<h3><SPAN name="chap88"></SPAN>88 The Singing, Springing Lark</h3>
<p>There was once on a time a man who was about to set out on a long journey, and
on parting he asked his three daughters what he should bring back with him for
them. Whereupon the eldest wished for pearls, the second wished for diamonds,
but the third said, “Dear father, I should like a singing, soaring
lark.” The father said, “Yes, if I can get it, you shall have
it,” kissed all three, and set out. Now when the time had come for him to
be on his way home again, he had brought pearls and diamonds for the two
eldest, but he had sought everywhere in vain for a singing, soaring lark for
the youngest, and he was very unhappy about it, for she was his favorite child.
Then his road lay through a forest, and in the midst of it was a splendid
castle, and near the castle stood a tree, but quite on the top of the tree, he
saw a singing, soaring lark. “Aha, you come just at the right
moment!” he said, quite delighted, and called to his servant to climb up
and catch the little creature. But as he approached the tree, a lion leapt from
beneath it, shook himself, and roared till the leaves on the trees trembled.
“He who tries to steal my singing, soaring lark,” he cried,
“will I devour.” Then the man said, “I did not know that the
bird belonged to thee. I will make amends for the wrong I have done and ransom
myself with a large sum of money, only spare my life.” The lion said,
“Nothing can save thee, unless thou wilt promise to give me for mine own
what first meets thee on thy return home; and if thou wilt do that, I will
grant thee thy life, and thou shalt have the bird for thy daughter, into the
bargain.” But the man hesitated and said, “That might be my
youngest daughter, she loves me best, and always runs to meet me on my return
home.” The servant, however, was terrified and said, “Why should
your daughter be the very one to meet you, it might as easily be a cat, or
dog?” Then the man allowed himself to be over-persuaded, took the
singing, soaring lark, and promised to give the lion whatsoever should first
meet him on his return home.</p>
<p>When he reached home and entered his house, the first who met him was no other
than his youngest and dearest daughter, who came running up, kissed and
embraced him, and when she saw that he had brought with him a singing, soaring
lark, she was beside herself with joy. The father, however, could not rejoice,
but began to weep, and said, “My dearest child, I have bought the little
bird dear. In return for it, I have been obliged to promise thee to a savage
lion, and when he has thee he will tear thee in pieces and devour thee,”
and he told her all, just as it had happened, and begged her not to go there,
come what might. But she consoled him and said, “Dearest father, indeed
your promise must be fulfilled. I will go thither and soften the lion, so that
I may return to thee safely.” Next morning she had the road pointed out
to her, took leave, and went fearlessly out into the forest. The lion, however,
was an enchanted prince and was by day a lion, and all his people were lions
with him, but in the night they resumed their natural human shapes. On her
arrival she was kindly received and led into the castle. When night came, the
lion turned into a handsome man, and their wedding was celebrated with great
magnificence. They lived happily together, remained awake at night, and slept
in the daytime. One day he came and said, “To-morrow there is a feast in
thy father’s house, because your eldest sister is to be married, and if
thou art inclined to go there, my lions shall conduct thee.” She said,
“Yes, I should very much like to see my father again,” and went
thither, accompanied by the lions. There was great joy when she arrived, for
they had all believed that she had been torn in pieces by the lion, and had
long ceased to live. But she told them what a handsome husband she had, and how
well off she was, remained with them while the wedding-feast lasted, and then
went back again to the forest. When the second daughter was about to be
married, and she was again invited to the wedding, she said to the lion,
“This time I will not be alone, thou must come with me.” The lion,
however, said that it was too dangerous for him, for if when there a ray from a
burning candle fell on him, he would be changed into a dove, and for seven
years long would have to fly about with the doves. She said, “Ah, but do
come with me, I will take great care of thee, and guard thee from all
light.” So they went away together, and took with them their little child
as well. She had a chamber built there, so strong and thick that no ray could
pierce through it; in this he was to shut himself up when the candles were lit
for the wedding-feast. But the door was made of green wood which warped and
left a little crack which no one noticed. The wedding was celebrated with
magnificence, but when the procession with all its candles and torches came
back from church, and passed by this apartment, a ray about the breadth of a
hair fell on the King’s son, and when this ray touched him, he was
transformed in an instant, and when she came in and looked for him, she did not
see him, but a white dove was sitting there. The dove said to her, “For
seven years must I fly about the world, but at every seventh step that you take
I will let fall a drop of red blood and a white feather, and these will show
thee the way, and if thou followest the trace thou canst release me.”
Thereupon the dove flew out at the door, and she followed him, and at every
seventh step a red drop of blood and a little white feather fell down and
showed her the way.</p>
<p>So she went continually further and further in the wide world, never looking
about her or resting, and the seven years were almost past; then she rejoiced
and thought that they would soon be delivered, and yet they were so far from
it! Once when they were thus moving onwards, no little feather and no drop of
red blood fell, and when she raised her eyes the dove had disappeared. And as
she thought to herself, “In this no man can help thee,” she climbed
up to the sun, and said to him, “Thou shinest into every crevice, and
over every peak, hast thou not seen a white dove flying?”
