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Es war
einmal ein Müller, der war arm, aber
er hatte eine schöne Tochter. Nun traf
es sich, daß er mit dem König
zu sprechen kam, und zu ihm sagte: »Ich
habe eine Tochter, die kann Stroh zu Gold
spinnen.« Dem König, der das
Gold lieb hatte, gefiel die Kunst gar wohl,
und er befahl die Müllerstochter sollte
alsbald vor ihn gebracht werden. Dann führte
er sie in eine Kammer, die ganz voll Stroh
war, gab ihr Rad und Haspel, und sprach:
»Wenn du diese Nacht durch bis morgen
früh dieses Stroh nicht zu Gold versponnen
hast, so mußt du sterben«. Darauf
ward die Kammer verschlossen, und sie blieb
allein darin.
Da saß nun die arme Müllerstochter,
und wußte um ihr Leben keinen Rat,
denn sie verstand gar nichts davon, wie
das Stroh zu Gold zu spinnen war, und ihre
Angst ward immer größer, daß
sie endlich zu weinen anfing.
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By the side of a wood, in a country a long way off, ran a fine stream of water; and upon the stream there stood a mill. The miller's house was close by, and the miller, you must know, had a very beautiful daughter. She was, moreover, very shrewd and clever; and the miller was so proud of her, that he one day told the king of the land, who used to come and hunt in the wood, that his daughter could spin gold out of straw. Now this king was very fond of money; and when he heard the miller's boast his greediness was raised, and he sent for the girl to be brought before him. Then he led her to a chamber in his palace where there was a great heap of straw, and gave her a spinning-wheel, and said, 'All this must be spun into gold before morning, as you love your life.' It was in vain that the poor maiden said that it was only a silly boast of her father, for that she could do no such thing as spin straw into gold: the chamber door was locked, and she was left alone.
She sat down in one corner of the room, and began to bewail her hard fate. |
