Thursday, 12 February 2015
The Cockerel
In a pretty little house, there once lived a neat old widow who wore the cleanest caps and the finest kerchief you ever saw in your life. She was very fond of washing and scrubbing and baking and sewing! Everybody who knew her used to say that she was the most hard-working lady they had ever seen and an example to the whole village.
This good woman had two little girls living with her whom she was always trying to make as clean and neat as herself. She taught them how to knead bread, cook rice and meals. She also taught them to spin fine thread on their spinning wheels. Every morning, the moment the big brown cockerel in the yard gave his first crow, she would get out of the bed, go to the room where the little girls slept and shake them until they woke.
"Get up! Get up!" she would say. "Don't you hear the cockerel crowing outside? The Sun will be shining over the hill in a moment. Nobody in this house must stay in bed when once the cockerel has crowed!"
The little girls were always dreadfully sleepy and did not want to get up in the least. But the bustling old woman would stand over them, till they got out of bed, yawning and blinking their eyes. Then she would start her household chores, telling them to wash and dress and to follow her into the kitchen as quickly as they could.
Now one of the things the little girls had to do was to feed the poultry - the big brown cockerel among the others. He was rather a greedy bird and always ate a lot of the scraps and corn that were thrown on the ground. The old lady would stand at the kitchen door to watch the feeding and the more the cockerel ate, the better she was pleased.
"Is he not a fine bird?" she would say to the little girls. "Be sure and give him the best bits of food. If he doesn't crow we would always be oversleeping, for there would be nobody to wake us in the morning!"
Then the little girls would look at each other under their eyelashes and pout. For they both hated the brown bird which tried to wake everybody at sunrise when it would be so much nicer to sleep on until eight or nine o clock.
At last, one day, when the cockerel seemed to have crowed even earlier than usual, they decided they could stand it no longer. They waited until their mother had gone to market… then they caught the poor brown cockerel and wrung his neck! After that they buried him as quickly as they could in the field on the other side of the fence. Then, rather frightened at what they had done, they set to work to cook for the lunch.
The lady came home and found that her dear bird was missing. She searched for the cockerel everywhere while the girls also pretended as much so that their mother might not suspect them.
The lady missed the cockerel very much. But when they went to bed, however, they the girls told each other how glad they were that they had killed the horrid bird at last.
"Now" they said to each other, "we shall have a little peace. How lovely it will be to sleep as long as we want to with no crowing to wake our mother in the morning!”
They cuddled down into their pillows and fell asleep. But in the middle of the night or so it seemed to them, the old lady came to their bedside in her nightcap, carrying a lighted candle!
'Get up! Get up!” she said to them all in a bustle. We have no cockerel to wake us now and it will never do to oversleep! The dawn has not broken yet…I know! Bui it will break presently and without the crowing in the yard, we shall not even know that day has come. Get up! Get up! Follow me into the kitchen as quickly as possible!"
How sad and disappointed those little maidens were! But they were obliged to do as their mother told them. So they got up and stalled scrubbing and washing and spinning by candle light, sleepier than they had ever been in their lives.
And as the old lady has been too fond of that cockerel to wish to buy another to take his place, she went on waking the little girls in the middle of the night. She was insisting on getting them up to work as no single minute of the coming daylight should be wasted.
Oh, how those two blinking, yawning little girls wished that they had never killed the big brown cockerel!
MORAL : As you sow, so you reap.
The Foolish Hare
One day a little hare sat under a fruit tree and was deeply immersed in thought. He was foolish and always took quick decisions without even giving second thoughts. One day he thought. "What will happen to me when the earth comes to an end?” At that very moment a fruit fell from the tree. Off ran the foolish hare as fast as his legs could carry him. He thought that the noise of the fruit falling to the ground was that of the earth breaking to pieces. And he ran and ran, not daring to look behind him.
“Brother, Brother,” called another little hare that saw him running, "please tell me what has happened!"
But the little hare ran on and did not even turn to answer. But the other hare ran after him calling louder and louder, "What has happened, little brother, what has happened?"
At last the little hare stopped a moment and said, "The earth is breaking to pieces!" At this the other hare started running still faster and a third hare joined them and a fourth and a fifth till a hundred thousand hares were racing through the fields. And they raced through the forest and valleys and the deer, the boars, the elks, the buffaloes, the oxen, the rhinos, the tigers, the lions and the elephants, hearing that the earth was coming to an end all ran wildly with them.
But among them lived a lion that was very wise. He knew everything that took place in the world. He came to know that so many hundreds and thousands of animals were running away because they believed that the earth was breaking to pieces. He thought, "This earth of ours is far from coming to an end. But these poor creatures will die if I do not save them. In their fright they will run into the sea.”
And he ran at such a pace that he reached a certain mountain which lay in their path. As they passed by the mountain he roared three times so loudly that they stopped. All stood still, close to each other, trembling.
The great lion descended from the mountain and approached them. "Why are you running at such a pace?” he asked.
"The earth is breaking to pieces", they replied.
“Who saw it breaking to pieces?" he asked.
"The elephants", they replied.
"Did you see it breaking?" he asked the elephants.
"No. we did not see it. The lions saw it,” they replied.
"Did you see it?" he asked the lions.
"No. the tigers saw it", they replied.
Then the lion asked the tigers, “Did you see it?"
"The rhinos saw it", they replied.
But the rhinos said, "The elks saw it."
The elks said, “The bears saw it."
The bears said, "The oxen saw it."
The oxen said. "The deer saw it.”
The deer said. "The hares saw it."
And the hares said, "That little one told us that the earth was breaking."
"Did you see the earth breaking?" he asked the little hare.
"Yes. lord", replied the hare. "I saw it breaking." "Where were you when you saw it breaking?" he asked.
With a trembling voice the little hare replied, "I was sitting beneath a fruit tree and thought, "What will happen to me when the earth comes to an end?" And at the very moment I heard the noise of the earth breaking and I ran.”
The wise lion thought, "He was sitting under a fruit tree. Certainly the noise he heard was that of a fruit falling to the ground." "Ride on my back, little one", he said, "and show me where you saw the earth break.”
The little hare jumped on to his back and the great lion flew to the place. But as they approached the fruit tree, the little hare jumped off. So frightened was he to return to the spot. And he pointed out the tree to the lion, saying, "Lord, there is the tree."
