The Lady and the Lion
There was once a Man who had to take a long journey, and when he wassaying good-bye to his daughters he asked what he should bring back tothem.
The eldest wanted pearls, the second diamonds, but the third said,'Dear father, I should like a singing, soaring lark.'
The father said, 'Very well, if I can manage it, you shall have it';and he kissed all three and set off. He bought pearls and diamonds forthe two eldest, but he had searched everywhere in vain for thesinging, soaring lark, and this worried him, for his youngest daughterwas his favourite child.
Once his way led through a wood, in the midst of which was a splendidcastle; near it stood a tree, and right up at the top he saw a larksinging and soaring. 'Ah,' he said, 'I have come across you in thenick of time'; and he called to his Servant to dismount and catch thelittle creature. But as he approached the tree a Lion sprang out fromunderneath, and shook himself, and roared so that the leaves on thetree trembled.
'Who dares to steal my lark?' said he. 'I will eat up the thief!'
Then the Man said, 'I didn't know that the bird was yours. I will makeup for my fault by paying a heavy ransom. Only spare my life.'
But the Lion said, 'Nothing can save you, unless you promise to giveme whatever first meets you when you get home. If you consent, I willgive you your life and the bird into the bargain.'
But the Man hesitated, and said, 'Suppose my youngest and favouritedaughter were to come running to meet me when I go home!'
But the Servant was afraid, and said, 'Your daughter will notnecessarily be the first to come to meet you; it might just as well bea cat or a dog.'
So the Man let himself be persuaded, took the lark, and promised tothe Lion for his own whatever first met him on his return home. Whenhe reached home, and entered his house, the first person who met himwas none other than his youngest daughter; she came running up andkissed and caressed him, and when she saw that he had brought thesinging, soaring lark, she was beside herself with joy. But her fathercould not rejoice; he began to cry, and said, 'My dear child, it hascost me dear, for I have had to promise you to a Lion who will tearyou in pieces when he has you in his power.' And he told her all thathad happened, and begged her not to go, come what might.
But she consoled him, saying, 'Dear father, what you have promisedmust be performed. I will go and will soon soften the Lion's heart, sothat I shall come back safe and sound.' The next morning the way wasshown to her, and she said good-bye and went confidently into theforest.
Now the Lion was an enchanted Prince, who was a Lion by day, and allhis followers were Lions too; but by night they reassumed their humanform. On her arrival she was kindly received, and conducted to thecastle. When night fell, the Lion turned into a handsome man, andtheir wedding was celebrated with due magnificence. And they livedhappily together, sitting up at night and sleeping by day. One day hecame to her and said, 'To-morrow there is a festival at your father'shouse to celebrate your eldest sister's wedding; if you would like togo my Lions shall escort you.'
She answered that she was very eager to see her father again, so shewent away accompanied by the Lions.
There was great rejoicing on her coming, for they all thought that shehad been torn to pieces and had long been dead.
{She went away accompanied by the Lions.}]
But she told them what a handsome husband she had and how well shefared; and she stayed with them as long as the wedding festivitieslasted. Then she went back again into the wood.
When the second daughter married, and the youngest was again invitedto the wedding, she said to the Lion, 'This time I will not go alone,you must come too.'
But the Lion said it would be too dangerous, for if a gleam of lighttouched him he would be changed into a Dove and would have to flyabout for seven years.
'Ah,' said she, 'only go with me, and I will protect you and keep offevery ray of light.'
So they went away together, and took their little child with them too.They had a hall built with such thick walls that no ray couldpenetrate, and thither the Lion was to retire when the wedding torcheswere kindled. But the door was made of fresh wood which split andcaused a little crack which no one noticed.
Now the wedding was celebrated with great splendour. But when theprocession came back from church with a large number of torches andlights, a ray of light no broader than a hair fell upon the Prince,and the minute this ray touched him he was changed; and when his wifecame in and looked for him, she saw nothing but a White Dove sittingthere. The Dove said to her, 'For seven years I must fly about theworld; every seventh step I will let fall a drop of blood and a whitefeather which will show you the way, and if you will follow the trackyou can free me.'
Thereupon the Dove flew out of the door, and she followed it, andevery seventh step it let fall a drop of blood and a little whitefeather to show her the way. So she wandered about the world, andnever rested till the seven years were nearly passed. Then sherejoiced, thinking that she would soon be free of her troubles; butshe was still far from release. One day as they were journeying on inthe accustomed way, the feather and the drop of blood ceased falling,and when she looked up the Dove had vanished.
'Man cannot help me,' she thought. So she climbed up to the Sun andsaid to it, 'You shine upon all the valleys and mountain peaks, haveyou not seen a White Dove flying by?'
