 The Sea King's Gift from the Lilac Fairy Book. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Jessica A. C. Snyder. The Lilac Fairy Book by Andrew Lang Editor. The Sea King's Gift. A Tale from Finland by Z. Topelius. There once was a fisherman who was called Salmon, and his Christian name was Matt. He lived by the shore of the big sea. Where else could he live? He had a wife called May. Could you find a better name for her? In winter they dwelt in a little cottage by the shore, but in spring they flitted to a red rock out in the sea and stayed there the whole summer until it was autumn. The cottage on the rock was even smaller than the other. It had a wooden bolt instead of an iron lock to the door, a stone hearth, a flagstaff, and a weathercock on the roof. The rock was called a tola, and was not larger than the marketplace of a town. Between the crevices there grew a little rowan tree and four alder bushes. Heaven only knows how there ever came there. Perhaps they were brought by the winter storms. Besides that there flourished some tufts of velvety grass, some scattered reeds, two plants of the yellow herb called tansy, four of a red flower, and a pretty white one. But the treasures of the rock consisted of three roots of garlic which May had put in a cleft. Rock walls sheltered them on the north side, and the sun shone on them on the south. This does not seem much, but it sufficed May for a herb plot. All good things go in threes, so Matt and his wife fished for salmon in spring, for herring in summer, and for cod in winter. When on Saturdays the weather was fine and the wind favourable, they sailed to the nearest town, sold their fish, and went to church on Sunday. But it often happened that for weeks at a time they were quite alone on the rock a tola, and had nothing to look at except their little yellow brown dog, which bore the grand name of Prince, their grass tufts, their bushes and blooms, the sea bays and fish, a stormy sky, and the blue white-crested waves. For the rock lay far away from the land, and there were no green islets or human habitations for miles round, only here and there appeared a rock of the same red stone as a tola that they sprinkled day and night with the ocean spray. Matt and May were industrious, hard-working folk, happy and contented in their poor hut, and they thought themselves rich when they were able to salt as many casks of fish as they required for winter, and yet have some left over with which to buy tobacco for the old man, and a pound or two of coffee for his wife, with plenty of burnt corn and chicory in it to give it a flavor. Besides that they had bread, butter, fish, a beer-cask, and a buttermilk jar. What more did they require? All would have gone well had not May been possessed with a secret longing which never let her rest, and this was how could she manage to become the owner of a cow. What would you do with a cow? asked Matt. She could not swim so far, and our boat is not large enough to bring her over here, and even if we had her we have nothing to feed her on. We have four alder bushes and sixteen tufts of grass rejoined May. Yes, of course, laughed Matt, and we also have three plants of garlic. Garlic would be fine feeding for her. Every cow likes salt herring, rejoined his wife, even Prince's fond of fish. That may be, said her husband. May think she would soon be a dear cow if we had to feed her on salt herring. All very well for Prince, who fights with the gulls over the last morsel. Put the cow out of your head, mother. We are very well off as we are. May sighed. She knew well that her husband was right, but she could not give up the idea of a cow. The buttermilk no longer tasted as good as usual in the coffee. She thought of sweet cream and fresh butter and how there was nothing in the world to be compared with them. One day, as Matt and his wife were cleaning herring on the shore, they heard Prince barking, and soon there appeared a gaily painted bolt with three young men in it, steering towards the rock. They were students on a boating excursion wanting to get something to eat. Bring us a junket, good mother, cried they to May. Ah, if only I had such a thing! sighed May. A can of fresh milk, then, said the students, but it must not be skim. Yes, if only I had it! sighed the old woman, still more deeply. What? Haven't you got a cow? May was silent. This question so struck her to the heart that she could not reply. We have no cow, Matt answered, but we have good smoked herring and can cook them in a couple of hours. All right then, that will do, said the students, as they flung themselves down on the rock, while fifty silvery white herring were turning on the spit in front of the fire. What's the name of this little stone in the middle of the ocean, asked one of them? A tola, answered the old man. Well, you should want for nothing when you live in the Sea Kings Dominion. Matt did not understand. He had never read Calibala and knew nothing of the sea gods of old, but the students proceeded to explain to him. Footnote. Calibala is a collection of old Finnish songs about gods and heroes. End footnote. Ate, said they, is a mighty king who lives in his Dominion of Atolla and has a rock at the bottom of the sea and possesses besides a treasury of good things. He rules over all fish and animals of the deep. He has the finest cows and the swiftest horses that ever chewed grass at the bottom of the ocean. He who stands well with Ate is soon a rich man, but one must beware in dealing with him, for he is very changeful and touchy. Even a little stone thrown into the water might offend him, and then, as he takes back his gift, he stirs up the sea into a storm and drags the sailors down into the depths. Ate owns also the fairest maidens who bear the train of his queen Willamos and at the sound of music they comb their long flowing locks which glisten in the water. Oh, cried Matt, have your worships really seen all that? We have as good as seen it, said the students. It is all printed in a book and everything printed is true. I'm not so sure of that, said Matt, as he shook his head. But the herring were now ready and the students ate enough for six and gave Prince some cold meat which they happened to have in the boat. Prince sat on his hind legs with the light and mewed like a pussycat. When all was finished the students handed Matt a shining silver coin and allowed him to fill his pipe with a special kind of tobacco. They then thanked him for his kind hospitality and went on their journey, much regretted by Prince who sat with a woeful expression and whined on the shore as long as he could see a flip of the boat's white sail in the distance. May had never uttered a word but thought the more. She had good ears and had laid to heart the story about Ate. How delightful! thought she to herself to possess a fairy cow. How delicious! Every morning and evening to draw milk from it and yet have no trouble about the feeding and to keep a shelf near the window for dishes of milk and junkets. But this will never be my luck. What are you thinking of? asked Matt. Nothing, said his wife. But all the time she was pondering over some magic rhymes she had heard in her childhood from an old lame man which were supposed to be luck in fishing. What if I were to try? thought she. Now this was Saturday and on Saturday evenings Matt never set the herring net she did not fish on Sunday. Towards evening however his wife said let us set the herring net just this once. No, said her husband it is a Saturday night. Last night was so stormy and we caught so little urged his wife to night the sea is like a mirror and with the wind in this direction the herring are drawing towards land. But there are streaks in the north western sky and Prince was eating grass this evening said the old man. Surely he has not eaten my garlic exclaimed the old woman. No. But there will be rough weather by tomorrow at sunset rejoined Matt. Listen to me said his wife. We will set only one net close to the shore and then we shall be able to finish up our half filled cask which will spoil if it stands open so long. The old man allowed himself to be talked over and so they rode out with the net. When they reached the deepest part of the water she began to hum the words of the magic rhyme altering the words to suit the longing of her heart. Who are thee with the long, long beard who dwellest in the deep blue sea finest treasures have I heard and glittering fish belong to thee. The richest whales beyond compare are stored up in thy realm below and oceans cow so sleek and fair feed on the grass and thy green meadow king of the waters far and near I ask not of thy golden store I wish not jewels of pearl to wear nor silver either ask I for but one is odd and even is two so give me a calcy king so bold and in return I'll give to you a slice of the moon and the sun's gold. What's that you're humming? asked the old man. Oh, only the words of an old rhyme that keeps running in my head answered the old woman and she raised her voice and went on Oh, what's thee with the long, long beard who dwellest in the deep blue sea a thousand cows are in thy herd I pray they give one unto me. That's a stupid sort of song, said Matt. What else should one beg of the sea king but fish? But such songs are not for Sunday. His wife pretended not to hear him and sang and sang the same tune all the time they were on the water. Matt heard nothing more as he sat and rode the heavy boat while thinking of his cracked pipe and the fine tobacco then they returned to the island and soon after went to bed but neither Matt nor May could sleep a wink the one thought of how he had profaned Sunday and the other of Otty's cow about midnight the fisherman sat up and said to his wife Just thou hear anything? No, said she I think the twirling of the weather cock on the roof bodes ill, said he We shall have a storm Oh, it is nothing but your fancy, said the wife Matt laid down, but soon rose again The weather cock is squeaking now, said he Just fancy, go to sleep, said his wife and the old man tried to For the third time he jumped out of bed Oh, how the weather cock is roaring at the pitch of its voice as if it had a fire inside it We are going to have a tempest and must bring in the net Both rose The summer night was as dark as if it had been October The weather cock creaked and the storm was raging in every direction As they went out the sea lay around them Night as snow and the spray was dashing over the fisher hut In all his life Matt had never remembered such a night To launch the boat and put to sea to rescue the net was a thing not to be thought of The fisherman and his wife stood aghast on the doorstep holding on fast by the door-post while the foam splashed over their faces Did I not tell thee that there is no luck in Sunday fishing? said Matt, sulkily and his wife was so frightened that she never even once thought of Otty's cows As there was nothing to be done they went in Their