The Ugly Duckling

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It was lovely summer weather in the country, and the
golden corn, the green oaks, and the haystacks filled up
in the meadows looked beautiful. The stork, wagging about on
his long red legs, chattered in the Egyptian language, which
he had learned from his mother. The corner fields and

(00:23):
meadows were surrounded by large forests, in the meadows of
which were deep pools. It was indeed delightful to walk
about in the country. In a sunny spot stood a
pleasant old farmhouse close by a deep river, and from
the house down to the water side grew great bore

(00:46):
dog leaves, so high that under the tallest of them
a little child could stand upright. Thus the spot was
as wild as the center of a thick wood. In
this snug tree sat a dog on her nest, watching
for her young brute to hatch. She was beginning to

(01:09):
get tired of her task. Her little ones were a
long time coming out of their shelves, and she seldom
had any visitors. The other dogs liked much better to
swim about in the river than to climb the slippery
banks and sit under a poor dog leaf to have
a gossip with her. That thinks. One shell cracked, and

(01:34):
then another, and for each it came a living creature
that lifted its head and cried bee bee quack quack,
said the mother. And then the old quagged as well
as they could and looked about them on every side
at the large green leaves. Their mother allowed them to

(01:56):
look as much as he liked, because green is good
for the How large the world is, said the young dogs,
when they found how much more room they now had
than while they were inside the eggshell. Do you imagine
this is the whole world? Asked the mother. Wait till

(02:17):
you have seen the garden. It stretches far beyond them,
to the person's field. But they have never ventured to
such a distance. Are you all out, she continued, rising no,
I declare the largest egg lie there still. I wonder
how long this is to last. I'm quite tired of it,

(02:38):
And she seated herself again on the nest. Well how
are you getting on, asked an old dog who paid
her a visit. One egg is not hatchet yet, said
the dog. T will not break. But just look at
the others. Are they not the prettiest little ducklings you

(02:59):
ever saw? They are the image of their father, who
is so unkind he never comes to see. Let me
see the egg that will not break, said the dock.
I have no doubt it is a turkey's egg. I
was persuaded to hatch some once, and after all my

(03:19):
care and trouble with the young ones, they were afraid
of the water. I quiet unclogged, but all to no purpose.
I couldn't get them to venture in. Let me look
at the egg. Yes, that it's a turkey's egg. Take
my advice, leave it where it is and teach the
other children to swim. I think I will set on

(03:44):
it a little while longer, said the duck, as I
have sat so long already. A few days will be nothing.
Please yourself, said the old duck, and she went away.
At last, the large egg broke, and a young one
crept forth, crying pit bit. It was very large and ugly.

(04:10):
The tucker started at it and exclaimed, it's very large
and not at all like the others. I wondered if
it really is a turkey. We shall soon find out. However,
when we go to the water, it must go when
if I have to push it myself. On the next day,
the wizard was delightful and the sun shone brightly on

(04:34):
the green bord doc leaves. So the mother dock took
her young brood down the water and jumped in with
a splash. Quiet cried she, and no one after another
the little duckling jumped in the water closed over their heads.
But they came up again in an instant and swam

(04:57):
about quite rarely, with their legs battling under them as
easily as possible. And the ugly dockling was also in
the water swimming with them. Oh, said the mother, there
is not a turkey. How will he use his leg?
And how apright he holds himself? He is my own child,

(05:19):
and he is not so very ugly after all, if
you look at him properly. Qua come with me now.
I will take you into grand society and introduce you
to the farmyard. But you must keep clothes to me,
or you may be chroden upon, and above all beware

(05:40):
of the cats. When they reached the farmyard there was
a great disturbance. Two families were fighting for an eel's head,
which after all was carried off by the cat. See, children,
that is the way of the world, said the mother duck,

(06:00):
putting her brake, for she would have liked the eel's
head first. Come now use her legs and let me
see how well you can behave you must bow your
heads prettily. Put the old dog yonder. She is the
highest born of them and has Spanish blood. Therefore she

(06:21):
is well off. Don't you see? She has a red
flag tied to her leg, which is something for a
grand and a great honor for a doctor. It showed
that every one is anxious not to lose her, as
she can be recognized both by a man and beast. Come, now,

(06:45):
do not turn your toes. A well bred ducklings spread
his feet wide apart, just like his father and mother
in this way. Now bend your neck and say quack.
The ducklings did as they were a bit. But the
other dog started and said, look, here comes another rood,

