"Bleat, my little goat, bleat,
Cover the table with something to eat,"
and then a clean well-spread little table will stand before thee, withthe most delicious food upon it of which thou mayst eat as much as thouart inclined for, and when thou hast had enough, and hast no more needof the little table, just say,
"Bleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray,
And take the table quite away,"
and then it will vanish again from thy sight." Hereupon the wise womandeparted. But Two-eyes thought, "I must instantly make a trial, andsee if what she said is true, for I am far too hungry," and she said,
"Bleat, my little goat, bleat,
Cover the table with something to eat,"
and scarcely had she spoken the words than a little table, covered witha white cloth, was standing there, and on it was a plate with a knife andfork, and a silver spoon; and the most delicious food was there also, warmand smoking as if it had just come out of the kitchen. Then Two-eyes saidthe shortest prayer she knew, "Lord God, be with us always, Amen," andhelped herself to some food, and enjoyed it. And when she was satisfied,she said, as the wise woman had taught her,
"Bleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray,
And take the table quite away,"
and immediately the little table and everything on it was goneagain. "That is a delightful way of keeping house!" thought Two-eyes,and was quite glad and happy.
In the evening, when she went home with her goat, she found a smallearthenware dish with some food, which her sisters had set ready for her,but she did not touch it. Next day she again went out with her goat,and left the few bits of broken bread which had been handed to her, lyinguntouched. The first and second time that she did this, her sisters didnot remark it at all, but as it happened every time, they did observe it,and said, "There is something wrong about Two-eyes, she always leavesher food untasted, and she used to eat up everything that was given her;she must have discovered other ways of getting food." In order that theymight learn the truth, they resolved to send One-eye with Two-eyes whenshe went to drive her goat to the pasture, to observe what Two-eyes didwhen she was there, and whether any one brought her anything to eat anddrink. So when Two-eyes set out the next time, One-eye went to her andsaid, "I will go with you to the pasture, and see that the goat is welltaken care of, and driven where there is food." But Two-eyes knew whatwas in One-eye's mind, and drove the goat into high grass and said, "Come,One-eye, we will sit down, and I will sing something to you." One-eye satdown and was tired with the unaccustomed walk and the heat of the sun,and Two-eyes sang constantly,
"One eye, wakest thou?
One eye, sleepest thou?"
until One-eye shut her one eye, and fell asleep, and as soon as Two-eyessaw that One-eye was fast asleep, and could discover nothing, she said,
"Bleat, my little goat, bleat,
Cover the table with something to eat,"
and seated herself at her table, and ate and drank until she wassatisfied, and then she again cried,
"Bleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray,
And take the table quite away,"
and in an instant all was gone. Two-eyes now awakened One-eye, and said,"One-eye, you want to take care of the goat, and go to sleep whileyou are doing it, and in the meantime the goat might run all overthe world. Come, let us go home again." So they went home, and againTwo-eyes let her little dish stand untouched, and One-eye could nottell her mother why she would not eat it, and to excuse herself said,"I fell asleep when I was out."
Next day the mother said to Three-eyes, "This time thou shalt go andobserve if Two-eyes eats anything when she is out, and if any onefetches her food and drink, for she must eat and drink in secret." SoThree-eyes went to Two-eyes, and said, "I will go with you and see ifthe goat is taken proper care of, and driven where there is food." ButTwo-eyes knew what was in Three-eyes' mind, and drove the goat into highgrass and said, "We will sit down, and I will sing something to you,Three-eyes." Three-eyes sat down and was tired with the walk and withthe heat of the sun, and Two-eyes began the same song as before, and sang,
"Three eyes, are you waking?"
but then, instead of singing,
"Three eyes, are you sleeping?"
as she ought to have done, she thoughtlessly sang,
"Two eyes, are you sleeping?"
and sang all the time,
"Three eyes, are you waking?
Two eyes, are you sleeping?"
Then two of the eyes which Three-eyes had, shut and fell asleep, but thethird, as it had not been named in the song, did not sleep. It is truethat Three-eyes shut it, but only in her cunning, to pretend it was asleeptoo, but it blinked, and could see everything very well. And when Two-eyesthought that Three-eyes was fast asleep, she used her little charm,
"Bleat, my little goat, bleat,
Cover the table with something to eat,"
and ate and drank as much as her heart desired, and then ordered thetable to go away again,
"Bleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray,
And take the table quite away,"
and Three-eyes had seen everything. Then Two-eyes came to her, waked herand said, "Have you been asleep, Three-eyes? You are a good care-taker!Come, we will go home." And when they got home, Two-eyes again did noteat, and Three-eyes said to the mother, "Now, I know why that high-mindedthing there does not eat. When she is out, she says to the goat,
"Bleat, my little goat, bleat,
Cover the table with something to eat,"
and then a little table appears before her covered with the best of food,much better than any we have here, and when she has eaten all she wants,she says,
"Bleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray,
And take the table quite away,"
and all disappears. I watched everything closely. She put two of myeyes to sleep by using a certain form of words, but luckily the one inmy forehead kept awake." Then the envious mother cried, "Dost thou wantto fare better than we do? The desire shall pass away," and she fetcheda butcher's knife, and thrust it into the heart of the goat, which felldown dead.
