The Elves and the Shoemaker
The Elves and the Shoemaker
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
A shoemaker, by no fault of his own, became so poor that at last he had nothing left but enough leather for one pair of shoes.
So in the evening, he cut the leather into the shape of the shoes, and he left his work on the table to finish in the morning. He lay down quietly in his bed, and before he fell asleep he asked God to help him.
In the morning, just as he was about to sit down to work, he saw the two shoes standing quite finished on his table.
He was astounded, and did not know what to make of it.
He took the shoes in his hands to look at them them more closely and he saw that they were so neatly made that there was not one bad stitch in them. It just as if they were intended as a masterpiece.
Soon after, a customer came in to the shop, and as the shoes pleased him so well, he paid more than the usual price. Now the shoe maker had enough money to buy leather for two pairs of shoes.
That night, he cut out the leather. Next morning he was about to set to work with fresh hope for the future when he saw that the shoes were already made.
There was no shortage of customers who wanted the shoes. The shoemaker soon had enough to buy leather for four pairs of shoes.
The following morning he found the four pairs made; and so it went on. Any leather that he cut out in in the evening was finished by the morning,
Soon he was no longer poor, and he even became quite rich.
Now one evening not long before Christmas, the man finished cutting out the leather as usual. But this time he said to his wife, “Let’s stay up to-night to see who it is that lends us this helping hand?”
The woman liked the idea, and lighted a candle, and then they hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind some clothes which were hanging up there, and watched.
When it was midnight, two little elves came into the room, both without any clothes on, and sat down by the shoemaker’s table. They took all the work which was cut out before them and began to stitch, and sew, and hammer so skillfully and so quickly with their little fingers that the shoemaker could not turn away his eyes for astonishment.
They did not stop until all was done, and stood finished on the table, and then they
ran quickly away.
Next morning the woman said, “The little men have made us rich, and we really must show that we are grateful for it. They run about so, and have nothing on, and must be cold. I’ll tell you what I’ll do: I will make them little shirts, and coats, and vests, and trousers, and knit both of them a pair of stockings, and you can help too – make them two little pairs
of shoes.”
The man said, “I shall be very glad to do it;” and one night, when everything was ready, they laid their presents all together on the table instead of the cut-out work. Then hid themselves to see what the little men would do.
At midnight they came bounding in, and wanted to get to work at once, but as they did not find any leather cut out, but only the pretty little articles of clothing, they were at first puzzled, and then delighted. They dressed themselves very quickly, putting the pretty clothes on, and singing,
“Now we are boys so fine to see,
Why should we longer cobblers be?”
Then they danced and skipped and leapt over chairs and benches. At last they danced out of doors. From that time one they came no more, but as long as the shoemaker lived all went well with him, and all his business prospered.
Эльфы и башмачник — The Elves and the Shoemaker
По мотивам сказки братьев (Якоба и Вильгельма) Гримм
В пересказе Лорны Рид
Однажды поздно вечером башмачник, сидя на скамье, кроил свою кожу, делая разрез за разрезом, в то время как его жена и кот наблюдали за ним.
– Я дошью башмаки завтра, – наконец сказал башмачник.
И отправился спать, улёгшись в постель голодным. Потому что хлеба в доме не было, шкаф был пуст и в нём ничего не лежало.
Утром, когда он открыл глаза, на скамье его ожидал большой сюрприз. Кто-то дошил его незаконченные башмаки. Но кто же это был? Башмачник моргал и чесал затылок.
– Какие же крошечные мелкие стежки! – восхитился он. – Кто же смог сделать такое?
– Только не я, – мяукнул кот.
А башмачник продал новые башмаки за очень хорошую цену и купил мягкую кожу, мясо и рис. В тот вечер они хорошо поужинали. А потом башмачник вновь сидел на скамье и вновь кроил кожу, делая разрез за разрезом.
– Я так устал, – сказал он коту. – Никак не могу перестать зевать. Я дошью их утром.
Утром, когда он открыл глаза, на его скамье его ожидал ещё больший сюрприз, чем вчера. За ночь кто-то сшил четыре пары туфель! Башмачник опять моргал и чесал свой затылок.
– Какие же крошечные мелкие стежки! – вновь восхищался он. – Кто же смог сделать такое?
– Только не я, – мяукнул кот.
Сегодня покупатели толпились в магазине в очереди, прослышав о новой красивой обуви, и все хотели примерить её. Всю обувь раскупили быстро! И вот теперь, собрав все свои вырученные деньги, башмачник пошёл на рынок и купил несколько кусков разноцветной кожи – синей, зелёной и красной. Он вновь раскроил кожу, делая разрез за разрезом под присмотром жены и кота. Его жена сказала:
– Теперь посмотрим, что произойдёт с этим?
На следующее утро, когда они встали с постели, они нашли на скамье новые готовые туфли синего, зелёного и красного цвета.
– Какие же крошечные мелкие стежки! – опять восхищался башмачник.
