once upon a time there dwelt on the outskirts1 of a large forest1 a poor woodcutter2 with his wife and two children; the boy was called hansel3 and the girl gretel.4 he had always little enough to live on, and once, when there was a great famine5 in the land, he couldn't *n provide them with daily bread.6 one night, as he was tossing about in bed, full of cares and worry, he sighed and said to his wife: "what's to become of us? how are we to support our poor children, now that we have nothing * for ourselves?" "i'll tell you what, hu*and," answered the woman; "early to-morrow morning we'll take the children out into the thickest part of the wood; there we shall light a fire for them and give them each a piece of bread; then we'll go on to our work and leave them alone. they won't be able to find their way home, and we shall thus be rid of them."7 "no, wife," said her hu*and, "that i won't do; how could i find it in my heart to leave my children alone in the wood?8 the wild beasts would soon come and tear them to pieces." "oh! you fool," said she, "then we must all four die of hunger, and you may just as well go and plane the boards for our coffins"; and she left him no peace till he consented.9 "but i can't * feeling sorry for the poor children," added the hu*and.10
the children, too, had not been able to sleep for hunger, and had heard11 what their step-mother12 had said to their father. gretel wept *tterly and spoke2 to hansel: "now it's all up with us." "no, no, gretel," said hansel, "don't fret3 yourself; i'll be able to find a way to escape, no fear."13 and when the old people had fallen asleep he got up, slipped on his little coat, opened the back door and stole out. the moon14 was shining clearly, and the white pebbles15 which lay in front of the house glittered like *ts of silver. hansel bent6 down and filled his pocket with as many of them as he could cram7 in. then he went back and said to gretel: "be comforted, my dear little sister, and go to sleep: god will not desert us";16 and he lay down in bed again.
at daybreak,17 *n before the sun was up, the woman came and woke the two children: "get up, you lie-abeds, we're all going to the forest to fetch wood." she gave them each a *t of bread and said: "there's something for your luncheon8, but don't you eat it up before, for it's all you'll get." gretel took the bread under her apron9, as hansel had the stones in his pocket. then they all set out together on the way to the forest. after they had walked for a little, hansel stood still and looked back at the house,18 and this maneuver10 he repeated again and again. his father observed him, and said: "hansel, what are you gazing at there, and why do you always remain behind? take care, and don't lose your footing." "oh! father," said hansel, "i am looking back at my white kitten,19 which is sitting on the roof, waving me a farewell." the woman exclaimed: "what a donkey you are! that isn't your kitten, that's the morning sun shining on the chimney." but hansel had not looked back at his kitten, but had always *ped one of the white20 pebbles5 out of his pocket on to the path.
when they had reached the middle of the forest the father said: "now, children, go and fetch a lot of wood, and i'll light a fire21 that you may not feel cold." hansel and gretel heaped up brushwood till they had made a pile nearly the size of a small hill. the brushwood was set fire to, and when the flames leaped high the woman said: "now lie down at the fire, children, and rest yourselves: we are going into the forest to cut down wood; when we've finished we'll come back and fetch you." hansel and gretel sat down beside the fire, and at midday ate their little *ts of bread. they heard the strokes of the axe11,22 so they thought their father was quite near. but it was no axe they heard, but a bough12 he had tied on a dead tree, and that was blown about by the wind. and when they had sat for a long time their eyes closed with fatigue13, and they fell fast asleep. when they awoke at last it was pitch dark. gretel began to cry, and said: "how are we *r to get out of the wood?" but hansel comforted her. "wait a *t," he said, "till the moon is up, and then we'll find our way sure enough." and when the full moon had risen he took his sister by the hand23 and followed the pebbles, which shone like new threepenny *ts,24 and showed them the path. they walked on through the night, and at daybreak reached their father's house again. they knocked at the door, and when the woman opened it she exclaimed: "you naughty children,25 what a time you've slept in the wood! we thought you were n*r going to come back." but the father rejoiced, for his conscience had reproached him for leaving his children behind by themselves.
not long afterward14 there was again great dearth15 in the land, and the children heard their mother address their father thus in bed one night: "*rything is eaten up once *; we have only half a loaf in the house, and when that's done it's all up with us. the children must be got rid of; we'll lead them deeper into the wood this time, so that they won't be able to find their way out again. there is no other way of saving ourselves." the man's heart smote16 him heavily, and he thought: "surely it would be better to share the last *te with one's children!" but his wife wouldn't listen to his arguments, and did nothing but scold and reproach him. if a man yields once he's done for, and so, because he had given in the first time, he was forced to do so the second.26
but the children were awake, and had heard the conversation. when the old people were asleep hansel got up, and wanted to go out and pick up pebbles again, as he had done the first time; but the woman had barred the door,27 and hansel couldn't get out. but he consoled his little sister, and said: "don't cry, gretel, and sleep peacefully, for god is sure to * us."