(07:06):
as if there were not enough of us already, And
what a queer luck and object one of them is.
We don't want him or here. And then one flew
out and bit him in the neck. Let him alone,
said the mother. He is not doing any harm. Yes,

(07:28):
but he is so big and ugly, said the spiteful dog,
and therefore he must be turned out. The others are
very pretty children, said the old dog with the rag
on her leg old. But that one I wish his
mother could improve him a little. That is impossible, your grace,

(07:50):
replied the mother. He is not pretty, but he has
a very good disposition and swims as well or even
better than the other. I think he will grow up pretty,
and perhaps be smaller. He has remained too long in
the egg, and therefore his figure is not properly formed.

(08:14):
And then she stroked his neck and smoothed the feather,
saying it's a drake, and therefore not of so much consequence.
I think he will grow up strong and able to
take care of himself. The other docklings are graceful enough,
said the old dock Now make yourself at home, and

(08:36):
if you can find an eels hagged, you can bring
it to me. And so they made themselves comfortable. But
the board dockling, who had crept out of his thrill
last of all and locked so ugly, was bitten and
pushed and made fun of, not only by the docks,

(08:58):
but by all poultry. He is sto big. The all
set and the turkey cock, who had been born into
the world with spurs and fantied himself really an emperor,
puff to himself out like a vessel in full sail,
and flew at the dockling and became quite red in

(09:20):
the head with passion, so that the poor little thing
didn't know where to go, and was quite miserable because
he was so ugly, and left that by the whole farmyard.
So it went on from day to day till it
got worse and worse. The poor dogling was driven about

(09:42):
by everyone. Even his brothers and sisters were unkind to
him and would say, ah, you ugly creature. I read
that cat would get you. And his mother said she
wished he had never been born. That ducks picked a him,
the chickens beat him, and the girl who fed the

(10:04):
poultry kicked him with her feet. So at last he
ran away, frightening the little birds and the hedge as
he flew over the paling. They are afraid of me
because I'm ugly, he said. So he closed his eyes
and flew still further until he came out on a
large moor inhabited by wild ducks. Here he remained the

(10:30):
whole night, feeling very tired and sorrowful. In the morning,
when the wild dogs rose in the air. They started
at their new comrade. What sort of duck are you,
they all said, coming round him. He bowed them and
was as polite as he could be, but he didn't

(10:52):
reply to their question. You are exceedingly ugly, said the
wild ducks. But that will not matter if you don't
want to marry one for our family. Poor thing, he
had no thoughts of marriage. All he wanted was permission
to lie among the rushes and drink some of the

(11:13):
water on the moor. After he had been on the
more two days, there came two wild geese, or rather ghostling,
for they hadn't been out of the egg long. And
we're very saucy. Listen, friend, said one of them, to
the tackling. You are so ugly that we were like

(11:37):
you very well, Well, you go with us and become
a bird of passage. Not far from here is another
morn in which there are some pretty wild geese, all unmarried.
It's a chance for you to get a wife. You
may be lucky ugly as you are. Ba sounded in

(12:01):
the air, and the two wild geese fell dead among
the rushes, and the water was tinged with blood. Pap
Pap echoed far and wide in the distance, and whole
flocks of wild geese rolled up from their rushes. The

(12:23):
sound continued from every direction for the sportsmen surrounded the moor,
and some were even seated on branches of trees overlooking
the rushes. The blue smoke from the guns rose like
clouds over the dark trees, and as it floated away

(12:44):
across the water, a number of sporting dogs bounded in
among the rushes, which bent beneath them wherever they went.
How they terrified the poor dockling. He turned away his
head to hide it under his wing, and at the
same moment a large, terrible dog passed quite near him.

(13:10):
His rows were open, his tongue hung from his mouth,
and his eyes glared fearfully. Prousted his nose close to
the duckling, showing his sharp teeth, and then he went
into the water without touching him. Oh, sighed the duckling.

(13:30):
How thankful I am for being so ugly. Even a
dog will not bite me. And so he lay quite
still while the shot rattled through the rushes, and gun
after gun was fired over him. It was late in
the day before all became quiet, but even then the
poor young thing didn't dare to move. He waited quietly

(13:54):
for several hours, and then, after looking carefully around him,
hastened away from the more as fast as he could.
He ran overfield and meadow till a storm aroused and
he could hardly struggle against it. Towards evening he reached
a poor, leathered cottage that seemed ready to fall, and

(14:15):
only remained standing because it couldn't decide on which side
to fall first. The storm continued so violent that the
duckling could go no further. He sat down by the cottage,
and then he noticed that the door wasn't quite closed,
in consequence of one of the hanks having given away.