eyes were heavy for lack of slumber and they slept as soundly as if there had not been such a thing as an angry sea roaring furiously around their lonely dwelling When they awoke the sun was high in the heavens the tempest had ceased and only the swell of the sea rose in silvery heavings against the red rock What can that be? said the old woman as she peeped out of the door It looks like a big seal, said Matt As sure as I live it's a cow! exclaimed May And certainly it was a cow! a fine red cow fat and flourishing and looking as if it had been fed all its days on spinach It wandered peacefully up and down the shore and never so much as even looked at the poor little tufts of grass as if it despised such fare Matt could not believe his eyes but a cow she seemed and a cow she was found to be and when the old woman began to milk her every pitcher in pan even till the baler was soon filled with the most delicious milk The old man troubled his head in vain as to how she came to be there and sallied forth to seek for his lost net He had not proceeded far when he found it cast up on the shore and so full of fish that not a mesh was visible It is all very fine to possess a cow, said Matt as he cleaned the fish but what are we going to feed her on? We shall find some means, said his wife and the cow found the means herself She went out and cropped the seaweed which grew in great abundance near the shore and always kept in good condition Everyone, Prince alone accepted thought she was a clever beast but Prince barked at her for he had now got a rival From that day the red rock overflowed with milk and junkets and every net was filled with fish Matt and May grew fat on this fine living and daily became richer She churned quantities of butter He hired two men to help him in his fishing The sea lay before him like a big fish tank out of which he hauled as many as he required and the cow continued to fend for herself In autumn when Matt and May went ashore the cow went to sea and in spring when they returned to the rock there she stood awaiting them We shall require a better house said May the following summer The old one is too small for ourselves and the men Yes, said Matt so he built a large cottage with a real lock to the door and a storehouse for fish as well and he and his men caught such quantities of fish that they sent tons of salmon, herring and cod to Russia and Sweden I am quite overworked with so many folks said May a girl to help me would not come amiss Get one then, said her husband, and so they hired a girl Then May said, we have too little milk for all these folk now that I have a servant with the same amount of trouble she could look after three cows All right then, said her husband, somewhat provoked you can sing a song to the fairies This annoyed May but nevertheless she rode out to the sea on Sunday night and sang as before Oughty with the long, long beard Who dwellest in the deep blue sea A thousand cows are in thy herd I pray they give three unto me The following morning, instead of one three cows stood on the island and they all ate seaweed and fended for themselves like the first one Art thou satisfied now, said Matt to his wife I should be quite satisfied, said his wife if only I had two servants to help and if I had some finer clothes Don't you know that I am addressed as Madam Well, well, said her husband So May got several servants and clothes fit for a lady Everything would be perfect if only we had a little better dwelling for summer You might build us a two-story house and fetch soil to make a garden Then you might make a little arbor up there to let us have a sea view and we might have a fiddler to fiddle to us of an evening and a little steamer to take us to church in stormy weather Anything more, asked Matt but he did everything that his wife wished The rockatola became so grand and May so grand that all the sea urchins and herring were lost in wonderment Even Prince was fed on beef steaks and cream scones till at last he was as round as a butter jar Are you satisfied now? asked Matt I should be quite satisfied, said May if only I had thirty cows At least that number is required for such a household Go to the fairies, said Matt His wife set out in the new steamer and sang to the sea king Next morning thirty cows stood on the shore all finding food for themselves Most thou, good man that we are far too cramped on this wretched rock and where am I to find room for so many cows There is nothing to be done but to pump out the sea Rubbish, said his wife who can pump out the sea Try with thy new steamer there is a pump in it May knew well that her husband was only making fun of her but still her mind was set upon the same subject I never could pump the sea out, thought she but perhaps I might fill it up if I were to make a big dam I might heap up sand and stones and make our island as big again May loaded her boat with stones and went out to sea The fiddler was with her and fiddled so finely that and all the sea starters rose to the surface of the water to listen to the music What is that shining so brightly in the waves? asked May That is sea foam glinting in the sunshine answered the fiddler Throw out the stones, said May The people in the boat began to throw out the stones Splash, splash, right and left into the foam One stone hit the nose of Uelamos' chief, lady and waiting Another scratched the sea queen herself on the cheek A third plumped close to Ati's head and tore off half of the sea king's beard Then there was a commotion in the sea The waves bubbled and bubbled like boiling water in a pot Whence comes this gust of wind, said May And as she spoke, the sea opened and swallowed up the steamer May sank to the bottom like a stone but stretching out her arms and legs she rose to the surface where she found the fiddler's fiddle and used it as a float At the same moment she saw close behind her the terrible head of Ati and he had only half a beard Why did you throw stones at me? roared the sea king Oh, Your Majesty, it was a mistake Put some bears grease on your beard and that will soon make it grow again Dame, did I not give you all you asked for? Nay, even more Truly, truly, Your Majesty Many thanks for the cows Well, where is the gold from the sun and the silver from the moon that you promised me? Ah, Your Majesty, they have been scattered day and night upon the sea except when the sky was overcast Slyly answered May I'll teach you, roared the sea king and with that he gave the fiddle such a puff that it sent the old woman up like a skyrocket onto her island There Prince lay, as famished as ever gnawing the carcass of a crow There sat Matt in his ragged grey jacket quite alone on the steps of the old hut mending a net Heaven's mother said he Where are you coming from at such a whirlwind pace? and what makes you in such a dripping condition? May looked around her amazed and said Where is our two-story house? What house? asked her husband Our big house and the flower garden and the men and the maids and the thirty beautiful cows and the steamer and everything else You are talking nonsense, mother said he The students have quite turned your head for you sang silly songs last evening while we were rowing You could not sleep till early morning We had stormy weather during the night and when it was past I did not wish to waken you so rode out alone to rescue the net But I've seen auntie rejoined May You've been lying in bed dreaming foolish fancy's mother and then in your sleep you walked into the water There is the fiddle, said May A fine fiddle It is only an old stick No, no, old woman Another time we will be more careful Good luck never attends fishing on a Sunday End of The Sea King's Gift by C. Topelius from the Lilac Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, editor This recording is in the public domain The Raspberry Worm from the Lilac Fairy Book This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The Lilac Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, editor The Raspberry Worm, a tale from Finland Phew! cried Lisa Uh! cried Ina What now? cried the big sister A worm! cried Lisa On the raspberry! cried Ina Kill it! cried Otto What a fuss over a poor little worm, said the big sister scornfully Yes, when we had cleaned the raspberry so carefully, said Lisa It crept right out from that very large one put in Ina And supposing someone had eaten the raspberry, said Lisa Then they would have eaten the worm too, said Ina Well, what harm, said Otto Eat a worm, cried Lisa And kill him with one bite, murmured Ina Just think of it, said Otto, laughing Now it is crawling on the table, cried Ina again Blow it away, said the big sister Tramp on it, laughed Otto But Lisa took a raspberry leaf, swept the worm carefully onto the leaf And carried it out into the yard Then Ina noticed that a sparrow sitting on the fence Was just ready to pounce on the poor little worm So she took up the leaf, carried it out into the wood And hid it under a raspberry bush Where the greedy sparrow could not find it Yes, and what more is there to tell about a raspberry worm Who would give three straws for such a miserable little thing Yes, but who would not like to live in such a pretty home As it lives in, in such a fresh, fragrant dark red cottage Far away in the quiet wood among flowers and green leaves Now it was just dinner time So they all had a dinner of raspberries and cream Be careful with the sugar, Otto, said the big sister But Otto's plate was like a snow drift in winter With just a little red under the snow Soon after dinner the big sister said Now we have eaten up the raspberries And we have none left to make preserve for the winter It would be fine if we could get two baskets full of berries Then we could clean them this evening And tomorrow we could cook them in the big preserving pan And then we should have raspberry jam to eat on our bread Come, let us go to the wood and pick, said Lisa Yes, let us, said Ina, you take the yellow basket And I will take the green one Don't get lost, and come back safely in the evening, said the big sister Greetings to the raspberry worm, said Otto mockingly Next time I meet him I shall do him the honour of eating him up So Ina and Lisa went off to the wood Ah, how delightful it was there, how beautiful Certainly tiresome sometimes, climbing over the fallen trees And getting caught in the branches And waging war with the juniper bushes and the midges But what did that matter? The girls climbed well in their short dresses And soon they were deep in the wood There were plenty of billberries and elderberries But no raspberries They wandered on and on And at last they came No, it could not be true They came to a large raspberry wood The wood had been on fire once And now raspberry bushes had grown up And there were raspberry bushes and raspberry bushes As far as the eye could see Every bush was weighted to the ground With the largest dark red ripe raspberries Such a wealth of berries as two