The Garden of Paradise · page 31 2 3201He is about to fly back, and will not return here for a hundred years.202The time will not seem to you more than a hundred hours, yet even that is a long time for temptation and resistance.203Every evening, when I leave you, I shall be obliged to say, 'Come with me,' and to beckon to you with my hand.204But you must not listen, nor move from your place to follow me; for with every step you will find your power to resist weaker.205If once you attempted to follow me, you would soon find yourself in the hall, where grows the tree of knowledge, for I sleep beneath its perfumed branches.206If you stooped over me, I should be forced to smile.207If you then kissed my lips, the garden of paradise would sink into the earth, and to you it would be lost.checked by a teacher208A keen wind from the desert would howl around you; cold rain fall on your head, and sorrow and woe be your future lot."209"I will remain," said the prince.210So the East Wind kissed him on the forehead, and said, "Be firm; then shall we meet again when a hundred years have passed.211Farewell, farewell."212Then the East Wind spread his broad pinions, which shone like the lightning in harvest, or as the northern lights in a cold winter.213"Farewell, farewell," echoed the trees and the flowers.214Storks and pelicans flew after him in feathery bands, to accompany him to the boundaries of the garden.215"Now we will commence dancing," said the fairy; "and when it is nearly over at sunset, while I am dancing with you, I shall make a sign, and ask you to follow me: but do not obey.216I shall be obliged to repeat the same thing for a hundred years; and each time, when the trial is past, if you resist, you will gain strength, till resistance becomes easy, and at last the temptation will be quite overcome.217This evening, as it will be the first time, I have warned you."218After this the fairy led him into a large hall, filled with transparent lilies.219The yellow stamina of each flower formed a tiny golden harp, from which came forth strains of music like the mingled tones of flute and lyre.220Beautiful maidens, slender and graceful in form, and robed in transparent gauze, floated through the dance, and sang of the happy life in the garden of paradise, where death never entered, and where all would bloom forever in immortal youth.221As the sun went down, the whole heavens became crimson and gold, and tinted the lilies with the hue of roses.222Then the beautiful maidens offered to the prince sparkling wine; and when he had drank, he felt happiness greater than he had ever known before.223Presently the background of the hall opened and the tree of knowledge appeared, surrounded by a halo of glory that almost blinded him.224Voices, soft and lovely as his mother's sounded in his ears, as if she were singing to him, "My child, my beloved child."225Then the fairy beckoned to him, and said in sweet accents, "Come with me, come with me."226Forgetting his promise, forgetting it even on the very first evening, he rushed towards her, while she continued to beckon to him and to smile.227The fragrance around him overpowered his senses, the music from the harps sounded more entrancing, while around the tree appeared millions of smiling faces, nodding and singing. "228Man should know everything; man is the lord of the earth."229The tree of knowledge no longer wept tears of blood, for the dewdrops shone like glittering stars.230"Come, come," continued that thrilling voice, and the prince followed the call.231At every step his cheeks glowed, and the blood rushed wildly through his veins. "232I must follow," he cried; "it is not a sin, it cannot be, to follow beauty and joy.233I only want to see her sleep, and nothing will happen unless I kiss her, and that I will not do, for I have strength to resist, and a determined will."234The fairy threw off her dazzling attire, bent back the boughs, and in another moment was hidden among them.235"I have not sinned yet," said the prince, "and I will not;" and then he pushed aside the boughs to follow the princess.236She was lying already asleep, beautiful as only a fairy in the garden of paradise could be.237She smiled as he bent over her, and he saw tears trembling out of her beautiful eyelashes. "238Do you weep for me?" he whispered. "239Oh weep not, thou loveliest of women.240Now do I begin to understand the happiness of paradise; I feel it to my inmost soul, in every thought.241A new life is born within me.242One moment of such happiness is worth an eternity of darkness and woe."243He stooped and kissed the tears from her eyes, and touched her lips with his.244A clap of thunder, loud and awful, resounded through the trembling air.245All around him fell into ruin.246The lovely fairy, the beautiful garden, sunk deeper and deeper.247The prince saw it sinking down in the dark night till it shone only like a star in the distance beneath him.248Then he felt a coldness, like death, creeping over him; his eyes closed, and he became insensible.249When he recovered, a chilling rain was beating upon him, and a sharp wind blew on his head. "250Alas! what have I done?" he sighed; "I have sinned like Adam, and the garden of paradise has sunk into the earth."251He opened his eyes, and saw the star in the distance, but it was the morning star in heaven which glittered in the darkness.252Presently he stood up and found himself in the depths of the forest, close to the cavern of the Winds, and the mother of the Winds sat by his side.253She looked angry, and raised her arm in the air as she spoke. "254The very first evening!" she said. "255Well, I expected it!256If you were my son, you should go into the sack."257"And there he will have to go at last," said a strong old man, with large black wings, and a scythe in his hand, whose name was Death. "258He shall be laid in his coffin, but not yet.259I will allow him to wander about the world for a while, to atone for his sin, and to give him time to become better.260But I shall return when he least expects me.261I shall lay him in a black coffin, place it on my head, and fly away with it beyond the stars.262There also blooms a garden of paradise, and if he is good and pious he will be admitted; but if his thoughts are bad, and his heart is full of sin, he will sink with his coffin deeper than the garden of paradise has sunk.263Once in every thousand years I shall go and fetch him, when he will either be condemned to sink still deeper, or be raised to a happier life in the world beyond the stars."1 2 3← previousOur Auntnext →The Pea Blossom↑ back to Fairy Tales of Hans Christian AndersenThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/140/page/3/