On the last house in a little village the storks had built a nest, and the mother stork sat in it with her four young ones, who stretched out their necks and pointed their black beaks, which had not yet turned red like those of the parent birds. A little way off, on the edge of the roof, stood the father stork, quite upright and stiff; not liking to be quite idle, he drew up one leg, and stood on the other, so still that it seemed almost as if he were carved in wood. "It must look very grand," thought he, "for my wife to have a sentry guarding her nest. They do not know that I am her husband; they will think I have been commanded to stand here, which is quite aristocratic;" and so he continued standing on one leg.
På det sidste hus i en lille by stod der en storkerede. Storkemoderen sad i reden hos sine fire små unger, der stak hovedet frem med det lille sorte næb, for det var ikke blevet rødt endnu. Et lille stykke derfra på tagryggen stod så strunk og stiv storkefaderen, han havde trukket det ene ben op under sig, for dog at have nogen ulejlighed, idet han stod skildvagt. Man skulle tro, han var hugget ud af træ, så stille stod han; "det ser vist nok så fornemt ud, at min kone har en skildvagt ved reden!" tænkte han, "de kan jo ikke vide, at jeg er hendes mand, de tror vist, jeg er kommanderet til at stå her. Det ser så raskt ud!" og så blev han ved at stå på det ene ben.
In the street below were a number of children at play, and when they caught sight of the storks, one of the boldest amongst the boys began to sing a song about them, and very soon he was joined by the rest. These are the words of the song, but each only sang what he could remember of them in his own way.
Nede på gaden legede en hel flok børn, og da de så storkene, så sang en af de modigste drenge, og siden de alle sammen, det gamle vers om storkene, men de sang det nu, som han kunne huske det:
"Stork, stork, fly away,
"Storke, storke steje
Stand not on one leg, I pray,
Flyv hjem til dit eje!
See your wife is in her nest,
Din kone ligger i reden sin
With her little ones at rest.
Med fire store unger.
They will hang one,
Den ene skal hænges,
And fry another;
Den anden skal stænges,
They will shoot a third,
Den tredje skal brændes,
And roast his brother."
Den fjerde endevendes!"
"Just hear what those boys are singing," said the young storks; "they say we shall be hanged and roasted."
"Hør dog hvad drengene synger!" sagde de små storkeunger, "de siger vi skal hænges og brændes!"
"Never mind what they say; you need not listen," said the mother. "They can do no harm."
"Det skal I ikke bryde jer om!" sagde storkemoderen; "hør bare ikke efter, så gør det ikke noget!"
But the boys went on singing and pointing at the storks, and mocking at them, excepting one of the boys whose name was Peter; he said it was a shame to make fun of animals, and would not join with them at all. The mother stork comforted her young ones, and told them not to mind. "See," she said, "How quiet your father stands, although he is only on one leg."
Men drengene blev ved at synge, og de pegede fingre af storkene; kun én dreng, han hed Peter, sagde, at det var synd at gøre nar af dyrene, og ville slet ikke være med. Storkemoderen trøstede også sine unger; "bryd jer ikke derom," sagde hun, "se bare, hvor rolig jer fader står, og det på ét ben!"
"But we are very much frightened," said the young storks, and they drew back their heads into the nests.
"Vi er så angst!" sagde ungerne, og trak hovederne dybt ned i reden.
The next day when the children were playing together, and saw the storks, they sang the song again–
Næste dag, da børnene kom sammen igen for at lege, og de så storkene, begyndte de deres vise:
"They will hang one,
"Den ene skal hænges,
And roast another."
Den anden skal brændes! –"
"Shall we be hanged and roasted?" asked the young storks.
"Skal vi vel hænges og brændes?" spurgte storkeungerne.
"No, certainly not," said the mother. "I will teach you to fly, and when you have learnt, we will fly into the meadows, and pay a visit to the frogs, who will bow themselves to us in the water, and cry 'Croak, croak,' and then we shall eat them up; that will be fun."
"Nej vist ikke!" sagde moderen, "I skal lære at flyve, jeg skal nok eksercere jer! så tager vi ud på engen og gør visit hos frøerne, de nejer i vandet for os, de synger 'koaks, koaks!' og så spiser vi dem op, det kan rigtig blive en fornøjelse!"