The great one went to the tree and saw the spot where the little hare had been sitting and the fruit which had fallen from the tree. "Come here little one", he called.
"Now where do you see the earth broken?
Little hare looked around. He saw the fruit on the ground. Now he knew that there had been no reason for his fright. He jumped once again on the lion’s back and away they went to the hundreds of creatures who were awaiting their return.
The lion then told the great multitude that the noise the little hare had heard was of a fruit falling to the ground. And so all turned back, the elephants to the valleys, the lions to the caves, the deer to the river banks and the little hare to the fruit tree. The little hare was foolish and brought trouble to all animals.
MORAL : Being foolish is dangerous to oneself as well as to others.
The Fox and The Stork 2
In a burrow made by an enormous family of rabbits, there lived a cunning fox. He stayed near the rabbits' home when he was just a youngster with the simple plan of eating all the rabbits up! He made a most comfortable house of it, furnished it with all sorts of things - most of them stolen goods. And now he lived there alone sleeping during the day and hunting at night.
One early morning, this busy, cunning fox was trotting home with a dead rabbit in his mouth; he saw a big white bird solemnly stalking through the river reeds on legs that were just like stilts. The big bird bowed to him for they know each other and the fox suddenly burst out laughing. However, as he laughed into the furry coat of the rabbit, the big bird did not hear him. The fox was thinking how silly the stork looked with his long legs and his neck that was even longer. It suddenly occurred to the mischievous, cunning fox to play a joke on this absurd bird so he put the rabbit carefully down and spoke.
"Good evening, my dear friend! Have you had good hunting?"
"Fair, fair!" replied the stork. "Because the frogs here are getting cautious…it is difficult to find them." The bird glanced at the rabbit.
He wanted to have a few mouthfuls of it.
"Come to dine with me this evening", said the cunning fox graciously, "You shall see the most excellent dish of rabbit you ever saw in your life."
The stork accepted the invitation as politely as it was given and the cunning fox trolled off again with the rabbit. When he reached his burrow, he began to make arrangements for his visitor. All the time, he was laughing silently and then he curled himself up for his long day's nap. He went on chuckling even in his sleep.
At twilight the stork arrived at the cunning fox’s house. As he could not, of course, get into the burrow, his host prepared to set the supper in the bracken just outside. He laid the table and put out the plates. Then he disappeared into the burrow for a minute and came back carrying a large dish which smelled most delicious. He set it down and invited the stork to begin.
The mischief-loving, cunning little fox had made a soup out of the rabbit! Poor stork, he stuck his long beak into the soup and dabbled about, but of course he could not manage to eat it, except by the tiniest mouthfuls, not worth mentioning. Meanwhile, the cunning fox lapped up plateful after plateful urging the stork all the time to take his share.
But when the meal was over, the stork was as hungry as he had been before it began. He was a proud bird however and he hid his disappointment and disgust. "A very excellent dish of rabbit!" he said condescendingly. "I hardly like to venture to return your hospitality, but if you will dine with me tomorrow, I will show you a frog stew, that will, I hope, be nearly as good."
The fox accepted the invitation, for he was rather fond of frogs. The next evening, he brushed his coat, smoothed his whiskers and set out to dine with the stork. He found his host ready to welcome him at the edge of the reeds.
"Pray come in! Pray come in!" said the stork leading the way into the bulrushes. "Our little meal is quite ready. I am only sorry. I have no plates! But we can eat out of the same dish quite comfortably."
He waved a claw in the direction of the aforesaid dish. He had used a big jar for the delicious frog stew. With a neck as long as his own, he started eating up from the jar out of which came a smell quite as appetizing as the smell of the last night's rabbit soup.
"Please, help yourself" the stork said genially to his visitor, “You will find that the stew is done to perfection."
He stuck his long neck down to the bottom of the jar and brought up a big frog which he greedily swallowed while the cunning fox looked on. Every time the stork pulled up a frog, he invited the fox to do the same. But the fox could only sit on his haunches, staring at the jai and trying to hide both his annoyance and his hunger.
At last, the stork finished up all the frogs and then, for the first time, broke into a croaking laugh. "Ah! Dear Fox, dear fox!" said he, "You decided to make fun of my long neck and beak. But I think the laugh is on my side tonight, for I have paid back your practical joke with interest!"
The cunning fox felt ashamed and returned to his burrow. From that day onwards he never made fun of anyone. He had learnt his lesson from the stork, that "everyone will get one's chance to show one's ability."
MORAL : Do not make fun of others on their outward looks.
The Golden Goose
Once there lived an old man in a village. He had three sons. The youngest was named Somu. He was despised and slighted and ignored on every occasion. One day the eldest son wished to go into the forest to hew wood His mother gave him a fine package of food with potatoes. Just as he got into the forest, he met a grey old man who bade him good-day and said, "Give me a little food of your package and a little water to drink for I am very hungry and thirsty.’
The prudent youth, however, would not, saying, "If I give you my food and water, I shall have nothing left for myself. No… pack-off!" and he left the man there and went onwards. He now began to hew down a tree. But he had not made many strokes before he missed his aim and the axe cut into his arm so deeply that he was forced to go home and have it dressed. But this wound came from the little old man.
Afterwards the second son went into the forest and the mother gave him as she had given the eldest a package of food with potatoes and water to drink. The same little old man met him also and requested for a little food of his package and a little water to drink. But he likewise refused and said, "If I give you my food. I cannot have anything for myself. Go away. Take yourself off!" And so speaking, he left the old man there and went onwards. His reward, however, soon came for when he had made two strokes at the tree he cut his own leg and so he had to return home.
Then Somu asked his father to let him go and hew wood. But his father said, "No…your brothers have harmed themselves in doing so and so will you, for you do not understand anything about it."
But Somu begged and prayed so long that his father at last said, "Well, then go and you will become prudent through experience."
His mother gave him stale food with dry potatoes and some water to drink.
As he entered the forest the same grey old man greeted him and asked, "Give me some food and a little water to drink for I am hungry and thirsty."
Somu answered, "I have only stale food with dry potatoes and a little water to drink. The food is burnt. If you like to share it with me, let us sit down and eat."
They sat down and as soon as Somu took out his food. Oh! It was changed into a fine delicious food and the dry potatoes became so nice to taste.
They ate the food and drank the water and when they finished, the little old man said, "Because you have a good heart and have willingly shared what you had, I will make you lucky. There stands an old tree, cut it down and you will find something at the roots.”
