| Cinderella |
| The wife of a rich man fell ill, and when she felt that she was nearing her end she called her only daughter to her bedside and said, "Dear child, continure devout and good. Then God will always help you, and I will look down upon you from heaven and watch over you." Thereupon she closed her eyes and breathed her last. The maiden went to her mother's grave every day and wept, and she continued to be devout and good. When the winter came, the snow spread a white covering on the grave. And when the sun of spring had unveiled it again the husband took another wife. The new wife brought home with her, two daughters who were fair and beautiful to look upon, but base and black at heart. Then began a sad time for the unfortunate step-child. "Is this stupid goose to sit with us in the parlor?" they said. "Whoever wants to eat bread must earn it. Go and sit with the kitchen maid." They took away her pretty clothes and made her put on an old grey frock and gave her wooden clogs. "Just look at the proud princess! How well she's dressed", they laughed as they led her to the kitchen. There the girl was obliged to do hard work from the morning till night, to get up at daybreak, carry water, light the fire, cook, and wash. No content with that, the sisters inflicted on her every vexation theycould think of. They made fun of her, and tossed the peas and lentils among the ashes, so that she had to sit down and pick them out again. In the evening, when she was worn out with work, she had no bed to go to but had to lie on the hearth among the cinders. And because, on account of that, she always looked dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella. It happened one day that the father had a mind to go to the fair. So he asked both his stepdaughters what he should bring home for them. "Fine clothes," said one. "Pearls and jewels," said the other. "But you, Cinderella,"said her, "what will you have?" "Father, break off for me the first twig which brushes against your hat on your way home." Well, for his two stepdaughters he brought beautiful clothes, pearls, and jewels. And on his wayhome, as he was riding through a green copse, a hazel twig grazed against him and knocked his hat off. Then he broke off the branch and took it with him. When he got home he gave hi stepdaughters what theyhad asked for, and to Cinderella he gave the twig from the hazel tree. Cinderella thanked him, and went to her mother's grave and planted the twig upon it. She wept so much that her tears fell and watered it, and it took root and became a fine tree. Cinderella went to the grave three times every day. She wept and prayed there, and every time she went a little white bird came and perched upon the tree. And when she uttered a wish, the little bird threw down to her what she had wished for. Now it happened that the King proclaimed a festival which was to last three days, and to which all the beautiful maidens in the country were invited, in order that his son might choose a bride. When the two stepdaughters heard that they were also to be present, they were in high spirits. They called Cinderella and said, "Brush our hair and clean our shoes and fasten our buckles, for we are going to the feast at the King's palace" Cinderella obeyed but wept, for she also would gladly have gone to the ball with them, and she begged her stepmother to give her leave to go. "You, Cinderella?" she said. "Why, you are covered with dust and dirt. You go to the festival? You have no clothes or shoes, and yet you want to go to the ball." As she went on asking, however, her stepmother said, "Well, I have thrown a dishful of lentils into the cinders. If you have picked them all out in two hours you shall go." The girl went through the back door into the garden and cried, "Ye gentle doves, ye turtledoves, and all ye little birds under heaven, come and help me- "The good into a dish to throw, The bad into your crops can go." Then two white doves came in by the kitchen window and were followed by the turtledoves, and finally all the little birds under heaven flocked in chirping and settled down among the ashes. And the doves gave a nod with their little heads, peck, peck, peck. And then the rest began also, peck, peck, peck, and collected all the good beans into the dish. Scarcely had an hour passed before they had finished and had all flown out again. Then the girl brought the dish to her stepmother, and was delighted to think that now she would be able to go to the feast with them. But she said, "No, Cinderella, you have no clothes and cannot dance. You will only be laughed at." But when she began to cry, the stepmother said, "If you can pick out two whole dishes of lentils from the ashes in an hour, you shall go with us." And she thought, "She will never be able to do that." When her stepmother had thrown the dishes of lentils among the ashes, the girl went out through the back door and cried, "Ye gentle doves, ye turtledoves, and all ye little birds under heaven, come and help me- "The good into a dish to throw, The gbad into your crops can go." Next Page |