Cinderella

 

 

Tale of the Brothers Grimm

translation by Alda Volkmann
review by Ruth Salles

The wife of a rich man fell ill and, sensing that her end was near, called her only daughter to her bed and said: - - Dear daughter, keep yourself pious and good, for in this way God will always help you, and I will stay with you. by your side and I will watch over you from heaven.

Then he closed his eyes and died.
Every day, the girl went to cry at her mother's grave and remained pious and good. When winter came, the snow covered the grave with a white blanket. And when the spring sun melted him, the man remarried. The new woman brought with her two daughters with fair and pretty faces, but with ugly and dark hearts. Then began very bad days for the poor stepdaughter.

– Is this fool – they said – going to stay in the room with us? Whoever eats the bread has to earn it! Get out of here, cook!

And they took her beautiful dresses, gave her a brown apron to wear and clogs to put on.

– Look at the proud little princess, how she is decorated! – they shouted, taking her to the kitchen.

And the girl had to do heavy work from morning to night, get up at dawn, carry the water, light the fire, cook and wash. Besides, the two sisters did all sorts of mischief to her, made fun of her, dropped peas and lentils in the ash so that she would have to pick them up again. At night, when she was exhausted from working, she had no bed and would lie by the stove on top of the ashes. She was always so dusty and dirty that they called her Cinderella.

Once, the father was going to the market and asked his two stepdaughters what they wanted him to bring.

“Beautiful dresses,” said one.

“Pearls and gems,” said the other.

"And you, Cinderella," he asked, "what do you want?"

“Father, break it down and bring me the first shoot that bumps into your hat when you get home.

The man bought beautiful dresses, pearls and precious stones for the two stepdaughters, and on the way back, as he was riding through some bushes, a hazel sapling bumped into him and knocked his hat off. So he broke it and brought it with him. When she got home, she gave her stepdaughters what they had wanted and gave Cinderella the hazel sapling. Cinderella thanked her, went to her mother's grave, planted her sapling there, and cried so much that tears fell on her and watered her. It grew into a beautiful tree. Cinderella went to the grave three times a day, wept and prayed, and each time a little white bird perched on the tree. If she expressed any desire, the bird would immediately throw her what was asked.
Now it happened that the king was about to give a feast, which was to last three days, and to which all the beautiful maidens of the kingdom would be invited, so that his son might choose a bride from among them. The two sisters, knowing that they would also go, became very hopeful and called Cinderella, saying:

- Comb our hair, brush our shoes and fasten the buckles well, for we are going to the wedding in the king's castle. Cinderella obeyed, but with tears in her eyes, because she too would very much like to go to the ball. So he asked his stepmother for permission to go, and she replied:

– You, Cinderella, who are always dusty and dirty, do you want to go to the wedding party? You, who don't have clothes or shoes, want to dance?

And, as Cinderella asked once more, she replied:

– I poured a plate of lentils into the ash. If in two hours you can collect them, you can go with us.

The girl went out the back door, went to the vegetable garden and called:

- Sweet doves, turtledoves, and all you little birds that fly in the sky, come help me to collect the lentils,

the good ones on the plate,
the bad ones in the pap.

Soon two little white doves came in through the kitchen window, then doves, and finally all the birds that flew in the sky came fluttering and circling, and landed around the ashes. The little pigeons said yes, shaking their heads and started, pic, pic, pic, picking, and the other birds also started, pic, pic, pic, and they put all the good grains on the plate. Barely an hour had passed and everything was ready, and they took off again. So the girl, full of joy, took the plate to her stepmother, thinking she could go to the wedding party.
But the stepmother said:

– No, Cinderella, you don't have a dress and you don't know how to dance; people will make fun of you.

Cinderella began to cry, and her stepmother then replied:

- If you can, in an hour, scavenge two plates of lentils for me from the ashes, you will go with us. – And he thought: “She won’t be able to do that!”

After the stepmother had dumped two plates of lentils in the ashes, the girl went out the back door, went to the vegetable garden and called:

- Sweet doves, turtledoves, and all you little birds that fly in the sky, come help me to collect the lentils,

the good ones on the plate,
the bad ones in the pap.

Soon two little white doves came in through the kitchen window, then doves, and finally all the birds that flew in the sky came fluttering and circling, and landed around the ashes. And the little pigeons said yes, shaking their heads and started, pic, pic, pic, picking, and the other birds also started, pic, pic, pic, and they put all the good grains on their plates. And as soon as an hour had passed, everything was ready, and they were off again. So the girl, full of joy, took the dishes to her stepmother, thinking she could go to the wedding party. But the stepmother said:

“It's no use, Cinderella. You don't have a dress and you don't know how to dance; We would be ashamed of you.

And, turning her back, she hurried away with her proud daughters.

As there was no one else at home, Cinderella went to her mother's grave, under the hazel tree, and asked:

– Little tree, shake yourself well,

throws gold at me and silver too!

The little white bird then dropped on her a dress of gold and silver and slippers embroidered in silk and silver. More than quickly, Cinderella dressed and went to the party. Her sisters and stepmother, however, did not recognize her. She must have been an unknown king's daughter, she was so beautiful in her golden dress. They didn't even think about Cinderella, thinking she was at home, among the dirt and gathering lentils from the ashes. The king's son went to meet her, took her by the hand, danced with her and didn't want to dance with anyone else, so he wouldn't let go of her hand. And if someone came to invite her, he would say:

- This one only dances with me.

