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The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, The House in the Wood

The House in the Wood

A poor woodcutter lived with his wife and three daughters in a little hut on the borders of a great forest.

One morning as he was going to his work, he said to his wife, 'Let our eldest daughter bring me my lunch into the wood; and so that she shall not lose her way, I will take a bag of millet with me, and sprinkle the seed on the path.' When the sun had risen high over the forest, the girl set out with a basin of soup. But the field and wood sparrows, the larks and finches, blackbirds and green finches had picked up the millet long ago, and the girl could not find her way.

She went on and on, till the sun set and night came on. The trees rustled in the darkness, the owls hooted, and she began to be very much frightened. Then she saw in tile distance a light that twinkled between the trees. 'There must be people living yonder,' she thought, 'who will take me in for the night,' and she began walking towards it. Not long afterwards she came to a house with lights in the windows.

She knocked at the door, and a gruff voice called, 'Come in!' The girl stepped into the dark entrance, and tapped at the door of the room.

'Just walk in,' cried the voice, and when she opened the door there sat an old gray-haired man at the table. His face was resting on his hands, and his white beard flowed over the table almost down to the ground.

By the stove lay three beasts, a hen, a cock, and a brindled cow. The girl told the old man her story, and asked for a night's lodging. The man said:

Pretty cock,

Pretty hen,

And you, pretty brindled cow,

What do you say now?

'Duks,' answered the beasts; and that must have meant, 'We are quite willing,' for the old man went on, 'Here is abundance; go into the back kitchen and cook us a supper.' The girl found plenty of everything in the kitchen, and cooked a good meal, but she did not think of the beasts.

She placed the full dishes on the table, sat down opposite the gray-haired man, and ate till her hunger was appeased.

When she was satisfied, she said, 'But now I am so tired, where is a bed in which I can sleep? ' The beasts answered:

You have eaten with him,

You have drunk with him,

Of us you have not thought,

Sleep then as you ought!

Then the old man said, 'Go upstairs, and there you will find a bedroom; shake the bed, and put clean sheets on, and go to sleep.' The maiden went upstairs, and when she had made the bed, she lay down.

After some time the gray-haired man came, looked at her by the light of his candle, and shook his head. And when he saw that she was sound asleep, he opened a trapdoor and let her fall into the cellar.

The woodcutter came home late in the evening, and reproached his wife for leaving him all day without food.

'No, I did not,' she answered; 'the girl went off with your dinner. She must have lost her way, but will no doubt come back to-morrow.' But at daybreak the woodcutter started off into the wood, and this time asked his second daughter to bring his food.

'I will take a bag of lentils,' said he; 'they are larger than millet, and the girl will see them better and be sure to find her way.' At midday the maiden took the food, but the lentils had all gone; as on the previous day, the wood birds had eaten them all.

The maiden wandered about the wood till nightfall, when she came in the same way to the old man's house, and asked for food and a night's lodging. The man with the white hair again asked the beasts:

Pretty cock,

Pretty hen,

And you, pretty brindled cow,

What do you say now?

The beasts answered, 'Duks,' and everything happened as on the former day. The girl cooked a good meal, ate and drank with the old man, and did not trouble herself about the animals.

And when she asked for a bed, they replied:

You have eaten with him

You have drunk with him,

Of us you have not thought,

Now sleep as you ought!

And when she was asleep, the old man shook his head over her, and let her fall into the cellar.

On the third morning the woodcutter said to his wife, 'Send our youngest child to-day with my dinner. She is always good and obedient, and will keep to the right path, and not wander away like her sisters, idle drones!' But the mother said, 'Must I lose my dearest child too?' 'Do not fear,' he answered; 'she is too clever and intelligent to lose her way. I will take plenty of peas with me and strew them along; they are even larger than lentils, and will show her the way.' But when the maiden started off with the basket on her arm, the wood pigeons had eaten up the peas, and she did not know which way to go. She was much distressed, and thought constantly of her poor hungry father and her anxious mother. At last, when it grew dark, she saw the little light, and came to the house in the wood. She asked prettily if she might stay there for the night, and the man with the white beard asked his beasts again:

Pretty cock,

Pretty hen,

And you, pretty brindled cow,

What do you say now?

'Duks,' they said. Then the maiden stepped up to the stove where the animals were lying, and stroked the cock and the hen, and scratched the brindled cow between its horns.

And when at the bidding of the old man she had prepared a good supper, and the dishes were standing on the table, she said, 'Shall I have plenty while the good beasts have nothing? There is food to spare outside; I will attend to them first.' Then she went out and fetched barley and strewed it before the cock and hen, and brought the cow an armful of sweet-smelling hay.

