Cinderella

The wife of a rich man fell sick, and as she felt that her end was
drawing near, she called her only daughter to her bedside and said,
"Dear child, be good and pious, and then the good God will always
protect thee, and I will look down on thee from heaven and be near
thee." Thereupon she closed her eyes and departed. Every day the maiden
went out to her mother's grave, and wept, and she remained pious and
good. When winter came the snow spread a white sheet over the grave,
and when the spring sun had drawn it off again, the man had taken
another wife.

The woman had brought two daughters into the house with her, who were
beautiful and fair of face, but vile and black of heart. Now began a
bad time for the poor step-child. "Is the stupid goose to sit in the
parlour with us?" said they. "He who wants to eat bread must earn it;
out with the kitchen-wench." They took her pretty clothes away from
her, put an old grey bedgown on her, and gave her wooden shoes. "Just
look at the proud princess, how decked out she is!" they cried, and
laughed, and led her into the kitchen. There she had to do hard work
from morning till night, get up before daybreak, carry water, light
fires, cook and wash. Besides this, the sisters did her every
imaginable injury--they mocked her and emptied her peas and lentils into
the ashes, so that she was forced to sit and pick them out again. In
the evening when she had worked till she was weary she had no bed to go
to, but had to sleep by the fireside in the ashes. And as on that
account she always looked dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella.
It happened that the father was once going to the fair, and he asked
his two step-daughters what he should bring back for them. "Beautiful
dresses," said one, "Pearls and jewels," said the second. "And thou,
Cinderella," said he, "what wilt thou have?" "Father, break off for me
the first branch which knocks against your hat on your way home." So he
bought beautiful dresses, pearls and jewels for his two step-daughters,
and on his way home, as he was riding through a green thicket, a hazel
twig brushed against him and knocked off his hat. Then he broke off the
branch and took it with him. When he reached home he gave his
step-daughters the things which they had wished for, and to Cinderella
he gave the branch from the hazel-bush. Cinderella thanked him, went to
her mother's grave and planted the branch on it, and wept so much that
the tears fell down on it and watered it. And it grew, however, and
became a handsome tree. Thrice a day Cinderella went and sat beneath
it, and wept and prayed, and a little white bird always came on the
tree, and if Cinderella expressed a wish, the bird threw down to her
what she had wished for.

It happened, however, that the King appointed a festival which was to
last three days, and to which all the beautiful young girls in the
country were invited, in order that his son might choose himself a
bride. When the two step-sisters heard that they too were to appear
among the number, they were delighted, called Cinderella and said,
"Comb our hair for us, brush our shoes and fasten our buckles, for we
are going to the festival at the King's palace." Cinderella obeyed, but
wept, because she too would have liked to go with them to the dance,
and begged her step-mother to allow her to do so. "Thou go,
Cinderella!" said she; "Thou art dusty and dirty and wouldst go to the
festival? Thou hast no clothes and shoes, and yet wouldst dance!" As,
however, Cinderella went on asking, the step-mother at last said, "I
have emptied a dish of lentils into the ashes for thee, if thou hast
picked them out again in two hours, thou shalt go with us." The maiden
went through the back-door into the garden, and called, "You tame
pigeons, you turtle-doves, and all you birds beneath the sky, come and
help me to pick

"The good into the pot,
The bad into the crop."


Then two white pigeons came in by the kitchen-window, and afterwards
the turtle-doves, and at last all the birds beneath the sky, came
whirring and crowding in, and alighted amongst the ashes. And the
pigeons nodded with their heads and began pick, pick, pick, pick, and
the rest began also pick, pick, pick, pick, and gathered all the good
grains into the dish. Hardly had one hour passed before they had
finished, and all flew out again. Then the girl took the dish to her
step-mother, and was glad, and believed that now she would be allowed
to go with them to the festival. But the step-mother said, "No,
Cinderella, thou hast no clothes and thou canst not dance; thou wouldst
only be laughed at." And as Cinderella wept at this, the step-mother
said, "If thou canst pick two dishes of lentils out of the ashes for me
in one hour, thou shalt go with us." And she thought to herself, "That
she most certainly cannot do." When the step-mother had emptied the two
dishes of lentils amongst the ashes, the maiden went through the
back-door into the garden and cried, You tame pigeons, you
turtle-doves, and all you birds under heaven, come and help me to pick

"The good into the pot,
The bad into the crop."


