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ENGELSE VERHALEN/VERHAALTJES
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In welke klas je ook Engels geeft, een onderdeel van elke les is het vertellen van een klein verhaal.
Daarvan hoeven de kinderen niet meteen alles te begrijpen.
Wel is het aan te raden dat er van te voren een bepaalde relatie met het nog te vertellen verhaaltje werd gelegd.
Dat kan op verschillende manieren.
De klassenleerkracht heeft bijv. een sprookje verteld of in de hogere klassen andere vertelstof. Dat kun je dan rond dezelfde tijd ook in de ander niet-Nederlandse taal doen. Je kan de kinderen laten raden waarover het ging; je kan het ook aankondigen, zodat ze met de kennis van het Nederlandse verhaal naar de Engelse versie luisteren.
Wanneer je in andere lessen dit herhaalt of een gedeelte van het verhaal, kun je in het laatste geval vragen over welk deel het ging.
Zo zijn er allerlei mogelijkheden het verhaaltje in het aandachtsgebied te houden of te brengen.
Hier volgen een aantal verhalen.
Ik heb er geen leeftijdsaanwijzing bij gezet, omdat het erg van het niveau van de klas afhangt, wat de kinderen kunnen begrijpen.
Het is veel werk, maar hoort wel bij het echte vrijeschoolleraarschap: vertel ze uit het hoofd (desnoods met een klein spiekbriefje)
The Turnip (Russia)
The Duckling’s Journey (Siebenburgen)
The Story of the Five Toes (Siebenburgen)
The Farmer who Went to Plough (Siebenburgen)
The Three Little Pigs (Great Britain)
The Little Round Pot (Germany)
The Story of the Thick Fat Pancake (Norway)
Why the Bear Has a Stumpy Tail (Norway)
Porridge (Grimm)
The Three Butterflies (Germany)
The Fly and the Bee (Grimm)
The Story of the Five Fingers (Siebenburgen)
Cock and Hen in the Wood (Norway)
Rag, Tag and Bobtail (Grimm)
The Magic Horse (Bechstein)
THE TURNIP
An old man sowedd a turnip seed. The rain fell, the sun shone, and the seed grew and grew into an enormous turnip.
One evening the old man thought he would like to have the turnip for supper, so he put on his big boots and went into the field to pull it up. He seized it by the leaves and he pulled and he pulled, but he could not pull it up.
He called to his wife, and she came and pulled the man, and the man pulled the turnip; and they pulled and they pulled, but they could not pull it up.
The little boy came running up, and he pulled the woman, and the woman pulled the man, and the man pulled the turnip; and they pulled and they pulled, but they could not pull it up.
The dog came up with a bark, and took hold of the little boy. The dog pulled the boy, and the boy pulled the woman, and the woman pulled the man, and the man pulled the turnip; and they pulled and they pulled, but they could not pull it up.
Then the hen came with a flutter of her wings, and grabbed the dog’s tail with her beak. The hen pulled the dog, and the dog pulled the boy, and the boy pulled the woman, and the woman pulled the man, and the man pulled the turnip; and they pulled and they pulled, but they could not pull it up.
The cock came strutting up. The cock pulled the hen, and the hen pulled the dog, and the dog pulled the boy, and the boy pulled the woman, and the woman pulled the man, and the man pulled the turnip. They pulled and they pulled and they pulled – and up came the turnip, and down they all feil, flat on the ground.
So they all had turnip for supper, and there was plenty left over for the next day and for the day after that.
Heel vaak is dit verhaaltje al in de kleuterklas verteld, dus een eerste klas zal het zich goed herinneren. Het heeft ook het voordeel dat het een soort zich herhalend vers is, dat ook nog eens goed uit te beelden is.
De kinderen doen de bewegingen terwijl de leerkracht de betreffende zinnen spreekt. Het duurt niet lang of de kinderen kennen veel woorden of kunnen ze op het juiste ogenblik zelf (mee)zeggen.
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THE DUCKLING’S JOURNEY
A duckling waddled proudly along as he set off on his journey into the wide world.
Along came a frog, who said, ‘Where are you going, little duck ? ’
‘I’m going into the wide world! ’ said the duckling.
‘May I come with you ? ’ asked the frog.
‘Just sit on my tail,’ replied the duckling.
So the frog perched himself on the duckling’s tail, and off they went.
By and by they met a pebble, who asked, ‘Where are you going, duckling and frog
?
’ ‘We are going into the wide world! ’ replied the duckling and the frog together.
‘May I come with you ? ’ asked the pebble.
‘Just jump on to my back,’ replied the frog.
So the pebble perched himself on the frog’s back and off they went.
Soon they met a live coal, glowing red, who said, ‘Where are you going, duckling, frog and pebble ? ’
‘We are going into the wide world! ’ replied the duckling, the frog and the pebble.
‘May I come with you, duckling, frog and pebble?’ asked the red-hot coal.
‘Just jump on to my back,’ replied the pebble.
So the red-hot coal perched himself on top, overjoyed that he could see so much of the wide world. On they went together, until they came to a river.
The duckling swam into the water, and when he reached the middle of the river he said, ‘Now just a moment, while I dive down to see if I can catch a fish.’
Alas, that was the end of the pebble and the coal. They fell into the water, and they were never seen again.
But the duckling and the frog were quite happy, for they could swim. They laughed till they split their sides, and they are still laughing to this very day.
But people who do not know this story say that they are just quacking and croaking.
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THE STORY OF THE FIVE TOES
Do you know why the big toe is so thick, and all the other toes are so thin ? Listen, and I will teLl you.
The smallest toe went out into the forest one day to look for firewood. The second toe caught a hare, the third toe brought it back home, the fourth one cooked it, and the nasty horrid big toe ate it all himself.
Was that fair ? Of course not, and that is why the four little toes keep apart from the big toe to this very day.
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THE FARMER WHO WENT TO PLOUGH
There was once an old farmer who went out to plough his field. He ploughed for a long, long time, and at last his plough turned up a great wooden chest.
‘What can be in it ? ’ he wondered. He would have liked to know, but the chest was fastened with an enormous lock. So he went to fetch a locksmith, who had a great many keys. The locksmith tried the biggest key. It fitted exactly, and he opened the chest. What did they see ?
Inside the chest there was another chest. The locksmith took the next key, and opened it.
Inside there was a wooden box, and inside the wooden box there was another wooden box, and inside that there was yet another, and so on, and so on. And each time the locksmith had a key that fitted.
At last they came to a tiny box made of gold, but the locksmith had no key small enough to fit it. So he took out a golden pin, and made a little key out of it, and opened the little golden box.
And what do you think was in it? I cannot tell you, for the old farmer and the locksmith kept it a close secret, and no one knows to this very day what they found in the little golden box.
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THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
There was once an old woman who had three little pigs who ate and ate and ate, until they had eaten her almost out of house and home.
When they had become so fat that they could hardly fit into their sty, the old woman said to them, ‘You cannot stay here any longer. You must go and build your own houses.’ And she sent them out into the wide world.
Before long the first little pig met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him, ‘Please, sir, give me the straw so that I can build myself a house.’
‘Give me some of your bristles,’ said the man, ‘so that I can make a brush.’
So the little pig gave him some bristles, and the man gave him the straw and helped him to build a house, with a big door at the front, and a little door at the back. When it was finished, the little pig looked at his house, and sang:
‘My house is of straw ‘
And there I shall hide.
If the big wolf comes,
I’ll be safe inside.’
The second little pig met a man carrying a bundle of wood, and said to him, ‘Please, sir, give me the wood so that I can build myself a house.’
‘Give me some of your bristles,’ said the man, ‘so that I can make a brush.’
So the little pig gave him some bristles, and the man gave him the wood and helped him to build a house, with a big door at the front, and a little door at the back. When it was finished, the little pig looked at his house, and sang:
‘My house is of wood
And there I shall hide,
If the big wolf comes.
I’ll be safe inside.’
The third little pig met a man pushing a cart full of stones, and said to him, ‘Please, sir, give me the stones, so that I can build myself a house.’
‘Give me some of your bristles,’ said the man, ‘so that I can make a brush.’
So the little pig gave him as many bristles as he wanted, and the man gave him the stones and helped him to build a house, with a big door at the front, and a little door at the back. When it was finished, the little pig looked at his house and sang:
‘My house is of stone
And there I shall hide, –
If the big wolf comes.
I’ll be safe inside.’
So each of the three little pigs lived in his own house, and felt quite safe and sound.
But one day the wolf came out of the forest. He knocked at the door of the house of straw and called, ‘Little pig, little pig, let me in, let me in! ’
But the little pig replied, ‘No, no, no, I will not let you in ’
And the wolf said,
‘Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff
and I’ll blow your house down.’
And he huffed, and he puffed, and the house came tumbling down. But the little pig was nowhere to be found, for he had escaped through the little door at the back. He ran to take refuge with the second little pig, who lived in the wooden house..
So the wolf went to the wooden house, knocked at the front door, and called, ‘Little pig, little pig, let me in, let me in! ’
But the second little pig replied, ‘No, no, no, I will not let you in.’
And the wolf said,
‘Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff,
and I’ll blow your house down.’
