Brønden var dyb, derfor var snoren lang; vinden gik trangt om, når man skulle have spanden med vand over brøndkanten. Solen kunne aldrig nå ned at spejle sig i vandet, hvor klart det end var, men så langt den nåede at skinne, voksede grønt mellem stenene.
The well was deep, and therefore the rope had to be a long one; it was heavy work turning the handle when any one had to raise a bucketful of water over the edge of the well. Though the water was clear, the sun never looked down far enough into the well to mirror itself in the waters; but as far as its beams could reach, green things grew forth between the stones in the sides of the well.
Der boede en familie af skrubtudseslægten, den var indvandret, den var egentlig kommet der hovedkulds ned ved gamle skrubtudsemor, som levede endnu; de grønne frøer, som langt tidligere var hjemme her og svømmede i vandet, erkendte fætterskabet og kaldte dem "brøndgæsterne." Disse havde nok i sinde at blive der; de levede her meget behageligt på det tørre, som de kaldte de våde stene.
Down below dwelt a family of the Toad race. They had, in fact, come head-over-heels down the well, in the person of the old Mother-Toad, who was still alive. The green Frogs, who had been established there a long time, and swam about in the water, called them "well-guests." But the new-comers seemed determined to stay where they were, for they found it very agreeable living "in a dry place," as they called the wet stones.
Frømor havde engang rejst, været i vandspanden, da den gik op, men det blev hende for lyst, hun fik øjenklemme, heldigvis slap hun ud af spanden; hun faldt med et forfærdeligt plump i vandet, og lå i tre dage derefter af rygpine. Meget skulle hun ikke kunne fortælle om verden ovenfor, men det vidste hun, og det vidste de alle, at brønden var ikke hele verden skrubtudsemor kunne nok have fortalt et og andet, men hun svarede aldrig, når man spurgte, og så spurgte man ikke.
The Mother-Frog had once been a traveller. She happened to be in the water-bucket when it was drawn up, but the light became too strong for her, and she got a pain in her eyes. Fortunately she scrambled out of the bucket; but she fell into the water with a terrible flop, and had to lie sick for three days with pains in her back. She certainly had not much to tell of the things up above, but she knew this, and all the Frogs knew it, that the well was not all the world. The Mother-Toad might have told this and that, if she had chosen, but she never answered when they asked her anything, and so they left off asking.
"Tyk og styg, led og fed er hun!" sagde de unge, grønne frøer. "Hendes unger bliver lige så lede!"
"She's thick, and fat and ugly," said the young green Frogs; "and her children will be just as ugly as she is."
"Kan gerne være!" sagde skrubtudsemor, "men en af dem har en ædelsten i hovedet, eller jeg har den!"
"That may be," retorted the mother-Toad, "but one of them has a jewel in his head, or else I have the jewel."
Og de grønne frøer hørte og de gloede, og da de ikke syntes om det, så vrængede de og gik til bunds. Men skrubtudseungerne strakte bagbenene af bare stolthed; enhver af dem troede at have ædelstenen; og så sad de ganske stille med hovedet, men endelig spurgte de om, hvad de var stolte af, og hvad en sådan ædelsten egentlig var.
The young frogs listened and stared; and as these words did not please them, they made grimaces and dived down under the water. But the little Toads kicked up their hind legs from mere pride, for each of them thought that he must have the jewel; and then they sat and held their heads quite still. But at length they asked what it was that made them so proud, and what kind of a thing a jewel might be.
"Det er noget så herligt og kosteligt!" sagde skrubtudsemor, "at jeg ikke kan beskrive det! Det er noget, man går med for sin egen fornøjelse, og som de andre går og ærgrer sig over. Men spørg ikke, jeg svarer ikke!"
"Oh, it is such a splendid and precious thing, that I cannot describe it," said the Mother-Toad. "It's something which one carries about for one's own pleasure, and that makes other people angry. But don't ask me any questions, for I shan't answer you."
"Ja, jeg har ikke ædelstenen!" sagde den mindste skrubtudse; den var så styg, som den kunne være. "Hvorfor skulle jeg have sådan en herlighed? Og når den ærgrer andre, kan den jo ikke fornøje mig! nej, jeg ønsker kun, at jeg engang måtte komme op til brøndkanten og se ud; der må være yndigt!"
