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Grimms' Fairy Tales
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 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.
From Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Household Tales, trans. Margaret
Hunt (London: George Bell, 1884), 1:93-100. |