After saying so, the little old man took leave. Somu went directly and cut down the tree and when it fell, there sat amongst the roots a goose which had feathers of pure gold. He took it up and carried it with him to an inn where he planned to spend the night. The landlord had three daughters who as soon as they saw the goose were very covetous of such a wonderful bird, at least to have but one of its feathers. The eldest girl thought she would watch for an opportunity to pluck out one and just as Somu was going out, she caught hold of one of the wings. But her finger and thumb stuck there and she could not move.
Soon came the second daughter, desiring to pluck out a feather, but scarcely had she touched her sister when she also stuck to her sister.
At last the third also came with like intention and the others exclaimed, "Keep away! For heaven’s sake don’t touch us!"
But she did not see why she should and thought, “The others are there, why should I not be too?” and springing up to them, she touched her sister and at once was made to stick fast so they had to pass the night with the goose.
The next morning Somu took the goose under his arm and went out without troubling himself about the three girls who were still hanging on and who were obliged to keep on the run behind him. In the middle of the field the parson met them and when he saw the procession he cried out, "Oh! what a shame! You good-for-nothing wenches! Why are you running after that young man across the fields for? Come on, stop this stupid thing!"
Saying so, he took the youngest girl by the hand and tried to pull her away. But as soon as he touched her he also stuck fast and was forced to follow in the train. Soon after came the clerk and saw his master, the parson following in the footsteps of the three girls.
The sight astonished him much and he called, "Hello, master! Where are you going so quickly? Have you forgotten that there is a wedding today?" and he ran up to him and caught him by the dhoti. The clerk also could not release himself and so there tramped the five, one behind the other, till they met two countrymen returning with their hatchets in their hands. The parson called out to them and begged them to come and release him and the clerk. But no sooner had they touched the clerk than they stuck fast to him and so now there were seven all in a row following behind Somu and the golden goose. By and by he came into a city where the king had a daughter so seriously inclined that no one could make her laugh. So, he had made a law that whoever causes her to laugh would have her as wife.
Now, when Somu heard this, he went with his goose and all his train before the princess and as soon as she saw these seven poor creatures continuing on the trot behind one another, she began to laugh so heartily as if she was never going to cease. Somu thereupon demanded his bride. But his intended son-in-law did not please the king who, after a variety of excuses, at last said that he must bring a man who would drink a drum full of water. Somu immediately thought of the little old man who would no doubt be able to help him. Then he went into the forest to the same spot where he had cut the tree, he saw a man sitting very gloomily.
Somu asked him why he looked sad and he answered, "I have such a great thirst and cannot quench it."
Somu was astonished on hearing this. He said. “I can help you. Come with me and you shall quench your thirst."
He led him into the king's palace and the man drank and drank a drum full of water till his stomach swelled. Before the day was out he had emptied the drum. Somu now demanded his bride again, but the king was vexed that such an ugly fellow whom everyone called dumb Somu should marry his daughter and he set a new condition that he must first find a man who could eat a whole mountain of food. Somu did not consider long, but set off into the forest where, on the same spot as before, sat a man who was strapping his body round with a leather strap and all the while making a sad face and saying. "I have eaten so much of food…but what use is that when one has such a hunger as I? My stomach remains empty still and I must strap myself to prevent my dying of hunger!"
At these words Somu was glad and said, "Get up and come with me and you shall eat enough to satisfy yourself.”
He led him to the royal palace where the king had collected all the meal. The man began to eat and towards sunset the whole mountain of food had vanished.
Somu, then for the third time, demanded his bride, but the king began again to make fresh excuses and desired a ship which could travel both on land and water. "If you return with such a ship, you shall marry my daughter", said the king.
Somu went, as before, straight into the forest and there he met the little old man to whom he had given the food. When Somu said what he wanted, the old man gave him the ship which could travel on both land and water. Then he turned Somu into a handsome youth. The old man said to Somu, "Since I shared your food, I give you the ship and all this I do because you are good natured."
As soon as the king saw Somu so handsome and the ship, he could no longer keep back his daughter and the wedding was celebrated. Somu’s parents and brothers came and asked Somu to forgive them. Somu had forgiven them and after the king's death he inherited the kingdom and lived for a long time contentedly with his wife.
MORAL : One who is good at heart will win a priceless gift.
The Girl without Hands
A certain miller had little by little fallen into poverty, and had nothing left but his mill and a large apple-tree behind it. Once when he had gone into the forest to fetch wood, an old man stepped up to him whom he had never seen before, and said, "Why dost thou plague thyself with cutting wood, I will make thee rich, if thou wilt promise me what is standing behind thy mill?"
"What can that be but my apple-tree?" thought the miller, and said, "Yes," and gave a written promise to the stranger.
He, however, laughed mockingly and said, "When three years have passed, I will come and carry away what belongs to me," and then he went.
When the miller got home, his wife came to meet him and said, "Tell me miller. Where does this sudden wealth come into our house?”
All at once every box and chest was filled. No one brought it in.
“I know not how it happened." He answered, "It comes from a stranger who met me in the forest and promised me great treasure. I, in return, have promised him what stands behind the mill. We can very well give him the big apple-tree for it."
"Ah, husband," said the terrified wife, "that must have been the devil! He did not mean the apple-tree, but our daughter, who was standing behind the mill sweeping the yard."
The miller's daughter was a beautiful, pious girl and lived through the three years in the fear of God and without sin. When therefore the time was over and the day came when the Evil-one was to fetch her, she washed herself clean and made a circle round herself with chalk.
The devil appeared quite early, but he could not come near to her. Angrily, he said to the miller, "Take all water away from her, that she may no longer be able to wash herself, for otherwise I have no power over her."
The miller was afraid and did so. The next morning the devil came again, but she had wept on her hands and they were quite clean. Again he could not get near her and furiously said to the miller, "Cut her hands off, or else I cannot get the better of her."
The miller was shocked and answered, "How could I cut off my own child's hands?"
Then the Evil-one threatened him and said, "If thou dost not do it thou art mine, and I will take thee thyself."
The father became alarmed and promised to obey him. So he went to the girl and said, "My child, if I do not cut off both thine hands, the devil will carry me away, and in my terror I have promised to do it. Help me in my need and forgive me the harm I do thee."
She replied, "Dear father, do with me what you will, I am your child."
