This is a title from one of Anderson's tales, incidentally my favourite one. I have always loved Andsrson's fairy tales, Grimms fairy tales, and Aesop's Fables. Which makes me wonder, why does no one write stories like that anymore?
Anyway Ib and Christine is one of his lesser known stories. In fact, I only came across it once, by sheer luck. All the Anderson's tales I have, all contain the more well-known stories, but not this. Yet this is the story that stuck in my mind until now. I remember crying when I first read the story.
Recently I added an application called "Stories of Hans Christian Anderson". In the description, it was stated as his complete collection. So I scrolled through the contents and managed to find the story!
I started reading again. The story is about two young kids - a farmer's boy called Ib and a fisherman's girl called Christine. They are best friends.
One day they got lost in a forest and could not get out. On the way they met a gypsy woman who seemed to appear out of nowhere. She gave them three nuts and told them those were wishing nuts.
Christine asked if she could wish for a golden carriage with lots of horses. The gypsy woman said yes, so Ib gave her the nut.
Christine then asked if she could wish for many pretty dresses and the gypsy woman said yes. So Ib gave her the nut too.
Finally it came to the last nut which Christine told Ib to keep. The gypsy woman then said that would be the best nut as the best things would come from there.
Then the gypsy woman showed them the way out of the woods. Ib went home and opened his nut but there was nothing inside but black earth.
Years passed. Ib took over the farm while Christine went to the city and became a housekeeper to a rich household. On one of her visits back, Ib asked her to marry him. She agreed and he said he would marry her once he saved up enough.
Few months later, Ib received a letter from Christine, saying the young master of the house had come back and taken in with her. He would like to marry her and his parents had given their blessings. However she hesitated as she was still keeping her promise to wait for Ib.
Ib knew Christine would not have a good life with him, hence he wrote back and gave his blessings. Thus, Christine's dream of a big carriage with many horses and pretty dresses had come true.
More years passed. One day, while farming as usual, Ib struck a piece of stone in the earth. He went to the local clergy who told him it was worth a fortune and advised him to go to the city to change the stone to cash.
So Ib left for the city and the stone was indeed worth a fortune. He was now a rich man. While wondering about in the city, he saw a little girl who looked a lot like Christine. He followed her home to one of the poorest districts, where the girl's mother lied, sick and dying.
Ib recognized the lady as Christine. Apparently her husband had gone bankrupt, and unable to pay his debts, he had killed himself. Christine herself got ill and as she was dying, she wanted Ib to take care of her daughter, also called Christine.
Ib was not sure if Christine recognized him, but he promised to look after the little girl. He brought the little girl back to the farm and became both a father and mother to her.
So for Ib, the best things in life indeed came from the dark earth - he found treasure, and his Christine had come back to him.
As I finished reading the story again, tears welled up in my eyes again. I remember reading this story as a little girl, and cried. Now, halfway through my life, I still cry after reading this.
I think everyone wants to believe in true love and fairy tales. While this is not a conventional fairy tale like boy meets girl, falls in love, marry, and live happily ever after, yet this story is just so much more real and pure.
Afterall, do we girls not hope for someone, not a prince charming who sweeps us off our feet, but a simple man who loves us so much that he can let us go for a better life? And give us the best things in life while he is satisfied with something small? And adopt our children when we die?
If this is not pure true love, then what is it? And that is why I love it, and still get touched by the love and selflessness shown by the hero.
I am so glad I found this story again, and can keep reading and reading from now on!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Anyway Ib and Christine is one of his lesser known stories. In fact, I only came across it once, by sheer luck. All the Anderson's tales I have, all contain the more well-known stories, but not this. Yet this is the story that stuck in my mind until now. I remember crying when I first read the story.
Recently I added an application called "Stories of Hans Christian Anderson". In the description, it was stated as his complete collection. So I scrolled through the contents and managed to find the story!
I started reading again. The story is about two young kids - a farmer's boy called Ib and a fisherman's girl called Christine. They are best friends.
One day they got lost in a forest and could not get out. On the way they met a gypsy woman who seemed to appear out of nowhere. She gave them three nuts and told them those were wishing nuts.
Christine asked if she could wish for a golden carriage with lots of horses. The gypsy woman said yes, so Ib gave her the nut.
Christine then asked if she could wish for many pretty dresses and the gypsy woman said yes. So Ib gave her the nut too.
Finally it came to the last nut which Christine told Ib to keep. The gypsy woman then said that would be the best nut as the best things would come from there.
Then the gypsy woman showed them the way out of the woods. Ib went home and opened his nut but there was nothing inside but black earth.
Years passed. Ib took over the farm while Christine went to the city and became a housekeeper to a rich household. On one of her visits back, Ib asked her to marry him. She agreed and he said he would marry her once he saved up enough.
Few months later, Ib received a letter from Christine, saying the young master of the house had come back and taken in with her. He would like to marry her and his parents had given their blessings. However she hesitated as she was still keeping her promise to wait for Ib.
Ib knew Christine would not have a good life with him, hence he wrote back and gave his blessings. Thus, Christine's dream of a big carriage with many horses and pretty dresses had come true.
More years passed. One day, while farming as usual, Ib struck a piece of stone in the earth. He went to the local clergy who told him it was worth a fortune and advised him to go to the city to change the stone to cash.
So Ib left for the city and the stone was indeed worth a fortune. He was now a rich man. While wondering about in the city, he saw a little girl who looked a lot like Christine. He followed her home to one of the poorest districts, where the girl's mother lied, sick and dying.
Ib recognized the lady as Christine. Apparently her husband had gone bankrupt, and unable to pay his debts, he had killed himself. Christine herself got ill and as she was dying, she wanted Ib to take care of her daughter, also called Christine.
Ib was not sure if Christine recognized him, but he promised to look after the little girl. He brought the little girl back to the farm and became both a father and mother to her.
So for Ib, the best things in life indeed came from the dark earth - he found treasure, and his Christine had come back to him.
As I finished reading the story again, tears welled up in my eyes again. I remember reading this story as a little girl, and cried. Now, halfway through my life, I still cry after reading this.
I think everyone wants to believe in true love and fairy tales. While this is not a conventional fairy tale like boy meets girl, falls in love, marry, and live happily ever after, yet this story is just so much more real and pure.
Afterall, do we girls not hope for someone, not a prince charming who sweeps us off our feet, but a simple man who loves us so much that he can let us go for a better life? And give us the best things in life while he is satisfied with something small? And adopt our children when we die?
If this is not pure true love, then what is it? And that is why I love it, and still get touched by the love and selflessness shown by the hero.
I am so glad I found this story again, and can keep reading and reading from now on!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
0 comments:
Post a Comment