Hansel and Gretel

by The Brothers Grimm

　　Hard by a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and histwo children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. He hadlittle to bite and to break, and once when great scarcity fell on theland, he could no longer procure daily bread. Now when he thought overthis by night in his bed, and tossed about in his anxiety, he groanedand said to his wife, "What is to become of us? How are we to feed ourpoor children, when we no longer have anything even for ourselves?" "I'lltell you what, husband," answered the woman, "Early to-morrow morning wewill take the children out into the forest to where it is the thickest,there we will light a fire for them, and give each of them one piece ofbread more, and then we will go to our work and leave them alone. Theywill not find the way home again, and we shall be rid of them." "No,wife," said the man, "I will not do that; how can I bear to leave mychildren alone in the forest?—-the wild animals would soon come andtear them to pieces." "O, thou fool!" said she, "Then we must all fourdie of hunger, thou mayest as well plane the planks for our coffins,"and she left him no peace until he consented. "But I feel very sorryfor the poor children, all the same," said the man.

　　The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger, and hadheard what their step-mother had said to their father. Gretel weptbitter tears, and said to Hansel, "Now all is over with us." "Be quiet,Gretel," said Hansel, "do not distress thyself, I will soon find a wayto help us." And when the old folks had fallen asleep, he got up, puton his little coat, opened the door below, and crept outside. The moonshone brightly, and the white pebbles which lay in front of the houseglittered like real silver pennies. Hansel stooped and put as many ofthem in the little pocket of his coat as he could possibly get in. Thenhe went back and said to Gretel, "Be comforted, dear little sister,and sleep in peace, God will not forsake us," and he lay down again inhis bed. When day dawned, but before the sun had risen, the woman cameand awoke the two children, saying "Get up, you sluggards! we are goinginto the forest to fetch wood." She gave each a little piece of bread,and said, "There is something for your dinner, but do not eat it upbefore then, for you will get nothing else." Gretel took the breadunder her apron, as Hansel had the stones in his pocket. Then they allset out together on the way to the forest. When they had walked a shorttime, Hansel stood still and peeped back at the house, and did so againand again. His father said, "Hansel, what art thou looking at there andstaying behind for? Mind what thou art about, and do not forget how touse thy legs." "Ah, father," said Hansel, "I am looking at my littlewhite cat, which is sitting up on the roof, and wants to say good-byeto me." The wife said, "Fool, that is not thy little cat, that is themorning sun which is shining on the chimneys." Hansel, however, had notbeen looking back at the cat, but had been constantly throwing one ofthe white pebble-stones out of his pocket on the road.

　　When they had reached the middle of the forest, the father said, "Now,children, pile up some wood, and I will light a fire that you may notbe cold." Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together, as high as alittle hill. The brushwood was lighted, and when the flames were burningvery high, the woman said, "Now, children, lay yourselves down by thefire and rest, we will go into the forest and cut some wood. When wehave done, we will come back and fetch you away."

　　Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire, and when noon came, each ate alittle piece of bread, and as they heard the strokes of the wood-axethey believed that their father was near. It was not, however, the axe,it was a branch which he had fastened to a withered tree which the windwas blowing backwards and forwards. And as they had been sitting such along time, their eyes shut with fatigue, and they fell fast asleep. Whenat last they awoke, it was already dark night. Gretel began to cry andsaid, "How are we to get out of the forest now?" But Hansel comfortedher and said, "Just wait a little, until the moon has risen, and then wewill soon find the way." And when the full moon had risen, Hansel tookhis little sister by the hand, and followed the pebbles which shone likenewly-coined silver pieces, and showed them the way.

　　They walked the whole night long, and by break of day came once moreto their father's house. They knocked at the door, and when the womanopened it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel, she said, "You naughtychildren, why have you slept so long in the forest?—-we thought youwere never coming back at all!" The father, however, rejoiced, for ithad cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone.

