It is now long ago, perhaps two thousand years, there was a rich man who had a beautiful and pious wife; and they were very fond of one another, but had no children. Still they wished for some very much, and the wife prayed for them day and night; still they had none.

Before their house was a yard; in it stood an almond tree, under which the woman stood once in the winter peeling an apple; and as she peeled the apple she cut her finger, and the blood dripped on the snow. "Ah!" said the woman, with a deep sign, and she looked at the blood before her, and was very sad, "had I but a child as red as blood and as white as snow;" and as she said that, she felt quite lively; and it seemed quite as if something would come of it. Then she went into the house; and a month passed, the snow disappeared; and two months, then all was green; and three months, then came the flowers out of the ground; and four months, then all the trees in the wood squeezed up against one another, and the green boughs all grew twisted together, and the little birds sang, so that the whole wood resounded, and the blossoms fell from the trees; then the fifth month had gone, and she stood under the almond tree, it smelt so sweet, then her heart leaped for joy, and she couldn't help falling down on her knees; and when the sixth month had passed, the fruits were large, and she was quite pleased; and the seventh month, then she snatched the almonds and ate them so greedily that she was dreadfully ill; then went the eighth month, and she called her husband and cried, and said, "If I die bury me under the almond tree;" then she was quite easy, and was glad, till the next month was gone: then she had a child as white as snow and as red as blood; and when she saw it she was so delighted that she died.

Then her husband buried her under the almond tree, and began to cry most violently: a little time, and he was easier; and when he had cried a bit more, he left off; and a little time longer, and he took another wife.

With the second wife he had a daughter; but the child by the first wife was a little son, and was as red as blood and as white as snow. When the woman looked at her daughter, she loved her so much; but then she looked at the little boy, and it seemed to go right through her heart: and it seemed as if he always stood in her way, and then she was always thinking how she could get all the fortune for her daughter; and it was the Evil One who suggested it to her, so that she couldn't bear the sight of the little boy, and poked him about from one corner to another, and buffeted him here, and cuffed him there, so that the poor child was always in fear; and when he came from school he had no peace.

Once the woman had gone into the storeroom, and the little daughter came up and said, "Mother, give me an apple." "Yes, my child," said the woman, an gave her a beautiful apple out of the box: the box had a great heavy lid, with a great sharp iron lock. "Mother," said the little daughter, "shall not brother have one too?" That annoyed the woman, but she said, "Yes, when he comes from school." And as she saw out of the window that he was coming, it was just as if the Evil One came over her, and she snatched the apple away from her daughter again, and said, "You shall not have one before your brother." She threw the apple into the box and shut it. Then the little boy came in at the door; and the Evil One made her say, in a friendly manner, "My son, will you have an apple?" and she looked at him wickedly. "Mother," said the little boy, "how horribly you look; yes, give me an apple." Then she thought she must pacify him. "Come with me," she said, and opened the lid; "Reach out an apple;" and as the little boy bent into the box, the Evil One whispered to her — bang! she slammed the lid to, so that his head flew off and fell amongst the red apples. Then in the fright she thought, "Could I get that off my mind!" Then she went up into her room to the chest of drawers, and got out a white cloth from the top drawer, and she set the head on the throat again, and tied the handkerchief round so that nothing could be seen; and placed him outside the door on a chair, and gave him the apple in his hand. After a while little Marline came in the kitchen to her mother who stood by the fire and had a kettle with hot water before her, which she kept stirring round. "Mother," said little Marline, "brother is sitting outside the door, and looks quite white, and has got an apple in his hand. I asked him to give me the apple, but he didn't answer me; then I was quite frightened." "Go again," said the mother, "and if he will not answer you, give him a box in the ear." Then Marline went to the brother and said, "Give me the apple;" but he was silent. Then she gave him a box on the ear, and the head tumbled off; at which she was frightened, and began to cry and sob. Then she ran to the mother and said, "Oh, mother, I have knocked my brother's head off;" and she cried and cried, and would not be pacified. "Marline," said the Mother, "what have you done? But be quiet, so that nobody may notice it; it can't be helped now; we'll bury him under the almond tree."

