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The
wife of a rich man fell sick, and as she felt that her end was
drawing near, she called her only daughter
to her bedside and said, "Dear child, be good and pious, and
then the good God will always protect you, and I will look down
on you from heaven and be near you."
Thereupon
she closed her eyes and departed. Every day the maiden went out
to her mother's grave, and wept, and she remained pious and good.
When winter came the snow spread a white sheet over the grave,
and by the time the spring sun had drawn it off again, the man
had taken another wife.
The
woman had brought with her into the house two daughters, who were
beautiful and fair of face, but vile and black of heart. Now
began a bad time for the poor step-child. "Is the stupid
goose to sit in the parlor with us," they said. "He who
wants to eat bread must earn it. Out with the kitchen-wench."
They took her pretty clothes away from her, put an old grey
bedgown on her, and gave her wooden shoes.
"Just
look at the proud princess, how decked out she is," they
cried, and laughed, and led her into the kitchen. There she had
to do hard work from morning till night, get up before daybreak,
carry water, light fires, cook and wash. Besides this, the
sisters did her every imaginable injury - they mocked her and
emptied her peas and lentils into the ashes, so that she was
forced to sit and pick them out again. In the evening when she
had worked till she was weary she had no bed to go to, but had to
sleep by the hearth in the cinders. And as on that account she
always looked dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella.
It
happened that the father was once going to the fair, and he asked
his two step-daughters what he should bring back for them.
"Beautiful dresses," said one, "Pearls and
jewels," said the second.
"And you,
Cinderella," said he, "what will you have?"
"Father break off for me the first branch which
knocks against your hat on your way home."
So
he bought beautiful dresses, pearls and jewels for his two
step-daughters, and on his way home, as he was riding through a
green thicket, a hazel twig brushed against him and knocked off
his hat. Then he broke off the branch and took it with him. When
he reached home he gave his step-daughters the things which they
had wished for, and to Cinderella he gave the branch from the
hazel-bush. Cinderella thanked him, went to her mother's grave
and planted the branch on it, and wept so much that the tears
fell down on it and watered it. And it grew and became a handsome
tree. Thrice a day Cinderella went and sat beneath it, and wept
and prayed, and a little white bird always came on the tree, and
if Cinderella expressed a wish, the bird threw down to her what
she had wished for.
It happened,
however, that the king gave orders for a festival which was to
last three days, and to which all the beautiful young girls in
the country were invited, in order that his son might choose
himself a bride. When the two step-sisters heard that they too
were to appear among the number, they were delighted, called
Cinderella and said, "comb our hair for us, brush our shoes
and fasten our buckles, for we are going to the wedding at the
king's palace."
Cinderella
obeyed, but wept, because she too would have liked to go with
them to the dance, and begged her step-mother to allow her to do
so.
"You go, Cinderella," said she, "covered
in dust and dirt as you are, and would go to the festival. You
have no clothes and shoes, and yet would dance." As,
however, Cinderella went on asking, the step-mother said at last,
"I have emptied a dish of lentils into the ashes for you, if
you have picked them out again in two hours, you shall go with
us."
The maiden went
through the back-door into the garden, and called, "You tame
pigeons, you turtle-doves, and all you birds beneath the sky,
come and help me to pick
the good into
the pot, the bad into the crop."
Then two white
pigeons came in by the kitchen window, and afterwards the
turtle-doves, and at last all the birds beneath the sky, came
whirring and crowding in, and alighted amongst the ashes. And the
pigeons nodded with their heads and began pick, pick, pick, pick,
and the rest began also pick, pick, pick, pick, and gathered all
the good grains into the dish. Hardly had one hour passed before
they had finished, and all flew out again.
Then the girl
took the dish to her step-mother, and was glad, and believed that
now she would be allowed to go with them to the festival.
