Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Amadeus short biography. Fairy tale "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King"

The work of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (1776-1822)

One of the brightest representatives of late German romanticism - THIS. Hoffman who was a unique individual. He combined the talent of a composer, conductor, director, painter, writer and critic. Quite original described the biography of Hoffmann A.I. Herzen in his early article “Hoffmann”: “Every single day, late in the evening, some person appeared in a wine cellar in Berlin; drank one bottle after another and sat until dawn. But don't imagine an ordinary drunkard; No! The more he drank, the higher his fantasy soared, the brighter, the more fiery humor poured out on everything around him, the more abundantly the witticisms flared up.About the very work of Hoffmann, Herzen wrote the following: “Some stories breathe something gloomy, deep, mysterious; others are pranks of unbridled fantasy, written in the fumes of bacchanalia.<…>Idiosyncrasy, convulsively wrapping around a person's whole life around some thought, madness, subverting the poles of mental life; magnetism, a magical power that powerfully subjugates one person to the will of another - opens up a huge field for Hoffmann's fiery imagination.

The main principle of Hoffmann's poetics is the combination of the real and the fantastic, the ordinary with the unusual, showing the ordinary through the unusual. In "Little Tsakhes", as in "The Golden Pot", treating the material ironically, Hoffmann puts the fantastic in a paradoxical relationship with the most everyday phenomena. Reality, everyday life becomes interesting for him with the help of romantic means. Perhaps the first among the romantics, Hoffmann introduced the modern city into the sphere of artistic reflection of life. The high opposition of romantic spirituality to the surrounding being takes place against the background and on the soil of real German life, which in the art of this romance turns into a fantastically evil force. Spirituality and materiality come into conflict here. Hoffmann showed with great force the deadening power of things.

The acuteness of the feeling of contradiction between the ideal and reality was realized in the famous Hoffmannian dual world. The dull and vulgar prose of everyday life was opposed to the sphere of high feelings, the ability to hear the music of the universe. Typologically, all the heroes of Hoffmann are divided into musicians and non-musicians. Musicians are spiritual enthusiasts, romantic dreamers, people endowed with inner fragmentation. Non-musicians are people reconciled with life and with themselves. The musician is forced to live not only in the realm of the golden dreams of a poetic dream, but also constantly confronted with non-poetic reality. This gives rise to irony, which is directed not only to the real world, but also to the world of poetic dreams. Irony becomes a way to resolve the contradictions of modern life. The sublime is reduced to the ordinary, the ordinary rises to the sublime - this is seen as the duality of romantic irony. For Hoffmann, the idea of ​​a romantic synthesis of the arts was important, which is achieved through the interpenetration of literature, music and painting. Hoffmann's heroes constantly listen to the music of his favorite composers: Christoph Gluck, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, turn to the painting of Leonardo da Vinci, Jacques Callot. Being both a poet and a painter, Hoffmann created a musical-pictorial-poetic style.

The synthesis of arts determined the originality of the internal structure of the text. The composition of prose texts resembles a sonata-symphonic form, which consists of four parts. The first part outlines the main themes of the work. In the second and third parts there is their contrasting opposition, in the fourth part they merge, forming a synthesis.

There are two types of fantasy in Hoffmann's work. On the one hand, joyful, poetic, fairy-tale fantasy, dating back to folklore ("The Golden Pot", "The Nutcracker"). On the other hand, a gloomy, gothic fantasy of nightmares and horrors associated with mental deviations of a person (“Sandman”, “Elixirs of Satan”). The main theme of Hoffmann's work is the relationship between art (artists) and life (philistine philistines).

Examples of such a division of heroes are found in the novel "Worldly views of the cat Murr", in short stories from the collection "Fantasy in the manner of Callo": "Cavalier Glitch", "Don Juan", "Golden Pot".

Novella "Cavalier Glitch"(1809) - Hoffmann's first published work. The short story has a subtitle: "Memories of 1809". The dual poetics of titles is characteristic of almost all of Hoffmann's works. It also determined other features of the writer's artistic system: the duality of the narrative, the deep interpenetration of the real and the fantastic principles. Gluck died in 1787, the events of the novel date back to 1809, and the composer in the novel acts as a living person. The meeting of the deceased musician and the hero can be interpreted in several contexts: either it is a mental conversation between the hero and Gluck, or a game of imagination, or the fact of the hero's intoxication, or a fantastic reality.

In the center of the novel is the opposition of art and real life, the society of art consumers. Hoffmann seeks to express the tragedy of the misunderstood artist. “I gave out the sacred to the uninitiated…” says Cavalier Gluck. His appearance on Unter den Linden, where the townsfolk drink carrot coffee and talk about shoes, is blatantly absurd, and therefore phantasmagoric. Gluck in the context of the story becomes the highest type of artist who continues to create and improve his works even after death. The idea of ​​the immortality of art was embodied in his image. Music is interpreted by Hoffmann as a secret sound-writing, an expression of the inexpressible.

The short story presents a double chronotope: on the one hand, there is a real chronotope (1809, Berlin), and on the other hand, another fantastic chronotope is superimposed on this chronotope, which expands thanks to the composer and music, which breaks all spatial and temporal restrictions.

In this short story, for the first time, the idea of ​​a romantic synthesis of different artistic styles reveals itself. It is present due to the mutual transitions of musical images into literary ones and literary ones into musical ones. The whole short story is full of musical images and fragments. "Cavalier Gluck" is a musical novella, a fictional essay about Gluck's music and about the composer himself.

Another type of musical novel - "Don Juan"(1813). The central theme of the novel is the staging of Mozart's opera on the stage of one of the German theaters, as well as its interpretation in a romantic vein. The novella has a subtitle - "An unprecedented incident that happened to a certain traveling enthusiast." This subtitle reveals the peculiarity of the conflict and the type of hero. The conflict is based on the clash of art and everyday life, the confrontation between a true artist and a layman. The protagonist is a traveler, a wanderer, on behalf of whom the story is being told. In the perception of the hero, Donna Anna is the embodiment of the spirit of music, musical harmony. Through music, the higher world opens up to her, she comprehends the transcendental reality: “She admitted that for her all life is in music, and sometimes it seems to her that something reserved, which is closed in the secrets of the soul and cannot be expressed in words, she comprehends when she sings ". For the first time, the motive of life and play, or the motive of life-creation, which appears for the first time, is comprehended in a philosophical context. However, the attempt to achieve the highest ideal ends tragically: the death of the heroine on stage turns into the death of the actress in real life.

Hoffmann creates his own literary myth about Don Juan. He refuses the traditional interpretation of the image of Don Juan as a tempter. He is the embodiment of the spirit of love, Eros. It is love that becomes a form of communion with the higher world, with the divine fundamental principle of being. In love, Don Juan tries to show his divine essence: “Perhaps, nothing here on earth exalts a person in his innermost essence like love. Yes, love is that mighty mysterious force that shakes and transforms the deepest foundations of being; what a marvel, if Don Juan in love sought to satisfy the passionate anguish that oppressed his chest. The tragedy of the hero is seen in his duality: he combines the divine and satanic, creative and destructive principles. At some point, the hero forgets about his divine nature and begins to mock nature and the creator. Donna Anna was supposed to save him from the search for evil, as she becomes an angel of salvation, but Don Juan rejects repentance and becomes the prey of hellish forces: “Well, if heaven itself chose Anna, so that it was in love, through the machinations of the devil that ruined him, to reveal to him the divine essence of his nature and save him from the hopelessness of empty aspirations? But he met her too late, when his wickedness reached its peak, and only the demonic temptation to destroy her could wake up in him.

Novella "Golden Pot"(1814), like those discussed above, has a subtitle: "A Tale from Modern Times." The fairy tale genre reflects the dual worldview of the artist. The basis of the tale is the everyday life of Germany at the end XVIII- start XIXcentury. Fantasy is layered on this background, due to this, a fabulously everyday world image of the novel is created, in which everything is plausible and at the same time unusual.

The protagonist of the tale is the student Anselm. Worldly awkwardness is combined in it with deep dreaminess, poetic imagination, and this, in turn, is complemented by thoughts about the rank of a court adviser and a good salary. The plot center of the novel is associated with the opposition of two worlds: the world of the philistines and the world of romantic enthusiasts. In accordance with the type of conflict, all the characters form symmetrical pairs: Student Anselm, archivist Lindgorst, snake Serpentina - heroes-musicians; their counterparts from the everyday world: the registrar Geerbrand, the con-rector Paulman, Veronica. The theme of duality plays an important role, as it is genetically linked to the concept of duality, the bifurcation of an internally unified world. In his works, Hoffmann tried to present a person in two opposite images of spiritual and earthly life and to depict an existential and everyday person. In the emergence of doubles, the author sees the tragedy of human existence, because with the appearance of a double, the hero loses integrity and breaks up into many separate human destinies. There is no unity in Anselm; love for Veronica and for the embodiment of the highest spiritual principle, Serpentina, live in him at the same time. As a result, the spiritual principle wins, the hero overcomes the fragmentation of the soul by the power of his love for Serpentina, and becomes a true musician. As a reward, he receives a golden pot and settles in Atlantis - the world of endless topos. This is a fabulously poetic world in which the archivist rules. The world of the final topos is connected with Dresden, which is dominated by dark forces.

The image of the golden pot in the title of the novel takes on a symbolic meaning. This is a symbol of the hero's romantic dream, and at the same time a rather prosaic thing necessary in everyday life. From here arises the relativity of all values, which, together with the author's irony, helps to overcome the romantic dual world.

Short stories of 1819-1821: "Little Tsakhes", "Mademoiselle de Scudery", "Corner Window".

Based on the fairy tale novel "Little Tsakhes called Zinnober" (1819) there is a folklore motif: the plot of appropriating the hero's feat to others, appropriating the success of one person to others. The short story is distinguished by complex socio-philosophical issues. The main conflict reflects the contradiction between the mysterious nature and the hostile laws of society. Hoffman opposes personal and mass consciousness, pushing individual and mass man.

Tsakhes is a lower, primitive being, embodying the dark forces of nature, an elemental, unconscious principle that is present in nature. He does not seek to overcome the contradiction between how others perceive him and who he really is: “It was folly to think that the external beautiful gift with which I endowed you, like a ray, would penetrate your soul and awaken a voice that would tell you : "You are not the one for whom you are revered, but strive to be equal to the one on whose wings you, weak, wingless, fly up." But the inner voice did not wake up. Your inert, lifeless spirit could not rise, you did not lag behind stupidity, rudeness, obscenity. The death of the hero is perceived as something equivalent to his essence and his whole life. With the image of Tsakhes, the story includes the problem of alienation, the hero alienates all the best from other people: external data, creativity, love. Thus, the theme of alienation turns into a situation of duality, the loss of inner freedom by the hero.

The only hero who is not subject to fairy magic is Balthazar, a poet in love with Candida. He is the only hero who is endowed with a personal, individual consciousness. Balthazar becomes a symbol of inner, spiritual vision, which everyone around is deprived of. As a reward for exposing Tsakhes, he receives a bride and a wonderful estate. However, the well-being of the hero is shown at the end of the work in an ironic manner.

Novella "Mademoiselle de Scudery"(1820) is one of the earliest examples of a detective story. The plot is based on a dialogue between two personalities: Mademoiselle de Scudery, a French writerXVIIcentury - and Rene Cardillac - the best jeweler in Paris. One of the main problems is the problem of the fate of the creator and his creations. According to Hoffmann, the creator and his art are inseparable from each other, the creator continues in his work, the artist - in his text. The alienation of works of art from the artist is tantamount to his physical and moral death. A thing created by a master cannot be a subject of sale; a living soul dies in a product. Cardillac gets his creations back by killing customers.

Another important theme of the novel is the theme of duality. Everything in the world is dual, Cardillac also leads a double life. His double life reflects the day and night sides of his soul. This duality is already present in the portrait description. The fate of man is also dual. Art, on the one hand, is an ideal model of the world, it embodies the spiritual essence of life and man. On the other hand, in the modern world, art becomes a commodity, and thus it loses its originality, its spiritual meaning. Paris itself, in which the action takes place, turns out to be dual. Paris appears in day and night images. Daytime and nighttime chronotope become a model of the modern world, the fate of the artist and art in this world. Thus, the motif of duality includes the following issues: the very essence of the world, the fate of the artist and art.

Hoffmann's latest short story - "corner window"(1822) - becomes the writer's aesthetic manifesto. The artistic principle of the novel is the principle of the corner window, that is, the depiction of life in its real manifestations. Market life for the hero is a source of inspiration and creativity, it is a way of immersion in life. Hoffmann for the first time poetizes the corporeal world. The principle of the corner window includes the position of the artist-observer who does not interfere with life, but only generalizes it. It communicates to life the features of aesthetic completeness, inner integrity. The short story becomes a kind of model of a creative act, the essence of which is the fixation of the artist's life impressions and the rejection of their unambiguous assessment.

The general evolution of Hoffmann can be represented as a movement from the depiction of the unusual world to the poeticization of everyday life. The type of hero also undergoes changes. The hero-observer comes to replace the hero-enthusiast, the subjective style of the image is replaced by an objective artistic image. Objectivity presupposes that the artist follows the logic of real facts.

Tales of Hoffmann and his best work - The Nutcracker. Mysterious and unusual, with the deepest meaning and reflection of reality. Hoffmann's tales are advised to read by the golden fund of world literature.

Tales of Hoffmann read

Brief biography of Hoffmann

Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann, now known as Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, was born in Königsberg in 1776. Hoffmann changed his name already in adulthood, adding to it Amadeus in honor of Mozart, the composer whose work he admired. And it was this name that became a symbol of a new generation of fairy tales from Hoffmann, which both adults and children began to read with rapture.

The future famous writer and composer Hoffmann was born in the family of a lawyer, but his father divorced his mother when the boy was still very young. Ernst was raised by his grandmother and uncle, who, by the way, also practiced as a lawyer. It was he who brought up a creative personality in the boy and drew attention to his penchant for music and drawing, although he insisted that Hoffmann receive a law degree and work in law to ensure an acceptable standard of living. Ernst was grateful to him for the rest of his life, because it was not always possible to earn a living with the help of art, and it happened that he had to starve.

In 1813, Hoffmann received an inheritance, although it was small, it nevertheless allowed him to get on his feet. Just at that time, he had already got a job in Berlin, which came in very handy, by the way, because there was time to devote himself to art. It was then that Hoffmann first thought about the fabulous ideas that hovered in his head.

The hatred of all social gatherings and parties led to the fact that Hoffmann began to drink alone and write his first works at night, which were so terrible that they led him to despair. However, even then he wrote several works worthy of attention, but even those were not recognized, as they contained unambiguous satire and at that time did not appeal to critics. The writer became much more popular outside his homeland. To our great regret, Hoffmann finally exhausted his body with an unhealthy lifestyle and died at the age of 46, and Hoffmann's fairy tales, as he dreamed, became immortal.

Few writers have received such attention to their own lives, but based on the biography of Hoffmann and his works, the poem Night of Hoffmann and the opera Tales of Hoffmann were created.

Creativity Hoffmann

Hoffmann's creative life was short. He released the first collection in 1814, and after 8 years he was gone.

If we wanted to somehow characterize in what direction Hoffmann wrote, we would call him a romantic realist. What is the most important thing in Hoffmann's work? One line through all his works is the awareness of the deep difference between reality and the ideal and the understanding that it is impossible to get off the ground, as he himself said.

Hoffmann's whole life is a continuous struggle. For bread, for the opportunity to create, for respect for yourself and your works. Hoffmann's fairy tales, which both children and their parents are advised to read, will show this struggle, the strength to make difficult decisions and even greater strength not to give up in case of failure.

The first tale of Hoffmann was the tale of the Golden Pot. Already from it it became clear that a writer from ordinary everyday life is able to create a fabulous miracle. There, people and objects are real magic. Like all the romantics of that time, Hoffmann is fond of everything mystical, everything that usually happens at night. One of the best works was the Sandman. Continuing the theme of mechanisms coming to life, the author created a real masterpiece - the fairy tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (some sources also call it The Nutcracker and the Rat King). Hoffmann's fairy tales are written for children, but the topics and problems that they touch on are not entirely childish.

The fate of Hoffmann was tragic. The script was simple. A gifted raznochinets artist seeks to build a new culture and thereby elevate the Motherland, and in return receives insults, need, reaching poverty, and abandonment.

Family

In Königsberg, the lawyer Ludwig Hoffmann and his cousin-wife, on a cold January day, have a son, Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann, born in 1776. After two years with a little, the parents will divorce because of the unbearably difficult nature of the mother. The three-year-old Theodore Hoffmann, whose biography begins with kinks, falls into the respectable burgher family of his uncle, a lawyer. But his teacher is no stranger to art, fantasy and mysticism.

From the age of six, the boy begins his studies at a reform school. At the age of seven, he will acquire a faithful friend, Gottlieb Gippel, who will help Theodore in difficult periods and remain faithful to him until his death. Hoffmann's musical and pictorial data appear early, and he is sent to study to the organist-composer Podbelsky and the artist Zeman.

University

Under the influence of his uncle, Ernst enters the law department of the Königsberg University. At this time, he teaches there, but his lectures do not attract the attention of such a person as Hoffmann. The biography says that all his aspirations are art (piano, painting, theater) and love.

