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C b bn dimHans Christian Andersen

m ging sinh nm y tri tht lnh. my ngy lin tuytri lin min, nh hi h im trang cho thnh ph v thnhkhit n mng ngy k nim Cha Cu Th ra i.

Em b tay m bao giy y nhng hp dim, va i va ctging rao mi. Lnh th m b phi l i chn trn trn hph. i dp c rch ca b sng nay b l nhc ngoi phnghch ngm du i mt. Tri lnh nh ct. Hai bn chn ca

b sng tm c ln. B c l tng bc st di mi hin cho lnh, thnh thong imt ngy th ngc nhn m ng h hng qua li, na van xin, na ngi ngng.Khng hiu sao b ch bn c mt xu mt hp dim nh mi ngy m m nay khng aithm hi n.

Cng v m, tri cng lnh. Tuyt vn c ri u trn h ph. B bn dim thy ngimt l. i bn chn by gi t cng, khng cn cht cm gic. B thm c v nhnm cun mnh trn chic ging ti tn trong gc ng mt gic cho qun i, qunlnh. Nhng ngh n nhng li ay nghin, nhng ln roi vun vt ca ngi m gh,b rng mnh hi h bc mau. c mt lt, b bt u dn mt vo nhng ngi nhhai bn ng. Nh no cng vui v, m cng v trang hong rc r. Ch th n munhp nhy, ch c cy ging sinh vi nhng qu bnh y mu. C nh dn ln bn gty, ru, bnh tri trng tht ngon lnh. Bt gic b nut nc ming, mt hoa ln, taychn run bn bt, b thy mnh lnh v i hn bao gi ht. a tay ln m mt, btht thu bc i trong ting nhc ging sinh vng vng khp ni v mi ngi thnnhin, vui v, sung sng mng Cha ra i...

Cng v khuya, tuyt cng ri nhiu. Bng ti, cn lnh ln cn i nh ph ln, nhqun vo hnh hi nh b m yu. B vo np bn va h gia hai dy nh cao trnhcn gi qui c v tm cht hi m trong m. Ngi ngh mt lt, cht nh ra bao dim,b ly ra mt cy, qut ln si cho my ngn tay bt cng. Cy dim chy bng lntht sng, tht m, nhng ch mt lt th tt mt, lm b cng bc mnh hn trc. Bth qut ln mt cy dim th hai. Khi cy dim chy bng ln, b thy trc mt mnhmt bn y thc n, nhng mn c bit ca ngy l ging sinh. B mng qu, atay ra chp ly th ngay lc y cy dim tt, li b trong bng ti dy c, vi cilnh by gi cng khng khip hn. B s qu, s lnh, s ti, vi vng ly bao giy dim ra ht, ri c qut ln tng cy mt, ht cy ny n cy khc. Trong nh sng

ca mi cy dim b thy mnh c v nh, c gp li ngi m thn yu. M uym b b n gn bn l si, mc cho b chic o chong di tht m, tht p,xong nh nhng t cho b tng ming bnh ngon. M tru mn m b vo lng, vutve, hi han chuyn. Mi ln que dim tt, hnh nh ngi m thn yu tan bin, bhong s, vi vng qut ln mt que khc, m li hin ra. C nh th, tay b c saysa qut ht m dim ny n m dim khc. Ri nh ngi in, b ly que dimchm vo c hp dim. Khi nh la bng ln, b thy m ci xung b b ln, mang bbay bng v ni y ting ht, y nhng ngi thn yu, b khng cn thy lnh, thy

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i g na.

Sng hm sau, nhng ngi trong ph tm thy em b ng thng nm cht bn cnhng dim vi tung te trong ng hm.

