Prevod

Once upon a time there was a king who had a little son, and it had been foretold in the stars that the boy would be killed by a stag when he was sixteen years old. When he had grown to that age, the huntsmen took him out hunting one day. But in the forest the prince became separated from the others, and suddenly he saw a great stag. He tried to shoot it, but could not hit it. At last the stag had led him on so far that he came right out of the forest. Suddenly, instead of the stag, a great tall man stood before him and said, "Well, I'm glad I've got you at last! I've worn out six pairs of glass skates chasing after you, and never managed to catch you." He took the prince with him and dragged him through a great stretch of water to a magnificent royal castle. There the prince had to sit down at the table and eat something. When they had eaten together, the king said, "I have three daughters. You must keep watch for one night beside the eldest, from nine in the evening until six in the morning. Whenever the clock strikes, I shall come myself and call out, and if you give me no answer, you will be put to death tomorrow. But if you do answer me, you shall have her for your wife." When the young people entered the bedchamber, they found a stone statue of Saint Christopher standing there. The princess said to it, "My father will come at nine, and every hour after that until the clock strikes three. When he calls, answer him in the prince's place." The stone Saint Christopher nodded his head very quickly, then more and more slowly, until at last he stood still again. The next morning the king said to the prince, "You have done well, but I cannot give up my daughter. You must keep watch beside my second daughter for another night, and then I will consider once more whether you may have my eldest daughter for your wife. But I shall come myself every hour, and when I call you, answer me. If I call and you do not answer, your blood shall be shed at my command." Then the two went to the bedchamber, where an even larger stone Saint Christopher stood. The princess said to it, "When my father calls, you must answer." The great stone Saint Christopher nodded his head quickly, then more and more slowly, until at last he stood still again. And the prince lay down on the threshold, put his hand beneath his head, and fell asleep. The next morning the king said to him, "You have done well, but I still cannot give you my daughter. You must keep watch beside the youngest princess for one more night. Then I will consider whether you may have my second daughter for your wife. But I shall come myself every hour, and if I call and you do not answer, your blood shall be shed at my command." Then they went together to her bedchamber. Inside stood a still bigger and taller Saint Christopher. The princess said to it, "When my father calls, you must answer!" The great tall stone Saint Christopher nodded his head for a good half hour before he stood still again. Then the prince lay down on the threshold and fell asleep.

The next morning the king said, "You have kept watch well, but I still cannot give you my daughter. I have a great forest, and you must cut it down for me between six this morning and six this evening. Then I will consider the matter." For this task he gave him a glass axe, a glass wedge, and a glass woodman's mallet. When the prince reached the wood, he struck once with the axe, and it broke in two. Then he took the wedge and struck it once with the mallet, and it was shattered into little pieces like pebbles. This distressed him greatly, for he thought he would now have to die, and he sat down and wept. At noon the king said, "One of you girls must take him something to eat." "No," said the two eldest, "we shan't take him anything. The one he kept watch beside last night can take him something." So the youngest had to go and bring him some food. When she came to the forest, she asked how he was faring. Very badly, he said. Then she told him to come and eat a little. No, he said, he could not, for he would have to die all the same, and so he no longer wished to eat. She coaxed him kindly to try a little, and at last he came and ate some. When he had eaten a little, she said, "To take your mind off your troubles, I'll stroke your head for a while." She stroked his head, and he grew drowsy and fell asleep. Then she took her handkerchief, tied a knot in it, struck it three times upon the ground, and said, "Workers, come out!" At once a great many little earth-men appeared and asked for the princess's orders.

She said, "Within three hours the great forest must be felled and the wood piled in stacks!" The little earth-men went about summoning all their kin to help them with the work. They began at once, and when the three hours were up, they had finished. Then they came back to the princess and told her so. The girl took her white handkerchief and said, "Workers, go home!" And at once they all vanished again.

