Romania, Ion Creanga
Once upon a time there was an old man who had an old wife; the old man
was 100 and his wife 90. Both these old people had snow-white hair, and
both were as gloomy as a rainy day and all because they had no children.
They kept on wishing they had even one child, for all day and night they
were as lonely as lonely, and their ears tingled with boredom. And as well
as all that, they were as poor as church mice. Their cottage was an old
ramshackle place, covered with ragged tarpaulin. Their beds were some
boards covered with a blanket. And that was all. For some time past, life
had become even more unbearable, for not a living soul ever came near
them, as if they were ill of the plague, poor things!
One day, the old woman gave a loud sigh and said to the old man, "Dear
me, old man, dear me! Just think! In all our life no one has ever said to
us, 'father' or 'mother.' There's no sense in going on living in this
world, for I believe God will not bless a house where there are no
children."
"Well, old woman, what are we to do if it is God's will?"
"That's all very well, old man, but do you know what I was thinking
last night?"
"I will know, if you'll tell me, old woman."
"Tomorrow morning, as soon as it is daylight, get up and go out; just
follow your nose; and the very first thing which crosses your path --
whether it is a person, or a snake or an animal at all -- you must pick it
up, put it in your knapsack, and bring it home. We will bring it up as
best we can, and that will be our child."
The old man, sick of loneliness and longing for children, got up early
next morning, took his sack and his stick and did as the old woman told
him. He set out and followed some ravines until he came to a swamp. And
what should he see there but a sow and twelve little pigs wallowing in the
mud and basking in the sun. As soon as the sow saw the old man, she began
to grunt and took to her heels, followed by the little pigs -- all except
one who stuck in the mud -- being scraggy, skinny, and sickly, and unable
to follow the others.
The old man seized it, thrust it in his bag, mud and all, and set off
home.
"Thank goodness," he said, "that I have found something to console my
old woman! I am just wondering whether it was God or the Devil who put
that thought in her head last night."
And on arriving home he said, "Look, my old dear, what a treasure I
brought you! Good luck to him! A boy with beautiful eyes and long lashes
and as pretty as a picture! He's the very image of you!... Now, get him
bathed and take care of him as only you know how to take care of little
boys, for, as you see, he's rather dirty, poor little mite!"
"Old man, old man!" said the old woman, "you mustn't joke about him;
for isn't he one of God's creatures, just like ourselves, and perhaps even
more innocent, poor thing!"
Then, sprightly as a child, she got some soap and water and prepared to
bath him, and because she knew all about newborn pigs, she bathed him,
rubbed him gently all over with oil, twigged his nose and cast a spell on
him, so as to frighten away the evil eye from her treasure! Then she
combed him and looked after him so well, that, at the end of a few days,
he became quite strong; and with bran and peelings, he began to recover
and to grow so that it was a joy to look at him. And the old woman was
beside herself with the joy of having such a fine boy, so comical, and
podgy, and round as a melon. For everyone who said he was ugly or cheeky,
she always had the answer -- that her boy was quite different form all
others! Only one thing still troubled the old woman: that he couldn't say
"mother" and "father."
One day the old man wanted to go to town to buy a few odds and ends.
"Old man, don't forget to bring some delicacy for the boy, for he must
be longing for something, the darling!"
"Very well, old woman." But to himself, he thought, "Deuce take him,
for I've had enough of your nagging about him. We haven't enough bread and
salt for ourselves, let along stuff him up with good things. If I did
everything my old woman tells me, I should go mad!"
At last the old man went to the town, bought what he had to buy and
when he came home, the old woman asked him, as she always did, "Well, old
man, what did you hear in the town?"
"What did I hear, old woman? Not very good news: The emperor wants to
get his daughter married."
"And you call that bad news, old man?"
"Now, be patient for a little, my dear, for that isn't all, and when I
heard the rest, my hair stood on end. When I tell you the whole story, I
believe your flesh will creep."
"But why, old man? Dear me!"
"Then this is why, old woman. Now listen: The emperor has sent his
heralds through the whole world to proclaim that the man who can build a
golden bridge from his own house to the royal palace -- a bridge paved
with precious stones and planted on both sides with all kinds of trees
with different kinds of birds singing in the branches, which are not to be
found anywhere else in the world -- may have the hand of his daughter, and
even more -- half of his kingdom. Whoever dares to come and ask for the
hand of the princess, without having succeeded in making the bridge as I
described it to you, will have his head cut off on the spot. Till now, a
crowd of kings' and emperors' sons -- dear know where they all come from!