A seventeen-year-old boy is deeply infatuated with a married woman who is nine years older than him. However, he graduated with honors from an educational institution. His love and connection with a married woman are revealed, and in order to avoid scandal, the young man is sent to Glogau to his uncle in 1796.

Service

For some time he served in Glogau. But all the time he is busy with the transfer to Berlin, where he ends up in 1798. The young man passes the next exam and receives the title of assessor. But doing law out of necessity, Hoffmann, whose biography shows a deep passion for music, simultaneously studies the principles of musical composition. At this time, he will write a play and will try to put it on stage. He is sent to serve in Poznań. There he will write another musical and dramatic performance, which will be staged in this small Polish town. But the gray everyday life does not satisfy the soul of the artist. As an outlet, he uses caricatures of the local society. Another scandal happens, after which Hoffmann is exiled to the provincial Plock.

After a while, Hoffmann finds his happiness. His biography changes due to his marriage to a quiet, benevolent, but far from the violent aspirations of her husband girl, Mikhalin, or Misha for short. She will patiently endure all the antics and hobbies of her husband, and the daughter born in wedlock will die at the age of two. In 1804, Hoffmann was transferred to Warsaw.

In the Polish capital

He serves to serve, but he devotes all his free time and thoughts to music. Here he writes another musical performance and changes his third name. This is how Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann appears. The biography speaks of admiration for the work of Mozart. Thoughts are occupied with music and painting. He paints the Mnishek Palace for the Musical Society and does not notice that Napoleon's troops have entered Warsaw. The service stops, there is nowhere to get money from. He sends his wife to Poznan, while he tries to get out to Vienna or Berlin.

Need and lack of money

But in the end, life leads Hoffmann to the town of Bamberg, where he receives the post of bandmaster. He also takes his wife there. This is where the idea of ​​the first story "Cavalier Glitch" arises. This period does not last long, but it is truly terrible. No money. The maestro even sells an old frock coat to eat. Hoffmann simply survives with music lessons in private homes. He dreamed of devoting his life to art, but as a result he deeply despaired, which, apparently, affected his health and too early death.

In 1809, the irrational story "Cavalier Gluck" was published, in which the artist's free personality is opposed to a musty society. This is how literature enters the life of a creator. Always striving for music, Hoffmann, whose biography is full and multifaceted, will leave an indelible mark on another art form.

Berlin

After long and inconsistent, like any great artist, throwing, on the advice of a school friend Gippel, Hoffmann moved to Berlin and again "harnessed" to work in the field of the judicial department. He, in his own words, is again "in prison", which does not prevent him from being an excellent expert in law. By 1814, his works "The Golden Pot" and "Fantasy in the manner of Callot" were published.

Theodor Hoffmann (biography shows this) is recognized as a writer. He visits literary salons, where he is given signs of attention. But until the end of his life, he will retain an enthusiastic love for music and painting. By 1815, the need leaves his house. But he curses his own fate as the fate of a lonely, small, crushed and weak man.

Prose of life and art

Ernst Hoffmann, whose biography continues very prosaically, still serves as a lawyer and compares his hated work with the meaningless, endless and bleak work of Sisyphus. An outlet is not only music and literature, but also a glass of wine. When he forgets himself behind a bottle in a tavern and then returns home, he has frightening fantasies that fall on paper.

But the Worldly Views of Cat Murr, who lives at his house in love and chole, become perfection. The hero of the novel, Kreisler, a priest of "pure art", changes the cities and principalities of the country in search of a corner where one can find harmony between society and the artist. Kreisler, whose autobiography is beyond doubt, dreams of raising a person from the colorless everyday life to the heights of the divine spirit, to higher spheres.

Completion of life

First, beloved cat Murr will die. In less than a year, the great romanticist who had already outlined a new realistic path in literature, Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, dies of paralysis at the age of 46. His biography is a path of searching for a way out of the "game of gloomy forces" to "crystal jets of poetry."

01/24/1776, Königsberg - 06/25/1822, Berlin
German writer, artist,
composer, music critic

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann ... There is something magical in this name. It is always pronounced in full, and it is as if surrounded by a dark ruffled collar with fiery reflections.
However, it should be so, because in fact Hoffmann was a magician.
Yes, yes, not just a storyteller, like the brothers Grimm or Perrault, but a real magician.
Judge for yourself, because only a true magician can create miracles and fairy tales ... out of nothing. From a bronze doorknob with a grinning face, from nutcrackers and a hoarse chime of an old clock; from the noise of the wind in the foliage and the night singing of cats on the roof. True, Hoffmann did not wear a black robe with mysterious signs, but walked in a worn brown tailcoat and used a goose feather instead of a magic wand.
Wizards will be born where and when they please. Ernst Theodor Wilhelm (as he was originally called) was born in the glorious city of Königsberg on the day of St. John Chrysostom in the family of a lawyer.
He must have acted recklessly, for nothing resists magic so much as laws and law.
And now a young man who, from early childhood, loved music more than anything in the world (and even took the name Amadeus in honor of Mozart), played the piano, violin, organ, sang, drew and composed poetry - this young man had to, like all his ancestors, become an official.
Young Hoffman submitted, graduated from the university and served for many years in various judicial departments. He wandered around the cities of Prussia and Poland (which was then also Prussian), sneezed in dusty archives, yawned at court sessions, and drew caricatures of members of the judiciary in the margins of protocols.
More than once, the ill-fated lawyer tried to quit the service, but this did not lead to anything. Going to Berlin to try his luck as an artist and musician, he nearly starved to death. In the small town of Bamberg, Hoffmann happened to be a composer and conductor, director and decorator in the theater; write articles and reviews for the Universal Musical Gazette; give music lessons and even participate in the sale of sheet music and pianos! But it did not add any fame or money to him. Sometimes, sitting by the window in his tiny room under the very roof, and looking up at the night sky, he thought that things in the theater would never go smoothly; that Yulia Mark, his pupil, sings like an angel, while he is ugly, poor and not free; and life is not good...
Yulchen was soon married off to a stupid but rich merchant and taken away forever.
Hoffmann left the disgusted Bamberg and went first to Dresden, then to Leipzig, was almost killed by a bomb during one of the last Napoleonic battles, and finally ...
Either fate took pity on him, or the patron saint John Chrysostom helped, but one day the unlucky bandmaster took a pen, dipped it in an inkwell and ...
It was then that crystal bells rang, golden-green snakes whispered in the foliage, and the fairy tale “The Golden Pot” (1814) was written.
And Hoffmann finally found himself and his magical land. True, some guests from this country had visited him before (Cavalier Gluck, 1809).
A lot of wonderful stories soon accumulated, of which a collection was compiled called "Fantasy in the manner of Callot" (1814-1815). The book was a success, and the author immediately became famous.
"I'm like children born on Sunday: they see what other people can't see". Hoffmann's fairy tales and short stories could be funny and scary, bright and sinister, but the fantastic in them arose unexpectedly, from the most ordinary things, from life itself. This was the great secret that Hoffmann was the first to guess.
His fame grew, but there was still no money. And now the writer is again forced to put on the uniform of a counselor of justice, now in Berlin.
Longing overcame him in this "human wilderness", but still it was here that almost all of his best books were written: The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816), Little Tsakhes (1819), Night Stories (very scary), Princess Brambilla (1820), Worldly views of the cat Murr "and much more.
A circle of friends gradually developed - the same romantic dreamers as Hoffmann himself. Their cheerful and serious conversations about art, about the secrets of the human soul and other subjects were embodied in the four-volume cycle "The Serapion Brothers" (1819-1821).
Hoffmann was full of plans, the service did not burden him too much, and everything would be fine, but only ... "The devil can put his tail on everything".
Counselor Hoffmann, as a member of the Court of Appeal, stood up for an unjustly accused man, provoking the wrath of police director von Kamptz. Moreover, the impudent writer portrayed this worthy figure of the Prussian state in the story "Lord of the Fleas" (1822) under the guise of the Privy Councilor Knarrpanty, who first arrested the criminal, and then selected a suitable crime for him. Von Kamptz, furious, complained to the king and ordered the manuscript to be seized. A lawsuit was initiated against Hoffmann, and only the efforts of friends and a serious illness saved him from persecution.
He was almost completely paralyzed, but he did not lose hope to the end. The last miracle was the story "The Corner Window", where the elusive life is caught on the fly and imprinted for us forever.

Margarita Pereslegina

WORKS OF E.T.A. HOFFMANN

COLLECTED WORKS: In 6 volumes: Per. with him. / Foreword. A. Karelsky; Comment. G. Shevchenko. - M.: Artist. lit., 1991-2000.
Hoffmann has always been loved in Russia. Educated youth read to them in German. In the library of A.S. Pushkin there was a complete collection of Hoffmann's works in French translations. Very soon, Russian translations appeared, for example, “The History of the Nutcracker”, or “The Rodent of Nuts and the King of Mice” - that was the name of the “Nutcracker” then. It is difficult to list all the figures of Russian art who were influenced by Hoffmann (from Odoevsky and Gogol to Meyerhold and Bulgakov). Nevertheless, some mysterious force for a long time prevented the publication of all the books of E.T.A. Hoffmann in Russian. Only now, after almost two centuries, can we read the famous and unfamiliar texts of the writer, collected and commented, as befits the works of a genius.

SELECTED WORKS: In 3 volumes / Entry. Art. I. Mirimsky. - M.: Goslitizdat, 1962.

LIFE VIEWS OF THE CAT MURRA TOGETHER WITH FRAGMENTS OF THE BIOGRAPHY OF KAPELMEISTER JOHANNES KREISLER, ACCIDENTALLY SURVIVING IN WASTE SHEETS / Per. with him. D. Karavkina, V. Griba // Hoffman E.T.A. Lord of the Fleas: Tales, a novel. - M.: EKSMO-Press, 2001. - S. 269-622.
One day, Hoffmann saw that his pupil and pet, a tabby cat named Murr, was opening a desk drawer with his paw and laying down to sleep on manuscripts. Has he already learned, what good, to read and write? This is how the idea of ​​this extraordinary book arose, in which thoughtful reasoning and "heroic" adventures of the cat Murr are interspersed with pages of the biography of his owner, Kapellmeister Kreisler, who is so similar to Hoffmann himself.
The novel, unfortunately, remained unfinished.

THE GOLD POT AND OTHER STORIES: Per. with him. / Post-last. D. Chavchanidze; Rice. N. Goltz. - M.: Det. lit., 1983. - 366 p.: ill.
Behind the visible and tangible world there is another, wonderful world, full of beauty and harmony, but it is not open to everyone. This will be confirmed to you by the little knight the Nutcracker, and the poor student Anselm, and the mysterious stranger in an embroidered camisole - gentleman Gluck ...

GOLD POT; LITTLE TSAHES, NAMED ZINNOBER: Tales: Per. with him. / Entry. Art. A. Gugnina; Artistic N. Goltz. - M.: Det. lit., 2002. - 239 p.: ill. - (School library).
Don't try to unravel the secret behind two of Hoffmann's most magical, deepest, and most elusive stories. No matter how you weave a network of social and philosophical theories, the green snakes will still slip into the water of the Elbe and only sparkle with emerald sparks... parks ... Just, daydreaming, do not stumble over some basket of apples. After all, her mistress may turn out to be a real witch.

KREISLERIAN; LIFE VIEWS OF THE CAT MURRA; DIARY: Per. with him. - M.: Nauka, 1972. - 667 p.: ill. - (Lit. monuments).
KREISLERIAN; NOVELS: Per. with him. - M.: Music, 1990. - 400 p.
"Kreisleriana"
“There is only one angel of light capable of overpowering the demon of evil. This bright angel is the spirit of music…” Kapellmeister Johannes Kreisler utters these words in the novel Murr the Cat, but for the first time this character appears in the Kreislerian, where he expresses Hoffmann's most intimate and profound thoughts about music and musicians.

"Fermata", "Poet and Composer", "Competition of singers"
In these short stories, Hoffmann plays out the topics that have worried him all his life in different ways: what is creativity; at what cost is perfection achieved in art.

SANDMAN: Tales: Per. with him. / Rice. V. Bisengalieva. - M.: Text, 1992. - 271 p.: ill. - (Magic lantern).
"Ignaz Denner", "Sandman", "Doge and Dogaressa", "Falun Mines"
Evil sorcerers, nameless dark forces and the devil himself are always ready to take possession of a person. Woe to him who trembles before them and lets darkness into his soul!

"Mademoiselle de Scudery: A Tale from the Times of Louis XIV"
The short story about the mysterious crimes that struck Paris in the 17th century is the first work of Hoffmann translated into Russian and the first detective story in the history of literature.

SANDMAN: [Tales, short stories] / Foreword. A. Karelsky. - St. Petersburg: Crystal, 2000. - 912 p.: ill.
"Adventure on New Year's Eve"
“Inconsistent with nothing, just the devil knows what incidents” happen at this time. On an icy blizzard night in a small Berlin tavern, a traveler who does not cast a shadow can meet and a poor artist who, strange to say ... is not reflected in the mirror!

"Lord of the Fleas: A Tale in Seven Adventures of Two Friends"
The good eccentric Peregrinus Tees, without knowing it, saves the master flea, the master of all fleas. As a reward, he receives a magic glass that allows him to read other people's thoughts.

SERAPION BROTHERS: E.T.A. HOFFMANN. SERAPION BROTHERS; "SERAPION BROTHERS" IN PETROGRAD: Anthology / Comp., foreword. and comment. A.A. Gugnina. - M.: Higher. school, 1994. - 736 p.
The collection of E.T.A. Hoffmann "The Serapion Brothers" is printed almost in the same form in which it appeared during the lifetime of the author and his friends - writers F. de la Motte Fouquet, A. von Chamisso, lawyer J. Hitzig, doctor and poet D.F. Koreff and others who named their circle in honor of the clairvoyant hermit Serapion. Their charter read: freedom of inspiration and fantasy and the right of everyone to be themselves.
A hundred years later, in 1921, in Petrograd, young Russian writers united in the Serapion Brotherhood - in honor of Hoffmann and the Romantics, in the name of Art and Friendship, in spite of chaos and war of parties. A collection of works by new "serapions" by Mikhail Zoshchenko, Lev Lunts, Vsevolod Ivanov, Veniamin Kaverin and others is also published in this book for the first time since 1922.

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: A Christmas Tale / Per. with him. I. Tatarinova; Il. M. Andrukhina. - Kaliningrad: Blagovest, 1992. - 111 p.: ill. - (Magic piggy bank of childhood).
"Tick-and-tock, tick-tock! Don't whine so loud! The mouse king hears everything ... Well, the clock, the old chant! Trick-and-Track, Boom Boom!
Let's tiptoe into Councilor Stahlbaum's living room, where Christmas candles are already burning, and gifts are laid out on the tables. If you stand aside and do not make noise, you will see amazing things ...
This tale is almost two hundred years old, but it's a strange thing! The Nutcracker and little Marie have not aged at all since then, and the Mouse King and his mother Mousechild have not improved at all.

Margarita Pereslegina

LITERATURE ABOUT THE LIFE AND WORK OF E.T.A. HOFFMANN

Balandin R.K. Hoffman // Balandin R.K. One hundred great geniuses. - M.: Veche, 2004. - S. 452-456.
Berkovsky N.Ya. Hoffmann: [About life, the main themes of creativity and the influence of Hoffmann on world literature] // Berkovsky N.Ya. Articles and lectures on foreign literature. - St. Petersburg: Azbuka-klassika, 2002. - S. 98-122.
Berkovsky N.Ya. Romanticism in Germany. - St. Petersburg: Azbuka-classika, 2001. - 512 p.
Contents: E.T.A. Hoffman.
Belza I. Wonderful Genius: [Hoffmann and Music] // Hoffman E.T.A. Kreislerian; Novels. - M.: Music, 1990. - S. 380-399.
Hesse G. [About Hoffmann] // Hesse G. The magic of the book. - M.: Book, 1990. - S. 59-60.
Hoffman E.T.A. Life and work: Letters, statements, documents: Per. with him. / Comp., foreword. and after. K. Gyuntsel. - M.: Rainbow, 1987. - 462 p.: ill.
Gugnin A. "Serapion brothers" in the context of two centuries // Serapion brothers: E.T.A. Hoffman. Serapion brothers; "Serapion Brothers" in Petrograd: An Anthology. - M.: Higher. school, 1994. - S. 5-40.
Gugnin A. Fantastic reality of E.T.A. Hoffman // Hoffman E.T.A. golden pot; Little Tsakhes, nicknamed Zinnober. - M.: Det. lit., 2002. - S. 5-22.
Dudova L. Hoffman, Ernst Theodor Amadeus // Foreign Writers: Biobibliogr. Dictionary: In 2 hours: Part 1. - M .: Bustard, 2003. - S. 312-321.
Kaverin V. Speech on the centenary of the death of E.T.A. Hoffmann // Serapion brothers: E.T.A. Hoffman. Serapion brothers; "Serapion Brothers" in Petrograd: An Anthology. - M.: Higher. school, 1994. - S. 684-686.
Karelsky A. Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffman // Hoffman E.T.A. Sobr. cit.: In 6 volumes - M .: Khudozh. lit., 1991-2000. - T. 1. - S. 5-26.
Mistler J. Life of Hoffmann / Per. from fr. A. Frankovsky. - L.: Academia, 1929. - 231 p.
Piskunova S. Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffman // Encyclopedia for Children: Vol. 15: World Literature: Part 2: XIX and XX centuries. - M.: Avanta +, 2001. - S. 31-38.
Fuman F. Little Tsakhes, nicknamed Zinnober // Meeting: Tales and Essays of GDR Writers about the Sturm und Drang and Romanticism. - M., 1983. - S. 419-434.
Kharitonov M. Tales and life of Hoffmann: Preface // Hoffman E.T.A. Little Tsakhes, nicknamed Zinnober. - Saratov: Privolzhsk. book. publishing house, 1984. - S. 5-16.
The Artistic World of E.T.A. Hoffmann: [Sat. articles]. - M.: Nauka, 1982. - 295 p.: ill.
Zweig S. E. T. A. Hoffman: Preface to the French edition of "Princess Brambilla" // Zweig S. Sobr. cit.: In 9 vols. - M.: Bibliosfera, 1997. - T. 9. - S. 400-402.
Shcherbakova I. Drawings by E.T.A. Hoffmann // Panorama of the Arts: Issue. 11. - M.: Sov. artist, 1988. - S. 393-413.

Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Amadeus(1776-1822) - - German writer, composer and artist of the romantic direction, who gained fame thanks to stories that combine mysticism with reality and reflect the grotesque and tragic sides of human nature.

The future writer was born on January 24, 1776 in Königsberg in the family of a lawyer, studied law and worked in various institutions, but did not make a career: the world of officials and activities related to writing papers could not attract an intelligent, ironic and widely gifted person.

The beginning of Hoffmann's literary activity falls on 1808-1813. - the period of his life in Bamberg, where he was a bandmaster at the local theater and gave music lessons. The first short story-tale "Cavalier Gluck" is dedicated to the personality of the composer who is especially revered by him, the name of the artist is included in the title of the first collection - "Fantasy in the manner of Callot" (1814-1815).

Hoffmann's circle of acquaintances included the romantic writers Fouquet, Chamisso, Brentano, and the famous actor L. Devrient. Hoffmann owns several operas and ballets, the most significant of which are "Ondine", written on the plot of "Ondine" by Fouquet, and musical accompaniment to the grotesque "Merry Musicians" by Brentano.

Among the famous works of Hoffmann are the short story "The Golden Pot", the fairy tale "Little Tsakhes, nicknamed Zinnober", the collections "Night Stories", "Serapion Brothers", the novels "Worldly Views of the Cat Murr", "Devil's Elixir".

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is one of the famous fairy tales written by Hoffmann.

The plot of the tale was born in his communication with the children of his friend Hitzig. He was always a welcome guest in this family, and the children were waiting for his delightful gifts, fairy tales, toys that he made with his own hands. Like the crafty godfather Drosselmeyer, Hoffmann made a skillful model of the castle for his little friends. He captured the names of the children in The Nutcracker. Marie Stahlbaum, a tender girl with a brave and loving heart, who managed to restore the Nutcracker to his real appearance, is the namesake of Hitzig's daughter, who did not live long. But her brother Fritz, the valiant commander of toy soldiers in a fairy tale, grew up, became an architect, and then even took over as president of the Berlin Academy of Arts ...

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

CHRISTMAS TREE

On the twenty-fourth of December, the children of the medical adviser Stahlbaum were not allowed to enter the entrance room all day, and they were not allowed to enter the drawing room adjacent to it at all. In the bedroom, huddled together, Fritz and Marie were sitting in a corner. It was already completely dark, and they were very frightened, because the lamps were not brought into the room, as it was supposed to be on Christmas Eve. Fritz, in a mysterious whisper, told his sister (she had just passed seven years old) that from the very morning in the locked rooms something rustled, rustled and tapped softly. And recently a little dark man darted through the hallway with a large box under his arm; but Fritz probably knows that this is their godfather, Drosselmeyer. Then Marie clapped her hands for joy and exclaimed:

Ah, did our godfather make something for us this time?

The senior councilor of the court, Drosselmeyer, was not distinguished by his beauty: he was a small, lean man with a wrinkled face, with a large black plaster instead of his right eye, and completely bald, which is why he wore a beautiful white wig; and this wig was made of glass, and, moreover, extremely skillfully. The godfather himself was a great artisan, he even knew a lot about watches and even knew how to make them. Therefore, when the Stahlbaums began to act up and some clocks stopped singing, the godfather Drosselmeyer always came, took off his glass wig, pulled off his yellow frock coat, tied a blue apron and poked the clock with prickly instruments, so that little Marie was very sorry for them; but he did no harm to the clock, on the contrary, it came to life again and immediately began to merrily tick-tick, ring and sing, and everyone was very happy about this. And every time the godfather had something entertaining for the children in his pocket: either a little man, rolling his eyes and shuffling his foot, so that one cannot look at him without laughing, then a box from which a bird jumps out, then some other little thing. And for Christmas, he always made a beautiful, intricate toy, on which he worked hard. Therefore, the parents immediately carefully removed his gift.

Ah, the godfather has made something for us this time! Marie exclaimed.

Fritz decided that this year it would certainly be a fortress, and in it very pretty well-dressed soldiers would march and throw out articles, and then other soldiers would appear and attack, but those soldiers in the fortress would bravely fire their cannons at them, and there will be noise and uproar.

No, no, - Fritz Marie interrupted, - my godfather told me about a beautiful garden. There is a large lake there, wonderfully beautiful swans with golden ribbons around their necks swim on it and sing beautiful songs. Then a girl will come out of the garden, go to the lake, lure the swans and feed them with sweet marzipan...

Swans do not eat marzipan,” Fritz interrupted her not very politely, “and a godfather cannot make a whole garden. And what use are his toys to us? We take them right away. No, I like my father's and mother's gifts much more: they remain with us, we dispose of them ourselves.

And so the children began to wonder what their parents would give them. Marie said that Mamsell Trudchen (her big doll) had completely deteriorated: she had become so clumsy, she fell to the floor every now and then, so that her whole face was now covered in nasty marks, and it was out of the question to lead her in a clean dress. No matter how much you tell her, nothing helps. And then, mother smiled when Marie so admired Greta's umbrella. Fritz, on the other hand, assured that he did not have enough bay horse in the court stable, and there was not enough cavalry in the troops. Papa knows this well.

So, the children knew perfectly well that their parents had bought them all sorts of wonderful gifts and were now placing them on the table; but at the same time they had no doubt that the kind infant Christ shone with his gentle and meek eyes, and that Christmas gifts, as if touched by his gracious hand, bring more joy than all others. The elder sister Louise reminded the children about this, who endlessly whispered about the expected gifts, adding that the infant Christ always directs the hand of parents, and children are given something that gives them true joy and pleasure; and he knows about this much better than the children themselves, who, therefore, should not think about anything or guess, but calmly and obediently wait for what they will be presented with. Sister Marie became thoughtful, and Fritz muttered under his breath: “Still, I would like a bay horse and hussars.”

It got completely dark. Fritz and Marie sat tightly pressed against each other, and did not dare to utter a word; it seemed to them that quiet wings were flying over them and beautiful music was heard from afar. A light beam slid along the wall, then the children realized that the infant Christ had flown away on shining clouds to other happy children. And at the same moment a thin silver bell sounded: “Ding-ding-ding-ding! “The doors swung open, and the Christmas tree shone with such brilliance that the children with a loud cry: “Ax, ax! “- froze on the threshold. But dad and mom came to the door, took the children by the hands and said:

Come on, come on, dear children, look what the Christ child has given you!

PRESENT

I am addressing you directly, dear reader or listener - Fritz, Theodor, Ernst, whatever your name is - and I ask you to imagine as vividly as possible a Christmas table, all crammed with wonderful colorful gifts that you received this Christmas , then it will not be difficult for you to understand that the children, stupefied with delight, froze in place and looked at everything with shining eyes. Only a minute later, Marie took a deep breath and exclaimed:

Oh, how wonderful, oh, how wonderful!

And Fritz jumped high several times, which he was a great master of. Surely, the children have been kind and obedient all year, because they have never received such wonderful, beautiful gifts as today.

A large Christmas tree in the middle of the room was hung with golden and silver apples, and on all branches, like flowers or buds, grew sugared nuts, colorful candies, and all sorts of sweets in general. But most of all, hundreds of small candles adorned the wonderful tree, which, like stars, sparkled in dense greenery, and the tree, flooded with lights and illuminating everything around, beckoned to pick the flowers and fruits growing on it. Everything around the tree was full of color and shone. And what was not there! I don't know who can describe it! .. Marie saw elegant dolls, pretty toy dishes, but most of all she was pleased with her silk dress, skillfully trimmed with colored ribbons and hanging so that Marie could admire it from all sides; she admired him to her heart's content, repeating over and over:

Oh, what a beautiful, what a sweet, sweet dress! And they will let me, probably they will let me, in fact they will let me wear it!

Fritz, meanwhile, had already galloped and trotted around the table three or four times on a new bay horse, which, as he expected, was tethered by the table with gifts. Getting down, he said that the horse is a fierce beast, but nothing: he will school him. Then he reviewed the new squadron of hussars; they were dressed in magnificent red uniforms embroidered with gold, brandished silver sabers and sat on horses so snow-white that one might think that the horses were also made of pure silver.

Just now the children, having calmed down a little, wanted to take up the picture books lying open on the table so that they could admire various wonderful flowers, colorfully painted people and pretty children playing, depicted so naturally, as if they were really alive and were about to speak, - so, just now the children wanted to take up wonderful books, when the bell rang again. The children knew that now it was the turn of the godfather Drosselmsier's gifts, and they ran to the table that stood against the wall. The screens behind which the table had until then been hidden were quickly removed. Oh what the children saw! On a green lawn dotted with flowers stood a wonderful castle with many mirrored windows and golden towers. Music began to play, doors and windows were flung open, and everyone saw that tiny, but very elegantly made gentlemen and ladies in hats with feathers and dresses with long trains were walking around in the halls. In the central hall, which was so radiant (so many candles were burning in silver chandeliers!), children in short camisoles and skirts danced to the music. A gentleman in an emerald green cloak looked out of the window, bowed and hid again, and below, in the doors of the castle, godfather Drosselmeyer appeared and left again, only he was as tall as my father's little finger, no more.

Fritz put his elbows on the table and for a long time looked at the wonderful castle with dancing and walking little men. Then he asked:

Godfather, but godfather! Let me go to your castle!

The senior adviser of the court said that this could not be done. And he was right: it was foolish of Fritz to ask for a castle that, with all its golden towers, was smaller than him. Fritz agreed. Another minute passed, gentlemen and ladies were still walking around in the castle, children were dancing, an emerald little man was still looking out of the same window, and godfather Drosselmeyer was still approaching the same door.

Fritz exclaimed impatiently:

Godfather, now get out of that other door!

You can't do that, dear Fritschen, - objected the senior councilor of the court.

Well, then, - continued Fritz, - they led the little green man that looks out of the window to take a walk with the others through the halls.

This is also impossible, - the senior adviser of the court again objected.

Well, then let the children come down! Fritz exclaimed. - I want to get a better look at them.

None of this is possible, - said the senior adviser of the court in an annoyed tone. - The mechanism is made once for all, you can't remake it.

Ah, so-so! said Fritz. - None of this is possible ... Listen, godfather, since smart little men in the castle only know what to repeat the same thing, so what's the use of them? I do not need them. No, my hussars are much better! They march forward and backward as I please, and are not locked in the house.

And with these words, he ran away to the Christmas table, and at his command, the squadron on silver mines began to gallop back and forth - in all directions, cut with sabers and shoot to their heart's content. Marie, too, quietly moved away: and she, too, was bored with dancing and festivities of dolls in the castle. Only she tried to make it not noticeable, not like brother Fritz, because she was a kind and obedient girl. The senior adviser of the court said in a displeased tone to the parents:

Such an intricate toy is not for foolish children. I'll take my castle.

But then the mother asked me to show her the internal structure and the amazing, very skillful mechanism that set the little men in motion. Drosselmeyer disassembled and reassembled the entire toy. Now he cheered up again and presented the children with some beautiful brown men who had golden faces, arms and legs; they were all from Thorn and smelled delicious of gingerbread. Fritz and Marie were very happy with them. The elder sister Louise, at the request of her mother, put on an elegant dress given by her parents, which suited her very well; and Marie asked to be allowed, before putting on her new dress, to admire it a little more, which she was willingly allowed to do.

FAVORITE

But in fact, Marie did not leave the table with gifts because she only now noticed something that she had not seen before: when Fritz's hussars, who had previously stood in line at the very Christmas tree, came out, a wonderful little man appeared in plain sight. He behaved quietly and modestly, as if calmly waiting for his turn to come. True, he was not very foldable: an overly long and dense body on short and thin legs, and his head also seemed to be too big. On the other hand, it was immediately clear from the smart clothes that he was a well-mannered and tasteful person. He was wearing a very beautiful shiny purple hussar dolman, all in buttons and braids, the same breeches and such smart boots that it was hardly possible to wear similar ones even to officers, and even more so to students; they sat on slender legs as deftly as if they were drawn on them. Of course, it was absurd that, with such a suit, he had fastened on his back a narrow, clumsy cloak, as if cut out of wood, and a miner’s cap was pulled over his head, but Marie thought: prevents him from being a sweet, dear godfather.” In addition, Marie came to the conclusion that the godfather, even if he was as dandy as a little man, still never equaled him in cuteness. Carefully peering into the nice little man, who fell in love with her at first sight, Marie noticed how kindly his face shone. Greenish bulging eyes looked friendly and benevolent. The carefully curled beard of white paper darning, edging his chin, suited the little man very much - after all, the gentle smile on his scarlet lips stood out so much more noticeable.

Oh! Marie exclaimed at last. - Oh, dear daddy, for whom is this pretty little man that stands under the tree itself?

He, dear child, answered the father, will work hard for all of you: his business is to carefully crack hard nuts, and he was bought for Louise and for you and Fritz.

With these words, the father carefully took him from the table, lifted the wooden cloak, and then the little man opened his mouth wide and bared two rows of very white sharp teeth. Marie put a nut in his mouth, and - click! - the little man gnawed it, the shell fell, and Marie had a tasty nucleolus in her palm. Now everyone - and Marie too - understood that the smart little man descended from the Nutcrackers and continued the profession of his ancestors. Marie cried out loudly for joy, and her father said:

Since you, dear Marie, have taken a liking to the Nutcracker, then you yourself must take care of him and take care of him, although, as I have already said, both Louise and Fritz can also use his services.

Marie immediately took the Nutcracker and gave him nuts to chew on, but she chose the smallest ones so that the little man did not have to open his mouth too wide, since this, to tell the truth, did not make him look good. Louise joined her, and the kind friend Nutcracker did the work for her; he seemed to carry out his duties with great pleasure, because he always smiled affably.

Fritz, meanwhile, got tired of riding and marching. When he heard the merrily cracking of nuts, he too wanted to taste them. He ran up to his sisters and burst out laughing from the bottom of his heart at the sight of the amusing little man who was now passing from hand to hand and tirelessly opening and closing his mouth. Fritz thrust the biggest and hardest nuts into him, but suddenly there was a crack - crack, crack! - three teeth fell out of the Nutcracker's mouth and the lower jaw sagged and staggered.

Oh, poor, dear Nutcracker! Marie screamed and took it from Fritz.

What a fool! Fritz said. - He takes nuts to crack, but his own teeth are no good. It's true, he doesn't know his business. Give it here, Marie! Let him crack nuts for me. It doesn't matter if he breaks off the rest of his teeth, and the whole jaw to boot. There is nothing to stand on ceremony with him, a loafer!

No no! Marie screamed with tears. - I will not give you my dear Nutcracker. Look how pitifully he looks at me and shows his sick mouth! You are evil: you beat your horses and even let the soldiers kill each other.

That's how it's supposed to be, you don't understand it! shouted Fritz. - And the Nutcracker is not only yours, he is mine too. Give it here!

Marie burst into tears and hastily wrapped the sick Nutcracker in a handkerchief. Then the parents approached with godfather Drosselmeyer. To Marie's chagrin, he took Fritz's side. But the father said:

I purposely gave the Nutcracker to Marie's care. And he, as I see, right now especially needs her cares, so let her alone manage him and no one interferes in this matter. In general, I am very surprised that Fritz requires further services from the victim in the service. Like a real soldier, he must know that the wounded are never left in the ranks.

Fritz was very embarrassed and, leaving alone the nuts and the Nutcracker, quietly moved to the other side of the table, where his hussars, having posted sentries, as expected, settled down for the night. Marie picked up the Nutcracker's teeth that had fallen out; she tied up her injured jaw with a beautiful white ribbon, which she broke off from her dress, and then wrapped the poor little man, who had turned pale and, apparently, frightened, with a scarf even more carefully. Cradling him like a small child, she began to look at the beautiful pictures in the new book, which lay among other gifts. She became very angry, although it was not at all like her, when her godfather began to laugh at her coddling with such a freak. Here she again thought of the strange resemblance to Drosselmeyer, which she noticed at the first glance at the little man, and very seriously said:

Who knows, dear godfather, who knows if you would be as handsome as my dear Nutcracker, even if you dressed up no worse than him and put on the same smart, shiny boots.

