Andersen the steadfast tin soldier print. The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Silver Coin - Hans Christian Andersen

About the fairy tale

The Steadfast Tin Soldier: A Short Love Story

The world-famous tale of the steadfast tin soldier was first published in 1838. The story, invented by the author, and not taken from folk tales, was included in his popular collection "Tales Told to Children".

It is said that Hans Christian Andersen was inspired by a piece of tin he found in the ash of the stove. Yes, it may well be! A vivid fantasy, a subtle perception of the world can give an impetus to write a masterpiece based on one breath of the breeze.

The Steadfast Tin Soldier is a slightly sad tale of loyalty and beautiful love. The story is recommended for reading at night or with the family with grandparents. A child already at the age of 5 is able to feel the depth of a sad story and draw conclusions about the persistent character of the little tin hero.

Notes to parents and educators!

Children perfectly remember a fairy tale told with emotions and deep inspiration. Convey the narrative in faces, change your voice, focusing on positive and negative characters (actions).

What was Andersen thinking when he wrote his immortal work?

A piece of tin, which the writer found in the ashes, puzzled the inquisitive author. He wondered how this little lump in the shape of a heart could get into the oven? Hans immediately recalled his childhood, and the image of the master's toy business arose in his memory. Andersen vividly pictured an old man in an apron and with calloused hands, melting an old pewter spoon. The master poured the hot mass into the mold and he got 24 soldiers, and on the 25th there was not enough material. The main character was born without a leg, but this made his character even more resilient and fearless.

Why is Andersen's character so unhappy?

All the heroes of the Danish writer have an extraordinary fate and special appearance. This is because the author of each character wrote from himself. Since childhood, Hans was a lanky and awkward child, and his ugly appearance brought the writer a lot of mental suffering. But despite the pain and hostility of others, he achieved all his goals in life.

What did the author want to say to the kids?

Read the fairy tale with pictures online and learn the deep meaning of the old fairy tale. The story of the incredible resilience of the protagonist boggles the child's imagination. The pages tell small and big readers, the soul of a loving and strong-willed person is devoid of fear, deception and meanness. After reading a fairy tale, children will understand when there is a real sincere dream - there is nothing to be afraid of in life. And if you met your destiny and your loving soul mate, then you can go through fire, water and copper pipes with it.

Briefly about the plot of the tale

The story begins with the box in which the tin soldiers lived. Children every day took them out into the light of day and played war games. In the evening, all the toys were laid out in their places, but the one-legged soldier did not want to live in a stuffy box. He wanted to dream and watch his beloved dancer, who was forever frozen in a graceful pose. It must have been a paper-cut ballerina. One leg was raised high, and the body was adorned with a fluffy cambric skirt. The dancer wore a blue ribbon and bright iridescent sequins on her chest.

The enamored soldier did not take his eyes off the beautiful ballerina, and the evil troll living in the snuffbox gritted his teeth, puffed and envied.

In the morning the children found the soldier and put him on the windowsill. A light breeze or a mischievous troll pushed the unfortunate down and from that moment began the terrible adventures of the poor romantic in love.

The main character will have to go through a lot of troubles and misfortunes before he meets his ballerina again. And how the beautiful story ends, the guys will find out in the ending of the fairy tale. Read the story with your children, teach them to dream of love and a happy future.

There were once twenty-five tin soldiers in the world, all brothers, because they were born from an old tin spoon. A gun on his shoulder, looking straight ahead, and what a magnificent uniform — red and blue! They lay in a box, and when the lid was removed, the first thing they heard was:

Oh, tin soldiers!

It was a little boy who screamed and clapped his hands. They were presented to him for his birthday, and he immediately placed them on the table.

All the Soldiers turned out to be exactly the same, and only

the only one was a little different from everyone: he had only one leg, because it was cast last, and there was not enough tin. But he stood on one leg as firmly as the others on two, and a wonderful story will happen to him.

There were many other toys on the table where the soldiers found themselves, but the most noticeable was a beautiful cardboard palace. Through small windows one could look directly into the halls. In front of the palace, around a small mirror that depicted the lake, there were trees, and wax swans swam around the lake and looked into it.

It was all very sweet, but the nicest thing was the girl who stood at the door of the castle. She, too, was cut out of paper, but her skirt was of the finest cambric; over her shoulder was a narrow blue ribbon, like a scarf, and on her chest sparkled sparkle no less than the girl's head. The girl stood on one leg, her arms outstretched in front of her - she was a dancer - and threw the other so high that the tin soldier could not see her, and therefore decided that she was also one-legged, like him.

“I wish I had such a wife! he thought. - Only she, you see, from the nobility, lives in the palace, and I only have that box, and even then we are in it as many as twenty-five soldiers, she has no place there! But you can get to know each other! "

And he hid behind a snuff-box, which stood right there on the table. From here he perfectly saw the lovely dancer.

In the evening, all the other tin soldiers, except him alone, were put in a box, and the people in the house went to bed. And the toys themselves began to play - and on a visit, and in the war, and at the ball. The tin soldiers fiddled with the box - after all, they also wanted to play - but they could not lift the lid. The Nutcracker tumbled, the lead danced across the board. There was such a noise and din that the canary woke up and how he whistled, and not just, but in poetry! Only the tin soldier and the dancer did not budge. She was still standing on one toe, arms outstretched forward, and he bravo stood on his only leg and did not take his eyes off her.