Cinderella danced late, then wanted to go home. But the king's son said:

- I follow you. - Well, I wanted to know where the beautiful young woman was from.

She, however, freed herself from him and, with one leap, climbed into the dovecote. The king's son waited for his father to appear and told him that the unknown girl had climbed into the dovecote. The old man thought, "Is it Cinderella?"

An ax and pickaxe were then brought to him to tear down the dovecote, but there was no one inside.

When the others got home, they saw Cinderella in the ashes in her dirty dress, and a dim oil lamp burned above the fireplace. For she had quickly left the back of the dovecote, going to the hazel tree. There, he took off his beautiful garment, leaving it on the grave, where the little white bird went to get him. Then she put on her little brown apron and went to sit in the ashes of the kitchen.

The next day, the party started again. As her parents and sisters had gone there again, Cinderella ran to the hazel tree and said:

– Little tree, shake yourself well,
throws gold at me and silver too!

The little bird then dropped a dress even more sumptuous than the one on the first day. And when Cinderella showed up at the party in that dress, everyone marveled at her beauty. The king's son, who had been waiting for her arrival, took her by the hand and only danced with her. And if someone came to invite her, he would say:

- This one only dances with me.

When night fell, she wanted to leave, and the king's son followed, wanting to see which house he lived in. She, however, escaped through the back garden. In it was a beautiful and tall tree from which magnificent pears hung. Cinderella climbed the branches with the agility of a squirrel, and the king's son could not see where she had gone. He waited for his father to arrive and said to him:

“The unknown girl escaped me, and I think she climbed to the top of the pear tree.

The father thought, “Is it Cinderella?” He ordered the ax to be brought to him, and he felled the tree, but there was no one there.

And when Cinderella reached the kitchen, she lay down in the ashes as usual; for she had jumped out of the tree on the other side, then she gave the little bird in the hazel tree back her pretty outfit and put on her little brown apron.

On the third day, when her parents and sisters had left, Cinderella went again to her mother's grave and said to the little tree:

– Little tree, shake yourself well,
throws gold at me and silver too!

The little bird threw over her a garment such as no one had ever worn, it was so sumptuous and shiny, and the little shoes were all gold. When Cinderella arrived at the party in that outfit, no one knew what to say in the face of so much wonder. The king's son only danced with her the whole time. And if someone came to invite her, he would say:

- This one only dances with me.

When night fell, she was already leaving and the king's son wanted to accompany her. Cinderella, however, escaped so quickly that he was unable to follow her. But cunningly he had smeared the entire staircase with bitumen; and when she went down, the left foot of her little shoe got stuck there. The king's son took it, and it was small and delicate and all gold. The next day he took him to the girls' father's house and said:

“I will only marry the one this shoe will fit.

The two sisters were very happy, for they had beautiful feet. The eldest went to her mother's room and tried to put her shoes on. But the big toe didn't fit inside, the shoe was too small. The mother handed him a knife and said:

– Cut off that finger; when you are queen you will not need to walk.

The girl cut her toe off, forced her foot into the shoe, disguised the pain and went to the king's son. The latter, taking her as his bride, mounted her on his horse and rode away. But the way passed through the grave; the two little doves were perched on the hazel tree and exclaimed:

- Look how bloody
the shoe leaks!
the real bride
is still indoors.

The king's son then looked at the bride's foot and saw the blood running. He turned the horse, took the false bride back home, and said that was not the true bride; the other sister should try on the shoe. This one went to the bedroom and luckily the toes fit, but the heel was too big. Then the mother handed him a knife and said:

– Cut a piece of the heel; when you are queen you will not need to walk.

The girl cut off a piece of her heel, forced her foot into the shoe, disguised the pain and went to the king's son. The latter, taking her as his bride, mounted her on his horse and rode away. When they passed the hazel tree, the two doves were sitting there and exclaimed:

- Look how bloody
the shoe leaks!
the real bride
is still indoors.

The king's son looked down at the bride's foot and saw the blood running down and turning the white stocking all red. He turned the horse, took the false bride home and said:

– This is not the real bride; don't you have any other daughters?

The man replied:

- No. Only my late wife's daughter, but she's a small, skinny Cinderella. It is impossible for her to be the bride.

The king's son said that they should look for her, but the mother replied:

“Oh no, she's too dirty, she can't be seen.

The king's son, however, insisted that he wanted to see her, and Cinderella was summoned. She first washed her hands and face, then went to the king's son, bowed before him, and he handed her the golden slipper. Cinderella then sat down on a stool, took her foot out of her heavy clog, and put on her slipper, which fitted like a glove. And when she arose, the king's son looked her in the face, recognized the beautiful girl with whom he had danced, and said:

– This is the real bride!

The stepmother and the two sisters paled in astonishment and anger. He, however, mounted Cinderella on the horse and rode off. As they passed the hazel tree, the two little white doves exclaimed:

- Look what a naughty bride.
His joy overflows.
This is the real bride,
whom the king's son marries.

And, thus exclaiming, the two took flight, landed on Cinderella's shoulders - one on the right, the other on the left - and there they remained.

On the day of the king's son's wedding feast, the two pretended sisters attended, wanting to attract his sympathy and share in his fortune. When the bride and groom arrived at the church, the eldest was on her right and the youngest on her left. Then the doves pricked each one of their eyes. At the exit, the oldest was on the left and the youngest on the right. Again the doves stung each other's eyes. And so, because of their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished, being blinded for life.

 

 

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