De tre sorte prinsesser


The three black princesses


Ostindien blev engang belejret af fjenden, og han ville ikke gå sin vej, før han fik seks hundrede daler. Borgerne lod da trommen gå og bekendtgjorde, at den, der kunne skaffe pengene, skulle blive borgmester. Nede ved søen sad en fisker med sin søn og fiskede, og så kom fjenden, tog hans søn til fange og gav ham seks hundrede daler for ham.
Fiskeren gav straks rådherrerne pengene, fjenden drog bort, manden blev udnævnt til borgmester, og det blev besluttet, at den der ikke sagde: "Hr. borgmester" til ham, skulle klynges op i galgen.
Sønnen slap imidlertid fra fjenden og flygtede ind i en stor skov, hvor der lå et højt bjerg. Det lukkede sig op for ham, og da han gik derind, kom han til et forhekset slot, hvor stole og borde og bænke var beklædt med sort. Så kom der tre prinsesser, som var helt sorte, og kun havde en lille bitte smule hvidt i ansigtet, og sagde, at han skulle ikke være bange, de skulle ikke gøre ham noget, men hvis han ville, kunne han frelse dem. Det ville han gerne, hvis de ville sige ham, hvordan han skulle bære sig ad. De sagde da, at han i et helt år hverken måtte tale til dem eller se på dem, hvis der var noget, han ville have, skulle han blot sige det, så skulle de svare, hvis de måtte. Da han havde været der i nogen tid, fik han lyst til at komme lidt hjem til sin far, og prinsesserne gav ham da en pung med penge og smukke klæder, og han måtte love at komme igen inden otte dage.
Han kom så ud af bjerget og lige hen til Ostindien. Da han ikke kunne finde sin far i deres lille hytte, spurgte han nogle folk, hvor den fattige fisker var blevet af, men de sagde, at sådan måtte han ikke tale, så blev han hængt. Da han kom op til sin far sagde han: "Hvor kan en stakkels fisker komme til så stor en ære." - "Det må du ikke sige," sagde folk rundtomkring, "hvis rådsherrerne får det at høre, kommer du til at dingle i galgen." Men han blev ved, og til sidst slæbte de da også af sted med ham ud til retterstedet. Han bad nu, om han ikke måtte få lov til at gå en gang tilbage til sin gamle hytte, og da han kom derhen, tog han sine gamle klæder på og sagde: "Kan I nu se, at jeg er den fattige fiskers søn. I disse klæder har jeg tjent brødet til min far og mor." Da kendte de ham og bad ham om forladelse, og han fortalte nu om skoven og bjerget og slottet med de tre sorte prinsesser, som havde sagt, at han kunne frelse dem. Men hans mor var ikke rigtig glad ved den historie og rådede ham til at tage vievand med og stænke det i ansigtet på dem.
Han gik nu tilbage til bjerget, men han var rigtig bange. Da han kom ind, lå prinsesserne og sov, og han stænkede så vievand på dem, og da blev de halvt hvide. Straks sprang de op, truede ad ham og sagde: "Forbandet skal du være, vort blod råber om hævn over dig. Aldrig bliver det menneske født, som kan fri os fra trolddommens magt, men vi har tre brødre, som er smedet fast i syv jernlænker, de skal sønderrive dig." Der lød et tordnende brag, og han sprang i en fart ud af vinduet, men brækkede det ene ben. Slottet sank i jorden, bjerget lukkede sig og ingen ved, hvor det har ligget.
East India was besieged by an enemy who would not retire until he had received six hundred dollars. Then the townsfolk caused it to be proclaimed by beat of drum that whosoever was able to procure the money should be burgomaster. Now there was a poor fisherman who fished on the lake with his son, and the enemy came and took the son prisoner, and gave the father six hundred dollars for him. So the father went and gave them to the great men of the town, and the enemy departed, and the fisherman became burgomaster. Then it was proclaimed that whosoever did not say, "Mr. Burgomaster," should be put to death on the gallows.
The son got away again from the enemy, and came to a great forest on a high mountain. The mountain opened, and he went into a great enchanted castle, wherein chairs, tables, and benches were all hung with black. Then came three young princesses who were entirely dressed in black, but had a little white on their faces; they told him he was not to be afraid, they would not hurt him, and that he could deliver them. He said he would gladly do that, if he did but know how. At this, they told him he must for a whole year not speak to them and also not look at them, and what he wanted to have he was just to ask for, and if they dared give him an answer they would do so. When he had been there for a long while he said he should like to go to his father, and they told him he might go. He was to take with him this purse with money, put on this coat, and in a week he must be back there again.
Then he was caught up, and was instantly in East India. He could no longer find his father in the fisherman's hut, and asked the people where the poor fisherman could be, and they told him he must not say that, or he would come to the gallows. Then he went to his father and said, "Fisherman, how hast thou got here?" Then the father said, "Thou must not say that, if the great men of the town knew of that, thou wouldst come to the gallows." He, however, would not stop, and was brought to the gallows. When he was there, he said, "O, my masters, just give me leave to go to the old fisherman's hut." Then he put on his old smock-frock, and came back to the great men, and said, "Do ye not now see? Am I not the son of the poor fisherman? Did I not earn bread for my father and mother in this dress?" Hereupon his father knew him again, and begged his pardon, and took him home with him, and then he related all that had happened to him, and how he had got into a forest on a high mountain, and the mountain had opened and he had gone into an enchanted castle, where all was black, and three young princesses had come to him who were black except a little white on their faces. And they had told him not to fear, and that he could deliver them. Then his mother said that might very likely not be a good thing to do, and that he ought to take a holy-water vessel with him, and drop some boiling water on their faces.
He went back again, and he was in great fear, and he dropped the water on their faces as they were sleeping, and they all turned half-white. Then all the three princesses sprang up, and said, "Thou accursed dog, our blood shall cry for vengeance on thee! Now there is no man born in the world, nor will any ever be born who can set us free! We have still three brothers who are bound by seven chains they shall tear thee to pieces." Then there was a loud shrieking all over the castle, and he sprang out of the window, and broke his leg, and the castle sank into the earth again, the mountain shut to again, and no one knew where the castle had stood.