Hans Christian Andersen
Garden of Eden
Once upon a time there lived a prince; no one had as many good books as he did; he could read in them about everything in the world, about all countries and peoples, and everything was depicted in them in wonderful pictures. There was only one thing that was not said a word: about where the Garden of Eden was located, but this was precisely what interested the prince most of all.
When he was still a child and just starting to learn the alphabet, his grandmother told him that every flower in the Garden of Eden is a sweet cake, and the stamens are filled with the finest wine; Some colors contain history, others geography or the multiplication table; All you had to do was eat such a flower-cake and the lesson was learned by itself. The more cakes someone ate, the more they learned about history, geography and arithmetic!
At that time, the prince still believed all such stories, but as he grew up, studied and became smarter, he began to understand that there should be completely different delights in the Garden of Eden.
Oh, why did Eve listen to the serpent! Why did Adam eat the forbidden fruit? If I were in their place, this would never have happened, sin would never have entered the world!
He said this more than once and repeated the same thing now, when he was already seventeen years old; The Garden of Eden filled all his thoughts.
Once he went into the forest alone, he really loved to walk alone. It was late in the evening; clouds came and the rain poured down, as if the sky were one continuous dam, which suddenly burst and from which all the water poured out at once; such darkness came that only happens at night at the bottom of the deepest well. The prince either slid on the wet grass, or stumbled over bare stones sticking out of the rocky soil; water poured from it in streams; there was no dry thread left on it. Every now and then he had to climb over huge boulders overgrown with moss, from which water oozed. He was about to fall from fatigue when he suddenly heard a strange whistle and saw a large illuminated cave in front of him. In the middle of the cave, a fire was lit over which a whole deer could be roasted, and so it was: on a spit, fixed between two felled pine trees, a huge deer with large branched antlers was roasting. An elderly woman, so strong and tall, sat by the fire, as if she were a man in disguise, and threw one log after another into the fire.
Come in,” she said. - Sit by the fire and dry yourself.
There’s a terrible draft here,” said the prince, sitting down by the fire.
Already, when my sons return, it will be even worse! the woman answered, “You are in the cave of the winds; my four sons are the winds. Understand?
Where are your sons?
Stupid questions are not easy to answer! - said the woman. - My sons don’t walk on leashes! They're probably playing rounders with the clouds, there in the big hall!
And she pointed her finger to the sky.
That's how it is! - said the prince. - You express yourself somewhat harshly, not like the women of our circle to whom I am accustomed.
Yes, that’s right, there’s nothing else to do! And I have to be harsh and harsh if I want to keep my sons in obedience! And I hold them in my hands, even though they are stubborn heads! Do you see those four bags hanging on the wall? My sons are afraid of them just as you used to be afraid of a bunch of rods stuck behind a mirror! I beat them to death and put them in a bag without any ceremony! They sit there until I have mercy! But now one has arrived!
It was the North Wind. He brought freezing cold with him into the cave, a blizzard arose, and hail bounced across the ground. He was dressed in bearskin pants and a jacket; a sealskin cap hung over his ears; Ice icicles hung on his beard, and hailstones rolled off his jacket collar.
Don't go straight to the fire! - said the prince. - You will freeze your face and hands!
I'll freeze! - said the North Wind and laughed loudly. - I'll freeze! Yes, there is nothing better in the world than frost, for me! What kind of sour creature are you? How did you get into the cave of the winds?
He is my guest! - said the old woman, - And if this explanation is not enough for you, you can go to the sack! Understand?
The threat had an effect, and the North Wind told where he came from and where he stayed for almost a whole month.
I'm straight from the Arctic Ocean! - he said. - I was on Bear Island, hunting walruses with Russian industrialists. I sat and slept on the helm when they sailed from the North Cape; Waking up from time to time, I saw petrels darting about under my feet. A very funny bird! It hits once with its wings, and then spreads them out, and stays on them in the air for a long, long time!..
Couldn't it be shorter? - said the mother. - So you were on Bear Island, what next?
Yes, I was. It's wonderful there! This is the floor for dancing! Even, smooth, like a plate! Everywhere there is loose snow mixed with moss, sharp stones and the carcasses of walruses and polar bears, covered with green mold - well, like the bones of giants! The sun, really, never seemed to look there. I blew lightly and dispersed the fog so I could see a barn; it turned out that it was a dwelling built from shipwrecks and covered with walrus skins turned inside out; A polar bear sat on the roof and grumbled. Then I went to the shore, saw bird nests there, and naked chicks in them; they squealed and opened their mouths; I took it and blew it into these countless throats - I suppose they quickly weaned themselves from looking with their mouths open! Near the sea they played like living intestines or gigantic worms with pig heads and arshin tusks, walruses!
Nice story, son! - said the mother. - It’s just drooling just listening to it!
Well, then the fishing began! When they thrust a harpoon into a walrus's chest, blood will spray like a fountain onto the ice? Then I decided to amuse myself, started my music and ordered my ships - the ice mountains - to crush the boats of the industrialists. Uh! Here comes the whistling and shouting, but you can’t out-whistle me! Did they have to throw the dead walruses, boxes and gear onto the ice floes? And I shook out a whole heap of snow flakes on them and drove their ice-bound ships to the south - let them sip some salty water! They won’t return to Bear Island!
So you've caused quite a bit of trouble! - said the mother.
Let others tell about my good deeds! - he said. - And here is my brother from the west! I love him more than anyone: he smells of the sea and breathes a blessed chill.
So is it a little marshmallow? - asked the prince.
Marshmallows are marshmallows, but not the small ones! - said the old woman. - In the old days he was a handsome boy, but now it’s not the same!
The West Wind looked savage; he was wearing a soft, thick hat that protected his head from blows and bruises, and in his hands was a club made of mahogany, cut down in the American forests; he would not have agreed to another.
Where were you? - asked his mother.
In virgin forests, where entire hedges of thorny vines hang between the trees, and huge poisonous snakes lie in the wet grass, and where, it seems, there is no need for humans! - he answered.
What were you doing there?
I watched how a large, deep river fell from a cliff, and how water dust rose from it to the clouds, serving as support for the rainbow. I watched a wild buffalo swim across the river; the current carried him with it, and he swam down the river along with a flock of wild ducks, but they fluttered just before the waterfall, and the buffalo had to fly head down; I liked this, and I created such a storm that the centuries-old trees floated on the water and turned into splinters.
And it's all? - asked the old woman.
I also tumbled in the savannahs, petted wild horses and picked coconuts! Oh, I have a lot to talk about, but it’s not all about saying what you know. That's right, old man!
And he kissed his mother so much that she almost fell over; He was such an unbridled guy.
Then the South Wind appeared in a turban and a flowing Bedouin cloak.
What a cold it is here! - he said and added wood to the fire. - Apparently, Severny was the first to welcome you!
It's so hot here you could roast a polar bear! - he objected.
You yourself are a polar bear! - said Yuzhny.
What, did you want to put it in the bag? - asked the old woman. Sit down here on a stone and tell me where you are from.
From Africa, mother, from the land of the Kaffirs! - answered the South Wind, - I hunted lions with the Hottentots! What grass grows there on the plains! Wonderful olive color! How many antelopes and ostriches there are! The antelopes danced, and the ostriches ran races with me, but I was faster than them! I reached the yellow sands of the desert - it looks like the bottom of the sea. There I overtook the caravan. People slaughtered their last camel in order to get water for drinking from its stomach, but a few had to profit from them! The sun baked them from above, and the sand fried them from below. There was no end to the boundless desert! And I began to roll around on the fine, soft sand and spin it in huge pillars; That's how the dance started! You should have seen how the dromedaries crowded together in a heap, and the merchant threw a hood over his head and fell on his face in front of me, as if before his Allah. Now they are all buried under a high pyramid of sand. If I ever decide to sweep it away, the sun will whiten their bones, and other travelers will at least see that people have been here, otherwise it’s hard to believe it, looking at the bare desert!
Hans Christian Andersen
Garden of Eden
Once upon a time there lived a prince; no one had as many good books as he did; he could read in them about everything in the world, about all countries and peoples, and everything was depicted in them in wonderful pictures. There was only one thing that was not said a word: about where the Garden of Eden was located, but this was precisely what interested the prince most of all.
When he was still a child and just starting to learn the alphabet, his grandmother told him that every flower in the Garden of Eden is a sweet cake, and the stamens are filled with the finest wine; Some colors contain history, others geography or the multiplication table; All you had to do was eat such a flower-cake and the lesson was learned by itself. The more cakes someone ate, the more they learned about history, geography and arithmetic!
At that time, the prince still believed all such stories, but as he grew up, studied and became smarter, he began to understand that there should be completely different delights in the Garden of Eden.
Oh, why did Eve listen to the serpent! Why did Adam eat the forbidden fruit? If I were in their place, this would never have happened, sin would never have entered the world!
He said this more than once and repeated the same thing now, when he was already seventeen years old; The Garden of Eden filled all his thoughts.
Once he went into the forest alone, he really loved to walk alone. It was late in the evening; clouds came and the rain poured down, as if the sky were one continuous dam, which suddenly burst and from which all the water poured out at once; such darkness came that only happens at night at the bottom of the deepest well. The prince either slid on the wet grass, or stumbled over bare stones sticking out of the rocky soil; water poured from it in streams; there was no dry thread left on it. Every now and then he had to climb over huge boulders overgrown with moss, from which water oozed. He was about to fall from fatigue when he suddenly heard a strange whistle and saw a large illuminated cave in front of him. In the middle of the cave, a fire was lit over which a whole deer could be roasted, and so it was: on a spit, fixed between two felled pine trees, a huge deer with large branched antlers was roasting. An elderly woman, so strong and tall, sat by the fire, as if she were a man in disguise, and threw one log after another into the fire.
Come in,” she said. - Sit by the fire and dry yourself.
There’s a terrible draft here,” said the prince, sitting down by the fire.
Already, when my sons return, it will be even worse! the woman answered, “You are in the cave of the winds; my four sons are the winds. Understand?
Where are your sons?
Stupid questions are not easy to answer! - said the woman. - My sons don’t walk on leashes! They're probably playing rounders with the clouds, there in the big hall!
And she pointed her finger to the sky.
That's how it is! - said the prince. - You express yourself somewhat harshly, not like the women of our circle to whom I am accustomed.
Yes, that’s right, there’s nothing else to do! And I have to be harsh and harsh if I want to keep my sons in obedience! And I hold them in my hands, even though they are stubborn heads! Do you see those four bags hanging on the wall? My sons are afraid of them just as you used to be afraid of a bunch of rods stuck behind a mirror! I beat them to death and put them in a bag without any ceremony! They sit there until I have mercy! But now one has arrived!
