26
ANDERSEN’S FAIRY TALES
roses to the lilies; and the prince drank of the sparkling wine handed to him by the young maidens, and felt a bliss he had never before experienced. He saw the background of the ball-room now opening, and the Tree of Knowledge stood before him in such streams of light that his eyes were dazzled. The singing that rang in his ears was soft and lovely as his mother’s voice, and it seemed as if she sang, “My child! my beloved child!”