Rapunzel



Girl is locked in tower by witch. Prince saves her, is blinded, finds her again. Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair

There were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child. At length the woman hoped that God was about to grant her desire. These people had a little window at the back of their house from which a splendid garden could be seen, which was full of the most beautiful flowers and herbs. It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to an enchantress, who had great power and was dreaded by all the world. One day the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the garden, when she saw a bed which was planted with the most beautiful rampion (rapunzel), and it looked so fresh and green that she longed for it, and had the greatest desire to eat some. This desire increased every day, and as she knew that she could not get any of it, she quite pined away, and looked pale and miserable. Then her husband was alarmed, and asked, "What aileth thee, dear wife?" "Ah," she replied, "if I can't get some of the rampion, which is in the garden behind our house, to eat, I shall die." The man, who loved her, thought, "Sooner than let thy wife die, bring her some of the rampion thyself, let it cost thee what it will." In the twilight of evening, he clambered down over the wall into the garden of the enchantress, hastily clutched a handful of rampion, and took it to his wife. She at once made herself a salad of it, and ate it with much relish. She, however, liked it so much—so very much, that the next day she longed for it three times as much as before. If he was to have any rest, her husband must once more descend into the garden. In the gloom of evening, therefore, he let himself down again; but when he had clambered down the wall he was terribly afraid, for he saw the enchantress standing before him. "How canst thou dare," said she with angry look, "to descend into my garden and steal my rampion like a thief? Thou shalt suffer for it!" "Ah," answered he, "let mercy take the place of justice, I only made up my mind to do it out of necessity. My wife saw your rampion from the window, and felt such a longing for it that she would have died if she had not got some to eat." Then the enchantress allowed her anger to be softened, and said to him, "If the case be as thou sayest, I will allow thee to take away with thee as much rampion as thou wilt, only I make one condition, thou must give me the child which thy wife will bring into the world; it shall be well treated, and I will care for it like a mother." The man in his terror consented to everything, and when the woman was brought to bed, the enchantress appeared at once, gave the child the name of Rapunzel, and took it away with her.
Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child beneath the sun. When she was twelve years old, the enchantress shut her into a tower, which lay in a forest, and had neither stairs nor door, but quite at the top was a little window. When the enchantress wanted to go in, she placed herself beneath this, and cried,
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down thy hair to me."
Rapunzel had magnificent long hair, fine as spun gold, and when she heard the voice of the enchantress she unfastened her braided tresses, wound them round one of the hooks of the window above, and then the hair fell twenty ells down, and the enchantress climbed up by it.
After a year or two, it came to pass that the King's son rode through the forest and went by the tower. Then he heard a song, which was so charming that he stood still and listened. This was Rapunzel, who in her solitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound. The King's son wanted to climb up to her, and looked for the door of the tower, but none was to be found. He rode home, but the singing had so deeply touched his heart, that every day he went out into the forest and listened to it. Once when he was thus standing behind a tree, he saw that an enchantress came there, and he heard how she cried,
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down thy hair."
Then Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair, and the enchantress climbed up to her. "If that is the ladder by which one mounts, I will for once try my fortune," said he, and the next day when it began to grow dark, he went to the tower and cried,
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down thy hair."
Immediately the hair fell down and the King's son climbed up.
At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man such as her eyes had never yet beheld, came to her; but the King's son began to talk to her quite like a friend, and told her that his heart had been so stirred that it had let him have no rest, and he had been forced to see her. Then Rapunzel lost her fear, and when he asked her if she would take him for her husband, and she saw that he was young and handsome, she thought, "He will love me more than old Dame Gothel does;" and she said yes, and laid her hand in his. She said, "I will willingly go away with thee, but I do not know how to get down. Bring with thee a skein of silk every time that thou comest, and I will weave a ladder with it, and when that is ready I will descend, and thou wilt take me on thy horse." They agreed that until that time he should come to her every evening, for the old woman came by day. The enchantress remarked nothing of this, until once Rapunzel said to her, "Tell me, Dame Gothel, how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young King's son—he is with me in a moment." "Ah! thou wicked child," cried the enchantress, "What do I hear thee say! I thought I had separated thee from all the world, and yet thou hast deceived me!" In her anger she clutched Rapunzel's beautiful tresses, wrapped them twice round her left hand, seized a pair of scissors with the right, and snip, snap, they were cut off, and the lovely braids lay on the ground. And she was so pitiless that she took poor Rapunzel into a desert where she had to live in great grief and misery.