It was the North Wind. He brought freezing cold with him into the cave, a blizzard arose, and hail bounced across the ground. He was dressed in bearskin pants and a jacket; a sealskin cap hung over his ears; Ice icicles hung on his beard, and hailstones rolled off his jacket collar.
Don't go straight to the fire! - said the prince. - You will freeze your face and hands!
I'll freeze! - said the North Wind and laughed loudly. - I'll freeze! Yes, there is nothing better in the world than frost, for me! What kind of sour creature are you? How did you get into the cave of the winds?
He is my guest! - said the old woman, - And if this explanation is not enough for you, you can go to the sack! Understand?
The threat had an effect, and the North Wind told where he came from and where he stayed for almost a whole month.
I'm straight from the Arctic Ocean! - he said. - I was on Bear Island, hunting walruses with Russian industrialists. I sat and slept on the helm when they sailed from the North Cape; Waking up from time to time, I saw petrels darting about under my feet. A very funny bird! It hits once with its wings, and then spreads them out, and stays on them in the air for a long, long time!..
Couldn't it be shorter? - said the mother. - So you were on Bear Island, what next?
Yes, I was. It's wonderful there! This is the floor for dancing! Even, smooth, like a plate! Everywhere there is loose snow mixed with moss, sharp stones and the carcasses of walruses and polar bears, covered with green mold - well, like the bones of giants! The sun, really, never seemed to look there. I blew lightly and dispersed the fog so I could see a barn; it turned out that it was a dwelling built from shipwrecks and covered with walrus skins turned inside out; A polar bear sat on the roof and grumbled. Then I went to the shore, saw bird nests there, and naked chicks in them; they squealed and opened their mouths; I took it and blew it into these countless throats - I suppose they quickly weaned themselves from looking with their mouths open! Near the sea they played like living intestines or gigantic worms with pig heads and arshin tusks, walruses!
Nice story, son! - said the mother. - It’s just drooling just listening to it!
Well, then the fishing began! When they thrust a harpoon into a walrus's chest, blood will spray like a fountain onto the ice? Then I decided to amuse myself, started my music and ordered my ships - the ice mountains - to crush the boats of the industrialists. Uh! Here comes the whistling and shouting, but you can’t out-whistle me! Did they have to throw the dead walruses, boxes and gear onto the ice floes? And I shook out a whole heap of snow flakes on them and drove their ice-bound ships to the south - let them sip some salty water! They won’t return to Bear Island!
So you've caused quite a bit of trouble! - said the mother.
Let others tell about my good deeds! - he said. - And here is my brother from the west! I love him more than anyone: he smells of the sea and breathes a blessed chill.
So is it a little marshmallow? - asked the prince.
Once upon a time there lived a prince; no one had as many good books as he did; he could read in them about everything in the world, about all countries and peoples, and everything was depicted in them in wonderful pictures. There was only one thing that was not said about where the Garden of Eden was located, but this was precisely what interested the prince most of all.
When he was still a child and just starting to learn the alphabet, his grandmother told him that every flower in the Garden of Eden is a sweet cake, and the stamens are filled with the finest wine; Some colors contain history, others geography or the multiplication table; All you had to do was eat such a flower-cake - and the lesson was learned by itself. The more cakes someone ate, the more they learned about history, geography and arithmetic!
At that time, the prince still believed all such stories, but as he grew up, studied and became smarter, he began to understand that there must be some other delights in the Garden of Eden.
Oh, why did Eve listen to the serpent! Why did Adam eat the forbidden fruit? If I were in their place, this would never have happened, sin would never have entered the world!
He said this more than once and repeated the same thing now, when he was already seventeen years old; The Garden of Eden filled all his thoughts.
Once he went into the forest alone, he really loved to walk alone; it was towards evening; clouds came and the rain poured down, as if the sky were one continuous dam, which suddenly burst and from which all the water poured out at once; such darkness came that only happens at night at the bottom of the deepest well. The prince either slid on the wet grass, or stumbled over bare stones sticking out of the rocky soil; water poured from it in streams; there was no dry thread left on it. Every now and then he had to climb over huge boulders of stone, overgrown with moss, from which water oozed. He was about to fall from fatigue, when suddenly he heard a strange whistle and saw a large illuminated cave in front of him. In the middle of the cave there was a fire over which a whole deer could have been roasted; and so it was: on a spit, fixed between two felled pine trees, a wonderful deer with large branched antlers was roasting. An elderly woman, so strong and tall, sat by the fire, as if she were a man in disguise, and threw one log after another into the fire.
Well, come over! - she said. - Sit down by the fire and dry yourself!
There's a terrible draft here! - said the prince, sitting down by the fire.
Already, when my sons return, it will be even worse! - the woman answered. - You are, after all, in the cave of the winds; my four sons are the winds. Understand?
Where are your sons?
Stupid questions are not easy to answer! - said the woman. - My sons don’t walk on leashes! They're probably playing rounders with the clouds, there in the big hall!
And she pointed her finger to the sky.
That's how it is! - said the prince. - You express yourself somewhat harshly, not like the women from our circle to whom I am accustomed.
Yes, that’s right, there’s nothing else to do! And I have to be harsh and harsh if I want to keep my sons in obedience! Yes, I still hold them in my hands, even though they are stubborn heads! Do you see those four bags hanging on the wall? My sons are afraid of them just as you used to be afraid of a bunch of rods stuck behind a mirror! I beat them to death and put them in a bag, without any ceremony! They sit there until I have mercy! But now, one has arrived!
It was the North Wind. He brought a freezing cold with him into the cave; A blizzard arose and hail bounced across the ground. He was dressed in bearskin trousers and a jacket; a sealskin cap hung over his ears; Ice icicles hung on his beard, and hailstones rolled off his jacket collar.
Don't go straight to the fire! - said the prince. - You will freeze your face and hands!
I'll freeze! - said the North Wind and laughed loudly. - I'll freeze! Yes, for me there is nothing better in the world than frost! And what kind of sourness are you? How did you get into the Cave of the Winds?
He is my guest! - said the old woman. - And if this explanation is not enough for you, you can go to the sack! Understand?
The threat had an effect, and the North Wind told where he came from and where he stayed for almost a whole month.
I'm straight from the Arctic Ocean! - he said. - I was on Bear Island, hunting walruses with Russian industrialists. I sat and slept on the helm when they sailed from the North Cape; Waking up from time to time, I saw petrels darting about under my feet. A very funny bird! It hits once with its wings, and then spreads them out, and stays on them in the air for a long, long time!..
Couldn't it be shorter? - said the mother. - Have you been to Bear Island?
Yes. It's wonderful there! This is the floor for dancing! Even, smooth, like a plate! Everywhere there is loose snow mixed with moss, sharp stones, and the carcasses of walruses and polar bears, covered with green mold - well, like the bones of giants! The sun, really, never seemed to look there. I blew lightly and dispersed the fog so I could see a barn; it turned out that it was a dwelling built from shipwrecks and covered with walrus skins turned inside out; A polar bear sat on the roof and grumbled. Then I went to the shore, saw bird nests there, and naked chicks in them; they squealed and opened their mouths; I took it and blew it into these countless throats - I suppose they quickly learned to look with their mouths open! Walruses, with pig heads and arshin-length tusks, were lying right next to the sea, like living intestines or gigantic worms!
Nice story, son! - said the mother. - It’s just drooling just listening to it!
Well, then the fishing began! As they thrust a harpoon into the chest of a walrus, blood will spray out like a fountain onto the ice! Then I decided to amuse myself, started my music and ordered my ships - the ice mountains - to crush the boats of the industrialists. Uh! Here comes the whistling and shouting, but you can’t out-whistle me! They had to throw the dead walruses, boxes and gear onto the ice floes! And I shook out a whole heap of snow flakes on them and drove their ice-bound ships to the south - let them sip some salty water! They won’t return to Bear Island!
So you've caused quite a bit of trouble! - said the mother.
Let others tell about my good deeds! - he said. - And here is my brother from the west! I love him more than anyone: he echoes the sea and breathes a blessed chill.
So is it a little marshmallow? - asked the prince.
Marshmallows are marshmallows, but not the small ones! - said the old woman. - In the old days he was a handsome boy, but now it’s not the same!
The West Wind looked savage; he was wearing a soft, thick hat that protected his head from blows and bruises, and in his hands was a club made of mahogany, cut down in the American forests - wow!
Where were you? - asked his mother.
In virgin forests, where entire hedges of thorny vines hang between the trees, and huge poisonous snakes lie in the wet grass, and where, it seems, there is no need for humans! - he answered.
What were you doing there?
I watched how a large, deep river fell from a cliff, and how water dust rose from it to the clouds, serving as support for the rainbow. I watched a wild buffalo swim across the river; the current carried him with it, and he swam down the river along with a flock of wild ducks, but they flew into the air just before the waterfall, and the buffalo had to fly head down; I liked it, and I played such a storm that centuries-old trees floated on the water and turned into splinters.
And it's all? - asked the old woman.
I also rolled around on the savannahs, petting wild horses and picking coconuts! Oh, I have a lot to talk about, but it’s not all about saying what you know. That's right, old one!
And he kissed his mother so much that she almost fell over; He was such an unbridled guy.
Then the South Wind appeared in a turban and a flowing Bedouin cloak.
What a cold it is here! - he said and threw wood into the fire. - Apparently, Severny was the first to welcome you!
It's so hot here you could roast a polar bear! - he objected.
You yourself are a polar bear! - said Yuzhny.
What, did you want to put it in the bag? - asked the old woman. - Sit down here, on the stone, and tell me where you’re from.
From Africa, mother, from the land of the Kaffirs! - answered the South Wind. - Hunted lions with the Hottentots! What kind of grass grows there on the plains! Wonderful olive color! How many antelopes and ostriches there are! The antelopes danced, and the ostriches ran races with me, but I was faster than them! I also reached the yellow sands of the desert; it looks like the bottom of the sea. There I overtook the caravan. People slaughtered their last camel in order to get water for drinking from its stomach, but a few had to profit from them! The sun baked them from above, and the sand fried them from below. There was no end to the boundless desert! And I began to roll around on the fine, soft sand and spin it in huge pillars; That's how the dance started! You should have seen how the dromedaries crowded together, and the merchants threw their hoods over their heads and prostrated themselves before me, as if before their Allah. Now they are all buried under a high pyramid of sand. If I ever decide to sweep it away, the sun will whiten their bones, and other travelers will at least see that people have been here, otherwise it’s hard to believe it, looking at the bare, silent desert!
