The
Rose-tree
English
Folktale
There was once upon a
time a good man who had two children: a girl by a first wife, and a
boy by the second. The girl was as white as milk, and her lips were
like cherries. Her hair was like golden silk, and it hung to the
ground. Her brother loved her dearly, but her wicked stepmother
hated her. "Child," said the stepmother one day, "go to the
grocer's shop and buy me a pound of candles." She gave her the
money; and the little girl went, bought the candles, and started on
her return. There was a stile to cross. She put down the candles
whilst she got over the stile. Up came a dog and ran off with the
candles.
She went back to the
grocer's, and she got a second bunch. She came to the stile, set
down the candles, and proceeded to climb over. Up came the dog and
ran off with the candles.
She went again to the
grocer's, and she got a third bunch; and just the same happened.
Then she came to her stepmother crying, for she had spent all the
money and had lost three bunches of
candles.
The stepmother was
angry, but she pretended not to mind the loss. She said to the
child: "Come, lay your head on my lap that I may comb your hair."
So the little one laid her head in the woman's lap, who proceeded
to comb the yellow silken hair. And when she combed the hair fell
over her knees, and rolled right down to the
ground.
Then the stepmother
hated her more for the beauty of her hair; so she said to her, "I
cannot part your hair on my knee, fetch a billet of wood." So she
fetched it. Then said the stepmother, "I cannot part your hair with
a comb, fetch me an axe." So she fetched it.
"Now," said the wicked
woman, "lay your head down on the billet whilst
I part your hair."
Well! she laid down her
little golden head without fear; and whist! down came the axe, and
it was off. So the mother wiped the axe and
laughed.
Then she took the heart
and liver of the little girl, and she stewed them and brought them
into the house for supper. The husband tasted them and shook his
head. He said they tasted very strangely. She gave some to the
little boy, but he would not eat. She tried to force him, but he
refused, and ran out into the garden, and took up his little
sister, and put her in a box, and buried the box under a rose-tree;
and every day he went to the tree and wept, till his tears ran down
on the box.
One day the rose-tree
flowered. It was spring, and there among the flowers was a white
bird; and it sang, and sang, and sang like an angel out of heaven.
Away it flew, and it went to a cobbler's shop, and perched itself
on a tree hard by; and thus it
sang,
"My wicked mother slew me,
My dear father ate me,
My little brother whom I love
Sits below, and I sing above
Stick, stock, stone
dead."
"Sing again that
beautiful song," asked the shoemaker. "If you will first give me
those little red shoes you are making." The cobbler gave the shoes,
and the bird sang the song; then flew to a tree in front of a
watchmaker's, and sang:
"My wicked mother slew me,
My dear father ate me,
My little brother whom I love
Sits below, and I sing above
Stick, stock, stone
dead."
"Oh, the beautiful song!
sing it again, sweet bird," asked the watchmaker. "If you will give
me first that gold watch and chain in your hand." The jeweller gave
the watch and chain. The bird took it in one foot, the shoes in the
other, and, after having repeated the song, flew away to where
three millers were picking a millstone. The bird perched on a tree
and sang:
"My wicked mother slew me,
My dear father ate me,
My little brother whom I love
Sits below, and I sing above
Stick!"
Then one of the men put
down his tool and looked up from his
work,
"Stock!"
Then the second miller's
man laid aside his tool and looked
up,
"Stone!"
Then the third miller's
man laid down his tool and looked
up,
"Dead!"
Then all three cried out
with one voice: "Oh, what a beautiful song! Sing it, sweet bird,
again." "If you will put the millstone round my neck," said the
bird. The men did what the bird wanted and away to the tree it flew
with the millstone round its neck, the red shoes in one foot, and
the gold watch and chain in the other. It sang the song and then
flew home. It rattled the millstone against the eaves of the house,
and the stepmother said: "It thunders." Then the little boy ran out
to see the thunder, and down dropped the red shoes at his feet. It
rattled the millstone against the eaves of the house once more, and
the stepmother said again: "It thunders." Then the father ran out
and down fell the chain about his
neck.
In ran father and son,
laughing and saying, "See, what fine things the thunder has brought
us!" Then the bird rattled the millstone against the eaves of the
house a third time; and the stepmother said: "It thunders again,
perhaps the thunder has brought something for me," and she ran out;
but the moment she stepped outside the door, down fell the
millstone on her head; and so she
died.