Thereupon she laid down both her hands and let them be cut off. The devil came for the third time, but she had wept so long and so much on the stumps, that after all they were quite clean. Then he had to give in and had lost all right over her. The miller said to her, "I have by means of thee received such great wealth that I will keep thee most delicately as long as thou livest."
But she replied, "Here I cannot stay, I will go forth, compassionate people will give me as much as I require." Thereupon she caused her maimed arms to be bound to her back, and by sunrise she set out on her way and walked the whole day until night fell. Then she came to a royal garden and by the shimmering of the moon she saw that trees covered with beautiful fruits grew in it, but she could not enter, for there was much water round about it.
And as she had walked the whole day and not eaten one mouthful and hunger tormented her, she thought, "Ah, if I were but inside, that I might eat of the fruit, else must I die of hunger!" Then she knelt down, called on God the Lord, and prayed. And suddenly an angel came towards her, who made a dam in the water, so that the moat became dry and she could walk through it. And now she went into the garden and the angel went with her. She saw a tree covered with beautiful pears, but they were all counted.
Then she went to them and to still her hunger, ate one with her mouth from the tree, but no more. The gardener was watching. But as the angel was standing by, he was afraid and thought the maiden was a spirit, and was silent, neither did he dare to cry out, or to speak to the spirit. When she had eaten the pear, she was satisfied, and went and concealed herself among the bushes. The King to whom the garden belonged, came down to it next morning, and counted, and saw that one of the pears was missing, and asked the gardener what had become of it, as it was not lying beneath the tree, but was gone.
Then answered the gardener, "Last night, a spirit came in, who had no hands, and ate off one of the pears with its mouth."
The King said, "How did the spirit get over the water, and where did it go after it had eaten the pear?" The gardener answered, "Some one came in a snow-white garment from heaven who made a dam, and kept back the water, that the spirit might walk through the moat. And as it must have been an angel, I was afraid, and asked no questions, and did not cry out. When the spirit had eaten the pear, it went back again."
The King said, "If it be as thou sayest, I will watch with thee to-night."
When it grew dark the King came into the garden and brought a priest with him, who was to speak to the spirit. All three seated themselves beneath the tree and watched. At midnight the maiden came creeping out of the thicket, went to the tree and again ate one pear off it with her mouth, and beside her stood the angel in white garments.
Then the priest went out to them and said, "Comest thou from heaven or from earth? Art thou a spirit, or a human being?"
She replied, "I am no spirit, but an unhappy mortal deserted by all but God."
The King said, "If thou art forsaken by the entire world, yet will I not forsake thee."
He took her with him into his royal palace and as she was so beautiful and good, he loved her with all his heart, had silver hands made for her and took her to wife.
After a year the King had to take the field, so he commended his young Queen to the care of his mother and said, "If she is brought to bed take care of her, nurse her well, and tell me of it at once in a letter." Then she gave birth to a fine boy. So the old mother made haste to write and announce the joyful news to him. But the messenger rested by a brook on the way, and as he was fatigued by the great distance, he fell asleep. Then came the Devil who was always seeking to injure the good Queen and exchanged the letter for another in which was written that the Queen had brought a monster into the world. When the King read the letter he was shocked and much troubled, but he wrote in answer that they were to take great care of the Queen and nurse her well until his arrival. The messenger went back with the letter, but rested at the same place and again fell asleep. Then came the Devil once more and put a different letter in his pocket in which it was written that they were to put the Queen and her child to death. The old mother was terribly shocked when she received the letter and could not believe it. She wrote back again to the King but received no other answer, because each time the Devil substituted a false letter and in the last letter it was also written that she was to preserve the Queen's tongue and eyes as a token that she had obeyed.
But the old mother wept to think such innocent blood was to be shed and had a hind brought by night and cut out her tongue and eyes and kept them.
Then said she to the Queen, "I cannot have thee killed as the King commands, but here thou mayst stay no longer. Go forth into the wide world with thy child, and never come here again."
The poor woman tied her child on her back and went away with eyes full of tears. She came into a great wild forest and then she fell on her knees and prayed to God and the angel of the Lord appeared to her and led her to a little house on which was a sign with the words, "Here all dwell free." A snow-white maiden came out of the little house and said, 'Welcome, Lady Queen," and conducted her inside. Then they unbound the little boy from her back and held him to her breast that he might feed, and laid him in a beautifully-made little bed. Then said the poor woman, "From whence knowest thou that I was a queen?" The white maiden answered, "I am an angel sent by God, to watch over thee and thy child." The Queen stayed seven years in the little house, and was well cared for, and by God's grace, because of her piety, her hands which had been cut off, grew once more.
At last the King came home again from the war, and his first wish was to see his wife and the child. Then his aged mother began to weep and said, "Thou wicked man, why didst thou write to me that I was to take those two innocent lives?" and she showed him the two letters which the Evil-one had forged, and then continued, "I did as thou badest me," and she showed the tokens, the tongue and eyes. Then the King began to weep for his poor wife and his little son so much more bitterly than she was doing, that the aged mother had compassion on him and said, "Be at peace, she still lives; I secretly caused a hind to be killed, and took these tokens from it; but I bound the child to thy wife's back and bade her go forth into the wide world, and made her promise never to come back here again, because thou wert so angry with her." Then spoke the King, "I will go as far as the sky is blue, and will neither eat nor drink until I have found again my dear wife and my child, if in the meantime they have not been killed, or died of hunger."
Thereupon the King travelled about for seven long years, and sought her in every cleft of the rocks and in every cave, but he found her not, and thought she had died of want. During the whole of this time he neither ate nor drank, but God supported him. At length he came into a great forest, and found therein the little house whose sign was, "Here all dwell free." Then forth came the white maiden, took him by the hand, led him in, and said, "Welcome, Lord King," and asked him from whence he came. He answered, "Soon shall I have travelled about for the space of seven years, and I seek my wife and her child, but cannot find them." The angel offered him meat and drink, but he did not take anything, and only wished to rest a little. Then he lay down to sleep, and put a handkerchief over his face.