"Well, I haven't got the jewel," said the smallest of the Toads; she was as ugly as a toad can be. "Why should I have such a precious thing? And if it makes others angry, it can't give me any pleasure. No, I only wish I could get to the edge of the well, and look out; it must be beautiful up there."
"Bliv du helst hvor du er!" sagde den gamle, "det kender du, det ved du hvad er! Tag dig i agt for spanden, den kvaser dig; og kommer du vel i den, så kan du falde ud, ikke alle falder så heldigt, som jeg, og beholder lemmerne hele og æggene hele!"
"You'd better stay where you are," said the old Mother-Toad, "for you know everything here, and you can tell what you have. Take care of the bucket, for it will crush you to death; and even if you get into it safely, you may fall out. And it's not every one who falls so cleverly as I did, and gets away with whole legs and whole bones."
"Kvak!" sagde den lille, og det var ligesom når vi mennesker siger "ak!"
"Quack!" said the little Toad; and that's just as if one of us were to say, "Aha!"
Den havde sådan en lyst til at komme op ved brøndkanten og se ud; den følte sådan en længsel efter det grønne deroppe; og da næste morgen, tilfældigt, spanden fyldt med vand, løftedes op, og den et øjeblik blev stående stille foran stenen, hvorpå skrubtudsen sad, bævrede det indeni det lille dyr, den sprang i den fyldte spand, faldt til bunds i vandet, som derefter kom op og hældtes ud.
She had an immense desire to get to the edge of the well, and to look over; she felt such a longing for the green, up there; and the next morning, when it chanced that the bucket was being drawn up, filled with water, and stopped for a moment just in front of the stone on which the Toad sat, the little creature's heart moved within it, and our Toad jumped into the filled bucket, which presently was drawn to the top, and emptied out.
"Fy, for en ulykke!" sagde karlen, som så den. "Det er da det ledeste jeg har set!" og så sparkede han med sin træsko efter skrubtudsen, der nær var blevet lemlæstet, men slap dog ved at komme ind mellem de høje brændenælder. Den så stilk ved stilk, den så også opad! Solen skinnede på bladene; de var ganske transparente; det var for den, som for os mennesker, når vi med ét kommer ind i en stor skov, hvor solen skinner mellem grene og blade.
"Ugh, you beast!" said the farm laborer who emptied the bucket, when he saw the toad. "You're the ugliest thing I've seen for one while." And he made a kick with his wooden shoe at the toad, which just escaped being crushed by managing to scramble into the nettles which grew high by the well's brink. Here she saw stem by stem, but she looked up also; the sun shone through the leaves, which were quite transparent; and she felt as a person would feel who steps suddenly into a great forest, where the sun looks in between the branches and leaves.
"Her er langt dejligere end nede i brønden! Her kan man have lyst til at blive sin hele levetid!" sagde den lille skrubtudse. Den lå der en time, den lå der i to! "Hvad mon der er udenfor? Er jeg kommet så langt, må jeg se at komme videre!" og den krøb så rask den krybe kunne og kom ud på vejen, hvor solen skinnede på den og hvor støvet pudrede den, idet den marcherede tværs over landevejen.
"It's much nicer here than down in the well! I should like to stay here my whole life long!" said the little Toad. So she lay there for an hour, yes, for two hours. "I wonder what is to be found up here? As I have come so far, I must try to go still farther." And so she crawled on as fast as she could crawl, and got out upon the highway, where the sun shone upon her, and the dust powdered her all over as she marched across the way.
"Her er man rigtig på det tørre!" sagde skrubtudsen, "jeg får næsten for meget af det gode, det kriller i mig!"
"I've got to a dry place now, and no mistake," said the Toad. "It's almost too much of a good thing here; it tickles one so."
Nu nåede den grøften; der voksede forglemmigej og spiræa, der var levende gærde tæt ved med hyld og hvidtjørn; der groede "Marias hvide særkeærmer" som slyngplanter; her var kulører at se; også fløj der en sommerfugl; skrubtudsen troede, at det var en blomst, der havde revet sig løs for des bedre at se sig om i verden, det var jo så rimeligt.
She came to the ditch; and forget-me-nots were growing there, and meadow-sweet; and a very little way off was a hedge of whitethorn, and elder bushes grew there, too, and bindweed with white flowers. Gay colors were to be seen here, and a butterfly, too, was flitting by. The Toad thought it was a flower which had broken loose that it might look about better in the world, which was quite a natural thing to do.
"Kunne man sådan tage fart som den," sagde skrubtudsen, "kvak! ak! hvilken dejlighed!"