It means you did nothing but evil! - said the mother. - March into the bag!
And before the South Wind had time to come to his senses, his mother grabbed him by the belt and hid him in a bag; he started to roll around in the sack on the floor, but she sat down on him, and he had to lie still.
Your sons are spirited! - said the prince.
Wow! - she answered. - Yes, I know how to handle them! And here comes the fourth!
It was the East Wind dressed as a Chinese.
Oh, you're from there! - said the mother. - I thought you were in the Garden of Eden.
I will fly there only tomorrow! - said the East wind. - Tomorrow will be, after all, exactly a hundred years since I was there! Now I’m straight from China, dancing on a porcelain tower there, so that all the bells were ringing! Below, on the street, officials were being punished; bamboo canes just walked over their shoulders, and these were all tangerines from the first to the ninth degree! They shouted: “Great thanks to you, father and benefactor!” - They thought something completely different to themselves. And at this time I was ringing the bells and chanting: tzing, tzang, tzu!
Naughty! - said the old woman. “I’m glad that you’re going to the Garden of Eden tomorrow, this trip always brings you great benefit.” Drink from the source of Wisdom there, draw a full bottle of water from it for me too!
Fine! - said the East wind. - But why did you put Brother Yuzhny in a sack? Let him out! He will tell me about the Phoenix bird, about which the princess of the Garden of Eden keeps asking. Untie the bag, dear, dear mother, and I will give you two whole pockets of green, fresh tea, picked right on the spot!
Well, perhaps for tea, and also for the fact that you are my favorite, so be it, I’ll untie him!
And she untied the bag; The south wind came out looking like a wet chicken - of course! - the alien prince saw how he was punished.
Here's a palm leaf for your princess! - he told Vostochny. - I got it from the old Phoenix bird; She drew on it with her beak the story of her hundred-year earthly life. Now the princess can read about everything she wanted to know. Before my eyes, the Phoenix bird itself set fire to its nest and was engulfed in flames, like a Hindu widow! How the dry branches crackled, what smoke and fragrance came from them! Finally, the flames devoured everything, and the old Phoenix bird turned into ashes, but the egg it had laid, burning in the flames like heat, suddenly burst with a strong crash, and the young Phoenix flew out. He pecked a hole in this palm leaf; this is his bow to the princess!
Well, now it's time for us to eat a little! - said the mother of the winds.
Everyone sat down and started working on the deer. The prince sat next to the East Wind, and they soon became friends.
“Tell me,” the prince asked his neighbor, “who is this princess about whom you have been talking so much, and where is the Garden of Eden?”
Wow! - said the East wind. - If you want to go there, we’ll fly together tomorrow! But I must tell you that since the time of Adam and Eve not a single human soul has been there! And what happened to them, you probably already know?
I know! - said the prince.
After they were expelled, the Eastern One continued: “The Garden of Eden has gone into the ground, but the former splendor reigns in it, the sun still shines, and extraordinary freshness and aroma are in the air!” Now it is inhabited by the fairy queen. There is also the wonderfully beautiful Island of Bliss, where death never visits! If you sit on my back tomorrow, I will carry you there. I think it will succeed. Now don't talk any more - I want to sleep!
And everyone fell asleep.
At dawn the prince woke up and immediately felt terrified: it turned out that he was already flying high, high under the clouds! He sat on the back of the East Wind, and he faithfully held him, but the prince was still afraid: they rushed so high above the earth that the forests, fields, rivers and seas looked as if drawn on a huge painted map.
Hello! - the East Wind said to the prince. - You could sleep some more, there’s nothing to look at yet! Do you even think about counting churches? Do you see how many there are? They stand like chalk dots on a green board!
He called fields and meadows green board.
How impolite it was that I did not say goodbye to your mother and your brothers! - said the prince.
Sleepy has to excuse me! - said the East wind, and they flew even faster; this was noticeable by the way the tops of the forest trees rustled under them, how the sea waves rose, and how deep the ships dived into them with their chests, like swimming swans.
In the evening, when it got dark, it was very funny to look at the big cities, in which lights were flashing here and there - like small sparks running across the lit paper, like playful schoolchildren running home. And the prince, looking at this spectacle, clapped his hands, but the East Wind asked him to be quieter and hold on tighter - no wonder, after all, he would fall and hang on some tower pin.
The wild eagle rushed quickly and easily on its mighty wings, but the East wind rushed even easier, even faster; A Cossack on his little horse was rushing across the plain like a whirlwind, but where could he keep up with the prince!
Well, here's the Himalayas for you! - said the East wind. - This is the highest mountain range in Asia; Soon we will get to the Garden of Eden!
They turned south, and behold, a strong spicy aroma and fragrance of flowers filled the air. Dates, pomegranates and grapes with blue and red berries grew wild here. The east wind descended with the prince to the ground, and both lay down to rest in the soft grass, where a mass of flowers grew, nodding their heads to them, as if saying: “You are welcome!”
Are we already in the Garden of Eden? - asked the prince.
Which! - answered the East Wind. - But we’ll get there soon! Do you see this sheer rock, like a wall, and in it a large cave, over the entrance of which vines hang like green curtains? We must go through this cave! Wrap yourself well in your cloak: the sun is scorching here, but one step and the frost will engulf us. A bird flying past a cave feels the summer warmth on one wing and the winter cold on the other!
So here it is, the road to the Garden of Eden! - said the prince.
And they entered the cave. Brr... how cold they became! But fortunately not for long.
The east wind spread its wings, and light spread from them, as if from a bright flame. No, what kind of cave was that! Over the heads of the travelers hung huge blocks of stone, having the most bizarre shapes, from which water dripped. Sometimes the passage narrowed so much that they had to crawl through, but sometimes the cave arches again rose to an unattainable height, and the travelers walked as if in a free space under the open sky. The cave seemed like some kind of gigantic tomb with silent organ pipes and banners carved from stone.
We are going to the Garden of Eden, dear death! - said the prince, but the East Wind did not answer a word, pointing in front of him with his hand: a wonderful blue light flowed towards them; The stone blocks gradually began to thin out, melt and turn into some kind of fog. The fog became more and more transparent, until finally it began to resemble a soft, white cloud through which the moon shines through. Then they came out into the free air - wonderful, soft air, fresh, like on a mountain top and fragrant, like in a valley of roses.
There was a river flowing right there; the water in it rivaled the transparency of the air itself; the fish were cast in silver and gold; the purple-red eels sparkled with bluish sparks with every movement; The huge leaves of the water lilies were full of all the colors of the rainbow, and their cups burned with a yellow-red flame, supported by clean water, just as the flame of a lamp is supported by oil. A marble bridge was thrown across the river, of such fine and skillful workmanship that it seemed to be made of lace and beads; the bridge led to the Island of Bliss, on which the Garden of Eden itself was located.
The east wind took the prince in his arms and carried him across the bridge. The flowers and leaves sang wonderful songs that the prince had heard as a child, but now they sounded with such wonderful full music that no human voice can convey.
And what's that? Palm trees or giant ferns? The prince had never seen such lush, mighty trees before. The most amazing creeping plants entwined them, went down, intertwined and formed the most bizarre garlands, shimmering at the edges with gold and bright colors; Such garlands can only be found in the headpieces and initial letters of ancient calendars: there were bright flowers, birds, and the most intricate curlicues. A whole flock of peacocks sat in the grass, shining with their loose tails. Are there peacocks? Of course, peacocks! Well, no: the prince touched them and it turned out that they were not birds at all, but plants, huge bushes of burdock, shining with the brightest colors! Between the green fragrant bushes they jumped like flexible cats, lions and tigers; the bushes smelled of olives, and the animals were completely tame; a wild forest dove, with a pearly tint on its feathers, patted the lion’s mane with its wings, and the antelope, generally so timid and fearful, stood next to them and nodded its head, as if letting them know that it too was not averse to playing with them.
But then the fairy herself appeared; her clothes sparkled like the sun, and her face shone with such affection and a friendly smile, like the face of a mother rejoicing at her child. She was young and miraculously beautiful; she was surrounded by beautiful girls with shining stars in their hair.
The east wind gave her a message from the Phoenix bird, and the fairy's eyes sparkled with joy. She took the prince by the hand and led him to her castle; the walls of the castle looked like tulip petals when held against the sun, and the ceiling was a shiny flower, overturned in a cup that deepened the deeper the longer one looked at it. The prince went to one of the windows, looked through the glass, and it seemed to him that he saw the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; a snake was hiding in its branches, and Adam and Eve stood nearby.
Aren't they expelled? - asked the prince.
The fairy smiled and explained to him that on each glass, time had painted an indelible picture, illuminated by life: the leaves of the tree moved, and people moved - well, that’s how it happens with reflections in a mirror! The prince went to another window and saw Jacob’s dream on the glass: a ladder was descending from heaven, and angels with large wings on their shoulders were descending and ascending along it. Yes, everything that had happened or had once happened in the world still lived and moved on the window panes of the castle; Only time could paint such wonderful pictures with its indelible chisel.
The fairy kept smiling and led the prince into a huge, high chamber, with walls like transparent cut-out paintings - heads peeped out of them everywhere, one more charming than the other. These were hosts of blessed spirits; they smiled and sang; their voices merged into one wondrous harmony; the topmost ones were smaller than rosebuds when drawn on paper as tiny dots. In the middle of this peace stood a tree covered with greenery, in which large and small golden apples, like oranges, sparkled. It was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the fruits of which Adam and Eve once tasted. Glittering red dew dripped from each leaf—the tree seemed to be crying tears of blood.
Let's get on the boat now! - said the fairy. - Such a treat awaits us there, it’s a miracle! Imagine, the boat just sways on the waves, but does not move, and all the countries of the world pass by!
And indeed, it was an amazing sight: the boat was standing, but the banks were moving! Then the high snowy Alps appeared, with clouds and dark pine forests on the tops: a horn sounded protractedly and plaintively and the sonorous song of a mountain shepherd was heard. Long flexible branches of bananas hung over the boat; then a flock of pitch-black swans swam; The most amazing animals and flowers appeared, and blue mountains rose in the distance; it was New Holland, a fifth of the World. Then the singing of the priests was heard, and to the sounds of drums and bone flutes, crowds of savages began to dance wildly. Here the Egyptian pyramids, overthrown columns and sphinxes, half buried in the sand, floated past, rising to the clouds; The extinct volcanoes of the north were illuminated by the northern lights. Yes, who could set off such fireworks? The prince was beside himself with delight - of course! He saw, after all, a hundred times more than we are telling here.
And can I stay here forever? - he asked.