И люди, прослышавшие о новой красивой обуви у башмачника, шли издалека и выстраивались в очередь в его магазин.
– Какие красивые туфли! – восклицали они. – Даже трудно сделать выбор!
Башмачник сел и пересчитал свои деньги. Он подумал: «Это совсем не смешно! Я вдруг разбогател, а ведь даже и стежка не сделал!»
А жена башмачника сказала вслух:
– Мы должны найти того, кто так добр к нам. Давай подсмотрим сегодня ночью, кто это трудится в твоей мастерской.
Поэтому они оставили на скамье ярко горящую свечу, а сами спрятались в темноте глухой ночи. Часы пробили полночь, дверь заскрипела. и в мастерскую вприпрыжку вбежали три маленьких эльфа с серебряными инструментами в крошечной оловянной коробочке, только вот одежда у эльфов была изношенной и ветхой.
Их серебряные молоточки замелькали и застучали, они кроили и вырезали, шили и подшивали, и туфли были готовы в мгновение ока. А когда эльфы ушли, жена башмачника промолвила:
– Я никогда в жизни не видела трёх маленьких эльфов в такой изношенной одежде, – я им всем сошью новую!
И она сшила крошечные одеяния, крошечные жакеты и крошечные клетчатые брюки с карманами, а башмачник сделал крошечные красивые башмачки. На следующую ночь они оставили одежду на скамье, разложив её в три аккуратных ряда. Потом они вновь спрятались и стали из темноты следить за эльфами. Когда эльфы увидели костюмы и крошечные башмачки, они надели их и, пританцовывая, удалились из мастерской через дверь, при этом напевая:
– А мы не будем больше делать туфли здесь!
И никогда больше башмачник с женой не видели никаких эльфов. Башмачник теперь сам шьёт себе башмаки. Но каждый день он благодарит судьбу за то, что у него на столе есть ужин. А каждую ночь он украдкой подходит к окну (ибо он дал обещание и до сих пор его сдерживает).
– Спасибо вам, эльфы, – шепчет он. а потом ложится в постель и засыпает.
The Elves and the Shoemaker
Based on the story by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Retold by Lorna Read
Late one night a shoemaker sat cutting his leather with a snip, snip, snap, watched by his wife and watched by his cat. «I’ll sew them tomorrow,» the shoemaker said.
He went to bed hungry. There was no bread. The cupboard was bare. Nothing there.
In the morning when he opened his eyes, there on the bench was a big surprise.
Someone had stitched the shoes. But who?
The shoemaker blinked and scratched his head. «What teeny, tiny stitches!» he said.
«Who could do a thing like that?»
«Not me,» miaowed the cat. He sold the shoes for a very good price, and bought mire leather, and meat and rice. They had good supper that night. Then he cut the leather with a snip, snip, snap.
«I’m ever so tired,» he said to the cat. «I can’t stop yawning. I’ll stitch these in the morning.» In the morning when he opened his eyes, there on the bench was a bigger surprise. Four pairs of shoes had been stitched in the night!
The shoemaker blinked and scratched his head. «What teeny, tiny stitches!» he said.
«Who could do a thing like that?»
«Not me,» miaowed the cat. Customers came to the shop in queues when they heard about the beautiful shoes. They tried them on.
Soon they were all gone! And now with all the money he’d made, the shoemaker went to the market and paid for leather in blue and green and red. He cut the leather with a snip, snip, snap, watched by his wife and watched by his cat. His wife said, «Now we’ll see what happens to that!» Next morning when they got of bed, they found shoes in blue and green and red. «Such teeny, tiny stitches!» the shoemaker said. From far away, when they heard the news, people came to the shop in queues.
«What beautiful shoes!» they cried.
«It’s hard to choose!»
The shoemaker sat and counted his money. He thought, «Isn’t funny! I’m suddenly rich, and I haven’t even sewn a stitch!» The shoemaker’s wife said, «We have to find whoever it is who’s being so kind. Let’s watch in your workshop tonight.»
So they left a candle burning bright and there they hid in the dead of night. Midnight chimed the door went creak. and three little elves came skippy-skip in, with silver tools in a teeny, tiny tin, but their clothes were threadbare and thin.
Their silver hammers went tip, tip, tap, and they cut and sewed with a snip, snip, snap, and the shoes were made in a flash. When the elves had left, shoemaker’s wife said, «I’ve never seen, in all my life, three little elves, so threadbare — I’ll sew them all new clothes to wear!» She sewed a tiny dress and tiny jackets and tiny tartan trousers with pockets — and the shoemaker made tiny, beautiful boots. The very next night, they left the clothes there on the bench in three neat rows. Then they hid themselves to watch for the elves. When the elves found the suits and the tiny boots, they put them on and danced through the door singing, «Shoes we’ll make here no more!»
They’ve never seen another elf. The shoemaker stitches his shoes himself. But every day he’s grateful for the dinner on his table. And every night to the window he creeps (for he made a promise that still he keeps).
«Thank you, elves,» he whispers. and then he sleeps.
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