And he huffed, and he puffed, and thë house came tumbling down. But the two little pigs,were nowhere to be found, for they had escaped through the little door at the back. They ran to take refuge with the third little pig, who lived in the stone house.
So the wolf went to the stone house and knocked at the front door, and called, ‘Little pig, little pig, let me in, let me in! ’
But the third little pig replied, ‘No, no, no, I will not let you in.’
And the wolf said,
‘Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff
and I’ll blow your house down.’
And he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not blow the house down.
The wolf became very angry indeed, and said, ‘Just you wait! I’ll soon find a way to reach you.’ And he started to climb up on to the roof, for he meant to come down the chimney.
Now when the three little pigs heard the wolf climbing up and guessed what he had in mind, the first little pig said, ‘What shall we do now ? ’
The second little pig said, ‘I shall light a big fire in the fireplace.’
And the third pig said, ‘And I shall hang a great cauldron of water over the big fire.’
Not long afterwards, when the fire was crackling merrily – and the water boiling away, the big bad wolf came sliding down the chimney, and landed splash! right in the middle of the boiling water. Quick as lightning the little pigs put the lid on the pot. Then they danced with joy around the hearth singing,
‘The wolf is dead, the wolf is dead. Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! ’
So the first little pig built himself a house of stone, and so did the second, and they all lived happily ever after.
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THE LITTLE ROUND POT
There was once an old woman who was very poor and had nothing left to eat. She looked in all her boxes and all her drawers, on all her shelves and in all her cupboards, until at last she found a little flour. She tipped it into a little round pot and cooked some soup with it. When she had eaten it, she washed the pot and laid it on the window-sill to dry, saying, ‘Now I shall certainly starve to death, unless God helps me.’ Sadly she sat down in her rocking-chair and fell asleep.
The sun shone on the little round pot and dried it, and the pot said, ‘Now I must be on my way.’
‘Where are you going to, little round pot?’ asked the sun.
‘I am going to the market-place, to get some food for the poor old woman.’ And the little pot bounced down from the window-sill, and off into the town to the market-place, where it rolled about amongst all the people.
Along came a farmer who was carrying a sackful of beans, and he did not know what to do with them. ‘Little round pot,’ he said, ‘you have come just at the right time.’ And he emptied all the beans into its little round body.
As soon as the little round pot noticed that it was full again, it said, ‘Now I must be on my way.’ So it turned round and rolled back to the old woman. It thumped on the door and cried, ‘Open up, open up! It is the little round pot! ’
The old woman awoke, went to the door and opened it. She looked at the pot, and she was overjoyed when she saw the beautiful juicy beans in its little round body. She cooked herself some bean soup with them, washed the pot till it was spotless, and laid it on the window-sill to dry, thinking, ‘God has helped me once — perhaps he will do so again! ’ Whereupon she fell asleep.
Once again the sun came out and dried the little round pot, and again it said, ‘Now I must be on my way to the town, to get some food for the poor old woman.’
It bounced down from the window-sill, and off into the town. It rolled into a butcher’s shop, ,and bounced up on to the counter. The butcher’s wife was standing there with a ladle full of beef broth in her hand, not knowing what to do with it. ‘You have come just at the right time!’ she cried when she saw the little pot, and she poured the broth into its little round body.
The little pot noticed that it was warm and full. It bounced down from the counter, and rolled back to the old woman. Once again it thumped on the door, and cried, ‘Open up, open up! It is the little round pot!
The old woman was indeed delighted. She opened the door, lifted up the little pot, and drank all the warm broth. As before, she washed the little round pot till it was spotless, and laid it on the window-sill to dry.
Once again the sun came out and dried the little round pot, and once again it said, ‘Now I must be on my way.
‘Pot, little pot, where are you going to now?” asked the sun.
‘I am going to a rich man, to get some money for the poor old woman.’
So the little pot rolled along to a rich man’s house and right up into his room, where he was busy counting his money at the table. He was just thinking that he had more money than he knew what to do with when he saw the little round pot, and he said, ‘You have come just at the right time! ’ And he shook in as many gold pieces as the little round pot would hold.
As soon as the little round pot noticed that it was full, it bounced down from the table, out of the door and down the stairs, bump, bump, bump.
‘Come back! Come back! ’ shouted the rich man, but the little round pot had already disappeared round the corner of the street.
The pot thumped at the old woman’s door, and called, ‘Open up, open up! It is the little round pot! ’
The woman hurried to open the door, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight of so much gold. She hardly gave herself time to shake it out and to wash the pot, and then, rather than waste time laying it out to dry on the window-sill, she pushed it out of the door, crying, ‘Hurry, little round pot, hurry back and bring me more.’
The little round pot was very angry, and it grumbled, ‘Very well, very well, I’ll be on my way.’ But instead of going to the rich man, it rolled along into the town until it came to a halt where some workmen were mending the road. There it waited until it was full of pebbles, and then it rolled back to the old woman. It thumped on the door, saying, ‘Open up, open up! It is the little round pot! ”
The woman had been waiting at the door, but as soon as she saw what was in the little round pot, she grew very angry, and threw it right out of the window.
The little round pot rolled along into the wide world, and it never came back to the old woman. As far as I know it is still going. Perhaps you will meet it some day.
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THE STORY OF THE THICK FAT PANCAKE
There once was a mother who had seven hungry children. She took flour, milk, butter, eggs, sugar—not forgetting just a pinch of salt—and made a beautiful thick fat pancake. It lay in the pan, and it swelled up until it was a joy to see. The seven children stood round about, and the grandfather looked over the mother’s shoulder.
‘Mother, dear Mother, please give me the pancake,’ said the first child.
‘Dear, kind Mother,’ said the second, ‘please give it to me.’
‘Dear, kind, beautiful Mother,’ said the third, ‘please give it to me.’
‘Dear, kind, beautiful, good Mother,’ said the fourth, ‘please give it to me.’
‘Dear, kind, beautiful, good, sweet Mother,’ said the fifth, ‘please give it to me,’
‘Dear, kind, beautiful, good, sweet, wonderful Mother,’ said the sixth, ‘please give it to me.’
‘Dear, kind, beautiful, good, sweet, wonderful, marvellous Mother,’ said the seventh, ‘please give it to me.’
But Mother replied, ‘Wait till it is turned.’
Hardly had the words left her mouth than the pancake began to think, I should turn over, should I? But I am far too beautiful to be eaten. I think I shall go out into the wide world and seek my fortune! ’
So it leapt out of the pan and scuttled across the floor, hoppity-hop, and out of the door.
‘Come back!’ cried Mother as she ran after it, still clutching the pan and ladle, while Grandfather and all the seven children followed behind her.
They all shouted, ‘Come back, come back!’ But the pancake bounced hoppity-hop downstairs and out into the street.
There it met a cat, and when the cat saw the fine thick fat pancake, she said, ‘Miaow, miaow, thick fat pancake, please let me eat you! ’
But the pancake said, ‘What! Shall I be eaten by you, little cat? Mother couldn’t catch me, Grandfather couldn’t catch me, seven squalling children couldn’t catch me; and do you think I can’t escape you too?’
And it ran, hoppity, hoppity, hoppity, along the street. By and by along came a cock, who said, ‘Dear thick fat pancake, please let me eat you! ’
‘What!’ said the pancake. ‘Shall I be eaten by you, little cock? Mother couldn’t catch me, Grandfather couldn’t catch me, seven squalling children and the cat couldn’t catch me; and do you think I can’t escape you too ? ’
And it ran, hoppity, hoppity, hoppity, on into the wide world.
By and by it met a goose, who said, ‘Clackety, clackety clack, fat pancake, let me eat you! ’
‘What!’ said the pancake. ‘Shall I be eaten by you, little goose? Mother couldn’t catch me, Grandfather couldn’t catch me, seven squalling children and the cat and the cock couldn’t catch me; and do you think I can’t escape you too ? ’
And it ran, hoppity, hoppity, faster than ever into the wide world.
By and by along came a cow, who said, ‘Moo, moo, thick fat pancake, let me eat you! ’
‘What!’ said the pancake once again. ‘Shall I be eaten by you, little cow? Mother couldn’t catch me, Grandfather couldn’t catch me, seven squalling children and the cat and the cock and the goose couldn’t catch me; and do you think I can’t escape you too?’
And it ran, hoppity, hoppity, hoppity, faster than ever into the wide world.
Along came two little children, a boy and a girl. They were very hungry because they had had nothing to eat all day long. When they saw the thick fat pancake, they cried, ‘Pancake, dear pancake, do let us eat you! ’
But the pancake replied: ‘What! Shall I be eaten by you, little Johnny-Jenny? Mother couldn’t catch me, Grandfather couldn’t catch me, seven squalling children and the cat and the cock and the goose and the cow couldn’t catch me; and do you think I can’t escape you too ? ’
And it ran, hoppity, hoppity, hoppity, faster than ever into the wide world.
Along came a pig, who said, ‘Come here, thick fat pancake, and let me eat you! ’
‘What!’ said the pancake once again. ‘Shall I be eaten by you, little pig? Mother couldn’t catch me, Grandfather couldn’t catch me, seven squalling children and the cat and the cock and the goose and the cow and little Johnny-Jenny couldn’t catch me; and do you think I can’t escape you too ? ’
And it ran, hoppity, hoppity, hoppity, faster than ever into the wide world.