little berry pickers Had never found before Lisa picked, Ina picked, Lisa ate, Ina ate And in a little while their baskets were full Now we shall go home, said Ina No, let us gather a few more, said Lisa So they put the baskets down on the ground And began to fill their pinafores And it was not long before their pinafores were full too Now we shall go home, said Lisa Yes, now we shall go home, said Ina Both girls took a basket in one hand And held up her apron in the other And then turned to go home But that was easier said than done They had never been so far in their great wood before They could not find any road nor path And soon the girls noticed that they had lost their way The worst of it was that the shadows of the trees Were becoming so long in the evening sunlight The birds were beginning to fly home And the day was closing in At last the sun went down behind the pine tops And it was cool and dusky in the great wood The girls became anxious but went steadily on Expecting that the wood would soon end And that they would see the smoke from the chimneys of their home After they had wandered on for a long time It began to grow dark At last they reached a great plain Overgrown with bushes And when they looked around them They saw as much as they could in the darkness That they were among the same beautiful raspberry bushes From which they had picked their baskets And their aprons full Then they were so tired I am so hungry, said Lisa Yes, said Ina, if we had only two good meat sandwiches now As she said that she felt something in her hand And when she looked down she saw a large sandwich Of bread and chicken And at the same time Lisa said, how very queer I have a sandwich in my hand And I too, said Ina, will you dare to eat it? Of course I will, said Lisa Ah, if we only had a good glass of milk now Just as she said that She felt a large glass of milk between her fingers And at the same time Ina cried out Lisa, Lisa, I have a glass of milk in my hand Isn't it queer? The girls, however, were very hungry So they ate and drank with a good appetite When they had finished Ina yawned Stretched out her arms and said Oh, if only we had a nice soft bed to sleep on now Scarcely had she spoken Before she felt a nice soft bed by her side And there beside Lisa was one too This seemed to the girls more and more wonderful But tired and sleepy as they were They thought no more about it But crept into the little beds Drew the coverlets over their heads And were soon asleep When they awoke the sun was high in the heavens The wood was beautiful in the summer morning And the birds were flying about in the branches In the treetops At first the girls were filled with wonder When they saw that they had slept in the wood Among the raspberry bushes They looked at each other, they looked at their beds Which were of the finest flax covered over With leaves and moss At last Lisa said Are you awake, Ina? Yes, said Ina But I'm still dreaming, said Lisa No, said Ina, but there is certainly Some good fairy living among these raspberry bushes Ah, if we only had a hot cup of coffee now And a nice piece of white bread to dip into it Scarcely had she finished speaking When she saw beside her a little silver tray With a gilt coffee pot Two cups of rare porcelain A sugar basin of fine crystal Silver sugar tongs and some good fresh white bread The girls poured out the beautiful coffee Put in the cream and sugar and tasted it Never in their lives had they drunk Such beautiful coffee Now I should like to know very much Who has given us all this, said Lisa gratefully I have my little girls, said a voice Just then from the bushes The children looked round, wonderingly And saw a little, kind-looking old man In a white coat and a red cap Limping out from among the bushes For he was lame in his left foot Neither Lisa nor Ina could utter a word They were so filled with surprise Don't be afraid, little girls He said smiling kindly at them He could not laugh properly because his mouth was crooked Welcome to my kingdom Have you slept well and eaten well And drunk well, he asked? Yes, indeed we have, said both the girls But tell us, and they wanted to ask Who the old man was, but were afraid to I will tell you who I am, said the old man I am the raspberry king Who reigns over all this kingdom of raspberry bushes And I have lived here for more than a thousand years But the great spirit who rules over the woods And the sea and the sky Did not want me to become proud Of my royal power and my long life Therefore he decreed that one day In every hundred years I should change Into a little raspberry worm And live in that weak and helpless form From sunrise to sunset During that time my life is dependent On the little worm's life So that a bird can eat me A child can pick me with the berries And put my thousand years of life Now yesterday was just my transformation day And I was taken with the raspberry And would have been trampled to death If you had not saved my life Until sunset I lay helpless in the grass And when I was swept away from your table I twisted one of my feet And my mouth became crooked with terror But when evening came And I could take my own form again I looked for you to thank you and reward you Then I found you both here in my kingdom And tried to meet you both As well as I could without frightening you Now I will send a bird from my wood To show you the way home Goodbye, little children Thank you for your kind hearts The raspberry king can show that he is not ungrateful The children shook hands with the old man And thanked him, feeling very glad That they had saved the little raspberry worm They were just going when the old man turned round Smiled mischievously with his crooked mouth And said, Greetings to Otto from me And tell him when I meet him again I shall do him the honour of eating him up Oh, please don't do that Cried both the girls very frightened Well, for your sake I will forgive him, said the old man I am not revengeful Greetings to Otto and tell him That he may expect a gift from me too Goodbye The two girls, light of heart Now took their berries and ran off Through the wood after the bird And soon it began to get lighter in the wood They lost their way yesterday It seems so easy and plain now One can imagine what joy there was When the two reached home Everyone had been looking for them And the big sister had not been able to sleep For she thought the wolves had eaten them up Otto met them He had a basket in his hand and said Look, here is something that an old man Has just left for you When the girls looked into the basket They saw a pair of most beautiful bracelets Of precious stones, dark red In the shape of a ripe raspberry And with an inscription To Lisa and Ina Beside them there was a diamond breast pin In the shape of a raspberry worm On it was inscribed Otto, never destroy the helpless Otto felt rather ashamed He quite understood what it meant But he thought that the old man's revenge Was a noble one The raspberry king had also remembered The big sister For when she went in to set the table for dinner She found eleven big baskets Of most beautiful raspberries And no one knew how they had come there But everyone guessed And so there was such a jam making As had never been seen before And if you like to go and help in it You might perhaps get a little For they must surely be making jam Still to this very day From Z. Topelius End of The Raspberry Worm The Stones of Pluenek From The Lilac Fairy Book The Lilac Fairy Book This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information Or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org This recording is by Mark Smith Of Simpsonville, South Carolina The Lilac Fairy Book By Andrew Lang Editor The Stones of Pluenek Perhaps some of you may have read a book Called Kenneth With or the rearguard of the Grand Army of Napoleon If so, you will remember How the two scotch children found in Russia Were taken care of by the French soldiers And prevented as far as possible From suffering from the horrors Of the terrible retreat One of the soldiers, a Breton Often tried to make them forget How cold and hungry they were By telling them tales Of his native country, Brittany Which is full of wonderful things The best and warmest place Round the campfire was always Given to the children But even so the bitter frost Would cause them to shiver It was then that the Breton would begin Pluenek is a small town Near Henbud by the sea And would continue until Kenneth Thor Effie would interrupt Him with an eager question Then he forgot how his mother Had told him the tale And was obliged to begin All over again So the story lasted a long while And by the time it was ended The children were ready to be rolled up In whatever coverings could be found And go to sleep It is this story that I am going to tell to you Pluenek is a small town Near Henbud by the sea Around it stretches a desolate moor Where no corn can be grown And the grass is so coarse That no beast grows fat on it Here and there are scattered groves Of fir trees And small pebbles are so thick On the ground that you might almost Take it for a beach On the further side The fairies, or corrigans As the people called them Had set up long, long ago Two rows of huge stones Indeed so tall And heavy were they That it seemed as if all the fairies In the world could not have placed All right. Not far off from this great stone avenue And on the banks of the Little River Intel There lived a man named Marzine And his sister, Roseneck They always had enough black bread To eat, and wooden shoes Or sabos to wear And a pig to fatten So the neighbors thought them quite rich And what was still better They thought themselves rich also Roseneck was a pretty girl Who knew how to make the best of everything And she could if she wished Have chosen a husband from the young men Of Plouinac, but she cared For none of them except Bernès Whom she had played with all her life And Bernès, though he worked hard Was so very, very poor That Marzine told him roughly He must look elsewhere For a wife. But whatever Marzine might say Roseneck smiled and nodded to him As before, and would often Turn her head as she passed And sing snatches of old songs Over her shoulder. Christmas Eve had come And all the men who worked under Marzine Or on the farms round about Were gathered in the large kitchen To eat the soup flavored with honey Followed by rich puddings To which they were always invited On this particular night. In the middle of the table was a large Wooden bowl with wooden spoons Placed in a circle round it So that each might dip in his turn. The benches were filled And Marzine was about to give the signal When the door was suddenly thrown open And an old man came in Wishing the guests a good appetite For their supper. There was a pause And some of the faces looked a little frightened For the newcomer was well known To them as a beggar Who was also said to be a wizard Who cast spells over the cattle