登陆注册
5435500000201

第201章

He entered and went through all the rooms, until in the last he found the king's daughter. But how shocked he was when he saw her. She had an ashen-gray face full of wrinkles, bleary eyes, and red hair. Are you the king's daughter, whose beauty the whole world praises, cried he. Ah, she answered, this is not my form, human eyes can only see me in this state of ugliness, but that you may know what I am like, look in the mirror - it does not let itself be misled - it will show you my image as it is in truth.

She gave him the mirror in his hand, and he saw therein the likeness of the most beautiful maiden on earth, and saw, too, how the tears were rolling down her cheeks with grief. Then said he, how can you be set free. I fear no danger. She said, he who gets the crystal ball, and holds it before the enchanter, will destroy his power with it, and I shall resume my true shape. Ah, she added, so many have already gone to meet death for this, and you are so young, I grieve that you should encounter such great danger. Nothing can keep me from doing it, said he, but tell me what I must do. You shall know everything, said the king's daughter, when you descend the mountain on which the castle stands, a wild bull will stand below by a spring, and you must fight with it, and if you have the luck to kill it, a fiery bird will spring out of it, which bears in its body a red-hot egg, and in the egg the crystal ball lies as its yolk. The bird, however, will not let the egg fall until forced to do so, and if it falls on the ground, it will flame up and burn everything that is near, and even the egg itself will melt, and with it the crystal ball, and then your trouble will have been in vain.

The youth went down to the spring, where the bull snorted and bellowed at him. After a long struggle he plunged his sword in the animal's body, and it fell down. Instantly a fiery bird arose from it and was about to fly away, but the young man's brother, the eagle, who was passing between the clouds, swooped down, hunted it away to the sea, and struck it with his beak until, in its extremity, it let the egg fall. The egg, however, did not fall into the sea, but on a fisherman's hut which stood on the shore and the hut began at once to smoke and was about to break out in flames. Then arose in the sea waves as high as a house, which streamed over the hut, and subdued the fire. The other brother, the whale, had come swimming to them, and had driven the water up on high. When the fire was extinguished, the youth sought for the egg and happily found it, it was not yet melted, but the shell was broken by being so suddenly cooled with the water, and he could take out the crystal ball unhurt.

When the youth went to the enchanter and held it before him, the latter said, my power is destroyed, and from this time forth you are the king of the castle of the golden sun. With this you can likewise give back to your brothers their human form.

Then the youth hastened to the king's daughter, and when he entered the room, she was standing there in the full splendor of her beauty, and joyfully they exchanged rings with each other.

There was once a king who had a son who asked in marriage the daughter of a mighty king, she was called maid maleen, and was very beautiful. As her father wished to give her to another, the prince was rejected, but as they both loved each other with all their hearts, they would not give each other up, and maid maleen said to her father, I can and will take no other for my husband. Then the king flew into a passion, and ordered a dark tower to be built, into which no ray of sunlight or moonlight should enter. When it was finished, he said, therein shall you be imprisoned for seven years, and then I will come and see if your perverse spirit is broken. Meat and drink for the seven years were carried into the tower, and then she and her maid-in-waiting were led into it and walled up, and thus cut off from the sky and from the earth. There they sat in the darkness, and knew not when day or night began. The king's son often went round and round the tower, and called their names, but no sound from without pierced through the thick walls. What else could they do but lament and complain.

Meanwhile the time passed, and by the decline of food and drink they knew that the seven years were coming to an end. They thought the moment of their deliverance was come, but no stroke of the hammer was heard, no stone fell out of the wall, and it seemed to maid maleen that her father had forgotten her. As they had food only for a short time longer, and saw a miserable death awaiting them, maid maleen said, we must try our last chance, and see if we can break through the wall. She took the bread-knife, and picked and bored at the mortar of a stone, and when she was tired, the waiting-maid took her turn. With great labor they succeeded in getting out one stone, and then a second, and a third, and when three days were over the first ray of light fell on their darkness, and at last the opening was so large that they could look out. The sky was blue, and a fresh breeze played on their faces, but how melancholy everything looked all around. Her father's castle lay in ruins, the town and the villages were, so far as could be seen, destroyed by fire, the fields far and wide laid to waste, and no human being was visible.

When the opening in the wall was large enough for them to slip through, the waiting-maid sprang down first, and then maid maleen followed. But where were they to go. The enemy had ravaged the whole kingdom, driven away the king, and slain all the inhabitants.