'No,' said the Sun, 'I have not seen one; but I will give you a littlecasket. Open it when you are in dire need.'
She thanked the Sun, and went on till night, when the Moon shone out.'You shine all night,' she said, 'over field and forest, have you seena White Dove flying by?'
'No,' answered the Moon, 'I have seen none; but here is an egg. Breakit when you are in great need.'
She thanked the Moon, and went on till the Night Wind blew upon her.'You blow among all the trees and leaves, have not you seen a WhiteDove?' she asked.
'No,' said the Night Wind, 'I have not seen one; but I will ask theother three Winds, who may, perhaps, have seen it.'
The East Wind and the West Wind came, but they had seen no Dove. Onlythe South Wind said, 'I have seen the White Dove. It has flown away tothe Red Sea, where it has again become a Lion, since the seven yearsare over; and the Lion is ever fighting with a Dragon who is anenchanted Princess.'
Then the Night Wind said, 'I will advise you. Go to the Red Sea, youwill find tall reeds growing on the right bank; count them, and cutdown the eleventh, strike the Dragon with it and then the Lion will beable to master it, and both will regain human shape. Next, look round,and you will see the winged Griffin, who dwells by the Red Sea, leapupon its back with your beloved, and it will carry you across the sea.Here is a nut. Drop it when you come to mid-ocean; it will openimmediately and a tall nut-tree will grow up out of the water, onwhich the Griffin will settle. Could it not rest, it would not bestrong enough to carry you across, and if you forget to drop the nut,it will let you fall into the sea.'
Then she journeyed on, and found everything as the Night Wind hadsaid. She counted the reeds by the sea and cut off the eleventh,struck the Dragon with it, and the Lion mastered it; immediately bothregained human form. But when the Princess who had been a Dragon wasfree from enchantment, she took the Prince in her arms, seated herselfon the Griffin's back, and carried him off. And the poor wanderer,again forsaken, sat down and cried. At last she took courage and saidto herself: 'Wherever the winds blow, I will go, and as long as cockscrow, I will search till I find him.'
So she went on a long, long way, till she came to the castle where thePrince and Princess were living. There she heard that there was to bea festival to celebrate their wedding. Then she said to herself,'Heaven help me,' and she opened the casket which the Sun had givenher; inside it was a dress, as brilliant as the Sun itself. She tookit out, put it on, and went into the castle, where every one,including the Bride, looked at her with amazement. The dress pleasedthe Bride so much that she asked if it was to be bought.
'Not with gold or goo
ds,' she answered; 'but with flesh and blood.'
The Bride asked what she meant, and she answered, 'Let me speak withthe Bridegroom in his chamber to-night.'
The Bride refused. However, she wanted the dress so much that at lastshe consented; but the Chamberlain was ordered to give the Prince asleeping draught.
At night, when the Prince was asleep, she was taken to his room. Shesat down and said: 'For seven years I have followed you. I have beento the Sun, and the Moon, and the Four Winds to look for you. I havehelped you against the Dragon, and will you now quite forget me?'
But the Prince slept so soundly that he thought it was only therustling of the wind among the pine-trees. When morning came she wastaken away, and had to give up the dress; and as it had not helped hershe was very sad, and went out into a meadow and cried. As she wassitting there, she remembered the egg which the Moon had given her;she broke it open, and out came a hen and twelve chickens, all ofgold, who ran about chirping, and then crept back under their mother'swings. A prettier sight could not be seen. She got up and drove themabout the meadow, till the Bride saw them from the window. Thechickens pleased her so much that she asked if they were for sale.'Not for gold and goods, but for flesh and blood. Let me speak withthe Bridegroom in his chamber once more.'
The Bride said 'Yes,' intending to deceive her as before; but when thePrince went to his room he asked the Chamberlain what all themurmuring and rustling in the night meant. Then the Chamberlain toldhim how he had been ordered to give him a sleeping draught because apoor girl had been concealed in his room, and that night he was to dothe same again. 'Pour out the drink, and put it near my bed,' said thePrince. At night she was brought in again, and when she began torelate her sad fortunes he recognised the voice of his dear wife,sprang up, and said, 'Now I am really free for the first time. All hasbeen as a dream, for the foreign Princess cast a spell over me so thatI was forced to forget you; but heaven in a happy hour has taken awaymy blindness.'
Then they both stole out of the castle, for they feared the Princess'sfather, because he was a sorcerer. They mounted the Griffin, who borethem over the Red Sea, and when they got to mid-ocean, she dropped thenut. On the spot a fine nut-tree sprang up, on which the bird rested;then it took them home, where they found their child grown tall andbeautiful, and they lived happily till the end.