Askepot

Cinderella

En rig mands hustru blev syg; og da hun mærkede, at det lakkede mod enden, kaldte hun sin eneste datter hen til sit leje og sagde:

A rich man's wife became ill; and when she felt that her end was drawing near, she called her only daughter to her bedside and said:

"Vær altid en god pige, så vil jeg se ned fra himlen og våge over dig."

"Always be a good girl, and I will look down from heaven and watch over you."

Kort efter lukkede hun sine øjne og døde, og hun blev begravet i haven; og den lille pige gik hver dag hen til hendes grav og græd, og hun var altid god og venlig mod alle omkring sig.

Shortly after, she closed her eyes and died, and she was buried in the garden; and every day the little girl went to her grave and wept, and she was always good and kind to everyone around her.

Og snedækket faldt og bredte et smukt hvidt tæppe over graven; men da foråret kom, og solen igen havde smeltet det væk, havde hendes far giftet sig med en anden kvinde.

And the snowfall came and spread a beautiful white blanket over the grave; but when spring arrived and the sun had melted it away again, her father had married another woman.

Denne nye hustru bragte to dötte med sig i huset; de var smukke af ansigt, men onde i hjertet, og det blev nu en trist tid for den stakkels lille pige.

This new wife brought two daughters into the house with her; they were beautiful of face, but evil at heart, and it now became a sad time for the poor little girl.

"Hvad vil den uduelige inde i stuen?"

"What is that good-for-nothing doing in the parlor?"

sagde de;

they said;

"den, der vil spise brød, må først tjene det; ud med køkkenpigen!"

"whoever wants to eat bread must first earn it; out with the kitchen-wench!"

Så tog de hendes fine tøj fra hende, gav hende en gammel grå kjole på, lo ad hende og jog hende ud i køkkenet.

Then they took her fine clothes away from her, put an old gray dress on her, laughed at her, and drove her out into the kitchen.

Der var hun tvunget til at lave hårdt arbejde; stå tidligt op før daggry, hente vand, tænde op i komfuret, lave mad og vaske op.

There she was forced to do hard labor; get up early before dawn, fetch water, light the stove, cook, and wash up.

Desuden plagede søstrene hende på alle mulige måder og gjorde grin med hende.

Besides this, the sisters tormented her in every possible way and made fun of her.

Om aftenen, når hun var træt, havde hun ingen seng at ligge i, men måtte lægge sig ved kaminen midt i asken; og da dette naturligvis gjorde hende altid støvet og snavset, kaldte de hende Askepot.

In the evening, when she was tired, she had no bed to lie in, but had to lie down by the fireplace in the middle of the ashes; and as this naturally made her always dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella.

Det hændte engang, at faren skulle til markedet, og han spurgte sin hustrus døtre, hvad han skulle bringe dem med hjem.

It happened once that the father was going to the market, and he asked his wife's daughters what he should bring home for them.

"Fine kjoler," sagde den første;

"Fine dresses," said the first;

"Perler og diamanter," råbte den anden.

"Pearls and diamonds," cried the second.

"Nå, mit barn," sagde han til sin egen datter,

"Well, my child," he said to his own daughter,

"hvad vil du have?"

"what would you like?"

"Den første kvist, kære far, der støder mod din hat, når du vender næsen hjemad," sagde hun.

"The first twig, dear father, that strikes against your hat when you head home," she said.

Så købte han det fine tøj og de perler og diamanter til de to første, som de havde bedt om; og på hjemvejen, da han red igennem et grønt krat, stødte en hasselkvist mod ham og var ved at slå hans hat af; så brækkede han den af og tog den med; og da han kom hjem, gav han den til sin datter.

So he bought the fine clothes and the pearls and diamonds for the first two, as they had asked for; and on the way home, as he rode through a green thicket, a hazel twig struck against him and nearly knocked off his hat; so he broke it off and took it with him; and when he arrived home, he gave it to his daughter.

Hun tog imod den, gik hen til sin moders grav og plantede den dér; og hun græd så meget, at den blev vandet med hendes tårer; og dér voksede den og blev til et fint træ.

She received it, went to her mother's grave, and planted it there; and she wept so much that it was watered with her tears; and there it grew and became a fine tree.

