"YOUNG Andersen" "Tuk!" "He mustn't come to any harm!" "My little friend!" "Give me my medicine!" " Who was Tuk?" "It was just a bad dream, Andersen." "He is still angry with me." "Come on, woman!" "Kill me!" "My little friend..." "I so much wanted greatness." " And you got it." "Your books are read all over the world." "Everyone loves you!" "I love only death." "But it doesn't want me." "Who was he?" "Your little friend?" "You are a sweet girl." "Do you love anybody?" "Yes, but he doesn't know." "He doesn't know?" "How old is he?" " Seventeen." "Seventeen..." "I'd been in Copenhagen for three years by then." "I was so full of myself." "A dreadful child." "I wanted to show the world ... but I just didn't know what." "Paper in flight..." "A rose..." "Paper in flight, A rose pays a visit." "Pigeons in puddles, Dancing sunlight..." "Where are you going, Andersen?" "My new play is finished." "Where were you going?" " To the party m of course." "To hand over my play." "Henriette had told me the theatre manager would be there." "So I walked right in." "Where are you now?" " That's what I don't know." "The salon, I think." "But I can't see myself..." "Good evening, Sir." "There!" "There I am!" "That's me!" "You go in." "You give them the script." "You know they'll love it." "You are good." "You are really m really good." "No, I'm not." "I'm terrible." "I'll be thrown into the street." "Go on in!" "You can write!" "Go on!" "Yes... yes, in I go." "My lords, ladies and gentlemen!" "Mr. Andersen?" " I am expected." "I have been instructed not to admit you, Mr. Andersen." "There must be some mistake..." "Let go of me!" "Henriette!" "Henriette!" "Let him go!" "I told you not to come." "Has the theatre manager arrived?" " Andersen!" "You are not the party piece." "No scenes, now!" "No poems!" "No singing!" "I will speak to father for you." "What a sight you are!" "What a sight I am!" "Who is that odd-looking fellow?" " A country lad." "Hans Christian Andersen..." "haven't you come across him yet?" "He has tried dancing, singing, and walk-on parts." "And now writing." "We hope it is the last art for which he'll display his lack of talent." "Quick, Oehlenschläger!" "Mr. Olsen!" "I've finished my play." "Listen!" "We don't want your scribbles!" "You are driving us insane by your nightly visits and your begging." "Look at your hands!" "What do you see?" "They were made for a pitchfork." "Not a quill pen." "Have a bite to eat and go back to the turnip fields, Andersen." "Yes." "Go back to your mother's and hide under a rock!" "Ohm no." "I'd forgotten this bit..." "My lords, ladies, and gentlemen!" "From my new play..." "Act 2." "Alfsol, a maiden, tells her brothers of a mighty tempest..." "In spasms I held myself aloft A clap of thunder and I sank" "The fall for me was Deep, deep down" "Into the black pit" "Among vile worms" "The earth gave way The tall cliffs shook" "Wicked Loke stepped forth From the rock" "He clutched me madly to his breast" "I screamed in terror But me, nobody heard" "Get rid of him!" "As vile worms sang Their hideous song." "But now comes the good bit!" " You're a laughing stock." "The audience understood." " No!" "Come along." "You are nasty and ugly and hunchbacked." "Said one camel to the other!" "Goodbye, Miss." "Who is he?" " Mr. Collin." "Counselor of State." "Chairman of the Royal Theatre board." "Another chance wasted!" " Here is papa's old suit." "It was going to be thrown away." "Goodbye." "You cannot come again." "Mrs. Wulff, your daughter is an angel." "What do you think of my hands?" "They are beautiful as they are..." "... Hans Christian." "No, thank you, lovely ladies." "You don't like hanging about at such parties either?" "No." "Has it occurred to you that we delude ourselves   that we can see more clearly m and farther, by day?" "But the sun gets in the way." "Night is when we see best when we see the stars shining many thousands of miles from us." "The night is like flying high, high into the sky m   seeing everything clearly the way it is." "Have you ever thought of that?" "No." "I have." "Unless it is cloudy, of course." " Yes, that's clear." "I don't know where to turn my talents, Mr. Collin." "You seem so stern." "But I don't believe you are." "You are just shy, like me." "Perhaps." "Mr. Collin?" "Won't you read my new play?" "All I know can be found within it." "You are right..." "I do think best at night." "Clearly, as you say." "Come to the theatre on Thursday afternoon." "Thursday afternoon!" "Good evening, my princesses!" "My fortune is assured!" "The master wants to read my play!" "Counselor of State Collin summoned the boy m not I!" "Mr. Collin ought not interfere with the repertoire." "The actors will refuse to act his play." "We have read the piece." "An elegant frontispiece." "The right