The Goosegirl
There was once an old Queen whose husband had been dead for manyyears, and she had a very beautiful daughter. When she grew up she wasbetrothed to a Prince in a distant country. When the time came for themaiden to be sent into this distant country to be married, the oldQueen packed up quantities of clothes and jewels, gold and silver,cups and ornaments, and, in fact, everything suitable to a royaloutfit, for she loved her daughter very dearly.
She also sent a Waiting-woman to travel with her, and to put her handinto that of the bridegroom. They each had a horse. The Princess'shorse was called Falada, and it could speak.
When the hour of departure came, the old Queen went to her bedroom,and with a sharp little knife cut her finger and made it bleed. Thenshe held a piece of white cambric under it, and let three drops ofblood fall on to it. This cambric she gave to her daughter, and said,'Dear child, take good care of this; it will stand you in good steadon the journey.' They then bade each other a sorrowful farewell. ThePrincess hid the piece of cambric in her bosom, mounted her horse, andset out to her bridegroom's country.
When they had ridden for a time the Princess became very thirsty, andsaid to the Waiting-woman, 'Get down and fetch me some water in my cupfrom the stream. I must have something to drink.'
'If you are thirsty,' said the Waiting-woman, 'dismount yourself, liedown by the water and drink. I don't choose to be your servant.'
So, in her great thirst, the Princess dismounted and stooped down tothe stream and drank, as she might not have her golden cup. The poorPrincess said, 'Alas!' and the drops of blood answered, 'If yourmother knew this, it would break her heart.'
The royal bride was humble, so she said nothing, but mounted her horseagain. Then they rode several miles further; but the day was warm, thesun was scorching, and the Princess was soon thirsty again.
When they reached a river she called out again to her Waiting-woman,'Get down, and give me some water in my golden cup!'
She had forgotten all about the rude words which had been said to her.But the Waiting-woman answered more haughtily than ever, 'If you wantto drink, get the water for yourself. I won't be your servant.'
Being very thirsty, the Princess dismounted, and knelt by the flowingwater. She cried, and said, 'Ah me!' and the drops of blood answered,'If your mother knew this it would break her heart.'
While she stooped over the water to drink, the piece of cambric withthe drops of blood on it fell out of her bosom, and floated away onthe stream; but she never noticed this in her great fear. TheWaiting-woman, however, had seen it, and rejoiced at getting morepower over the bride, who, by losing the drops of blood, had becomeweak and powerless.
Now, when she was about to mount her horse Falada again, theWaiting-woman said, 'By rights, Falada belongs to me; this jade willdo for you!'
The poor little Princess was obliged to give way. Then theWaiting-woman, in a harsh voice, ordered her to take off her royalrobes, and to put on her own mean garments. Finally, she forced her toswear before heaven that she would not tell a creature at the Courtwhat had taken place. Had she not taken the oath she would have beenkilled on the spot. But Falada saw all this and marked it.
The Waiting-woman then mounted Falada and put the real bride on herpoor jade, and they continued their journey.
There was great rejoicing when they arrived at the castle. The Princehurried towards them, and lifted the Waiting-woman from her horse,thinking she was his bride. She was led upstairs, but the realPrincess had to stay below.
The old King looked out of the window and saw the delicate, prettylittle creature standing in the courtyard; so he went to the bridalapartments and asked the bride about her companion, who was leftstanding in the courtyard, and wished to know who she was.
'I picked her up on the way, and brought her with me for company. Givethe girl something to do to keep her from idling.'
But the old King had no work for her, and could not think of anything.At last he said, 'I have a little lad who looks after the geese; shemay help him.'
The boy was called little Conrad, and the real bride was sent with himto look after the geese.
Soon after, the false bride said to the Prince, 'Dear husband, I prayyou do me a favour.'
He answered, 'That will I gladly.'
'Well, then, let the knacker be called to cut off the head of thehorse I rode; it angered me on the way.'
Really, she was afraid that the horse would speak, and tell of hertreatment of the Princess. So it was settled, and the faithful Faladahad to die.
When this came to the ear of the real Princess, she promised theknacker a piece of gold if he would do her a slight service. There wasa great dark gateway to the town, through which she had to pass everymorning and evening. 'Would he nail up Falada's head in this gateway,so that she might see him as she passed?'
{Alas! dear Falada, there thou hangest.}]
The knacker promised to do as she wished, and when the horse's headwas cut off, he hung it up in the dark gateway. In the earlymorning, when she and Conrad went through the gateway, she said inpassing--
'Alas! dear Falada, there thou hangest.'
And the Head answered--
'Alas! Queen's daughter, there thou gangest. If thy mother knew thy fate, Her heart would break with grief so great.'