Thereupon the angel went into the chamber where the Queen sat with her son, whom she usually called "Sorrowful," and said to her, "Go out with thy child, thy husband hath come." So she went to the place where he lay, and the handkerchief fell from his face. Then said she, "Sorrowful, pick up thy father's handkerchief, and cover his face again." The child picked it up, and put it over his face again. The King in his sleep heard what passed, and had pleasure in letting the handkerchief fall once more. But the child grew impatient, and said, "Dear mother, how can I cover my father's face when I have no father in this world? I have learnt to say the prayer, 'Our Father, which art in Heaven,' thou hast told me that my father was in Heaven, and was the good God, and how can I know a wild man like this? He is not my father." When the King heard that, he got up, and asked who they were. They said she, "I am thy wife, and that is thy son, Sorrowful." And he saw her living hands, and said, "My wife had silver hands." She answered, "The good God has caused my natural hands to grow again;" and the angel went into the inner room, and brought the silver hands, and showed them to him. Hereupon he knew for a certainty that it was his dear wife and his dear child, and he kissed them, and was glad, and said, "A heavy stone has fallen from off mine heart." Then the angel of God gave them one meal with her, and after that they went home to the King's aged mother. There were great rejoicings everywhere, and the King and Queen were married again, and lived contentedly to their happy end.
The Mother Frost
There was once a widow who had two daughters one of whom was beautiful and industrious and the other ugly and lazy. She behaved most kindly, however, to the ugly one cruelly to the other because she was her stepdaughter and made her do all the hard work and live like a kitchen maid. The poor maiden was forced out daily on her highroad and had to sit by the well and spin so much that blood ran from her fingers.
Once it was happened that her spindles became quite covered with blood so kneeling down by the well she tried to wash it off, but it fell down due to her misfortune. Her mother scolded her terribly and behaved very cruelly and at last said, “Since you have let your spindle fall in, you must yourself fetch it out again!”
Then the maiden went back to the well not knowing what to do and, in her distress, she jumped into the well to fetch the spindle out. As she fell she lost consciousness and when she came to herself again she found herself in a beautiful meadow where the sun was shining and many thousands of flowers blooming around her. She got up and walked along till she came to a baker's house where the oven was full of bread which cried out, "Draw me, draw me or I shall be burnt. I have been baked long enough." So she went up and taking the bread-pan, drew out one loaf after the other. Then she walked on further and came to an apple tree whose fruit hung very thick and which exclaimed,”Shake me, shake me. The apples are all ripe!" So she shook the tree till the apples fell down like rain and when none were left on, she gathered them all together in a heap and went further.
At last she came to a cottage out of which an old woman was peeping, who had such very large teeth that the maiden was frightened and ran away. The old woman, however, called her back, saying, "What are you afraid of, my child? Stay with me…if you will put all things in order in my house, then shall all go well with you. Only you must take care that you make my bed well and shake it tremendously so that the feathers fly…then shows upon earth. I am Old Mother Frost.” As the old woman spoke so kindly, the maiden took courage and consented to engage herself in her service. Now, everything made her contented and she always shook the bed so industriously that the feathers blew down like flakes of snow…therefore her life was a happy one and there were no evil words and she roasted and baked many times everyday.
For sometime she remained with the old woman… but, all at once, she became very sad and did not herself know what the matter was. At last she found she was homesick and although she fared a thousand times better than she did when she was at home, still she longed to go. So she told her mistress, "I wish to go home", and the mistress then said. "Since you have served me so truly, I will fetch you up again myself." So saying, she took her by the hand and led her before a great door which she undid and when the maiden was just beneath it, a great shower of gold fell and a great deal stuck to her so that she was covered over and over with gold. “That you must have for your industry", said the old woman, giving her the spindle which had fallen into the well.
Thereupon the door was closed and the maiden found herself upon the earth, not far from her mother's house and as she came into the court, the cock sat upon the house and called "Cock-a-doodle-doo! Our golden maid's come home again." Then she went into her mother's house and because she was so covered with gold, she was well received.
The maiden related all that had happened and when the mother heard how she had come by these great riches, she wished her ugly, lazy daughter to try her luck. So she was forced to sit down by the well and spin and in order that her spindle might become bloody, she pricked her finger by running a thorn into it and then, throwing the spindle into the well, she jumped in after it.
Then like the other, she came upon the beautiful meadow and traveled on the same path. When she arrived at the baker's, the bread called out, "Draw me out, draw me out or I shall be burnt. I have been baked long enough.” But she answered. "I have no wish to make myself dirty because of you", and so went on.
Soon she came to the apple tree which called out, "Shake me, shake me…my apples are all quite ripe." But she answered. "You do welcome me…perhaps apples will fall on my head and so she went on further. When she came to "Old Mother Frost's" house she was not afraid of her teeth for she had been warned and so she engaged herself to her. The first day she set to work in earnest was very industrious and obeyed her mistress in all she said to her for she thought about the gold which she would present to her. On the second day, however she began to idle…on the third, still more so and then she would not get up in the morning. She did not make the bed either as she ought to and the feathers did not fly. So the old woman got tired and dismissed her from her service which pleased the lazy one very well for she thought; "Now the gold-shower will come."
Her mistress led her to the door…but when she was beneath it, instead of gold, a tubful of pitch was poured down upon her.
"That is the reward for your service", said "Old Mother Frost", and shut the door. Then came lazy-bones home, but she was quite covered with pitch and the cock upon the house when he saw her, cried…
“Cock-a-doodle doo!
Our dirty maid's come home again."
But the pitch stuck to her and as long as she lived, would never come off again.
MORAL : One who is lazy will never prosper in life.
The Old Woman on the Moon
Mona was a young girl who lived in Mumbai. One night she saw the lull moon rise, climbing slowly across the sky. The moonlight was flooding her father’s corn fields. It was so very beautiful that she praised God for all the wonderful things around her.
For her the moon seemed to be at a far distance. She looked at the moon and felt that somebody was sitting in it under the shadow of a tree. She had heard, “There was an Old Woman who lived there. How lonely she must be,” Mona thought for a while. She felt so sad to think of her.
Suddenly a moonbeam danced right into her room and bowed low and said, “The old woman on the Moon has read your thoughts and invites you for a visit. Won't you come with me? I shall bring you back in a few days.”
Mona's parents were away on a visit and only the old servant was in the house. She joyfully accepted the invitation and said, "But how shall I get there? The moon is miles away."
"I shall take you there. All you do is to touch this magic moon rays and sit on my buck and by sunrise tomorrow we shall be to the moon.’’
Quickly Mona touched the magic rays and away she flew with the dancing. They crossed oceans and continents and Mona who knew her geography saw the outline of the world lade away. Higher and higher he moonbeam ascended. Stars and planets swirled past. She was so excited that she urged the moonbeam to fly faster and faster.
