Fairy tale Old street lamp. The Tale of the Old Street Lamp - Hans Christian Andersen

If someone works conscientiously, is kind and sympathizes with others, then there will always be someone who will appreciate his efforts. And then it is important not to become proud and retire, but to continue to bring light into the lives of those who are close to you, those whom you love.

Have you heard the tale about the old Street light? It's not very interesting, but it's still worth listening to.

Well, there lived a venerable old street lamp; He served honestly for many years, but finally they decided to fire him. The lantern learned that he last night hangs on a pole and illuminates the street, and his feelings could be compared with the feeling of a faded ballerina who dances in last time and knows that tomorrow she will be asked to leave the stage. He waited in horror tomorrow: tomorrow he had to appear at a review at the town hall and for the first time introduce himself to the “thirty-six city fathers”, who would decide whether he was still fit for service or not.

Yes, tomorrow the question had to be decided: whether he would be sent to illuminate some other bridge, whether he would be sent to a village or to a factory, or whether he would simply be melted down. The lantern could be melted into anything; but most of all he was oppressed by the unknown: he did not know whether he would remember that he had once been a street lamp, or not? One way or another, he knew that in any case he would have to part with the night watchman and his wife, who had become close to him, like family. Both of them - the lantern and the watchman - entered service at the same hour. The watchman's wife was very proud of her husband's position and, when passing by the lantern, she glanced at him only in the evenings, and never during the day. But in last years, when all three of them - the watchman, his wife, and the lantern - were already old, she also began to take care of the lantern, clean the lamp and pour blubber into it. Honest people there were these old people, they never deprived the lantern one bit!

So, the lantern illuminated the street for the last evening, and the next day it was supposed to go to the town hall. These sad thoughts did not give him peace; no wonder it burned badly. Sometimes other thoughts flashed through his mind - he saw a lot, he had to shed light on a lot; in this respect he stood, perhaps, higher than the “thirty-six city fathers”! But he was silent about this too: the venerable old lantern did not want to offend anyone, much less his superiors. The lantern saw and remembered a lot, and from time to time its flame flickered, as if the following thoughts were stirring in it: “Yes, and someone will remember about me! If only that handsome young man... Many years have passed since then. He came up to me with a sheet of paper written on, very thin, with a gold edge. The letter was written woman's hand and so beautiful! He read it twice, kissed it and looked up at me with shining eyes. "I the happiest man in the world!” they said. Yes, only he and I knew what his beloved wrote in that first letter. I remember other eyes too... It's amazing how thoughts jump around! A magnificent funeral procession was moving along our street; on a hearse upholstered in velvet, the body of a young, beautiful woman was carried in a coffin. How many flowers and wreaths there were! There were so many torches burning that they completely obscured my light. The sidewalk was filled with people - people were walking behind the coffin. But when the torches were out of sight, I looked around and saw a man standing at my post and crying. I will never forget the look of his mournful eyes looking at me.”

On the bridge spanning the drainage ditch, there were at that time three candidates for the vacant position, who thought that the choice of a successor depended on the lantern itself. One of these candidates was a glow-in-the-dark herring head; she believed that her appearance on the lamppost would significantly reduce the consumption of blubber. The second was rotten fish, which also glowed and, according to her, even brighter than dried cod; Moreover, she considered herself the last remnant of a tree that had once been the beauty of the entire forest. The third candidate was the firefly; where it came from - the lantern could not guess, but the firefly was there and also glowed, although the rotten and the herring head swore with one voice that it shines only from time to time, and therefore it should not be taken into account.

The old lantern objected to them that none of the candidates shined bright enough to take his place, but, of course, they did not believe him. Having learned that the appointment to the position did not depend at all on the lantern, all three expressed great pleasure - after all, he was too old to make the right choice.

At this time, the wind blew from around the corner and whispered into the lantern:

- What do I hear! Are you leaving tomorrow? Is this the last evening that we meet here? Well, here's a gift from me to you! I will ventilate your skull, so much so that you will not only clearly and accurately remember everything that you have ever heard and seen yourself, but you will see with your own eyes what others will tell or read in front of you - that’s how fresh you will be. head!

“I don’t know how to thank you,” said the old lantern. “If only they wouldn’t melt me down!”

“That’s still a long way off,” answered the wind. - Well, now I’ll clear your memory. If you receive many gifts like mine, you will spend your old age very, very pleasantly!

“If only they wouldn’t melt me down!” - repeated the lantern. “Perhaps you can vouch for my memory in this case too?”

- Eh, old lantern, be reasonable! - said the wind and blew.

At that moment the moon appeared.

- What will you give? - the wind asked him.

“Nothing,” answered the month, “I’m at a loss, and besides, the lanterns never shine for me, I’m always for them.” - And the month hid behind the clouds again - he didn’t want to be bothered.