Then they passed on out of the town, right into the fields, with thegeese. When they reached the meadow, the Princess sat down on thegrass and let down her hair. It shone like pure gold, and when littleConrad saw it, he was so delighted that he wanted to pluck some out;but she said--
'Blow, blow, little breeze, And Conrad's hat seize. Let him join in the chase While away it is whirled, Till my tresses are curled And I rest in my place.'
Then a strong wind sprang up, which blew away Conrad's hat right overthe fields, and he had to run after it. When he came back, she hadfinished combing her hair, and it was all put up again; so he couldnot get a single hair. This made him very sulky, and he would not sayanother word to her. And they tended the geese till evening, when theywent home.
Next morning, when they passed under the gateway, the Princess said--
'Alas! dear Falada, there thou hangest.'
Falada answered:--
'Alas! Queen's daughter, there thou gangest. If thy mother knew thy fate, Her heart would break with grief so great.'
Again, when they reached the meadows, the Princess undid her hair andbegan combing it. Conrad ran to pluck some out; but she said quickly--
'Blow, blow, little breeze, And Conrad's hat seize. Let him join in the chase While away it is whirled, Till my tresses are curled And I rest in my place.'
The wind sprang up and blew Conrad's hat far away over the fields, andhe had to run after it. When he came back the hair was all put upagain, and he could not pull a single hair out. And they tended thegeese till the evening. When they got home Conrad went to the oldKing, and said, 'I won't tend the geese with that maiden again.'
'Why not?' asked the King.
'Oh, she vexes me every day.'
The old King then ordered him to say what she did to vex him.
Conrad said, 'In the morning, when we pass under the dark gateway withthe geese, she talks to a horse's head which is hung up on the wall.She says--
'Alas! Falada, there thou hangest,'
and the Head answers--
'Alas! Queen's daughter, there thou gangest. If thy mother knew thy fate, Her heart would break with grief so great.'
Then Conrad went on to tell the King all that happened in the meadow,and how he had to run after his hat in the wind.
The old King ordered Conrad to go out next day as usual. Then heplaced himself behind the dark gateway, and heard the Princessspeaking to Falada's head. He also followed her into the field, andhid himself behind a bush, and with his own eyes he saw the Goosegirland the lad come driving the geese into the field. Then, after atime, he saw the girl let down
her hair, which glittered in the sun.Directly after this, she said--
'Blow, blow, little breeze, And Conrad's hat seize. Let him join in the chase While away it is whirled, Till my tresses are curled And I rest in my place.'
Then came a puff of wind, which carried off Conrad's hat and he had torun after it. While he was away, the maiden combed and did up herhair; and all this the old King observed. Thereupon he went awayunnoticed; and in the evening, when the Goosegirl came home, he calledher aside and asked why she did all these things.
'That I may not tell you, nor may I tell any human creature; for Ihave sworn it under the open sky, because if I had not done so Ishould have lost my life.'
He pressed her sorely, and gave her no peace, but he could get nothingout of her. Then he said, 'If you won't tell me, then tell yoursorrows to the iron stove there'; and he went away.
She crept up to the stove, and, beginning to weep and lament,unburdened her heart to it, and said: 'Here I am, forsaken by all theworld, and yet I am a Princess. A false Waiting-woman brought me tosuch a pass that I had to take off my royal robes. Then she took myplace with my bridegroom, while I have to do mean service as aGoosegirl. If my mother knew it she would break her heart.'
The old King stood outside by the pipes of the stove, and heard allthat she said. Then he came back, and told her to go away from thestove. He caused royal robes to be put upon her, and her beauty was amarvel. The old King called his son, and told him that he had a falsebride--she was only a Waiting-woman; but the true bride was here, theso-called Goosegirl.
The young Prince was charmed with her youth and beauty. A greatbanquet was prepared, to which all the courtiers and good friends werebidden. The bridegroom sat at the head of the table, with the Princesson one side and the Waiting-woman at the other; but she was dazzled,and did not recognise the Princess in her brilliant apparel.
When they had eaten and drunk and were all very merry, the old Kingput a riddle to the Waiting-woman. 'What does a person deserve whodeceives his master?' telling the whole story, and ending by asking,'What doom does he deserve?'
The false bride answered, 'No better than this. He must be put starknaked into a barrel stuck with nails, and be dragged along by twowhite horses from street to street till he is dead.'
'That is your own doom,' said the King, 'and the judgment shall becarried out.'
When the sentence was fulfilled, the young Prince married his truebride, and they ruled their kingdom together in peace and happiness.
{Blow, blow, little breeze, And Conrad's hat seize.}]