(14:35):
He sat down by the cottage, and then he noticed
that the door wasn't quite closed in consequence of one
of the hanks having given way. There was therefore a
narrow opening near the button, large not for him to
slip through, which he did very quietly, and got a

(14:56):
shelter for the night. A woman and a hen lived
in this cottage. The tom cat, whom the mistress called
my little son, was a great favorite. If he could
raise his bag and purr, and could even throw out
sparks from his fur if it were struck the wrong way.

(15:19):
The hen had very short LIGs, so she was called
chiky short LIGs. She laid good eggs, and her mistress
loved her as if she had been her own child.
In the morning, the strange visitor was discovered, and the

(15:40):
tomcat began to purr, and the hand to clock. What
is that noise about? Said the old woman, looking round
the room. But her side wasn't very good. Therefore, when
she saw the duckling, she thought it must be a
fat dog that had strayed from home. Oh what a prize,

(16:08):
she exclaimed. I hope it's not a drake. From then
I shall have some ducks eggs I must wait to see.
So the duckling was allowed to remain on trail for
three weeks, but there were no eggs. Now. The tomcat

(16:28):
was the matter of the house, and the hen was mistress.
And they always said we and the world, for they
believed themselves to be half the world, and the better
have to The duckling thought that others might hold a

(16:49):
different opinion on the subject, but the hen wouldn't listen
to such doubts. Canny lay eggs, she asked, know, then,
have the goodness to hold your tongue. Can you raise
your back or purur or throughout sparks, said the tomcat. No,

(17:12):
then you have no right to express an opinion when
sensible people are speaking. So the duckling sat in a
corner feeling very low spirited till the sunshine and the
fresh air came into the room through the open door.
And then he began to feel such a great longing
for a swim on the water that he couldn't help

(17:35):
telling the hen, what an absorbed idea, said the hen.
You have nothing else to do, therefore you have foolish fancies.
If you could pre lay eggs, they would pass away.
But it is so delightful to swim about on the water,

(17:56):
said the duckling, And so refreshing to feel close over
your head while you dive down the bottom. Delightful, indeed,
said the hen. Why you must be crazy, asked the cat.
He is the cleverest animal I know. Ask him how

(18:18):
he would like to swim about in the water, or
to do under it? For I will not speak of
my own opinion, asked our mistress, the old woman. There
is no one in the world more cleverer than she is.
Do you think she would like to swim or to
lead the water cloth over her head. You do not

(18:40):
understand me, said the dogling. We do not understand you.
Who can understand you? I wonder do you consider yourself
more clever than the cat or the old woman. I
will say nothing of myself. Don't imagine touching nothing since child,

(19:01):
and thank your good fortune that you have been received. Here.
Are you not in a warm room and in society
from which you may learn something? But you are a
chatter and your company isn't very agreeable. Believe me, I
speak only for your own good. I may tell you

(19:25):
unpleasant truths, but that is a proof of my friendship.
I advise you, therefore, to lay eggs and learn to
pray as quickly as possible. I believe I must go
out into the world again, said the duckling. Yes do,

(19:46):
said the hen. So the duckling left the cottage and
soon found water on which it could swim and dive,
but was avoided by all other animals because of its
ugly appearance. Autumn came and the leaves in the forest

(20:07):
turned to orange and gold. Then as winter approached, the
wind caught them as they fly and wild them in
the cold air. Then as winter approached, the wind caught
them as they fell and whirled them in the cold air.
The clouds, heavy with hail and snowflakes, hung low in

(20:32):
the sky, and the raven stood on the ferns crying
ckirk cirk. It made one shiver with cold to look
at him. All this was very sad for the poor
little duckling. One evening, just as the sun sit amid

(20:55):
radiant cloud, there came a large flock of beautiful birds
out of the bust. The duckling had never seen any
like them before. They were swans, and they curved their
graceful necks while their soft plumage shone with dazzling whiteness.

