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Grimms' Fairy Tales
The
Singing, Springing Lark
There was once on a time a man who was about
to set out on a long journey, and on parting he asked his
three daughters what he should bring back with him for them.
Whereupon the eldest wished for pearls, the second wished
for diamonds, but the third said, "Dear father, I should
like a singing, soaring lark." The father said, "Yes,
if I can get it, you shall have it," kissed all three,
and set out. Now when the time had come for him to be on
his way home again, he had brought pearls and diamonds for
the two eldest, but he had sought everywhere in vain for
a singing, soaring lark for the youngest, and he was very
unhappy about it, for she was his favorite child. Then his
road lay through a forest, and in the midst of it was a
splendid castle, and near the castle stood a tree, but quite
on the top of the tree, he saw a singing, soaring lark.
"Aha, you come just at the right moment!" he said,
quite delighted, and called to his servant to climb up and
catch the little creature. But as he approached the tree,
a lion leapt from beneath it, shook himself, and roared
till the leaves on the trees trembled. "He who tries
to steal my singing, soaring lark," he cried, "will
I devour." Then the man said, "I did not know
that the bird belonged to thee. I will make amends for the
wrong I have done and ransom myself with a large sum of
money, only spare my life." The lion said, "Nothing
can save thee, unless thou wilt promise to give me for mine
own what first meets thee on thy return home; and if thou
wilt do that, I will grant thee thy life, and thou shalt
have the bird for thy daughter, into the bargain."
But the man hesitated and said, "That might be my youngest
daughter, she loves me best, and always runs to meet me
on my return home." The servant, however, was terrified
and said, "Why should your daughter be the very one
to meet you, it might as easily be a cat, or dog?"
Then the man allowed himself to be over-persuaded, took
the singing, soaring lark, and promised to give the lion
whatsoever should first meet him on his return home.
When he reached home and entered his house, the first who
met him was no other than his youngest and dearest daughter,
who came running up, kissed and embraced him, and when she
saw that he had brought with him a singing, soaring lark,
she was beside herself with joy. The father, however, could
not rejoice, but began to weep, and said, "My dearest
child, I have bought the little bird dear. In return for
it, I have been obliged to promise thee to a savage lion,
and when he has thee he will tear thee in pieces and devour
thee," and he told her all, just as it had happened,
and begged her not to go there, come what might. But she
consoled him and said, "Dearest father, indeed your
promise must be fulfilled. I will go thither and soften
the lion, so that I may return to thee safely." Next
morning she had the road pointed out to her, took leave,
and went fearlessly out into the forest. The lion, however,
was an enchanted prince and was by day a lion, and all his
people were lions with him, but in the night they resumed
their natural human shapes. On her arrival she was kindly
received and led into the castle. When night came, the lion
turned into a handsome man, and their wedding was celebrated
with great magnificence. They lived happily together, remained
awake at night, and slept in the daytime. One day he came
and said, "To-morrow there is a feast in thy father's
house, because your eldest sister is to be married, and
if thou art inclined to go there, my lions shall conduct
thee." She said, "Yes, I should very much like
to see my father again," and went thither, accompanied
by the lions. There was great joy when she arrived, for
they had all believed that she had been torn in pieces by
the lion, and had long ceased to live. But she told them
what a handsome husband she had, and how well off she was,
remained with them while the wedding-feast lasted, and then
went back again to the forest. When the second daughter
was about to be married, and she was again invited to the
wedding, she said to the lion, "This time I will not
be alone, thou must come with me." The lion, however,
said that it was too dangerous for him, for if when there
a ray from a burning candle fell on him, he would be changed
into a dove, and for seven years long would have to fly
about with the doves. She said, "Ah, but do come with
me, I will take great care of thee, and guard thee from
all light." So they went away together, and took with
them their little child as well. She had a chamber built
there, so strong and thick that no ray could pierce through
it; in this he was to shut himself up when the candles were
lit for the wedding-feast. But the door was made of green
wood which warped and left a little crack which no one noticed.
The wedding was celebrated with magnificence, but when the
procession with all its candles and torches came back from
church, and passed by this apartment, a ray about the bredth
of a hair fell on the King's son, and when this ray touched
him, he was transformed in an instant, and when she came
in and looked for him, she did not see him, but a white
dove was sitting there. The dove said to her, "For
seven years must I fly about the world, but at every seventh
step that you take I will let fall a drop of red blood and
a white feather, and these will show thee the way, and if
thou followest the trace thou canst release me." Thereupon
the dove flew out at the door, and she followed him, and
at every seventh step a red drop of blood and a little white
feather fell down and showed her the way.