Suddenly a raindrop fell on the iron cap of the lantern; it seemed to roll down from the roof; but the drop said that it fell from a gray cloud, and also like a gift, perhaps even the best.

“I will pierce you, and you, whenever you wish, can rust and crumble into dust in one night!”

It seemed like a bad gift to the lantern, and so did the wind.

- Is it really possible that no one will give you anything better? - he made a noise with all his might.

And at that very moment a star rolled down from the sky, leaving behind a long luminous trail.

- What's this? - cried the herring head. - It’s like a star fell from the sky? And, it seems, right at the lantern! Well, if such high-ranking persons are coveting this position, all we can do is bow out and go home.

All three did so. And the old lantern suddenly flashed especially brightly.

- This is a wonderful gift! - he said. “I have always admired the wondrous light of clear stars.” After all, I myself could not shine like they did, although this was my cherished desire and aspiration - and so the wondrous stars noticed me, a poor old lantern, and sent me one of their sisters as a gift. They have given me the ability to show those I love everything that I remember and see for myself. It gives deep satisfaction; and joy that there is no one to share with is only half joy!

“Great idea,” said the wind. “But you don’t know that this gift of yours depends on a wax candle.” You won’t be able to show anyone anything if the wax candle doesn’t burn inside you: that’s what the stars didn’t think about. They mistake you, and indeed everything that shines, for wax candles. But now I'm tired, it's time to lie down! - the wind added and settled down.

The next day... no, we’d better jump over it, - the next evening the lantern was lying in the chair. Guess where? In the old night watchman's room. The old man asked the “thirty-six city fathers” as a reward for his long, faithful service... an old lantern. They laughed at his request, but gave him the lantern; and now the lantern was lying pompously in the chair near the warm stove and, really, it seemed to have grown so that it occupied almost the entire chair. The old men were already sitting at dinner and looking affectionately at the old lantern: they would willingly have it at the table with them.

True, they lived in the basement, several feet underground, and to get into their closet you had to go through a hallway paved with bricks, but the closet itself was clean and cozy. The doors were lined at the edges with strips of felt, the bed was hidden behind a canopy, curtains hung on the windows, and two outlandish flower pots stood on the window sills. They were brought by the sailor Christian from the East Indies or West Indies. The pots were clay, in the shape of backless elephants; instead of a back they had a depression filled with earth; in one elephant grew the most wonderful leeks, and in the other - blooming geraniums. The first elephant served as a vegetable garden for the old people, the second as a flower garden. hung on the wall big picture in colors, depicting the Congress of Vienna, which was attended by all the kings and kings. The ancient clock with heavy lead weights ticked incessantly and always ran forward - but it was better than if it fell behind, the old men said.

So, now they were having dinner, and the old street lamp lay, as we know, in a chair near the warm stove, and it seemed to him as if the whole world had turned upside down. But then the old watchman looked at him and began to remember everything that they had experienced together in rain and bad weather, in clear and short summer nights and in snowstorms, when you just want to go home to the basement; and the lantern came to its senses and saw all this as if in reality.

Yes, the wind ventilated it nicely!

The old men were hard-working, hard-working; Not a single hour was wasted with them. On Sundays, after lunch, some book would appear on the table, most often a description of a trip, and the old man would read aloud about Africa, about its huge forests and wild elephants that roam free. The old woman listened and looked at the clay elephants that served as flower pots.

- I can imagine it! - she said.

And the lantern sincerely wished that a wax candle would burn in it - then the old woman, like himself, would see everything with her own eyes: tall trees with dense trees intertwined, and naked black people on horseback, and whole herds of elephants dying with fat feet of reeds and bushes.

- What good are my abilities if I don’t see a wax candle anywhere! - the lantern sighed. “My owners only have blubber and tallow candles, and that’s not enough.”

But the old people had a lot of wax cinders; Long cinders were burned, and the old woman waxed threads with short ones when she sewed. The old people now had wax candles, but it never occurred to them to insert even a single candle into the lantern.

The lantern, always cleaned, lay in the corner, in the most visible place. People, however, called him old trash, but the old people did not pay attention to this - they loved him.

One day, on the old man’s birthday, the old woman came up to the lantern, smiled slyly and said:

- Wait a minute, I’m going to arrange some illumination in honor of my old man!

The lantern rattled with joy. “It finally dawned on them!” - he thought. But they poured blubber into it, and there was no mention of a wax candle. He was burning all evening, but now he knew that the gift of the stars - the best gift - would never be useful to him in this life. And then he dreamed - with such abilities it’s not surprising to dream - that the old people died, and he was melted down. The lantern was just as scared as the time when he had to appear at the review at the town hall before the “thirty-six city fathers.” But although he could have rusted and crumbled into dust at will, he did not do this, but fell into the melting furnace and turned into a wonderful iron candlestick in the form of an angel, who held a bouquet in one hand. A wax candle was inserted into this bouquet, and the candlestick took its place on the green cloth desk. The room was very cozy; all the shelves here were lined with books, and the walls were hung with magnificent paintings. The poet lived here, and everything he thought and wrote about unfolded before him, as if in a panorama. The room became dense forest, illuminated by the sun, now by meadows along which a stork walked, now by the deck of a ship sailing on a stormy sea...

