Prevod
Once upon a time there was a king who had twelve sons. When they were grown, he told them to go out into the world and each find a wife, but she must be able to spin and weave and sew a shirt in a single day, or he would not have her for a daughter-in-law. He gave each of them a horse and a new suit of armour, and off they went into the world to look for wives. But when they had gone some way, they said they would not take Askepot with them, for he was no good for anything. So Askepot had to stay behind, and he did not know what to do or which way to turn. He grew so sorrowful that he got off his horse and sat down in the grass to cry. But when he had been sitting there a little while, one of the grassy tussocks began to stir, and out of it came a little white thing. As it drew nearer, Askepot saw that it was a pretty little girl, but so very, very tiny. She came up to him and asked whether he would come down and visit the Doll in the Grass. Yes, he would, and so he did.
When he came down, the Doll in the Grass was sitting on a chair. She was so lovely and so finely dressed, and she asked Askepot where he was going and what errand had brought him on his travels.
He told her that there were twelve brothers, and that the king had given them horses and armour and told them to go out into the world and find wives who could spin and weave and sew a shirt in a single day. “But if you will agree to that and be my wife, I shall travel no farther,” Askepot said to the Doll in the Grass. Yes, she would gladly do so, and she hurried to spin and weave and sew the shirt, but it was so very, very tiny, no longer than this—.
Askepot took it home with him, but when he brought it before the king, he felt ashamed because it was so small. Even so, the king said he might marry her, and Askepot went back, happy and content, to fetch his little sweetheart. When he came to the Doll in the Grass, he wanted to lift her onto the horse beside him, but no, she would not have that. She said she would ride in a silver spoon, and that she had two little white horses to draw her. So off they went, he on his horse and she in the silver spoon, and the two horses that drew her were two little white mice. But Askepot always kept to the other side of the road, for he was so afraid of riding over her, she was so very tiny. When they had gone some way, they came to a great lake. There Askepot’s horse took fright, shied across to the other side of the road, and overturned the spoon, so that the Doll in the Grass fell into the water. Askepot was terribly distressed, for he had no idea how to get her out again. But after a little while a merman rose from the water with her, and now she had grown as tall as any grown woman, and was far lovelier than before. So he seated her in front of him on his horse and rode home.
When Askepot arrived, all his brothers had returned too, each with his sweetheart. But these women were so ugly and hideous and so ill-tempered that they had fought with their sweethearts along the way;
on their heads they wore hats smeared with tar and soot, which had run down from the hats over their faces, making them uglier and more hideous still. When the brothers saw Askepot’s sweetheart, they were all jealous of him. But the king was so fond of the pair of them that he drove all the others away. Then Askepot married the Doll in the Grass, and they lived happily and contentedly for a long, long time, and if they have not died, they are living still.
Izvirnik
Der var engang en Konge, som havde tolv Sønner. Da disse bleve store, sagde han til dem, at de skulde drage ud i Verden og finde sig en Kone, men hun skulde kunne spinde og væve og sye en Skjorte paa een Dag, ellers vilde han ikke have hende til Svigerdatter. Hver af dem gav han en Hest og en ny Rustning, og de droge da ud i Verden for at lede efter en Kone; men da de vare komne et Stykke paa Veien, sagde de at de ikke vilde have med sig Askepot, for han duede ikke til nogen Ting. — Ja, Askepot maatte da blive igjen, han, og han vidste ikke hvad han skulde gjøre eller hvordan han skulde vende sig; saa blev han saa sørgmodig at han steg af Hesten og satte sig ned i Græsset til at græde. Men da han havde siddet en liden Stund, begyndte en
af Tuerne i Græsset at røre sig, og frem af den kom der en liden hvid Ting, og da den kom nærmere, saa Askepot, at det var en nydelig liden Pige, men saa bitte bitte liden. Denne gik nu hen og bad han, om ham ikke vilde komme ned og besøge Dukken i Græsset. Jo det vilde han, og det gjorde han ogsaa. Da han var kommen derned, sad Dukken i Græsset paa en Stol; hun var nu saa deilig og saa pyntet, og saa spurgte hun Askepot, hvor han skulde hen og hvad ærinde han reiste i.
Han fortalte da, at der var tolv Brødre af dem, og at Kongen havde givet dem Hest og Rustning og sagt, at de skulde reise ud i Verden og finde sig en Kone, som skulde kunne spinde og væve og sye en Skjorte paa een Dag; „men hvis Du vil gaae ind paa det og blive Konen min, saa vil jeg ikke reise længer,“ sagde Askepot til Dukken i Græsset. Jo, det vilde hun gjerne, og hun skyndte sig med at faae spundet og vævet og syet Skjorten, men den blev saa bitte, bitte liden, ikke længer end som saa — .
Denne reiste Askepot hjem med, men da han kom frem med den, var han undseelig, fordi den var saa liden; ligevel sagde Kongen, at han skulde faae hende, og saa drog Askepot glad og fornøiet tilbage for at hente den lille Kjæresten sin. Da han kom til Dukken i Græsset, vilde han tage hende op paa Hesten til sig, men nei, det vilde hun ikke; hun sagde, hun vilde sidde og kjøre i en Sølvske, og at hun havde to smaa hvide Heste, som skulde trække hende. Saa reiste de da afsted, han paa Hesten og hun i Sølvskeen, og begge Hestene, som trak hende, vare to smaa hvide Muus; men Askepot holdt sig altid paa den anden Side af Veien, for han var saa bange, at han skulde komme til at ride ind paa hende, da hun var saa bitte liden. Da de vare komne et Stykke paa Veien, kom de til et stort
Vand; der blev Hesten til Askepot sky, skvat over paa den anden Side af Veien og væltede Skeen, saa at Dukken i Græsset faldt ned i Vandet. Askepot blev nu saa bedrøvet, fordi han slet ikke vidste hvorledes han skulde faae hende op igjen; men om lidt kom der en Havmand op med hende, og nu var hun bleven lige saa stor som et andet voxent Menneske og meget deiligere end hun var før. Saa satte han hende foran sig paa Hesten og red hjem.
Da Askepot kom der, vare ogsaa alle Brødrene hans komne med hver sin Kjæreste, men disse vare saa stygge og fæle og saa slemme, at de havde slaaets med Kjæresterne sine paa Veien; paa Hovedet havde de nogle Hatte, som vare overklinede med Tjære og Sod, og saa havde det rundet af Hattene nedover Ansigtet paa dem, saa at de vare blevne endda meget styggere og fælere. Da Brødrene fik se Kjæresten til Askepot, bleve de Allesammen misundelige paa ham; men Kongen blev saa glad i dem begge, at han jog alle de Andre bort, og saa holdt Askepot Bryllup med Dukken i Græsset, og siden levede de vel og fornøiet i lang, lang Tid, og ere de ikke døde saa leve de endnu.
