E49 | 格林童话: 旅行音乐家 | The Travelling Musicians

The Travelling Musicians

By the Brothers of Grimm

Anhonest farmer had once an ass that had been a faithful servant to him a greatmany years, but was now growing old and every day more and more unfit for work.His master therefore was tired of keeping him and began to think of putting anend to him; but the ass, who saw that some mischief was in the wind, tookhimself slyly off, and began his journey towards the great city, ‘For there,’thought he, ‘I may turn musician.’

Afterhe had travelled a little way, he spied a dog lying by the roadside and pantingas if he were tired. ‘What makes you pant so, my friend?’ said the ass. ‘Alas!’said the dog, ‘my master was going to knock me on the head, because I am oldand weak, and can no longer make myself useful to him in hunting; so I ranaway; but what can I do to earn my livelihood?’ ‘Hark ye!’ said the ass, ‘I amgoing to the great city to turn musician: suppose you go with me, and try whatyou can do in the same way?’ The dog said he was willing, and they jogged ontogether.

Theyhad not gone far before they saw a cat sitting in the middle of the road andmaking a most rueful face. ‘Pray, my good lady,’ said the ass, ‘what’s thematter with you? You look quite out of spirits!’ ‘Ah,me!’ said the cat, ‘howcan one be in good spirits when one’s life is in danger? Because I am beginningto grow old, and had rather lie at my ease by the fire than run about the houseafter the mice, my mistress laid hold of me, and was going to drown me; andthough I have been lucky enough to get away from her, I do not know what I amto live upon.’ ‘Oh,’ said the ass, ‘by all means go with us to the great city;you are a good night singer, and may make your fortune as a musician.’ The catwas pleased with the thought, and joined the party.

Soonafterwards, as they were passing by a farmyard, they saw a cock perched upon agate, and screaming out with all his might and main. ‘Bravo!’ said the ass;‘upon my word, you make a famous noise; pray what is all this about?’ ‘Why,’said the cock, ‘I was just now saying that we should have fine weather for ourwashing-day, and yet my mistress and the cook don’t thank me for my pains, butthreaten to cutoff my head tomorrow, and make broth of me for the guests thatare coming on Sunday!’ ‘Heaven forbid!’ said the ass, ‘come with us Master Chanticleer;it will be better, at any rate, than staying here to have your head cut off!Besides, who knows? If we care to sing in tune, we may get up some kind of aconcert; so come along with us.’ ‘With all my heart,’ said the cock: so theyall four went on jollily together.

Theycould not, however, reach the great city the first day; so when night came on,they went into a wood to sleep. The ass and the doglaid themselves down under agreat tree, and the cat climbed up into the branches; while the cock, thinkingthat the higher he sat the safer he should be, flew up to the very top of thetree, and then, according to his custom, before he went to sleep, looked out onall sides of him to see that everything was well. In doing this, he saw afaroff something bright and shining and calling to his companions said, ‘Theremust be a house no great way off, for I see a light.’ ‘If that be the case,’said the ass, ‘we had better change our quarters, for our lodging is not thebest in the world!’ ‘Besides,’ added the dog, ‘I should not be the worse for abone or two, or a bit of meat. ’So they walked off together towards the spotwhere Chanticleer had seen the light, and as they drew near it became largerand brighter, till they at last came close to a house in which a gang ofrobbers lived.

Theass, being the tallest of the company, marched up to the window and peeped in.‘Well, Donkey,’ said Chanticleer, ‘what do you see? ’‘What do I see?’ repliedthe ass. ‘Why, I see a table spread with all kinds of good things, and robberssitting round it making merry.’‘ That would be a noble lodging for us,’ saidthe cock. ‘Yes,’ said the ass, ‘if we could only get in’; so they consultedtogether how they should contrive to get the robbers out; and at last they hitupon a plan. The ass placed himself upright on his hind legs, with his forefeetresting against the window; the dog got upon his back; the cat scrambled up tothe dog’s shoulders, and the cock flew up and sat upon the cat’s head. When allwas ready a signal was given, and they began their music. The ass brayed, thedog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock screamed; and then they all brokethrough the window at once, and came tumbling into the room, amongst the brokenglass, with a most hideous clatter! The robbers, who had been not a littlefrightened by the opening concert, had now no doubt that some frightfulhobgoblin had broken in upon them, and scampered away as fast as they could.

Thecoast once clear, our travellers soon sat down and dispatched what the robbershad left, with as much eagerness as if they had not expected to eat again for amonth. As soon as they had satisfied themselves, they put out the lights, andeach once more sought out are sting-place to his own liking. The donkey laidhimself down upon a heap of straw in the yard, the dog stretched himself upon amat behind the door, the cat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes,and the cock perched upon a beam on the top of the house; and, as they were allrather tired with their journey, they soon fell asleep.

Butabout midnight, when the robbers saw from afar that the lights were out andthat all seemed quiet, they began to think that they had been in too great ahurry to run away; and one of them, who was bolder than the rest, went to seewhat was going on. Finding everything still, he marched into the kitchen, andgroped about till he found a match in order to light a candle; and then,espying the glittering fiery eyes of the cat, he mistook them for live coals,and held the match to them to light it. But the cat, not understanding thisjoke, sprang at his face, and spat, and scratched at him. This frightened himdreadfully, and away he ran to the back door; but there the dog jumped up andbit him in the leg; and as he was crossing over the yard the ass kicked him;and the cock, who had been awakened by the noise, crowed with all his might. Atthis the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades, and told thecaptain how a horrid witch had got into the house, and had spat at him andscratched his face with her long bony fingers; how a man with a knife in hishand had hidden himself behind the door, and stabbed him in the leg; how ablack monster stood in the yard and struck him with a club, and how the devilhad sat upon the top of the house and cried out, ‘Throw the rascal up here!’After this the robbers never dared to go back to the house; but the musicianswere so pleased with their quarters that they took up their abode there; andthere they are, I dare say, at this very day.