And caused the corn to grow black And old people to die Of what nobody knew. Still it was Christmas Eve And besides it was as well Not to offend him So the farmer invited him in And gave him a seat at the table And a wooden spoon like the rest. There was not much talk After the beggar's entrance And everyone was glad When the meal came to an end And the beggar asked if he might sleep In the stable As he should die of cold If he were left outside. Rather unwillingly Marzine gave him leave And bade Bernès take the key And unlock the door. There was certainly plenty of room For a dozen beggars For the only occupants of the stable Were an old donkey and a thin ox And as the night was bitter The wizard lay down between them For warmth With a sack of reeds for a pillow. He had walked far that day And even wizards Get tired sometimes So in spite of the hard floor He was just dropping off to sleep When midnight struck From the church tower of Plouinac. At this sound The donkey raised her head and shook her ears And turned toward the ox. Well, my dear cousin, Said she, And how have you fared since last Christmas Eve When we had a conversation together? Instead of answering it once The ox eyed the beggar With a long look of disgust. What is the use of talking? He replied roughly. When a good-for-nothing creature like that Can hear all we say. Oh, you mustn't lose time in crumbling. Rejoin the donkey gaily. And don't you see that the wizard is asleep? His wicked pranks Do not make him rich, certainly. Said the ox. And he isn't even asleep. Said the ox. And he isn't even clever enough To have found out what a piece of luck Might befall him a week hence. What piece of luck? Asked the donkey. Why, don't you know? Inquired the ox. That once every hundred years The stones on Plouinac heath Go down to drink at the river And that while they are away The treasures underneath them are uncovered. Ah, I remember now. Said the donkey. But the stones return so quickly To their places That you certainly would be crushed to death Unless you have in your hands A bunch of crow's foot And a five-leave trefoil. Yes, but that is not enough. Said the ox. Even supposing you get safely by The treasure you have brought with you Will crumble into dust If you do not give in exchange A baptized soul. A Christian should die before you Can enjoy the wealth of Plouinac. The donkey was about to ask Some further questions When she suddenly found herself unable to speak. The time allowed them for conversation Was over. Ah, my dear creatures! Thought the beggar Who had of course heard everything. You are going to make me richer Than the richest men of Vans Or Laureate. But I have no time to lose. For I must begin to hunt For the precious plants. He did not dare to seek too near Plouinac, Lest somebody who knew the story Might guess what he was doing. So he went away further towards the south Where the air was softer And the plants are always green. From the instant it was light Till the last rays had faded Out of the sky He searched every inch of ground Where the magic plants might grow. He scarcely gave himself a minute To eat and drink. But at length he found the crow's foot In a little hollow. Well, that was certainly a great deal. But after all The crow's foot was of no use Without the trefoil. And there was so little time left. He had almost given up hope When on the very last day Before it was necessary That he should start for Plouinac He came upon a little clump of trefoil Half hidden under a rock. Hardly able to breathe from excitement He sat down and hunted eagerly Through the plant which he had torn up. Leaf after leaf He threw aside and discussed And he had nearly reached the end When he gave a cry of joy The five-leaved trefoil Was in his hand. The beggar scrambled to his feet And without a pause Walked quickly down the road That led northwards. The moon was bright And for some hours he kept steadily on Not knowing how many miles he had gone Nor even feeling tired. By and by The sun rose And the world began to stir And stopping at a farmhouse door He asked for a cup of milk And a slice of bread And permission to rest for a while In the porch. Then he continued his journey And so, toward sunset On New Year's Eve He went back to Pluenek. As he was passing the long line Of stones, he saw Bernès Working with a chisel on the Tallest of them all. What are you doing there? Called the wizard. Do you mean to hollow out for yourself A bed in that huge column? No, replied Bernès quietly. But as I have happened To have no work to do today I thought I would just carve a cross On this stone The holy sign can never come amiss. I believe you think it will help you To win Rosinik, laughed the old man. Bernès ceased his task For a moment to look at him. Ah, so you know about that, Replied he. Unluckily, Marzine wants A brother-in-law who has more Pounds than I have pence. And suppose I were To give you more pounds Than Marzine ever dreamed of, Whispered the sorcerer Glancing round to make sure That no one overheard him. You? Yes, I. And what am I to do To gain the money? Inquired Bernès, who knew quite well That the Breton peasant gives Nothing for nothing. What I want of you only needs A little courage, answered the old man. If that is all, Tell me what I have got to do And I will do it! Letting fall his chisel. If I have to risk thirty deaths I am ready. When the beggar knew that Bernès Would give him no trouble, He told him how, during that very night The treasures under the stones Would be uncovered, And how in a very few minutes They could take enough to make them both Rich for life. But he kept silence as to the fate That awaited the man who was without The crow's foot and the trefoil. He thought that nothing but boldness And quickness were necessary. So he said, Old man, I am grateful, Indeed for the chance you have given me And there will always be a pint Of my blood at your service. Just let me finish carving this cross. It is nearly done, And I will join you in the furwood At whatever hour you please. You must be there without fail An hour before midnight, Answered the wizard, As the hour struck From the great church at Plouinac Bernès entered the wood. He found the beggar already there With a bag in each hand And a third slung round his neck. You are punctual, Said the old man, But we need not start just yet. You had better sit down And think what you will do When your pockets are filled With gold and silver and jewels. Oh, it won't take me long That, returned Bernès with a laugh, I shall give Rosnick Everything she can desire, Dresses of all sorts, From cotton to silk, And good things of all kinds to eat From white bread to oranges. The silver you find Would pay for all that, And what about the gold? With the gold I shall make Rich Rosnick's relations And every friend of hers in the parish, Replied he. And the jewels? Then, cried Bernès, I will divide the jewels amongst Everybody in the world, So that they may be wealthy and happy, And I will tell them that it is Rosnick who would have it so. Hush, it is close on midnight, We must go, whispered the wizard, And together they crept To the edge of the wood. With the first stroke of twelve A great noise arose Over the silent heath, And the earth seemed to rock Under the feet of the two watchers. The next moment, by the light Of the moon they beheld the huge stones Near them, leave their places, And go down the slope leading to the river, Knocking against each other In their haste. Passing the spot where stood Bernès and the beggar, They were lost in the darkness. It seemed as if a procession Of giants had gone by. Quick, said the wizard, And he rushed towards the empty holes, Which even in the night Shown brightly from the treasures within them. Flinging himself on his knees, The old man began filling The wallets he had brought, Listening intently all the time For the return of the stones up the hill, While Bernès more slowly Put handfuls of all he could see Into his pockets. The sorcerer had just closed His third wallet and was beginning To wonder if he could carry away When a low murmur as of a distant storm Broke upon his ears. The stones had finished drinking And were hastening back to their places. On they came, Bent a little forward, At the tallest of them all at their head, Breaking everything that stood in their way. At the site Bernès stood transfixed with horror And said, We are lost! They will crush us to death! Not me! answered the sorcerer, The crow's foot and the five-leaf trefoil. For these will preserve me, But in order to keep my riches I was obliged to sacrifice a Christian To the stones, And an evil fate threw you in my way. And as he spoke he stretched out The magic herbs to the stones, Which were advancing rapidly. As if acknowledging a power Greater than theirs, The monster's things instantly parted To the right and left of the wizard, But closed their ranks again Bernès. The young man did not try to escape, He knew it was useless, And sank on his knees and closed his eyes. But suddenly this tall stone That was leading stopped Straight in front of Bernès So that no other could get past. It was the stone on which Bernès had carved the cross And it was now a baptized stone And had power to save him. So the stone remained Before the young man till the rest Had taken their places, And then darting like a bird To its own hull, Came upon the beggar, Who thinking himself quite safe Was staggering along under the weight Of his treasures. Seeing the stone approaching He held out the magic herbs Which he carried, But the baptized stone was no longer Subject to the spells that bound the rest And passed straight on its way, Leaving the wizard crushed into powder Then Bernès went home And showed his wealth to Marzine Who this time did not refuse him As a brother-in-law, And he and Rosnick were married And lived happily for ever after. From Le Roye Breton By Emile Souvestre End of tale This is a LibreVox recording. All LibreVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information Or to volunteer, Please visit LibreVox.org. This recording is by Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. The Lilac Fairy Book By Andrew Lang, editor The Castle of Couglas Peronick was a poor idiot Who belonged to nobody And he would have died of starvation If it had not been for the kindness Of the village people Who gave him food whenever He chose to ask for it. And as for a bed, When night came and he grew sleepy He looked about for a heap of straw And, making a hole in it, Crept in like a lizard. Idiot though he was He was never unhappy But always thanked gratefully Those who fed him And sometimes would stop for a little And sing to them. For he could imitate a lark so well That no one knew which was Peronick And which was the bird. He had been wandering in a forest For several hours and when evening approached He suddenly felt very hungry. Luckily, just at that place The trees grew thinner And he could see a small farmhouse