Tre gange om dagen gik hun hen til det og græd; og snart kom der en lille fugl og byggede rede i træet, og den talte med hende, vågede over hende og bragte hende alt, hvad hun ønskede sig.

Three times a day she went to it and wept; and soon a little bird came and built a nest in the tree, and it spoke to her, watched over her, and brought her everything she wished for.

Nu hændte det, at kongen i det land holdt en fest, som skulle vare i tre dage; og blandt dem, der kom, skulle hans søn vælge sig en brud.

Now it happened that the king of that land held a feast that was to last for three days; and from among those who came, his son was to choose a bride.

Askepots to søstre var inviteret med; så de kaldte på hende og sagde:

Cinderella's two sisters were invited; so they called to her and said:

"Red nu vort hår, børst vore sko og bind vore bælter, for vi skal danse til kongens fest."

"Now comb our hair, brush our shoes, and fasten our belts, for we are going to dance at the king's feast."

Hun gjorde, som der blev sagt; men da alt var gjort, kunne hun ikke lade være med at græde, for hun tænkte ved sig selv, at hun så gerne ville være taget med dem til ballet; og til sidst bad hun sin stedmoder indtrængende om at lade hende gå med.

She did as she was told; but when everything was done, she could not help weeping, for she thought to herself that she would so much like to go with them to the ball; and at last she earnestly begged her stepmother to let her go.

"Dig, Askepot!"

"You, Cinderella!"

sagde hun;

she said;

"dig, der intet har at tage på, intet tøj overhovedet, og som ikke engang kan danse — vil du til bal?"

"you, who have nothing to wear, no clothes at all, and who cannot even dance — you want to go to the ball?"

Og da hun blev ved med at bede, sagde hun til sidst for at blive fri for hende:

And as she kept begging, she finally said to get rid of her:

"Jeg kaster dette fadfulde ærter ud i askehobben, og hvis du om to timer har pillet dem alle ud, må du komme med til festen."

"I am throwing this dishful of peas into the ash heap, and if you have picked them all out in two hours, you may come with us to the feast."

Så kastede hun ærterne ned i asken, men den lille pige løb ud ad bagdøren og ud i haven og råbte:

So she threw the peas down into the ashes, but the little girl ran out the back door and into the garden and cried out:

"Herhen, herhen, gennem det blå, Turtelduer og irsker små! Solsort, drossel, bogfinke fin, Kom herhen i flyvende stakåndet stund! Hver og en, kom hjælp mig hurtigt! Skynd jer, skynd jer! — pik, pik, pik!"

"Hither, hither, through the blue, turtle-doves and finches too! Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch fine, come hither in a flying breathless sign! Every one, come help me quickly! Hurry, hurry! — peck, peck, peck!"

Først kom der two hvide duer flyvende ind ad køkkenvinduet; dernæst kom der to turtelduer; og efter dem kom alle de små fugle under himlen, kvidrende og baskende ind: og de fløj ned i asken.

First came two white doves flying in through the kitchen window; next came two turtle-doves; and after them came all the little birds under heaven, twittering and fluttering in: and they flew down into the ashes.

Og de små duer bøjede hovederne og gik i gang, pik, pik, pik; og så begyndte de andre at pikke, pik, pik: og tilsammen fik de hurtigt samlet alle de gode korn sammen og lagt dem på et fad, men lod asken ligge.

And the little doves nodded their heads and got to work, peck, peck, peck; and then the others began to peck, peck, peck: and together they quickly gathered all the good grains together and put them in a dish, but left the ashes behind.

Længe før timen var gået, var arbejdet helt færdigt, og de fløj alle ud ad vinduerne igen.

Long before the hour was up, the work was completely finished, and they all flew out through the windows again.

Så bragte Askepot fadet til sin stedmoder, ellevild af glæde ved tanken om, at nu skulle hun til bal.

Then Cinderella brought the dish to her stepmother, overjoyed at the thought that now she would go to the ball.

Men moderen sagde:

But the mother said:

"Nej, nej! din tøs, du har intet tøj og kan ikke danse; du kommer ikke med."

"No, no! you wretch, you have no clothes and cannot dance; you are not coming with us."