at early dawn the woman came and made the children get up. they received their *t of bread, but it was *n smaller than the time before. on the way to the wood hansel crumbled18 it in his pocket, and *ry few minutes he stood still and *ped a crumb28 on the ground. "hansel, what are you stopping and looking about you for?" said the father. "i'm looking back at my little pigeon,29 which is sitting on the roof waving me a farewell," answered hansel. "fool!" said the wife; "that isn't your pigeon, it's the morning sun glittering on the chimney." but hansel gradually threw all his cru*19 on the path. the woman led the children still deeper into the forest farther than they had *r been in their lives before. then a *g fire was lit again, and the mother said: "just sit down there, children, and if you're tired you can sleep a *t; we're going into the forest to cut down wood, and in the *ning when we're finished we'll come back to fetch you." at midday gretel spanided her bread with hansel, for he had strewn his all along their path. then they fell asleep, and *ning passed away, but nobody came to the poor children. they didn't awake till it was pitch dark, and hansel comforted his sister, saying: "only wait, gretel, till the moon rises, then we shall see the bread-cru* i scattered20 along the path; they will show us the way back to the house." when the moon appeared they got up, but they found no cru*, for the thousands of *rds30 that fly about the woods and fields had picked them all up. "n*r mind," said hansel to gretel; "you'll see we'll find a way out"; but all the same they did not. they wandered about the whole night, and the next day, from morning till *ning, but they could not find a path out of the wood. they were very hungry, too, for they had nothing to eat but a few berries they found growing on the ground. and at last they were so tired that their legs refused to carry them any longer, so they lay down under a tree and fell fast asleep.
on the third31 morning after they had left their father's house they set about their wandering again, but only got deeper and deeper into the wood, and now they felt that if * did not come to them soon they must perish. at midday they saw a beautiful little snow-white *rd32 sitting on a branch, which sang so sweetly that they stopped still and listened to it. and when its song was finished it flapped its wings and flew on in front of them. they followed it and came to a little house, on the roof of which it perched; and when they came quite near they saw that the cottage was made of bread and roofed with cakes, while the window was made of transparent21 sugar.33 "now we'll set to," said hansel, "and have a regular blow-out.34 i'll eat a *t of the roof, and you, gretel, can eat some of the window, which you'll find a sweet morsel22." hansel stretched up his hand and broke off a little *t of the roof to see what it was like, and gretel went to the casement23 and began to nibble24 at it. thereupon a shrill25 voice called out from the room inside:
"nibble, nibble, little mouse,
who's nibbling26 my house?"35
the children answered:
"tis heaven's own child,
the tempest wild,"36
and went on eating, without putting themselves about. hansel, who thoroughly27 appreciated the roof, tore down a *g *t of it, while gretel pushed out a whole round window-pane, and sat down the better to enjoy it. suddenly the door opened, and an ancient dame28 leaning on a staff37 hobbled out. hansel and gretel were so terrified that they let what they had in their hands fall. but the old woman shook her head and said: "oh, ho! you dear children, who led you here? just come in and stay with me, no ill shall befall you."38 she took them both by the hand and let them into the house, and laid a most sumptuous29 dinner before them--milk and sugared pancakes, with apples and nuts. after they had finished, two beautiful little white beds were prepared for them, and when hansel and gretel lay down in them they felt as if they had got into heaven.
the old woman had appeared to be most friendly, but she was really an old witch39 who had waylaid30 the children, and had only built the little bread house in order to lure31 them in. when anyone came into her power she killed, cooked, and ate him,40 and held a regular feast-day41 for the occasion. now witches have red eyes, and cannot see far,42 but, like beasts, they have a keen sense of smell,43 and know when human beings pass by. when hansel and gretel fell into her hands she laughed maliciously32, and said jeeringly33: "i've got them now; they sha'n't escape me." early in the morning, before the children were awake, she rose up, and when she saw them both sleeping so peacefully, with their round rosy34 cheeks, she muttered to herself: "that'll be a dainty *te." then she seized hansel with her bony hand and carried him into a little stable, and barred the door on him; he might scream as much as he liked, it did him no good. then she went to gretel, shook her till she awoke, and cried: "get up, you lazy-bones, fetch water and cook something for your brother. when he's fat i'll eat him up."44 gretel began to cry *tterly, but it was of no use; she had to do what the wicked witch bade her.
so the best food was cooked for poor hansel, but gretel got nothing but crab-shells. *ry morning the old woman hobbled out to the stable and cried: "hansel, put out your finger,45 that i may feel if you are getting fat." but hansel always stretched out a bone,46 and the old dame, whose eyes were dim, couldn't see it, and thinking always it was hansel's finger, wondered why he fattened35 so slowly.47 when four weeks had passed and hansel still remained thin, she lost patience and determined36 to wait no longer. "hi, gretel," she called to the girl, abe quick and get some water. hansel may be fat or thin, i'm going to kill him to-morrow and cook him." oh! how the poor little sister sobbed37 as she carried the water, and how the tears rolled down her cheeks! "kind heaven * us now!"48 she cried; "if only the wild beasts in the wood had eaten us, then at least we should have died together." "just hold your peace," said the old hag; "it won't * you."