The daughter of the king of China

There was a king who had a son. This prince went hunting every day in the mountains. Along the way, he always passed a shepherd's door. The shepherd's three daughters stood in front of the door. As the prince passed by, the eldest said:

• If the prince married me, I would weave him a rug so big that he and his whole court could sit on it, and half of it would still be rolled up.

The younger said:

– If the prince married me, I would cook him such delicious dishes that he would not find such good ones in the whole world.

The youngest said:

– If the prince marries me, I will bring him two twins, one with a golden head, the other with golden nails.

The prince marries all three of them.

One day he said:

• Woman, where is that rug you had to weave, won't you show us your talent?
• king's son, said the eldest, my father was only a herdsman, we had neither ewes nor sheep, how could I have had wool to weave carpets?

The prince said to the youngest:

• I invited my viziers to a big meal, prepare your dishes!
• Misfortune ! I'm just a shepherd's daughter, I only ate junk, how could I prepare a real meal?

It happened that the prince went to war. He remained at war for a long time.

Nine months, nine days, nine hours and nine minutes after she left, the youngest of the three daughters went to bed and gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, the golden-haired boy and the nail-nailed girl. gold.

Her sisters were jealous. They had a letter written to the prince, informing him that their sister had given birth to two puppies; it was up to him to decide what to do.

The prince replies by letter that the puppies be made to disappear, their mother be tied to the gate of the park, that passers-by spit on her and that she be dishonored.

The sisters tie up the unfortunate woman, hang a bell around her neck, chain her to the park gate, exposed to the spittle of passers-by.

They put the twins in a box, they gag them and throw them in the river.

The box is carried by the current to the edge of the sea.

An old man and his wife, who lived there, remove the box, and what do they see? A girl with golden nails and a boy with a golden head!

The man and the woman had no children, they raise these little ones, watch them grow, and then they die. The boy gets a bow and arrows, and goes to live in the mountains with his sister. He hunts, brings back the game, and they both get by.

One day, the prince, who had returned from war, goes hunting in the mountains. He sees a gazelle, he pursues it in vain. Suddenly he sees a young man with golden hair grabbing the gazelle and carrying it away. The prince is left speechless. He returns to the castle empty-handed. He tells his adventure to the two sisters.

The sisters bite their lips; they say to themselves: For sure, he's our sister's son ! what to do ? » They find an old good woman, they tell her the story, they give her a handful of gold coins and say to her:

• Find out where this boy lives. Talk it over and send it to a place it can't come back from.

The old woman takes her stick and sets off. She searches for a long time, panting. Eventually, she finds the young people's home. The girl was alone. The old woman enters, all out of breath.

• Hello, my child!
• Hello, grandma, welcome!
• Heaven bless you, my little darling!
• Dear grandma, how did you get here?
• My child, I have lost myself. When I saw your house I was like, 'let's come in, let's see who's there. “Why are you all alone? You're not bored ?

• How could I not be bored? My brother goes hunting in the mountains, he comes back in the evening, I stay alone at home, I don't see anyone, we are far from any village, no one opens their door for us.
• Ah! my child, I am going to give you good advice. You will tell your brother to go get a poplar branch and plant it in front of your house. This branch will become a tree and be covered with leaves, and when the wind blows, you will hear the tree sing and you will rejoice. Your young heart will never be bored again. Loneliness is painful, my dear.

After the old woman leaves, the girl darkens. Her eyes fill with tears. His brother returns, he looks at his sister and is surprised:

• What's happening to you, little sister?
• You're out all day, over hill and dale, your heart is full of joy, I'm home alone, I feel unhappy. Go get me a poplar branch, I'll plant it in front of our house, it will grow, cover itself with leaves; and when the wind blows, I will hear it sing, my heart will rejoice.

The next day, the boy sets off. He walks, he walks, he sees an old man sitting at a crossroads.

• Hello, daddy, he said.
• Hello, son. Where are you going ?
• I will try to bring a poplar branch to my sister. She wants to plant it to hear the wind sing when it grows and is covered with leaves.
• Ah! my son, you and your sister have been deceived. It is not easy to bring back a branch of poplar, many are those who left and did not return, it is the path of “one way without return”, listen to me and retrace your steps!
• No, grandpa, I came, I will go. Nothing to do.
• Since you're going there, don't take this road, take that one.

• At the top of the hill is the poplar forest, break one of their branches and escape. The trees will pursue you with their cries: “Thief! thief ! “. Above all, don't look back: you would be changed into a statue.

The boy climbs, climbs, he arrives at the poplar forest, he breaks a branch and runs away.

The trees behind him shout, “Thief! thief ! But he doesn't turn around.

He brings the branch to his sister. He plants it. It becomes a tree and branches and is covered with leaves. In the breath of the wind, the leaves whisper. The girl rejoices.

The boy picks up his bow and arrows and goes back to hunting.

He once again encounters the prince, chasing a gazelle.

The boy makes the gazelle run away.

The prince returns empty-handed to the castle, he tells his misadventure to the two sisters, who bite their lips and say to each other again:

• For sure, it must be our sister's son!

They call the old woman back and say to her:

• The devil take you! The boy came back. Here are a few more coins, try to talk the girl over and this time the boy will go away and never come back!

