé du tout.

ole umbrella.jpg

Les galoches du bonheur

Dans une maison à Copenhague, non loin de Kongens Nytorv, s’était réunie chez un chambellan de Sa Majesté une société fort nombreuse et distinguée ; les hôtes avaient engagé tout ce beau monde pour être en retour aussi invités quelquefois (…)les galoches du bonheur

Ce qu’on fit ensuite ne mérite pas non plus d’être raconté ; passons donc dans le vestibule, où se trouvaient les manteaux, les cannes, les galoches des invités. Là se tenaient deux filles, l’une vieille, l’autre jeune ; au premier abord, on aurait supposé que c’étaient des femmes de chambre, venues pour accompagner leurs maîtresses au retour. Mais en les considérant d’un peu plus près, on s’apercevait vite que ce n’étaient pas des domestiques, ni même des personnes ordinaires (…)

 

 

Hans Christian Andersen

 

 

Devant le chateau de glace

le corbeau

The walls of the palace were formed of drifted snow, and the windows and doors of cutting winds. There were more than a hundred rooms in it, all as if they had been formed of snow blown together. The largest of them extended for several miles. They were all lighted up by the vivid light of the aurora, and were so large and empty, so icy cold and glittering!

There were no amusements here; not even a little bear’s ball, when the storm might have been the music, and the bears could have danced on their hind legs and shown their good manners. There were no pleasant games of snapdragon, or touch, nor even a gossip over the tea table for the young-lady foxes. Empty, vast, and cold were the halls of the Snow Queen.

Hans Christian Andersen

Ole Lukøie, H. Ch. Andersen

Dans le monde entier, il n’est personne qui sache autant d’histoires que Ole Ferme-l’œil. Lui, il sait raconter….

ole lukoie

Vers le soir, quand les enfants sont assis sagement à table ou sur leur petit tabouret, Ole Ferme-l’œil arrive, il monte sans bruit l’escalier —il marche sur ses bas—il ouvre doucement la porte et pfutt! il jette du lait doux dans les yeux des enfants, un peu seulement, mais assez cependant pour qu’ils ne puissent plus tenir les yeux ouverts ni par conséquent le voir; il se glisse juste derrière eux et leur souffle dans la nuque, alors leur tête devient lourde, lourde—mais ça ne fait aucun mal, car Ole Ferme-l’œil ne veut que du bien aux enfants—il veut seulement qu’ils se tiennent tranquilles, et ils le sont surtout quand on les a mis au lit.

Quand les enfants dorment, Ole Ferme-l’œil s’assied sur leur lit. Il est bien habillé, son habit est de soie, mais il est impossible d’en dire la couleur, il semble vert, rouge ou bleu selon qu’il se tourne, il tient un parapluie sous chaque bras, l’un décoré d’images et celui-là il l’ouvre au-dessus des enfants sages qui rêvent alors toute la nuit des histoires ravissantes, et sur l’autre parapluie il n’y a rien. Il l’ouvre au-dessus des enfants méchants, alors ils dorment si lourdement que le matin en s’éveillant ils n’ont rien rêvé du tout.

The Goblin and the Huckster, H. CH. Andersen

[…] in the middle of the night, the goblin was awoke by a terrible noise and knocking against the window shutters and the house doors, and by the sound of the watchman’s horn; for a great fire had broken out, and the whole street appeared full of flames. Was it in their house, or a neighbor’s? No one could tell, for terror had seized upon all. The huckster’s wife was so bewildered that she took her gold ear-rings out of her ears and put them in her pocket, that she might save something at least. The huckster ran to get his business papers, and the servant resolved to save her blue silk mantle, which she had managed to buy. Each wished to keep the best things they had. The goblin had the same wish; for, with one spring, he was up stairs and in the student’s room, whom he found standing by the open window, and looking quite calmly at the fire, which was raging at the house of a neighbor opposite. The goblin caught up the wonderful book which lay on the table, and popped it into his red cap, which he held tightly with both hands. The greatest treasure in the house was saved; and he ran away with it to the roof, and seated himself on the chimney. The flames of the burning house opposite illuminated him as he sat, both hands pressed tightly over his cap, in which the treasure lay; and then he found out what feelings really reigned in his heart, and knew exactly which way they tended. And yet, when the fire was extinguished, and the goblin again began to reflect, he hesitated, and said at last, “I must divide myself between the two; I cannot quite give up the huckster, because of the jam.”goblin

La vierge des glaces, H. CH. Andersen

“Have you a beloved one?” asked Rudy; for to have a beloved one was everything to him.

“I have none!” said she, and laughed; but it was as though she was not speaking the truth. “Do not let us take a by-way,” continued she, “we must go more to the left, that way is shorter!”

“Yes, so as to fall down a precipice!” said Rudy; “Do you know no better way, and yet wish to be a guide?”

giacci

“I know the road well,” said she, “my thoughts are with me; yours are beneath in the valley; here on high, one must think on the Ice-Maiden, for they say she is not well disposed to mankind!”

“I do not fear her,” said Rudy, “she was forced to let me go when I was a child, so I suppose I can slip away from her now that I am older!”

The darkness increased, the rain fell, the snow came; it shone and dazzled. “Give me your hand, I will help you to ascend!” said the girl, and touched him with icy-cold fingers.

“You help me,” said Rudy, “I do not yet need a woman’s help in climbing!” He strode quickly on, away from her; the snow-shower formed a curtain around him, the wind whistled by him and he heard the young girl laugh and sing; it sounded so oddly! Yes, that was certainly a spirit in the service of the Ice-Maiden. Rudy had heard of them, when he had passed a night on high; when he had crossed the mountain, as a little boy.