Twelve struck, and - click! - the lid of the snuff box bounced off, only it was not tobacco, no, but a small black troll. The snuffbox had a focus.

Tin soldier, - said the troll, - don't look where you don't need to!

But the tin soldier pretended not to hear.

Wait a minute, the morning will come! - said the troll.

And the morning came; the children got up, and the tin soldier was placed on the windowsill. Suddenly, by the grace of a troll, or from a draft, the window will swing open and the soldier will fly upside down from the third floor! It was a terrible flight. The soldier threw bliss into the air, stuck his helmet and bayonet between the stones of the pavement, and so he got stuck upside down.

The boy and the maid immediately ran out to look for him, but could not see in any way, although they almost stepped on him with their feet. Shout it to them: "I'm here!" - they probably would have found him, but it was not proper for a soldier to scream at the top of his lungs - after all, he was wearing a uniform.

It started to rain, drops fell more and more often, and finally a real downpour gushed out. When it was over, two street boys came.

Look! - said one. - There is a tin soldier! Let's send him sailing!

And they made a boat out of newsprint, put a tin soldier in it, and he swam down the gutter. The boys ran alongside and clapped their hands. Fathers, what waves were walking along the ditch, what a swift current! Still, after such a shower!

The ship was thrown up and down and spun so that the tin soldier was trembling all over, but he held firm - the gun on his shoulder, his head straight, chest forward.

Suddenly the boat dived under the long walkways across the ditch. It became so dark as if the soldier had fallen into the box again.

“Where is it taking me? he thought. - Yes, yes, all this troll tricks! Oh, if that young lady was sitting with me in the boat, then be at least twice as dark, and that's nothing! "

Then a large water rat appeared, living under the walkway.

Do you have a passport? She asked. - Show your passport!

But the tin soldier drank water into his mouth and only gripped the gun even tighter. The ship carried everything forward and forward, and the rat swam after him. Uh! How she gnashed her teeth, how she shouted to the chips and straws floating towards them:

Keep it! Hold on! He didn't pay the fees! He is passportless!

But the current grew stronger and stronger, and the tin soldier could already see the light ahead, when suddenly there was such a noise that any brave man would have been frightened. Imagine, at the end of a bridge, a drainage ditch flowed into a large canal. It was as dangerous for a soldier as it was for us to rush in a boat to a large waterfall.

Now the channel is already very close, it is impossible to stop. The ship was carried out from under the bridge, the poor fellow held on as best he could, and did not even blink an eye. The ship turned around three, four times, it was flooded with water to the brim, and it began to sink.

The soldier found himself up to his neck in water, and the boat sank deeper and deeper, the paper was soaked. So the water covered the soldier's head, and then he thought of the lovely little dancer - he would never see her again. It sounded in his ears:

Strive forward, warrior,

Death will overtake you!

Then the paper finally crawled, and the soldier went to the bottom, but at the same moment he was swallowed by a large fish.

Oh, how dark it was inside, even worse than under the footbridge over the gutter, and even cramped to boot! But the tin soldier did not lose courage and lay stretched out to his full height, not letting go of his gun ...

The fish went in circles, began to make the most outlandish races. Suddenly she froze, like lightning struck her. A light flashed and someone shouted, "Tin Soldier!" It turns out that the fish was caught, brought to the market, sold, brought to the kitchen, and the cook ripped open its belly with a large knife. Then the cook took the soldier with two fingers on the lower back and brought him into the room. Everyone wanted to see such a wonderful little man - still, he made a trip in the belly of a fish! But the tin soldier was not in the least proud. They put him on the table, and - what miracles do not happen in the world! - he found himself in the same room, saw the same children, the same toys and a wonderful palace with a lovely little dancer stood on the table. She still stood on one leg, with the other raised high - she was also steadfast. The soldier was touched and almost cried tinny tears, but that would have been useless. He looked at her, she at him, but they did not say a word to each other.

Suddenly one of the kids grabbed the tin soldier and threw it into the stove, although the soldier was not guilty of anything. This, of course, was set up by the troll in the snuffbox.

The tin soldier stood in flames, a terrible heat seized him, but whether it was fire or love, he did not know. The paint had completely disappeared from him, no one could say why - from travel or from grief. He looked at the little dancer, she at him, and he felt that he was melting, but still held firm, not letting go of the gun. Suddenly the door to the room flew open, the dancer was caught in the wind, and she, like a sylph, fluttered right into the stove to the tin soldier, flashed at once - and she was gone. And the tin soldier flocked into a lump, and the next morning the maid, scooping up the ashes, found a tin heart instead of the soldier. All that was left of the dancer was a sparkle, and it was burnt and black like coal.

A touching story about the love of a tin soldier for a paper dancer ...

