One day she said to her, "Here are twelve pounds of feathers which thoumust pick, and if they are not done this evening, thou mayst expect a goodbeating. Dost thou imagine thou art to idle away the whole day?" The poorgirl sat down to the work, but tears ran down her cheeks as she did so,for she saw plainly enough that it was quite impossible to finish the workin one day. Whenever she had a little heap of feathers lying before her,and she sighed or smote her hands together in her anguish, they flew away,and she had to pick them out again, and begin her work anew. Then sheput her elbows on the table, laid her face in her two hands, and cried,"Is there no one, then, on God's earth to have pity on me?" Then sheheard a low voice which said, "Be comforted, my child, I have come to helpthee." The maiden looked up, and an old woman was by her side. She tookthe girl kindly by the hand, and said, "Only tell me what is troublingthee." As she spoke so kindly, the girl told her of her miserable life,and how one burden after another was laid upon her, and she never couldget to the end of the work which was given to her. "If I have not donethese feathers by this evening, my step-mother will beat me; she hasthreatened she will, and I know she keeps her word." Her tears began toflow again, but the good old woman said, "Do not be afraid, my child;rest a while, and in the meantime I will look to thy work." The girllay down on her bed, and soon fell asleep. The old woman seated herselfat the table with the feathers, and how they did fly off the quills,which she scarcely touched with her withered hands! The twelve poundswere soon finished, and when the girl awoke, great snow-white heaps werelying, piled up, and everything in the room was neatly cleared away,but the old woman had vanished. The maiden thanked God, and sat stilltill evening came, when the step-mother came in and marvelled to seethe work completed. "Just look, you awkward creature," said she, "whatcan be done when people are industrious; and why couldst thou not setabout something else? There thou sittest with thy hands crossed." Whenshe went out she said, "The creature is worth more than her salt. I mustgive her some work that is still harder."
Next morning she called the girl, and said, "There is a spoon for thee;with that thou must empty out for me the great pond which is besidethe garden, and if it is not done by night, thou knowest what willhappen." The girl took the spoon, and saw that it was full of holes;but even if it had not been, she never could have emptied the pond withit. She set to work at once, knelt down by the water, into which hertears were falling, and began to empty it. But the good old woman appearedagain, and when she learnt the cause of her grief, she said, "Be of goodcheer, my child. Go into the thicket and lie down and sleep; I will soondo thy work." As soon as the old woman was alone, she barely touched thepond, and a vapour rose up on high from the water, and mingled itself withthe clouds. Gradually the pond was emptied, and when the maiden awokebefore sunset and came thither, she saw nothing but the fishes whichwere struggling in the mud. She went to her step-mother, and showed herthat the work was done. "It ought to have been done long before this,"said she, and grew white with anger, but she meditated something new.
On the third morning she said to the girl, "Thou must build me a castleon the plain there, and it must be ready by the evening." The maiden wasdismayed, and said, "How can I complete such a great work?" "I will endureno opposition," screamed the step-mother. "If thou canst empty a pond witha spoon that is full of holes, thou canst build a castle too. I will takepossession of it this very day, and if anything is wanting, even if it bethe most trifling thing in the kitchen or cellar, thou knowest what liesbefore thee!" She drove the girl out, and when she entered the valley,the rocks were there, piled up one above the other, and all her strengthwould not have enabled her even to move the very smallest of them. She satdown and wept, and still she hoped the old woman would help her. The oldwoman was not long in coming; she comforted her and said, "Lie down therein the shade and sleep, and I will soon build the castle for thee. If itwould be a pleasure to thee, thou canst live in it thyself." When themaiden had gone away, the old woman touched the gray rocks. They beganto rise, and immediately moved together as if giants had built the walls;and on these the building arose, and it seemed as if countless hands wereworking invisibly, and placing one stone upon another. There was a dullheavy noise from the ground; pillars arose of their own accord on high,and placed themselves in order near each other. The tiles laid themselvesin order on the roof, and when noon-day came, the great weather-cock wasalready turning itself on the summit of the tower, like a golden figure ofthe Virgin with fluttering garments. The inside of the castle was beingfinished while evening was drawing near. How the old woman managed it,I know not; but the walls of the rooms were hung with silk and velvet,embroidered chairs were there, and richly ornamented arm-chairs bymarble tables; crystal chandeliers hung down from the ceilings, andmirrored themselves in the smooth pavement; green parrots were therein gilt cages, and so were strange birds which sang most beautifully,and there was on all sides as much magnificence as if a king were goingto live there. The sun was just setting when the girl awoke, and thebrightness of a thousand lights flashed in her face. She hurried to thecastle, and entered by the open door. The steps were spread with redcloth, and the golden balustrade beset with flowering trees. When shesaw the splendour of the apartment, she stood as if turned to stone. Whoknows how long she might have stood there if she had not remembered thestep-mother? "Alas!" she said to herself, "if she could but be satisfiedat last, and would give up making my life a misery to me." The girl wentand told her that the castle was ready. "I will move into it at once,"said she, and rose from her seat. When they entered the castle, she wasforced to hold her hand before her eyes, the brilliancy of everything wasso dazzling. "Thou seest," said she to the girl, "how easy it has beenfor thee to do this; I ought to have given thee something harder." Shewent through all the rooms, and examined every corner to see if anythingwas wanting or defective; but she could discover nothing. "Now we willgo down below," said she, looking at the girl with malicious eyes. "Thekitchen and the cellar still have to be examined, and if thou hastforgotten anything thou shalt not escape thy punishment." But the firewas burning on the hearth, and the meat was cooking in the pans, thetongs and shovel were leaning against the wall, and the shining brazenutensils all arranged in sight. Nothing was wanting, not even a coal-boxand water-pail. "Which is the way to the cellar?" she cried. "If thatis not abundantly filled, it shall go ill with thee." She herself raisedup the trap-door and descended; but she had hardly made two steps beforethe heavy trap-door which was only laid back, fell down. The girl hearda scream, lifted up the door very quickly to go to her aid, but she hadfallen down, and the girl found her lying lifeless at the bottom.
