Nutcracker and Mouse King - The Battle 5

"Nutcracker and Mouse King" is a classic German Christmas story written by E. T. A. Hoffmann, first published in 1816. The tale is known for its adaptation into the popular ballet "The Nutcracker" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.The story revolves around a young girl named Marie Stahlbaum, who receives a special wooden nutcracker doll as a Christmas gift from her godfather, Drosselmeyer. Marie's family is hosting a Christmas Eve party, and during the festivities, the nutcracker is broken by her brother Fritz. Later that night, Marie returns to the living room to check on her beloved nutcracker, and she finds herself drawn into a magical world of adventure.Marie discovers that her nutcracker has come to life, and he leads her into a fantastical realm inhabited by toys, where they must confront the nefarious Mouse King and his army of mice. With the help of the Nutcracker and other enchanting characters, including the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Snow Queen, Marie embarks on a journey to defeat the Mouse King and restore peace to the Land of Sweets.The story combines elements of fantasy, fairy tale, and Christmas magic, and it explores themes of bravery, transformation, and the power of imagination. E. T. A. Hoffmann's "Nutcracker and Mouse King" has been adapted and retold numerous times over the years, becoming a beloved holiday tradition for many, particularly through the ballet version choreographed by Marius Petipa and set to Tchaikovsky's iconic music.



















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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Chapter five of Nutcracker and Mouse Kingby E. T. A. Hoffmann.
This LibriVox recording is in the publicdomain. The battle beat the march
true vassal drummer screamed Nutcracker very loudly, and immediately the drummer began to rattle
and to roll upon his drum soskillfully that the windows of the glass case

(00:24):
trembled and hummed again. Now itrustled and clattered therein, and Maria perceived
that the covers of the little boxesin which Fred's army were quartered were bursting
open. And now the soldiers leapedout, and then down again upon their
lowest shelf, where they drew upin fine array. Nutcracker ran up and

(00:47):
down, speaking inspiring words to thetroops. Let no dog of a trumpeter
blow or stir, he cried angrily, for he was afraid he should not
be heard, And then earned quicklyto Harlequin, who had grown a little
pale and chattered with his long chin. General, he said, earnestly,

(01:11):
I know your courage and your experience. There is need now for a quickye
and skill to seize the proper moment. I intrust to your command all the
cavalry and artillery. You do notneed a horse, for you have very
long legs and can gallop yourself tolerably. Well. I look to see you

(01:34):
do your duty. Thereupon Harlequin puthis long, thin fingers to his mouth
and crowed so piercingly that it soundedas if a hundred shrill trumpets were blown
merrily. Then it stirred again inthe glass case. A neighing, and
a whinnying, and a stamping wereheard. And see Fred's curasir and dragoons,

(02:00):
but above all his new splendid huzzahsmarched out and halted close by the
case. Regiment after regiment now defiledbefore Nutcracker with flying colors and warlike music,
and ranged themselves in long rows acrossthe floor of the chamber. Before

(02:23):
them went Fred's cannon rattling along,surrounded by the cannoneers, and soon boom,
boom it went. And Maria couldsee how the mice suffered by the
fire, how the sugar plums plungedinto their dark, heavy mass, covering
them with white powder and throwing themmore than once into shameful disorder. But

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the greatest damage was done them bya heavy battery that was mounted upon Mamma's
footstool, which Pum Pum kept upa steady fire of carraway seeds against the
enemy, by which a great manyof them fell. The mice, notwithstanding,
came nearer and nearer, and atlast mastered some of the cannon.