-- have arrived and not one has succeeded. And every single one has been
mercilessly beheaded by the emperor without any exception, till the people
are weeping for pity. Now, old woman, what have you to say? Is that good
news? And what is more, the emperor has fallen ill with worry."
"Woe, woe, old man, the emperor's ill health is our health! What you
have told me about the emperors' sons breaks my heart when I think of the
sorrow and sadness of the bereaved mothers! What a good thing our child
can't speak, and that he won't be tempted by such extravagance."
"A good thing, old woman, but what a good thing it would be to have a
boy who could build a bridge and win the emperor's daughter, for I know it
would be the end of all our wants, and what a blessing that would be!"
While the old couple were talking, the pig sat in his bed in a corner
by the fire, his snout in the air, his eyes fixed on them, listening to
everything they said and only puffing from time to time.
And as the old people chatted together, they suddenly heard a voice
from the fireplace: "Father and mother, I will do it."
The old woman fainted with joy; the old man, however, thinking it was
the Devil, took fright and, in great bewilderment stared into every corner
of the hut to see where the voice could have come from, but seeing no one,
came to his senses.
But the young pig cried again, "Father, don't be afraid! It is I! Wake
mother up and go and tell the emperor that I will build the bridge."
Then the old man said hesitatingly, "But, will you be able to do it, my
darling?"
"Don't worry about that father, as long as you are with me. Just go and
tell the emperor the news!"
Then the old woman, recovering, kissed the boy and said to him,
"Mother's darling, don't run your head into danger. And you are going to
leave us alone again, sad at heart and without any support!"
"Don't worry at all, mummy, for you will see who I am."
Then the old man, finding nothing else to say, combed his beard nicely,
took his stick, left the house, and set out for the emperor's palace.
A sentry, seeing him hanging about, asked, "What do you want, old man?"
"I have to see the emperor about something. My son bets he can make the
bridge."
The sentry, knowing the command of the emperor, wasted no time in
further talk, but led the old man into the presence of the emperor.
On seeing the old man, the emperor asked, "What do you want, old man?"
"May you live long, illustrious and all-powerful emperor! My son, on
hearing that you have a daughter to be married, has sent me, on his
behalf, to inform your majesty that he can build the bridge."
"If he can build it, let him do so, old man; then my daughter and half
my kingdom will be his. But if he does not succeed, then ... perhaps he
has heard what has happened to others, more highly bred than he? If you
undertake this, then go and bring your son to me. If not, then begone and
get rid of any foolish nonsense in your head."
The old man, on hearing these words right from the emperor's lips,
bowed down to the ground, then left and set off towards his hut to bring
his son. When he arrived home, he told his son what the emperor had said.
Then the pig, bursting with happiness, began to skip about the cottage,
dived under the bed, upset several pieces of crockery with his snout and
said, "Come on, daddy, let us go to the emperor."
Then the old woman began to weep and said, "It seems I am not to have
any luck in this world! Till now I have struggled to bring him up and
provide him with all his needs and now ... it seems as if I am to be
deprived of him!" And still weeping, she fell into a swoon with worry.
But the old man kept his word; put on his fur hat, pushed it down over
his ears, and took his stick in his hand, and went out, saying, "Come on
with your father, boy, let us go and buy your mother a daughter-in-law."
Then the pig, out of sheer joy, took one more dive under the bed, then
followed the old man, and until they arrived, he trotted behind grunting
and snuffing on the ground, as a pig should do. They had hardly arrived at
the gates of the imperial palace, when the guards, catching sight of them,
began to look at each other and burst out laughing.
"What does this mean, old man?" said one of them.
"Well, this is my son, who reckons he can build the bridge for the
emperor."
"Good gracious, old man, you still have a lot to learn; it's easy to
see you are doting," said an old guardsman.
"Well! Every man's fate is written on his forehead, and everyone must
die once."
"It seems to us that you, old man, are looking for trouble with a
candle in broad daylight," said the sentries.
"That has nothing to do with you. Be careful, mind what you say, and go
and tell the emperor that we have arrived," replied the old man.
The sentries looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
Then one of them went and told the emperor of the arrival of the new
candidates: the old man and his pig! The emperor commanded them to present
themselves. The old man, on entering, bowed low and remained humbly
standing at the door. But the pig, grunting, trotted ahead up the carpet,
and began to sniff through the room.
