The Golden Bird from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Read by Bob Neufeld. A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about the time when they began to grow ripe, it was found that every night one of them was gone. The king became very angry at this, and ordered the gardener to keep watch all night under the tree. The gardener said his eldest son to watch, but about twelve o'clock he fell asleep, and in the morning another of the apples was missing. Then the second son was ordered to watch, and at midnight he too fell asleep, and in the morning another apple was gone. Then the third son offered to keep watch, but the gardener at first would not let him, for fear some harm should come to him. However, at last he consented, and the young man laid himself under the tree to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard a rustling noise in the air, and a bird came flying that was of pure gold, and as it was snapping at one of the apples with its beak, the gardener's son jumped up and shot an arrow at it. But the arrow did the bird no harm, only it dropped a golden feather from its tail, and then flew away. The golden feather was brought to the king in the morning, and all the council was called together. Everyone agreed that it was worth more than all the wealth of the kingdom. But the king said, one feather is of no use to me, I must have the whole bird. Then the gardener's eldest son set out and thought to find the golden bird very easily, and when he had gone but a little way he came to a wood, and by the side of the wood he saw a fox sitting. So he took his bow and made ready to shoot at it. Then the fox said, do not shoot me, for I will give you good counsel. I know what your business is, and that you want to find the golden bird. You will reach a village in the evening, and when you get there you will see two inns opposite to each other, one of which is very pleasant and beautiful to look at. Go not in there, but rest for the night in the other, though it may appear to you to be very poor and mean. But the son thought to himself, what can such a beast as this know about the matter? So he shot his arrow at the fox, but he missed it, and it set up its tail above its back and ran into the wood. Then he went his way, and in the evening came to the village where the two inns were, and in one of these were people singing and dancing and feasting, but the other looked very dirty and poor. I should be very silly, said he, if I went to that shabby house and left this charming place. So he went into the smart house, and ate and drank at his ease, and forgot the bird and his country too. Time passed on, and as the eldest son did not come back, and no tidings were heard of him, the second son set out, and the same thing happened to him. He met the fox who gave him the good advice, but when he came to the two inns, his eldest brother was standing at the window where the merry-making was, and called to him to come in, and he could not withstand the temptation, but went in, and forgot the golden bird and his country in the same manner. Time passed on again, and the youngest son too wished to set out into the wide world to seek for the golden bird, but his father would not listen to it for a long while, for he was very fond of his son, and was afraid that some ill luck might happen to him also, and prevent his coming back. However, at last it was agreed he should go, for he would not rest at home, and as he came to the wood he met the fox and heard the same good counsel, but he was thankful to the fox and did not attempt his life as his brothers had done. Sit upon my tail, and you will travel faster." So he sat down, and the fox began to run, and away they went over stock and stone so quick that their hair whistled in the wind. When they came to the village, the son followed the fox's counsel, and without looking about him, went to the shabby inn, and rested there all night at his ease. In the morning came the fox again, and met him as he was beginning his journey, and said, Go straight forward till you come to a castle, before which lie a whole troop of soldiers fast asleep and snoring. Take no notice of them, but go into the castle, and pass on and on till you come to a room where the golden bird sits in a wooden cage. Close by it stands a beautiful golden cage, but do not try to take the bird out of the shabby cage and put it into the handsome one, otherwise you will repent it. Then the fox stretched out his tail again, and the young man sat himself down, and away they went over stock and stone till their hair whistled in the wind. Before the castle gate all was as the fox had said, so the son went in and found the chamber where the golden bird hung in a wooden cage, and below stood the golden cage, and the three golden apples that had been lost were lying close by it. Then thought he to himself, it would be a very droll thing to bring away such a fine bird in this shabby cage. So he opened the door and took hold of it, and put it into the golden cage. But the bird set up such a loud scream that all the soldiers awoke, and they took him prisoner and carried him before the king. The next morning the court sat to judge him, and when all was heard it sentenced him to die, unless he should bring the king the golden horse which could run as swiftly as the wind, and if he did this he was to have the golden bird given him for his own. So he set out once more on his journey sighing and in great despair, when on a sudden his friend the fox met him and said, You see now what has happened on account of your not listening to my counsel. I will still, however, tell you how to find the golden horse. If you will do as I bid you. You must go straight on till you come to the castle where the horse stands in his stall. By his side will lie the groom fast asleep and snoring. Take away the horse quietly, but be sure to put on the old leather saddle upon him, and not the golden one that is close by it. Then the son sat down on the fox's tail, and away they went over stock and stone till their hair whistled in the wind. Paul went right, and the groom lay snoring with his hand upon the golden saddle, but when the son looked at the horse he thought it a great pity to put the leather saddle upon it. I will give him the good one, said he, I am sure he deserves it. As he took up the golden saddle the groom awoke and cried out so loud that all the guards ran in and took him prisoner, and in the morning he was again brought before the court to be judged and was sentenced to die. But it was agreed that if he could bring thither the beautiful princess he should live and have the bird and the horse given him for his own. Then he went his way, very sorrowful, but the old fox came and said, Why did you not listen to me? If you had, you would have carried away both the bird and the horse. Yet will I once more give you counsel. Go straight on and in the evening you will arrive at a castle. At twelve o'clock at night the princess goes to the bathing-house.  But take care you do not suffer her to go and take leave of her father and mother. Then the fox stretched out his tail and so away they went over stock and stone till their hair whistled again. As they came to the castle all was as the fox had said, and at twelve o'clock the young man met the princess going to the bath and gave her a kiss, and she agreed to run away with him, but begged with many tears that he would let her take leave of her father. At first he refused, but she wept still more and more and fell at his feet till at last he consented. But the moment she came to her father's house the guards awoke and he was taken prisoner again. Then he was brought before the king, and the king said, You shall never have my daughter unless in eight days you dig away the hill that stops the view from my window. Now this hill was so big that the whole world could not take it away, and when he had worked for seven days and done very little, the fox came and said, Lie down and go to sleep. I will work for you. And in the morning he awoke and the hill was gone. So he went merrily to the king and told him that now that it was removed he must give him the princess. Then the king was obliged to keep his word, and away went the young man and the princess. The fox came and said to him, We will have all three, the princess, the horse, and the bird. Ah, said the young man, that would be a great thing, but how can you contrive it? If you will only listen, said the fox, it can be done. When you come to the king and he asks for the beautiful princess, you must say, Here she is. Then he will be very joyful, and you will mount the golden horse that they are to give you and put out your hand to take leave of them. But shake hands with the princess last. Then lift her quickly onto the horse behind you, clap your spurs to his side, and gallop away as fast as you can. All went right. Then the fox said, When you come to the castle where the bird is, I will stay with the princess at the door, and you will ride in and speak to the king, and when he sees that it is the right horse, he will bring out the bird. But you must sit still and say that you want to look at it to see whether it is the true golden bird. And when you get it into your hand, ride away. This too happened, as the fox said. They carried off the bird, the princess mounted again, and they rode on into a great wood.  But the young man refused to do it. So the fox said, I will at any rate give you good counsel. Beware of two things. Then no one from the gallows and sit down by the side of no river. Then away he went. Well, thought the young man, it is no hard matter to keep that advice. He rode on with the princess till at last he came to the village where he had left his two brothers, and there he heard a great noise and uproar, and when he asked what was the matter, the people said two men are going to be hanged. As he came nearer he saw that the two men were his brothers who had turned robbers. So he said, cannot they in any way be saved? But the people said no, unless he would bestow all his money upon the rascals and by their liberty. Then he did not stay to think about the matter, but paid what was asked, and his brothers were given up and went on with him towards their home. And as they came to the wood where the fox first met them, it was so cool and pleasant that the two brothers said, let us sit down by the side of the river and rest a while to eat and drink. So he said, yes, and forgot the fox's counsel and sat down on the side of the river.  Then there was great rejoicing made, but the horse would not eat, the bird would not sing, and the princess wept. The youngest son fell to the bottom of the river's bed. Luckily it was nearly dry, but his bones were almost broken and the bank was so steep that he could find no way to get out. Then the old fox came once more and scolded him for not following his advice. Otherwise no evil would have befallen him. Yet, said he, I cannot leave you here, so lay hold of my tail and hold fast. Then he pulled him out of the river and said to him, as he got upon the bank, your brothers have set watch to kill you if they find you in the kingdom. So he dressed himself as a poor man and came secretly to the king's court and was scarcely within the doors when the horse began to eat and the bird to sing and the princess left off weeping. And he went to the king and told him all his brothers' roguery and they were seized and punished and he had the princess given to him again and after the king's death he was heir to his kingdom. A long while after he went to walk one day in the wood and the old fox met him and besought him with tears in his eyes to kill him and cut off his head and feet and at last he did so and in a moment the fox was changed into a man and turned out to be the brother of the princess who had been lost a great many, many years. End of The Golden Bird Hans in Luck from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards Some men are born to good luck. All they do or try comes right. All that falls to them is so much gain. All their geese are swans. All their cards are trumps. Toss them which way you will. They will always, like porpoise, alight upon their legs and only move on so much the faster. The world may very likely not always think of them as they think of themselves but what care they for the world? What can it know about the matter? One of these lucky things was neighbor Hans. Seven long years he had worked hard for his master.  I must go home and see my poor mother once more. So pray, pay me my wages and let me go. When the master said, You have been a faithful and good servant, Hans, so your pay shall be handsome. Then he gave him a lump of silver as big as his head. Hans took out his pocket-hanker-chief, put the piece of silver into it, put over his shoulder, and jogged off on his road homewards. As he went lazily on, dragging one foot after another, a man came in sight, trotting gaily along on a capital horse. Ah! said Hans aloud, what a fine thing it is to ride on horseback. There he sits as easy and happy as if he was at home, in the chair by his fireside. He trips against no stones, saves shoe-leather, and gets on he hardly knows how. Hans did not speak so softly, but the horseman heard it all and said, Well, friend, why do you go on foot then? Ah! said he, I have this load to carry. To be sure it is silver, but it is so heavy that I can't hold up my head, and you must know it hurts my shoulder sadly. Well, what do you say of making an exchange? said the horseman, I will give you my horse, and you shall give me the silver, which will save your great deal of trouble carrying such a heavy load about with you. With all my heart, said Hans, but as you are so kind to me, I must tell you one thing, you will have a weary task to draw that silver about with you. However, the horseman got off, took the silver, helped Hans up, gave him the bridle into one hand and the whip into the other and said, When you want to go very fast, smack your lips loudly together and cry, Jeep!  No cares and no sorrow, a fig for your morrow will laugh and be merry, sing they don derri. After a time he thought he should like to go a little faster, so he smacked his lips and cried, Jeep! Away went the horse full gallop, and before Hans knew what he was about, he was thrown off and lay on his back by the roadside. His horse would have run off if a shepherd, who was coming by, driving a cow, had not stopped it. Hans soon came to himself and got up on his legs again, sadly vexed, and said to the shepherd, This riding is no joke, when a man has the luck to get upon a beast like this that stumbles and flings him off as if he would break his neck. However, I'm off now once for all. I like your cow now a great deal better than this smart beast that played me this trick, and has spoiled my best coat, you see, in this puddle, which, by to by, smells not very like a nose-gay. One can walk along at once leisure behind that cow, keep good company, and have milk, butter, cheese every day into the bargain. What would I give to have such a prize? Well, said the shepherd, if you are so fond of her, I will change my cow for your horse. I like to do good to my neighbours, even though I lose by it myself. Done, said Hans merrily, what a noble heart that good man has, thought he. Then the shepherd jumped upon the horse, wished Hans and the cow good morning, and away he rode. Hans brushed his coat, wiped his face and hands, rested a while, and then drove off his cow quietly, and thought his bargain a very lucky one. If I have only a piece of bread, and I certainly shall always be able to get that, I can, whatever I like, eat my butter and cheese with it, and when I am thirsty, I can milk my cow and drink the milk. And what can I wish for more? When he came to an inn, he halted, ate up all his bread, and gave away his last penny for a glass of beer. When he had rested himself, he set off again, driving his cow towards his mother's village. But the heat grew greater as soon as noon came on, till at last, as he found himself on a wide heath that would take him more than an hour to cross, he began to be so hot and parched that his tongue claved to the roof of his mouth. I can find a cure for this, thought he, thou I will milk my cow and quench my thirst. So he tied her to the stump of a tree, and held his leathery cap to milk into. But not a drop was to be had. Who would have thought that this cow, which was to bring him milk and butter and cheese, was all that time utterly dry? Hans had not thought of looking to that. While he was trying his luck in milking, and managing the matter very clumsily, the uneasy beast began to think him very troublesome, and at last gave him such a kick on the head as knocked him down. And there he lay a long while senseless.  