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
to-morrow 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."
"O' 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 children answered -
"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.
