The Dog and the Sparrow

by The Brothers Grimm

　　

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A sheep-dog had not a good master, but, on the contrary, one who lethim suffer hunger. As he could stay no longer with him, he went quitesadly away. On the road he met a sparrow who said, "Brother dog, whyart thou so sad?" The dog replied, "I am hungry, and have nothing toeat." Then said the sparrow, "Dear brother, come into the town with me,and I will satisfy thy hunger." So they went into the town together,and when they came in front of a butcher's shop the sparrow said tothe dog, "Stay there, and I will pick a bit of meat down for thee,"and he alighted on the stall, looked about him to see that no onewas observing him, and pecked and pulled and tore so long at a piecewhich lay on the edge, that it slipped down. Then the dog seized it,ran into a corner, and devoured it. The sparrow said, "Now come withme to another shop, and then I will get thee one more piece that thoumayst be satisfied." When the dog had devoured the second piece as well,the sparrow asked, "Brother dog, hast thou now had enough?" "Yes, I havehad meat enough," he answered, "but I have had no bread yet." Said thesparrow, "Thou shalt have that also, come with me." Then he took him toa baker's shop, and pecked at a couple of little buns till they rolleddown, and as the dog wanted still more, he led him to another stall,and again got bread for him. When that was consumed, the sparrow said,"Brother dog, hast thou now had enough?" "Yes," he replied, "now wewill walk awhile outside the town." Then they both went out on tothe highway. It was, however, warm weather, and when they had walked alittle way the dog said, "I am tired, and would like to sleep." "Well, dosleep," answered the sparrow, "and in the meantime I will seat myself ona branch." So the dog lay down on the road, and fell fast asleep. Whilsthe lay sleeping there, a waggoner came driving by, who had a cart withthree horses, laden with two barrels of wine. The sparrow, however,saw that he was not going to turn aside, but was staying in the wheeltrack in which the dog was lying, so it cried, "Waggoner, don't do it,or I will make thee poor." The waggoner, however, growled to himself,"Thou wilt not make me poor," and cracked his whip and drove the cartover the dog, and the wheels killed him. Then the sparrow cried, "Thouhast run over my brother dog and killed him, it shall cost thee thy cartand horses." "Cart and horses indeed!" said the waggoner. "What harmcanst thou do me?" and drove onwards. Then the sparrow crept under thecover of the cart, and pecked so long at the same bung-hole that he gotthe bung out, and then all the wine ran out without the driver noticingit. But once when he was looking behind him he saw that the cart wasdripping, and looked at the barrels and saw that one of them was empty."Unfortunate fellow that I am," cried he. "Not unfortunate enough yet,"said the sparrow, and flew on to the head of one of the horses and peckedhis eyes out. When the driver saw that, he drew out his axe and wanted tohit the sparrow, but the sparrow flew into the air, and he hit his horseon the head, and it fell down dead. "Oh, what an unfortunate man I am,"cried he. "Not unfortunate enough yet," said the sparrow, and when thedriver drove on with the two hoses, the sparrow again crept under thecover, and pecked the bung out of the second cask, so all the wine wasspilt. When the driver became aware of it, he again cried, "Oh, what anunfortunate man I am," but the sparrow replied, "Not unfortunate enoughyet," and seated himself on the head of the second horse, and peckedhis eyes out. The driver ran up to it and raised his axe to strike,but the sparrow flew into the air and the blow struck the horse, whichfell. "Oh, what an unfortunate man I am." "Not unfortunate enough yet,"said the sparrow, and lighted on the third horse's head, and pecked outhis eyes. The driver, in his rage, struck at the sparrow without lookinground, and did not hit him but killed his third horse likewise. "Oh,what an unfortunate man I am," cried he. "Not unfortunate enough yet,"answered the sparrow. "Now will I make thee unfortunate in thy home,"and flew away.

　　The driver had to leave the waggon standing, and full of anger andvexation went home. "Ah," said he to his wife, "what misfortunes I havehad! My wine has run out, and the horses are all three dead!" "Alas,husband," she answered, "what a malicious bird has come into thehouse! It has gathered together every bird there is in the world, andthey have fallen on our corn up there, and are devouring it." Then hewent upstairs, and thousands and thousands of birds were sitting in theloft and had eaten up all the corn, and the sparrow was sitting in themidst of them. Then the driver cried, "Oh, what an unfortunate man I am?"

　　"Not unfortunate enough yet!" answered the sparrow; "waggoner, it shallcost thee thy life as well," and flew out.

　　Then the waggoner had lost all his property, and he went downstairsinto the room, sat down behind the stove and was quite furious andbitter. But the sparrow sat outside in front of the window, and cried,"Waggoner, it shall cost thee thy life." Then the waggoner snatched theaxe and threw it at the sparrow, but it only broke the window, and didnot hit the bird. The sparrow now hopped in, placed itself on the stoveand cried, "Waggoner, it shall cost thee thy life." The latter, quite madand blind with rage, smote the stove in twain, and as the sparrow flewfrom one place to another so it fared with all his household furniture,looking-glass, benches, table, and at last the walls of his house,and yet he could not hit the bird. At length, however, he caught itwith his hand. Then his wife said, "Shall I kill it?" "No," cried he,"that would be too merciful. It shall die much more cruelly," and hetook it and swallowed it whole. The sparrow, however, began to flutterabout in his body, and fluttered up again into the man's mouth; then itstretched out its head, and cried, "Waggoner, it shall still cost theethy life." The driver gave the axe to his wife, and said, "Wife, killthe bird in my mouth for me." The woman struck, but missed her blow,and hit the waggoner right on his head, so that he fell dead. But thesparrow flew up and away.

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