The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen ( 1845 ) AR down in the forest , where the warm sun and the fresh air made a sweet resting - place , grew a pretty little fir - tree ; and yet it was not happy , it wished so much to be tall like its companions — the pines and firs which grew around it . The sun shone , and the soft air fluttered its leaves , and the little peasant children passed by , prattling merrily , but the fir - tree heeded them not . Sometimes the children would bring a large basket of raspberries or strawberries , wreathed on a straw , and seat themselves near the fir - tree , and say , “ Is it not a pretty little tree ? ” which made it feel more unhappy than before . And yet all this while the tree grew a notch or joint taller every year ; for by the number of joints in the stem of a fir - tree we can discover its age . Still , as it grew , it complained , “ Oh ! how I wish I were as tall as the other trees , then I would spread out my branches on every side , and my top would over - look the wide world . I should have the birds building their nests on my boughs , and when the wind blew , I should bow with stately dignity like my tall companions . ” The tree was so discontented , that it took no pleasure in the warm sunshine , the birds , or the rosy clouds that floated over it morning and evening . Sometimes , in winter , when the snow lay white and glittering on the ground , a hare would come springing along , and jump right over the little tree ; and then how mortified it would feel ! Two winters passed , and when the third arrived , the tree had grown so tall that the hare was obliged to run round it . Yet it remained unsatisfied , and would exclaim , “ Oh , if I could but keep on growing tall and old ! There is nothing else worth caring for in the world ! ” In the autumn , as usual , the wood - cutters came and cut down several of the tallest trees , and the young fir - tree , which was now grown to its full height , shuddered as the noble trees fell to the earth with a crash . After the branches were lopped off , the trunks looked so slender and bare , that they could scarcely be recognized . Then they were placed upon wagons , and drawn by horses out of the forest . “ Where were they going ? What would become of them ? ” The young fir - tree wished very much to know ; so in the spring , when the swallows and the storks came , it asked , “ Do you know where those trees were taken ? Did you meet them ? ” The swallows knew nothing , but the stork , after a little reflection , nodded his head , and said , “ Yes , I think I do . I met several new ships when I flew from Egypt , and they had fine masts that smelt like fir . I think these must have been the trees ; I assure you they were stately , very stately . ” “ Oh , how I wish I were tall enough to go on the sea , ” said the fir - tree . “ What is the sea , and what does it look like ? ” “ It would take too much time to explain , ” said the stork , flying quickly away . “ Rejoice in thy youth , ” said the sunbeam ; “ rejoice in thy fresh growth , and the young life that is in thee . ” And the wind kissed the tree , and the dew watered it with tears ; but the fir - tree regarded them not . Christmas - time drew near , and many young trees were cut down , some even smaller and younger than the fir - tree who enjoyed neither rest nor peace with longing to leave its forest home . These young trees , which were chosen for their beauty , kept their branches , and were also laid on wagons and drawn by horses out of the forest . “ Where are they going ? ” asked the fir - tree . “ They are not taller than I am : indeed , one is much less ; and why are the branches not cut off ? Where are they going ? ” “ We know , we know , ” sang the sparrows ; “ we have looked in at the windows of the houses in the town , and we know what is done with them . They are dressed up in the most splendid manner . We have seen them standing in the middle of a warm room , and adorned with all sorts of beautiful things , — honey cakes , gilded apples , playthings , and many hundreds of wax tapers . ” “ And then , ” asked the fir - tree , trembling through all its branches , “ and then what happens ? ” “ We did not see any more , ” said the sparrows ; “ but this was enough for us . ” “ I wonder whether anything so brilliant will ever happen to me , ” thought the fir - tree . “ It would be much better than crossing the sea . I long for it almost with pain . Oh ! when will Christmas be here ? I am now as tall and well grown as those which were taken away last year . Oh ! that I were now laid on the wagon , or standing in the warm room , with all that brightness and splendor around me ! Something better and more beautiful is to come after , or the trees would not be so decked out . Yes , what follows will be grander and more splendid . What can it be ? I am weary with longing . I scarcely know how I feel . ” “ Rejoice with us , ” said the air and the sunlight . “ Enjoy thine own bright life in the fresh air . ” But the tree would not rejoice , though it grew taller every day ; and , winter and summer , its dark - green foliage might be seen in the forest , while passers by would say , “ What a beautiful tree ! ” A short time before Christmas , the discontented fir - tree was the first to fall . As the axe cut through the stem , and divided the pith , the tree fell with a groan to the earth , conscious of pain and faintness , and forgetting all its anticipations of happiness , in sorrow at leaving its home in the forest . It knew that it should never again see its dear old companions , the trees , nor the little bushes and many - colored flowers that had grown by its side ; perhaps not even the birds . Neither was the journey at all pleasant . The tree first recovered itself while being unpacked in the courtyard of a house , with several other trees ; and it heard a man say , “ We only want one , and this is the prettiest . ” Then came two servants in grand livery , and carried the fir - tree into a large and beautiful apartment . on the