Moon E-book

                                      1812
                              GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES
                                    THE MOON

                  by Jacob Ludwig Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm








Electronically Enhanced Text (c) Copyright 1996, World Library(R)



                                        THE MOON
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  IN DAYS gone by there was a land where the nights were always
dark, and the sky spread over it like a black cloth, for there the
moon never rose, and no star shone in the obscurity. At the creation
of the world, the light at night had been sufficient. Four young
fellows once went out of this country on a traveling expedition, and
arrived in another kingdom, where, in the evening when the sun had
disappeared behind the mountains, a shining globe was placed on an oak
tree, which shed a soft light far and wide. By means of this,
everything could very well be seen and distinguished, even though it
was not so brilliant as the sun. The travelers stopped and asked a
countryman who was driving past with his cart what kind of a light
that was. "That is the moon," answered he; "our mayor bought it for
three thalers, and fastened it to the oak tree. He has to pour oil
into it daily, and to keep it clean, so that it may always burn
clearly. He receives a thaler a week from us for doing it."
  When the countryman had driven away, one of them said, "We could
make some use of this lamp, we have an oak tree at home, which is just
as big as this, and we could hang it on that. What a pleasure it would
be not to have to feel about at night in the darkness!" "I'll tell you
what we'll do," said the second; "we will fetch a cart and horses
and carry away the moon. The people here may buy themselves
another." "I'm a good climber," said the third, "I will bring it
down." The fourth brought a cart and horses, and the third climbed the
tree, bored a hole in the moon, passed a rope through it, and let it
down. When the shining ball lay in the cart, they covered it over with
a cloth, that no one might observe the theft. They conveyed it
safely into their own country, and placed it on a high oak. Old and
young rejoiced when the new lamp let its light shine over the whole
land, and bed-rooms and sitting-rooms were filled with it. The
dwarfs came forth from their caves in the rocks, and the tiny elves in
their little red coats danced in rings on the meadows.
  The four took care that the moon was provided with oil, cleaned
the wick, and received their weekly thaler; but they became old men,
and when one of them grew ill, and saw that he was about to die, he
appointed that one quarter of the moon, should, as his property, be
laid in the grave with him. When he died, the mayor climbed up the
tree, and cut off a quarter with the hedge-shears, and this was placed
in his coffin. The light of the moon decreased, but still not visibly.
When the second died, the second quarter was buried with him, and
the light diminished. It grew weaker still after the death of the
third, who likewise took his part of it away with him; and when the
fourth was borne to his grave, the old state of darkness
recommenced, and whenever the people went out at night without their
lanterns they knocked their heads together.
  When, however, the pieces of the moon had united themselves together
again in the world below, where darkness had always prevailed, it came
to pass that the dead became restless and awoke from their sleep. They
were astonished when they were able to see again; the moonlight was
quite sufficient for them, for their eyes had become so weak that they
could not have borne the brilliance of the sun. They rose up and
were merry, and fell into their former ways of living. Some of them
went to the play and to dance, others hastened to the public-houses,
where they asked for wine, got drunk, brawled, quarreled, and at
last took up cudgels, and belabored each other. The noise became
greater and greater, and at last reached even to heaven.
  Saint Peter who guards the gate of heaven thought the lower world
had broken out in revolt and gathered together the heavenly troops,
which are to drive back the Evil One when he and his associates
storm the abode of the blessed. As these, however, did not come, he
got on his horse and rode through the gate of heaven, down into the
world below. There he reduced the dead to subjection, bade them lie
down in their graves again, took the moon away with him, and hung it
up in heaven.
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                               THE END