It's up to you! - answered the fairy. - If you don’t try to achieve the forbidden, like your ancestor Adam, then you can stay here forever!
I will not touch the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil! - said the prince. - There are, after all, thousands of other beautiful fruits!
Test yourself, and if the struggle seems too hard for you, fly back with the East wind, which will return here again in a hundred years! A hundred years will fly by for you like a hundred hours, but this is also quite a long time when it comes to fighting sinful temptation. Every evening, parting with you, I will call you: to me, to me! I will beckon you with my hand, but do not move from your place, do not follow my call: with every step the longing of desire will intensify within you and, finally, will carry you away to that peace where the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is. I will sleep under its fragrant lush branches, and you will bend down to take a closer look at me; I will smile at you, and you will kiss me... Then the Garden of Eden will go even deeper into the ground and will be lost to you. The sharp wind will pierce you to the bones, the cold rain will wet your head; grief and disaster will be your lot!
I stay! - said the prince.
The east wind kissed the prince on the forehead and said:
Be strong, and we will meet again in a hundred years! Bye Bye!
And the Eastern wind flapped its large wings, flashing like lightning in the darkness of an autumn night or the northern lights in the darkness of polar winter.
Goodbye! Goodbye! - all the flowers and plants sang. Flocks of storks and pelicans flew like fluttering ribbons to guide the East Wind to the borders of the garden.
Now the dancing begins! - said the fairy. - But at sunset, dancing with you, I will begin to beckon you with my hand and call you to come to me! to me! Don't listen to me! For a hundred years, the same thing will be repeated every evening, but every day you will become stronger and stronger, and in the end you will stop even paying attention to my call. Tonight you have to pass your first test! Now you have been warned!
And the fairy led him into a vast chamber of white transparent lilies with small golden harps playing by themselves instead of stamens. Lovely slender girls rushed in an airy dance and sang about the joys and bliss of immortal life in the ever-blooming Garden of Eden.
But then the sun set, the sky shone like molten gold, and the lilies turned the color of the most wonderful roses. The prince drank the foamy wine brought to him by the girls and felt a surge of unspeakable bliss. Suddenly the back wall of the chamber opened, and the prince saw the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, surrounded by a dazzling radiance; from behind the tree came a quiet song that caressed the ears; he fancied in her the voice of his mother, singing: “My child! My dear, dear child!
And the fairy began to beckon him with her hand and call him in a gentle voice: come to me, come to me! He followed her, forgetting his promise on the first evening! And she kept beckoning him and smiling... The spicy aroma in the air grew stronger; the harps sounded ever sweeter; it seemed as if the blessed spirits themselves were singing in chorus: “You need to know everything! You need to experience everything! Man is the king of nature!” Blood no longer dripped from the tree, but red shiny stars began to fall. "To me! To me!" - an airy melody sounded, and with every step the prince’s cheeks flared up, and his blood became agitated more and more.
I have to go! - he said. - In this, after all, there is no and cannot yet be a sin! Why run away from beauty and pleasure? I’ll just admire it and look at her sleeping! I won't kiss her! I am strong enough and can control myself!
The sparkling cloak fell from the fairy's shoulders; she parted the branches of the tree and disappeared behind him in an instant.
I haven't broken my promises yet! - said the prince. - And I don’t want to break it!
With these words, he parted the branches... The fairy slept as charming as only a fairy from the Garden of Eden can be. A smile played on her lips, but tears trembled on her long eyelashes.
Are you crying because of me? - he whispered. - Don't cry, charming! Now only I understood heavenly bliss; it flows like fire in my blood, ignites my thoughts, I feel unearthly strength and power in my entire being!.. Let then eternal night come for me - one such minute is more precious than anything in the world!
And he kissed the tears trembling on her eyelashes, his lips touched her lips.
There was a terrible clap of thunder, such as no one had ever heard before, and everything was confused in the prince’s eyes; the fairy disappeared, the blooming Garden of Eden went deep into the ground. The prince saw how he disappeared into the darkness of the impenetrable night, and now only a small sparkling star remained from him. Mortal cold froze his limbs, his eyes closed, and he fell as if dead.
Cold rain wet his face, a sharp wind chilled his head, and he woke up.
What I've done! - he sighed. - I broke my vow, like Adam, and now the Garden of Eden went deep into the ground!
He opened his eyes; In the distance, a star still sparkled, the last trace of the disappeared paradise - it was the morning star shining in the sky.
The prince stood up; he was again in the same forest, at the cave of the winds; The mother of the winds sat next to him. She looked at him angrily and raised her hand menacingly.
On the first evening! - she said. - That's what I thought! Yes, if you were my son, you would be sitting in a bag now!
He'll get there yet! - said death, a strong old man with a scythe in his hand and large black wings behind his back. - And he will lie down in the coffin, although not now. I will just mark him and give him time to travel around the world and atone for his sin with good deeds! Then I will come for him at the hour when he least expects me, I will hide him in a black coffin, put him on my head and take him over there to that star where the Garden of Eden also blooms; if he turns out to be kind and pious, he will enter there, but if his thoughts and heart are still full of sin, the coffin will go down with him even deeper than the Garden of Eden went down. But every thousand years I will come for him again, so that he can either sink even deeper or remain forever on a shining celestial star!
Stranger, we advise you to read the fairy tale “The Garden of Eden” by Hans Christian Andersen to yourself and your children, this is a wonderful work created by our ancestors. Devotion, friendship and self-sacrifice and other positive feelings overcome all that oppose them: anger, deceit, lies and hypocrisy. The main character always wins not through cunning and cunning, but through kindness, kindness and love - this is the most important quality of children's characters. Thanks to children's developed imagination, they quickly revive colorful pictures of the world around them in their imagination and fill in the gaps with their visual images. The plot is simple and as old as the world, but each new generation finds in it something relevant and useful. And the thought comes, and behind it the desire, to plunge into this fabulous and incredible world, to win the love of a modest and wise princess. Once again, re-reading this composition, you will certainly discover something new, useful, edifying, and essential. The fairy tale “The Garden of Eden” by Hans Christian Andersen needs to be read for free online thoughtfully, explaining to young readers or listeners details and words that are incomprehensible and new to them.
Once upon a time there was a prince; no one had as many good books as he did; he could read in them about everything in the world, about all countries and peoples, and everything was depicted in them in wonderful pictures. There was only one thing that was not said a word: about where the Garden of Eden was located, but this was precisely what interested the prince most of all.
When he was still a child and just starting to learn the alphabet, his grandmother told him that every flower in the Garden of Eden is a sweet cake, and the stamens are filled with the finest wine; Some colors contain history, others geography or the multiplication table; All you had to do was eat such a flower-cake - and the lesson was learned by itself. The more cakes someone ate, the more they learned about history, geography and arithmetic!
At that time, the prince still believed all such stories, but as he grew up, studied and became smarter, he began to understand that there should be completely different delights in the Garden of Eden.
Oh, why did Eve listen to the serpent! Why did Adam eat the forbidden fruit? If I were in their place, this would never have happened, sin would never have entered the world!
He said this more than once and repeated the same thing now, when he was already seventeen years old; The Garden of Eden filled all his thoughts.
Once he went into the forest alone, he really loved to walk alone. It was late in the evening; clouds came and the rain poured down, as if the sky were one continuous dam, which suddenly burst and from which all the water poured out at once; such darkness came that only happens at night at the bottom of the deepest well. The prince either slid on the wet grass, or stumbled over bare stones sticking out of the rocky soil; water poured from it in streams; there was no dry thread left on it. Every now and then he had to climb over huge boulders overgrown with moss, from which water oozed. He was about to fall from fatigue when he suddenly heard a strange whistle and saw a large illuminated cave in front of him. In the middle of the cave, a fire was lit over which a whole deer could be roasted, and so it was: on a spit, fixed between two felled pine trees, a huge deer with large branched antlers was roasting. An elderly woman, so strong and tall, sat by the fire, as if she were a man in disguise, and threw one log after another into the fire.
Come in,” she said. - Sit by the fire and dry yourself.
There’s a terrible draft here,” said the prince, sitting down by the fire.
Already, when my sons return, it will be even worse! - the woman answered, “You are in the cave of the winds; my four sons are the winds. Understand?
Where are your sons?
Stupid questions are not easy to answer! - said the woman. - My sons don’t walk on leashes! They're probably playing rounders with the clouds, there in the big hall!
And she pointed her finger to the sky.
That's how it is! - said the prince. - You express yourself somewhat harshly, not like the women of our circle to whom I am accustomed.
Yes, that’s right, there’s nothing else to do! And I have to be harsh and harsh if I want to keep my sons in obedience! And I hold them in my hands, even though they are stubborn heads! Do you see those four bags hanging on the wall? My sons are afraid of them just as you used to be afraid of a bunch of rods stuck behind a mirror! I beat them to death and put them in a bag without any ceremony! They sit there until I have mercy! But now one has arrived!
It was the North Wind. He brought freezing cold with him into the cave, a blizzard arose, and hail bounced across the ground. He was dressed in bearskin pants and a jacket; a sealskin cap hung over his ears; Ice icicles hung on his beard, and hailstones rolled off his jacket collar.
Don't go straight to the fire! - said the prince. - You will freeze your face and hands!
I'll freeze! - said the North Wind and laughed loudly. - I'll freeze! Yes, there is nothing better in the world than frost, for me! What kind of sour creature are you? How did you get into the cave of the winds?
He is my guest! - said the old woman, - And if this explanation is not enough for you, you can go to the sack! Understand?
The threat had an effect, and the North Wind told where he came from and where he stayed for almost a whole month.
I'm straight from the Arctic Ocean! - he said. - I was on Bear Island, hunting walruses with Russian industrialists. I sat and slept on the helm when they sailed from the North Cape; Waking up from time to time, I saw petrels darting about under my feet. A very funny bird! It hits once with its wings, and then spreads them out, and stays on them in the air for a long, long time!..
Couldn't it be shorter? - said the mother. - So you were on Bear Island, what next?
Yes, I was. It's wonderful there! This is the floor for dancing! Even, smooth, like a plate! Everywhere there is loose snow mixed with moss, sharp stones and the carcasses of walruses and polar bears, covered with green mold - well, like the bones of giants! The sun, really, never seemed to look there. I blew lightly and dispersed the fog so I could see a barn; it turned out that it was a dwelling built from shipwrecks and covered with walrus skins turned inside out; A polar bear sat on the roof and grumbled. Then I went to the shore, saw bird nests there, and naked chicks in them; they squealed and opened their mouths; I took it and blew it into these countless throats - I suppose they quickly weaned themselves from looking with their mouths open! Near the sea they played like living intestines or gigantic worms with pig heads and arshin tusks, walruses!