Marie could not understand why her parents laughed so loudly, and why the senior councilor of the court had such a reddened nose, and why he now does not laugh with everyone. True, there were reasons for that.

MIRACLES

As soon as you enter the Stahlbaums' living room, right there, at the door to the left, against the wide wall, there is a tall glass cabinet, where the children put away the beautiful gifts that they receive every year. Louise was still very young when her father ordered a closet from a very skilled carpenter, and he inserted such transparent glasses into it and generally did everything with such skill that the toys in the closet looked, perhaps, even brighter and more beautiful than when they were picked up. . On the top shelf, which Marie and Fritz could not reach, stood the intricate products of Herr Drosselmeyer; the next one was reserved for picture books; the bottom two shelves Marie and Fritz could occupy whatever they pleased. And it always turned out that Marie arranged a doll room on the bottom shelf, and Fritz billeted his troops above it. That is what happened today. While Fritz was placing the hussars upstairs, Marie put Mamselle Trudchen downstairs to the side, put the new elegant doll in a well-furnished room and asked her for a treat. I said that the room was excellently furnished, which is true; I don’t know if you, my attentive listener, Marie, just like little Stahlbaum - you already know that her name is also Marie - so I say that I don’t know if you have, just like she has , a colorful sofa, several pretty chairs, a charming table, and most importantly, an elegant, shiny bed on which the most beautiful dolls in the world sleep - all this stood in a corner in a closet, the walls of which in this place were even pasted over with colored pictures, and you you can easily understand that the new doll, which, as Marie found out that evening, was called Clerchen, felt fine here.

It was already late in the evening, midnight was approaching, and godfather Drosselmeyer had long gone, and the children still could not tear themselves away from the glass cabinet, no matter how mother persuaded them to go to bed.

True, Fritz finally exclaimed, it’s time for the poor fellows (he meant his hussars) to rest, and in my presence none of them will dare to nod, I’m sure of that!

And with these words he left. But Marie kindly asked:

Dear mother, let me stay here just a minute, just a minute! I have so many things to do, I’ll manage it and go to bed right now ...

Marie was a very obedient, intelligent girl, and therefore her mother could safely leave her alone with toys for another half an hour. But so that Marie, having played with a new doll and other entertaining toys, would not forget to put out the candles burning around the closet, mother blew them all out, so that only a lamp remained in the room, hanging in the middle of the ceiling and spreading a soft, cozy light.

Don't stay too long, dear Marie. Otherwise, you won’t wake up tomorrow, my mother said, leaving for the bedroom.

As soon as Marie was left alone, she immediately set about what had long been in her heart, although she herself, not knowing why, did not dare to confess her plans even to her mother. She was still cradling the handkerchief-wrapped Nutcracker. Now she laid it carefully on the table, quietly unwrapped the handkerchief and examined the wounds. The Nutcracker was very pale, but he smiled so pitifully and kindly that he touched Marie to the depths of her soul.

Oh, dear Nutcracker, she whispered, please don't be angry that Fritz hurt you: he didn't do it on purpose. He's just hardened by the harsh life of a soldier, otherwise he's a very good boy, believe me! And I will take care of you and take care of you until you get better and have fun. To insert strong teeth into you, to straighten your shoulders - this is the business of godfather Drosselmeyer: he is a master at such things ...

However, Marie did not have time to finish. When she mentioned Drosselmeyer's name, the Nutcracker suddenly grimaced, and prickly green lights flashed in his eyes. But at the moment when Marie was about to get truly frightened, the piteously smiling face of the kind Nutcracker looked at her again, and now she realized that his features had been distorted by the light of the lamp that had flickered from the draft.

Oh, what a stupid girl I am, why was I scared and even thought that a wooden doll could make faces! But still, I really love the Nutcracker: he is so funny and so kind ... So you need to take care of him properly.

With these words, Marie took her Nutcracker in her arms, went to the glass cabinet, squatted down and said to the new doll:

I beg you, Mamselle Clerchen, give up your bed to the poor sick Nutcracker, and spend the night yourself on the sofa sometime. Think about it, you're so strong, and besides, you're completely healthy - look at how chubby and ruddy you are. And not every, even a very beautiful doll has such a soft sofa!

Mamzel Clerchen, dressed up in a festive and important way, pouted without uttering a word.

And why am I standing on ceremony! - said Marie, removed the bed from the shelf, carefully and carefully laid the Nutcracker there, tied a very beautiful ribbon around his injured shoulders, which she wore instead of a sash, and covered him with a blanket up to his very nose.

"Only there is no need for him to stay here with the ill-mannered Clara," she thought, and moved the crib along with the Nutcracker to the top shelf, where he found himself near the beautiful village in which Fritz's hussars were stationed. She locked the closet and was about to go into the bedroom, when suddenly ... listen carefully, children! .. when all of a sudden in all corners - behind the stove, behind the chairs, behind the cabinets - a quiet, quiet whispering, whispering and rustling began. And the clock on the wall hissed, grunted louder and louder, but could not strike twelve. Marie glanced there: a large gilded owl, sitting on the clock, hung its wings, completely covered the clock with them and stretched forward a nasty cat's head with a crooked beak. And the clock wheezed louder and louder, and Marie distinctly heard:

Tick-and-tock, tick-tock! Don't whine so loud! The mouse king hears everything. Trick-and-Track, Boom Boom! Well, the clock, an old chant! Trick-and-Track, Boom Boom! Well, strike, strike, call: the time is coming for the king!

And ... "beam-bom, beam-bom! “- the clock deafly and hoarsely struck twelve strokes. Marie was very scared and almost ran away with fear, but then she saw that the godfather Drosselmeyer was sitting on the clock instead of an owl, hanging the flaps of his yellow frock coat on both sides like wings. She mustered her courage and shouted loudly in a whining voice:

Godfather, listen, godfather, why did you climb there? Get down and don't scare me, you nasty godfather!

But then a strange giggling and squeaking was heard from everywhere, and running and stomping began behind the wall, as if from a thousand tiny paws, and thousands of tiny lights looked through the cracks in the floor. But they weren't lights - no, they were little sparkling eyes, and Marie saw that mice were peeking out from everywhere and getting out from under the floor. Soon the whole room went: top-top, hop-hop! The eyes of mice shone brighter and brighter, their hordes became more and more numerous; finally they lined up in the same order in which Fritz usually lined up his soldiers before the battle. Marie was very amused; she did not have an innate aversion to mice, as some children do, and her fear completely subsided, but suddenly there was such a terrible and piercing squeak that goosebumps ran down her back. Oh, what did she see! No, really, dear reader Fritz, I know very well that you, like the wise, courageous commander Fritz Stahlbaum, have a fearless heart, but if you saw what Marie saw, really, you would run away. I even think you would slip into bed and unnecessarily pull the covers up to your ears. Oh, poor Marie couldn't do it, because - just listen, children! - sand, lime and brick fragments rained down at her very feet, as if from an underground shock, and seven mouse heads in seven brightly sparkling crowns crawled out from under the floor with a nasty hiss and squeak. Soon the whole body, on which seven heads were sitting, got out, and the whole army greeted three times with a loud squeak a huge mouse crowned with seven diadems. Now the army immediately set in motion and - hop-hop, top-top! - headed straight for the closet, straight for Marie, who was still standing pressed against the glass door.

Marie's heart had already been pounding with horror before, so that she was afraid that it would immediately jump out of her chest, because then she would die. Now she felt as if her blood had frozen in her veins. She staggered, losing consciousness, but then suddenly there was a click-clack-hrr! .. - and shards of glass fell down, which Marie broke with her elbow. At the same moment she felt a burning pain in her left arm, but her heart was immediately relieved: she no longer heard the screeching and squeaking. Everything was silent for a moment. And although she did not dare to open her eyes, she still thought that the sound of glass had frightened the mice and they hid in holes.

But what is it again? Behind Marie, in the closet, a strange noise arose and thin voices rang out:

Form up, platoon! Form up, platoon! Fight forward! Midnight strikes! Form up, platoon! Fight forward!

And a harmonious and pleasant chime of melodious bells began.

Ah, but this is my music box! - Marie was delighted and quickly jumped back from the closet.

Then she saw that the closet was glowing strangely and some kind of fuss and fuss was going on in it.

The dolls ran randomly back and forth and waved their arms. Suddenly the Nutcracker got up, threw off the blanket, and jumping off the bed in one jump, shouted loudly:

Snap-click-click, stupid mouse regiment! That will be good, mouse regiment! Click-click, mouse regiment - rushing out of lye - it will be a good idea!

And at the same time he drew his tiny saber, waved it in the air and shouted:

Hey you, my faithful vassals, friends and brothers! Will you stand up for me in a hard fight?

And immediately three scaramouches, Pantalone, four chimney sweeps, two itinerant musicians and a drummer answered:

Yes, our sovereign, we are faithful to you to the grave! Lead us into battle - to death or to victory!

And they rushed after the Nutcracker, who, burning with enthusiasm, ventured a desperate jump from the top shelf. It was good for them to jump: they were not only dressed in silk and velvet, but their bodies were also stuffed with cotton wool and sawdust; so they flopped down like little bundles of wool. But the poor Nutcracker would certainly have broken his arms and legs; just think - from the shelf where he stood, to the bottom was almost two feet, and he himself was fragile, as if carved from linden. Yes, the Nutcracker would certainly have broken his arms and legs if, at the very moment he jumped, Mamselle Clerchen had not jumped off the sofa and taken the hero amazing with a sword into her tender arms.

O dear, kind Clerchen! - Marie exclaimed in tears, - how I was mistaken in you! Of course, you wholeheartedly gave up the bed to your friend Nutcracker.

And then Mamselle Clerchen spoke, tenderly pressing the young hero to her silken breast:

Is it possible for you, sovereign, to go into battle, towards danger, sick and with wounds that have not yet healed! Look, your brave vassals are gathering, they are eager for battle and are sure of victory. Scaramouche, Pantalone, chimney sweeps, musicians and a drummer are already downstairs, and among the dolls with surprises on my shelf, I notice a strong animation and movement. Deign, my lord, to rest on my chest, or agree to contemplate your victory from the height of my hat, decorated with feathers. - That's what Clerchen said; but the Nutcracker behaved in a completely unseemly manner and kicked so much that Clerchen had to hastily put him on a shelf. At the same moment he very politely dropped to one knee and murmured:

O beautiful lady, and on the battlefield I will not forget the mercy and favor you have shown me!

Then Clerchen bent down so low that she grabbed him by the handle, carefully lifted him up, quickly untied her sequined sash and was about to put it on the little man, but he stepped back two steps, pressed his hand to his heart and said very solemnly:

O beautiful lady, do not waste your favors on me, for ... - he stammered, took a deep breath, quickly tore off the ribbon that Marie tied for him, pressed it to his lips, tied it around his arm in the form of a scarf and, enthusiastically waving a sparkling naked sword, jumped quickly and deftly, like a bird, from the edge of the shelf to the floor.

You, of course, immediately understood, my favorable and very attentive listeners, that the Nutcracker, even before he truly came to life, already perfectly felt the love and care with which Marie surrounded him, and that only out of sympathy for her he did not want to accept from Mamselle Clerchen her belt, despite the fact that it was very beautiful and sparkled all over. The faithful, noble Nutcracker preferred to adorn himself with Marie's modest ribbon. But what's next?

As soon as the Nutcracker jumped on the sing, the screech and squeak rose again. Ah, after all, countless hordes of evil mice have gathered under a large table, and a disgusting mouse with seven heads is ahead of them all!

Will there be something?

BATTLE

Drummer, my faithful vassal, beat the general offensive! the Nutcracker commanded loudly.

And immediately the drummer began to beat out the drum in the most skillful manner, so that the glass doors of the cabinet trembled and rattled. And something rattled and crackled in the closet, and Marie saw how all the boxes in which Fritz's troops were billeted were opened at once, and the soldiers jumped out of them right onto the bottom shelf and lined up there in shining rows. The Nutcracker ran along the ranks, inspiring the troops with his speeches.

Where are those rascal trumpeters? Why don't they trumpet? cried the Nutcracker in his hearts. Then he quickly turned to the slightly pale Pantaloon, whose long chin was shaking violently, and solemnly said: General, I know your valor and experience. It's all about quickly assessing the position and using the moment. I entrust you with the command of all cavalry and artillery. You don't need a horse - you have very long legs, so you can ride well on your own two. Do your duty!

Pantalone immediately put his long, dry fingers into his mouth and whistled so piercingly as if a hundred horns had been sung loudly at once. Neighing and stomping were heard in the closet, and - look! - Fritz's cuirassiers and dragoons, and in front of all the new, brilliant hussars, set out on a campaign and soon found themselves below, on the floor. And so the regiments marched one after another in front of the Nutcracker with banners fluttering and drumming, and lined up in wide rows across the whole room. All of Fritz's guns, accompanied by gunners, roared forward and went to drink: boom-boom! .. And Marie saw Dragee fly into the dense hordes of mice, powdering them with white sugar, which made them very embarrassed. But most of all the damage was done to the mice by a heavy battery that drove onto my mother's footstool and - boom-boom! - continuously shelling the enemy with round gingerbread, from which many mice died.

However, the mice kept advancing and even captured a few cannons; but then there was a noise and a roar - trr-trr! - and because of the smoke and dust, Marie could hardly make out what was happening. One thing was clear: both armies fought with great ferocity, and victory passed from one side to the other. The mice brought fresh and fresh forces into battle, and the silver pills, which they threw very skillfully, reached the closet. Clerchen and Trudchen rushed about the shelf and broke their handles in despair.

Shall I die in my prime, shall I die, such a beautiful doll! yelled Clerchen.

Not for the same reason I was so well preserved in order to die here, within four walls! Trudchen wailed.

Then they fell into each other's arms and howled so loudly that even the furious roar of battle could not drown them out.

You have no idea, my dear listeners, what was going on here. Again and again the guns thumped: prr-prr! .. Dr-dr! .. Bang-bang-bang-bang! .. Boom-burum-boom-burum-boom! .. And then the mouse king and mice squealed and squealed, and then the formidable and mighty voice of the Nutcracker, who commanded the battle, was heard again. And it was seen how he himself bypasses his battalions under fire.

Pantalone made several extremely valiant cavalry charges and covered himself with glory. But the mouse artillery bombarded Fritz's hussars with disgusting, fetid cannonballs, which left terrible stains on their red uniforms, which is why the hussars did not rush forward. Pantalone commanded them to "fawn around" and, inspired by the role of the commander, he himself turned to the left, followed by the cuirassiers and dragoons, and the whole cavalry went home. Now the position of the battery, which had taken up position on the footstool, was threatened; it did not take long for the hordes of nasty mice to surge in and rush into the attack so furiously that they overturned the stool along with the cannons and gunners. The Nutcracker, apparently, was very puzzled and ordered a retreat on the right flank. You know, my listener Fritz, who is highly experienced in military matters, that such a maneuver means almost the same thing as fleeing from the battlefield, and you are already lamenting with me about the failure that was to befall the army of Marie's little favorite - the Nutcracker. But turn your eyes away from this misfortune and look at the left flank of the Nutcracker army, where everything is quite well and the commander and the army are still full of hope. In the heat of battle, detachments of mouse cavalry quietly stepped out from under the chest of drawers and with a disgusting squeak furiously attacked the left flank of the Nutcracker army; but what resistance did they meet! Slowly, as far as the uneven terrain allowed, because it was necessary to get over the edge of the cabinet, a corpus of pupae with surprises led by two Chinese emperors stepped out and formed up in a square. These brave, very colorful and elegant regiments, made up of gardeners, Tyroleans, Tungus, hairdressers, harlequins, cupids, lions, tigers, monkeys and monkeys, fought with composure, courage and endurance. With courage worthy of the Spartans, this select battalion would have wrested victory from the hands of the enemy, if some brave enemy captain had not broken through with insane courage to one of the Chinese emperors and had not bitten off his head, and he did not crush two Tunguses and a monkey when falling. As a result, a gap was formed, where the enemy rushed; and soon the whole battalion was gnawed. But little benefit was derived by the enemy from this atrocity. As soon as the bloodthirsty soldier of the mouse cavalry gnawed one of his brave opponents in half, a printed piece of paper fell right into his throat, from which he died on the spot. But did this help the Nutcracker army, which, once starting a retreat, retreated farther and farther and suffered more and more losses, so that soon only a bunch of daredevils with the ill-fated Nutcracker at the head still held out at the closet itself? "Reserves, here! Pantalone, Scaramouche, drummer, where are you? called out the Nutcracker, counting on the arrival of fresh forces that were to come out of the glass case. True, some brown men from Thorn came from there, with golden faces and golden helmets and hats; but they fought so clumsily that they never hit the enemy and probably would have knocked off the hat of their commander the Nutcracker. Enemy huntsmen soon gnawed off their legs, so that they fell and in doing so passed many of the Nutcracker's associates. Now the Nutcracker, pressed on all sides by the enemy, was in great danger. He wanted to jump over the edge of the closet, but his legs were too short. Clerchen and Trudchen lay in a swoon - they could not help him. Hussars and dragoons briskly galloped past him straight into the closet. Then, in the utmost despair, he exclaimed loudly:

Horse, horse! Half the kingdom for a horse!

At that moment, two enemy arrows clung to his wooden cloak, and the mouse king jumped to the Nutcracker, emitting a victorious squeak from all his seven throats.

Marie was no longer in control of herself.

Oh my poor Nutcracker! - she exclaimed, sobbing, and, not realizing what she was doing, she took off her shoe from her left foot and threw it with all her might into the very thick of the mice, right at their king.

At the same moment, everything seemed to crumble to dust, and Marie felt pain in her left elbow, even more burning than before, and fell unconscious on the floor.

DISEASE

When Marie woke up after a deep slumber, she saw that she was lying in her bed, and through the frozen windows a bright, sparkling sun was shining into the room.

By her very bed sat a stranger, whom, however, she soon recognized as the surgeon Wendelstern. He said in an undertone:

She finally woke up...

Then my mother came up and looked at her with a frightened, inquisitive look.

Ah, dear mother, - Marie murmured, - tell me: the nasty mice have finally left and the glorious Nutcracker is saved?

A lot of nonsense to talk, dear Marihen! - objected the mother. - Well, what do mice need your Nutcracker for? But you, bad girl, scared us to death. It always happens when children are self-willed and do not obey their parents. You played with dolls until late at night yesterday, then dozed off, and you must have been frightened by a mouse that slipped by by chance: after all, we don’t have mice in general. In a word, you broke the glass in the closet with your elbow and hurt your hand. It’s good that you didn’t cut a vein with glass! Dr. Wendelstern, who was just now removing the fragments stuck there from your wound, says that you would remain crippled for life and might even bleed to death. Thank God I woke up at midnight, saw that you were still not in the bedroom, and went to the living room. You lay unconscious on the floor by the closet, covered in blood. I nearly passed out with fear. You were lying on the floor, and Fritz's tin soldiers, various toys, broken dolls with surprises and gingerbread men were scattered around. You held the Nutcracker in your left hand, from which blood oozed, and your shoe was lying nearby ...

Oh, mother, mother! Marie interrupted her. - After all, these were traces of the great battle between dolls and mice! That's why I was so frightened that the mice wanted to take prisoner the poor Nutcracker, who commanded the puppet army. Then I threw the shoe at the mice, and I don’t know what happened next.

Dr. Wendelstern winked at his mother, and she very affectionately began to persuade Marie:

That's enough, that's enough, my dear baby, calm down! The mice all ran away, and the Nutcracker stands behind the glass in the closet, safe and sound.

At that moment the adviser of medicine entered the bedroom and started a long conversation with the surgeon Wendelstern, then he felt Marie's pulse, and she heard them talking about the fever caused by the wound.

For several days she had to lie in bed and swallow medicines, although, apart from the pain in her elbow, she did not feel much discomfort. She knew that the dear Nutcracker had come out of the battle unharmed, and at times it seemed to her, as if through a dream, that he was saying to her in a very clear, albeit extremely sad voice: “Marie, beautiful lady, I owe you a lot, but you can do more for me."

Marie thought in vain what it could be, but nothing came to her mind. She could not really play because of a sore hand, and if she took up reading or leafing through picture books, her eyes rippled, so she had to give up this activity. Therefore, time dragged on for her endlessly, and Marie could hardly wait until dusk, when her mother sat down by her bed and read and told all sorts of wonderful stories.

And just now, the mother had just finished an entertaining tale about Prince Fakardin, when the door suddenly opened, and godfather Drosselmeyer entered.

Come on, let me have a look at our poor wounded Marie,” he said.

As soon as Marie saw her godfather in the usual yellow frock coat, the night when the Nutcracker was defeated in the battle with mice flashed before her eyes with all the vivacity, and she involuntarily shouted to the senior councilor of the court:

Oh godfather, how ugly you are! I perfectly saw how you sat on the clock and hung your wings on them so that the clock would beat more quietly and not frighten away the mice. I perfectly heard you call the mouse king. Why didn't you hurry to help the Nutcracker, why didn't you hurry to help me, ugly godfather? You alone are to blame for everything. Because of you, I cut my hand and now I have to lie sick in bed!

The mother asked in fear:

What's wrong with you, dear Marie?

But the godfather made a strange face and spoke in a crackling, monotonous voice:

The pendulum swings with a creak. Less knocking - that's the thing. Trick-and-Track! Always and henceforth the pendulum must creak and sing songs. And when the bell rings: bim-and-bom! - the deadline is coming. Don't be scared, my friend. The clock strikes on time and by the way, to the death of the mouse army, and then the owl will fly off. One-and-two and one-and-two! The clock strikes, since the time has come for them. The pendulum swings with a creak. Less knocking - that's the thing. Tick-and-tock and trick-and-track!

Marie stared wide-eyed at her godfather, because he seemed very different and much more ugly than usual, and with his right hand he waved back and forth, like a clown being pulled by a string.

She would have been very frightened if her mother had not been here and if Fritz, who had slipped into the bedroom, had not interrupted his godfather with loud laughter.

Oh, godfather Drosselmeyer, - exclaimed Fritz, - today you are so funny again! You are grimacing just like my clown, whom I have long ago thrown behind the stove.

The mother was still very serious and said:

Dear Mr Senior Counselor, this is indeed a strange joke. What do you have in mind?

Oh my God, have you forgotten my favorite watchmaker's song? answered Drosselmeyer, laughing. - I always sing it to such sick people as Marie.

And he quickly sat down to the bed and said:

Do not be angry that I did not scratch out all fourteen of the mouse king's eyes at once - this could not be done. But now I will make you happy.

With these words, the senior counselor of the court reached into his pocket and carefully pulled out - what do you think, children, what? - The Nutcracker, to whom he very skillfully inserted the fallen teeth and set the diseased jaw.

Marie cried out with joy, and her mother said, smiling:

You see how your godfather cares about your Nutcracker...

But still confess, Marie, - the godfather interrupted Mrs. Stahlbaum, because the Nutcracker is not very foldable and unattractive. If you want to listen, I will gladly tell you how such deformity appeared in his family and became hereditary there. Or maybe you already know the tale of Princess Pirlipat, the witch Myshilda and the skilled watchmaker?

Listen, godfather! Fritz intervened. - What is true is true: you have perfectly inserted the Nutcracker's teeth, and the jaw is no longer staggering either. But why doesn't he have a sword? Why didn't you tie a sword on him?

Well, you, restless one, - the senior adviser of the court grumbled, - you will never please you! The Nutcracker's saber does not concern me. I cured him - let him get himself a saber wherever he wants.

Right! Fritz exclaimed. "If he's a brave fellow, he'll get himself a gun."

So, Marie, - continued the godfather, - tell me, do you know the tale of Princess Pirlipat?

Oh no! Marie answered. - Tell me, dear godfather, tell me!

I hope, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer, - said my mother, - that this time you will not tell such a terrible tale as usual.

Well, of course, dear Mrs. Stahlbaum, - answered Drosselmeyer. On the contrary, what I shall have the honor to present to you is very amusing.

Ah, tell me, tell me, dear godfather! the children shouted.

And the senior councilor of the court began thus:

THE TALE OF THE HARD NUT

Mother Pirlipat was the wife of the king, and therefore the queen, and Pirlipat, as she was born, became a born princess at the same moment. The king could not stop looking at the beautiful daughter resting in the cradle. He rejoiced loudly, danced, jumped on one leg and kept shouting:

Hayes! Has anyone seen a girl more beautiful than my Pirlipathen?

And all the ministers, generals, advisers and staff officers jumped on one leg, like their father and master, and answered loudly in chorus:

No, no one saw!

Yes, to tell the truth, and it was undeniable that, since the beginning of the world, no more beautiful child had been born than Princess Pirlipat. Her face was as if woven from lily-white and pale pink silk, her eyes were a lively shining azure, and her hair, curled with golden rings, especially adorned. At the same time, Pirlipatchen was born with two rows of teeth as white as pearls, with which, two hours after birth, she dug into the finger of the Reich Chancellor when he wished to examine her features more closely, so that he yelled: “Oh-oh-oh! “Some, however, claim that he shouted: “Ai-ai-ai! “Even today, opinions differ. In short, Pirlipatchen actually bit the Reich Chancellor's finger, and then the admiring people were convinced that the soul, mind, and feeling inhabit the charming, angelic body of Princess Pirlipat.

As said, everyone was delighted; one queen was worried and worried for no reason. It was especially strange that she ordered that Pirlipat's cradle be guarded vigilantly. Not only were drapants standing at the door, an order was given that in the nursery, in addition to two nannies who constantly sat at the very cradle, six more nannies were on duty every night and - which seemed completely absurd and which no one could understand - each nanny was ordered to keep on the cat's lap and stroke it all night so that it doesn't stop purring. You, dear children, will never guess why the mother of Princess Pirlipat took all these measures, but I know why and now I will tell you.

Once upon a time, many glorious kings and handsome princes came to the court of the king, the parent of Princess Pirlipat. For the sake of such an occasion, brilliant tournaments, performances and court balls were arranged. The king, wishing to show that he had a lot of gold and silver, decided to dip his hand into his treasury and arrange a feast worthy of him. Therefore, having found out from the chief cook that the court astrologer had announced a time favorable for chopping pigs, he decided to hold a sausage feast, jumped into the carriage and personally invited all the surrounding kings and princes just for a bowl of soup, dreaming then to amaze them with luxury. Then he very affectionately said to his queen wife:

Honey, you know what kind of sausage I like ...

The queen already knew what he was getting at: this meant that she must personally engage in a very useful business - the manufacture of sausages, which she did not disdain before. The chief treasurer was ordered to immediately send a large golden cauldron and silver pans to the kitchen; the stove was kindled with sandalwood wood; the queen tied her damask kitchen apron. And soon a delicious spirit of sausage broth wafted from the cauldron. A pleasant smell even penetrated the state council. The king, trembling with delight, could not bear it.

I beg your pardon, gentlemen! he exclaimed, ran to the kitchen, embraced the queen, stirred the cauldron a little with the golden scepter, and, reassured, returned to the council of state.

The most important moment came: it was time to cut the lard into slices and fry it in golden frying pans. The court ladies stepped aside, because the queen, out of devotion, love and respect for her royal husband, was going to personally deal with this matter. But as soon as the fat began to turn red, a thin, whispering voice was heard:

Give me a taste of salz too, sister! And I want to feast - I'm a queen too. Let me taste the salsa!

The Queen knew very well that it was Madame Myshilda speaking. Myshilda had been living in the royal palace for many years. She claimed to be related to the royal family and herself rules the kingdom of Mouseland, which is why she kept a large court under her kidney. The queen was a kind and generous woman. Although in general she did not consider Myshilda a special royal family and her sister, but on such a solemn day she admitted her to the feast with all her heart and shouted:

Get out, Miss Myshilda! Eat salsa for health.

And Myshilda quickly and cheerfully jumped out from under the stove, jumped up on the stove and began to grab with her graceful paws one by one the pieces of lard that the queen was holding out to her. But then all the godfathers and aunts of Myshilda came flooding in, and even her seven sons, desperate tomboys. They pounced on the lard, and the queen, frightened, did not know what to do. Fortunately, the chief chamberlain arrived in time and drove the uninvited guests away. Thus, a little fat survived, which, according to the instructions of the court mathematician called for this occasion, was very skillfully distributed over all the sausages.

They beat the timpani, blew the trumpets. All the kings and princes in magnificent festive attire - some on white horses, others in crystal carriages - were drawn to the sausage feast. The king met them with cordial friendliness and honor, and then, in a crown and with a scepter, as befits a sovereign, sat at the head of the table. Already when the liver sausages were served, the guests noticed how the king grew more and more pale, how he raised his eyes to the sky. Quiet sighs escaped his chest; a great sorrow seemed to take possession of his soul. But when the black pudding was served, he leaned back in his chair with loud sobs and groans, covering his face with both hands. Everyone jumped up from the table. The life doctor tried in vain to feel the pulse of the ill-fated king, who seemed to be consumed by a deep, incomprehensible longing. Finally, after much persuasion, after the use of strong remedies like burnt goose feathers and the like, the king seemed to begin to come to his senses. He murmured almost inaudibly:

Too little fat!

Then the inconsolable queen thumped at his feet and groaned:

O my poor, unfortunate royal husband! Oh, what grief you had to endure! But look: the culprit is at your feet - punish, severely punish me! Ah, Myshilda, with her godfathers, aunts and seven sons, ate lard, and ...

With these words, the queen fell unconscious on her back. But the king jumped up, blazing with anger, and shouted loudly:

Ober-Hofmeisterina, how did this happen?

The Chief Hofmeisterina told what she knew, and the king decided to take revenge on Myshilda and her family for eating the fat intended for his sausages.

A secret state council was convened. They decided to initiate proceedings against Myshilda and take away all her possessions to the treasury. But the king believed that as long as this did not prevent Myshilda, when she liked, to devour bacon, and therefore entrusted the whole matter to the court watchmaker and sorcerer. This man, whose name was the same as mine, namely Christian Elias Drosselmeyer, promised to expel Myshilda and her whole family from the palace with the help of completely special measures filled with state wisdom for all eternity.

And indeed: he invented very skillful cars, in which fried bacon was tied on a thread, and placed them around the dwelling of the mistress of the lard.

Myshilda herself was too wise by experience not to understand Drosselmeyer's tricks, but neither her warnings nor her exhortations helped: all seven sons and many, many Myshilda's godfathers and aunts, attracted by the delicious smell of fried bacon, climbed into Drosselmeyer's cars - and only wanted to feast on bacon, as they were suddenly slammed by a sliding door, and then they were betrayed in the kitchen of a shameful execution. Myshilda with a small handful of surviving relatives left these places of sorrow and crying. Grief, despair, the desire for revenge bubbled in her chest.

The court rejoiced, but the queen was alarmed: she knew Myshildin's temper and perfectly understood that she would not leave the death of her sons and loved ones unavenged.

And in fact, Myshilda appeared just when the queen was preparing liver pate for the royal husband, which he very willingly ate, and said this:

My sons, godfathers and aunts are killed. Beware, queen, lest the queen of mice bite the little princess! Watch out!

Then she disappeared again and did not appear again. But the queen, in fright, dropped the pate into the fire, and for the second time Myshilda spoiled the king's favorite food, which he was very angry with ...

Well, enough for tonight. I'll tell you the rest next time, - the godfather unexpectedly finished.

No matter how much Marie, on whom the story made a special impression, asked to continue, godfather Drosselmeyer was inexorable and with the words: “Too much at once is bad for health; continued tomorrow, ”he jumped up from his chair.

Just as he was about to go out the door, Fritz asked:

Tell me, godfather, is it really true that you invented a mousetrap?

What nonsense are you talking about, Fritz! - exclaimed the mother.

But the senior councilor of the court smiled very strangely and said softly:

And why shouldn't I, a skilled watchmaker, invent a mousetrap?

THE TALE OF THE HARD NUT CONTINUED

Well, children, now you know, - Drosselmeyer continued the next evening, - why the queen ordered the beautiful Princess Pirlipat to be so vigilantly guarded. How could she not be afraid that Myshilda would fulfill her threat - she would return and bite the little princess to death! Drosselmeier's typewriter did not help at all against the clever and prudent Myshilda, and the court astrologer, who was also the main soothsayer, declared that only the kind of cat Murr could drive Myshilda away from the cradle. That is why every nanny was ordered to hold on her lap one of the sons of this kind, who, by the way, were granted the chip of the privy councilor of the embassy, ​​and to ease the burden of public service for them with a courteous scratching behind the ear.

Somehow, already at midnight, one of the two chief nannies who were sitting at the very cradle, suddenly woke up, as if from a deep sleep. Everything around was covered in sleep. No purring - deep, dead silence, only the ticking of a grinder bug is heard. But what did the nanny feel when, right in front of her, she saw a big nasty mouse that rose on its hind legs and put its sinister head on the princess's face! The nanny jumped up with a cry of horror, everyone woke up, but at the same moment Myshilda - after all, she was a big mouse at the cradle of Pirlipat - quickly darted into the corner of the room. The embassy advisers rushed after her, but no luck: she darted through a crack in the floor. Pirlipatchen woke up from the confusion and wept very plaintively.

Thank God, - the nannies exclaimed, - she is alive!

But how frightened they were when they looked at Pirlipatchen and saw what had become of the pretty, tender baby! Instead of the curly head of a ruddy cherub, a huge shapeless head sat on a frail, crouching body; blue, like azure, eyes turned into green, stupidly staring peepers, and the mouth stretched to the ears.

The queen burst into tears and sobs, and the king's office had to be upholstered with cotton, because the king banged his head against the wall and lamented in a plaintive voice:

Oh, I am an unfortunate monarch!

Now the king, it seemed, could understand that it was better to eat sausage without bacon and leave Myshilda alone with all her baking relatives, but the father of Princess Pirlipat did not think about this - he simply shifted all the blame on the court watchmaker and miracle worker Christian Elias Drosselmeyer from Nuremberg and gave a wise order: "Drosselmeyer must return Princess Pirlipat to her former appearance within a month, or at least indicate the correct means for this - otherwise he will be sold to a shameful death at the hands of the executioner."

