Der var engang en rig mand, hvis kone blev syg, og da hun følte, at døden nærmede sig, kaldte hun på sin eneste datter og sagde: "Bliv ved at være from og god, min lille pige, så vil den gode Gud nok hjælpe dig. Og når jeg kommer i himlen, vil jeg se ned på dig, og mine tanker vil følge dig, hvor du går." Derpå lukkede hun sine øjne og døde. Pigen gik hver dag ud til sin mors grav og græd og blev ved at være from og god. Da det blev vinter, bredte sneen et hvidt dække over graven, og da foråret kom og solen tog det bort, tog manden sig en anden kone.
There was once a rich man whose wife lay sick, and when she felt her end drawing near she called to her only daughter to come near her bed, and said, "Dear child, be pious and good, and God will always take care of you, and I will look down upon you from heaven, and will be with you." And then she closed her eyes and expired. The maiden went every day to her mother's grave and wept, and was always pious and good. When the winter came the snow covered the grave with a white covering, and when the sun came in the early spring and melted it away, the man took to himself another wife.
Denne kone havde to døtre. De havde smukke ansigter, men deres hjerter var onde og hårde. Der begyndte nu en slem tid for den stakkels steddatter. "Skal den dumme tøs sidde herinde i stuen hos os," sagde de onde piger, "den, der vil have noget at spise, må arbejde for det. Ud i køkkenet med den kokketøs." De tog hendes smukke klæder fra hende og gav hende en gammel grå kjole og træsko. "Se hvor prinsessen er fin," råbte de leende og jog hende ud i køkkenet. Der måtte hun arbejde strengt fra morgen til aften, stå op før daggry og hente vand og gøre ild på, lave mad og vaske op. Oven i købet gjorde søstrene hende al den fortræd, de kunne, og kastede ærter og bønner i asken, så hun måtte have det besvær at samle dem op igen. Om aftenen, når hun var træt, havde hun ingen seng, hun kunne lægge sig i, men måtte sove ved siden af skorstenen. Det var da intet under, at hun altid var støvet og snavset, og hun blev derfor kaldt Askepot.
The new wife brought two daughters home with her, and they were beautiful and fair in appearance, but at heart were, black and ugly. And then began very evil times for the poor step-daughter. "Is the stupid creature to sit in the same room with us?" said they; "those who eat food must earn it. Out upon her for a kitchen-maid!" They took away her pretty dresses, and put on her an old grey kirtle, and gave her wooden shoes to wear. "Just look now at the proud princess, how she is decked out!" cried they laughing, and then they sent her into the kitchen. There she was obliged to do heavy work from morning to night, get up early in the morning, draw water, make the fires, cook, and wash. Besides that, the sisters did their utmost to torment her, mocking her, and strewing peas and lentils among the ashes, and setting her to pick them up. In the evenings, when she was quite tired out with her hard day's work, she had no bed to lie on, but was obliged to rest on the hearth among the cinders. And as she always looked dusty and dirty, they named her Cinderella.
En gang, da faderen skulle til marked, spurgte han sine steddøtre, hvad han skulle bringe med hjem til dem. "Smukke klæder," sagde den ene, "Perler og ædelstene," bad den anden. "Men hvad vil du have, Askepot?" - "Må jeg få den første gren, der støder imod din hat, når du går hjem," sagde hun. Han købte da også nye klæder og perler og ædelstene til sine to døtre. På hjemvejen løb han mod en gren, som puffede hatten af hovedet på ham, og han huskede nu, hvad Askepot havde bedt ham om, og brækkede den af. Da han kom hjem, gav han hver af sine døtre, hvad de havde ønsket sig. Askepot gik ud og plantede grenen på sin mors grav, og hendes tårer faldt ned på jorden. Grenen voksede til og blev til et prægtigt træ. Askepot gik hver dag ud og satte sig under træet og græd. Så kom der en hvid fugl flyvende og satte sig i træet, og når hun bad om noget, kastede den det ned i skødet på hende.
It happened one day that the father went to the fair, and he asked his two step-daughters what he should bring back for them. "Fine clothes!" said one. "Pearls and jewels!" said the other. "But what will you have, Cinderella?" said he. "The first twig, father, that strikes against your hat on the way home; that is what I should like you to bring me." So he bought for the two step-daughters fine clothes, pearls, and jewels, and on his way back, as he rode through a green lane, a hazel-twig struck against his hat; and he broke it off and carried it home with him. And when he reached home he gave to the step-daughters what they had wished for, and to Cinderella he gave the hazel-twig. She thanked him, and went to her mother's grave, and planted this twig there, weeping so bitterly that the tears fell upon it and watered it, and it flourished and became a fine tree. Cinderella went to see it three times a day, and wept and prayed, and each time a white bird rose up from the tree, and if she uttered any wish the bird brought her whatever she had wished for.
