most terribly cold it was it snowed and was nearly quite dark and evening the last evening of the
year in this cold and darkness there went along the street a poor little girl bareheaded and with
naked feet when she left home she had slippers on it is true but what was the good of that they
were very large slippers which her mother had hitherto worn so large were they and the poor little
thing lost them as she scuffled away across the street because of two carriages that rolled by
dreadfully fast one slipper was nowhere to be found the other had been laid hold of by an urchin
and off he ran with it he thought it would do capitally for a cradle when he some day or other
should have children himself so the little maiden walked on with her tiny naked feet that were
quite red and blue from cold she carried a quantity of matches in an old apron and she held a
bundle of them in her hand nobody had bought anything of her the whole livelong day no one had
given her a single farthing she crept along trembling with cold and hunger a very picture of
sorrow the poor little thing the flakes of snow covered her long fair hair which fell in
beautiful curls around her neck but of that of course she never once now thought from all the
windows the candles were gleaming and it smelt so deliciously of roast goose for you know it was
new year s eve yes of that she thought in a corner formed by two houses of which one advanced more
than the other she seated herself down and cowered together her little feet she had drawn close up
to her but she grew colder and colder and to go home she did not venture for she had not sold any
matches and could not bring a farthing of money from her father she would certainly get blows and
at home it was cold too for above her she had only the roof through which the wind whistled even
though the largest cracks were stopped up with straw and rags her little hands were almost numbed
with cold oh a match might afford her a world of comfort if she only dared take a single one out of
the bundle draw it against the wall and warm her fingers by it she drew one out rischt how it
blazed how it burnt it was a warm bright flame like a candle as she held her hands over it it was a
wonderful light it seemed really to the little maiden as though she were sitting before a large
iron stove with burnished brass feet and a brass ornament at top the fire burned with such blessed
influence it warmed so delightfully the little girl had already stretched out her feet to warm them
too but the small flame went out the stove vanished she had only the remains of the burnt out match
in her hand she rubbed another against the wall it burned brightly and where the light fell on the
wall there the wall became transparent like a veil so that she could see into the room on the table
was spread a snow white tablecloth upon it was a splendid porcelain service and the roast goose was
steaming famously with its stuffing of apple and dried plums and what was still more capital to
behold was the goose hopped down from the dish reeled about on the floor with knife and fork in its
breast till it came up to the poor little girl when the match went out and nothing but the thick
cold damp wall was left behind she lighted another match now there she was sitting under the most
magnificent christmas tree it was still larger and more decorated than the one which she had seen
through the glass door in the rich merchant s house thousands of lights were burning on the green
branches and gaily colored pictures such as she had seen in the shop windows looked down upon her
the little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when the match went out the lights of the
christmas tree rose higher and higher she saw them now as stars in heaven one fell down and formed
a long trail of fire someone is just dead said the little girl for her old grandmother the only
person who had loved her and who was now no more had told her that when a star falls a soul ascends
to god she drew another match against the wall it was again light and in the lustre there stood the
old grandmother so bright and radiant so mild and with such an expression of love grandmother cried
the little one oh take me with you you go away when the match burns out you vanish like the warm
stove like the delicious roast goose and like the magnificent christmas tree and she rubbed the
whole bundle of matches quickly against the wall for she wanted to be quite sure of keeping her
grandmother near her and the matches gave such a brilliant light that it was brighter than at noon
day never formerly had the grandmother been so beautiful and so tall she took the little maiden on
her arm and both flew in brightness and in joy so high so very high and then above was neither cold
nor hunger nor anxiety they were with god but in the corner at the cold hour of dawn sat the poor
girl with rosy cheeks and with a smiling mouth leaning against the wall frozen to death on the last
evening of the old year stiff and stark sat the child there with her matches of which one bundle
had been burnt she wanted to warm herself people said no one had the slightest suspicion of what
beautiful things she had seen no one even dreamed of the splendor in which with her grandmother she
had entered on the joys of a new year The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen