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The Little Match Girl – Part I

by Hans Christian Andersen

It was terribly cold; the snow was falling, and the dark evening was setting in; it was the last evening of the year—New Year’s Eve.

In this cold and uncomfortable darkness a poor little girl, bareheaded and barefooted, was walking through the streets. She had certainly had some sort of slippers on when she left her home, but they were not of much use to her, as they were very large slippers. Her mother had used them last, so you can guess they were large ones. As the little girl ran across the street just as two carriages were passing at a terrible rate, she lost the slippers. One of the slippers could not be found, and the other a boy ran away with. He said he would use it for a cradle when he got children of his own.

There was the little girl walking about on her naked little feet; they were red and blue with cold. In an old pinafore she had some bundles of matches, and in her hand she carried one of them. No one had bought anything of her the whole day, and no one had given her a penny. Hungry and shivering, she passed on, poor little girl, looking the very picture of misery. The snowflakes fell on her long yellow hair, which curled itself so beautifully about her neck; but of course, she had no thoughts for such vanities. Lights were shining in all the windows, and there was such a delicious smell of roast goose in the street. „Ah! it is New Year’s Eve,” she thought.

Over in a corner between two houses—the one projected a little beyond the other—she crouched down, with her little feet drawn up under her; but she felt colder and colder, and she dared not go home, for she had not sold any matches or got a single penny; her father would beat her, and, besides, it was just as cold at home. They certainly had a roof over their heads, but through this the wind whistled, although they had stopped the largest cracks with rags and straw. Her little hands were quite benumbed with cold. Ah! a match might do some good. If she only dared to take one out of the bundle and rub it against the wall and warm her fingers over the flame! She took one out—ratch!—how it spurted, how it burned! It was a warm, clear flame, just like a little candle, when she held her hand round it. It was a wonderful light; the little girl thought she was sitting right before a great iron stove with bright brass feet and brass mountings.

Słownictwo

across the street – w poprzek ulicy

although – jakkolwiek, pomimo że

barefoot – boso

barefooted – bosy

bareheaded – z gołą głową / bez czapki

to beat – bić

to benumb – paraliżować

besides – zresztą, poza tym

beyond – ponad

brass – mosiężne / z mosiądzu

bundle – wiązka, pakiet

bundle of matches – wiązka/garść zapałek

carriages – karoce

certainly – z pewnością

cradle – kołyska

to crouch – przykucnąć

dark – mrok

delicious – pyszny, smaczny

flame – płomień

to guess – zgadywać

iron stove – żeliwny piecyk

might – móc

mountings – uchwyty

naked – nagi

New Year’s Eve – Sylwester

not of much use – niezbyt przydatne

penny – grosik

picture of misery – obraz nędzy i rozpaczy

pinafore – fartuszek

rags – szmaty, gałganki

ratch! – trzask!

rate – tempo

roast goose – pieczona gęś

to shiver – trząść się, drżeć

slippers – kapcie, chodaki

to spurt – tryskać, buchać

straw – słomka / słoma

terribly – strasznie

uncomfortable – niewygodny, niepokojący

vanity – próźność

*Autor ilustracji: Jeroen Kransen*