Then the mother took the little boy and put him into a box, and put it under the almond tree; but little Marline stood by, and cried and cried, and the tears all fell into the box.

Soon the father came home, and sat down to table, and said, "Where is my son?" Then the mother brought in a great big dish of stew; and little marline cried, and could not leave off. Then the father said again, "Where is my son?" "Oh," said the mother, "he has gone across the country to Mütten, he is going to stop there a bit."

"What is he doing there? and why did he not say good-bye to me?" "Oh, he wanted to go, and asked me if he might stop there six weeks; he will be taken care of there." "Ah," said the man, "I feel very dull; that was not right; he ought to have wished me good-bye." With that he began to eat, and said to Marline, "What are you crying for? your brother will soon come back." "Oh, wife," said he then, "how delicious this tastes; give me some more?" And he ate till all the broth was done.

Little Marline went to her box, and took from the bottom drawer her best silk handkerchief, and carried outside the door, and cried bitter tears. Then she laid herself under the almond tree on the green grass; and when she had laid herself there, all at once she felt quite light and happy, and cried no more. Then the almond tree began to move, and the boughs spread out quite wide, and then went back again; just as when one is very much pleased, and claps with the hands. At the same time a sort of mist rose from the tree; in the middle of the mist it burned like a fire; and out of the fire there flew a beautiful bird, that sang very sweetly and flew high up in the air; and when it had flown away, the almond tree was as it had been before. Then little Marline was as light and happy as if her brother were alive still; and went into the house to dinner.

The bird flew away and perched upon a Goldsmith's house, and began to sing —

"My mother killed me;
My father grieved for me;
My sister, little Marline,
Wept under the almond tree:
Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I."

The Goldsmith sat in his workshop, and was making a gold chain, when he heard the bird that sat upon his roof and sang; and it seemed to him so beautiful. Then he got up, and as he stepped over the sill of the door he lost one of his slippers; but he went straight up the middle of the street with one slipper and one sock on. He had his leather apron on, and in the one hand he had the gold chain and in the other the pincers, and the sun shone brightly up the street. He went and stood and looked at the bird. "Bird," said he then, "how beautifully you can sing. Sing me that song again." "Nay," said the bird, "I don't sing twice for nothing. Give me the gold chain and I will sing it you again." "There," said the Goldsmith, "take the gold chain; now sing me that again." Then the bird came and took the gold chain in the right claw, and sat before the Goldsmith, and sang —

"My mother killed me;
My father grieved for me;
My sister, little Marline,
Wept under the almond tree:
Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I."

Then the bird flew off to a Shoemaker, and perched upon the roof of his house, and sang —

"My mother killed me;
My father grieved for me;
My sister, little Marline,
Wept under the almond tree:
Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I."

The Shoemaker heard it, and ran outside the door in his shirt sleeves and looked up at the roof, and was obliged to hold his hand before his eyes to prevent the sun from blinding him. "Bird," said he, "how beautifully you can sing." Then he called in at the door, "Wife, come out, here's a bird; look at the bird: he just can sing beautifully." Then he called his daughter, and children, and apprentices, servant boy, and maid; and they all came up the street, and looked at the bird; oh! how beautiful he was, and he had such red and green feathers, and round about the throat was all like gold, and the eyes sparkled in his head like stars. "Bird," said the Shoemaker, "now sing me that piece again." "Nay," said the bird, "I don't sing twice for nothing; you must make me a present of something." "Wife," said the man, "go into the shop; on the top shelf there stands a pair of red shoes, fetch them down." The wife went and fetched the shoes. "There, bird," said the man; "now sing me that song again." Then the bird came and took the shoes in the left claw, and flew up on to the roof again and sang —

"My mother killed me;
My father grieved for me;
My sister, little Marline,
Wept under the almond tree:
Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I."

