47 The Juniper-Tree
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Grimm, Jacob, Grimm, Wilhelm, and Hunt, Alfred William, Mrs.
“My father he ate me,”
“Ah, mother,” says the man, “that is a beautiful bird! He sings so splendidly, and the sun shines so warm, and there is a smell just like cinnamon.”
“My sister, little Marlinchen,”
Then Marlinchen laid her head on her knees and wept without ceasing, but the man said, “I am going out, I must see the bird quite close.” “Oh, don’t go,” said the woman, “I feel as if the whole house were shaking and on fire.” But the man went out and looked at the bird:
“Gathered together all my bones, Tied them in a silken handkerchief, Laid them beneath the juniper tree, Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!”
On this the bird let the golden chain fall, and it fell exactly round the man’s neck, and so exactly round it that it fitted beautifully. Then he went in and said, “Just look what a fine bird that is, and what a handsome gold chain he has given me, and how pretty he is!” But the woman was terrified, and fell down on the floor in the room, and her cap fell off her head. Then sang the bird once more,
“My mother she killed me.”
“Would that I were a thousand feet beneath the earth so as not to hear that!”
“My father he ate me,”
Then the woman fell down again as if dead.
“My sister, little Marlinchen,”
“Ah,” said Marlinchen, “I too will go out and see if the bird will give me anything,” and she went out.
“Gathered together all my bones, Tied them in a silken handkerchief,”
Then he threw down the shoes to her.
“Laid them beneath the juniper-tree, Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!”
Then she was light-hearted and joyous, and she put on the new red shoes, and danced and leaped into the house. “Ah,” said she, “I was so sad when I went out and now I am so light-hearted; that is a splendid bird, he has given me a pair of red shoes!” “Well,” said the woman, and sprang to her feet and her hair stood up like flames of fire, “I feel as if the world were coming to an end! I, too, will go out and see if my heart feels lighter.” And as she went out at the door, crash! the bird threw down the millstone on her head, and she was entirely crushed by it. The father and Marlinchen heard what had happened and went out, and smoke, flames, and fire were rising from the place, and when that was over, there stood the little brother, and he took his father and Marlinchen by the hand, and all three were right glad, and they went into the house to dinner, and ate.