The steadfast tin soldier read

There were once twenty-five tin soldiers, siblings by the mother - an old tin spoon, a gun on his shoulder, his head straight, a red and blue uniform - well, what a lovely soldier! The first words they heard when they opened their box house were: "Ah, tin soldiers!" It was the little boy who had been presented with tin soldiers on his birthday, clapping his hands. And he immediately began to arrange them on the table. All the soldiers were exactly the same, except for one who had one leg. He was cast last, and the tin was a little short, but he stood on his leg as firmly as others on two; and he just turned out to be the most wonderful of all.

There were many different toys on the table where the soldiers found themselves, but most of all the palace made of cardboard was striking. Through the small windows one could see the palace chambers; in front of the palace, around a small mirror that depicted the lake, there were trees, and wax swans swam around the lake and admired their reflection. It was all a miracle, how sweet, but the sweetest of all was the young lady who stood on the very threshold of the palace. She, too, was cut out of paper and dressed in a skirt made of the finest cambric; over her shoulder was a narrow blue ribbon in the shape of a scarf, and on her chest was a rosette the size of the young lady's face. The young lady stood on one leg with her arms outstretched - she was a dancer - and lifted her other leg so high that our soldier could not see her, and thought that the beauty was also one-legged like him.

“I wish I had such a wife! he thought. - Only she, apparently, one of the nobles, lives in the palace, and I only have that box, and even then there are twenty-five of us in it, she has no place there! But it doesn't hurt to get to know each other. "

And he hid behind a snuff-box, which stood right there on the table; from here he could clearly see the lovely dancer, who still stood on one leg, without losing her balance.

Late in the evening, all the other tin soldiers were put in a box, and all the people in the house went to bed. Now the toys themselves began to play for a visit, at war and at a ball. The tin soldiers began to knock on the sides of the box - they also wanted to play, but they could not lift the lids. The Nutcracker was tumbling, the pencil was writing on the blackboard; there was such a noise and din that the canary woke up and also spoke, and even in poetry! Only the dancer and the tin soldier did not budge: she was still holding on to her outstretched toe, stretching her arms forward, he stood cheerfully and did not take his eyes off her.

It struck twelve. Click! - the snuffbox opened.

There was no tobacco, and a little black troll was sitting; the snuff-box had a focus!

Tin Soldier, - said the troll, - you have nothing to look at!

The tin soldier didn’t seem to have heard.

Well, wait! - said the troll.

In the morning the children got up, and the tin soldier was put on the window.

Suddenly - by the grace of a troll or by a draft - the window opened, and our soldier flew headfirst from the third floor - only his ears whistled! A minute - and he was already standing on the pavement with his foot upside down: his head in a helmet and his gun were stuck between the stones of the pavement.

The boy and the maid immediately ran out in search, but no matter how hard they tried, they could not find the soldier; they almost stepped on him and yet did not notice him. Shout to them: "I'm here!" - they, of course, would immediately find him, but he considered it indecent to shout in the street, he was wearing a uniform!

It started to rain; harder, harder, rain finally poured down. When it cleared up again, two street boys came.

Look! - said one. - There is a tin soldier! Let's send him sailing!

And they made a boat out of newsprint, put a tin soldier in there, and put it in the groove. The boys themselves ran alongside and clapped their hands. Well well! That's how the waves went along the groove! The current kept drifting - no wonder after such a shower!

The boat was thrown and spun in all directions, so that the tin soldier was trembling all over, but he held on firmly: the gun on his shoulder, his head straight, his chest forward!

The boat was carried under the long walkways: it became so dark as if the soldier had fallen into a box again.

“Where is it taking me? he thought. - Yes, this is all the jokes of an ugly troll! Ah, if that beauty was sitting with me in the boat - for me, be at least twice as dark! "

At that moment a large rat jumped out from under the walkway.

Do you have a passport? she asked. - Give me a passport!

But the tin soldier was silent and gripped the gun even tighter. The boat was carrying, and the rat swam after her. Uh! As she gritted her teeth and shouted to the chips and straws floating towards them:

Hold it, hold it! He didn’t pay taxes, didn’t show his passport!

But the current carried the boat faster and faster, and the tin soldier had already seen the light ahead, when suddenly he heard such a terrible noise that any brave man would have been afraid. Imagine, at the end of the bridge, water from a groove rushed into a large canal! It was as scary for the soldier as it was for us to rush in a boat to a large waterfall.

But the soldier carried further and further, it was impossible to stop. The boat with the soldier slid down; the poor fellow held on as before, and did not even blink an eye. The boat spun ... One, two - filled with water to the brim and began to sink. The tin soldier found himself up to his throat in water; further more ... the water covered him with his head! Then he thought of his beauty: he will not see more. In his ears sounded:

Strive forward, oh warrior,
And meet death calmly!

The paper tore, and the tin soldier went to the bottom, but at the same moment he was swallowed by a fish. What darkness! Worse than under the walkways, and even fear, how crowded! But the tin soldier stood firm and lay stretched out at full length, holding the gun tightly to him.

