Andersen_The_Improvisatore.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']


my bed lay a kneeling figure, and wept.
saw then that beheld reality before me, fliat
my horror was only that of wild fever-dream.

** ! !" exclaimed pressed
her hands before her eyes. what had
said in my delirium? thought stood
vividly before my remembrance, and read
in eyes that she had been witness to
my heart's confessions.

** fever is over," whispered .

"; feel myself much better much
better," exclaimed , and looked at .
rose up, and was about to leave the room.

" not go from me!" prayed, and
stretched forth my hands after her.

remained, and stood silently blushing
before me.




delirious dieam ! 1 feel
my ! whole lif
a strange dream. b
before! heard my
turn, at . km
feel it ; life is so short, w
each other our hands in 1

extended my hand loi
it to her lips.

" love thee ; have ab
; and, without a word,
beside me.

, says the
order, and created the
loving heart creation ren
ria's eyes drank in life
me. a few days
alone in the little room, ^
breathed forth fragrant



. 321

made no mistake ; and were one
and the same person.

** have always loved thee !" said she. "
song awoke longing and pain in my. breast,
when was blind and solitary with my dreams,
and knew only the fragrance of the violets.
the warm sun! how its beams burned thy
kiss into my forehead into my heart!
blind possess only a spiritual world ; and in
that beheld thee ! night after heard
thy improvisation in the of , at
, 1 had a singular dream, which blended
itself with reality. gipsy-woman had told
me my fortune that 1 should again receive my
sight. dreamed about her, dreamed that she
said must go with , my old foster-
father, and sail across the sea to ; that
in the 's should receive again the
light of my eyes ; that the of would
give me herbs, which, like 's, should
enable my eyes again to behold 's world.
dream was repeated again the same night.
told itto , but he only shook his head.

" next night, in the morning-hour, be
dreamed it himself, on which he said, '
he the power ot ; the bad spirits must
even obey her!'

" arose ; he spread the sail, and we flew

p2



the different countries of
" boiled the herbs
my eyes. day, ho
came to ; he c;
where lay, and, afiecte
sire which expressed
world, he promised me i
ue with him to
great magnificence of 11
came very fond of me ;
other a more beauti
soul. remained with
, after a beloved s
.

" day br
treasure, and said that il
he said, was at band ; '
his last strength in brin;
ritance ; and his words '
man. saw him expiri



. 323

and the treasure which he had brought. knew
no more than that which he had said, that the
spirit in the glittering cave had given him this.
knew that we had always lived in poverty.
could not be a pirate ^he was so pious ;
every little gift he divided with me."

then told her how singularly her life's ad-
venture had blended itself with mine ; how
had seen her with the old man in the wonder-
ful grotto. the old man himself took the
heavy vessel would not tell her, but told
her that gave her the herbs.

'* ," exclaimed she, *' the spirit sank into
the earth as it reached to me the herbs!
told me."

" appeared so to him," returned ; ''
was debilitated ; my feet could not sustain me ;
sank on my knees, and then fainted among
the long green grass."

wondrously glittering world in which
we had met was the indissoluble the firm knot
between the supernatural and the real.

" love is of the spiritual world ! '* ex-
claimed ; '^ all our love tended towards the
world of spirits ; towards that we advance in
our earthly life ; wherefore, then, not believe
in it? is precisely the great reality !"



324 .

)irc^s('! to my heart; she was beautiful at
i-lie the first time saw her.

" recognised thee by thy when first
hecinl tliec in ," said she: " my heart
iiirpi'lU'd me towards thee; &ncy that eren
in tin: church, before the face of the of
, 1 should have fallen at thy feet, saw
tlicc ; learned to valne thee more and
nmri^; was conducted, as it were, a second
liiiiu into thy life's concerns, when
huiliii me as tby bride ! thou repelledet
1IK' ; siiiit that thou wuuldst nerer love again!
nc'i cr wrtuldst gire thy hand to any woman
iilioncd . , or




. 326

knew of the happiness of our love.
gladly would 1 have told it to .
had, during my sickness, visited me many
times during the day. saw, that, he looked
extremely pale, when, after had left my
room, pressed him to my heart in the clear
light of the sun.

