The Ugly Duckling

Lyric

Down by the pond, one sunny day,
Little ducklings came out to play.

One looked different, gray and small,
The others laughed — “You’re not like us at all!”

Ugly duckling, don’t you cry,
One day you’ll spread your wings and fly!
Ugly duckling, don’t you cry,
You’ll be a swan by and by!

Seasons changed, the snow did fall,
The duckling grew strong through it all.

Ugly duckling, don’t you cry,
One day you’ll spread your wings and fly!

Look inside, you’ll see the light,
You’ll shine so bright, so white!

Ugly duckling, now you fly,
Beautiful swan in the sky!

THE STORY

The Ugly Duckling

In a peaceful farmyard, a Mother Duck’s eggs hatched, revealing a brood of fluffy, yellow ducklings. But one last egg was larger and odd, and from it emerged a clumsy, grey bird, far larger and less handsome than his siblings. The other farm animals mocked him, and even his own brothers and sisters called him “ugly.” The poor duckling was so miserable and out of place that he finally fled the farm, seeking a place where he might be accepted.

He wandered alone through the world, facing hardship and rejection wherever he went. He spent a miserable, cold autumn and a cruel, freezing winter, surviving on little and facing the scorn of all he met. Though he saw beautiful, majestic white swans fly overhead, filling him with a strange longing, he felt too ugly to ever approach them. He believed he was the most wretched creature alive, and he endured his solitude with a heavy heart.

When spring arrived, the duckling, now nearly grown, stretched his powerful wings and found himself flying toward a group of those same stunning swans on a beautiful lake. Expecting to be attacked for his impudence, he bowed his head in shame, only to see his own reflection in the water. He was no longer a clumsy, grey duckling, but a graceful and magnificent swan himself! The other swans welcomed him warmly, and as children cheered for the beautiful new bird, he felt a happiness he had never known, finally home with his own kind.

With grateful thanks to the original author, Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), for this timeless story. First published in 1843, it is now a beloved classic in the public domain.