But
the step-mother said, "No, Cinderella, you have no clothes
and you can not dance. You would only be laughed at." And as
Cinderella wept at this, the step-mother said, if you can pick
two dishes of lentils out of the ashes for me in one hour, you
shall go with us. And she thought to herself, that she most
certainly cannot do again.
When
the step-mother had emptied the two dishes of lentils amongst the
ashes, the maiden went through the back-door into the garden and
cried, "You tame pigeons, you turtle-doves, and all you
birds beneath the sky, come and help me to pick
the good into
the pot, the bad into the crop."
Then two white
pigeons came in by the kitchen-window, and afterwards the
turtle-doves, and at length all the birds beneath the sky, came
whirring and crowding in, and alighted amongst the ashes. And the
doves nodded with their heads and began pick, pick, pick, pick,
and the others began also pick, pick, pick, pick, and gathered
all the good seeds into the dishes, and before half an hour was
over they had already finished, and all flew out again. Then the
maiden was delighted, and believed that she might now go with
them to the wedding.
But
the step-mother said, "All this will not help. You cannot go
with us, for you have no clothes and can not dance. We should be
ashamed of you." On this she turned her back on Cinderella,
and hurried away with her two proud daughters.
As
no one was now at home, Cinderella went to her mother's grave
beneath the hazel-tree, and cried,
"Shiver
and quiver, little tree, Silver and gold throw down over me."
Then the bird
threw a gold and silver dress down to her, and slippers
embroidered with silk and silver. She put on the dress with all
speed, and went to the wedding. Her step-sisters and the
step-mother however did not know her, and thought she must be a
foreign princess, for she looked so beautiful in the golden
dress. They never once thought of Cinderella, and believed that
she was sitting at home in the dirt, picking lentils out of the
ashes. The prince approached her, took her by the hand and danced
with her. He would dance with no other maiden, and never let
loose of her hand, and if any one else came to invite her, he
said, "This is my partner."
She danced till
it was evening, and then she wanted to go home. But the king's
son said, "I will go with you and bear you company,"
for he wished to see to whom the beautiful maiden belonged. She
escaped from him, however, and sprang into the pigeon-house. The
king's son waited until her father came, and then he told him
that the unknown maiden had leapt into the pigeon-house. The old
man thought, "Can it be Cinderella." And they had to
bring him an axe and a pickaxe that he might hew the pigeon-house
to pieces, but no one was inside it. And when they got home
Cinderella lay in her dirty clothes among the ashes, and a dim
little oil-lamp was burning on the mantle-piece, for Cinderella
had jumped quickly down from the back of the pigeon-house and had
run to the little hazel-tree, and there she had taken off her
beautiful clothes and laid them on the grave, and the bird had
taken them away again, and then she had seated herself in the
kitchen amongst the ashes in her grey gown.
Next
day when the festival began afresh, and her parents and the
step-sisters had gone once more, Cinderella went to the
hazel-tree and said,
"Shiver
and quiver, my little tree, Silver and gold throw down over
me."
Then the bird
threw down a much more beautiful dress than on the preceding day.
And when Cinderella appeared at the wedding in this dress, every
one was astonished at her beauty. The king's son had waited until
she came, and instantly took her by the hand and danced with no
one but her. When others came and invited her, he said, "This
is my partner." When evening came she wished to leave, and
the king's son followed her and wanted to see into which house
she went. But she sprang away from him, and into the garden
behind the house. Therein stood a beautiful tall tree on which
hung the most magnificent pears. She clambered so nimbly between
the branches like a squirrel that the king's son did not know
where she was gone. He waited until her father came, and said to
him, "The unknown maiden has escaped from me, and I believe
she has climbed up the pear-tree." The father thought, "Can
it be Cinderella." And had an axe brought and cut the tree
down, but no one was on it. And when they got into the kitchen,
Cinderella lay there among the ashes, as usual, for she had
jumped down on the other side of the tree, had taken the
beautiful dress to the bird on the little hazel-tree, and put on
her grey gown.