weight, too." "I've thought it over." "It is now quite obvious." "Miss Brenoe will enchant everyone in the lead." "Playing to me, of course." "The sets should be in shades of blue." "You've been sacked from the chorus." " My voice didn't fit in." "The shades of blue will..." " The ballet turned you down." "So did drama school." " Dance does not suit my physique." "The colors will..." " And now this..." "When is the production?" "Your piece lacks everything a play requires." "Tension, intrigue, poetry, drama." "Where are they m Andersen?" "It is hopeless!" "You want goats and hens on stage!" " And you want to be in it, too!" "Are you listening?" "Of course." " Go home and get an ordinary job." "I can't." "I can't accept this!" "I can't!" "Thank you." "Our dreams don't always come true." "No." "What do you really want to be?" "Famous." " Yes." "But learning never did anyone any harm." "I have arranged for you to be given board, lodging and tuition." "All by way of a gracious grant from his majesty." "His majesty?" " Yes..." "For four years." "How can I ever thank you?" " By discipline and diligence." "And by keeping both feet on the ground." "I shall visit you often." "Yes, every day." "I am afraid not." "You are leaving Copenhagen." "Put it on the roof." "There must be some mistake, Miss Wulff!" "You must talk to him!" "They want to send me away!" "To a school for children!" "Mr. Collin says do write if you need anything." "Why isn't he here?" " I expect he has other business." "But he is sure you will make a capable office clerk." "I will never, never, never become an office clerk." "You all just want to get rid of me." "Of course we do, you cry baby!" "Here is a notebook." "I have copied some poems into it." "You can do the rest." "Don't waste this chance." "Off we go!" "Goodbye." "I ought to have become a clerk." "It'd not have ended so badly." " For whom?" "What happened?" " Be patient or get out!" "Fetch some water." "If you can!" " I'm sorry m Mr. Andersen!" "Tuk!" "Whoa!" "This is Slagelse!" "Hand me down that crate, too!" "Had a good journey?" "Splendid." "And my books?" " A crateful, Principal." "Like the other crates I've brought you." "Open it, Tuk." "Beautiful, precious copies." "What do you think?" "That what they say in Copenhagen true?" "What do they say in Copenhagen?" " That you know everything." "Greek drama, Roman mythology." "Shakespeare." "Studying with you will be wonderful!" "Do you know what I think?" "That you are trying to butter me up, Hans Christian Andersen." "Wasn't that your name?" " The book bill for your school." "You are here to study at the king's expense." "Sent here by a counselor of state." "You must be a genius." "That's Ludvig." "That's Jess." "And this merry swain is Tuk." "The boy who never laughs." "Close the crate." "Where are you lodging?" "At..." " You shall lodge with me." "The same price." "What do you say?" "Come along, lads!" "No, it's too heavy m Tuk." "Let me be the horse today." "Up you get!" "Gee up the beast!" "Ohm we'll make a human being of you, young Andersen!" "Thank you." "Just follow my instructions and you'll soon be a model student." "Ohm yes, for I have already written a couple of plays." "Early efforts, of course." "Much can be improved." "So I really need your help." "Spelling isn't my strong point." "This is the school room." "There is no logic to grammar and punctuation, is there?" "But I see great potential in poetry." " Trine?" "That is my wife's bedchamber." "We have no business there." "That is where my children sleep." "Not you, of course." "In Copenhagen I slept in a doghouse." "The kitchen..." "My poor little mouse..." "Tuk!" "Betine was all alone." "I was cleaning out the spare room." "Young Werliin is off to Elsinore." "Who is he?" " A genius." "Hans Christian Andersen." "He'll be lodging here." "Dorthe could have done the room." " Welcome, Mr. Andersen." "My pleasure..." "I was afraid I'd be gone before you returned, Sir." "You were lucky." "There is still time." "You enjoy helping me, don't you?" " I do." "So let's find out which year young Andersen is to frequent." "All right, let's try something else!" "Who was Julius Caesar?" "Nor that?" "All right." "What is the capital of Egypt, then?" "Egypt..." "I don't know." " You don't know." "No." " Don't hide, Andersen!" "Come along, Werliin!" "9 times 5?" "9 times 5?" "9 times 5?" "I should know that..." "Or 3 plus 2?" "3 plus 2?" "My mum's a shoe." "9 times 5?" "We'll never get home alive." "Damn it, man!" "I'll ask you another, purely out of curiosity." "Yes!" "How have you managed not to learn the slightest thing?" "Have you been living in a void?" " I can't think with your talking!" "My father knew things." "But he died when I was eleven." "My mother can't read." "Grandfather is in an asylum." "He is