Og da Askepot bad så indtrængende om at komme med, sagde hun:

And when Cinderella begged so earnestly to come along, she said:

"Hvis du på én time kan pille to af disse fade ærter ud af asken, skal du få lov at komme med."

"If you can pick two of these dishes of peas out of the ashes in one hour, you shall be allowed to come along."

For så tænkte hun, at hun i det mindste ville blive fri for hende.

For she thought that in this way she would at least get rid of her.

Så rystede hun to fade ærter ud i asken.

So she shook two dishes of peas out into the ashes.

Men den lille pige gik ud i haven bag huset og råbte som før:

But the little girl went out into the garden behind the house and called out as before:

"Herhen, herhen, gennem det blå, Turtelduer og irsker små! Solsort, drossel, bogfinke fin, Kom herhen i flyvende stakåndet stund! Hver og en, kom hjælp mig hurtigt! Skynd jer, skynd jer! — pik, pik, pik!"

"Hither, hither, through the blue, turtle-doves and finches too! Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch fine, come hither in a flying breathless sign! Every one, come help me quickly! Hurry, hurry! — peck, peck, peck!"

Først kom der to hvide duer ind ad køkkenvinduet; dernæst kom der to turtelduer; og efter dem kom alle de små fugle under himlen, kvidrende og hoppende omkring.

First two white doves came in through the kitchen window; next came two turtle-doves; and after them came all the little birds under heaven, twittering and hopping around.

Og de fløj ned i asken; og de små duer bøjede hovederne og gik i gang, pik, pik, pik; og så begyndte de andre at pikke, pik, pik; og de lagde alle de gode korn på fadene og lod al asken ligge.

And they flew down into the ashes; and the little doves nodded their heads and got to work, peck, peck, peck; and then the others began to peck, peck, peck; and they put all the good grains onto the dishes and left all the ashes behind.

Før der var gået en halv time, var det hele færdigt, og de fløj ud igen.

Before half an hour had passed, it was all finished, and they flew out again.

Og så tog Askepot fadene med hen til sin stedmoder og glædede sig til at tænke på, at hun nu skulle til bal.

And then Cinderella took the dishes to her stepmother and rejoiced to think that she was now going to the ball.

Men herres moder sagde:

But the stepmother said:

"Det nytter alt sammen intet, du kan ikke komme med; du har intet tøj og kan ikke danse, og du ville kun gøre os til skamme": og så tog hun af sted med sine to døtre til ballet.

"It is all to no avail, you cannot come with us; you have no clothes and cannot dance, and you would only bring shame upon us": and then she set off with her two daughters to the ball.

Da alle var taget af sted, og der ikke var nogen tilbage hjemme, gik Askepot bedrøvet hen og satte sig under hasseltræet og råbte:

When everyone had left and there was no one left at home, Cinderella went sorrowfully and sat under the hazel tree and cried out:

"Ryst dig, ryst dig, hasseltræ, Kast guld og sølv ud over mig!"

"Shake yourself, shake yourself, hazel tree, throw gold and silver over me!"

Så fløj hendes ven fuglen ud af træet og bragte en guld- og sølvkjole til hende og sko af glitrende silke; og hun tog dem på og fulgte efter sine søstre til festen.

Then her friend the bird flew out of the tree and brought her a gold and silver dress and shoes of glittering silk; and she put them on and followed her sisters to the feast.

Men de kendte hende ikke og troede, det måtte være en fremmed prinsesse, så fin og smuk så hun ud i sit rige tøj; og de skænkede ikke Askepot en tanke, men tog det som en selvfølge, at hun sad sikkert derhjemme i snavset.

But they did not know her and thought it must be a foreign princess, so fine and beautiful did she look in her rich clothes; and they did not give Cinderella a thought, but took it for granted that she was sitting safely at home in the dirt.

Kongens søn kom hurtigt hen til hende, tog hende i hånden og dansede med hende og ingen anden; og han slap aldrig hendes hånd; og når en anden kom for at bede hende om en dans, sagde han:

The king's son quickly came up to her, took her by the hand, and danced with her and no one else; and he never let go of her hand; and when someone else came to ask her for a dance, he said:

"Denne dame danser med mig."