Then the emperor, seeing such frightful impertinence, wanted on one
hand to laugh, but on the other, he was very angry and said, "Well, old
man! When you came last time, it seemed to me you had all your wits about
you, but now what are you thinking of? Wandering about followed by a pig!
And who, may I ask, gave you the idea of making fun of me?"
"Heaven forbid, your majesty, that I, an old man, should ever think of
such a thing! I crave your forgiveness, your imperial majesty, and this is
my son who sent me to you before, if your majesty remembers?"
"And it is he who will build the bridge for me!"
"It is our hope, your majesty, that he will be the one to do it."
"Now! Take your pig and get out. If the bridge is not built by tomorrow
morning, old man, your head will be where your feet are now. Do you
understand?"
"God is merciful, your majesty. If, however, the desire of your majesty
should be fulfilled, then with your majesty's permission, we should like
the princess sent home to us."
So saying, he left, and taking the pig, set off home, followed by some
soldiers, who had been ordered by the emperor to keep an eye on him until
next day, to see what it all meant. What a lot of chatter, what roars of
laughter, and what speculation this joke caused in the palace and all over
the country!
Towards evening, when the old man and the pig arrived home, the old
woman was overcome by fear and trembling and began to weep, saying, "Oh
me! Old man, what are you up to now? What do I want with soldiers?"
"You dare to ask that! It's your doing! I allowed myself to be carried
away by your foolish head, and to be coaxed to bring you an adopted child,
so to speak. And now you see what a pickle we're in! I didn't bring any
soldiers. They brought me! And my head is only to stay on my
shoulders until tomorrow morning!"
The pig, meantime, was wandering about the cottage, sniffing around for
food, and was not at all concerned about the trouble he had caused. The
old couple quarreled and squabbled for a while, but worried and all as
they were about the events of the day, they at last fell asleep.
Then the pig jumped lightly on the bed, broke a window, and the breath
from his nostrils shot out like two tongues of fire and reached from the
old man's cottage -- which was now no longer a cottage -- to the emperor's
palace. And the bridge with everything commanded by the emperor, was now
complete. The old man's cottage was now a palace -- much grander than that
of the emperor. And suddenly the old couple were clad in imperial purple,
and their palace was full of all the good things in the world. And the pig
romped about and frisked all over the fine carpets.
Meanwhile, extraordinary rumors were spreading all over the kingdom,
and even the emperor and his counselors were overawed when they beheld
this great miracle. And the emperor, fearing lest some misfortune should
befall him, took counsel and was advised to hand over his daughter to the
old man; so he sent for her immediately. Because the emperor, however
powerful, was overcome by fear owing to the great wonder which had just
happened.
The wedding did not take place. Well, how could it, when there was no
one to marry! When the princess arrived at the bridegroom's house, she was
very pleased with it and liked her mother- and father-in-law, but when she
caught sight of the bridegroom, she was very astonished. But, after a few
moments, she shrugged her shoulders, saying to herself, "If this is what
God and my parents wished for me, let it be so." And she at once set about
her housekeeping.
The pig snuffed about the house during the daytime as was his custom,
but each night when it was time to go to bed, his pig's skin dropped off,
and out stepped a handsome prince! And before long, his wife grew quite
accustomed to him, for he was no longer ugly as he had been at the
beginning.
After a week or two, the young princess, very homesick, set out to
visit her parents, leaving her husband at home, for she was ashamed to be
seen with him. When her parents saw her, they were overjoyed and asked her
all about her new home and her husband. She told them all she knew.
Then the emperor began to advise her saying, "My darling! You mustn't
be led into doing him any harm, in case misfortune should overtake you;
for, as far as I can see, the man, or whatever he is, has great magic
powers. There must be something strange about him, since he has done
something which is beyond human strength."
Then the empress and her daughter went out to stroll in the garden, and
the mother gave her daughter quite different advice: "My dear! What kind
of life will you lead, if you can't appear in society with your husband? I
give you this advice: See to it that there is always a good fire in the
stove, and when your husband falls asleep, take that pigskin and put it in
the fire and let it burn, and then you will be rid of it."
"What a good idea, mother! Such a thought never entered my head...."