walls hung pictures , and near the great stove stood great china vases , with lions on the lids . There were rocking chairs , silken sofas , large tables , covered with pictures , books , and playthings , worth a great deal of money , — at least , the children said so . Then the fir - tree was placed in a large tub , full of sand ; but green baize hung all around it , so that no one could see it was a tub , and it stood on a very handsome carpet . How the fir - tree trembled ! “ What was going to happen to him now ? ” Some young ladies came , and the servants helped them to adorn the tree . on one branch they hung little bags cut out of colored paper , and each bag was filled with sweetmeats ; from other branches hung gilded apples and walnuts , as if they had grown there ; and above , and all round , were hundreds of red , blue , and white tapers , which were fastened on the branches . Dolls , exactly like real babies , were placed under the green leaves , — the tree had never seen such things before , — and at the very top was fastened a glittering star , made of tinsel . Oh , it was very beautiful ! “ This evening , ” they all exclaimed , “ how bright it will be ! ” “ Oh , that the evening were come , ” thought the tree , “ and the tapers lighted ! then I shall know what else is going to happen . Will the trees of the forest come to see me ? I wonder if the sparrows will peep in at the windows as they fly ? shall I grow faster here , and keep on all these ornaments summer and winter ? ” But guessing was of very little use ; it made his bark ache , and this pain is as bad for a slender fir - tree , as headache is for us . At last the tapers were lighted , and then what a glistening blaze of light the tree presented ! It trembled so with joy in all its branches , that one of the candles fell among the green leaves and burnt some of them . “ Help ! help ! ” exclaimed the young ladies , but there was no danger , for they quickly extinguished the fire . After this , the tree tried not to tremble at all , though the fire frightened him ; he was so anxious not to hurt any of the beautiful ornaments , even while their brilliancy dazzled him . And now the folding doors were thrown open , and a troop of children rushed in as if they intended to upset the tree ; they were followed more silently by their elders . For a moment the little ones stood silent with astonishment , and then they shouted for joy , till the room rang , and they danced merrily round the tree , while one present after another was taken from it . “ What are they doing ? What will happen next ? ” thought the fir . At last the candles burnt down to the branches and were put out . Then the children received permission to plunder the tree . Oh , how they rushed upon it , till the branches cracked , and had it not been fastened with the glistening star to the ceiling , it must have been thrown down . The children then danced about with their pretty toys , and no one noticed the tree , except the children ’ s maid who came and peeped among the branches to see if an apple or a fig had been forgotten . “ A story , a story , ” cried the children , pulling a little fat man towards the tree . “ Now we shall be in the green shade , ” said the man , as he seated himself under it , “ and the tree will have the pleasure of hearing also , but I shall only relate one story ; what shall it be ? Ivede - Avede , or Humpty Dumpty , who fell down stairs , but soon got up again , and at last married a princess . ” “ Ivede - Avede , ” cried some . “ Humpty Dumpty , ” cried others , and there was a fine shouting and crying out . But the fir - tree remained quite still , and thought to himself , “ Shall I have anything to do with all this ? ” but he had already amused them as much as they wished . Then the old man told them the story of Humpty Dumpty , how he fell down stairs , and was raised up again , and married a princess . And the children clapped their hands and cried , “ Tell another , tell another , ” for they wanted to hear the story of “ Ivede - Avede ;” but they only had “ Humpty Dumpty . ” After this the fir - tree became quite silent and thoughtful ; never had the birds in the forest told such tales as “ Humpty Dumpty , ” who fell down stairs , and yet married a princess . “ Ah ! yes , so it happens in the world , ” thought the fir - tree ; he believed it all , because it was related by such a nice man . “ Ah ! well , ” he thought , “ who knows ? perhaps I may fall down too , and marry a princess ;” and he looked forward joyfully to the next evening , expecting to be again decked out with lights and playthings , gold and fruit . “ To - morrow I will not tremble , ” thought he ; “ I will enjoy all my splendor , and I shall hear the story of Humpty Dumpty again , and perhaps Ivede - Avede . ” And the tree remained quiet and thoughtful all night . In the morning the servants and the housemaid came in . “ Now , ” thought the fir , “ all my splendor is going to begin again . ” But they dragged him out of the room and up stairs to the garret , and threw him on the floor , in a dark corner , where no daylight shone , and there they left him . “ What does this mean ? ” thought the tree , “ what am I to do here ? I can hear nothing in a place like this , ” and he had time enough to think , for days and nights passed and no one came near him , and when at last somebody did come , it was only to put away large boxes in a corner . So the tree was completely hidden from sight as if it had never existed . “ It is winter now , ” thought the tree , “ the ground is hard and covered with snow , so that people cannot plant me . I shall be sheltered here , I dare say , until spring comes . How thoughtful and kind everybody is to me ! Still I wish this place were not so dark , as well as lonely , with not even a little hare to look at . How pleasant it was out in the forest while the snow lay on the ground , when the hare would run by , yes , and jump over me too , although I did not like it then . Oh ! it is terrible lonely here . ” “ Squeak , squeak , ” said