Drosselmeyer was seriously frightened. However, he relied on his skill and happiness and immediately proceeded to the first operation, which he considered necessary. He very deftly dismantled Princess Pirlipat into parts, unscrewed the arms and legs and examined the internal structure, but, unfortunately, he was convinced that with age the princess would be more and more ugly, and did not know how to help the trouble. He again diligently gathered the princess and fell into despondency near her cradle, from which he did not dare to leave.

It was already the fourth week, Wednesday came, and the king, flashing his eyes in anger and shaking his scepter, looked into the nursery to Pirlipat and exclaimed:

Christian Elias Drosselmeyer, cure the princess, otherwise you will not do well!

Drosselmeyer began to cry plaintively, while Princess Pirlipat, meanwhile, cheerfully cracked nuts. For the first time, the watchmaker and wizard was struck by her extraordinary love for nuts and the fact that she was born already with teeth. In fact, after the transformation, she screamed incessantly until she accidentally got a nut; she gnawed it, ate the nucleolus, and immediately calmed down. Since then, the nannies kept calming her down with nuts.

O holy instinct of nature, inscrutable sympathy of all things! exclaimed Christian Elias Drosselmeyer. - You show me the gates of mystery. I'll knock and they'll open!

He immediately asked permission to speak with the court astrologer and was taken to him under strict guard. Both, bursting into tears, fell into each other's arms, as they were bosom friends, then retired to a secret study and began to rummage through books that spoke of instinct, likes and dislikes, and other mysterious phenomena.

Night has come. The court astrologer looked at the stars and, with the help of Drosselmeyer, a great expert in this matter, he compiled the horoscope of Princess Pirlipat. It was very difficult to do this, because the lines became more and more tangled, but - oh, joy! - Finally, everything became clear: in order to get rid of the magic that disfigured her and regain her former beauty, Princess Pirlipat had only to eat the kernel of the Krakatuk nut.

The Krakatuk nut had such a hard shell that a forty-eight-pound cannon could run over it without crushing it. This hard nut was to be gnawed and, with his eyes closed, brought to the princess by a man who had never shaved or worn a boot. Then the young man had to step back seven steps without stumbling, and only then open his eyes.

For three days and three nights Drosselmeyer worked tirelessly with the astrologer, and just on Saturday, when the king was sitting at dinner, a joyful and cheerful Drosselmeyer burst into him, whose head was to be cut off on Sunday morning, and announced that a means had been found to return Princess Pirlipat lost beauty. The king embraced him warmly and kindly, and promised him a diamond sword, four medals, and two new caftans.

After dinner, we will start right away, ”the king added kindly. Take care, dear wizard, that an unshaven young man in shoes is at hand and, as expected, with a Krakatuk nut. And do not give him wine, otherwise he would not stumble when, like a cancer, he will back seven steps. Then let him drink freely!

Drosselmeier was frightened by the speech of the king, and, embarrassed and timid, he murmured that the remedy had indeed been found, but that both - both the nut and the young man who was supposed to crack it - must first be found, and it is still very doubtful whether it is possible to find walnut and nutcracker. In great anger, the king shook his scepter over his crowned head and roared like a lion:

Well, they'll take your head off!

Luckily for Drosselmeyer, who was overcome with fear and grief, just today the dinner was very to the king's taste, and therefore he was disposed to listen to reasonable exhortations, which the magnanimous queen, touched by the fate of the unfortunate watchmaker, did not stint on. Drosselmeyer cheered up and respectfully reported to the king that, in fact, he had solved the problem - he had found a means to cure the princess, and thus deserved a pardon. The king called it a stupid excuse and empty talk, but in the end, after drinking a glass of gastric tincture, he decided that both the watchmaker and the astrologer would set off and not return until they had a Krakatuk nut in their pocket. And on the advice of the queen, they decided to get the person needed to crack the nut through repeated announcements in local and foreign newspapers and journals with an invitation to come to the palace ...

At this godfather Drosselmeyer stopped and promised to finish the rest the next evening.

THE END OF THE TALE OF THE HARD NUT

And in fact, the next day in the evening, as soon as the candles were lit, godfather Drosselmeyer appeared and continued his story like this:

Drosselmeyer and the court astrologer have been wandering for fifteen years and still have not hit the trail of the Krakatuk nut. Where they have been, what outlandish adventures they have experienced, do not retell, children, and for a whole month. I am not going to do this, and I will tell you frankly that, immersed in deep despondency, Drosselmeyer greatly yearned for his homeland, for his dear Nuremberg. A particularly strong melancholy fell upon him once in Asia, in a dense forest, where he, together with his companion, sat down to smoke a pipe of Knaster.

“Oh, my marvelous, marvelous Nuremberg, who is not yet familiar with you, even if he has even been to Vienna, Paris and Peterwardein, he will languish in his soul, strive for you, O Nuremberg - a wonderful town where beautiful houses stand in a row” .

Drosselmeyer's plaintive lamentations aroused deep sympathy in the astrologer, and he also burst into tears so bitterly that he was heard throughout Asia. But he pulled himself together, wiped away his tears and asked:

Honorable colleague, why are we sitting here and roaring? Why don't we go to Nuremberg? Does it matter where and how to look for the ill-fated Krakatuk nut?

And that’s true, ”Drosselmeyer answered, immediately comforted.

Both got up at once, knocked out their pipes, and from the forest in the depths of Asia they went straight to Nuremberg.

As soon as they arrived, Drosselmeyer immediately ran to his cousin - a toy craftsman, wood turner, lacquer and gilder Christoph Zacharius Drosselmeyer, whom he had not seen for many, many years. It was to him that the watchmaker told the whole story about Princess Pirlipat, Mrs. Myshilda, and the Krakatuk nut, and he continually clasped his hands and exclaimed several times in surprise:

Ah, brother, brother, well, miracles!

Drosselmeyer told about the adventures on his long journey, told how he spent two years with the Date King, how the Almond Prince offended and kicked him out, how he vainly asked the society of natural scientists in the city of Belok - in short, how he never managed to find a trace of a nut anywhere Krakatuk. During the story, Christoph Zacharius snapped his fingers more than once, spun on one leg, smacked his lips and said:

Hm, hm! Hey! That's the thing!

Finally, he threw the cap to the ceiling along with the wig, warmly embraced his cousin and exclaimed:

Brother, brother, you are saved, saved, I say! Listen: either I am cruelly mistaken, or I have the Krakatuk nut!

He immediately brought a box, from which he pulled out a medium-sized gilded walnut.

Look, - he said, showing the nut to his cousin, - look at this nut. His history is like this. Many years ago, on Christmas Eve, an unknown person came here with a full bag of nuts, which he brought to sell. Right at the door of my toy shop he put the sack on the ground so that it would be easier to operate, as he had a skirmish with the local nut seller, who could not tolerate someone else's merchant. At that moment the bag was run over by a heavily laden wagon. All the nuts were crushed, except for one, who was a stranger, smiling strangely, and offered to give me the Zwanziger of 1720. It seemed mysterious to me, but I found in my pocket just such a zwanziger as he asked for, bought a walnut and gilded it. I myself don’t quite know why I paid so dearly for a nut, and then took such good care of it.

Any doubt that the cousin's nut was really the Krakatuk nut they had been looking for so long was immediately dispelled when the court astrologer, who came to the call, carefully scraped off the gilding from the nut and found the word "Krakatuk" carved in Chinese letters on the shell.

The joy of travelers was great, and cousin Drosselmeyer considered himself the happiest man in the world when Drosselmeyer assured him that happiness was guaranteed to him, because from now on, in addition to a significant pension, he would receive gold for gilding for nothing.

Both the magician and the astrologer had already put on their nightcaps and were about to go to bed, when suddenly the last one, that is, the astrologer, spoke like this:

Dear colleague, happiness never comes alone. Believe me, we found not only the Krakatuk nut, but also a young man who will crack it open and present the princess with a nucleolus - a guarantee of beauty. I mean none other than your cousin's son. No, I won't go to bed, he exclaimed with inspiration. - I'll make a young man's horoscope tonight! - With these words, he tore off the cap from his head and immediately began to observe the stars.

Drosselmeyer's nephew was indeed a handsome, well-built young man who had never shaved or put on boots. In early youth, it is true, he portrayed two Christmases in a row as a buffoon; but this was not the least noticeable: he had been so skillfully brought up by the efforts of his father. At Christmas time he was in a beautiful red caftan embroidered with gold, with a sword, kept his hat under his arm and wore an excellent wig with a pigtail. In such a brilliant form, he stood in his father's shop and, with his usual gallantry, cracked nuts for the young ladies, for which they called him Handsome Nutcracker.

The next morning, the admiring stargazer fell into the arms of Drosselmeyer and exclaimed:

It is he! We got it, it's found! Only, dear colleague, two circumstances should not be overlooked: firstly, you need to weave your excellent nephew a solid wooden braid, which would be connected to the lower jaw in such a way that it could be strongly pulled back by a braid; then, upon arrival in the capital, we must keep silent about the fact that we brought with us a young man who will crack the Krakatuk nut, it is better that he appears much later. I read in the horoscope that after many break their teeth on the nut to no avail, the king will give the princess, and after death the kingdom as a reward to the one who cracks the nut and returns Pirlipat to its lost beauty.

The toy master was very flattered that his son-naughty was to marry a princess and become a prince himself, and then a king, and therefore he willingly entrusted him to an astrologer and watchmaker. The braid that Drosselmeyer attached to his young promising nephew was a success, so that he brilliantly passed the test, biting through the hardest peach pits.

Drosselmeyer and the astrologer immediately let the capital know that the Krakatuk nut had been found, and there they immediately published an appeal, and when our travelers arrived with a talisman that restores beauty, many beautiful young men and even princes already appeared at the court, relying on their healthy jaws , wanted to try to remove the evil spell from the princess.

Our travelers were very frightened when they saw the princess. A small torso with skinny arms and legs barely held a shapeless head. The face seemed even uglier because of the white thread beard that covered the mouth and chin.

Everything happened as the court astrologer read in the horoscope. The milk-suckers in shoes, one after another, broke their teeth and tore their jaws, but the princess did not feel any better; when, then, in a semi-conscious state, the dentists invited for this occasion carried them away, they groaned:

Come and crack that nut!

Finally, the king, in contrite heart, promised a daughter and a kingdom to the one who would disenchant the princess. It was then that our courteous and modest young Drosselmeyer volunteered and asked permission to also try his luck.

Princess Pirlipat didn’t like anyone as much as young Drosselmeyer, she pressed her hands to her heart and sighed from the depths of her soul: “Oh, if only he cracked the Krakatuk nut and became my husband! "

After politely bowing to the king and queen, and then to Princess Pirlipat, young Drosselmeyer accepted the Krakatuk nut from the hands of the master of ceremonies, put it in his mouth without much conversation, pulled his braid strongly and click-click! - Break the shell into pieces. He deftly cleared the nucleolus from the adhering peel and, closing his eyes, brought it to the princess with a respectful scuffling of his leg, then began to back away. The princess immediately swallowed the nucleolus, and oh, a miracle! - the freak disappeared, and in its place stood a beautiful, like an angel, girl, with a face as if woven from lily-white and pink silk, with eyes shining like azure, with curly golden hair rings.

Trumpets and timpani joined in the loud rejoicing of the people. The king and the whole court danced on one leg, as at the birth of Princess Pirlipat, and the queen had to be sprayed with cologne, as she fainted from joy and delight.

The ensuing turmoil confused the young Drosselmeyer, who still had to walk back the prescribed seven steps. Nevertheless, he behaved perfectly and had already raised his right leg for the seventh step, but then Myshilda crawled out of the underground with a disgusting squeak and squeal. Young Drosselmeyer, who was about to put his foot down, stepped on it and stumbled so hard that he almost fell.

Oh bad rock! In an instant, the young man became as ugly as Princess Pirlipat before. The torso shrunk and could barely support a huge shapeless head with large bulging eyes and a wide, ugly gaping mouth. Instead of a scythe, a narrow wooden cloak hung behind, with which it was possible to control the lower jaw.

The watchmaker and the astrologer were beside themselves with horror, but they noticed that Myshilda was writhing on the floor covered in blood. Her villainy did not go unpunished: the young Drosselmeyer hit her hard on the neck with a sharp heel, and she was finished.

But Myshilda, seized with death throes, plaintively squeaked and squealed:

O hard, hard Krakatuk, I can't get away from mortal torments! .. Hee-hee... Wee-wee... But, the sly Nutcracker, and the end will come to you: my son, the mouse king, will not forgive my death - he will avenge you for the mother of the mouse army. Oh life, you were bright - and death came for me ... Quick!

Having squeaked for the last time, Myshilda died, and the royal stoker carried her away.

No one paid any attention to the young Drosselmeyer. However, the princess reminded her father of his promise, and the king immediately ordered the young hero to be brought to Pirlipat. But when the poor fellow appeared before her in all his ugliness, the princess covered her face with both hands and cried out:

Get out, get out of here, you nasty Nutcracker!

And at once the marshal seized him by the narrow shoulders and pushed him out.

The king was inflamed with anger, deciding that they wanted to impose the Nutcracker as his son-in-law, blamed the unlucky watchmaker and astrologer for everything, and expelled both of them from the capital forever. This was not foreseen in the horoscope drawn up by the astrologer at Nuremberg, but he did not fail to start watching the stars again and read that the young Drosselmeyer would behave excellently in his new rank and, despite all his ugliness, would become a prince and king. But his ugliness will disappear only if the seven-headed son of Mouselda, who was born after the death of his seven older brothers and became the mouse king, falls at the hand of the Nutcracker and if, despite his ugly appearance, a beautiful lady falls in love with the young Drosselmeyer. They say that, in fact, at Christmas time they saw young Drosselmeyer in Nuremberg in his father's shop, although in the form of a Nutcracker, but still in the dignity of a prince.

Here's to you, children, the tale of the hard nut. Now you understand why they say: “Come and crack such a nut! And why are nutcrackers so ugly...

Thus ended the senior councilor of the court with his story.

Marie decided that Pirlipat was a very ugly and ungrateful princess, and Fritz assured that if the Nutcracker was really brave, he would not stand on ceremony with the mouse king and would regain his former beauty.

UNCLE AND NEPHEW

Any of my highly respected readers or listeners who have cut themselves with glass know how painful it is and what a bad thing it is, since the wound heals very slowly. Marie had to spend almost a whole week in bed, because every time she tried to get up she felt dizzy. Nevertheless, in the end she completely recovered and could again jump around the room cheerfully.

Everything in the glass cabinet shone with novelty - trees, and flowers, and houses, and festively overdressed dolls, and most importantly, Marie found her dear Nutcracker there, who smiled at her from the second shelf, baring two rows of whole teeth. When she, rejoicing from the bottom of her heart, looked at her pet, her heart suddenly ached: what if everything that the godfather told - the story about the Nutcracker and about his feud with Myshilda and her son - if all this is true? Now she knew that her Nutcracker was a young Drosselmeyer from Nuremberg, a handsome, but, unfortunately, bewitched by Myshilda nephew of her godfather Drosselmeyer.

The fact that the skilled watchmaker at the court of Princess Pirlipat's father was none other than the senior court adviser Drosselmeyer, Marie did not doubt for a minute even during the story. "But why didn't your uncle help you, why didn't he help you?" - Marie lamented, and the conviction grew stronger in her that the battle at which she was present was for the Nutcracker kingdom and the crown. “After all, all the dolls obeyed him, because it is quite clear that the prediction of the court astrologer came true and the young Drosselmeyer became the king in the doll kingdom.”

Reasoning in this way, clever Marie, who endowed the Nutcracker and his vassals with life and the ability to move, was convinced that they really were about to come to life and move. But that was not the case: everything in the closet stood motionless in its place. However, Marie did not even think of giving up her inner conviction - she simply decided that the witchcraft of Myshilda and her seven-headed son was the reason for everything.

Although you are not able to move or utter a word, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer, she said to the Nutcracker, nevertheless I am sure that you hear me and know how well I treat you. Count on my help when you need it. In any case, I will ask my uncle to help you, if need be, with his art!

The Nutcracker stood calmly and did not move from his place, but it seemed to Marie that a slight sigh passed through the glass cabinet, which made the glass tinkle a little, but surprisingly melodiously, and a thin, ringing voice, like a bell, sang: “Mary, my friend, my keeper! No need for torment - I will be yours.

Marie had goosebumps running down her back with fear, but, oddly enough, for some reason she was very pleased.

Twilight has come. The parents entered the room with their godfather Drosselmeyer. After a while Louisa served tea, and the whole family sat down at the table chatting merrily. Marie quietly brought her armchair and sat down at the feet of her godfather. Having seized a moment, when everyone was silent, Marie looked with her big blue eyes straight into the face of the senior councilor of the court and said:

Now, dear godfather, I know that the Nutcracker is your nephew, the young Drosselmeyer of Nuremberg. He became a prince, or rather, a king: it all happened just as your companion, the astrologer, foretold. But you know that he declared war on the son of Lady Mouselda, the ugly mouse king. Why don't you help him?

And Marie again told the whole course of the battle at which she was present, and often she was interrupted by the loud laughter of her mother and Louise. Only Fritz and Drosselmeyer remained serious.

Where did the girl get such nonsense from? asked the medical adviser.

Well, she just has a rich imagination, - answered the mother. - In essence, this is nonsense generated by a strong fever. “All this is not true,” said Fritz. - My hussars are not such cowards, otherwise I would have shown them!