" to us this evening, ," said
the to him ; " hut come without fail.
will only find here the family, ,
and two or three other friends."

was festally arranged.

** is really as if it were to be a name's
day," said .

conducted him and the other
friends to the little chapel, where gave
me her hand. bouquet of blue violets was
fastened in her dark hair blind girl of
stood seeing, and doubly beautiful,
before me. was mine.

congratulated us. rejoicing was
great. sang merrily, and drank health
upon health.

" have lost my wager," said , ** but
lose it gladly, because my loss is the winning
of my happiness," and impressed a kiss on
's lips.




iiappiness ot love 19 a re

days after ilie bri
us from . wi
bad been purchased for
since the bridal
ceived a letter from him
" 1 won the wager, an
was not to be met
some time my conjecture
had loved .
of gladness, but though
heart

thought
myeelf had won iiifinitel
she, , and
choice.
whole face as he congratu
the old acquatntani
in 1837, ; he

. whfrp fnr ...



. 327

the 6th of , 1834, a great many
strangers were assembled in the at
, on the island of . attention
of all was attracted by a young lady
of extraordinary beauty, whose lovely dark
eyes rested on her husband, who gave her his
arm. was and . had now been
married three happy years, and were visiting,
on a journey to , the island of ,
where the most wonderful event of our life
occurred, and where it would clear itself up.

one corner of the room stood an elderly
lady, and held a little child in her arms.
foreign gentleman, tolerably tall and somewhat
pale, with strong features, and dressed in a blue
frock-coat, approached the child, laughed with
it, and was transported with its loveliness ; he
spoke , but to the child a few
words ; gave merry leaps to make it laugh ;
and then gave it his mouth to kiss. asked
what was its name? and the old lady, my
beloved , said it was .

** lovely name!" said he, and kissed the
little one mine and 's.

advanced to him ; he was : there
was still a countryman of his in the room, a
grave little man, with an intelligent look, and




dark north.

went down to th

of those iitile boats w

take out strangers to

island. boat held

sat at each end, and the

saw the clear water

my remembrance with

rower worked his oai

in which and wei

y'nh the speed of an

sight of the amphithe.

island, where the green i

trees crown the cliffs; i

wall rose up perpendicul

water was blue as

blue billows struck again

the blood-red sea-npples i

were now on the

island, and saw only the



. 329

" 's !" exclaimed , and all
the recollections of it awoke in my soul.

", the 's ! " said the rower;
"it was called so formerly; but now people
know what it is ! "

then told us about the two
painters. and , who three years
before had ventured to swim into it, and thus
discovered the extraordinary beauty of the
place, which now all strangers visit.

n eared the opening, which raised itself
scarcely more than an ell above the blue
shining sea. rower took in his oars ; and
we were obliged to stretch ourselves out in the
boat, which he guided with his hands, and we
glided into a dark depth below the monstrous
rocks which were laved by the great -
ranean. heard breathe heavily; there
was something strangely fearful in it; but, in
hardly more than a moment, we were in an
immensely large vault, where all gleamed like
the ether. water below us was like a blue
burning fire, which lighted up the whole.
around was closed ; but below the water, the
little opening by which we had entered pro-
longed itself almost to the bottom of the sea, to
forty fathoms in depth, and expanded itself to




thing gave back
the rocky arch all si
consolidated air, and b
water-drops which
motion of the oars, droj
been fresh roBe-teavea.

was a fairy world
the mind, folded h
were like mine.
before here, had the
their treasure, when no
proach the spot. ^
appearance cleared up in
passed over into the spit
always here in human li
from the seed of the fl
mortal souls, appears a i
will not believe in miraci

little opening to
shone like a clear star wi



.



331



the cave. was contemplation and devotion.
, as well as the , felt
here that miracles still exist.

'' water rises!" said one of the seamen.
* must go out, or else the opening will be
closed ; and then we shall have to remain here
till the water falls again ! "

left the singularly beaming cave ; the
great open sea lay outstretched before us, and
behind us the dark opening of the
.