- Oh, what abilities are hidden in me! - exclaimed the old lantern, waking up from his dreams. - Really, I even want to be melted down! However, no! While the old people are alive, there is no need. They love me for who I am, I am like a child for them. They cleaned me, fed me with blubber, and I live here no worse than the nobles at the congress. What more could you want!

And since then I have found a lantern peace of mind, yes, the old, venerable lantern deserved it.

Have you heard the story about the old street lamp? It's not that interesting, but it doesn't hurt to listen to it once. Well, once upon a time there was this venerable old street lamp; he served honestly for many, many years and finally had to retire.

Last evening the lantern hung on its pole, illuminating the street, and his soul felt like that of an old ballerina who is performing on stage for the last time and knows that tomorrow she will be forgotten by everyone in her closet.

Tomorrow terrified the old servant: he had to appear at the town hall for the first time and appear before the “thirty-six city fathers,” who would decide whether he was still fit for service or not. Perhaps he will be sent to illuminate some bridge, or he will be sent to the provinces to some factory, or perhaps he will simply be melted down, and then anything can come out of him. And so he was tormented by the thought: will he retain the memory of having once been a street lamp. One way or another, he knew that in any case he would have to part with the night watchman and his wife, who had become like nothing to him. family of origin. Both of them - the lantern and the watchman - entered service at the same time. The watchman's wife then aimed high and, passing by the lantern, deigned to look at it only in the evenings, and never during the day. In recent years, when all three - the watchman, his wife, and the lantern - were old, she also began to take care of the lantern, clean the lamp and pour blubber into it. These old men were honest people, they never deprived the lantern one bit.

So, he spent the last evening shining on the street, and in the morning he had to go to the town hall. These gloomy thoughts did not give him peace, and it is not surprising that he was not burning well. However, other thoughts flashed through his mind; he saw a lot, he had a chance to shed light on a lot, perhaps he was not inferior in this to all the “thirty-six city fathers.” But he was silent about this too. After all, he was a venerable old lantern and did not want to offend anyone, much less his superiors.

Meanwhile, he remembered a lot, and from time to time his flame flared up as if from thoughts like this:

“Yes, and someone will remember me! If only that handsome young man... Many years have passed since then. He came up to me with a letter in his hands. The letter was on pink paper, very thin, with a gold edge, and written in an elegant feminine handwriting. He read it twice, kissed it and looked up at me with shining eyes. “I am the happiest person in the world!” - they said. Yes, only he and I knew what his beloved wrote in her first letter.

I remember other eyes too... It's amazing how thoughts jump around! A magnificent funeral procession was moving along our street. A beautiful young woman was carried in a coffin on a carriage upholstered in velvet. How many wreaths and flowers there were! And there were so many torches burning that they completely eclipsed my light. The sidewalks were filled with people accompanying the coffin. But when the torches were out of sight, I looked around and saw a man standing at my post and crying. “I will never forget the look of his mournful eyes looking at me!”

And the old street lamp remembered a lot of things on this last evening. The sentry who is relieved from his post at least knows who will take his place, and can exchange a few words with his comrade. But the lantern did not know who would replace him, and could not tell about rain and bad weather, nor about how the moon illuminates the sidewalk and from which direction the wind blows.

At that time, three candidates for the vacant position appeared on the bridge over the drainage ditch, believing that the appointment to the position depended on the lantern itself. The first was a glow-in-the-dark herring head; she believed that her appearance on the pillar would significantly reduce the consumption of blubber. The second was rotten fish, which also glowed and, according to her, even brighter than dried cod; besides, she considered herself the last remnant of the entire forest. The third candidate was the firefly; The lantern could not understand where it came from, but nevertheless the firefly was there and also glowed, although the herring head and the rotten swearing swore that it only shines from time to time, and therefore does not count.

The old lantern said that none of them shined bright enough to serve as street lamps, but, of course, they did not believe him. And having learned that the appointment to the position did not depend on him at all, all three expressed deep satisfaction - after all, he was too old to make the right choice.

At this time, a wind came from around the corner and whispered under the hood of the lantern:

What's happened? They say you're resigning tomorrow? And this is the last time I see you here? Well, here's a gift from me to you. I will ventilate your skull, and you will not only clearly and distinctly remember everything that you saw and heard yourself, but also see in reality everything that will be told or read in front of you. That's how fresh your head will be!

I don’t know how to thank you! - said the old lantern. - Just to avoid being melted down!

