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Ole Shut-Eyes, The Sandman (Video)

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By Staff Middle Land

February 16, 2024
5:20 pm
Los Angeles, CA

Adapted from Hans Christian Andersen THERE is nobody in all the world who can tell so many stories as Ole Shut-Eyes, the Sandman. Evenings when the children are sitting around the table or on their little footstools just as good as possible, Ole, the Sandman, comes and suddenly the children all feel very sleepy and want to go to bed. And when they are tucked in snug and have gone quite fast asleep, Ole sits on their beds. He is gaily dressed in silk that shines red, green, and blue with every turn he makes, and he holds up over their heads a wonderful-colored umbrella with many pictures on it. Then under his great umbrella the children dream beautiful dreams. *Music to be played with Ole Shut-Eves, the Sandman,

Adapted from Hans Christian Andersen

THERE is nobody in all the world who can tell so many stories as Ole Shut-Eyes, the Sandman. Evenings when the children are sitting around the table or on their little footstools just as good as possible, Ole, the Sandman, comes and suddenly the children all feel very sleepy and want to go to bed. And when they are tucked in snug and have gone quite fast asleep, Ole sits on their beds. He is gaily dressed in silk that shines red, green, and blue with every turn he makes, and he holds up over their heads a wonderful-colored umbrella with many pictures on it. Then under his great umbrella the children dream beautiful dreams.

Music to be played with Ole Shut-Eves, the Sandman, might be The* Dustman by Brahms, other of the beautiful lullabies for whicn Brahms was so famous, or Schubert’s Cradle Song.

One night Ole came to a little boy named Hjalmar. “I’ll tell you what,” said the Sandman, “Til show you a little mouse!” He opened his fingers and look! There was a tiny mouse dressed in the clothes of a lady standing straight up on his hand.

“She has come to invite you to a wedding, Hjalmar,” said the Sandman, “for there are two little mice who are going to be married tonight. They live under the floor of your mother’s pantry, which is a cozy, snug little home.”

“But, if I’m going to the wedding, how can I squeeze through a mousehole? I’m much too big!” cried Hjalmar. “Leave that to me,” said the Sandman. “I’ll soon make you small enough!” He touched Hjalmar with his wand, and the boy grew smaller and smaller till he was not as tall as one’s finger. And then the Sandman said, “Now you must take the uniform from your little tin soldier. I think it will just about fit you, and be the very thing for a wedding.”

“Yes, indeed!” cried Hjalmar, and, in a moment more, he was dressed like the grandest tin soldier. “Now please be good enough to sit in your mother’s thimble,” said the little lady mouse, “and I willdraw you to the wedding!”

“Will your ladyship take so much trouble all for me?” said Hjalmar, bowing very politely; and he seated himself in the thimble and off they went on their way. First, they went down through the mousehole, right through the hole in the floor. Then they went along under the floor till they came to a long, low passage, which was only just big enough for a thimble to be drawn through, but it was all brightly lighted and made one feel very gay.

“Isn’t there a sweet smell here!” sniffed the little mouse drawing the thimble. “This place is all smeared with bacon fat and nothing could ever smell sweeter!”

Well, at last they came to the hall and there, all together on one side, stood the little lady mice whispering and giggling merrily, and opposite stood all the gentlemen mice stroking their whiskers with their paws. The lovely little mouse maiden who was to be the bride and the handsome young man mouse who was to be the husband, stood in the center of the room in the round, hollow rind of a cheese kissing one another. More and more little mice kept pouring into the room, all dressed in their very best clothes and talk-ing together merrily. By and by the mother and father of the little mouse bride and the mother and father of the lit¬tle mouse groom stepped up to the circle of cheese rind and stood beside the young mice. Then a very old Mouse Minister stood up before the pair and spoke the wedding words. Hjalmar stood by all the time looking on in his uniform.

After the wedding was over, there was a wedding supper. They didn’t have a wedding cake, but a beautiful large green pea was brought in on a platter and on that pea the groom’s brother had beautifully carved with his teeth the names of the bride and groom, that is, the first letter of each. It was a most happy wedding. Every single mouse said he had had a fine time and they all took their leave most politely.

When at last the party was over, Hjalmar drove home in the thimble and went to bed again. Next morning, he rubbed his eyes to think of the night before and of all the fine mouse company in which he had found himself. Of course, in the morning light, he didn’t quite like to think that such a big boy as he had shrunk up so very small he could sit in his mother’s thimble and wear the uniform of a little tiny tin soldier. “I am,” he said to himself, “a very big boy indeed.”