The fish rushed to and fro, making the most amazing jumps, but suddenly froze, as if lightning had struck it. The light flashed and someone shouted: "Tin Soldier!" The fact is that the fish was caught, taken to the market, then it got into the kitchen, and the cook ripped open its belly with a large knife. The cook took the tin soldier with two fingers around the waist and carried it into the room, where all the household came to look at the wonderful traveler. But the tin soldier was not in the least proud. They put him on the table, and - something that doesn't happen in the world! - he found himself in the same room, saw the same children, the same toys and a wonderful palace with a lovely little dancer. She was still standing on one leg with the other high. That's so endurance! The tin soldier was moved and almost burst into tears of tin, but that would have been indecent, and he resisted. He looked at her, she at him, but they did not say a word.

Suddenly one of the boys grabbed the tin soldier and, for no reason at all, threw him straight into the stove. The troll must have set it all up! The tin soldier stood engulfed in flames: he was terribly hot, from fire or love - he himself did not know. The colors have completely peeled off him, he has faded all over; who knows from what - from the road or from grief? He looked at the dancer, she was him, and he felt that he was melting, but he still held on firmly, with a gun on his shoulder.

Suddenly the door in the room opened, the wind caught the dancer, and she, like a sylph, fluttered right into the stove to the tin soldier, flashed at once and - the end! And the tin soldier melted and melted into a lump. The next day the maid shook the ashes out of the stove and found a small tin heart; from the dancer, only one rosette remained, and even that was all burnt and blackened like coal.

(Ill. A. Arkhipova, ed. Children's literature, 1980)

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There were once twenty-five tin soldiers in the world. All sons of one mother - an old tin spoon - and, therefore, they were brothers to each other. They were glorious, gallant guys: a gun on the shoulder, a wheeled chest, a red uniform, blue cuffs, buttons shining ... Well, in a word, what a miracle for the soldiers!

All twenty-five lay in a row in a cardboard box. It was dark and cramped in it. But the tin soldiers are a patient people, they lay motionless and waited for the day when the box would be opened.

And then one day the box opened.

Tin soldiers! Tin soldiers! cried the little boy and clapped his hands for joy.

He was given tin soldiers on his birthday.

The boy immediately began to arrange them on the table. Twenty-four were exactly the same - one cannot be distinguished from the other, and the twenty-fifth soldier was not like everyone else. He turned out to be one-legged. It was cast last, and the tin was a little short. However, he stood on one leg as firmly as the others on two.

It is with this one-legged soldier that a wonderful story happened, which I will now tell you.

There were many different toys on the table where the boy built his soldiers. But the best toy was the wonderful cardboard palace. Through its windows one could look inside and see all the rooms. A round mirror lay in front of the palace. It was just like a real lake, and around this mirror-like lake were small green trees. Wax swans swam around the lake and, arching their long necks, admired their reflection.

All this was beautiful, but the most beautiful was the mistress of the palace, standing on the threshold, in the wide-open doors. She, too, was cut out of cardboard; she wore a thin cambric skirt, a blue scarf on her shoulders, and a shiny brooch on her chest, almost as big as the head of its owner, and just as beautiful.

The beauty stood on one leg with both arms outstretched — she must have been a dancer. She raised the other leg so high that our tin soldier at first even decided that the beauty was also one-legged, like himself.

“I wish I had such a wife! thought the tin soldier. - Yes, only she, probably, of a noble family. Look in what a beautiful palace he lives! .. And my house is a simple box, and even a whole company of us - twenty-five soldiers - is packed there. No, she doesn't belong there! But it doesn't hurt to get to know her ... "

And the soldier hid behind a snuff-box, which stood right there on the table.

From here he perfectly saw the lovely dancer, who all the time stood on one leg and never even swayed!

Late in the evening, all the tin soldiers, except for the one-legged one - they could not find him - were put in a box, and all the people went to bed.

And when it became completely quiet in the house, the toys themselves began to play: first to visit, then to the war, and in the end they had a ball. Tin soldiers knocked their guns against the walls of their box - they also wanted to go free and play, but they could not lift the heavy lid in any way. Even the nutcracker began to somersault, and the lead went dancing on the board, leaving white traces on it - tra-ta-ta-ta, tra-ta-ta-ta! There was such a noise that the canary woke up in the cage and began chatting in her own language as quickly as she could, and, moreover, in poetry.

Only the one-legged soldier and the dancer did not move.

She still stood on one leg, stretching out both hands forward, and he froze with a gun in his hands, like a sentry, and did not take his eyes from the beauty.

It struck twelve. And suddenly - click! - the snuffbox opened.

This snuffbox never smelled of tobacco, but a little evil troll was sitting in it. He jumped out of the snuff box, as if on a spring, and looked around.

Hey you tin soldier! - shouted the troll. - Do not hurt to look at the dancer! She's too good for you.

But the tin soldier pretended not to hear anything.

Oh, there you are! - said the troll. - Okay, wait until morning! You will still remember me!

In the morning, when the children woke up, they found a one-legged soldier behind a snuffbox and put him on the window.

And suddenly - whether it was a troll set up, or just a draft, who knows? - but only the window was thrown open, and the one-legged soldier flew from the third floor upside down, so much so that his ears whistled. Well, he has suffered through the fear!

Within a minute, he was already sticking out of the ground upside down, and his gun and his head in a helmet were stuck between the cobblestones.

