by Torsten Schwanke
Once upon a time,
In the middle of winter,
The snowflakes were falling
Like feathers from the sky.
There was a queen
Sitting at a window
With a frame of black ebony, sewing.
And as she was sewing
And looking up at the snow,
She pricked her finger
With the needle,
And three drops of blood
Fell into the snow.
And because the red
In the white snow
Looked so beautiful,
She thought to herself:
If I had a child
As white as snow,
As red as blood
And as black as the wood on the frame!
Soon she had a little daughter
As white as snow,
As red as blood
And black-haired as ebony,
And so she was called Snow White.
And when the child was born,
The queen died.
For more than a year
The king took another wife.
She was a beautiful woman,
But she was proud and haughty
And could not bear
To be surpassed in beauty
By anyone.
She had a wonderful mirror,
And when she stood before it
And looked at herself, she said,
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL,
WHO IS THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL?
The mirror replied,
Madam Queen,
You are the fairest of them all.
Then she was satisfied,
Sor she knew
That the mirror
Was telling the truth.
But Snow White grew up
And became more
And more beautiful,
And when she was fourteen years old
She was as beautiful
As the clear day
And more beautiful
Than the queen herself.
When she once asked her mirror,
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL,
WHO IS THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL?
He answered,
Madam Queen, you are the fairest here,
But Snow White is a thousand times
More beautiful than you.
Then the queen was frightened
And turned yellow
And green with envy.
From that moment on,
When she saw Snow White,
Her heart turned inside out -
That's how much she hated the girl.
And envy and pride
Grew like weeds in her heart,
So that she had no peace
Day and night.
Then she called a hunter and said,
Take the child out into the forest,
I don't want to see it
Before my eyes any more.
You shall kill it
And bring me its lungs
And liver as a landmark.
The huntsman obeyed
And led her out,
And when he had drawn the deerstalker
And was about to pierce
Snow White's innocent heart,
She began to weep and said,
Oh, dear huntsman, let me live!
I will run into the wild forest
And never come home again.
And because it was so beautiful,
The hunter felt sorry for it and said,
Run away, you poor child!
The wild beasts will soon have eaten you,
He thought, and yet it was
As if a stone had rolled
From his heart
Because he did not need to kill it.
And when just then
A young freshling came
Leaping along,
He stabbed it,
Took out the lungs and liver,
And brought them as a token
To the queen.
The cook had to boil them in salt,
And the wicked woman
Ate them up,
Thinking that she had eaten
Snow White's lungs and liver.
Now the poor child
Was all alone
In the great forest,
And was so frightened
That she looked at all
The leaves on the trees
And did not know
How to help herself.
Then she began to run
And ran over the sharp stones
And through the thorns,
And the wild animals
Jumped past her,
But they did her no harm.
She ran as long
As her feet could carry her
Until it was almost evening.
Then she saw
A little house
And went inside to rest.
Everything in the little house
Was small, but so dainty
And clean that it was hard to tell.
There was a little white table
With seven little plates,
Each plate with its little spoon,
Seven little knives and forks
And seven little cups.
On the wall seven little beds
Were set up side by side
And snow-white sheets
Were spread over them.
Snow White, because
She was so hungry and thirsty,
Ate a little vegetable and bread
From each little plate
And drank a drop of wine
From each little cup,
For she did not want
To take everything
Away from someone.
Afterwards, because
She was so tired,
She lay down in a little bed,
But none of them fitted;
One was too long,
The other too short,
Until at last the seventh was right;
And she lay down in it,
Commanded herself to God,
And fell asleep.
When it had become
Completely dark,
The masters of the little house came,
These were the seven dwarfs
Who were digging
And chopping ore
In the mountains.
They lit their seven little lights,
And when it became light
In the little house,
They saw that someone
Had been sitting there,
For not everything was in order
As they had left it.
The first said,
Who has been sitting
On my little chair?
The second said,
Who has eaten
From my little plate?
The third said,
Who has taken
From my little roll?
The fourth said,
Who ate from my little vegetable?
The fifth said,
Who stabbed with my fork?
The sixth said,
Who cut with my little knife?
The seventh said,
Who has drunk
From my little cup?
Then the first looked round
And saw that there
Was a little dent on his bed,
So he said,
Who has kicked my little bed?
The others came running and shouted,
Someone has also lain in mine!
But the seventh,
Looking into his bed,
Saw Snow White
Lying there asleep.
Now he called the others,
And they came running up,
Crying out in amazement,
And fetched their seven little lights
And lighted up Snow White.
Oh, my God! Oh, my God! they cried,
What a beautiful girl she is!
And they were so happy
That they did not wake her up,
But let her sleep in her little bed.
But the seventh dwarf
Slept with his companions,
An hour with each,
And the night was over.