Then two white pigeons came in by the kitchen-window, and afterwards
the turtle-doves, and at length all the birds beneath the sky, came
whirring and crowding in, and alighted amongst the ashes. And the doves
nodded with their heads and began pick, pick, pick, pick, and the
others began also pick, pick, pick, pick, and gathered all the good
seeds into the dishes, and before half an hour was over they had
already finished, and all flew out again. Then the maiden carried the
dishes to the step-mother and was delighted, and believed that she
might now go with them to the festival. But the step-mother said, "All
this will not help thee; thou goest not with us, for thou hast no
clothes and canst not dance; we should be ashamed of thee!" On this she
turned her back on Cinderella, and hurried away with her two proud
daughters.

As no one was now at home, Cinderella went to her mother's grave
beneath the hazel-tree, and cried,

"Shiver and quiver, little tree,
Silver and gold throw down over me."


Then the bird threw a gold and silver dress down to her, and slippers
embroidered with silk and silver. She put on the dress with all speed,
and went to the festival. Her step-sisters and the step-mother however
did not know her, and thought she must be a foreign princess, for she
looked so beautiful in the golden dress. They never once thought of
Cinderella, and believed that she was sitting at home in the dirt,
picking lentils out of the ashes. The prince went to meet her, took her
by the hand and danced with her. He would dance with no other maiden,
and never left loose of her hand, and if any one else came to invite
her, he said, "This is my partner."

She danced till it was evening, and then she wanted to go home. But the
King's son said, "I will go with thee and bear thee company," for he
wished to see to whom the beautiful maiden belonged. She escaped from
him, however, and sprang into the pigeon-house. The King's son waited
until her father came, and then he told him that the stranger maiden
had leapt into the pigeon-house. The old man thought, "Can it be
Cinderella?" and they had to bring him an axe and a pickaxe that he
might hew the pigeon-house to pieces, but no one was inside it. And
when they got home Cinderella lay in her dirty clothes among the ashes,
and a dim little oil-lamp was burning on the mantle-piece, for
Cinderella had jumped quickly down from the back of the pigeon-house
and had run to the little hazel-tree, and there she had taken off her
beautiful clothes and laid them on the grave, and the bird had taken
them away again, and then she had placed herself in the kitchen amongst
the ashes in her grey gown.

Next day when the festival began afresh, and her parents and the
step-sisters had gone once more, Cinderella went to the hazel-tree and
said--

"Shiver and quiver, my little tree,
Silver and gold throw down over me."


Then the bird threw down a much more beautiful dress than on the
preceding day. And when Cinderella appeared at the festival in this
dress, every one was astonished at her beauty. The King's son had
waited until she came, and instantly took her by the hand and danced
with no one but her. When others came and invited her, he said, "She is
my partner." When evening came she wished to leave, and the King's son
followed her and wanted to see into which house she went. But she
sprang away from him, and into the garden behind the house. Therein
stood a beautiful tall tree on which hung the most magnificent pears.
She clambered so nimbly between the branches like a squirrel that the
King's son did not know where she was gone. He waited until her father
came, and said to him, "The stranger-maiden has escaped from me, and I
believe she has climbed up the pear-tree." The father thought, "Can it
be Cinderella?" and had an axe brought and cut the tree down, but no
one was on it. And when they got into the kitchen, Cinderella lay there
amongst the ashes, as usual, for she had jumped down on the other side
of the tree, had taken the beautiful dress to the bird on the little
hazel-tree, and put on her grey gown.