insane." "What could he have taught me?" "And what do you know m anyway?" "He has no grounding whatsoever." "Not even enough for 1st year." "He is not worth the trouble." "Goodbye." "You mustn't send me back." "I beg you!" "Don't send me back!" "Calm down, Andersen!" "You don't have to know it all." "I shall teach you." ""Can Andersen not read another of his enchanting poems?"" ""Ohm you must!" "Par tout!"" ""They are so touching!"" ""No", I say." "I must be urged to first." "Go on, recite a poem." "We urge you!" ""The Poor Sandwich"." "By Hans Christian Andersen." "Weep not so bitterly m O sandwich" "Your life will be brief Death will bring relief" "Danger lurks north, west, and south" "Come and hide inside my mouth!" "You make my family laugh." "But not..." "little Tuk." "When I took him in he had no relatives." "No hope." "Tuk has never had anything to laugh about." "Now we begin in earnest." "You will have to work hard." "We do not gain anything for nothing." "And then there is your..." "poeticizing." "Yes!" "What do you think?" "Collin wrote that you spent a great deal of time on writing poems." "Well, that is over now." "Not even on Sundays?" " I'm afraid not." "It won't be easy." "I'm going to bed." "Jump, Tuk!" "Don't forget the fires." "Good night, children." "I am so happy that you will make a human being of me." "But must I really keep off poetry?" "Keep off my stairs till you are worthy of them." "Tuk?" "Show him the room." "He throws a fit if anyone uses his stairs." "This is your room." "Good night." "Stop that!" " Stop that!" "I'll tell the principal!" " I'll tell the principal!" "What are you going to teach?" " I'm not a teacher." "I'm a student." "I'm starting in the 2nd year right from the start!" "Sissy!" "Sissy!" "Sissy!" "I left my heavy heart." "Nobody saw me but Tuk." "Sissy!" "Sissy!" "Come on, Christian." " Stay out of it." "No more fun and games." " It started by itself." "It wasn't us." " Go indoors." "And what is at the centre of the Earth?" "Jens, what is at the centre of the Earth?" "I don't know." " Copenhagen." "Copenhagen?" "I was thinking of molten lava." "Why Copenhagen?" " Its theatres." "Concerts." "Writers." "Writers?" "Very good." "The names of authors." "We'll start from H and go back to A; the H's?" "Homer..." "G?" " Goethe." "F?" "Fielding." "E?" " Euripedes." "D?" "Come on, Andersen!" " Dante, of course." "C?" "C, Cm C... help me..." "Cervantes." "B?" " Byron." "A?" "Aristotle." " Yes." "Or Andersen." "Bravo!" "You are a fully fledged satirist, Andersen." "Can you show us this cultural metropolis on the map of the world?" "In Africa!" "We have a comedian in our class!" "Shut up!" "As for the little episode in the school yard..." "Students don't punish one another." "That's my business." "Very good." "On we go." "It is cold." "I wondered if you needed something to keep you warm?" "Mrs. Meisling!" "I thank you from the bottom of my heart." "Did I interrupt you?" "I know what you were doing just now..." "I do try to restrain myself." "But the urge overcomes me." "Don't tell the principal!" " Why should I?" "I know how you feel." "It is an urge we cannot control." "It comes upon us." "It is an instinct we cannot keep back." "It screams within us." "You are right." "It screams." "Praise God that I've met somebody who understands me!" "What would life be without pleasure... without joy?" "We would wither away." "We would be as dead." "Yes." "The whole world would lose its shine, its meaning." "How come you understand the urge?" "Do you write, too?" "Write?" "No." "But I understand desire." "Would you like to hear my poem?" " No, hide it." "Go to sleep." "Remember:" "Don't bait my husband." "Your husband likes me." "Good night." "Four sevens are 28, five sevens are 35m " "Four sevens are 28, five sevens are 35m   six sevens are 42." "Seven sevens are 49." "Eight sevens are..." " Shhh!" "Eight sevens are... 56." "This is where I come to be alone." "But today I'm here, too." " Yes." "Shall we do my eight times table?" " No." "We'll just sit here and look at the water." "And you'll tell me a fairy tale." "You want to be a writer." "A famous writer." "I want to be immortal." "I don't." "I want a farm." "Some apple trees." "A couple of cows." "And I want to save the world." "Anyhow m tell me the fairy tale." "Fairy tales are for children." "But my father told me they were hiding everywhere." "Beneath a leaf." "In a tree." "Under water." ""It was at the time when rivers flowed from down and up,   when stones could fly like birds,   and the birds swam in the sea like fish. "" ""A little giant lived in the woods. "" ""He was so small that he wouldn't have come up to my midriff... "" "You laughed." " Yes." "And now I owe you one." "Tell me the rest of the story!" "Quid proxima." "Quid superiore nocte