The old woman takes her stick and goes grumbling to the girl.

• Hello, my dear child. I come to see how you are. Are you doing well ?
• Hello, little grandma, welcome! Thank you very much for your advice. My brother brought me a poplar branch, he planted it, it became a tree, covered with leaves that sing in the wind and gladden my heart. I am no longer melancholic as before. But all the same, the whisper of a tree is not worth a person's visit.
• You are quite right, my child. A thousand poplars or a thousand birdsong are not worth the presence of a person with whom one can chat. You will tell your brother to go get the daughter of the King of China and marry her.

When he goes hunting, you will stay with your sister-in-law, you will chat, you will be happy whether the wind blows or not. Come on, goodbye, I'm leaving!

The old woman leaves. The girl darkens. Her eyes fill with tears. When her brother returns, he smiles at her.

• Well ! my little sister, what's going on? Why are you sad ?
• What do I care for the murmur of the trees, I've had enough. Go get the daughter of the King of China, marry her, she will be a friend to me and, when you go hunting, we will chat together, I will be happy.

For the love of his sister, the boy sets off. He walks, he walks, he meets once again the same old man.

• Hi, daddy!
• Hello, my son, where are you going this time?
• I'm going to get the daughter of the king of China to be my sister's companion, so that they both chat and my sister is happy. She's had enough of the murmur of the trees.

• Eh eh ! sighs the old man, you and your sister are victims of the shrew. Son, the daughter of the king of China is a magician, all the men who approached her are dead and buried. Listen to me, don't go, what a pity, you're going to lose your life! Those who go to her and who call her from afar “Daughter of the King of China! » if she answers « darling! will remain safe and sound. But if she says: "soul in pain" here they are transformed into stone and buried!

“Too bad, grandpa, I have to go; May my destiny be fulfilled!

The boy sets off again, he walks for a long time, he finally arrives in the city of the King of China.

He goes to the girl's gate and calls:

• Daughter of the King of China!

A voice answers him from inside:

• Suffering soul !

The boy turns to stone, they take him away to the other young people.

After three days, the king's daughter comes down to see the boy's grave, she walks around the cemetery seven times, she sees the boy's golden hair spread out on the tombstone, and she hears a voice from the fall : " Daughter of the King of China! " 

The girl shouts seven times: Dear ! Dear ! " 

At the command of God, the boy revives, he comes out of the grave and accompanies the girl home. This girl was a magician, she had been warned that a boy with a golden head was going to marry her.

Young people marry, take with them a large quantity of valuables and return home. They build a comfortable nest, surrounded by a garden where the poplars whisper. The daughter of the King of China chats with her sister-in-law, whose heart rejoices.

The young man goes back to hunting. He takes his bow and arrows and goes to the mountain. One day he meets the prince who was also hunting. The latter, seeing the boy with the golden hair, takes him by the hand and says:

 " Twice you deprived me of my game, but I don't blame you. I'm the son of a king, come to town tomorrow, ask for the castle, come in, don't be afraid, we'll have fun together. " 

The young man recounts his interview with the daughter of the King of China:

– The prince invited me for tomorrow, he said, I couldn't refuse.

The prince, for his part, warns his two wives:

• I met in the mountains a boy with a golden head, I invited him for tomorrow, prepare food and drink, let's have a party, you'll see his golden hair, it's worth it …

Women bite their lips, they say:

• We were unlucky, he must be our sister's son, as long as our schemes are not discovered, we would have to leave!

They secretly dig a hole in a corner of the living room, which they cover with a rug.

They pour poison into the plate intended for the boy.

The daughter of the king of China said to her husband:

• Listen, take your hunting dog with you, follow him, follow in his footsteps. When you are served food, give your dog a spoonful first, if he doesn't eat it, don't eat it either! If you pass in front of the park gate to which a woman is attached, a bell around her neck, exposed to the spitting of passers-by, above all, don't spit on her! this woman is your mother; give him an apple and go your way.

The young man goes to see the prince, he scrupulously carries out the recommendations of the daughter of the king of China and comes out of it safe and sound.

Before leaving, he said to the prince:

• Please come over to my house tomorrow, with your yard, party.

The prince, with his courtiers and his clergy, goes to the young man. They drink, they eat, they ignite at the sight of the boy with the golden hair and his sister with the golden nails.

The prince, above all, only has eyes for them!

The evening is over. Everyone withdraws; the prince remains alone.

The daughter of the king of China then brings a golden rooster, she places it on the table in front of the prince, arranges a few grains of wheat and says:

• Long live the prince! I have a prayer for you: please order this rooster to eat this wheat.

The prince says:

• Can a golden rooster eat wheat? Is it thinkable?
• It is unthinkable for a golden rooster to eat wheat. Is it possible for a woman to give birth to puppies? You have a girl with golden nails, a boy with a golden head. Your little wife once said, “If the prince marries me, I will bring him two twins, one with a golden head, the other with golden nails. Your two other wives have cheated on you to this day. Their poor sister, attached to the gate, the bell around her neck, is exposed to the spittle of passers-by!

The prince gets up and goes to kiss his daughter and his son.

He takes them home with the daughter of the King of China.

He has his little wife released, and orders that the two older sisters be tied to a horse's tail and dragged through the rocks to death.