It was dark and the outline of the moon was clearly visible. The light grow brighter and brighter and Mona was almost blind by the shining glow. She could see deep valleys and craters and high mountains. She knew that no humans lived on the moon because there was no air and no living things grew there. She wondered how she would breathe and how the old woman lived. Doubtless, she had some magic powers. She knew that the glorious Sun reflected its light on the moon.
At last they reached the summit of a mountain and the exhausted moonbeam circled low and gently landed at the entrance of a beautiful castle made out of moon-stones. Each gem glittered in every hue and the enchantment of the scene fascinated the girl.
A very old woman, her white flowing hair almost touching the ground, gently greeted the girl and bade her welcome. "You are the first human whom I have ever met. Are they all like you? I have watched the earth for millions of years. Tell me all you can about it. It. is so lonely for me here."
"But how do you live here without air and water?" asked Mona.
"My child, once you touch the magic moonstone, you need nothing. You can live here forever and not want anything."
Mona was a gentle and kind girl and had great compassion for the old woman. Every day she sat with the old woman and told her stories of life on earth. She described the snow-capped mountains, the wide oceans, the green valleys, the bright meadows, the various beasts and the songs of the birds and the laughter of the children. But she sadly concluded that the earth was not all bliss as there was so much discord between different countries and much despair in the hearts of men.
The old woman listened carefully and said that humans would soon reach the moon too. Already she had seen strange shapes circling the hills. "Of course, those are the space capsules. They are piloted by men called astronauts and I know that one is actually going to land on the moon very soon. They don't need to touch the magic moonstone to survive here. They have oxygen tanks and all sorts of scientific instruments to help them."
The next morning, Mona was exploring a crater, looking for pretty gems when she heard a strange whirr and was astonished to see an unfamiliar contraption land bumpily near her. She knew it was some kind of a space capsule and gazed at the young astronaut with wonder. He in turn was so astonished to see a pretty young girl hopping among the craters that he nearly dropped his instruments.
"Who are you and how did you land here?" asked the astronaut.
Mona laughed and told her story. "But don't you want to go back to earth? I can take you with me."
“Oh yes…I would like to return. But first I must say good-bye to the dear Old Woman on the Moon.' She will be so lonely without me."
She bade the old woman a fond farewell and flew back to the beautiful earth with all its life. The old servant shook Mona awake with a hard shake and said to her, "Wake up Mona, you have slept the whole day and now it is night again and the moon is shining bright. Come and have your food."
Mona at once got up from her sleep and she jumped out of bed. She went to the window and saw if the old woman was still there. But she saw nothing but deep shadows. She sighed and said, "Oh dear, I've only been dreaming!"
Later on, Mona participated in a competition of story writing in her school. Mona had written about her wonderful dream and narrated the story very nicely. The judges liked her imagination and also selected her for the first prize. Mona was very happy and she shared her joy with her parents. Mona's parents were also very happy at what their daughter achieved and encouraged her to write on many things. Soon Mona became a writer and wrote many good stories with facts for children.
The Old Woman on the Moon - The Old Woman on the Moon - The Old Woman on the Moon
MORAL : One should make use of one's hidden talents.
The Poor Farmer
There was a small village wherein several rich farmers were settled and only one poor man who was therefore called THE POOR FARMER. He had not even a goat, nor the money to buy any though he and his wife would have been extremely happy to have one. One day he said to her, "A good thought has just struck me. The carver can make us a lamb out of wood and paint it brown so that it will look like any other. In time perhaps it will grow big and become a goat". This proposal pleased his wife. And the carver was instructed accordingly and he cut out the lamb, painted it as it should be and so made it that its head was bent down is if eating.
The next morning the goats were driven out to pasture and the farmer called the shepherd and said, "See… I have here a little lamb. But it is so small that it must as yet be carried." The shepherd said, "Very well" and taking it under his arm, carried it down to the meadow and set it among the grass. All day the lamb stood there as if eating. The shepherd said to himself, "See how it is eating! It will soon grow big and go alone." In the evening when he wanted to drive his flocks home, he said to the lamb, "If you can stand there to eat all the time, you must also be able to walk upon your four legs and I shall not carry you home in my arms."
The poor farmer stood before his house door waiting for his lamb. The shepherd drove his herd through the village. The farmer asked him about the lamb. The shepherd replied, "It is still standing there eating. It is not listening to me". The farmer exclaimed, "Eh! What? I must have my lamb!" and so both of them went together down to the meadow. But someone had stolen the lamb and it was gone.
The shepherd said "Perhaps it has run away itself", but the farmer replied, "No, no, that won't do for me." The shepherd was dragged before the Mayor. He was sentenced for his negligence to give the poor farmer a goat in the place of the lost lamb.
Now the farmer and his wife possessed the long-desired goat and were very glad. But having no fodder they could give her nothing to eat. So, very soon they were obliged to kill her. The flesh they salted down and the skin the poor farmer took to the next town to sell and to buy a lamb with what he got for it.
On the way he passed a mill where a raven was sitting with a broken wing and out of compassion he took the bird up and wrapped it in the skin he was carrying. But the weather was very bad with a great storm and rain so he was unable to go further and turning into the mill, begged for shelter. The miller's wife was at home alone and said to the farmer, "Lie down on that straw" and gave him a piece of bread and cheese. The farmer ate it and lay down with the skin near him and the miller's wife thought he was asleep. Later, a man came and she received him very cordially. She gave him a grand feast and the farmer was vexed on having been treated only with bread and cheese.
The woman went inside the kitchen and brought well-fried chicken, rice and salad. As they were sitting down to eat, there was knock outside and the woman exclaimed, "Oh! Gracious! That is my husband!" In a great hurry she stuck the chicken in the oven, the salad under the pillow, the rice upon the bed, while her guest stepped into the cupboard where she kept the linen. After doing all this she let in her husband and said, "God be praised! You have returned again! What weather it is, as if the world is coming to an end!"
The miller noticed the man lying on the straw and asked what the fellow did there. His wife said, 'Ah, the poor fellow came in the wind and rain and begged for shelter so I gave him some bread and cheese and showed him the straw."
The husband said he had no objection and asked her to bring some food for him. The wild said, "I have nothing but bread and cheese" and her husband told her with that he should be contented and asked the farmer to come and share his meal. The farmer did not let himself be twice asked but got up and ate away. Presently the miller noticed the skin lying upon the ground in which was the raven and asked, "What have you there?"
