Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel
Hard by
a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his two children. The
boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. He had little to bite and to break,
and once, when great dearth fell on the land, he could no longer procure even
daily bread.
Now when he
thought over this by night in his bed, and tossed about in his anxiety. He
groaned and said to his wife, "What is to become of us? How are we to feed
our poor children, when we no longer have anything even for ourselves?"
"I'll
tell you what, husband," answered the woman, "early tomorrow morning
we will take the children out into the forest to where it is the thickest.
There we will light a fire for them, and give each of them one more piece of
bread, and then we will go to our work and leave them alone. They will not find
the way home again, and we shall be rid of them."
"No,
wife," said the man, "I will not do that. How can I bear to leave my
children alone in the forest? The wild animals would soon come and tear them to
pieces."
"Oh!
you fool," said she, "then we must all four die of hunger, you may as
well plane the planks for our coffins," and she left him no peace until he
consented.
"But I
feel very sorry for the poor children, all the same," said the man.
The two
children had also not been able to sleep for hunger, and had heard what their
step-mother had said to their father. Gretel wept bitter tears, and said to
Hansel, "Now all is over with us."
"Be
quiet, Gretel," said Hansel, "do not distress yourself, I will soon
find a way to help us." And when the old folks had fallen asleep, he got
up, put on his little coat, opened the door below, and crept outside.
The moon shone brightly, and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house
glittered like real silver pennies. Hansel stooped and stuffed the little
pocket of his coat with as many as he could get in. Then he went back and said
to Gretel, "Be comforted, dear little sister, and sleep in peace, God will
not forsake us," and he lay down again in his bed.
When day
dawned, but before the sun had risen, the woman came and awoke the two
children, saying, "Get up, you sluggards. We are going into the forest to
fetch wood." She gave each a little piece of bread, and said, "There
is something for your dinner, but do not eat it up before then, for you will
get nothing else."
Gretel took
the bread under her apron, as Hansel had the pebbles in his pocket. Then they
all set out together on the way to the forest.
When they
had walked a short time, Hansel stood still and peeped back at the house, and
did so again and again. His father said, "Hansel, what are you looking at
there and staying behind for? Pay attention, and do not forget how to use your
legs."
"Ah,
father," said Hansel, "I am looking at my little white cat, which is
sitting up on the roof, and wants to say good-bye to me."
The wife
said, "Fool, that is not your little cat, that is the morning sun which is
shining on the chimneys."
Hansel,
however, had not been looking back at the cat, but had been constantly throwing
one of the white pebble-stones out of his pocket on the road.
When they
had reached the middle of the forest, the father said, "Now, children,
pile up some wood, and I will light a fire that you may not be cold."
Hansel and
Gretel gathered brushwood together, as high as a little hill. The brushwood was
lighted, and when the flames were burning very high, the woman said, "Now,
children, lay yourselves down by the fire and rest, we will go into the forest
and cut some wood. When we have done, we will come back and fetch you
away."
Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire, and when noon came, each ate a little piece
of bread, and as they heard the strokes of the wood-axe they believed that
their father was near. It was not the axe, however, but a branch which he had
fastened to a withered tree which the wind was blowing backwards and forwards.
And as they had been sitting such a long time, their eyes closed with fatigue,
and they fell fast asleep.
When at
last they awoke, it was already dark night. Gretel began to cry and said,
"How are we to get out of the forest now?"
But Hansel
comforted her and said, "Just wait a little, until the moon has risen, and
then we will soon find the way." And when the full moon had risen, Hansel
took his little sister by the hand, and followed the pebbles which shone like
newly-coined silver pieces, and showed them the way.
They walked
the whole night long, and by break of day came once more to their father's
house. They knocked at the door, and when the woman opened it and saw that it
was Hansel and Gretel, she said, "You naughty children, why have you slept
so long in the forest? We thought you were never coming back at all."
The father,
however, rejoiced, for it had cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone.