'Eat that, dear beasts,' she said,' and when you are thirsty you shall have a good drink.' Then she fetched a bowl of water, and the cock and hen flew on to the edge, put their beaks in, and then held up their heads as birds do when they drink, and the brindled cow also drank her fill. When the beasts were satisfied, the maiden sat down beside the old man at the table and ate what was left for her. Soon the cock and hen began to tuck their heads under their wings, and the brindled cow blinked its eyes, so the maiden said, 'Shall we not go to rest now?' Pretty cock,

Pretty hen,

And you, pretty brindled cow,

What do you say now?

The animals said, 'Duks: You have eaten with us,

You have drunk with us,

You have tended us right,

So we wish you good night.' The maiden therefore went upstairs, made the bed and put on clean sheets and fell asleep. She slept peacefully till midnight, when there was such a noise in the house that she awoke. Everything trembled and shook; the animals sprang up and dashed themselves in terror against the wall; the beams swayed as if they would be torn from their foundations, it seemed as if the stairs were tumbling down, and then the roof fell in with a crash. Then all became still, and as no harm came to the maiden she lay down again and fell asleep. But when she awoke again in broad daylight, what a sight met her eyes! She was lying in a splendid room furnished with royal splendour; the walls were covered with golden flowers on a green ground; the bed was of ivory and the counterpane of velvet, and on a stool near by lay a pair of slippers studded with pearls. The maiden thought she must be dreaming, but in came three servants richly dressed, who asked what were her commands. 'Go,' said the maiden, 'I will get up at once and cook the old man's supper for him, and then I will feed the pretty cock and hen and the brindled cow.' But the door opened and in came a handsome young man, who said, 'I am a king's son, and was condemned by a wicked witch to live as an old man in this wood with no company but that of my three servants, who were transformed into a cock, a hen, and a brindled cow. The spell could only be broken by the arrival of a maiden who should show herself kind not only to men but to beasts. You are that maiden, and last night at midnight we were freed, and this poor house was again transformed into my royal palace.

As they stood there the king's son told his three servants to go and fetch the maiden's parents to be present at the wedding feast. 'But where are my two sisters?' asked the maid.

'I shut them up in the cellar, but in the morning they shall be led forth into the forest and shall serve a charcoal burner until they have improved, and will never again suffer poor animals to go hungry.'


The House in the Wood La casa en el bosque 森の中の家 Дом в лесу 树林里的房子

A poor woodcutter lived with his wife and three daughters in a little hut on the borders of a great forest. Chudý dřevorubec žil se svou ženou a třemi dcerami v malé chýši na okraji velkého lesa.

One morning as he was going to his work, he said to his wife, 'Let our eldest daughter bring me my lunch into the wood; and so that she shall not lose her way, I will take a bag of millet with me, and sprinkle the seed on the path.' Jednou ráno, když se chystal do práce, řekl své ženě: "Ať mi naše nejstarší dcera přinese do lesa oběd, a aby nezabloudila, vezmu s sebou pytel prosa a posypu jím cestu. When the sun had risen high over the forest, the girl set out with a basin of soup. Když slunce vyšlo vysoko nad lesem, vydala se dívka s hrncem polévky. But the field and wood sparrows, the larks and finches, blackbirds and green finches had picked up the millet long ago, and the girl could not find her way. Ale polní a lesní vrabci, skřivani a pěnkavy, kosi a zelení pěnkavi už dávno sebrali proso a dívka nemohla najít cestu.

She went on and on, till the sun set and night came on. Pokračovala dál a dál, dokud slunce nezapadlo a nenastala noc. The trees rustled in the darkness, the owls hooted, and she began to be very much frightened. Ve tmě šuměly stromy, houkaly sovy a ona se začala velmi bát. Then she saw in tile distance a light that twinkled between the trees. Pak uviděla vdálce světlo, které se mihlo mezi stromy. 'There must be people living yonder,' she thought, 'who will take me in for the night,' and she began walking towards it. "Tam někde musí žít lidé," pomyslela si, "kteří mě u sebe na noc ubytují," a vydala se k němu. Not long afterwards she came to a house with lights in the windows. Nedlouho poté přišla k domu se světly v oknech.

She knocked at the door, and a gruff voice called, 'Come in!' Zaklepala na dveře a ozval se chraplavý hlas: "Pojďte dál! The girl stepped into the dark entrance, and tapped at the door of the room. Dívka vstoupila do temného vchodu a zaklepala na dveře pokoje.

