samoht de jong: Fairytales from the Far East 4
Stories that touch. Tales that enchant. Let us take you into the world of fantasy. Make an imaginary journey to distant lands and times long past. Read stories, legends and tales that make the hearts of children and adults is higher for centuries. Dive into the fascinating fantasy world of the Far Eastern countries.
reading test:
Fairytales from the Far East 4
The golden tree
In a large forest lived an old hermit. One day a lean and half-starved puppy came running to him, his eyes full of fear. „Come, poor little creature,„ said the hermit, for he had pity on the beast. „The wild beasts of the forest will surely kill you. Stay with me! The hermit gave the little dog a place, and they shared the fruits and berries they lived from.
One day the hermit sat there for a long time, looking at the dog. Finally, he said, „I am getting older and am no longer able to collect fruits and berries for my daily meals. I need someone to look for me in my old days. That is why I will pray that you may take human form. „The old hermit closed his eyes and began to pray. He prayed for a long time. When he opened his eyes, a beautiful girl stood before him. The hermit was very happy about the fulfillment of his wish. He treated the girl as if it were his daughter. Also, the girl was very happy. She took care of the hermit as best she could. The hermit lived happily, only one thing disturbed him. The girl was very good, but she had a mistake. Like all dogs she liked to bite in leather. The hermit knew this, and every night before he went to sleep, he hid his sandals. Every night, however, he heard the girl weep and sob, and the smell of the leather, to find something to chew. Only with time the girl gave up this habit.
When several weeks had passed, the peace of the forest was disturbed by the sound of horns and the sound of blow-shells. The king organized a hunt. He was on the trail of a deer and came to the hermit’s hut. There he saw the pretty girl and stopped his horse immediately. He had never seen a more beautiful girl, and she liked him at once.
„O pious man,„ said the king to the hermit, „if this beautiful girl is your daughter, then give your blessing, and allow me to make her my only queen.„ „She is not of high birth, a fitting queen for you, „replied the hermit. „I beg of you, go forth, and leave my daughter here.„ „What does it care if she is of noble birth or not,„ said the king. „She was born to rule by my side. I want her to be a queen, or I do not need a queen at all. „
The hermit recognized the seriousness with which the king offered his offer of marriage. So he took him aside and said to him, „I agree with a marriage with my daughter. But promise me that you will never make her unhappy! She has a great weakness, and this weakness will only come to light when she is unhappy. „The king promised, and the hermit allowed him to take the girl with him and to
marry. The king was content, and he made his queen as happy as he could. And because the queen was happy, she never thought to chew her teeth.
Years went into the country. The queen was the proud mother of six pretty daughters. When the girls grew up one after the other, the five older handsome and powerful princes marveled. Only the youngest princess fell in love with a lumberjack who is a daily brought firewood to the king’s cook. When the king learned this, he became very angry, and he ordered the princess never to see the young woodcutter again. The next morning, when the woodcutter brought his load of wood again, the princess ran with him to live as his wife in his poor hut. The king was angry when he discovered that his youngest daughter had despised his wishes and had married the woodcutter. He took his sword, and rushed with anger into the chamber of the queen. „The youngest princess hath shamed me!„ He cried. „I’d like to kill her with my own hands, but for the sake of my life, I have to keep my temper. From today on she is no longer
my daughter. I never want to see her face again, and I forbid you to ever meet her! „
The Queen loved her youngest daughter very much and was in great despair. She cried and sobbed all day long. She could hardly sleep at night. Late at night she got out of her bed without knowing what she was doing, took a slipper of the king, and began to bite and chew. Suddenly she realized what she was doing. She took the chewed slipper, ran back to her bed and hid him under the bed cloth. The next morning, to his astonishment, the king missed a slipper. He searched everywhere. Vain! „That’s strange,„ he said. „The slippers were filled with rubies and diamonds. If a thief took him, why only one and not both? „The king could not explain all this.
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