But then the pancake came to a brook, and it did not know how to cross over to the other side, for there was no bridge. It ran hoppity, hoppity along the bank, looking for a way to get across.
Now the pig threw itself into the water and swam downstream after the pancake. But the pancake was afraid of getting wet, so the pig said, ‘Would you like me to carry you across, thick fat pancake ? ’
‘Yes, please,’ said the pancake.
‘Then jump on to my back, or better still, on to my snout,’ said the pig.
So the pancake leapt on to the pig’s snout, but hardly had it landed there when snap! the pig bit it in half, and swallowed one half without delay; but the other half leapt on to the other bank, and scuttled away, hoppity, hop. The pig grunted, and snuffled along after it, but never caught it. ‘ *
And that is why pigs always snuffle with their snout on the ground, because they are all still hoping to find the other half of the thick fat pancake.
Zie de opmerkingen bij The turnip. Ook hier de weldadige herhaling. Telkens weer dezelfde woorden geven de kinderen houvast. Het is ook als een soort spel te spelen, bijv. door een 3e klas voor een 1e.
Er bestaat ook een geïllustreerd leesboekje met een iets andere tekst. Heel goed te gebruiken in klas 4, wanneer er ook geschreven en gelezen gaat worden.
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WHY THE BEAR HAS A STUMPY TAIL
A bear once met a fox, who was slinking by with some fishes, which he had stolen.
‘Where did you get them from?’ asked the bear.
‘I caught them,’ replied the fox.
The bear thought that he would like to learn how to fish, and asked the fox to teach him.
‘It’s really quite easy,’ said the fox. ‘All you have to do is bore a hole through the ice, and let your tail down into the water. But you must keep it in the water for a very long time, and you must not worry if it begins to hurt a little, for that is a sign that the fish are biting. The longer you stay there, the more fish you will collect. But when you feel a violent nip on your tail, then you must pull it out as quickly as possible.’
The bear followed these instructions carefully, and kept his tail so long in the hole that it was frozen into the ice. When at last he stood up, he left his tail behind, stuck fast! And that is why bears to this very day have stumpy tails.
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PORRIDGE
There was once a poor but good little girl, who lived alone with her mother, and they had nothing left to eat. The little girl went out into the forest, where she met a wrinkled old woman, who gave her a little pot, and told her that whenever she was hungry she must say to the pot, ‘Cook, little pot,’ and the pot would cook some fine
steaming porridge. When there was enough porridge, she was to say, ‘Enough, little pot,’ and it would stop cooking.
The little girl took the pot home to her mother, and they were not hungry any longer, but ate fine steaming porridge as often as they wanted.
One day when the little girl was out, her mother said, ‘Cook, little pot.’ The pot cooked the most delicious porridge, and she had plenty to eat, but she had forgotten the words to stop it, so the pot cooked on and on till it overflowed. Soon the steaming porridge filled the kitchen, and the whole house, then the next-door house, and then the whole street, until it looked as though the whole world was going to be filled with porridge.
No one knew what to do, and everyone was frantic. At last, when only one house in the town was still clear of porridge, the little girl came back and said, ‘Enough, little pot.’ And the pot stopped cooking.
But anyone who wanted to go into the city had to eat his way there.
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THE THREE BUTTERFLIES
There were once three butterflies, a white one, a red one, and a yellow one, who played in the sunshine, and danced now on this flower, now on that flower, and were so happy that they never grew tired. One day it started to rain and they got wet, so they tried to fly home; but the door was shut, and they could find no shelter, so they had to stay out in the rain getting wetter and wetter.
So they flew over to the lily, and said, ‘Good Lily, open your flower a little for us, so that we may shelter from the rain.’
I shall be glad to take in the white one,’ said the lily, ‘for he looks like me, but I cannot take in the other two! ’ ‘If you will not take in my friends,’ replied,the white one, I shall stay wet, rather than desert them.’
The rain fell more and more heavily, so they flew across to the tulip and said, ‘Dear Tulip, open your flower a little for us, and let us in to shelter from the rain.’ ‘I shall be glad to welcome the red and the yellow ones, replied the tulip, ‘but cannot take in the white one.’
‘If you cannot take in our friend,’ said the red and yellow butterflies, ‘then we shall have to do without your help.’ And so they flew away together.
But the sun, who was hiding behind a cloud, had overheard them, and it was glad that the three butterflies stood by each other so nobly. It chased the clouds and the rain away, and beamed down on the garden and dried the butterflies’ wings. So they danced and played among the flowers for the rest of the day.
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THE FLY AND THE BEE
A fly and a bee lived together. One day they were brewing beer in an eggshell, when the fly fell in and was drowned. Thereupon the bee began to cry.
‘Why are you crying, Bee ? ’ asked the door.
‘Because Fly is drowned.’
Then the door began to creak, and a broom in the corner asked, ‘Why are you creaking, Door ? ’
‘Why should I not creak ? ’ said the door.
‘Fly is drowned.
Bee is crying.’
Then the broom began to sweep, until a little pram trundled across the floor, and asked, ‘Why are you sweeping, Broom ? ’
‘Why should I not sweep ? ’ said the broom.
‘Fly is drowned.
Bee is crying,
Door is creaking.’
‘Then I must roll,’ said the pram, and it began to roll, till it came to the rubbish-heap, which asked, ‘Why are you rolling, Pram?’
‘Why should I not roll ? ’ said the pram.
‘Fly is drowned.
Bee is crying,
Door is creaking,
Broom is sweeping.’
‘Then I shall burn,’ said the rubbish-heap, and it began forthwith to burn with a bright flame.
A tree was standing nearby, and asked, ‘Why are you burning, Rubbish-heap?’
‘Why should I not burn ? ’ said the rubbish-heap.
‘Fly is drowned, «
Bee is crying,
Door is creaking.
Broom is sweeping,
Pram is rolling.’
‘Then I must shake myself,’ said the tree, and it began to shake itself till all the leaves fell to the ground.
A little girl, who was carrying a jug to the fountain, saw this and asked, ‘Why are you shaking, Tree ? ’
‘Why should I not shake ? ’ said the tree.
‘Fly is drowned,
Bee is crying,
Door is creaking,
Broom is sweeping,
Pram is rolling,
Rubbish-heap is burning.’
‘Then I shall break my jug,’ said the little girl, and she broke it.
Then the fountain asked, ‘Why have you broken your jug, little girl?’
‘Why should I not break my jug?’ said the little girl.
‘Fly is drowned,
Bee is crying,
Door is creaking,
Broom is sweeping,
Pram is rolling.
Rubbish-heap is burning,
Tree is shaking.’
‘Then I must begin to flow,’ said the fountain, and it began to gush forth water.
And the water washed everything away—the little girl, the tree, the rubbish-heap, the pram, the broom, the door, the bee and the fly.
Zie The turnip. Als je dit in een klas lager dan 4 uitvoerig hebt gedaan, zullen de kinderen in klas 4 zich dat zeker herinneren. Je kan het rijm/spel nu wat intellectueler benaderen, door naar de – ing vorm te gaan kijken. De kinderen leren dat je die gebruikt, als iets ‘gaande is, duurt.’
Zo leren ze in korte tijd makkelijker deze -ingvorm te gebruiken en ze leren veel werkwoorden weer opnieuw. Zie ook hier.
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THE STORY OF THE FIVE FINGERS
Micki (the index finger), Licki (the middle finger), Kiki (the ring finger) and little Picki (the little finger) wanted to go for a walk together without their elder brother, big Tocki (the thumb). Tocki warned them, saying, ‘Don’t go out without me. You will come to no good! ’ But they paid no attention and set out on their walk.
‘I shall show you the way,’ said Micki.
‘I shall be in charge of you,’ said Licki, the biggest of them.
‘I shall bring back the treasures we find,’ said Kiki.
‘And I shall give you good counsel,’ said little Picki.
So on they went, Micki in front, then Licki, then Kiki (wearing the ring), and finally little Picki at the rear.
Before long they came to a river where the bridge had been washed away. The water flowed on and on and showed no signs of stopping.
‘You are the tallest of us,’ said little Picki to Licki. ‘Go along the river-bank and see if you can find any way across. Meanwhile, we will build a boat.’
So the three little ones went to look for wood to build a boat, and they found a big walnut.
‘If we can only split it in half,’ said little Picki, ‘we shall have a boat without much trouble.’
So Micki and Kiki seized the nut, one on each side, and pulled with all their might, until the nut split open. Then they hollowed it out, and dragged the shell to the river.
By this time Licki had returned, saying, ‘No way across, as far as I can see! ’
‘No need,’ said little Picki, and they all settled down in the nutshell. Little Picki steered, the others rowed, and they soon reached the other side without mishap.
On they went, and before long they came to a big garden, in which they found a huge pot full of honey. Micki clambered up and reached into the pot, and because the honey tasted so sweet, he reached further and further in.
The others were annoyed at this, for they wanted to continue with their walk, but in vain Licki ordered him to come out and show them the way. Kiki was afraid of robbers, and little Picki said, ‘If Micki will not show us the way, we shall come to grief.’