Ah, what is the matter with you, my man? said the butcher as he helped him up. Hans told him what had happened, how he was dry and wanted to milk his cow, but found the cow was dry too. Then the butcher gave him a flask of ale, saying, there, drink and refresh yourself. Your cow will give no milk. Don't you see she is an old beast and good for nothing but the slaughterhouse? Alas, alas, said Hans, who would have thought it?  If I kill her, what will she be good for?  It is not tender enough for me. If it were a pig now, like that fat gentleman you are driving along at his ease, one could do something with it. It would, at any rate, make sausages. Well, said the butcher, I don't like to say no when one is asked to do a kind neighborly thing.  Heaven reward you for your kindness and self-denial, said Hans as he gave the butcher the cow, and taking the pig off the wheel-barrow drove it away, holding it by the string that was tied to its leg. So on he jogged, and all seemed now to go right with him. He had met with some misfortunes to be sure, but he was now well repaid for all. How could it be otherwise with such a travelling companion as he had at last got? The next man he met was a countryman carrying a fine white goose. The countryman stopped to ask what was o'clock. This led to further chat, and Hans told him all his luck, how he had had so many good bargains and how all the world went gay in smiling with him. The countryman then began to tell his tale and said he was going to take the goose to a christening. Feel, said he, how heavy it is, and yet it is only eight weeks old.  It has lived so well.  Meantime the countryman began to look grave and shook his head. Hark ye, said he, my brother friend, you seem a good sort of fellow, so I can't help doing you a kind turn.   I was dreadfully afraid when I saw you that you had got the squire's pig. If you have, and they catch you, it will be a bad job for you. The least they will do will be to throw you into the horse pond. Can you swim? Poor Hans was sadly frightened. Good man, cried he, pray, get me out of this scrape. I know nothing of where the pig was either bred or born, but he may have been the squire's for what I can tell. You know this country better than I do.  I ought to have something into the bargain, said the countryman.  It is not everyone would do so much for you as that. However, I will not be hard upon you as you are in trouble.  After all, thought he, that chap is pretty well taken in. I don't care whose pig it is, but wherever it came from, it has been a very good friend to me. I have much the best of the bargain. First there will be a capital roast, then the fat will find me in goose grease for six months, and then there are all the beautiful white feathers. I will put them into my pillow, and then I am sure I will sleep soundly without rocking. How happy my mother will be! Talk of a pig, indeed. Give me a fine fat goose! As he came to the next village, he saw a scissor grinder with his wheel working and singing. O hill and ordeal, so happy I roam, work light and live well, all the world is my home, then who so blind, so merry as I? Hans stood looking on for a while, and at last said, You must be well off, master grinder. You seem so happy at your work. Yes, said the other, mine is a golden trade. A good grinder never puts his hand into his pocket without finding money in it. But where did you get that beautiful goose? I did not buy it, I gave a pig for it. Ah, and where did you get the pig? I gave a cow for it. And the cow? I gave a horse for it. And the horse? I gave a lump of silver as big as my head for it. And the silver? Oh, I worked hard for that, seven long years. You have driven well in the world here, you said the grinder. Now, if you could find money in your pocket whenever you put your hand in it, your fortune would be made. Very true, but how is that to be managed? How? Why, you must turn grinder like myself, said the other. You only want a grindstone, the rest will come of itself. Here is one that is but little the worse for where. I could not ask more than the value of your goose for it. Will you buy? How can you ask? said Hans. I should be the happiest man in the world if I could have money whenever I put my hand in my pocket. Oh, what could I want more? There's the goose. Now, said the grinder, as he gave him a common rough stone that lay by his side, this is a most capital stone. Do but work it well enough and you can make an old nail cut with it. Hans took the stone and went his way with a light heart. His eyes sparkled for joy and he said to himself, surely I must have been born in a lucky hour. Everything I could want or wish for comes of itself. People are so kind, they seem really to think I do them a favour in letting them make me rich and giving me good bargains. Meantime he began to be tired and hungry too, for he had given away his last penny in his joy at getting the cow. At last he could go no farther, he soon tired him sadly and he dragged himself to the side of a river that he might take a drink of water and rest a while. So he laid the stone carefully by his side on the bank, but as he stooped down to drink he forgot it, pushed it a little and down it rolled plump into the stream. For a while he watched it sinking in the deep clear water. Then sprang up and danced for joy, then again fell upon his knees and fanged heaven with tears in his eyes for it kindness in taking away his only plague, the ugly, heavy stone. How happy am I? cried he. Nobody was ever so lucky as I. Then up he got with a light heart, free from all his troubles and walked on till he reached his mother's house and told her how very easy the road to good luck was. End of Hans in Luck Yorinda and Yorindel from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by Bob Newfield There was once an old castle that stood in the middle of a deep gloomy wood and in the castle lived an old fairy. Now this fairy could take any shape she pleased. All day long she flew about in the form of an owl or crept about the country like a cat. But at night she always became an old woman again. When any young man came within a hundred paces of her castle he became quite fixed and could not move a step till she came and set him free, which she would not do till he had given her his word never to come there again. But when any pretty maiden came within that space she was changed into a bird and the fairy put her into a cage and hung her up There were seven hundred of these cages hanging in the castle and all with beautiful birds in them. There was once a maiden whose name was Yorinda. She was prettier than all the pretty girls that ever were seen before and a shepherd lad whose name was Yorindel was very fond of her and they were soon to be married. One day they went to walk in the wood that they might be alone and Yorindel said, we must take care that we don't go too near it was a beautiful evening the last rays of the setting sun shone bright through the long stems of the trees upon the green underwood beneath and the turtle doves sang from the tall birches Yorinda sat down to gaze upon the sun Yorindel sat by her side and both felt sad they knew not why but it seemed as if they were to be parted from one another forever they had wandered a long way and when they had looked to see which way they should go home they found themselves at a loss to know what path to take. The sun was setting fast and already half of its circle had sunk behind the hill Yorindel on a sudden looked behind him and saw through the bushes that they had, without knowing it sat down close under the old walls of the castle then he shrank for fear turned pale and trembled Yorinda was just singing the ring dove sang from the willow pray well a day well a day he mourned for the fate of his darling mate well a day when her song stopped suddenly Yorindel turned to see the reason and beheld his Yorinda changed into a nightingale so that her song ended with a mournful chug chug an owl with fire in the eyes flew three times around them and three times screamed too woo too woo Yorindel could not move he stood fixed as a stone and could neither weep nor speak nor stir hand or foot and now the sun went down the gloomy night came and the owl flew into a bush and a moment after the old fairy came forth pale and meagre with staring eyes and a nose and chin that almost met one another she mumbled something to herself seized the nightingale and went away with it in her hand poor Yorindel saw the nightingale was gone but what could he do he could not speak he could not move from the spot where he stood at last the fairy came back and sang with a horse of voice till the prisoner is fast and her doom is cast there stay oh stay when the charm is around her and the spell has bound her stay away away on a sudden Yorindel found himself free then he fell on his knees before the fairy and prayed her to give him back his dill yorinda but she laughed at him and said he should never see her again then she went away he prayed he wept he sorrowed but all in vain alas he said what will become of me he went back to his own home so he went to a strange village and implored himself in keeping sheep many a time did he walk round and round as near to the hated castle as he dared go but all in vain he heard or saw nothing of Yorinda at last he dreamt one night that he found a beautiful purple flower and that in the middle of it lay a costly pearl and he dreamt that he plopped the flower and went with it in his hand into the castle and that everything he touched with it was disenchanted and that there he found his Yorinda again in the morning when he awoke he began to search over hill and dale for this pretty flower and eight long days he sought for it in vain but on the ninth day early in the morning he found the beautiful purple flower and in the middle of it was a large dew drop as big as a costly pearl then he plucked the flower and traveled day and night till he came again to the castle he walked nearer than a hundred paces to it and yet he did not become fixed as before but found that he could go quite close up to the door Yorinda was very glad indeed to see this then he touched the door with the flower and it sprang open so that he went in through the court and listened when he heard so many birds singing at last he came to the chamber where the fairy sat with the seven hundred birds singing in the seven hundred cages when she saw Yorinda she was very angry and screamed with rage but she could not come within two yards of him for the flower he held in his hand was his safeguard he looked around at the birds but alas there were many, many nightingales and how then should he find out which was his Yorinda while he was thinking what to do he saw the fairy had taken down one of the cages in the best of her way off through the door he ran or flew after her touched the cage with the flower and Yorinda stood before him and threw her arms round his neck looking as beautiful as ever as beautiful as when they walked together in the wood then he touched all the other birds with the flower so that they all took their old forms again and he took Yorinda home where they were married and lived happily together many years and so did a good many other lads whose maidens had been forced to sing in the old fairy's cages by themselves much longer than they liked and of Yorinda and Yorindel the traveling musicians from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld an honest farmer had once a donkey that had been a faithful servant to him a great many years but was now growing old and every day more and more unfit for work his master, therefore was tired of keeping him and began to think of putting an end to him but the donkey who saw that some mischief was in the wind took himself slyly off and began his journey towards the great city for there, thought he I may turn musician after he had travelled a little way he spied a dog lying by the roadside and panting as if he were tired what makes you pant so, my friend said the donkey alas, said the dog my master was going to knock me on the head because I am old and weak and can no longer make myself useful to him in hunting so I ran away but what can I do to earn my livelihood Hockey, said the donkey I am going to the great city to take musician suppose you go with me and try what you can do in the same way the dog said he was willing and they jogged on together they had not gone far before they saw a cat sitting in the middle of the road and making a most rueful face pray, my good lady said the donkey what's the matter with you you look quite out of spirits ah, me, said the cat how can one be in good spirits when one's life is in danger because I am beginning to grow old and had rather lie at my ease by the fire than run about the house after the mice my mistress laid hold of me and was going to drown me and though I have been lucky enough to get away from her I do not know what I am to live upon oh, said the donkey by all means go with us to the great city a light singer and may make your fortune as a musician the cat was pleased with the thought and joined the party soon afterwards as they were passing by a farmyard they saw a rooster perched upon a gate and screaming out with all his might and mane bravo, said the donkey upon my word you make a famous noise pray what is all this about my, said the rooster I was just now saying that we should have fine weather and yet my mistress and the cook don't thank me for my pains but threaten to cut off my head tomorrow and make breath of me for the guests that are coming on Sunday heaven forbid, said the donkey come with us, master shanta clear it will be better at any rate than staying here to have your head cut off besides, who knows if we care to sing in tune we may get up some kind of a concert so come along with us with all my heart, said the rooster so they all four went on jollyly together they could not, however reach the great city the first day so, when night came on they went into a wood to sleep the donkey and the dog laid themselves down under a great tree and the cat climbed up into the branches while the rooster, thinking that the higher he sat the safer he should be flew up to the very top of the trees and then, according to his custom before he went to sleep, looked out on all sides of him to see that everything was well in doing this he saw a far-off something bright and shining and calling to his companions said there must be