The Marsh King’s Daughter (II)

She had nothing but a branch of a tree and her two hands, between the fingers of which the webbed skin stretched, and they were torn by the work, while the blood ran down her hands. She saw at last that her work would be useless, more than she could accomplish; so she fetched more water, and washed the face of the dead, and then covered it with fresh green leaves; she also brought large boughs and spread over him, and scattered dried leaves between the branches. Then she brought the heaviest stones that she could carry, and laid them over the dead body, filling up the crevices with moss, till she thought she had fenced in his resting-place strongly enough.

The Marsh King's daughter 2

Les fleurs de la petite Ida

ida

Il n’y avait pas du tout de veilleuse dans cette pièce, mais il y faisait tout à fait clair, la lune brillait à travers la fenêtre et éclairait juste le milieu du parquet. Toutes les jacinthes et les tulipes se tenaient debout en deux rangs, il n’y en avait plus du tout dans l’embrasure de la fenêtre où ne restaient que les pots vides. Sur le parquet, les fleurs dansaient gracieusement.

Un grand lis rouge était assis au piano. Ida était sûre de l’avoir vu cet été car elle se rappelait que l’étudiant avait dit: «Oh! comme il ressemble à Mademoiselle Line!» et tout le monde s’était moqué de lui. Maintenant Ida trouvait que la longue fleur ressemblait vraiment à cette demoiselle, et elle jouait tout à fait de la même façon qu’elle.

La reine des neiges Hans Christian Andersen

A few snowflakes were falling, and the largest flake of all alighted on the edge of one of the flower boxes. This flake grew bigger and bigger, until at last it turned into a woman, who was dressed in the finest white gauze which looked as if it had been made from millions of star-shaped flakes. She was beautiful and she was graceful, but she was ice-shining, glittering ice. She was alive, for all that, and her eyes sparkled like two bright stars, but in them there was neither rest nor peace. She nodded toward the window and beckoned with her hand.

la reine des neiges

Hans Christian Andersen The Marsh King’s Daughter

The days and months went by. He saw at last one day that right from the bottom of the marsh a green stalk pushed up till it reached the surface of the water. Out of it grew a leaf, that grew wider and wider, and close to it a bud put out. Then one morning, as the stork was flying over it, it opened, with the sun’s warmth, into a full-blown flower, in the middle of which lay a beautiful child, a little girl, as if she were fresh from the bath. So like was the child to the princess from Egypt, that at first the stork believed it to be herself turned a child again. But when he thought it over, he decided that it was more likely to be the child of the princess and the Marsh King, and that was why she was lying in a water lily.the Marsh King's daughter

Le Rossignol d’Andersen

“En Chine, vous devez bien le savoir, l’empereur est un Chinois, et tous ceux qui l’entourent sont aussi des Chinois. Il y a bien des années, — hâtez-vous donc d’écouter cette histoire qui sera bientôt oubliée, — le château de l’empereur était le plus magnifique du monde, tout entier de porcelaine si précieuse, si fragile, si délicate qu’il fallait prendre bien garde d’y toucher. Dans le jardin, on voyait les fleurs les plus merveilleuses ; les plus belles portaient de petites clochettes d’argent qui sonnaient toutes les fois que quelqu’un passait, pour qu’il n’oubliât pas de regarder les fleurs. Oui, tout ce qu’il y avait dans le jardin de l’empereur était bien joliment disposé, et ce jardin s’étendait si loin, que le jardinier lui-même n’en avait jamais vu le bout. En avançant toujours, on arrivait dans une forêt superbe, remplie d’arbres élevés et coupée de lacs ; cette forêt s’étendait jusqu’à la mer, qui était, sur les bords même, bien bleue et bien profonde. De grands navires pouvaient aborder presque sous les arbres. Un rossignol avait établi sa demeure dans une des branches suspendues, au-dessus des flots, et il chantait si délicieusement que les pauvres pêcheurs, préoccupés pourtant de bien d’autres choses, s’arrêtaient pour l’écouter pendant la nuit, au lieu de marcher pour retirer leurs filets.”

le rossignol

H. CH. Andersen Sous le saule

Vous avez déjà entendu parler de Hans Christian Andersen? Si oui, alors vous êtes  privilégiés.

La plupart des personnes de moins de 35 ans pensent que la petite sirène a été créée par Disney, pensent que le Vilain Petit Canard est écrit par les Frères Grimm, que la Reine des Neiges est une autre façon d’appeler  Blanche-neige  et n’ont même pas entendu parler des Cygnes sauvages et Le Stoïque soldat de plomb. Et pourtant ce sont des titres qui ont accompagné l’enfance de milliers d’enfants depuis XIX siècle quand Andersen les a écrits.

C’est peut être vrai que aujourd’hui l’enfance se laisse emporter par des nouvelles émotions et vision du monde parce que, oui, c’est aussi le monde qui est changé. Mais l’homme dans son âme et sa sensibilité est moins « moderne » de ce que la société prétend.   Nous pleurons et rions de la même façon des mêmes situations comme à l’époque quand Andersen a écrit une histoire comme Les habits neufs de l’empereur dont aujourd’hui encore on se sert en tant que métaphore.

Andersen a repris, adapté et inventé des contes dont la finesse et la perspicacité frappent le lecteur presque sans pitié.

C’est ainssi une source d’images inépuisable. Je me donne ici la liberté d’interprétation de ses histoires magiques.

Sous la saule

pod vyrbata