'Just walk in,' cried the voice, and when she opened the door there sat an old gray-haired man at the table. "Jen vejdi," zavolal hlas, a když otevřela dveře, seděl u stolu starý prošedivělý muž. His face was resting on his hands, and his white beard flowed over the table almost down to the ground. Obličej měl položený na rukou a bílé vousy mu splývaly přes stůl téměř až na zem.

By the stove lay three beasts, a hen, a cock, and a brindled cow. U kamen ležela tři zvířata, slepice, kohout a žíhaná kráva. The girl told the old man her story, and asked for a night's lodging. Dívka vyprávěla starci svůj příběh a požádala ho o nocleh. The man said: Ten muž řekl:

Pretty cock, Pěkný pták,

Pretty hen,

And you, pretty brindled cow,

What do you say now? Co říkáte teď?

'Duks,' answered the beasts; and that must have meant, 'We are quite willing,' for the old man went on, 'Here is abundance; go into the back kitchen and cook us a supper.' "Duky," odpověděla zvířata a to muselo znamenat: "Jsme docela ochotni," protože stařec pokračoval: "Tady je hojnost, jděte do zadní kuchyně a uvařte nám večeři. The girl found plenty of everything in the kitchen, and cooked a good meal, but she did not think of the beasts. Dívka našla v kuchyni spoustu všeho a uvařila dobré jídlo, ale na zvířata nemyslela.

She placed the full dishes on the table, sat down opposite the gray-haired man, and ate till her hunger was appeased. Položila plné talíře na stůl, posadila se naproti šedovlasému muži a jedla, dokud neutišila hlad.

When she was satisfied, she said, 'But now I am so tired, where is a bed in which I can sleep? ' Když byla spokojená, řekla: "Ale teď jsem tak unavená, kde je postel, kde bych mohla spát? ' The beasts answered: Zvířata odpověděla:

You have eaten with him, Jedli jste s ním,

You have drunk with him, Opil ses s ním,

Of us you have not thought, O nás jste nepřemýšleli,

Sleep then as you ought! Spi tedy, jak máš!

Then the old man said, 'Go upstairs, and there you will find a bedroom; shake the bed, and put clean sheets on, and go to sleep.' Stařec řekl: "Jdi nahoru a tam najdeš ložnici; ustel si, přikryj se čistým povlečením a jdi spát. The maiden went upstairs, and when she had made the bed, she lay down. Dívka odešla nahoru, a když ustlala, lehla si.

After some time the gray-haired man came, looked at her by the light of his candle, and shook his head. Po nějaké době přišel šedovlasý muž, podíval se na ni při světle svíčky a zavrtěl hlavou. And when he saw that she was sound asleep, he opened a trapdoor and let her fall into the cellar. Když viděl, že tvrdě spí, otevřel padací dveře a nechal ji spadnout do sklepa.

The woodcutter came home late in the evening, and reproached his wife for leaving him all day without food. Dřevorubec se vrátil domů pozdě večer a vyčítal své ženě, že ho nechala celý den bez jídla.

'No, I did not,' she answered; 'the girl went off with your dinner. "Ne, to jsem neudělala," odpověděla, "ta dívka odešla s vaší večeří. She must have lost her way, but will no doubt come back to-morrow.' Zřejmě zabloudila, ale zítra se nepochybně vrátí. But at daybreak the woodcutter started off into the wood, and this time asked his second daughter to bring his food. Za úsvitu se však dřevorubec vydal do lesa a tentokrát požádal svou druhou dceru, aby mu přinesla jídlo.

'I will take a bag of lentils,' said he; 'they are larger than millet, and the girl will see them better and be sure to find her way.' "Vezmu si pytel čočky," řekl, "je větší než proso a dívka na ni lépe uvidí a určitě najde cestu. At midday the maiden took the food, but the lentils had all gone; as on the previous day, the wood birds had eaten them all. V poledne si dívka vzala jídlo, ale čočka už byla pryč; stejně jako předchozího dne ji všechnu snědli lesní ptáci.

The maiden wandered about the wood till nightfall, when she came in the same way to the old man's house, and asked for food and a night's lodging. Dívka se toulala lesem až do noci, kdy stejnou cestou došla ke starcovu domu a požádala ho o jídlo a nocleh. The man with the white hair again asked the beasts: Muž s bílými vlasy se znovu zeptal zvířat:

Pretty cock, Pěkný pták,

Pretty hen, Pěkná slepice,

And you, pretty brindled cow, A ty, krásná žíhaná krávo,

What do you say now? Co říkáte teď?

