Prevod

In the days when wishing still did some good, a prince was bewitched by an old witch and condemned to sit in a great iron stove in the forest. There he spent many years, and no one could set him free. One day a princess came into the forest. She had lost her way and could not find her father’s kingdom again. For nine days she had wandered about, until at last she stood before the iron box. A voice came from inside and asked her, “Where have you come from, and where are you going?” She answered, “I have lost my father’s kingdom and cannot find my way home.” Then the voice in the iron stove said, “I will help you get home again, and in a very short time, if you will sign a promise to do what I ask. I am a prince of higher birth than you are a princess, and I mean to marry you.” At this she was frightened and thought, “Dear God, what am I to do with an iron stove?” But because she longed to go home to her father, she signed the promise to do what he asked. Then he said, “You must come back, bring a knife, and scrape a hole in the iron.” He gave her someone to accompany her, who walked beside her without speaking and brought her home in two hours. There was great rejoicing in the palace when the princess returned, and the old king threw his arms around her neck and kissed her. But she was very sad and said, “Dear Father, what has happened to me! I would never have found my way home from the great wild forest if I had not come upon an iron stove. In return, I had to sign a promise that I would go back to it, set it free, and marry it.” The old king was so horrified that he nearly fainted, for she was his only daughter. So they took counsel together and decided to send the miller’s daughter, who was beautiful, in her place. They led her out into the forest, gave her a knife, and told her to scrape at the iron stove. She scraped for twenty-four hours, but could not scrape off the tiniest bit. When day broke, a voice called from inside the iron stove, “It seems to me it is daylight outside.” She answered, “So it seems to me too. I think I hear my father’s mill clattering.” “Then you are a miller’s daughter. Go away at once and send the princess here.” So she went back and told the old king that the one out in the forest did not want her; he wanted the king’s daughter. The old king was frightened, and his daughter wept. But there was also a swineherd’s daughter, who was even more beautiful than the miller’s daughter, and they offered her some money to go to the iron stove in the princess’s place. So she was taken out into the forest and had to scrape for twenty-four hours too, but she could not scrape anything off. When day broke, a voice called from inside the stove, “It seems to me it is daylight outside.” She answered, “So it seems to me too. I think I hear my father blowing his little horn.” “Then you are a swineherd’s daughter. Go away at once and send the princess here, and tell her that what I promised her shall come to pass. If she does not come, everything in the whole kingdom shall crumble and fall, and not one stone shall be left upon another.” When the princess heard this, she began to weep, but there was no help for it now: she had to keep her promise. She took leave of her father, put a knife in her pocket, and went out into the forest to the iron stove. When she arrived, she began to scrape, and the iron yielded. After two hours she had already scraped a little hole. She peeped inside and saw such a handsome young man, glittering with gold and precious stones, that he won her heart at once. Now she scraped all the harder and made the hole large enough for him to come out. Then he said, “You are mine and I am yours. You are my bride, and you have set me free.” He wanted to take her with him to his kingdom, but she begged leave to visit her father once more. The prince agreed, but she was to speak no more than three words to her father and then return. So she went home, but she spoke more than three words, and at once the iron stove vanished and was carried far away, beyond glass mountains and sharp swords. The prince, however, was free and no longer shut inside it. After this she took leave of her father, took some money with her, though not much, and went back into the great forest to look for the iron stove, but it was nowhere to be found. She searched for nine days, until she was so hungry that she did not know what to do, for she had nothing left to eat. When evening came, she climbed into a little tree and settled down to spend the night there, because she was afraid of the wild beasts. As midnight drew near, she saw a little light in the distance and thought, “Ah, perhaps I shall find help there.” She climbed down from the tree and went towards the light, praying as she walked. At last she came to a little old house, with grass growing thickly all around it and a small pile of wood in front. “Oh, where have I come to?” she thought, and peeped through the window. Inside she saw nothing but toads, some fat and some small, but there was a table beautifully laid with wine and roast meat, and the plates and cups were silver. So she took courage and knocked. At once the fat toad called, “Little maiden, green and small, Hutzelbein, Hutzelbein’s dog, scurry here and scurry there, quickly see who’s waiting there.”