"This lady is dancing with me."

Således dansede de til langt ud på natten; og da ville hun hjem: og kongens søn sagde:

Thus they danced far into the night; and then she wanted to go home: and the king's son said:

"Jeg vil følge dig og passe på dig på vej hjem"; for han ville se, hvor den smukke pige boede.

"I will accompany you and look after you on the way home"; for he wanted to see where the beautiful girl lived.

Men hun smuttede fra ham, uden at han opdagede det, og løb hjemad; og da prinsen fulgte efter hende, sprang hun ind i dueslaget og lukkede døren.

But she slipped away from him without his noticing and ran home; and when the prince followed her, she sprang into the pigeon-house and closed the door.

Så ventede han, indtil hendes far kom hjem, og fortalte ham, at den ukendte pige, som havde været med til festen, havde gemt sig i dueslaget.

Then he waited until her father came home, and told him that the unknown girl who had been at the feast had hidden herself in the pigeon-house.

Men da de fik brudt døren op, fandt de ingen derinde; og da de kom tilbage ind i huset, lå Askepot, som hun altid gjorde, i sin beskidte kjole ved asken, og hendes lille svage lampe brændte i kaminen.

But when they managed to break open the door, they found no one inside; and when they came back into the house, Cinderella lay, as she always did, in her dirty dress by the ashes, and her little dim lamp burned in the hearth.

For hun var løbet så hurtigt hun kunne gennem dueslaget og hen til hasseltræet, og havde dér taget sit fine tøj af og lagt det under træet, så fuglen kunne flyve væk med det, og var så lagt sig ned igen i asken i sin lille grå kjole.

For she had run as fast as she could through the pigeon-house and over to the hazel tree, and there she had taken off her fine clothes and laid them under the tree so the bird could fly away with them, and had then laid down again in the ashes in her little gray dress.

Næste dag, da festen igen blev holdt, og hendes far, stedmoder og søstre var taget af sted, gik Askepot hen til hasseltræet og sagde:

The next day, when the feast was held again, and her father, stepmother, and sisters had set off, Cinderella went to the hazel tree and said:

"Ryst dig, ryst dig, hasseltræ, Kast guld og sølv ud over mig!"

"Shake yourself, shake yourself, hazel tree, throw gold and silver over me!"

Og fuglen kom og bragte en endnu finere kjole end den, hun havde haft på dagen før.

And the bird came and brought an even finer dress than the one she had worn the day before.

Og da hun kom i den til ballet, undrede alle sig over hendes skønhed; men kongens søn, som ventede på hende, tog hende i hånden og dansede med hende; og når nogen bad hende om en dans, sagde han som før:

And when she arrived at the ball in it, everyone marveled at her beauty; but the king's son, who was waiting for her, took her by the hand and danced with her; and whenever anyone asked her for a dance, he said as before:

"Denne dame danser med mig."

"This lady is dancing with me."

Da natten kom, ville hun hjem; og kongens søn fulgte efter hende som før, for at han kunne se, hvilket hus hun gik ind i; men hun sprang pludselig væk fra ham og ind i haven bag sin fars hus.

When night came, she wanted to go home; and the king's son followed her as before, so that he might see which house she went into; but she suddenly sprang away from him and into the garden behind her father's house.

I denne have stod et fint, stort pæretræ fuldt af moden frugt; og Askepot, som ikke vidste, hvor hun skulle gemme sig, sprang op i det uden at blive set.

In this garden stood a fine, large pear tree full of ripe fruit; and Cinderella, who did not know where to hide, sprang up into it without being seen.

Så mistede kongens søn hende af syne og kunne ikke finde ud af, hvor hun var blevet af, men ventede, til hendes far kom hjem, og sagde til ham:

Then the king's son lost sight of her and could not figure out where she had gone, but waited until her father came home, and said to him:

"Den ukendte dame, som dansede med mig, er smuttet væk, og jeg tror, hun må være sprunget op i pæretræet."

"The unknown lady who danced with me has slipped away, and I think she must have jumped up into the pear tree."

Faren tænkte ved sig selv:

The father thought to himself:

"Kan det være Askepot?"

