NOTE: Yes, Roumanian
is the correct spelling. This was the way it was spelt in 1881
Once
on a time there dwelt in a hollow of one of the great mountains a solitary
Hermit, who had not seen the face of a human creature since he was a Child.
His
only neighbours were the beasts of the forest, with whom he lived on very good
terms.
One
day when he had gone to fetch water from a neighbouring stream, he saw floating
on its surface a tarred basket containing what seemed to be a bundle of
clothes. To his astonishment the cries of a baby issued from this basket!
Muttering a prayer, he plunged into the water, and with the aid of his staff
drew the basket to the edge of the stream. In this basket was a boy of only a
few weeks old. The Hermit took the little one in his arms, and its wailing
ceased. On examining further he found attached to it a letter, saying that the
infant was the unhappy son of a king's daughter, who for fear of her shame
being brought to light, had sent her little one clown the stream to the care of
the good God. The Hermit received the gift with joy, but when he thought of his
own incompetence, and his inability to procure milk, or any suitable food for
his little charge, he was in despair. Suddenly there began to grow near the
entrance of his Cave, a Vine whose branches spread and climbed quickly up to
the top of the Cave. It already bore grapes, of which some were ripe, others
still green, others hardly formed, others in flower; taking of the ripe grapes,
and squeezing the juice into the mouth of the little one, he saw that he sucked
it in with relish.
So
the child was fed on the juice of the grape until he had teeth to share the
roots and other hard fare of his protector.
As
he grew bigger, the Hermit taught him to read and write, to gather roots for
their daily food, and to shoot birds with a bow and arrow.
The
boy had now grown into a youth, when the Hermit called him, and thus said: My
son, Dimitri (for thus had he baptized him), I find myself getting weaker every
day, as you see I am very old, and I warn you that in three days from this, I
shall go to another world. I am not your real father, for I rescued you from
the stream when you had been abandoned in a basket by your mother, so as to
hide the shame, and the punishment of her fault. When I sleep the last long
sleep, which you will recognize by the coldness of my body, there will come a
Lion; have no fear of him, he will make my grave, and you will cover me over
with earth. I have no legacy for you except a horse's bridle. When I have left
you for ever, then reach down from the top of the cave, the bridle, shake it,
and a horse will appear at this summons, who will from henceforth be your guide."
On
the third day after this, the Hermit was no more. On his hard couch he slept
his long sleep. The Lion with his claws dug the grave, and Dimitri placed him
gently therein and covered him over with earth, and wept three days and three
nights for his benefactor.
On
the third day, hunger reminded him that he had not eaten, so going to his vine
for support, his astonishment was extreme on finding it withered, and with no
grapes on it. Calling to mind the last instructions of the Hermit, he entered
the cave, and found the bridle, on shaking which, appeared a Winged Horse, who
enquired, "Master, what are your commands?" The youth recounted to
him his past life, and how the Hermit had stood him in the stead of a parent.
"Let
us go to some other country," said he, "for here with that grave
before my eyes, I am always disposed to cry." Said the horse, "Just
so, my Master, we will go and live where there are other men like you."
"How," said Dimitri, "are there other men like me and my father?
and shall we live amongst them?" "Certainly," answered the
horse. Said the youth, "How is it that none of them have ever come
here?"
"There
is nothing to lead them to this mountain, we must go to them."
"Let
us set off," said he, gleefully. "Yes," said the horse,
"but you must be clothed; where we are going, they don't wear Lion and
Tiger skins; put your hand in my right ear, and draw out what you will
find." To Dimitri's surprise, there he found a suit of clothes, and aided
by the instructions of the horse, he succeeded in putting them on. He mounted
the horse, and submitted himself to its guidance.
On
arriving at a City where men and women were moving about, as numerous as ants,
our hero was dumb with astonishment and admiration at the houses, and at all
which met his view.
Said
the horse, "Master, here everyone has some trade, some occupation; you
also must find something to do;" but the youth was unwilling, so after a
few days sojourn, they set off again on their journey.
Soon
they arrived at a Kingdom ruled over by three Fairies, and the horse advised
Dimitri to try and enter their service.
With
some difficulty he succeeded, and commenced his new duties. The horse visited
him daily, and gave him instructions; he informed him that there was a room in
the Fairies' Palace which contained a bath, and that once in a hundred years,
the water in this bath had the power of changing into gold, the hair of the one
who bathed first in it. Also that in a chest in the same room was a bundle of
three suits of clothes, which they preserved with a jealous care. The Fairies
had given the youth orders to clean all parts of the Palace, excepting the bath
room, which he was strictly forbidden to enter. The Fairies being called away
to a fairy festival, the youth all alone entered the forbidden chamber, and saw
all as described by the horse, but the bath was without water. On the next
absence of the fairies, before leaving, knowing that the time of the filling of
the fountain was approaching, they instructed Demitri that if he heard the slightest
noise in the bath room, to take a horn and sound it three times, so that they
might return quickly.
Shortly
after their departure, came the sound of rushing water from the bath room, the
youth called at once for the horse who bade him enter the bath and bathe, then
steal the bundle of clothes from the chest, then mount the winged horse and fly
away.
When
they had quitted. the palace, it began to shake and tremble to its foundations.
This brought back the fairies, who seeing that the bath had been used and was
no good for another hundred years, their bundle of precious clothes gone, and
their servant absent, they set off in pursuit of the latter. They had nearly
laid hands on him, when he passed the frontier of their power, and came to a
sudden stop. At this disappointment the fairies could not restrain their anger
but cried, "Son of an elf, how you have cheated us, let us see at least
your hair," he shook loose his hair and they continued, "who ever saw
such hair? as bright as gold--only give us back the bundle of clothes and we
will pardon you." "No!" said he, "I keep them instead of
the wages you owe me," and then with his horse continued his journey.
Arrived
in a town, he covered his hair with a close fitting bladder, and went to the
gardener of the Governor of the town to seek service as under gardener.
As
he was in need of a help, he engaged him to water the grass, weed the garden,
and lop the trees.
This
Governor was the father of three daughters, who were somewhat neglected and
left to themselves, owing to their father's official duties. One day the eldest
of the girls Anika, calling her sisters to her, said, "Let us each choose
a melon to take to table for our father." This was done, the melons being
served on golden plates. The Governor was so astonished that he summoned his
council together and asked them to guess the meaning of this act of his
daughters. They decided to cut open the melons, and found that one of them was
beginning slightly to decay, that another was just ripe enough to eat, and that
a third was only ripening. Said the eldest councillor, "May your
Excellence live many years! these melons are the ages of your daughters, and
show the time is arrived for you to provide them with homes and with
husbands." So the Governor decided that his daughters should be married,
and even on the next day negotiations were entered into for their hands.
The
eldest, Anika, soon made her choice, and after the marriage, the Governor
accompanied his son-in-law and daughter to the frontier.
Only
the youngest, Didine, remained at home.
Our
hero, the under gardener, seeing that the cortège had set off, let down
his hair, put on one of the fairy suits, called his horse and mounting it,
danced all over the garden, crushing and destroying the flowers.
He
was unaware that Didine was at the window watching all his movements. When he
saw the folly he had committed, he changed quickly his dress, and began to
repair the damage he had done. On his arrival, the head gardener was so vexed
with the state of things, that he was on the point of giving our here a hearty
thrashing. Didine, still looking on, tapped at the window and asked the
gardener to send her some flowers. He made her up a bouquet, in return for
which she sent him gold, and a request not to beat his under gardener.
-------------------------
From Roumanian
Fairy Tales and Legends (1881)
ISBN: 978-0-9560584-9-2
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