Not long
afterwards, there was once more great dearth throughout the land, and the
children heard their mother saying at night to their father:
"Everything is eaten again, we have one half loaf left, and that is the
end. The children must go, we will take them farther into the wood, so that
they will not find their way out again. There is no other means of saving ourselves."
The man's
heart was heavy, and he thought, "It would be better for you to share the
last mouthful with your children." The woman, however, would listen to
nothing that he had to say, but scolded and reproached him. He who says a must
say b, likewise, and as he had yielded the first time, he had to do so a second
time also.
The children, however, were still awake and had heard the conversation. When
the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go out and pick
up pebbles as he had done before, but the woman had locked the door, and Hansel
could not get out. Nevertheless he comforted his little sister, and said,
"Do not cry, Gretel, go to sleep quietly, the good God will help us."
Early in
the morning came the woman, and took the children out of their beds. Their
piece of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller than the time
before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in his pocket, and often
stood still and threw a morsel on the ground.
"Hansel, why do you stop and look round?" Said the father. "Go
on."
"I am
looking back at my little pigeon which is sitting on the roof, and wants to say
good-bye to me, answered Hansel.
"Fool." Said the woman, "That is not your little pigeon, that is
the morning sun that is shining on the chimney."
Hansel,
however, little by little, threw all the crumbs on the path. The woman led the
children still deeper into the forest, where they had never in their lives been
before.
Then a
great fire was again made, and the mother said, "Just sit there, you
children, and when you are tired you may sleep a little. We are going into the
forest to cut wood, and in the evening when we are done, we will come and fetch
you away."
When it was
noon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had scattered his by
the way. Then they fell asleep and evening passed, but no one came to the poor
children.
They did
not awake until it was dark night, and Hansel comforted his little sister and
said, "Just wait, Gretel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the
crumbs of bread which I have strewn about, they will show us our way home
again."
When the moon came they set out, but they found no crumbs, for the many
thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had picked them all
up. Hansel said to Gretel, "We shall soon find the way."
But they
did not find it. They walked the whole night and all the next day too from
morning till evening, but they did not get out of the forest, and were very
hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries, which grew on the
ground. And as they were so weary that their legs would carry them no longer,
they lay down beneath a tree and fell asleep.
It was now
three mornings since they had left their father's house. They began to walk
again, but they always came deeper into the forest, and if help did not come
soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it was mid-day, they saw a
beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough, which sang so delightfully that
they stood still and listened to it. And when its song was over, it spread its
wings and flew away before them, and they followed it until they reached a
little house, on the roof of which it alighted. And when they approached the
little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes, but
that the windows were of clear sugar.
"We
will set to work on that," said Hansel, "and have a good meal. I will
eat a bit of the roof, and you Gretel, can eat some of the window, it will
taste sweet."
Hansel
reached up above, and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted, and
Gretel leant against the window and nibbled at the panes. Then a soft voice
cried from the parlor -
"Nibble, nibble, gnaw
who is
nibbling at my little house?"
"The
wind, the wind,
the
heaven-born wind,"
and went on
eating without disturbing themselves. Hansel, who liked the taste of the roof,
tore down a great piece of it, and Gretel pushed out the whole of one round
window-pane, sat down, and enjoyed herself with it.
Suddenly
the door opened, and a woman as old as the hills, who supported herself on
crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that
they let fall what they had in their hands.
The old
woman, however, nodded her head, and said, "Oh, you dear children, who has
brought you here? Do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to
you."
She took
them both by the hand, and led them into her little house. Then good food was
set before them, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards
two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and
Gretel lay down in them, and thought they were in heaven.
The old
woman had only pretended to be so kind. She was in reality a wicked witch, who
lay in wait for children, and had only built the little house of bread in order
to entice them there. When a child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked
and ate it, and that was a feast day with her. Witches have red eyes, and
cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when
human beings draw near. When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighborhood, she
laughed with malice, and said mockingly, "I have them, they shall not
escape me again."
Early in
the morning before the children were awake, she was already up, and when she
saw both of them sleeping and looking so pretty, with their plump and rosy
cheeks, she muttered to herself, that will be a dainty mouthful.