　　Not long afterwards, there was once more great scarcity in all parts,and the children heard their mother saying at night to their father,"Everything is eaten again, we have one half loaf left, and after thatthere is an end. The children must go, we will take them farther intothe wood, so that they will not find their way out again; there is noother means of saving ourselves!" The man's heart was heavy, and hethought "it would be better for thee to share the last mouthful with thychildren." The woman, however, would listen to nothing that he had tosay, but scolded and reproached him. He who says A must say B, likewise,and as he had yielded the first time, he had to do so a second time also.

　　The children were, however, still awake and had heard theconversation. When the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up,and wanted to go out and pick up pebbles as he had done before, but thewoman had locked the door, and Hansel could not get out. Neverthelesshe comforted his little sister, and said, "Do not cry, Gretel, go tosleep quietly, the good God will help us."

　　Early in the morning came the woman, and took the children out of theirbeds. Their bit of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller thanthe time before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in hispocket, and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground. "Hansel,why dost thou stop and look round?" said the father, "go on." "I amlooking back at my little pigeon which is sitting on the roof, and wantsto say good-bye to me," answered Hansel. "Simpleton!" said the woman,"that is not thy little pigeon, that is the morning sun that is shiningon the chimney." Hansel, however, little by little, threw all the crumbson the path.

　　The woman led the children still deeper into the forest, where they hadnever in their lives been before. Then a great fire was again made, andthe mother said, "Just sit there, you children, and when you are tired youmay sleep a little; we are going into the forest to cut wood, and in theevening when we are done, we will come and fetch you away." When it wasnoon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had scattered hisby the way. Then they fell asleep and evening came and went, but no onecame to the poor children. They did not awake until it was dark night,and Hansel comforted his little sister and said, "Just wait, Gretel,until the moon rises, and then we shall see the crumbs of bread which Ihave strewn about, they will show us our way home again." When the mooncame they set out, but they found no crumbs, for the many thousandsof birds which fly about in the woods and fields had picked them allup. Hansel said to Gretel, "We shall soon find the way," but they didnot find it. They walked the whole night and all the next day too frommorning till evening, but they did not get out of the forest, and werevery hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries,which grew on the ground. And as they were so weary that their legswould carry them no longer, they lay down beneath a tree and fell asleep.

　　It was now three mornings since they had left their father's house. Theybegan to walk again, but they always got deeper into the forest, and ifhelp did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When itwas mid-day, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough,which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it. Andwhen it had finished its song, it spread its wings and flew away beforethem, and they followed it until they reached a little house, on theroof of which it alighted; and when they came quite up to little housethey saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that thewindows were of clear sugar. "We will set to work on that," said Hansel,"and have a good meal. I will eat a bit of the roof, and thou, Gretel,canst eat some of the window, it will taste sweet." Hansel reached upabove, and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted, andGretel leant against the window and nibbled at the panes. Then a softvoice cried from the room,

　　"Nibble, nibble, gnaw,

　　Who is nibbling at my little house?"

　　The children answered,

　　"The wind, the wind,

　　The heaven-born wind,"

　　and went on eating without disturbing themselves. Hansel, who thoughtthe roof tasted very nice, tore down a great piece of it, and Gretelpushed out the whole of one round window-pane, sat down, and enjoyedherself with it. Suddenly the door opened, and a very, very oldwoman, who supported herself on crutches, came creeping out. Hanseland Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let fall what theyhad in their hands. The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said,"Oh, you dear children, who has brought you here? Do come in, and staywith me. No harm shall happen to you." She took them both by the hand,and led them into her little house. Then good food was set before them,milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards two prettylittle beds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Gretellay down in them, and thought they were in heaven.