On the third day, when the parents and sisters had gone away,
Cinderella went once more to her mother's grave and said to the little
tree--

"Shiver and quiver, my little tree,
Silver and gold throw down over me."


And now the bird threw down to her a dress which was more splendid and
magnificent than any she had yet had, and the slippers were golden. And
when she went to the festival in the dress, no one knew how to speak
for astonishment. The King's son danced with her only, and if any one
invited her to dance, he said, "She is my partner."

When evening came, Cinderella wished to leave, and the King's son was
anxious to go with her, but she escaped from him so quickly that he
could not follow her. The King's son had, however, used a strategem,
and had caused the whole staircase to be smeared with pitch, and there,
when she ran down, had the maiden's left slipper remained sticking. The
King's son picked it up, and it was small and dainty, and all golden.
Next morning, he went with it to the father, and said to him, "No one
shall be my wife but she whose foot this golden slipper fits." Then
were the two sisters glad, for they had pretty feet. The eldest went
with the shoe into her room and wanted to try it on, and her mother
stood by. But she could not get her big toe into it, and the shoe was
too small for her. Then her mother gave her a knife and said, "Cut the
toe off; when thou art Queen thou wilt have no more need to go on
foot." The maiden cut the toe off, forced the foot into the shoe,
swallowed the pain, and went out to the King's son. Then he took her on
his horse as his bride and rode away with her. They were, however,
obliged to pass the grave, and there, on the hazel-tree, sat the two
pigeons and cried,

"Turn and peep, turn and peep,
There's blood within the shoe,
The shoe it is too small for her,
The true bride waits for you."


Then he looked at her foot and saw how the blood was streaming from it.
He turned his horse round and took the false bride home again, and said
she was not the true one, and that the other sister was to put the shoe
on. Then this one went into her chamber and got her toes safely into
the shoe, but her heel was too large. So her mother gave her a knife
and said, "Cut a bit off thy heel; when thou art Queen thou wilt have
no more need to go on foot." The maiden cut a bit off her heel, forced
her foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and went out to the King's
son. He took her on his horse as his bride, and rode away with her, but
when they passed by the hazel-tree, two little pigeons sat on it and
cried,

"Turn and peep, turn and peep,
There's blood within the shoe
The shoe it is too small for her,
The true bride waits for you."


He looked down at her foot and saw how the blood was running out of her
shoe, and how it had stained her white stocking. Then he turned his
horse and took the false bride home again. "This also is not the right
one," said he, "have you no other daughter?" "No," said the man, "There
is still a little stunted kitchen-wench which my late wife left behind
her, but she cannot possibly be the bride." The King's son said he was
to send her up to him; but the mother answered, "Oh, no, she is much
too dirty, she cannot show herself!" He absolutely insisted on it, and
Cinderella had to be called. She first washed her hands and face clean,
and then went and bowed down before the King's son, who gave her the
golden shoe. Then she seated herself on a stool, drew her foot out of
the heavy wooden shoe, and put it into the slipper, which fitted like a
glove. And when she rose up and the King's son looked at her face he
recognized the beautiful maiden who had danced with him and cried,
"That is the true bride!" The step-mother and the two sisters were
terrified and became pale with rage; he, however, took Cinderella on
his horse and rode away with her. As they passed by the hazel-tree, the
two white doves cried--

"Turn and peep, turn and peep,
No blood is in the shoe,
The shoe is not too small for her,
The true bride rides with you,"


and when they had cried that, the two came flying down and placed
themselves on Cinderella's shoulders, one on the right, the other on
the left, and remained sitting there.

When the wedding with the King's son had to be celebrated, the two
false sisters came and wanted to get into favour with Cinderella and
share her good fortune. When the betrothed couple went to church, the
elder was at the right side and the younger at the left, and the
pigeons pecked out one eye of each of them. Afterwards as they came
back, the elder was at the left, and the younger at the right, and then
the pigeons pecked out the other eye of each. And thus, for their
wickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness as long as
they lived.