So she went continually further and further in the wide
world, never looking about her or resting, and the seven
years were almost past; then she rejoiced and thought that
they would soon be delivered, and yet they were so far from
it! Once when they were thus moving onwards, no little feather
and no drop of red blood fell, and when she raised her eyes
the dove had disappeared. And as she thought to herself,
"In this no man can help thee," she climbed up
to the sun, and said to him, "Thou shinest into every
crevice, and over every peak, hast thou not seen a white
dove flying?" "No," said the sun, "I
have seen none, but I present thee with a casket, open it
when thou art in sorest need." Then she thanked the
sun, and went on until evening came and the moon appeared;
she then asked her, "Thou shinest the whole night through,
and on every field and forest, hast thou not seen a white
dove flying?" "No," said the moon, "I
have seen no dove, but here I give thee an egg, break it
when thou art in great need." She thanked the moon,
and went on until the night wind came up and blew on her,
then she said to it, "Thou blowest over every tree
and under every leaf, hast thou not seen a white dove flying?"
"No," said the night wind, "I have seen none,
but I will ask the three other winds, perhaps they have
seen it." The east wind and the west wind came, and
had seen nothing, but the south wind said, "I have
seen the white dove, it has flown to the Red Sea, where
it has become a lion again, for the seven years are over,
and the lion is there fighting with a dragon; the dragon,
however, is an enchanted princess." The night wind
then said to her, "I will advise thee; go to the Red
Sea, on the right bank are some tall reeds, count them,
break off the eleventh, and strike the dragon with it, then
the lion will be able to subdue it, and both then will regain
their human form. After that, look round and thou wilt see
the griffin which is by the Red Sea; swing thyself, with
thy beloved, on to his back, and the bird will carry you
over the sea to your own home. Here is a nut for thee, when
thou are above the center of the sea, let the nut fall,
it will immediately shoot up, and a tall nut-tree will grow
out of the water on which the griffin may rest; for if he
cannot rest, he will not be strong enough to carry you across,
and if thou forgettest to throw down the nut, he will let
you fall into the sea."
Then she went thither, and found everything as the night
wind had said. She counted the reeds by the sea, and cut
off the eleventh, struck the dragon therewith, whereupon
the lion overcame it, and immediately both of them regained
their human shapes. But when the princess, who had before
been the dragon, was delivered from enchantment, she took
the youth by the arm, seated herself on the griffin, and
carried him off with her. There stood the poor maiden who
had wandered so far and was again forsaken. She sat down
and cried, but at last she took courage and said, "Still
I will go as far as the wind blows and as long as the cock
crows, until I find him," and she went forth by long,
long roads, until at last she came to the castle where both
of them were living together; there she heard that soon
a feast was to be held, in which they would celebrate their
wedding, but she said, "God still helps me," and
opened the casket that the sun had given her. A dress lay
therein as brilliant as the sun itself. So she took it out
and put it on, and went up into the castle, and everyone,
even the bride herself, looked at her with astonishment.
The dress pleased the bride so well that she thought it
might do for her wedding-dress, and asked if it was for
sale? "Not for money or land," answered she, "but
for flesh and blood." The bride asked her what she
meant by that, so she said, "Let me sleep a night in
the chamber where the bridegroom sleeps." The bride
would not, yet wanted very much to have the dress; at last
she consented, but the page was to give the prince a sleeping-draught.
When it was night, therefore, and the youth was already
asleep, she was led into the chamber; she seated herself
on the bed and said, "I have followed after thee for
seven years. I have been to the sun and the moon, and the
four winds, and have enquired for thee, and have helped
thee against the dragon; wilt thou, then quite forget me?"
But the prince slept so soundly that it only seemed to him
as if the wind were whistling outside in the fir-trees.
When therefore day broke, she was led out again, and had
to give up the golden dress. And as that even had been of
no avail, she was sad, went out into a meadow, sat down
there, and wept. While she was sitting there, she thought
of the egg which the moon had given her; she opened it,
and there came out a clucking hen with twelve chickens all
of gold, and they ran about chirping, and crept again under
the old hen's wings; nothing more beautiful was ever seen
in the world! Then she arose, and drove them through the
meadow before her, until the bride looked out of the window.
The little chickens pleased her so much that she immediately
came down and asked if they were for sale. "Not for
money or land, but for flesh and blood; let me sleep another
night in the chamber where the bridegroom sleeps."
The bride said, "Yes," intending to cheat her
as on the former evening. But when the prince went to bed
he asked the page what the murmuring and rustling in the
night had been? On this the page told all; that he had been
forced to give him a sleeping-draught, because a poor girl
had slept secretly in the chamber, and that he was to give
him another that night. The prince said, "Pour out
the draught by the bed-side." At night, she was again
led in, and when she began to relate how ill all had fared
with her, he immediately recognized his beloved wife by
her voice, sprang up and cried, "Now I really am released!
I have been as it were in a dream, for the strange princess
has bewitched me so that I have been compelled to forget
thee, but God has delivered me from the spell at the right
time." Then they both left the castle secretly in the
night, for they feared the father of the princess, who was
a sorcerer, and they seated themselves on the griffin which
bore them across the Red Sea, and when they were in the
midst of it, she let fall the nut. Immediately a tall nut-tree
grew up, whereon the bird rested, and then carried them
home, where they found their child, who had grown tall and
beautiful, and they lived thenceforth happily until their
death.
From Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Household Tales, trans. Margaret
Hunt (London: George Bell, 1884), 2:5-10. |