When Two-eyes saw that, she went out full of trouble, seated herselfon the ridge of grass at the edge of the field, and wept bittertears. Suddenly the wise woman once more stood by her side, and said,"Two-eyes, why art thou weeping?" "Have I not reason to weep?" sheanswered. "The goat which covered the table for me every day when I spokeyour charm, has been killed by my mother, and now I shall again have tobear hunger and want." The wise woman said, "Two-eyes, I will give theea piece of good advice; ask thy sisters to give thee the entrails of theslaughtered goat, and bury them in the ground in front of the house,and thy fortune will be made." Then she vanished, and Two-eyes wenthome and said to her sisters, "Dear sisters, do give me some part of mygoat; I don't wish for what is good, but give me the entrails." Thenthey laughed and said, "If that's all you want, you can have it." SoTwo-eyes took the entrails and buried them quietly in the evening,in front of the house-door, as the wise woman had counselled her to do.
Next morning, when they all awoke, and went to the house-door, therestood a strangely magnificent tree with leaves of silver, and fruit ofgold hanging among them, so that in all the wide world there was nothingmore beautiful or precious. They did not know how the tree could havecome there during the night, but Two-eyes saw that it had grown up out ofthe entrails of the goat, for it was standing on the exact spot where shehad buried them. Then the mother said to One-eye, "Climb up, my child,and gather some of the fruit of the tree for us." One-eye climbed up,but when she was about to get hold of one of the golden apples, the branchescaped from her hands, and that happened each time, so that she couldnot pluck a single apple, let her do what she might. Then said the mother,"Three-eyes, do you climb up; you with your three eyes can look about youbetter than One-eye." One-eye slipped down, and Three-eyes climbed up.Three-eyes was not more skilful, and might search as she liked, but thegolden apples always escaped her. At length the mother grew impatient, andclimbed up herself, but could get hold of the fruit no better than One-eyeand Three-eyes, for she always clutched empty air. Then said Two-eyes,"I will just go up, perhaps I may succeed better." The sisters cried,"You indeed, with your two eyes, what can you do?" But Two-eyes climbedup, and the golden apples did get out of her way, but came into her handof their own accord, so that she could pluck them one after the other,and brought a whole apronful down with her. The mother took them awayfrom her, and instead of treating poor Two-eyes any better for this,she and One-eye and Three-eyes were only envious, because Two-eyes alonehad been able to get the fruit, and they treated her still more cruelly.
It so befell that once when they were all standing together by the tree,a young knight came up. "Quick, Two-eyes," cried the two sisters, "creepunder this, and don't disgrace us!" and with all speed they turned anempty barrel which was standing close by the tree over poor Two-eyes,and they pushed the golden apples which she had been gathering, under ittoo. When the knight came nearer he was a handsome lord, who stopped andadmired the magnificent gold and silver tree, and said to the two sisters,"To whom does this fine tree belong? Any one who would bestow one branchof it on me might in return for it ask whatsoever he desired." ThenOne-eye and Three-eyes replied that the tree belonged to them, and thatthey would give him a branch. They both took great trouble, but theywere not able to do it, for the branches and fruit both moved awayfrom them every time. Then said the knight, "It is very strange thatthe tree should belong to you, and that you should still not be ableto break a piece off." They again asserted that the tree was theirproperty. Whilst they were saying so, Two-eyes rolled out a couple ofgolden apples from under the barrel to the feet of the knight, for shewas vexed with One-eye and Three-eyes, for not speaking the truth. Whenthe knight saw the apples he was astonished, and asked where they camefrom. One-eye and Three-eyes answered that they had another sister,who was not allowed to show herself, for she had only two eyes likeany common person. The knight, however, desired to see her, and cried,"Two-eyes, come forth." Then Two-eyes, quite comforted, came from beneaththe barrel, and the knight was surprised at her great beauty, and said,"Thou, Two-eyes, canst certainly break off a branch from the tree forme." "Yes," replied Two-eyes, "that I certainly shall be able to do,for the tree belongs to me." And she climbed up, and with the greatestease broke off a branch with beautiful silver leaves and golden fruit,and gave it to the knight. Then said the knight, "Two-eyes, what shall Igive thee for it?" "Alas!" answered Two-eyes, "I suffer from hunger andthirst, grief and want, from early morning till late night; if you wouldtake me with you, and deliver me from these things, I should be happy."So the knight lifted Two-eyes on to his horse, and took her home with himto his father's castle, and there he gave her beautiful clothes, and meatand drink to her heart's content, and as he loved her so much he marriedher, and the wedding was solemnized with great rejoicing. When Two-eyeswas thus carried away by the handsome knight, her two sisters grudgedher good fortune in downright earnest. "The wonderful tree, however,still remains with us," thought they, "and even if we can gather no fruitfrom it, still every one will stand still and look at it, and come to usand admire it. Who knows what good things may be in store for us?" Butnext morning, the tree had vanished, and all their hopes were at an end.And when Two-eyes looked out of the window of her own little room, to hergreat delight it was standing in front of it, and so it had followed her.
Two-eyes lived a long time in happiness. Once two poor women came toher in her castle, and begged for alms. She looked in their faces, andrecognized her sisters, One-eye, and Three-eyes, who had fallen intosuch poverty that they had to wander about and beg their bread from doorto door. Two-eyes, however, made them welcome, and was kind to them,and took care of them, so that they both with all their hearts repentedthe evil that they had done their sister in their youth.
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