Aschenputtel (Cinderella)

The wife of a rich man fell sick, and as she felt her end drawing near, she called her only daughter to her bedside and said, 'Dear child, be good and pious, and then the good God shall always protect thee, and I will look down on thee from heaven and be near thee.' Thereupon she closed her eyes and departed. The girl went out to her mother's grave every day 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, who were beautiful and fair of face, but vile and black of heart. Now began a bad time for the poor step-child. 'Shall the stupid goose sit in the parlour with us?' said they. 'He who would eat bread must earn it. Out with the kitchen-wench!' They took away her fine clothes, gave her an old grey frock, and coarse 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 early, draw water, make the fires, cook, and wash. Besides this, the sisters did her every possible injury, they mocked her and threw peas and lentils into the ashes, so that she was forced to sit and pick them out. In the evening when she was tired, she had no bed, but had to lie by the hearth among the ashes, and as she, on that account, always looked dusty and dirty, they called her Aschenputtel (Cinderella).

It happened once that the father was going to the fair, and he asked his two step-daughters what he should bring back for them. 'Beautiful dresses,' said the one, 'Pearls and jewels,' said the second. 'But you, Cinderella,' said he, 'what will you 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 the two step-sisters, and on his way back, 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 the step-sisters what they had wished for, and to Cinderella he gave the branch from the hazel-bush. Cinderella, who went to her mother's grave, planted the branch there, and wept so much that her tears fell on it and watered it. It grew, however, and became a beautiful tree. Three times every day Cinderella went and sat beneath it, and wept and prayed, and a little white bird always came on the tree, and when Cinderella expressed a wish, the bird threw down to her what she had wished for.

It happened, however, that the King gave a festival which was to last three days. All the beautiful young girls in the country were invited, in order that his son might choose a bride from among them. When the two step-sisters heard that they, too, were to appear, 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 castle.' Cinderella obeyed, but wept, because she too would have liked to go to the dance with them, and begged her step-mother to allow her to do so. 'You!' cried the step-mother, 'you all covered with dust and dirt, you want to go to the festival? You have neither clothes nor shoes, and yet you want to dance!' But as Cinderella kept on asking, the step-mother at last said, 'I have emptied a dish of lentils into the ashes for you; if you have picked them out again in two hours, you shall go with us.' The maiden went through the back-door into the garden, and called out, '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 through the window, and afterwards the turtle-doves, and at last all the birds beneath the sky, came whirring and crowding, 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 one hour had passed before they were finished, and they all flew out again. The girl took the dish to her step-mother, and was delighted, thinking that now she would be allowed to go with them to the festival. But the step-mother said, 'No, Cinderella, you have no clothes and you don't know how to dance. Everyone would only laugh at you.' And as Cinderella was crying, she added, 'One chance, however, is still left for you. If you can pick two dishes of lentils out of the ashes for me in one hour, you shall go with us.' And she thought to herself, 'That she certainly cannot do again.' The maiden, however, went through the back-door into the garden, and called out, '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 through the window, and afterwards the turtle-doves, and at last all the birds beneath the sky, came whirring and crowding, 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 dishes. And before half an hour had passed they were finished, and they all flew out again. The girl now carried the dishes to the step-mother, and was delighted to think that she might now go with them to the festival. But she said, 'It is of no use, you have no clothes and cannot dance. We should be ashamed of you.' At this she turned away and paid no more attention to her.

So when the parents and step-sisters had gone away to the festival, 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 down to her a gold and silver dress and silk 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 recognize her, and thought she must be a foreign princess, for she looked so beautiful in the golden dress. The prince approached her, took her by the hand, and danced with her. He would dance with no other maiden, and never let loose of her hand, and if any one else came to invite her, he said, 'She is my partner.'

When evening came she wanted to go home, and the prince said he would go with her and escort her, for he wished to see to whom the beautiful maiden belonged. She escaped from him, however, and sprang into the pigeon-house. The prince waited until her father came, and then he told him that the unknown 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. When they got home Cinderella lay in her dirty clothes among the ashes, for she had jumped down on the other side of the tree, had taken the beautiful dress to the bird on the hazel-tree, and put on her old rags.

On the second day when the parents and sisters had gone again to the festival, Cinderella went to the hazel-tree and said, 'Shiver and quiver, little tree,

Silver and gold throw down over me.'

Then the bird threw down a still more splendid dress than on the preceding day. And when Cinderella appeared at the festival in this dress, every one was astonished at her beauty. The prince 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 prince followed her to see into which house she went. But she sprang away from him, and into the garden behind the house. There stood a beautiful fine tree, which bore most splendid pears; she leapt as lightly as a squirrel among the branches, and the prince did not know where she was gone. He waited until her father came, and said to him, 'The unknown maiden has escaped me, and I believe she has climbed up the pear-tree.' The father thought, 'Can it be Cinderella?' and he had an axe brought and cut down the tree, but no one was on it. And when they got into the kitchen, Cinderella lay there among the ashes as usual, for she had jumped down on the other side of the tree, and had carried the beautiful dress back to the bird on the hazel-tree.

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, 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 of gold. When she went to the festival in this dress, every one was speechless with astonishment. The prince alone danced with her, and if any one else invited her, he said, 'She is my partner.'

When evening came, Cinderella wanted to leave, and the prince was anxious to go with her, but she escaped from him so quickly that he could not follow her. The prince, however, had employed a ruse, and had caused the whole staircase to be smeared with pitch. There, when she ran down, her left slipper stuck. The prince picked it up. It was small and dainty, and of pure gold. The next morning, he went to the father and declared to him that the one whose foot could wear the golden slipper was to be his wife. The two sisters were delighted to hear this, for they had beautiful feet. The eldest went into her room to try the slipper on, but her mother stood by. But she could not get her big toe into it, for the shoe was too small for her. Then her mother said to her, 'Cut your toe off; when you are Queen you will have no more need to go on foot.' The maiden cut her toe off, forced her foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and went out to the prince. Then he took her on his horse as his bride, and rode away. They were obliged, however, 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 flowing. He turned his horse round and took the false bride home again. 'This is not the right one either,' said he, 'have you no other daughter?' 'No,' said the man, 'only the dead step-daughter from my first wife, and she is too dirty, and cannot possibly be the bride.' But the prince insisted on her being sent for. But she had to wash and clean herself first. When she went in and looked at the prince's face she recognized him, for she had seen him dancing at the festival. He stood still and looked at her, and then said, 'This is the true bride.' The step-mother and the two sisters were terrified and became pale with anger. He, however, took Cinderella on his horse and rode away. As they passed the hazel-tree, the two white pigeons cried:

'Turn and peep, turn and peep, No blood's within the shoe, The shoe fits well the foot so small, The true bride rides with you.'

And when they had cried that, the two both came 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 prince was to be celebrated, the two false sisters came, wanting to gain favour and share in the happiness. The one was on her left side, the other on her right, and the pigeons pecked out one eye of each of them. And as they went out on the wedding-day, the one was on the left side, and the other on the right, and the pigeons pecked out the other eye of each of them. And thus, for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness as long as they lived.