同类推荐
  • Fables

    Fables

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 十八家诗钞

    十八家诗钞

    《十八家诗钞》是一部古代诗歌选集。清代曾国藩编选。十八家为魏晋南北朝的曹植﹑阮籍﹑陶渊明﹑谢灵运﹑鲍照﹑谢朓六家﹐唐代的王维﹑孟浩然﹑李白﹑杜甫﹑韩愈﹑白居易﹑李商隐﹑杜牧八家﹐宋代的苏轼﹑黄庭坚﹑陆游三家﹐金代元好问一家。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 西归行仪

    西归行仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 藏斋诗话

    藏斋诗话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 愿学集

    愿学集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 天殇地泣

    天殇地泣

    他们说神是天的继承者,他们替天行道。可我看,这天被神给控制了!这天不再为人,神只为了自己。世间本就混乱,天与神,神与天,所谓的替天行道实在不可信。我欲杀神创天,创一个为平凡人,以人为主的世界,你可愿助我一臂之力?
  • 冲突世界大乱斗

    冲突世界大乱斗

    这个原本平淡的世界,因为各种形式上的穿越者到来,开始变得越来越奇怪了。而李岐,正是穿越这个世界的穿越者大军中的一员。当然,他穿越到这里的时候,第一批穿越者已经过来了快一百年了…………
  • 搬个魔兽到异界

    搬个魔兽到异界

    带着《炉石传说》系统,高文穿越到剑与魔法、龙与狗头人的异界。当领主?封神?抱歉,整颗艾泽拉斯星球都是我的领土和神国,你能想到的都是我的人……新书《美漫之火箭浣熊》,欢快轻松向,各种求!读者群:264727664(咕咕大萌德),群里有欧皇晒金橙,也有非酋哭穷,欢迎一起来聊天打屁。
  • 我老婆不是人

    我老婆不是人

    一个帅哥遇到鬼会怎么样?逃跑?害怕?哼哼,那都不是我风格,干脆,直接娶回家才是真的,其他都弱爆了!!真心希望大家能喜欢,记得帮我收藏,各种满地打滚求表扬啊!!!!!
  • Little Novice 小沙弥

    Little Novice 小沙弥

    半个世纪前的西藏有着怎样的神秘往事?转世活佛有着怎样不寻常的艰难经历?六百多年前,藏传佛教格鲁派创始人宗喀巴大师创造了什么样的神奇?六百年后,他的法体又遭遇了什么样的劫难?佛法故事、民间传说、艺人说唱……何为活佛,何为马帮,何为藏药,何为唐卡,何为藏族人心中对死的理解……
  • 变身女学霸

    变身女学霸

    最美学霸女神的故事。-----------新书《诸天最强女主》火热连载中,可移步一观。新书书友群:1040376106
  • 故无恙

    故无恙

    时隔多年,再见面,一句迟来的“无恙,别来无恙”,故无恙掩面痛哭,心里多年的委屈仿佛因着这句话消散......你别来,我无恙。
  • 何为天道

    何为天道

    何为命运?何为天道?龙岳的机遇是福是祸?为何一切都不是自己想要的?
  • 别让制度毁了你的团队

    别让制度毁了你的团队

    企业要实现又好又快的成长,一靠团队,二靠制度。制度建立的过程,是企业文化在实践中加以应用的过程。就制度本身而言,只有最适用,没有最优秀。管理企业,不仅要靠智慧、靠手段、靠方法,更重要的是要靠制度。用制度管人,是所有成功企业发展的秘诀。但制度不是一切,合理建立和使用制度才是关键。本书聚焦管理中各个关键环节,用朴素平实的语言阐述了制度对企业管理的重要引导作用,将制度在企业管理中普遍涉及的问题具体化、清晰化,并提供与之相关的小例子和应对方法,娓娓道来,让你在阅读中得到启发,思路明朗,从而在实际管理中实现用制度管人的目的,让你的团队更有战斗力,让你的企业更有竞争力。
  • 都别做梦啦

    都别做梦啦

    那一天,对,就是那一天,在我闲逛的时候,一头骡子找到了我头上,它自称三哥,55555555555,从此以后,家门不宁啊~~~~~~你们都来干啥,东方的,西方的,南方的,北方的你们这些神,都特么神经病了吗?我能有个屁的药!!天啊~~~~~~我冤啊~~~~~~战神,财神,二郎神……爱神,水神,潘多拉……雷神,火神,太阳神……统统都……都特么……住下了……而且还是一群不靠谱的家伙…………