"If one could only make such a journey as that!" said the Toad. "Croak! how capital that would be."
Den blev otte nætter og dage her ved grøften og den savnede ikke føde. Den niende dag tænkte den: "Videre frem!" – men hvad dejligere kunne der vel findes? Måske en lille skrubtudse eller nogle grønne frøer. Det havde i den sidste nat lydt i vinden, som var der "fætre" i nærheden
Eight days and eight nights she stayed by the well, and experienced no want of provisions. On the ninth day she thought, "Forward! onward!" But what could she find more charming and beautiful? Perhaps a little toad or a few green frogs. During the last night there had been a sound borne on the breeze, as if there were cousins in the neighborhood.
"Det er dejligt at leve! komme op af brønden, ligge i brændenælder, krybe hen ad den støvede vej og hvile ud i den våde grøft! men videre frem! se at finde frøer eller en lille skrubtudse, det kan man dog ikke undvære, naturen er en ikke nok!" Og så tog den igen på vandring.
"It's a glorious thing to live! glorious to get out of the well, and to lie among the stinging-nettles, and to crawl along the dusty road. But onward, onward! that we may find frogs or a little toad. We can't do without that; nature alone is not enough for one." And so she went forward on her journey.
Den kom i marken til en stor dam med siv om; den søgte derind.
She came out into the open field, to a great pond, round about which grew reeds; and she walked into it.
"Her er nok for vådt for Dem?" sagde frøerne; "men De er meget velkommen! – Er De en han eller en hun? Det er nu det samme, De er lige velkommen!"
"It will be too damp for you here," said the Frogs; "but you are very welcome! Are you a he or a she? But it doesn't matter; you are equally welcome."
Og så blev den indbudt til koncert om aftnen, familiekoncert: Stor begejstring og tynde stemmer; det kender vi. Der var ingen beværtning, kun fri drikkevarer, hele dammen, om de kunne.
And she was invited to the concert in the evening– the family concert; great enthusiasm and thin voices; we know the sort of thing. No refreshments were given, only there was plenty to drink, for the whole pond was free.
"Nu rejser jeg videre!" sagde den lille skrubtudse; den følte altid trang til noget bedre.
"Now I shall resume my journey," said the little Toad; for she always felt a longing for something better.
Den så stjernerne blinke, så store og så klare, den så nymånen lyse, den så solen stå op, højere og højere.
She saw the stars shining, so large and so bright, and she saw the moon gleaming; and then she saw the sun rise, and mount higher and higher.
"Jeg er nok endnu i brønden, i en større brønd, jeg må højere op! jeg har en uro og længsel!" og da månen blev hel og rund, tænkte det stakkels dyr: "Mon det er spanden, der trisses ned, og som jeg må springe i for at komme højere op? eller er solen den store spand? hvor den er stor, hvor den er strålende, den kan rumme os alle sammen! jeg må passe på lejligheden! oh, hvor det lyser i mit hoved! jeg tror ikke at ædelstenen kan lyse bedre! men den har jeg ikke og den græder jeg ikke for, nej, højere op i glans og glæde! jeg har en forvisning, og dog en angst, – det er et svært skridt at gøre! men det må man! fremad! lige ud ad landevejen!"
"Perhaps after all, I am still in a well, only in a larger well. I must get higher yet; I feel a great restlessness and longing." And when the moon became round and full, the poor creature thought, "I wonder if that is the bucket which will be let down, and into which I must step to get higher up? Or is the sun the great bucket? How great it is! how bright it is! It can take up all. I must look out, that I may not miss the opportunity. Oh, how it seems to shine in my head! I don't think the jewel can shine brighter. But I haven't the jewel; not that I cry about that– no, I must go higher up, into splendor and joy! I feel so confident, and yet I am afraid. It's a difficult step to take, and yet it must be taken. Onward, therefore, straight onward!"
Og den tog skridt, som sådant et kravledyr kan, og så var den på alfarvej, hvor menneskene boede; der var både blomsterhaver og kålhaver. Den hvilede ud ved en kålhave.
She took a few steps, such as a crawling animal may take, and soon found herself on a road beside which people dwelt; but there were flower gardens as well as kitchen gardens. And she sat down to rest by a kitchen garden.
"Hvor der dog er mange forskellige skabninger, jeg aldrig har kendt! og hvor verden er stor og velsignet! men man skal også se sig om i den og ikke blive siddende på ét sted." Og så hoppede den ind i kålhaven. "Hvor her er grønt! hvor her er kønt!"