All at once they saw a huge bear towering over them. In a voice like thunder, the bear growled,
‘Now I have caught you, you thieves! No more honey for you. I’m going to gobble you all up! ’
The poor little fellows were so terrified that to begin with they could hardly utter a sound, but at last they all fell down in front of the bear, and pleaded, ‘Please, Mr Bear, don’t eat us up! We did not know that the garden belonged to you.’
But the bear paid no attention. He was just about to gobble them all up, when little Picki had a bright idea.
‘Dear Mr Bear,’ he said, ‘you only see four of us here, but our fifth brother, Tocki, is still at home. If you can wait for a little while, I will run home and fetch him. Then you will have all five of us for your meal.’
The bear was delighted to hear that he was going to have still more to eat.
As fast as he could little Picki ran home, and shouted, ‘Quickly, Tocki, come at once! The bear is going to gobble us up! ’
‘Did I not tell you not to go out without me ? ’ grumbled Tocki. But he seized an immense club and went with little Picki, and when they reached the honey-garden, they crept up quietly behind the bear, and Tocki killed him with a single blow of his club.
From that time onwards the four fingers never went out without Tocki, and no harm has ever come to them.
Licki has always remained in the middle, and big Tocki and little Picki go as scouts at either side. Tocki defends them all by his strength, and little Picki by his quick wits.
0-0-0-
COCK AND HEN IN THE WOOD
Cock and Hen once went to the wood to eat nuts. A nutshell stuck in Hen’s throat, and she lay gasping and choking. Cock ran to the well to fetch some water for Hen, saying, ‘Well, well, give me some water. I must take the water to Hen, who has swallowed a nutshell and is lying choking in the wood.’
But the well answered, ‘I can give you no water till you give me some leaves.’
So Cock ran to the lime tree. ‘Lime tree, lime tree, give me some leaves. I must take the leaves to the well, then the well will give me water, and I must take the water to Hen, who has swallowed a nutshell and is lying choking in the wood.’
‘I can give you no leaves till you give me a gold bangle’, replied the lime tree.
So Cock ran to the princess. ‘Princess, princess, give me a gold bangle. I must take the bangle to the lime tree, then the lime tree will give me leaves, and I must take the leaves to the well, then the well will give me water, and I must take the water to Hen, who has swallowed a nutshell and is lying choking in the wood.’
‘I can give you no gold bangle till you give me a pair of shoes,’ replied the princess.
So Cock ran to the cobbler. ‘Cobbler, cobbler, give me a pair of shoes. I must take the shoes to the princess, then the princess will give me a gold bangle, and I must take thè bangle to the/lime tree, then the lime tree will give me leaves, and I must take the leaves to the well, then the well will give me water, and I must take the water to Hen, who has swallowed a nutshell and is lying choking in the wood.’ ,
‘I can give you no shoes till you give me some bristles, replied the cobbler.
So Cock ran to the pig. ‘Pig, pig, give me some bristles. I must take the bristles to the cobbler, then the cobbler will give me shoes, and I must take the shoes to the princess, then the princess will give me a gold bangle, and I must take the bangle to the lime tree, then the lime tree will give me leaves, and I must take the leaves to the well, then the well will give me water, and I must take the water to Hen, who has swallowed a nutshell and is lying choking in the wood.’
‘I can give you no bristles till you give me some corn’, replied the pig.
So Cock ran to the thresher. Thresher, thresher, give me some corn. I must take the corn to the pig, then the pig will give me some bristles, and I must take the bristles to the cobbler, then the cobbler will give me shoes, and I must take the shoes to the princess, then the princess will give me a gold bangle, and I must take the bangle to the lime tree, then the lime tree will give me some leaves, and I must take the leaves to the well, then the well will give me water, and I must take the water to Hen, who has swallowed a nutshell and is lying choking in the wood.’
‘I cannot give you any corn till you give me some bread,’ replied the thresher.
So Cock ran to the baker. ‘Baker, baker, give me some bread. I must take the bread to the thresher, then the thresher will give me some corn, and I must take the corn to the pig, then the pig will give me some bristles, and I must take the bristles to the cobbler, then the cobbler will give me shoes, and I must take the shoes to the princess, then the princess will give me a gold bangle, and I must take the bangle to the lime tree, then the lime tree will give me leaves, and I must take the leaves to the well, then the well will give me water, and I must take the water to Hen, who has swallowed a nutshell and is lying choking in the wood.’
The baker was sorry for poor Cock, and gave him bread. So the thresher got his bread, the pig its corn, the cobbler his bristles, the princess her shoes, the lime tree its gold bangle, the well its leaves, and Cock his water. Cock took the water to Hen, who was still lying and gasping in the wood, choking on a nutshell, and Hen got better again.
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RAG, TAG AND BOBTAIL
‘The nuts are ripe now,’ said Rag the cock to Tag the hen. ‘Let’s go up on to the hill and have a feast, before the squirrels get them all.’
‘Delighted,’ said Tag the hen. ‘Let’s go and make gluttons of ourselves.’
So off they went up the hill, and stayed there till evening.
Now I do not know whether it was because they had eaten so much, or just because they were growing uppish, but they simply refused to walk home, so Rag the cock made a fine little coach out of nutshells.
When it was ready, Tag the hen sat down inside it, and said to the cock, ‘Now, dear Rag, harness yourself! ’
But Rag would do nothing of the soft. ‘I would sooner walk home,’ he said, ‘than allow myself to be harnessed. I don’t mind being a coachman, but I will not be a horse! ’
While they were quarrelling thus, Bobtail the duck came rushing down the hill at them, angrily quacking, ‘You thieves, who gave you permission to eat nuts in my wood? Just you wait.’ And with wide-open beak and flapping wings, she flew at Rag the cock.
But Rag was ready for the attack, and struck back vigorously. He hacked away with his spurs at the poor duck, until she begged for mercy, and allowed herself to be harnessed to the coach as a punishment. Rag stood in front on the driving seat as the coachman.
Bobtail took the bit in her bill and pulled with all her might. The nutshell coach with its two plump passengers was almost too heavy for her to move, but at the third strong pull away went the coach down the hill, with Bobtail running in front as fast as her flat webbed feet would carry her.
When they had gone some distance they met two travellers, a darning needle and a sewing needle, who cried, ‘Stop, stop! Take us with you! It will soon be pitch dark, and it is so muddy on the track that we can go no further. We have run away from the tailor’s shop by the town gate, and we are looking for shelter for the night.’
They were thin folk, who took up little room, so they were allowed into the coach, but they had to promise not to prick Rag and Tag.
Late at night they came to an inn, and as Bobtail the duck was rather shaky on her feet, they decided to stay there. To begin with the innkeeper did not want to have them, but Rag the cock promised, ‘You shall have the egg which Tag laid on the way here, and you can keep Bobtail the duck, who lays an egg every day.’
So the innkeeper let them in, and they ordered an enormous meal.
Early next morning, while it was still dark and everyone was asleep, Rag wakened Tag, and they ate the egg between them, leaving the egg-shell on the hearth. Then Rag took the two needles, who were still sleeping, and stuck one of them in the innkeeper’s cushion and the other in his towel; and off he flew with Tag across the fields without saying a word to anyone.
Bobtail the duck was sleeping outside in the courtyard, but she was wakened by the sound of Rag and Tag flying past, so she plunged quickly into the stream and swam happily away.
A few hours later the innkeeper awoke. He washed his face and dried it on his towel, but the darning needle scratched across his face, and left a great red streak from one ear to the other. Then he went into the kitchen to light his pipe, and when he came to the hearth he saw the empty egg-shell lying there.
‘Nothing seems to be going right this morning,’ he grumbled, and sat down in his big armchair. But he quickly leapt up again, crying ‘Ouch!’ for the sewing needle had stuck deep into him.
By now he was angry, and suspected the visitors who had come so late the previous evening, but when he went to look for them, he found they had flown. So he swore that never again would he take such rag, tag and bobtail into his inn, to eat too much, to pay for nothing, and to play nasty tricks into the bargain.
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THE MAGIC HORSE
There once lived a rich merchant who had a fine big garden behind his house, as well as a piece of land which he had planted with corn. One day, while he was strolling in his garden, he noticed that someone had been taking his corn. He resolved to catch the thief and have him punished. He called his three sons, Michael, George and John, and said, There was a thief in my field last night, and he has taken a great deal of my corn. I want you, my sons, to take turns in keeping watch at night. Whoever catches the thief shall be richly rewarded.’
The first night Michael, the eldest son, kept watch. He took pistols and a sharp sword with him, as well as food and drink, wrapped himself in a warm overcoat and settled down under a lilac tree. Soon, however, he was fast asleep, and when he woke up next day he saw that still more of the corn had been taken.
The next evening it was George’s turn to keep watch. He also took pistols and a sword with him, together with a stout cudgel and a length of ropp. But this good watchman fell asleep like the first, and next morning he found that the thief had been hard at work again.
The third night it was John’s turn. He took neither pistols nor sword with him, but gathered a ring of thorns and thistles round about himself. Every time he started to nod the thorns pricked his nose, and he was wide awake instantly. Towards midnight he heard a clippety-clop, clippety-clop, faintly in the distance to begin with, then closer and closer till he could hear it in the field in front of him … clippety-clop, clippety-clop.