“That’s still a long way off,” answered the wind. - Well, now I’ll clear your memory. If you received many such gifts, you would have a pleasant old age.

Just to avoid being melted down! - repeated the lantern. - Or maybe you will preserve my memory in this case too? - Be reasonable, old lantern! - said the wind and blew.

At that moment the moon appeared.

What will you give? - asked the wind.

“Nothing,” answered the month. “I’m at a loss, and besides, the lanterns never shine for me, I’m always for them.”

And the month hid behind the clouds again - he didn’t want to be bothered. Suddenly a drop dripped onto the iron cap of the lantern. She seemed to roll

fell from the roof, but the drop said that it fell from gray clouds, and also like a gift, perhaps even the best.

“I will pierce you,” said the drop, “so that you will gain the ability, any night you wish, to turn into rust and crumble into dust.”

This gift seemed bad to the lantern, and so did the wind.

Who will give more? Who will give more? - he made as much noise as he could.

And at that very moment a star rolled down from the sky, leaving behind a long luminous trail.

What is this? - the herring head screamed. - No way, a star fell from the sky? And it seems right at the lamppost. Well, if such high-ranking persons are coveting this position, all we can do is bow out and go home.

All three did so. And the old lantern suddenly flashed especially brightly.

A venerable thought, said the wind. - But you probably don’t know what comes with this gift. wax candle. You won't be able to show anyone anything if the wax candle doesn't burn inside you. That's what the stars didn't think about. They take you and everything that glows for wax candles. “Well, now I’m tired, it’s time to lie down,” said the wind and lay down.

The next morning... no, we’d better skip the next day - the next evening the lantern was lying in the chair, and who had it? At the old night watchman's. For his long faithful service, the old man asked the "thirty-six city fathers" for an old street lamp. They laughed at him, but gave him the lantern. And now the lantern was lying in a chair near the warm stove and it seemed as if it had grown from this - it occupied almost the entire chair. The old men were already sitting at dinner and looking affectionately at the old lantern: they would willingly have it at the table with them.

True, they lived in the basement, several cubits underground, and to get into their closet, you had to go through a brick-paved hallway, but in the closet itself it was warm and cozy. The doors were lined with felt around the edges, the bed was hidden behind a canopy, curtains hung on the windows, and two outlandish flower pots stood on the window sills. They were brought by the sailor Christian either from the East Indies or from the West Indies. These were clay elephants with a depression on the back, into which earth was poured. In one elephant a wonderful leek grew - it was the old people's garden; in the other, geraniums bloomed luxuriantly - this was their garden. There was a big one hanging on the wall oil painting, depicting the Congress of Vienna, which was attended by all the emperors and kings at once. The ancient clock with heavy lead weights ticked incessantly and always ran forward, but it was better than if it fell behind, the old men said.

So now they were having dinner, and the old street lamp lay, as said above, in a chair near the warm stove, and it seemed to him as if the whole world had turned upside down. But then the old watchman looked at him and began to remember everything that they had experienced together in rain and bad weather, on clear, short summer nights and in snowy snowstorms, when you just feel drawn to the basement - and the old lantern seemed to wake up and see everything it's like reality.

Yes, the wind ventilated it nicely!

The old men were hard-working and inquisitive people; not a single hour was wasted among them. On Sundays after lunch, some book would appear on the table, most often a description of a trip, and the old man would read aloud about Africa, about its huge forests and wild elephants that roam free. The old woman listened and looked at the clay elephants that served as flower pots.

I'm imagining! - she said.

And the lantern so wanted a wax candle to burn in it - then the old woman, like himself, would see everything in reality: tall trees with thick intertwining branches, and naked black people on horses, and whole herds of elephants trampling reeds with their thick feet and bush.

What good are my abilities if there is no wax candle? - the lantern sighed. “The old people only have blubber and tallow candles, and that’s not enough.”

But in the basement there was a whole bunch of wax cinders. The long ones were used for lighting, and the short ones were used by the old woman to wax the thread when she sewed. The old people now had wax candles, but it never occurred to them to insert even one stub into the lantern.

The lantern, always cleaned and neat, stood in the corner, in the most visible place. People, however, called it old trash, but the old people ignored such words - they loved the old lantern.

One day, on the old watchman’s birthday, the old woman came up to the lantern, smiled and said:

Now we will light the illuminations in his honor!

The lantern rattled its cap with joy. “It finally dawned on them!” - he thought.

But again he got blubber, and not a wax candle. He had been burning all evening and now knew that the gift of the stars - a most wonderful gift - would never be of use to him in this life.

