The Water of Life
There was once a king who had an illness, and no one believed that
he would come out of it with his life. He had three sons who were much distressed about
it, and went down into the palace-garden and wept. There they met an old man who inquired
as to the cause of their grief. They told him that their father was so ill that he would
most certainly die, for nothing seemed to cure him. Then the old man said, "I know of
one more remedy, and that is the water of life. If he drinks of it he will become well
again, but it is hard to find." The eldest said, "I will manage to find
it." And went to the sick king, and begged to be allowed to go forth in search of the
water of life, for that alone could save him. "No," said the king, "the
danger of it is too great. I would rather die."
But he begged so long that the king consented. The prince thought in
his heart, "If I bring the water, then I shall be best beloved of my father, and
shall inherit the kingdom." So he set out, and when he had ridden forth a little
distance, a dwarf stood there in the road who called to him and said, "Whither away
so fast?" "Silly shrimp," said the prince, very haughtily, "it is
nothing to do with you." And rode on. But the little dwarf had grown angry, and had
wished an evil wish. Soon after this the prince entered a ravine, and the further he rode
the closer the mountains drew together, and at last the road became so narrow that he
could not advance a step further. It was impossible either to turn his horse or to
dismount from the saddle, and he was shut in there as if in prison. The sick king waited
long for him, but he came not.
Then the second son said, "father, let me go forth to seek the
water." And thought to himself, "If my brother is dead, then the kingdom will
fall to me." At first the king would not allow him to go either, but at last he
yielded, so the prince set out on the same road that his brother had taken, and he too met
the dwarf, who stopped him to ask whither he was going in such haste. "Little
shrimp," said the prince, "that is nothing to do with you." And rode on
without giving him another look. But the dwarf bewitched him, and he, like the other, rode
into a ravine, and could neither go forwards nor backwards. So fare haughty people.
As the second son also remained away, the youngest begged to be
allowed to go forth to fetch the water, and at last the king was obliged to let him go.
When he met the dwarf and the latter asked him whither he was going in such haste, he
stopped, gave him an explanation, and said, "I am seeking the water of life, for my
father is sick unto death."
"Do you know, then, where that is to be found?"
"No," said the prince.
"As you have borne yourself as is seemly, and not haughtily
like your false brothers, I will give you the information and tell you how you may obtain
the water of life. It springs from a fountain in the courtyard of an enchanted castle, but
you will not be able to make your way to it, if I do not give you an iron wand and two
small loaves of bread. Strike thrice with the wand on the iron door of the castle and it
will spring open, inside lie two lions with gaping jaws, but if you throw a loaf to each
of them, they will be quieted. Then hasten to fetch some of the water of life before the
clock strikes twelve else the door will shut again, and you will be imprisoned."
The prince thanked him, took the wand and the bread, and set out on
his way. When he arrived, everything was as the dwarf had said. The door sprang open at
the third stroke of the wand, and when he had appeased the lions with the bread, he
entered the castle, and came to a large and splendid hall, wherein sat some enchanted
princes whose rings he drew off their fingers. A sword and a loaf of bread were lying
there, which he carried away. After this, he entered a chamber, in which was a beautiful
maiden who rejoiced when she saw him, kissed him, and told him that he had set her free,
and should have the whole of her kingdom, and that if he would return in a year their
wedding should be celebrated. Likewise she told him where the spring of the water of life
was, and that he was to hasten and draw some of it before the clock struck twelve. Then he
went onwards, and at last entered a room where there was a beautiful newly-made bed, and
as he was very weary, he felt inclined to rest a little. So he lay down and fell asleep.
When he awoke, it was striking a quarter to twelve. He sprang up in
a fright, ran to the spring, drew some water in a cup which stood near, and hastened away.
But just as he was passing through the iron door, the clock struck twelve, and the door
fell to with such violence that it carried away a piece of his heel.
He, however, rejoicing at having obtained the water of life, went
homewards, and again passed the dwarf. When the latter saw the sword and the loaf, he
said, "With these you have won great wealth, with the sword you can slay whole
armies, and the bread will never come to an end." But the prince would not go home to
his father without his brothers, and said, "Dear dwarf, can you not tell me where my
two brothers are? They went out before I did in search of the water of life, and have not
returned."
"They are imprisoned between two mountains," said the
dwarf. "I have condemned them to stay there, because they were so haughty." Then
the prince begged until the dwarf released them, but he warned him and said, "Beware
of them, for they have bad hearts." When his brothers came, he rejoiced, and told
them how things had gone with him, that he had found the water of life and had brought a
cupful away with him, and had rescued a beautiful princess, who was willing to wait a year
for him, and then their wedding was to be celebrated and he would obtain a great kingdom.
