Thumbelina From the Yellow Fairy Book, Edited by Andrew Lang

There was once a woman who wanted shell served Thumbelina as a cradle, the to have quite a tiny, little child, but she did blue petals of a violet were her mattress, not know where to get one from. So one day and a rose-leaf her coverlid. There she lay at she went to an old Witch and said to her: ‘I night, but in the day-time she used to play should so much like to have a tiny, little child; about on the table; here the woman had can you tell me where I can get one?’ put a bowl, surrounded by a ring of flow- ‘Oh, we have just got one ready!’ said the ers, with their stalks in water, in the middle Witch. ‘Here is a barley-corn for you, but it’s of which floated a great tulip pedal, and on not the kind the farmer sows in his field, or this Thumbelina sat, and sailed from one feeds the cocks and hens with, I side of the bowl to the other, can tell you. Put it in a flower- rowing herself with two white pot, and then you will see some- horse-hairs for oars. It was thing happen.’ such a pretty sight! She could ‘Oh, thank you!’ said the sing, too, with a voice more woman, and gave the Witch a soft and sweet than had ever shilling, for that was what it cost. been heard before. Then she went home and One night, when she was planted the barley-corn; im- lying in her pretty little bed, mediately there grew out of it a an old toad crept in through large and beautiful flower, which a broken pane in the window. looked like a tulip, but the petals She was very ugly, clumsy, were tightly closed as if it were and clammy; she hopped on still only a bud. to the table where Thumbe- ‘What a beautiful flower!’ lina lay asleep under the red exclaimed the woman, and she rose-leaf. kissed the red and yellow petals; but as she ‘This would make a beautiful wife for my kissed them the flower burst open. son,’ said the toad, taking up the walnut-shell, It was a real tulip, such as one can see with Thumbelina inside, and hopping with it any day; but in the middle of the blossom, through the window into the garden. There on the green velvety petals, sat a little girl, flowed a great wide stream, with slippery and quite tiny, trim, and pretty. She was scarcely marshy banks; here the toad lived with her half a thumb in height; so they called her son. Ugh! how ugly and clammy he was, just Thumbelina. An elegant polished walnut- like his mother!

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Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu Thumbelina Edited by Andrew Lang

‘Croak, croak, croak!’ was all he could say alone on the great green leaf and wept, for she when he saw the pretty little girl in the wal- did not want to live with the clammy toad, or nut-shell. marry her ugly son. The little fishes swimming ‘Don’t talk so load, or you’ll wake her,’ said about under the water had seen the toad quite the old toad. ‘She might escape us even now; plainly, and heard what she had said; so they she is as light as a feather. We will put her at put up their heads to see the little girl. When once on a broad water-lily leaf in the stream. they saw her, they thought her so pretty that That will be quite an island for her; she is so they were very sorry she should go down with small and light. She can’t run away from us the ugly toad to live. No; that must not hap- there, whilst we are preparing the guest-cham- pen. They assembled in the water round the ber under the marsh where she shall live.’ green stalk which supported the leaf on which Outside in the brook grew many water- she was sitting, and nibbled the stem in two. lilies, with broad green leaves, which looked Away floated the leaf down the stream, bear- as if they were swimming about on the water. ing Thumbelina far beyond the reach of the The leaf farthest away was the largest, and to toad. this the old toad swam with Thumbelina in On she sailed past several towns, and the her walnut-shell. The tiny Thumbelina woke little birds sitting in the bushes saw her, and up very early in the morning, and when she sang, ‘What a pretty little girl!’ The leaf floated saw where she was she began to cry bitterly; farther and farther away; thus Thumbelina left for on every side of the great green leaf was her native land. water, and she could not get to the land. A beautiful little white butterfly flut- The old toad was down under the marsh, tered above her, and at last settled on the leaf. decorating her room with rushes and yellow Thumbelina pleased him, and she, too, was marigold leaves, to make it very grand for her delighted, for now the toads could not reach new daughter-in-law; then she swam out with her, and it was so beautiful where she was trav- her ugly son to the leaf where Thumbelina lay. eling; the sun shone on the water and made it She wanted to fetch the pretty cradle to put sparkle like the brightest silver. She took off it into her room before Thumbelina herself her sash, and tied one end round the butterfly; came there. The old toad bowed low in the the other end she fastened to the leaf, so that water before her, and said: ‘Here is my son; now it glided along with her faster than ever. you shall marry him, and live in great magnifi- A great cockchafer came flying past; he cence down under the marsh.’ caught sight of Thumbelina, and in a moment ‘Croak, croak, croak!’ was all that the son had put his arms round her slender waist, and could say. Then they took the neat little cradle had flown off with her to a tree. The green leaf and swam away with it; but Thumbelina sat floated away down the stream, and the but-