The boy and the maid immediately ran out into the street to find the soldier. But no matter how much they looked around, no matter how much they fumbled on the ground, they did not find it.

Once they almost stepped on the soldier, but even then they passed by without noticing him. Of course, if the soldier shouted: "I'm here!" - he would be found right away. But he considered it indecent to shout in the street - after all, he wore a uniform and was a soldier, and, moreover, a pewter one.

The boy and the maid went back to the house. And then suddenly a rain poured down, but what a rain! A real downpour!

Wide puddles spread along the street, fast streams flowed. And when the rain finally ended, two street boys came running to the place where the tin soldier was sticking out between the cobblestones.

Look, one of them said. - Yes, no way, it's a tin soldier! .. Let's send him sailing!

And they made a boat out of an old newspaper, put a tin soldier in it and lowered it into the groove.

The boat swam away, and the boys ran alongside, bouncing and clapping their hands.

The water in the ditch was boiling. She shouldn't be seething after such a shower! The boat either dived or flew up to the crest of the wave, then circled it in place, then carried forward.

The tin soldier in the boat was trembling all over - from helmet to boot - but he held himself firmly, as a real soldier should be: a gun on his shoulder, his head up, his chest with a wheel.

And then the boat skidded under a wide bridge. It became so dark, as if the soldier had fallen into his box again.

“Where am I? thought the tin soldier. - Oh, if only my beautiful dancer was with me! Then I wouldn't care about anything ... "

At that moment a large water rat jumped out from under the bridge.

Who are you? she screamed. - Do you have a passport? Show your passport!

But the tin soldier was silent and only gripped the gun tightly. The boat carried him farther and farther, and the rat swam after him. She snapped her teeth ferociously and shouted to the chips and straws floating towards them:

Keep it! Hold on! He has no passport!

And she raked her paws with all her might to catch up with the soldier. But the boat was going so fast that not even a rat could keep up with it. Finally the tin soldier saw a light ahead. The bridge ended.

"I am saved!" - thought the soldier.

But then there was such a rumble and roar that any brave man could not stand it and trembled with fear. Just think: behind the bridge, the water was noisily falling down - right into a wide stormy canal!

The tin soldier who was sailing in a small paper boat was in the same danger as we were if we were carried in a real boat to a real big waterfall.

But it was already impossible to stop. The boat with the tin soldier was carried out into the large canal. The waves tossed and threw her up and down, but the soldier was still doing his best and did not even blink an eye.

And suddenly the boat spun in place, scooped up water with its starboard side, then with its left side, then again with its right side, and soon it filled with water to the very brim.

Now the soldier is already waist-deep in water, now up to his throat ... And finally the water covered him with his head.

Sinking to the bottom, he thought sadly about his beauty. He will never see the cute dancer anymore!

But then he remembered the old soldier's song:

Step forward, always forward!
Glory awaits you behind the grave! ..-

and prepared to meet death with honor in a terrible abyss. However, something quite different happened.

Out of nowhere, a large fish emerged from the water and instantly swallowed the soldier along with his gun.

Ah, how dark and cramped it was in the stomach of the fish, darker than under the bridge, closer than in the box! But the tin soldier stood firm even here. He drew himself up to his full height and tightened his grip on his gun. So he lay for a long time.

Suddenly the fish darted from side to side, began to dive, wriggle, jump, and finally froze.

The soldier could not understand what had happened. He bravely prepared to face new challenges, but it was still dark and quiet around.

And suddenly, like lightning flashed in the darkness.

Then it became quite light, and someone shouted:

That's the thing! Tin soldier!

And the thing was this: the fish was caught, taken to the market, and then it got into the kitchen. The cook ripped open her belly with a large shiny knife and saw the tin soldier. She took it with two fingers and carried it into the room.

The whole house came running to look at the wonderful traveler. They put the soldier on the table, and suddenly - what miracles do not happen in the world! - he saw the same room, the same boy, the same window from which he flew out into the street ... Around were the same toys, and among them a cardboard palace rose, and a beautiful dancer stood on the threshold. She still stood on one leg, raising the other high. This is called resilience!

The tin soldier was so moved that tin tears almost rolled from his eyes, but he remembered in time that a soldier was not supposed to cry. Without blinking, he looked at the dancer, the dancer looked at him, and both were silent.

Suddenly one of the boys - the smallest one - grabbed the tin soldier and, for no reason at all, threw him straight into the stove. Probably, he was taught by an evil troll from a snuffbox.

The wood was burning brightly in the stove, and the tin soldier felt terribly hot. He felt that he was all on fire - either from fire or from love - he himself did not know. The paint fled from his face, he faded all over - maybe from chagrin, or maybe because he had been in the water and in the stomach of a fish.

But even in the fire he kept upright, gripped his gun tightly and did not take his eyes off the beautiful dancer. And the dancer looked at him. And the soldier felt that he was melting ...

At that moment the door to the room opened wide, the through wind caught the beautiful dancer, and she, like a butterfly, fluttered into the stove right to the tin soldier. The flame engulfed her, she flared up - and the end. At this point, the tin soldier completely melted.

The next day, the maid began to rake the ashes out of the stove and found a small lump of tin, like a heart, and a charred brooch, black as coal.