Quietly John gathered up his rope, pushed the thorns and thistles aside, and crept silently forward. He saw a charming little horse! It allowed John to catch it without difficulty, and it followed him to the stable of its own accord.
Early next morning his brothers woke him. They laughed at him and made fun of him. ‘A fine watchman you are! ’ they taunted. ‘You did not even stick to your post through the night! ’
So John took his father and his brothers to the stable, where the wonderful horse stood, and no one knew where it had come from or to whom it belonged. It was finely built, and silvery white all over. The father was delighted, and gave it as a reward to John, who called it Corn-robber.
Some time after this the three brothers heard of a beautiful princess who lived, under a magic spell, in a castle on a mountain made of glass. The approach to the castle was so highly polished and so slippery that no one could reach it, but it was said that whoever could ride up to the castle without mishap, and then ride three times round about it, would thus release the princess from the magic spell and win her as his bride. Many young men had already made the attempt, but they had all slipped and fallen, and they lay dead at the foot of the glass mountain.
The three brothers thought they would like to try their luck. Michael and George bought beautiful and powerful steeds, and had them shod with specially sharp horseshoes, but John saddled his little Corn-robber, and off they set together.
Before long they reached the foot of the glass mountain. The eldest was first to make the attempt, but before he had gone far his horse slipped, and both horse and rider fell to the foot of the mountain, where they both lay still. The same thing happened to George, and both horse and rider came crashing to the bottom and lay where they had fallen. Then John set off up the mountain, clippety-clop, clippety-clop. The horse’s hooves rang out cheerfully on the glass, and before long they were at the summit. On they went, clippety-clop, just as if Corn-robber had trotted the same way many times before.
John dismounted at the massive castle door, and it opened to reveal the most beautiful princess he had ever seen, dressed from head to foot in silk and gold. Full of joy she welcomed him and embraced him. Then she turned to the pony, and said, ‘You little scoundrel, running away from me like that! I was allowed an hour’s freedom each night, when I could visit the green earth down below, but without you I was unable to get there at all. You must never leave us again! ’ So John realized that his Corn-robber was the princess’s magic pony.
It was not long before his two brothers recovered from their fall, but John never saw them again, for he lived happily with his bride in the magic castle on the glass mountain.
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KING ADDER
A long, long, time ago a poor girl was servant to a farmer, who was very hard on her. At first cock-crow she had to jump out of bed, and go into the cowshed to milk the cows, and she worked hard early till late.
One morning, while she was milking the cows, she heard a small rustling sound in the straw on the floor, and looking down she saw a snake with a golden crown on its head gliding between her feet. At first the girl was petrified with fear, but she saw the adder eyeing the bucket hopefully, so she plucked up her courage and dipped the bucket down to let it drink.
It must have been very thirsty, for there was only a dribble of milk left in the bottom of the bucket when it had finished drinking. The poor girl took the bucket to the farmer’s wife in fear and trembling, expecting a severe scolding. But to her astonishment, so much milk flowed out of the bucket that three large bowls were filled instead of the usual one, and even the farmer’s sour-faced wife smiled at her.
From that day onwards the adder came to her every morning and every evening to drink milk. Whenever it had drunk, it gave the girl such a look of trust and gratitude that she forgot all her troubles and was filled with joy. Things continued in this way for a number of years, until the girl grew, and became the most beautiful girl in the whole village, so that all the young men were in love with her. She fell in love with a young farmer and promised to marry him.
At last came her wedding day. The dishes were steaming, the musicians were playing, and all the guests were making merry.
When the feast was at its height, an uncanny silence settled over the room, for the adder was seen gliding across the floor, straight for the bride and bridegroom. It slithered up the back of the bride’s chair and on to her right shoulder, and shook the golden crown off its head on to the empty plate. Then it glided away and disappeared for ever.
The bride took this glittering souvenir and put it in her purse. From that day forth her purse always had plenty of money in it, no matter how much she spent, so that she became the richest and most respected farmer’s wife in the whole district.
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THE MOUSE, THE BIRD AND THE SAUSAGE
Once upon a time a mouse, a bird and a sausage lived in the same house. They shared the work, and for a long time they lived happily together. Every day the bird flew into the forest to collect firewood, the mouse brought the water, made the fire and set the table, and the sausage did the cooking.
One day this bird met another bird, and told it all about the fine life with the mouse and the sausage. But the other bird said, ‘You poor fool! You are wearing yourself away doing all the hard work, while the other two just sit at home and enjoy themselves. For the mouse, as soon as she has brought the water and lit the fire, lies down for a little nap, until it is time to set the table. The sausage just watches the pot to see that everything is all right, and when it is nearly dinner-time, he just rolls himself once or twice through the broth or vegetables, and they are buttered, salted and cooked.’
As soon as the bird came home and laid down his burden, they took their places at the table, and when the meal was over they lay down and slept till the following morning. What a splendid life!
But the next day the bird refused to fetch any more wood. ‘I have been a slave for long enough,’ he said. ‘We must change round and have turn and turn about.’
The mouse and the sausage did their best to persuade the bird, but he would not give way. They drew lots to decide which work each must do, and from now on the sausage was to fetch the wood, the mouse was to do the cooking, and the bird was to fetch water.
What happened ?
The sausage went out for wood, the bird laid the fire, and the mouse stayed and watched the pot. They waited for the sausage to come home with the wood, but he was such a long time away that they were afraid something had happened to him. So the bird flew out to look for him.
Not far away he found a dog, who had seized the poor sausage and swallowed him. The bird scolded the dog angrily, but that did not help to bring the sausage back again.
Sorrowfully the bird picked up the wood, and flew home to tell the mouse the sad story. They were very downhearted, but decided to stay together, just the two of them.
So the bird set the table for two, while the mouse climbed into the pot, as she had seen the sausage do, to stir up the vegetables. But alas, she was boiled alive.
When the bird came to put the food on the table, he found no cook there. In distress he threw the wood on the floor, called and shouted, and looked all over the place, but no cook was to be found. Because of his carelessness the wood caught fire, and the bird ran to fetch water. As he leant over the well to let down the bucket, he fell in and was drowned.
If you are well off, don’t be discontented and start looking for something better.
0-0-0
THE STRAW, THE COAL AND THE BEAN
An old woman had just enough beans left to cook a single meal. She lit the fire, and heaped on a big handful of straw, so that it would burn up more quickly; and she emptied the beans into the pan. But one bean fell out on to the hearth and came to rest beside a piece of straw. A lump of red-hot coal jumped out of the fire, and landed beside them.
‘Dear friends,’ said the straw, ‘where have you come from ? ’
‘Luckily I was able to escape from the fire,’ replied the coal, ‘or I should have been burnt to ashes.’
‘I also was fortunate to escape with a whole skin,’ said the bean. ‘I should have been cooked to a pulp like my comrades, if the old woman had managed to put me in the pan.’
‘I should certainly have fared no better,’ said the straw. ‘The old woman sent all my brothers up the chimney in smoke – sixty of us were seized and thrown mercilessly into the fire. I alone managed to escape.’
‘What ought we to do ? ’ asked the coal.
‘We have all escaped disaster,’ said the bean. i propose that we should stick together, and go out into the world to seek our fortunes.’
This proposal suited the other two very well, so off they set. But soon they came to a small stream. There was no bridge and they were unable to cross over.
Suddenly the straw had a bright idea, and said, T will lie across the stream, and you two can walk over me.’
So he stretched himself from one bank to the other. The coal was a brave young fellow and he stepped boldly on to the bridge. Half-way across, however, when he saw the water rushing and foaming beneath him, he grew afraid and came to a halt. He was still red-hot and he burnt through the middle of the straw, which broke in two, so that they both fell into the stream and were drowned.
This set the bean laughing, and he laughed so long and loud that he split his sides. Now this would have been the end of him, had a tailor not been passing that way. The tailor took pity on the poor bean, and with needle and thread from his pocket he sewed up the slit. He only had black thread with him, and so from that day to this all beans have had a black seam down their sides.
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THE SERVANT LASS
A mother had seven sons, who were far away, and a little daughter, who lived with her at home.
As the girl grew older, people used to say to her, ‘How lucky you are, having seven brothers! ’
So she went to her mother one day, and said, ‘Mother, have I really seven brothers ? ’
And the mother said, ‘Of course you have, but they are living a long way from home.’
‘Let me take our servant lass,’ said the girl, ‘and go to look for my brothers.’
So her mother sent her forth with the servant lass. The daughter rode on horseback and the servant lass sat behind her.
When they had gone some distance they came to a spring. The sun was hot and the girl was very thirsty, so she jumped from her horse, and went for a drink of water. While she was drinking, the servant lass took hold of the horse’s reins and rode off, leaving the poor girl to follow on foot.
When they came to the place where the seven brothers lived, the young men took the servant lass for her mistress, and left their real sister to look after the poultry.
The servant lass was given a golden chair to sit on, and a golden apple to play with, but the real sister was left to weep amidst the geese and the hens.
Before long, however, the brothers discovered how the servant lass had tricked them. They put their true sister
in the golden chair, and gave her the golden apple to play with. But the servant lass was beaten soundly, and put out of doors to look after the geese and the hens.
