A windmill stood upon the hill, proud to look at, and it was proud too.
Der stod på bakken en vejrmølle, stolt at se på og stolt følte den sig:
"I am not proud at all," it said, "but I am very much enlightened without and within. I have sun and moon for my outward use, and for inward use too; and into the bargain I have stearine candles, train oil and lamps, and tallow candles. I may well say that I'm enlightened. I'm a thinking being, and so well constructed that it's quite delightful. I have a good windpipe in my chest, and I have four wings that are placed outside my head, just beneath my hat. The birds have only two wings, and are obliged to carry them on their backs. I am a Dutchman by birth, that may be seen by my figure– a flying Dutchman. They are considered supernatural beings, I know, and yet I am quite natural. I have a gallery round my chest, and house-room beneath it; that's where my thoughts dwell. My strongest thought, who rules and reigns, is called by others 'The Man in the Mill.' He knows what he wants, and is lord over the meal and the bran; but he has his companion, too, and she calls herself 'Mother.' She is the very heart of me. She does not run about stupidly and awkwardly, for she knows what she wants, she knows what she can do, she's as soft as a zephyr and as strong as a storm; she knows how to begin a thing carefully, and to have her own way. She is my soft temper, and the father is my hard one. They are two, and yet one; they each call the other 'My half.' These two have some little boys, young thoughts, that can grow. The little ones keep everything in order. When, lately, in my wisdom, I let the father and the boys examine my throat and the hole in my chest, to see what was going on there,– for something in me was out of order, and it's well to examine one's self,– the little ones made a tremendous noise. The youngest jumped up into my hat, and shouted so there that it tickled me. The little thoughts may grow– I know that very well; and out in the world thoughts come too, and not only of my kind, for as far as I can see, I cannot discern anything like myself; but the wingless houses, whose throats make no noise, have thoughts too, and these come to my thoughts, and make love to them, as it is called. It's wonderful enough– yes, there are many wonderful things. Something has come over me, or into me,– something has changed in the mill-work. It seems as if the one half, the father, had altered, and had received a better temper and a more affectionate helpmate– so young and good, and yet the same, only more gentle and good through the course of time. What was bitter has passed away, and the whole is much more comfortable." - "The days go on, and the days come nearer and nearer to clearness and to joy; and then a day will come when it will be over with me; but not over altogether. I must be pulled down that I may be built up again; I shall cease, but yet shall live on. To become quite a different being, and yet remain the same! That's difficult for me to understand, however enlightened I may be with sun, moon, stearine, train oil, and tallow. My old wood-work and my old brick-work will rise again from the dust!" - "I will hope that I may keep my old thoughts, the father in the mill, and the mother, great ones and little ones– the family; for I call them all, great and little, the company of thoughts, because I must, and cannot refrain from it." - "And I must also remain 'myself,' with my throat in my chest, my wings on my head, the gallery round my body; else I should not know myself, nor could the others know me, and say, 'There's the mill on the hill, proud to look at, and yet not proud at all.'"
"Aldeles ikke stolt er jeg!" sagde den, "men jeg er meget oplyst, uden og inden. Sol og måne har jeg til udvortes brug og til indvendig med, og så har jeg desuden stearinlys, tranlampe og tælleprås; jeg tør sige, at jeg er oplyst; jeg er et tænkende væsen og så velskabt at det er en fornøjelse. Jeg har en god kværn i brystet, jeg har fire vinger og de sidder mig oppe i hovedet, lige under hatten; fuglene har kun to vinger og må bære dem på ryggen. Jeg er en hollænder af fødsel, det kan ses på min skabelon; en flyvende hollænder; den regnes til det overnaturlige, ved jeg, og dog er jeg meget naturlig. Jeg har galleri om maven og beboelseslejlighed i nederdelen; der huser mine tanker. Min stærkeste tanke, den der styrer og råder, kaldes af de andre tanker: Manden på møllen. Han ved hvad han vil, han