Tale · A way to begin
The Little Mermaid
Den lille havfrue
Hans Christian Andersen · 1837
Opening lines
Langt ude i Havet er Vandet saa blaat, som Bladene paa den dejligste Kornblomst og saa klart, som det reneste Glas, men det er meget dybt, dybere end noget Ankertoug naaer, mange Kirketaarne maatte stilles ovenpaa hinanden, for at række fra Bunden op over Vandet.
Far out at sea the water is as blue as the petals of the loveliest cornflower and as clear as the purest glass, but it is very deep, deeper than any anchor cable can go; many church steeples would have to be stacked one on top of another to rise from the bottom up out of the water.
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from tekster.kb.dk
Synopsis
The youngest of the sea king's daughters waits until she is fifteen to have the right to rise to the surface. In the evening she sees a ship in festive mood, a prince, then the storm: she pulls him from the water and lays him on a beach without his knowing who saved him. To live among men and gain a soul that does not die, she goes to the sea witch and sells her her voice. She will have legs, but every step will be like walking on blades.
Context
The tale appeared on 7 April 1837 from C. A. Reitzel, in the third instalment of Tales, Told for Children, alongside The Emperor's New Clothes; it is its author's eighth. A widespread reading sees in it the trace of his unrequited love for Edvard Collin; other critics, including François Flahault, have rejected it, and the question has remained debated since Jens Andersen's biography in 2004. Mary Howitt translated it into English as early as 1845; the original text is online at the Royal Library in Copenhagen.
Who it is for
A few pages; to be read in a full translation rather than in an adaptation for children, which often changes its substance.
Prizes and reception
Among the most famous of his tales; a statue in Copenhagen harbour made it the emblem of the city, and a 1989 American animated film changed its ending.
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