In the woods stood a cottage. In it lived a man and his wife, but
they had no children. Well, they went on a pilgrimage to beseech God
to give them a child. God gave them a daughter. She grew and
prospered. The prince about that time rode up to the place, as he
was out hunting, and sent his attendant, saying: 'Be so good as to
go and ask for a draught of water at yon cottage.' The attendant
went to ask for the water just when the child was weeping, and
pearls were rolling down from her eyes. Her mother pacified her; she
began to smile; all manner of flowers bloomed. The servant went out
and said: 'Prince, I have seen a little girl; when she weeps, pearls
roll down; and when she smiles, all manner of flowers bloom.' The
prince went into the cottage, and began to tease the child to make
her cry. She cried, and pearls rolled down. He then begged her
mother to pacify her. When she smiled, the prince saw that all
manner of flowers bloomed.
The girl continued to grow, and the prince always rode round that
way when he went hunting. Well, she grew up. The prince said: 'Old
man, give me your daughter to wife.' She now embroidered
handkerchiefs with eagles. But the emperor said: 'Where are your
wits gone to, my son, that you want to take a peasant girl to wife?'
Then the prince took one of the handkerchiefs that she had
embroidered, and carried it to the emperor, whereat the emperor
clapped his hands. 'Marry,' said he, 'my son, marry!' Then he
conducted her homeward, but in his suite was an old woman who had
her daughter with her. Well, as they were on their way, the prince
stopped to shoot something, and the old woman took everything from
the damsel, scooped out her eyes, and thrust her into a cavern in
the ground, and dressed her daughter in her apparel; so the prince
took her to wife without recognising her.
But round the cavern there grew a multitude of bushes. An old man
came to gather brushwood. The girl, the damsel, was sitting in the
cavern, and in front of her a heap of pearls, which she had wept as
she sat; but she had no eyes. 'Take me,' said she, 'kind old man,
and pick up this jewellery here.' Well, the old man took her,
collected the jewellery, and led her home. At the old man's there
were no children, but there was an old woman. She, the damsel, said:
'Collect the jewellery in a bag, and carry it to the town for sale;
and if a certain old woman meets you, then don't sell to her, but
say: "Give what you have about you."' Well, he carried it to the
town and met the old woman. The old woman said: 'Sell me the
jewellery!' 'Purchase.' 'How much for it?' 'Give what you have about
you?' She gave him an eye. Then the damsel began with one eye to
embroider a handkerchief. Again the old man carried jewellery to the
town. The old woman again said: 'Old man, sell me the jewellery!'
'Purchase.' 'How much for it?' 'Give what you have about you?' She
gave him the other eye. The damsel then began to embroider still
more beautifully. The old man said: 'There's a dinner at the
emperor's.' The damsel said to him: 'Go, kind old man, to the dinner
and take a jug, that you may beg some soup for me.' She also tied a
handkerchief of her own sewing on the old man's neck. When the
prince espied the handkerchief on the old man's neck, he cried:
'Whence come you, old man?' 'From the farm yonder, prince; and there
is also a damsel living at my house, so be so kind as to give her
something in this jug.' 'But, old man, where did you get that
handkerchief?' 'I found a damsel in a cavern in the ground, and she
embroidered it.' The prince at once recognised it by the embroidery.
''Tis she! 'tis she!' But the old woman's daughter he packed off to
tend swine. That's all.