"What a number of different creatures there are that I never knew! and how beautiful and great the world is! But one must look round in it, and not stay in one spot." And then she hopped into the kitchen garden. "How green it is here! how beautiful it is here!"
"Det ved jeg nok!" sagde kålormen på bladet. "Mit blad er det største herinde! det skjuler den halve verden, men den kan jeg undvære!"
"I know that," said the Caterpillar, on the leaf, "my leaf is the largest here. It hides half the world from me, but I don't care for the world."
"Kluk! kluk!" sagde det, der kom høns; de trippede i kålhaven. Den forreste høne var langsynet; hun så ormen på det krusede blad og huggede efter den, så at den faldt på jorden, hvor den vred og vendte sig. Hønen så først med det ene øje, så med det andet, for den vidste ikke hvad der kunne komme ud af den vridning.
"Cluck, cluck!" And some fowls came. They tripped about in the cabbage garden. The Fowl who marched at the head of them had a long sight, and she spied the Caterpillar on the green leaf, and pecked at it, so that the Caterpillar fell on the ground, where it twisted and writhed. The Fowl looked at it first with one eye and then with the other, for she did not know what the end of this writhing would be.
"Den gør det ikke godvilligt!" tænkte hønen og løftede hovedet for at hugge til. Skrubtudsen blev så forfærdet, at den kravlede lige hen imod hønen.
"It doesn't do that with a good will," thought the Fowl, and lifted up her head to peck at the Caterpillar. The Toad was so horrified at this, that she came crawling straight up towards the Fowl.
"Så den har hjælpetropper!" sagde den. "Se mig til det kravl!" og så vendte hønen om. "Jeg bryder mig ikke om den lille, grønne mundfuld, den giver kun kildren i halsen!" De andre høns var af samme mening, og så gik de.
"Aha, it has allies," quoth the Fowl. "Just look at the crawling thing!" And then the Fowl turned away. "I don't care for the little green morsel; it would only tickle my throat." The other fowls took the same view of it, and they all turned away together.
"Jeg vred mig fra den!" sagde kålormen; "det er godt at have åndsnærværelse; men det sværeste er tilbage, at komme op på mit kålblad. Hvor er det?"
"I writhed myself free," said the Caterpillar. "What a good thing it is when one has presence of mind! But the hardest thing remains to be done, and that is to get on my leaf again. Where is it?"
Og den lille skrubtudse kom og ytrede sin deltagelse. Den var glad ved at den i sin styghed havde skræmt hønsene.
And the little Toad came up and expressed her sympathy. She was glad that in her ugliness she had frightened the fowls.
"Hvad mener De dermed?" spurgte kålormen. "Jeg vred mig jo selv fra dem. De er meget ubehagelig at se på! må jeg have lov at være i mit eget? Nu lugter jeg kål! Nu er jeg ved mit blad! Der er ikke noget så dejligt, som ens eget. Men højere op må jeg!"
"What do you mean by that?" cried the Caterpillar. "I wriggled myself free from the Fowl. You are very disagreeable to look at. Cannot I be left in peace on my own property? Now I smell cabbage; now I am near my leaf. Nothing is so beautiful as property. But I must go higher up."
"Ja, højere op!" sagde den lille skrubtudse, "højere op! den føler ligesom jeg! men den er ikke i humør i dag, det kommer af forskrækkelsen. Vi vil alle højere op!" og den så så højt den kunne.
"Yes, higher up," said the little Toad; "higher-up! She feels just as I do; but she's not in a good humor to-day. That's because of the fright. We all want to go higher up." And she looked up as high as ever she could.
Storken sad i reden på bondens tag; han knebrede og storkemor knebrede.
The stork sat in his nest on the roof of the farm-house. He clapped with his beak, and the Mother-stork clapped with hers.
"Hvor de bor højt!" tænkte skrubtudsen. "Hvem der kunne komme derop!"
"How high up they live!" thought the Toad. "If one could only get as high as that!"
Inde i bondehuset boede to unge studenter: Den ene var poet, den anden naturforsker; den ene sang og skrev i glæde om alt, hvad Gud havde skabt, og som det spejlede sig i hans hjerte; han sang det ud, kort, klart og rigt i klangfulde vers; den anden tog fat på tingen selv, ja sprættede den op, når så måtte være. Han tog Vorherres gerning som et stort regnestykke, subtraherede, multiplicerede, ville kende det ud og ind og tale med forstand derom, og det var hel forstand, og han talte i glæde og med klogskab derom. Det var gode, glade mennesker, begge to.
