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soup from a sausage skewer-第2章

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affected that I wept tears such as a little mouse can weep; but they

were tears of joy。 The night was far too short for me; there are no

long nights there in summer; as we often have in this part of the

world。 When the morning dawned; and the gentle breeze rippled the

glassy mirror of the forest lake; all the delicate veils and flags

fluttered away into thin air; the waving garlands of the spider's web;

the hanging bridges and galleries; or whatever else they may be

called; vanished away as if they had never been。 Six elves brought

me back my sausage skewer; and at the same time asked me to make any

request; which they would grant if in their power; so I begged them;

if they could; to tell me how to make soup from a sausage skewer。

    〃'How do we make it?' said the chief of the elves with a smile。

'Why you have just seen it; you scarcely knew your sausage skewer

again; I am sure。'

    〃They think themselves very wise; thought I to myself。 Then I told

them all about it; and why I had travelled so far; and also what

promise had been made at home to the one who should discover the

method of preparing this soup。 'What use will it be;' I asked; 'to the

mouse…king or to our whole mighty kingdom that I have seen all these

beautiful things? I cannot shake the sausage peg and say; Look; here

is the skewer; and now the soup will come。 That would only produce a

dish to be served when people were keeping a fast。'

    〃Then the elf dipped his finger into the cup of a violet; and said

to me; 'Look here; I will anoint your pilgrim's staff; so that when

you return to your own home and enter the king's castle; you have only

to touch the king with your staff; and violets will spring forth and

cover the whole of it; even in the coldest winter time; so I think I

have given you really something to carry home; and a little more

than something。'〃

    But before the little mouse explained what this something more

was; she stretched her staff out to the king; and as it touched him

the most beautiful bunch of violets sprang forth and filled the

place with perfume。 The smell was so powerful that the mouse…king

ordered the mice who stood nearest the chimney to thrust their tails

into the fire; that there might be a smell of burning; for the perfume

of the violets was overpowering; and not the sort of scent that

every one liked。

    〃But what was the something more of which you spoke just now?〃

asked the mouse…king。

    〃Why;〃 answered the little mouse; 〃I think it is what they call

'effect;'〃 and thereupon she turned the staff round; and behold not

a single flower was to be seen upon it! She now only held the naked

skewer; and lifted it up as a conductor lifts his baton at a

concert。 〃Violets; the elf told me;〃 continued the mouse; 〃are for the

sight; the smell; and the touch; so we have only now to produce the

effect of hearing and tasting;〃 and then; as the little mouse beat

time with her staff; there came sounds of music; not such music as was

heard in the forest; at the elfin feast; but such as is often heard in

the kitchen… the sounds of boiling and roasting。 It came quite

suddenly; like wind rushing through the chimneys; and seemed as if

every pot and kettle were boiling over。 The fire…shovel clattered down

on the brass fender; and then; quite as suddenly; all was still;…

nothing could be heard but the light; vapory song of the tea…kettle;

which was quite wonderful to hear; for no one could rightly

distinguish whether the kettle was just beginning to boil or going

to stop。 And the little pot steamed; and the great pot simmered; but

without any regard for each; indeed there seemed no sense in the

pots at all。 And as the little mouse waved her baton still more

wildly; the pots foamed and threw up bubbles; and boiled over; while

again the wind roared and whistled through the chimney; and at last

there was such a terrible hubbub; that the little mouse let her

stick fall。

    〃That is a strange sort of soup;〃 said the mouse…king; 〃shall we

not now hear about the preparation?〃

    〃That is all;〃 answered the little mouse; with a bow。

    〃That all!〃 said the mouse…king; 〃then we shall be glad to hear

what information the next may have to give us。〃

                WHAT THE SECOND MOUSE HAD TO TELL



    〃I was born in the library; at a castle;〃 said the second mouse。

〃Very few members of our family ever had the good fortune to get

into the dining…room; much less the store…room。 On my journey; and

here to…day; are the only times I have ever seen a kitchen。 We were

often obliged to suffer hunger in the library; but then we gained a

great deal of knowledge。 The rumor reached us of the royal prize

offered to those who should be able to make soup from a sausage

skewer。 Then my old grandmother sought out a manuscript which;