“No,” said the sun, “I have seen none, but I present thee
with a casket, open it when thou art in sorest need.” Then she thanked
the sun, and went on until evening came and the moon appeared; she then asked
her, “Thou shinest the whole night through, and on every field and
forest, hast thou not seen a white dove flying?” “No,” said
the moon, “I have seen no dove, but here I give thee an egg, break it
when thou art in great need.” She thanked the moon, and went on until the
night wind came up and blew on her, then she said to it, “Thou blowest
over every tree and under every leaf, hast thou not seen a white dove
flying?” “No,” said the night wind, “I have seen none,
but I will ask the three other winds, perhaps they have seen it.” The
east wind and the west wind came, and had seen nothing, but the south wind
said, “I have seen the white dove, it has flown to the Red Sea, where it
has become a lion again, for the seven years are over, and the lion is there
fighting with a dragon; the dragon, however, is an enchanted princess.”
The night wind then said to her, “I will advise thee; go to the Red Sea,
on the right bank are some tall reeds, count them, break off the eleventh, and
strike the dragon with it, then the lion will be able to subdue it, and both
then will regain their human form. After that, look round and thou wilt see the
griffin which is by the Red Sea; swing thyself, with thy beloved, on to his
back, and the bird will carry you over the sea to your own home. Here is a nut
for thee, when thou are above the center of the sea, let the nut fall, it will
immediately shoot up, and a tall nut-tree will grow out of the water on which
the griffin may rest; for if he cannot rest, he will not be strong enough to
carry you across, and if thou forgettest to throw down the nut, he will let you
fall into the sea.”</p>
<p>Then she went thither, and found everything as the night wind had said. She
counted the reeds by the sea, and cut off the eleventh, struck the dragon
therewith, whereupon the lion overcame it, and immediately both of them
regained their human shapes. But when the princess, who had before been the
dragon, was delivered from enchantment, she took the youth by the arm, seated
herself on the griffin, and carried him off with her. There stood the poor
maiden who had wandered so far and was again forsaken. She sat down and cried,
but at last she took courage and said, “Still I will go as far as the
wind blows and as long as the cock crows, until I find him,” and she went
forth by long, long roads, until at last she came to the castle where both of
them were living together; there she heard that soon a feast was to be held, in
which they would celebrate their wedding, but she said, “God still helps
me,” and opened the casket that the sun had given her. A dress lay
therein as brilliant as the sun itself. So she took it out and put it on, and
went up into the castle, and everyone, even the bride herself, looked at her
with astonishment. The dress pleased the bride so well that she thought it
might do for her wedding-dress, and asked if it was for sale? “Not for
money or land,” answered she, “but for flesh and blood.” The
bride asked her what she meant by that, so she said, “Let me sleep a
night in the chamber where the bridegroom sleeps.” The bride would not,
yet wanted very much to have the dress; at last she consented, but the page was
to give the prince a sleeping-draught. When it was night, therefore, and the
youth was already asleep, she was led into the chamber; she seated herself on
the bed and said, “I have followed after thee for seven years. I have
been to the sun and the moon, and the four winds, and have enquired for thee,
and have helped thee against the dragon; wilt thou, then quite forget
me?” But the prince slept so soundly that it only seemed to him as if the
wind were whistling outside in the fir-trees. When therefore day broke, she was
led out again, and had to give up the golden dress. And as that even had been
of no avail, she was sad, went out into a meadow, sat down there, and wept.
While she was sitting there, she thought of the egg which the moon had given
her; she opened it, and there came out a clucking hen with twelve chickens all
of gold, and they ran about chirping, and crept again under the old hen’s
wings; nothing more beautiful was ever seen in the world! Then she arose, and
drove them through the meadow before her, until the bride looked out of the
window. The little chickens pleased her so much that she immediately came down
and asked if they were for sale. “Not for money or land, but for flesh
and blood; let me sleep another night in the chamber where the bridegroom
sleeps.” The bride said, “Yes,” intending to cheat her as on
the former evening. But when the prince went to bed he asked the page what the
murmuring and rustling in the night had been? On this the page told all; that
he had been forced to give him a sleeping-draught, because a poor girl had
slept secretly in the chamber, and that he was to give him another that night.
The prince said, “Pour out the draught by the bed-side.” At night,
she was again led in, and when she began to relate how ill all had fared with
her, he immediately recognized his beloved wife by her voice, sprang up and
cried, “Now I really am released! I have been as it were in a dream, for
the strange princess has bewitched me so that I have been compelled to forget
thee, but God has delivered me from the spell at the right time.” Then
they both left the castle secretly in the night, for they feared the father of
the princess, who was a sorcerer, and they seated themselves on the griffin
which bore them across the Red Sea, and when they were in the midst of it, she
let fall the nut. Immediately a tall nut-tree grew up, whereon the bird rested,
and then carried them home, where they found their child, who had grown tall
and beautiful, and they lived thenceforth happily until their death.</p>
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