On the same day, however, that she cast out Rapunzel, the enchantress in the evening fastened the braids of hair which she had cut off to the hook of the window, and when the King's son came and cried,
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down thy hair,"
she let the hair down. The King's son ascended, but he did not find his dearest Rapunzel above, but the enchantress, who gazed at him with wicked and venomous looks. "Aha!" she cried mockingly, "Thou wouldst fetch thy dearest, but the beautiful bird sits no longer singing in the nest; the cat has got it, and will scratch out thy eyes as well. Rapunzel is lost to thee; thou wilt never see her more." The King's son was beside himself with pain, and in his despair he leapt down from the tower. He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell, pierced his eyes. Then he wandered quite blind about the forest, ate nothing but roots and berries, and did nothing but lament and weep over the loss of his dearest wife. Thus he roamed about in misery for some years, and at length came to the desert where Rapunzel, with the twins to which she had given birth, a boy and a girl, lived in wretchedness. He heard a voice, and it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards it, and when he approached, Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept. Two of her tears wetted his eyes and they grew clear again, and he could see with them as before. He led her to his kingdom where he was joyfully received, and they lived for a long time afterwards, happy and contented.
Rapunzel was the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was twelve years old, the enchantress locked her in a tower in a forest, which had neither stairs nor a door, except for a small window at the top. When the sorceress wanted to enter, she stood at the bottom and called out:
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
let down your hair for me."
Rapunzel had long magnificent hair, fine as spun gold. When she heard the voice of the sorceress, she untied her braids, wrapped them around a window hook at the top, and then the hair fell down twenty cubits. And the sorceress climbed up on it.
After a few years, the king's son was riding through the forest and passed by the tower. There he heard a song, which was so sweet that he stopped and listened. It was Rapunzel, who, in her loneliness, was passing the time by making her sweet voice resound. The king's son wanted to climb up to her and looked for a door in the tower, but there was none to be found. So he rode home. But the song had touched his heart so much that he went out into the forest every day and listened. Once, when he was standing behind a tree, he saw a sorceress approaching and heard her calling up:
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
let your hair down."
Then Rapunzel let down the tresses of her hair, and the sorceress went up to her. "If this is the ladder on which one comes up, then I will also try my luck once. "And the following day, when it began to grow dark, he went to the tower and called out:
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
let your hair down."
Immediately the hair fell down and the king's son climbed up.
At first Rapunzel was terrified when a man came in to her like her eyes had never seen before. But the king's son began to talk to her in a very friendly way and told her that her singing had moved his heart so much that he had no peace and had to see her himself. Then Rapunzel lost her fear. And when he asked her if she would take him as her husband - and she saw that he was young and handsome - she thought, "he will prefer me to the old woman Gothel," as she called the witch, and said yes, and put her hand in his hand. She said, "I will gladly go with thee, but I know not how to come down. When you come, bring" each time a strand of silk. From it I will weave a ladder, and when it is ready, I will climb down and you will take me on your horse." They agreed that he should come to her every other evening until then. For on the other days the old woman would come. The enchantress didn't notice anything about it either, until once Rapunzel started and said to her, "tell me, Mrs. Gothel, how is it that I find it much harder to pull you up than the young king's son who comes to visit me?" "Ah you godless child," cried the sorceress, "what must I hear from you? I thought I had cut you off from all the world, and yet you have deceived me"! In her anger, she grabbed Rapunzel's beautiful hair, slapped it around her left hand a few times, grabbed a pair of scissors with her right, and rip, rip, warmly cut it off. And the beautiful braids lay on the ground. And she was so ruthless that she took poor Rapunzel to a wasteland, where she had to live in great misery and misery.
But on the same day that she had rejected Rapunzel, in the evening the sorceress tied the cut braids to the top of the window hook, and when the king's son came and called out:
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
let your hair down",
she let down her hair. The king's son climbed up, but he did not find his dearest Rapunzel at the top, but the sorceress, who looked at him with evil and poisonous looks. "Aha," she cried scornfully, "you want to fetch the lady dearest. But the beautiful bird no longer sits in the nest and no longer sings. The cat has taken him and will scratch out your eyes, too. Rapunzel is lost to you, you will never see her again." The king's son was beside himself with pain and in despair he jumped down the tower: he did not lose his life, but the thorns into which he fell pricked his eyes. Then he wandered blindly in the forest, eating nothing but roots and berries, and doing nothing but wailing and weeping over the loss of his dearest wife. So he wandered around in misery for several years and finally came to the wasteland, where Rapunzel lived miserably with the twins she had given birth to, a boy and a girl. He heard a voice that seemed so familiar to him: so he went towards it. And as he approached, Rapunzel recognized him and fell around his neck and wept. Two of her tears wet his eyes. Then they became clear again and he could see with them as before. He led her into his kingdom, where he was received with joy. And they lived happily and joyfully for a long time.