a house no great way off for I see a light if that be the case, said the donkey we had better change our quarters for our lodging is not the best in the world besides, added the dog I should not be the worse for a bone or a bit of meat so they walked off together towards the spot where Shanticleer had seen the light and as they drew near it became larger and brighter till they at last came close to a house in which a gang of robbers lived the donkey, being the tallest of the company, perched up to the window and peeped in well, donkey, said Shanticleer what do you see what do I see? replied the donkey why, I see a table spread with all kinds of good things and robbers sitting round it making merry that would be a noble lodging for us said the rooster yes, said the donkey if we could only get in so they consulted together how they should contrived to get the robbers out and at last they hit upon a plan the donkey placed himself upright on his hind legs with his four feet resting against the window the dog got upon his back his shoulders and the rooster flew up and sat upon the cat's head when all was ready a signal was given and they began their music the donkey braided, the dog barked the cat mewed and the rooster screamed and then they all broke through the window at once and came tumbling into the room amongst the broken glass with a most hideous clatter the robbers, who had been not a little frightened by the opening concert a delightful hobgoblin had broken in upon them and scampered away as fast as they could the coast once clear our traveller soon sat down and dispatched what the robbers had left with as much eagerness as if they had not expected to eat again for a month as soon as they had satisfied themselves they put out the lights and each once more sought out a resting place to his own liking the donkey laid himself down upon a heap of straw in the yard the rooster himself upon a mat behind the door the cat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes and the rooster perched upon a beam on the top of the house and as they were all rather tired with their journey they soon fell asleep but about midnight when the robbers saw from afar that the lights were out and that all seemed quiet they began to think that they had been in too great a hurry to run away and one of them, who was bolder than the rest went to see what was going on finding everything still he marched into the kitchen and groped about till he found a match in order to light a candle and then, espying the glittering fiery eyes of the cat he mistook them for live coals and held the match to them to light it but the cat, not understanding his joke sprang at his face and spat and scratched at him this frightened him dreadfully and away he ran to the back door but there the dog jumped up and bit him in the leg and as he was crossing over the yard the donkey kicked him and the rooster, who had been awakened by the noise crowed with all his might at this the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades and told the captain how a horrid witch had got him into the house and had spat at him and scratched his face with her long bony fingers how a man with a knife in his hand had hidden himself behind the door and stabbed him in the leg that monster stood in the yard and struck him with a club and how the devil had sat up on the top of the house and cried out throw the rascal up here after this the robbers never dared to go back to the house but the musicians were so pleased with their quarters that they took up their abode there and there they are, I dare say at this very day end of the traveling musicians old Sultan from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld a shepherd had a faithful dog called Sultan who was grown very old and had lost all his teeth and one day when the shepherd and his wife were standing together before the house the shepherd said tomorrow morning for he is of no use now but his wife said pray let the poor faithful creature live he has served us well a great many years and we ought to give him a livelihood for the rest of his days but what can we do with him said the shepherd he has not had tooth in his head and the thieves don't care for him at all to be sure he has served us but then he did it to earn his livelihood tomorrow shall be his last day poor Sultan who was lying close by them heard all that the shepherd and his wife said to one another and was very much frightened to think tomorrow would be his last day so in the evening he went to his good friend the wolf who lived in the wood and told him all his sorrows and how his master meant to kill him in the morning make yourself easy said the wolf I will give you some good advice your master you know not every morning very early with his wife into the field and they take their little child with them and lay it down behind the hedge in the shade while they are at work now do you lie down close by the child and pretend to be watching it and I will come out of the wood and run away with it you must run after me as fast as you can and I will let it drop then you may carry it back and they will think you have saved their child and will be so thankful to you that they will take care of you as long as you live the dog liked this plan very well and accordingly so it was managed the wolf ran with the child a little way the shepherd and his wife screamed out but Sultan soon overtook him and carried the poor little thing back to his master and mistress then the shepherd patted him on the head and said whole Sultan has saved our child from the wolf and therefore he shall live and be well taken care of and have plenty to eat wife go home and give him a good dinner and let him have my old cushion to sleep on as long as he lives so from this time forward Sultan had all that he could wish for soon afterwards the wolf came and wished him joy and said now my good fellow you must tell no tales but turn your head the other way when I want to taste one of the old shepherd's fine fat sheep no said the Sultan I will be true to my master however the wolf thought he was in joke and came one night to get a dainty morsel but Sultan had told his master what the wolf meant to do so he laid wait for him behind the barn door and when the wolf was busy looking out for a good fat sheep he had a stout cudgel laid about his back that combed his locks for him finally then the wolf was very angry and called Sultan an old rogue and swore he would have his revenge so the next morning the wolf sent the boar to challenge Sultan to come into the wood to fight the madame now Sultan had nobody he could ask to be his second but the shepherd's old three-legged cat so he took her with him and as the poor thing limped along with some trouble she stuck up her tail straight in the air the wolf and the wild boar were first on the ground and when they aspired their enemies coming and saw the cat's long tail standing straight in the air they thought she was carrying a sword for Sultan to fight with and every time she limped they thought she was picking up a stone to throw at them so they said they should not like this way of fighting and the boar laid down behind a bush and the wolf jumped up into a tree Sultan and the cat soon came up and looked about and wondered that there was no one there the boar however had not quite hidden himself for his ears stuck out of the bush and when he shook one of them a little the cat, seeing something move and thinking it was a mouse, sprang upon it and bit and scratched it so that the boar jumped up and grunted and ran away, roaring out look up in the tree there sits the one who is to blame so they looked up and aspired the wolf sitting among the branches and they called him a cowardly rascal and would not suffer him to come down until he was heartily ashamed of himself and had promised to be good friends again with old Sultan and of old Sultan the straw, the coal and the bean from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld enough village to out a poor old woman who had gathered together a dish of beans and wanted to cook them so she made a fire on her cough and that it might burn the quicker she lighted it with a hen full of straw when she was emptying the beans into the pan one dropped without her observing it and lay on the ground beside a straw and soon afterwards a burning coal from the fire leaped down to the two Dear friends, from whence do you come here? I fortunately sprang out of the fire and if I had not escaped by sheer force my death would have been certain I should have been burnt to ashes the bean said I too have escaped with a whole skin but if the old woman had got me into the pan I should have been made into broth without any mercy, like my comrades and would a better fate have fallen to my lot? asked the straw the old woman has destroyed all my brethren in fire and smoke she seized sixty of them at once and took their lives I luckily slipped through her fingers but when are we to do now? said the coal I think, answered the bean that as we have so fortunately escaped death we should keep together like good companions and lest a new mischance should overtake us here we should go away together and repair to a foreign country the proposition pleased the two others and they set out on their way together soon, however, they came to a little brook since there was no bridge or foot plank they did not know how they were to get over it the straw hit on a good idea and said I will lay myself straight across and then you can walk over on me as on a bridge the straw, therefore, stretched itself from one bank to the other and the coal, who was of an impetuous disposition tripped quite boldly onto the newly built bridge but when she had reached the middle and heard the water rushing beneath her she was, after all, afraid and stood still and ventured no further the straw, however, began to burn broke in two pieces and fell into the stream the coal slipped after her hissed when she got into the water and breezed her last the bean, who had prudently stayed behind on the shore could not but laugh at the event was unable to stop and laughed so heartily that she burst it would have been all over with her likewise if, by good fortune who was travelling in search of work had not sat down to rest by the brook as he had a compassionate heart he pulled out his needle and thread and sewed her together the bean thanked him most prettily but, as the tailor used black thread all beans since then have a black seam end of the straw, the coal and the bean prior rows from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bobnefeld a king and queen once upon a time reigned in a country a great way off where there were, in those days, fairies now this king and queen had plenty of money and plenty of fine clothes to wear and plenty of good things to eat and drink and a coach to ride out in every day but though they had been married many years they had no children and this grieved them very much indeed but one day as the queen was walking by the side of the river at the bottom of the garden she saw a poor little fish that had thrown itself out of the water and lay gasping and nearly dead on the bank then the queen took pity on the little fish and threw it back again into the water and before it swam away it lifted his head out of the water and said, I know what your wish is and it shall be fulfilled in return for your kindness to me and have a daughter what the little fish had foretold soon came to pass and the queen had a little girl so very beautiful that the king could not cease looking on her for joy and said he would hold a great feast and make merry and show the child to all the land so he asked his kinsmen and nobles and friends and neighbors but the queen said I will have the fairies also that they might be kind and good to our little daughter there were thirteen fairies in the kingdom but as the king and queen had only twelve golden dishes for them to eat out of they were forced to leave one of the fairies without asking her so twelve fairies came each with a high red cap on her head and red shoes with high heels on her feet and a long white wand in her hand and after the feast was over they gathered round in a ring and gave all their best gifts to the little princess one gave her goodness another beauty and so on till she had all that was good in the world just as eleven of them had done blessing her a great noise was heard in the courtyard and word was brought that the thirteenth fairy was come with a black cap on her head and black shoes on her feet and a broomstick in her hand and presently up she came into the dining hall now as she had not been asked to the feast she was very angry and scolded the king and queen very much to take her revenge so she cried out the king's daughter shall in her fifteenth year be wounded by a spindle and fall down dead then the twelfth of the friendly fairies who had not yet given her gifts came forward and said that the evil wish must be fulfilled but that she would soften its mischief so her gift was that the king's daughter when the spindle wounded her should not really die she should not really fall asleep for a hundred years however the king hoped still to save his dear child altogether from a threatened evil so he ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should be brought up and burnt but all the gifts of the first eleven fairies were in the meantime fulfilled for the princess was so beautiful and well behaved and good and wise that everyone who knew her loved her it happened that on the very day she was fifteen years old at home and she was left alone in the palace so she roved about by herself and looked at all the rooms and chambers till at last she came to an old tower to which there was a narrow staircase ending with a little door in the door was a golden key and when she turned it the door sprang open and there sat an old lady spinning away very busily why how now, good mother? said the princess what are you doing there? spinning? said the old lady and nodded her head humming a tune while buzz went the wheel how prettily that little thing turns round said the princess then took the spindle and began to try and spin but scarcely had she touched it before the fairies prophecy was fulfilled the spindle wounded her and she fell down lifeless on the ground however she was not dead but had only fallen into a deep sleep and the king and the queen who had just come home and all their court fell asleep too and the horses slept in the stables and the dogs in the court the pigeons on the housetop and the very flies slept upon the walls even the fire on the hearth left off blazing and went to sleep the jack stopped and the spit that was turning about with a goose upon it for the king's dinner stood still and the cook who was at that moment pulling the kitchen boy by the hair to give him a box on the ear and if there was something he had done amiss let him go and both fell asleep the butler who was slyly tasting the ale fell asleep with the jug at his lips and thus everything stood still and slept soundly a large hage of thorns soon grew round the palace and every year it became higher and thicker till at last the old palace was surrounded and hidden so that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen but there went a report all the land of the beautiful sleeping brier rose for so the king's daughter was called so that from time to time several king's sons came and tried to break through the thicket into the palace miss, however, none of them could ever do for the thorns and bushes laid hold of them as it were with hands and there they stuck fast and died