Grimm's Household Tales

Once upon a time there lived a King and a Queen who were rich and had everything they wanted, but no children. The Queen lamented over this day and night and said, “I am like a field on which nothing grows.” At last God granted her wish, but when the child came into the world, it did not look like a human child; it was a little donkey. When the mother saw that, her lamentations and outcries began in real earnest. She said she would far rather have had no child at all than a donkey, and that they were to throw it into the water so that the fish might devour it. But the King said, “No. Since God has sent him, he shall be my son and heir, and after my death he shall sit on the royal throne and wear the kingly crown.” The donkey, therefore, was brought up and grew bigger, and his ears grew up beautifully high and straight. He was, however, of a merry disposition, jumped about, played, and took special pleasure in music, so that he went to a celebrated musician and said, “Teach me your art, so that I may play the lute as well as you do.” “Ah, dear little master,” answered the musician, “that would be very hard for you. Your fingers are certainly not suited to it and are far too big. I am afraid the strings would not last.” No objection was of any use. The donkey was determined to play the lute; he was persevering and industrious, and at last learned to do it as well as the master himself. The young lord once went out walking, full of thought, and came to a well. He looked into it and saw his donkey’s form in the mirror-clear water. He was so distressed about it that he went out into the wide world and took only one faithful companion with him. They traveled up and down, and at last they came into a kingdom where an old King reigned who had an only daughter, and a wonderfully beautiful one. The donkey said, “Here we will stay,” knocked at the gate, and called out, “A guest is outside; open up, so that he may enter.” Since the gate was not opened, however, he sat down, took his lute, and played it in the most delightful manner with his two forefeet. Then the doorkeeper opened his eyes amazingly wide, ran to the King, and said, “Outside by the gate sits a young donkey that plays the lute as well as an experienced master!” “Then let the musician come to me,” said the King. When a donkey came in, however, everyone began to laugh at the lute player. And now the donkey was asked to sit down and eat with the servants. He was unwilling, however, and said, “I am no common stable donkey; I am a noble one.” Then they said, “If that is what you are, seat yourself with the soldiers.” “No,” he said, “I will sit by the King.” The King smiled and said good-naturedly, “Yes, it shall be as you wish, little donkey; come here to me.” Then he asked, “Little donkey, how does my daughter please you?” The donkey turned his head toward her, looked at her, nodded, and said, “I like her beyond measure; I have never yet seen anyone as beautiful as she is.” “Well, then, you shall sit next to her too,” said the King. “That is exactly what I wish,” said the donkey, and he placed himself by her side, ate and drank, and knew how to behave himself daintily and neatly. When the noble beast had stayed a long time at the King’s court, he thought, “What good does all this do me? I shall still have to go home again.” He let his head hang sadly, went to the King, and asked permission to leave. But the King had grown fond of him and said, “Little donkey, what ails you? You look as sour as a jug of vinegar. I will give you what you want. Do you want gold?” “No,” said the donkey, and he shook his head. “Do you want jewels and rich clothing?” “No.” “Do you wish for half my kingdom?” “Indeed not.” Then the King said, “If only I knew what would make you content! Will you have my pretty daughter as your wife?” “Ah, yes,” said the donkey, “I would indeed like her,” and all at once he became quite merry and full of happiness, for that was exactly what he had been wishing for. So a great and splendid wedding was held. In the evening, when the bride and bridegroom were led into their bedroom, the King wanted to know whether the donkey would behave well, and he ordered a servant to hide there. When they were both inside, the bridegroom bolted the door, looked around, and, believing that they were quite alone, suddenly threw off his donkey’s skin and stood there in the form of a handsome royal youth. “Now,” he said, “you see who I am, and you also see that I am not unworthy of you.” Then the bride was glad and kissed him and loved him dearly. When morning came, he jumped up and put his animal’s skin on again, and no one could have guessed what kind of form was hidden beneath it. Soon the old King came. “Ah,” he cried, “is the little donkey merry? But surely you are sad,” he said to his daughter, “that you do not have a proper man for your husband?” “Oh, no, dear father, I love him as much as if he were the handsomest man in the world, and I will keep him as long as I live.” The King was surprised, but the servant who had concealed himself came and revealed everything to him. The King said, “That cannot be true.” “Then watch for yourself the next night, and you will see it with your own eyes. And listen, Lord King: if you were to take his skin away and throw it in the fire, he would be forced to show himself in his true shape.” “Your advice is good,” said the King, and at night, when they were asleep, he stole in, and when he got to the bed, he saw by the light of the moon a noble-looking youth lying there, and the skin lay stretched out on the ground. So he took it away, had a great fire lit outside, threw the skin into it, and remained by it himself until it was all burned to ashes. But since he was anxious to know how the robbed man would behave, he stayed awake the whole night and watched. When the youth had slept his fill, he got up at the first light of morning and wanted to put on the donkey’s skin, but it was not to be found. At this he was alarmed and, full of grief and anxiety, said, “Now I shall have to find a way to escape.” But when he went out, there stood the King, who said, “My son, where are you going in such haste? What do you have in mind? Stay here. You are such a handsome man that you shall not go away from me. I will now give you half my kingdom, and after my death you shall have the whole of it.” “Then I hope that what begins so well may end well, and I will stay with you,” said the youth. And the old man gave him half the kingdom, and in a year’s time, when the old King died, the youth had the whole, and after the death of his own father he had another kingdom as well and lived in all magnificence.