Once upon a
time there dwelt on the outskirts of a large forest a poor woodcutter with his
wife and two children; the boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. He had
always little enough to live on, and once, when there was a great famine in the
land, he couldn't even provide them with daily bread. One night, as he was
tossing about in bed, full of cares and worry, he sighed and said to his wife:
"What's to become of us? how are we to support our poor children, now that
we have nothing more for ourselves?" "I'll tell you what,
husband," answered the woman; "early to-morrow morning we'll take the
children out into the thickest part of the wood; there we shall light a fire
for them and give them each a piece of bread; then we'll go on to our work and
leave them alone. They won't be able to find their way home, and we shall thus
be rid of them." "No, wife," said her husband, "that I
won't do; how could I find it in my heart to leave my children alone in the
wood? The wild beasts would soon come and tear them to pieces." "Oh!
you fool," said she, "then we must all four die of hunger, and you
may just as well go and plane the boards for our coffins"; and she left
him no peace till he consented. "But I can't help feeling sorry for the
poor children," added the husband.
The
children, too, had not been able to sleep for hunger, and had heard what their
step-mother had said to their father. Gretel wept bitterly and spoke to Hansel:
"Now it's all up with us." "No, no, Gretel," said Hansel,
"don't fret yourself; I'll be able to find a way to escape, no fear."
And when the old people had fallen asleep he got up, slipped on his little
coat, opened the back door and stole out. The moon was shining clearly, and the
white pebbles which lay in front of the house glittered like bits of silver.
Hansel bent down and filled his pocket with as many of them as he could cram
in. Then he went back and said to Gretel: "Be comforted, my dear little
sister, and go to sleep: God will not desert us"; and he lay down in bed
again.
At
daybreak, even before the sun was up, the woman came and woke the two children:
"Get up, you lie-abeds, we're all going to the forest to fetch wood."
She gave them each a bit of bread and said: "There's something for your
luncheon, but don't you eat it up before, for it's all you'll get." Gretel
took the bread under her apron, as Hansel had the stones in his pocket. Then
they all set out together on the way to the forest. After they had walked for a
little, Hansel stood still and looked back at the house, and this maneuver he
repeated again and again. His father observed him, and said: "Hansel, what
are you gazing at there, and why do you always remain behind? Take care, and
don't lose your footing." "Oh! father," said Hansel, "I am
looking back at my white kitten, which is sitting on the roof, waving me a
farewell." The woman exclaimed: "What a donkey you are! that isn't your
kitten, that's the morning sun shining on the chimney." But Hansel had not
looked back at his kitten, but had always dropped one of the white pebbles out
of his pocket on to the path.
When
they had reached the middle of the forest the father said: "Now, children,
go and fetch a lot of wood, and I'll light a fire that you may not feel
cold." Hansel and Gretel heaped up brushwood till they had made a pile
nearly the size of a small hill. The brushwood was set fire to, and when the
flames leaped high the woman said: "Now lie down at the fire, children,
and rest yourselves: we are going into the forest to cut down wood; when we've
finished we'll come back and fetch you." Hansel and Gretel sat down beside
the fire, and at midday ate their little bits of bread. They heard the strokes
of the axe, so they thought their father was quite near. But it was no axe they
heard, but a bough he had tied on a dead tree, and that was blown about by the
wind. And when they had sat for a long time their eyes closed with fatigue, and
they fell fast asleep. When they awoke at last it was pitch dark. Gretel began
to cry, and said: "How are we ever to get out of the wood?" But
Hansel comforted her. "Wait a bit," he said, "till the moon is
up, and then we'll find our way sure enough." And when the full moon had
risen he took his sister by the hand and followed the pebbles, which shone like
new threepenny bits, and showed them the path. They walked on through the
night, and at daybreak reached their father's house again. They knocked at the
door, and when the woman opened it she exclaimed: "You naughty children,
what a time you've slept in the wood! we thought you were never going to come
back." But the father rejoiced, for his conscience had reproached him for
leaving his children behind by themselves.