eeeris..." "Ubi fueris..." "Quo concaveris, quid consilii ceperis..." "Quem nostrum ienorare..." "Let us see how you have fared in your dictationsm children!" "O joy!" "Your excruciating errors evanesced!" "You burned my poem!" "How could you?" "It wasn't difficult." "It was a wretched poem." "I thought we'd agreed to shelve your poetry?" "You haven't even taught me to read Latin; how am I to write it?" "You must learn by your mistakes." "You jerk about like a spastic chicken squittering trite rhymes." "I put my hand up." "But you didn't notice!" "We had an agreement." "You were to listen quietly." "Not write poems." "Is that really beyond you?" "I am bursting with words." "Where can I put them?" "Learn to control yourself." "The imagination is dangerous   if we fail to control it." "Why?" "Because imagination is related to madness, Mr. Andersen." "So no more poems... agreed?" "I know the poem by heart anyway." "My venerable benefactors!" "Dear, highly honored benefactors!" "Just, kind-hearted benefactors!" ""I have shed many tears and prayed to God for strength. "" ""Nobody knows my failings better than I'm blah, blah, blah." ""Meisling has forbidden me to write poems." "He burns my verses"." ""He is hard and unjust"." ""He is teaching me nothing"." ""Besides, it is cold and dirty   and Mrs. Meisling I shall not touch upon at all"." "What do you think?" " He is exaggerating." "Yes." "But it is a string of grievous charges." "I don't understand Meisling." "I thought he meant me well." " You'd better watch out." "Do as he says." "Don't complain." "Keep your imagination in here." "That's what I do." "I'm not sure I have room for my imagination." "What would you wish for if you could wish for anything at all?" "For all the spit to disappear." "And a pair of new glasses." "I'd see the whole world." "From high in the air like a stork." "Copenhagen from above." "I'd find the capital of Egypt." "I'll fix it for you." "Just wait and see!" "I'll make a stork of you." "Come on!" "There." "The wind is good." "Do you think it'll work?" " If my sums were right." "Hold on tight!" "Run as fast as you can." "Ready?" "One, two, three, run!" "I flew." "You taught me to fly m Tuk." "Damn!" "Christian!" "I saw how the Earth curves." "From up there you see China;" "Germany;" "Egypt; anywhere!" "Andersen!" " I saw it!" "The Orient as well." "Cairo..." "You were only up for 2 seconds." " But I was there." "The German border." "Towers." "Spires." "Tiny little people." " Easy m now m Andersen!" "What else did you see?" " A snippet of the universe." "Now, now, now!" "Easy!" "Easy!" "Answer the door, Tuk." "There's a gentleman by the name of Collin." "What the devil does he want?" " To talk to the principal." "Who is Collin?" "My benefactor." "Mr. Collin!" " Come over here, Andersen." "Sit down." "What has the principal told you?" "We have had a long talk as a result of your letter." "Principal Meisling has described his teaching methods and your results." "I am satisfied with his work but most displeased by yours." "I assure you..." " We both owe him an apology." "I for inconveniencing him and you for your accusations." "His imagination runs away with him." "I don't take it seriously." "But I do." "I have to answer to the king." "I abhor unjust accusations and complaints about having to work." "Please spare me them in future." " Yes." "Henriette gave me some mittens for you for winter." "Dry your eyes and look ahead, my boy." "Counselor, Sir?" "What about his poeticizing?" "It is over and done with." "What matters is his schooling." "And remember what we said with regard to the school's finances." "Who is that?" "The devil's eye." "There is something dark and ugly in you that needs rectifying." "You imagine things." "I cannot have you complaining to my superiors for no reason,   can I?" "Let us ensure that your imagination does not tempt you unnecessarily." "Self reflection leads straight to the mad house." "Did he really take all your things?" "What a horrid man!" "A good thing you didn't give up your writing." "I should have done." "I should have listened carefully to every word he spoke." "Then it would never have happened." "What happened?" "It is not fair!" " Not fair?" "You have no right to take my things." "It's theft, Mr. Meisling!" "Return what you have stolen!" " Christian!" "I can tell you've no manners and grew up in a distillery." "That your father died before he..." " Sit down." "No, I will not." "If you hit me I'll report you to the king." "I don't hit pupils,   and certainly not people with your connections." "Did you know that in the Middle Ages   every prince in Europe had a scapegoat?" "A whipping boy?" "Nobody could lay a hand on a prince however disobedient he was." "But even a prince has a friend." "And the friend had to take the prince's