"Could it be Cinderella?"

Så lod han en økse hente; og de fældede træet, men fandt ingen i det.

So he had an axe fetched; and they felled the tree, but found no one in it.

Og da de kom tilbage til køkkenet, lå Askepot dér blandt asken; for hun var gledet ned på den anden side af træet, havde bragt sit fine tøj tilbage til fuglen ved hasseltræet og derefter taget sin lille grå kjole på.

And when they came back to the kitchen, Cinderella lay there among the ashes; for she had slid down on the other side of the tree, brought her fine clothes back to the bird by the hazel tree, and then put on her little gray dress.

Den tredje dag, da hendes far og stedmoder og søstre var taget af sted, gik hun igen ud i haven og sagde:

On the third day, when her father and stepmother and sisters had set off, she went out into the garden again and said:

"Ryst dig, ryst dig, hasseltræ, Kast guld og sølv ud over mig!"

"Shake yourself, shake yourself, hazel tree, throw gold and silver over me!"

Så bragte hendes gode ven fuglen en kjole, der var endnu finere end den forrige, og sko, som var helt af guld; så da hun kom til festen, vidste ingen, hvad de skulle sige af bare forundring over hendes skønhed; og kongens søn dansede ikke med andre end hende; og når nogen anden bad hende om en dans, sagde han:

Then her good friend the bird brought a dress that was even finer than the previous one, and shoes made entirely of gold; so when she arrived at the feast, no one knew what to say out of sheer wonder at her beauty; and the king's son danced with no one but her; and whenever anyone else asked her for a dance, he said:

"Denne dame er min partner, hr."

"This lady is my partner, sir."

Da natten kom, ville hun hjem; og kongens søn ville gå med hende og sagde til sig selv:

When night came, she wanted to go home; and the king's son wanted to go with her and said to himself:

"Jeg vil ikke miste hende denne gang"; men hun smuttede dog fra ham igen, skønt i så stor en hast, at hun tabte sin venstre guldsko på trappen.

"I will not lose her this time"; but she nevertheless slipped away from him again, though in such great haste that she dropped her left golden shoe on the stairs.

Prinsen tog skoen og gik næste dag til kongen, sin far, og sagde:

The prince took the shoe and went the next day to the king, his father, and said:

"Jeg vil tage den dame til hustru, som denne guldsko passer."

"I will take as my wife the lady whom this golden shoe fits."

Begge søstrene blev ellevilde af glæde ved at høre det; for de havde smukke fødder og tvivlede ikke på, at de kunne passe guldskoen.

Both sisters were overjoyed to hear this; for they had beautiful feet and did not doubt that they could fit the golden shoe.

Den ældste gik først ind i værelset, hvor skoen var, og ville prøve den, og moderen stod ved siden af.

The eldest went first into the room where the shoe was and wanted to try it on, and her mother stood by her side.

Men hendes storetå kunne ikke komme i den, og skoen var i det hele taget alt for lille til hende.

But her big toe could not get into it, and the shoe was altogether much too small for her.

Så gav moderen hende en kniv og sagde:

Then her mother gave her a knife and said:

"Pyt med det, skær den af; når du bliver dronning, bekymrer du dig ikke om tæer; du får ikke brug for at gå."

"Never mind that, cut it off; when you become queen, you will not worry about toes; you will have no need to walk."

Så skar den dumme pige sin storetå af, klemte foden ind i skoen og gik hen til kongens søn.

So the foolish girl cut off her big toe, squeezed her foot into the shoe, and went over to the king's son.

Så tog han hende til sin brud, satte hende ved siden af sig på sin hest og red af sted med hende hjemad.

Then he took her as his bride, placed her beside him on his horse, and rode off with her towards home.

Men på hjemvejen måtte de forbi det hasseltræ, som Askepot havde plantet; og på grenen sad en lille due og sang:

But on the way home they had to pass the hazel tree that Cinderella had planted; and on the branch sat a little dove and sang:

"Kig dig om! kig dig om! se på den sko! Skoen er for lille og ikke til dig to! Prins! prins! se dig om efter din brud, For den sande sidder ej ved din side ud!"

