Little One Eye, Little Two Eyes and Little Three Eyes
ONCE UPON A TIME there was a one-eyed woman who had three daughters. The eldest was called Little One Eye, because she had only one eye in the middle of her forehead; the second was called Little Two Eyes, because she had two eyes like other people; and the youngest was called Little Three Eyes, because she had three eyes, and her third eye was also in the middle of her forehead.
But because Little Two Eyes did not look any different from other children, her sisters and mother would say to her, "You, with your two eyes, are no better than common folk. You don't belong to our family." They pushed her here, Threw her wretched clothes there, and let her eat only the little that they left over. They were as unkind to her as ever they could be.
One day Little Two Eyes had to go into the fields to take care of her goat. She was still hungry because her sisters had given her so little to eat, and she sat down in the meadow and began to cry. She cried so much that two little brooks were running out of her eyes.
When she looked up, There stood a woman beside her, who smiled and asked, "Little Two Eyes, why are you crying?". Little Two Eyes answered, "Haven't I reason to cry? Because I have two eyes like other people, my sisters and my mother cannot bear me. They push me from one corner to another and give me nothing to eat except what they leave. Today they gave me so little that I am still very hungry." Then the wise woman said, "Little Two Eyes, dry your eyes, I will tell you something so you need never be hungry again. Only say to your goat.
Little goat, bleat,
Little table, appear,
and a beautiful spread blue table will stand before you with the most delicious food on it, and you can eat as much as you can eat as much as you want."When you have had enough to eat, you have only to say :
Little goat, bleat,
Little goat, away,
and it will vanish." After telling the little girl this, the wise woman went away.
Little Two Eyes thought, I must try at once to see if what she has told me is true, for I am hungrier than ever. She said:
Little goat, bleat,
Little table, appear,
And scarcely had she uttered the words when a little table stood before her, covered with a white cloth, on which were arranged a plate, a silver knife, fork and spoon the most beautiful dishes, which were steaming hot, as if they had just come from the kitchen. Then Little Two Eyes ate a good dinner. When she had eaten enough, he said, as the wise woman had told her:
Little goat, bleat,
Little goat, away,
and immediately the table and all that was on it disappeared. "That is a splendid way to keep house," said Little Two Eyes, and she was quite happy.
In the evening, when she went home with her goat, she found a small earthenware dish with the food her sisters had left for her, but she did not touch it. The next day she went out again with her goat and left the few scraps given her. At first her sisters did not notice this, but finally they said, "Something is the matter with Little Two Eyes. She always leaves her food now but before she use to gobble up all she was given. She must be getting food elsewhere." So little One Eye was told to go along with Little Two Eyes when she drove the goat to the pasture, to see whether anyone brought her food and drink.
Now when Little Two Eyes was setting out, Little One Eye Came up to her and said, "I will go into the field with you and see if you take good care of the goat and if you drive him properly to get grass." But Little Two Eyes knew what Little One Eye had in her mind, and she drove the goat into the long grass and said, "Come, Little One Eye, we will sit down here and I will sing you something." Little One Eye sat down. She was tired by the long walk, to which she was no accustomed, and by the hot day, and when Little Two Eyes began to sing:
Little One Eye, are you awake?
Little One Eye, are you asleep?
she shut her one eye and fell asleep. When Little Two Eyes saw That Little One Eye was asleep, she said:
Little goat, bleat,
Little goat, appear,
and sat down at her table and ate and drank as much as she wanted. Then she said again:
Little goat, bleat,
Little goat, away,
and in the twinkling of an eye everything had vanished.
Little Two Eyes then woke up Little One Eyes, and said, "Little One Eye, you meant to watch and, instead, you went to sleep. In the meantime the goat might have run far and wide. Come, we will go home." So they went home. Little Two Eyes again left her dinner untouched. Little One Eye could not tell her mother why, and said as an excuse, "The fresh air made me so tired I fell asleep."
The next day the mother said to Little Three Eyes, "This time you shall go with Little Two Eyes and watch what she does out in the fields and whether anyone brings her food or drink."
So Little Three Eyes went to Little Two Eyes and said, "I will go with you and see if you take good care of the goat and if you drive him properly to get grass."
But Little Two Eyes knew what Little Three Eyes had n mind. She drove the goat into the tall grass and said to Little Three Eyes, "Sit down here, I will sing something for you." little Three Eyes sat down; she was tired by the walk and the hot day. And Little Two Eyes sang the same song again, but instead of singing as she should have:
Little Three Eyes, are you fast asleep?
she sang without thinking:
Little Two Eyes, are you fast asleep?
And she went on singing it.
Two of her sister's threes eyes fell asleep, but the third , which was not spoke to in the rhyme, did not fall asleep. Of course Little Three Eyes shut that eye also, to make it seem as she really was asleep, but her third eye kept blinking and could see everything quite well.
When Little To Eyes Thought Little Three Eyes was sound asleep, she said her rhyme:
Little goat, bleat,
Little goat, appear,
and ate and drank at her heart's content. Then she made the table go away again by saying:
Little goat, bleat,
Little goat, away.
But Little Three Eyes had seen everything. Then Little Two Eyes came to her, woke her and said, "Well, Little Three Eyes, Have you been asleep? You do not watch well! Come, we will go home."