På denne tid traf kongen forberedelser til en stor fest. Alle smukke jomfruer i hele landet var indbudt, for at hans søn kunne vælge sig en brud iblandt dem. Da de to stedsøstre fik at vide, at de også skulle med, blev de i godt humør og sagde til Askepot: "Kom og red vores hår og børst vore sko. Nu skal vi til bryllup i kongens slot." Askepot gjorde det, men græd, for hun ville også gerne til fest, og hun bad så stedmoderen om hun måtte komme med. "Vil du til bryllup?" spurgte hun hånligt. "Du er sort som jorden og har hverken sko eller klæder." Da hun blev ved med at bede, sagde stedmoderen: "Nu kaster jeg denne skål bønner i asken. Hvis du kan samle dem op inden to timer, skal du få lov til at gå med." Askepot gik nu ud i haven og råbte: "Kom alle mine duer og alle små fugle under himlen og hjælp mig.
Now if came to pass that the king ordained a festival that should last for three days, and to which all the beautiful young women of that country were bidden, so that the king's son might choose a bride from among them. When the two stepdaughters heard that they too were bidden to appear, they felt very pleased, and they called Cinderella, and said, "Comb our hair, brush our shoes, and make our buckles fast, we are going to the wedding feast at the king's castle." Cinderella, when she heard this, could not help crying, for she too would have liked to go to the dance, and she begged her step-mother to allow her. "What, you Cinderella!" said she, "in all your dust and dirt, you want to go to the festival! you that have no dress and no shoes! you want to dance!" But as she persisted in asking, at last the step-mother said, "I have strewed a dish-full of lentils in the ashes, and if you can pick them all up again in two hours you may go with us." Then the maiden went to the backdoor that led into the garden, and called out, "O gentle doves, O turtle-doves, And all the birds that be, The lentils that in ashes lie Come and pick up for me!
Saml bønnerne op, som I kan bedst,
The good must be put in the dish,
Askepot skal i aften til fest."
The bad you may eat if you wish."
Straks kom to hvide duer flyvende ind ad køkkenvinduet, og efter dem kom en hel mængde andre fugle. Allesammen gav de sig til at samle bønnerne op, og i mindre end en time var de færdige. Pigen bragte stedmoderen skålen og troede, at hun nu fik lov til at komme med til brylluppet. Men hun sagde: "Du bliver bare til latter, Askepot, du har jo ingen klæder." Da pigen gav sig til at græde, sagde hun: "Hvis du på en time kan samle disse to skåle bønner op af asken, skal du få lov til at komme med." Askepot gik igen ud i haven og sagde: "Kom mine duer og alle små fugle og hjælp mig.
Then there came to the kitchen-window two white doves, and after them some turtle-doves, and at last a crowd of all the birds under heaven, chirping and fluttering, and they alighted among the ashes; and the doves nodded with their heads, and began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and then all the others began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and put all the good grains into the dish. Before an hour was over all was done, and they flew away. Then the maiden brought the dish to her step-mother, feeling joyful, and thinking that now she should go to the feast; but the step-mother said, "No, Cinderella, you have no proper clothes, and you do not know how to dance, and you would be laughed at!" And when Cinderella cried for disappointment, she added, "If you can pick two dishes full of lentils out of the ashes, nice and clean, you shall go with us," thinking to herself, "for that is not possible." When she had strewed two dishes full of lentils among the ashes the maiden went through the backdoor into the garden, and cried, "O gentle doves, O turtle-doves, And all the birds that be, The lentils that in ashes lie Come and pick up for me!
Saml bønnerne op, som I kan bedst,
The good must be put in the dish,
Askepot skal i aften til fest."
The bad you may eat if you wish."
Da kom alle fuglene flyvende ind ad vinduet, og inden en halv time var gået, havde de samlet alle bønnerne sammen i skålen. Pigen blev glad og troede, at hun nu skulle få lov til at komme med, men stedmoderen sagde: "Det kan slet ikke nytte noget, du kommer ikke med alligevel. Du har ingen klæder og kan heller ikke danse, så vi kom bare til at skamme os over dig." Derpå kørte hun af sted med sine to døtre.
