This fairy tale story is collected from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Household Tales, translated by- Margaret Hunt (London: George Bell, 1884)
Then the Lord thought, "I shall be no burden to the rich man, I will stay the night with him." When the rich man heard some one knocking at his door, he opened the window and asked the stranger what he wanted. The Lord answered, "I only ask for a night's lodging."
Then the rich man looked at the traveler from head to foot, and as the Lord was wearing common clothes, He did not look like one who had much money in His pocket.
The rich man shook his head and said, "No, I cannot take you in, because my rooms are full of herbs and seeds. If I were to lodge every one who knocked at my door, I might very soon go begging myself. Go somewhere else for lodging," and with this he shut down the window and left the Lord standing there.
So the Lord turned His back on the rich man. He went across to the small house and knocked. He had hardly done so when the poor man opened the little door and bade the traveler come in.
"Pass the night with me, it is already dark," said the poor man; "you cannot go any further to-night."
This pleased the Lord and He went in. The poor man's wife shook hands with him, and welcomed him, and said he was to make himself at home and put up with what they had got. They had not much food to offer Him, but what they had they would give Him with all their hearts. Then she put the potatoes on the fire, and while they were boiling, she milked the goat, that they might have a little milk with them. When the cloth was laid, the Lord sat down with the man and his wife, and He enjoyed their common food, for there were happy faces at the table.
When they had supper and it was bed-time, the woman called her husband apart and said, "Listen to me, dear husband, let us make up a bed of straw for ourselves tonight, and then the traveler can sleep in our bed and have a good rest, for he has been walking the whole day through, and that makes one boring."
"With all my heart," the poor man answered, "I will go and offer it to him;" and he went to the stranger and invited him, if he had no objection to sleep in their bed and rest his legs properly. But the Lord was unwilling to take their bed from the two old folks; however, they would not be satisfied, until at length He did it and lay down in their bed, while they themselves lay on some straw on the ground.
Next morning they got up before dawn and made as good a breakfast as they could for the guest. When the sun shone in through the little window, then the Lord had got up. The Lord ate with them again and then He prepared to set out on His journey.
But as He was standing at the door He turned round and said, "As you are so kind and good, you may wish three things for yourselves and I will grant them."
Then the man said, "What else should I wish for but endless happiness, and that we two, as long as we live, may be healthy and have every day our daily bread; for the third wish, I do not know what to have."
And the Lord said to him, "Will you wish for a new house instead of this old one?"
"Oh, yes," said the poor man; "if I can have that, too. I should like it very much."
Then the Lord fulfilled his wish and changed their old house into a new one, again gave them his blessing and went on.
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| The Poor Man and Rich Man |
The Poor Man and the Rich Man (Part-1)
A Fairy tale story by- The Brothers Grimm
In olden times, when the Lord himself still used to walk about on this earth among men, it once happened that He was tired and overtaken by the darkness before He could reach an inn. Now there stood on the road before Him two houses facing each other. One of them was large and beautiful and the other was small and poor. The large one belonged to a rich man and the small one to a poor man.
Then the Lord thought, "I shall be no burden to the rich man, I will stay the night with him." When the rich man heard some one knocking at his door, he opened the window and asked the stranger what he wanted. The Lord answered, "I only ask for a night's lodging."
Then the rich man looked at the traveler from head to foot, and as the Lord was wearing common clothes, He did not look like one who had much money in His pocket.
The rich man shook his head and said, "No, I cannot take you in, because my rooms are full of herbs and seeds. If I were to lodge every one who knocked at my door, I might very soon go begging myself. Go somewhere else for lodging," and with this he shut down the window and left the Lord standing there.
So the Lord turned His back on the rich man. He went across to the small house and knocked. He had hardly done so when the poor man opened the little door and bade the traveler come in.
"Pass the night with me, it is already dark," said the poor man; "you cannot go any further to-night."
This pleased the Lord and He went in. The poor man's wife shook hands with him, and welcomed him, and said he was to make himself at home and put up with what they had got. They had not much food to offer Him, but what they had they would give Him with all their hearts. Then she put the potatoes on the fire, and while they were boiling, she milked the goat, that they might have a little milk with them. When the cloth was laid, the Lord sat down with the man and his wife, and He enjoyed their common food, for there were happy faces at the table.
When they had supper and it was bed-time, the woman called her husband apart and said, "Listen to me, dear husband, let us make up a bed of straw for ourselves tonight, and then the traveler can sleep in our bed and have a good rest, for he has been walking the whole day through, and that makes one boring."
"With all my heart," the poor man answered, "I will go and offer it to him;" and he went to the stranger and invited him, if he had no objection to sleep in their bed and rest his legs properly. But the Lord was unwilling to take their bed from the two old folks; however, they would not be satisfied, until at length He did it and lay down in their bed, while they themselves lay on some straw on the ground.
Next morning they got up before dawn and made as good a breakfast as they could for the guest. When the sun shone in through the little window, then the Lord had got up. The Lord ate with them again and then He prepared to set out on His journey.
But as He was standing at the door He turned round and said, "As you are so kind and good, you may wish three things for yourselves and I will grant them."
Then the man said, "What else should I wish for but endless happiness, and that we two, as long as we live, may be healthy and have every day our daily bread; for the third wish, I do not know what to have."
And the Lord said to him, "Will you wish for a new house instead of this old one?"
"Oh, yes," said the poor man; "if I can have that, too. I should like it very much."
Then the Lord fulfilled his wish and changed their old house into a new one, again gave them his blessing and went on.
If you want to read more Fairy tale story... Click Here
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