Brothers Grimm: Green Book
Original
Edition: German
Spanish
partly translated anew from English.
English
partly translated anew from Spanish.
Copyright © 2013 Nik
Marcel
All rights reserved.
2Language
Books
(A
Bilingual Dual-Language Project)
Cinderella
Rapunzel
Sleeping Beauty
Little Red-Cap
Hansel and Grethel
The Frog Prince
The Bremen Town Musicians
Snow-White and Rose-Red
The Fisherman and his Wife
The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs
The Young Giant
Cinderella
A rich man had a very sick wife, and when she saw
that she was near her end, called her only daughter, and said to her:
“Dear child, be pious and good. Then God will
protect you from the heavens, and I will not depart from your side; and will
bless you.”
Soon afterwards, she closed her eyes and expired.
The child went every day to mourn at the grave of her mother, and continued
always being pious and good.
Winter came, and the snow covered the grave with a
white blanket; spring came, and the sun spread gold on the flowers of the fields
– and the father of the girl married again.
The wife brought two girls that had very beautiful
faces, but very hard and cruel hearts; then began a very difficult time for the
poor motherless girl.
“We do not want that this piece of goose sit by our
side. One earns the bread that one eats: go to the kitchen with the maid.”
They took off her pretty clothes, put an old,
patched gown on her, and shod her in wooden shoes.
“How dirty the proud princess is!” in laughing at
her, and ordered her to go to the kitchen.
She had to work there from the morning until the
night: rising early, carrying water, lighting the fire, sewing, and washing.
Her sisters also did her every possible injury:
they teased her and tipped her food in the ashes, such that she had to get down
and collect it.
In the night, when she was exhausted from so much
work, she could not lie down – as she had no bed – and leaning to the side of
the fireplace. As she was always full of dust and ashes, they called her
Cinderella.
It happened that the father was once going to the
fair, and he asked his two step-daughters what to bring them.
“A beautiful dress,” said one; “a nice ring,” added
the second.
“And you, Cinderella, what do you want?” he said to
her.
“Father, bring me the first branch you encounter on
your way.”
For the two step-daughters he bought beautiful
dresses and rings adorned with pearls and precious stones.
On his return, he passed through a forest covered
with greenery. His hat caught on the branch of a bush, and he cut it off.
When he returned to his house, he gave the two
step-daughters what they had requested, and the branch to Cinderella – for
which she thanked him.
She ran to her mother's grave, planted the branch
on it, and wept so much that it was watered by the tears. Without delay, it
grew and turned into a splendid tree.
Cinderella went three times every day to see the
tree: to weep and to pray. A little bird always came to rest on it; and when
Cinderella felt any desire, in this act the little bird granted her that which
she desired.
At the time the King was preparing to celebrate an
important holiday – that was to last for three days – and he invited all the
young women of the country: so that his son may select as a bride, the one that
pleased him the most.
When the two step-sisters learnt that they would
attend that festival, they called out to Cinderella and said to her: “Comb our
hair, clean our shoes, and arrange our buckles, for we are going to a festival
at the King’s palace.”
Cinderella cried as she listened, for she would
have loved to accompany them to the dance; and so she pleaded with her
step-mother to permit her.
“Cinderella,” she said; “you are full of dust and
ashes, and you want to go to a festival? You have neither clothes nor shoes,
and you want to dance?”
However, as the girl insisted in her pleas, she
finally said to her: “A plate of lentils has fallen in the ashes. If you pick
them out within two hours, you can come with us.”
The young girl went via the back door out into the
garden, and she said: “Gentle pigeons, kind doves, birds of the sky... all of
you come, and help me collect them. The good into the pot; the bad into the
cauldron.”
Two white doves entered by the kitchen window; then
came two turtle-doves; and finally all the birds of the sky began to flutter
around the fireplace. They eventually lowered themselves into the ashes, and
put all the good grains on the plate.