Then a little toad came along and opened the door for her. As she entered, they all welcomed her and asked her to sit down. “Where have you come from? Where are you going?” they asked. She told them everything that had happened to her, and how, because she had disobeyed the command to speak no more than three words, the stove had disappeared, together with the prince. Now she meant to go on searching, over hill and dale, until she found him. Then the old fat toad said, “Little maiden, green and small, Hutzelbein, Hutzelbein’s dog, scurry here and scurry there, bring the great box over here.”

The little toad went off and brought the box. Then they gave the princess food and drink and took her to a beautifully made bed, soft as silk and velvet. She lay down in it and went to sleep in God’s keeping. When morning came, she got up, and the old toad gave her three needles from the great box to take with her. She would need them, the toad said, for she must cross a high glass mountain, three sharp swords, and a great body of water. If she made her way across them all, she would find her beloved again. The toad gave her three things to take good care of: three large needles, a plough wheel, and three nuts. With these she set out. When she reached the glass mountain, which was so slippery, she stuck the three needles into it, moving them from behind her feet to in front of her as she went, and so made her way across. Once she was over, she put them in a place she took care to remember. Then she came to the three sharp swords, stood on her plough wheel, and rolled across them. At last she reached a great body of water, and when she had crossed it, she came to a large and beautiful palace. She went inside and asked for a place in service, saying that she was a poor maid and would gladly take employment. But she knew that the prince she had freed from the iron stove in the great forest was living there. So she was taken on as a kitchen maid for a small wage. By now the prince had another woman at his side, whom he meant to marry, for he thought the princess had long since died. That evening, when she had finished washing up, she felt in her pocket and found the three nuts the old toad had given her. She bit one open, meaning to eat the kernel, and behold, inside was a magnificent royal gown. When the bride heard of it, she came and asked to buy the gown, saying it was no dress for a servant girl. But the girl said no, she would not sell it. Still, if the bride would grant her one thing, she could have it: she must be allowed to spend a night in her bridegroom’s chamber. The bride agreed, for the gown was so beautiful, and she had none like it. When evening came, she said to her bridegroom, “That foolish girl wants to sleep in your chamber.” “If you are content with it, so am I,” he said. But she gave him a glass of wine into which she had poured a sleeping draught. So the prince and the kitchen maid went to sleep in the chamber, but he slept so soundly that she could not wake him. She wept all night and cried, “I freed you from the wild forest and from an iron stove. I searched for you and crossed a glass mountain, three sharp swords, and a great body of water before I found you, and yet you will not hear me.” The servants were sitting outside the chamber door and heard her weeping all night long, and in the morning they told their master. The next evening, when she had finished washing up, she bit open the second nut, and inside was a gown far more beautiful still. When the bride saw it, she wanted to buy it. But the girl would take no money and asked instead to spend another night in the bridegroom’s chamber. Again the bride gave him a sleeping draught, and he slept so soundly that he could hear nothing. But the kitchen maid wept all night and cried, “I freed you from a forest and from an iron stove. I searched for you and crossed a glass mountain, three sharp swords, and a great body of water before I found you, and yet you will not hear me.” The servants were sitting outside the chamber door and heard her weeping all night long, and in the morning they told their master. On the third evening, when she had finished washing up, she bit open the third nut, and inside was a still more beautiful gown, resplendent with pure gold. When the bride saw it, she wanted it for herself, but the girl would only give it to her if she were allowed to spend a third night in the bridegroom’s chamber. This time, however, the prince was on his guard and let the sleeping draught spill away. When she began to weep and cry, “Dearest love, I freed you from the terrible wild forest and from an iron stove,” the prince sprang up and said, “You are my true bride! You are mine, and I am yours.” That very night he climbed into a carriage with her, and they took away the false bride’s clothes so that she could not get up. When they reached the great body of water, they sailed across it; when they came to the three sharp swords, they sat on the plough wheel; and when they reached the glass mountain, they stuck the three needles into it. At last they came to the little old house, but when they went inside, it was a great palace. The toads had all been freed from their enchantment and were all royal children, filled with joy. There the wedding was celebrated, and the prince and princess stayed in the palace, which was much larger than her father’s. But because the old king grieved at being left alone, they went and brought him to live with them. Thus they had two kingdoms and lived happily as husband and wife.

Then along came a mouse, and the tale was out.