In the farm-house lived two young students; the one was a poet and the other a scientific searcher into the secrets of nature. The one sang and wrote joyously of everything that God had created, and how it was mirrored in his heart. He sang it out clearly, sweetly, richly, in well-sounding verses; while the other investigated created matter itself, and even cut it open where need was. He looked upon God's creation as a great sum in arithmetic– subtracted, multiplied, and tried to know it within and without, and to talk with understanding concerning it; and that was a very sensible thing; and he spoke joyously and cleverly of it. They were good, joyful men, those two,
"Der sidder jo et godt eksemplar af en skrubtudse!" sagde naturforskeren; "den må jeg have i spiritus!"
"There sits a good specimen of a toad," said the naturalist. "I must have that fellow in a bottle of spirits."
"Du har jo allerede to andre!" sagde poeten; "lad den sidde i ro og fornøje sig!"
"You have two of them already," replied the poet. "Let the thing sit there and enjoy its life."
"Men den er så dejlig grim!" sagde den anden.
"But it's so wonderfully ugly," persisted the first.
"Ja, når vi kan finde ædelstenen i hovedet på den!" sagde poeten, "så ville jeg selv være med at sprætte den op!"
"Yes, if we could find the jewel in its head," said the poet, "I too should be for cutting it open."
"Ædelstenen!" sagde den anden, "du kan godt naturhistorie!"
"A jewel!" cried the naturalist. "You seem to know a great deal about natural history."
"Men er der ikke just noget meget smukt i den folketro, at skrubtudsen, det allergrimmeste dyr, tit gemmer i sit hoved den kosteligste ædelsten! Går det ikke med menneskene ligeså? Hvilken ædelsten havde ikke Æsop, og nu Sokrates?" –
"But is there not something beautiful in the popular belief that just as the toad is the ugliest of animals, it should often carry the most precious jewel in its head? Is it not just the same thing with men? What a jewel that was that Aesop had, and still more, Socrates!"
Mere hørte skrubtudsen ikke, og den forstod ikke det halve deraf. De to venner gik, og den slap for at komme i spiritus.
The Toad did not hear any more, nor did she understand half of what she had heard. The two friends walked on, and thus she escaped the fate of being bottled up in spirits.
"De talte også om ædelstenen!" sagde skrubtudsen. "Det er godt, at jeg ikke har den, ellers var jeg kommet i ubehagelighed!"
"Those two also were speaking of the jewel," said the Toad to herself. "What a good thing that I have not got it! I might have been in a very disagreeable position."
Da knebrede det på bondens tag; storkefar holdt foredrag for familien, og denne så skævt ned på de to unge mennesker i kålhaven.
Now there was a clapping on the roof of the farm-house. Father-Stork was making a speech to his family, and his family was glancing down at the two young men in the kitchen garden.
"Mennesket er det mest indbildske kræ!" sagde storken. "Hør, hvor kneveren går på dem! og så kan de dog ikke slå en rigtig skralde. De kror sig af deres talegaver, deres sprog! det er et rart sprog: Det løber over i det uforståelige for dem ved hver dagrejse, vi gør; den ene forstår ikke den anden. Vort sprog kan vi tale over hele jorden, både i Danmark og i Ægypten. Flyve kan menneskene heller ikke! de tager fart ved en opfindelse, som de kalder 'jernbanen'; men de brækker da også der tit halsen. Jeg får kuldegys i næbbet, når jeg tænker derpå! verden kan bestå uden mennesker. Vi kan undvære dem! Må vi bare beholde frøer og regnorme!"
"Man is the most conceited creature!" said the Stork. "Listen how their jaws are wagging; and for all that they can't clap properly. They boast of their gifts of eloquence and their language! Yes, a fine language truly! Why, it changes in every day's journey we make. One of them doesn't understand another. Now, we can speak our language over the whole earth– up in the North and in Egypt. And then men are not able to fly, moreover. They rush along by means of an invention they call 'railway;' but they often break their necks over it. It makes my beak turn cold when I think of it. The world could get on without men. We could do without them very well, so long as we only keep frogs and earth-worms."
