There
was once a King who had a son who asked in marriage the daughter of a mighty
King; she was called Maid Maleen, and was very beautiful. As her father wished
to give her to another, the prince was rejected; but as they both loved each
other with all their hearts, they would not give each other up, and Maid Maleen
said to her father, "I can and will take no other for my husband."
Then the King flew into a passion, and ordered a dark tower to be built, into
which no ray of sunlight or moonlight should enter. When it was finished, he
said, "Therein shalt thou be imprisoned for seven years, and then I will
come and see if thy perverse spirit is broken." Meat and drink for the
seven years were carried into the tower, and then she and her waiting-woman
were led into it and walled up, and thus cut off from the sky and from the
earth. There they sat in the darkness, and knew not when day or night began.
The King's son often went round and round the tower, and called their names,
but no sound from without pierced through the thick walls. What else could they
do but lament and complain? Meanwhile the time passed, and by the diminution of
the food and drink they knew that the seven years were coming to an end. They
thought the moment of their deliverance was come; but no stroke of the hammer
was heard, no stone fell out of the wall, and it seemed to Maid Maleen that her
father had forgotten her. As they only had food for a short time longer, and
saw a miserable death awaiting them, Maid Maleen said, "We must try our
last chance, and see if we can break through the wall." She took the
bread-knife, and picked and bored at the mortar of a stone, and when she was
tired, the waiting-maid took her turn. With great labour they succeeded in
getting out one stone, and then a second, and a third, and when three days were
over the first ray of light fell on their darkness, and at last the opening was
so large that they could look out. The sky was blue, and a fresh breeze played
on their faces; but how melancholy everything looked all around! Her father's
castle lay in ruins, the town and the villages were, so far as could be seen,
destroyed by fire, the fields far and wide laid to waste, and no human being
was visible. When the opening in the wall was large enough for them to slip
through, the waiting-maid sprang down first, and then Maid Maleen followed. But
where were they to go? The enemy had ravaged the whole kingdom, driven away the
King, and slain all the inhabitants. They wandered forth to seek another
country, but nowhere did they find a shelter, or a human being to give them a
mouthful of bread, and their need was so great that they were forced to appease
their hunger with nettles. When, after long journeying, they came into another
country, they tried to get work everywhere; but wherever they knocked they were
turned away, and no one would have pity on them. At last they arrived in a
large city and went to the royal palace. There also they were ordered to go
away, but at last the cook said that they might stay in the kitchen and be
scullions.
The
son of the King in whose kingdom they were, was, however, the very man who had
been betrothed to Maid Maleen. His father had chosen another bride for him,
whose face was as ugly as her heart was wicked. The wedding was fixed, and the
maiden had already arrived; but because of her great ugliness, however, she
shut herself in her room, and allowed no one to see her, and Maid Maleen had to
take her her meals from the kitchen. When the day came for the bride and the
bridegroom to go to church, she was ashamed of her ugliness, and afraid that if
she showed herself in the streets, she would be mocked and laughed at by the
people. Then said she to Maid Maleen, "A great piece of luck has befallen
thee. I have sprained my foot, and cannot well walk through the streets; thou
shalt put on my wedding-clothes and take my place; a greater honour than that
thou canst not have!" Maid Maleen, however, refused it, and said, "I
wish for no honour which is not suitable for me." It was in vain, too,
that the bride offered her gold. At last she said angrily, "If thou dost
not obey me, it shall cost thee thy life. I have but to speak the word, and thy
head will lie at thy feet." Then she was forced to obey, and put on the
bride's magnificent clothes and all her jewels. When she entered the royal
hall, every one was amazed at her great beauty, and the King said to his son,
"This is the bride whom I have chosen for thee, and whom thou must lead to
church." The bridegroom was astonished, and thought, "She is like my
Maid Maleen, and I should believe that it was she herself, but she has long
been shut up in the tower, or dead." He took her by the hand and led her
to church. On the way was a nettle-plant, and she said,
"Oh,
nettle-plant,
Little
nettle-plant,
What dost thou
here alone?
I have known
the time
When I ate
thee unboiled,
When I ate thee
unroasted."
"What art
thou saying?" asked the King's son. "Nothing," she replied,
"I was only thinking of Maid Maleen." He was surprised that she knew
about her, but kept silence. When they came to the foot-plank into the
churchyard, she said,
"Foot-bridge,
do not break,
I am not the
true bride."
"What art
thou saying there?" asked the King's son. "Nothing," she
replied, "I was only thinking of Maid Maleen." "Dost thou know
Maid Maleen?" "No," she answered, "how should I know her; I
have only heard of her." When they came to the church-door, she said once
more,
"Church-door,
break not,
I am not the
true bride."