When they reached home, Little Two Eyes did not eat again, and Little Three Eyes said to her mother, "I know why my proud sister eats nothing. When she says to the goat in the field:
Little goat, bleat,
Little goat, appear,
a table stands before her, spread with food much better than we have. When she has had enough, she says:
Little goat, bleat,
Little goat, away.
and everything disappears. I saw it all. She made two of my eyes go to sleep with a little rhyme, but the one eye in my forehead remained awake, luckily!"
Ten the envious mother cried out to Little Two Eyes, "Will you live better than we do? You shall not have the chance to do so again!" She fetched a knife and killed the goat.
When Little Two Eyes saw what her mother had done, went out, full of grief, and sat down in the meadow, Weeping bittersweet tears.
Again the wise woman stood before her and said, "Little Two Eyes, why are you crying?"
"Haven't I a reason to cry?" she answered. "My mother has killed the goat which spread the table so beautifully before me when I said the rhyme. Now I must suffer hunger again."
The wise woman said, "Little Two Eyes, I will give you a good piece of advice. Ask your sisters to give you the heart of the dead goat. Bury it in the earth before the house door. That will bring you good luck."
Then she disappeared, and Little Two Eyes went back home and said to her sisters," Dear sisters, do give me something of my goat. I ask nothing more than it's heart."
They laughed and said, "You may have that if you want nothing more."
Little Two Eyes Took the heart and in the evening, when all was quiet, buried it before the house door as the wise woman had told her. The next morning, when they awoke, there stood a most wonderful tree which had leaves of silver and fruit of gold growing on it more lovely and gorgeous than anything they had even in their lives.
But only Little Two Eyes knew the marvelous gold and silver tree had sprung from the heart of goat, for it was standing just where she had buried the heart in the ground.
Then the mother said to Little One Eye, "Climb up, my child, and break off some fruit from the tree." Little One Eye climbed up, but just as she was going to take hold of one of the golden apples, the bough sprang out of her hands. And this happened every time, so she could not break off a single apple, however hard she tried.
Then the mother said, "Little Three Eyes, you had better climb up. With your three eyes you can see much better than Little One Eye." So Little One Eye slid down, and Little Three Eyes climbed up. She was no more successful than her sister. Try as much as she might, the branches of golden apples sprang out of her hands. And at last the mother grew impatient and climbed up herself, but was no more successful than Little One Eye and Little Three Eyes in catching hold of the fruit. She was able only to grasp at empty air. Then Little Two Eyes said, "I will just try once; perhaps I'll do it better."
The sisters called out, "You with your two eyes will never succeed!"
Little Two Eyes climbed up, and the golden apples did not jump away from her. They behaved properly so that she could pluck them off, one after the other, and brought a whole apronful down with her. The mother took them from her. But instead of treating poor Little Two Eyes better, as they should have, they were jealous that only she could reach the fruit, and were still more unkind.
One day, when the three sisters were standing together by a tree, a young knight came riding along. "Be quick, Little Two Eyes," cried her two sisters. "Creep under this so you will not disagree us."
They put poor Little Two Eyes and the golden apples she had just plucked under an empty cask.
When the knight, who was a very handsome young man, rode up, he was amazed to see the marvelous tree of gold and silver and said to the two sisters, "Whose is this beautiful tree? Whoever should give me a twig of it shall have whatever she wants." Then Little One Eye and Little Three Eyes answered that the tree belonged to them and they would certainly break off a twig from him. They went to a great deal of trouble, but in vain. The Twigs and fruit bent away from their hands every time.
Then the Knight said, "It is very strange that the tree that should belong to you and yet you cannot break anything form it!"
But they insisted that the tree was theirs, While they were saying this, Little Two Eyes rolled a couple of golden apples from under the cask so that they lay at the knight's feet. She was angry with Little One Eye and Little Three Eyes for not speaking the truth.
When the Knight saw the apples he was astonished and asked where they came from.
Little One Eye and Little Three Eyes answered that they had another sister, but she had hidden away and could not be seen because she had only two eyes, like ordinary people. But the knight demanded to see her and called out, '' Little Two Eyes come forth.''
Little Two Eyes came out quite from under the cask. The Knight was astonished at her great beauty and said, "Little Two Eyes, I am sure you break off a twig from the tree."
"Yes," answered Little Two Eyes, "I can indeed, for the tree is mine."
So she climbed up and broke off a small branch with its silver leaves and golden fruit without any trouble at all and, leaning forward, she gave it to the Knight.
Then he said," Little Two Eyes, what shall I give you for this?"
"Ah," answered Little Two Eyes, "I suffer hunger and thirst, neglect and sorrow, from early morning till late in the evening. If you would take me with you and free me from this, I should be happy!"
Then the knight lifted Little Two Eyes on to his horse and took her home to his father's castle. There he gave her beautiful clothes and food and drink and, because he loved her so much, he married her.
When the handsome Knight carried Little Two Eyes away with him, the two sisters at first envied her good luck. "But the wonderful tree is still with us, after all," they said. "Although we cannot break any fruit from it, everyone will stop and look at it and will come to us and praise it. Who knows? We may reap a harvest from it."
But next morning the tree had vanished and their hopes were gone. When Little Two Eyes looked out her window, there the tree stood, to her great delight.
Once two poor women came to the castle to beg for alms. Little Two Eyes looked at the and recognised both her sisters, who had become so poor the had to beg for bread at her door. But Little Two Eyes made them welcome and was so good to them that they both repented of having been so unkind to their sister.
Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, Translated By May Sellar
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The Grimm Brothers were something don't you think!