But the godfather, smiling strangely, put little Marie on his knees and spoke more affectionately than usual:

Ah, dear Marie, you have been given more than me and all of us. You, like Pirlipat, are a born princess: you rule a beautiful, bright kingdom. But you will have to endure a lot if you take under your protection the poor freak Nutcracker! After all, the mouse king guards him on all paths and roads. Know: not me, but you, you alone can save the Nutcracker. Be persistent and dedicated.

No one - neither Marie nor the rest understood what Drosselmeyer meant; and the adviser of medicine found the words of the godfather so strange that he felt his pulse and said:

You, dear friend, have a strong rush of blood to the head: I will prescribe a medicine for you.

Only the wife of the medical adviser shook her head thoughtfully and remarked:

I guess what Mr. Drosselmeyer means, but I can't express it in words.

VICTORY

A little time passed, and one moonlit night, Marie was awakened by a strange tapping, which seemed to come from a corner, as if stones were being thrown and rolled there, and at times a nasty screech and squeak was heard.

Hey, mice, mice, there are mice again! - Marie screamed in fright and wanted to wake her mother already, but the words got stuck in her throat.

She could not even move, because she saw how the mouse king crawled out of the hole in the wall with difficulty and, flashing his eyes and crowns, began to dart around the room; suddenly, with one leap, he jumped onto the table that stood right next to Marie's bed.

Hee hee hee! Give me all the dragee, all the marzipan, silly, or I'll bite your Nutcracker, I'll bite your Nutcracker! - the mouse king squeaked and at the same time disgustedly creaked and gnashed his teeth, and then quickly disappeared into a hole in the wall.

Marie was so frightened by the appearance of the terrible mouse king that the next morning she was completely haggard and from excitement could not utter a word. A hundred times she was going to tell her mother, Louise, or at least Fritz about what had happened to her, but she thought: “Will anyone believe me? I'm just going to be laughed at."

However, it was quite clear to her that in order to save the Nutcracker, she would have to give the dragee and marzipan. So in the evening she put all her sweets on the bottom ledge of the closet. In the morning the mother said:

I don't know where the mice came from in our living room. Look, Marie, they have eaten all the sweets, poor things.

So it was. The gluttonous mouse king did not like the stuffed marzipan, but he gnawed it so sharply with his sharp teeth that the rest had to be thrown away. Marie did not regret the sweets at all: in the depths of her soul she rejoiced, because she thought that she had saved the Nutcracker. But what did she feel when the next night there was a squeak and squeal just above her ear! Ah, the mouse king was right there, and his eyes sparkled even more disgustingly than last night, and he squeaked even more disgustingly through his teeth:

Give me your sugar dolls, silly, or I'll bite your Nutcracker, I'll bite your Nutcracker!

And with these words, the terrible mouse king disappeared.

Marie was very upset. The next morning she went to the cupboard and looked sadly at the sugar and adragante dolls. And her grief was understandable, because you would not believe, my attentive listener Marie, what marvelous sugar figurines Marie Stahlbaum had: a pretty little shepherd with a shepherdess grazed a flock of snow-white lambs, and their dog frolicked nearby; right there stood two postmen with letters in their hands and four very pretty couples - dapper young men and girls dressed to smithereens were swinging on a Russian swing. Then came the dancers, behind them stood Pachter Feldkümmel with the Virgin of Orleans, whom Marie did not really appreciate, and in the very corner stood a red-cheeked baby - Marie's favorite ... Tears gushed from her eyes.

Ah, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer, - she exclaimed, turning to the Nutcracker, - what I won’t do just to save your life, but, oh, how hard it is!

However, the Nutcracker had such a plaintive look that Marie, who already imagined that the mouse king had opened all its seven jaws and wanted to swallow the unfortunate young man, decided to sacrifice everything for him.

So, in the evening, she put all the sugar dolls on the lower ledge of the cabinet, where she had previously put sweets. She kissed the shepherd, the shepherdess, the lambs; the last she took out of the corner of her favorite - a red-cheeked baby - and put him behind all the other dolls. Fsldkümmel and the Virgin of Orleans were in the front row.

No, this is too much! cried Mrs. Stahlbaum the next morning. - It can be seen that a large, gluttonous mouse is hosting in a glass case: poor Marie has all the pretty sugar dolls gnawed and gnawed!

True, Marie could not help but cry, but soon she smiled through her tears, because she thought: “What can I do, but the Nutcracker is intact! "

In the evening, when the mother was telling Mr. Drosselmeyer about what the mouse had done in the children's closet, the father exclaimed:

What nonsense! I can't get rid of the nasty mouse that keeps house in the glass cabinet and eats all the sweets from poor Marie.

That's what, - said Fritz cheerfully, - downstairs, by the baker, there is a fine gray adviser to the embassy. I will take him upstairs to us: he will quickly finish this business and bite off the head of a mouse, whether it be Mousechild herself or her son, the mouse king.

And at the same time he will jump on tables and chairs and break glasses and cups, and in general you will not get into trouble with him! - Laughing, finished the mother.

No! Fritz objected. “This embassy adviser is a smart fellow. I wish I could walk on the roof like him!

No, please, don't need a cat for the night, - asked Louise, who could not stand cats.

As a matter of fact, Fritz is right, - said the father. - In the meantime, you can put a mousetrap. Do we have mousetraps?

The godfather will make us an excellent mousetrap: after all, he invented them! cried Fritz.

Everyone laughed, and when Mrs. Stahlbaum said that there was not a single mousetrap in the house, Drosselmeyer declared that he had several of them, and, indeed, immediately ordered that an excellent mousetrap be brought from the house.

The godfather's tale of the hard nut came to life for Fritz and Marie. When the cook was frying the lard, Marie turned pale and trembled. Still absorbed in the fairy tale with its wonders, she once even said to the cook Dora, her old acquaintance:

Ah, your Majesty the Queen, beware of Myshilda and her relatives!

And Fritz drew his saber and said:

Just let them come, I'll ask them!

But both under the stove and on the stove everything was calm. When the senior councilor of the court tied a piece of bacon to a thin thread and carefully placed the mousetrap against the glass cabinet, Fritz exclaimed:

Watch out, watchmaker godfather, lest the mouse king play a cruel joke on you!

Oh, what poor Marie had to do the next night! Ice paws ran down her arm, and something rough and nasty touched her cheek and squeaked and squealed right into her ear. On her shoulder sat a nasty mouse king; blood-red saliva flowed from his seven gaping mouths, and, gnashing his teeth, he hissed in the ear of Marie, numb with horror:

I'll slip away - I'll sniff into the crack, I'll slip under the floor, I won't touch the fat, you know that. Come on, come on pictures, dress here, it's not a problem, I warn you: I'll catch the Nutcracker and bite ... Hee-hee! .. Wee-wee! …Quick-quick!

Marie was very sad, and when the next morning her mother said: “But the ugly mouse has not yet been caught! “- Marie turned pale and alarmed, and her mother thought that the girl was sad about sweets and was afraid of the mouse.

That's enough, calm down, baby, - she said, - we will drive the nasty mouse away! Mousetraps will not help - then let Fritz bring his gray embassy adviser.

As soon as Marie was left alone in the living room, she went to the glass cabinet and, sobbing, spoke to the Nutcracker:

Ah, dear, kind Mr. Drosselmeyer! What can I do for you, poor, unfortunate girl? Well, I will give all my picture books to be eaten by the nasty mouse king, even the beautiful new dress that the Christ child gave me, but he will demand more and more from me, so that in the end I will have nothing left, and he , perhaps, will want to bite me instead of you. Oh, I'm a poor, poor girl! So what should I do, what should I do?!

While Marie was so grieving and crying, she noticed that the Nutcracker had a large bloody stain on his neck from last night. Ever since Marie found out that the Nutcracker was in fact the young Drosselmeyer, the nephew of the councilor of the court, she had stopped carrying him and cradling him, stopped caressing and kissing him, and she even felt embarrassed to touch him too often, but this time she she carefully took the Nutcracker from the shelf and carefully began to rub the bloody stain on her neck with a handkerchief. But how dumbfounded she was when she suddenly felt that her friend the Nutcracker in her hands warmed up and moved! She quickly put it back on the shelf. Then his lips parted, and the Nutcracker murmured with difficulty:

O priceless Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, my faithful friend, how much I owe you! No, do not sacrifice for me picture books, a festive dress - get me a saber ... a saber! I'll take care of the rest, even if he...

Here the Nutcracker's speech was interrupted, and his eyes, which had just glowed with deep sadness, again dimmed and dimmed. Marie was not the least bit scared, on the contrary, she jumped for joy. Now she knew how to save the Nutcracker without making further heavy sacrifices. But where to get a saber for a little man?

Marie decided to consult with Fritz, and in the evening, when her parents went to visit and they were sitting together in the living room near the glass cabinet, she told her brother everything that had happened to her because of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King and on what the Nutcracker's salvation now depends.

Most of all, Fritz was upset that his hussars behaved badly during the battle, as it turned out according to Marie's story. He very seriously asked her if it was really so, and when Marie gave him her word of honor, Fritz quickly went to the glass cabinet, turned to the hussars with a formidable speech, and then, as a punishment for selfishness and cowardice, cut off all of them cap badges and forbade them to play the life hussar march for a year. Having finished with the punishment of the hussars, he turned to Marie:

I will help the Nutcracker get his saber: only yesterday I retired the old cuirassier colonel with a pension, and, therefore, he no longer needs his beautiful, sharp saber.

The colonel in question lived on a pension given to him by Fritz in the far corner, on the third shelf. Fritz took it out, untied a really smart silver saber and put it on the Nutcracker.

The next night, Marie could not close her eyes from anxiety and fear. At midnight she heard some strange turmoil in the living room - tinkling and rustling. Suddenly there was a voice: “Quick! "

Mouse King! Mouse King! Marie screamed and jumped out of bed in horror.

Everything was quiet, but soon someone cautiously knocked on the door and a thin voice was heard:

Priceless Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, open the door and fear nothing! Good, happy news.

Marie recognized the voice of young Drosselmeyer, put on her skirt and quickly opened the door. On the threshold stood the Nutcracker with a bloodied saber in his right hand, with a lit wax candle in his left. Seeing Marie, he immediately dropped to one knee and spoke thus:

O beautiful lady! You alone breathed into me knightly courage and gave strength to my hand, so that I struck down the bold one who dared to offend you. The cunning mouse king has been defeated and bathes in his own blood! Deign to graciously accept trophies from the hands of a knight devoted to you to the grave.

With these words, the pretty Nutcracker very deftly shook off the seven golden crowns of the mouse king, which he strung on his left hand, and gave them to Marie, who accepted them with joy.

The Nutcracker stood up and went on like this:

Ah, my precious Mademoiselle Stahlbaum! What curiosities could I show you now that the enemy is defeated, if you would deign to follow me even a few steps! Oh, do it, do it, dear mademoiselle!

PUPPET KINGDOM

I think, children, each of you would not hesitate for a moment to follow the honest, kind Nutcracker, who could have nothing wrong in his mind. And Marie, even more so, because she knew that she had the right to count on the greatest gratitude from the Nutcracker, and was convinced that he would keep his word and show her many curiosities. That's why she said:

I will go with you, Mr. Drosselmeyer, but only not far and not for long, since I have not yet slept at all.

Then, - answered the Nutcracker, - I will choose the shortest, though not quite convenient way.

He went ahead. Marie is behind him. They stopped in the hall, at the old huge wardrobe. Marie noticed with surprise that the doors, usually locked, were open; she could clearly see her father's traveling fox coat, which hung right by the door. The Nutcracker very deftly climbed up the ledge of the closet and the carvings and grabbed a large tassel that dangled from a thick cord at the back of the fur coat. He pulled the brush with all his might, and immediately a graceful cedar-tree elk descended from the sleeve of his fur coat.

Would you like to rise, most precious Mademoiselle Marie? asked the Nutcracker.

Marie did just that. And before she had time to climb up through the sleeve, before she had time to look out from behind the collar, a dazzling light shone towards her, and she found herself in a beautiful fragrant meadow, which sparkled all over, like shining precious stones.

We are in Candy Meadow,” said the Nutcracker. Now let's go through that gate.

Only now, raising her eyes, did Marie notice a beautiful gate rising a few paces from her in the middle of the meadow; they seemed to be made of white and brown, speckled marble. When Marie came closer, she saw that it was not marble, but sugar-coated almonds and raisins, which is why the gate under which they passed was called, according to the Nutcracker, the Almond-Raisin Gate. The common people very impolitely called them the gates of gluttonous students. On the side gallery of this gate, apparently made of barley sugar, six monkeys in red jackets made up a wonderful military band, which played so well that Marie, without noticing it herself, walked further and further along the marble slabs, beautifully made of sugar. cooked with spices.

Soon, sweet fragrances wafted over her from the wonderful grove that sprawled on both sides. The dark foliage shone and sparkled so brightly that one could clearly see the golden and silver fruits hanging on multi-colored stems, and bows, and bouquets of flowers that adorned the trunks and branches, like a cheerful bride and groom and wedding guests. With every breath of marshmallows, saturated with the fragrance of oranges, a rustle rose in the branches and foliage, and the golden tinsel crunched and crackled, like jubilant music that carried away the sparkling lights, and they danced and jumped.

Oh, how wonderful it is here! Marie exclaimed in admiration.

We are in the Christmas Forest, dear Mademoiselle, said the Nutcracker.

Oh, how I wish I were here! It's so wonderful here! Marie exclaimed again.

The Nutcracker clapped his hands, and immediately there appeared tiny shepherds and shepherds, hunters and hunters, so tender and white that one might have thought they were made of pure sugar. Although they were walking in the woods, for some reason Marie had not noticed them before. They brought a marvelously pretty golden armchair, put a white candy cushion on it, and very graciously invited Marie to sit down. And immediately the shepherds and shepherdesses performed a charming ballet, while the hunters, meanwhile, very skillfully blew their horns. Then they all disappeared into the bushes.

Forgive me, dear Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, - said the Nutcracker, forgive me for such miserable dancing. But these are dancers from our puppet ballet - they only know that they repeat the same thing, and the fact that) the hunters blew their pipes so sleepily and lazily also has its own reasons. Bonbonnieres on Christmas trees, although they hang in front of their very noses, are too high. Now, would you like to go further?

What are you talking about, the ballet was just lovely and I really liked it! Marie said, getting up and following the Nutcracker.

They walked along a stream that ran with a gentle murmur and babble and filled the whole forest with its wonderful fragrance.

This is the Orange Creek, - answered the Nutcracker to Marie's questions, - but, except for its wonderful aroma, it cannot be compared either in size or beauty with the Lemonade River, which, like it, flows into the Lake of Almond Milk.

And in fact, soon Marie heard a louder splash and murmur and saw a wide stream of lemonade, which rolled its proud light yellow waves among the bushes sparkling like emeralds. An unusually invigorating coolness, delighting the chest and heart, blew from the beautiful waters. Nearby, a dark yellow river flowed slowly, spreading an unusually sweet fragrance, and beautiful children sat on the shore, fishing for small fat fish and immediately eating them. As she got closer, Marie noticed that the fish looked like Lombard nuts. A little further on the coast lies a charming village. The houses, the church, the pastor's house, the barns were dark brown with golden roofs; and many of the walls were painted as garishly as if they had been plastered with almonds and candied lemons.

This is the village of Gingerbread, - said the Nutcracker, - located on the banks of the Honey River. The people in it live beautiful, but very angry, as everyone there suffers from a toothache. We better not go there.

At the same instant, Marie noticed a beautiful town in which all the houses were completely colorful and transparent. The Nutcracker went straight there, and now Marie heard a chaotic cheerful hubbub and saw a thousand pretty little men dismantling and unloading the loaded carts crowded in the bazaar. And what they got out looked like motley multi-colored pieces of paper and chocolate bars.

We are in Canfetenhausen, - said the Nutcracker, - messengers from the Paper Kingdom and from the Chocolate King have just arrived. Not so long ago, the poor Confedenhausen were threatened by the mosquito admiral's army; so they cover their homes with the gifts of the Paper State and build fortifications from strong slabs sent by the chocolate king. But, invaluable Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, we cannot visit all the towns and villages of the country - to the capital, to the capital!

The Nutcracker hurried on, and Marie, burning with impatience, did not lag behind him. Soon a wondrous fragrance of roses wafted in, and everything seemed to be lit up with a gently shimmering pink glow. Marie noticed that it was a reflection of pink-red waters, with a sweetly melodious sound, splashing and murmuring at her feet. The waves kept coming and coming and finally turned into a large beautiful lake, on which wonderful silver-white swans with golden ribbons around their necks swam and sang beautiful songs, and diamond fish, as if in a cheerful dance, dived and somersaulted in pink waves.

Ah, - Marie exclaimed in delight, - but this is the same lake that my godfather once promised to make! And I am the same girl who was supposed to play with the pretty swans.

The Nutcracker smiled as mockingly as he had never smiled before, and then said:

Uncle would never make anything like that. Rather, you, dear Mademoiselle Stahlbaum ... But is it worth thinking about this! Better to cross the Pink Lake to the other side, to the capital.