And when the young princess returned home, she ordered a good fire to
be lit in the stove. When her husband was fast asleep, she took the
pigskin from the place where he had put it, and threw it on the fire. Then
the hairs on it began to singe and the skin began to sizzle, turning into
burnt rind and ashes. Such a frightful odor spread through the house that
it woke her husband, who jumped up terrified and looked sorrowfully
towards the stove.
And when he saw this great misfortune, he burst into tears saying,
"Alas! Stupid woman! What have you done? If someone told you to do that,
you were ill advised; but if you did it on your own initiative, it was a
great mistake."
Then the young wife noticed that she was girt round the waist with a
belt of iron, while her husband said, "You have listened to the advice of
others and brought misfortune to the old couple and to us as well. If ever
you need me, remember my name is Prince Charming, and I will be found at
the Incense Monastery."
Just as he finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind blew, and a
terrifying whirlwind whisked the emperor's son-in-law off his feet and
carried him out of sight. Then the wonderful bridge immediately began to
crack and crumbled to the ground, so that it was impossible to say what
had become of it; and the palace where the old couple and their
daughter-in-law lived with all its riches and all its magnificence, turned
once more into the miserable little cottage which the old couple had
inhabited. When they saw this great misfortune and their daughter-in-law
in such misery, they began to scold her with tears in their eyes and
ordered her sharply to go back home as they had no means of supporting
her.
Finding herself so forlorn and deserted, she wondered what was to be
done; where to go. Should she go home? She was afraid of her father's
severity and the dangerous gossip of the people. Should she stay there?
But she had none of the things she needed and was tired of the remorse of
her parents-in-law.
At last she decided to go and search throughout the whole world for her
husband. And having taken this decision, she said, "Please help me, God?"
and set out, just wandering where her fancy led her. She went on straight
ahead, through the wilderness for a whole year until she came to a
desolate place she had never seen before. And here, seeing a little hidden
house, the roof moss-covered (which showed how old it was), she knocked on
the door.
Then she head the voice of an old woman inside saying, "Who's there?"
"It is I. A lost traveler."
"If you are a good person, come into my little den; but if you are a
wicked person, get away out of this, for I have a fierce dog with teeth of
steel, and if I let him out he will make short work of you."
"I am a good person, good woman."
Then the old woman opened the door, and the traveler entered.
"But what chance brought you here, and how did you ever find your way
through this desolate land where no magic bird ever penetrates, let alone
a human being?"
Then the traveler heaved a deep sigh and said, "My sins have brought me
here, good woman. I am looking for the Incense Monastery and don't know in
which part of the world to find it."
"Evidently you still have some luck if you have chanced to find me. I
am Saint Wednesday. Perhaps you may have heard of me?"
"Your name is familiar, good woman, but it never entered my head that I
should find you here."
"You see!"
Then Saint Wednesday gave a loud shout and immediately all the
creatures in her domain assembled. She asked them about the Incense
Monastery, and all replied at once that they had never heard of it. Saint
Wednesday, hearing this, was very disappointed, but, being unable to help,
she gave the traveler a piece of holy bread and a small glass of wine to
have something to eat on the way, and she also gave her a golden distaff
which could spin alone and said kindly, "Take care of it, for it will come
in useful when you are in need."
Then she directed her to the house of her eldest sister, Saint Friday.
The princess set out and wandered for another whole year, still through
wild, unfamiliar places, until, with great difficulty, she arrived at the
house of Saint Friday. And here the same thing happened as at the house of
Saint Wednesday, except that Saint Friday gave her a piece of holy bread,
a little glass of wine, and a golden reeling machine, which could wind
alone; and she, too, directed her, with great kindness and gentleness to
the house of her eldest sister, Saint Sunday.
The princess set out again from there the very same day and wandered
for another whole year through places which were even more desolate than
those through which she had already traveled. And being weary with three
years of wandering, it was with difficulty that she arrived at the house
of Saint Sunday. And Saint Sunday received her with the same ceremony and
just as warmly as her sisters had done. And taking pity on the wretched
weary girl, Saint Sunday shouted out once with all her might, and
immediately, all living things in her domain assembled: from the waters,
from the land, from the air. And then she asked them whether any of them
had ever heard of the Incense Monastery. They all replied, with one voice,
that they had never even heard the name mentioned. Then Saint Sunday gave
a deep sigh from the depths of her heart, looked sadly at the unfortunate
princess and said, "It looks as if God is angry with you or something,
because you cannot find what you are looking for, my daughter! For this is
the end of a world which even I don't know, and however much you or anyone
else should wish to go further, it is quite impossible."