punishment for him." "That's how the prince learned to behave." "This is your whipping boy, Andersen." "Does that hurt, Andersen?" "Do you feel the pain?" "No medicine this evening." " You'll suffer great pain." "I know." "Off you go." "I'll stay with you, Andersen." "I hated Latin." "All those questions." "He knew I couldn't answer." "And all that smoke!" "Fabula, fabulæ, fabulas, fabularum, fabulis, fabulis..." "Whack, lads!" "Whack!" "Hans?" "Conjugate fero!" " Fero, tuli, latum, fere." "Please, God, don't make him ask me!" " Andersen?" "What does de corde mean?" ""Out of the heart... "" " Exeunt." ""Come... "" " Coeitationes male." "I learned it." "But I've forgotten." "The rest of you?" " Come evil thoughts." "You must not hit Tuk!" " You didn't do your homework." "So I have no choice." "Tuk!" "Come here." "Come here, I said!" " Run, Tuk!" "Run, Tuk!" "Run, Tuk!" "Andersen..." "Andersen!" "Do you think only of yourself?" "I don't know." "Yes, mostly, I believe." "You shouldn't." "I am sorry, Tuk." "I think about the water." "In the beginning, when the Earth was a white-hot lump in space   a meteor made of ice appeared." "It approached the Earth, and what happened?" "It shattered like a mirror into myriads of crystals." "No; it melted in the heat of the Earth and became oceans, lakes,   and waterfalls just like this one." "That is how all of life was created." "Water is the Earth's blood." "Ever heard of Newton?" "Yes." "He discovered gravity when an apple fell from a tree." "I think there is an equivalent upward force." "I have seen stones lift in the waterfall." "How come you know everything?" " Everything's there in nature." "All you need is to find it." "And I read books from Meisling's library." "I borrow them at night and replace them in the morning." "Shall I pinch your notebook back?" "You're not allowed." "If you stop baiting Meisling for today " " I'll get your book back." "I'm going." "You stay here." "Tuk?" "I've never had a friend before." "Now you have." "He writes that Meisling hits his little friend   and that he has confiscated Andersen's books and zest for life." "That a comet made of ice struck the Earth and water is Earth's blood." "Utter nonsense!" "What do you think?" " I shall visit the school." "I'd rather you didn't." "Meisling means well." "Andersen must learn to see things through   and not just seek attention." "To put it bluntly, he is lazy." "Amo..." "Amavi..." "Christian!" "Look!" " No, I haven't time." "Pluro... plurabum..." "The upward force!" "But how do I measure it?" "He's coming." "Look!" "The egg is rising!" "It's a discovery!" "Indeed it is!" "I, too, have made a discovery." "It, too, is quite remarkable." "A notebook magically placed beneath your mattress." "And in it a new poem that you have written." "You were forbidden to write by Collin, the king, and by me." "Were you not?" "It was for my mother's birthday." "It's a draft." "A beloved mother in her little home" "Casting radiance all her own" "In my mind she outshines the moon" "Ohm Mother, shall I see you soon?" "Trite." "Pathetic." "And what is your mother?" "A spirit lamp?" "The rhymes hobble." "The rhythm waddles like a goose and you have nothing to write about." "I don't understand you." "Your errors are piling up." "How can you subject your young friend to this?" "You mustn't hit Tuk." "Hit me instead." "Hit me." "I cannot." "Tuk." "He lashed and lashed." "He went on and on." "He lashed and lashed and went on and on..." "Tuk?" " Promise not to anger him again." "I cannot take more whippings." "You must leave this place." " Where would I go?" "I'll go." "To mother's; then he won't be able to punish you." "Everything will be better." "Once upon a time there was another little giant." "He was so small he could ride on the birds in the sky   far above the trunks of the elephants." "...They trumpeted at him." "But most of all he rode the butterfly for it liked him so much." "...barked the dog." ""I'll get you!"" ""No, you'll never catch me", the little giant laughed." "And he flew into the tall tree." "The wind lived there and it sang him to sleep every single night." "One night he dreamed   that he was flying out to sea across thousands of waves." "There were whales as large as houses, lashing their tails..." "So you are leaving?" "To see my mother in Odense." "I hope you won't forbid it." "I do not forbid it." "I merely regret it." "I had intended to help you with your Latin." "I fear you'll not go up next term." " I'll take my Latin primer." "You have received another letter from Collin." "He is also afraid you are cracked in the head." "This is the brain." "This is sense." "This is imagination." "A narrow band connects the two." "Beware that it does not snap, Andersen." "For what will happen?" " Goodbye, Mr. Meisling." "You