TRUYỆN CỔ ANDERSEN - Trang 1084

shadowy picture vanished away. Onward the whole day they flew through
the air like a winged arrow, yet more slowly than usual, for they had their
sister to carry. The weather seemed inclined to be stormy, and Eliza
watched the sinking sun with great anxiety, for the little rock in the ocean
was not yet in sight. It appeared to her as if the swans were making great
efforts with their wings. Alas! she was the cause of their not advancing
more quickly. When the sun set, they would change to men, fall into the sea
and be drowned. Then she offered a prayer from her inmost heart, but still
no appearance of the rock. Dark clouds came nearer, the gusts of wind told
of a coming storm, while from a thick, heavy mass of clouds the lightning
burst forth flash after flash. The sun had reached the edge of the sea, when
the swans darted down so swiftly, that Eliza’s head trembled; she believed
they were falling, but they again soared onward. Presently she caught sight
of the rock just below them, and by this time the sun was half hidden by the
waves. The rock did not appear larger than a seal’s head thrust out of the
water. They sunk so rapidly, that at the moment their feet touched the rock,
it shone only like a star, and at last disappeared like the last spark in a piece
of burnt paper. Then she saw her brothers standing closely round her with
their arms linked together. There was but just room enough for them, and
not the smallest space to spare. The sea dashed against the rock, and
covered them with spray. The heavens were lighted up with continual
flashes, and peal after peal of thunder rolled. But the sister and brothers sat
holding each other’s hands, and singing hymns, from which they gained
hope and courage. In the early dawn the air became calm and still, and at
sunrise the swans flew away from the rock with Eliza. The sea was still
rough, and from their high position in the air, the white foam on the dark
green waves looked like millions of swans swimming on the water. As the
sun rose higher, Eliza saw before her, floating on the air, a range of
mountains, with shining masses of ice on their summits. In the centre, rose a
castle apparently a mile long, with rows of columns, rising one above
another, while, around it, palm-trees waved and flowers bloomed as large as
mill wheels. She asked if this was the land to which they were hastening.
The swans shook their heads, for what she beheld were the beautiful ever-