The Three Green Twigs
There was once upon a time a hermit who lived
in a forest at the foot of a mountain, and passed his time in prayer and good works, and
every evening he carried, to the glory of God, two pails of water up the mountain. Many a
beast drank of it, and many a plant was refreshed by it, for on the heights above, a
strong wind blew continually, which dried the air and the ground, and the wild birds which
dread mankind wheel about there, and with their sharp eyes search for a drink. And because
the hermit was so pious, an angel of God, visible to his eyes, went up with him, counted
his steps, and when the work was completed, brought him his food, even as the prophet of
old was by God's command fed by the raven. When the hermit in his piety had already
reached a great age, it happened that he once saw from afar a poor sinner being taken to
the gallows. He said carelessly to himself, there, that one is getting his deserts. In the
evening, when he was carrying the water up the mountain, the angel who usually accompanied
him did not appear, and also brought him no food. Then he was terrified, and searched his
heart, and tried to think how he could have sinned, as God was so angry, but he did not
discover it. Then he neither ate nor drank, threw himself down on the ground, and prayed
day and night. And as he was one day thus bitterly weeping in the forest, he heard a
little bird singing beautifully and delightfully, and then he was still more troubled and
said, how joyously you sing, the Lord is not angry with you. Ah, if you could but tell me
how I can have offended him, that I might do penance, and then my heart also would be glad
again. Then the bird began to speak and said, you have done injustice, in that you have
condemned a poor sinner who was being led to the gallows, and for that the Lord is angry
with you. He alone sits in judgement. However, if you will do penance and repent your
sins, he will forgive you. Then the angel stood beside him with a dry branch in his hand
and said, you shall carry this dry branch until three green twigs sprout out of it, but at
night when you will sleep, you shall lay it under your head. You shall beg your bread from
door to door, and not tarry more than one night in the same house. That is the penance
which the Lord lays on you. Then the hermit took the piece of wood, and went back into the
world, which he had not seen for so long. He ate and drank nothing but what was given him
at the doors. Many petitions, however, were not listened to, and many doors remained shut
to him, so that he often did not get a crumb of bread. Once when he had gone from door to
door from morning till night, and no one had given him anything, and no one would shelter
him for the night, he went forth into a forest, and at last found a cave which someone had
made, and an old woman was sitting in it. Then said he, good woman, keep me with you in
your house for this night. But she said, no, I dare not, even if I wished, I have three
sons who are wicked and wild, if they come home from their robbing expedition, and find
you, they would kill us both. The hermit said, let me stay, they will do no injury either
to you or to me. And the old woman was compassionate, and let herself be persuaded. Then
the man lay down beneath the stairs, and put the bit of wood under his head. When the old
woman saw him do that, she asked the reason of it, on which he told her that he carried
the bit of wood about with him for a penance, and used it at night for a pillow, and that
he had offended the Lord, because, when he had seen a poor sinner on the way to the
gallows, he had said he was getting his deserts. Then the woman began to weep and cried,
if the Lord punishes one single word, how will it fare with my sons when they appear
before him in judgment. At midnight the robbers came home and blustered and stormed. They
made a fire, and when it had lighted up the cave and they saw a man lying under the
stairs, they fell in a rage and cried to their mother, who is the man. Have we not
forbidden anyone whomsoever to be taken in. Then said the mother, let him alone, it is a
poor sinner who is expiating his crime. The robbers asked, what has he done. Old man,
cried they, tell us your sins. The old man raised himself and told them how he, by one
single word, had so sinned that God was angry with him, and how he was now expiating this
crime. The robbers were so powerfully touched in their hearts by this story, that they
were shocked with their life up to this time, reflected, and began with hearty repentance
to do penance for it. The hermit, after he had converted the three sinners, lay down to
sleep again under the stairs. In the morning, however, they found him dead, and out of the
dry wood on which his head lay, three green twigs had grown up on high. Thus the Lord had
once more received him into his favor.
--The End-- |