(03:07):
But then it went poa pah,and Maria could scarcely see what now happened
for the smoke and dust. This, however, was certain that each corp
fought with the greatest animosity, andthe victory was for a long time doubtful.
The mice kept deploying more and moreforces, and the little silver shot,

(03:30):
which they fired very skillfully, strucknow even into the glass case.
Clara and Trutchen ran around in despair. Must I die in the blossom of
youth? Said Clara? Have Iso well preserved myself for this to perish
here in these walls, cried trutching. Then they fell about each other's necks

(03:53):
and screamed so terribly that they couldbe heard above the mad tumult of the
battle, of a scene that nowpresented itself. You can have no idea
good reader. It went puff,piff, clitter, clatter, boom,
baroom, bomb, baroom bomb inthe wildest confusion, while the mouse king

(04:17):
and mice squeaked and screamed. Andnow and then the mighty voice of Nutcracker
was heard as he gave the necessaryorders, and he was seen striding along
through the battalions in the hottest ofthe fire. Harlequin had made some splendid
charges with his cavalry and covered himselfwith honor. But Fred's hussars were battered

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by the enemy's artillery with odious offensiveballs, which made dreadful spots in their
red jackets, for which reason theywould not move forward. Harlequin ordered them
to draw off to the left,and in the enthusiasm of command, headed
the movement, and the queerers,ears and dragoons followed. That is,

(05:04):
they all drew off to the leftand galloped home. By this step,
the battery upon the footstool was exposedto great danger, and it was not
long before a strong body of veryugly mice pushed on with such determined bravery
that the footstool, cannons, cannoneersand all were overthrown by their headlong charge.

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Nutcracker seemed a little disturbed at this, and gave orders that the right
wing should make a retreating movement.You know very well, o, my
military reader, Frederick, that tomake such a movement is almost the same
thing as to run away. Andyou are now grieving with me at the
disaster which impends over the army ofMaria's Darling Nutcracker. But turn your eyes

(05:50):
from this scene and view the leftwing, where all is still in good
order, and where there is yetgreat hope, both for the general and
the army. During the hottest ofthe fight, large masses of mice cavalry
have debouched softly from under the settee, and amid loud and hideous squeaking,

(06:11):
had thrown themselves with fury upon theleft wing. But what an obstinate resistance
did they meet with there? Slowly, as the difficult nature of the ground
required for the edge of the glasscase had to be traversed, the China
figures had advanced, headed by twoChinese emperors, and formed themselves into a

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hollow square. These brave, motleybut noble troops, which were composed of
gardeners, tyrelles, bonzes, frazieurs, merry andrews, cupids, lions,
tigers, peacocks and apes, foughtwith coolness, courage, and determination.

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By their spartan bravery, this battalityof picked men would have rested the victory
from the foe, had not abold major rushed madly from the enemy's ranks
and bitten off the head of oneof the Chinese emperors, who, in
falling, dashed to the ground.Two bonzies and a cupid. Through this
gap, the enemy penetrated into thesquare, and in a few moments the

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whole battalion was torn to pieces.Their brave resistance therefore was of no avail
to Nutcracker's army, which, oncehaving begun to retreat, retired farther and
father, and at every step withdiminished numbers, until the unfortunate Nutcracker halted

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with a little band close before theglass case. Let the reserve advance.
Harlequin, scaramouche, drummer, Whereare you? Thus cried Nutcracker, in
hopes of new troops which should deployout of the glass case. And there
actually came forth a few brown menand women made of sweet thorn, with

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golden faces and caps and helmets.But they fought around so awkwardly that they
did not hit one of the enemy, and at last knocked the cap off
their own general's head. The enemieschausseurs too, bit off their legs before
long, so that they tumbled overand carried with them to the ground some

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of the nutcrackers best officers. Nutcracker, now completely surrounded by the foe,
was in the greatest peril. Hetried to leap over the edge into the
glass case, but found his legstoo short. Clara and Trutchen lay each

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in a deep swoon. They couldnot help him. Huszar's dragoons sprang merrily
by him into safe quarters, andin wild despair, he cried, ah
horse, a horse, a kingdomfor a horse. At this moment,
two of the enemy's taias seized himby his wooden mantle, and the mouse

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king, squeaking from his seven throats, leaped in triumph towards him. Maria
could no longer control herself. Ohmy poor Nutcracker. She cried, sobbing,
and without being exactly conscious of whatshe did, grasped her left shoe
and threw it with all her strengthinto the thickest of the mice, straight

(09:31):
at their king. In an instant, all seemed scattered and dispersed, but
Maria felt in her left arm astill sharper pain than before, and sank
in a swoon to the floor.End of chapter five.