Tales of the Caravan, Inn, and PalaceHauff, Wilhelm
General
Tales of the Caravan, Inn, and Palace
Hauff, Wilhelm
Short stories, German -- Translations into English
Just then the dwarf chanced to look across the lake and he shouted:
"Look, look! Across the lake stands an old chestnut tree; let us go
over there and search--perhaps we shall find my luck blooming there."
The goose took the lead, hopping and flying, and Nosey ran after as
fast as his little legs would carry him. The chestnut tree cast a large
shadow, so that nothing could be seen under its branches; but the goose
suddenly stopped, clapped her wings with joy, put her head down into
the long grass, and plucked something that she presented with her bill
to the astonished dwarf, saying: "That is the plant, and there are a
lot of them growing there, so that you will never lack for them."
The dwarf examined the plant thoughtfully; it had a sweet odor, that
reminded him involuntarily of the scene of his transformation. The
stems and leaves were of a bluish-green color, and it bore a brilliant
red flower with a yellowish border.
"God be praised!" exclaimed he at length. "How wonderful! Do you know
that I believe this is the very plant that changed me from a squirrel
to this hateful form? shall I make an experiment with it?"
"Not yet," replied the goose. "Take a handful of these plants with you
and let us go to your room; collect what money and other property you
have, and then we will try the virtue of this plant."
Taking some of the plants with them, they went back to his room, the
heart of the dwarf beating so that it might almost be heard. After
packing up his savings, some fifty or sixty ducats, and his shoes and
clothes in a bundle, he said: "God willing, I will now free myself of
this shape," stuck his nose deep down into the plant and inhaled its
fragrance.
Thereupon a stretching and cracking took place in all his limbs; he
felt his head being raised from his shoulders; he squinted down at his
nose and saw it getting smaller and smaller; his back and breast began
to straighten out, and his legs grew longer.
The goose looked on in astonishment. "Ha! how tall, how handsome you
are!" exclaimed she. "Thank God! nothing remains of your former shape?"
Jacob, greatly rejoiced, folded his hands and prayed. But in his joy he
did not forget how much he was indebted to the goose; he longed with
all his heart to go at once to his parents, but gratitude caused him to
forego this pleasure, and to say: "Whom but you have I to thank for my
restoration. Without you I should never have found this plant, and
should have forever remained a dwarf, or have died under the ax. Come,
I will take you to your father; he, who is so experienced in magic, can
easily disenchant you." The goose wept tears of joy, and accepted his
offer. Jacob walked safely out of the palace with the goose, without
being recognized, and started at once on his way to the coast to reach
Mimi's home.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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