And then the lantern dreamed - with such abilities it is not surprising to dream - that the old people died, and he himself was melted down. And he was scared, like that time when he had to appear at the town hall for a review of the “thirty-six city fathers.” And although he has the ability to crumble into rust and dust at will, he did not do this, but fell into the melting furnace and turned into a wonderful iron candlestick in the form of an angel with a bouquet in his hand. A wax candle was inserted into the bouquet, and the candlestick took its place on the green cloth of the desk. The room is very cozy; all the shelves are filled with books, the walls are hung with magnificent paintings. The poet lives here, and everything he thinks and writes about unfolds before him, as if in a panorama. The room becomes either a dense dark forest, or sunlit meadows along which a stork walks, or the deck of a ship sailing on a stormy sea...

Oh, what abilities are hidden in me! - said the old lantern, waking up from his dreams. - Really, I even want to be melted down. However, no! While the old people are alive, there is no need. They love me for who I am, I am like their own son to them. They clean me, fill me with blubber, and I’m no worse off here than all those high-ranking people at the congress.

Since then, the old street lamp has found peace of mind - and he deserves it.

Andersen's tales

Summary of the tale "The Old Street Lamp"

Andersen's fairy tale "The Old Street Lamp" - interesting tale about one very old lantern that stood on the street for many years, serving regularly. And then, one fine day, the main people of the city had to decide what to do with him next. Leave them there, send them somewhere to the provinces, or, worst of all, to be melted down. The old lantern anxiously awaited the decision, and he was lucky - the old lamplighter begged the old street lamp for his home. Since then, the lantern lived happily, in coziness and comfort.

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Tomorrow terrified the old servant: he had to appear at the town hall for the first time and appear before the “thirty-six city fathers,” who would decide whether he was still fit for service or not. Perhaps he will be sent to illuminate some bridge, or he will be sent to the provinces to some factory, or perhaps he will simply be melted down, and then anything can come out of him. And so he was tormented by the thought: will he retain the memory of having once been a street lamp. One way or another, he knew that in any case he would have to part with the night watchman and his wife, who had become like family to him. Both of them - the lantern and the watchman - entered service at the same time. The watchman's wife then aimed high and, passing by the lantern, deigned to look at it only in the evenings, and never during the day. In recent years, when all three - the watchman, his wife, and the lantern - were old, she also began to take care of the lantern, clean the lamp and pour blubber into it. These old men were honest people, they never deprived the lantern one bit.

Meanwhile, he remembered a lot, and from time to time his flame flared up as if from thoughts like this:

“Yes, and someone will remember about me! If only that handsome young man... Many years have passed since then. He came up to me with a letter in his hands. The letter was on pink paper, thin, with a gold edge, and written in an elegant feminine handwriting. He read it twice, kissed it and looked up at me with shining eyes. “I am the happiest man in the world!” they said. Yes, only he and I knew what his beloved wrote in her first letter.

At this time, a wind came from around the corner and whispered under the hood of the lantern:

I don’t know how to thank you! - said the old lantern. - Just to avoid being melted down!

“That’s still a long way off,” answered the wind. - Well, now I’ll clear your memory. If you received many such gifts, you would have a pleasant old age.

Just to avoid being melted down! - repeated the lantern. - Or maybe you will preserve my memory in this case too? - Be reasonable, old lantern! - said the wind and blew.

At that moment the moon appeared.

What will you give? - asked the wind.

“Nothing,” answered the month. “I’m at a loss, and besides, the lanterns never shine for me, I’m always for them.”

And the month hid behind the clouds again - he didn’t want to be bothered. Suddenly a drop dripped onto the iron cap of the lantern. She seemed to roll

It fell from the roof, but the drop said that it fell from gray clouds, and also like a gift, perhaps even the best.

“I will pierce you,” said the drop, “so that you will gain the ability, any night you wish, to turn into rust and crumble into dust.”

This gift seemed bad to the lantern, and so did the wind.

Who will give more? Who will give more? - he made as much noise as he could.

And at that very moment a star rolled down from the sky, leaving behind a long luminous trail.

All three did so. And the old lantern suddenly flashed especially brightly.

A venerable thought, said the wind. “But you probably don’t know that this gift comes with a wax candle.” You won't be able to show anyone anything if the wax candle doesn't burn inside you. That's what the stars didn't think about. They take you and everything that glows for wax candles. “Well, now I’m tired, it’s time to lie down,” said the wind and lay down.

True, they lived in the basement, several cubits underground, and to get into their closet, you had to go through a brick-paved hallway, but in the closet itself it was warm and cozy. The doors were lined with felt around the edges, the bed was hidden behind a canopy, curtains hung on the windows, and two outlandish flower pots stood on the window sills. They were brought by the sailor Christian either from the East Indies or from the West Indies. These were clay elephants with a depression on the back, into which earth was poured. In one elephant a wonderful leek grew - it was the old people's garden; in the other, geraniums bloomed luxuriantly - this was their garden. On the wall hung a large oil painting depicting the Congress of Vienna, which was attended by all the emperors and kings. The ancient clock with heavy lead weights ticked incessantly and always ran forward, but it was better than if it fell behind, the old men said.