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WILD ROSE
A very long time ago there lived a king and queen, who used to sigh every day and say, ‘If only we had a child! ’ But the years went by, and no child came.
Then one day, when the queen was bathing, a frog hopped out of the pool and spoke to her.
‘Your wish will be fulfilled,’ it said. ‘Within a year you will bring a daughter into the world.’
And so it happened. The queen had a baby daughter, who was so lovely to look at that the king was beside himself with joy, and gave a great banquet to celebrate. He invited not only friends and relations, but also the Wise Women, for he wanted them to be well-disposed towards the child. There were thirteen of these Wise Women in the kingdom, but as he had only twelve golden plates left, he asked only twelve of them.
The banquet was truly magnificent. When it was over, the Wise Women bestowed their magic gifts on the baby, who had been called Wild Rose. One gave her beauty, another virtue, a third wealth, and so on, until the baby had everything that might be desired in the world.
When eleven of them had announced their gifts, the thirteenth came in, furious that she had not been invited to the banquet, and eager to avenge herself of the insult. Without a word of greeting, without looking to right or left, she pointed at the baby and cried:.,‘The princess shall prick herself on a spindle in her fifteenth year, and shall fall down dead! ’ So saying, she turned on her heel and left the room.
Everyone was dismayed, but the twelfth Wise Woman, who had not yet bestowed her gift, stepped forward. She could not cancel the evil promise, but she could at least soften it. ‘The princess will not die, but she will sleep for a hundred years,’ she said.
Now the king wanted to safeguard Wild Rose, so he ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom were to be burnt. In the meantime, all the good gifts of the Wise Women showed themselves in the princess, who grew up beautiful, gentle, polite and friendly, so that everyone was fond of her.
Now it happened that on the princess’s fifteenth birthday the king and queen were away from home, and she was left alone in the castle. She wandered about through all the rooms, and came at last to an old tower. She climbed a narrow spiral staircase, and at the very top she found a little door, with an old rusty key in the keyhole. As the key grated in the lock the door sprang open, and there in a tiny little room sat an old woman at her spinning wheel, busily spinning a fine flaxen thread. ‘Good-day,’ said Wild Rose. ‘What are you doing?’ ‘I am spinning,’ said the old woman, with a nod. ‘What is that strange-looking thing, that turns round so merrily ? ’ said the princess, stretching out her hand to feel it. But as she touched the spindle, she pricked her finger and the magic spell was fulfilled.
At the very moment when she felt the prick, she fell into a deep sleep. And this sleep spread itself throughout the castle. The king and queen, who had just returned, fell asleep with their whole court in the great hall. The horses slept in the stables, the dogs slept in the courtyard, the doves slept on the roof, and the flies slept on the walls; even the fire, which was flickering away merrily on the hearth, died down, and the roast meat on the spits stopped sizzling. The cook, who was pulling the scullery-boy’s hair because he had forgotten something, let him go, and the kitchen-maid, who was plucking a black chicken, let go of the handful of feathers she was about to pull. Everybody slept. Even the wind died down, so that there was not the faintest breeze to flutter the leaves on the trees which grew in the castle gardens. –
All round the castle a hedge of thorns began to grow. Year after year, it grew higher and higher, until at last it completely surrounded the castle, and not even the flag on the topmost tower could be seen from the other side.
The story of the beautiful Wild Rose spread far and wide, and from time to time kings’ sons would come to try to find a way through the hedge into the castle. But none succeeded, for the thorns clung closely together as if they had hands, and the young men became entangled in them and could not escape.
After many a long year, a king’s son came into the country and heard from an old man the story of the hedge of thorns, of the castle inside, and of the beautiful princess called Wild Rose, who, together with the king and queen and the whole court, had been sleeping for a hundred years. He had already heard from his grandfather how a great many princes had tried to cut a way through the thorns and had come to grief, but he was determined to try his luck. I am not afraid! ’ he said. I will go and see this beautiful Wild Rose for myself.’
The hundred years had now passed by, and it was time for Wild Rose to wake up again, so when the prince approached the hedge of thorns, he found nothing but flowers, which parted of their own accord to let him – through unharmed, then gently closed again behind him. In the courtyard he saw the dappled hounds and the horses in the stables, all lying asleep. The doves sat on the roof with their heads tucked under their wings, and when he went inside, he found the flies still asleep on the walls, the cook’s hand outstretched towards the scullery-boy, and the maid, fast asleep, clutching the black hen which she had been plucking.
On went the prince, and found the whole court lying asleep in the great hall, with the king and queen asleep on their thrones. On he went, with everything so still that he could hear himself breathe, until he came to the tower with the spiral staircase and the little door, which led into the attic room where Wild Rose lay sleeping.
She was so beautiful as she lay there that he could not take his eyes from her, and he bent down to give her a kiss. No sooner had he kissed her, than Wild Rose opened her eyes and smiled sweetly up at him. They went downstairs hand in hand, and the king and queen, with the court, woke up. The horses in the stables stirred and shook themselves; the hounds in the courtyard leaped up and wagged their tails; the doves on the roof pulled their heads from under their wings, blinked and flew off to the woods; the flies crawled up the walls, the fire burst into flame, and the roast meat on the spits began to sizzle; the cook gave the scullery-boy a box on the ear, and the maid finished plucking the black hen.
The prince and Wild Rose were married and they lived happily ever after.
0-0-0
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Once upon a time there lived a merchant who travelled a great deal in foreign parts. Once, as he was saying goodbye to his three daughters, he said, ‘My dear daughters, what would you like me to bring home for you ? ’
‘Dearest Father,’ said the eldest, ‘please bring me a beautiful pearl necklace.’
I should like a sparkling diamond ring,’ said the middle one.
But the youngest one whispered shyly, ‘Father, please bring me a green hazel twig, as a sign that you have not forgotten me.’
So the merchant set off on his travels. His affairs prospered, and he did not forget his daughters. He packed the pearl necklace and the diamond ring in his bag, but no matter how hard he searched, he was unable to find a green hazel twig.
He was still distressed about this when, on his way home, he came to a dark forest. As the track led through the thick undergrowth, he felt something brush against his face. There was a sound like hailstones falling to the ground, and when he looked up he saw a beautiful green hazel twig, with golden nuts hanging on it. He was overjoyed, and stretched up his hand to break it off.
At that very moment a huge bear shot out of the undergrowth, uncovering its fangs in a dreadful snarl. It towered up on its hind legs as if about to rend the merchant limb from limb, and roared, ‘Why have you broken my hazel twig ? ’
‘Dear bear,’ said the merchant, quivering with fear, ‘let me take the hazel twig and go home in peace, and I will send you an enormous ham, and as many sausages as you can eat.’
‘Keep your ham, and your sausages,’ bellowed the bear. ‘You may go only if you promise to give me the first living creature that comes to meet you when you return home.’
The merchant promised. He felt sure that his dog would be the first creature to come runnihg to him, and he did not mind sacrificing the dog in order to save his own life.
So the bear padded off into the forest and the merchant continued his homeward journey, with the golden hazel twig glittering in his hat. To his horror, as he approached his house, he saw his youngest daughter running to meet him, while the dog stood on the doorstep behind her. In great distress he told his family what had happened when he broke the hazel twig, and they were filled with dread.
A few days later a black carriage drew up in front of the house, and out of it stepped the ugly great bear. With a growl and a snarl he padded into the house, and there he insisted that the father should keep his promise. There was no help for it, and the poor girl had to go. Sad at heart she said good-bye, and off she went in the carriage with her horrible bridegroom.
Once outside, the bear laid his shaggy head in the girl’s lap, and growled, ‘Stroke my head, scratch my ears and tickle my chin – or I will eat you.’
The girl stroked and scratched him so gently that the bear was delighted. The carriage flew along more swiftly than the wind, and it seemed as though the black horses had grown wings. Soon they came to the dark forest and the carriage came to a halt at the entrance to a cave. This was the bear’s dwelling. How terrified the girl was when she saw the black cave gaping among the rocks! Nor was her terror any the less when the bear clasped her round the waist with his huge hairy arm, and whispered gently, ‘Here you are to live and be content; but you must do what I tell you, or my wild beasts will eat you.’ They stepped forward into the cave. The bear pushed open a massive iron gate, and they entered a room which was full of poisonous snakes, whose tongues darted out towards them. The bear growled into his bride’s ear. Take great care to look neither to right nor to left – then you will be safe.’
The girl passed through the room looking neither to right nor to left, and no snake touched her. And so they passed on to the next room, and again, as they crossed the threshold, the bear growled, ‘Look neither to right nor to left – then you will be safe!’ In this way they passed through ten rooms, and the eleventh room was full of all the most horrible of monsters – dragons, poisonous toads and serpents. Again the bear growled, ‘Look neither to right nor to left – then you will be safe! ’
The girl trembled with fear, but she remained steadfast and looked neither to right nor to left, and passed safely through the eleventh room.
So they reached the twelfth room, and there a brilliant light gleamed through the open door, and the girl could hear music, and sounds of joy and great jubilation. There came a clap of thunder, and then deep silence.