And at that moment a lame lark was seen limping along as best he could.
And warbling, warbling, warbling, he stopped before Saint Sunday. Then she
asked him too, "Lark, do you by any chance know where the Monastery of
Incense is?"
"Of course I know, mistress. My heart's desire took me there, and there
I broke my leg."
"If you do, then go there at once and take this woman with you, as you
know the way, and give her the best advice you can."
Then the lark, sighing, replied humbly, "With all my heart, I obey your
command, O mistress, although it is very difficult to get there."
Then Saint Sunday too, gave the traveler a piece of holy bread and a
little wine to have something to eat on the way to the Monastery of
Incense; and she also gave her a large gold clucking hen and chickens also
made of gold in case of need on the way. Then she entrusted her to the
care of the lark, who set off at once, warbling as he went.
Sometimes the lark went on foot; sometimes the princess flew through
the air; sometimes she went on foot; sometimes he flew. And when the poor
princess could no longer go either way, the lark at once took her on his
back and flew along with her. Going on like this for another whole year,
with great difficulty and hardship, they flew over innumerable countries
and seas, over terrifying forests and deserts, where dragons crept along,
poisonous asps, basilisks with the evil eye, otters, each with twenty-four
heads, and thousands of other dreadful monsters who lay with open mouths,
just ready to gobble them up; it would be quite impossible for any human
tongue to describe the greed, the cunning, and the wickedness of these
animals.
In the end, after so much trouble and so much danger, they succeeded in
arriving at the entrance to a cave. Here the princess mounted once more
onto the lark's wings which were now scarcely able to flutter, and he
alighted into another world which was more beautiful than Paradise.
"Here we are at the Monastery of Incense," said the lark. "Prince
Charming, whom you have sought through so many difficulties, lives here.
Is there not something familiar here?"
Then, although her eyes were dazzled by so much splendor, she looked
more closely and at once recognized the wonderful bridge from the other
world and the palace where she and Prince Charming had lived for such a
short time, and her eyes filled with tears of joy.
"Wait a moment! Don't be in such a hurry to rejoice, for you are still
a stranger in these parts, and you are not yet out of danger," said the
lark.
He then showed her a well where she must go three days in succession;
he told her who she would meet and what she should say; he advised her
what to do in turn with the distaff, with the reeling machine, and the
golden clucking-hen and chickens, given to her by the three sisters, Saint
Wednesday, Saint Friday, and Saint Sunday.
Then, saying good-bye to the princess entrusted to his care, he turned
back suddenly, flying without stopping, afraid lest someone should break
his other leg too. And the unhappy princess watched him as he flew, her
eyes full of tears. Then she went towards the well which he had pointed
out.
And when she reached the well, she took out first of all the spindle
from the place where she had carried it, and then sat down to rest.
Shortly afterward, a servant came to draw water, and seeing an unknown
woman and the miraculous distaff, spinning golden thread by itself (thread
which was thousands of times finer than the hair of your head), fled to
her mistress to tell her the news.
The mistress of this servant was the old witch who turned the Devil's
hair gray, the housekeeper of Prince Charming's palace, a marvelous
sorceress, who could make water curdle, and knew all the Devil's mischief
in the world. But there was only one thing the old hag didn't know: man's
thoughts. The old witch, on hearing about this wonder, sent the servant at
once to ask this strange woman to come to the palace. And when she
arrived, the witch asked, "I have heard that you have a golden distaff
which can spin alone. Would you sell it to me, woman, and how much do you
want for it?"
"Will you allow me to spend one night in the room where Prince Charming
sleeps?"
"Of course. Give me the distaff and stay here until the evening when
the prince returns from the hunt."
Then the princess gave up the distaff and remained. The hunchbacked,
toothless old woman, knowing that the prince was accustomed to drink a cup
of sweet milk every evening, now prepared one for him to make him sleep
right through till the next morning. And as soon as he returned from the
hunt and lay down on his bed, the old hag sent him the milk; and as soon
as he had drunk it, he fell fast asleep. Then the old woman called the
unknown traveler into the room of the prince, as had been arranged, and
left her there, whispering softly, "Sit here until the morning. I will
come and fetch you then."
The old woman whispered and went on tiptoe so that the prince should
not hear, and she took good care that a faithful servant who accompanied
him to the hunt every day and who was sleeping in the same room, should
not hear either.