And when he had done singing he flew away. The chain he had in the right claw, and the shoes in the left claw; and he flew far away to a mill; and the mill wend clipp-clapp, clipp-clapp, clipp-clapp. And in the mill there sat twenty miller's men; they were shaping a stone, and chipped away hick-hack, hick-hack, hick-hack; and the mill went clipp-clapp, clipp-clapp, clipp-clapp. Then the bird flew and sat on a lime tree that stood before the mill and sang —

"My mother killed me;"

then one left off;

"My father grieved for me;"

then two more left off and heard it;

"My sister,"

then again four left off;

"little Marline,"

now there were only eight chipping away;

"Wept under"

now only five;

"the almond tree:"

now only one;

"Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I."

Then the last left off, when he heard the last word. "Bird," said he, "how beautifully you sing! Let me too hear that; sing me that again." "Nay," said the bird, "I don't sing twice for nothing. Give me the millstone, and I will sing it again." "Ay," said he "if it belonged to me alone, you should have it." "Yes," said the others, "if he sings again he shall have it." Then the bird came down, and all the twenty millers caught hold of a pole, and raised the stone up, hu, uh, upp, hu, uh, upp, hu, uh, upp! And the bird stuck his head through the hole, and took it round his neck like a collar, and flew back to the tree, and sang —

"My mother killed me;
My father grieved for me:
My sister, little Marline,
Wept under the almond tree;
Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I."

And when he had done singing he spread his wings, and had in his right claw the gold chain, in his left the shoes, and round his neck the millstone, and he flew far away, to his father's house.

In the room sat the father, the mother, and little Marline, at dinner; and the father said, "Oh dear, how light and happy I feel!" "Nay," said the mother, "I am all of a tremble, just as if there were going to be a heavy thunderstorm." But little Marline sat and cried and cried, and the bird came flying, and as he perched on the roof, the father said, "I feel so lively, and the sun shines so deliciously outside, it's exactly as if I were going to see some old acquaintance again. "Nay," said the wife, "I am so frightened, my teeth chatter, and it's like fire in my veins;" and she tore open her stays; but little Marline sat in a corner and cried, and held her plate before her eyes and cried it quite wet. Then the bird perched on the almond tree and sang —

"My mother killed me;"

Then the mother held her ears and shut her eyes, and would neither see nor hear; but it rumbled in her ears like the most terrible storm, and her eyes burned and twittered like lightening.

"My father grieved for me;"

"Oh, mother," said the man, "there is a beautiful bird that sings so splendidly; the sun shines so warm, and everything smells all like cinnamon."

"My sister, little Marline,"

Then Marline laid her head on her knees and cried away; but the man said, "I shall go out, I must see the bird close." "Oh! do not go," said the woman; "it seems as if the whole house shook and were on fire." But the man went out and looked at the bird.

"Wept under the almond tree:
Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I."

And the bird let the gold chain fall, and it fell just round the man's neck, and fitted beautifully. Then he went in and said, "See what an excellent bird it is; it has given me such a beautiful gold chain, and it looks so splendid." But the woman was so frightened, hat she fell her whole length on the floor, and her cap tumbled off her head. Then the bird sang again —

"My mother killed me;"

"Oh that I were a thousand fathoms under the earth, not to hear that!"

"My father grieved for me;"

Then the woman fainted.

"My sister, little Marline,"

"Ah," said Marline, "I will go out too, and see if the bird will give me something;" and she went out. Then the bird threw the shoes down.

"Wept under the almond tree:
Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I."

Then, she was so happy and lively, she put the new red shoes on, and danced and jumped back again. "Oh," said she, "I was so dull when I went out, and now I am so happy. That is a splendid bird; he has given me a pair of red shoes."

"Well," said the woman and jumped up, and her hair stood on end like flames of fire, "I feel as if the world were coming to an end; I will go out too, and see if it will make me easier." And as she stepped outside the door — bang! the bird threw the millstone on to her head, so that she was completely overwhelmed. The father and little Marline heard it, and went out. Then a smoke, and flames, and fire rose from the place, and when that had passed there stood the little brother; and he took his father and little Marline by the hand, and all three were happy and lively, and went into the house to dinner.