After that they rode on together, and chanced upon a land where war
and famine reigned, and the king already thought he must perish, for the scarcity was so
great. Then the prince went to him and gave him the loaf, wherewith he fed and satisfied
the whole of his kingdom, and then the prince gave him the sword also wherewith he slew
the hosts of his enemies, and could now live in rest and peace. The prince then took back
his loaf and his sword, and the three brothers rode on. But after this they entered two
more countries where war and famine reigned and each time the prince gave his loaf and his
sword to the kings, and had now delivered three kingdoms, and after that they went on
board a ship and sailed over the sea. During the passage, the two eldest conversed apart
and said, "The youngest has found the water of life and not we, for that our father
will give him the kingdom - the kingdom which belongs to us, and he will rob us of all our
fortune." They then began to seek revenge, and plotted with each other to destroy
him. They waited until they found him fast asleep, then they poured the water of life out
of the cup, and took it for themselves, but into the cup they poured salt sea-water.
Now therefore, when they arrived home, the youngest took his cup to
the sick king in order that he might drink out of it, and be cured. But scarcely had he
drunk a very little of the salt sea-water than he became still worse than before. And as
he was lamenting over this, the two eldest brothers came, and accused the youngest of
having intended to poison him, and said that they had brought him the true water of life,
and handed it to him. He had scarcely tasted it, when he felt his sickness departing, and
became strong and healthy as in the days of his youth.
After that they both went to the youngest, mocked him, and said,
"You certainly found the water of life, but you have had the pain, and we the gain,
you should have been cleverer, and should have kept your eyes open. We took it from you
whilst you were asleep at sea, and when a year is over, one of us will go and fetch the
beautiful princess. But beware that you do not disclose aught of this to our father,
indeed he does not trust you, and if you say a single word, you shall lose your life into
the bargain, but if you keep silent, you shall have it as a gift."
The old king was angry with his youngest son, and thought he had
plotted against his life. So he summoned the court together and had sentence pronounced
upon his son, that he should be secretly shot. And once when the prince was riding forth
to the chase, suspecting no evil, the king's huntsman was told to go with him, and when
they were quite alone in the forest, the huntsman looked so sorrowful that the prince said
to him, "Dear huntsman, what ails you?" The huntsman said, "I cannot tell
you, and yet I ought." Then the prince said, "Say openly what it is, I will
pardon you." "Alas," said the huntsman, "I am to shoot you dead, the
king has ordered me to do it." Then the prince was shocked, and said, "Dear
huntsman, let me live, there, I give you my royal garments, give me your common ones in
their stead." The huntsman said, "I will willingly do that, indeed I would not
have been able to shoot you." Then they exchanged clothes, and the huntsman returned
home, while the prince went further into the forest.
After a time three waggons of gold and precious stones came to the
king for his youngest son, which were sent by the three kings who had slain their enemies
with the prince's sword, and maintained their people with his bread, and who wished to
show their gratitude for it. The old king then thought, "Can my son have been
innocent?" And said to his people, "Would that he were still alive, how it
grieves me that I have suffered him to be killed." "He still lives," said
the huntsman, "I could not find it in my heart to carry out your command." And
told the king how it had happened. Then a stone fell from the king's heart, and he had it
proclaimed in every country that his son might return and be taken into favor again.
The princess, however, had a road made up to her palace which was
quite bright and golden, and told her people that whosoever came riding straight along it
to her, would be the right one and was to be admitted, and whoever rode by the side of it,
was not the right one and was not to be admitted.
As the time was now close at hand, the eldest thought he would
hasten to go to the king's daughter, and give himself out as her rescuer, and thus win her
for his bride, and the kingdom to boot. Therefore he rode forth, and when he arrived in
front of the palace, and saw the splendid golden road, he thought, it would be a sin and a
shame if I were to ride over that. And turned aside, and rode on the right side of it. But
when he came to the door, the servants told him that he was not the right one, and was to
go away again.
Soon after this the second prince set out, and when he came to the
golden road, and his horse had put one foot on it, he thought, it would be a sin and a
shame, a piece might be trodden off. And he turned aside and rode on the left side of it,
and when he reached the door, the attendants told him he was not the right one, and he was
to go away again.
When at last the year had entirely expired, the third son likewise
wished to ride out of the forest to his beloved, and with her forget his sorrows. So he
set out and thought of her so incessantly, and wished to be with her so much, that he
never noticed the golden road at all. So his horse rode onwards up the middle of it, and
when he came to the door, it was opened and the princess received him with joy, and said
he was her saviour, and lord of the kingdom, and their wedding was celebrated with great
rejoicing. When it was over she told him that his father invited him to come to him, and
had forgiven him.
So he rode thither, and told him everything, how his brothers had
betrayed him, and how he had nevertheless kept silence. The old king wished to punish
them, but they had put to sea, and never came back as long as they lived.
--The
End-- |
