Once upon a time there was a businessman who was very rich. His silver dollars could be used to pave an entire street, and the excess could be used to pave an alley. But he didn't do this: he had other ways to use his money. If he took out a penny, he would definitely make some money back. He was such a businessman - and later he died.

His son has now inherited all the money; he lives a happy life; he goes to masquerades every night, makes kites out of paper money, and plays on the beach with gold coins instead of stone flakes Playing the game of idleness. In this way, the money is easily spent; and his money is really spent. In the end he had only four cents left, along with a pair of loafers and an old pajamas. His friends now no longer want to associate with him because he can no longer go shopping with them. But one of these friends, who was kind-hearted, gave him a box and said, "Pack your things in it!" This meant well, but he didn't have anything to pack in it, so he Just sit in the box by yourself.

This is a very funny box. One only has to press its lock, and the box can fly. It really took off. Hush - the box flew out of the chimney with him, flying high into the clouds, flying farther and farther. There was a noise at the bottom of the box, and he was very frightened lest it break into pieces, for then his somersault would be difficult! God bless him! He actually flew into the country where the Turks lived. He hid the box under the dead leaves in the woods and went into town. This was not difficult, for the Turk wore the same clothes as he did: a pair of slippers and a nightgown. He met a wet nurse holding a child.

"Hey, you - Turqi's wet nurse," he said, "what's going on with the windows of the palace on the edge of the city opening so high?"

"That's where the king's daughter lives!" she said. "Someone once prophesied that she would become very unhappy because of a lover, so no one could see her unless the king and queen were present."

"Thank you!" The merchant's son explain. He returned to the woods, sat in the box, flew to the roof, and secretly climbed into the princess's room through the window.

The princess is sleeping on the sofa. She was so beautiful that the merchant's son couldn't help but kiss her. So she woke up and was shocked. But he said that he was the god of the Turks, and that he was flying from the sky to see her. This sounded very comfortable to her.

In this way, they sit next to each other. He told some stories about her eyes. He told her: These were the most beautiful, black lakes, in which thoughts swam like mermaids. So he told some more stories about her forehead. He said it was like a snowy mountain with the most gorgeous halls and pictures. He told some more stories about storks①: they brought lovely babies. Yes, these are all good stories! So he proposed to the princess. She agreed immediately.

①The stork is a long-legged migratory bird. It often nests on roofs. Like a swallow, it flies away in winter, and is said to fly to Egypt for the winter. Danes are very fond of this bird. According to their folklore, children are sent to the world by storks from Egypt.

"But you must come here on Saturday," she said. "Then the king and queen will come and have tea with me! They will be proud that I can marry a Turkish god. But please note, you have to prepare a good story, because my parents They all like to listen to stories. My mother likes to hear educational and special stories, but my father likes to hear pleasant and funny stories!"

"Yes, I will not. Instead of bringing an engagement gift, bring a story,” he said. So they broke up. But the princess gave him a sword, set with gold coins, which was of particular use to him.

He flew away and bought a new pair of pajamas. So he sat in the woods and tried to make up a story. The story had to be written on Saturday, and it was no easy task.

He finally finished the story, it was already Saturday.

The king, queen and all the ministers came to the princess's place to have tea. He was received with great courtesy.

"Would you please tell me a story?" said the Queen, "a profound and instructive story."

"Yes, tell us a story that will make us laugh. !" said the king.

"Of course," he said. So he started telling stories. Now please listen carefully:

Once upon a time there was a bundle of firewood, which was particularly proud of its noble origin. Their ancestor, that is, a large fir tree, was originally a large and old tree in the woods. Each of these firewood is a fragment of it. The bundle of firewood now lay on a shelf between the tinder box and the old tin can. They talked about the days of their youth.

"Yes," they said, "when we are on the green branches, we are really on the green branches! Every morning and evening we always have pearl tea to drink - these are dew drops .

As soon as the sun comes out, we will have sunshine all day long, and all the birds will come and tell us stories. We can clearly see that we are very rich, because the general broad-leaf trees only have clothes to wear in summer, while the people in our family have ways to wear green clothes in winter and summer. However, when the woodcutter comes, a big change is going to happen: our family is going to break up. Our parents became the mainmast of a beautiful ship—a ship that could travel the world if it wanted to. The other branches went to other places. But our job is just to light fires for ordinary people. So we who came from good families came to the kitchen. "

"My destiny is different," said the old tin can standing next to the firewood. "As soon as I was born into this world, I suffered a lot of friction and suffering! What I do is a A real job—strictly speaking, the first job in the house. My only happiness is lying on the shelf neatly and neatly after a meal, chatting with my friends about some reasonable nonsense. Except for the jug's occasional visit to the yard, we always stayed at home. Our only newsmonger was the basket-bag man who went to the market to buy groceries. He often reports news about politics and people in a serious manner. Yes, the day before yesterday, an old jar was startled and fell and shattered into pieces. I can tell you, he is a man who likes to talk nonsense!"

"You talk a little too much," said the tinderbox. At this time, a piece of iron rubbed against the flint. Suddenly, sparks spread out. "Can't we make this night more enjoyable?"