That was all that was left of the staunch tin soldier and the beautiful dancer.

Hans Christian Andersen

The Steadfast Tin Soldier

There were once twenty-five tin soldiers in the world, all brothers, because they were born from an old tin spoon. A gun on his shoulder, looking straight ahead, and what a magnificent uniform — red and blue! They lay in a box, and when the lid was removed, the first thing they heard was:

Oh, tin soldiers!

It was a little boy who screamed and clapped his hands. They were presented to him for his birthday, and he immediately placed them on the table.

All the soldiers turned out to be exactly the same, and only one and the only one was a little different from everyone: he had only one leg, because it was cast last, and there was not enough tin. But he stood on one leg as firmly as the others on two, and a wonderful story will happen to him.

There were many other toys on the table where the soldiers found themselves, but the most noticeable was a beautiful cardboard palace. Through small windows one could look directly into the halls. In front of the palace, around a small mirror that depicted the lake, there were trees, and wax swans swam around the lake and looked into it.

It was all very sweet, but the nicest thing was the girl who stood at the door of the castle. She, too, was cut out of paper, but her skirt was of the finest cambric; over her shoulder was a narrow blue ribbon, like a scarf, and on her chest sparkled sparkle no less than the girl's head. The girl stood on one leg, her arms outstretched in front of her - she was a dancer - and threw the other so high that the tin soldier could not see her, and therefore decided that she was also one-legged, like him.

“I wish I had such a wife! he thought. - Only she, you see, from the nobility, lives in the palace, and I only have that box, and even then we are in it as many as twenty-five soldiers, she has no place there! But you can get to know each other! "

And he hid behind a snuff-box, which stood right there on the table. From here he perfectly saw the lovely dancer.

In the evening, all the other tin soldiers, except him alone, were put in a box, and the people in the house went to bed. And the toys themselves began to play - and on a visit, and in the war, and at the ball. The tin soldiers fiddled with the box - after all, they also wanted to play - but they could not lift the lid. The Nutcracker tumbled, the lead danced across the board. There was such a noise and din that the canary woke up and how he whistled, and not just, but in poetry! Only the tin soldier and the dancer did not budge. She was still standing on one toe, arms outstretched forward, and he bravo stood on his only leg and did not take his eyes off her.

Twelve struck, and - click! - the lid of the snuff box bounced off, only it was not tobacco, no, but a small black troll. The snuffbox had a focus.

Tin soldier, - said the troll, - don't look where you don't need to!

But the tin soldier pretended not to hear.

Wait a minute, the morning will come! - said the troll.

And the morning came; the children got up, and the tin soldier was placed on the windowsill. Suddenly, by the grace of a troll, or from a draft, the window will swing open and the soldier will fly upside down from the third floor! It was a terrible flight. The soldier threw bliss into the air, stuck his helmet and bayonet between the stones of the pavement, and so he got stuck upside down.

The boy and the maid immediately ran out to look for him, but could not see in any way, although they almost stepped on him with their feet. Shout it to them: "I'm here!" - they probably would have found him, but it was not proper for a soldier to scream at the top of his lungs - after all, he was wearing a uniform.

It started to rain, drops fell more and more often, and finally a real downpour gushed out. When it was over, two street boys came.

Look! - said one. - There is a tin soldier! Let's send him sailing!

And they made a boat out of newsprint, put a tin soldier in it, and he swam down the gutter. The boys ran alongside and clapped their hands. Fathers, what waves were walking along the ditch, what a swift current! Still, after such a shower!

The ship was thrown up and down and spun so that the tin soldier was trembling all over, but he held firm - the gun on his shoulder, his head straight, chest forward.

Suddenly the boat dived under the long walkways across the ditch. It became so dark as if the soldier had fallen into the box again.

“Where is it taking me? he thought. - Yes, yes, all this troll tricks! Oh, if that young lady was sitting with me in the boat, then be at least twice as dark, and that's nothing! "

Then a large water rat appeared, living under the walkway.

Do you have a passport? She asked. - Show your passport!

But the tin soldier drank water into his mouth and only gripped the gun even tighter. The ship carried everything forward and forward, and the rat swam after him. Uh! How she gnashed her teeth, how she shouted to the chips and straws floating towards them:

Keep it! Hold on! He didn't pay the fees! He is passportless!

But the current grew stronger and stronger, and the tin soldier could already see the light ahead, when suddenly there was such a noise that any brave man would have been frightened. Imagine, at the end of a bridge, a drainage ditch flowed into a large canal. It was as dangerous for a soldier as it was for us to rush in a boat to a large waterfall.

Now the channel is already very close, it is impossible to stop. The ship was carried out from under the bridge, the poor fellow held on as best he could, and did not even blink an eye. The ship turned around three, four times, it was flooded with water to the brim, and it began to sink.

The soldier found himself up to his neck in water, and the boat sank deeper and deeper, the paper was soaked. So the water covered the soldier's head, and then he thought of the lovely little dancer - he would never see her again. It sounded in his ears:

Strive forward, warrior, death will overtake you!

Then the paper finally crawled, and the soldier went to the bottom, but at the same moment he was swallowed by a large fish.