"And what next?" asked the young storks.
"Og hvad så!" spurgte storkeungerne.
"Then," replied the mother, "all the storks in the country will assemble together, and go through their autumn manoeuvres, so that it is very important for every one to know how to fly properly. If they do not, the general will thrust them through with his beak, and kill them. Therefore you must take pains and learn, so as to be ready when the drilling begins."
"Så samles alle de storke, her er i hele landet, og så begynder høstmanøvren, da må man flyve godt, det er af stor vigtighed, thi den som ikke kan flyve, stikker generalen ihjel med sit næb; derfor pas vel på at lære noget, når eksercitsen begynder!"
"Then we may be killed after all, as the boys say; and hark! they are singing again."
"Så bliver vi jo dog stænget, som drengene sagde! og hør, nu synger de det igen!"
"Listen to me, and not to them," said the mother stork. "After the great review is over, we shall fly away to warm countries far from hence, where there are mountains and forests. To Egypt, where we shall see three-cornered houses built of stone, with pointed tops that reach nearly to the clouds. They are called Pyramids, and are older than a stork could imagine; and in that country, there is a river that overflows its banks, and then goes back, leaving nothing but mire; there we can walk about, and eat frogs in abundance."
"Hør på mig og ikke på dem," sagde storkemoderen. "Efter den store manøvre flyver vi til de varme lande, oh, så langt herfra, over bjerge og skove. Til Ægypten flyver vi, hvor der er trekantede stenhuse, der går i en spids op over skyerne, de kaldes pyramider og er ældre end nogen stork kan tænke sig. Der er en flod, som løber over, så landet bliver til mudder. Man går i mudder og spiser frøer."
"Oh, o–h!" cried the young storks.
"Oh!" sagde alle ungerne.
"Yes, it is a delightful place; there is nothing to do all day long but eat, and while we are so well off out there, in this country there will not be a single green leaf on the trees, and the weather will be so cold that the clouds will freeze, and fall on the earth in little white rags." The stork meant snow, but she could not explain it in any other way.
"Ja! der er så dejligt! man gør ikke andet end spise hele dagen, og imens vi har det så godt, er i dette land ikke et grønt blad på træerne; her er så koldt, så skyerne fryser i stykker og falder ned i små hvide lapper!" det var sneen, hun mente, men hun kunne jo ikke forklare det tydeligere.
"Will the naughty boys freeze and fall in pieces?" asked the young storks.
"Fryser så også de uartige drenge i stykker?" spurgte storkeungerne.
"No, they will not freeze and fall into pieces," said the mother, "but they will be very cold, and be obliged to sit all day in a dark, gloomy room, while we shall be flying about in foreign lands, where there are blooming flowers and warm sunshine."
"Nej, i stykker fryser de ikke! men de er nær ved det og må sidde inde i den mørke stue og kukkelure; I kan derimod flyve om i fremmed land, hvor der er blomster og varmt solskin!"
Time passed on, and the young storks grew so large that they could stand upright in the nest and look about them. The father brought them, every day, beautiful frogs, little snakes, and all kinds of stork-dainties that he could find. And then, how funny it was to see the tricks he would perform to amuse them. He would lay his head quite round over his tail, and clatter with his beak, as if it had been a rattle; and then he would tell them stories all about the marshes and fens.
Nu var der allerede gået nogen tid, og ungerne var så store, at de kunne stå op i reden og se vidt omkring, og storkefaderen kom flyvende hver dag med pæne frøer, små snoge og alt det storkeslikkeri, han kunne finde! oh, det så morsomt ud, hvor han gjorde kunster for dem. Hovedet lagde han lige om på halen, næbbet knebrede han med, som var det en lille skralde, og så fortalte han dem historier, alle sammen fra sumpen.
"Come," said the mother one day, "Now you must learn to fly." And all the four young ones were obliged to come out on the top of the roof. Oh, how they tottered at first, and were obliged to balance themselves with their wings, or they would have fallen to the ground below.
"Hør nu må I lære at flyve!" sagde en dag storkemoderen, og så måtte alle fire unger ud på tagryggen, oh hvor de dinglede! hvor de balancerede med vingerne, og var dog færdig ved at falde ned!