Not
long afterward there was again great dearth in the land, and the children heard
their mother address their father thus in bed one night: "Everything is
eaten up once more; we have only half a loaf in the house, and when that's done
it's all up with us. The children must be got rid of; we'll lead them deeper
into the wood this time, so that they won't be able to find their way out
again. There is no other way of saving ourselves." The man's heart smote
him heavily, and he thought: "Surely it would be better to share the last
bite with one's children!" But his wife wouldn't listen to his arguments,
and did nothing but scold and reproach him. If a man yields once he's done for,
and so, because he had given in the first time, he was forced to do so the
second.
But
the children were awake, and had heard the conversation. When the old people
were asleep Hansel got up, and wanted to go out and pick up pebbles again, as
he had done the first time; but the woman had barred the door, and Hansel
couldn't get out. But he consoled his little sister, and said: "Don't cry,
Gretel, and sleep peacefully, for God is sure to help us."
At
early dawn the woman came and made the children get up. They received their bit
of bread, but it was even smaller than the time before. On the way to the wood
Hansel crumbled it in his pocket, and every few minutes he stood still and
dropped a crumb on the ground. "Hansel, what are you stopping and looking
about you for?" said the father. "I'm looking back at my little
pigeon, which is sitting on the roof waving me a farewell," answered
Hansel. "Fool!" said the wife; "that isn't your pigeon, it's the
morning sun glittering on the chimney." But Hansel gradually threw all his
crumbs on the path. The woman led the children still deeper into the forest
farther than they had ever been in their lives before. Then a big fire was lit
again, and the mother said: "Just sit down there, children, and if you're
tired you can sleep a bit; we're going into the forest to cut down wood, and in
the evening when we're finished we'll come back to fetch you." At midday
Gretel divided her bread with Hansel, for he had strewn his all along their
path. Then they fell asleep, and evening passed away, but nobody came to the
poor children. They didn't awake till it was pitch dark, and Hansel comforted
his sister, saying: "Only wait, Gretel, till the moon rises, then we shall
see the bread-crumbs I scattered along the path; they will show us the way back
to the house." When the moon appeared they got up, but they found no
crumbs, for the thousands of birds that fly about the woods and fields had
picked them all up. "Never mind," said Hansel to Gretel; "you'll
see we'll find a way out"; but all the same they did not. They wandered
about the whole night, and the next day, from morning till evening, but they
could not find a path out of the wood. They were very hungry, too, for they had
nothing to eat but a few berries they found growing on the ground. And at last
they were so tired that their legs refused to carry them any longer, so they
lay down under a tree and fell fast asleep.
On
the third morning after they had left their father's house they set about their
wandering again, but only got deeper and deeper into the wood, and now they
felt that if help did not come to them soon they must perish. At midday they
saw a beautiful little snow-white bird sitting on a branch, which sang so
sweetly that they stopped still and listened to it. And when its song was
finished it flapped its wings and flew on in front of them. They followed it
and came to a little house, on the roof of which it perched; and when they came
quite near they saw that the cottage was made of bread and roofed with cakes,
while the window was made of transparent sugar. "Now we'll set to,"
said Hansel, "and have a regular blow-out. I'll eat a bit of the roof, and
you, Gretel, can eat some of the window, which you'll find a sweet
morsel." Hansel stretched up his hand and broke off a little bit of the
roof to see what it was like, and Gretel went to the casement and began to
nibble at it. Thereupon a shrill voice called out from the room inside:
"Nibble, nibble,
little mouse,
Who's nibbling my
house?"
The children
answered:
"Tis Heaven's
own child,
The tempest
wild,"
and went on eating, without
putting themselves about. Hansel, who thoroughly appreciated the roof, tore
down a big bit of it, while Gretel pushed out a whole round window-pane, and
sat down the better to enjoy it. Suddenly the door opened, and an ancient dame
leaning on a staff hobbled out. Hansel and Gretel were so terrified that they
let what they had in their hands fall. But the old woman shook her head and
said: "Oh, ho! you dear children, who led you here? Just come in and stay with
me, no ill shall befall you." She took them both by the hand and let them
into the house, and laid a most sumptuous dinner before them--milk and sugared
pancakes, with apples and nuts. After they had finished, two beautiful little
white beds were prepared for them, and when Hansel and Gretel lay down in them
they felt as if they had got into heaven.