The farmer replied, "I have a truth-teller therein". "
Can it tell me the truth too?" asked the miller.
"Why not?" said the other "but he will only say four things and the fifth he keeps to himself."
The miller was curious and wished to hear it speak and the farmer squeezed the raven's head so that it squeaked out.
The miller then asked, "What did he say?"
The farmer replied, "The first thing is under the pillow lies the salad".
"That is a rare thing!" said the miller and went and found the salad. The farmer made the raven croak again and said, "Secondly, he declares there is roast chicken in the oven." "That is a good tell-tale!" cried the miller again and opening the oven, he took out the roast chicken. Then the farmer made the raven croak again and said, "For the third thing, he declares there is rice on the bed." "That is wonderful!" exclaimed the miller and he found the rice. Then the farmer made his bird croak once more and said, "For the fourth thing, he declares there are boiled eggs under the bed". "Oh! I like it.” said the miller while he went and found as it said.
The two men now sat down together at the table, but the miller's wife felt terribly angry and went to bed taking all the keys with her. The miller was very anxious to know the filth thing. But the man said, "First let us eat quietly these four things, for the other is somewhat dreadful!"
After they had finished their meal, the miller bargained as to how much he should give for the fifth thing and at last he agreed for three thousand rupees. Then the farmer once more made the raven croak and when the miller asked what it said, he told him, "He declares that in the cupboard where the linen is there is an evil spirit!"
The miller said, "The evil spirit must walk out!" and tried to open the door. But it was locked and the woman had to give up the key to the farmer who unlocked it. The unbidden guest at once bolted out and ran out of the house while the miller said, "Ah, I saw the black fellow that was all right!" Soon they went to sleep. But at daybreak the farmer took three thousand rupees and made himself scarce.
The farmer was now quite rich at home and built himself a fine hut. Hence his fellows said, "The poor farmer has certainly found the golden fortune of which he has brought away a basketful" and they summoned him before the Mayor that he might be made to say how his riches came.
The man replied, “I have sold my goat’s skin in the city for three thousand rupees".
And as soon as the others heard this they also desired to make a similar profit. The farmers ran home, killed all their goats and taking their skins off, took them to the city to sell them for a good price.
The Mayor, however, said. "My maid must go first" and when she arrived at the city she went to the merchant. But he gave her only three hundred rupees for the skin. And when the rest came he would not give them so much, saying, "What should I do with all these skins?"
The farmers were much vexed at being outwitted by their poor neighbour and bent on revenge, they complained to the Mayor of his deceit. The innocent, poor farmer was condemned to death unanimously and was to be rolled in a cask full of holes into the sea. He was led away. Then they sent for a priest who should say for him the mass for the dead. Everyone else was obliged to move to a distance and when the farmer looked at the priest he recognized the guest whom he had met at the mill.
So he said to him, "I have delivered you out of the cupboard. Now deliver me from this cask”. Just at that moment the shepherd passed by with a flock of sheep and the farmer, knowing that for a long time the man had desired to be Mayor, cried out with all his might. "No. no! I will not do it…even if the entire world asked me I would not do it! No, I will not!"
When the shepherd heard this he came up and said, "What are you doing here? What will you not do?"
The farmer replied, "They will make me Mayor if I remain in this cask…but no…I will not be here!" "Oh", said the shepherd, "if nothing else is required to become the Mayor. I am willing to put myself in the cask!
"Yes, you will be the Mayor if you do that", said the farmer.
Then he got out of the cask and the shepherd got in and the farmer nailed the lid down again. Now he took the shepherd's flock and drove it away while the parson went to the judge and told him he had said the prayers for the dead. Then they went and rolled the cask down to the water and while it rolled, the shepherd called out, "Yes, I should like to be the Mayor!"
They thought it was the poor farmer who spoke and said. "Yes, we understand it. Only you must first go below there."
Then they sent the cask right into the sea.
When that was done the farmers returned home and as they came into the village so came also the poor farmer, driving a flock of sheep quietly and cheerfully. The sight astounded the others and they asked, "When did you come? How did you come out of the water?" The farmer said. "I sank deeper and deeper till I got to the bottom where I pushed up the head of the cask and, got out. There were beautiful meadows upon which many lambs were grazing and I brought this flock of them up with me.”
"Are there any more?” inquired the farmers.
"Oh yes!" replied he, "more than you know what to do with!"
Then the farmers agreed that they would go and each fetch a flock for himself. But the Mayor said, "I must go first."
So they went together down to the water and there happened to be a fine blue sky with plenty of fleecy clouds over it which were mirrored in the water and looked like little lambs. The farmer told them, "Look there! We can see the sheep already on the ground below the water!" and the Mayor pressing quite forward, said, "I will go first and look about me and see if it is a good place and then call you."
So saying, he jumped in plump and as he splashed the water about, the others thought he was calling "Come along!" and so one after another the farmers plunged in a great hurry.
Thus was the whole village cleared out and the "Poor Farmer", as their only heir, became a very rich man.
MORAL : Quick-wittedness helps one overcome one’s dangers.
The Six Swans
A king was once hunting in a large wood. He pursued his game so hotly that none of his courtiers could follow him. But when evening approached he stopped and looking around him perceived that he had lost himself. He sought a path out of the forest, but could not find one and presently he saw an old woman with a nodding head who came up to him. “My good woman", said he to her, "can you not show me the way out of the forest?"
“Oh, yes, my lord king", she replied; "I can do that very well. But upon one condition which, if you do not fulfill, you will again get out of the wood, but will die of hunger."
“What then is the condition?" asked the King.
“I have a daughter", said the old woman who is as beautiful as anyone you can find in the whole world and well deserves to be your bride. Now, if you will make her your queen, I will show you your way out of the wood."
In the anxiety of his heart the king consented and the old woman led him to her cottage where the daughter was sitting by the fire-place. She received the king as if she had expected him and he saw at once that she was very beautiful. But yet she did not quite please him for he would not look at her without a secret shudder. However, after he took the maiden upon his horse, the old woman showed him the way and the king arrived safely at his palace where the wedding was to be celebrated.
