The Pine and the Flax
Albrekt Segerstedt
Just where a forest ended grew a pine tree taller and more beautiful than all the others in the forest. Far away could be seen its feathery round crown, whose soft branches waved so gracefully when the wind blew across the plain.
At the foot of the pine tree the fields of grain began.
Here the farmer sowed seeds of many kinds, but the flax was sowed nearest the pine. It came up beautiful and even, and the pine thought a great deal of the slender green thing.
The flax stalk raised itself higher and higher, and near the close of summer it bore a little blue helmet on his head.
“Thou art so beautiful!” said the tall pine.
The flax bowed itself low, but raised again so gracefully that it looked like a billowy sea.
The pine and the flax often talked to each other and became great friends.
“What folly!” said the other forest trees to the pine. “Do not have anything to do with the flax; it is so weak. Choose the tall spruce or the birch tree. They are strong.”
But the pine would not desert the flax.
The thistle and other small plants talked to the flax.
“You are crazy to think of the lofty pine. It does not trouble itself about you. It is tall and proud. Children of a size play best together. Think of the bush and vine and content yourself.”
“I shall trust the pine,” replied the flax. “It is honourable and faithful and I am fond of it.”
So the pine and the flax remained friends.
Time passed and the flax was pulled up and made into ropes and cloth. The pine was felled and its trunk carried to the city. But the pine and flax did not forget each other, though neither knew where the other was.
A large, beautiful ship was launched upon the water. On this the pine tree was erected as a mast, and on the highest part waved a flag.
Then came a great white sail to help the mast carry the proud ship forward. It wrapped itself around the mast, spread itself out like a great wing, and caught the wind on its wide curve.
The sail had been woven of linen that grew as flax out in the field on the edge of the wood. And the two friends had met again.
Clasping each other faithfully, out over the foaming billows they went to new lands. It was life, it was pleasure to go on united as friends.
The winds took a message back to the forest.
“Who would have believed it?” said the spruce and the birch.