Chapter Chapter 152 · The Glass Coffin

. The Glass Coffin

Let no one ever say that a poor tailor cannot do great things and win

high honors; all that is needed is that he should go to the right

smithy, and what is of most consequence, that he should have good luck.

A civil, adroit tailor’s apprentice once went out travelling, and came

into a great forest, and, as he did not know the way, he lost himself.

Night fell, and nothing was left for him to do, but to seek a bed in

this painful solitude. He might certainly have found a good bed on the

soft moss, but the fear of wild beasts let him have no rest there, and

at last he was forced to make up his mind to spend the night in a tree.

He sought out a high oak, climbed up to the top of it, and thanked God

that he had his goose with him, for otherwise the wind which blew over

the top of the tree would have carried him away.

After he had spent some hours in the darkness, not without fear and

trembling, he saw at a very short distance the glimmer of a light, and

as he thought that a human habitation might be there, where he would be

better off than on the branches of a tree, he got carefully down and

went towards the light. It guided him to a small hut that was woven

together of reeds and rushes. He knocked boldly, the door opened, and

by the light which came forth he saw a little hoary old man who wore a

coat made of bits of colored stuff sewn together. “Who are you, and

what do you want?” asked the man in a grumbling voice. “I am a poor

tailor,” he answered, “whom night has surprised here in the wilderness,

and I earnestly beg you to take me into your hut until morning.” “Go

your way,” replied the old man in a surly voice, “I will have nothing

to do with runagates; seek for yourself a shelter elsewhere.” After

these words he was about to slip into his hut again, but the tailor

held him so tightly by the corner of his coat, and pleaded so

piteously, that the old man, who was not so ill-natured as he wished to

appear, was at last softened, and took him into the hut with him where

he gave him something to eat, and then pointed out to him a very good

bed in a corner.

The weary tailor needed no rocking; but slept sweetly till morning, but

even then would not have thought of getting up, if he had not been

aroused by a great noise. A violent sound of screaming and roaring

forced its way through the thin walls of the hut. The tailor, full of

unwonted courage, jumped up, put his clothes on in haste, and hurried

out. Then close by the hut, he saw a great black bull and a beautiful

stag, which were just preparing for a violent struggle. They rushed at

each other with such extreme rage that the ground shook with their

trampling, and the air resounded with their cries. For a long time it

was uncertain which of the two would gain the victory; at length the

stag thrust his horns into his adversary’s body, whereupon the bull

fell to the earth with a terrific roar, and was thoroughly despatched

by a few strokes from the stag.

The tailor, who had watched the fight with astonishment, was still

standing there motionless, when the stag in full career bounded up to

him, and before he could escape, caught him up on his great horns. He

had not much time to collect his thoughts, for it went in a swift race

over stock and stone, mountain and valley, wood and meadow. He held

with both hands to the tops of the horns, and resigned himself to his

fate. It seemed, however, to him just as if he were flying away. At

length the stag stopped in front of a wall of rock, and gently let the

tailor down. The tailor, more dead than alive, required a longer time

than that to come to himself. When he had in some degree recovered, the

stag, which had remained standing by him, pushed its horns with such

force against a door which was in the rock, that it sprang open. Flames

of fire shot forth, after which followed a great smoke, which hid the

stag from his sight. The tailor did not know what to do, or whither to

turn, in order to get out of this desert and back to human beings

again. Whilst he was standing thus undecided, a voice sounded out of

the rock, which cried to him, “Enter without fear, no evil shall befall

you thee.” He hesitated, but driven by a mysterious force, he obeyed

the voice and went through the iron-door into a large spacious hall,

whose ceiling, walls and floor were made of shining polished square

stones, on each of which were cut letters which were unknown to him. He

looked at everything full of admiration, and was on the point of going

out again, when he once more heard the voice which said to him, “Step

on the stone which lies in the middle of the hall, and great good

fortune awaits thee.”

His courage had already grown so great that he obeyed the order. The

stone began to give way under his feet, and sank slowly down into the

depths. When it was once more firm, and the tailor looked round, he

found himself in a hall which in size resembled the former. Here,

however, there was more to look at and to admire. Hollow places were

cut in the walls, in which stood vases of transparent glass which were

filled with colored spirit or with a bluish vapour. On the floor of the

hall two great glass chests stood opposite to each other, which at once

excited his curiosity. When he went to one of them he saw inside it a

handsome structure like a castle surrounded by farm-buildings, stables

and barns, and a quantity of other good things. Everything was small,

but exceedingly carefully and delicately made, and seemed to be cut out

by a dexterous hand with the greatest exactitude.

He might not have turned away his eyes from the consideration of this

rarity for some time, if the voice had not once more made itself heard.