Nice story, son! - said the mother. - It’s just drooling just listening to it!
Well, then the fishing began! When they thrust a harpoon into a walrus's chest, blood will spray like a fountain onto the ice? Then I decided to amuse myself, started my music and ordered my ships - the ice mountains - to crush the boats of the industrialists. Uh! Here comes the whistling and shouting, but you can’t out-whistle me! Did they have to throw the dead walruses, boxes and gear onto the ice floes? And I shook out a whole heap of snow flakes on them and drove their ice-bound ships to the south - let them sip some salty water! They won’t return to Bear Island!
So you've caused quite a bit of trouble! - said the mother.
Let others tell about my good deeds! - he said. - And here is my brother from the west! I love him more than anyone: he smells of the sea and breathes a blessed chill.
So is it a little marshmallow? - asked the prince.
Marshmallows are marshmallows, but not the small ones! - said the old woman. - In the old days he was a handsome boy, but now it’s not the same!
The West Wind looked savage; he was wearing a soft, thick hat that protected his head from blows and bruises, and in his hands was a club made of mahogany, cut down in the American forests; he would not have agreed to another.
Where were you? - asked his mother.
In virgin forests, where entire hedges of thorny vines hang between the trees, and huge poisonous snakes lie in the wet grass, and where, it seems, there is no need for humans! - he answered.
What were you doing there?
I watched how a large, deep river fell from a cliff, and how water dust rose from it to the clouds, serving as support for the rainbow. I watched a wild buffalo swim across the river; the current carried him with it, and he swam down the river along with a flock of wild ducks, but they fluttered just before the waterfall, and the buffalo had to fly head down; I liked this, and I created such a storm that the centuries-old trees floated on the water and turned into splinters.
And it's all? - asked the old woman.
I also tumbled in the savannahs, petted wild horses and picked coconuts! Oh, I have a lot to talk about, but it’s not all about saying what you know. That's right, old one!
And he kissed his mother so much that she almost fell over; He was such an unbridled guy.
Then the South Wind appeared in a turban and a flowing Bedouin cloak.
What a cold it is here! - he said and added wood to the fire. - Apparently, Severny was the first to welcome you!
It's so hot here you could roast a polar bear! - he objected.
You yourself are a polar bear! - said Yuzhny.
What, did you want to put it in the bag? - asked the old woman. - Sit down here on a stone and tell me where you are from.
From Africa, mother, from the land of the Kaffirs! - answered the South Wind, - I hunted lions with the Hottentots! What grass grows there on the plains! Wonderful olive color! How many antelopes and ostriches there are! The antelopes danced, and the ostriches ran races with me, but I was faster than them! I reached the yellow sands of the desert - it looks like the bottom of the sea. There I overtook the caravan. People slaughtered their last camel in order to get water for drinking from its stomach, but a few had to profit from them! The sun baked them from above, and the sand fried them from below. There was no end to the boundless desert! And I began to roll around on the fine, soft sand and spin it in huge pillars; That's how the dance started! You should have seen how the dromedaries crowded together in a heap, and the merchant threw a hood over his head and fell on his face in front of me, as if before his Allah. Now they are all buried under a high pyramid of sand. If I ever decide to sweep it away, the sun will whiten their bones, and other travelers will at least see that people have been here, otherwise it’s hard to believe it, looking at the bare desert!
It means you did nothing but evil! - said the mother, - March into the bag!
And before the South Wind had time to come to his senses, his mother grabbed him by the belt and hid him in a bag; he started to roll around in the sack on the floor, but she sat down on him, and he had to lie still.
Your sons are spirited! - said the prince.
Wow! - she answered. - Yes, I know how to handle them! And here comes the fourth!
It was the East Wind dressed as a Chinese.
Oh, you're from there! - said the mother, - I thought that you were in the Garden of Eden.
I'll fly there tomorrow! - said the East wind. - Tomorrow it will be exactly a hundred years since I was there! Now I was straight from China, dancing on a porcelain tower, so that all the bells were ringing! Below, on the street, officials were being punished; bamboo canes just walked over their shoulders, and these were all tangerines from the first to the ninth degree! They shouted: “Great thanks to you, father and benefactor!” - They thought something completely different to themselves. And at this time I was ringing the bells and chanting: “Tzing, tzang, tzu!”
Naughty! - said the old woman. “I’m glad that you’re going to the Garden of Eden tomorrow, this trip always brings you great benefit.” Drink from the source of Wisdom there, and draw a full bottle of water from it for me too!
“Okay,” said the East Wind. - But why did you put Brother Yuzhny in a bag? Let him out! He will tell me about the Phoenix bird, which the Princess of the Garden of Eden keeps asking about. Untie the bag, dear, dear mother, and I will give you two whole pockets of fresh green tea, fresh from the bush!
Well, perhaps for tea, and also for the fact that you are my favorite, so be it, I’ll untie him!
And she untied the bag; The southern wind crawled out of there with the look of a wet chicken: of course, the alien prince saw how he was punished.
Here's a palm leaf for your princess! - he told Vostochny. - I received it from the old Phoenix bird, the only one in the world; She drew on it with her beak the story of her hundred-year earthly life. Now the princess can read about everything she would like to know. Before my eyes, the Phoenix bird itself set fire to its nest and was engulfed in flames, like an Indian widow! How the dry branches crackled, what, smoke and fragrance came from them! Finally, the flames consumed everything, and the old Phoenix bird turned to ashes, but the egg she had laid, burning in the flames like heat, suddenly burst with a strong crash, and the young Phoenix flew out of there. He pecked a hole on this palm leaf: this was his bow to the princess!
Well, now it's time for us to eat a little! - said the mother of the winds.
Everyone sat down and started working on the deer. The prince sat next to the East Wind, and they soon became friends.
Tell me,” the prince asked his neighbor, “who is this princess about whom you have been talking so much, and where is the Garden of Eden?”
Wow! - said the East wind. - If you want to go there, we’ll fly together tomorrow! But I must tell you that since the time of Adam and Eve not a single human soul has been there! And what happened to them, you probably already know?
I know! - said the prince.
After they were expelled, - continued the Eastern one, - the Garden of Eden went into the ground, but the former splendor reigns in it, the sun still shines and extraordinary freshness and aroma are spread in the air! Now it is inhabited by the fairy queen. There is also a wonderfully beautiful island of Bliss, where Death never looks! Sit on my back tomorrow and I will carry you there. I think it will succeed. Now don't talk any more, I want to sleep!
And everyone fell asleep.
At dawn the prince woke up and immediately felt terrified: it turned out that he was already flying high, high under the clouds! He sat on the back of the East Wind, and he faithfully held him, but the prince was still afraid: they rushed so high above the earth that forests, fields, rivers and seas seemed drawn on a huge painted map.
“Hello,” the East Wind said to the prince. “You could still sleep, there’s nothing to see yet.” Do you even think about counting churches? Do you see how many there are? They stand like chalk dots on a green board!
He called fields and meadows green board.
How impolite it was that I did not say goodbye to your mother and your brothers! - said the prince.
Sleepy has to excuse me! - said the East wind, and they flew even faster; this was noticeable by the way the tops of the forest trees rustled under them, how the sea waves rose, and how the ships dived deep into them with their chests, like swans.
In the evening, when it got dark, it was very funny to look at the big cities, in which lights flashed here and there - it seemed like small sparks were running across the lit paper, as if children were running home from school. And the prince, looking at this spectacle, clapped his hands, but the East Wind asked him to be quieter and hold on tighter - it would not have been surprising to fall and hang on some tower spire.
The wild eagle rushed quickly and easily on its mighty wings, but the East wind rushed even easier, even faster; A Cossack on his little horse was rushing across the plain like a whirlwind, but where could he keep up with the prince!
Well, here's the Himalayas for you! - said the East Wind, - This is the highest mountain range in Asia, soon we will reach the Garden of Eden!
They turned south, and a strong spicy aroma and fragrance of flowers filled the air. Dates, pomegranates and grapes with blue and red berries grew here. The east wind descended with the prince to the ground, and both lay down to rest in the soft grass, where many flowers grew, nodding their heads to them, as if saying: “You are welcome!”
Are we already in the Garden of Eden? - asked the prince.
What are you doing! - answered the East Wind, - But we will soon get there too! Do you see this sheer rock, like a wall, and in it a large cave, over the entrance of which grape vines descend like a green curtain? We must go through this cave! Wrap yourself well in your cloak: the sun is scorching here, but one step and the frost will engulf us. A bird flying past a cave feels summer warmth on one wing and winter cold on the other!
So here it is, the road to the Garden of Eden! - said the prince.
And they entered the cave. Brr... how cold they became! But, fortunately, not for long.
The east wind spread its wings, and light spread from them, as if from a bright flame. No, what kind of cave was that! Hanging over the heads of the travelers were huge blocks of stone with the most bizarre shapes, from which water dripped. Sometimes the passage narrowed so much that they had to crawl through, but sometimes the cave arches again rose to an unattainable height, and the travelers walked as if in a free space under the open sky. The cave seemed like some kind of gigantic tomb with silent organ pipes and banners carved from stone.
We are going to the Garden of Eden dear death! - said the prince, but the East Wind did not answer a word and pointed in front of him with his hand: a wonderful blue light flowed towards them; The stone blocks gradually began to thin out, melt and turn into some kind of fog. The fog became more and more transparent, until finally it began to resemble a fluffy white cloud through which the moon shines through. Then they came out into the free air - wonderful, soft air, fresh, like on a mountain peak, and fragrant, like in a valley of roses.
There was a river flowing right there; The water in it rivaled the transparency of the air itself. And in the river gold and silver fish swam, and purple-red eels sparkled with blue sparks with every movement; The huge leaves of the water lilies were full of all the colors of the rainbow, and their cups burned with a yellow-red flame, supported by clean water, just as the flame of a lamp is supported by oil. Across the river was a marble bridge of such fine and skillful workmanship that it seemed to be made of lace and beads; the bridge led to the Island of Beatitude, on which the Garden of Eden itself was located.
The east wind took the prince in his arms and carried him across the bridge. The flowers and leaves sang wonderful songs that the prince had heard as a child, but now they sounded with such wondrous music that a human voice cannot convey.
And what's that? Palm trees or giant ferns? The prince had never seen such lush, powerful trees before. Outlandish creeping plants entwined them, went down, intertwined and formed the most bizarre garlands, shimmering at the edges with gold and bright colors; Such garlands can only be found in headpieces and initial letters of ancient books. There were bright flowers, birds, and the most intricate curlicues. A whole flock of peacocks sat in the grass, shining with their loose tails.