The beasts answered, 'Duks,' and everything happened as on the former day. Zvířata odpověděla: "Duky," a všechno se stalo jako předchozího dne. The girl cooked a good meal, ate and drank with the old man, and did not trouble herself about the animals. Dívka uvařila dobré jídlo, jedla a pila se starým mužem a o zvířata se nestarala.

And when she asked for a bed, they replied: A když požádala o postel, odpověděli jí:

You have eaten with him Jedl jsi s ním

You have drunk with him, Opil ses s ním,

Of us you have not thought, O nás jste nepřemýšleli,

Now sleep as you ought! Teď spi, jak máš!

And when she was asleep, the old man shook his head over her, and let her fall into the cellar. Když usnula, stařec nad ní zavrtěl hlavou a nechal ji spadnout do sklepa.

On the third morning the woodcutter said to his wife, 'Send our youngest child to-day with my dinner. Třetího rána řekl dřevorubec své ženě: "Pošli dnes naše nejmladší dítě s mou večeří. She is always good and obedient, and will keep to the right path, and not wander away like her sisters, idle drones!' Je vždy hodná a poslušná, drží se správné cesty a nebloudí jako její sestry, zahálčivé trubky! But the mother said, 'Must I lose my dearest child too?' Matka však řekla: "Musím ztratit i své nejdražší dítě? 'Do not fear,' he answered; 'she is too clever and intelligent to lose her way. "Nebojte se," odpověděl, "je příliš chytrá a inteligentní na to, aby zabloudila. I will take plenty of peas with me and strew them along; they are even larger than lentils, and will show her the way.' Vezmu si s sebou spoustu hrachu a rozsypu ho podél cesty; je ještě větší než čočka a ukáže jí cestu. But when the maiden started off with the basket on her arm, the wood pigeons had eaten up the peas, and she did not know which way to go. Když se však dívka s košíkem na ruce vydala na cestu, holubi už hrách sežrali a ona nevěděla, kudy má jít. She was much distressed, and thought constantly of her poor hungry father and her anxious mother. Velmi se trápila a neustále myslela na svého ubohého hladového otce a starostlivou matku. At last, when it grew dark, she saw the little light, and came to the house in the wood. Nakonec, když se setmělo, uviděla světýlko a přišla k domku v lese. She asked prettily if she might stay there for the night, and the man with the white beard asked his beasts again: Hezky se zeptala, jestli tam může zůstat přes noc, a muž s bílým plnovousem se znovu zeptal svých zvířat:

Pretty cock, Pěkný pták,

Pretty hen, Pěkná slepice,

And you, pretty brindled cow, A ty, krásná žíhaná krávo,

What do you say now? Co říkáte teď?

'Duks,' they said. "Duks," řekli. Then the maiden stepped up to the stove where the animals were lying, and stroked the cock and the hen, and scratched the brindled cow between its horns. Pak dívka přistoupila ke kamnům, kde ležela zvířata, pohladila kohouta a slepici a podrbala žíhanou krávu mezi rohy.

And when at the bidding of the old man she had prepared a good supper, and the dishes were standing on the table, she said, 'Shall I have plenty while the good beasts have nothing? A když na pokyn starce připravila dobrou večeři a nádobí stálo na stole, řekla: "Mám mít hojnost, zatímco dobrá zvířata nemají nic? There is food to spare outside; I will attend to them first.' Venku je jídla nazbyt, postarám se nejdřív o ně. Then she went out and fetched barley and strewed it before the cock and hen, and brought the cow an armful of sweet-smelling hay. Pak vyšla ven, přinesla ječmen a nasypala ho před kohouta a slepici a krávě přinesla plnou náruč voňavého sena.

'Eat that, dear beasts,' she said,' and when you are thirsty you shall have a good drink.' "Jezte, milá zvířata," řekla, "a až budete mít žízeň, dobře se napijete. Then she fetched a bowl of water, and the cock and hen flew on to the edge, put their beaks in, and then held up their heads as birds do when they drink, and the brindled cow also drank her fill. Pak přinesla misku s vodou, kohout a slepice přiletěli na okraj, strčili do ní zobáky a zvedli hlavy, jako to dělají ptáci, když pijí, a žíhaná kráva se také napila. When the beasts were satisfied, the maiden sat down beside the old man at the table and ate what was left for her. Když se zvířata nasytila, dívka se posadila vedle starce ke stolu a snědla, co jí zbylo. Soon the cock and hen began to tuck their heads under their wings, and the brindled cow blinked its eyes, so the maiden said, 'Shall we not go to rest now?' Zanedlouho začali kohout a slepice schovávat hlavy pod křídla a žíhaná kráva mrkala očima, a tak se dívka zeptala: "Neměli bychom si teď jít odpočinout? Pretty cock, Pěkný pták,

Pretty hen, Pěkná slepice,

And you, pretty brindled cow, A ty, krásná žíhaná krávo,

What do you say now? Co říkáte teď?

