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Lecture IV: The Origins of Tales
Another
Cinderella Story - some more additions!
a raggedy Cinderella at the window
told by John Jacobs
THE wife of a rich man fell sick: and when she felt that her end
drew nigh, she called her only daughter to her bedside, and said, Always be a good
girl, and I will look down from heaven and watch over you. Soon afterwards she shut
her eyes and died, and was buried in the garden; and the little girl went every day to her
grave and wept, and was always good and kind to all about her. And the snow spread a
beautiful white covering over the grave; but by the time the sun had melted it away again,
her father had married another wife. This new wife had two daughters of her own, that she
brought home with her: they were fair in face but foul at heart, and
it was now a sorry time for the poor little girl What does the good-for-nothing
thing want in the parlour? said they; they who would eat bread should first
earn it; away with the kitchen maid! Then they took away her fine clothes, and gave
her an old grey frock to put on, and laughed at her and turned her into the kitchen.
There she was forced to do hard work; to rise early before day-light, to bring the water,
to make the fire, to cook and to wash. Besides that, the sisters plagued her in all sorts
of ways and laughed at her. In the evening when she was tired she had no bed to lie down
on, but was made to lie by the hearth among the ashes; and then, as she was of course
always dusty and dirty, they called her Ashputtel.
It happened once that the father was going to the fair, and asked his wifes
daughters what he should bring them. Fine clothes, said the first:
Pearls and diamonds, cried the second. Now, child, said he to his own
daughter, what will you have? The first sprig, dear father, that rubs
against your hat on your way home, said she. Then he bought for the two first the
fine clothes and pearls and diamonds they had asked for: and on his way home as he rode
through a green copse, a sprig of hazel brushed against him, and
almost pushed off his hat: so he broke it off and brought it away; and when he got home he
gave it to his daughter. Then she took it and went to her mothers grave and planted
it there, and cried so much that it was watered with her tears; and there it grew and
became a fine tree. Three times every day she went to it and wept; and soon a little bird
came and built its nest upon the tree, and talked to her, and watched over her, and
brought her whatever she wished for.
Now it happened that the king of the land held a feast which was to last three days, and
out of those who came to it his son was to choose a bride for himself: and
Ashputtels two sisters were asked to come. So they called her up, and said,
Now, comb our hair, brush our shoes, and tie our sashes for us, for we are going to
dance at the kings feast. Then she did as she was told, but when all was done
she could not help crying, for she thought to herself, she should have liked to go to the
dance too; and at last she begged her mother very hard to let her go. You!
Ashputtel? said she; you who have nothing to wear, no clothes at all, and who
cannot even
dance you want to go to the ball? And when she kept on begging, to get
rid of her, she said at last, I will throw this basin-full of peas into the ash
heap, and if you have picked them all out in two hours time you shall go to the
feast too. Then she threw the peas into the ashes: but the little maiden ran out at
the back door into the garden, and cried out
Hither, hither, through the sky,
Turtle-doves and linnets, fly!
Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay,
Hither, hither, haste away!
One and all, come help me quick,
Haste ye, haste ye, pick, pick, pick!
Then first came two white doves flying in at the kitchen window; and next came two
turtle-doves; and after them the little birds under heaven came chirping and fluttering
in, and flew down into the ashes: and the little doves stooped their heads down and set to
work, pick, pick, pick; and then the others began to pick, pick, pick; and picked out all
the good grain and put it in a dish, and left the ashes. At the end of one hour the work
was done, and all flew out again at the windows. Then she brought the dish to her mother,
overjoyed
at the thought that now she should go to the wedding. But she said, No, not you
slut, you have no clothes and cannot dance, you shall not go. And when Ashputtel
begged very hard to go, she said, If you can in one hours time pick two of
those dishes of peas out of the ashes, you shall go too. And thus she thought she
should at last get rid of her. So she shook two dishes of peas into the ashes; but the
little maiden went out into the garden at the back of the house, and cried out as before
Hither, hither, through the sky,
Turtle-doves and linnets, fly!
Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay,
Hither, hither, haste away !
One and all, come help me quick,
Haste ye, haste ye, pick, pick pick!
Then first came two white doves in at the kitchen window; and next came the turtle-doves;
and after them all the little birds under heaven came chirping and hopping about, and flew
down about the ashes: and the little doves put their heads down and set to work, pick,
pick, pick; and then the others began pick, pick, pick; and they put all the good grain
into the dishes, and left all the ashes. Before half an hours time all was done, and
out they flew again. And then Ashputtel took the dishes to her mother, rejoicing to think
that she should now go to the ball. But her mother said, It is all of no use, you
cannot go; you have no clothes, and cannot dance, and you would only put us to
shame: and off she went with her two daughters to the feast.
Now when all were gone, and nobody left at home, Ashputtel went sorrowfully and sat down
under the hazel-tree, and cried out
Shake, shake, hazel-tree,
Gold and silver over me!
Then her friend the bird flew out of the tree and brought a gold and silver dress for her,
and slippers of spangled silk: and she put them on, and followed her sisters to the feast.
But they did not know her, and thought it must be some strange princess, she looked so
fine and beautiful in her rich clothes: and they never once thought of Ashputtel, but took
for granted that she was safe at home in the dirt.