On
the third day, when the parents and sisters had gone away,
Cinderella went once more to her mother's grave and said to the
little tree,
"Shiver
and quiver, my little tree, silver and gold throw down over
me."
And now the
bird threw down to her a dress which was more splendid and
magnificent than any she had yet had, and the slippers were
golden. And when she went to the festival in the dress, no one
knew how to speak for astonishment. The king's son danced with
her only, and if any one invited her to dance, he said this is my
partner.
When
evening came, Cinderella wished to leave, and the king's son was
anxious to go with her, but she escaped from him so quickly that
he could not follow her. The king's son, however, had employed a
ruse, and had caused the whole staircase to be smeared with
pitch, and there, when she ran down, had the maiden's left
slipper remained stuck. The king's son picked it up, and it was
small and dainty, and all golden.
Next
morning, he went with it to the father, and said to him, no one
shall be my wife but she whose foot this golden slipper fits.
Then were the two sisters glad, for they had pretty feet. The
eldest went with the shoe into her room and wanted to try it on,
and her mother stood by. But she could not get her big toe into
it, and the shoe was too small for her. Then her mother gave her
a knife and said, "Cut the toe off, when you are queen you
will have no more need to go on foot." The maiden cut the
toe off, forced the foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and
went out to the king's son. Then he took her on his his horse as
his bride and rode away with her. They were obliged, however, to
pass the grave, and there, on the hazel-tree, sat the two pigeons
and cried,
"Turn and
peep, turn and peep, there's blood within the shoe, the
shoe it is too small for her, the true bride waits for you."
Then
he looked at her foot and saw how the blood was trickling from
it. He turned his horse round and took the false bride home
again, and said she was not the true one, and that the other
sister was to put the shoe on. Then this one went into her
chamber and got her toes safely into the shoe, but her heel was
too large. So her mother gave her a knife and said, "Cut a
bit off your heel, when you are queen you will have no more need
to go on foot." The maiden cut a bit off her heel, forced
her foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and went out to the
king's son. He took her on his horse as his bride, and rode away
with her, but when they passed by the hazel-tree, the two pigeons
sat on it and cried,
"Turn and
peep, turn and peep, there's blood within the shoe, the
shoe it is too small for her, the true bride waits for you."
He looked down
at her foot and saw how the blood was running out of her shoe,
and how it had stained her white stocking quite red. Then he
turned his horse and took the false bride home again. "This
also is not the right one," said he, "have you no other
daughter." "No," said the man, "there is
still a little stunted kitchen-wench which my late wife left
behind her, but she cannot possibly be the bride." The
king's son said he was to send her up to him, but the mother
answered, oh, no, she is much too dirty, she cannot show herself.
But he absolutely insisted on it, and Cinderella had to be
called.
She
first washed her hands and face clean, and then went and bowed
down before the king's son, who gave her the golden shoe. Then
she seated herself on a stool, drew her foot out of the heavy
wooden shoe, and put it into the slipper, which fitted like a
glove. And when she rose up and the king's son looked at her face
he recognized the beautiful maiden who had danced with him and
cried, "That is the true bride." The step-mother and
the two sisters were horrified and became pale with rage, he,
however, took Cinderella on his horse and rode away with her. As
they passed by the hazel-tree, the two white doves cried,
"Turn and
peep, turn and peep, no blood is in the shoe, the shoe is
not too small for her, the true bride rides with you."
And
when they had cried that, the two came flying down and placed
themselves on Cinderella's shoulders, one on the right, the other
on the left, and remained sitting there.
When the wedding
with the king's son was to be celebrated, the two false sisters
came and wanted to get into favor with Cinderella and share her
good fortune. When the betrothed couple went to church, the elder
was at the right side and the younger at the left, and the
pigeons pecked out one eye from each of them. Afterwards as they
came back the elder was at the left, and the younger at the
right, and then the pigeons pecked out the other eye from each.
And thus, for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished
with blindness all their days.
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