"Look at me," said the mother, "you must hold your heads in this way, and place your feet so. Once, twice, once, twice– that is it. Now you will be able to take care of yourselves in the world."
"Se nu på mig!" sagde moderen, "sådan skal I holde hovedet! sådan skal I sætte benene! én to! én to! det er det, som skal hjælpe jer frem i verden!" så fløj hun et lille stykke, og ungerne, de gjorde et lille kluntet hop, bums! der lå de, for de var tunge i livet.
Then she flew a little distance from them, and the young ones made a spring to follow her; but down they fell plump, for their bodies were still too heavy.
"Jeg vil ikke flyve!" sagde den ene unge, og krøb op i reden igen, "jeg bryder mig ikke om at komme til de varme lande!"
"I don't want to fly," said one of the young storks, creeping back into the nest. "I don't care about going to warm countries."
"Vil du da fryse ihjel her, når det bliver vinter! skal drengene komme og hænge og brænde og stænge dig? nu kalder jeg på dem!"
"Would you like to stay here and freeze when the winter comes?" said the mother, "or till the boys comes to hang you, or to roast you?– Well then, I'll call them."
"Oh nej!" sagde storkeungen, og så hoppede den igen på taget ligesom de andre, den tredje dag kunne de ordentlig flyve lidt, og så troede de, at de kunne også sidde og hvile på luften; det ville de, men bums! der dumpede de, så måtte de til at røre vingerne igen. Nu kom drengene nede på gaden og sang deres vise:
"Oh no, no," said the young stork, jumping out on the roof with the others; and now they were all attentive, and by the third day could fly a little. Then they began to fancy they could soar, so they tried to do so, resting on their wings, but they soon found themselves falling, and had to flap their wings as quickly as possible. The boys came again in the street singing their song:–
"Storke, storke steje!"
"Stork, stork, fly away."
"Skal vi ikke flyve ned og hugge deres øjne ud?" sagde ungerne.
"Shall we fly down, and pick their eyes out?" asked the young storks.
"Nej lad være med det!" sagde moderen, "hør bare efter mig, det er vigtigere! én, to, tre! nu flyver vi højre om! én to, tre! nu venstre om skorstenen! – se det var meget godt! det sidste slag med vingerne var så nydeligt og rigtigt, at I skal få lov at komme i sumpen med mig i morgen! der kommer flere nette storkefamilier med deres børn, lad mig nu se, at mine er de pæneste, og så at I knejser, det ser godt ud, og det giver anseelse!"
"No; leave them alone," said the mother. "Listen to me; that is much more important. Now then. One-two-three. Now to the right. One-two-three. Now to the left, round the chimney. There now, that was very good. That last flap of the wings was so easy and graceful, that I shall give you permission to fly with me to-morrow to the marshes. There will be a number of very superior storks there with their families, and I expect you to show them that my children are the best brought up of any who may be present. You must strut about proudly– it will look well and make you respected."
"Men skal vi da ikke have hævn over de uartige drenge?" spurgte storkeungerne.
"But may we not punish those naughty boys?" asked the young storks.
"Lad dem skrige hvad de vil! I flyver dog mod skyerne, kommer til pyramidernes land, når de må fryse og ikke har et grønt blad eller et sødt æble!"
"No; let them scream away as much as they like. You can fly from them now up high amid the clouds, and will be in the land of the pyramids when they are freezing, and have not a green leaf on the trees or an apple to eat."
"Ja hævnes vil vi!" hviskede de til hinanden, og så blev der igen ekserceret.
"We will revenge ourselves," whispered the young storks to each other, as they again joined the exercising.
Af alle drengene på gaden var ingen værre til at synge spottevisen, end just han, som havde begyndt, og det var en ganske lille en, han var nok ikke mere end seks år; storkeungerne troede rigtignok, at han var hundrede år; for han var jo så meget større end deres moder og fader, og hvad vidste de om, hvor gamle børn og store mennesker kunne være. Hele deres hævn skulle gå ud over den dreng, han havde jo først begyndt, og han blev altid ved: Storkeungerne var så irriterede, og alt som de blev større, ville de mindre tåle det; moderen måtte til sidst love dem, at de nok skulle få hævn, men hun ville ikke tage den, før på den sidste dag, de var i landet.
