Under the Willow-tree, part 2 · page 21 2101Above him was the blue sky; below him, the city and the wide-spreading plains of Lombardy; and towards the north, the lofty mountains, covered with perpetual snow.102And then he thought of the church of Kjoge, with its red, ivy-clad walls, but he had no longing to go there; here, beyond the mountains, he would die and be buried.103Three years had passed away since he left his home; one year of that time he had dwelt at Milan.104One day his master took him into the town; not to the circus in which riders performed, but to the opera, a large building, itself a sight well worth seeing.105The seven tiers of boxes, which reached from the ground to a dizzy height, near the ceiling, were hung with rich, silken curtains; and in them were seated elegantly-dressed ladies, with bouquets of flowers in their hands.106The gentlemen were also in full dress, and many of them wore decorations of gold and silver.107The place was so brilliantly lighted that it seemed like sunshine, and glorious music rolled through the building.108Everything looked more beautiful than in the theatre at Copenhagen, but then Joanna had been there, and--could it be?109Yes--it was like magic,--she was here also: for, when the curtain rose, there stood Joanna, dressed in silk and gold, and with a golden crown upon her head.110She sang, he thought, as only an angel could sing; and then she stepped forward to the front and smiled, as only Joanna could smile, and looked directly at Knud.111Poor Knud! he seized his master's hand, and cried out loud, "Joanna," but no one heard him, excepting his master, for the music sounded above everything.1 2← previousUnder the Willow-tree, part 1next →Under the Willow-tree, part 3↑ back to Fairy Tales of Hans Christian AndersenThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/203/page/2/