In that clap of thunder forest, cave, monsters, bear – all vanished. Before her rose a splendid castle, crowned with turrets of gold, with a host of servants standing to welcome her at the gate; and at her side, instead of the huge, growling bear, stood a young man, a prince, tall and handsome. He joyfully kissed his bride, thanking her for releasing him, through her courage, from the spell which had bound him. The hazel twig had been the key to her , good fortune.
Her father and her sisters were invited to the castle for the wedding. The prince and his bride were married, and they all lived happily ever after.
0-0-0
THE MAN WHO KEPT HOUSE
There was once a man who was always grumbling and dissatisfied. Never could his wife work hard enough, or do anything right in the house.
One evening at harvest-time he came home late from the fields, and at once began to scold and to find fault with his wife, so that it was quite dreadful to hear him.
‘Don’t be so bad-tempered, you old ninny,’ said his wife. ‘Tomorrow we will change places. I will go out into the fields with the harvesters, and you shall do the housework.’
That suited him very well, so early next morning the woman laid the scythe over her shoulder and went off to the fields with the harvesters, while the man stayed at home.
To begin with he thought he would churn some butter, so he filled the butter-tub with cream and churned for a while. But soon he felt thirsty, so he went down to the cellar to fetch a jug of beer. He pulled the bung out of the barrel, and let the beer run into the jug.
Suddenly he heard a pig scampering around in the kitchen overhead, so he raced upstairs at once with the bung still in his hand, for he was afraid that the pig might upset the butter-tub.
He was too late, however; the tub lay on its side, and the pig was busy lapping up the cream, which was running all over tHe floor. This put him in a rage and he chased the pig across the room, and felled it with a blow.
He then realized that he was still clasping the bung in his hand, so he rushed down to the cellar, only to find that all the beer had flowed away, and the barrel was empty.
Back he went to the dairy, and once more filled the butter-tub with cream, which he proceeded to churn, for he wanted butter for his lunch. After he had been stirring for a while he realized that the cow had been left in the cowshed, without anything to eat or drink.
It was too late now to drive her out to pasture, but he thought he would put her on the roof, which had a thick covering of fine rich grass. The house lay on a steep slope, and he thought he would lay a plank from the hillside on to the roof, so that he could bring the cow across.
But he did not want to leave the butter-tub lying in the kitchen, for his little boy was crawling around the floor and might easily upset it, so he took it on his back and out he went.
Before leading the cow on to the roof, he wanted to give her a drink. He took a bucket and filled it at the spring, but as he bent down all the cream poured out of ‘ the butter-tub, down his neck and into the water.
It was now almost lunch-time. He had had no luck with the butter, so he thought he would cook some gruel. He filled a big pot with water and hung it over the fire. Then it occurred to him that the cow might fall off the roof and break her leg, or even her neck, so he took a rope, went up on to the roof, and tied one end of it round the cow’s neck. He threw the other end down the chimney, returned to the kitchen, and fastened the rope round his own leg.
The milk was just beginning to boil, so he began to stir in the oatmeal, but suddenly the cow fell off the roof, and jerked the man halfway up the chimney on the end of the rope. There he hung, able to move neither up nor down, while the cow hung down in front of the house, suspended between heaven and earth.
The good wife waited and waited for her husband to bring her lunch, but there was no sign of him. Eventually she grew tired of waiting, and went home to see what was happening.
There she saw the cow hanging between heaven and earth, so she reached up and cut the rope with her scythe, and the cow landed happily on four legs. But the man fell down the chimney, and when the woman went into the kitchen she found him standing on his head in the pot of gruel with his legs waving in the air.
0-0-0
THE SHERPHERD AND THE DWARF
A great many years ago there lived a poor shepherd who had seven sheep, which he grazed on a high mountain slope. One day he was leaning on his crook and thinking of his children at home, for times were hard, and he was very poor.
Speaking quietly to himself, he murmured, ‘My poor children, if only I could give you enough to eat every day!’
Scarcely had the words left his lips when a little dwarf stood before him, with a red cap and a long straggly-beard. ‘Come with me,’ said the dwarf, ‘and I will show you something worth seeing.’ So the shepherd followed him.
Now the dwarf was holding a root in his hand, and the shepherd went after him until he came to a halt at the foot of a steep cliff. Three times he raised the root and struck the rock, and it split open with a clap of thunder, revealing a deep dark cave. The dwarf stepped inside, followed by the shepherd.
At the back of the cave burnt a fire, where many sooty-faced dwarfs were at work, forging all sorts of costly and beautiful things out of gold – crowns and chains, rings and bowls, cups and bangles. The shepherd’s eyes almost popped out of his head at the sight of so much gold. ‘Take as much as you want,’ said the dwarf, ‘but don’t forget the most important thing of all.’ So saying, he laid the root on the ground and vanished.
The shepherd had no need to be told twice, but stuffed all his pockets with gold and set off home. The moment he set foot outside the cave, the rocks clapped together with another peal of thunder.
The gold enabled the poor shepherd to buy food and shoes and clothing for his children for some time, but at last these good times came to an end. Day after day he wandered up and down the cliff face looking for the entrance to the cave, but the mountain remained closed for ever, for he had forgotten the most important thing of all – the magic root!
0-0-0
THE THREE GOATS CALLED HUURICANE
There once lived three goats, who set out to graze on the hillside. All three were called Hurricane.
On the way to the pasture there was a bridge over a river, and under the bridge lived a horrible great troll with eyes as big as saucers, and a nose as long as a broomstick.
The first goat came trotting along, and wanted to cross. Clippety-clop, clippety-clop he clattered on to the bridge.
‘Who’s that trotting on my bridge?’ boomed the troll.
‘It is I, the little goat Hurricane,’ replied the goat in his small high voice. ‘I am going up the hillside to graze.’
‘Just you wait, I’m coming up to catch you!’ boomed the troll.
‘I shouldn’t waste time catching me,’ said the goat. I am still very small. Just wait a few moments for the other goat Hurricane. He is much bigger than I am! ’
‘All right,’ boomed the troll.
Not long afterwards the second goat came trotting along and wanted to cross. Clippety-clop, clippety-clop he clattered on to the bridge.
‘Who’s that trotting’on my bridge ?’ boomed the troll.
‘It is I, the second goat Hurricane,’ replied the goat, in his stronger, deeper voice. ‘I am going up the hillside to graze.’
‘Just you wait, I’m coming up to catch you! ’ boomed the troll.
‘Oh, I shouldn’t bother about me,’ said the goat. ‘Why not wait for the big goat Hurricane ? He is much bigger than l am!’
‘All right,’ boomed the troll.
By and by along came the big goat. Bonk! bonk! bonk! bonk! he tramped on to the bridge.
‘Who’s that tramping on my bridge ?’ boomed the troll.
‘It is I, the big goat Hurricane,’reploed the goat in the strongest, deepest voice.
‘So it’s you at last,’ boomed the troll. ‘I’m coming up to catch you! ’
‘Come along then,’ replied the big goat Hurricane. ‘I have two fine spears on my head, and it won’t take me long to deal with a fat old ugly brute like you! ’
So the goat lowered his horns and hurled himself at the troll. He battered him with his hooves and tossed him into the river. Then he went to join the other two on the hillside.
And the three goats ate so much that they grew fatter and fatter, until they could hardly move. If they have not burst yet, I suppose they must still be eating.
0-0-0
THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN KIDS
There was once an old goat, who had seven kids whom she loved dearly, as a mother loves her children. One day when she was going into the forest to look for food, she called her seven kids to her and said: ‘My dear children, be on your guard against the wicked wolf while I am away in the forest, and lock the door. If he should get into the house, he will certainly gobble you all up. The villain often disguises himself, but you will easily be able to recognize him by his black paws and his gruff voice.’
‘Dearest Mother,’ said the kids, ‘we will take great care; there is no need to worry about us.’ So the mother goat bleated good-bye, and trotted cheerfully away; and the kids locked the door.
Not long afterwards there was a knocking at the door, and a voice called, ‘Open the door, dear children. It is your mother, and I have brought home something for each of you.’
But the kids heard the gruff voice, and they knew that it was the wolf. ‘We will not open the door,’ they shouted. ‘You are not our mother, for she has a soft gentle voice, and your voice is gruff. You are the wolf.’
So the wolf went to a shop and bought a big stick of chalk, which he swallowed, in order to soften his voice. Back he went and knocked again at the door, calling, ‘Open the door, dear children. It is your mother, and I have brought home something for each of you.’ But the wolf had laid his black paws on the window-sill, and the kids saw them and called back, ‘We will not open the door. You are not our mother, for her feet are not black. You are the wolf.’
So the wolf went to the baker’s shop and said, ‘I have hprt my paw. Please plaster some dough on it.’ When the baker had done this, the wolf ran off to the miller and said, ‘Please powder my paw with flour.’
Now the miller suspected that the wolf intended to deceive someone, and he refused, but the wolf said, ‘If you don’t do what I tell you, I’ll gobble you up.’ So the miller was afraid, and powdered the wolf’s paw with flour.
For the third time the scoundrel went to the house and knocked on the door, saying, ‘Open the door, dear children. It is your mother home again, and I have brought something for each of you from the forest.’
‘Show us your foot,’ cried the kids, ‘so that we may tell if you are really our mother.’
So the wolf laid his paw on the window-sill, and they saw how white it was and thought it really was their mother, so they unlocked the door.
