The Bremen Town Musicians

A donkey had served his master faithfully for many years, carrying sacks to the mill, but as he grew old and weak, his master decided he was no longer useful and planned to kill him. The donkey, sensing his danger, decided to run away to Bremen, where he thought he could become a town musician.

On his journey, he met a dog who was panting as if he had run a long way. 'Why are you panting so, my friend?' asked the donkey. 'I am old and weak,' answered the dog, 'and I can no longer hunt. My master wanted to kill me, so I ran away. But how shall I earn my living now?' 'I am going to Bremen to become a town musician,' said the donkey. 'Come with me and join my orchestra. I will play the lute, and you shall beat the drum.'

The dog agreed, and they continued together. Soon they met a cat sitting by the roadside with a face as long as three rainy days. 'What is wrong with you, old whiskers?' asked the donkey. 'Who can be cheerful when his life is in danger?' answered the cat. 'Because I am old and my teeth are worn down, I prefer to sit by the stove and purr instead of chasing mice. So my mistress wanted to drown me. I escaped, but now I don't know where to go.' 'Come with us to Bremen,' said the donkey. 'You are a good singer for the night choir.'

The cat agreed, and the three traveled on. Soon they came to a farmyard where a rooster was crowing loudly. 'What are you crowing about?' asked the donkey. 'I am prophesying fine weather, for it is the day when our good woman is having company. But she has told the cook to cut off my head tonight and make soup out of me. Tonight I am to crow my last!' 'Better come with us, red crest,' said the donkey. 'We are going to Bremen to become musicians. You have a strong voice, and you can join us.'

The rooster was delighted, and all four went happily toward Bremen. But they could not reach the city that day, and as night fell, they came to a forest where they decided to spend the night. The donkey and dog lay down under a large tree, the cat climbed into the branches, and the rooster flew to the top, saying, 'I am safe there.' Before going to sleep, he looked around and saw a light in the distance. 'Surely there is a house not far away,' he said. 'It would be better to stay there than in this cold forest.' The donkey agreed, and they set off toward the light.

Soon they saw it was a robbers' house, and through the window they could see robbers enjoying a fine meal. They decided to scare the robbers away. The donkey stood on his hind legs, the dog jumped on the donkey's back, the cat climbed on the dog, and finally the rooster flew up and perched on the cat's head. At a signal, they began their music: the donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed, and the rooster crowed. Then they crashed through the window into the room, shattering the glass.

The terrified robbers fled into the forest, thinking a terrible monster had attacked them. The four companions sat down at the table and ate the leftovers, satisfied with their meal.

When it was dark, each found a sleeping place: the donkey lay on the dung heap, the dog behind the door, the cat on the hearth by the warm ashes, and the rooster flew up to a high beam. They all felt safe and soon fell asleep.

At midnight, when the robbers saw that the house was quiet, their captain sent one man back to investigate. Finding the cat's eyes glowing in the dark, he thought they were coals of fire and lit a match to light his pipe. The cat, thinking he was being attacked, scratched his face, the dog bit his leg, the donkey kicked him, and the rooster crowed so loudly that the robber fled back to his companions, crying, 'There is a terrible witch in that house! She scratched my face with her long fingers, a man with a knife cut my leg, a monster hit me with a club, and a judge on the roof called out, 'Bring the rascal here!' So the robbers never returned to the house.

The four musicians were so comfortable that they decided to stay, and the one who told this story is still alive to tell it.