A little way off. Peronick went straight towards it And found the farmer's wife Standing at the door holding In her hands the large bowl Out of which her children had eaten Their supper. I am hungry, will you give me Something to eat? asked the boy. If you can find anything here You are welcome to it. Answered she. And indeed there was not much left As everybody's spoon had dipped in. But Peronick ate what was there With a hearty appetite And he thought that he had never tasted Better food. It is made of the finest flour And mixed with the richest milk And stirred by the best cook In all the countryside. And though he said it to himself The woman heard him. Poor innocent! She murmured. He does not know what he's saying But I will cut him a slice of that new Wheaton loaf. And so she did. And Peronick ate up every crumb And declared that nobody less than The bishop's baker could have baked it. This flattered the farmer's wife So much that she gave him some butter To spread on it. And Peronick was still eating it And she stood up. Can you tell me the way To the castle of Ker-Glass? Ask he. To Ker-Glass? Are you really going to Ker-Glass? Crimed the woman, turning pale. Yes. And in order to get there I have come from a country so far off That has taken me three months hard Riding to travel as far as this. And why do you want to go to Ker-Glass? Said she. And the lance of diamonds which are in the castle. He answered. Then Peronick looked up. The basin and the lance Are very costly things. He said suddenly. More costly and precious Than all the crowns in the world. Replied the stranger. For not only will the basin Furnish you with the best food That you can dream of, But if you drink of it, It will cure you of any illness And will even bring the dead back to life If it touches their mouths. As to the diamond lance This will cut through any stone Or metal. And to whom do these wonders belong? Asked Peronick in amazement. To a magician named Rogier Who lives in the castle. Answered the woman. Every day he passes along here Mounted on a black mare With a colt thirteen months old Trotting behind. No one dares to attack him As he always carries his lance. That is true. Said the knight. But there is a spell laid upon him Which forbids his using it Within the castle of Kurglass. The moment he enters The basin and lance are put away In a dark cellar which no key but one Can open. And that is the place where I wish To fight the magician. You will never overcome him, sir knight Shaking her head. More than a hundred gentlemen Have ridden past this house Bent on the same errand And not one has ever come back. I know that, good woman. Returned the knight. But then they did not have, like me Instructions from the hermit Of Blavette. And what did the hermit Tell you? Asked Peronick. He told me that I should have to pass All sorts of enchantments and voices. Which would try to frighten me And make me lose my way. Most of those who have gone before me Have wandered they know not where. And perished from cold hunger Or fatigue. Well, suppose you get through Safely. Said the idiot. If I do, continued the knight. I shall then meet a sort of fairy Armed with a needle of fire Which burns to ashes all it touches. This dwarf stands Guarding an apple-tree From which I am bound to pluck an apple. And next In quiet Peronick. Next I shall find the flower that laughs Protected by a lion whose mane Is formed of vipers. I must pluck that flower And go on to the lake of the dragons And fight the black man Who holds in his hand the iron ball Which never misses its mark And returns of its own accord To its master. After that I entered the valley Of pleasure, where some who Cockered all the other obstacles Have left their bones. If I can win through this I shall reach a river with only one Ford, where a lady in black Will be seated. She will mount my horse behind me And tell me what I am to do next. He paused and the woman shook her head. You will never be able To do all that, said she. But he bade her remember That these were only matters For men, and galloped away Down the path she pointed out. The farmer's wife sighed, And giving Peronick some more food Bade him good night. The idiot rose and was opening The gate which led into the forest When the farmer himself came up. I want a boy to tend my cattle, He said abruptly, As the one I had has run away. Will you stay and do it? And Peronick, though he loved His liberty and hated work, Recollected the good food He had eaten, and agreed to stop. At sunrise he collected his herd Carefully, and led them to the rich Pasture which lay along the borders Of the forest, cutting himself A hazel wand with which to keep Them in order. His task was not quite so easy As it looked, for the cows had Draying into the wood. And by the time he had brought one back Another was off. He had gone some distance into the trees After a naughty black cow Which gave him more trouble than all the rest. When he heard the noise of horses feet And peeping through the leaves He beheld the giant rogear Seated on his mare With a colt trotting behind. Round the giant's neck Hung the golden bull suspended From a chain, and in his hand He grasped the diamond lance Which gleamed like fire. But as soon as he was out of sight The idiot sought in vain For traces of the path he had taken. This happened not only once, but many times Till Peronet grew so used to him That he never troubled to hide. But on each occasion he saw him The desire to possess the bull And the lance became stronger. One evening the boy was sitting alone In the forest when a man with a white beard Stopped before him. Do you want to know the way to Kreglas? Asked the idiot, and the man answered I know it well. You have been there without being killed By the magician? Cried Peronet. Oh! he had nothing to fear from me! Replied the white-bearded man. I am rogear's elder brother The wizard Briac. When I wished to visit him I always passed this way And as even I cannot go Through the enchanted wood Without losing myself I call the cult to guide me. Stooping down as he spoke He traced three circles on the ground And murmured some words very low Which Peronet could not hear. Then he added aloud Cult free to run and free to eat Cult gallop fast until we meet. And instantly the cult appeared Frisking and jumping to the wizard Who threw a halter over his neck And leaped on his back. Peronet kept silence at the farm About this adventure But he understood very well That if he was ever to get to Kreglas He must first catch the cult Which knew the way. Unhappily he had not heard The magic words uttered by the wizard And he could not manage to draw The three circles. So if he was to summon the cult At all he must invent some other means Of doing it. All day long While he was hurting the cows He thought and thought how he was To call the cult. For he felt sure that once on its back He could overcome the other dangers. Meantime he must be ready In case a chance should come And he made his preparations at night When everyone was asleep. Remembering what he had seen The wizard do He patched up an old halter That was hanging in a corner of the stable Twisted a rope of hemp To catch the cult's feet And a net such as his used for Snaring birds. Next he sewed roughly together Some bits of cloth to serve as a pocket And this he filled with glue And larks feathers A string of beads A whistle of elderwood And a slice of bread rubbed over With bacon-fat. He used the path down which rogier His mare and the cult always rode And crumbled the bread on one side Of it. Punctual to their hour All three appeared eagerly watched By perinec, who lay hid In the bushes close by. Suppose it was useless Suppose the mare and not the cult Ate the crumbs. Suppose, but no The mare and her rider went safely by Vanishing round a corner While the cult, trotting along With its head on the ground, smelt the Bread and began greedily To lick up the pieces. Oh, how good it was! Why had no one ever given it That before, and so absorbed Was the little beast sniffing About after a few more crumbs That it never heard perinec creep up Till it felt the halter on its neck And the rope round its feet And in another moment Someone on its back. Going as fast as the hobbles Would allow, the cult turned Into one of the wildest parts Of the forest, while its rider Sat trembling at the strange sights He saw. Sometimes the earth seemed to open In front of them, and he was looking Into a bottomless pit. Sometimes the trees burst into flames And he found himself in the midst Of a fire. Often in the act of crossing a stream The water rose and threatened And again, at the foot of a mountain Great rocks would roll towards him As if they would crush him In his cult beneath their weight To his dying day Perinec never knew whether these things Were real, or if he only imagined them But he pulled down his knitted cap So as to cover his eyes And trusted the cult To carry him down the right road At last the forest was left behind And they came out on a wide plain Where the air blew fresh and strong The idiot ventured to peep out And found his relief That the enchantments seemed to have ended Though a thrill of horror shot through him As he noticed the skeletons of men Scattered over the plain Beside the skeletons of their horses And what were those gray forms Trotting away in the distance? Were they? Could they be wolves? But vast though the plain seemed It did not take much time To see them. The plain seemed It did not take long to cross And very soon The cult entered a sort of shady park In which was standing a single apple tree Its branches bowed down to the ground With the weight of its fruit In front was the corrigan The little fairy man Holding in his hand the fiery sword Which reduced to ashes Everything it touched At the sight of Perinec He uttered a piercing scream And raised his sword But without appearing surprised The youth only lifted his cap Though he took care to remain at a little distance Do not me alarm my prince, said Perinec I am just now my way to Kurglass As the noble roguer has begged me To come to him on business Begged you to come Repeated the dwarf And who then are you? I am the new servant he has engaged As you know very well Answered Perinec I do not know at all Rejoined the corrigan soquely And you may be a robber For all I can tell I am so sorry Replied Perinec But I may be wrong In calling myself a servant For I am only a birdcatcher But do not delay me, I pray For his highness the magician expects me And as you see Has lent me his cult He preached the castle all the quicker At these words the corrigan cast his eyes For the first time on the cult Which he knew to be the one belonging to the magician And began to think that the young man Was speaking the truth After examining the horse He studied the rider Who had such an innocent And indeed vacant air That he appeared incapable of inventing a story Still The dwarf did not feel quite sure That all