Yes, the wind ventilated it nicely!

I'm imagining! - she said.

What good are my abilities if there is no wax candle? - the lantern sighed. “The old people only have blubber and tallow candles, and that’s not enough.”

The lantern, always cleaned and neat, stood in the corner, in the most visible place. People, however, called it old trash, but the old people ignored such words - they loved the old lantern.

One day, on the old watchman’s birthday, the old woman came up to the lantern, smiled and said:

Now we will light the illuminations in his honor!

The lantern rattled its cap with joy. "It finally dawned on them!" - he thought.

But again he got blubber, and not a wax candle. He had been burning all evening and now knew that the gift of the stars - a most wonderful gift - would never be of use to him in this life.

Since then, the old street lamp has found peace of mind - and he deserves it.

Tomorrow terrified the old servant: he had to appear at the town hall for the first time and appear before the “thirty-six city fathers,” who would decide whether he was still fit for service or not. Perhaps he will be sent to illuminate some bridge, or he will be sent to the provinces to some factory, or perhaps he will simply be melted down, and then anything can come out of him. And so he was tormented by the thought: will he retain the memory of having once been a street lamp. One way or another, he knew that in any case he would have to part with the night watchman and his wife, who had become like family to him. Both of them - the lantern and the watchman - entered service at the same time. The watchman's wife then aimed high and, passing by the lantern, deigned to look at it only in the evenings, and never during the day. In recent years, when all three - the watchman, his wife, and the lantern - were old, she also began to look after the lantern, clean the lamp and pour blubber into it. These old men were honest people, they never deprived the lantern one bit.

Meanwhile, he remembered a lot, and from time to time his flame flared up as if from thoughts like this:

At this time, a wind came from around the corner and whispered under the hood of the lantern:

- What's happened? They say you're resigning tomorrow? And this is the last time I see you here? Well, here's a gift from me to you. I will ventilate your skull, and you will not only clearly and distinctly remember everything that you saw and heard yourself, but also see in reality everything that will be told or read in front of you. That's how fresh your head will be!

- I don’t know how to thank you! - said the old lantern. - Just so as not to get melted down!

“That’s still a long way off,” answered the wind. - Well, now I’ll clear your memory. If you received many such gifts, you would have a pleasant old age.

- Just so as not to get melted down! - repeated the lantern. - Or maybe you will preserve my memory in this case too? - Be reasonable, old lantern! - said the wind and blew.

At that moment the moon appeared.

- What will you give? - asked the wind.

“Nothing,” answered the month. “I’m at a loss, and besides, the lanterns never shine for me, I’m always for them.”

And the month hid behind the clouds again - he didn’t want to be bothered. Suddenly a drop dripped onto the iron cap of the lantern. She seemed to roll

fell from the roof, but the drop said that it fell from gray clouds, and also like a gift, perhaps even the best.

“I will pierce you,” said the drop, “so that you will gain the ability, any night you wish, to turn into rust and crumble into dust.”

This gift seemed bad to the lantern, and so did the wind.

- Who will give more? Who will give more? - he made as much noise as he could.

And at that very moment a star rolled down from the sky, leaving behind a long luminous trail.

- What is this? - the herring head screamed. - No way, a star fell from the sky? And it seems right at the lamppost. Well, if such high-ranking persons are coveting this position, all we can do is bow out and go home.

All three did so. And the old lantern suddenly flashed especially brightly.

“A venerable thought,” said the wind. “But you probably don’t know that this gift comes with a wax candle.” You won't be able to show anyone anything if the wax candle doesn't burn inside you. That's what the stars didn't think about. They take you and everything that glows for wax candles. “Well, now I’m tired, it’s time to lie down,” said the wind and lay down.

True, they lived in the basement, several cubits underground, and to get into their closet, you had to go through a brick-paved hallway, but in the closet itself it was warm and cozy. The doors were lined with felt around the edges, the bed was hidden behind a canopy, curtains hung on the windows, and two outlandish flower pots stood on the window sills. They were brought by the sailor Christian either from the East Indies or from the West Indies. These were clay elephants with a depression on the back, into which earth was poured. In one elephant a wonderful leek grew - it was the old people's garden; in the other, geraniums bloomed lushly - this was their garden. On the wall hung a large oil painting depicting the Congress of Vienna, which was attended by all the emperors and kings. The ancient clock with heavy lead weights ticked incessantly and always ran forward, but it was better than if it fell behind, the old men said.

Yes, the wind ventilated it nicely!

- I imagine! - she said.

- What good are my abilities if there is no wax candle? - the lantern sighed. “The old people only have blubber and tallow candles, and that’s not enough.”

The lantern, always cleaned and neat, stood in the corner, in the most visible place. People, however, called it old trash, but the old people ignored such words - they loved the old lantern.

One day, on the old watchman’s birthday, the old woman came up to the lantern, smiled and said:

- Now we will light the illuminations in his honor!

