Prevod

Once upon a time there was an old king who lay ill and thought, “This must surely be my deathbed.” So he said, “Send for Faithful Johannes!” Faithful Johannes was his dearest servant, and was so called because he had served him faithfully all his life. When he came to the bedside, the king said to him, “My most faithful Johannes, I feel that my end is drawing near, and my only care is for my son. He is still young and does not always know what is best. Unless you promise to teach him everything he needs to know and to be a foster father to him, I cannot close my eyes in peace.” Faithful Johannes answered, “I will never leave him, and I will serve him faithfully, even if it costs me my life.” Then the old king said, “Now I can die comforted and at peace.” He went on, “After my death, you must show him the whole castle, all the chambers, halls, and vaults, and all the treasures they contain. But you must not show him the last chamber in the long passage, where the portrait of the Princess of the Golden Roof is hidden. If he sees that portrait, he will be seized with a passionate love for her and fall down in a faint, and for her sake he will face great dangers. You must protect him from that.” And when Faithful Johannes had once more given the old king his hand upon the promise, the king fell silent, laid his head upon the pillow, and died.

When the old king had been laid in his grave, Faithful Johannes told the young king what he had promised his father on his deathbed, and said, “I shall surely keep my word and be as faithful to you as I was to him, even if it costs me my life.” The time of mourning passed. Then Faithful Johannes said to him, “It is time for you to see your inheritance. I will show you your father’s castle.” He led him everywhere, upstairs and down, and showed him all the riches and splendid chambers. Only the one chamber that held the dangerous portrait did he leave unopened. The portrait was placed so that anyone opening the door would look straight at it, and it was so wonderfully painted that the princess seemed alive, and one could imagine nothing lovelier or more beautiful in all the world. But the young king noticed that Faithful Johannes always passed one door by, and asked, “Why do you never unlock this one for me?” “There is something inside,” he answered, “that would frighten you.” But the king replied, “I have seen the whole castle, and I mean to know what is in there too,” and went to force the door open. Faithful Johannes held him back and said, “Before your father died, I promised him that you should not see what is in that chamber. It might bring great misfortune upon us both.” “Oh, no,” answered the young king, “it will surely be my ruin if I cannot go in. I shall have no peace by day or night until I have seen it with my own eyes. Now I will not stir from this spot until you have unlocked it.”

Then Faithful Johannes saw that nothing could be done, and with a heavy heart and many a sigh he chose the key from the great bunch. When he had opened the door, he stepped in first, intending to cover the portrait so that the king could not see it. But what good did that do? The king rose on tiptoe and looked over his shoulder. And when he saw the maiden’s portrait, so magnificent and gleaming with gold and precious stones, he fell to the floor in a faint. Faithful Johannes lifted him, carried him to his bed, and thought anxiously, “The misfortune has come to pass. Lord God, what will come of it?” Then he revived him with wine until he came to himself again. His first words were, “Ah, who is that beautiful woman in the portrait?” “That is the Princess of the Golden Roof,” answered Faithful Johannes. Then the king went on, “My love for her is so great that if every leaf on every tree were a tongue, they could not tell it. I will stake my life on winning her. You are my most faithful Johannes; you must help me.”

The faithful servant thought for a long time about how to set about it, for it was difficult even to gain an audience with the princess. At last he devised a plan and said to the king, “Everything around her is made of gold: tables, chairs, dishes, cups, bowls, and all her household furnishings. In your treasury lie five barrels of gold. Have the goldsmiths of the kingdom work up one of them into all manner of vessels and utensils, birds, wild creatures, and wondrous beasts. These will please her. We will sail there with them and try our luck.” The king summoned all the goldsmiths, who had to work day and night until at last the most magnificent things were ready. When everything had been loaded aboard a ship, Faithful Johannes dressed as a merchant, and the king had to do the same, so that no one would recognize him. Then they sailed across the sea and sailed on until they reached the city where the Princess of the Golden Roof lived.