står højt over mel og gryn, men har dog sin mage og hun kaldes mutter; hun er hjertelaget; hun løber ikke avet om, også hun ved hvad hun vil, hun ved hvad hun kan, hun er mild som et vindpust, hun er stærk som blæsten; hun forstår at lirke, at få sin vilje. Hun er mit bløde sind, fatter er mit hårde; de er to og dog én, de kalder også hinanden 'min halvpart'. De har rollinger de to: små tanker, som kan vokse. De små gør et styr! Forleden, da jeg i dybsindighed lod 'fatter' og hans svende se kværn og hjul efter i mit bryst, jeg ville vide hvad der var i vejen, thi der var noget i vejen inden i mig, og man skal ransage sig selv, så gjorde de små et forfærdeligt styr, der ikke tager sig ud, når man, som jeg, står højt oppe på bakken; man må huske at man står i belysning: Omdømmet er også belysning. Men hvad jeg ville sige, det var et forfærdeligt styr af de små! Den mindste fór mig lige op i hatten og trallede så det kildrede i mig. De små tanker kan vokse, det har jeg fornummet, og udefra kommer også tanker og ikke ganske af min slægt, for jeg ser ingen af den, så langt jeg ser, ingen uden mig selv; men de vingeløse huse, hvor kværnen ikke høres, de har også tanker, de kommer til mine tanker og forlover sig med dem, som de kalder det. Underligt nok, ja der er meget underligt. Det er kommet over mig eller i mig; noget har forandret sig i mølleværket, det er som om fatter havde skiftet halvpart, fået et endnu mildere sind, en endnu kærligere mage, så ung og from og dog den samme, men blødere, frommere med tiden. Hvad besk var er fordunstet; det er meget fornøjeligt det hele. Dagene går og dagene kommer, altid fremad til klarhed og glæde, og så, ja det er sagt og skrevet, så kommer der en dag, at det er forbi med mig og aldeles ikke forbi! jeg skal rives ned for at rejse mig ny og bedre, jeg skal høre op og dog blive ved at være! blive en ganske anden og dog den samme! det er mig svært at begribe, ihvor oplyst jeg end er, ved sol, måne, stearin, tran og tælle! mit gamle tømmer og murværk skal rejse sig igen af gruset. Jeg vil håbe at jeg beholder de gamle tanker: Fatter på møllen, mutter, store og små, familien, den kalder jeg det hele, en og dog så mange, hele tankekompagniet, for det kan jeg ikke undvære! og mig selv må jeg også blive, med kværn i brystet, vinger på hovedet, altan om maven, ellers kan jeg ikke kende mig selv, og de andre kan heller ikke kende mig og sige, der har vi jo møllen på bakken, stolt at se, dog aldeles ikke stolt!"
That is what the mill said. Indeed, it said much more, but that is the most important part.
Det sagde møllen, den sagde meget mere, men dette var nu det vigtigste.
And the days came, and the days went, and yesterday was the last day.
Og dagene kom og dagene gik, og den yderste var den sidste.
Then the mill caught fire. The flames rose up high, and beat out and in, and bit at the beams and planks, and ate them up. The mill fell, and nothing remained of it but a heap of ashes. The smoke drove across the scene of the conflagration, and the wind carried it away.
Der gik ild i møllen; flammerne løftede sig, slog ud, slog ind, slikkede bjælker og brædder, åd dem op. Møllen faldt, der var kun en askehob tilbage; røgen fór hen over brandstedet, vinden bar den bort.
Whatever had been alive in the mill remained, and what had been gained by it has nothing to do with this story. The miller's family– one soul, many thoughts, and yet only one– built a new, a splendid mill, which answered its purpose. It was quite like the old one, and people said, "Why, yonder is the mill on the hill, proud to look at!" But this mill was better arranged, more according to the time than the last, so that progress might be made. The old beams had become worm-eaten and spongy– they lay in dust and ashes. The body of the mill did not rise out of the dust as they had believed it would do. They had taken it literally, and all things are not to be taken literally.
Hvad levende der havde været på møllen blev, det kom ikke noget til ved den begivenhed, det vandt ved den. Møllerfamilien, en sjæl, mange tanker og dog kun en, fik sig en ny, dejlig mølle, den kunne være tjent med, den lignede aldeles den gamle, man sagde: Der står jo møllen på bakken, stolt at se! men denne var bedre indrettet, mere tidssvarende, for det går fremad. Det gamle tømmer, der var ormstukket og svampet, lå i støv og aske; den møllekrop rejste sig ikke, som den havde troet; den tog det lige efter ordene, og man skal ikke tage alting lige efter ordene!