will go mad, Andersen." "Collin thinks so, too." "Insanity runs in the family." "Go and see your poor grandfather." "See how badly it may end." " I am going." "Where is Tuk?" " Tuk is in the fields." "He's been gathering turnips all night; three cartloads." "One because you write letters." "One because you bait me." "And one because you are so completely devoid of talent." "Hold your tongue!" "You fool!" "Don't let him bait you!" "You... you..." "You villain." "Three and a half cartloads." "You damned, blasted..." " Four cartloads." "Vilem dastardly..." " Four and a half." "Greasy... reptile!" " Five cartloads." "You..." " That will do." "Your little friend has more than enough on his plate." "Tuk!" "Come with me to Odense!" "No." "Half a cartload and I'll be done." "I'll help you." "Christian, You'll only make things worse." "Off you go." "Young Andersen..." "Now I have also found a friend." "I'll write." "I'll write to you." "Dear Tuk, I think about you all the time." "I hope your tormentor is leaving you in peace." "Can you forgive me?" "Nature makes me forget myself and put my sorrows behind me." "I wish I could travel forever and that you could come alone." "In Odense I visited Colonel Guldbere." "He helped me greatly in the past." "He said I could lodge with him in Odense   and perhaps one day tutor his children." "I am to let him know on Thursday at a small party in my honor." "I shall take my mother to show her my fortune is made." "Come on, mother!" "I have decided to accept Goldberg's offer." "Goodbye, my dearest friend." "May good fortune be ours!" "Yours, Christian." "This is our young poet friend ... welcome!" "I have assembled a few good friends." "They're all dying to meet you." "He used to sing so sweetly it warmed the cockles of your heart." "Do you still sing?" " I'm afraid not." "My voice..." " He is a student." "The very king is paying." "But now you are going to stay with us..." "Andersen?" "Andersen?" "He is an artist, suddenly lost in his own thoughts." "What are you doing to amuse us with this evening?" "A recitation?" "A poem?" "Yes, of course." "A poem, perhaps." "Surely you mean to repay our favor?" "Read the poem you wrote for my birthday." "I read it to your mother every time she brings the washing." "It is so fervent, so beautiful!" ""A Beloved Mother. "" "A beloved mother in her little home" "Casting radiance all her own" "In my mind she outshines the moon" "Ohm Mother, shall I see you soon?" "Charmant!" "There is another verse." " Let us hear it, Andersen." "It shines on, Though I'm another," "The memory of a beloved mother." "It shines..." "It shines lest from The path of life I stray" "So shine on, Mother, And light my way!" "Padam, padam, padam, padam." "Pathetic." "Trite." "Hobbling." "The rhythm waddles like a goose." "Yes." "My mother is a spirit lamp." "I beg your pardon?" " Andersen?" "Where are you going?" "I must leave." "Andersen?" "I am not well." "My grandfather..." "Your grandfather?" " It runs in the family." "And it has broken out." " You want to see him?" "Old Tras?" "You must be Hans Christian." "You knew." "Could you tell?" "Will you keep me here?" "He doesn't talk." "But he whittles the finest pigs." "Granddad?" "It's Hans Christian." "Inside your head..." "is it empty and smooth?" "Or just enormous confusion?" "May I stay here with you?" "Look into the darkness and you will find the way." "Christian!" "Tuk!" "What is it?" " I must go back." "I must go back." "I must go back." "Poor, poor boy." "Where is Tuk?" "What have you done?" "Go upstairs." "Talk to him." "Tuk!" "You shouldn't be here." " I should never have left you." "What has Meisling done?" "There were a lot of turnips." "But I managed them." "Did he beat you?" "Look what he gave me!" "You must see a doctor." " He has been." "He has been, Christian." "I brought you something." "Greetings from Newton." "Tell me a fairy tale." "Like you did beside the river." "Once upon a time long, long ago there were two two children who played in the sun." "And three pigs..." "It's no good, Tuk." "I can't find the right words." "They'll come." "Just wait." "They'll come." "Give me the apple." "Go to bed now." "You must be tired." "He blinked." "He isn't dead, Mr. Meisling." "I told you to sit still and keep your mouth shut." "But you couldn't even do that." "You are so facile." "So puffed up." "I was fond of you." "Not any more." "You turn me into a person I do not want to be." "Did you know that I once wrote poems?" "It's about sorrow at a lost childhood." "My poem has everything your poems lack." "Form." "Style." "Focus." "An idea." "But there is something missing." "The most important of all." "What do you know of sorrow?" "You don't weep,   you merely overflow." "Feel!" "Do you think you are able to write a poem about this?" "I