Her grandmother called the birds fishes, or the little mermaid would not have understood what was meant, for she had never seen birds. To her it seemed most wonderful and beautiful to hear that the flowers of the land had fragrance, while those below the sea had none that the trees of the forest were green and that the fishes among the trees could sing so sweetly that it was a pleasure to listen to them. She made her old grandmother tell her all she knew of the ships and of the towns, the people and the animals. Nothing gave her so much pleasure as to hear about the world above the sea. The shadows had the color of violet and waved to and fro like the branches so that it seemed as if the crown of the tree and the root were at play, trying to kiss each other. It grew rapidly and soon hung its fresh branches over the statue, almost down to the blue sands. ![]() She planted by the statue a rose-colored weeping willow. It was the representation of a handsome boy, carved out of pure white stone, which had fallen to the bottom of the sea from a wreck. While her sisters showed delight at the wonderful things which they obtained from the wrecks of vessels, she cared only for her pretty flowers, red like the sun, and a beautiful marble statue. She was a strange child, quiet and thoughtful. One arranged her flower bed in the form of a whale another preferred to make hers like the figure of a little mermaid while the youngest child made hers round, like the sun, and in it grew flowers as red as his rays at sunset. In calm weather the sun could be seen, looking like a reddish-purple flower with light streaming from the calyx.Įach of the young princesses had a little plot of ground in the garden, where she might dig and plant as she pleased. Over everything lay a peculiar blue radiance, as if the blue sky were everywhere, above and below, instead of the dark depths of the sea. The earth itself was the finest sand, but blue as the flame of burning sulphur. Outside the castle there was a beautiful garden, in which grew bright-red and dark-blue flowers, and blossoms like flames of fire the fruit glittered like gold, and the leaves and stems waved to and fro continually. The large amber windows were open, and the fish swam in, just as the swallows fly into our houses when we open the windows only the fishes swam up to the princesses, ate out of their hands, and allowed themselves to be stroked. All day long they played in the great halls of the castle or among the living flowers that grew out of the walls. Her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea but, like all the others, she had no feet and her body ended in a fish’s tail. ![]() They were beautiful children, but the youngest was the prettiest of them all. She was, however, deserving of very great praise, especially for her care of the little sea princesses, her six granddaughters. She was a very sensible woman, but exceedingly proud of her high birth, and on that account wore twelve oysters on her tail, while others of high rank were only allowed to wear six. The Sea King had been a widower for many years, and his aged mother kept house for him. Their appearance is very beautiful, for in each lies a glittering pearl that would be fit for the diadem of a queen. The roof is formed of shells that open and close as the water flows over them. Its walls are built of coral, and the long Gothic windows are of the clearest amber. ![]() In the deepest spot of all stands the castle of the Sea King. Fishes, both large and small, glide between the branches as birds fly among the trees here upon land. No, indeed, for on this sand grow the strangest flowers and plants, the leaves and stems of which are so pliant that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life. We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. There dwell the Sea King and his subjects. ![]() Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep so deep, indeed, that no cable could sound it, and many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above.
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