"Det var da en mægtig tale!" tænkte den lille skrubtudse. "Hvor det er en stor mand! og hvor han sidder højt, som jeg endnu ingen har set sidde! og hvor han kan svømme!" udbrød den, da storken med udbredte vinger tog fart igennem luften.
"That was a powerful speech," thought the little Toad. "What a great man that is yonder! and how high he sits! Higher than ever I saw any one sit yet; and how he can swim!" she cried, as the Stork soared away through the air with outspread pinions.
Og storkemor talte i reden, fortalte om Ægyptens land, om Nilens vand og om al det mageløse mudder, der var i fremmed land; det lød ganske nyt og yndeligt for den lille skrubtudse.
And the Mother-Stork began talking in the nest, and told about Egypt and the waters of the Nile, and the incomparable mud that was to be found in that strange land; and all this sounded new and very charming to the little Toad.
"Jeg må til Ægypten!" sagde den. "Bare storken ville tage mig med, eller en af dens unger. Jeg ville tjene den igen på dens bryllupsdag. Jo, jeg kommer til Ægypten, for jeg er så lykkelig! Al den længsel og lyst jeg har, den er rigtignok bedre end at have en ædelsten i hovedet!"
"I must go to Egypt!" said she. "If the Stork or one of his young ones would only take me! I would oblige him in return. Yes, I shall get to Egypt, for I feel so happy! All the longing and all the pleasure that I feel is much better than having a jewel in one's head."
Og så havde den just ædelstenen: den evige længsel og lyst, opad, altid opad! den lyste derinde, den lyste i glæde, den strålede i lyst.
And it was just she who had the jewel. That jewel was the continual striving and desire to go upward– ever upward. It gleamed in her head, gleamed in joy, beamed brightly in her longing.
Da kom i det samme storken; den havde set skrubtudsen i græsset, slog ned og tog just ikke lempeligt på det lille dyr. Næbbet klemte, vinden susede, det var ikke behageligt, men opad gik det, opad til Ægypten, vidste den; og derfor skinnede øjnene, det var, som der fløj en gnist ud af dem:
Then, suddenly, up came the Stork. He had seen the Toad in the grass, and stooped down and seized the little creature anything but gently. The Stork's beak pinched her, and the wind whistled; it was not exactly agreeable, but she was going upward– upward towards Egypt– and she knew it; and that was why her eyes gleamed, and a spark seemed to fly out of them.
"Kvak! ak!"
"Quunk!– ah!"
Kroppen var død, skrubtudsen dræbt. Men gnisten fra dens øjne, hvor blev den af?
The body was dead– the Toad was killed! But the spark that had shot forth from her eyes; what became of that?
Solstrålen tog den, solstrålen bar ædelstenen fra skrubtudsens hoved. Hvorhen?
The sunbeam took it up; the sunbeam carried the jewel from the head of the toad. Whither?
Du skal ikke spørge naturforskeren, spørg helst poeten; han fortæller dig det som et eventyr; og kålormen er med deri, og storkefamilien er med deri. Tænk! kålormen forvandles, og bliver en dejlig sommerfugl! Storkefamilien flyver over bjerge og have bort til det fjerne Afrika, og finder dog den korteste vej hjem igen til det danske land, til det samme sted, det samme tag! ja, det er rigtignok næsten alt for eventyrligt, og dog er det sandt; du kan gerne spørge naturforskeren, han må indrømme det; og du selv ved det også, for du har set det.
Ask not the naturalist; rather ask the poet. He will tell it thee under the guise of a fairy tale; and the Caterpillar on the cabbage, and the Stork family belong to the story. Think! the Caterpillar is changed, and turns into a beautiful butterfly; the Stork family flies over mountains and seas, to the distant Africa, and yet finds the shortest way home to the same country– to the same roof. Nay, that is almost too improbable; and yet it is true. You may ask the naturalist, he will confess it is so; and you know it yourself, for you have seen it.
– Men ædelstenen i skrubtudsens hoved?
But the jewel in the head of the toad?
Søg den i solen! se den om du kan!
Seek it in the sun; see it there if you can.
Glansen der er for stærk. Vi har endnu ikke øjne til at se ind i al den herlighed, Gud har skabt, men vi får dem nok, og det bliver det dejligste eventyr, for vi er selv med deri!
The brightness is too dazzling there. We have not yet such eyes as can see into the glories which God has created, but we shall receive them by-and-by; and that will be the most beautiful story of all, and we shall all have our share in it.