The Snow Queen, part 1 · page 21 2101She was tall and of slender figure, and of a dazzling whiteness.102It was the Snow Queen.103“We have travelled fast,” said she; “but it is freezingly cold.104Come under my bearskin.”105And she put him in the sledge beside her, wrapped the fur round him, and he felt as though he were sinking in a snow-wreath.106“Are you still cold?” asked she; and then she kissed his forehead.107Ah! it was colder than ice; it penetrated to his very heart, which was already almost a frozen lump; it seemed to him as if he were about to die--but a moment more and it was quite congenial to him, and he did not remark the cold that was around him.108“My sledge!109Do not forget my sledge!”110It was the first thing he thought of.111It was there tied to one of the white chickens, who flew along with it on his back behind the large sledge.112The Snow Queen kissed Kay once more, and then he forgot little Gerda, grandmother, and all whom he had left at his home.113“Now you will have no more kisses,” said she, “or else I should kiss you to death!”114Kay looked at her.115She was very beautiful; a more clever, or a more lovely countenance he could not fancy to himself; and she no longer appeared of ice as before, when she sat outside the window, and beckoned to him; in his eyes she was perfect, he did not fear her at all, and told her that he could calculate in his head and with fractions, even; that he knew the number of square miles there were in the different countries, and how many inhabitants they contained; and she smiled while he spoke.116It then seemed to him as if what he knew was not enough, and he looked upwards in the large huge empty space above him, and on she flew with him; flew high over the black clouds, while the storm moaned and whistled as though it were singing some old tune.117On they flew over woods and lakes, over seas, and many lands; and beneath them the chilling storm rushed fast, the wolves howled, the snow crackled; above them flew large screaming crows, but higher up appeared the moon, quite large and bright; and it was on it that Kay gazed during the long long winter's night; while by day he slept at the feet of the Snow Queen.1 2← previousThe Fir Treenext →The Snow Queen, part 2↑ back to Andersen's Fairy TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/11/page/2/