was right And asked what the magician wanted With a birdcatcher From what he says He wants one very badly Replied Perinec As he declares that all his grain And all the fruit in his garden At curglass are eaten up by the birds And how are you going to stop That, my fine fellow? Inquired the corrigan And Perinec showed him the snare He had prepared From it That is just what I should like to be sure of Answered the corrigan My apples are completely Eaten up by black birds and thrushes Lay your snare And if you can manage to catch them I will let you pass That is a fair bargain And as he spoke Perinec jumped down And fastened his cult to a tree Then stopping He fixed one end of the net To the trunk of the apple tree And the corrigan to hold the other While he took out the pegs The dwarf did as he was bid When suddenly Perinec threw the noose Over his neck And drew it close And the corrigan was held as fast As any of the birds he wished to snare Shrieking with rage He tried to undo the cord But he only pulled the knot tighter He had put down the sword on the grass And Perinec had been careful To fix the net on the other side of the tree So that it was now easy for him To pluck an apple and to mount his horse Without being hindered by the dwarf Whom he left to his fate When they had left the plane behind them Perinec and his steed found themselves In a narrow valley In which was a grove of trees Full of all sorts of sweet smelling things Roses of every color Yellow broom Pink honeysuckle While above them all towered Hansy whose face bore a strange expression This was the flower that laughs And no one who looked at it could help laughing too Perinec's heart beat high At the thought that he had reached safely The second trial And he gazed quite calmly at the lion With the mane of vipers twisting and twirling Who walked up and down in front of the grove The young man pulled up And removed his cap For, idiot though he was He knew that when you have to do with people Greater than yourself A cap is more useful in the hand Than on the head Then after wishing all kinds of good fortune To the lion and his family He inquired if he was on the right road To Kurglass And why is your business at Kurglass? Asked the lion with a growl And showing his teeth With all respect Answered Perinec pretending to be very frightened I am the servant of a lady Who is a friend of the noble roe gear And sends him some larks for a pasty Larks! cried the lion Licking his long whiskers Why, it must be a century since I have had any Have you a large quantity with you? As many as this bag will hold Replied Perinec, opening as he spoke The bag which he had filled with feathers and glue And to prove what he said He turned his back on the lion and began to imitate The song of a lark Come! exclaimed the lion, whose mouth watered Show me the birds I should like to see if they are fat enough For my master I will do it with pleasure Answered the idiot But if I once open the bag They will all fly away Well, open it wide enough for me to look in Said the lion, drawing a little nearer Now this was just what Perinec had been hoping for So he held the bag while the lion opened it carefully And put his head right inside So that he might get a good mouthful of larks But the mass of feathers and glue stuck to him And before he could pull his head out again Perinec had drawn tight the cord And tied it in a knot that no man could untie Then, quickly gathering the flower that laughs He rode off as fast as the colt could take him The path soon led to the lake of the dragons Which he had to swim across The colt, who was accustomed to it Plunged into the water without hesitation But as soon as the dragons caught sight of Perinec They approached from all parts of the lake In order to devour him This time Perinec did not trouble to take off his cap But he threw the beads he carried with him into the water As you throw black corn to a duck And with each bead that he swallowed A dragon turned on his back and died So that the idiot reached the other side Without further trouble The valley guarded by the black man Now lay before him And from afar Perinec beheld him Chained by one foot to a rock at the entrance And holding the iron ball which never missed its mark And always returned to its master's hand In his head the black man had six eyes That were never all shut at once But kept watch one after the other At this moment they were all open And Perinec knew well that if the black man Caught a glimpse of him he would cast his ball So, hiding the colt behind a thicket of bushes He crawled along a ditch And crouched close to the very rock To which the black man was chained The day was hot And after a while the man began to grow sleepy Two of his eyes closed And Perinec sang gently In a moment a third eye shut And Perinec sang on The lid of a fourth eye dropped heavily And then those of the fifth And the sixth The black man was asleep altogether Then, on tiptoe, the idiot crept back to the colt Which he led over soft moss Passed the black man into the veil of pleasure A delicious garden full of fruits That dangle before your mouth Fountains running with wine And flowers chanting in soft little voices Further on tables were spread with food And girls dancing on the grass Called to him to join them Perinec heard and scarcely knowing what he did Drew the colt into a slower pace He sniffed greedily the smell of the dishes And raised his head the better to see the dancers Another instant and he would have stopped altogether And been lost, like others before him When suddenly there came to him like a vision The golden bowl and the diamond lance Drawing his whistle from his pocket He blew it loudly So as to drown the sweet sounds about him And ate what was left of his bread and bacon To still the craving of the magic fruits His eyes he fixed steadily on the ears of the colt That he might not see the dancers In this way he was able to reach the end of the garden And at length perceived the castle of Kurglas With the river between them which had only one ford Would the lady be there as the old man had told him? Yes, surely that was she sitting on a rock In a black satin dress And her face the color of a Moorish woman's The idiot rode up and took off his cap more politely than ever And asked if she did not wish to cross the river I was waiting for you to help me do so Answered she, come near that I might get up behind you Paranic did as she bade him and by the help of his arm She jumped nimbly on to the back of the colt Do you know how to kill the magician? Asked the lady as they were crossing the ford I thought that being a magician he was immortal And that no one could kill him, replied Paranic Persuade him to taste that apple and he will die And if that is not enough I will touch him with my finger For I am the plague, answered she But if I kill him, how am I to get the golden bowl And the diamond lance that are hidden in the cellar without a key? Rejoined Paranic The flower that laughs opens all doors And lightens all darkness, said the lady And as she spoke they reached the further bank And advanced towards the castle In front of the entrance was a sort of tent Supported on poles And under it the giant was sitting, basking in the sun As soon as he noticed the colt bearing Paranic and the lady He lifted his head and cried in a voice of thunder Why, it is surely the idiot Riding my colt thirteen months old Greatest of magicians you are right Answered Paranic And how did you manage to catch him? Asked the giant By repeating what I learned from your brother Briac On the edge of the forest, replied the idiot I just said, colt free to run and free to eat Colt gallop fast until we meet And it came directly You know my brother then Inquired the giant Tell me why he sent you here To bring you two gifts which he has just received From the country of the Moors Answered Paranic The apple of delight and the woman of submission If you eat the apple you will not desire anything else And if you take the woman as your servant You will never wish for another Well, give me the apple and bid the woman get down Answered Rogier The idiot obeyed, but at the first taste of the apple The giant staggered And as the long yellow finger of the woman touched him He fell dead Leaving the magician where he lay Paranic entered the palace Bearing with him the flower that laughs Fifty doors flew open before him And at length he reached a long flight of steps Which seemed to lead into the bowels of the earth Down these he went till he came to a silver door Without a bar or key Then he held up high the flower that laughs And the door slowly swung back Displaying a deep cavern Which was as bright as the day From the shining of the golden bowl and the diamond lance The idiot hastily ran forward And hung the bowl round his neck From the chain which was attached to it And took the lance in his hand As he did so the ground shook beneath him And with an awful rumbling the palace disappeared And Paranic found himself standing close to the forest Where he led his cattle to graze Though darkness was coming on Paranic never thought of entering the farm But followed the road which led to the court Of the Duke of Brittany As he passed through the town of Van He stopped at a tailor's shop And bought a beautiful costume of brown velvet And a white horse which he paid for With a handful of gold that he had picked up In the corridor of the castle of Kurglas Thus he made his way to the city of Nutt Which at that moment was besieged by the French A little way off Paranic stopped and looked about him For miles round the country was bare For the enemy had cut down every tree And burnt every blade of corn And idiot though he might be Paranic was able to grasp That inside the gates men were dying of famine He was still gazing with horror When a trumpeter appeared on the walls And after blowing a loud blast Announced that the Duke would adopt as his heir The man who could drive the French out of the country On the four sides of the city The trumpeter blew his blast And the last time Paranic Who had ridden up as close as he might Answered him You need blow no more Said he For I myself will free the town from her enemies And turning to a soldier who came running up Waving his sword He touched him with the magic lance And he fell dead on the spot The men who were following stood still amazed Their comrades armour had not been pierced Of that they were sure Yet he was dead as if he had been struck to the heart But before they had time to recover From their astonishment Paranic cried out You see how my foes will fare Now behold what I can do for my friends And stooping down He laid the golden bowl against the mouth of the soldier Who sat up as well as ever Then jumping his horse across the trench He entered the gate of the city Which had opened wide enough to receive him The news of these marvels quickly spread through the town And put fresh spirit into the garrison So that they