--- title: The Jumper — Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen · full text with trees description: The Jumper, «Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen» by H. C. Andersen: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: The Flea, the Grasshopper, and the Skipjack once wanted to see which of them could jump highest; and they invited the whole world, and whoever --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/) / The Jumper # The Jumper The Jumper of «Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen» by H. C. Andersen: the whole text, 32 sentences and 676 words. Every sentence has its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/1/) — The Flea, the Grasshopper, and the Skipjack once wanted to see which of them could jump highest; and they invited the whole world, and whoever else would come, to see the grand sight. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/2/) — And there the three famous jumpers were met together in the room. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/3/) — "Yes, I'll give my daughter to him who jumps highest," said the King, "for it would be mean to let these people jump for nothing." - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/4/) — The Flea stepped out first. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/5/) — He had very pretty manners, and bowed in all directions, for he had young ladies' blood in his veins, and was accustomed to consort only with human beings; and that was of great consequence. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/6/) — Then came the Grasshopper: he was certainly much heavier, but he had a good figure, and wore the green uniform that was born with him. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/7/) — This person, moreover, maintained that he belonged to a very old family in the land of Egypt, and that he was highly esteemed there. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/8/) — He had just come from the field, he said, and had been put into a card house three stories high, and all made of picture cards with the figures turned inwards. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/9/) — There were doors and windows in the house, cut in the body of the Queen of Hearts. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/10/) — "I sing so," he said, "that sixteen native crickets who have chirped from their youth up, and have never yet had a card house of their own, would become thinner than they are with envy if they were to hear me." - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/11/) — Both of them, the Flea and the Grasshopper, took care to announce who they were, and that they considered themselves entitled to marry a Princess. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/12/) — The Skipjack said nothing, but it was said of him that he thought all the more; and directly the Yard Dog had smelt at him he was ready to assert that the Skipjack was of good family, and formed from the breastbone of an undoubted goose. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/13/) — The old councillor, who had received three medals for holding his tongue, declared that the Skipjack possessed the gift of prophecy; one could tell by his bones whether there would be a severe winter or a mild one; and that's more than one can always tell from the breastbone of the man who writes the almanac. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/14/) — "I shall not say anything more," said the old King. " - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/15/) — I only go on quietly, and always think the best." - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/16/) — Now they were to take their jump. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/17/) — The Flea sprang so high that no one could see him; and then they asserted that he had not jumped at all. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/18/) — That was very mean. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/19/) — The Grasshopper only sprang half as high, but he sprang straight into the King's face, and the King declared that was horribly rude. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/20/) — The Skipjack stood a long time considering; at last people thought that he could not jump at all. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/21/) — "I only hope he's not become unwell," said the Yard Dog, and then he smelt at him again. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/22/) — "Tap!" he sprang with a little crooked jump just into the lap of the Princess, who sat on a low golden stool. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/23/) — Then the King said, "The highest leap was taken by him who jumped up to my daughter; for therein lies the point; but it requires head to achieve that, and the Skipjack has shown that he has a head." - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/24/) — And so he had the Princess. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/25/) — "I jumped highest, after all," said the Flea. " - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/26/) — But it's all the same. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/27/) — Let her have the goose-bone with its lump of wax and bit of stick. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/28/) — I jumped to the highest; but in this world a body is required if one wishes to be seen." - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/29/) — And the Flea went into foreign military service, where it is said he was killed. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/30/) — The Grasshopper seated himself out in the ditch, and thought and considered how things happened in the world. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/31/) — And he too said, "Body is required! body is required!" - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/68/32/) — And then he sang his own melancholy song, and from that we have gathered this story, which they say is not true, though it's in print. - ← previous: [The Jewish Maiden](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/67/) - next →: [The Last Dream of the Old Oak](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/69/) - ↑ back to [Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/)