Songs for May

The Land of Nod

The Ugly Duckling

It was glorious out in the country. Cornfields were waving, oats were green, and hay stood in great stacks in the meadows. Beyond the fields and meadows were great forests and pools of water. On a sunny slope stood a pleasant old farmhouse, and near it flowed a little stream of water. At the water's edge grew great burdocks, so high that little children could stand under them. The spot was as wild as the middle of a deep woods.

In this snug place sat a duck upon her nest watching for her young brood to hatch. At last one eggshell after another cracked open. And from each egg a little duckling stuck out its head and cried, "Peep, peep!"

"Quack! quack!" said the mother, and out they came as fast as they could. Then the mother let them look about as much as they liked, for green is good for the eyes.

"How big the world is!" said the little ducklings.

"Do you think this is all the world?" asked the mother. "Wait till you get to the garden. The big world extends far beyond it. Are you all out of your shells? No, the largest egg is still unbroken." So she sat down again.

"Well, how goes it?" asked an old duck who came to pay her a visit.

"There is one egg that will not hatch," said the duck, "but only look at the other ducklings. They look just like their father."

"Let me see the egg that will not hatch," said the visitor. "It must be a turkey's egg. The little turkey will not go into the water, and it will give you trouble. Take my advice and leave it."

"I think I will sit on it a little longer," said the mother duck. "A few days will not matter much."

At last the great egg cracked. "Peep! peep!" said the duckling, and out it tumbled. Oh, how large and ugly it was!

"Can it really be a turkey chick?" said the mother. "We shall see when we get to the water."

Next day the mother duck went down to the water with all her little ones. She jumped into the water with a splash. "Quack! quack!" she cried, and one duckling after another plunged in. The water closed over their heads, but they all came up again. They swam about very prettily and the ugly gray duckling swam with them.

"No, he is not a turkey," said the mother. "Look how well he can use his legs. He is my own child, and he's not so very ugly."

"Quack! quack! Come with me now," said the mother. "I will lead you out into the great world and introduce you to the farmyard. But keep close to me, so that no one can step on you."

"Bow your heads before that old duck yonder, she is the grandest duck here. See, she has a red rag around her leg. That is a great honor. Come, now, don't turn your toes in. A well-bred duck turns its toes out, just like father and mother. Now bend your necks and say, Quack!"

They did as they were told, but the other ducks said, "Look, here comes another brood, and how ugly that one is! We don't want him here." Then one of the ducks, flew at the ugly duckling and bit him in the neck.

"Let him alone," said the mother; "he is doing no harm."

"But he is so ugly," said the duck who had bitten him. "He must be turned out."

"Those are pretty children that the mother has there," said the old duck with the rag around her leg. "They are all pretty but that one. He has not turned out well."

"He is not pretty, but he is a good child," said his mother, "and he swims as well as the others. I may even say he swims better. I think he will grow up to be pretty. He stayed too long in the egg." And she stroked his neck and smoothed his feathers.

When the turkey cock saw the duckling he blew himself up like a ship in full sail, and gobbled and grew quite red. The poor little duckling did not know what to do. The ducks bit him, and the hens pecked him.

The duckling was very unhappy and at last ran away. He flew over the hedge, and frightened the little birds in the bushes.

"They are afraid of me because I am so ugly," thought the duckling. Then he flew on farther and came to a moor where some wild ducks lived.

"What sort of duck are you?" they asked, coming around him.

The little duckling turned in every direction and bowed as well as he knew how.

"You are really very ugly," said the wild ducks, and they swam away.

Poor duckling, how lonely he was! He lay among the reeds and drank some of the water of the moor.

At last there came two wild geese who had not been long out of the egg. That is why they were so saucy.

"Listen, friend," said one of them, "you are so ugly that I like you. Will you come with me and be a bird of passage? Not far from here is another moor, in which there are some pretty wild geese. It is a chance for you to get a wife, ugly as you are."

Bang! bang! and the geese fell dead in the swamp. Bang! bang! and whole flocks of wild geese rose up from the reeds. A great hunt was going on. The hunters lay hidden all around. Some were even sitting on the branches of the trees. The hunting dogs came splash! splash! into the swamp, and the rushes and reeds bent down on every side.

That was a fright for the poor duckling. He turned his head and put it under his wing. At that moment a great dog dashed close to him. His tongue hung far out of his mouth and his eyes glared at the duckling. He thrust out his nose, showed his sharp teeth, and, splash! splash! on he went without touching him.

"Well, let me be thankful," sighed the duckling; "I'm so ugly that even the dogs will not bite me." So he lay quite still while gun after gun was fired, and the shots rattled through the reeds.