declared themselves able to fight Under the command of the young stranger And as the bowl restored all the dead Bretons to life Paranic soon had an army large enough to drive away the French And fulfilled his promise of delivering his country As to the bowl and the lance No one knows what became of them But some say that Briac the sorcerer Managed to steal them again And that anyone who wishes to possess them Must seek them as Paranic did From The Foyer Breton by Emile Souvestre End of The Castle of Kerglass This recording is in the public domain The Battle of the Birds A tale from Scotland There was to be a great battle between all the creatures of the earth And the birds of the air News of it went abroad And the son of the king of Tethotown Said that when the battle was fought He would be there to see it And would bring back word who was to be king But in spite of that he was almost too late And every fight had been fought saved the last Which was between a snake and a great black raven Both struck hard But in the end the snake proved the stronger And would have twisted himself round the neck of the raven till he died Had not the king's son drawn his sword And cut off the head of the snake at a single blow And when the raven beheld that his enemy was dead He was grateful and said For thy kindness to me this day I will show thee a sight So come up now on the root of my two wings The king's son did as he was bid And before the raven stopped flying They had passed over seven bends And seven glens and seven mountain moors Do you see that house yonder? Said the raven at last Go straight for it For a sister of mine dwells there And she will make you right welcome And if she asks Weren't thou at the battle of the birds? Answer that thou worked And if she asks Did thou see my likeness? Answer that thou sawest it But be sure thou meetest me in the morning At this place The king's son followed what the raven told him And that night he had meat of each meat And a drink of each drink Warm water for his feet And a soft bed to lie in Thus it happened the next day And the next But on the fourth meeting Instead of meeting the raven In his place the king's son found waiting for him The handsomest youth that ever was seen With a bundle in his hand Is there a raven hereabouts? Asked the king's son And the youth answered I am that raven, and I was delivered by thee From the spells that bound me And in reward thou will get this bundle Go back by the road thou cameest And lie as before A night in each house But be careful not to unloose the bundle Till thou art in the place Wherein thou wouldst most wish to dwell Then the king's son set out And thus it happened, as it had happened before Till he entered a thick wood near his father's house He had walked a long way And suddenly the bundle seemed to grow heavier First he put it down under a tree And next he thought he would look at it The string was easy to untie And the king's son soon unfastened the bundle What was it he saw there? We're a great castle with an orchard all about it And in the orchard, fruit and flowers And birds of every kind It was all ready for him to dwell in But instead of being in the midst of the forest He did wish he had left the bundle unloosed Till he had reached the green valley Close to his father's palace Well, it was no use wishing And with a sigh he glanced up And beheld a huge giant coming towards him Bird is the place where thou has built Thy house king's son Said the giant True, it is not here that I wish to be Answered the king's son What reward will thou give me If I put it back in the bundle? Asked the giant What reward dost thou ask? Answered the king's son First boy thou hast when he is seven years old Said the giant If I have a boy, thou shalt get him Answered the king's son And as he spoke the castle and the orchard Were tied up in the bundle again Now take thy road, and I will take mine Said the giant And if thou forgetest thy promise I will remember it Light of heart the king's son went on his road Till he came to the green valley near his father's palace Slowly he unleashed the bundle Fearing lest he should find nothing but heap of stones or rags But no, all was as it had been before And as he opened the castle door There stood within the most beautiful maiden That ever was seen Enter king's son, she said All is ready, and we will be married at once And so they were The maiden proved a good wife And the king's son, now himself a king Was so happy that he forgot all about the giant Seven years and a day had gone by When one morning, while standing on the ramparts He beheld the giant striding towards the castle Then he remembered his promise And remembered, too, that he had told the queen nothing about it Now he must tell her, and perhaps she might help him in his trouble The queen listened in silence to his tale And after he had finished, she only said Leave thou the matter between me and the giant And as she spoke the giant entered the hall And stood before them Bring out your son, cried he to the king As you promised me seven years and a day since The king glanced at his wife, who nodded, so he answered Let his mother first put him in order And the queen left the hall, and took the cook's son And dressed him in the prince's clothes And led him up to the giant, who held his hand And together they went out along the road They had not walked far when the giant stocked And stretched out a stick to the boy If your father had that stick, what would he do with it? Asked he If my father had that stick, he would beat the dogs and cats That steal the king's meat, replied the boy Thou art the cook's son, cried the giant Go home to thy mother And turning back he strode straight to the castle If you seek to strict me this time, the highest stone Will soon be the lowest Said he, and the king and queen trembled But they could not bear to give up their boy The buttonless son is the same age as ours Whispered the queen He will not know the difference And she took the child and dressed him in the prince's clothes And the giant led him away along the road Before they had gone far he stopped and held out a stick If thy father had that rod, what would he do with it? Asked the giant He would beat the dogs and cats that break the king's glasses Answered the boy Thou art the son of the butler, cried the giant Go home to thy mother And turning round he strode back angrily to the castle Bring out thy son at once, wrought he Or the stone that is highest will be the lowest And this time the real prince was bought But though his parents wept bitterly And fancied the child was suffering all kinds of dreadful things The giant treated him like his own son Though he never allowed him to see his daughters The boy grew to be a big boy And one day the giant told him that he would have to amuse himself alone For many hours as he had a journey to make So the boy wandered to the top of the castle Where he had never been before There he paused for the sound of music broke upon his ears And opening a door near him He beheld a girl sitting by the window holding a harp Haste and begone, I see the giant close at hand She whispered hurriedly But when he is asleep return hither for I would speak with thee And the prince did as he was bid And when midnight struck he crept back to the top of the castle Tomorrow Said the girl who was the giant's daughter Tomorrow thou wilt get the choice of my two sisters to marry But thou must answer that thou will not take either, but only me This will anger him greatly for he wishes to betrove me to the son of the king of the green city Whom I like not at all Then they parted And on the morrow, as the girl had said The giant called his three daughters to him And likewise the young prince to whom he spoke Now, O son of the king of Tethertown The time has come for us to part Choose one of my two eldest daughters to wife And now shall take her to your father's house the day after the wedding Give me the youngest instead Replied the youth, and the giant's face darkened as he heard him Three things must thou do first, said he Say, young, I will do them Replied the prince, and the giant left the house and bait him follow to the buyer, where the cows were kept For a hundred years no man has swept this buyer, said the giant But if by nightfall when I reach home thou has not cleaned it So that a golden apple can roll through it from end to end Thy blood shall pay for it All day long the youth toiled, but he might as well have tried to empty the ocean At length, when he was so tired he could hardly move The giant's youngest daughter stood in the doorway Lay down my weariness, said she And the king's son, thinking he could only die once Sank on the floridae bidding, and fell sound asleep When he woke the girl had disappeared And the buyer was so clean that a golden apple could roll from end to end of it He jumped up in surprise, and at that moment in came the giant Has thou cleaned the buyer, king's son? Asked he I have cleaned it, answered he Well, since thou worked so active to-day, tomorrow thou toward thatch this buyer With a feather from every different bird, or else thou blood shall pay for it And out he went Before the sun was up the youth took up his bow and his quiver, and set off to kill the birds After the more he went, but never a bird was to be seen that day At last he got so tired with running to and fro that he gave out part There is but one death I can die, thought he Then, at midday, came the giant's daughter Thou art tired, king's son? Asked she I am, answered he All these hours have I wandered, and there fell but these two blackbirds, both of one colour Lay down thy weariness on the grass, she said And he did as she bade him, and fell fast asleep When he woke the girl had disappeared, and he got up and returned to the buyer As he drew near he rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was dreaming For there it was, beautifully thatched, just as the giant had wished At the door of the house he met the giant Has thou thatched the buyer, king's son? I have thatched it Well, since thou hast been so active to-day, I have something else for thee Besides the lock thou seest over yonder, that grows a fir tree On the top of the fir tree is a magpie's nest, and in the nest are five eggs Thou wilt bring me those eggs for breakfast, and if one is cracked or broken, thy blood shall pay for it Before it was light's next day, the king's son jumped out of bed, and ran down to the lock The tree was not hard to find, for the rising sun shone red on the trunk, which was five hundred feet from the ground to its first branch Time after time he walked round it, trying to find some knots, however small, where he could put his feet But the bark was quite smooth, and he soon saw that if he was to reach the top at all, it must be by climbing up with his knees, like a sailor But then he was a king's son, and not a sailor, which made all the difference However, it was no use standing