Prevod

A rich man's wife fell ill, and when she felt her end drawing near, she called her only little daughter to her bedside and said, "Dear child, remain good and devout, and the good Lord will always stand by you. I shall look down on you from heaven and be near you." Then she closed her eyes and died. The girl went out to her mother's grave every day and wept, and she remained good and devout. When winter came, the snow laid a little white cloth over the grave, and when the spring sunshine had drawn it away again, the man took another wife.

The woman brought two daughters into the house, who were beautiful and fair of face but wicked and black at heart. Then a dreadful time began for the poor stepchild. "Is this silly goose to sit in the parlour with us?" they said. "Anyone who wants to eat bread must earn it. Out with the kitchen maid!" They took away her fine clothes, dressed her in an old grey smock, and gave her wooden shoes. "Just look at the proud princess, all dressed up!" they cried, laughing as they led her into the kitchen. There she had to work hard from morning till night, rising before daybreak, carrying water, lighting fires, cooking and washing. On top of this, the sisters did everything they could to torment her, mocking her and pouring her peas and lentils into the ashes, so that she had to sit and pick them out again. In the evening, when she was worn out with work, she had no bed to go to but had to lie down in the ashes beside the hearth. And because this left her always looking dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella.

One day the father was preparing to go to the fair, and he asked his two stepdaughters what he should bring them. "Fine clothes," said one. "Pearls and precious stones," said the other. "But you, Cinderella," he said, "what would you like?" "Father, break off for me the first twig that brushes against your hat on your way home." So he bought fine clothes, pearls, and precious stones for the two stepsisters, and on his way back, as he rode through a green thicket, a hazel twig brushed against him and knocked off his hat. He broke off the twig and took it with him. When he reached home, he gave his stepdaughters what they had wished for, and to Cinderella he gave the twig from the hazel bush. Cinderella thanked him, went to her mother's grave, and planted the twig upon it. She wept so bitterly that her tears fell on it and watered it. It grew and became a beautiful tree. Three times every day Cinderella went beneath it to weep and pray, and each time a little white bird came to the tree. Whenever she made a wish, the little bird threw down whatever she had wished for.

Now it happened that the king gave a feast that was to last three days, to which all the beautiful maidens in the land were invited, so that his son might choose a bride. When the two stepsisters heard that they too were to attend, they were in high spirits. They called Cinderella and said, "Comb our hair, brush our shoes, and fasten our buckles. We are going to the wedding feast at the king's palace." Cinderella obeyed, but she wept because she too would have liked to go to the dance, and she begged her stepmother to let her. "Cinderella," she said, "you are covered in dust and dirt, and you want to go to the wedding feast? You have neither clothes nor shoes, and you want to dance!" But Cinderella kept pleading, until at last she said, "I have emptied a bowl of lentils into the ashes for you. If you pick them all out again in two hours, you may come with us." The girl went through the back door into the garden and called, "You tame pigeons, you turtledoves, all you little birds beneath the sky, come and help me sort them: the good ones in the pot, the bad ones in your crop."

Then two white pigeons came in through the kitchen window, followed by the turtledoves, and at last all the little birds beneath the sky came fluttering and flocking in and settled round the ashes. The pigeons bobbed their little heads and began to peck, peck, peck, peck, and then all the others began to peck, peck, peck, peck, and picked all the good lentils into the bowl. Scarcely an hour had passed before they were finished, and they all flew out again. The girl took the bowl to her stepmother, rejoicing, for she thought she would now be allowed to go to the wedding feast. But her stepmother said, "No, Cinderella, you have no clothes and you cannot dance. You would only be laughed at." When Cinderella began to weep, she said, "If you can pick two whole bowls of lentils clean out of the ashes in one hour, you may come with us," thinking to herself, "She can never manage that." When she had emptied the two bowls of lentils into the ashes, the girl went through the back door into the garden and called, "You tame pigeons, you turtledoves, all you little birds beneath the sky, come and help me sort them: the good ones in the pot, the bad ones in your crop."

Then two white pigeons came in through the kitchen window, followed by the turtledoves, and at last all the little birds beneath the sky came fluttering and flocking in and settled round the ashes. The pigeons bobbed their little heads and began to peck, peck, peck, peck, and then all the others began to peck, peck, peck, peck, and picked all the good lentils into the bowls. Before half an hour had passed, they were finished, and they all flew out again. The girl carried the bowls to her stepmother, rejoicing, for she thought she would now be allowed to go to the wedding feast. But her stepmother said, "It is no use. You are not coming with us, for you have no clothes and you cannot dance. We should be ashamed of you." Then she turned her back on Cinderella and hurried away with her two proud daughters.

When there was no one left at home, Cinderella went to her mother's grave beneath the hazel tree and called, "Little tree, shake and shiver, gold and silver on me shower."

Then the bird threw down a dress of gold and silver, and slippers embroidered with silk and silver. In great haste she put on the dress and went to the wedding feast. Her sisters and stepmother did not recognise her, but thought she must be a princess from some foreign land, so beautiful did she look in her golden dress. They never gave Cinderella a thought, supposing she was sitting at home in the dirt, picking lentils out of the ashes. The king's son came to meet her, took her by the hand, and danced with her. He would dance with no one else and never let go of her hand, and whenever another man came to ask her to dance, he said, "She is my dancing partner."