wretchedly after many, many years there came a king's son into the land and an old man told him the story of the thicket of thorns and how a beautiful palace stood behind it and how a wonderful princess called brier rose lay in it asleep with all her court he told too that he had heard from his grandfather that many, many princess had come and had tried to break through the thicket but that they had all stuck fast in it and died and the young prince said all this shall not frighten me I will go and see this brier rose the old man tried to hinder him but he was bent upon going now that very day the hundred years were ended and as the prince came to the thicket he saw nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs through which he went with ease and they shot in after him as thick as ever then he came at last to the palace and there in the court lay the dogs asleep and the horses were standing in the stables and on the roof sat the pigeons fast asleep with their heads under their wings and when he came into the palace the flies were sleeping on the walls the spit was standing still the butler had the jug of ale in his lips going to drink a draught the maid sat with a foul in her lap ready to be plucked and the cook in the kitchen was still holding up her hand as if she was going to beat the boy then he went on still farther and all was so still that he could hear every breath he drew till at last he came to the old tower and opened the door of the little room in which Briarose was and there she lay fast asleep on a couch by the window she looked so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her so he stooped down and gave her a kiss but the moment he kissed her she opened her eyes and awoke and smiled upon him and they went out together and soon the king and queen also awoke and all the court and gazed on each other with great wonder and the horses shook themselves and the dogs jumped up and barked the pigeons took their heads from under their wings and looked about and flew into the fields the flies on the walls buzzed again the fire in the kitchen blazed up round went the jack and round went the spit with the goose for the king's dinner upon it the butler finished his draught of ale the maid went on plucking the foul and the cook gave the boy the box on his ear and then the prince and Briarose were married and the wedding feast was given and they lived happily together all their lives long end of Briarose the dog and the sparrow from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld a shepherd's dog had a master who took no care of him but often let him suffer the greatest hunger at last he could bear it no longer so he took to his heels and off he ran in a very sad and sorrowful mood on the road he met a sparrow that said to him why are you so sad, my friend? because said the dog I am very, very hungry and have nothing to eat oh, if that be all answered the sparrow come with me into the next town and I will soon find you plenty of food so on they went together into the town and as they passed by a butcher's shop the sparrow said to the dog stand there a little while till I peck you down a piece of meat so the sparrow perched upon the shelf and having first looked carefully about her to see if anyone was watching her she pecked and scratched at a steak that lay upon the edge of the shelf till at last down it fell then the dog snapped it up and scrambled away with it into a corner where he soon ate it all up said the sparrow you shall have some more if you will so come with me to the next shop and I will peck you down another steak when the dog had eaten this too the sparrow said to him well, my good friend, have you had enough now? I have had plenty of meat answered he but I should like to have a piece of bread to eat after it come with me then, said the sparrow and you shall have that too so she took him to a baker's shop to lay in the window till they fell down and as the dog still wished for more she took him to another shop and pecked down some more for him when that was eaten the sparrow asked him whether he had had enough now yes, said he now let us take a walk a little way out of the town so they both went out upon the high road but as the weather was warm they had not gone far before the dog said I am very much tired I should like to take a nap very well, answered the sparrow do so and in the meantime I will perch upon that bush so the dog stretched himself out on the road and fell fast asleep whilst he slept there came by a carter with a cart drawn by three horses and loaded with two casks of wine the sparrow, seeing that the carter did not turn out of the way but would go in the track in which the dog lay so as to drive over him cried out, stop, stop Mr. Carter, or it shall be the worse for you but the carter groaned to himself you make it worse for me indeed, what can you do cracked his whip and drove his cart over the poor dog so that the wheels crushed him to death there, cried the sparrow thou cruel villain thou hast killed my friend the dog now, mind what I say the deed of thine shall cost the all thou art worth do your worst and welcome said the brute what harm can you do me and passed on but the sparrow crept under the tilt of the cart and pecked at the bung of one of the casks till she loosened it and then all the wine ran out without the carter seeing it at last he looked round and saw that the cart was dripping and the cask quite empty oh, what an unlucky wretch I am cried he not wretch enough yet a lighted upon the head of one of the horses and pecked at him till he reared up and kicked when the carter saw this he drew out his hatchet and aimed a blow at the sparrow meaning to kill her but she flew away and the blow fell upon the poor horse's head with such force that he fell down dead oh, an unlucky wretch that I am not wretch enough yet said the sparrow and as the carter went on with the other two horses she again crept under the tilt of the cart and pecked out the bung of the second cask so that all the wine ran out when the carter saw this he again cried out miserable wretch that I am but the sparrow answered not wretch enough yet and perched on the head of the second horse and pecked at him too the carter ran up and struck at her again with his hatchet but away she flew and the blow fell upon the second horse on the spot alas, miserable wretch that I am cried he not wretch enough yet answered the sparrow as she flew away now will I plague and punish thee at thy own house the carter was forced at last to leave his cart behind him and to go home overflowing with rage and vexation alas said he to his wife what ill luck has befallen me my wine is all spilt and my horse is all three dead alas husband replied she and a wicked bird has come into the house and has brought with her all the birds in the world I am sure and they have fallen upon our corn in the loft and are eating it up at such a rate away round the husband upstairs and saw thousands of birds sitting upon the floor eating up his corn with the sparrow in the midst of them oh unlucky wretch that I am cried the carter for he saw that the corn was almost gone not wretch enough yet said the sparrow my cruelty shall cost thee thy life yet and away she flew the carter seeing that he had thus lost all that he had went down into his kitchen and was still not sorry for what he had done but sat himself angrily and sulkily in the chimney corner sat on the outside of the window and cried carter thy cruelty shall cost thee thy life with that he jumped up in a rage seized his hatchet and threw it at the sparrow but it missed her and only broke the window the sparrow now hopped in perched upon the window seat and cried carter it shall cost thee thy life then he became mad and blind with rage and struck the window seat with such force that he cleft it into and as the sparrow flew from place to place the carter and his wife were so furious that they broke all their furniture glasses chairs benches the table and at last the walls without touching the bird at all in the end however they caught her and the wife said shall I kill her at once now cried he that is letting her off too easily she shall die a much more cruel death I will eat her but the sparrow began to flutter about and stretch out her neck and cried carter it shall cost thee thy life yet with that he could wait no longer so he gave his wife the hatchet and cried wife strike at the bird and kill her in my hand and the wife struck but she missed her aim and hit her husband on the head so that he fell down dead and the sparrow flew quietly home to her nest end of the dog and the sparrow the twelve dancing princesses from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters they slept in twelve beds all in one room and when they went to bed the doors were shut and locked up but every morning their shoes were found to be quite worn through as if they had been danced in all night and yet nobody could find out how it happened or where they had been then the king made it known to all the land that if any person could discover the secret and find out where it was that the princesses danced in the night he should have the one he liked best for his wife and should be king after his death but whoever tried and did not succeed after three days and nights should be put to death a king's son soon came he was well entertained and in the evening was taken to the chamber next to the one where the princesses lay in their twelve beds there he was to sit and watch while they went to dance and in order that nothing might pass without his hearing it the door of his chamber was left open but the king's son soon fell asleep and when he awoke in the morning he found that the princesses had all been dancing and the soles of their shoes were full of holes the same thing happened on the second and third night so the king ordered his head to be cut off after him came several others but they had all the same luck and all lost their lives in the same manner now it chanced that an old soldier who had been wounded in battle and could fight no longer passed through the country where this king reigned and as he was travelling through a wood he met an old woman who asked him where he was going I hardly know where I'm going and what I had better do said the soldier but I think I should like very well to find out where it is that the princesses dance and then in time I might be a king well, said the old dame that is no very hard task only take care not to drink any of the wine which one of the princesses will bring to you in the evening and as soon as she leaves you pretend to be fast asleep then she gave him a cloak and as soon as you put that on you will become invisible and you will then be able to follow the princesses wherever they go when the soldier heard all this good counsel he determined to try his luck so he went to the king and said he was willing to undertake the task he was as well received as the others had been and the king ordered fine royal robes to be given him and when the evening came he was led to the outer chamber just as he was going to lie down the eldest of the princesses brought him a cup of wine but the soldier threw it away secretly taking care not to drink a drop then he laid himself down on his bed and in a little while began to snore very loud as if he was fast asleep when the twelve princesses heard this they laughed heartily and the eldest said this fellow too might have done a wiser thing than lose his life in this way then they rose up and opened their drawers and boxes and took out all their fine clothes and dressed themselves at the glass and skipped about as if they were eager to begin dancing but the youngest said I don't know how it is while you are so happy I feel very uneasy I am sure some mischance will be for us you simpleton said the eldest you are always afraid have you forgotten how many king's sons have already watched in vain and as for this soldier even if I had not given him his sleeping draft he would have slept soundly enough when they were all ready they went and looked at the soldier but he snored on and did not stir hand or foot so they thought they were quite safe and the eldest went up to her own bed and clapped her hands and the bed sank into the floor and a trap door flew open the soldier saw them going down through the trap door one after another the eldest leading the way and thinking he had no time to lose he jumped up, put on the cloak which the old woman had given him and followed them but in the middle of the stairs he trod on the gown of the youngest princess and she cried out to her sisters all is not right, someone took hold of my gown you silly creature said the eldest it is nothing but a nail in the wall then down they all went and at the bottom they found themselves in a most delightful grove of trees and the leaves were all of silver glittered and sparkled beautifully the soldier wished to take away some token of the place so he broke off a little branch and there came a loud noise from the tree then the youngest daughter said again I am sure all is not right did you not hear that noise? that never happened before but the eldest said it is only our princess who are shouting for joy at our approach then they came to another grove of trees where all the leaves were gold and afterwards to a third the leaves were all glittering diamonds and the soldier broke a branch from each and every time there was a loud noise which made the youngest sister tremble with fear but the eldest still said it was only the princess who were crying for joy so they went on till they came to a great lake and at the side of the lake there lay twelve little boats with twelve handsome princes in them who seemed to be waiting there for the princesses one of the princesses went into each boat and the soldier stepped into the same boat with the youngest as they were rowing over the lake the prince who was in the boat with the youngest princess and the soldier said I do not know why it is but though I am rowing with all my might we do not get on so fast as usual and I am quite tired the boat seems very heavy today it is only the heat of the weather said the princess I feel it very warm too on the other side of the lake stood a fine illuminated castle from which came the merry music of horns and trumpets there they all landed and went into the castle and each prince danced with his princess and the soldier who was all the time invisible danced with them too and when any of the princesses had a cup of wine set by her he drank it all up so that when she put her cup to her mouth it was empty at this too the youngest sister was terribly frightened but the eldest always silenced her they danced on till three o'clock in the morning and all their shoes were worn out so that they were obliged to leave off the princess rode them back again over the lake at this time the soldier placed himself in the boat with the eldest princess and on the opposite shore they took leave of each other the princesses promising to come again the next night when they came to the stairs the soldier ran on before the princesses and laid himself down and as the twelve sisters slowly came up very much tired they heard him snoring in his bed so they said, now all is quite safe then they undressed themselves put away their fine clothes pulled off their shoes and went to bed in the morning the soldier said nothing about what had happened but determined to see more of this strange adventure and went again the second and third night and everything happened just as before the princesses danced each time till their shoes were worn to pieces and then returned home however