When morning came,
Snow White woke up,
And when she saw
The seven dwarfs,
She was frightened.
But they were friendly and asked,
What is your name? -
My name is Snow White, she replied.
How did you come to our house?
The dwarfs continued.
Then she told them
That her stepmother
Had wanted to kill her,
Bt the huntsman
Had given her life,
And so she had walked all day
Until at last he had found
Their little house.
The dwarfs said,
If you want to keep house,
Cook, make your bed,
Wash, sew and knit,
And if you want to keep
Everything tidy and clean,
You can stay with us
And you will want for nothing. -
Yes, said Snow White,
With all my heart!
And she stayed with them.
She kept their house in order.
In the morning they went
Into the mountains
And looked for ore and gold,
And in the evening
They came back,
And there their food
Had to be ready.
All day long the girl was alone;
Then the good little dwarfs
Warned her and said,
Beware of your stepmother,
She will soon know
That you are here;
Don't let anyone in!
But the queen,
Thinking she had eaten
Snow White's lungs and liver,
Thought she was once more
The first and most beautiful of all,
And stood before her mirror and said,
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL,
WHO IS THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL?
Then the mirror answered,
Madam Queen, you are the fairest here,
But Snow White over the mountains
By the seven dwarfs
Is a thousand times more
Beautiful than you.
Then she was frightened,
For she knew that the mirror
Was not speaking an untruth,
And realised that the huntsman
Had deceived her
And that Snow White
Was still alive.
And then she thought
And thought again
How she was going to kill her;
For as long as she was
Not the fairest of them all,
Envy gave her no peace.
And when she had at last
Thought of something,
She painted her face
And dressed herself
Like an old grocer's wife,
And was quite unrecognisable.
In this guise she went
Over the seven mountains
To the seven dwarfs,
Knocked on the door and cried,
Fine goods for sale! for sale!
Snow White looked out
Of the window
And called out,
Good day, dear lady!
What have you to sell? -
Good goods, she answered,
Laces of all colours,
And took out one
That was woven
Of coloured silk.
I can let the honest woman in,
Thought Snow White,
And she unlocked the door
And bought the pretty lace.
Girl, said the old woman,
How you look!
Come, I will lace you up
Properly for once.
Snow White had no argument,
Stood in front of her
And let herself be laced up
With the new lace.
But the old woman
Laced up quickly
And so tightly
That Snow White lost her breath
And fell down for dead.
Now you have been the most beautiful,
The old woman said
And hurried out.
Not long afterwards,
At dinnertime,
The seven dwarfs came home;
But how frightened they were
When they saw their dear
Snow White lying on the ground,
And she did not move or stir,
As if she were dead.
They lifted her up and,
Seeing that she was tied too tightly,
They cut the strap in two
And she began to breathe a little
And gradually came back to life.
When the dwarfs heard
What had happened, they said,
The old shopkeeper's wife
Was no one but the godless queen.
Beware and let no man enter
Unless we are with you!
But the wicked woman,
When she had come home,
Went before the mirror and asked,
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL,
WHO IS THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL?
Then he answered as usual,
Madam Queen, you are the fairest here,
But Snow White over the mountains
By the seven dwarfs
Is a thousand times
More beautiful than you.
When she heard this,
All the blood ran to her heart,
She was so frightened,
For she saw
That Snow White
Had come to life again.
But now, she said,
I will devise something
Do destroy you.
And with witchcraft
She understood,
She made a poisonous comb.
Then she disguised herself
And took the form
Of another old woman.
So she went
Over the seven mountains
To the seven dwarfs,
Knocked at the door, and cried,
Good goods for sale! for sale!
Snow White looked out and said,
Go on, I mustn't let anyone in! -
You will be allowed to look,
Said the old woman,
Pulling out the poisonous comb
And holding it aloft.
The girl liked it so much
That she let herself be beguiled
And opened the door.
When they had agreed
On the purchase,
The old woman said,
Now I will comb you properly.
Poor Snow White thought
Nothing of it
And let the old woman
Do as she pleased,
Bt no sooner had she put the comb
Into her hair
Than the poison in it took effect
And the girl fell down
Without thinking.
You paragon of beauty,
Said the wicked woman,
Now it's all over for you.
And she went away.
Fortunately it was soon evening
When the seven dwarfs came home.
When they saw Snow White
Lying on the ground as if dead,
They immediately suspected the stepmother,
Searched and found the poisonous comb.
And as soon as they had pulled it out,
Snow White came to live again
And told them what had happened.
Then they warned her once again
To be on her guard
And not to open the door to anyone.
The queen stood in front
Of the mirror at home and said,
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL,
WHO IS THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL?
Then he answered as before,
Madam Queen, you are the fairest of them all,
But Snow White over the mountains
By the seven dwarfs
Is a thousand times
More beautiful than you.