She danced until evening, and then she wished to go home. But the king's son said, "I will come and see you home," for he wanted to find out whose daughter the beautiful girl was. She slipped away from him, however, and darted into the dovecote. The king's son waited until her father came and told him that the unknown maiden had darted into the dovecote. The old man thought, "Could it be Cinderella?" He had them bring him an axe and a pick so that he could break the dovecote apart, but there was no one inside. When they went into the house, Cinderella was lying in the ashes in her dirty clothes, and a dim little oil lamp was burning in the chimney corner. For Cinderella had quickly jumped down from the back of the dovecote and run to the little hazel tree. There she had taken off her beautiful clothes and laid them on the grave, and the bird had carried them away again. Then she had put on her little grey smock and sat down in the ashes in the kitchen.

The next day, when the festivities began again and her parents and stepsisters had gone out once more, Cinderella went to the hazel tree and said:

"Little tree, shake and shiver, gold and silver on me shower!" Then the bird threw down a dress far more splendid than the one she had worn the day before. When she appeared at the wedding feast in this dress, everyone marvelled at her beauty. The king's son had been waiting for her to arrive, and at once he took her by the hand and danced with her alone. Whenever the others came to ask her to dance, he said, "She is my dancing partner." When evening came, she wished to leave, and the king's son followed her, wanting to see which house she went into. But she darted away from him into the garden behind the house. There stood a fine tall tree laden with the most magnificent pears. She climbed among its branches as nimbly as a squirrel, and the king's son could not tell where she had gone. He waited until her father came and said to him, "The unknown maiden has slipped away from me, and I believe she has climbed into the pear tree." The father thought, "Could it be Cinderella?" He had his axe brought and cut down the tree, but there was no one in it. When they went into the kitchen, Cinderella was lying in the ashes as usual, for she had jumped down from the other side of the tree, returned the beautiful clothes to the bird on the little hazel tree, and put on her little grey smock.

On the third day, when her parents and sisters had gone out, Cinderella went once more to her mother's grave and said to the little tree, "Little tree, shake and shiver, gold and silver on me shower!"

Now the bird threw down a dress more magnificent and dazzling than any she had yet had, and the slippers were of pure gold. When she arrived at the wedding feast in this dress, they were all so astonished that they did not know what to say. The king's son danced with her alone, and whenever anyone else asked her to dance, he said, "She is my dancing partner."

When evening came, Cinderella wished to leave, and the king's son wanted to go with her, but she darted away so quickly that he could not follow. The king's son, however, had resorted to a trick and had ordered the whole staircase to be coated with pitch. As she ran down it, the girl's left slipper stuck fast. The king's son picked it up. It was small and dainty and made of pure gold. The next morning he took it to her father and said, "No one shall be my wife but the girl whose foot fits this golden shoe." The two sisters were delighted, for they had pretty feet. The elder took the shoe into her room to try it on, and her mother stood beside her. But she could not get her big toe into it, for the shoe was too small. Her mother handed her a knife and said, "Cut off your toe. Once you are queen, you will no longer need to go on foot." The girl cut off her toe, forced her foot into the shoe, stifled her pain, and went out to the king's son. He took her up on his horse as his bride and rode away with her. But they had to pass the grave, and there the two pigeons sat on the little hazel tree and called:

"Coo, coo, look and see, blood is in the shoe. The shoe is too small; the true bride is still at home." He looked down at her foot and saw the blood welling out. He turned his horse round, took the false bride home again, and said she was not the right one; the other sister must try on the shoe. So the other sister went into her room and managed to get her toes into the shoe, but her heel was too large. Her mother handed her a knife and said, "Cut off a piece of your heel. Once you are queen, you will no longer need to go on foot." The girl cut off a piece of her heel, forced her foot into the shoe, stifled her pain, and went out to the king's son. He took her up on his horse as his bride and rode away with her. As they passed the little hazel tree, the two pigeons sat upon it and called:

"Coo, coo, look and see, blood is in the shoe. The shoe is too small; the true bride is still at home." He looked down at her foot and saw blood pouring out of the shoe and staining her white stocking red. He turned his horse round and took the false bride home again. "This is not the right one either," he said. "Have you no other daughter?" "No," said the man, "except for a little stunted Cinderella, my late wife's daughter. She cannot possibly be the bride." The king's son told him to send her up, but the mother answered, "Oh no, she is far too dirty. She cannot be seen." But he insisted on seeing her, and Cinderella had to be called. First she washed her hands and face clean, then she went in and bowed before the king's son, who handed her the golden shoe. She sat down on a stool, drew her foot out of its heavy wooden shoe, and slipped it into the slipper, which fitted as though it had been made for her. When she rose and the king looked into her face, he recognised the beautiful girl who had danced with him and cried, "This is the true bride." The stepmother and the two sisters were horrified and turned pale with rage, but he took Cinderella up on his horse and rode away with her. As they passed the little hazel tree, the two white pigeons called:

"Coo, coo, look and see, no blood is in the shoe. The shoe is not too small; he takes the true bride home." When they had called this, they both flew down and settled on Cinderella's shoulders, one on the right and the other on the left, and there they remained.

When the wedding to the king's son was to be held, the false-hearted sisters came, hoping to win Cinderella's favour and share in her good fortune. As the bridal couple went to church, the elder sister walked on the right and the younger on the left, and the pigeons pecked out one eye of each. Afterwards, as they came out, the elder was on the left and the younger on the right, and the pigeons pecked out the other eye of each. Thus, for their wickedness and deceit, they were punished with blindness for the rest of their lives.