a little mouse , creeping cautiously towards the tree ; then came another ; and they both sniffed at the fir - tree and crept between the branches . “ Oh , it is very cold , ” said the little mouse , “ or else we should be so comfortable here , shouldn ’ t we , you old fir - tree ? ” “ I am not old , ” said the fir - tree , “ there are many who are older than I am . ” “ Where do you come from ? and what do you know ? ” asked the mice , who were full of curiosity . “ Have you seen the most beautiful places in the world , and can you tell us all about them ? and have you been in the storeroom , where cheeses lie on the shelf , and hams hang from the ceiling ? one can run about on tallow candles there , and go in thin and come out fat . ” “ I know nothing of that place , ” said the fir - tree , “ but I know the wood where the sun shines and the birds sing . ” And then the tree told the little mice all about its youth . They had never heard such an account in their lives ; and after they had listened to it attentively , they said , “ What a number of things you have seen ? you must have been very happy . ” “ Happy ! ” exclaimed the fir - tree , and then as he reflected upon what he had been telling them , he said , “ Ah , yes ! after all those were happy days . ” But when he went on and related all about Christmas - eve , and how he had been dressed up with cakes and lights , the mice said , “ How happy you must have been , you old fir - tree . ” “ I am not old at all , ” replied the tree , “ I only came from the forest this winter , I am now checked in my growth . ” “ What splendid stories you can relate , ” said the little mice . And the next night four other mice came with them to hear what the tree had to tell . The more he talked the more he remembered , and then he thought to himself , “ Those were happy days , but they may come again . Humpty Dumpty fell down stairs , and yet he married the princess ; perhaps I may marry a princess too . ” And the fir - tree thought of the pretty little birch - tree that grew in the forest , which was to him a real beautiful princess . “ Who is Humpty Dumpty ? ” asked the little mice . And then the tree related the whole story ; he could remember every single word , and the little mice was so delighted with it , that they were ready to jump to the top of the tree . The next night a great many more mice made their appearance , and on Sunday two rats came with them ; but they said , it was not a pretty story at all , and the little mice were very sorry , for it made them also think less of it . “ Do you know only one story ? ” asked the rats . “ Only one , ” replied the fir - tree ; “ I heard it on the happiest evening of my life ; but I did not know I was so happy at the time . ” “ We think it is a very miserable story , ” said the rats . “ Don ’ t you know any story about bacon , or tallow in the storeroom . ” “ No , ” replied the tree . “ Many thanks to you then , ” replied the rats , and they marched off . The little mice also kept away after this , and the tree sighed , and said , “ It was very pleasant when the merry little mice sat round me and listened while I talked . Now that is all passed too . However , I shall consider myself happy when some one comes to take me out of this place . ” But would this ever happen ? Yes ; one morning people came to clear out the garret , the boxes were packed away , and the tree was pulled out of the corner , and thrown roughly on the garret floor ; then the servant dragged it out upon the staircase where the daylight shone . “ Now life is beginning again , ” said the tree , rejoicing in the sunshine and fresh air . Then it was carried down stairs and taken into the courtyard so quickly , that it forgot to think of itself , and could only look about , there was so much to be seen . The court was close to a garden , where everything looked blooming . Fresh and fragrant roses hung over the little palings . The linden - trees were in blossom ; while the swallows flew here and there , crying , “ Twit , twit , twit , my mate is coming , ”— but it was not the fir - tree they meant . “ Now I shall live , ” cried the tree , joyfully spreading out its branches ; but alas ! they were all withered and yellow , and it lay in a corner amongst weeds and nettles . The star of gold paper still stuck in the top of the tree and glittered in the sunshine . In the same courtyard two of the merry children were playing who had danced round the tree at Christmas , and had been so happy . The youngest saw the gilded star , and ran and pulled it off the tree . “ Look what is sticking to the ugly old fir - tree , ” said the child , treading on the branches till they crackled under his boots . And the tree saw all the fresh bright flowers in the garden , and then looked at itself , and wished it had remained in the dark corner of the garret . It thought of its fresh youth in the forest , of the merry Christmas evening , and of the little mice who had listened to the story of “ Humpty Dumpty . ” “ Past ! past ! ” said the old tree ; “ Oh , had I but enjoyed myself while I could have done so ! but now it is too late . ” Then a lad came and chopped the tree into small pieces , till a large bundle lay in a heap on the ground . The pieces were placed in a fire under the copper , and they quickly blazed up brightly , while the tree sighed so deeply that each sigh was like a pistol - shot . Then the children , who were at play , came and seated themselves in front of the fire , and looked at it and cried , “ Pop , pop . ” But at each “ pop , ” which was a deep sigh , the tree was thinking of a summer day in the forest ; and of Christmas evening , and of “ Humpty Dumpty , ” the only story it had ever heard or knew how to relate , till at last it was consumed . The boys still played in the garden , and the youngest wore the golden star on his breast , with which the tree had been adorned during the happiest evening of its existence . Now all was past ; the tree ’ s life was past , and the story also , — for all stories must come to an end at last .