Cinderella

Reading section 1

A rich man’s wife fell ill. When she felt that her end was near, she called her only little daughter to her bedside and said, “Dear child, remain devout and good. Then the dear Lord will always stand by you, and I will look down on you from heaven and be near you.” With that, she closed her eyes and died. The girl went out to her mother’s grave every day and wept, and she remained devout and good. When winter came, the snow spread a little white covering over the grave. And when the spring sun had drawn it away again, the man took another wife.

The woman brought two daughters into the house. Their faces were beautiful and fair, but their hearts were ugly and wicked. Now a hard time began for the poor stepchild. “Is this silly goose to sit in the room with us?” they said. “Anyone who wants to eat bread must earn it. Out with the kitchen maid!” They took away her fine clothes, dressed her in an old gray gown, and gave her wooden shoes. “Look at the proud princess! How splendidly she is dressed!” they cried, laughing as they led her into the kitchen. There she had to work hard from morning until night: rise before dawn, carry water, light the fire, cook, and wash. Besides all this, the sisters did everything they could to hurt her. They mocked her and scattered her peas and lentils into the ashes, so that she had to sit and pick them out again. In the evening, when she was worn out from work, she had no bed to go to. She had to lie in the ashes beside the hearth. And because she always looked dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella.

One day, when her father was going to the fair, he asked his two stepdaughters what he should bring them. “Beautiful dresses,” said one. “Pearls and precious stones,” said the other. “And you, Cinderella,” he asked, “what would you like?” “Father, break off for me the first twig that brushes against your hat on your way home.” He bought beautiful dresses, pearls, and precious stones for the two stepsisters. On his way back, as he rode through some green bushes, a hazel twig brushed against him and knocked off his hat. He broke off the twig and took it with him. When he reached home, he gave his stepdaughters what they had wished for, and Cinderella the twig from the hazel bush. Cinderella thanked him, went to her mother’s grave, and planted the twig there. She wept so much that her tears fell upon it and watered it. It grew into a beautiful tree. Three times every day Cinderella went beneath it, weeping and praying. Each time, a little white bird came to the tree. Whenever she made a wish, the bird would throw down what she had wished for.

Now the king arranged a festival that was to last three days. All the beautiful young women in the land were invited, so that his son might choose a bride. When the two stepsisters heard that they, too, were to attend, they were delighted. They called Cinderella and said, “Comb our hair, brush our shoes, and fasten our buckles. We are going to the celebration at the king’s palace.” Cinderella obeyed, but she wept because she, too, longed to go to the dance. She begged her stepmother to let her go. “You, Cinderella?” she said. “You are covered in dust and dirt, and you want to go to the celebration? You have neither clothes nor shoes, and you want to dance!” But Cinderella kept begging, until at last her stepmother said, “I have emptied a bowl of lentils into the ashes. If you can pick them all out again in two hours, you may come with us.”

The girl went through the back door into the garden and called, “You gentle pigeons, you turtledoves, all you little birds beneath the sky, come and help me sort them!

The good ones in the little pot, The bad ones in your crop.”

Two white pigeons came through the kitchen window, followed by the turtledoves. At last, all the little birds beneath the sky came fluttering and flocking in, and settled around the ashes. The pigeons nodded their little heads and began: peck, peck, peck, peck. Then the others began, too: peck, peck, peck, peck. They picked all the good lentils into the bowl. Scarcely an hour had passed before they were finished, and they all flew out again.

Reading section 2

The girl brought the bowl to her stepmother, full of joy, believing that now she might go to the celebration. But her stepmother said, “No, Cinderella. You have no clothes, and you cannot dance. People would only laugh at you.” When Cinderella began to weep, she said, “If you can pick two bowls of lentils clean out of the ashes in one hour, you may come.” And she thought, “She can never manage that.” Once she had emptied the two bowls of lentils into the ashes, the girl went through the back door into the garden and called, “You gentle pigeons, you turtledoves, all you little birds beneath the sky, come and help me sort them!

The good ones in the little pot, The bad ones in your crop.”

Two white pigeons came through the kitchen window, followed by the turtledoves. At last, all the little birds beneath the sky came fluttering and flocking in, and settled around the ashes. The pigeons nodded their little heads and began: peck, peck, peck, peck. Then the others began, too: peck, peck, peck, peck. They picked all the good lentils into the bowls. Before half an hour had passed, they were finished, and they all flew out again. The girl carried the bowls to her stepmother, full of joy, believing that now she might go to the celebration. But her stepmother said, “It is no use. You are not coming with us. You have no clothes, and you cannot dance. We would be ashamed of you.” Then she turned her back on Cinderella and hurried away with her two proud daughters.

When no one was left at home, Cinderella went to her mother’s grave beneath the hazel tree and called:

“Little tree, shake and tremble, Shower me with gold and silver.”

The bird threw down a dress of gold and silver, and slippers embroidered with silk and silver. Cinderella put on the dress as quickly as she could and went to the celebration. Her sisters and stepmother did not recognize her. She looked so beautiful in the golden dress that they thought she must be a princess from another kingdom. They never thought of Cinderella. They imagined she was sitting at home in the dirt, picking lentils from the ashes. The prince came to meet her, took her by the hand, and danced with her. He would dance with no one else, and would not let go of her hand. Whenever another man came to ask her to dance, he said, “This is my dancing partner.”

