A fairy tale collected by the
Brothers Grimm.
There was once upon a time a tailor who had three sons, and
only one goat. But as the goat supported all of them with
her milk, she was obliged to have good food, and to be taken
every day to pasture. The sons did this, in turn. Once the eldest
took her to the churchyard, where the finest herbs were to be found,
and let her eat and run about there. At night when it was time to
go home he asked, "Goat, have you had enough?" The goat answered,
"I have eaten so much,
not a leaf more I'll touch, meh. Meh."
"Come home, then," said the
youth, and took hold of the cord
round her neck, led her into the stable and tied her up securely.
"Well," said the old tailor, "has the goat had as much food as she
ought?"
"Oh," answered the son, "she has eaten so much,
not a
leaf more she'll touch." But the father wished to satisfy himself,
and went down to the
stable, stroked the dear animal and asked,
"Goat, are you satisfied?" The goat answered,
"How should I be satisfied?
Among the ditches I leapt about,
found no leaf, so went without, meh. Meh."
"What do I hear?" cried the tailor, and ran upstairs and said to the
youth. "Hi, you
liar, you said the goat had had enough, and have
let her hunger," and in his anger he took the yard-
measure from
the wall, and drove him out with blows.
Next day it was the turn of the second son, who sought a place
in the fence of the garden, where nothing but good herbs grew, and
the goat gobbled them all up. At night when he wanted to go home,
he asked, "Goat, are you satisfied?" The goat answered,
"I have eaten so much,
not a leaf more I'll touch, meh. Meh."
"Come home, then," said the youth, and led her home, and tied her
up in the
stable.
"Well," said the old tailor, "has the goat had as
much food as she ought?"
"Oh," answered the son, "she has eaten
so much, not a leaf more she'll touch." The tailor would not rely
on this, but went down to the stable and said, "Goat, have you had
enough?" The goat answered,
"How should I be satisfied?
Among the ditches I leapt about,
found no leaf, so went without, meh. Meh."
"The
godless wretch," cried the tailor, "to let such a good animal
hunger," and he ran up and drove the youth out of doors with the
yard-measure.
Now came the turn of the third son, who wanted to do his duty
well, and sought out some bushes with the finest leaves, and let the
goat devour them. In the evening when he wanted to go home, he
asked, "Goat, have you had enough?" The goat answered,
"I have eaten so much,
not a leaf more I'll touch, meh. Meh.
"Come home, then," said the youth, and led her into the stable, and
tied her up.
"Well," said the old tailor, "has the goat had her full
share of
food?"
"She has eaten so much, not a leaf more she'll
touch." The tailor was
distrustful, went down and asked, "Goat,
have you had enough?" The wicked beast answered,
"How should I be satisfied?"
Among the ditches I leapt about,
found no leaf, so went without, meh. Meh."
"Oh, the
brood of liars," cried the tailor, "each as wicked and
forgetful of his duty as the other. You will no longer make a
fool of me," and quite
beside himself with anger, he ran upstairs
and belaboured the poor young fellow so vigorously with the
yard-measure that he sprang out of the house.
The old tailor was now alone with his goat. Next morning he
went down into the stable, stroked the goat and said, "Come, my
dear little animal, I myself shall take you to feed." He took her
by the rope and conducted her to green hedges, and amongst milfoil
and whatever else goats like to eat. "There you may for once eat to
your heart's content," said he to her, and let her browse till
evening. Then he asked, "Goat, are you satisfied?" She replied,
"I have eaten so much,
not a leaf more I'll touch, meh. Meh.
"Come home, then," said the tailor, and led her into the stable, and
tied her fast. When he was going away, he turned round again and
said, "Well, are you satisfied for once?" But the goat
behaved no
better to him, and cried,
"How should I be satisfied?
Among the ditches I leapt about,
found no leaf, so went without, meh. Meh.
When the tailor heard that, he was shocked, and saw clearly that
he had driven away his three sons
without cause. "Wait, you
ungrateful creature," cried he, "it is not enough to drive you forth,
I shall
brand you so that you will no more dare to show yourself
amongst honest tailors." In great haste he ran upstairs, fetched his
razor, lathered the goat's head, and shaved her as clean as the palm
of his hand. And as the yard-measure would have been too good for
her, he brought the
horsewhip, and gave her such cuts with it that
she bounded away with tremendous leaps.
When the tailor was thus left quite alone in his house he fell into
great grief, and would gladly have had his sons back again, but no
one knew whither they were gone. The eldest had apprenticed
himself to a joiner, and learnt industriously and indefatigably,
and when the time came for him to go traveling, his master presented
him with a little table which was not particularly beautiful, and
was made of common wood, but which had one good property. If
anyone set it out, and said, "Little table, spread yourself," the good
little table was at once covered with a clean little cloth, and a
plate was there, and a knife and fork beside it, and dishes with
boiled meats and roasted meats, as many as there was room for, and a
great glass of red wine shone so that it made the heart glad. The
young journeyman thought, "With this you have enough for your
whole life," and went joyously about the world and never troubled
himself at all whether an inn was good or bad, or if anything was
to be found in it or not. When it suited him he did not enter an
inn at all, but either on the plain, in a wood, a meadow, or
wherever he fancied, he took his little table off his back, set it
down before him, and said, "Spread yourself," and then everything
appeared that his heart desired. At length he took it into his head
to go back to his father, whose anger would now be appeased, and
who would now willingly receive him with his magic table.
on to part two