Evas børn


Eve's various children


Da Adam og Eva var blevet jaget ud af Paradiset, måtte de bygge sig et hus på ufrugtbar jord og æde deres brød i deres ansigts sved. Adam arbejdede i marken og Eva spandt uld. Hvert år fødte Eva et barn, men de lignede ikke hinanden, nogle var smukke og andre grimme børn. Efter at der var gået lang tid, sendte Gud en engel ned på jorden for at melde Adam og Eva, at han ville komme ned og se, hvordan de levede. Eva var glad over Herrens nåde, gjorde pænt og rent i huset, smykkede det med blomster og strøede siv på gulvet. Derpå hentede hun sine børn, men kun de smukke. Hun vaskede og badede dem, redte deres hår, gav dem rene skjorter på og formanede dem til at opføre sig rigtig pænt, mens Vorherre var der. De skulle neje for ham, give ham hånden og svare beskedent og klogt på hans spørgsmål. Men de grimme børn måtte ikke vise sig. Det ene skjulte hun under noget hø, det andet under taget, det tredie i noget halm, det fjerde i kakkelovnen, det femte i kælderen, det sjette under et kar, det syvende under et vinfad, det ottende under sin gamle pels, det niende og tiende under det stykke tøj, som hun lavede klæder af, det ellevte og tolvte under det læder, hvoraf hun lavede sko. Hun var netop blevet færdig, da det bankede på døren. Adam kiggede ud af sprækken og så, at det var Vorherre. Ærbødig åbnede han døren, og Gud trådte ind. De smukke børn stod på rad, nejede, gav hånden og knælede ned. Herren velsignede dem, lagde sin hånd på den førstes hovede og sagde: "Du skal blive en mægtig konge." - "Du skal blive fyrste," sagde han til den anden, og til den tredie: "Du skal blive greve," til den fjerde: "Du skal blive ridder," til den femte: "Du skal blive adelsmand," til den sjette: "Du skal blive borger," til den syvende: "Du skal blive en lærd mand." Således gav han dem alle sin rige velsignelse. Da Eva så, at han var så mild og god, tænkte hun: "Jeg vil hente mine grimme børn, måske velsigner han også dem." Hun fik dem nu frem fra høet, halmen og ovnen og hvor hun nu havde skjult dem allesammen. Så kom de da ind, store, snavsede og pjaltede. Herren betragtede dem smilende og sagde: "Dem vil jeg også velsigne." Han lagde hånden på den første og sagde: "Du skal blive bonde." - "Du skal blive fisker," sagde han til den anden, og til den tredie: "Du skal blive smed," til den fjerde: "Du skal blive garver," til den femte: "Du skal blive væver," til den sjette: "Du skal blive skomager," til den syvende: "Du skal blive skrædder," til den ottende: "Du skal blive pottemager," til den niende: "Du skal blive kusk," til den tiende: "Du skal blive skipper," til den ellevte: "Du skal blive bud," og til den tolvte: "Du skal blive gårdskarl så længe du lever."
When Adam and Eve were driven out of Paradise, they were compelled to build a house for themselves on unfruitful ground, and eat their bread in the sweat of their brow. Adam dug up the land, and Eve span. Every year Eve brought a child into the world; but the children were unlike each other, some pretty, and some ugly. After a considerable time had gone by, God sent an angel to them, to announce that he was coming to inspect their household. Eve, delighted that the Lord should be so gracious, cleaned her house diligently, decked it with flowers, and strewed reeds on the floor. Then she brought in her children, but only the beautiful ones. She washed and bathed them, combed their hair, put clean raiment on them, and cautioned them to conduct themselves decorously and modestly in the presence of the Lord. They were to bow down before him civilly, hold out their hands, and to answer his questions modestly and sensibly. The ugly children were, however, not to let themselves be seen. One hid himself beneath the hay, another under the roof, a third in the straw, the fourth in the stove, the fifth in the cellar, the sixth under a tub, the seventh beneath the wine-cask, the eighth under an old fur cloak, the ninth and tenth beneath the cloth out of which she always made their clothes, and the eleventh and twelfth under the leather out of which she cut their shoes. She had scarcely got ready, before there was a knock at the house-door. Adam looked through a chink, and saw that it was the Lord. Adam opened the door respectfully, and the Heavenly Father entered. There, in a row, stood the pretty children, and bowed before him, held out their hands, and knelt down. The Lord, however, began to bless them, laid his hands on the first, and said, "Thou shalt be a powerful king;" and to the second, "Thou a prince," to the third, "Thou a count," to the fourth, "Thou a knight," to the fifth, "Thou a nobleman," to the sixth, "Thou a burgher," to the seventh, "Thou a merchant," to the eighth, "Thou a learned man." He bestowed upon them also all his richest blessings. When Eve saw that the Lord was so mild and gracious, she thought, "I will bring hither my ill-favoured children also, it may be that he will bestow his blessing on them likewise." So she ran and brought them out of the hay, the straw, the stove, and wherever else she had concealed them. Then came the whole coarse, dirty, shabby, sooty band. The Lord smiled, looked at them all, and said, "I will bless these also." He laid his hands on the first, and said to him, "Thou shalt be a peasant," to the second, "Thou a fisherman," to the third, "Thou a smith," to the fourth, "Thou a tanner," to the fifth, "Thou a weaver," to the sixth, Thou a shoemaker," to the seventh, "Thou a tailor," to the eighth, "Thou a potter," to the ninth, "Thou a waggoner," to the tenth, "Thou a sailor," to the eleventh, "Thou an errand-boy," to the twelfth, "Thou a scullion all the days of thy life."

Da Eva hørte det, sagde hun: "Hvor du uddeler dine gaver ulige. Det er dog allesammen mine børn, jeg har født dem, så skulle du være lige nådig mod dem allesammen." - "Det forstår du dig ikke på, Eva," svarede Gud, "mig tilkommer det at dele verden mellem dine børn. Hvis de nu allesammen blev fyrster og fornemme herrer, hvem skulle så dyrke korn, tærske, male og bage det. Hvem skulle smede, væve, tømre, bygge, grave, sy klæder og sko. Enhver skal blive i sin stand, så den ene hjælper den anden, og de alle bliver ernærede som lemmer af det samme legeme." Og Eva svarede: "Tilgiv mig, Herre, jeg var for hurtig til at dømme. Din guddommelige vilje ske, også med mine børn."
When Eve had heard all this she said, "Lord, how unequally thou dividest thy gifts! After all they are all of them my children, whom I have brought into the world, thy favours should be given to all alike." But God answered, "Eve, thou dost not understand. It is right and necessary that the entire world should be supplied from thy children; if they were all princes and lords, who would grow corn, thresh it, grind and bake it? Who would be blacksmiths, weavers, carpenters, masons, labourers, tailors and seamstresses? Each shall have his own place, so that one shall support the other, and all shall be fed like the limbs of one body." Then Eve answered, "Ah, Lord, forgive me, I was too quick in speaking to thee. Have thy divine will with my children."