Faithful Johannes told the king to remain aboard the ship and wait for him. “Perhaps,” he said, “I shall bring the princess back with me, so see that everything is in order. Have the golden vessels set out and the whole ship adorned.” Then he gathered a selection of the golden things into his apron, went ashore, and walked straight to the royal palace. When he entered the courtyard, a beautiful girl was standing by the well, drawing water with two golden buckets. As she turned to carry away the sparkling water, she saw the stranger and asked who he was. “I am a merchant,” he answered, opening his apron to let her look inside. “Oh, what beautiful golden things!” she exclaimed, setting down the buckets and examining the objects one by one. Then the girl said, “The princess must see these. She takes such delight in golden things that she will buy everything you have.” She took him by the hand and led him upstairs, for she was the princess’s lady’s maid. When the princess saw his wares, she was delighted and said, “They are so beautifully made that I shall buy them all.” But Faithful Johannes said, “I am only the servant of a wealthy merchant. What I have here is nothing beside what my master has aboard his ship: the most exquisite and precious things ever fashioned in gold.” She wanted everything brought up to her, but he said, “That would take many days, so great is the quantity, and so many halls would be needed to display it that your palace could not hold it all.” This so increased her curiosity and desire that at last she said, “Take me to the ship. I will go myself and look at your master’s treasures.”

Faithful Johannes led her to the ship in great delight, and when the king saw her, he found her even more beautiful than her portrait and felt as though his heart would burst. She boarded the ship, and the king led her below, while Faithful Johannes stayed behind with the helmsman and ordered the ship to cast off. “Spread every sail, so that she flies like a bird through the air.” Below, the king showed her the golden objects one by one: the dishes, cups, bowls, birds, wild creatures, and wondrous beasts. Many hours passed while she examined everything, and in her delight she did not notice that the ship was sailing away. When she had looked at the last piece, she thanked the merchant and wished to go home. But when she came to the ship’s side, she saw that they were far from land, out on the open sea, speeding along under full sail. “Oh!” she cried in alarm. “I have been deceived! I have been carried off and fallen into the power of a merchant. I would rather die!” But the king took her hand and said, “I am no merchant. I am a king, and my birth is no less noble than yours. If I have used a trick to carry you away, it was because my love for you was so great. The first time I saw your portrait, I fell to the ground in a faint.” When the Princess of the Golden Roof heard this, she was comforted, and her heart inclined toward him, so that she gladly agreed to become his wife.

Now it happened, as they sailed across the open sea, that Faithful Johannes was sitting in the bow of the ship making music when he saw three ravens flying through the air toward them. He stopped playing and listened to what they were saying to one another, for he understood their speech. One cried, “Well, there he goes, taking the Princess of the Golden Roof home.” “Yes,” answered the second, “but he has not won her yet.” The third said, “Of course he has. She is sitting beside him aboard the ship.” Then the first began again, crying, “What good will that do him? When they reach land, a chestnut horse will come bounding toward him. He will want to mount it, and if he does, it will gallop away with him and up into the air, and he will never see his maiden again.” The second asked, “Is there no way to save him?” “Oh, yes. If someone else mounts quickly, takes the firearm that must be in the saddle holsters, and shoots the horse dead, the young king will be saved. But who knows that? And whoever knows it and tells him will turn to stone from his toes to his knees.” Then the second said, “I know more. Even if the horse is killed, the young king will still not keep his bride. When they enter the castle together, a wedding shirt will be lying there in a dish, ready to wear. It will look as though it were woven of gold and silver, but it is nothing but sulphur and pitch. If he puts it on, it will burn him to the very marrow of his bones.” The third asked, “Is there no way to save him?” “Oh, yes,” answered the second. “If someone wearing gloves seizes the shirt and throws it into the fire to burn, the young king will be saved. But what good is that? Whoever knows it and tells him will turn half to stone, from his knees to his heart.” Then the third said, “I know more. Even if the wedding shirt is burned, the young king will still not have his bride. When the dancing begins after the wedding and the young queen joins in, she will suddenly turn pale and fall as though dead. Unless someone lifts her up, sucks three drops of blood from her right breast, and spits them out again, she will die. But whoever knows this and reveals it will turn to stone from the crown of his head to the tips of his toes.” When the ravens had said these things to one another, they flew on. Faithful Johannes had understood everything, but from that moment he was silent and sad. For if he concealed what he had heard from his master, misfortune would befall him; yet if he revealed it, he must give up his own life. At last, however, he said to himself, “I will save my master, even if I must perish for it.”

