Prevod

Once upon a time there was a king who had so many geese that he needed a girl just to tend them. Her name was Aase, so they called her Aase Goosegirl. Now there was a prince from England who was setting out to seek a bride, and Aase sat herself down in his path. “Sitting there, are you, little Aase?” said the prince.

“Yes, here I sit, stitching mend upon mend and patch upon patch, waiting for the prince of England today,” said little Aase. “You can’t expect to have him,” said the prince. “Oh, if I’m meant to have him, I shall have him all right,” said little Aase. Now painters were sent to every land and kingdom to paint portraits of the loveliest princesses, so that the prince could choose among them. One of them pleased him so much that he went to see her and wished to marry her, and he was both happy and content when she became his betrothed. But the prince had a stone with him which he laid before his bed, and it knew everything. When the princess arrived, Aase Goosegirl told her that if she had ever had a sweetheart before, or had anything on her conscience that she did not want the prince to know, she must not step over the stone he kept before his bed, “for it tells him everything about you,” she said. When the princess heard this, she grew very sorrowful, but then she thought of asking Aase to go in her place and lie down with the prince that evening. Once he was asleep, they would change places again, so that he would have the right one beside him when morning came.

And so they did. When Aase Goosegirl came and stepped on the stone, the prince asked, “Who is this getting into my bed?” “A pure and innocent maiden!” said the stone, and then they lay down to sleep. But later that night the princess came and took Aase’s place. In the morning, when they were about to rise, the prince asked the stone again, “Who is this getting out of my bed?” “One who has had three children!” said the stone. When the prince heard that, he would have nothing to do with her, as you may well imagine, so he sent her home again and chose another bride instead.

When he went to visit her, little Aase Goosegirl had sat herself down in his path again. “Sitting there, are you, little Aase Goosegirl?” said the prince. “Yes, here I sit, stitching mend upon mend and patch upon patch, for I’m waiting for the prince of England today,” said Aase. “Oh, you can’t expect to have him,” said the prince. “Oh, if I’m meant to have him, I shall have him all right,” Aase declared.

Things went exactly the same way with this princess as with the first, except that when she rose in the morning, the stone said she had had six children. So the prince would have nothing to do with her either, and sent her packing. Still, he thought he must try once more to see whether he could find someone pure and innocent. He searched far and wide again, through many lands, until he found one he liked. But when he went to visit her, Aase Goosegirl had sat herself down in his path again. “Sitting there, are you, little Aase Goosegirl?” said the prince.

“Yes, here I sit, stitching mend upon mend and patch upon patch, for I’m waiting for the prince of England today,” said Aase. “You can’t expect to have him,” said the prince. “Oh yes, if I’m meant to have him, I shall have him all right,” said little Aase.

When the princess arrived, Aase Goosegirl told her, just as she had told the other two, that if she had ever had a sweetheart, or if there was anything else she did not want the prince to know, she must not step on the stone he kept before his bed, for it would tell him everything. The princess grew sorrowful and uneasy when she heard this, but she was just as sly as the other two, and asked Aase to go in her place and lie down with the prince that evening. Once he was asleep, they would change places, so that he would have the right one beside him when morning came. And so they did. When little Aase Goosegirl came and stepped on the stone, the prince asked, “Who is this getting into my bed?” “A pure and innocent maiden,” said the stone, and then they lay down. During the night the prince put a ring on Aase’s finger, and it was so tight that she could not get it off again. For the prince could tell that something was amiss, and he wanted a token by which he could recognize the right girl. When the prince had fallen asleep, the princess came and drove Aase off to the goose pen, then lay down in her place. In the morning, when they were about to rise, the prince asked, “Who is this getting out of my bed?” “One who has borne nine children,” said the stone. When the prince heard this, he was so angry that he sent her packing that very instant. Then he asked the stone how matters stood with these princesses who had stepped upon it, for he could make no sense of it, he said. So the stone told him what had happened: they had deceived him and sent Aase Goosegirl in their place. The prince wanted to get to the bottom of this, so he went down to where she sat tending her geese, to see whether she had the ring as well. If she has it, I had best make her my queen, he thought. When he came down, he saw at once that she had tied a rag around one of her fingers, and he asked why she had done so.

“Oh, I’ve cut myself so badly,” said little Aase Goosegirl. He insisted on looking at her finger, but Aase would not take the rag off. Then the prince caught hold of her finger, but Aase tried to pull it away again. The rag came off, and he recognized his ring. So he took her with him to the royal palace and gave her splendid finery and fine clothes, and afterwards they celebrated their wedding. And that was how little Aase Goosegirl won the prince of England after all, simply because she was meant to have him.