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Whoever could do the most incredible thing was to have the king’s daughter and half the kingdom. The young people, and the old ones too, strained every thought, sinew, and muscle; two ate themselves to death and one drank himself to death, each according to his own idea of the most incredible thing, but that was not the way it was to be done. Little street boys practised spitting onto their own backs, which they considered the most incredible thing of all.

On an appointed day, everyone was to display whatever they had to offer as the most incredible thing. Judges had been chosen ranging from children of three to people well into their nineties. There was a whole exhibition of incredible things, but everyone soon agreed that the most incredible thing there was a great clock in a tall case, wonderfully ingenious both inside and out. At every hour, living scenes appeared to show what hour had struck; there were twelve whole performances, with moving figures, singing, and speech.

“That is the most incredible thing!” people said. The clock struck one, and Moses stood upon the mountain, writing on the tablets of the law the first commandment of the faith: “There is only one true God.”

The clock struck two, and there appeared the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve met, both happy, though they did not own so much as a wardrobe; nor did they need one.

At the stroke of three, the Three Wise Men appeared, one of them coal-black, which he could not help, for the sun had darkened him. They came bearing incense and precious gifts.

At the stroke of four came the seasons: spring with a cuckoo on a beech branch newly burst into leaf; summer with a grasshopper on a ripe ear of corn; autumn with an empty stork’s nest, for the bird had flown away; and winter with an old crow that could tell stories in the chimney corner, memories of long ago.

When the clock struck five, the five senses appeared: sight came as a spectacle-maker, hearing as a coppersmith, smell sold violets and sweet woodruff, taste was a cook, and touch an undertaker with mourning crape down to his heels.

The clock struck six: there sat a gambler, throwing a die, which landed with its highest side uppermost, showing six. Then came the seven days of the week, or the seven deadly sins—people could not agree which, for the two went together and were not easily separated.

Then came a choir of monks singing matins. At the stroke of nine followed the nine Muses; one was employed in astronomy, one in the historical archives, and the rest belonged to the theatre.

At the stroke of ten, Moses appeared again with the tablets of the law, on which were written all God’s commandments, and there were ten. The clock struck again, and little boys and girls came skipping and jumping, playing a game and singing as they went: “Bridge, bridge, archway, the clock has struck eleven!” And so it had.

Now it struck twelve, and out stepped the watchman in his cap, carrying his morning star, and sang the old watchman’s verse: “It was at the midnight hour that our Saviour was born!”

And as he sang, roses sprang up and turned into angels’ heads borne on rainbow-coloured wings. It was lovely to hear and beautiful to see. The whole thing was a matchless work of art, the most incredible thing of all, everyone said.

The artist was a young man, good-hearted, fond of children, a faithful friend, and a help to his poor parents; he deserved the princess and half the kingdom.

The day of the decision had come. The whole town was decked out in its finery, and the princess sat on the throne of the realm, which had been given fresh horsehair stuffing but had grown no more comfortable or pleasant to sit on. The judges all around cast knowing looks at the man who was to win, and he stood there cheerful and happy. His good fortune was assured; he had done the most incredible thing.

“No, I shall do that!” shouted a tall, bony strongman just then. “I am the man for the most incredible thing!” And he swung a great axe at the work of art.

“Crick! Crack! Smash!” There lay the whole thing. Wheels and springs flew in all directions; everything was destroyed! “That is what I could do!” said the man. “My deed has beaten his and beaten all of you; I have done the most incredible thing!”

“To destroy such a work of art!” said the judges. “Yes, that was the most incredible thing!” All the people said the same, and so he was to have the princess and half the kingdom, for a law is a law, even when it is the most incredible thing.

Trumpets sounded from the ramparts and all the towers of the town: “The wedding is to be celebrated!” The princess was not at all pleased about it, but she looked lovely and was splendidly dressed. The church blazed with lights late in the evening, when they look their best. The noble maidens of the town sang as they led the bride forward; the knights sang as they followed the bridegroom, who held himself as proudly erect as though nothing could ever break him.

Now the singing stopped, and it grew so quiet that one could have heard a pin fall to the floor. But in the midst of that silence, the great church door flew open with a crash and a bang, and—“Boom! Boom!”—the whole clockwork came marching up the aisle and took its place between bride and bridegroom. Dead people cannot return to haunt us, as we know very well, but a work of art can. Its body had been smashed to pieces, but not its spirit; the spirit of art was haunting the place, and this was no joke.

