The Donkey

There was once a King and Queen, who were rich, and had everything they wanted, but no children. The queen used to say, “If we only could have children, how happy I should be!” And the king would say, “How dull it is without any children; it is so quiet, not noisy and merry!” - “Yes,” answered his wife, and sighed, “if we could only have one, and that one louder than the ass, how happy I should be! It would, indeed, be having our heart’s desire.”

Now, it happened that after a while God gave her her wish, but when the child came into the world, it did not look like a human child, but 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 children at all than have a donkey, and that they were to throw it into the water that fishes might devour it. But the King said, “No, since God has sent him he shall be my son and heir, and after my death sit on the royal throne, and wear the kingly crown.”

The donkey, therefore, was brought up and grew bigger, and his ears grew high and strait. He had especially pleasure in music, so he found a celebrated musician and said, “Teach me thine art, that I may play the lute as well as thou dost.” - “Ah, dear little donkey, answered the musician, “That would become very hard to you, you have fingers that are certainly not suited to it, and are far too big. I am afraid the strings would not last.” No excuses were of any use. He was determined to play the lute; he was preserving and industrious and at last learnt to do it as well as the master himself.

Then one day the donkey and his father made ready to go into the forest on a walk. The King said, “Now, I wish there was some one who could make the forest even better.” - “O father,” cried the donkey, “I can play the lute, let me be him, I am a proper player, too!!” So he went on to play as if his master were walking with him, right along the road to the wood. Now it happened just as they turned a corner, and with the lute playing, that two strange men passed by. “Look,” said one of them, “how is this? There goes a king with a wagon, yet he is nothing but an ass.” “It is very strange.” Said the other; “we will follow the ass, and see where he belongs, with the King or not.”

And the ass went on playing, and paused masterfully to please the King’s ear; and so he played, crying, “Gee-up!,” and immediately went on quite as if his master were singing, and they drew along right to the wood. The donkey caught sight of a stump and said, just as his lute mentor would, “Look, father, here I am with you; now, take me down.” Then the instant the King hesitated, the donkey, put the lute in his left hand and tried to make a sound to please his father, and cried, “Gee-up, gee-who!” And the king was lifted, then the donkey sat down on the stump, quite happy and content.

When the two strangers saw him they were struck dumb with wonder. At last one of the strangers approached the other, and took him aside, and said to him, “Look here, the ass would bring our fortune if we were to show it in the town for money. Suppose we buy him.” So they went up to the King, and said, “Sell the donkey to us; we will take care he shall come to no harm.” - “No,” answered the King; “He is my son. Not for all the money in the world would I sell him.” But the donkey, heard what was going on, and looked at his father, and with a twinkling of an eye, said, “Father, you might as well let me go. I will soon come back again.” Then the King gave him to the strangers for no cost, saying only to treat him as a King’s son.

They asked him where he would like to live, “Oh, put me on my way to my bride,” said the donkey. “There were I can walk about the town, and fall in love.” So they did as he wished. They travelled up and down, and once came to a well, and the young lording looked into the mirror-clear water and saw his donkey’s form. He was so distressed about it that he threw into it his one faithful lute. The three continued traveling out into the wide world, until at last they came into a kingdom where an old King reigned who had an only but wonderfully beautiful daughter.

The donkey said, “Here I will stay,” knocked on the gate, and cried, “A guest is without open, that he may enter.” As, however, the gate was not opened, he sat down and began humming and signing the tune that he once played, and adding words as his master would. He hummed with the most excellent manner with his two fore-feet, and his longing for his lute was felt by the door keeper, who opened his eyes, and ran to the King and said, “Outside the gate sits a young donkey which sings as well as an experienced master!” - “Then let the musician come to me,” said the King. When, however, a donkey came in, every one began to laugh. And now the donkey was asked to sit down and eat with the servants. He, however, was unwilling, and said, “I am no common stable-ass, I am a noble one.” Then they said, “If that is what thou art, seat thyself with the men of war.” - “No,” said he, “I will sit by the King.” The King smiled, and said good-humoredly “Yes, it shall be as thou wilt, little ass, come here to me.” Then he asked, “Little ass, how does my daughter please thee?” The donkey turned toward her, looked at her, and nodded and said, “I like her above measure, I have never yet seen anyone so beautiful as she is.” - “Well, then, thou shalt 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 cleanly.

The noble beast procured a new lute, and had stayed a long time at the King’s court, and eventually he thought to himself, “What good does all this do me, I shall still have to go home again?” He let his head hang sadly, and went to the King to ask for his dismissal. But the King had grown fond of him, and said, “Little ass, what ails thee? Thou lookest as sour as a jug of vinegar, I will give thee what thou want. Does thou want gold?” - “No,” said the donkey and shook his head. “Does thou want stones from the Garnet Mountain?” - “No.” - “Dost thou wish for a hidden cloak?” “Indeed, no.” Then the king said, “If I did but know what would make thee content…. Wilt thou have my pretty daughter to wife?” - “Ah, yes,” said the ass, “I would indeed like her,” and all at once he became quite merry and full of happiness, for that was exactly what he was wishing for.

A wedding was held, and that that evening, when the donkey led the bride to her bed-room, the King wanted to know if the ass would behave well, and put on the invisible cloak and hid in the bed room. When they were both within, the bridegroom bolted the door, looked around, and as he believed that they were quite alone, he suddenly threw off his ass’s skin, and stood there in the form of a handsome royal youth. “Now,” said he, “thou sees who I am, and sees also that I am not unworthy of thee.” Then the bride was glad, and kissed him, and loved him dearly. When morning came, he jumped up, and went to put his animal’s skin on again, so no could have guessed what kind of form was hidden beneath. But in the night the King saw the skin lay stretched on the ground, and he took it away and threw the skin into the bed-room’s fire-place, and remained by it himself until it was all burnt to ashes. The King stayed awake the whole night to know how the robbed man would behave himself. By the first light of morning, the handsome youth looked for the ass’s skin, but it was not to be found. He was alarmed, and full of grief and anxiety, and said, “Now I must contrive escape.” But when he went toward the door, there stood the King, who said, “My son, whither away in such haste? What hast thou in mind? Stay here, thou art such a handsome man, thou shalt not go away from me, I will now give thee half my kingdom, and after my death thou shalt have the whole it.” He looked at the King, and said, “Then all will be well, and I will stay with you.” And the King gave him half of the kingdom, and in a year’s time, when he died, the youth had the whole land and after the death of his father he had another kingdom as well, and lived in all magnificence.