The king had been married once before and had seven children by his first wife – six boys and a girl whom he loved above everything else in the world. He became afraid, soon, that the stepmother might not treat them very well and might even do them some great harm. So he took them away to a lonely castle which stood in the midst of a forest. This castle was so hidden and the way to it so difficult to discover that he himself could not have found it if a wise woman had not given him a ball of cotton which had a wonderful property. When he threw it before him, it unrolled itself and showed him the right path. The king however went so often to see his dear children that the queen noticed his absence became inquisitive and wished to know what he went to fetch out of the forest. So, she gave his servants a great quantity of money and they disclosed to her the secret and also told her of the ball of cotton which alone could show her the way. She would now have no peace until she discovered where this ball was concaled and then she made some fine silken shirts and as she learnt from her mother, she sewed within each one a charm. One day soon after the king had gone out hunting, she took little shirts and went into the forest and the cotton ball showed her the path. The children seeing someone coming in the distance thought it was their dear father and ran out towards her full of joy.
Then she threw over each of them a shirt which as it touched their bodies changed them to swans and they flew over the forest. The Queen then went home quite contented and thought she was free of her stepchildren but the little girl had not met her with the brothers and the Queen did not know of her.
The following day the king went to visit his children. But he found only the little girl.
“Where are your brothers?" he asked.
“Ah, dear father,” she replied, "they have gone away and left me alone", and she told him how she had looked out of the window and seen them changed into swans which had flown over the forest and then she showed him the leathers which they had dropped in the courtyard and which she had collected together.
The king was much grieved. But he did not think that his wife could have done this wicked deed and as he feared his only daughter might also be stolen away, he took her with him. She was however so much afraid of the stepmother that she begged him not to stop more than one night in the castle. However, the king comforted her and made her stay with him since he did not want to part her again. In spite of the king's presence and without his knowledge, her stepmother did not spare any opportunity to torment her. Years passed and the little girl grew into a beautiful maiden but still her pains continued.
The poor maiden thought, to herself, "This is no longer my place. I will go and seek my brothers." And one night she escaped and went quite deep into the wood. She walked all night long and a great part of the next day until she could go no further due to weariness. Just then she saw a rude hut and walking in she found a room with six little beds. But she dared not got into one but crept under and lying upon the hard earth, prepared to pass the night there. Just as the sun was setting, she heard a rustling and saw six white swans come flying in at the window.
They settled on the ground and began blowing one another until they had blown all their feathers off and their swan's down stripped off like a shirt. Then the girl knew them at once for her brothers and gladly crept out from under the bed and the brothers were no less glad to see their sister. But their joy was of short duration.
"Here you must not stay,” said they to her,
"This is a robbers' hiding-place. If they return and find you here, they will murder you."
"Can you not protect me, then?" inquired the sister.
"No", they replied…"for we can only lay aside our swan's feathers for a quarter of an hour each evening and in that time we regain our human form. But afterwards we regain our changed appearance.'
Their sister then asked them with tears, "Can you not be restored again?"
"Oh, no,' they replied, "The conditions are too difficult. For six long years you must neither speak nor laugh and during that time you must sew together for us six little shirts of star-flowers and should there fall a single word from your lips, then all your labour will be in vain."
Just as the brothers finished speaking, the quarter of an hour elapsed and they all flew out of the window again like swans.
The little sister, however, made a solemn resolution to rescue her brothers or die in the attempt and she left the cottage and penetrating deep into the forest, passed the night amid the branches of a tree. The next morning she went out and collected the star-flowers to sew together. She had no one to converse with and for laughing she had no spirits, so there, up on the tree she sat, intent upon her work. After she had passed some time there, it happened that the king of another country was hunting and his huntsmen came beneath the tree on which the girl sat.
They called to her and asked, “Who are you?" But she gave no answer.
“Come down to us", they continued,”We will not do you any harm."
She simply shook her head and when they pressed her further with questions, she threw down to them her gold necklace, hoping therewith to satisfy them.
They did not, however, leave her and she throw down her girdle, but in vain and even her rich dress did not make them desist. At last one hunter climbed the tree and brought down the girl and took her before the king.
The king asked her, "Who are you? Why were you sitting on top of the tree?"
But she did not answer and then he asked her in all the languages that he knew. But she remained dumb to all as a fish. However, since she was so beautiful, the king's heart was touched and he conceived for her a strong affection. Then he put around her his cloak and placing her before him on his horse, took her to his castle. There he ordered rich clothing to be made for her and although her beauty shone as the sunbeams, not a word came off her mouth. The king placed her by his side at table. There her dignified mien and manners so won upon him that he said, "This girl will I marry and no other in the world” and after some days he was united in her.
Now, the king had a wicked stepmother who was discontented with his marriage. She spoke ill of the young queen.
"Who knows when this girl would bring ill luck?" said she, "She who cannot speak is not worthy to be a queen."
A year after when the queen brought her first-born into the world, the old woman took him away. Then she went to the king and complained that the queen was a murderess and that she had killed the baby born to her. The king, however, would not believe it and allowed no one to do any injury to his wife who sat composedly sewing shirts and paying attention to nothing else. When the second child was born, the false stepmother used the same deceit, but the king again would not listen to her words, but said, "She is too pious and good to act so. Could she but speak and defend herself. Her innocence would come to light." But again, the third time, the old woman stole away the child and then accused the queen that she had killed all the three babies born to her. The queen answered not a word to the accusation. Hence the king was obliged to give her up to be tried and she was condemned to suffer death by fire.
When the time had elapsed and the sentence was to be carried out, it so happened that the very day had come round when her dear brothers should be made free. The six shirts were also ready all but the last, which yet wanted the left sleeve. As she was led to the scaffold, she placed the shirts upon her arm and just as she had mounted it and the fire was about to be kindled, she looked around and saw six swans come flying through the air. Her heart leapt for joy as she perceived her deliverers approaching and soon the swans flying towards her alighted so near that she was enabled to throw over them the shirts and as soon as she had done so their feathers fell off and the brothers stood up alive and well. But the youngest wanted his left arm, instead of which he had a swan's wing. They embraced and kissed each other and the queen going to the king who was thunderstruck, began to say, "Now may I speak, my dear husband and prove to you that I am innocent and falsely accused.”
Then she told him how the wicked woman had stolen away and hidden her three children. When she had concluded, the king was overcome with joy and the wicked stepmother was led to the scaffold and bound to the stake and burnt to ashes.
The king and the queen forever after lived in peace and prosperity with the six brothers.
MORAL : God will reward the good ones and punish the wicked people.
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