on the third night the soldier carried away one of the golden cups as a token of where he had been as soon as the time came when he was to declare the secret he was taken before the king with the three branches and the golden cup and the twelve princesses stood listening behind the door to hear what he would say and when the king asked him where do my twelve daughters dance at night he answered with twelve princesses in a castle underground and then he told the king all that had happened and showed him the three branches of the golden cup which he had brought with him then the king called for the princesses and asked them whether what the soldier said was true and when they saw that they were discovered and that it was of no use to deny what had happened they confessed it all and the king asked the soldier which of them he would choose for his wife and he answered I am not very young so I will have the eldest and they were married that very day and the soldier was chosen to be the king's heir and of the twelve dancing princesses the fisherman and his wife from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigsty close by the seaside the fisherman used to go out all day long efficient and one day he sat on the shore with his rod looking at the sparkling waves and watching his line all of a sudden his float was dragged away deep into the water and in drawing it up he pulled out a great fish but the fish said pray let me live I am not a real fish I am an enchanted prince put me in the water again and let me go oh said the man you need not make so many words about the matter I can talk so swim away sir as soon as you please then he put him back into the water and the fish darted straight down to the bottom and left a long streak of blood behind him on the wave when the fisherman went home to his wife in the pigsty he told her how he had caught a great fish and how it had told him that it was an enchanted prince and how on hearing it speak he had let it go again did you not ask it for anything said the wife we live very wretchedly here in this nasty dirty pigsty do go back and tell the fish we want a snug little cottage the fisherman did not much like the business however he went to the seashore and when he came back there the water looked all yellow and green and he stood at the water's edge and said oh man of the sea hearken to me my wife Isabel will have her own will and have sent me to beg a boon of thee then the fish came swimming to him and said well what is her will what does your wife want ah! said the fisherman she says that when I had caught you I ought to have asked you for something before I let you go she does not like living any longer in the pigsty and wants a snug little cottage go home then said the fish she is in the cottage already so the man went home and saw his wife standing at the door come in, come in said she is not this much better than the filthy pigsty we had and there was a parlor and a bed-jammer and a kitchen and behind the cottage there was a little garden planted with all sorts of flowers and fruits and there was a courtyard behind full of ducks and chickens ah! said the fisherman how happily we shall live now we will try to do so at least said his wife everything went right for a week or two and then Dame Isabel said husband there is not near room enough for us in this cottage the courtyard and the garden are a great deal too small I should like to have a large stone castle to live in go to the fish again and tell him to give us a castle wife said the fisherman I don't like to go to him again for perhaps he will be angry we ought to be easy with this pretty cottage to live in nonsense said the wife he will do it very willingly I know go along and try the fisherman went but his heart was very heavy and when he came to the sea it looked blue and gloomy though it was very calm and he went close to the edge of the waves and said oh man of the sea, hearken to me my wife Isabel will have her own will and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee well what does she want now said the fish ah said the man dolefully my wife wants to live in a stone castle go home then said the fish she is standing at the gate of it already so away went the fisherman and found his wife standing before the gate of a great castle see said she is not this grand with that they went into the castle together and found a great many servants there and the rooms all richly furnished and full of golden chairs and tables behind the castle was a garden and around it was a park half a mile long full of sheep and goats and hares and deer and in the courtyard were stables and cowhouses well said the man now we will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for the rest of our lives perhaps we may said his wife but let us sleep upon it before we make our minds to that she went to bed the next morning went Dame Elizabeth awoke it was broad daylight and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow and said get up husband and bestow yourself for we must be king of all the land wife wife said the man why should we wish to be the king I will not be the king then I will said she but wife said the fisherman make you a king husband said she say no more about it but go and try I will be king so the man went away quite sorrowful to think that his wife should want to be king this time the sea looked a dark gray color and was overspread with curling waves and the ridges of foam as he cried out oh man of the sea hearken to me my wife Elizabeth will have her own will and has sent me to beg a boon of thee well what would she have now said the fish alas said the poor man my wife wants to be king go home said the fish she is king already then the fisherman went home and as he came close to the palace he saw a troop of soldiers and heard the sound of drums and trumpets when he went in he saw his wife sitting on a throne of golden diamonds with a golden crown upon her head and on each side of her stood six fair maidens each a head taller than the other well wife said the fisherman are you king yes said she I am king and when he had looked at her for a long time he said oh wife what a fine thing it is to be king now we shall never have anything more to wish for as long as we live I don't know how that may be said she never is a long time I am king it is true but I begin to be tired of that and I think I should like to be emperor alas wife why should you wish to be emperor said the fisherman husband said she go to the fish I say I will be emperor ah wife replied the fisherman the fish cannot make an emperor I am sure and I should not like to ask him for such a thing I am king said ilsebel and you are my slave so go at once so the fisherman was forced to go and he mothered as he went along this will come to no good it is too much to ask the fish will be tired at last and then we shall be sorry for what we have done he soon came to the seashore and the water was quite black and muddy and a mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and blow them about but he went as near as he could to the water's brink and said oh man of the sea hearken to me my wife ilsebel will have her own will and have sent me to beg a boon of thee what would she have now said the fish ah said the fisherman she wants to be emperor go home said the fish she is emperor already so he went home again and as he came near he saw his wife ilsebel sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold with a great crown on her head full two yards high and on each side of her stood her guards a little bigger than the other from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no bigger than my finger and before her stood princes and dukes and urls and the fisherman went up to her and said wife are you emperor yes said she I am emperor ah said the man as he gazed upon her what a fine thing it is to be emperor husband said she why should we stop at being emperor I will be pope next oh wife wife said he how can you be pope there is but one pope at a time in chrismdom husband said she I will be pope this very day but replied the husband the fish cannot make you pope what nonsense said she if he can make me an emperor he can make me a pope go and try him so the fisherman went but when he came to the shore the wind was raging and the sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves and the ships were in trouble and rolled fearfully upon the tops of the billows in the middle of the heavens there was a little piece of blue sky but towards the south all was red as if a dreadful storm was rising at this site the fisherman was dreadfully frightened and he trembled so that his knees knocked together but still he went down near to the shore and said oh man of a sea my wife will have her own will and have sent me to beg a boon of thee what does she want now said the fish tried the fisherman my wife wants to be pope go home said the fish she is pope already then the fisherman went home and found Isabelle sitting on a throne that was two miles high with three great crowns on her head and around her stood all the pomp and power of the church and on each side of her were two rows of burning lights of all sizes the greatest as large as the highest and biggest tower in the world and the least no larger than a small brushlight wife said the fisherman as he looked at all this greatness are you pope yes said she I am pope replied he it is a grand thing to be pope and now you must be easy for you can do nothing greater I will think about that said the wife then they went to bed and Dame Isabelle could not sleep all night for thinking what she should be next at last as she was dropping asleep morning broke and the sun rose ha thought she as she woke up and looked at it through the window I cannot prevent the sun rising at this thought she was very angry and wakened her husband and said husband go to the fish and tell him I must be lord of the sun and moon the fisherman was half asleep but the thought frightened him so much that he started and fell out of bed alas wife said he cannot you be easy with being pope no said she as long as the sun and moon rise without my leave go to the fish at once then the man went shivering with fear and as he was going down to the shore a dreadful storm rose so that the trees and the very rocks shook and all the heavens became black with stormy clouds and the lightnings played and the thunders rolled and you might have seen in the sea great black waves swelling up like mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads and the fisherman crept towards the sea and cried out as well as he could home man of the sea talking to me my wife Elizabeth will have her own will and have sent me to beg a boon of thee what does she want now said the fish ah said he she wants to be lord of the sun and moon go home said the fish to your pigsty again and there they lived this very day and of the fisherman and his wife the willow ren and the bear from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld once in summertime the bear and the wolf were walking in the forest and the bear heard a bird singing so beautifully that he said brother wolf what bird is it that sings so well that is the king of birds said the wolf before whom we must bow down in reality the bird was the willow ren if that's the case said the bear I should very much like to see his royal palace come take me thither that is not done quite as you seem to think said the wolf you must wait until the queen comes soon afterwards the queen arrived with some food in her beak and the Lord King came too and they began to feed their young ones the bear would have liked to go at once but the wolf held him back by the sleeve and said no you must wait until the Lord and Lady Queen have gone away again so they took stock of the hole with a nest lay and trotted away the bear however could not rest until he had seen the royal palace and when a short time had passed went to it again the king and queen had just flown out so he peeped in and saw five or six young ones lying there is that the royal palace cried the bear it is a wretched palace and you are not king's children you are disreputable children when the young wrens heard that they were frightfully angry and screamed no that we are not we are honest people bear you will have to pay for that the bear and the wolf grew uneasy and turned back and went into their holes the young willow wrens however continued to cry and scream and when their parents again brought food they said we will not so much as touch one fly's leg no not if we were dying of hunger until you have settled whether we are respectable children or not the bear has been here and has insulted us then the old king said be easy he shall be punished and he at once flew with the queen to the bear's cave and called in old crowler why have you insulted my children you shall suffer for it we will punish you by a bloody war thus war was announced to the bear and all four-footed animals were summoned to take part in it oxen, donkeys, cows, deer and every other animal the earth contained the willow wrens summoned everything which flew in the air not only birds large and small but midges and hornets bees and flies had to come when the time came for the war to begin the willow wrens sent out spies to discover who was the enemy's commander in chief the gnat who was the most crafty flew into the forest where the enemy was assembled and hid herself beneath a leaf of the tree where the password was to be announced there stood the bear and he called the fox before him and said, fox you are the most cunning of all animals you shall be general and lead us good, said the fox but what signal shall we agree upon? no one knew that so the fox said I have a fine long bushy tail which almost looks like a plume of red feathers when I lift my tail up quite high all is going well and you must charge but if I let it hang down run away as fast as you can when the gnat had heard that she flew away again and revealed everything down to the minutest detail to the willow wren when day broke and the battle was to begin all the four-footed animals came running up with such a noise that the earth trembled the willow wren with his army also came flying through the air with such a humming and whirring and swarming that everyone was uneasy and afraid and on both sides they advanced against each other the willow wren sent down the hornets with orders to settle beneath the fox's tail and sting with all his might when the fox felt the first sting he started so that he lifted one leg from pain but he bore it and still kept his tail high in the air at the second sting he was forced to put it down for a moment at the third he could hold out no longer screamed and put his tail between his legs for the animals saw that they thought all was lost and began to flee each into his hole and the birds had won the battle then the king and queen flew home to their children and cried children rejoice eat and drink to your heart's content we have won the battle but the young wrens said we will not eat yet the bear must come to the nest and beg for pardon and say that we are honourable children before we will do that then the willow wren flew to the bear's hole growler, you want to come to the nest to my children and beg their pardon or else every rib of your body shall be broken so the bear crept thither in the greatest fear and begged their pardon and now at last the young wrens were satisfied and sat down together and ate and drank and made merry till quite late into the night end of the willow wren and the bear the frog prince the tale's by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld