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    The Fairy Tale Of The Green Snake And The Beautiful Lily
    The Fairy Tale Of The Green Snake And The Beautiful Lily
    The Fairy Tale Of The Green Snake And The Beautiful Lily
    Ebook41 pages50 minutes

    The Fairy Tale Of The Green Snake And The Beautiful Lily

    By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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    In his little hut by the great river, which a heavy rain had swollen to overflowing, lay the ancient Ferryman, asleep, wearied by the toil of the day. In the middle of the night, loud voices awoke him; he heard that it was travellers wishing to be carried over.

    Stepping out, he saw two large Will-o'-wisps, hovering to and fro on his boat, which lay moored: they said, they were in violent haste, and should have been already on the other side. The old Ferryman made no loitering; pushed off, and steered with his usual skill obliquely through the stream; while the two strangers whiffled and hissed together, in an unknown very rapid tongue, and every now and then broke out in loud laughter, hopping about, at one time on the gunwale and the seats, at another on the bottom of the boat.

    "The boat is keeling!" cried the old man; "if you don't be quiet, it'll overset; be seated, gentlemen of the wisp!"

    At this advice they burst into a fit of laughter, mocked the old man, and were more unquiet than ever. He bore their mischief with silence, and soon reached the farther shore.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherYoucanprint
    Release dateApr 4, 2017
    ISBN9788892658349
    The Fairy Tale Of The Green Snake And The Beautiful Lily

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      Book preview

      The Fairy Tale Of The Green Snake And The Beautiful Lily - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

      reserved]

      THE FAIRY TALE OF THE GREEN SNAKE AND THE BEAUTIFUL LILY

      In his little hut by the great river, which a heavy rain had swollen to overflowing, lay the ancient Ferryman, asleep, wearied by the toil of the day. In the middle of the night, loud voices awoke him; he heard that it was travellers wishing to be carried over.

      Stepping out, he saw two large Will-o'-wisps, hovering to and fro on his boat, which lay moored: they said, they were in violent haste, and should have been already on the other side. The old Ferryman made no loitering; pushed off, and steered with his usual skill obliquely through the stream; while the two strangers whiffled and hissed together, in an unknown very rapid tongue, and every now and then broke out in loud laughter, hopping about, at one time on the gunwale and the seats, at another on the bottom of the boat.

      The boat is keeling! cried the old man; if you don't be quiet, it'll overset; be seated, gentlemen of the wisp!

      At this advice they burst into a fit of laughter, mocked the old man, and were more unquiet than ever. He bore their mischief with silence, and soon reached the farther shore.

      Here is for your labour! cried the travellers; and as they shook themselves, a heap of glittering gold-pieces jingled down into the wet boat. For Heaven's sake, what are you about? cried the old man; you will ruin me forever! Had a single piece of gold got into the water, the stream, which cannot suffer gold, would have risen in horrid waves, and swallowed both my skiff and me; and who knows how it might have fared with you in that case? here, take back your gold.

      We can take nothing back, which we have once shaken from us, said the Lights.

      Then you give me the trouble, said the old man, stooping down, and gathering the pieces into his cap, of raking them together, and carrying them ashore and burying them.

      The Lights had leaped from the boat, but the old man cried: Stay; where is my fare?

      If you take no gold, you may work for nothing, cried the Will-o'-wisps. You must know that I am only to be paid with fruits of the earth. Fruits of the earth? we despise them, and have never tasted them. "And yet I cannot let you go, till you have promised that you will deliver me three Cabbages, three Artichokes, and three large Onions.

      The Lights were making-off with jests; but they felt themselves, in some inexplicable manner, fastened to the ground: it was the unpleasantest feeling they had ever had. They engaged to pay him his demand as soon as possible: he let them go, and pushed away. He was gone a good distance, when they called to him: Old man! Holla, old man! the main point is forgotten! He was off, however, and did not hear them. He had fallen quietly down that side of the River, where, in a rocky spot, which the water never reached, he meant to bury the pernicious gold. Here, between two high crags, he found a monstrous chasm; shook the metal into it, and steered back to his cottage.

      Now in this chasm lay the fair green Snake, who was roused from her sleep by the gold coming chinking down. No sooner did she fix her eye on the glittering coins, than she ate them

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