there staring at the fir, at least he must try to do his best, and try he did till his hands and knees were sore For as soon as he had shoggled up a few feet, he slid back down again, once he climbed a little higher than before, and hope rose in his heart Then down he came with such force that his hands and knees smothered worse than ever This is no time for stopping," said the voice of the giant's daughter, as he leaned against the trunk to recover his breath Alas! I am no sooner up than down," answered he Try once more," said she, and she laid a finger against the tree, and bade him put his foot on it Then she placed another finger a little higher up, and so on till he reached the top, where the magpie had built her nest Make haste now with the nest," she cried, for my father's breath is burning my back, and down he scrambled as fast as he could But the girl's little finger had caught in a branch at the top, and she was obliged to leave it there But she was too busy to pay heed for this, for the son was getting high over the hills Listen to me," she said, this night my two sisters and I will be dressed in the same garments, and you will not know me But when my father says, go to thy wife-king's son, come to the one whose right hand has no little finger So he went, and gave the eggs to the giant, who nodded his head Make ready for thy marriage," cried he, for thy wedding shall take place this very night, and I will summon thy bride to greet thee Then his three daughters were sent for, and they all entered dressed in green silk of the same fashion, and with golden circlets round their heads The king's son looked from one to the other, which was the youngest Suddenly his eyes fell on the hand of the middle one, and there was no little finger Thou hast aimed well this time too," said the giant, as the king's son laid his hand on her shoulder But perhaps we may meet some other way, and though he pretended to laugh, the bride saw the gleam in his eye which warned her of danger The wedding took place that very night, and the hall was filled with giants and gentlemen, and they danced till the house shook from top to bottom At last everyone retired, and the guests went away, and the king's son and his bride were left alone If we stay here till dawn, my father will kill thee," she whispered, but thou art my husband, and I was safe thee as I did before And she cut an apple into nine pieces, and put two pieces at the head of the bed, and two pieces at the foot, and two pieces at the door of the kitchen And two at the big door, and one outside the house And when this was done, and she heard the giant snoring, she and the king's son crept out softly and stole across to the stable Where she led out the blue-gray mare, and jumped on its back, and her husband mounted behind her, not long after the giant awoke Are you asleep? asked he Not yet Answered the apple at the head of the bed, and the giant turned over, and soon was snoring as loudly as before By and by he called again Are you asleep? Not yet Said the apple at the foot of the bed, and the giant was satisfied After a while he called a third time Are you asleep? Not yet Replied the apple in the kitchen But when, in a few minutes, he put the question for the fourth time, and received an answer from the apple outside the house door He guessed what had happened, and ran to the room to look for himself The bed was cold and empty My father's breath is burning my back, cried the girl Put thy hand into the ear of the mare, and whatever thou findest there throw it behind thee And in the mare's ear there was a twig of the slow-tree And as he threw it behind him there sprung up twenty miles of thorn wood, so thick that scarcer weasel could cut through it And the giant, who was striding headlong forwards, got caught in it, and it pulled his head and beard This is one of my daughter's tricks, he said to himself But if I had my big axe and my wood-knife, I would not be long making a way through this And off he went home, and brought back the axe and the wood-knife It took him but a short time to cut a road through the black form, and there he laid the axe and the knife under a tree I will leave them there till I return He murmured to himself But a hoodie crow, which was sitting on the branch above, heard him If thou leaveest them, said the hoodie, we will steal them You will, answered the giant And I must take them home So he took them home, and started afresh on his journey My father's breath is burning my back Cried the girl at midday Put thy finger in the mare's ear, and throw behind thee whatever thou findest in it And the king's son found a splinter of grey stone, and threw it behind him And in the twinkling twenty miles of solid rock, lay between them and the giant My daughter's tricks are the hardest things that ever met me Said the giant But if I had my lever and my crowbar, I would not be long in making my way through this rock also But as he had not gotch them, he had to go home and fetch them Then it took him but a short time to hew his way through the rock I will leave the tools here He murmured aloud, when he had finished If thou leaveest them, we will steal them Said the hoodie, he was perched on a stone above him And the giant answered Steal them if thou wilt, there is no time to go back My father's breath is burning my back, cried the girl Look in the mare's ear, king's son, or we are lost And he looked, and found a tiny bladder full of water which he threw behind him And it became a great lock And the giant, who was striding on so fast, could not stop himself And he walked right into the middle and was drowned The blue-grey mare galloped on like the wind And the next day the king's son came in sight of his father's house Get down and go in, said the bride, and tell them that thou hast married me But take heed that neither man nor beast kiss thee, for then thou will cease to remember me at all I will do thy bidding, answered he, and he left her at the gate All who met him bade him welcome, and he charged his father and mother not to kiss him But as he greeted them his old greyhound leapt on his neck and kissed him on the mouth And after that he did not remember the giant's daughter All that day she sat on a well which was near the gate Waiting, waiting But the king's son never came In the darkness she climbed up into an oak tree that shadowed the well And there she lay all night Waiting, waiting On the morrow at midday the wife of a shoemaker who dwelt near the well Went to draw water for her husband to drink And she saw the shadow of the girl in the tree and thought it was her own shadow How handsome I am to be sure She said, gazing into the well And as she stopped to behold herself better, the jug struck against the stones and broke into pieces And she was forced to return to her husband without the water And this angered him Thou hast turned crazy, said he in wrath Go thou, my daughter, and fetch me a drink And the girl went And the same thing befell her as had befallen her mother Where is the water? asked the shoemaker when she came back And as she held nothing save the handle of the jug he went to the well himself He too saw the reflection of the woman in the tree But looked up to discover whence it came And there above him sat the most beautiful woman in the world Come down, he said, for a while thus can stay in my house And glad enough the girl was to come Now the king of the country was about to marry And the young men about the court thronged the shoemaker's shop to buy fine shoes to wear at the wedding Thou hast a pretty daughter, said they when they beheld the girl sitting at work Pretty she is, answered the shoemaker, but no daughter of mine I would give a hundred pounds to marry her, said one And I, and I, cried the others That is no business of mine, answered the shoemaker And the young men bade him ask her if she would choose one of them for her husband And to tell them on the morrow Then the shoemaker asked her, and the young girl said she would marry the one who would bring his purse with him So the shoemaker hurried to the youth who had first spoken And he came back, and after giving the shoemaker a hundred pounds for his news He sought the girl who was waiting for him Is it, Thou? inquired she I am thirsty, give me a drink from the well that is yonder And he poured out the water, but he could not move from the place where he was And there he stayed till many hours had passed by Take away that foolish boy, cried the girl to the shoemaker at last I am tired of him And then suddenly he was able to walk, and but took himself to his home But he did not tell the others what had happened to him Next day there arrived one of the other young men And in the evening when the shoemaker had gone out and they were alone She said to him, See if the latch is on the door The young man hastened to do her bidding But as soon as he touched the latch his finger stuck to it And there he had to stay for many hours Till the shoemaker came back and the girl let him go Hung in his head he went home But he told no one wanted to befall on him Then was the turn of the third man And his foot remained fastened to the floor till the girl unloosed it And thankfully he ran off and was not seen looking behind him Take the purse of gold Said the girl to the shoemaker I have no need of it, and it will better thee And the shoemaker took it and told the girl he must carry the shoes for the wedding up to the castle I would feign get a sight of the king's son before he marries Said she Come with me then, answered he The servants were all my friends, and they will let you stand in the passage down which the king's son will pass and all the company too Up they went to the castle And when the young men saw the girl standing there They led her into the hall where the banquet was laid out and poured her out some wine She was just raising the glass to drink when a flame went up out of it And out of the flame sprang two pigeons, one of gold and one of silver They flew round and round to the head of the girl When three grains of barley fell on the floor And the silver pigeon dived down and swallowed them If thou hadst remember how I cleaned the buyer, thou wouldst have given me my share Cooed the golden pigeon And as he spoke three more grains fell and the silver pigeon ate them as before If thou hadst remember how I thatched the buyer, thou wouldst have given me my share Cooed the golden pigeon again, and as he spoke three more grains fell And for the third time they were eaten by the silver pigeon If thou hadst remembered how I got the magpie's nest, thou wouldst have given me my share Cooed the golden pigeon Then the king's son understood that they had come to remind him of what he had forgotten And his lost memory came back, and he knew his wife and kissed her But as the preparations had been made it seemed a pity to waste them So they were married a second time and sat down to the wedding feast End of the Battle of the Birds