It ordered him to turn round and look at the glass chest which was

standing opposite. How his admiration increased when he saw therein a

maiden of the greatest beauty! She lay as if asleep, and was wrapped in

her long fair hair as in a precious mantle. Her eyes were closely shut,

but the brightness of her complexion and a ribbon which her breathing

moved to and fro, left no doubt that she was alive. The tailor was

looking at the beauty with beating heart, when she suddenly opened her

eyes, and started up at the sight of him in joyful terror. “Just

Heaven!” cried she, “my deliverance is at hand! Quick, quick, help me

out of my prison; if thou pushest back the bolt of this glass coffin,

then I shall be free.” The tailor obeyed without delay, and she

immediately raised up the glass lid, came out and hastened into the

corner of the hall, where she covered herself with a large cloak. Then

she seated herself on a stone, ordered the young man to come to her,

and after she had imprinted a friendly kiss on his lips, she said, “My

long-desired deliverer, kind Heaven has guided thee to me, and put an

end to my sorrows. On the self-same day when they end, shall thy

happiness begin. Thou art the husband chosen for me by Heaven, and

shalt pass thy life in unbroken joy, loved by me, and rich to

overflowing in every earthly possession. Seat thyself, and listen to

the story of my life:

“I am the daughter of a rich count. My parents died when I was still in

my tender youth, and recommended me in their last will to my elder

brother, by whom I was brought up. We loved each other so tenderly, and

were so alike in our way of thinking and our inclinations, that we both

embraced the resolution never to marry, but to stay together to the end

of our lives. In our house there was no lack of company; neighbors and

friends visited us often, and we showed the greatest hospitality to

every one. So it came to pass one evening that a stranger came riding

to our castle, and, under pretext of not being able to get on to the

next place, begged for shelter for the night. We granted his request

with ready courtesy, and he entertained us in the most agreeable manner

during supper by conversation intermingled with stories. My brother

liked the stranger so much that he begged him to spend a couple of days

with us, to which, after some hesitation, he consented. We did not rise

from table until late in the night, the stranger was shown to room, and

I hastened, as I was tired, to lay my limbs in my soft bed. Hardly had

I slept for a short time, when the sound of faint and delightful music

awoke me. As I could not conceive from whence it came, I wanted to

summon my waiting-maid who slept in the next room, but to my

astonishment I found that speech was taken away from me by an unknown

force. I felt as if a mountain were weighing down my breast, and was

unable to make the very slightest sound. In the meantime, by the light

of my night-lamp, I saw the stranger enter my room through two doors

which were fast bolted. He came to me and said, that by magic arts

which were at his command, he had caused the lovely music to sound in

order to awaken me, and that he now forced his way through all

fastenings with the intention of offering me his hand and heart. My

repugnance to his magic arts was, however, so great, that I vouchsafed

him no answer. He remained for a time standing without moving,

apparently with the idea of waiting for a favorable decision, but as I

continued to keep silence, he angrily declared he would revenge himself

and find means to punish my pride, and left the room. I passed the

night in the greatest disquietude, and only fell asleep towards

morning. When I awoke, I hurried to my brother, but did not find him in

his room, and the attendants told me that he had ridden forth with the

stranger to the chase by daybreak.

“I at once suspected nothing good. I dressed myself quickly, ordered my

palfrey to be saddled, and accompanied only by one servant, rode full

gallop to the forest. The servant fell with his horse, and could not

follow me, for the horse had broken its foot. I pursued my way without

halting, and in a few minutes I saw the stranger coming towards me with

a beautiful stag which he led by a cord. I asked him where he had left

my brother, and how he had come by this stag, out of whose great eyes I

saw tears flowing. Instead of answering me, he began to laugh loudly. I

fell into a great rage at this, pulled out a pistol and discharged it

at the monster; but the ball rebounded from his breast and went into my

horse’s head. I fell to the ground, and the stranger muttered some

words which deprived me of consciousness.

“When I came to my senses again I found myself in this underground cave

in a glass coffin. The magician appeared once again, and said he had

changed my brother into a stag, my castle with all that belonged to it,

diminished in size by his arts, he had shut up in the other glass

chest, and my people, who were all turned into smoke, he had confined

in glass bottles. He told me that if I would now comply with his wish,

it was an easy thing for him to put everything back in its former

state, as he had nothing to do but open the vessels, and everything

would return once more to its natural form. I answered him as little as

I had done the first time. He vanished and left me in my prison, in

which a deep sleep came on me. Amongst the visions which passed before

my eyes, that was the most comforting in which a young man came and set

me free, and when I opened my eyes to-day I saw thee, and beheld my

dream fulfilled. Help me to accomplish the other things which happened

in those visions. The first is that we lift the glass chest in which my

castle is enclosed, on to that broad stone.”

As soon as the stone was laden, it began to rise up on high with the

maiden and the young man, and mounted through the opening of the

ceiling into the upper hall, from whence they then could easily reach

the open air. Here the maiden opened the lid, and it was marvellous to

behold how the castle, the houses, and the farm buildings which were

enclosed, stretched themselves out and grew to their natural size with

the greatest rapidity. After this, the maiden and the tailor returned

to the cave beneath the earth, and had the vessels which were filled

with smoke carried up by the stone. The maiden had scarcely opened the

bottles when the blue smoke rushed out and changed itself into living

men, in whom she recognized her servants and her people. Her joy was

still more increased when her brother, who had killed the magician in

the form of the bull, came out of the forest towards them in his human

form, and on the self-same day the maiden, in accordance with her

promise, gave her hand at the altar to the lucky tailor.