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Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu Thumbelina Edited by Andrew Lang terfly with it, for he was fastened to the leaf a bed for herself of blades of grass, and hung and could not get loose from it. Oh, dear! how it up under a clover-leaf, so that she was pro- terrified poor little Thumbelina was when the tected from the rain; she gathered honey from cockchafer flew off with her to the tree! But the flowers for food, and drank the dew on the she was especially distressed on the beautiful leaves every morning. Thus the summer and white butterfly’s account, as she had tied him autumn passed, but then came winter—the fast, so that if he could not get away he must long, cold winter. starve to death. All the birds who had sung so sweetly But the cockchafer did not trouble him- about her had flown away; the trees shed their self about that; he sat down with her on a large leaves, the flowers died; the great clover-leaf green leaf, gave her the honey out of the flow- under which she had lived curled up, and noth- ers to eat, and told her that she was very pretty, ing remained of it but the withered stalk. She although she wasn’t in the least like a cock- was terribly cold, for her clothes were ragged, chafer. Later on, all the other cockchafers who and she herself was so small and thin. Poor lived in the same tree came to pay calls; they little Thumbelina! she would surely be frozen examined Thumbelina closely, and remarked, to death. It began to snow, and every snow- ‘Why, she has only two legs! How very miser- flake that fell on her was to her as a whole able!’ shovelful thrown on one of us, for we are so ‘She has no feelers!’ cried another. big, and she was only an inch high. She wrapt ‘How ugly she is!’ said all the lady cha- herself round in a dead leaf, but it was torn in fers—and yet Thumbelina was really very the middle and gave her no warmth; she was pretty. trembling with cold. The cockchafer who had stolen her knew Just outside the wood where she was now this very well; but when he heard all the la- living lay a great corn-field. But the corn had dies saying she was ugly, he began to think so been gone a long time; only the dry, bare too, and would not keep her; she might go stubble was left standing in the frozen ground. wherever she liked. So he flew down from the This made a forest for her to wander about in. tree with her and put her on a daisy. There All at once she came across the door of a field- she sat and wept, because she was so ugly that mouse, who had a little hole under a corn- the cockchafer would have nothing to do with stalk. There the mouse lived warm and snug, her; and yet she was the most beautiful crea- with a store-room full of corn, a splendid ture imaginable, so soft and delicate, like the kitchen and dining-room. Poor little Thum- loveliest rose-leaf. belina went up to the door and begged for a The whole summer poor little Thumbe- little piece of barley, for she had not had any- lina lived alone in the great wood. She plaited thing to eat for the last two days.

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Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu Thumbelina Edited by Andrew Lang

‘Poor little creature!’ said the field-mouse, house to that of his neighbor; in this he gave for she was a kind-hearted old thing at the the field-mouse and Thumbelina permission bottom. ‘Come into my warm room and have to walk as often as they liked. But he begged some dinner with me.’ them not to be afraid of the dead bird that As Thumbelina pleased her, she said: ‘As lay in the passage: it was a real bird with beak far as I am concerned you may spend the win- and feathers, and must have died a little time ter with me; but you must keep my room clean ago, and now laid buried just where he had and tidy, and tell me stories, for I like that very made his tunnel. The mole took a piece of much.’ And Thumbelina did all that the kind rotten wood in his mouth, for that glows like old field-mouse asked, and did it remarkably fire in the dark, and went in front, lighting well too. them through the long dark passage. When ‘Now I am expecting a visitor,’ said the they came to the place where the dead bird field-mouse; ‘my neighbor comes to call on lay, the mole put his broad nose against the me once a week. He is in better circumstances ceiling and pushed a hole through, so that the than I am, has great, big rooms, and wears a daylight could shine down. In the middle of fine black-velvet coat. If you could only marry the path lay a dead swallow, his pretty wings him, you would be well provided for. But he pressed close to his sides, his claws and head is blind. You must tell him all the prettiest sto- drawn under his feathers; the poor bird had ries you know.’ evidently died of cold. Thumbelina was very But Thumbelina did not trouble her head sorry, for she was very fond of all little birds; about him, for he was only a mole. He came they had sung and twittered so beautifully to and paid them a visit in his black-velvet coat. her all through the summer. ‘He is so rich and so accomplished,’ the But the mole kicked him with his bandy field-mouse told her. ‘His house is twenty legs and said: ‘Now he can’t sing any more! It times larger than mine; he possesses great must be very miserable to be a little bird! I’m knowledge, but he cannot bear the sun and thankful that none of my little children are; the beautiful flowers, and speaks slightingly of birds always starve in winter.’ them, for he has never seen them.’ ‘Yes, you speak like a sensible man,’ said Thumbelina had to sing to him, so she the field-mouse. ‘What has a bird, in spite of sang ‘Lady-bird, lady-bird, fly away home!’ all his singing, in the winter-time? He must and other songs so prettily that the mole fell starve and freeze, and that must be very pleas- in love with her; but he did not say anything, ant for him, I must say!’ he was a very cautious man. Thumbelina did not say anything; but A short time before he had dug a long when the other two had passed on she bent passage through the ground from his own down to the bird, brushed aside the feathers