　　The old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was in reality awicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the littlehouse of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell into herpower, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast day withher. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have a keen scentlike the beasts, and are aware when human beings draw near. When Hanseland Gretel came into her neighborhood, she laughed maliciously, andsaid mockingly, "I have them, they shall not escape me again!" Early inthe morning before the children were awake, she was already up, and whenshe saw both of them sleeping and looking so pretty, with their plump redcheeks, she muttered to herself, "That will be a dainty mouthful!" Thenshe seized Hansel with her shrivelled hand, carried him into a littlestable, and shut him in with a grated door. He might scream as he liked,that was of no use. Then she went to Gretel, shook her till she awoke,and cried, "Get up, lazy thing, fetch some water, and cook something goodfor thy brother, he is in the stable outside, and is to be made fat. Whenhe is fat, I will eat him." Gretel began to weep bitterly, but it wasall in vain, she was forced to do what the wicked witch ordered her.

　　And now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel got nothingbut crab-shells. Every morning the woman crept to the little stable,and cried, "Hansel, stretch out thy finger that I may feel if thou wiltsoon be fat." Hansel, however, stretched out a little bone to her, andthe old woman, who had dim eyes, could not see it, and thought it wasHansel's finger, and was astonished that there was no way of fatteninghim. When four weeks had gone by, and Hansel still continued thin,she was seized with impatience and would not wait any longer. "Hola,Gretel," she cried to the girl, "be active, and bring some water.Let Hansel be fat or lean, to-morrow I will kill him, and cook him." Ah,how the poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch the water,and how her tears did flow down over her cheeks! "Dear God, do help us,"she cried. "If the wild beasts in the forest had but devoured us, weshould at any rate have died together." "Just keep thy noise to thyself,"said the old woman, "all that won't help thee at all."

　　Early in the morning, Gretel had to go out and hang up the cauldron withthe water, and light the fire. "We will bake first," said the old woman,"I have already heated the oven, and kneaded the dough." She pushedpoor Gretel out to the oven, from which flames of fire were alreadydarting. "Creep in," said the witch, "and see if it is properly heated,so that we can shut the bread in." And when once Gretel was inside,she intended to shut the oven and let her bake in it, and then she wouldeat her, too. But Gretel saw what she had in her mind, and said, "I donot know how I am to do it; how do you get in?" "Silly goose," said theold woman, "The door is big enough; just look, I can get in myself!" andshe crept up and thrust her head into the oven. Then Gretel gave her apush that drove her far into it, and shut the iron door, and fastened thebolt. Oh! then she began to howl quite horribly, but Gretel ran away,and the godless witch was miserably burnt to death.

　　Gretel, however, ran like lightning to Hansel, opened his little stable,and cried, "Hansel, we are saved! The old witch is dead!" Then Hanselsprang out like a bird from its cage when the door is opened for it. Howthey did rejoice and embrace each other, and dance about and kiss eachother! And as they had no longer any need to fear her, they went intothe witch's house, and in every corner there stood chests full of pearlsand jewels. "These are far better than pebbles!" said Hansel, and thrustinto his pockets whatever could be got in, and Gretel said, "I, too, willtake something home with me," and filled her pinafore full. "But now wewill go away." said Hansel, "that we may get out of the witch's forest."

　　When they had walked for two hours, they came to a great piece ofwater. "We cannot get over," said Hansel, "I see no foot-plank, and nobridge." "And no boat crosses either," answered Gretel, "but a white duckis swimming there; if I ask her, she will help us over." Then she cried,

　　"Little duck, little duck, dost thou see,

　　Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee?

　　There's never a plank, or bridge in sight,

　　Take us across on thy back so white."

　　The duck came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back, and toldhis sister to sit by him. "No," replied Gretel, "that will be too heavyfor the little duck; she shall take us across, one after the other." Thegood little duck did so, and when they were once safely across and hadwalked for a short time, the forest seemed to be more and more familiarto them, and at length they saw from afar their father's house. Thenthey began to run, rushed into the parlour, and threw themselves intotheir father's arms. The man had not known one happy hour since hehad left the children in the forest; the woman, however, was dead.Gretel emptied her pinafore until pearls and precious stones ran aboutthe room, and Hansel threw one handful after another out of his pocketto add to them. Then all anxiety was at an end, and they lived togetherin perfect happiness. My tale is done, there runs a mouse, whosoevercatches it, may make himself a big fur cap out of it.