格林童话选 英文版 Grimms' Fairy Tales
格林兄弟 Brüder Grimm
THE BLUE LIGHT
There was once upon a time a soldier who for many years had served theking faithfully, but when the war came to an end could serve no longerbecause of the many wounds which he had received. The king said tohim: 'You may return to your home, I need you no longer, and you willnot receive any more money, for he only receives wages who renders meservice for them.' Then the soldier did not know how to earn a living,went away greatly troubled, and walked the whole day, until in theevening he entered a forest. When darkness came on, he saw a light,which he went up to, and came to a house wherein lived a witch. 'Dogive me one night's lodging, and a little to eat and drink,' said heto her, 'or I shall starve.' 'Oho!' she answered, 'who gives anythingto a run-away soldier? Yet will I be compassionate, and take you in,if you will do what I wish.' 'What do you wish?' said the soldier.'That you should dig all round my garden for me, tomorrow.' Thesoldier consented, and next day laboured with all his strength, butcould not finish it by the evening. 'I see well enough,' said thewitch, 'that you can do no more today, but I will keep you yet anothernight, in payment for which you must tomorrow chop me a load of wood,and chop it small.' The soldier spent the whole day in doing it, andin the evening the witch proposed that he should stay one night more.'Tomorrow, you shall only do me a very trifling piece of work. Behindmy house, there is an old dry well, into which my light has fallen, itburns blue, and never goes out, and you shall bring it up again.' Nextday the old woman took him to the well, and let him down in a basket.He found the blue light, and made her a signal to draw him up again.She did draw him up, but when he came near the edge, she stretcheddown her hand and wanted to take the blue light away from him. 'No,'said he, perceiving her evil intention, 'I will not give you the lightuntil I am standing with both feet upon the ground.' The witch fellinto a passion, let him fall again into the well, and went away.
The poor soldier fell without injury on the moist ground, and the bluelight went on burning, but of what use was that to him? He saw verywell that he could not escape death. He sat for a while verysorrowfully, then suddenly he felt in his pocket and found his tobaccopipe, which was still half full. 'This shall be my last pleasure,'thought he, pulled it out, lit it at the blue light and began tosmoke. When the smoke had circled about the cavern, suddenly a littleblack dwarf stood before him, and said: 'Lord, what are yourcommands?' 'What my commands are?' replied the soldier, quiteastonished. 'I must do everything you bid me,' said the little man.'Good,' said the soldier; 'then in the first place help me out of thiswell.' The little man took him by the hand, and led him through anunderground passage, but he did not forget to take the blue light withhim. On the way the dwarf showed him the treasures which the witch hadcollected and hidden there, and the soldier took as much gold as hecould carry. When he was above, he said to the little man: 'Now go andbind the old witch, and carry her before the judge.' In a short timeshe came by like the wind, riding on a wild tom-cat and screamingfrightfully. Nor was it long before the little man reappeared. 'It isall done,' said he, 'and the witch is already hanging on the gallows.What further commands has my lord?' inquired the dwarf. 'At thismoment, none,' answered the soldier; 'you can return home, only be athand immediately, if I summon you.' 'Nothing more is needed than thatyou should light your pipe at the blue light, and I will appear beforeyou at once.' Thereupon he vanished from his sight.
The soldier returned to the town from which he come. He went to thebest inn, ordered himself handsome clothes, and then bade the landlordfurnish him a room as handsome as possible. When it was ready and thesoldier had taken possession of it, he summoned the little blackmanikin and said: 'I have served the king faithfully, but he hasdismissed me, and left me to hunger, and now I want to take myrevenge.' 'What am I to do?' asked the little man. 'Late at night,when the king's daughter is in bed, bring her here in her sleep, sheshall do servant's work for me.' The manikin said: 'That is an easything for me to do, but a very dangerous thing for you, for if it isdiscovered, you will fare ill.' When twelve o'clock had struck, thedoor sprang open, and the manikin carried in the princess. 'Aha! areyou there?' cried the soldier, 'get to your work at once! Fetch thebroom and sweep the chamber.' When she had done this, he ordered herto come to his chair, and then he stretched out his feet and said:'Pull off my boots,' and then he threw them in her face, and made herpick them up again, and clean and brighten them. She, however, dideverything he bade her, without opposition, silently and with half-shut eyes. When the first cock crowed, the manikin carried her back tothe royal palace, and laid her in her bed.
Next morning when the princess arose she went to her father, and toldhim that she had had a very strange dream. 'I was carried through thestreets with the rapidity of lightning,' said she, 'and taken into asoldier's room, and I had to wait upon him like a servant, sweep hisroom, clean his boots, and do all kinds of menial work. It was only adream, and yet I am just as tired as if I really had done everything.''The dream may have been true,' said the king. 'I will give you apiece of advice. Fill your pocket full of peas, and make a small holein the pocket, and then if you are carried away again, they will fallout and leave a track in the streets.' But unseen by the king, themanikin was standing beside him when he said that, and heard all. Atnight when the sleeping princess was again carried through thestreets, some peas certainly did fall out of her pocket, but they madeno track, for the crafty manikin had just before scattered peas inevery street there was. And again the princess was compelled to doservant's work until cock-crow.
Next morning the king sent his people out to seek the track, but itwas all in vain, for in every street poor children were sitting,picking up peas, and saying: 'It must have rained peas, last night.''We must think of something else,' said the king; 'keep your shoes onwhen you go to bed, and before you come back from the place where youare taken, hide one of them there, I will soon contrive to find it.'The black manikin heard this plot, and at night when the soldier againordered him to bring the princess, revealed it to him, and told himthat he knew of no expedient to counteract this stratagem, and that ifthe shoe were found in the soldier's house it would go badly with him.'Do what I bid you,' replied the soldier, and again this third nightthe princess was obliged to work like a servant, but before she wentaway, she hid her shoe under the bed.
Next morning the king had the entire town searched for his daughter'sshoe. It was found at the soldier's, and the soldier himself, who atthe entreaty of the dwarf had gone outside the gate, was soon broughtback, and thrown into prison. In his flight he had forgotten the mostvaluable things he had, the blue light and the gold, and had only oneducat in his pocket. And now loaded with chains, he was standing atthe window of his dungeon, when he chanced to see one of his comradespassing by. The soldier tapped at the pane of glass, and when this mancame up, said to him: 'Be so kind as to fetch me the small bundle Ihave left lying in the inn, and I will give you a ducat for doing it.'His comrade ran thither and brought him what he wanted. As soon as thesoldier was alone again, he lighted his pipe and summoned the blackmanikin. 'Have no fear,' said the latter to his master. 'Gowheresoever they take you, and let them do what they will, only takethe blue light with you.' Next day the soldier was tried, and thoughhe had done nothing wicked, the judge condemned him to death. When hewas led forth to die, he begged a last favour of the king. 'What isit?' asked the king. 'That I may smoke one more pipe on my way.' 'Youmay smoke three,' answered the king, 'but do not imagine that I willspare your life.' Then the soldier pulled out his pipe and lighted itat the blue light, and as soon as a few wreaths of smoke had ascended,the manikin was there with a small cudgel in his hand, and said: 'Whatdoes my lord command?' 'Strike down to earth that false judge there,and his constable, and spare not the king who has treated me so ill.'Then the manikin fell on them like lightning, darting this way andthat way, and whosoever was so much as touched by his cudgel fell toearth, and did not venture to stir again. The king was terrified; hethrew himself on the soldier's mercy, and merely to be allowed to liveat all, gave him his kingdom for his own, and his daughter to wife.