And now the magnificent castle belonged to the girl alone. She at firstdid not know how to reconcile herself to her good fortune. Beautifuldresses were hanging in the wardrobes, the chests were filled with goldor silver, or with pearls and jewels, and she never felt a desire thatshe was not able to gratify. And soon the fame of the beauty and richesof the maiden went over all the world. Wooers presented themselves daily,but none pleased her. At length the son of the King came and he knew howto touch her heart, and she betrothed herself to him. In the garden of thecastle was a lime-tree, under which they were one day sitting together,when he said to her, "I will go home and obtain my father's consent toour marriage. I entreat thee to wait for me here under this lime-tree, Ishall be back with thee in a few hours." The maiden kissed him on his leftcheek, and said, "Keep true to me, and never let any one else kiss theeon this cheek. I will wait here under the lime-tree until thou returnest."
The maid stayed beneath the lime-tree until sunset, but he did notreturn. She sat three days from morning till evening, waiting for him,but in vain. As he still was not there by the fourth day, she said,"Some accident has assuredly befallen him. I will go out and seek him,and will not come back until I have found him." She packed up threeof her most beautiful dresses, one embroidered with bright stars, thesecond with silver moons, the third with golden suns, tied up a handfulof jewels in her handkerchief, and set out. She inquired everywherefor her betrothed, but no one had seen him; no one knew anything abouthim. Far and wide did she wander through the world, but she found himnot. At last she hired herself to a farmer as a cow-herd, and buriedher dresses and jewels beneath a stone.
And now she lived as a herdswoman, guarded her herd, and was very sadand full of longing for her beloved one; she had a little calf whichshe taught to know her, and fed it out of her own hand, and when she said,
"Little calf, little calf, kneel by my side, And do not forget thyshepherd-maid, As the prince forgot his betrothed bride, Who waited forhim 'neath the lime-tree's shade."
the little calf knelt down, and she stroked it.
And when she had lived for a couple of years alone and full of grief,a report was spread over all the land that the King's daughter wasabout to celebrate her marriage. The road to the town passed through thevillage where the maiden was living, and it came to pass that once whenthe maiden was driving out her herd, her bridegroom travelled by. Hewas sitting proudly on his horse, and never looked round, but when shesaw him she recognized her beloved, and it was just as if a sharp knifehad pierced her heart. "Alas!" said she, "I believed him true to me,but he has forgotten me."
Next day he again came along the road. When he was near her she said tothe little calf,
"Little calf, little calf, kneel by my side, And do not forget thyshepherd-maid, As the prince forgot his betrothed bride, Who waited forhim 'neath the lime-tree's shade."
When he was aware of the voice, he looked down and reined in his horse. Helooked into the herd's face, and then put his hands before his eyes asif he were trying to remember something, but he soon rode onwards andwas out of sight. "Alas!" said she, "he no longer knows me," and hergrief was ever greater.
Soon after this a great festival three days long was to be held at the
King's court, and the whole country was invited to it.
"Now will I try my last chance," thought the maiden, and when eveningcame she went to the stone under which she had buried her treasures. Shetook out the dress with the golden suns, put it on, and adorned herselfwith the jewels. She let down her hair, which she had concealed undera handkerchief, and it fell down in long curls about her, and thus shewent into the town, and in the darkness was observed by no one. When sheentered the brightly-lighted hall, every one started back in amazement,but no one knew who she was. The King's son went to meet her, but hedid not recognize her. He led her out to dance, and was so enchantedwith her beauty, that he thought no more of the other bride. When thefeast was over, she vanished in the crowd, and hastened before daybreakto the village, where she once more put on her herd's dress.
Next evening she took out the dress with the silver moons, and put ahalf-moon made of precious stones in her hair. When she appeared at thefestival, all eyes were turned upon her, but the King's son hastened tomeet her, and filled with love for her, danced with her alone, and nolonger so much as glanced at anyone else. Before she went away she wasforced to promise him to come again to the festival on the last evening.
When she appeared for the third time, she wore the star-dress whichsparkled at every step she took, and her hair-ribbon and girdle werestarred with jewels. The prince had already been waiting for her for along time, and forced his way up to her. "Do but tell who thou art," saidhe, "I feel just as if I had already known thee a long time." "Dost thounot know what I did when thou leftest me?" Then she stepped up to him,and kissed him on his left cheek, and in a moment it was as if scalesfell from his eyes, and he recognized the true bride. "Come," said he toher, "here I stay no longer," gave her his hand, and led her down to thecarriage. The horses hurried away to the magic castle as if the wind hadbeen harnessed to the carriage. The illuminated windows already shone inthe distance. When they drove past the lime-tree, countless glow-wormswere swarming about it. It shook its branches, and sent forth theirfragrance. On the steps flowers were blooming, and the room echoed withthe song of strange birds, but in the hall the entire court was assembled,and the priest was waiting to marry the bridegroom to the true bride.
zpostcode
Recruit
weather
mreligion
Yellowpages
sport
constellation
shopping
name
game
directory
literature
Word
tour
furnish
Lottery
tftnews
lyrics
News
digital
car
dir
Edu
Finance