one fine evening a young princess put on her bonnets and clogs and went out to take a walk by herself in a wood and when she came to a cool spring of water that rose in the midst of it she sat herself down to rest a while now she had a golden ball in her hand which was her favorite plaything and she was always tossing it up into the air and catching it again as it fell after a time she threw it up so high that she missed catching it as it fell and the ball bounded away and rolled along upon the ground till at last it fell down into the spring the princess looked into the spring after her ball but it was very deep so deep that she could not see the bottom of it then she began to bewail her loss and said, Alas! if I could only get my ball again I would give all my fine clothes and jewels and everything that I have in the world whilst she was speaking a frog put its head out of the water and said, Princess why do you weep so bitterly? Alas! she said what can you do for me, you nasty frog? my golden ball has fallen into the spring the frog said, I want not your pearls and jewels and fine clothes but if you will love me and let me live with you and eat from off your golden plate and sleep upon your bed I will bring you your ball again what nonsense this silly frog is talking, thought the princess he can never even get out of the spring to visit me though he may be able to get my ball for me and therefore I will tell him he shall have what he asks so she said to the frog I will bring my ball I will do all you ask then the frog put his head down and dived deep under the water and after a little while he came up again with the ball in his mouth and threw it on the edge of the spring as soon as the young princess saw her ball she ran to pick it up and she was so overjoyed to have it in her hand again that she never thought of the frog but ran home with it as fast as she could the frog called after her the princess and take me with you as you said but she did not stop to hear a word the next day just as the princess had sat down to dinner she heard a strange noise tap tap, plash plash as if something was coming up the marble staircase and soon afterwards there was a great knock at the door and a little voice cried out and said open the door, my princess dear open the door to thy true love here and mind the words that thou and I said by the fountain cool in the greenwood shade then the princess ran to the door and opened it and there she saw the frog whom she had quite forgotten at this site she was sadly frightened when shutting the door as fast as she could came back to her seat the king, her father seeing that something had frightened her asked her what was the matter she said, nasty frog, said she at the door that lifted my ball for me out of the spring this morning I told him that he should live with me here thinking that he could never get out of the spring but there he is at the door and he wants to come in while she was speaking the frog knocked again at the door and said open the door, my princess dear open the door to thy true love here and mind the words that thou and I said by the fountain cool in the greenwood shade then the king said to the young princess as you have given your word you must keep it so go and let him in she did so and the frog hopped into the room and then straight on tap tap, plash plash from the bottom of the room to the top till he came up close to the table where the princess sat pray lift me upon the chair said he to the princess and let me sit next to you he had done this the frog said put your plate nearer to me that I may eat out of it this she did and when he had eaten as much as he could he said now I am tired carry me upstairs and put me into your bed and the princess though very unwilling took him up in her hand and put him upon the pillow of her own bed where he slept all night long as soon as it was light the frog hopped downstairs and went out of the house now then thought the princess at last he is gone and I shall be troubled with him no more but she was mistaken for when night came again she heard the same tapping at the door and the frog came once more and said open the door my princess dear open the door to thy true love here and mind the words that thou and I said in the greenwood shade and when the princess opened the door the frog came in and slept upon her pillow as before till the morning broke and the third night he did the same but when the princess awoke on the following morning she was astonished to see instead of the frog a handsome prince gazing on her with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen and standing at the head of her bed he told her that he had been enchanted by a spiteful fairy who had changed him into a frog and that he had been fated so to abide till some princess should take him out of the spring and let him eat from her plate and sleep upon her bed for three nights you, said the prince have broken his cruel charm and now I have nothing to wish for but that you should go with me into my father's kingdom where I will marry you and love you as long as you live the young princess you may be sure was not long in saying yes to all this and as they spoke a gay coach drove up with eight beautiful horses decked with plumes of feathers and a golden harness and behind the coach rode the princess servant Faithful Heinrich who had bewailed the misfortunes of his dear master during his enchantment so long and so bitterly that his heart had well nigh burst with eight horses and all set out full of joy and merriment for the princess kingdom which they reached safely and there they lived happily a great many years End of The Frog Prince Cat and Mouse in partnership from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording made by Bob Neufeld a certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her that at length the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together but we must make a provision for winter or else we shall suffer from hunger said the cat and you little mouse cannot venture everywhere or you will be caught in a trap some day the good advice was followed the fat was bought but they did not know where to put it at length after much consideration the cat said I know no place where it will be better stored up than in the church for no one dares take anything away from there we will set it beneath the altar and not touch it until we are really in need of it so the pot was placed in safety but it was not long before the cat had a great yearning for it and said to the mouse I want to tell you something little mouse my cousin has brought a little son into the world and has asked me to be the godmother he is white with brown spots and I am to hold him over the front at the christening let me go out today and you look after the house by yourself yes yes answered the mouse by all means go and if you get anything very good to eat think of me I should like a drop of sweet red christening wine myself all this however was untrue the cat had no cousin and had not been asked to be godmother she went straight to the church stole to the pot of fat began to lick it and licked the top of the fat off then she took a walk upon the roofs of the town looked out for opportunities and then stretched herself in the sun and licked her lips whenever she thought of the pot of fat and not until it was evening did she return home well here you are again said the mouse what you have had a merry day all went off well answered the cat what name did they give the child top off said the cat quite coolly top off cried the mouse that is a very odd and uncommon name is it a usual one in your family what does it matter it is no worse than crumb stealer as your god children are called before long the cat was seized by another fit of yearning she said to the mouse you must do me a favor and once more manage the house for a day alone I am again asked to be a godmother and as the child has a right ring round its neck I cannot refuse the good mouse consented but the cat crept behind the town walls to the church and devoured half the pot of fat nothing ever seems as good as what one keeps to oneself said she and was quite satisfied with her day's work when she went home the mouse inquired and what was the child christened half done answered the cat half done what are you saying I never heard the name in my life I will wager anything it is not in the calendar the cat's mouse soon began to water for some more licking all good things go in threes said she I am asked to stand godmother again only it has white paws but with that exception it has not a single white hair on its whole body this only happens once every few years you will let me go won't you top off half done answered the mouse they are such odd names they make me very thoughtful you sit at home said the cat in your dark grey fur coat and long tail and are filled with fancies they will not go out in the daytime during the cat's absence the mouse cleaned the house and put it in order but the greedy cat entirely emptied the part of fat when everything is eaten up one has some peace she sat to herself and well filled and fat she did not return home till night the mouse at once asked what name had been given to the third child it will not please you more than the others said the cat all gone all gone cried the mouse that is the most suspicious name of all I have never seen it in print all gone what can that mean and she shook her head curled herself up and lay down to sleep from this time forth no one invited the cat to be godmother but when the winter had come and there was no longer anything to be found outside come cat we will go to our part of fat which we have stored up for ourselves we shall enjoy that yes answered the cat you will enjoy it as much as you would enjoy sticking that dainty tongue of yours out of the window they set out on their way but when they arrived the part of fat certainly was still in its place but it was empty unless said the mouse now I see what has happened now it comes to light you are a true friend you have devoured all when you were standing godmother first top off then half done then will you hold your tongue cried the cat one word more and I will eat you too all gone was already on the poor mouse's lips scarcely had she spoken it before the cat sprang on her seized her and swallowed her down verily that is the way of the world end of cat and mouse in partnership the goose girl from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld the king of a great land died and left his queen to take care of their only child the child was a daughter who was very beautiful her mother loved her dearly and was very kind to her and there was a good fairy too who was fond of the princess and helped her mother to watch over her when she grew up she was betrothed to a prince who lived a great way off and as the time drew near for her to be married she got ready to set off on her journey to his country then the queen her mother packed up a great many costly things jewels and gold and silver trinkets fine dresses and bought everything that became a royal bride and she gave her a waiting-mate a ride with her and give her into the bridegroom's hands and each had a horse for the journey now the princess's horse was the fairy's gift and it was called Falada and could speak when the time came for them to set out the fairy went into her bed chamber and took a little knife and cut off a lock of her hair and gave it to the princess for it is a charm that may be of use to you on the road then they all took a sorrowful leave of the princess and she put the lock of hair into her bosom got upon her horse and set off on her journey to her bridegroom's kingdom one day as they were riding along by a brook the princess began to feel very thirsty and she said to her maid pray get down and fetch me some water in my golden cup out of yonder brook nay, said the maid if you are thirsty get off yourself and stoop down by the water and drink I shall not be your waiting maid any longer then she was so thirsty that she got down and knelt over the little brook and drank for she was frightened and dared not bring out her golden cup and she wept and said alas, what will become of me the lock answered her and said alas, if thy mother knew it sadly, sadly would she rue it but the princess was very gentle and meek, so she said nothing to her maid's ill behavior but got upon her horse again then all rode farther on their journey till the day grew so warm and the sun so scorching that the bride began to feel very thirsty again and at last when they came to a river she forgot her maid's rude speech and said get down and fetch me some water to drink in my golden cup but the maid answered her and spoke even more hotly than before drink if you will but I shall not be your waiting maid then the princess was so thirsty that she got off her horse and lay down and held her head over the running stream and cried and said what will become of me and the lock of hair answered her again alas, alas if thy mother knew it sadly, sadly would she rue it and as she leaned down to drink the lock of hair fell from her bosom and floated away with the water now she was so frightened that she did not see it but her maid saw it and was very glad for she knew the charm and she saw that the poor bride would be in her power now that she had lost the hair so when the bride had done drinking and would have got upon Farada again the maid said I shall ride upon Farada and you may have my horse instead so she was forced to give up her horse and soon afterwards to take off her royal clothes and put on her maid's shabby ones at last as they drew near the end of their journey this treacherous servant threatened to kill her mistress if she ever told anyone what had happened but Farada saw it all and marked it well then the waiting maid got upon Farada and the real bride rode upon the other horse and they went on in this way till at last they came to the royal court there was great joy at their coming and the prince flew to meet them and lifted the maid from her horse thinking she was the one who was to be his wife and she was led upstairs to the royal chamber but the true princess was told to stay in the court below now the old king happened just then to have nothing else to do with himself by sitting at his kitchen window looking at what was going on and he saw her in the courtyard as she looked very pretty and too delicate for a waiting maid he went up into the royal chamber to ask the bride who it was she had brought with her that was thus left standing in the court below I brought her with me for the sake of her company on the road said she pray give the girl some work to do that she may not be idle the old king could not for some time think of any work for her to do but at last he said I have a lad who takes care of my geese she may go and help him now the name of this lad that the real bride was to help in watching the king's geese was Kurdkin dear husband pray do me one piece of kindness that I will said the prince then tell one of your slaughterers to cut off the head of the horse I rode upon for it is very unruly and plagued me sadly on the road but the truth was she was very much afraid lest Falada should some day or other speak and tell all she had done to the princess she carried her point and the faithful Falada was killed but when the true princess heard of it she wept and begged the man to nail up Falada's head against the large dark gate of the city through which she had to pass every morning and evening that there she might still see him sometimes then the slaughterer then the slaughterer said