Once upon a time a great and powerful King married a lovely Princess. No
couple were ever so happy; but before their honeymoon was over they were
forced to part, for the King had to go on a warlike expedition to a far
country, and leave his young wife alone at home. Bitter were the tears
she shed, while her husband sought in vain to soothe her with words of
comfort and counsel, warning her, above all things, never to leave
the castle, to hold no intercourse with strangers, to beware of evil
counsellors, and especially to be on her guard against strange women.
And the Queen promised faithfully to obey her royal lord and master in
these four matters.
So when the King set out on his expedition she shut herself up with
her ladies in her own apartments, and spent her time in spinning and
weaving, and in thinking of her royal husband. Often she was very sad
and lonely, and it happened that one day while she was seated at the
window, letting salt tears drop on her work, an old woman, a kind,
homely-looking old body, stepped up to the window, and, leaning upon her
crutch, addressed the Queen in friendly, flattering tones, saying:
‘Why are you sad and cast down, fair Queen? You should not mope all day
in your rooms, but should come out into the green garden, and hear the
birds sing with joy among the trees, and see the butterflies fluttering
above the flowers, and hear the bees and insects hum, and watch
the sunbeams chase the dew-drops through the rose-leaves and in the
lily-cups. All the brightness outside would help to drive away your
cares, O Queen.’
For long the Queen resisted her coaxing words, remembering the promise
she had given the King, her husband; but at last she thought to herself:
After all, what harm would it do if I were to go into the garden for a
short time and enjoy myself among the trees and flowers, and the singing
birds and fluttering butterflies and humming insects, and look at
the dew-drops hiding from the sunbeams in the hearts of the roses and
lilies, and wander about in the sunshine, instead of remaining all
day in this room? For she had no idea that the kind-looking old woman
leaning on her crutch was in reality a wicked witch, who envied the
Queen her good fortune, and was determined to ruin her. And so, in all
ignorance, the Queen followed her out into the garden and listened to
her smooth, flattering words. Now, in the middle of the garden there was
a pond of water, clear as crystal, and the old woman said to the Queen:
‘The day is so warm, and the sun’s rays so scorching, that the water in
the pond looks very cool and inviting. Would you not like to bathe in
it, fair Queen?’
‘No, I think not,’ answered the Queen; but the next moment she regretted
her words, and thought to herself: Why shouldn’t I bathe in that cool,
fresh water? No harm could come of it. And, so saying, she slipped off
her robes and stepped into the water. But scarcely had her tender feet
touched the cool ripples when she felt a great shove on her shoulders,
and the wicked witch had pushed her into the deep water, exclaiming:
‘Swim henceforth, White Duck!’
And the witch herself assumed the form of the Queen, and decked herself
out in the royal robes, and sat among the Court ladies, awaiting the
King’s return. And suddenly the tramp of horses’ hoofs was heard, and
the barking of dogs, and the witch hastened forward to meet the royal
carriages, and, throwing her arms round the King’s neck, kissed him.
And in his great joy the King did not know that the woman he held in his
arms was not his own dear wife, but a wicked witch.
In the meantime, outside the palace walls, the poor White Duck swam up
and down the pond; and near it laid three eggs, out of which there came
one morning two little fluffy ducklings and a little ugly drake. And the
White Duck brought the little creatures up, and they paddled after her
in the pond, and caught gold-fish, and hopped upon the bank and waddled
about, ruffling their feathers and saying ‘Quack, quack’ as they
strutted about on the green banks of the pond. But their mother used to
warn them not to stray too far, telling them that a wicked witch lived
in the castle beyond the garden, adding, ‘She has ruined me, and she
will do her best to ruin you.’ But the young ones did not listen to
their mother, and, playing about the garden one day, they strayed close
up to the castle windows. The witch at once recognised them by their
smell, and ground her teeth with anger; but she hid her feelings, and,
pretending to be very kind she called them to her and joked with them,
and led them into a beautiful room, where she gave them food to eat, and
showed them a soft cushion on which they might sleep. Then she left them
and went down into the palace kitchens, where she told the servants to
sharpen the knives, and to make a great fire ready, and hang a large
kettleful of water over it.
In the meantime the two little ducklings had fallen asleep, and the
little drake lay between them, covered up by their wings, to be kept
warm under their feathers. But the little drake could not go to sleep,
and as he lay there wide awake in the night he heard the witch come to
the door and say:
‘Little ones, are you asleep?’
And the little drake answered for the other two:
‘We cannot sleep, we wake and weep,
Sharp is the knife, to take our life;
The fire is hot, now boils the pot,
And so we wake, and lie and quake.’
‘They are not asleep yet,’ muttered the witch to herself; and she walked
up and down in the passage, and then came back to the door, and said:
‘Little ones, are you asleep?’
And again the little drake answered for his sisters:
‘We cannot sleep, we wake and weep,
Sharp is the knife, to take our life;
The fire is hot, now boils the pot,
And so we wake, and lie and quake.’
‘Just the same answer,’ muttered the witch; ‘I think I’ll go in and
see.’ So she opened the door gently, and seeing the two little ducklings
sound asleep, she there and then killed them.
The next morning the White Duck wandered round the pond in a distracted
manner, looking for her little ones; she called and she searched, but
could find no trace of them. And in her heart she had a foreboding that
evil had befallen them, and she fluttered up out of the water and flew
to the palace. And there, laid out on the marble floor of the court,
dead and stone cold, were her three children. The White Duck threw
herself upon them, and, covering up their little bodies with her wings,
she cried:
‘Quack, quack--my little loves!
Quack, quack--my turtle-doves!
I brought you up with grief and pain,
And now before my eyes you’re slain.
I gave you always of the best;
I kept you warm in my soft nest.
I loved and watched you day and night--
You were my joy, my one delight.’
The King heard the sad complaint of the White Duck, and called to the
witch: ‘Wife, what a wonder is this? Listen to that White Duck.’
But the witch answered, ‘My dear husband, what do you mean? There is
nothing wonderful in a duck’s quacking. Here, servants! Chase that duck
out of the courtyard.’ But though the servants chased and chevied, they
could not get rid of the duck; for she circled round and round, and
always came back to the spot where her children lay, crying:
‘Quack, quack--my little loves!
Quack, quack--my turtle-doves!
The wicked witch your lives did take--
The wicked witch, the cunning snake.
First she stole my King away,
Then my children did she slay.
Changed me, from a happy wife,
To a duck for all my life.
Would I were the Queen again;
Would that you had never been slain.’
And as the King heard her words he began to suspect that he had been
deceived, and he called out to the servants, ‘Catch that duck, and bring
it here.’ But, though they ran to and fro, the duck always fled past
them, and would not let herself be caught. So the King himself stepped
down amongst them, and instantly the duck fluttered down into his hands.
And as he stroked her wings she was changed into a beautiful woman, and
he recognised his dear wife. And she told him that a bottle would be
found in her nest in the garden, containing some drops from the spring
of healing. And it was brought to her; and the ducklings and little
drake were sprinkled with the water, and from the little dead bodies
three lovely children arose. And the King and Queen were overjoyed when
they saw their children, and they all lived happily together in the
beautiful palace. But the wicked witch was taken by the King’s command,
and she came to no good end.