"Yes, let's study who is the noblest?" Chai Huo said, "No, I don't." Like talking about myself!" said the jar. "Let's have a party! I'll start. Let me tell a story that you all have experienced so you can appreciate it - it's enjoyable. By the Baltic Sea, by the beech woods of Denmark -"

"This is a beautiful beginning!" all the plates said together. "This is indeed my favorite story!"

“Yes, I spent my childhood in a quiet family there. The furniture is polished, the floors are washed, and the curtains are changed every half month. "

"The way you tell stories is so interesting!" Featherbroom said. "People will know as soon as they hear it that this is a woman telling a story. The whole story is filled with a sense of cleanliness. "

"Yes, people can feel that," said the Jug. In a moment of joy, she jumped and spilled water all over the floor.

The Jug continued to tell the story The story ended as well as it began.

All the dishes were happy. The feather-broom brought a piece of green celery from a sand hole and put it on the head of the jar. Knowing that it would be annoying to others. “I put a flower crown on her today,” he thought, “and she will put a flower crown on me tomorrow. "

"Now I'm going to dance," said the poker, and he jumped up. Oh my God! This woman can actually cross one leg! The old chair cover in the corner is also cracked. Watch it dance. "Can I wear a flower crown too?" said the tongs. Sure enough, she got a flower crown.

"This is a rabble!" thought Chai Huo. > Now the teapot began to sing, but she said she had a cold and could not sing unless she was boiling; but it was just a show: she would not sing unless she was standing on the table in front of her master.

The old quill sat at the table - the maid often used it to write: there was nothing remarkable about the pen, it was often stuck deep in the inkwell, but He was very proud of this. "If the teapot doesn't want to sing," he said, "then so be it! There is a nightingale in a cage hanging outside - he sings quite well, and he has no education. , but we don’t need to mention it tonight.

"It seems to me," said Teapot--"who is the singer in the kitchen, and Teapot's half-brother--that it is very wrong for us to hear such a foreign bird sing." Is this considered patriotic? Let the food basket on the street judge it?"

"I'm a little troubled," the food basket said, "No one can imagine how troubled I am in my heart! Can this be considered? Is this an evening pastime? Wouldn't it be better to tidy up our house? Everyone please return to your place and let me arrange the whole game. Only in this way will things change!"

"Yes, let's make some noise!" everyone said in unison.

At this moment, the door opened. The maid left. When they came in, everyone stood still, no one dared to say a word. However, there was no one among them who didn't think he had a way and how noble he was. "Everyone thought, "This night can be very pleasant!"

The maid took the wood and lit a fire. Oh my God! How loud it burned! How bright it was. Ah!

"Now everyone can see," they thought, "that we are the top guys. How brightly did we shine! How great was our light!"—and they all burned up.

"This is a splendid story!" said the Queen.

"I feel as if I am in the kitchen, with the firewood. Yes, we can give our daughter to you."

"Yes, of course!" said the king, "You will be here on Monday. Just marry our daughter."

They call him "you" because he now belongs to their family.

①According to the custom of foreigners, use "you" instead of "you" to address people close to you.

The wedding day has been set. On the night before the wedding, the whole city was illuminated. Biscuits and snacks were distributed casually on the streets to the masses. The child stood on tiptoes, shouted "Long live!" and whistled with his fingers. It was really lively.

"Yes, I should also make everyone happy!" the businessman's son thought. So he bought some fireworks and firecrackers, every kind of firecracker imaginable. He put these things into the box and flew into the air.

"Bah!" How well played! How loudly played!

All the Turks jumped up when they heard it, making their slippers fly to their ears. Went. They had never seen such a fireball. They now knew that the person who was going to marry the princess was the Turkish god.

The businessman's son sat on the flying box and fell into the forest again. He immediately thought, "I'm going to go to the city now to see what effect this has." He had such a Desire, of course, is also natural.

Hey, ordinary people have so much to say! Everyone he asked had their own set of stories. But everyone thought it was beautiful.

"I saw with my own eyes the Turkish god," one said: "His eyes were like a pair of shining stars, and his beard was like foaming water!"

< p> "He flies in a coat of fire," said another, "and many of the fairest angels peeped out from within his folds."

Yes, that was what he heard It is the most wonderful legend. He was getting married the next day.

He now returned to the forest and wanted to sit in his trunk. But where did the box go? The box was burned. A spark from the fireworks fell and lit a fire. The box had been reduced to ashes. He could never fly again. There was no way to get to his bride.

She waited on the roof all day. She is still waiting there. As for him, he ran around in this vast world telling children's stories; but these stories were no longer as interesting as the "Story of Firewood" he told.

(1839)

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This is an Arabic story, in "One Thousand and One Nights" Its original form can be found in . But Andersen treated it differently and combined it with the real life and world: the businessman’s son spent all his money, “his friends were no longer willing to associate with him because he could no longer Go shopping with them." But when he was about to become the Prince Consort, he bought some fireworks and firecrackers, and every kind of firecracker imaginable, to keep everyone entertained. At this time everyone praised him and said: "His eyes are like a pair of shining stars, and his beard is like foaming water!" "He flies wearing a coat of fire" and "many of the most beautiful angels are hidden in his clothes." Peering out from his folds." He became a Turkish god. But extreme joy brings sorrow. A star from the fireworks falls and lights a fire. The box had been reduced to ashes. He could no longer fly and reach his bride. His arrangement to marry the princess came to nothing. There is much to ponder in this story.