Then the girl took the dish to her stepmother,
believing that she would be permitted to go to the festival; but the stepmother
said: “No, Cinderella, you have no shoes and do not know how to dance; they
would laugh at us.”
However, in watching Cinderella weep, she added:
“If in one hour you can collect from the ashes two dishes full of lentils, you
can come with us.”
Firmly believing that Cinderella could not do so,
she tipped the two plates of lentils into the ashes, and then left. However the
girl then went out into the garden (via the back door,) and said again:
“Gentle pigeons, kind doves, birds of the sky...
come one and all, and help me to pick. The good into the pot; the bad into the
cauldron.”
Two white doves entered by the kitchen window; then
two turtle-doves; and finally all the birds of the sky began to flutter around
the fireplace. They eventually lowered themselves into the ashes, and put all
the good lentils on the dish.
Then the girl carried the dishes to her stepmother,
believing she would permit her to go to the party, but she said: “It is totally
useless; you cannot come, for you have no clothes and do not know how to dance;
they will laugh at us.”
On this, she turned her back and hurried away with
her two proud daughters.
As she was alone in the house, Cinderella went to
her mother's grave beneath the tree, and began to cry out: “Little tree, give
me a dress; make it be of gold and silver, and of beautiful cloth.”
The bird then gave her a gold and silver dress, and
slippers embroidered with silver and silk; she then put on the dress and went
to the party.
Her sisters and stepmother did not recognise her:
they thought she was some foreign princess, for she looked so beautiful in the
golden dress. They never once thought of Cinderella, believing that she was
sitting at home picking out lentils.
The King’s son went to meet her, took her by the
hand, and danced with her. He did not allow anyone else the chance to dance,
since he never let go of her hand; and if anyone else came to invite her, he
said to them, “This is my partner.”
She danced until dawn, and then decided to leave.
The prince said to her: “I will depart and accompany you...” However, she took
leave, and sprang into the pigeon-loft. The King's son then waited until her
father came, and then he told him that the foreign maiden had leapt into the
pigeon-loft.
The old man wondered if it could be Cinderella. He
brought a pickaxe and a hammer, in order to knock down the loft. However, no
one was inside.
When they reached Cinderella’s home, they found her
sitting at the fireplace in her dirty cloths – Cinderella had entered and then
very quietly left the loft, ran to her mother’s grave and took off her
beautiful dress, (which the bird took,) and then, wearing her grey petticoat,
went and sat in the kitchen.
The next day, when the time came for the
festivities to start afresh, (and her parents and sisters had left,) Cinderella
ran up to the tree and said: “Little tree, give me a dress; make it be of gold
and silver, and of beautiful cloth.”
The bird then gave her a dress that was much more
beautiful than the one from the day before; and when she presented herself at
the festival in such an outfit, everyone was left amazed by her extraordinary
beauty.
The prince, who was waiting, took her by the hand
and danced with her all night long. When anyone came to invite her to dance, he
said: “She is my partner.”
As dawn approached she wanted to leave, but the
King’s son followed her to see which house she entered into. However, all of a
sudden she slipped into the garden behind the house.
In it was a very tall and beautiful tree, on which
hung impressive pears. Cinderella clambered up into its branches, and the
prince could not see where she had gone.
However, he waited until her father came, and said
to him: “the foreign damsel has escaped from me; it seems to me she has jumped
up into the pear tree.”
The father wondered whether it could be Cinderella.
Demanding an axe and a hatchet be brought, he knocked down the tree, but there
was no one in it. When he reached the house, Cinderella was sitting by the
fireplace, like the night before – for she had jumped down the other side of the
tree, and had ran to her mother’s grave; there she left her beautiful gown for
the bird, and grabbed her grey petticoat.
The following day, when her parents and sisters had
left, Cinderella went once more to her mother’s grave, and said to the little
tree: “Little tree, give me a dress; make it be of gold and silver, and of
beautiful cloth.”
The bird then gave her a dress that was much more
striking and magnificent than any of the ones before, and the slippers were
entirely of gold; and when she presented herself at the festival, no one had
the words to express their amazement.