Of all the boys in the street who sang the mocking song about the storks, not one was so determined to go on with it as he who first began it. Yet he was a little fellow not more than six years old. To the young storks he appeared at least a hundred, for he was so much bigger than their father and mother. To be sure, storks cannot be expected to know how old children and grown-up people are. So they determined to have their revenge on this boy, because he began the song first and would keep on with it. The young storks were very angry, and grew worse as they grew older; so at last their mother was obliged to promise that they should be revenged, but not until the day of their departure.
"Vi må jo først se, hvorledes I bærer jer ad ved den store manøvre! kommer I galt fra det, så generalen jager jer næbbet i brystet, så har jo drengene dog ret, i det mindste på en måde! lad os nu se!"
"We must see first, how you acquit yourselves at the grand review," said she. "If you get on badly there, the general will thrust his beak through you, and you will be killed, as the boys said, though not exactly in the same manner. So we must wait and see."
"Ja det skal du!" sagde ungerne, og så gjorde de sig just umage; de øvede sig hver dag, og fløj så nydeligt og let, så det var en lyst.
"You shall see," said the young birds, and then they took such pains and practised so well every day, that at last it was quite a pleasure to see them fly so lightly and prettily. As soon as the autumn arrived, all the storks began to assemble together before taking their departure for warm countries during the winter. Then the review commenced. They flew over forests and villages to show what they could do, for they had a long journey before them. The young storks performed their part so well that they received a mark of honor, with frogs and snakes as a present. These presents were the best part of the affair, for they could eat the frogs and snakes, which they very quickly did.
Nu kom høsten, alle storkene begyndte at samles for at flyve bort til de varme lande, mens vi har vinter. Det var en manøvre! over skov og byer måtte de, bare for at se, hvor godt de kunne flyve, det var jo en stor rejse, som forestod. Storkeungerne gjorde deres ting så nydeligt, at de fik udmærket godt med frø og slange. Det var den allerbedste karakter, og frøen og slangen kunne de spise, det gjorde de også.
"Now let us have our revenge," they cried.
"Nu skal vi hævnes!" sagde de.
"Yes, certainly," cried the mother stork. "I have thought upon the best way to be revenged. I know the pond in which all the little children lie, waiting till the storks come to take them to their parents. The prettiest little babies lie there dreaming more sweetly than they will ever dream in the time to come. All parents are glad to have a little child, and children are so pleased with a little brother or sister. Now we will fly to the pond and fetch a little baby for each of the children who did not sing that naughty song to make game of the storks."
"Ja vist!" sagde storkemoderen. "Hvad jeg havde udtænkt, det er just det rigtige! jeg ved, hvor den dam er, hvor alle de små menneskebørn ligger, til storken kommer og henter dem til forældrene. De nydelige små børn sover og drømmer så dejligt, som de aldrig siden kommer til at drømme. Alle forældre vil gerne have sådant et lille barn, og alle børn vil have en søster eller broder. Nu vil vi flyve hen til dammen, hente en til hver af de børn, som ikke har sunget den onde vise og gjort nar af storkene, for de børn skal slet ingen have!"
"But the naughty boy, who began the song first, what shall we do to him?" cried the young storks.
"Men han, som begyndte med at synge, den slemme, hæslige dreng!" skreg de unge storke, "hvad gør vi ved ham?"
"There lies in the pond a little dead baby who has dreamed itself to death," said the mother. "We will take it to the naughty boy, and he will cry because we have brought him a little dead brother. But you have not forgotten the good boy who said it was a shame to laugh at animals: we will take him a little brother and sister too, because he was good. He is called Peter, and you shall all be called Peter in future."
"Der ligger i dammen et lille dødt barn, det har drømt sig ihjel, det vil vi tage til ham, så må han græde, fordi vi har bragt ham en død lille broder, men den gode dreng, ham har I dog ikke glemt, han som sagde: 'Det er synd at gøre nar af dyrene!' ham vil vi bringe både en broder og en søster, og da den dreng hed Peter, så skal I også alle sammen kaldes Peter!"
So they all did what their mother had arranged, and from that day, even till now, all the storks have been called Peter.
Og det skete hvad hun sagde, og så hed alle storkene Peter, og det kaldes de endnu.