The Swineherd

Once upon a time there was a poor prince. He had a kingdom; it was very small, but it was big enough to marry on, and he wanted to marry. It was rather bold of him to say to the emperor's daughter, "Will you have me?" But he dared to do it, for his name was famous far and wide, and there were hundreds of princesses who would gladly have said yes. But would this one? Let's see.

On the grave of the prince's father grew a rose tree. It was a lovely rose tree. It bloomed only once every five years, and even then it bore only a single rose. But what a rose! It smelled so sweet that whoever smelled it forgot all their cares and sorrows. And the prince had a nightingale that sang as if all the loveliest melodies lived in its little throat. The rose and the nightingale were to be the princess's presents. So they were both put into big silver caskets and sent to her.

The emperor had the caskets carried into the great hall, where the princess was playing games with her ladies-in-waiting. When she saw the caskets, she clapped her hands with delight: "Oh, if only there's a little kitten inside!" But out came the beautiful rose. "Oh, how prettily it's made!" said all the ladies-in-waiting. "It's more than pretty," said the emperor, "it's charming." But when the princess touched the rose, she almost burst into tears. "Oh, Papa," she said, "it isn't artificial, it's a real rose!" "Oh," said all the courtiers, "a real rose!"

"Let's see what's in the other casket before we get cross," said the emperor. Out came the nightingale. It sang so beautifully that at first no one could say anything bad about it. "Superbe! Charmant!" said the ladies-in-waiting, for they all spoke French, each one worse than the other. "This bird reminds me of the late empress's music box," said an old knight. "Yes, the same tone, the same melody." "Yes," said the emperor, and he wept like a little child. "I hope it isn't a real bird," said the princess. "Yes, it's a real bird," said those who had brought it. "Then let it fly away," said the princess. And she would not let the prince come at all.

But the prince did not lose heart. He smeared his face brown and black, pulled his cap down over his eyes and knocked at the door. "Good day, Emperor," he said. "Can I get a job here at the palace?" "Well," said the emperor, "there are so many looking for work. But let me see, I need someone to look after the pigs, for we have a great many pigs." So the prince became the imperial swineherd. He was given a miserable little room next to the pigsty, and there he had to stay.

But all day he sat working, and by evening he had made a pretty little pot. There were bells all round it, and as soon as the pot boiled, they began to tinkle very prettily and played an old tune: "Ach, du lieber Augustin, alles ist weg, weg, weg!" ("Oh, dear Augustine, all is gone, gone, gone!") But the cleverest thing about it was that whoever held a finger in the steam from the pot could at once smell what was being cooked on every stove in town. That was quite different from a rose!

The princess came walking by with all her ladies-in-waiting. When she heard the tune, she stopped and looked very pleased, for she could play "Oh, dear Augustine" too; it was the only tune she knew, and she played it with one finger. "That's the one I know!" she said. "He must be a well-educated swineherd. Go in and ask him what the instrument costs." One of the ladies-in-waiting had to run in, but first she put on her clogs. "What do you want for the pot?" she asked. "I want ten kisses from the princess," said the swineherd. "Heaven help us!" said the lady-in-waiting. "I won't take less," said the swineherd.

"What did he say?" asked the princess. "I can't repeat it," said the lady-in-waiting. "It's too dreadful." "Then whisper it." The lady-in-waiting whispered. "How rude he is!" said the princess, and walked away. But she had only gone a little way when the bells tinkled so sweetly again: "Oh, dear Augustine, all is gone, gone, gone!" "Listen," said the princess, "ask him if he'll take ten kisses from my ladies-in-waiting." "No, thank you," said the swineherd. "Ten kisses from the princess, or I keep the pot." "How tiresome!" said the princess. "But you must stand round me so that no one sees." The ladies-in-waiting stood in front of her and spread out their skirts, and the swineherd got his ten kisses, and the princess got the pot.

What fun they had! All evening and all the next day the pot was kept boiling. They knew what was being cooked on every stove in town, from the chamberlain's to the cobbler's. The ladies-in-waiting danced and clapped their hands. "We know who's having sweet soup and pancakes! We know who's having porridge and cutlets! How interesting!" "Very interesting," said the mistress of the robes. "Yes, but keep it a secret, for I'm the emperor's daughter." "Heaven forbid!" they all said.

The swineherd, that is, the prince, though they thought he was a real swineherd, did not let a day pass without making something. Next he made a rattle; when it was swung round, it played all the waltzes, polkas and dances that had ever been known since the world began. "That's superb," said the princess as she passed by. "I've never heard a finer composition! Go and ask him what that instrument costs. But no kisses." "He wants a hundred kisses from the princess," said the lady-in-waiting who had gone in. "I think he must be mad," said the princess, and she walked away. But when she had gone a little way, she stopped. "One must encourage the arts," she said. "I'm the emperor's daughter! Tell him he shall have ten kisses, like yesterday, and the rest he can take from my ladies-in-waiting." "But we don't want to!" said the ladies-in-waiting. "Nonsense!" said the princess. "If I can kiss him, so can you. Remember, I give you food and lodging." And the lady-in-waiting had to go in again.

"A hundred kisses from the princess," said the swineherd, "or everything stays as it is." "Stand round me," said the princess. All the ladies-in-waiting stood round her, and the swineherd began to kiss. "What's all that crowd down by the pigsty?" said the emperor, who had stepped out onto his balcony. He rubbed his eyes and put on his spectacles. "It's the ladies-in-waiting, up to some mischief again. I'll have to go down and see." He pulled up the backs of his slippers, for they were really shoes that he wore trodden down at the heels.

He hurried down into the yard and walked very quietly. The ladies-in-waiting were so busy counting the kisses that they did not notice the emperor at all. He rose up on tiptoe. "What's this?" he said, and when he saw them kissing, he hit them on the head with his slipper, just as the swineherd was getting his eighty-sixth kiss. "Out!" said the emperor, for he was very angry. And both the princess and the swineherd were driven out of his empire.

There stood the princess, crying, and the swineherd was grumbling, and the rain was pouring down. "Oh, what a miserable creature I am!" said the princess. "If only I'd taken the handsome prince! Oh, how unhappy I am!" The swineherd went behind a tree, wiped the black and brown off his face, threw off his old clothes and stepped out in his prince's clothes, looking so handsome that the princess had to curtsey to him.

"I've come to despise you," said the prince. "You wouldn't have an honest prince. You didn't value the rose and the nightingale, but you could kiss a swineherd for a toy. Now you have what you deserve." And he went home to his kingdom, shut the door in her face and bolted it. And she could stand outside and sing: "Oh, dear Augustine, all is gone, gone, gone!"