Are there peacocks? Of course peacocks! What’s wrong: the prince touched them, and it turned out that they were not birds at all, but plants, huge bushes of burdock, shining with the brightest colors! Between the green fragrant bushes jumping like flexible cats, lions, tigers; the bushes smelled of olives, and the animals were completely tame; a wild forest dove, with a pearly tint on its feathers, patted the lion’s mane with its wings, and the antelope, generally so timid and fearful, stood next to them and nodded its head, as if letting them know that it too was not averse to playing with them.
But then the fairy herself appeared; her clothes sparkled like the sun, and her face shone with such affection and a friendly smile, like the face of a mother rejoicing at her child. She was young and miraculously beautiful; she was surrounded by beautiful girls with shining stars in their hair.
The east wind gave her a message from the Phoenix bird, and the fairy's eyes sparkled with joy. She took the prince by the hand and led him to her castle; the walls of the castle looked like tulip petals when held against the sun, and the ceiling was a shiny flower, overturned in a cup that deepened the deeper the longer one looked at it. The prince went to one of the windows, looked through the glass, and it seemed to him that he saw the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; a snake was hiding in its branches, and Adam and Eve stood nearby.
Aren't they expelled? - asked the prince.
The fairy smiled and explained to him that on each glass, time had painted an indelible picture, illuminated by life: the leaves of the tree moved, and people moved - well, that’s how it happens with reflections in a mirror! The prince went to another window and saw Jacob’s dream on the glass: a ladder was descending from heaven, and angels with large wings on their shoulders were descending and ascending along it. Yes, everything that had happened or had once happened in the world still lived and moved on the window panes of the castle; Only time could paint such wonderful pictures with its indelible chisel.
The fairy, smiling, led the prince into a huge, high chamber, with walls of transparent paintings - heads peeped out of them everywhere, one more charming than the other. These were hosts of blessed spirits; they smiled and sang; their voices merged into one wondrous harmony; the topmost ones were smaller than rosebuds when drawn on paper as tiny dots. In the middle of this peace stood a mighty tree, covered with greenery, in which large and small golden apples, like oranges, sparkled. It was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the fruits of which Adam and Eve once tasted. Glittering red dew dripped from each leaf—the tree seemed to be crying tears of blood.
Let's get on the boat now! - said the fairy. - Such a treat awaits us there, it’s a miracle! Imagine, the boat just sways on the waves, but does not move, and all the countries of the world pass by!
Indeed, it was an amazing sight; the boat stood, but the shores moved! Then the high snowy Alps with clouds and dark pine forests on the peaks appeared, a horn sounded protractedly and plaintively, and the sonorous song of a mountain shepherd was heard. Long, flexible banana leaves hung over the boat; flocks of pitch-black swans swam; The most amazing animals and flowers appeared, and blue mountains rose in the distance; it was New Holland, a fifth of the world. Then the singing of the priests was heard, and to the sounds of drums and bone flutes, crowds of savages began to dance wildly. Egyptian pyramids, overthrown columns and sphinxes, half buried in the sand, floated past, rising to the clouds. The extinct volcanoes of the north were illuminated by the northern lights. Yes, who could create such fireworks? The prince was beside himself with delight: of course, he had seen a hundred times more than we are telling here.
And can I stay here forever? - he asked.
It's up to you! - answered the fairy. - If you do not seek the forbidden, like your ancestor Adam, then you can stay here forever!
I will not touch the fruits of the knowledge of good and evil! - said the prince. - There are thousands of other beautiful fruits here!
Test yourself, and if the struggle seems too hard for you, fly back with the East Wind, which will return here again in a hundred years! A hundred years will fly by for you like a hundred hours, but this is quite a long time when it comes to fighting sinful temptation. Every evening, parting with you, I will call you: “Come to me, come to me!” I will beckon you with my hand, but don’t move from your place, don’t follow my call; with every step the longing of desire will intensify within you and will finally draw you into that peace where the tree of the knowledge of good and evil stands. I will sleep under its fragrant lush branches, and you will bend down to take a closer look at me; I will smile at you, and you will kiss me... Then the Garden of Eden will go even deeper into the ground and will be lost to you. The sharp wind will pierce you to the bones, the cold rain will wet your head; grief and disaster will be your lot!
I stay! - said the prince.
The east wind kissed the prince on the forehead and said:
Be strong, and we will meet again in a hundred years! Bye Bye!
And the Eastern wind flapped its large wings, flashing like lightning in the darkness of an autumn night or like the northern lights in the darkness of polar winter.
Goodbye! Goodbye! - all the flowers and trees sang. Flocks of storks and pelicans flew like fluttering ribbons to guide the East Wind to the borders of the garden.
Now the dancing begins! - said the fairy. - But at sunset, dancing with you, I will begin to beckon you with my hand and call: “Come to me!” To me!" Don't listen to me! For a hundred years, the same thing will be repeated every evening, but every day you will become stronger and stronger and in the end you will stop even paying attention to my call. Tonight you have to pass your first test! Now you have been warned!
And the fairy led him into a vast chamber of white transparent lilies with small golden harps playing by themselves instead of stamens. Lovely slender girls in transparent clothes rushed in an airy dance and sang about the joys and bliss of immortal life in the ever-blooming Garden of Eden.
But then the sun set, the sky shone like molten gold, and a pink glow fell on the lilies. The prince drank the foamy wine brought to him by the girls and felt a surge of unspeakable bliss. Suddenly the back wall of the chamber opened, and the prince saw the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, surrounded by a dazzling radiance, from behind the tree a quiet song caressing the ears rushed; he imagined the voice of his mother singing: “My child! My dear, dear child!
And the fairy began to beckon him with her hand and call him in a gentle voice: “Come to me, come to me!” He followed her, forgetting his promise on the first evening! And she kept beckoning him and smiling... The spicy aroma in the air became stronger and stronger; the harps sounded ever sweeter; it seemed as if the blessed spirits themselves were singing in chorus: “Everything needs to be known! You need to experience everything! Man is the king of nature!” It seemed to the prince that blood was no longer dripping from the tree, but red shiny stars were falling. "To me! To me!" - an airy melody sounded, and with every step the prince’s cheeks flared up, and his blood became agitated more and more.
I have to go! - he said. - There is no and cannot be a sin in this! Why run away from beauty and pleasure? I’ll just admire it and look at her sleeping! I won't kiss her! I am strong enough and can control myself!
The sparkling cloak fell from the fairy's shoulders; she parted the branches of the tree and disappeared behind him in an instant.
I haven't broken a promise yet! - said the prince. - And I don’t want to break it!
With these words, he parted the branches... The fairy slept as charming as only a fairy from the Garden of Eden can be. A smile played on her lips, but tears trembled on her long eyelashes.
Are you crying because of me? - he whispered. - Don't cry, charming fairy! Now as soon as I understand heavenly bliss, it flows like fire in my blood, ignites my thoughts, I feel unearthly strength and power in my entire being!.. Let then eternal night come for me - one such minute is dearer than anything in the world!
And he kissed the tears trembling on her eyelashes, his lips touched her lips.
There was a terrible clap of thunder, such as no one had ever heard before, and everything was confused in the prince’s eyes; the fairy disappeared, the blooming Garden of Eden went deep into the ground. The prince saw him disappear into the darkness of the impenetrable night, and now all that was left of him was a small star sparkling in the distance. Mortal cold froze his limbs, his eyes closed, and he fell as if dead.
Cold rain wet his face, a sharp wind chilled his head, and he woke up.
What I've done! - he sighed. - I broke my vow, like Adam, and now the Garden of Eden went deep into the ground!
He opened his eyes; In the distance a star still twinkled, the last trace of a vanished paradise. It was the morning star shining in the sky.
The prince stood up; he was again in the same forest, at the cave of the winds; The mother of the winds sat next to him. She looked at him angrily and raised her hand menacingly.
On the first evening! - she said, “That’s what I thought!” Yes, if you were my son, you would be sitting in a bag now!
Once upon a time there lived a prince; no one had as many good books as he did; he could read in them about everything in the world, about all countries and peoples, and everything was depicted in them in wonderful pictures. There was only one thing that was not said a word: about where the Garden of Eden was located, but this was precisely what interested the prince most of all.
When he was still a child and just starting to learn the alphabet, his grandmother told him that every flower in the Garden of Eden is a sweet cake, and the stamens are filled with the finest wine; Some colors contain history, others geography or the multiplication table; All you had to do was eat such a flower-cake - and the lesson was learned by itself. The more cakes someone ate, the more they learned about history, geography and arithmetic!
At that time, the prince still believed all such stories, but as he grew up, studied and became smarter, he began to understand that there should be completely different delights in the Garden of Eden.
Oh, why did Eve listen to the serpent! Why did Adam eat the forbidden fruit? If I were in their place, this would never have happened, sin would never have entered the world!
He said this more than once and repeated the same thing now, when he was already seventeen years old; The Garden of Eden filled all his thoughts.
Once he went into the forest alone, he really loved to walk alone. It was late in the evening; clouds came and the rain poured down, as if the sky were one continuous dam, which suddenly burst and from which all the water poured out at once; such darkness came that only happens at night at the bottom of the deepest well. The prince either slid on the wet grass, or stumbled over bare stones sticking out of the rocky soil; water poured from it in streams; there was no dry thread left on it. Every now and then he had to climb over huge boulders overgrown with moss, from which water oozed. He was about to fall from fatigue when he suddenly heard a strange whistle and saw a large illuminated cave in front of him. In the middle of the cave, a fire was lit over which a whole deer could be roasted, and so it was: on a spit, fixed between two felled pine trees, a huge deer with large branched antlers was roasting. An elderly woman, so strong and tall, sat by the fire, as if she were a man in disguise, and threw one log after another into the fire.
Come in,” she said. - Sit by the fire and dry yourself.
There’s a terrible draft here,” said the prince, sitting down by the fire.
Already, when my sons return, it will be even worse! - the woman answered, “You are in the cave of the winds; my four sons are the winds. Understand?
Where are your sons?
Stupid questions are not easy to answer! - said the woman. - My sons don’t walk on leashes! They're probably playing rounders with the clouds, there in the big hall!
And she pointed her finger to the sky.
That's how it is! - said the prince. - You express yourself somewhat harshly, not like the women of our circle to whom I am accustomed.