The animals said, 'Duks: Zvířata řekla: "Duks: You have eaten with us, Jedli jste s námi,

You have drunk with us, Opili jste se s námi,

You have tended us right, Správně jste nás ošetřili,

So we wish you good night.' Přejeme vám dobrou noc. The maiden therefore went upstairs, made the bed and put on clean sheets and fell asleep. Dívka proto odešla nahoru, ustlala, oblékla si čisté povlečení a usnula. She slept peacefully till midnight, when there was such a noise in the house that she awoke. Spala klidně až do půlnoci, kdy se v domě ozval takový hluk, že se probudila. Everything trembled and shook; the animals sprang up and dashed themselves in terror against the wall; the beams swayed as if they would be torn from their foundations, it seemed as if the stairs were tumbling down, and then the roof fell in with a crash. Všechno se chvělo a třáslo, zvířata vyskakovala a vrhala se vyděšeně ke zdi, trámy se kymácely, jako by se měly vytrhnout ze základů, zdálo se, že se schody zřítí dolů, a pak se s rachotem propadla střecha. Then all became still, and as no harm came to the maiden she lay down again and fell asleep. Pak vše utichlo, a protože se dívce nic nestalo, znovu si lehla a usnula. But when she awoke again in broad daylight, what a sight met her eyes! Když se však znovu probudila za bílého dne, naskytl se jí úžasný pohled! She was lying in a splendid room furnished with royal splendour; the walls were covered with golden flowers on a green ground; the bed was of ivory and the counterpane of velvet, and on a stool near by lay a pair of slippers studded with pearls. Ležela v nádherném pokoji zařízeném s královskou okázalostí; stěny byly pokryty zlatými květy na zeleném podkladu, postel byla ze slonoviny a sametový přehoz a na stoličce vedle ležel pár střevíců posetých perlami. The maiden thought she must be dreaming, but in came three servants richly dressed, who asked what were her commands. Dívka si myslela, že se jí to jen zdá, ale vtom přišli tři bohatě oblečení sluhové a ptali se na její příkazy. 'Go,' said the maiden, 'I will get up at once and cook the old man's supper for him, and then I will feed the pretty cock and hen and the brindled cow.' "Jdi," řekla dívka, "hned vstanu a uvařím starému pánovi večeři, a pak nakrmím krásného kohouta a slepici a žíhanou krávu. But the door opened and in came a handsome young man, who said, 'I am a king's son, and was condemned by a wicked witch to live as an old man in this wood with no company but that of my three servants, who were transformed into a cock, a hen, and a brindled cow. Dveře se však otevřely a dovnitř vstoupil pohledný mladík, který řekl: "Jsem královský syn a zlá čarodějnice mě odsoudila k tomu, abych žil jako stařec v tomto lese bez společnosti, jen se třemi sluhy, kteří se proměnili v kohouta, slepici a žíhanou krávu. The spell could only be broken by the arrival of a maiden who should show herself kind not only to men but to beasts. Kouzlo mohl zlomit jen příchod dívky, která se měla ukázat jako laskavá nejen k lidem, ale i ke zvířatům. You are that maiden, and last night at midnight we were freed, and this poor house was again transformed into my royal palace. Ty jsi ta dívka a včera o půlnoci jsme byli osvobozeni a tento chudý dům se opět proměnil v můj královský palác.

As they stood there the king's son told his three servants to go and fetch the maiden's parents to be present at the wedding feast. Jak tam tak stáli, řekl královský syn svým třem sluhům, aby šli pro dívčiny rodiče, aby byli přítomni svatební hostině. 'But where are my two sisters?' "Ale kde jsou mé dvě sestry? asked the maid. zeptala se služebná.

'I shut them up in the cellar, but in the morning they shall be led forth into the forest and shall serve a charcoal burner until they have improved, and will never again suffer poor animals to go hungry.' "Zavřel jsem je do sklepa, ale ráno je vyvedu do lesa a budou sloužit uhlířům, dokud se nepolepší, a už nikdy nebudou trpět hladem ubohá zvířata.