So there came to the kitchen-window two white doves, and then some turtle-doves, and at last a crowd of all the other birds under heaven, chirping and fluttering, and they alighted among the ashes, and the doves nodded with their heads and began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and then all the others began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and put all the good grains into the dish. And before half-an-hour was over it was all done, and they flew away. Then the maiden took the dishes to the stepmother, feeling joyful, and thinking that now she should go with them to the feast; but she said "All this is of no good to you; you cannot come with us, for you have no proper clothes, and cannot dance; you would put us to shame." Then she turned her back on poor Cinderella, and made haste to set out with her two proud daughters.
Da de var gået, skyndte Askepot sig ud på sin mors grav, stillede sig under træet og sagde:
And as there was no one left in the house, Cinderella went to her mother's grave, under the hazel bush, and cried,
"Lille træ, jeg beder dig,
"Little tree, little tree, shake over me,
kast guld og sølv herned til mig."
That silver and gold may come down and cover me."
Fuglen kastede straks en guld- og sølvindvirket kjole og et par perlebroderede sko ned til hende. Hun tog det hurtigt på og gik op på slottet. Hendes stedmor og stedsøstre kunne ikke kende hende igen, men troede, det var en fremmed prinsesse. Det faldt dem ikke et øjeblik ind at tænke på Askepot, som de troede sad derhjemme ved skorstenen i alt snavset og støvet. Prinsen kom hen, tog hende i hånden og dansede med hende og ville slet ikke give slip på hende igen, og når en anden kom og bukkede for hende, sagde han: "Hun danser med mig."
Then the bird threw down a dress of gold and silver, and a pair of slippers embroidered with silk and silver. , And in all haste she put on the dress and went to the festival. But her step-mother and sisters did not know her, and thought she must be a foreign princess, she looked so beautiful in her golden dress. Of Cinderella they never thought at all, and supposed that she was sitting at home, arid picking the lentils out of the ashes. The King's son came to meet her, and took her by the hand and danced with her, and he refused to stand up with any one else, so that he might not be obliged to let go her hand; and when any one came to claim it he answered, "She is my partner."
Om aftenen ville hun gå hjem, og kongesønnen ville gå med hende for at få at vide, hvem hun var. Men hun løb foran ham og gemte sig i dueslaget. Kongesønnen ventede, til hendes far kom hjem, og fortalte ham da, at pigen var sprunget ind i dueslaget. "Det skulle da vel aldrig være Askepot," tænkte faderen og fik fat på en økse og huggede dueslaget itu, men der var ingen derinde. Da de gik ind i huset, lå Askepot ved ovnen i sine gamle, snavsede klæder. Hun var i en fart sprunget ud på den anden side af dueslaget og var løbet ud på sin mors grav og havde taget sin fine kjole af. Så var hun trukket i sine sædvanlige laser og havde lagt sig i asken ude i køkkenet.
And when the evening came she wanted to go home, but the prince said he would go with her to take care of her, for he wanted to see where the beautiful maiden lived. But she escaped him, and jumped up into the pigeon-house. Then the prince waited until the father came, and told him the strange maiden had jumped into the pigeon-house. The father thought to himself, "It cannot surely be Cinderella," and called for axes and hatchets, and had the pigeon-house cut down, but there was no one in it. And when they entered the house there sat Cinderella in her dirty clothes among the cinders, and a little oil-lamp burnt dimly in the chimney; for Cinderella had been very quick, and had jumped out of the pigeon-house again, and had run to the hazel bush; and there she had taken off her beautiful dress and had laid it on the grave, and the bird had carried it away again, and then she had put on her little gray kirtle again, and had sat down in. the kitchen among the cinders.
Da de allesammen igen næste dag var taget til festen, gik Askepot ud til træet og sagde:
The next day, when the festival began anew, and the parents and step-sisters had gone to it, Cinderella went to the hazel bush and cried,
"Lille træ, jeg beder dig,
"Little tree, little tree, shake over me,
kast guld og sølv herned til mig."
That silver and gold may come down and cover me."
Straks kastede fuglen en kjole ned til hende, og den var endnu smukkere end den forrige. Alle forbavsedes over hendes skønhed, og kongesønnen kom straks hen og dansede med hende. Når der kom en anden og bukkede for hende, sagde han: "Hun danser med mig." Om aftenen ville hun hjem, og kongesønnen gik med for at se, hvor hun boede, men hun løb fra ham og ind i haven bagved huset. Der klatrede hun i en fart op i et stort pæretræ, og prinsen kunne ikke begribe, hvor hun var blevet af. Han ventede til faderen kom hjem og sagde så til ham: "Pigen er sluppet fra mig igen, jeg tror hun er klatret op i pæretræet." - "Det skulle da vel aldrig være Askepot," tænkte faderen hentede en økse og huggede træet om, men der sad ingen deroppe. Og da de kom ind i køkkenet lå Askepot i asken, som hun plejede. Hun var sprunget ned på den anden side af træet, havde bragt klæderne ud på graven og havde atter taget sine gamle pjalter på.