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Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu Thumbelina Edited by Andrew Lang from his head, and kissed his closed eyes gen- only open his eyes for a moment and look at tly. ‘Perhaps it was he that sang to me so pret- Thumbelina, who was standing in front of tily in the summer,’ she thought. ‘How much him with a piece of rotten wood in her hand, pleasure he did give me, dear little bird!’ for she had no other lantern. The mole closed up the hole again which ‘Thank you, pretty little child!’ said the let in the light, and then escorted the ladies swallow to her. ‘I am so beautifully warm! home. But Thumbelina could not sleep that Soon I shall regain my strength, and then I night; so she got out of bed, and plaited a great shall be able to fly out again into the warm big blanket of straw, and carried it off, and sunshine.’ spread it over the dead bird, and piled upon ‘Oh!’ she said, ‘It is very cold outside; it is it thistle-down as soft as cotton-wool, which snowing and freezing! Stay in your warm bed; she had found in the field-mouse’s room, so I will take care of you!’ that the poor little thing should lie warmly Then she brought him water in a petal, buried. which he drank, after which he related to ‘Farewell, pretty little bird!’ she said. ‘Fare- her how he had torn one of his wings on a well, and thank you for your beautiful songs bramble, so that he could not fly as fast as the in the summer, when the trees were green, and other swallows, who had flown far away to the sun shone down warmly on us!’ Then she warmer lands. So at last he had dropped down laid her head against the bird’s heart. But the exhausted, and then he could remember no bird was not dead: he had been frozen, but more. The whole winter he remained down now that she had warmed him, he was coming there, and Thumbelina looked after him and to life again. nursed him tenderly. Neither the mole nor the In autumn the swallows fly away to for- field-mouse learnt anything of this, for they eign lands; but there are some who are late in could not bear the poor swallow. starting, and then they get so cold that they When the spring came, and the sun drop down as if dead, and the snow comes and warmed the earth again, the swallow said fare- covers them over. well to Thumbelina, who opened the hole in Thumbelina trembled, she was so fright- the roof for him which the mole had made. ened; for the bird was very large in compari- The sun shone brightly down upon her, and son with herself—only an inch high. But she the swallow asked her if she would go with took courage, piled up the down more closely him; she could sit upon his back. Thumbe- over the poor swallow, fetched her own cover- lina wanted very much to fly far away into the lid and laid it over his head. green wood, but she knew that the old field- Next night she crept out again to him. mouse would be sad if she ran away. There he was alive, but very weak; he could ‘No, I mustn’t come!’ she said.

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Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu Thumbelina Edited by Andrew Lang

‘Farewell, dear good little girl!’ said the never came; no doubt he had flown away far swallow, and flew off into the sunshine. into the great green wood. Thumbelina gazed after him with the tears By the autumn Thumbelina had finished standing in her eyes, for she was very fond of the dowry. ‘In four weeks you will be mar- the swallow. ‘Tweet, tweet!’ sang the bird, and ried!’ said the field-mouse; ‘don’t be obstinate, flew into the green wood. Thumbelina was or I shall bite you with my sharp white teeth! very unhappy. She was not allowed to go out You will get a fine husband! The King himself into the warm sunshine. The corn which had has not such a velvet coat. His store-room and been sowed in the field over the field-mouse’s cellar are full, and you should be thankful for home grew up high into the air, and made a that.’ thick forest for the poor little girl, who was Well, the wedding-day arrived. The mole only an inch high. had come to fetch Thumbelina to live with ‘Now you are to be a bride, Thumbelina!’ him deep down under the ground, never to said the field-mouse, ‘for our neighbor has come out into the warm sun again, for that proposed for you! What a piece of fortune for was what he didn’t like. The poor little girl was a poor child like you! Now you must set to very sad; for now she must say good-bye to the work at your linen for your dowry, for nothing beautiful sun. must be lacking if you are to become the wife ‘Farewell, bright sun!’ she cried, stretching of our neighbor, the mole!’ out her arms towards it, and taking another Thumbelina had to spin all day long, step outside the house; for now the corn had and every evening the mole visited her, and been reaped, and only the dry stubble was left told her that when the summer was over standing. ‘Farewell, farewell!’ she said, and put the sun would not shine so hot; now it was her arms round a little red flower that grew burning the earth as hard as a stone. Yes, there. ‘Give my love to the dear swallow when when the summer had passed, they would you see him!’ keep the wedding. ‘Tweet, tweet!’ sounded in her ear all at But she was not at all pleased about it, once. She looked up. There was the swallow for she did not like the stupid mole. Every flying past! As soon as he saw Thumbelina, he morning when the sun was rising, and every was very glad. She told him how unwilling she evening when it was setting, she would steal was to marry the ugly mole, as then she had to out of the house-door, and when the breeze live underground where the sun never shone, parted the ears of corn so that she could see and she could not help bursting into tears. the blue sky through them, she thought how ‘The cold winter is coming now,’ said the bright and beautiful it must be outside, and swallow. ‘I must fly away to warmer lands: will longed to see her dear swallow again. But he you come with me? You can sit on my back,