"Look around! look around! look at the shoe! The shoe is too small and not for you two! Prince! prince! look around for your bride, for the true one is not sitting right by your side!"

Så steg prinsen af og så på hendes fod; og han så på blodet, der strømmede fra den, hvilket puds hun havde spillet ham.

Then the prince dismounted and looked at her foot; and seeing the blood streaming from it, he realized what a trick she had played on him.

Så vendte han sin hest om, bragte den falske brud tilbage til hendes hjem og sagde:

So he turned his horse around, brought the false bride back to her home, and said:

"Dette er ikke den rette brud; lad den anden søster prøve at tage skoen på."

"This is not the true bride; let the other sister try to put on the shoe."

Så gik hun ind i værelset og fik foden i skoen, på nær hælen, som var for stor.

So she went into the room and got her foot into the shoe, except for the heel, which was too big.

Men hendes mor klemte den ind, indtil blodet kom, og tog hende med hen til kongens søn; og han satte hende som sin brud ved sin side på hesten og red af sted med hende.

But her mother squeezed it in until the blood came, and brought her to the king's son; and he placed her as his bride by his side on the horse and rode off with her.

Men da de kom til hasseltræet, sad den lille due der endnu og sang:

But when they came to the hazel tree, the little dove was still sitting there and sang:

"Kig dig om! kig dig om! se på den sko! Skoen er for lille og ikke til dig to! Prins! prins! se dig om efter din brud, For den sande sidder ej ved din side ud!"

"Look around! look around! look at the shoe! The shoe is too small and not for you two! Prince! prince! look around for your bride, for the true one is not sitting right by your side!"

Så så han ned og så, at blodet strømmede så meget fra skoen, at hendes hvide strømper var helt røde.

Then he looked down and saw that blood was streaming so heavily from the shoe that her white stockings were entirely red.

Så vendte han sin hest og bragte også hende tilbage igen.

So he turned his horse around and brought her back as well.

"Dette er ikke den sande brud," sagde han til faren;

"This is not the true bride," he said to the father;

"har I ikke andre døtre?"

"have you no other daughters?"

"Nej," sagde han;

"No," he said;

"der er kun en lille beskidt Askepot her, barnet af min første hustru; jeg er sikker på, at hun ikke kan være bruden."

"there is only a little dirty Cinderella here, the child of my first wife; I am sure she cannot be the bride."

Prinsen bad ham om at sende bud efter hende.

The prince asked him to send for her.

Men moderen sagde:

But the mother said:

"Nej, nej, hun er alt for beskidt; hun vil ikke turde vise sig."

"No, no, she is far too dirty; she would not dare to show herself."

Prinsen ville dog have, at hun skulle komme; og hun vaskede først sit ansigt og sine hænder og gik så ind og nejede for ham, og han rakte hende guldskoen.

However, the prince insisted that she come; and she first washed her face and hands and then went in and curtsied to him, and he handed her the golden shoe.

Så tog hun sin klumpede sko af sin venstre fod og tog guldskoen på; og den passede hende, som var den støbt til hende.

Then she took her clumsy shoe off her left foot and put on the golden shoe; and it fitted her as if it were molded to her.

Og da han gik tættere på og så på hendes ansigt, kendte han hende og sagde:

And as he drew closer and looked at her face, he recognized her and said:

"Dette er den rette brud."

"This is the true bride."

Men moderen og begge søstrene blev bange og blegnede af raseri, da han tog Askepot op på sin hest og red af sted med hende.

But the mother and both sisters grew afraid and turned pale with rage as he lifted Cinderella onto his horse and rode off with her.

Og da de kom til hasseltræet, sang den hvide due:

And when they came to the hazel tree, the white dove sang:

"Hjem! hjem! se på den sko! Prinsesse! skoen var skabt til dig to! Prins! prins! tag din brud med hjem i fred, For hun er den sande, der rider med!"

"Home! home! look at the shoe! Princess! the shoe was made for you two! Prince! prince! take your bride home in peace, for she is the true one riding along!"

Og da duen havde sunget sin sang færdig, kom den flyvende og satte sig på hendes højre skulder, og således gik den med hende hjem.

And when the dove had finished singing its song, it came flying down and perched on her right shoulder, and thus accompanied her home.