Eve's Various Children

by The Brothers Grimm

　　

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When Adam and Eve were driven out of Paradise, they were compelled tobuild a house for themselves on unfruitful ground, and eat their breadin the sweat of their brow. Adam dug up the land, and Eve span. Everyyear Eve brought a child into the world; but the children were unlikeeach other, some pretty, and some ugly. After a considerable time hadgone by, God sent an angel to them, to announce that he was coming toinspect their household. Eve, delighted that the Lord should be sogracious, cleaned her house diligently, decked it with flowers, andstrewed reeds on the floor. Then she brought in her children, but onlythe beautiful ones. She washed and bathed them, combed their hair, putclean raiment on them, and cautioned them to conduct themselves decorouslyand modestly in the presence of the Lord. They were to bow down beforehim civilly, hold out their hands, and to answer his questions modestlyand sensibly. The ugly children were, however, not to let themselvesbe seen. One hid himself beneath the hay, another under the roof, athird in the straw, the fourth in the stove, the fifth in the cellar,the sixth under a tub, the seventh beneath the wine-cask, the eighthunder an old fur cloak, the ninth and tenth beneath the cloth out ofwhich she always made their clothes, and the eleventh and twelfth underthe leather out of which she cut their shoes. She had scarcely got ready,before there was a knock at the house-door. Adam looked through a chink,and saw that it was the Lord. Adam opened the door respectfully, and theHeavenly Father entered. There, in a row, stood the pretty children,and bowed before him, held out their hands, and knelt down. The Lord,however, began to bless them, laid his hands on the first, and said,"Thou shalt be a powerful king;" and to the second, "Thou a prince," tothe third, "Thou a count," to the fourth, "Thou a knight," to the fifth,"Thou a nobleman," to the sixth, "Thou a burgher," to the seventh, "Thoua merchant," to the eighth, "Thou a learned man." He bestowed upon themalso all his richest blessings. When Eve saw that the Lord was so mildand gracious, she thought, "I will bring hither my ill-favoured childrenalso, it may be that he will bestow his blessing on them likewise." So sheran and brought them out of the hay, the straw, the stove, and whereverelse she had concealed them. Then came the whole coarse, dirty, shabby,sooty band. The Lord smiled, looked at them all, and said, "I will blessthese also." He laid his hands on the first, and said to him, "Thou shaltbe a peasant," to the second, "Thou a fisherman," to the third, "Thou asmith," to the fourth, "Thou a tanner," to the fifth, "Thou a weaver,"to the sixth, "Thou a shoemaker," to the seventh, "Thou a tailor," to theeighth, "Thou a potter," to the ninth, "Thou a waggoner," to the tenth,"Thou a sailor," to the eleventh, "Thou an errand-boy," to the twelfth,"Thou a scullion all the days of thy life."

　　When Eve had heard all this she said, "Lord, how unequally thou dividestthy gifts! After all they are all of them my children, whom I havebrought into the world, thy favours should be given to all alike." ButGod answered, "Eve, thou dost not understand. It is right and necessarythat the entire world should be supplied from thy children; if they wereall princes and lords, who would grow corn, thresh it, grind and bakeit? Who would be blacksmiths, weavers, carpenters, masons, labourers,tailors and seamstresses? Each shall have his own place, so that oneshall support the other, and all shall be fed like the limbs of onebody." Then Eve answered, "Ah, Lord, forgive me, I was too quick inspeaking to thee. Have thy divine will with my children."

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