Children's stories, German -- Translations into English; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Germany
“I may let the worthy old woman in,” thought little Snow-White, and she
unbolted the door and bought the pretty laces.
“Child,” said the old woman, “what a fright you look. Come, I will lace
you properly for once.”
Little Snow-White had no suspicion, but stood before her, and let
herself be laced with the new laces. But the old woman laced so quickly
and laced so tightly that little Snow-White lost her breath and fell
down as if dead.
“Now I am the most beautiful,” said the Queen to herself, and ran away.
Not long afterward, in the evening, the Seven Dwarfs came home. But
how shocked they were when they saw their dear little Snow-White lying
on the ground, and that she neither stirred nor moved, and seemed to
be dead. They lifted her up, and, as they saw that she was laced too
tightly, they cut the laces. Than she began to breathe a little, and
after a while came to life again.
When the Dwarfs heard what had happened, they said, “The old
pedler-woman was no one else than the wicked Queen. Take care and let
no one come in when we are not with you.”
But the wicked woman, when she had reached home, went in front of the
Glass and asked:
“_Looking-Glass, Looking-Glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?_”
and it answered as before:
“_Oh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the Seven Dwarfs dwell,
Little Snow-White is alive and well,
And none is so fair as she._”
When she heard that, all her blood rushed to her heart with fear, for
she saw plainly that little Snow-White was again alive. “But now,” she
said, “I will think of something that shall put an end to you,” and by
the help of witchcraft, which she understood, she made a poisonous comb.
Then she disguised herself, and took the shape of another old woman. So
she went over the Seven Mountains to the Seven Dwarfs, knocked at the
door, and cried, “Good things to sell, cheap, cheap!”
Little Snow-White looked out, and said, “Go away. I cannot let any one
come in.”
“I suppose you may look,” said the old woman, and pulled the poisonous
comb out and held it up.
It pleased the maiden so well that she let herself be beguiled, and
opened the door. When they had made a bargain, the old woman said, “Now
I will comb you properly for once.”
Poor little Snow-White had no suspicion, and let the Old Woman do as
she pleased. But hardly had she put the comb in her hair, then the
poison in it took effect, and the maiden fell down senseless.
“You paragon of beauty,” said the wicked woman, “you are done for now!”
and she went away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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