Prevod

Once upon a time there was a king who had three sons. Two of them were clever and sensible, but the third said little, was simple-minded, and was known only as Simpleton. When the king grew old and feeble and began to think of his end, he did not know which of his sons should inherit the kingdom after him. So he said to them, “Go out into the world, and whichever of you brings me the finest carpet shall be king after my death.” And so that there would be no quarrelling among them, he led them outside his castle, blew three feathers into the air, and said, “As they fly, so shall you go.” One feather flew east, another west, but the third flew straight ahead, and not very far, for it soon fell to the ground. Then one brother went to the right and the other to the left, and they laughed at Simpleton, who had to stay beside the third feather, just where it had fallen.

Simpleton sat down and felt sad. Then suddenly he noticed a trapdoor beside the feather. He lifted it, found a flight of steps, and went down. There he came to another door, knocked, and heard a voice call from within:

“Maiden green and small, Hutzelbein, Hutzelbein’s little hound, bustle to and fro, make haste and see who waits outside.” The door opened, and he saw a great fat toad sitting there, with a host of little toads all around her. The fat toad asked what he wanted. He answered, “I should like the loveliest and finest carpet.” Then she called to a young toad and said:

“Maiden green and small, Hutzelbein, Hurzelbein’s little hound, bustle to and fro, bring the great box here to me.” The young toad fetched the box, and the fat toad opened it and took out a carpet for Simpleton, so beautiful and so fine that no one on earth above could have woven its equal. He thanked her and climbed back up.

The other two thought their youngest brother so foolish that they believed he would find nothing at all to bring home. “Why should we take so much trouble searching?” they said, and stripped the coarse cloths from the first shepherd’s wife they met and carried them home to the king. At the same time Simpleton returned with his beautiful carpet, and when the king saw it, he marvelled and said, “If justice is to be done, the kingdom belongs to the youngest.” But the other two gave their father no peace, saying that Simpleton, who lacked sense in everything, could not possibly become king, and begging him to set another task. So their father said, “Whoever brings me the most beautiful ring shall inherit the kingdom.” He led the three brothers outside and blew three feathers into the air for them to follow. The two eldest went east and west again, while Simpleton’s feather flew straight ahead and fell beside the trapdoor. So he went down once more to the fat toad and told her that he needed the most beautiful ring. She at once had her great box brought to her and gave him a ring from it that glittered with precious stones and was so beautiful that no goldsmith on earth could have made it. The two eldest laughed at Simpleton for going in search of a golden ring. They took no trouble at all, but knocked the nails out of an old wagon-wheel hoop and brought it to the king. But when Simpleton showed his golden ring, their father said once again, “The kingdom belongs to him.” The two eldest would not stop tormenting the king until he set a third task, declaring that whoever brought home the most beautiful woman should have the kingdom. Once more he blew the three feathers into the air, and they flew as they had before.

Then Simpleton went straight down to the fat toad and said, “I am to bring home the most beautiful woman.” “Oh!” answered the toad. “The most beautiful woman! She is not so easily found, but you shall have her all the same.” She gave him a hollowed-out carrot harnessed to six little mice. Simpleton said sadly, “What am I to do with that?” The toad answered, “Just put one of my little toads inside.” So he picked one at random from the circle and set her in the yellow coach, but scarcely was she seated before she turned into a wonderfully beautiful young lady, the carrot into a coach, and the six little mice into horses. Then he kissed her, drove off at a gallop, and brought her to the king. His brothers arrived after him. They had taken no trouble to look for beautiful women, but had simply brought along the first peasant women they met. When the king saw them, he said, “The kingdom belongs to the youngest after my death.” But the two eldest once again deafened the king with their shouting: “We cannot allow Simpleton to become king!” They demanded that the one whose wife could jump through a hoop hanging in the middle of the hall should be given preference. They thought, “The peasant women can do that easily enough; they are strong enough. But the delicate young lady will jump to her death.” The old king agreed to this too. Then the two peasant women jumped, and although they made it through the hoop, they were so clumsy that they fell and broke their sturdy arms and legs. After them, the beautiful young lady whom Simpleton had brought home leaped through as lightly as a deer, and all objections had to cease. So he received the crown and ruled wisely for many years.