الفصل الفصل 42 · Godfather Death

. Godfather Death

A poor man had twelve children and was forced to work night and day to

give them even bread. When therefore the thirteenth came into the

world, he knew not what to do in his trouble, but ran out into the

great highway, and resolved to ask the first person whom he met to be

godfather. The first to meet him was the good God who already knew what

filled his heart, and said to him, “Poor man, I pity thee. I will hold

thy child at its christening, and will take charge of it and make it

happy on earth.” The man said, “Who art thou?” “I am God.” “Then I do

not desire to have thee for a godfather,” said the man; “thou givest to

the rich, and leavest the poor to hunger.” Thus spoke the man, for he

did not know how wisely God apportions riches and poverty. He turned

therefore away from the Lord, and went farther. Then the Devil came to

him and said, “What seekest thou? If thou wilt take me as a godfather

for thy child, I will give him gold in plenty and all the joys of the

world as well.” The man asked, “Who art thou?” “I am the Devil.” “Then

I do not desire to have thee for godfather,” said the man; “thou

deceivest men and leadest them astray.” He went onwards, and then came

Death striding up to him with withered legs, and said, “Take me as

godfather.” The man asked, “Who art thou?” “I am Death, and I make all

equal.” Then said the man, “Thou art the right one, thou takest the

rich as well as the poor, without distinction; thou shalt be

godfather.” Death answered, “I will make thy child rich and famous, for

he who has me for a friend can lack nothing.” The man said, “Next

Sunday is the christening; be there at the right time.” Death appeared

as he had promised, and stood godfather quite in the usual way.

When the boy had grown up, his godfather one day appeared and bade him

go with him. He led him forth into a forest, and showed him a herb

which grew there, and said, “Now shalt thou receive thy godfather’s

present. I make thee a celebrated physician. When thou art called to a

patient, I will always appear to thee. If I stand by the head of the

sick man, thou mayst say with confidence that thou wilt make him well

again, and if thou givest him of this herb he will recover; but if I

stand by the patient’s feet, he is mine, and thou must say that all

remedies are in vain, and that no physician in the world could save

him. But beware of using the herb against my will, or it might fare ill

with thee.”

It was not long before the youth was the most famous physician in the

whole world. “He had only to look at the patient and he knew his

condition at once, and if he would recover, or must needs die.” So they

said of him, and from far and wide people came to him, sent for him

when they had any one ill, and gave him so much money that he soon

became a rich man. Now it so befell that the King became ill, and the

physician was summoned, and was to say if recovery were possible. But

when he came to the bed, Death was standing by the feet of the sick

man, and the herb did not grow which could save him. “If I could but

cheat Death for once,” thought the physician, “he is sure to take it

ill if I do, but, as I am his godson, he will shut one eye; I will risk

it.” He therefore took up the sick man, and laid him the other way, so

that now Death was standing by his head. Then he gave the King some of

the herb, and he recovered and grew healthy again. But Death came to

the physician, looking very black and angry, threatened him with his

finger, and said, “Thou hast overreached me; this time I will pardon

it, as thou art my godson; but if thou venturest it again, it will cost

thee thy neck, for I will take thee thyself away with me.”

Soon afterwards the King’s daughter fell into a severe illness. She was

his only child, and he wept day and night, so that he began to lose the

sight of his eyes, and he caused it to be made known that whosoever

rescued her from death should be her husband and inherit the crown.

When the physician came to the sick girl’s bed, he saw Death by her

feet. He ought to have remembered the warning given by his godfather,

but he was so infatuated by the great beauty of the King’s daughter,

and the happiness of becoming her husband, that he flung all thought to

the winds. He did not see that Death was casting angry glances on him,

that he was raising his hand in the air, and threatening him with his

withered fist. He raised up the sick girl, and placed her head where

her feet had lain. Then he gave her some of the herb, and instantly her

cheeks flushed red, and life stirred afresh in her.

When Death saw that for a second time he was defrauded of his own

property, he walked up to the physician with long strides, and said,

“All is over with thee, and now the lot falls on thee,” and seized him

so firmly with his ice-cold hand, that he could not resist, and led him

into a cave below the earth. There he saw how thousands and thousands

of candles were burning in countless rows, some large, others

half-sized, others small. Every instant some were extinguished, and

others again burnt up, so that the flames seemed to leap hither and

thither in perpetual change. “See,” said Death, “these are the lights

of men’s lives. The large ones belong to children, the half-sized ones

to married people in their prime, the little ones belong to old people;

but children and young folks likewise have often only a tiny candle.”

“Show me the light of my life,” said the physician, and he thought that

it would be still very tall. Death pointed to a little end which was

just threatening to go out, and said, “Behold, it is there.” “Ah, dear

godfather,” said the horrified physician, “light a new one for me, do

it for love of me, that I may enjoy my life, be King, and the husband

of the King’s beautiful daughter.” “I cannot,” answered Death, “one

must go out before a new one is lighted.” “Then place the old one on a

new one, that will go on burning at once when the old one has come to

an end,” pleaded the physician. Death behaved as if he were going to

fulfill his wish, and took hold of a tall new candle; but as he desired

to revenge himself, he purposely made a mistake in fixing it, and the

little piece fell down and was extinguished. Immediately the physician

fell on the ground, and now he himself was in the hands of Death.