In came the wolf! The kids were terified, and tried to hide. One dashed under the table, one under the bedclothes, the third into the oven, the fourth into a drawer, the fifth into a cupboard, the sixth under a basin, and the seventh inside the grandfather clock. But the wolf found them and gobbled them up one after the other — all except the youngest one, who was hiding inside the grandfather clock. When the wolf had finished his meal, he trotted outside, sauntered across the meadow, and lay down beneath a tree to sleep.
By and by the mother goat came home from the forest. What a shock it was to her to see the door standing open, tables, chairs, and benches thrown all over the place, dishes smashed to smithereens, blankets and pillows dragged off the bed! She looked for her children, but they were nowhere to be found. She called them one after the other by name, but no one answered, until she came to the youngest of all. Then she heard a faint voice calling, ‘Here I am, Mother, in the grandfather clock.’ So she pulled him out, and the little fellow told her the sad story of how the wolf had gobbled up all his brothers and sisters. You can imagine how she wept for her poor children !
In her grief she left the house, and the youngest little kid ran along beside her. When they came to the meadow they found the wolf lying under a tree, snoring so loudly that the branches were quivering. She examined the wolf from all sides, and saw that something was moving and struggling in his great fat stomach. ‘Good gracious!’ she said. ‘Can it be possible that my poor children are still living ? ’
So she sent the little kid home for scissors, needle and thread, and when he returned she quickly cut open the wolf’s stomach. Hardly had she made the first cut when one little kid thrust his head out, and with each cut another little kid appeared, until all six of them were jumping and skipping round her. They had not come to the slightest harm, for the wolf in his greed had swallowed them whole. What rejoicing there was, as they kissed their dear mother and skipped about for joy!
‘Run and fetch me some big stones,’ said the mother goat, ‘so that I can fill the scoundrel’s stomach while he lies sleeping.’ So the seven kids ran quickly and brought seven stones, each as big as themselves, and stuffed them into the wolf’s stomach. Quick as thought the mother goat sewed the stomach up again, but very gently, so that the wolf did not even stir in his sleep.
When at last the wolf did wake up, he dragged himself to his feet, and went to look for a drink because the stones inside had made him thirsty. But the stones bumped against each other and rattled when he began to walk, so that he cried out, ‘Whatever is this fearful rattling and bumping going on inside me ? I thought it was six tender little kids I had eaten but it feels more like six great boulders! ’
He struggled over to the well and bent down to drink, but the weight of the seven stones pulled him in and he was drowned. When the seven kids saw this they came running up, crying at the top of their voices, ‘The wolf is dead! The wolf is dead! ’ And they danced round the well for joy.
0-0-0
THE FOX AS SHEPHERD
A farmer’s widow went to look for someone to take care of her animals. On the way she met a bear.
‘Where are you going ? ’ asked the bear.
‘I’m going to look for a shepherd,’ replied the woman. ‘I’ll look after your animals for you,’ said the bear. ‘How will you call them to come to you?’ asked the woman.
‘Gr-r-r-r-r-r,’ growled the bear.
‘No, that won’t do at all,’ said the woman, and she went on her way.
By and by she met a wolf. ‘Where are you going ? ’ asked the wolf.
‘I’m going to look for a shepherd,’ replied the woman. ‘I’ll look after your animals for you,’ said the wolf. ‘How Will you call them to come to you?’ asked the ‘woman.
‘Uhoohoohoohooooo! ’ howled the wolf.
‘No, that won’t do,’ said the woman, and she went on. Not long after that she met a fox. ‘Where are you going ? ’ asked the fox.
‘I’m going to look for a shepherd,’ replied the woman. ‘I’ll look after your animals for you,’ said the fox.
‘How will you call them to come to you ? ’ asked the woman.
‘Dil-dal-hollow, dil-dal-hollow,’ sang the fox, in a fine, deep, tuneful voice.
‘That will do very well,’ said the woman, and she engaged the fox on the spot to take care of her animals.
On the first day, when the fox was taking the animals out to the meadow, he gobbled up all the goats; on the second day he made a good tasty meal of sheep; on the third day it was the cows’ turn. When he came home in the evening, the woman asked him where he had left all the animals.
‘Oh, they are out there on the banks of the stream and in among the bushes,’ said the fox. Now the woman was standing by her butter-tub churning cream to make butter, but when she heard this she stepped outside to have a look for her animals. While her back was turned, the fox stuck his head into the butter-tub and gobbled up all the cream. The woman was furious, chased him with her cream whisk, and hit him on the tip of his tail as he ran away.
And that is why the fox has a white tip to his tail to this day.
0-0-0
THE COCK AND THE NEIGHBOUR’S HEN
A man had a cock who could do all sorts of clever tricks, and the woman next door had a hen, who tried to imitate this cock in everything he did. Now one day the man said to his cock, ‘Fly away and bring me money – plenty of it! ’ So off flew the cock, straight to the palace, where he perched on the canopy above the emperor’s bed, and crowed loudly:
‘Cock-a-doodle-doo!
Fi! Fi! Fi!
The emperor is a lazy loon.
He stays in bed till afternoon! ’
The emperor was furious, and ordered his footmen to
lock the shameless bird up in the barn. But the cock ate all the grain, flew out of a hole in the roof, and once again perched on the canopy above the emperor’s bed, crowing more loudly than ever.
‘Cock-a-doodle-doo!
Fi! Fi! Fi!
The emperor is a lazy loon.
He stays in bed till afternoon ! ’
The emperor was purple with rage, and ordered his footmen to shut the impertinent bird in the Copper Treasury. But the cock gobbled up all the copper, flew back to the emperor’s bed, and crowed again. Thereupon he was locked in the Silver Treasury, where he gobbled up all the silver. Then he flew back to the emperor’s bed and crowed again. Thereupon he was locked in the Gold Treasury. The cock gobbled up all the gold, and flew off home.
On the way home he dropped a penny, which fell into a puddle. When he saw his master’s house in the distance, he crowed, ‘Spread out all your cloths and sacks, I’m coming! ’
So the man made haste to spread out all the cloths he had, and scarcely had he done this when the cock flew up and filled them all with grain, copper, silver and gold.
The woman next door was extremely envious, for she also would have liked to become rich in such an easy manner. So she asked her neighbour how he had trained his cock to bring him so many fine things.
‘I just gave him a good beating,’ said the man.
So the woman gave her poor hen a sound beating, and said, ‘Off you go, and bring me as much money as the neighbour’s cock brought him! ’
‘All right,’ replied the hen, ‘I won’t be long.’ Off she flew until she came to the puddle where the cock had dropped the penny. This pleased her greatly, and she lapped it all up – puddle and penny and dirt and all. Back she waddled, weighed down with all she had swallowed, and from far off she squawked to her good woman: ‘Spread out all your cloths and sacks, I’m coming! ’
Quick as lightning the woman spread out all the cloths which she had made ready, but the hen filled them all with puddle water and dirt and the single penny.
The cock noticed the penny, gobbled it up, and cried, ‘That one is mine – you are welcome to the rest! ’
Never again did the hen try to imitate the neighbour’s cock.
0-0-0
THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS
A man had a donkey, who for many a long year had carried his sacks to the mill. But now the donkey was growing old and was not fit for work, so his master thought that the poor animal was no longer worth his keep. The donkey well realized that his master held no good intentions towards him, so he ran away on the road to Bremen.
Before he had gone far he met a dog lying panting by the roadside.
‘What’s the matter with you, old fellow?’ asked the donkey.
‘Alas!’ said the dog, ‘I am growing old and weak, and cannot hunt any longer for my master. He wanted to kill me, so I ran away from home, but how I am going to earn my food is more than I can guess.’
‘Now you listen to me,’ said the donkey. I am going to Bremen to join the town band. Why not come with me, and try your hand at music ? I’ll play the lute, and you can beat the drum.’ The dog thought this was an excellent idea, so off they went together towards Bremen.
Before long they met a cat sitting by the wayside, with a face as long as three rainy days.
‘What’s worrying you, old whiskers?’ asked the donkey. ‘How can I look happy,’ replied the cat, ‘when my life is in danger? I am old, my teeth are no longer sharp, and I prefer to lie in front of the fire rather than to hunt mice. My mistress thinks I am not worth my keep. She wanted to drown me, so I ran away. But where can I go? ’
‘Come along with us to Bremen! You know all about serenading, so you can become a town musician with us.’ This suited the cat very well, so off she went with the dog and the donkey. By and by they came to a farm-yard, where the cock was perched on the gate, crowing with all his might.
‘You are making enough noise to waken the dead! ’ said the donkey. ‘What’s the trouble?’
‘Tomorrow is Sunday and we are having guests to dinner,’ said the cock. ‘The good lady of the house means to have chicken soup, and I am to have my head cut off this very evening. So I am crowing at the top of my voice while there is stil 1 breath left in me.’
‘But why not come along with us, red-comb! ’ said the donkey. ‘We are going to Bremen to be town musicians, and you have a fine powerful voice.ySö the cock fell in with this plan, and all four of them went on together.
But they were unable to reach Bremen in one day, and as it grew dark they came to a wood, and there they proposed to spend the night. The donkey and the dog curled
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