At the door of the church stood an old soldier, who leaned upon a crutch and had a marvelously long beard that was not white but red. The family went to hear the word of God; but she went alone into her little chamber; there was only room for a bed and chair to stand in it; and here she sat down with her Prayer-Book; and whilst she read with a pious mind, the wind bore the strains of the organ towards her, and she raised her tearful countenance, and said, "O God, help me! The old lady gave the soldier a half-penny and went with Karen into the church. She sat in the pew with the clergyman's family, and when they had ended the psalm and looked up, they nodded and said, "It is right that thou art come!". "The Red Shoes" (Danish: "De røde Skoe") is a short story for children by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. She thought it was the round, red moon, for she saw a face; but no, it was the old soldier with the red beard, who sat and nodded, saying, “See what pretty dancing shoes!”. ", And Karen believed all this happened on account of the red shoes, but the old lady thought they were horrible, and they were burnt. Then she knew that the old lady was dead, and felt that she was abandoned by all, and condemned by the angel of God. All Rights Reserved. All that week she endured the keenest sorrow and shed many bitter tears. "Now I have suffered enough for the red shoes!" said she. Dance thou shalt—dance on!”. The whole week she was unhappy, and wept many bitter tears; but when Sunday returned, she said, "Well, now I have suffered and struggled enough! Now the old lady was sick, and it was said she could not recover. In the middle of the village lived old Dame Shoemaker; she sat and sewed together, as well as she could, a little pair of shoes out of old red strips of cloth; they were very clumsy, but it was a kind thought. Now Karen was old enough to be confirmed; she had new clothes and was to have new shoes also. “Mind you do not let them slip off when you dance,” and he passed his hands over them. Her heart was so filled with sunshine, peace, and joy that it broke, and her soul was borne by a sunbeam up to God, where there was nobody to ask about the red shoes. One day this good woman made, as well as she could, a little pair of shoes out of some strips of old red cloth. The user will thus be able to perform great dance moves whilst wearing these shoes, without having to practice the particular moves beforehand. It was first published in 1845. I really believe I am as good as many a one who sits in the church, and holds her head so high!". Karen was then dressed in neat, well-fitting clothes and taught to read and sew. And the old lady gave the old soldier alms, and went into the church with Karen. All the children came to love her, but when they spoke of beauty and finery, she would shake her head and turn away. "Now I will go into the church that people may see me!" “Oh, look, what smart little dancing pumps!” said the old soldier. On the very day her mother was buried, Karen received the red shoes, and wore them for the first time. And away she went boldly; but she had not got farther than the churchyard gate before she saw the red shoes dancing before her; and she was frightened, and turned back, and repented of her sin from her heart. 03-01-2021 Fairy tale: The shoes that were danced to pieces - Grimm. Till thy skin shrivels up and thou art a skeleton! The shoemaker said also they had been made for the child of a count, but had not fitted. They seemed to have grown fast to her feet. Translator: Unknown
I cannot come in, for I must dance.”, The man said, “Do you know who I am and what I do?”, “Yes,” said Karen; “but do not strike off my head, for then I could not live to repent of my sin. The organ pealed, and the chorus of children’s voices mingled sweetly with it. "See, what beautiful dancing shoes!" Notes: "Andersen's fairy tales" contains 18 of H.C. Andersen's most notable fairy tales. On Sunday, when they all went to church, they asked her if she would not go, too, but she looked sad and bade them go without her. She sat in the seat with the rest of the clergyman’s household, and when the psalm was ended, they nodded and said, “Thou didst well to come, Karen!”, “This is mercy,” said she. Publisher: Unknown. The shoes were clumsy enough, to be sure, but they fitted the little girl tolerably well, and anyway the woman’s intention was kind. Strange to say, when she wanted to move to the right the shoes bore her to the left; and when she wished to dance up the room the shoes persisted in going down the room. This is not the original cover. She said that it was a shocking thing to do, that it was very improper, and that Karen was always to go to church in future in black shoes, even if they were old. She sat still and listened when the clergyman read the Bible in the evenings. As before, every one saw Karen’s red shoes, and all the carved figures too bent their gaze upon them. “Thou shalt dance,” he said, “in thy red shoes, till thou art pale and cold, and till thy body is wasted like a skeleton. But before she reached the churchyard gate the red shoes were dancing there, and she turned back again in terror, more deeply sorrowful than ever for her sin. Surely nothing in the world could be compared to those red shoes. 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