When the prince awoke, he was glad at heart, but she said to him, "When the clock has struck six, come back home!" He did as she said, and the king asked, "Have you cut down the forest?" "Yes," said the prince. And as they sat at table, the king said, "I still cannot give you my daughter for your wife. You must do something more for her." The prince asked what it was. "I have a great pond," said the king. "Tomorrow you must go and clear out the mud until it is as bright as a mirror, and there must be all kinds of fish in it as well." The next morning the king gave him a glass spade and said, "The pond must be finished by six o'clock." So he went away, and when he reached the pond, he thrust the spade into the mire, and it snapped. He struck into it with the mattock, and that shattered too. Once more he was deeply distressed. At noon the princess brought him his food and asked how he was faring. The prince said he was faring very badly indeed, and would surely lose his head. Oh, she said, he need only come and eat something to take his mind off his troubles. No, he said, he could not eat; he was far too sad. But once more she coaxed him kindly until he came to her and ate a little. Then she stroked his head again, and he fell asleep. She took her handkerchief, tied a knot in it, tapped the ground three times with it, and said, "Workers, come out!" At once a great many little earth-men appeared, and all asked what she wished. She told them. Then the little earth-men went and summoned their kin to help them, and within two hours everything was finished. They returned to the princess and said, "We have done as you commanded." Then the princess took the handkerchief, struck the ground three times again, and said, "Workers, go home!" And they all went away again.

When the prince awoke, the pond was finished. Now the princess went away too, telling him to come home at six. When he returned, the king asked him, "Have you finished the pond?" "Yes," said the prince. As they sat at table, the king remarked, "You have indeed finished the pond, but I still cannot give you my daughter, for you must first do one more thing." "What is that?" asked the prince. The king said he also had a great mountain covered in thorn bushes, which must all be cut down. And on its summit the prince must build a great castle, as beautiful as anyone could possibly imagine, with all its furnishings and everything else that belonged in a castle.

When he rose the next morning, the king gave him a glass axe and a glass auger to take with him. He must be finished by six o'clock, the king said. When he struck the first thorn bush with the axe, it shattered into pieces that flew all around him; the auger broke in two as well. Once more he was deeply distressed, and waited for his beloved, hoping she would come and help him out of his plight. Towards noon she did come, bringing him something to eat. He went to meet her, told her everything, and ate a little; then he let her stroke his head and fell asleep again.

Then she took the knotted handkerchief once more, struck it upon the ground, and said, "Workers, come out!" Again a great many little earth-men appeared and asked what she wished. She said, "Within three hours you must cut down all the thorn bushes, and on top of the mountain there must stand a castle more beautiful than any other in the world." The little earth-men went and summoned their kin to help them. When the time was up, everything was finished. Then they came to the princess and told her so. The princess took her handkerchief, struck the ground three times with it, and said, "Workers, go home!" At once they all vanished again, and when the prince awoke and saw everything, he was as happy as a bird in the air.

When the clock had struck six, they went home together, and the king asked, "Is the castle finished too?" "Yes," said the prince. As they sat at table, the king said, "I cannot give up my youngest daughter until the two elder ones are married." The prince and the princess were very unhappy at this, and the prince no longer knew what to do. So when night came, he ran away with the princess. They had been gone for some time when the princess looked back and saw her father behind them. "Oh," she said, "what shall we do? My father is following us and means to catch us. I will turn you into a thorn bush and myself into a rose. I shall surely be safe in the middle of the bush." When her father reached the spot, there stood a thorn bush with a rose in its midst. He tried to pluck the rose, but the thorns pricked his fingers, so that he had to go home again. His wife asked why he had not brought them back. He said he had seen only a thorn bush and a rose. Then the queen said, "If only you had plucked the rose, the bush would have come along too." So the king set out again to fetch the rose. But the two were already far away across the fields, and the king kept running after them. Then the daughter looked back again and caught sight of her father. She said, "Oh, what shall we do now? I will turn you into a church and myself into a pastor. I shall stand in the pulpit and preach." When the king reached the spot, there stood a church, with a pastor in the pulpit preaching. The king listened to the sermon, then went home and told his wife everything. "You should have brought the pastor," his wife said. "The church would have followed of its own accord. What is the use of sending you! I suppose I shall have to go myself."

