The Complete Fairy Books. Andrew Lang

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      Early next morning, as she and Curdken were driving their flock through the gate, she said as she passed under:

      “Oh! Falada, ’tis you hang there”;

      and the head replied:

      “ ’Tis you; pass under, Princess fair:

       If your mother only knew,

       Her heart would surely break in two.”

      Then she left the tower and drove the geese into a field. And when they had reached the common where the geese fed she sat down and unloosed her hair, which was of pure gold. Curdken loved to see it glitter in the sun, and wanted much to pull some hair out. Then she spoke:

      “Wind, wind, gently sway,

       Blow Curdken’s hat away;

       Let him chase o’er field and wold

       Till my locks of ruddy gold,

       Now astray and hanging down,

       Be combed and plaited in a crown.”

      Then a gust of wind blew Curdken’s hat away, and he had to chase it over hill and dale. When he returned from the pursuit she had finished her combing and curling, and his chance of getting any hair was gone. Curdken was very angry, and wouldn’t speak to her. So they herded the geese till evening and then went home.

      The next morning, as they passed under the gate, the girl said:

      “Oh! Falada, ’tis you hang there;”

      and the head replied:

      “ ’Tis you; pass under, Princess fair:

       If your mother only knew,

       Her heart would surely break in two.”

      Then she went on her way till she came to the common, where she sat down and began to comb out her hair; then Curdken ran up to her and wanted to grasp some of the hair from her head, but she called out hastily:

      “Wind, wind, gently sway,

       Blow Curdken’s hat away;

       Let him chase o’er field and wold

       Till my locks of ruddy gold,

       Now astray and hanging down,

       Be combed and plaited in a crown.”

      Then a puff of wind came and blew Curdken’s hat far away, so that he had to run after it; and when he returned she had long finished putting up her golden locks, and he couldn’t get any hair; so they watched the geese till it was dark.

      But that evening when they got home Curdken went to the old King, and said: “I refuse to herd geese any longer with that girl.” “For what reason?” asked the old King. “Because she does nothing but annoy me all day long,” replied Curdken; and he proceeded to relate all her iniquities, and said: “Every morning as we drive the flock through the dark gate she says to a horse’s head that hangs on the wall:

      “ ‘Oh! Falada, ’tis you hang there’;

      and the head replies:

      “ ‘’Tis you; pass under, Princess fair:

       If your mother only knew,

       Her heart would surely break in two.’ ”

      And Curdken went on to tell what passed on the common where the geese fed, and how he had always to chase his hat.

      The old King bade him go and drive forth his flock as usual next day; and when morning came he himself took up his position behind the dark gate, and heard how the goose-girl greeted Falada. Then he followed her through the field, and hid himself behind a bush on the common. He soon saw with his own eyes how the goose-boy and the goose-girl looked after the geese, and how after a time the maiden sat down and loosed her hair, that glittered like gold, and repeated:

      “Wind, wind, gently sway,

       Blow Curdken’s hat away;

       Let him chase o’er field and wold

       Till my locks of ruddy gold

       Now astray and hanging down,

       Be combed and plaited in a crown.”

      Then a gust of wind came and blew Curdken’s hat away, so that he had to fly over hill and dale after it, and the girl in the meantime quietly combed and plaited her hair: all this the old King observed, and returned to the palace without anyone having noticed him. In the evening when the goose-girl came home he called her aside, and asked her why she behaved as she did. “I may not tell you why; how dare I confide my woes to anyone? for I swore not to by heaven, otherwise I should have lost my life.” The old King begged her to tell him all, and left her no peace, but he could get nothing out of her. At last he said: “Well, if you won’t tell me, confide your trouble to the iron stove there,” and he went away. Then she crept to the stove, and began to sob and cry and to pour out her poor little heart, and said: “Here I sit, deserted by all the world, I who am a king’s daughter, and a false waiting-maid has forced me to take off my own clothes, and has taken my place with my bridegroom, while I have to fulfill the lowly office of goose-girl.

      “If my mother only knew

       Her heart would surely break in two.”

      But the old King stood outside at the stove chimney, and listened to her words. Then he entered the room again, and bidding her leave the stove, he ordered royal apparel to be put on her, in which she looked amazingly lovely. Then he summoned his son, and revealed to him that he had got the false bride, who was nothing but a waiting-maid, while the real one, in the guise of the ex-goose-girl, was standing at his side. The young King rejoiced from his heart when he saw her beauty and learned how good she was, and a great banquet was prepared, to which everyone was bidden. The bridegroom sat at the head of the table, the Princess on one side of him and the waiting-maid on the other; but she was so dazzled that she did not recognize the Princess in her glittering garments. Now when they had eaten and drunk, and were merry, the old King asked the waiting-maid to solve a knotty point for him. “What,” said he, “should be done to a certain person who has deceived everyone?” and he proceeded to relate the whole story, ending up with, “Now what sentence should be passed?” Then the false bride answered: “She deserves to be put stark naked into a barrel lined with sharp nails, which should be dragged by two white horses up and down the street till she is dead.”

“You are the person,” said the King, “and you have passed sentence on yourself; and even so it shall be done to you.” And when the sentence had been carried out the young King was married to his real bride, and both reigned over the kingdom in peace and happiness.23

23. Grimm.

      TOADS AND DIAMONDS

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