The lantern rattled its cap with joy. "It finally dawned on them!" - he thought.

But again he got blubber, and not a wax candle. He had been burning all evening and now knew that the gift of the stars - a most wonderful gift - would never be of use to him in this life.

And then the lantern dreamed - with such abilities it’s not surprising to dream - that the old people died, and he himself was melted down. And he was scared, like that time when he had to appear at the town hall for a review of the “thirty-six city fathers.” And although he has the ability to crumble into rust and dust at will, he did not do this, but fell into the melting furnace and turned into a wonderful iron candlestick in the form of an angel with a bouquet in his hand. A wax candle was inserted into the bouquet, and the candlestick took its place on the green cloth of the desk. The room is very cozy; all the shelves are filled with books, the walls are hung with magnificent paintings. The poet lives here, and everything he thinks and writes about unfolds before him, as if in a panorama. The room becomes either a dense dark forest, or sunlit meadows along which a stork walks, or the deck of a ship sailing on a stormy sea...

- Oh, what abilities are hidden in me! - said the old lantern, waking up from his dreams. “Really, I even want to be melted down.” However, no! While the old people are alive, there is no need. They love me for who I am, I am like their own son to them. They clean me, fill me with blubber, and I’m no worse off here than all those high-ranking people at the congress.

Since then, the old street lamp has found peace of mind - and he deserves it.

Have you heard the story about the old street lamp? It's not very interesting, but it's still worth listening to.

Well, there lived a venerable old street lamp; He served honestly for many years, but finally they decided to fire him. The lantern learned that it was hanging on a pole for the last evening and illuminating the street, and his feelings could be compared with the feeling of a faded ballerina who dances for the last time and knows that tomorrow she will be asked to leave the stage. He looked forward to tomorrow with horror: tomorrow he had to appear at a review at the town hall and for the first time introduce himself to the “thirty-six city fathers,” who would decide whether he was still fit for service or not.

Yes, tomorrow the question had to be decided: whether he would be sent to illuminate some other bridge, whether he would be sent to a village or to a factory, or whether he would simply be melted down. The lantern could be melted into anything; but most of all he was oppressed by the unknown: he did not know whether he would remember that he had once been a street lamp, or not? One way or another, he knew that in any case he would have to part with the night watchman and his wife, who had become close to him, like family. Both of them - the lantern and the watchman - entered service at the same hour. The watchman's wife was very proud of her husband's position and, passing by the lantern, only glanced at him in the evenings, and never during the day. But in recent years, when all three of them - the watchman, his wife, and the lantern - were already old, she also began to look after the lantern, clean the lamp and pour blubber into it. These old men were honest people, they never deprived the lantern one bit!

So, the lantern illuminated the street for the last evening, and the next day it was supposed to go to the town hall. These sad thoughts did not give him peace; no wonder it burned badly. Sometimes other thoughts flashed through his mind - he saw a lot, he had to shed light on a lot; in this respect he stood, perhaps, higher than the “thirty-six city fathers”! But he was silent about this too: the venerable old lantern did not want to offend anyone, much less his superiors. The lantern saw and remembered a lot, and from time to time its flame flickered, as if the following thoughts were stirring in it: “Yes, and someone will remember about me! If only that handsome young man... Many years have passed since then. He came up to me with a sheet of paper written on, very thin, with a gold edge. The letter was written by a woman's hand and so beautiful! He read it twice, kissed it and looked up at me with shining eyes. “I am the happiest person in the world!” they said. Yes, only he and I knew what his beloved wrote in that first letter. I remember other eyes too... It's amazing how thoughts jump around! A magnificent funeral procession was moving along our street; on a hearse upholstered in velvet, the body of a young, beautiful woman was carried in a coffin. How many flowers and wreaths there were! There were so many torches burning that they completely obscured my light. The sidewalk was filled with people - people were walking behind the coffin. But when the torches were out of sight, I looked around and saw a man standing at my post and crying. I will never forget the look of his mournful eyes looking at me.”

At this time, the wind blew from around the corner and whispered into the lantern:

What do I hear! Are you leaving tomorrow? Is this the last evening that we meet here? Well, here's a gift from me to you! I will ventilate your skull, so much so that you will not only clearly and accurately remember everything that you have ever heard and seen yourself, but you will see with your own eyes what others will tell or read in front of you - that’s how fresh you will be. head!

“I don’t know how to thank you,” said the old lantern. - If only they wouldn’t melt me down!

“That’s still a long way off,” answered the wind. - Well, now I’ll clear your memory. If you receive many gifts like mine, you will spend your old age very, very pleasantly!

If only they wouldn't melt me down! - repeated the lantern. - Maybe you can vouch for my memory in this case too?

Eh, old lantern, be reasonable! - said the wind and blew.

At that moment the moon appeared.

What will you give? - the wind asked him.

