Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book LLXLVIII: The Goose Girl

There was once upon a time an old queen whose husband had been deadfor many years, and she had a beautiful daughter. When the princessgrew up she was betrothed to a prince who lived at a great distance.When the time came for her to be married, and she had to journeyforth into the distant kingdom, the aged queen packed up for her manycostly vessels of silver and gold, and trinkets also of gold andsilver, and cups and jewels, in short, everything which appertainedto a royal dowry, for she loved her child with all her heart.She likewise sent her maid-in-waiting, who was to ride with her, andhand her over to the bridegroom, and each had a horse for thejourney, but the horse of the king's daughter was called falada, andcould speak. So when the hour of parting had come, the aged motherwent into her bedroom, took a small knife and cut her finger with ituntil it bled. Then she held a white handkerchief to it into whichshe let three drops of blood fall, gave it to her daughter and said,dear child, preserve this carefully, it will be of service to you onyour way.So they took a sorrowful leave of each other, the princess put thepiece of cloth in her bosom, mounted her horse, and then went away toher bridegroom. After she had ridden for a while she felt a burningthirst, and said to her waiting-maid, dismount, and take my cup whichyou have brought with you for me, and get me some water from thestream, for I should like to drink. If you are thirsty, said thewaiting-maid, get off your horse yourself, and lie down and drink outof the water, I don't choose to be your servant.So in her great thirst the princess alighted, bent down over thewater in the stream and drank, and was not allowed to drink out ofthe golden cup. Then she said, ah, heaven, and the three drops ofblood answered, if this your mother knew, her heart would break intwo. But the king's daughter was humble, said nothing, and mountedher horse again.She rode some miles further, but the day was warm, the sun scorchedher, and she was thirsty once more, and when they came to a stream ofwater, she again cried to her waiting-maid, dismount, and give mesome water in my golden cup, for she had long ago forgotten thegirl's ill words. But the waiting-maid said still more haughtily, ifyou wish to drink, get it yourself, I don't choose to be your maid.Then in her great thirst the king's daughter alighted, bent over theflowing stream, wept and said, ah, heaven, and the drops of bloodagain replied, if this your mother knew, her heart would break intwo.And as she was thus drinking and leaning right over the stream, thehandkerchief with the three drops of blood fell out of her bosom, andfloated away with the water without her observing it, so great washer trouble. The waiting-maid, however, had seen it, and sherejoiced to think that she had now power over the bride, for sincethe princess had lost the drops of blood, she had become weak andpowerless.So now when she wanted to mount her horse again, the one that wascalled falada, the waiting-maid said, falada is more suitable for me,and my nag will do for you, and the princess had to be content withthat. Then the waiting-maid, with many hard words, bade the princessexchange her royal apparel for her own shabby clothes, and at lengthshe was compelled to swear by the clear sky above her, that she wouldnot say one word of this to anyone at the royal court, and if she hadnot taken this oath she would have been killed on the spot. Butfalada saw all this, and observed it well.The waiting-maid now mounted falada, and the true bride the badhorse, and thus they traveled onwards, until at length they enteredthe royal palace. There were great rejoicings over her arrival, andthe prince sprang forward to meet her, lifted the waiting-maid fromher horse, and thought she was his consort.She was conducted upstairs, but the real princess was left standingbelow. Then the old king looked out of the window and saw herstanding in the courtyard, and noticed how dainty and delicate andbeautiful she was, and instantly went to the royal apartment, andasked the bride about the girl she had with her who was standing downbelow in the courtyard, and who she was. I picked her up on my wayfor a companion, give the girl something to work at, that she may notstand idle.But the old king had no work for her, and knew of none, so he said, Ihave a little boy who tends the geese, she may help him. The boy wascalled conrad, and the true bride had to help him to tend the geese.Soon afterwards the false bride said to the young king, dearesthusband, I beg you to do me a favor. He answered, I will do so mostwillingly. Then send for the knacker, and have the head of the horseon which I rode here cut off, for it vexed me on the way. In reality,she was afraid that the horse might tell how she had behaved to theking's daughter.Then she succeeded in making the king promise that it should be done,and the faithful falada was to die, this came to the ears of the realprincess, and she secretly promised to pay the knacker a piece ofgold if he would perform a small service for her. There was a greatdark-looking gateway in the town, through which morning and eveningshe had to pass with the geese, would he be so goood as to nail upfalada's head on it, so that she might see him again, more than once.The knacker's man promised to do that, and cut off the head, andnailed it fast beneath the dark gateway.Early in the morning, when she and conrad drove out their flockbeneath this gateway, she said in passing, alas, falada, hanging there.Then the head answered, alas, young queen, how ill you fare. If this your mother knew, her