Yes, that’s right, there’s nothing else to do! And I have to be harsh and harsh if I want to keep my sons in obedience! And I hold them in my hands, even though they are stubborn heads! Do you see those four bags hanging on the wall? My sons are afraid of them just as you used to be afraid of a bunch of rods stuck behind a mirror! I beat them to death and put them in a bag without any ceremony! They sit there until I have mercy! But now one has arrived!
It was the North Wind. He brought freezing cold with him into the cave, a blizzard arose, and hail bounced across the ground. He was dressed in bearskin pants and a jacket; a sealskin cap hung over his ears; Ice icicles hung on his beard, and hailstones rolled off his jacket collar.
Don't go straight to the fire! - said the prince. - You will freeze your face and hands!
I'll freeze! - said the North Wind and laughed loudly. - I'll freeze! Yes, there is nothing better in the world than frost, for me! What kind of sour creature are you? How did you get into the cave of the winds?
He is my guest! - said the old woman, - And if this explanation is not enough for you, you can go to the sack! Understand?
The threat had an effect, and the North Wind told where he came from and where he stayed for almost a whole month.
I'm straight from the Arctic Ocean! - he said. - I was on Bear Island, hunting walruses with Russian industrialists. I sat and slept on the helm when they sailed from the North Cape; Waking up from time to time, I saw petrels darting about under my feet. A very funny bird! It hits once with its wings, and then spreads them out, and stays on them in the air for a long, long time!..
Couldn't it be shorter? - said the mother. - So you were on Bear Island, what next?
Yes, I was. It's wonderful there! This is the floor for dancing! Even, smooth, like a plate! Everywhere there is loose snow mixed with moss, sharp stones and the carcasses of walruses and polar bears, covered with green mold - well, like the bones of giants! The sun, really, never seemed to look there. I blew lightly and dispersed the fog so I could see a barn; it turned out that it was a dwelling built from shipwrecks and covered with walrus skins turned inside out; A polar bear sat on the roof and grumbled. Then I went to the shore, saw bird nests there, and naked chicks in them; they squealed and opened their mouths; I took it and blew it into these countless throats - I suppose they quickly weaned themselves from looking with their mouths open! Near the sea they played like living intestines or gigantic worms with pig heads and arshin tusks, walruses!
Nice story, son! - said the mother. - It’s just drooling just listening to it!
Well, then the fishing began! When they thrust a harpoon into a walrus's chest, blood will spray like a fountain onto the ice? Then I decided to amuse myself, started my music and ordered my ships - the ice mountains - to crush the boats of the industrialists. Uh! Here comes the whistling and shouting, but you can’t out-whistle me! Did they have to throw the dead walruses, boxes and gear onto the ice floes? And I shook out a whole heap of snow flakes on them and drove their ice-bound ships to the south - let them sip some salty water! They won’t return to Bear Island!
So you've caused quite a bit of trouble! - said the mother.
Let others tell about my good deeds! - he said. - And here is my brother from the west! I love him more than anyone: he smells of the sea and breathes a blessed chill.
So is it a little marshmallow? - asked the prince.
Marshmallows are marshmallows, but not the small ones! - said the old woman. - In the old days he was a handsome boy, but now it’s not the same!
The West Wind looked savage; he was wearing a soft, thick hat that protected his head from blows and bruises, and in his hands was a club made of mahogany, cut down in the American forests; he would not have agreed to another.
Where were you? - asked his mother.
In virgin forests, where entire hedges of thorny vines hang between the trees, and huge poisonous snakes lie in the wet grass, and where, it seems, there is no need for humans! - he answered.
What were you doing there?
I watched how a large, deep river fell from a cliff, and how water dust rose from it to the clouds, serving as support for the rainbow. I watched a wild buffalo swim across the river; the current carried him with it, and he swam down the river along with a flock of wild ducks, but they fluttered just before the waterfall, and the buffalo had to fly head down; I liked this, and I created such a storm that the centuries-old trees floated on the water and turned into splinters.
And it's all? - asked the old woman.
I also tumbled in the savannahs, petted wild horses and picked coconuts! Oh, I have a lot to talk about, but it’s not all about saying what you know. That's right, old one!
And he kissed his mother so much that she almost fell over; He was such an unbridled guy.
Then the South Wind appeared in a turban and a flowing Bedouin cloak.
What a cold it is here! - he said and added wood to the fire. - Apparently, Severny was the first to welcome you!
It's so hot here you could roast a polar bear! - he objected.
You yourself are a polar bear! - said Yuzhny.
What, did you want to put it in the bag? - asked the old woman. - Sit down here on a stone and tell me where you are from.
From Africa, mother, from the land of the Kaffirs! - answered the South Wind, - I hunted lions with the Hottentots! What grass grows there on the plains! Wonderful olive color! How many antelopes and ostriches there are! The antelopes danced, and the ostriches ran races with me, but I was faster than them! I reached the yellow sands of the desert - it looks like the bottom of the sea. There I overtook the caravan. People slaughtered their last camel in order to get water for drinking from its stomach, but a few had to profit from them! The sun baked them from above, and the sand fried them from below. There was no end to the boundless desert! And I began to roll around on the fine, soft sand and spin it in huge pillars; That's how the dance started! You should have seen how the dromedaries crowded together in a heap, and the merchant threw a hood over his head and fell on his face in front of me, as if before his Allah. Now they are all buried under a high pyramid of sand. If I ever decide to sweep it away, the sun will whiten their bones, and other travelers will at least see that people have been here, otherwise it’s hard to believe it, looking at the bare desert!
It means you did nothing but evil! - said the mother, - March into the bag!
And before the South Wind had time to come to his senses, his mother grabbed him by the belt and hid him in a bag; he started to roll around in the sack on the floor, but she sat down on him, and he had to lie still.
Your sons are spirited! - said the prince.
Wow! - she answered. - Yes, I know how to handle them! And here comes the fourth!
It was the East Wind dressed as a Chinese.
Oh, you're from there! - said the mother, - I thought that you were in the Garden of Eden.
I'll fly there tomorrow! - said the East wind. - Tomorrow it will be exactly a hundred years since I was there! Now I was straight from China, dancing on a porcelain tower, so that all the bells were ringing! Below, on the street, officials were being punished; bamboo canes just walked over their shoulders, and these were all tangerines from the first to the ninth degree! They shouted: “Great thanks to you, father and benefactor!” - They thought something completely different to themselves. And at this time I was ringing the bells and chanting: “Tzing, tzang, tzu!”
Naughty! - said the old woman. “I’m glad that you’re going to the Garden of Eden tomorrow, this trip always brings you great benefit.” Drink from the source of Wisdom there, and draw a full bottle of water from it for me too!
“Okay,” said the East Wind. - But why did you put Brother Yuzhny in a bag? Let him out! He will tell me about the Phoenix bird, which the Princess of the Garden of Eden keeps asking about. Untie the bag, dear, dear mother, and I will give you two whole pockets of fresh green tea, fresh from the bush!
Well, perhaps for tea, and also for the fact that you are my favorite, so be it, I’ll untie him!
And she untied the bag; The southern wind crawled out of there with the look of a wet chicken: of course, the alien prince saw how he was punished.
Here's a palm leaf for your princess! - he told Vostochny. - I received it from the old Phoenix bird, the only one in the world; She drew on it with her beak the story of her hundred-year earthly life. Now the princess can read about everything she would like to know. Before my eyes, the Phoenix bird itself set fire to its nest and was engulfed in flames, like an Indian widow! How the dry branches crackled, what, smoke and fragrance came from them! Finally, the flames consumed everything, and the old Phoenix bird turned to ashes, but the egg she had laid, burning in the flames like heat, suddenly burst with a strong crash, and the young Phoenix flew out of there. He pecked a hole on this palm leaf: this was his bow to the princess!
Well, now it's time for us to eat a little! - said the mother of the winds.
Everyone sat down and started working on the deer. The prince sat next to the East Wind, and they soon became friends.
Tell me,” the prince asked his neighbor, “who is this princess about whom you have been talking so much, and where is the Garden of Eden?”
Wow! - said the East wind. - If you want to go there, we’ll fly together tomorrow! But I must tell you that since the time of Adam and Eve not a single human soul has been there! And what happened to them, you probably already know?
I know! - said the prince.
After they were expelled, - continued the Eastern one, - the Garden of Eden went into the ground, but the former splendor reigns in it, the sun still shines and extraordinary freshness and aroma are spread in the air! Now it is inhabited by the fairy queen. There is also a wonderfully beautiful island of Bliss, where Death never looks! Sit on my back tomorrow and I will carry you there. I think it will succeed. Now don't talk any more, I want to sleep!
And everyone fell asleep.
At dawn the prince woke up and immediately felt terrified: it turned out that he was already flying high, high under the clouds! He sat on the back of the East Wind, and he faithfully held him, but the prince was still afraid: they rushed so high above the earth that forests, fields, rivers and seas seemed drawn on a huge painted map.
“Hello,” the East Wind said to the prince. “You could still sleep, there’s nothing to see yet.” Do you even think about counting churches? Do you see how many there are? They stand like chalk dots on a green board!
He called fields and meadows green board.
How impolite it was that I did not say goodbye to your mother and your brothers! - said the prince.
Sleepy has to excuse me! - said the East wind, and they flew even faster; this was noticeable by the way the tops of the forest trees rustled under them, how the sea waves rose, and how the ships dived deep into them with their chests, like swans.
In the evening, when it got dark, it was very funny to look at the big cities, in which lights flashed here and there - it seemed like small sparks were running across the lit paper, as if children were running home from school. And the prince, looking at this spectacle, clapped his hands, but the East Wind asked him to be quieter and hold on tighter - it would not have been surprising to fall and hang on some tower spire.
The wild eagle rushed quickly and easily on its mighty wings, but the East wind rushed even easier, even faster; A Cossack on his little horse was rushing across the plain like a whirlwind, but where could he keep up with the prince!
Well, here's the Himalayas for you! - said the East Wind, - This is the highest mountain range in Asia, soon we will reach the Garden of Eden!
They turned south, and a strong spicy aroma and fragrance of flowers filled the air. Dates, pomegranates and grapes with blue and red berries grew here. The east wind descended with the prince to the ground, and both lay down to rest in the soft grass, where many flowers grew, nodding their heads to them, as if saying: “You are welcome!”
Are we already in the Garden of Eden? - asked the prince.
What are you doing! - answered the East Wind, - But we will soon get there too! Do you see this sheer rock, like a wall, and in it a large cave, over the entrance of which grape vines descend like a green curtain? We must go through this cave! Wrap yourself well in your cloak: the sun is scorching here, but one step and the frost will engulf us. A bird flying past a cave feels summer warmth on one wing and winter cold on the other!