"What art
thou saying there?" asked he. "Ah," she answered, "I was
only thinking of Maid Maleen." Then he took out a precious chain, put it
round her neck, and fastened the clasp. Thereupon they entered the church, and
the priest joined their hands together before the altar, and married them. He
led her home, but she did not speak a single word the whole way. When they got
back to the royal palace, she hurried into the bride's chamber, put off the
magnificent clothes and the jewels, dressed herself in her gray gown, and kept
nothing but the jewel on her neck, which she had received from the bridegroom.
When
the night came, and the bride was to be led into the prince's apartment, she
let her veil fall over her face, that he might not observe the deception. As
soon as every one had gone away, he said to her, "What didst thou say to
the nettle-plant which was growing by the wayside?"
"To
which nettle-plant?" asked she; "I don't talk to nettle-plants."
"If thou didst not do it, then thou art not the true bride," said he.
So she bethought herself, and said,
"I must
go out unto my maid,
Who keeps my
thoughts for me."
She went out
and sought Maid Maleen. "Girl, what hast thou been saying to the
nettle?" "I said nothing but,
"Oh,
nettle-plant,
Little nettle-plant,
What dost thou
here alone?
I have known
the time
When I ate
thee unboiled,
When I ate
thee unroasted."
The bride ran
back into the chamber, and said, "I know now what I said to the
nettle," and she repeated the words which she had just heard. "But
what didst thou say to the foot-bridge when we went over it?" asked the
King's son. "To the foot-bridge?" she answered. "I don't talk to
foot-bridges." "Then thou art not the true bride."
She
again said,
"I must
go out unto my maid,
Who keeps my
thoughts for me,"
And ran out
and found Maid Maleen, "Girl, what didst thou say to the
foot-bridge?" "I said nothing but,
"Foot-bridge,
do not break,
I am not the
true bride."
"That
costs thee thy life!" cried the bride, but she hurried into the room, and
said, "I know now what I said to the foot-bridge," and she repeated
the words. "But what didst thou say to the church-door?" "To the
church-door?" she replied; "I don't talk to church-doors."
"Then thou art not the true bride."
She
went out and found Maid Maleen, and said, "Girl, what didst thou say to
the church-door?"
"I
said nothing but,
"Church-door,
break not,
I am not the
true bride."
"That
will break thy neck for thee!" cried the bride, and flew into a terrible
passion, but she hastened back into the room, and said, "I know now what I
said to the church-door," and she repeated the words. "But where hast
thou the jewel which I gave thee at the church-door?" "What jewel?"
she answered; "thou didst not give me any jewel." "I myself put
it round thy neck, and I myself fastened it; if thou dost not know that, thou
art not the true bride." He drew the veil from her face, and when he saw
her immeasurable ugliness, he sprang back terrified, and said, "How comest
thou here? Who art thou?" "I am thy betrothed bride, but because I
feared lest the people should mock me when they saw me out of doors, I
commanded the scullery-maid to dress herself in my clothes, and to go to church
instead of me." "Where is the girl?" said he; "I want to
see her, go and bring her here." She went out and told the servants that
the scullery-maid was an impostor, and that they must take her out into the
court-yard and strike off her head. The servants laid hold of Maid Maleen and
wanted to drag her out, but she screamed so loudly for help, that the King's
son heard her voice, hurried out of his chamber and ordered them to set the
maiden free instantly. Lights were brought, and then he saw on her neck the
gold chain which he had given her at the church-door. "Thou art the true
bride, said he, "who went with me to the church; come with me now to my
room." When they were both alone, he said, "On the way to church thou
didst name Maid Maleen, who was my betrothed bride; if I could believe it
possible, I should think she was standing before me thou art like her in every
respect." She answered, "I am Maid Maleen, who for thy sake was
imprisoned seven years in the darkness, who suffered hunger and thirst, and has
lived so long in want and poverty. To-day, however, the sun is shining on me
once more. I was married to thee in the church, and I am thy lawful wife."
Then they kissed each other, and were happy all the days of their lives. The
false bride was rewarded for what she had done by having her head cut off.
The
tower in which Maid Maleen had been imprisoned remained standing for a long
time, and when the children passed by it they sang,
"Kling,
klang, gloria.
Who sits
within this tower?
A King's
daughter, she sits within,
A sight of her
I cannot win,
The wall it
will not break,
The stone
cannot be pierced.
Little Hans,
with your coat so gay,
Follow me,
follow me, fast as you may."