Then the bird cast down a still more splendid dress than on the day before. And when she appeared in it among the guests every one was astonished at her beauty. The prince had been waiting until she came, and he took her hand and danced with her alone. And when any one else came to invite her he said, "She is my partner." And when the evening came she wanted to go home, and the prince followed her, for he wanted to see to what house she belonged; but she broke away from him, and ran into the garden at the back of the house. There stood a fine large tree, bearing splendid pears; she leapt as lightly as a squirrel among the branches, and the prince did not know what had become of her. So he waited until the father came, and then he told him that the strange maiden had rushed from him, and that he thought she had gone up into the pear-tree. The father thought to himself, "It cannot surely be Cinderella," and called for an axe, and felled the tree, but there was no one in it. And when they went into the kitchen there sat Cinderella among the cinders, as usual, for she had got down the other side of the tree, and had taken back her beautiful clothes to the bird on the hazel bush, and had put on her old grey kirtle again.
Dagen efter gik Askepot igen ud på sin mors grav og sagde:
On the third day, when the parents and the step-children had set off, Cinderella went again to her mother's grave, and said to the tree,
"Lille træ, jeg beder dig,
"Little tree, little tree, shake over me,
kast guld og sølv herned til mig."
That silver and gold may come down and cover me."
Den kjole, fuglen nu kastede ned til hende, var prægtigere end nogen af de forrige, og skoene var helt forgyldte. Alle bryllupsgæsterne blev betagne af hendes store skønhed. Kongesønnen dansede med hende hele aftenen, og var der nogen anden, som bukkede for hende, sagde han: "Hun danser med mig."
Then the bird cast down a dress, the like of which had never been seen for splendour and brilliancy, and slippers that were of gold. And when she appeared in this dress at the feast nobody knew what to say for wonderment. The prince danced with her alone, and if any one else asked her he answered, "She is my partner."
Om aftenen ville Askepot hjem, og kongesønnen ville følge hende, men hun slap igen fra ham. Hendes venstre sko blev imidlertid hængende fast i noget beg, som han havde ladet trappen smøre over med. Kongesønnen tog den lille gyldne sko, gik til Askepots far og sagde: "Jeg gifter mig kun med den, der kan passe denne sko." Da søstrene hørte det, blev de glade, for de havde smukke fødder begge to. Den ældste tog skoen og ville prøve den, og hendes mor hjalp hende. Men hun kunne ikke få plads til den store tå, hvor meget hun end anstrengte sig, og moderen rakte hende herfor en kniv og skær: "Skær tåen af. Når du først er blevet dronning, behøver du jo ikke at gå." Pigen gjorde det, fik skoen på og bed smerten i sig. Derpå gik hun ind til prinsen, der tog hende foran sig på hesten og red af sted med hende. Da de kom forbi Askepots mors grav, sad der to hvide duer i træet og sang:
And when it was evening Cinderella wanted to go home, and the prince was about to go with her, when she ran past him so quickly that he could not follow her. But he had laid a plan, and had caused all the steps to be spread with pitch, so that as she rushed down them the left shoe of the maiden remained sticking in it. The prince picked it up, and saw that it was of gold, and very small and slender. The next morning he went to the father and told him that none should be his bride save the one whose foot the golden shoe should fit. Then the two sisters were very glad, because they had pretty feet. The eldest went to her room to try on the shoe, and her mother stood by. But she could not get her great toe into it, for the shoe was too small; then her mother handed her a knife, and said, "Cut the toe off, for when you are queen you will never have to go on foot." So the girl cut her toe off, squeezed her foot into the shoe, concealed the pain, and went down to the prince. Then he took her with him on his horse as his bride, and rode off. They had to pass by the grave, and there sat the two pigeons on the hazel bush, and cried,
"Kongesøn, se blodet vælder
"There they go, there they go!
purpurrødt af skoen ud.
There is blood on her shoe;
Og den røde flod fortæller
The shoe is too small,
det er ej den rette brud."
Not the right bride at all!"