When she had been on her way for a while and could see the two in the distance, the princess looked back, saw her mother coming, and said, "Oh dear, now my mother herself is coming. I will turn you into a pond and myself into a fish." When the mother reached the spot, there was a great pond, and in the middle a fish was leaping about, poking its head out of the water and making merry. This made her so angry that she drank up the whole pond, hoping to catch the fish after all. But it made her so ill that she had to spew all the water out again. And she said, "I can see there is nothing more to be done here!" Then the queen gave her daughter three walnuts and said, "These will bring you help in your hour of greatest need." With that the young people went on their way together. They had been walking for some ten hours when they reached the castle where the prince came from, with a village nearby. When they arrived there, the prince said, "Stay here, my beloved. I will go to the castle first, then come back with a carriage and servants to fetch you." When he entered the castle, everyone was overjoyed to have the prince home again. He told them that he had a bride who was waiting in the village, and that they must drive there in the carriage and fetch her. They harnessed the horses at once, and many servants climbed into the carriage. But just as the prince was about to get in, his mother gave him a kiss that made him forget everything that had happened, and everything he had intended to do. Then his mother ordered the horses to be unharnessed, and they all went back into the castle. Meanwhile the girl sat in the village, waiting and waiting, thinking he would come to fetch her, but no one came. So the princess took service at the mill, which belonged to the castle. Every afternoon she had to sit beside the water and scrub vessels. One day the queen came down from the castle to walk by the water. She saw the lovely girl sitting there and said, "What a lovely girl! I like her very much!" Then they all looked at her, but not a soul recognized her.

A long time passed, and the girl served the miller faithfully and well. Meanwhile the queen had sought out a wife for her son, a lady who came from very far away. When the bride arrived, they were to be married at once. So many people flocked to see it all that the girl too asked the miller for leave to go to church. "Go along," said the miller. But before she left, she opened one of the three walnuts, and inside lay a beautiful dress. She put it on and went to church, standing very near the altar. Presently the bride and bridegroom arrived and took their places before the altar. But just as the pastor was about to bless them, the bride glanced aside and saw the girl. She stood up at once and said she would not return to be married until she had a dress as beautiful as the lady's. So they went home again and sent to ask the lady whether she would sell her dress. No, she would not sell it, but the bride could certainly earn it. They asked the girl what she meant by that. She said that if she were allowed to sleep outside the prince's door that night, the bride was welcome to the dress. And the bride agreed! So the servants had to prepare a sleeping draught for the prince, and the girl lay down outside his door and wept, telling him all night long how she had had the whole forest felled for him, the pond cleared of mud, and the castle built. Then she had turned him into a thorn bush, next into a church, and last into a pond; yet he had forgotten her so quickly. But the prince heard none of it. Only the servants had been woken by her cries and heard everything, though they did not know what it meant.

The next morning, when they had risen, the bride put on the dress and drove to church with the bridegroom. Meanwhile the girl opened the second walnut, and inside lay an even more beautiful dress. She put it on, went to church, and sat close to the altar. Everything happened just as it had before: the girl lay down outside the door of the prince's chamber, and his servants were again supposed to give him a sleeping draught. This time, however, there was no sleeping potion in the prince's drink, and he lay awake in bed. The miller's maid wept again and told him all she had done. The prince heard everything and was deeply grieved, and suddenly all that had happened in the past came back to him. He wanted to go to her, but his mother had locked the door. The next morning, however, he went straight to his beloved and told her all that had befallen him, begging her not to be angry that he had forgotten her for so long. Then the princess opened the third walnut, and inside was the most beautiful dress anyone could possibly imagine. She put it on and drove to church with the bridegroom. Many children came and gave them flowers and laid bright ribbons at their feet, and they received the marriage blessing and celebrated a merry wedding. But the false-hearted mother and the other bride had to go away. And whoever told this tale last still has a warm mouth.