CAPITAL

The Nutcracker clapped his hands again. The pink lake rustled more, the waves came higher, and Marie saw in the distance two golden-scaled dolphins harnessed to a shell, shining with gems bright as the sun. Twelve adorable little blacks in caps and aprons woven from iridescent hummingbird feathers jumped ashore and, gliding lightly over the waves, carried first Marie, and then the Nutcracker into the shell, which immediately rushed across the lake.

Oh, how wonderful it was to swim in a shell, perfumed with the fragrance of roses and washed by pink waves! The golden-scaled dolphins raised their muzzles and began to throw crystal streams high into the air, and when these streams fell from the height in sparkling and sparkling arcs, it seemed as if two lovely, soft silvery voices were singing:

“Who swims in the lake? Water Fairy! Mosquitoes, doo-doo-doo! Fish, splash-splash! Swans, shine-shine! Miracle bird, tra-la-la! Waves, sing, veya, melya, - a fairy floats to us on roses; frisky trickle, shoot up - to the sun, up! "

But the twelve Arabs, who jumped into the shell from behind, apparently did not like the singing of water jets at all. They shook their umbrellas so much that the leaves of the date palms, from which they were woven, crumpled and bent, and the blacks beat some unknown rhythm with their feet and sang:

“Top-and-tip and tip-and-top, clap-clap-clap! We are in a round dance on the waters! Birds, fish - for a walk, following the shell with a boom! Top-and-tip and tip-and-top, clap-clap-clap! "

The Arapchata are a very cheerful people, - said the somewhat embarrassed Nutcracker, - but no matter how they stir up the whole lake for me!

Indeed, soon there was a loud roar: amazing voices seemed to float above the lake. But Marie paid no attention to them - she looked into the fragrant waves, from where lovely girlish faces smiled at her.

Oh,” she cried joyfully, clapping her hands, “look, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer: Princess Pirlipat is there! She smiles at me so kindly... But look, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer!

But the Nutcracker sighed sadly and said:

O priceless Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, it is not Princess Pirlipat, it is you. Only you yourself, only your own pretty face smiles tenderly from every wave.

Then Marie quickly turned away, closed her eyes tightly, and was completely embarrassed. At the same moment, twelve blacks picked her up and carried her from the shell to the shore. She found herself in a small forest, which was, perhaps, even more beautiful than the Christmas forest, everything here shone and sparkled; especially remarkable were the rare fruits that hung on the trees, rare not only in color, but also in their wonderful fragrance.

We are in the Candied Grove, - said the Nutcracker, - and over there is the capital.

Oh, what did Marie see! How can I describe to you, children, the beauty and splendor of the city that appeared before Marie's eyes, which spread wide on a luxurious meadow dotted with flowers? It shone not only with the iridescent colors of the walls and towers, but also with the bizarre shape of buildings that did not at all look like ordinary houses. Artfully woven wreaths overshadowed them instead of roofs, and the towers were entwined with such lovely colorful garlands that it is impossible to imagine.

When Marie and the Nutcracker passed through the gate, which seemed to be made of almond biscuits and candied fruits, silver soldiers took guard, and a little man in a brocade dressing gown hugged the Nutcracker with the words:

Welcome dear prince! Welcome to Confetenburg!

Marie was very surprised that such a noble nobleman calls Mr. Drosselmeyer a prince. But then they heard a hubbub of thin voices noisily interrupting each other, sounds of jubilation and laughter, singing and music, and Marie, forgetting everything, immediately asked the Nutcracker what it was.

Oh dear Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, - answered the Nutcracker, - there is nothing to marvel at here: Konfetenburg is a crowded, cheerful city, there is fun and noise every day. Kindly let's move on.

After a few steps they found themselves in a large, surprisingly beautiful market square. All houses were decorated with openwork sugar galleries. In the middle, like an obelisk, rose a glazed sweet cake sprinkled with sugar, and around four elaborate fountains jets of lemonade, orchad, and other delicious refreshing drinks spouted upward. The pool was full of whipped cream, which I wanted to scoop up with a spoon. But most charming of all were the charming little men who crowded here in multitudes. They had fun, laughed, joked and sang; it was their merry hubbub that Marie heard from afar.

There were elegantly dressed cavaliers and ladies, Armenians and Greeks, Jews and Tyroleans, officers and soldiers, and monks, and shepherds, and clowns - in a word, every people that one can meet in the world. In one place on the corner there was a terrible uproar: the people rushed in all directions, because just at that time the Great Mogul was carried in a palanquin, accompanied by ninety-three nobles and seven hundred slaves. But it must have happened that on the other corner a guild of fishermen, in the amount of five hundred people, staged a solemn procession, and, unfortunately, the Turkish sultan just took it into his head to ride, accompanied by three thousand Janissaries, through the bazaar; besides, she was advancing right on the sweet cake with ringing music and singing: “Glory to the mighty sun, glory! “- the procession of the “interrupted solemn sacrifice”. Well, the same confusion, hustle and squeal! Soon groans were heard, because in the confusion a fisherman knocked off the head of a Brahmin, and the Great Mogul was nearly crushed by a buffoon. The noise grew wilder and wilder, a hustle and fight had already begun, but then a man in a brocade dressing gown, the same one who had welcomed the Nutcracker as a prince at the gate, climbed onto the cake and, pulling the ringing bell three times, shouted loudly three times: “Confectioner! Confectioner! Confectioner! “The hustle and bustle subsided instantly; everyone escaped as best he could, and after the tangled processions were unraveled, when the dirty Great Mogul was cleaned out and the head of the Brahmin was put on again, the interrupted noisy fun began again.

What is the matter with the confectioner, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer? Marie asked.

Oh, priceless Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, here they call a confectioner an unknown, but very terrible force, which, according to local belief, can do whatever it wants with a person, - answered the Nutcracker, - this is the fate that rules over this cheerful people, and the inhabitants they are so afraid of him that the mere mention of his name can calm down the biggest hustle and bustle, as the burgomaster just now proved. Then no one thinks about earthly things, about cuffs and bumps on the forehead, everyone plunges into himself and says: “What is a person and what can he turn into?”

A loud cry of surprise - no, a cry of delight broke out from Marie when she suddenly found herself in front of a castle with a hundred aerial turrets, glowing with a pink-scarlet glow. Luxurious bouquets of violets, daffodils, tulips, and gillyflowers were scattered here and there on the walls, which set off the dazzling, scarlet whiteness of the background. The great dome of the central building and the gabled roofs of the towers were studded with thousands of stars glittering in gold and silver.

Here we are in the Marzipan Castle, - said the Nutcracker.

Marie did not take her eyes off the magical palace, but still she noticed that one large tower was missing a roof, which, apparently, was being restored by little men standing on a platform of cinnamon. Before she had time to ask the Nutcracker a question, he said:

More recently, the castle was threatened with a big disaster, and perhaps complete ruin. The giant Sweet Tooth passed by. He quickly bit off the roof of that tower and set to work on the large dome, but the inhabitants of Konfetenburg appeased him, offering him a quarter of the city and a significant part of the Candied Grove as a ransom. He ate them and moved on.

Suddenly, very pleasant, gentle music sounded softly. The gates of the castle swung open, and from there came out twelve crumbs of pages with lit torches from carnation stalks in their handles. Their heads were made of pearls, their bodies were made of rubies and emeralds, and they moved on golden legs of skillful work. They were followed by four ladies of almost the same height as Clerchen, in unusually luxurious and brilliant dresses; Marie instantly recognized them as born princesses. They tenderly embraced the Nutcracker and at the same time exclaimed with sincere joy:

O prince, dear prince! Dear brother!

The Nutcracker was completely moved: he wiped away the tears that often came to his eyes, then took Marie by the hand and solemnly announced:

Here is Mademoiselle Marie Stahlbaum, daughter of a very worthy medical adviser and my savior. If she hadn’t thrown a shoe at the right moment, if she hadn’t got me the saber of a retired colonel, the nasty mouse king would have killed me, and I would already be lying in the grave. O Mademoiselle Stahlbaum! Can Pirlipat compare with her in beauty, dignity and virtue, despite the fact that she is a born princess? No, I say, no!

All the ladies exclaimed: “No! “- and, sobbing, began to hug Marie.

O noble savior of our beloved royal brother! O incomparable Mademoiselle Stahlbaum!

Then the ladies took Marie and the Nutcracker to the chambers of the castle, to the hall, the walls of which were entirely made of crystal shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. But what Marie liked the most was the pretty chairs, chests of drawers, secretaires, made of cedar and Brazilian wood, inlaid with golden flowers, arranged there.

The princesses persuaded Marie and the Nutcracker to sit down and said that they would immediately prepare a treat for them with their own hands. They immediately took out various pots and bowls made of the finest Japanese porcelain, spoons, knives, forks, graters, saucepans and other gold and silver kitchen utensils. Then they brought such wonderful fruits and sweets as Marie had never seen before, and very gracefully began to squeeze fruit juice with their lovely snow-white hands, crush spices, rub sweet almonds - in a word, they began to be such a nice host that Marie realized how skilled they are in culinary business. and what a sumptuous meal awaits her. Knowing perfectly well that she also understood something of this, Marie secretly wished to take part in the princesses' lessons herself. The most beautiful of the Nutcracker sisters, as if guessing Marie's secret desire, handed her a small golden mortar and said:

My dear girlfriend, the invaluable savior of my brother, the ceilings are a little caramel.

While Marie thumped merrily with the pestle, so that the mortar rang melodiously and pleasantly, no worse than a lovely song, the Nutcracker began to tell in detail about the terrible battle with the hordes of the mouse king, about how he was defeated because of the cowardice of his troops, like then the nasty mouse king I wanted to kill him at all costs, as Marie had to sacrifice many of his subjects who were in her service ...

During the story, it seemed to Marie that the words of the Nutcracker and even her own blows with a pestle sounded more and more muffled, more and more indistinct, and soon a silver veil covered her eyes - as if light clouds of fog had risen, into which the princesses plunged ... pages ... The Nutcracker ... she herself ... Somewhere - then something rustled, murmured and sang; strange sounds vanished into the distance. The rising waves carried Mari higher and higher...higher and higher...higher and higher...

CONCLUSION

Ta-ra-ra-boo! - and Marie fell from an incredible height. That was the push! But Marie immediately opened her eyes. She lay in her bed. It was quite light, and my mother stood nearby and said:

Well, is it possible to sleep so long! Breakfast has been on the table for a long time.

My dear listeners, of course, you have already understood that Marie, stunned by all the miracles she saw, finally fell asleep in the hall of the Marzipan Castle and that the blacks or pages, or maybe the princesses themselves, carried her home and put her to bed.

Oh, mother, my dear mother, where have I not been this night with young Mr. Drosselmeyer! What miracles have not seen enough!

And she told everything in almost the same detail as I had just told, and my mother listened and was surprised.

When Marie had finished, her mother said:

You, dear Marie, had a long beautiful dream. But get it all out of your head.

Marie stubbornly insisted that she saw everything not in a dream, but in reality. Then her mother led her to a glass cabinet, took out the Nutcracker, who, as always, stood on the second shelf, and said:

Oh you silly girl, where did you get the idea that a wooden Nuremberg doll can talk and move?

But, mommy, - Marie interrupted her, - I know that the little Nutcracker is a young Mr. Drosselmeyer from Nuremberg, the godfather's nephew!

Here both - both father and mother - laughed out loud.

Ah, now you, daddy, are laughing at my Nutcracker, - Marie continued almost crying, - and he spoke so well of you! When we arrived at the Marzipan Castle, he introduced me to the princesses - his sisters and said that you are a very worthy adviser to medicine!

The laughter only intensified, and now Louise and even Fritz joined the parents. Then Marie ran to the Other Room, quickly took out the seven crowns of the mouse king from her casket and gave them to her mother with the words:

Here, mother, look: here are the seven crowns of the mouse king, which young Mr. Drosselmeyer presented to me last night as a sign of his victory!

Mom looked with surprise at tiny crowns made of some unfamiliar, very shiny metal and such fine workmanship that it could hardly be the work of human hands. Herr Stahlbaum also couldn't get enough of the crowns. Then both father and mother strictly demanded that Marie confess where she got the crowns from, but she stood her ground.

When her father began to scold her and even called her a liar, she burst into bitter tears and began to mournfully say:

Oh, I'm poor, poor! Well, what should I do?

But then the door suddenly opened, and the godfather entered.

What happened? What happened? - he asked. - My goddaughter Marihen cries and sobs? What happened? What happened?

Dad told him what happened and showed him the tiny crowns. The senior counselor of the court, as soon as he saw them, laughed and exclaimed:

Stupid ideas, stupid ideas! Why, these are the crowns that I once wore on a watch chain, and then gave Marihen on her birthday, when she was two years old! Have you forgotten?

Neither father nor mother could remember it.

When Marie was convinced that the faces of her parents had again become affectionate, she ran up to her godfather and exclaimed:

Godfather, you know everything! Tell me that my Nutcracker is your nephew, young Herr Drosselmeyer of Nuremberg, and that he gave me these tiny crowns.

The godfather frowned and muttered:

Silly ideas!

Then the father took little Marie aside and said very sternly:

Listen, Marie, stop making up stories and stupid jokes once and for all! And if you say again that the ugly Nutcracker is your godfather's nephew, I will throw out the window not only the Nutcracker, but also all the other dolls, not excluding Mamselle Clerchen.

Now poor Marie, of course, did not dare to say a word about what was overflowing in her heart; because you understand that it was not so easy for Marie to forget all the wonderful miracles that happened to her. Even, dear reader or listener, Fritz, even your comrade Fritz Stahlbaum immediately turned his back on his sister as soon as she was about to tell about the wonderful country where she felt so good. It is said that sometimes he even muttered through his teeth: “Stupid girl! “But, having long known his good disposition, I just can’t believe it; in any case, it is known for certain that, no longer believing a word in Marie's stories, he formally apologized to his hussars for the offense in a public parade, pinned them, instead of the lost insignia, with even taller and more magnificent plumes of goose feathers, and again allowed the leib to blow - hussar march. Well, we know what the courage of the hussars was when disgusting bullets planted spots on their red uniforms.

Marie no longer dared to talk about her adventure, but the magical images of the fairyland did not leave her. She heard gentle rustling, gentle, enchanting sounds; she saw everything again as soon as she began to think about it, and instead of playing, as she used to, she could sit quietly and quietly for hours, withdrawing into herself - that's why everyone now called her a little dreamer.

It once happened that the godfather was repairing clocks at the Stahlbaums. Marie was sitting near the glass cabinet and, daydreaming, looked at the Nutcracker. And suddenly she burst out:

Ah, dear Mr. Drosselmeyer, if you really lived, I would not reject you, like Princess Pirlipat, because you lost your beauty because of me!

The counselor of the court immediately shouted:

Well, well, stupid inventions!

But at the same moment there was such a roar and crack that Marie fell unconscious from her chair. When she woke up, her mother fussed around her and said:

Well, is it possible to fall from a chair? Such a big girl! The nephew of the senior councilor of the court has just arrived from Nuremberg, be smart.

She raised her eyes: her godfather put on his glass wig again, put on a yellow frock coat and smiled contentedly, and by the hand he held, it is true, a small, but very well-built young man, white and ruddy as blood and milk, in a magnificent red, embroidered gold caftan, in shoes and white silk stockings. What a pretty bunch of charms was pinned to his jabot, his hair was carefully curled and powdered, and an excellent braid descended along his back. The tiny sword at his side gleamed like it was all studded with precious stones, and under his arm he held a silk hat.

The young man showed his pleasant disposition and good manners by giving Marie a whole bunch of wonderful toys and, above all, delicious marzipan and dolls in exchange for those that the mouse king had gnawed, and Fritz - a wonderful saber. At the table, a kind young man cracked nuts for the whole company. The hardest ones were nothing to him; with his right hand he put them in his mouth, with his left he pulled his braid, and - click! - the shell broke into small pieces.

Marie blushed all over when she saw the courteous young man, and when, after dinner, young Drosselmeyer invited her to go into the living room, to the glass cabinet, she became crimson.

Go, go, play, children, just look do not quarrel. Now that all my watches are in order, I have nothing against it! the senior adviser of the court admonished them.

As soon as young Drosselmeyer found himself alone with Marie, he knelt down on one knee and made this speech:

O priceless Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, look: at your feet is the happy Drosselmeyer, whose life you saved on this very spot. You deigned to say that you would not reject me like the nasty Princess Pirlipat if I became a freak because of you. Immediately I ceased to be a miserable Nutcracker and regained my former appearance, not without pleasantness. O excellent Mademoiselle Stahlbaum, make me happy with your worthy hand! Share the crown and throne with me, we will reign together in the Marzipan Castle.

Mari lifted the young man from his knees and said quietly:

Dear Mr. Drosselmeyer! You are a meek, kind-hearted person, and besides, you still reign in a beautiful country inhabited by a lovely cheerful people - well, how can I not agree that you should be my bridegroom!

And Marie immediately became the bride of Drosselmeyer. They say that a year later he took her away in a golden carriage drawn by silver horses, that twenty-two thousand elegant dolls, sparkling with diamonds and pearls, danced at their wedding, and Marie, as they say, is still queen in a country where, if only you have eyes, everywhere you will see sparkling candied groves, transparent marzipan castles - in a word, all sorts of miracles and curiosities.

Here's a fairy tale about the Nutcracker and the Mouse King.