The prince dance all the night with her, and when
any one approached to invite her, he said, “This is my partner.”
At dawn, Cinderella insisted on leaving; the prince
accompanied her; but she escaped so swiftly that he could not follow her.
However, the King’s son had ordered that tar be
spread on the staircase, and the left shoe of the maiden became stuck to it.
The prince saw that it was tiny, beautiful, and covered in gold.
The next day he went to see Cinderella’s father,
and said to him: “I have decided to take as my wife she who slips nicely into
this golden shoe.”
The two sisters were glad, for they had pretty
feet. The eldest entered into her bedroom with the shoe, to try it on; however,
she could not insert the foot, for her toes were too big and the shoe was very
small.
Her mother gave her a knife and said: “Cut off your
toes; when you are Queen you will never go on foot.”
The young lady cut off her toes, put the shoe on
the foot, and hiding her pain, she went out to meet with the King’s son. Then
he lifted her onto his horse, as if she was his bride, and then departed with
her.
However, she had to pass near the grave of her
stepfather’s first wife. Sitting on the tree were two pigeons, and they began
to say: “Do not go ahead; wait a moment and see; the shoe is too small, and
this bride is not the owner.”
He stopped, looked at her feet, and saw blood
running. He then turned his horse, and returned to the fake bride’s house. He said
that she was not the one he requested, and to try the shoe on the other sister.
The sister went into her bedroom, and her foot
started slipping nicely into the shoe, but the heel was too thick. Her mother
then handed her a knife and said: “Cut off a piece of the heel; for when you
are Queen, you will never go by foot.”
The young woman cut a bit of the heel off, put her
foot in the shoe, and concealing the pain, went out to see the King’s son. He
raised her up onto his horse – as if she were his sweetheart – and left with
her. When they passed in front of the tree, the two pigeons cried out: “Do not
go ahead; wait a moment and see; the shoe is too small, and this bride is not
the owner.”
He stopped, looked at her feet, and saw blood
running; so he turned his horse and took the fake bride to her home.
“This is also not the one I seek,” he said; “do you
have another daughter?”
“No,” replied the husband; “from my first wife I
have a poor girl that we call Cinderella – for she is always in the kitchen –
but she cannot be the bride that you seek.”
The King’s son insisted on seeing her, but the
mother replied: “No… no, she is far too dirty for me to dare show you.”
However, he insisted that she come out, and so they
had to call Cinderella.
First, she washed her face and hands, and then went
out and presented herself to the prince, who handed her the golden slipper.
She sat on her bench, pulled off the heavy clog
from her foot, and put on the shoe – it fitted perfectly. When she rose and the
prince looked in her face, he recognised the beautiful maiden that had danced
with him; and he said: “This is my real sweetheart.”
The stepmother and the two sisters turned white
with rage, but the prince simply helped Cinderella onto his horse, and left
with her; and when they passed in front of the tree, the two white doves said:
“Proceed, prince; go on without stopping for a moment, for now you have found
the owner of the little shoe.”
After saying this, they came flying down and placed
themselves on Cinderella’s shoulders, one on the right and the other on the
left.
When the wedding was to take place, the false
sisters came to partake in the celebrations, and to accompany the bride and
groom to the church – the elder went on the right; the younger on the left. The
pigeons came and pecked the eldest in the right eye, and the youngest in the
left eye.
On their return, the eldest was on the left and the
youngest on the right; and the pigeons picked each girl in the other eye,
leaving them totally blind for life – for their hypocrisy and jealousy.
Rapunzel
There was once a couple who had wanted a child for
a long time, until finally the wife gave in to hoping that God would fulfil her
desires.
In the couples bedroom there was a small window,
offering views of a beautiful garden in which were found all kinds of flowers
and vegetables.
It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no
one dared to go into it because it belonged to a witch who was very powerful
and feared by everyone.
END OF PREVIEW
No comments:
Post a Comment