There stood the work of art, as lifelike as when it had been whole and untouched. The hours struck one after another, right up to twelve, and the figures came crowding out. First came Moses; flames seemed to shine from his forehead, and he hurled the heavy stone tablets of the law onto the bridegroom’s feet, pinning them to the church floor.

“I cannot lift them again!” said Moses. “You have knocked my arms off! Stay where you are!” Now came Adam and Eve, the Wise Men from the East, and the four seasons, each telling him unpleasant truths. “Shame on you!”

But he felt no shame. All the figures that each hour had to display stepped out of the clock, and they all grew to a terrible size, until there seemed to be no room left for the real people. And when, at the twelfth stroke, the watchman stepped out in his cap, carrying his morning star, there was a strange commotion. The watchman went straight up to the bridegroom and struck him on the forehead with his morning star.

“Lie there!” he said. “Tit for tat! We are avenged, and our master too! Now we vanish!” And the whole work of art vanished. But the lights all around the church became great luminous flowers, and the gilded stars beneath the ceiling sent out long, bright rays. The organ played of its own accord. Everyone said it was the most incredible thing they had ever experienced.

“Then will you summon the rightful man!” said the princess. “The man who made the work of art shall be my husband and lord!” And there he stood in the church, with all the people as his retinue. Everyone rejoiced, everyone blessed him; there was not a single person who was envious—and that was the most incredible thing of all!

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Eventyr af Hans Christian Andersen

Den som kunne gøre det utroligste skulle have kongens datter og det halve rige.

De unge mennesker, ja de gamle med, anspændte alle deres tanker, sener og muskler; to spiste sig til døde og én drak sig ihjel for at gøre det utroligste efter deres smag, men det var ikke på den måde, det skulle gøres. Små gadedrenge øvede sig hver i at spytte sig selv på ryggen, det anså de for det utroligste.

På en bestemt dag skulle det fremvises, hvad enhver havde at fremvise som det utroligste. Der var ansat som dommere børn fra tre år til folk op i de halvfems. Der blev en hel udstilling af utrolige ting, men alle var snart enige om at det utroligste var her et stort stueur i foderal, mærkværdigt udspekuleret uden og inden. Ved hvert klokkeslæt kom der levende billeder, som viste hvad klokken var slået; det var hele tolv forestillinger med bevægelige figurer og med sang og tale.

"Det var det utroligste!" sagde folk.

Klokken slog et, og Moses stod på bjerget og nedskrev på lovens tavler det første troens bud: "Der er kun en eneste sand Gud."

Klokken slog to, da viste sig Paradisets have hvor Adam og Eva mødtes, lykkelige begge to, uden at eje så meget som et klædeskab; de behøvede det heller ikke.

Ved slaget tre viste sig de hellige tre konger, den ene kulsort, det han ikke kunne gøre ved, solen havde sværtet ham. De kom med røgelse og kostbarheder.

På slaget fire kom årstiderne: Foråret med kukkeren på en udsprunget bøgegren, sommeren med en græshoppe på det modne kornaks, efteråret med en tom storkerede, fuglen var fløjet bort, vinteren med en gammel krage, der kunne fortælle historier i kakkelovnskrogen, gamle minder.

Slog klokken fem viste sig de fem sanser: Synet kom som brillemager, hørelsen som kobbersmed, lugten solgte violer og skovmærker, smagen var kok og følelsen bedemand med sørgeflor ned til hælene.

Klokken slog seks: Der sad en spiller, han kastede terning og denne vendte den højeste side op, og der stod seks.

Så kom de syv ugedage eller de syv dødssynder, det var folk ikke enige om, de hørte jo sammen og var ikke let at skille.

Så kom et munkekor og sang ottesang.

På slaget ni fulgte de ni muser; en var ansat ved astronomien, en ved det historiske arkiv, resten hørte til teatret.

På slaget ti trådte atter Moses frem med lovens tavler, der stod alle Guds bud og de var ti.

Klokken slog igen, da hoppede og sprang små drenge og piger, de legede en leg og sang dertil: "Bro, bro, brille, klokken er slået elve!" og det var den slået.