heart would break in two.Then they went still further out of the town, and drove their geeseinto the country. And when they had come to the meadow, she sat downand unbound her hair which was like pure gold, and conrad saw it anddelighted in its brightness, and wanted to pluck out a few hairs.Then she said, blow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say, blow conrad's little hat away, and make him chase it here and there, until I have braided all my hair, and bound it up again.And there came such a violent wind that it blew conrad's hat far awayacross country, and he was forced to run after it. When he came backshe had finished combing her hair and was putting it up again, and hecould not get any of it. Then conrad was angry, and would not speakto her, and thus they watched the geese until the evening, and thenthey went home. Next day when they were driving the geese out throughthe dark gateway, the maiden said, alas, falada, hanging there.Falada answered, alas, young queen, how ill you fare. If this your mother knew, her heart would break in two.And she sat down again in the field and began to comb out her hair,and conrad ran and tried to clutch it, so she said in haste, blow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say, blow conrad's little hat away, and make him chase it here and there, until I have braided all my hair, and bound it up again.Then the wind blew, and blew his little hat off his head and faraway, and conrad was forced to run after it, and when he came back,her hair had been put up a long time, and he could get none of it,and so they looked after their geese till evening came.But in the evening after they had got home, conrad went to the oldking, and said, I won't tend the geese with that girl any longer.Why not, inquired the aged king. Oh, because she vexes me the wholeday long. Then the aged king commanded him to relate what it wasthat she did to him. And conrad said, in the morning when we passbeneath the dark gateway with the block, there is a horse's head onthe wall, and she says to it, alas, falada, hanging there.And the head replies, alas, young queen how ill you fare. If this your mother knew, her heart would break in two.And conrad went on to relate what happened on the goose pasture, andhow when there he had to chase his hat.The aged king commanded him to drive his block out again next day,and as soon as morning came, he placed himself behind the darkgateway, and heard how the maiden spoke to the head of falada, andthen he too went into the country, and hid himself in the thicket inthe meadow. There he soon saw with his own eyes the goose-girl andthe goose-boy bringing their flock, and how after a while she satdown and unplaited her hair, which shone with radiance. And soon shesaid, blow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say, blow conrad's little hat away, and make him chase it here and there, until I have braided all my hair, and bound it up again.Then came a blast of wind and carried off conrad's hat, so that hehad to run far away, while the maiden quietly went on combing andplaiting her hair, all of which the king observed. Then, quiteunseen, he went away, and when the goose-girl came home in theevening, he called her aside, and asked why she did all these things.I may not tell that, and I dare not lament my sorrows to any humanbeing, for I have sworn not to do so by the heaven which is above me,if I had not done that, I should have lost my life.He urged her and left her no peace, but he could draw nothing fromher. Then said he, if you will not tell me anything, tell yoursorrows to the iron-stove there, and he went away. Then she creptinto the iron-stove, and began to weep and lament, and emptied herwhole heart, and said, here am I deserted by the whole world, and yetI am a king's daughter, and a false waiting-maid has by force broughtme to such a pass that I have been compelled to put off my royalapparel, and she has taken my place with my bridegroom, and I have toperform menial service as a goose-girl if this my mother knew, herheart would break in two.The aged king, however, was standing outside by the pipe of thestove, and was listening to what she said, and heard it. Then he cameback again, and bade her come out of the stove. And royal garmentswere placed on her, and it was marvellous how beautiful she was. Theaged king summoned his son, and revealed to him that he had got thefalse bride who was only a waiting-maid, but that the true one wasstanding there, as the former goose-girl. The young king rejoicedwith all his heart when he saw her beauty and youth, and a greatfeast was made ready to which all the people and all good friendswere invited.At the head of the table sat the bridegroom with the king's daughterat one side of him, and the waiting-maid on the other, but thewaiting-maid was blinded, and did not recognize the princess in herdazzling array. When they had eaten and drunk, and were merry, theaged king asked the waiting-maid as a riddle, what punishment aperson deserved who had behaved in such and such a way to her master,and at the same time related the whole story, and asked what sentencesuch a person merited. Then the false bride said, she deserves nobetter fate than to be stripped entirely naked, and put in a barrelwhich is studded inside with pointed nails, and two white horsesshould be harnessed to it, which will drag her along through onestreet after another, till she is dead.It is you, said the aged king, and you have pronounced your ownsentence, and thus shall it be done unto you. And when the sentencehad been carried out, the young king married his true bride, and bothof them reigned over their kingdom in peace and happiness.