The
old woman had appeared to be most friendly, but she was really an old witch who
had waylaid the children, and had only built the little bread house in order to
lure them in. When anyone came into her power she killed, cooked, and ate him,
and held a regular feast-day for the occasion. Now witches have red eyes, and
cannot see far, but, like beasts, they have a keen sense of smell, and know when
human beings pass by. When Hansel and Gretel fell into her hands she laughed
maliciously, and said jeeringly: "I've got them now; they sha'n't escape
me." Early in the morning, before the children were awake, she rose up,
and when she saw them both sleeping so peacefully, with their round rosy
cheeks, she muttered to herself: "That'll be a dainty bite." Then she
seized Hansel with her bony hand and carried him into a little stable, and
barred the door on him; he might scream as much as he liked, it did him no
good. Then she went to Gretel, shook her till she awoke, and cried: "Get
up, you lazy-bones, fetch water and cook something for your brother. When he's
fat I'll eat him up." Gretel began to cry bitterly, but it was of no use;
she had to do what the wicked witch bade her.
So
the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel got nothing but
crab-shells. Every morning the old woman hobbled out to the stable and cried:
"Hansel, put out your finger, that I may feel if you are getting
fat." But Hansel always stretched out a bone, and the old dame, whose eyes
were dim, couldn't see it, and thinking always it was Hansel's finger, wondered
why he fattened so slowly. When four weeks had passed and Hansel still remained
thin, she lost patience and determined to wait no longer. "Hi,
Gretel," she called to the girl, abe quick and get some water. Hansel may
be fat or thin, I'm going to kill him to-morrow and cook him." Oh! how the
poor little sister sobbed as she carried the water, and how the tears rolled
down her cheeks! "Kind heaven help us now!" she cried; "if only
the wild beasts in the wood had eaten us, then at least we should have died
together." "Just hold your peace," said the old hag; "it
won't help you."
Early
in the morning Gretel had to go out and hang up the kettle full of water, and
light the fire. "First we'll bake," said the old dame; "I've
heated the oven already and kneaded the dough." She pushed Gretel out to
the oven, from which fiery flames were already issuing. "Creep in,"
said the witch, "and see if it's properly heated, so that we can shove in
the bread." For when she had got Gretel in she meant to close the oven and
let the girl bake, that she might eat her up too. But Gretel perceived her
intention, and said: "I don't know how I'm to do it; how do I get
in?" "You silly goose!" said the hag, "the opening is big
enough; see, I could get in myself," and she crawled toward it, and poked
her head into the oven. Then Gretel gave her a shove that sent her right in,
shut the iron door, and drew the bolt. Gracious! how she yelled, it was quite
horrible; but Gretel fled, and the wretched old woman was left to perish
miserably.
Gretel
flew straight to Hansel, opened the little stable-door, and cried:
"Hansel, we are free; the old witch is dead." Then Hansel sprang like
a bird out of a cage when the door is opened. How they rejoiced, and fell on
each other's necks, and jumped for joy, and kissed one another!
And
as they had no longer any cause for fear, they went in the old hag's house, and
here they found, in every corner of the room, boxes with pearls and precious
stones. "These are even better than pebbles," said Hansel, and
crammed his pockets full of them; and Gretel said: "I too will bring
something home," and she filled her apron full. "But now," said
Hansel, "let's go and get well away from the witch's wood." When they
had wandered about for some hours they came to a big lake. "We can't get
over," said Hansel; "I see no bridge of any sort or kind."
"Yes, and there's no ferry-boat either," answered Gretel; "but
look, there swims a white duck; if I ask her she'll help us over," and she
called out:
"Here are two
children, mournful very,
Seeing neither bridge
nor ferry;
Take us upon your
white back,
And row us over,
quack, quack!"
The duck swam
toward them, and Hansel got on her back and bade his little sister sit beside
him. "No," answered Gretel, "we should be too heavy a load for
the duck: she shall carry us across separately." The good bird did this,
and when they were landed safely on the other side, and had gone for a while,
the wood became more and more familiar to them, and at length they saw their
father's house in the distance. Then they set off to run, and bounding into the
room fell on their father's neck. The man had not passed a happy hour since he
left them in the wood, but the woman had died. Gretel shook out her apron so
that the pearls and precious stones rolled about the room, and Hansel threw
down one handful after the other out of his pocket. Thus all their troubles
were ended, and they lived happily ever afterward.
My
story is done. See! there runs a little mouse; anyone who catches it may make
himself a large fur cap out of it.
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