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A ROSE FROM HOMERS GRAVE

   1872

   FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

   A ROSE FROM HOMER'S GRAVE

   by Hans Christian Andersen

   ALL the songs of the east speak of the love of the nightingale for the rose in the silent starlight night. The winged songster serenades the fragrant flowers.

   Not far from Smyrna, where the merchant drives his loaded

   camels, proudly arching their long necks as they journey beneath the

   lofty pines over holy ground, I saw a hedge of roses. The

   turtle-dove flew among the branches of the tall trees, and as the

   sunbeams fell upon her wings, they glistened as if they were

   mother-of-pearl. On the rose-bush grew a flower, more beautiful than

   them all, and to her the nightingale sung of his woes; but the rose

   remained silent, not even a dewdrop lay like a tear of sympathy on her

   leaves. At last she bowed her head over a heap of stones, and said,

   "Here rests the greatest singer in the world; over his tomb will I

   spread my fragrance, and on it I will let my leaves fall when the

   storm scatters them. He who sung of Troy became earth, and from that earth I have sprung. I, a rose from the grave of Homer, am too lofty to bloom for a nightingale." Then the nightingale sung himself to

   death. A camel-driver came by, with his loaded camels and his black

   slaves; his little son found the dead bird, and buried the lovely

   songster in the grave of the great Homer, while the rose trembled in

   the wind.

   The evening came, and the rose wrapped her leaves more closely

   round her, and dreamed: and this was her dream.

   It was a fair sunshiny day; a crowd of strangers drew near who had

   undertaken a pilgrimage to the grave of Homer. Among the strangers was a minstrel from the north, the home of the clouds and the brilliant

   lights of the aurora borealis. He plucked the rose and placed it in

   a book, and carried it away into a distant part of the world, his

   fatherland. The rose faded with grief, and lay between the leaves of

   the book, which he opened in his own home, saying, "Here is a rose

   from the grave of Homer."

   Then the flower awoke from her dream, and trembled in the wind.

   A drop of dew fell from the leaves upon the singer's grave. The sun

   rose, and the flower bloomed more beautiful than ever. The day was

   hot, and she was still in her own warm Asia. Then footsteps

   approached, strangers, such as the rose had seen in her dream, came

   by, and among them was a poet from the north; he plucked the rose,

   pressed a kiss upon her fresh mouth, and carried her away to the

   home of the clouds and the northern lights. Like a mummy, the flower

   now rests in his "Iliad," and, as in her dream, she hears him say,

   as he opens the book, "Here is a rose from the grave of Homer."

   THE END

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   Written By Anderson



关键字:英语童话故事
生词表:
  • nightingale [´naitiŋgeil] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.夜莺 四级词汇
  • starlight [´stɑ:lait] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.星光 六级词汇
  • pilgrimage [´pilgrimidʒ] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.朝圣;远游;人生历程 四级词汇
  • aurora [ɔ:´rɔ:rə] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.曙光,朝霞 六级词汇


文章标签:英语童话故事    

章节正文