A poor man had
twelve children and was forced to work night and day to give them even bread.
When therefore the thirteenth came into the world, he knew not what to do in
his trouble, but ran out into the great highway, and resolved to ask the first
person whom he met to be godfather. The first to meet him was the good God who
already knew what filled his heart, and said to him, "Poor man, I pity
thee. I will hold thy child at its christening, and will take charge of it and
make it happy on earth." The man said, "Who art thou?" "I
am God." "Then I do not desire to have thee for a godfather,"
said the man; "thou givest to the rich, and leavest the poor to
hunger." Thus spoke the man, for he did not know how wisely God apportions
riches and poverty. He turned therefore away from the Lord, and went farther.
Then the Devil came to him and said, "What seekest thou? If thou wilt take
me as a godfather for thy child, I will give him gold in plenty and all the
joys of the world as well." The man asked, "Who art thou?"
"I am the Devil." "Then I do not desire to have thee for
godfather," said the man; "thou deceivest men and leadest them
astray." He went onwards, and then came Death striding up to him with
withered legs, and said, "Take me as godfather." The man asked,
"Who art thou?" "I am Death, and I make all equal." Then
said the man, "Thou art the right one, thou takest the rich as well as the
poor, without distinction; thou shalt be godfather." Death answered,
"I will make thy child rich and famous, for he who has me for a friend can
lack nothing." The man said, "Next Sunday is the christening; be
there at the right time." Death appeared as he had promised, and stood
godfather quite in the usual way.
When
the boy had grown up, his godfather one day appeared and bade him go with him.
He led him forth into a forest, and showed him a herb which grew there, and
said, "Now shalt thou receive thy godfather's present. I make thee a
celebrated physician. When thou art called to a patient, I will always appear
to thee. If I stand by the head of the sick man, thou mayst say with confidence
that thou wilt make him well again, and if thou givest him of this herb he will
recover; but if I stand by the patient's feet, he is mine, and thou must say
that all remedies are in vain, and that no physician in the world could save
him. But beware of using the herb against my will, or it might fare ill with
thee."
It
was not long before the youth was the most famous physician in the whole world.
"He had only to look at the patient and he knew his condition at once, and
if he would recover, or must needs die." So they said of him, and from far
and wide people came to him, sent for him when they had any one ill, and gave
him so much money that he soon became a rich man. Now it so befell that the
King became ill, and the physician was summoned, and was to say if recovery
were possible. But when he came to the bed, Death was standing by the feet of
the sick man, and the herb did not grow which could save him. "If I could
but cheat Death for once," thought the physician, "he is sure to take
it ill if I do, but, as I am his godson, he will shut one eye; I will risk
it." He therefore took up the sick man, and laid him the other way, so
that now Death was standing by his head. Then he gave the King some of the
herb, and he recovered and grew healthy again. But Death came to the physician,
looking very black and angry, threatened him with his finger, and said,
"Thou hast overreached me; this time I will pardon it, as thou art my
godson; but if thou venturest it again, it will cost thee thy neck, for I will
take thee thyself away with me."
Soon
afterwards the King's daughter fell into a severe illness. She was his only
child, and he wept day and night, so that he began to lose the sight of his
eyes, and he caused it to be made known that whosoever rescued her from death
should be her husband and inherit the crown. When the physician came to the
sick girl's bed, he saw Death by her feet. He ought to have remembered the
warning given by his godfather, but he was so infatuated by the great beauty of
the King's daughter, and the happiness of becoming her husband, that he flung
all thought to the winds. He did not see that Death was casting angry glances
on him, that he was raising his hand in the air, and threatening him with his
withered fist. He raised up the sick girl, and placed her head where her feet
had lain. Then he gave her some of the herb, and instantly her cheeks flushed
red, and life stirred afresh in her.
When
Death saw that for a second time he was defrauded of his own property,4 he
walked up to the physician with long strides, and said, "All is over with
thee, and now the lot falls on thee," and seized him so firmly with his
ice-cold hand, that he could not resist, and led him into a cave below the
earth. There he saw how thousands and thousands of candles were burning in
countless rows, some large, others half-sized, others small. Every instant some
were extinguished, and others again burnt up, so that the flames seemed to leap
hither and thither in perpetual change. "See," said Death,
"these are the lights of men's lives. The large ones belong to children,
the half-sized ones to married people in their prime, the little ones belong to
old people; but children and young folks likewise have often only a tiny
candle." "Show me the light of my life," said the physician, and
he thought that it would be still very tall. Death pointed to a little end
which was just threatening to go out, and said, "Behold, it is
there." "Ah, dear godfather," said the horrified physician,
"light a new one for me, do it for love of me, that I may enjoy my life,
be King, and the husband of the King's beautiful daughter." "I
cannot," answered Death, "one must go out before a new one is
lighted." "Then place the old one on a new one, that will go on
burning at once when the old one has come to an end," pleaded the
physician. Death behaved as if he were going to fulfill his wish, and took hold
of a tall new candle; but as he desired to revenge himself, he purposely made a
mistake in fixing it, and the little piece fell down and was extinguished.
Immediately the physician fell on the ground, and now he himself was in the
hands of Death.
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