he would do as she wished and cut off the head and nailed it up under the dark gate only the next morning as she and Kurdkin went out through the gate she said sorrowfully Falada, Falada there thou hangest and the head answered bride, bride there thou gangest alas, alas if thy mother knew it sadly, sadly would she ruin it then they went out of the city and drove the geese on and when she came to the meadow she sat down upon a bag there and let down her waving locks of air which were all of pure silver and when Kurdkin saw it glitter in the sun he ran up and would have pulled some of the locks out but she cried blow breezes blow let Kurdkin's hat go blow breezes blow let him after it go or hills and dales and rocks away be it world till the silvery locks are all combed and curled then there came a wind so strong that it blew off Kurdkin's hat and away it flew over the hills and he was forced to turn and run after it till by the time he came back she had done combing and curling her hair and put it up again safe then he was very angry and sulky and would not speak to her at all but they watched the geese until it grew dark in the evening and then drove them homewards the next morning as they were going through the dark gate the poor girl looked up at Falada's head and cried Falada Falada there thou hangest and the head answered Bride Bride there thou gangest alas alas if thy mother knew it sadly sadly would she rue it then she drove on the geese and sat down again in the meadow and began to comb out her hairs before and Kurdkin ran up to her and wanted to take hold of it but she cried out quickly blow breezes blow let Kurdkin's hat go blow breezes blow let him after it go or heels and dales and rocks away be it whirled till the silvery locks are all combed and curled then the wind came and blew away his hat then off it flew a great way over the hills and far away that he had to run after it and when he came back she had bound up her hair again and all was safe so they watched the geese till it grew dark in the evening after they came home Kurdkin went to the old king and said I cannot have that strange girl to help me to keep the geese any longer why? said the king because instead of doing any good she does nothing but tease me all day long to tell him what had happened and Kurdkin said when we go in the morning through the dark gate with our flock of geese she cries and talks with a head of a horse that hangs upon the wall and says falada falada there thou hangest and the head answers bride bride there thou gangest alas alas if thy mother knew it sadly sadly would she rue it and Kurdkin went on telling the king what had happened upon the meadow where the geese fed he was forced to run after it and to leave his flock of geese to themselves but the old king told the boy to go out again the next day and when morning came he placed himself behind the dark gate and heard how she spoke to falada and how falada answered then he went into the field and hid himself in the bush by the meadow side and he soon saw with his own eyes how they drove that flock of geese and how after a little time she let down her hair that glittered in the sun and then he heard her say blow breezes blow let Kurdkin's hat go blow breezes blow let him after it go or hills, dais and rocks away be it world till the silvery locks are all combed and curled and soon came a gale of wind and carried away Kurdkin's hat and away went Kurdkin after it while the girl went on combing and curling her hair all this the old king saw he went home without being seen and when the little goose girl came back in the evening he called her aside and asked her why she did so but she burst into tears and said that I must not tell you or any man or I shall lose my life but the old king begged so hard that she had no peace till she had told him all the tale from beginning to end word for word and it was very lucky for her that she did so for when she had done the king ordered royal clothes to be put upon her and gazed on her with wonder she was so beautiful then he called his son and told him that he had only a false bride for that she was merely a waiting maid while the true bride stood by and the young man rejoiced when he saw her beauty and heard how meek and patient she had been and without saying anything to the false bride the king ordered a great feast to be got ready for all his court the bridegroom sat at the top with the false princess on one side and the true one on the other but nobody knew her again for her beauty was quite dazzling to their eyes and she did not seem at all like the little goose girl now that she had her brilliant dress on when they had eaten and drank and were very merry the old king said he would tell them a tale so he began and told all the story of the princess as if it was one that he had once heard and he asked the true waiting maid what she thought ought to be done to anyone who would behave thus nothing better said this false bride than that she would be thrown into the cask stuck round with sharp nails and that two white horses should be put to it and should drag it from street to street till she was dead thou art she said the old king and as thou has judged thyself so shall it be done to thee and the young king was then married to his true wife and they reigned over the kingdom in peace and happiness all their lives and the good fairy came to see them and restored the faithful falada to life again end of the goose girl the adventures of shanta clear and partlet from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edwin Taylor and Mary and Edward one how they went to the mountains to eat nuts the nuts are quite right now said shanta clear to his wife partlet suppose we go together to the mountains and eat as many as we can before the squirrel takes them all away with all my heart said partlet let us go and make a holiday of it together so they went to the mountains and as it was a lovely day they stayed there till the evening now whether it was that they had eaten so many nuts that they could not walk or whether they were lazy and would not I do not know however they took it into their heads that it did not become them to go home on foot so shanta clear began to build a little carriage of nut shells and when it was finished partlet jumped into it and sat down and bid shanta clear harness himself to it and draw her home that's a good joke said shanta clear I would rather by half walk home I'll sit on the box and be coachman if you like but I'll not draw while this was passing a duck came quacking up and cried out you thieving vagabonds what business have you in my grounds I give it you well for your insolence and upon that she fell upon shanta clear most lustily but shanta clear was no cowered and returned the duck's blows with his sharp so fiercely that she soon began to cry out for mercy which was only granted her upon condition that she would draw the carriage home for them this she agreed to do and shanta clear got upon the box and drove crying now duck get on as fast as you can and away they went at a pretty good pace after they had traveled along a little way they met a needle and a pin walking together along the road and the needle cried out stop! stop! and said it was so dark that they could hardly find their way and such dirty walking they could not get on at all he told them that he and his friend the pin had been at a public house a few miles off and had sat drinking till they had forgotten how late it was he begged therefore that the travelers would be so kind as to give them a lift in their carriage shanta clear observing that they were but thin fellows and not likely to take up much room told them they might ride but made them promise not to dirty the wheels of the carriage and getting in nor to tread upon partner's toes late at night they arrived at an inn and as it was bad traveling in the dark and the duck seemed much tired and waddled about a good deal from one side to the other they made up their minds to fix their quarters there but the landlord at first was unwilling and said his house was full thinking they might not be very respectable company however they spoke civilly to him and gave him the egg which part that had laid by the way and said they would give him the duck who was in the habit of laying one every day so at last he let them come in and they bespoke a handsome supper and spent the evening very jolly early in the morning before it was quite light and when nobody was stirring in the inn shanta clear awakened his wife and fetching the egg they pecked a hole in it aided up and threw the shells into the fireplace they then went to the pin and needle who were fast asleep and seizing them by the heads stuck one into the landlord's easy chair and the other into his handkerchief and having done this they crept away as softly as possible however the duck who slept in the open air in the yard heard them coming and jumping into the brook which ran close by the inn soon swam out of their reach an hour or two afterwards the landlord got up and took his handkerchief to wipe his face but the pin ran into him and pricked him then he walked into the kitchen to light his pipe at the fire but when he stirred it up the eggshells flew into his eyes and almost blinded him bless me said he all the world seems to have a design against my head this morning and so saying he threw himself softly into his easy chair but oh dear the needle ran into him and this time the pain was not in his head he now flew into a very great passion expecting the company who had come in the night before he went to look after them but they were all off so he swore that he never again would take in such a troop of vagabonds who ate a great deal paid no reckoning then gave him nothing for his trouble but their apish tricks two how shanticleer and partlet went to visit Mr. Corbis another day shanticleer and partlet wished to ride out together they built a handsome carriage with four red wheels and harnessed six mice to it and then he and partlet got into the garage and away they drove soon afterwards a cat met them and said where are you going and shanticleer replied all on our way a visit to pay to Mr. Corbis the fox today then the cat said take me with you shanticleer said fine and be sure you do not fall off take care of this handsome coach of mine no dirty my pretty red wheels so fine now mice be ready and wheels run steady for we are going a visit to pay to Mr. Corbis the fox today soon after came up a millstone an egg a duck and a pin and shanticleer gave them all leave to get into the carriage and go with them when they arrived at Mr. Corbis's house he was not at home so the mice drew the carriage into the coach house shanticleer and partlet flew upon a beam the cat sat down in the fireplace the duck got into the washing cistern the pin stuck himself into the red pillow the millstone laid himself over the house door and the egg rolled himself up in the towel when Mr. Corbis came home he went to the fireplace to make a fire but the cat threw all the ashes in his eyes so he ran to the kitchen to wash himself but there the duck splashed all the water in his face and when he tried to wipe himself the egg broke to pieces in the towel all over his face and eyes then he was very angry and went without his supper to bed but when he laid his head on the pillow the pin ran into his cheek at this he became quite furious and jumping up would have run out of the house but when he came to the door the millstone fell down on his head and killed him on the spot three how Partlett died and was buried and how Chanticleer died of grief another day Chanticleer and Partlett agreed to go again to the mountains to eat nuts and it was settled that all the nuts which they found should be shared equally between them now Partlett found a very large nut but she said nothing about it to Chanticleer and kept it all to herself however it was so big that she could not swallow it and it stuck in her throat then she was in a great fright and cried out to Chanticleer pray run as fast as you can and fetch me some water or I shall be choked Chanticleer ran as fast as he could to the river and said river give me some water for Partlett lies in the mountain and will be choked by a great nut the river said run first to the bride and ask her for a silken cord to draw up the water Chanticleer ran to the bride and said bride you must give me a silken cord for then the river will give me water and the water I will give to Partlett who lies on the mountain and will be choked by a great nut but the bride said run first and bring me my garland that is hanging on a willow in the garden then Chanticleer ran to the garden and took the garland from the bow where it hung and brought it to the bride and then the bride gave him the silken cord and he took the silken cord of the river and the river gave him water and he brought it to Partlett but in the meantime she was choked by the great nut and lay quite dead and never moved any more then Chanticleer was very sorry and cried bitterly and all the beasts came and wept with him over poor Partlett and six mice built a little hearse to carry her to her grave and when it was ready they harnessed themselves before it and Chanticleer drove them where are you going Chanticleer said he to bury my Partlett said the other and may I go with you said the fox yes but you must get up behind or my horses will not be able to draw you then the fox got up behind and presently the wolf the bear the goat and all the beasts of the wood came and climbed upon the hearse so on they went until they came to a rapid stream how shall we get over said Chanticleer then said a straw I will lay myself across and you may pass over upon me but as the mice were going over the straw slipped away and fell into the water and the six mice all fell in and were drowned what was to be done then a large log of wood came and said I am big enough I will lay myself across the stream and you shall pass over upon me so he laid himself down but they managed so clumsily that the log of wood fell in and was carried away by the stream then a stone, who saw what had happened came up and kindly offered to help poor Chanticleer by laying himself across the stream and this time he got safely to the other side with the hearse and managed to get Partlett out of it but the fox and the other mourners who were sitting behind were too heavy and were all carried away by the stream and drowned thus Chanticleer was left alone with his dead Partlett and having dug a grave for her he laid her in it and made a little hillock over her then he sat down by the grave and wept and mourned till at last he died too and so all were dead end of the adventures of Chanticleer and Partlett also from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld There once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child at length the woman hoped that God was about to grant her desire these people had a little window at the back of their house the garden could be seen which was full of the most beautiful flowers and herbs it was, however, surrounded by a high wall and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to an enchantress who had great power and was dreaded by all the world one day the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the garden but she saw a bed which was planted with the most beautiful rampion and it looked so fresh and green that she longed for it she quite pined away and began to look pale and miserable then her husband was alarmed and asked, what ale you, dear wife? ah, she replied if I can't eat some of the rampion which is in the garden behind our