“Nothing,” answered the month, “I’m at a disadvantage, and besides, the lanterns never shine for me, - I’m always for them.” - And the month hid behind the clouds again - he didn’t want to be bothered.

Suddenly a raindrop fell on the iron cap of the lantern; it seemed to roll down from the roof; but the drop said that it fell from a gray cloud, and also like a gift, perhaps even the best.

I will pierce you, and you, whenever you wish, can rust and crumble into dust in one night!

It seemed like a bad gift to the lantern, and so did the wind.

Surely no one will give anything better? - he made a noise with all his might.

And at that very moment a star rolled down from the sky, leaving behind a long luminous trail.

What's this? - cried the herring head. - It’s like a star fell from the sky? And, it seems, right at the lantern! Well, if such high-ranking persons are coveting this position, all we can do is bow out and go home.

All three did so. And the old lantern suddenly flashed especially brightly.

This is a wonderful gift! - he said. - I have always admired the wondrous light of clear stars. After all, I myself could not shine like they did, although this was my cherished desire and aspiration - and so the wondrous stars noticed me, a poor old lantern, and sent me one of their sisters as a gift. They have given me the ability to show those I love everything that I remember and see for myself. It gives deep satisfaction; and joy that there is no one to share with is only half joy!

Great idea, said the wind. - But you don’t know that this gift of yours depends on a wax candle. You won’t be able to show anyone anything if the wax candle doesn’t burn inside you: that’s what the stars didn’t think about. They mistake you, and indeed everything that shines, for wax candles. But now I'm tired, it's time to lie down! - the wind added and settled down.

True, they lived in the basement, several feet underground, and to get into their closet you had to go through a hallway paved with bricks, but the closet itself was clean and cozy. The doors were lined at the edges with strips of felt, the bed was hidden behind a canopy, curtains hung on the windows, and two outlandish flower pots stood on the window sills. They were brought by the sailor Christian from the East Indies or West Indies. The pots were clay, in the shape of backless elephants; instead of a back they had a depression filled with earth; in one elephant grew the most wonderful leeks, and in the other - blooming geraniums. The first elephant served as a vegetable garden for the old people, the second as a flower garden. On the wall hung a large painting in paints depicting the Congress of Vienna, at which all the kings and kings were present. The ancient clock with heavy lead weights ticked incessantly and always ran forward - but it was better than if it fell behind, the old men said.

So, now they were having dinner, and the old street lamp lay, as we know, in a chair near the warm stove, and it seemed to him as if the whole world had turned upside down. But then the old watchman looked at him and began to remember everything that they had experienced together in the rain and bad weather, on clear and short summer nights and in snowstorms, when you just want to go home to the basement; and the lantern came to its senses and saw all this as if in reality.

Yes, the wind ventilated it nicely!

I can imagine it! - she said.

And the lantern wished with all his heart that a wax candle would burn in it - then the old woman, like himself, would see everything with her own eyes: tall trees with dense trees intertwined, and naked black people on horseback, and whole herds of elephants dying with fat feet of reeds and bushes.

What good are my abilities if I don’t see a wax candle anywhere! - the lantern sighed. “My owners only have blubber and tallow candles, and that’s not enough.”

The lantern, always cleaned, lay in the corner, in the most visible place. People, however, called him old trash, but the old people did not pay attention to this - they loved him.

One day, on the old man’s birthday, the old woman came up to the lantern, smiled slyly and said:

Wait a minute, I’m about to arrange some illumination in honor of my old man!

The lantern rattled with joy. “It finally dawned on them!” - he thought. But they poured blubber into it, and there was no mention of a wax candle. He was burning all evening, but now he knew that the gift of the stars - the best gift - would never be useful to him in this life. And then he dreamed - with such abilities it’s not surprising to dream - that the old people died, and he was melted down. The lantern was just as scared as the time when he had to appear at the review at the town hall before the “thirty-six city fathers.” But although he could have rusted and crumbled into dust at will, he did not do this, but fell into the melting furnace and turned into a wonderful iron candlestick in the form of an angel, who held a bouquet in one hand. A wax candle was inserted into this bouquet, and the candlestick took its place on the green cloth of the desk. The room was very cozy; all the shelves here were lined with books, and the walls were hung with magnificent paintings. The poet lived here, and everything he thought and wrote about unfolded before him, as if in a panorama. The room became either a dense forest illuminated by the sun, or meadows along which a stork walked, or the deck of a ship sailing on a stormy sea...

Oh, what abilities are hidden in me! - exclaimed the old lantern, waking up from his dreams. - Really, I even want to be melted down! However, no! While the old people are alive, there is no need. They love me for who I am, I am like a child for them. They cleaned me, fed me with blubber, and I live here no worse than the nobles at the congress. What more could you want!

And from then on, the lantern found peace of mind, and the old, venerable lantern deserved it.