So here it is, the road to the Garden of Eden! - said the prince.
And they entered the cave. Brr... how cold they became! But, fortunately, not for long.
The east wind spread its wings, and light spread from them, as if from a bright flame. No, what kind of cave was that! Hanging over the heads of the travelers were huge blocks of stone with the most bizarre shapes, from which water dripped. Sometimes the passage narrowed so much that they had to crawl through, but sometimes the cave arches again rose to an unattainable height, and the travelers walked as if in a free space under the open sky. The cave seemed like some kind of gigantic tomb with silent organ pipes and banners carved from stone.
We are going to the Garden of Eden dear death! - said the prince, but the East Wind did not answer a word and pointed in front of him with his hand: a wonderful blue light flowed towards them; The stone blocks gradually began to thin out, melt and turn into some kind of fog. The fog became more and more transparent, until finally it began to resemble a fluffy white cloud through which the moon shines through. Then they came out into the free air - wonderful, soft air, fresh, like on a mountain peak, and fragrant, like in a valley of roses.
There was a river flowing right there; The water in it rivaled the transparency of the air itself. And in the river gold and silver fish swam, and purple-red eels sparkled with blue sparks with every movement; The huge leaves of the water lilies were full of all the colors of the rainbow, and their cups burned with a yellow-red flame, supported by clean water, just as the flame of a lamp is supported by oil. Across the river was a marble bridge of such fine and skillful workmanship that it seemed to be made of lace and beads; the bridge led to the Island of Beatitude, on which the Garden of Eden itself was located.
The east wind took the prince in his arms and carried him across the bridge. The flowers and leaves sang wonderful songs that the prince had heard as a child, but now they sounded with such wondrous music that a human voice cannot convey.
And what's that? Palm trees or giant ferns? The prince had never seen such lush, powerful trees before. Outlandish creeping plants entwined them, went down, intertwined and formed the most bizarre garlands, shimmering at the edges with gold and bright colors; Such garlands can only be found in headpieces and initial letters of ancient books. There were bright flowers, birds, and the most intricate curlicues. A whole flock of peacocks sat in the grass, shining with their loose tails.
Are there peacocks? Of course peacocks! What’s wrong: the prince touched them, and it turned out that they were not birds at all, but plants, huge bushes of burdock, shining with the brightest colors! Between the green fragrant bushes jumping like flexible cats, lions, tigers; the bushes smelled of olives, and the animals were completely tame; a wild forest dove, with a pearly tint on its feathers, patted the lion’s mane with its wings, and the antelope, generally so timid and fearful, stood next to them and nodded its head, as if letting them know that it too was not averse to playing with them.
But then the fairy herself appeared; her clothes sparkled like the sun, and her face shone with such affection and a friendly smile, like the face of a mother rejoicing at her child. She was young and miraculously beautiful; she was surrounded by beautiful girls with shining stars in their hair.
The east wind gave her a message from the Phoenix bird, and the fairy's eyes sparkled with joy. She took the prince by the hand and led him to her castle; the walls of the castle looked like tulip petals when held against the sun, and the ceiling was a shiny flower, overturned in a cup that deepened the deeper the longer one looked at it. The prince went to one of the windows, looked through the glass, and it seemed to him that he saw the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; a snake was hiding in its branches, and Adam and Eve stood nearby.
Aren't they expelled? - asked the prince.
The fairy smiled and explained to him that on each glass, time had painted an indelible picture, illuminated by life: the leaves of the tree moved, and people moved - well, that’s how it happens with reflections in a mirror! The prince went to another window and saw Jacob’s dream on the glass: a ladder was descending from heaven, and angels with large wings on their shoulders were descending and ascending along it. Yes, everything that had happened or had once happened in the world still lived and moved on the window panes of the castle; Only time could paint such wonderful pictures with its indelible chisel.
The fairy, smiling, led the prince into a huge, high chamber, with walls of transparent paintings - heads peeped out of them everywhere, one more charming than the other. These were hosts of blessed spirits; they smiled and sang; their voices merged into one wondrous harmony; the topmost ones were smaller than rosebuds when drawn on paper as tiny dots. In the middle of this peace stood a mighty tree, covered with greenery, in which large and small golden apples, like oranges, sparkled. It was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the fruits of which Adam and Eve once tasted. Glittering red dew dripped from each leaf—the tree seemed to be crying tears of blood.
Let's get on the boat now! - said the fairy. - Such a treat awaits us there, it’s a miracle! Imagine, the boat just sways on the waves, but does not move, and all the countries of the world pass by!
Indeed, it was an amazing sight; the boat stood, but the shores moved! Then the high snowy Alps with clouds and dark pine forests on the peaks appeared, a horn sounded protractedly and plaintively, and the sonorous song of a mountain shepherd was heard. Long, flexible banana leaves hung over the boat; flocks of pitch-black swans swam; The most amazing animals and flowers appeared, and blue mountains rose in the distance; it was New Holland, a fifth of the world. Then the singing of the priests was heard, and to the sounds of drums and bone flutes, crowds of savages began to dance wildly. Egyptian pyramids, overthrown columns and sphinxes, half buried in the sand, floated past, rising to the clouds. The extinct volcanoes of the north were illuminated by the northern lights. Yes, who could create such fireworks? The prince was beside himself with delight: of course, he had seen a hundred times more than we are telling here.
And can I stay here forever? - he asked.
It's up to you! - answered the fairy. - If you do not seek the forbidden, like your ancestor Adam, then you can stay here forever!
I will not touch the fruits of the knowledge of good and evil! - said the prince. - There are thousands of other beautiful fruits here!
Test yourself, and if the struggle seems too hard for you, fly back with the East Wind, which will return here again in a hundred years! A hundred years will fly by for you like a hundred hours, but this is quite a long time when it comes to fighting sinful temptation. Every evening, parting with you, I will call you: “Come to me, come to me!” I will beckon you with my hand, but don’t move from your place, don’t follow my call; with every step the longing of desire will intensify within you and will finally draw you into that peace where the tree of the knowledge of good and evil stands. I will sleep under its fragrant lush branches, and you will bend down to take a closer look at me; I will smile at you, and you will kiss me... Then the Garden of Eden will go even deeper into the ground and will be lost to you. The sharp wind will pierce you to the bones, the cold rain will wet your head; grief and disaster will be your lot!
I stay! - said the prince.
The east wind kissed the prince on the forehead and said:
Be strong, and we will meet again in a hundred years! Bye Bye!
And the Eastern wind flapped its large wings, flashing like lightning in the darkness of an autumn night or like the northern lights in the darkness of polar winter.
Goodbye! Goodbye! - all the flowers and trees sang. Flocks of storks and pelicans flew like fluttering ribbons to guide the East Wind to the borders of the garden.
Now the dancing begins! - said the fairy. - But at sunset, dancing with you, I will begin to beckon you with my hand and call: “Come to me! Come to me!” Don't listen to me! For a hundred years, the same thing will be repeated every evening, but every day you will become stronger and stronger and in the end you will stop even paying attention to my call. Tonight you have to pass your first test! Now you have been warned!
And the fairy led him into a vast chamber of white transparent lilies with small golden harps playing by themselves instead of stamens. Lovely slender girls in transparent clothes rushed in an airy dance and sang about the joys and bliss of immortal life in the ever-blooming Garden of Eden.
But then the sun set, the sky shone like molten gold, and a pink glow fell on the lilies. The prince drank the foamy wine brought to him by the girls and felt a surge of unspeakable bliss. Suddenly the back wall of the chamber opened, and the prince saw the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, surrounded by a dazzling radiance, from behind the tree a quiet song caressing the ears rushed; he imagined the voice of his mother singing: “My child! My dear, dear child!”
And the fairy began to beckon him with her hand and call him in a gentle voice: “Come to me, come to me!” He followed her, forgetting his promise on the first evening! And she kept beckoning him and smiling... The spicy aroma in the air grew stronger; the harps sounded ever sweeter; it seemed as if the blessed spirits themselves were singing in chorus: “Everything needs to be known! Everything needs to be experienced! Man is the king of nature!” It seemed to the prince that blood was no longer dripping from the tree, but red shiny stars were falling. "Come to me! Come to me!" - an airy melody sounded, and with every step the prince’s cheeks flared up, and his blood became agitated more and more.
I have to go! - he said. - There is no and cannot be a sin in this! Why run away from beauty and pleasure? I’ll just admire it and look at her sleeping! I won't kiss her! I am strong enough and can control myself!
The sparkling cloak fell from the fairy's shoulders; she parted the branches of the tree and disappeared behind him in an instant.
I haven't broken a promise yet! - said the prince. - And I don’t want to break it!
With these words, he parted the branches... The fairy slept as charming as only a fairy from the Garden of Eden can be. A smile played on her lips, but tears trembled on her long eyelashes.
Are you crying because of me? - he whispered. - Don't cry, charming fairy! Now as soon as I understand heavenly bliss, it flows like fire in my blood, ignites my thoughts, I feel unearthly strength and power in my entire being!.. Let then eternal night come for me - one such minute is dearer than anything in the world!
And he kissed the tears trembling on her eyelashes, his lips touched her lips.
There was a terrible clap of thunder, such as no one had ever heard before, and everything was confused in the prince’s eyes; the fairy disappeared, the blooming Garden of Eden went deep into the ground. The prince saw him disappear into the darkness of the impenetrable night, and now all that was left of him was a small star sparkling in the distance. Mortal cold froze his limbs, his eyes closed, and he fell as if dead.
Cold rain wet his face, a sharp wind chilled his head, and he woke up.
What I've done! - he sighed. - I broke my vow, like Adam, and now the Garden of Eden went deep into the ground!
He opened his eyes; In the distance a star still twinkled, the last trace of a vanished paradise. It was the morning star shining in the sky.
The prince stood up; he was again in the same forest, at the cave of the winds; The mother of the winds sat next to him. She looked at him angrily and raised her hand menacingly.
On the first evening! - she said, “That’s what I thought!” Yes, if you were my son, you would be sitting in a bag now!
He'll get there yet! - said Death, - he was a strong old man with a scythe in his hand and large black wings behind his back. - And he will lie down in the coffin, although not now. I will just mark him and give him time to travel around the world and atone for his sin with good deeds! Then I will come for him at the hour when he least expects me, I will hide him in a black coffin, put him on my head and take him over there to that star where the Garden of Eden also blooms; if he turns out to be kind and pious, he will enter there, but if his thoughts and heart are still full of sin, the coffin will go down with him even deeper than the Garden of Eden went down. But every thousand years I will come for him, so that he sinks even deeper, or remains forever on a shining celestial star!