She danced until evening, and then she wanted to go home. But the prince said, “I will come with you and see you home,” for he wanted to discover whose daughter the beautiful girl was. She slipped away from him, however, and sprang into the dovecote. The prince waited until her father came, and told him that the unknown girl had jumped into the dovecote. The old man thought, “Could it be Cinderella?” He had them bring him an axe and a pick so that he could break the dovecote apart. But no one was inside. When they entered the house, Cinderella was lying in her dirty clothes among the ashes, and a dim little oil lamp was burning in the chimney. For she had quickly jumped down from the back of the dovecote and run to the hazel tree. There she had taken off her beautiful clothes and laid them on the grave. The bird had carried them away again. Then she had put on her little gray gown and settled in the kitchen among the ashes.

The next day, when the festival began again and her parents and stepsisters had gone, Cinderella went to the hazel tree and said:

Reading section 3

“Little tree, shake and tremble, Shower me with gold and silver.”

The bird threw down a dress even more magnificent than the one from the day before. When she appeared at the celebration in this dress, everyone marveled at her beauty. The prince had been waiting for her. He took her hand at once and danced with her alone. Whenever the others came to ask her to dance, he said, “This is my dancing partner.”

When evening came, she wanted to leave. The prince followed her, hoping to see which house she entered. But she sprang away from him into the garden behind the house. A fine, tall tree stood there, hung with the most beautiful pears. She climbed among its branches as nimbly as a squirrel, and the prince could not tell where she had gone. He waited until her father came, and said to him, “The unknown girl has slipped away from me. I believe she has climbed into the pear tree.” Her father thought, “Could it be Cinderella?” He had an axe brought and cut down the tree. But there was no one in it. When they went into the kitchen, Cinderella was lying in the ashes as usual. She had jumped down on the other side of the tree, taken her beautiful clothes back to the bird in the little hazel tree, and put on her little gray gown.

On the third day, when her parents and sisters had gone, Cinderella returned to her mother’s grave and said to the little tree:

“Little tree, shake and tremble, Shower me with gold and silver.”

This time, the bird threw down a dress more splendid and shining than any she had ever had before. And the slippers were made entirely of gold. When she came to the celebration in that dress, they were all so astonished that they did not know what to say. The prince danced with her alone. Whenever anyone asked her to dance, he said, “This is my dancing partner.”

When evening came, Cinderella wanted to leave, and the prince wanted to go with her. But she sprang away so quickly that he could not follow. The prince, however, had devised a trick. He had ordered the whole staircase to be coated with pitch. As the girl ran down the steps, her left slipper stuck fast. The prince picked it up. It was small and delicate, and made entirely of gold. The next morning he took it to her father and said, “No one shall be my wife but the girl whose foot this golden shoe fits.”

The two sisters were delighted, for they had beautiful feet. The elder took the shoe into her room to try it on, and her mother stood beside her. But she could not get her big toe inside. The shoe was too small. Her mother handed her a knife and said, “Cut off your toe. When you are queen, you will no longer need to walk.” The girl cut off her toe, forced her foot into the shoe, and held back the pain. Then she went out to the prince. He took her up onto his horse as his bride and rode away with her. But they had to pass the grave. There the two pigeons sat in the little hazel tree and called:

Reading section 4

“Coo, coo, look and see! There is blood inside the shoe. The shoe is too small; The true bride is still at home.”

He looked at her foot and saw the blood welling out. He turned his horse around, brought the false bride home again, and said that she was not the right one. The other sister must try on the shoe. She went into her room and managed to get her toes inside, but her heel was too large. Her mother handed her a knife and said, “Cut off a piece of your heel. When you are queen, you will no longer need to walk.” The girl cut off a piece of her heel, forced her foot into the shoe, and held back the pain. Then she went out to the prince. He took her up onto his horse as his bride and rode away with her. As they passed the little hazel tree, the two pigeons sat there and called:

“Coo, coo, look and see! There is blood inside the shoe. The shoe is too small; The true bride is still at home.”

He looked down at her foot and saw the blood flowing from the shoe and staining her white stockings red. He turned his horse around and brought the false bride home again. “This is not the right one either,” he said. “Have you no other daughter?” “No,” said the man. “There is only a little, stunted Cinderella left from my late wife. She cannot possibly be the bride.” The prince told him to send her up. But her stepmother answered, “Oh, no. She is much too dirty. She must not be seen.” The prince insisted, however, and Cinderella had to be called.

First she washed her hands and face clean. Then she went in and bowed to the prince, who handed her the golden shoe. She sat on a little stool, slipped her foot out of the heavy wooden shoe, and put it into the slipper. It fitted as though it had been made for her. When she stood up and the prince looked into her face, he recognized the beautiful girl who had danced with him. “This is the true bride!” he cried. The stepmother and the two sisters were horrified, and turned pale with anger. But he took Cinderella up onto his horse and rode away with her. As they passed the little hazel tree, the two white pigeons called:

“Coo, coo, look and see! There is no blood inside the shoe. The shoe is not too small; He is taking the true bride home.”

When they had finished calling, both birds flew down and settled on Cinderella’s shoulders, one on the right and one on the left. And there they stayed.

When the wedding to the prince was to take place, the false sisters came, hoping to win favor and share in her good fortune. As the bridal couple went into the church, the elder sister walked on the right and the younger on the left. Then the pigeons pecked out one eye from each of them. Afterward, as they came out, the elder walked on the left and the younger on the right. Then the pigeons pecked out the other eye from each. And so, for their wickedness and deceit, they were punished with blindness for the rest of their lives.