Late in the day all became quiet, but even then the poor little thing dared not stir. He waited for several hours before he looked around, and then he ran over field and meadow as fast as he could.

Toward night he reached a poor little cottage. The hut was so old that it did not know on which side it should fall. That is why it remained standing at this time.

The door was open, for it had lost one of its hinges. The storm grew worse and worse. The poor duckling was too tired to go on, so he slipped through the open door into the room.

Here lived an old woman with her cat and her hen. The cat could arch his back and purr and give out sparks when his fur was stroked the wrong way. The hen had little short legs and was called "chick-a-biddy-short-shanks." She laid good eggs and the woman loved her as her own child.

In the morning the old woman found the strange duckling. She could not see very well and she thought he was a fat duck. "Now we shall have duck's eggs," said she. So the duckling was allowed to stay. He stayed three weeks but no eggs came.

Now, the cat thought he was the master of the house, and the hen thought she was the mistress, and they always said, "We are the world."

"Can you lay eggs?" asked the hen.

"No," said the duckling.

"Then you'll have the goodness to hold your tongue!"

And the cat said, "Can you curve your back and purr and give out sparks?"

"No," said the duckling.

"Then keep still when we are speaking."

So the duckling sat alone in the corner and was very unhappy. The fresh air and the sunshine came in at the open door, and he longed to be out on the water.

"What are you thinking of?" said the hen.

"It is so fine to swim on the water when the water closes over your head and you plunge to the bottom," said the duckling.

"Well, that is a queer sort of pleasure," said the hen; "I think you must be crazy. Ask the cat about it. He is the wisest animal I know. Ask him if he likes to swim on the water, or plunge to the bottom. Ask our mistress, the old woman. There is no one in the world wiser than she. Do you think she has any wish to swim, or to let the water close over her head?"

"You do not understand me," said the duckling.

"What! we do not understand you? Then pray, who is to understand you? Do you think yourself wiser than the cat or the old woman? I won't say anything of myself. Be thankful for all we have done for you. Learn to lay eggs or to purr and give out sparks," said the hen.

"I think I will go out into the wide world," said the duckling.

"Yes, do go," said the hen.

And he went away. He swam on the water and dived, but he was lonesome, for all the animals passed him by because he was so ugly.

Now the autumn came and it was very cold. The air was heavy with hail and snowflakes, and on the fence stood a raven crying, "Croak! croak!" because he was so cold.

One evening a whole flock of great white birds came out of the bushes. They were swans. They had long slender necks and they uttered a strange cry.

As he watched them the ugly duckling felt quite strange and gave such a strange cry that it frightened even himself. He could not forget those beautiful, happy birds, and he loved them more than he had ever loved anyone.

The swans spread their wings and flew higher and higher. He watched them till they were out of sight. Then he dived to the bottom of the water.

The winter grew cold and the duckling swam around in the water to keep from freezing. Every night the hole in which he swam grew smaller and smaller. Then it froze so hard that the duckling had to use his legs to keep from freezing fast. At last he became tired and lay quite stiff and cold on the ice.

The next morning a farmer found the duckling and carried him home to his wife. The warm room soon revived him, but the children frightened him. In his terror he fluttered into the milk pan and splashed the milk about the room. The woman slapped her hands and that frightened him still more. He flew into the butter tub and then into the meal barrel. How strange he looked then! The children chased him with the fire tongs. They screamed and laughed at him. The door was open and he slipped out into the snow. All winter long he was cold and hungry.

Then the warm sun began to shine and the duckling shook his wings and found they were strong. Soon he found himself in a beautiful garden. The willow trees bent their long green branches into the stream and the apple trees were in full bloom. And out of the thicket came the same beautiful white swans, swimming lightly over the smooth water.

"I will fly to those royal birds," he said. "They will kill me because I am so ugly, but it does not matter. It is better to be killed than to be bitten by the ducks, pecked by the hens, and beaten by everyone."

So he flew into the water and swam toward the beautiful birds. They saw him and swam to meet him.

The poor duckling bowed his head upon the water and said, "Only kill me." But the swans stroked his neck with their beaks.

Then in the clear water beneath him he saw another swan more beautiful than the others. "That is my image," he cried, "I am no longer an ugly duckling. I am a beautiful swan." And he hid his head under his wing, for he was so happy he did not know what to do.

Some children came into the garden and cried, "See, a new swan has come and he is more beautiful than any of the others."

Then the young swan lifted his slender neck and, in the joy of his heart, said, "I never dreamed of such happiness when I was an ugly duckling."