Page:Works of Heinrich Heine 06.djvu/14

 rated birds, is as fable-like a caricature as man himself, with his pointed pig-tailed pate, his reverences, long-nails, antique-crafty nature, and child-like tongue of monosyllables. Man and Nature cannot there look at one another without suppressing a laugh. They do not laugh aloud, being by far too high-politely civilized; so to repress it, they make the most seriously comic faces. In that land is neither shadow nor perspective. Over houses which are like patchwork of many colours, rise rows on rows of roofs which look like outspread umbrellas on which hang many metal bells, so that even the wind when sweeping by makes itself droll by singing comic sounds.

In such a house with bells dwelt a princess whose feet were smaller than those of any other Chinese girl, whose obliquely slit little eyes blinked and winked more sweet-dreamily than