Then she seized Hansel with her shrivelled hand, carried him into a little
stable, and locked him in behind a grated door. Scream as he might, it would
not help him. Then she went to Gretel, shook her till she awoke, and cried,
"Get up, lazy thing, fetch some water, and cook something good for your
brother, he is in the stable outside, and is to be made fat. When he is fat, I
will eat him."
Gretel
began to weep bitterly, but it was all in vain, for she was forced to do what
the wicked witch commanded. And now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel,
but Gretel got nothing but crab-shells. Every morning the woman crept to the
little stable, and cried, "Hansel, stretch out your finger that I may feel
if you will soon be fat."
Hansel,
however, stretched out a little bone to her, and the old woman, who had dim
eyes, could not see it, and thought it was Hansel's finger, and was astonished
that there was no way of fattening him.
When four
weeks had gone by, and Hansel still remained thin, she was seized with
impatience and would not wait any longer.
"Now,
then, Gretel," she cried to the girl, "stir yourself, and bring some
water. Let Hansel be fat or lean, to-morrow I will kill him, and cook
him."
Ah, how the
poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch the water, and how her
tears did flow down her cheeks. "Dear God, do help us," she cried.
"If the wild beasts in the forest had but devoured us, we should at any
rate have died together."
"Just
keep your noise to yourself," said the old woman, "it won't help you
at all."
Early in
the morning, Gretel had to go out and hang up the cauldron with the water, and
light the fire.
"We will bake first," said the old woman, "I have already heated
the oven, and kneaded the dough." She pushed poor Gretel out to the oven,
from which flames of fire were already darting. "Creep in," said the
witch, "and see if it properly heated, so that we can put the bread
in." And once Gretel was inside, she intended to shut the oven and let her
bake in it, and then she would eat her, too.
But Gretel
saw what she had in mind, and said, "I do not know how I am to do it. How
do I get in?"
"Silly
goose," said the old woman, "the door is big enough. Just look, I can
get in myself." And she crept up and thrust her head into the oven.
Then Gretel
gave her a push that drove her far into it, and shut the iron door, and
fastened the bolt. Oh. Then she began to howl quite horribly, but Gretel ran
away, and the godless witch was miserably burnt to death. Gretel, however, ran
like lightning to Hansel, opened his little stable, and cried, "Hansel, we
are saved. The old witch is dead."
Then Hansel
sprang like a bird from its cage when the door is opened. How they did rejoice
and embrace each other, and dance about and kiss each other. And as they had no
longer any need to fear her, they went into the witch's house, and in every
corner there stood chests full of pearls and jewels.
"These
are far better than pebbles." Said Hansel, and thrust into his pockets
whatever could be got in.
And Gretel
said, "I, too, will take something home with me," and filled her
pinafore full.
"But
now we must be off," said Hansel, "that we may get out of the witch's
forest."
When they
had walked for two hours, they came to a great stretch of water.
"We cannot cross," said Hansel, "I see no foot-plank, and no
bridge.
"And
there is also no ferry," answered Gretel, "but a white duck is
swimming there. If I ask her, she will help us over." Then she cried -
"Little duck, little duck, dost thou see,
Hansel and
Gretel are waiting for thee.
There's
never a plank, or bridge in sight,
take us
across on thy back so white."
The duck
came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back, and told his sister to sit
by him.
"No," replied Gretel, "that will be too heavy for the little
duck. She shall take us across, one after the other."
The good
little duck did so, and when they were once safely across and had walked for a
short time, the forest seemed to be more and more familiar to them, and at
length they saw from afar their father's house. Then they began to run, rushed
into the parlor, and threw themselves round their father's neck. The man had
not known one happy hour since he had left the children in the forest. The
woman, however, was dead. Gretel emptied her pinafore until pearls and precious
stones ran about the room, and Hansel threw one handful after another out of
his pocket to add to them. Then all anxiety was at an end, and they lived
together in perfect happiness.
My tale is
done, there runs a mouse, whosoever catches it, may make himself a big fur cap
out of it.
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