(21:19):
They uttered a singular cry as they spread their glorious
wings and flew away from those cold visions to warmer
countries across the sea. As they mounted higher and higher
in the air, the ugly little duckling felt quite as

(21:40):
strange sensation as he watched them. He whirled himself in
the water like a wheel, stretched out his neck toward them,
and uttered a cry so strained that it frightened himself.
Could he ever forget those beautiful, happy birds and When

(22:06):
at last they were out of his sight, he divided
under the water and rose again, almost beside himself with excitement.
He knew not the name of these birds, nor where
he had flown, but he felt toward them as he
had never fell for any other bird in the world.

(22:30):
He wasn't envious of these beautiful creatures, but wished to
be as lovely as a poor, ugly creature. How gladly
he would have lived even with the ducks, had they
only given him encouragement. The winter grew colder and colder.

(22:51):
He was obliged to swim about on the water to
keep it from freezing, but every night the space on
which he swam became smaller and smaller. At lengths it
froze so hard that the ice in the water crackled
as he moved, and the dockling had to paddle with

(23:14):
his legs as well as he could to keep the
space flum closing up. He became exhausted at last and
lay still and helpless, frozen fast in the ice. Early
in the morning, a peasant who was passing by saw
what had happened. He broke the eyes in pieces with

(23:37):
his wooden shoe and carried the dockling home to his wife.
The warmth revived the poor little creature, but when the
children wanted to play with him, the dockling thought they
would do him so harm, so he started up in terror,
fluttered into the milk pan, and splattered the milk about

(24:00):
the room. Then the woman clapped her hands, which frightened
him still more. He flew first into the butter cask,
then into the melltop, and out again. What a condition
he was in. The woman screamed and struck at him

(24:22):
with the tongues. The children laughed and screamed and tumbled
over each other and their efforts to catch him. But
luckily he escaped. The door stood open. That poor creature
could just manage to slip out among the bush and
lie down, quite exhausted. In newly falling show where I

(24:46):
to relate all the misery and privations which the poor
little duckling endured during the hard winter. But when it
had passed, he found him himself lying one morning in
a moor amongst the rushes. He felled the warm sun shining,

(25:10):
and heard the lark singing, and saw that all around
was beautiful spring. Then the young bird felt that his
wings were strung as he flapped them against his sides
and rose high into the air. They bore him on
words until he found himself in a large garden. Before

(25:35):
he really knew how it had happened. The apple trees
were in full blossom, and the fragrant elders bent their
long green branches down the stream, which wound round a
smooth lawn. Everything looked beautiful in the freshness of early spring.

(25:56):
From a second close by came three beautiful white swam
rustling their feathers and swimming lightly over the smooth water.
The duckling remembered the lovely birds and felt more strangely
unhappy than ever. I will fly to those royal birds,

(26:17):
he exclaimed, and they will kill me because I'm so
ugly and dare to approach them. But it doesn't matter.
Bitter be killed by them, then picked by the ducks,
beaten by the heads, pushed about by the maiden who
feeds the poultry, or starved with hunger in the winter.

(26:39):
Then he flew to the water and swam towards the
beautiful swamps. The moment they espied the stranger, they washed
me too, without a stretch's wing. Kill me, said the
poor bird, and he bent his head down to the
surface of the water and awaited death. But what did

(27:03):
he see in the clear stream blow his own image?
No longer a dark gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to
look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan. To be
borne in a duck's nest in a farm yard is

(27:23):
of no consequence to a bird if its hatchet from
a swan's egg. He now felt glad and having suffered
sorrow and trouble, because it enabled him to enjoy so
much better all the pleasure and happiness around him. For

(27:45):
the great swans swam round the newcomer and stroked his
necks with their beaks as a welcome into the garden.
Presently came some little children and threw bread and cake
into the water. See, cried the youngest, there is a

(28:08):
no one. And the rest were delighted and drown to
their father and mother, dancing and clapping their hands and
shouting joyoufully. There was another swain come, and no one
has arrived. Then they threw more bread and cake into

(28:28):
the water, and said, then no one is the most
beautiful of all. He is so young and pretty. And
the old swans bowed their heads before him. Then he
felt quite ashamed and hid his head under his wing,
for he didn't know what to do. He was so happy,

(28:52):
and yet not at all proud. He had been persecuted
and despised from his ugliness, and now he heard them
say he was the most beautiful of all the birds.
Even the elder tree bent down its boughs into the
water before him, and the sun shone warm and bright.

(29:14):
Then he rustled his feathers, curved his slender neck, and
cried joyfully from the depths of his heart. I never
dreamed of such happiness as this, while it was an
ugly duckling. The End of the Ugly Duckling by Hans

(29:36):
Christian Andersen