Nu slog den tolv, da trådte frem vægteren med kabuds og morgenstjerne, han sang det gamle vægtervers:

"Det var ved midnatstide,

Vor Frelser han blev født!"

og idet han sang, voksede roser, og de blev til englehoveder, båret af regnbuefarvede vinger.

Det var yndigt at høre, det var dejligt at se. Det hele var et mageløst kunstværk, det utroligste, sagde alle mennesker.

Kunstneren var en ung mand, hjertensgod, barneglad, tro ven og hjælpsom mod sine fattige forældre; han fortjente prinsessen og det halve rige.

Afgørelsens dag var kommet, hele byen stod i stads og prinsessen sad på landets trone, der havde fået nye krølhår, men dog ikke var blevet mere magelig og behagelig. Dommerne rundt om så så poliske hen til ham der skulle vinde, og han stod frejdig og glad, hans lykke var vis, han havde gjort det utroligste.

"Nej, det skal nu jeg gøre!" råbte lige i det samme en lang knoklet kraftkarl. "Jeg er manden for det utroligste!" og så svingede han en en stor økse mod kunstværket.

"Krisk! krask! kvas!" der lå det hele. Hjul og fjedre fór rundt om, alt var ødelagt!

"Det kunne jeg!" sagde manden; "min gerning har slået hans og slået eder alle sammen; jeg har gjort det utroligste!"

"Ødelægge et sådant kunstværk!" sagde dommerne. "Ja det var det utroligste!"

Hele folket sagde det samme, og så skulle han have prinsessen og det halve rige, for en lov er en lov, selv om den er det utroligste.

Der blæses fra volden og fra alle byens tårne: "Brylluppet skal fejres!" Prinsessen var slet ikke fornøjet for det, men yndig så hun ud og kostelig var hun klædt på. Kirken strålede med lys, sent på aftnen, det tager sig bedst ud. Byens adelige jomfruer sang og førte bruden frem, ridderskabet sang og fulgte brudgommen; han knejsede som om han aldrig kunne knækkes over.

Nu holdt sangen op, der blev så stille at man kunne have hørt en knappenål falde til jorden, men midt i den stilhed fløj med bulder og brag den store kirkedør op og – "bum! bum!" der kom hele urværket marcherende midt igennem kirkegangen og stillede sig mellem brud og brudgom. Døde mennesker kan ikke gå igen, det ved vi meget godt, men et kunstværk kan gå igen, legemet var slået i stykker, men ikke ånden, kunstånden spøgede, og det var ingen spøg.

Kunstværket stod der livagtigt som da det var helt og urørt. Klokkeslagene lød, det ene på det andet, lige til tolv, og skikkelserne der myldrede frem; først Moses; der lyste ligesom ildsluer ud af hans pande, han kastede lovens tunge stentavler på brudgommens fødder og bandt dem til kirkegulvet.

"Jeg kan ikke løfte dem igen!" sagde Moses. "Du har slået armene af mig! stå som du står!"

Nu kom Adam og Eva, de Vise fra Østerland og de fire årstider, hver sagde ham ubehagelige sandheder, "skam dig!"

Men han skammede sig ikke.

Alle de skikkelser, hvert klokkeslæt havde at fremvise, trådte ud af uret, og alle voksede de i forfærdelig størrelse, det var som om der ikke blev plads for de virkelige mennesker. Og da ved tolvte slag vægteren trådte ud med kabuds og morgenstjerne blev der et underligt røre; vægteren gik lige ind på brudgommen og slog ham for panden med morgenstjernen.

"Lig der!" sagde han, "Lige for lige! Vi er hævnet og mester med! vi forsvinder!"

Og så forsvandt hele kunstværket; men lysene rundt om i kirken blev til store lysblomster, og de forgyldte stjerner under loftet sendte lange, klare stråler, orglet klang af sig selv. Alle mennesker sagde at det var det utroligste, de havde oplevet.

"Vil De så tilsige den rigtige!" sagde prinsessen. "Han, som gjorde kunstværket, han skal være min ægtemand og herre!"

Og han stod i kirken, det hele folk var hans følgeskab, alle glædede sig, alle velsignede ham; der var ikke én, der var misundelig, – ja det var det utroligste!

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