When she heard
The mirror speak thus,
She trembled and shook with anger.
Snow White shall die, she cried,
Even if it costs my own life!
Then she went
Into a quite hidden, lonely chamber,
Where no one came,
And there she made a poisonous,
Poisonous apple.
It looked beautiful on the outside,
White with red cheeks,
So that everyone who saw it
Wanted it,
But whoever ate a piece of it
Had to die.
When the apple was ready,
She painted her face
And disguised herself
As a peasant's wife,
And so she went
Over the seven mountains
To the seven dwarfs.
She knocked.
Snow White stuck her head
Out of the window and said,
I am not allowed
To let anyone in,
The seven dwarfs
Have forbidden me! -
That's all right with me,
Replied the farmer's wife,
I want to get rid of my apples.
Here, I will give you one. -
No, said Snow White,
I mustn't accept anything! -
Are you afraid of poison?
Said the old woman,
You see, I'll cut the apple in two;
Eat the red cheek,
And I'll eat the white one.
But the apple was so artificially made
That the red cheek alone was poisoned.
Snow White gazed
At the beautiful apple
And when she saw
The farmer's wife eating it,
She could resist no longer,
Stretched out her hand
And took the poisonous half.
But no sooner had she taken a bite
Than she fell to the ground dead.
Then looked the queen
With ghastly eyes
And laughed out loud, saying,
White as snow,
Red as blood,
Black as ebony!
This time the dwarves cannot
Awaken you again.
And when at home
She consulted the mirror:
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL,
WHO IS THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL?
He answered at last,
Madam Queen, you are
The fairest in the land.
Then her envious heart
Was at peace,
As well as an envious heart can be.
The little dwarfs,
When they came home
In the evening,
Found Snow White
Lying on the ground,
And no more breath
Came out of her mouth,
And she was dead.
They picked her up
And looked for something poisonous,
Untied her, combed her hair,
Washed her with water and wine,
But it was no use;
The dear girl was dead
And remained dead.
They laid her on a bier
And all seven of them
Sat down on it
And wept for her
And wept for three days.
Then they wanted to bury her,
But she still looked as fresh
As a living person
And still had its beautiful red cheeks.
They said, We can't bury her
In the black earth.
And had a transparent coffin
Made of glass
So that she could be seen
From all sides,
Laid her in it
And wrote her name on it
In golden letters
And that she was a princess.
Then they put the coffin
Out on the mountain,
And one of them stayed
With it all the time
And guarded it.
And the animals also came
And wept over Snow White,
First an owl,
Then a raven,
And finally a little dove.
Now Snow White lay a long,
Long time in the coffin
And did not decay,
But looked as if she were asleep,
For she was still as white as snow,
As red as blood
And black-haired as ebony.
But it happened
That a king's son strayed
Into the forest
And came to the dwarf's house
To spend the night.
He saw the coffin
On the mountain
And the beautiful
Snow White in it,
And read what was written
On it in golden letters.
Then he said to the dwarves,
Let me have the coffin,
And I will give you
What you want for it.
But the dwarves answered,
We will not give it
For all the gold in the world.
Then he said, Give it to me then,
For I cannot live
Without seeing Snow White,
I will honour
And esteem her as my darling.
As he spoke,
The good dwarfs
Took pity on him
And gave him the coffin.
The king's son then
Had his servants
Carry it away on their shoulders.
Then it happened
That they stumbled over a shrub,
And the poisonous apple fruit,
Which Snow White had bitten off,
Came out of her neck.
And not long after,
She opened her eyes,
Lifted the lid off the coffin,
Sat up and was alive again.
Oh God, where am I? she cried.
The king's son said with joy,
You are with me.
And told what had happened, and said,
I love you better than anything
In the world;
Come with me
To my father's castle,
You shall be my wife.
Then Snow White was
Good to him
And went with him,
And their wedding was
Arranged with great splendour
And magnificence.
But Snow White's
Wicked stepmother
Was also invited to the feast.
When she had dressed herself
In beautiful clothes,
She stood before the mirror and said,
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL,
WHO IS THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL?
The mirror answered,
Madam Queen, you are the fairest here,
But the young queen
Is a thousand times
More beautiful than you.
Then the wicked woman
Uttered a curse,
And she was so afraid,
So afraid,
That she could not help herself.
At first she did not want
To come to the wedding at all,
But she had no peace,
She had to go
And see the young queen.
And as she entered,
She recognised Snow White,
And with fear and terror
She stood there
And could not move.
But iron slippers
Had already been placed
Over a coal fire,
And they were carried in
With tongs
And placed before her.
Then she had to step
Into the red-hot shoes
And dance
Until she fell to the ground
Dead.