Prinsen så nu, at blodet strømmede ud af skoen. Han red så hjem med pigen og sagde, at den anden søster skulle prøve skoen. Hun fik da også lykkelig og vel tæerne ned i den, men hælen var for stor. "Skær et stykke af hælen," sagde hendes mor og rakte hende en kniv, "når du bliver dronning behøver du jo ikke at gå." Pigen gjorde det, fik foden klemt ned i skoen og bed smerten i sig. Kongesønnen tog hende nu foran sig på hesten og red hjem med hende, men da de kom forbi graven sad duerne i træet og sang:
Then the prince looked at her shoe, and saw the blood flowing. And he turned his horse round and took the false bride home again, saying she was not the right one, and that the other sister must try on the shoe. So she went into her room to do so, and got her toes comfortably in, but her heel was too large. Then her mother handed her the knife, saying, "Cut a piece off your heel; when you are queen you will never have to go on foot." So the girl cut a piece off her heel, and thrust her foot into the shoe, concealed the pain, and went down to the prince, who took his bride before him on his horse and rode off. When they passed by the hazel bush the two pigeons sat there and cried,
"Kongesøn, se blodet vælder
"There they go, there they go!
purpurrødt af skoen ud.
There is blood on her shoe;
Og den røde flod fortæller
The shoe is too small,
det er ej den rette brud."
Not the right bride at all!"
Han så nu, at skoen var fuld af blod og hendes hvide strømpe var helt rød. Han red straks hjem med hende og sagde: "Det er heller ikke hende, har I ikke flere døtre?" - "Nej," svarede manden, "ja, det vil sige, min første kone havde nok en datter, som vi kalder Askepot, men hende kan det umuligt være." Kongesønnen bad, om hun måtte komme ind, men stedmoderen sagde: "Nej, det kan virkelig ikke gå an, så snavset som hun er," men prinsen ville absolut have det, og de kaldte så endelig på hende. Hun vaskede først sit ansigt og sine hænder og gik så ind og nejede for kongesønnen, der rakte hende skoen. Hun prøvede den, og den passede hende, som den var syet til hende. Og da hun rejste sig, og kongesønnen så hendes ansigt, kendte han hende straks igen. "Det er den rigtige," råbte han glad. Stedmoderen og hendes to døtre blev blege af raseri, da prinsen tog Askepot foran sig på hesten og red af sted med hende. Da de kom til graven, sad de to hvide duer i træet og sang:
Then the prince looked at her foot, and saw how the blood was flowing from the shoe, and staining the white stocking. And he turned his horse round and brought the false bride home again. "This is not the right one," said he, "have you no other daughter?" - "No," said the man, "only my dead wife left behind her a little stunted Cinderella; it is impossible that she can be the bride." But the King's son ordered her to be sent for, but the mother said, "Oh no! she is much too dirty, I could not let her be seen." But he would have her fetched, and so Cinderella had to appear. First she washed her face and hands quite clean, and went in and curtseyed to the prince, who held out to her the golden shoe. Then she sat down on a stool, drew her foot out of the heavy wooden shoe, and slipped it into the golden one, which fitted it perfectly. And when she stood up, and the prince looked in her face, he knew again the beautiful maiden that had danced with him, and he cried, "This is the right bride!" The step-mother and the two sisters were thunderstruck, and grew pale with anger; but he put Cinderella before him on his horse and rode off. And as they passed the hazel bush, the two white pigeons cried,
"Kongesøn, den rette kvinde
"There they go, there they go!
fører du til dit palads,
No blood on her shoe;
ingen røde dråber rinde,
The shoe's not too small,
skoen foden er tilpas.
The right bride is she after all."
Askepot kaldte på dem, og de kom straks flyvende og satte sig på hendes skuldre.
And when they had thus cried, they came flying after and perched on Cinderella's shoulders, one on the right, the other on the left, and so remained.
Da brylluppet skulle fejres kom de to søstre og ville indsmigre sig hos Askepot, fordi de tænkte der måske kunne falde noget godt af til dem. Da prinsen og hans brud gik til kirke, gik den ældste på højre og den yngste på venstre side, og duerne, der sad på Askepots skuldre, fløj da hen og hakkede et øje ud på hver af dem. Da de gik ud, gik den yngste på højre og den ældste på venstre side og nu hakkede duerne deres andet øje ud. Således blev de blinde for resten af deres liv til straf for, at de havde været så onde.
And when her wedding with the prince was appointed to be held the false sisters came, hoping to curry favour, and to take part in the festivities. So as the bridal procession went to the church, the eldest walked on the right side and the younger on the left, and the pigeons picked out an eye of each of them. And as they returned the elder was on the left side and the younger on the right, and the pigeons picked out the other eye of each of them. And so they were condemned to go blind for the rest of their days because of their wickedness and falsehood.