"The spirits of light sang, 'The good is growing! The beautiful is growing! Soon the stone on Ulfeldt's Place shall fall, but the Column of Freedom shall stand in the sunlight, blessed by God, King, and people.'
We have an ancient highway;
It goes to the ends of the earth.
"There in the open sea - open for friend and foe - was the foe! The mighty English fleet sailed up; a great power came against a little one. The battle was hard, but the people were valiant.
Each stood firm, untiring, held his place,
Stood and fought until death's embrace.
"They won the admiration of the enemy and inspired the poets of Denmark. The day of that battle is still commemorated with unfurled banners - Denmark's glorious Second of April, the Maundy Thursday battle at Copenhagen Harbor.
"Years passed. A fleet was seen in Öresund. Was it bound for Russia or for Denmark? No one knew, not even those on board the ships.
"There is a legend in the hearts of the people which tells that on that morning in Öresund, when the sealed orders were opened and the instructions to destroy the Danish fleet were read, a young captain stepped forward, a son of Britain, noble in word and deed. 'I swore,' he said, 'that I would fight for England's flag to my death, in open and honorable battle, but not overpower the weak!' And with that he jumped overboard!
The fleet sailed toward Copenhagen just the same;
But far from the place where the battle was to be
Lay he, the captain - and unknown is his name -
An ice-cold corpse, in the dark-blue sea.
Shoreward he drifted, until Swedish men,
Fishing beneath the stars with their nets,
Found him, bore him to shore, and then
Cast dice to win his epaulets!
"The enemy made for Copenhagen. The town was soon in flames. We lost our fleet, but not our courage and faith in God; He casteth down but He raiseth again. Our wounds healed, as those of the warriors in Valhalla. The history of Copenhagen is rich in consolation.
Our faith, from the beginning of time to the end,
Is that Our Lord is Denmark's friend;
If we hold firmly, He will hold, too,
And tomorrow the sun will shine on you.
"Soon the sun did shine on the rebuilt city, on the rich cornfields, and on the skill and art of our people. It was blessed summer day of peace, when poetry raised her Fata Morgana, so rich in color, through the words of Oehlenschläger.
"And a great discovery was made in science. It was a discovery far greater than the gold horn of ancient days, for a bridge of gold was found:
A bridge for thought to flash like lightning
At all times into other lands and nations.
"Hans Christian Örsted wrote his name on that bridge. And look! Beside the church by the castle a building was raised to which the poorest man and woman gladly gave their pennies.
"You will remember that in the first part of our picture book," said Godfather, "the old stone blocks rolled down from the mountains of Norway and were carried here on the ice. They are raised up again from the sandy depths at the bidding of Thorvaldsen, in marble beauty, magnificent to look at!
"Remember all that I have shown you and all that I have told you! That sandbank in the sea raised itself up to become a breakwater in the harbor; it bore Axel's house, and the Bishop's mansion, and the King's castle, and now it bears the temple of the beautiful. The words of the curse have vanished, but all that the children of sunlight sang in their gladness about the coming ages has been fulfilled. Many storms have passed; they will come again and pass again. The true and the good and the beautiful have the victory.
"And that finishes the picture book, but not the history of Copenhagen - far from it! Who knows what you may live to see! It has often looked black, and storms have raged, but the sunshine has never been blown away - it remains. And stronger yet than the brightest sunshine is God! Our Lord reigns over more than Copenhagen."
That is what Godfather said as he gave me the book. His eyes were shining; he was so certain of it all. And I took the book so gladly and proudly and carefully, just the way I carried my little sister for the first time.