however; she could not read; but had heard it read; and in it was

written; 'Those who are poets can make soup of sausage skewers。' She

then asked me if I was a poet。 I felt myself quite innocent of any

such pretensions。 Then she said I must go out and make myself a

poet。 I asked again what I should be required to do; for it seemed

to me quite as difficult as to find out how to make soup of a

sausage skewer。 My grandmother had heard a great deal of reading in

her day; and she told me three principal qualifications were

necessary… understanding; imagination; and feeling。 'If you can manage

to acquire these three; you will be a poet; and the sausage…skewer

soup will be quite easy to you。'

    〃So I went forth into the world; and turned my steps towards the

west; that I might become a poet。 Understanding is the most

important matter in everything。 I knew that; for the two other

qualifications are not thought much of; so I went first to seek for

understanding。 Where was I to find it? 'Go to the ant and learn

wisdom;' said the great Jewish king。 I knew that from living in a

library。 So I went straight on till I came to the first great

ant…hill; and then I set myself to watch; that I might become wise。

The ants are a very respectable people; they are wisdom itself。 All

they do is like the working of a sum in arithmetic; which comes right。

'To work and to lay eggs;' say they; and to provide for posterity;

is to live out your time properly;' and that they truly do。 They are

divided into the clean and the dirty ants; their rank is pointed out

by a number; and the ant…queen is number ONE; and her opinion is the

only correct one on everything; she seems to have the whole wisdom

of the world in her; which was just the important matter I wished to

acquire。 She said a great deal which was no doubt very clever; yet

to me it sounded like nonsense。 She said the ant…hill was the loftiest

thing in the world; and yet close to the mound stood a tall tree;

which no one could deny was loftier; much loftier; but no mention

was made of the tree。 One evening an ant lost herself on this tree;

she had crept up the stem; not nearly to the top; but higher than

any ant had ever ventured; and when at last she returned home she said

that she had found something in her travels much higher than the

ant…hill。 The rest of the ants considered this an insult to the

whole community; so she was condemned to wear a muzzle and to live

in perpetual solitude。 A short time afterwards another ant got on

the tree; and made the same journey and the same discovery; but she

spoke of it cautiously and indefinitely; and as she was one of the

superior ants and very much respected; they believed her; and when she

died they erected an eggshell as a monument to her memory; for they

cultivated a great respect for science。 I saw;〃 said the little mouse;

〃that the ants were always running to and fro with her burdens on

their backs。 Once I saw one of them drop her load; she gave herself

a great deal of trouble in trying to raise it again; but she could not

succeed。 Then two others came up and tried with all their strength

to help her; till they nearly dropped their own burdens in doing so;

then they were obliged to stop for a moment in their help; for every

one must think of himself first。 And the ant…queen remarked that their

conduct that day showed that they possessed kind hearts and good

understanding。 'These two qualities;' she continued; 'place us ants in

the highest degree above all other reasonable beings。 Understanding

must therefore be seen among us in the most prominent manner; and my

wisdom is greater than all。' And so saying she raised herself on her

two hind legs; that no one else might be mistaken for her。 I could not

therefore make an error; so I ate her up。 We are to go to the ants

to learn wisdom; and I had got the queen。

    〃I now turned and went nearer to the lofty tree already mentioned;

which was an oak。 It had a tall trunk with a wide…spreading top; and

was very old。 I knew that a living being dwelt here; a dryad as she is

called; who is born with the tree and dies with it。 I had heard this

in the library; and here was just such a tree; and in it an

oak…maiden。 She uttered a terrible scream when she caught sight of

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