Oh, how dark it was inside, even worse than under the footbridge over the gutter, and even cramped to boot! But the tin soldier did not lose his courage and lay stretched out to his full height, not letting go of his gun ...

The fish went in circles, began to make the most outlandish races. Suddenly she froze, like lightning struck her. A light flashed and someone shouted, "Tin Soldier!" It turns out that the fish was caught, brought to the market, sold, brought to the kitchen, and the cook ripped open its belly with a large knife. Then the cook took the soldier with two fingers on the lower back and brought him into the room. Everyone wanted to see such a wonderful little man - still, he made a trip in the belly of a fish! But the tin soldier was not in the least proud. They put him on the table, and - what miracles do not happen in the world! - he found himself in the same room, saw the same children, the same toys and a wonderful palace with a lovely little dancer stood on the table. She was still standing on one leg, the other raised high - she was also resilient. The soldier was touched and almost cried tinny tears, but that would have been useless. He looked at her, she at him, but they did not say a word to each other.

Suddenly one of the kids grabbed the tin soldier and threw it into the stove, although the soldier was nothing

G.Kh. Andersen

The Steadfast Tin Soldier

There were once twenty-five tin soldiers in the world. All sons of one mother - an old tin spoon - and, therefore, they were brothers to each other. They were glorious, gallant guys: a gun on the shoulder, a wheeled chest, a red uniform, blue cuffs, buttons shining ... Well, in a word, what a miracle for the soldiers!

All twenty-five lay in a row in a cardboard box. It was dark and cramped in it. But the tin soldiers are a patient people, they lay motionless and waited for the day when the box would be opened.

And then one day the box opened.

Tin soldiers! Tin soldiers! cried the little boy and clapped his hands for joy.

He was given tin soldiers on his birthday.

The boy immediately began to arrange them on the table. Twenty-four were exactly the same - one cannot be distinguished from the other, and the twenty-fifth soldier was not like everyone else. He turned out to be one-legged. It was cast last, and the tin was a little short. However, he stood on one leg as firmly as the others on two.

It is with this one-legged soldier that a wonderful story happened, which I will now tell you.

There were many different toys on the table where the boy built his soldiers. But the best toy was the wonderful cardboard palace. Through its windows one could look inside and see all the rooms. A round mirror lay in front of the palace. It was just like a real lake, and around this mirror-like lake were small green trees. Wax swans swam around the lake and, arching their long necks, admired their reflection.

All this was beautiful, but the most beautiful was the mistress of the palace, standing on the threshold, in the wide-open doors. She, too, was cut out of cardboard; she wore a thin cambric skirt, a blue scarf on her shoulders, and a shiny brooch on her chest, almost as big as the head of its owner, and just as beautiful.

The beauty stood on one leg with both arms outstretched — she must have been a dancer. She raised the other leg so high that our tin soldier at first even decided that the beauty was also one-legged, like himself.

“I wish I had such a wife! thought the tin soldier. - Yes, only she, probably, of a noble family. Look in what a beautiful palace he lives! .. And my house is a simple box, and even a whole company of us - twenty-five soldiers - is packed there. No, she doesn't belong there! But it doesn't hurt to get to know her ... "

And the soldier hid behind a snuff-box, which stood right there on the table.

From here he could clearly see the lovely dancer, who all the time stood on one leg and never even swayed!

Late in the evening, all the tin soldiers, except for the one-legged one - they could not find him - were put in a box, and all the people went to bed.

And when it became completely quiet in the house, the toys themselves began to play: first to visit, then to the war, and in the end they had a ball. Tin soldiers knocked their guns against the walls of their box - they also wanted to go free and play, but they could not lift the heavy lid in any way. Even the nutcracker began to somersault, and the lead went dancing on the board, leaving white traces on it - tra-ta-ta-ta, tra-ta-ta-ta! There was such a noise that the canary woke up in the cage and began chatting in her own language as quickly as she could, and, moreover, in poetry.

Only the one-legged soldier and the dancer did not move.

She still stood on one leg, stretching out both hands forward, and he froze with a gun in his hands, like a sentry, and did not take his eyes from the beauty.

It struck twelve. And suddenly - click! - the snuffbox opened.

This snuffbox never smelled of tobacco, but a little evil troll was sitting in it. He jumped out of the snuffbox, as if on a spring, and looked around.

Hey you tin soldier! - shouted the troll. - Do not hurt to look at the dancer! She's too good for you.

But the tin soldier pretended not to hear anything.

Oh, there you are! - said the troll. - Okay, wait until morning! You will still remember me!

In the morning, when the children woke up, they found a one-legged soldier behind a snuffbox and put him on the window.

And suddenly - whether it was a troll set up, or just a draft, who knows? - but only the window was thrown open, and the one-legged soldier flew from the third floor upside down, so much so that his ears whistled. Well, he has suffered through the fear!

In less than a minute, he was already sticking out of the ground upside down, and his gun and his head in a helmet were stuck between the cobblestones.

The boy and the maid immediately ran out into the street to find the soldier. But no matter how much they looked around, no matter how much they fumbled on the ground, they did not find it.