The kings son soon came up to her, and took her by the hand and danced with her and
no one else: and he never left her hand; but when any one else came to ask her to dance,
he said, This lady is dancing with me. Thus they danced till a late hour of
the night; and then she wanted to go home: and the kings son said, I shall go
and take care of you to your home; for he wanted to see where the the beautiful maid
lived. But she slipped away from him unawares, and ran off towards home, and the prince
followed her; but she
jumped up into the pigeon-house and shut the door. Then he waited till her father came
home, and told him that the unknown maiden who had been at the feast had hid herself in
the pigeon-house. But when they had broken open the door they found no one within; and
as they came back into the house, Ashputtel lay, as she always did, in her dirty frock by
the ashes, and her dim little lamp burnt in the chimney: for she had run as quickly as she
could through the pigeon-house and on to the hazel-tree, and had there taken off her
beautiful clothes, and laid them beneath the tree, that the bird might carry them away,
and had seated herself amid the ashes again in
her little grey frock.
The next day when the feast was again held, and her father, mother, and sisters were gone,
Ashputtel went to the hazel-tree, and said
Shake, shake, hazel-tree,
Gold and silver over me!
And the bird came and brought a still finer dress than the one she had worn the day
before. And when she came in it to the ball, every one wondered at her beauty: but the
kings son, who was waiting for her, took her by the hand, and danced with her; and
when any one asked her to dance, he said as before, This lady is dancing with
me. When night came she wanted to go home; and the kings son followed her as
before, that he might see into what house she went: but she sprung away from him all at
once into the garden behind her fathers house. In this garden stood a fine large
pear-tree full of ripe fruit; and Ashputtel not knowing where to hide herself
jumped up into it without being seen. Then the kings son could not find out where
she was gone, but waited till her father came home, and said to him, The unknown
lady who danced with me has slipt away, and I think she must have sprung into the
pear-tree. The father thought to himself, Can it be Ashputtel? So he
ordered an axe to be brought, and they cut down the tree, but found no one upon it. And
when they came back into the kitchen, there lay Ashputtel in the ashes as usual; for she
had slipped down on the other
side of the tree, and carried her beautiful clothes back to the bird at the hazel-tree,
and then put on her little grey frock.
The third day, when her father and mother and sisters were gone, she went again into the
garden, and said
Shake, shake, hazel-tree,
Gold and silver over me!
Then her kind friend the bird brought a dress still finer than the former one, and
slippers which were all of gold: so that when she came to the feast no one knew what to
say for wonder at her beauty: and the kings son danced with her alone; and when any
one else asked her to dance, he said, This lady is my partner. Now when night
came she wanted to go home; and the kings son would go with her, and said to
himself; I will not lose her this time; but however she managed to slip away
from him, though in such a hurry that
she dropped her left golden slipper upon the stairs.
So the prince took the shoe, and went the next day to the king his father, and said,
I will take for my wife the lady that this golden slipper fits. Then both the
sisters were overjoyed to hear this; for they had beautiful feet, and had no doubt that
they could wear the golden slipper. The oldest went first into the room where the slipper
was and wanted to try it on, and the mother stood by. But her great toe could not go into
it, and the shoe was altogether much too small for her. Then the mother gave her a knife,
and said, Never
mind, cut it off; when you are queen you will not care about toes, you will not want to go
on foot. So the silly girl cut her great toe off, and squeezed the shoe on, and went
to the kings son. Then he took her for his bride, and set her beside him on his
horse and rode
away with her.
But on their way home they had to pass by the hazel-tree that Ashputtel had planted, and
there sat a little dove on the branch singing
Back again! back again! look to the shoe!
The shoe is too small, and not made for you!
Prince! prince! look again for thy bride,
For shes not the true one that sits by thy side.
Then the prince got down and looked at her foot, and saw by the blood that streamed from
it what a trick she I played him. So he turned his horse round and brought the false bride
back to her home, and said, This is not the right bride; let the other sister try
and put on the slipper. Then she went into the room and got her foot into the shoe,
all but the heel, which was too large. But her mother squeezed it in till the blood came,
and took her to the kings son; and he set her as his bride by his side on his horse,
and rode away
with her.
But when they came to the hazel-tree the little dove sat there still, and sang
Back again! back again! look to the shoe!
The shoe is too small, and not made for you!
Prince! prince! look again for thy bride,
For shes not the true one that sits by thy side.
Then be looked down and saw that the blood streamed so from the shoe that her white
stockings were quite red. So he turned his horse and brought her back again also.
This is not the true bride, said he to the father; have you no other
daughters? No, said he; there is only a little dirty Ashputtel
here, the child of my first wife; I am sure she cannot be the bride. However, the
prince told him to send her. But the mother said No, no, she is much too dirty, she
will not dare to show herself: however, the prince would have her
come. And she first washed her face and hands, and then went in and curtsied to him, and
he reached her the golden slipper. Then she took her clumsy shoe off her left foot, and
put on the golden slipper; and it fitted her as it it had been made for her. And when he
drew near and looked at her face he knew her, and said, This is the right
bride. But the mother and both the sisters were frightened and turned pale with
anger as he took Ashputtel on his horse, and rode away with her. And when they came to the
hazel-tree, the
white dove sang
Home! home! look at the shoe!
Princess! the shoe was made for you!
Prince! prince! take home thy bride,
For she Is the true, one that sits by thy side!"
And when the dove had done its song, it came flying and perched upon
her right shoulder, and so went home with her.
Continue
with Lecture IV.
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