may not write." " You cannot write." "I can write." " Write, then!" "Write a poem that does not limp along." "That is flawless." "Write a poem that will make me weep." "Then I shall let you go." "And if not, " " I shall ensure that you end in hell." "As you seem " " I don't cry easily." "Murderer!" "Murderer!" "How could he make you believe you killed Tuk?" "But I did, didn't I?" "And I would make the whole of Europe weep with me." "No longer must you Give way to sighs" "If you weep, I too shall weep" "I am so weary I must close my eyes" "Mother..." "See!" "Now the angel's kissing me!" "Is it any good?" "Or just empty words?" "Was that your poem?" "Yes." "I wanted to spare you by trying it on Mrs. Meisling first." "It is wonderful." "It seizes your heartstrings." "Mother, do you see The angel by my side?" "Do you hear The wondrous chords?" "See, he has two wings, Lovely, white" "Surely given by our Lord." "Am I weeping, Andersen?" "Is there a tear here?" "My wife is a goose." "Why aren't I crying, Andersen?" "Because your poem is false." "Sentimental." "Calculating." "A distasteful Gypsy soup." ""The Dying Child"!" "How dare you!" "Now, now, Simon." "Andersen merely..." "You are right." "Help me!" "You must teach me to write." " Practice!" "Write something simpler." "Write about the seam the sun." "What if you and I go out to watch a sunset together?" "You must see the world for what it is; for better or for worse." "You see:" "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." "Is your notebook ready?" "Over there..." "That's your... sunset." "Sorrow and joy walk side by side" "Good luck and bad luck together they ride" "Good times and hard times To each other do cry" "Sunshine and clouds Both claim the sky" "In life we tread The rich, rich earth" "But Heaven alone affords rebirth" "Loveliest roses On thorn bushes glow" "Prettiest flowers With poison do flow" "Beneath a pink cheek A heart breaks anew..." "Just watch!" "It'll give you something to write about." "I can't watch." " Well, don't, then." "Close your eyes." "If you can." "You see?" "You can't help it!" ""Dear Henriette, I sway between suicide and insanity. "" ""I am also driving Meisling mad. "" ""Why am I so wicked?"" ""Or is Meisling trying to do away with me?"" "My poor, poor friend." "Why would I do away with you?" "I want to help you." "You have received a letter from your dear friend Collin." "He writes that he wants to see you at Christmas." "And that you shall stay at Admiral Wulff's." "Collin also writes that he wishes to see me." "So you had better behave appropriately." "I believe you should accept his invitation under my supervision." "Andersen, come along!" "It was a perfect little paradise." "They all wished me well." "Like a family of my own." "After a day or two I had almost forgotten Meisling." "I am so happy." "Can you see how happy I am?" "Are you?" "And if you weren't, you'd be in the depths of despair." "Can't you ever be in-between?" "Oh?" "But what is this?" "A failed attempt at a pixie?" "Yes, a devil." "I cannot go back to Slagelse." "I'll die, Henriette." "Promise I'll never, ever, ever have to go back." "Now then... you'll spoil our Christmas with your low spirits." "Now for something wonderful..." "Something for me?" " Wait and see." "Such splendor!" "Such glory!" "Sir?" "There is a gentleman to see you." "Principal and Mrs. Meisling?" "What a surprise!" "You wished to talk to me." "I am a guest in another man's home." "This is most inappropriate." "I tried your residence first." "What do you want to talk about?" " It can wait till after Christmas." "If you'll excuse me..." " I don't have time." "I am going back to Slagelse." "And Andersen is coming, too." "My good fellow, it is almost Christmas Eve." "I am giving up my own time to help him." "Where is he?" "Where?" "Mrs. Meisling, would you wait out here?" "Do sit down." "I can't do any more." "You have been paying yourself twice over." "You spent school funds on your personal library." "The books must go to the city library and you must pay your debts." "Do we agree?" "Yes sir." "And I must urge you to keep an eye on your wife." "You cannot afford more rumors." "This is my happiest day ever." "And it isn't over yet." "Andersen?" "I need to talk to you." "Good evening, Hans Christian." "You have not always been fond of Slagelse." "No, but..." "So we have decided to send you to the grammar school in Elsinore." "My benefactor!" "How can I thank you?" "Principal Meisling is to be its new head." "Mr. Collin!" "Your visit to the capital turned out briefer than planned." "Goodbye, Hans Christian, and a Merry Christmas to you all." "Bravo, Andersen:" "You have forced my transfer to Elsinore." "I have lost my books, my honor, my wife's respect; everything." "Congratulations!" "But I still have