“You’ll eat up all my kingdom. Be off with you.”
Then the woman cracked the walnut, and found a beautiful golden
wool-winder, which she sent to the queen.
“I never had such things,” said the queen, “this woman is richer than I
am. Let her stop as long as she likes.”
Then the poor woman was glad indeed, and stayed there quietly until
she gave birth to a little daughter. The servant took the baby into
the kitchen to put on the swaddling-bands; while she was doing so a
beautiful white dove alighted on the window-sill, and said:—
“If the cocks no longer sang,
If the bells no longer rang,
If you knew this, oh mother mine,
Lovely you’d be, oh daughter mine.”
Then the servant went to the queen and told her what had happened.
“To-morrow I’ll come myself,” said she, “and see the dove, and hear
what it says.”
As soon as she had heard it, she had all the cocks in the town killed,
and all the bells tied up: and the next morning she carried the babe
into the kitchen herself. No sooner had she sat down than the dove
alighted on her shoulder. She unswaddled the baby, and the little thing
stretched out its tiny arms in joy at feeling itself free. As it did
so, it touched the dove, who was instantly changed into a handsome
young man. The queen knew him for her son, the poor woman for her
husband, and there was great feasting and joy in all the palace. If
they’re not alive, they must be dead: if they’re not dead, they’re
still living.