Cinderella

Cinderella was the daughter of a rich man. But her stepmother was bad, and her stepsisters were beautiful and fair efface, but vile and black of heart. Cinderella had to work hard in the kitchen all day long and at night she was made to sleep by the fireside in the ashes.

Every day the girl went to her mother’s grave, wept and prayed, and every time a little white bird appeared and if the girl expressed a wish, the little bird threw down to her what she had wished for. One day the king planned a ball to which all the beautiful young ladies in the land - including the two stepsisters - were invited, so that his son could choose his bride.

Cinderella wept because she would have liked to have gone to the ball, too. She asked her stepmother to give her permission. “You, Cinderella!”), she cried, “you are full of dust and dirt and want to go to the wedding? Here, I have emptied a dish of lentils into the ashes, and if you have picked them out again in two hours, you can go with us.”)

The girl went out of the back door into the garden and called: “You tame pigeons, all you birds in the sky, come and help me pick - the good ones in the pot and the bad ones in the crop.”)

And all the little pigeons and birds came and picked out all the good lentils and put them into the dish. And after hardly an hour had passed, they were finished. The girl was happy and thought that now she would be allowed to go to the wedding. But the stepmother said: “There’s nothing to be done: you can’t go with us, we would be ashamed of you.”) With that, she left together with her two proud daughters.

But Cinderella went to her mother’s grave and called: “Shiver and quiver, little tree, silver and gold throw over me.”) Then the bird threw a dress of gold down to her feet, and the girl quickly put it on and went to the wedding. Her stepsisters didn’t recognise her and thought she must be a foreign princess. The king’s son approached her and refused to dance with anyone else but Cinderella. And when another man came to ask her to dance he answered: “This is my partner.”)

When it became late, Cinderella wanted to leave, and the king’s son wanted to accompany her, but she rushed away so quickly that he couldn’t follow her. But the girl’s left slipper had slipped off her foot. The prince picked it up, and it was so small and dainty. He took it to Cinderella’s father: “No maiden shall be my bride other than the one whose foot fits this shoe.”) The older stepsister took the shoe into her room and wanted to put it on. But she couldn’t get her big toe into it, the shoe was too small. So the girl cut off her toe, swallowed the pain and went out to the king’s son. He took her on his horse as his bride and rode away with her. But they had to ride past the grave, and two pigeons were sitting there and called: “Ruckety-coo, ruckety-coo, there’s blood in the shoe! Too small is the shoe, the proper bride still waits for you.”)

Then the prince saw the blood, turned his horse round and took the false bride back home. The other stepsister was told to try on the shoe. But it didn’t fit her either. Finally Cinderella was called for. She first washed her hands and face clean, then she went and bowed down before the king’s son. He gave her the shoe, which fitted perfectly. And when the prince looked at her face, he recognised the beautiful maiden and cried: “This is my true bride!”) The stepmother and the two sisters were terrified and turned pale with rage. But the prince took Cinderella on his horse and rode away with her.