When they reached land, everything happened as the raven had foretold, and a magnificent chestnut horse came galloping toward them. “Splendid!” said the king. “That shall carry me to my castle,” and he was about to mount. But Faithful Johannes forestalled him, sprang quickly onto the horse, drew the firearm from the holsters, and shot the animal dead. Then the king’s other servants, who bore Faithful Johannes no goodwill, cried, “How shameful to kill the beautiful creature that was to carry the king to his castle!” But the king said, “Be silent and leave him alone. He is my most faithful Johannes. Who knows what good may come of it?” They went into the castle, and there in the hall stood a dish with the wedding shirt lying in it, looking just as though it were made of gold and silver. The young king approached and was about to take it, but Johannes pushed him aside, seized it with gloved hands, carried it quickly to the fire, and let it burn. The other servants began grumbling again and said, “Look, now he is even burning the king’s wedding shirt!” But the young king said, “Who knows what good may come of it? Leave him alone. He is my most faithful Johannes!” Then the wedding was celebrated. The dancing began, and the bride joined in, while Faithful Johannes watched her closely, keeping his eyes on her face. All at once she turned pale and fell to the floor as though dead. He hurried to her side, lifted her, and carried her into a chamber. There he laid her down, knelt, sucked the three drops of blood from her right breast, and spat them out. Soon she began to breathe again and recovered. But the young king had seen what Faithful Johannes had done, and, not knowing why he had done it, grew angry and cried, “Throw him into prison!” The next morning Faithful Johannes was condemned and led to the gallows. As he stood there, about to be executed, he said, “Everyone who is to die is allowed to speak once more before the end. May I have that right too?” “Yes,” answered the king, “you shall be granted it.” Then Faithful Johannes said, “I have been unjustly condemned, and I have always been faithful to you.” And he told how he had heard the ravens talking at sea, and how he had been obliged to do all these things to save his master. Then the king cried, “Oh, my most faithful Johannes! Mercy! Mercy! Bring him down!” But as Faithful Johannes spoke his last word, he had fallen lifeless and turned to stone.

The king and queen grieved deeply, and the king said, “Alas, how badly I have rewarded such great faithfulness!” He had the stone figure lifted up and placed in his bedchamber beside his bed. Whenever he looked at it, he wept and said, “Oh, if only I could bring you back to life, my most faithful Johannes!” Some time passed, and the queen gave birth to twins, two little sons, who grew and brought them great joy. One day, while the queen was at church and the two children sat playing beside their father, he looked sadly at the stone figure once more, sighed, and cried, “Oh, if only I could bring you back to life, my most faithful Johannes!” Then the stone began to speak and said, “Yes, you can bring me back to life, if you are willing to sacrifice what you love most.” The king cried, “I will give up everything I have in the world for you!” The stone went on, “If you cut off your two children’s heads with your own hand and smear me with their blood, I shall come to life again.” The king was horrified to hear that he must kill his own beloved children. Yet he remembered Johannes’s great faithfulness, and how he had died for him, and drew his sword and cut off the children’s heads with his own hand. When he had smeared the stone with their blood, life returned to it, and Faithful Johannes stood before him once more, alive and well. He said to the king, “Your faithfulness shall not go unrewarded.” Then he took the children’s heads, set them back in place, and smeared the wounds with their blood. In an instant they were whole again, and jumped about and went on playing as though nothing had happened. Now the king was full of joy, and when he saw the queen coming, he hid Faithful Johannes and the two children in a large cupboard. As she entered, he said to her, “Did you pray in church?” “Yes,” she answered, “but all the while I was thinking of Faithful Johannes and the misfortune we have brought upon him.” Then he said, “Dear wife, we can restore him to life, but it will cost us our two little sons. We must sacrifice them.” The queen turned pale, and her heart filled with dread, yet she said, “We owe it to him for his great faithfulness.” Then the king rejoiced that she thought as he had thought. He went and unlocked the cupboard, brought out the children and Faithful Johannes, and said, “God be praised! He is delivered, and we have our little sons back too!” And he told her all that had happened. Then they lived together in happiness to the end of their days.