登陆注册
5435500000051

第51章

When death saw that for a second time his own property had been misused, he walked up to the physician with long strides, and said, all is over with you, and now the lot falls on you, and seized him so firmly with his ice-cold hand, that he could not resist, and led him into a cave below the earth. There he saw how thousands and thousands of candles were burning in countless rows, some large, some medium-sized, others small.

Every instant some were extinguished, and others again burnt up, so that the flames seemed to leap hither and thither in perpetual change. See, said death, these are the lights of men's lives. The large ones belong to children, the medium-sized ones to married people in their prime, the little ones belong to old people, but children and young folks likewise have often only a tiny candle. Show me the light of my life, said the physician, and he thought that it would be still very tall. Death pointed to a little end which was just threatening to go out, and said, behold, it is there. Ah, dear godfather, said the horrified physician, light a new one for me, do it for love of me, that I may enjoy my life, be king, and the husband of the king's beautiful daughter. I cannot, answered death, one must go out before a new one is lighted. Then place the old one on a new one, that will go on burning at once when the old one has come to an end, pleaded the physician. Death behaved as if he were going to fulfill his wish, and took hold of a tall new candle, but as he desired to revenge himself, he purposely made a mistake in fixing it, and the little piece fell down and was extinguished.

Immediately the physician fell on the ground, and now he himself was in the hands of death.

A certain tailor had a son, who happened to be small, and no bigger than a thumb, and on this account he was always called thumbling. He had, however, some courage in him, and said to his father, father, I must and will go out into the world. That's right, my son, said the old man, and took a long darning-needle and made a knob of sealing-wax on it at the handle, and there is a sword for you to take with you on the way.

Then the little tailor wanted to have one more meal with them, and hopped into the kitchen to see what his mother had cooked for the last time. But it was already served, and the dish stood on the hearth. Then he said, mother, what is there to eat to-day.

See for yourself, said his mother. So thumbling jumped on to the hearth, and peeped into the dish, but as he stretched his neck in too far the steam from the food caught hold of him, and carried him up the chimney. He rode about in the air on the steam for a while, until at length he sank down to the ground again. Now the little tailor was outside in the wide world, and he traveled about, and went to a master in his craft, but the food was not good enough for him. Mistress, if you give us no better food, said thumbling, I will go away, and early to-morrow morning I will write with chalk on the door of your house - too many potatoes, too little meat.

Farewell, mr. Potato-king. What would you have forsooth, grasshopper, said the mistress, and grew angry, and seized a dishcloth, and was just going to strike him, but my little tailor crept nimbly under a thimble, peeped out from beneath it, and put his tongue out at the mistress. She took up the thimble, and wanted to get hold of him, but little thumbling hopped into the cloth, and while the mistress was opening it out and looking for him, he got into a crevice in the table. Ho, ho, lady mistress, cried he, and thrust his head out, and when she began to strike him he leapt down into the drawer. At last, however, she caught him and drove him out of the house.

The little tailor journeyed on and came to a great forest, and there he fell in with a band of robbers who had a design to steal the king's treasure. When they saw the little tailor, they thought, a little fellow like that can creep through a key-hole and serve as picklock to us. HI, there, cried one of them, you giant goliath, will you go to the treasure-chamber with us. You can slip yourself in and throw out the money.

Thumbling reflected a while, and at length he said, yes, and went with them to the treasure-chamber. Then he looked at the doors above and below, to see if there was any crack in them. It was not long before he espied one which was broad enough to let him in. He was therefore about to get in at once, but one of the two sentries who stood before the door, observed him, and said to the other, what an ugly spider is creeping there, Iwill kill it. Let the poor creature alone, said the other, it has done you no harm. Then thumbling got safely through the crevice into the treasure-chamber, opened the window beneath which the robbers were standing, and threw out to them one taler after another. When the little tailor was in the full swing of his work, he heard the king coming to inspect his treasure-chamber, and crept hastily into a hiding-place. The king noticed that several solid talers were missing, but could not conceive who could have stolen them, for locks and bolts were in good condition, and all seemed well guarded. Then he went away again, and said to the sentries, be on the watch, someone is after the money. When therefore thumbling recommenced his labors, they heard the money moving, and a sound of klink, klink, klink. They ran swiftly in to seize the thief, but the little tailor, who heard them coming, was still swifter, and leapt into a corner and covered himself with a taler, so that nothing could be seen of him, and at the same time he mocked the sentries and cried, here am I.