house I shall die the man, who loved her, thought sooner than let your wife die bring her some of the rampion yourself let it cost what it will at twilight he clammered down over the wall in the garden of the enchantress hastily clutched a handful of rampion and took it to his wife she at once made herself a salad of it and ate it greedily it tasted so good to her so very good that the next day she longed for it three times as much as before if he was to have any rest her husband must once more descend into the garden in the gloom of evening, therefore he let himself down again but when he had clammered down the wall he was terribly afraid for he saw the enchantress standing before him how can you dare said she with angry look descend into my garden and steal my rampion like a thief you shall suffer for it ah, answered he let mercy take the place of justice I only made up my mind to do it for necessity my wife saw your rampion from the window and felt such a longing for it that she would have died if she had not got some to eat then the enchantress allowed her anger to be softened and said to him if the case be as you say I will allow you to take away with you as much rampion as you will only I make one condition you must give me the child which your wife will bring into the world it shall be well treated and I will care for it like a mother the man in his terror consented to everything and when the woman was brought to bed the enchantress appeared at once gave the child the name of Rapunzel and took it away with her Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun when she was twelve years old the enchantress shot her into a tower which lay in a forest and had neither stairs nor door but quite at the top was a little window when the enchantress wanted to go in she placed herself beneath it and cried Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair to me Rapunzel had magnificent long hair fine as spun gold and when she heard the voice of the enchantress she unfastened her braided tresses wound them round one of the hooks of the window above and then the hair fell twenty L's down and the enchantress climbed up by it after a year or two it came to pass that the king's son rode through the forest and passed by the tower then he heard a song which was so charming that he stood still and listened this was Rapunzel who in her solitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound the king's son wanted to climb up to her and looked for the door of the tower but none was to be found he rode home but the singing had so deeply touched his heart that every day he went out into the forest and listened to it thus standing behind a tree he saw that an enchantress came there and he heard how she cried Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair to me then Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair and the enchantress climbed up to her if that is the ladder by which one mounts I too will try my fortune said he and the next day when it began to grow dark he went to the tower and cried Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair to me immediately the hair fell down and the king's son climbed up at first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man such as her eyes had never yet be held came to her but the king's son began to talk to her quite like a friend and told her that his heart had been so stirred that it had let him have no rest and he had been forced to see her then Rapunzel lost her fear and when he asked her if she would take him for her husband and she saw that he was young and handsome she thought he would love me more than old Dame Gothel does and she said yes and laid her hand in his she said I will willingly go away with you but I do not know how to get down bring with you a scale of milk every time that you come and I will weave a ladder with it and when that is ready I will descend and you will take me on your horse they agreed that until that time he should come to her every evening for the old woman came by day the enchantress remarked nothing of this until once Rapunzel said to her tell me Dame Gothel how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young king's son he is with me in a moment ah you wicked child cried the enchantress what do I hear you say I thought I had separated you from all the world and yet you have deceived me in her anger she clutched Rapunzel's beautiful tresses wrapped them twice around her left hand seized a pair of scissors with the right and snip snap they were cut off and the lovely braids lay on the ground then she was so pitiless that she took poor Rapunzel into a desert where she had to live in great grief and misery on the same day that she had cast out Rapunzel however the enchantress fastened the braids of hair which she had cut off to the hook of the window and when the king's son came and cried Rapunzel Rapunzel let down your hair to me she let the hair down the king's son ascended but instead of finding his dearest Rapunzel he found the enchantress who gazed at him with wicked and venomous looks ah ha she cried mockingly you would fetch your dearest but the beautiful bird sits no longer singing the cat has got it and will scratch out your eyes as well Rapunzel is lost to you you will never see her again the king's son was beside himself with pain and in his despair he leapt down from the tower he escaped with his life but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes then he wandered quite blind about the forest ate nothing but roots and berries and did not but lament and weep over the loss of his dearest wife thus he roamed about in misery for some years and at length came to the desert where Rapunzel, with the twins to which she had given birth a boy and a girl lived in wretchedness he heard a voice and it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards it and when he approached Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept two of her tears wetted his eyes and he could see with them as before he led her to his kingdom where he was joyfully received and they lived a long time afterwards happy and contented and of Rapunzel Funde Vogel from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there once was a forester who went into the forest to hunt and as he entered it he heard a sound of screaming as if a little child were there he followed the sound and at last came to a high tree and at the top of this a little child was sitting for the mother had fallen asleep under the tree with the child and a bird of prey had seen it in her arms had flown down, snatched it away and set it on the high tree the forester climbed up brought the child down and thought to himself you will take him home with you and bring him up with your Lena he took it home therefore and the two children grew up together and the one which he had found on a tree was called Funde Vogel because a bird had carried it away Funde Vogel and Lena loved each other so dearly that when they did not see each other they were sad now the forester had an old cook who one evening took two pails and began to fetch water and did not go once only but many times out to the spring Lena saw this and said, listen old son why are you fetching so much water if he will never repeat it to anyone I will tell you why so Lena said no, she would never repeat it to anyone and then the cook said early tomorrow morning when the forester is out hunting I will heat the water and when it is boiling in the kettle I will throw in Funde Vogel and will boil him in it early next morning the forester got up and went out hunting and when he was gone the children were still in bed then Lena said to Funde Vogel if you will never leave me I too will never leave you Funde Vogel said neither now nor ever will I leave you then said Lena then will I tell you old sauna carried so many buckets of water into the house that I asked her why she was doing that and she said that if I would promise not to tell anyone and she said that early tomorrow morning when the father was out hunting she would set the kettle full of water throw you into it and boil you but we will get up quickly dress ourselves and go away together the two children therefore got up dress themselves quickly and went away when the water in the kettle was boiling the cook went into the bedroom to fetch Funde Vogel and throw him into it but when she came in and went to the beds both the children were gone then she was terribly alarmed and she said to herself what shall I say now when the forester comes home and sees that the children are gone they must be followed instantly to get them back again then the cook sent three servants after them who were to run and overtake the children the children however were sitting outside the forest and when they saw from afar the three servants running Lena said to Funde Vogel never leave me and I will never leave you Funde Vogel said neither now nor ever then said Lena do you become a rose tree and I the rose upon it when the three servants came to the forest nothing was there but a rose tree and one rose on it but the children were nowhere then said they there is nothing to be done here and they went home and told the cook that they had seen nothing in the forest but a little rose bush with one rose on it then the old cook scalded and said you simpletons you should have cut the rose bush in two and have broken off the rose and brought it home with you go and do it at once they had therefore to go out and look for the second time the children however saw them coming from a distance then Lena said Funde Vogel never leave me and I will never leave you Funde Vogel said neither now nor ever said Lena then do you become a church and I'll be the chandelier in it so when the three servants came nothing was there but a church with a chandelier in it they said therefore to each other what can we do here let us go home the cook asked if they had not found them so they said no they had found nothing but a church and there was a chandelier in it and the cook scolded them and said you fools why did you not pull the church to pieces and bring the chandelier home with you and now the old cook herself got on her legs and went with the three servants in pursuit of the children the children however saw from afar that the three servants were coming and the cook waddling after them said Lena Funde Vogel never leave me and I will never leave you then said Funde Vogel neither now nor ever said Lena be a fish pond and I will be the duck upon it the cook however came up to them and when she saw the pond she lay down by it and was about to drink it up but the duck swam quickly to her seized her head in its beak and drew her into the water and there the old witch had to drown then the children went home together and were heartily delighted and if they have not died they are living still and of Funde Vogel the valiant little tailor from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld one summer morning a little tailor was sitting on his table by the window he was in good spirits and sewed with all his might then came a pusset woman down the street crying good jams cheap good jams cheap this rang pleasantly the tailor's ears he stretched his delicate head out of the window and called come up here, dear woman here you will get rid of your goods the woman came up the three steps to the tailor with her heavy basket and he made her unpack all the parts for him he inspected each one lifted it up put his nose to it and at length said the jam seems to me to be good so weigh me out four ounces, dear woman and if it is a quarter of a pound that is of no consequence the woman who had hoped to find a good sale gave him what he desired but went away quite angry and grumbling now this jam shall be blessed by God cried the little tailor and give me health and strength so he brought the bread out of the cupboard cut himself a piece right across the loaf and spread the jam over it this won't taste bitter said he but I will just finish the jacket before I take a bite he laid the bread near him sewed on and in his joy made bigger and bigger stitches in the meantime the smell of the sweet jam rose to where the flies were sitting in great numbers where they were attracted and descended on it in hosts hi, who invited you? said the little tailor and drove the unbidden guests away the flies however who understood no English would not be turned away but came back again in ever increasing companies the little tailor at last lost all patience and drew a piece of cloth from the hole under his work table and saying wait and I will give it to you when he drew it away and counted there lay before him no fewer than seven dead and with legs stretched out are you a fellow of that sort? said he and he could not help admiring his own bravery the whole town shall know of this and the little tailor hastened to cut himself a girdle stitched it and embroidered out in large letters seven at one stroke what? the town, he continued a new world shall hear of it and his heart wagged with joy like a lamb's tail the tailor put on the girdle and resolved to go forth into the world because he thought his workshop was too small for his valour before he went away he sought about in the house to see if there was anything which he could take with him however he found nothing but an old cheese and that he put in his pocket in front of the door he observed a bird which had caught itself in the thicket it had to go into his pocket with the cheese now he took to the road boldly and as he was light and nimble he felt no fatigue the road led him up a mountain and when he had reached the highest point of it there sat a powerful giant looking peacefully about him the little tailor went bravely up spoke to him and said good day, comrade so you are sitting there overlooking the widespread world I am just on my way thither and want to try my luck have you any inclination to go with me? the giant looked contemptuously at the tailor and said you ragamuffin you miserable creature oh, indeed answered the little tailor and unbuttoned his coat and showed the giant the girdle there may you read what kind of man I am the giant read seven at one stroke and thought that they had been men whom the tailor had killed the giant said men whom the tailor had killed and began to feel a little respect for the tiny fellow nevertheless he wished to try him first and took a stone in his hand and squeezed it together so that water dropped out of it do that likewise said the giant if you have strength is that all? said the tailor that it's child's play with me and put his hand into his pocket brought out the soft cheese and pressed it until the liquid ran out of it faith, said he thought was a little better, wasn't it? the giant did not know what to say and could not believe it of the little man then the giant picked up a stone and threw it so high that the eye could scarcely follow it oh, little might of a man do that likewise well-thrown said the tailor but after all the stone came down to earth again I will throw you one which shall never come back at all and he put his hand into his pocket took out the bird and threw it into the air the bird, delighted with its liberty rose, flew away and did not come back how does that shot please you, comrade? asked the tailor you can certainly throw said the giant but now we will see if you are able to carry anything properly he took the little tailor to a mighty oak tree which lay there felled on the ground and said if you are strong enough help me to carry the tree out of the forest oh, readily answered the little man take you the trunk on your shoulders and I will raise up the branche