Life is like a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up. - Hans Christian Andersen

"I saw one of his comrades led to execution; he had killed a Frenchman. Many years afterwards this little circumstance occasioned me to write my little poem, "The Soldier," which Chamisso translated into German, and which afterwards was included in the illustrated people's books of soldier-songs."

Eines Nachts, als sie in ihrem hübschen Bettchen lag, kam durch das Fenster, in dem eine Scheibe zerbrochen war, eine häßliche Kröte hereingehüpft; sie hüpfte gerade auf den Tisch hernieder, wo Däumelieschen lag und unter dem roten Rosenblatte schlief.

...and she put a wreath of white lilies round her hair, but every petal of the flowers was half a pearl;