And as soon as the old woman had left the room, the unhappy princess
knelt down by her husband's bed and began to week bitterly, saying,
"Prince Charming! Prince Charming! Put your right arm round my waist so
that the spell may be broken."
And poor thing, she persevered like this until the morning, but in
vain, for the prince seemed to have gone to the next world. At daybreak,
the witch came along and sulkily told her to leave the courtyard and go
away. The unfortunate princess came out without having succeeded in making
her husband hear, and very unhappy, went once more to the well and this
time took out her reeling machine. Again the servant came to fetch water
and seeing this second wonderful object, rushed off to her mistress and
said that the woman had now a golden reel, which could wind alone and
which was even more wonderful than the distaff she had given her. Then the
old witch sent the servant to summon her and took possession of the
reeling machine with the same craftiness, and the next morning took her
out of the prince's room and chased her out of the palace.
That night, however, the prince's faithful servant sensed what was
happening and taking pity on the poor stranger, set out to discover the
old woman's trick. And when the prince rose and was setting off to hunt,
his faithful servant told him in detail what had happened in his room on
the two previous nights. And the prince, on hearing this, gave a sudden
start, as if the sky had fallen. Then he cast down his eyes and began to
weep. And while tears were streaming from his eyes, at the well, his
spell-bound and tormented wife now took out her golden hen and chickens --
her last hope. And while she stood by the well, the servant came along
once more to fetch water.
And when she saw still another wonder, she didn't even wait to draw
water, but rushed to her mistress, saying, "Good gracious, mistress!
Imagine what I have seen! That woman now has a golden hen with chickens
also of gold -- so beautiful they are that they could steal your
eyesight."
When the old woman heard that, she sent for her at once, saying to
herself, "She won't get what she's looking for."
And when the princess came in, the old witch took possession of the
golden hen and chickens by the same sly means.
But the prince, when he returned that evening from the hunt and when
his milk was brought in, said to himself, "I won't drink any more of this
milk."
So he threw it away and lay down, pretending to fall sound asleep.
When the old woman thought he was asleep, and was confident that he was
now under the spell of the magic milk, she once more brought the princess
into the room, just as she had done on the preceding nights; and leaving
her there, she went off. The, the troubled girl, falling on her knees by
her husband's bedside, dissolved in a flood of tears, again saying these
words, "Prince Charming! Prince Charming! Have pity on an innocent soul
who has been tortured for four years with the most cruel suffering, and
put you right arm round my waist so that the spell may break, for I cannot
bear this any longer."
And when she had finished speaking, Prince Charming stretched out his
hand, as if in sleep, and when he touched her waist -- bang! The belt
burst open, and the spell was broken. Then the princess told her husband
how much she had suffered since he had disappeared.
Then Prince Charming rose, and, although it was the middle of the
night, awoke the whole court and ordered the old witch to be brought to
him, together with all the treasures taken so slyly from the princess.
Then he ordered a wild mare be brought to him and a sack of nuts. And he
ordered the old witch and the sack of nuts to be tied to the mare's tail
and to set the mare galloping. And this was done. And when the mare began
to gallop, each time a nut dropped from the bag, a little bit of the witch
dropped too; and when the sack fell, the witch's head dropped off.
The old witch was the sow with the pigs from the swamp -- one of which
had been brought home by the old man, Prince Charming's foster father. By
her wicked tricks she had turned her master, Prince Charming, into the
miserable, mangy little pig, so that later on she could make him marry one
of her eleven daughters who followed her from the swamp. That is why
Prince Charming punished her so severely. The faithful servant was
handsomely rewarded with gifts by the prince and princess who keep him in
their service as long as he lived.
And very soon a son was born to the prince and princes.
Now remember, good people, that Prince Charming had no wedding ceremony
when he was married. But now he celebrated both a wedding and a
christening, a thing which never happened before and which I'm sure will
never happen again. Prince Charming took a wish, and immediately the
parents of the princess arrived and his foster parents, the old man and
the old woman -- once more dressed in imperial purple. And he seated them
at the head of the table. And millions of people assembled for that large
and sumptuous wedding reception, and the gaiety went on for three days and
three nights, and unless it has ended, it must still be going on.
Source: Ion Creanga, Folk Tales from Roumania, translated by
Mabel Nandris (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1952), pp. 102-119. No
copyright notice.
The second half of this tale belongs to type 425 (The
Search for the Lost Husband).
Ion Creanga was born in 1837 and died in 1889.