Once they almost stepped on the soldier, but even then they passed by without noticing him. Of course, if the soldier shouted: "I'm here!" - he would be found right away. But he considered it indecent to shout in the street - after all, he wore a uniform and was a soldier, and, moreover, a pewter one.

The boy and the maid went back to the house. And then suddenly a rain poured down, but what a rain! A real downpour!

Wide puddles spread along the street, fast streams flowed. And when the rain finally ended, two street boys came running to the place where the tin soldier was sticking out between the cobblestones.

Look, one of them said. - Yes, no way, it's a tin soldier! .. Let's send him sailing!

And they made a boat out of an old newspaper, put a tin soldier in it and lowered it into the groove.

The boat swam, and the boys ran alongside, bouncing and clapping their hands.

The water in the ditch was boiling. She shouldn't be seething after such a shower! The boat either dived or flew up to the crest of the wave, then circled it in place, then carried forward.

The tin soldier in the boat was trembling all over, from helmet to boot, but he held on firmly, as a real soldier should be: a gun on his shoulder, his head up, his chest with a wheel.

And then the boat skidded under a wide bridge. It became so dark as if the soldier had gotten back into his box.

“Where am I? thought the tin soldier. - Oh, if only my beautiful dancer was with me! Then I wouldn't care about anything ... "

At that moment a large water rat jumped out from under the bridge.

Who are you? she screamed. - Do you have a passport? Show your passport!

But the tin soldier was silent and only gripped the gun tightly. The boat carried him farther and farther, and the rat swam after him. She snapped her teeth ferociously and shouted to the chips and straws floating towards them:

Keep it! Hold on! He has no passport!

And she raked her paws with all her might to catch up with the soldier. But the boat was going so fast that not even a rat could keep up with it. Finally the tin soldier saw a light ahead. The bridge ended.

"I am saved!" - thought the soldier.

But then there was such a rumble and roar that any brave man could not stand it and trembled with fear. Just think: behind the bridge, the water was noisily falling down - right into a wide stormy canal!

The tin soldier who was sailing in a small paper boat was in the same danger as we were if we were carried in a real boat to a real big waterfall.

But it was already impossible to stop. The boat with the tin soldier was carried out into the large canal. The waves tossed and threw her up and down, but the soldier was still doing his best and did not even blink an eye.

And suddenly the boat spun in place, scooped up water with its starboard side, then with its left side, then again with its right side, and soon it filled with water to the very brim.

Now the soldier is already waist-deep in water, now up to his throat ... And finally the water covered him with his head.

Sinking to the bottom, he thought sadly about his beauty. He will never see the cute dancer anymore!

But then he remembered the old soldier's song:

Step forward, always forward! Glory awaits you behind the grave! ..-

and prepared to meet death with honor in a terrible abyss. However, something quite different happened.

Out of nowhere, a large fish emerged from the water and instantly swallowed the soldier along with his gun.

Ah, how dark and cramped it was in the stomach of the fish, darker than under the bridge, closer than in the box! But the tin soldier stood firm even here. He drew himself up to his full height and tightened his grip on his gun. So he lay for a long time.

Suddenly the fish darted from side to side, began to dive, wriggle, jump, and finally froze.

The soldier could not understand what had happened. He bravely prepared to face new challenges, but it was still dark and quiet around.

And suddenly, like lightning flashed in the darkness.

Then it became quite light, and someone shouted:

That's the thing! Tin soldier!

And the thing was this: the fish was caught, taken to the market, and then it got into the kitchen. The cook ripped open her belly with a large shiny knife and saw the tin soldier. She took it with two fingers and carried it into the room.

The whole house came running to look at the wonderful traveler. They put the soldier on the table, and suddenly - what miracles do not happen in the world! - he saw the same room, the same boy, the same window from which he flew out into the street ... Around were the same toys, and among them a cardboard palace rose, and a beautiful dancer stood on the threshold. She was still standing on one leg, the other raised high. This is called resilience!

The tin soldier was so moved that tin tears almost rolled from his eyes, but he remembered in time that a soldier was not supposed to cry. Without blinking, he looked at the dancer, the dancer looked at him, and both were silent.

Suddenly one of the boys - the smallest one - grabbed the tin soldier and, for no reason at all, threw him straight into the stove. Probably, he was taught by an evil troll from a snuffbox.

The wood was burning brightly in the stove, and the tin soldier felt terribly hot. He felt that he was all on fire - either from fire or from love - he himself did not know. The paint fled from his face, he faded all over - maybe from chagrin, or maybe because he had been in the water and in the stomach of a fish.

But even in the fire he kept upright, gripped his gun tightly and did not take his eyes off the beautiful dancer. And the dancer looked at him. And the soldier felt that he was melting ...

At that moment the door to the room was thrown wide open, the through wind caught the beautiful dancer, and she, like a butterfly, fluttered into the stove right to the tin soldier. The flame engulfed her, she flared up - and the end. At this point, the tin soldier completely melted.

The next day, the maid began to rake the ashes out of the stove and found a small lump of tin, like a heart, and a charred, charcoal-black brooch.

That was all that was left of the staunch tin soldier and the beautiful dancer.