you." "And you have not yet made me weep." "Look carefully at this young man." "He is ascending the Olympus of knowledge." "He is trembling." "Why, do you think?" "He needs a shit." "Do you need a shit, Andersen?" "No." " No..." "Andersen does not need a shit." "Andersen is trembling   because he knows what is expected of him;" "At the thought of the paradise   where he and the rest of you are going." "Any obstacle in your path must be removed." "Even if we have to change everything." "Surely not everything?" "Yes." "Everything." "You, for example, can apply for a post elsewhere... pack your bags." "We employ other principles here." "We employ the principles that got you your degree." "Whatever God has made His honor shall be praised" "His smallest creation is great Beside him to be raised..." "Amavis... amavit... amavimus..." "The present tense of conjuneo." " Conjuneo, conjuneis..." "Conjuneo..." " Wrong!" "Didn't you hear that?" "Are your ears failing, Werliin?" "Repeat the last endings, Andersen." "Conjuneo, conjuneo, conjuneo..." " Meaningless babble." "What's on your mind?" "Poetry?" "No." " Copenhagen?" "Or death?" "What do you think, Werliin?" " I think he's being evasive." "Am I right?" " No, I will learn it..." "But you don't." "You'd rather disappear into butterfly land." "Stand up when I address you!" "He is being obstructive." " Get up..." "He doesn't want to learn." " I do." "I want to." "I can." "I can do it." "Conjuneo, conjuneis, conjuneit." "Conjuneimus, conjuneitis, conjuneunt." "We've done it!" "Impressive!" "Thank you, Mr. Meisling." "Continue the lesson." " The present tense of volo." "Volo, vis, vult, volumus, vultis, volunt." "I am worried." " No news is good news." "Mostly because he has not complained." "You could see it that way." "If you wish to visit, it's up to you." "But I'm sure you'll find everything in perfect order." "Capio, cepi, captum, capere." "And cado?" " Cado, cecidi, casum, cadere." "The present subjunctive, active and passive?" "Amemus, amemur." "Bravo, Andersen." "You're quite the devil at Latin." "You'll never write that poem, will you?" "No, I have put it behind me." "What do we do with our grief, my boy?" "Control it and restrain it." "Perhaps it might yield a clever little poem." "No." "Am I a human being now?" "... Yes." "You used to fly around the universe." "Now you are on Earth among the rest of us." "Anyway... on we go." "Miss Wulff!" "To what do we owe the honor?" " Is all well?" "We were amusing ourselves with some Latin." "But Andersen can tell you himself." "Meisling has taught me how knowledge creates order." "All the flighty words and images have been banished." "I have become a human being." "May I talk to Andersen alone?" "Of course you may." "We can carry on later." "He's gone." "You needn't put on an act." "What's he doing to you?" "He is teaching me everything." "I have forgotten all my dreams." "Take the book:" "I don't need it any more." "But you are not yourself." "I have homework to do." "Give my regards to Collin and tell him I'll always remember him." "You sound as if you are going away?" "Henriette had come to save me." "But by then I was already as good as dead." "What happened?" "I don't remember." " Yes, you do." "Try!" "I met Tuk again." "Tuk!" "What are you doing here?" "It's lovely." "Is this where you live?" "Yes." "I am at peace here." "I want to stay here, too." " It's not much fun." "And you can never go back up again." "It's beautiful." "Like a fairy tale." " Yes." "But who would tell it?" "Are you angry with me?" " Being your friend wasn't easy." "And now you want to waste your life?" "I want to be your friend again." " Then go and tell the story." "How will I know if you're still angry?" "I'll give you a sign when I am not." "You'd better be getting back up." " Yes." "But how?" "I have found the source of the upward force." "Where?" " It is inside us." "Mr. Meisling, I wish to put the power of my words to the test." "What do you mean?" "I want to make you cry." "But it is not a poem." "Go on, then!" "Now I shall begin..." "Far out at sea the water is as blue   as the petals of the loveliest cornflower and as clear as the purest glass." "But it is deep." "Deeper than any anchor can go." "Many church steeples would have to be put one above the other..." "You are crying." "No." "You should." "Go to hell!" "Thank you for making me drown." "For I have surfaced and now I am really rich." "Tuk!" "Tuk, are you there?" "Can you hear them?" "Andersen?" "Andersen?" "Andersen?" "I am here." "You mustn't disappear on us like that." "So everything ended well after all." "I never did get a sign from Tuk." "You got your fairy tales." "But is he still angry with me?" "Do you feel it?" " Yes, but it is very faint." "No, it is strong." "The upward force." "Tuk!"