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Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu Thumbelina Edited by Andrew Lang and we will fly far away from the ugly mole in one of the lovely flowers that grow down and his dark house, over the mountains, to there; now I will set you down, and you can the warm countries where the sun shines more do whatever you like.’ brightly than here, where it is always summer, ‘That will be splendid!’ said she, clapping and there are always beautiful flowers. Do her little hands. come with me, dear little Thumbelina, who There lay a great white marble column saved my life when I lay frozen in the dark which had fallen to the ground and broken tunnel!’ into three pieces, but between these grew the ‘Yes, I will go with you,’ said Thumbe- most beautiful white flowers. The swallow flew lina, and got on the swallow’s back, with her down with Thumbelina, and set her upon one feet on one of his outstretched wings. Up he of the broad leaves. But there, to her astonish- flew into the air, over woods and seas, over the ment, she found a tiny little man sitting in the great mountains where the snow is always ly- middle of the flower, as white and transparent ing. And if she was cold she crept under his as if he were made of glass; he had the prettiest warm feathers, only keeping her little head out golden crown on his head, and the most beau- to admire all the beautiful things in the world tiful wings on his shoulders; he himself was no beneath. bigger than Thumbelina. He was the spirit of At last they came to warm lands; there the flower. In each blossom there dwelt a tiny the sun was brighter, the sky seemed twice as man or woman; but this one was the King high, and in the hedges hung the finest green over the others. and purple grapes; in the woods grew oranges ‘How handsome he is!’ whispered Thum- and lemons: the air was scented with myrtle belina to the swallow. The little Prince was very and mint, and on the roads were pretty little much frightened at the swallow, for in com- children running about and playing with great parison with one so tiny as himself he seemed gorgeous butterflies. But the swallow flew on a giant. But when he saw Thumbelina, he was farther, and it became more and more beauti- delighted, for she was the most beautiful girl ful. Under the most splendid green trees be- he had ever seen. So he took his golden crown sides a blue lake stood a glittering white-mar- from off his head and put it on hers, asking ble castle. Vines hung about the high pillars; her her name, and if she would be his wife, there were many swallows’ nests, and in one and then she would be Queen of all the flow- of these lived the swallow who was carrying ers. Yes, he was a different kind of husband Thumbelina. to the son of the toad and the mole with the ‘Here is my house!’ said he. ‘But it won’t black-velvet coat. So she said ‘Yes’ to the noble do for you to live with me; I am not tidy Prince. And out of each flower came a lady enough to please you. Find a home for yourself and gentleman, each so tiny and pretty that

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Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu Thumbelina Edited by Andrew Lang it was a pleasure to see them. Each brought ‘Farewell, farewell!’ said the little swallow Thumbelina a present, but the best of all was a with a heavy heart, and flew away to farther beautiful pair of wings which were fastened on lands, far, far away, right back to Denmark. to her back, and now she too could fly from There he had a little nest above a window, flower to flower. They all wished her joy, and where his wife lived, who can tell fairy-stories. the swallow sat above in his nest and sang the ‘Tweet, tweet!’ he sang to her. And that is the wedding march, and that he did as well as he way we learnt the whole story. could; but he was sad, because he was very fond of Thumbelina and did not want to be separated from her. ‘You shall not be called Thumbelina!’ said the spirit of the flower to her; ‘that is an ugly name, and you are much too pretty for that. We will call you May Blossom.’

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