The Little Match SellerIT was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening of the old year, and the snowwas falling fast. In the cold and the darkness, a poor little girl, with bare head andnaked feet, roamed through the streets. It is true she had on a pair of slippers when sheleft home, but they were not of much use. They were very large, so large, indeed, thatthey had belonged to her mother, and the poor little creature had lost them in runningacross the street to avoid two carriages that were rolling along at a terrible rate. One ofthe slippers she could not find, and a boy seized upon the other and ran away with it,saying that he could use it as a cradle, when he had children of his own. So the little girlwent on with her little naked feet, which were quite red and blue with the cold. In an

old apron she carried a number of matches, and had a bundle of them in her hands. Noone had bought anything of her the whole day, nor had any one given here even apenny. Shivering with cold and hunger, she crept along; poor little child, she looked thepicture of misery. The snowflakes fell on her long, fair hair, which hung in curls on hershoulders, but she regarded them not.

Lights were shining from every window, and there was a savory smell of roast goose, forit was New-year's eve- yes, she remembered that. In a corner, between two houses,one of which projected beyond the other, she sank down and huddled herself together.She had drawn her little feet under her, but she could not keep off the cold; and shedared not go home, for she had sold no matches, and could not take home even apenny of money. Her father would certainly beat her; besides, it was almost as cold at

home as here, for they had only the roof to cover them, through which the windhowled, although the largest holes had been stopped up with straw and rags. Her littlehands were almost frozen with the cold. Ah! perhaps a burning match might be somegood, if she could draw it from the bundle and strike it against the wall, just to warmher fingers. She drew one out-'scratch!' how it sputtered as it burnt! It gave a warm,bright light, like a little candle, as she held her hand over it. It was really a wonderfullight. It seemed to the little girl that she was sitting by a large iron stove, with polishedbrass feet and a brass ornament. How the fire burned! and seemed so beautifully warmthat the child stretched out her feet as if to warm them, when, lo! the flame of thematch went out, the stove vanished, and she had only the remains of the half-burntmatch in her hand.

She rubbed another match on the wall. It burst into a flame, and where its light fellupon the wall it became as transparent as a veil, and she could see into the room. Thetable was covered with a snowy white table-cloth, on which stood a splendid dinnerservice, and a steaming roast goose, stuffed with apples and dried plums. And what wasstill more wonderful, the goose jumped down from the dish and waddled across thefloor, with a knife and fork in its breast, to the little girl. Then the match went out, andthere remained nothing but the thick, damp, cold wall before her. She lighted anothermatch, and then she found herself sitting under a beautiful Christmas-tree. It was larger

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and more beautifully decorated than the one which she had seen through the glass doorat the rich merchant's. Thousands of tapers were burning upon the green branches, andcolored pictures, like those she had seen in the show-windows, looked down upon it all.The little one stretched out her hand towards them, and the match went out.

The Christmas lights rose higher and higher, till they looked to her like the stars in thesky. Then she saw a star fall, leaving behind it a bright streak of fire. 'Some one isdying,' thought the little girl, for her old grandmother, the only one who had ever lovedher, and who was now dead, had told her that when a star falls, a soul was going up toGod. She again rubbed a match on the wall, and the light shone round her; in thebrightness stood her old grandmother, clear and shining, yet mild and loving in herappearance. 'Grandmother,' cried the little one, 'O take me with you; I know you will goaway when the match burns out; you will vanish like the warm stove, the roast goose,and the large, glorious Christmas-tree.' And she made haste to light the whole bundle ofmatches, for she wished to keep her grandmother there. And the matches glowed with alight that was brighter than the noon-day, and her grandmother had never appeared solarge or so beautiful. She took the little girl in her arms, and they both flew upwards in

brightness and joy far above the earth, where there was neither cold nor hunger norpain, for they were with God.

In the dawn of morning there lay the poor little one, with pale cheeks and smilingmouth, leaning against the wall; she had been frozen to death on the last evening of theyear; and the New-year's sun rose and shone upon a little corpse! The child still sat, inthe stiffness of death, holding the matches in her hand, one bundle of which was burnt.'She tried to warm herself,' said some. No one imagined what beautiful things she hadseen, nor into what glory she had entered with her grandmother, on New-year's day.