同类推荐
  • The Hand of Ethelberta

    The Hand of Ethelberta

    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。
  • 朝野新谭

    朝野新谭

    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。
  • Twilight Stories

    Twilight Stories

    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。
  • 大乘密嚴經

    大乘密嚴經

    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。
  • 御猎

    御猎

    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
  • 重生九零小中医

    重生九零小中医

    宋可时死了,重来一世,保住了自家的房子,堵住了渣亲之口,成了全市最大医院的股东,摇身一变是全家人最羡慕的人!窝囊一辈子的爹娘也能横着走!小中医也能赚大钱,买房子,虐渣渣,财运亨通,顺带赚了一个上辈子孽缘。不,是孽缘追着来的!
  • 凤舞异世:奸妃太狂

    凤舞异世:奸妃太狂

    她是被拒婚无数、文不成武不就的将军府废物五小姐。被嫡母怒极之下一巴掌拍晕,再醒来时,风云变色。当拥有超能力的她穿越异世,人尽可欺,如何步步为营,绽放属于她的光芒……浮华乱世,过往云烟,只愿在最后,寻得一人心,白头不离。【穿越女强爽文!更新快!求收藏!】(情节虚构,切勿模仿)
  • 南诏图传

    南诏图传

    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。
  • 咦!我最喜欢的哲理故事

    咦!我最喜欢的哲理故事

    生活孕育了哲理,哲理浓缩了智慧。往往大道理并不完全是从惊天动地的大事件中被人们发现和理解的。反之,正是一些平时不被人们注意与重视的小事情,恰恰能够很好地诠释这些哲理的内涵。《咦!我最喜欢的哲理故事》别出心裁,将每个小故事蕴含的人生哲理与当代小学生的切身生活连接起来,让小学生从取材于社会、历史、生活等各个方面的哲理故事中细细品味人生的意义。
  • 致盲世界

    致盲世界

    致盲计划,智械“影”,九号。解密引领张河走向真相。自欺欺人,眼见不一定为实
  • 赢在0.01秒

    赢在0.01秒

    机会稍纵即逝,只有行动迅速果断的人才能及时抓住机会,只有把握机会的人才能获得成功。即使你的行动出现了挫折,即使你的行动最终没能为你带来快乐与成功,但请记住一句话:不怕错,就怕拖。行动了不一定能成功,但是不行动却注定不能成功。好的开始是成功的一半,只要你愿意开始做某件事,那么你就已经得到了成功的机会,行动,从现在开始。
  • 重生之大明工艺师

    重生之大明工艺师

    一个被雷劈死的工程师重生在明末天启年,在内忧外患、党争不断情况下,通过自己的方式实现了逆天改命的壮举。到底是能重塑大明的辉煌还是创造一代盛世?让我们一起来书写属于他的故事吧!
  • 雨夹雪

    雨夹雪

    温亚军,现为北京武警总部某文学杂志主编。著有长篇小说伪生活等六部,小说集硬雪、驮水的日子等七部。获第三届鲁迅文学奖,第十一届庄重文文学奖,《小说选刊》《中国作家》和《上海文学》等刊物奖,入选中国小说学会排行榜。中国作家协会会员。
  • 精忠岳飞

    精忠岳飞

    从岳母刺字“精忠报国”,到深山习武、领受玄机:从年少从军、拱卫京师,到“憾山易,憾岳家军难”;从矢志不渝收复河山,到受奸臣迫害慷慨赴死:岳飞的一生可谓跌宕起伏,但也让人唏嘘不已。宋孝宗为岳飞建造岳王庙,平反其冤,岳飞墓前,后人只叹-青山有幸埋忠骨,白铁无辜铸佞臣”。岳飞用他的一生演绎了一段传奇,为后世传诵。《长篇历史小说:精忠岳飞》为您铺开历史画面,讲述精忠岳飞的往事,回顾那一段血恨与战乱、屈辱与奋发的年代,历史无言,却诉说一切……
  • 庄子全书

    庄子全书

    本书除了介绍《庄子》原文中的一些经典寓言故事,还列举了古今中外很多富有借鉴意义的小故事或人生实例,几乎涵盖了职场、营销、教育、友情、爱情、婚姻、生命的价值和意义等方方面面,具有很强的趣味性和可读性,让您在轻松中获得智慧,愉悦中体味哲理!