The Golden Bird: Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale #57
Video (slow speed): https://youtu.be/nS1qg5NWhpc
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Vocabulary
The Golden Bird: Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale #57
Once upon a time, a certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which had golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about the time when they began to grow ripe it was found that every night one of them would go missing. The king became very angry at this, and ordered the gardener to keep watch all night under the tree. The gardener set his oldest son to watch; but about twelve o’clock, the oldest son fell asleep, and in the morning another one of the golden apples was missing. Then the second son was ordered to watch; and at midnight he too fell asleep, and in the morning another golden apple was gone. Then the youngest son offered to keep watch; but the gardener at first would not let him, because he was afraid that something bad might happen to him. However, at last he agreed, and the young man laid down under the tree to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard a rustling noise in the air, and a bird came flying. The bird was made of pure gold; and as the bird was eating one of the apples, the gardener’s son jumped up and shot an arrow at it. But the arrow didn’t hurt the bird. The bird only dropped a golden feather from its tail, and then flew away. The golden feather was brought to the king in the morning, and all the wise men of the kingdom were called together. Everyone agreed that the feather was worth more than all the wealth of the kingdom. But the king said, “Just one feather is of no use to me. I must have the whole bird.”
Then the gardener’s oldest son set out. He thought he would find the golden bird very easily, and when he had gone but a little way, he came to a forest, and by the side of the forest he saw a fox sitting. So he took his bow and got ready to shoot at the fox. Then the fox said, “Do not shoot me, for I will give you good advice. I know what your business is, and that you want to find the golden bird. You will reach a village in the evening, and when you get there, you will see two inns opposite to each other, one of which is very nice and beautiful to look at. Do not go in there, but rest for the night in the other inn, even though it may look to you to be very poor and uncomfortable.”
But the oldest son thought to himself, “What can such an animal as this know about the matter?” So he shot his arrow at the fox; but he missed it, and the fox ran into the forest. Then the oldest son went on his way, and in the evening he came to the village where the two inns were; and in one of these inns there were people singing, and dancing, and eating; but the other inn looked very dirty, and poor. “I would be very stupid,” he said to himself, “if I went to that dirty inn, and left this nice inn.” So he went into the nice looking inn, and ate and drank and relaxed, and he soon forgot all about the bird, and he even forget about his country too.
Time passed on; and as the oldest son did not come back, and no news of him was heard, the second son set out, and the same thing happened to him. He met the fox, who gave him the same good advice; but when he came to the two inns, his older brother was standing at the window of the nice inn where a big party was happening, and called to the second son to come in; and the second son could not resist the temptation, so he went in, and forgot about the golden bird and his country in the same way as his brother.
Time passed on again, and the youngest son too wished to set out into the wide world to search for the golden bird; but his father would not listen to his wish for a long while, because he liked his youngest son very much, and he was afraid that something bad might happen to him, and stop him from coming back, just like his brothers. However, at last he agreed that his son could go, since his son would not stop asking.
The youngest son set out, and he too came to the forest, and he too met the fox, and heard the same good advice. But he was thankful to the fox, and did not try to shoot the fox as his brothers had done. So the fox said to him, “Sit upon my tail, and you will travel faster.” So he sat down, and the fox began to run, and they travelled a long way as quickly as the wind.
When they came to the village, the youngest son followed the fox’s advice, and without looking around him, he went straight to the poor and dirty inn and stayed there all night. In the morning the fox came again and met him as he was beginning his journey. The fox said, “Go straight ahead, until you come to a castle. In front of the castle there will be a whole group of soldiers fast asleep and snoring. Take no notice of them, but go into the castle and keep going until you come to a room where the golden bird sits in a wooden cage. Nearby the wooden cage, there is a beautiful golden cage. But do not try to take the bird out of the wooden cage and put it into the golden one. If you do, you will be sorry later.” Then the fox stretched out his tail again, and the young man sat down on the fox’s tail, and they travelled a long way as quickly as the wind.
When they got to the castle, everything in front of the castle gate was exactly as the fox had said it would be. So the youngest son went in and found the room where the golden bird was sitting in a wooden cage, and where nearby was the golden cage. And nearby the golden cage, there were the three golden apples that had been lost before. The youngest son thought to himself, “It would be a pity to bring away such a fine bird in this poor cage.” So he opened the door of the wooden cage and took hold of the bird and put it into the golden cage. But the bird let out such a loud scream that all the soldiers woke up, and they took him prisoner and carried him before the king of the castle.
The next morning the court met to judge him; and when they had heard everything, the court sentenced him to die, unless he could bring the king a golden horse which could run as fast as the wind; and if he could do this, then he would have the golden bird given to him for his own.
So the youngest son set out once more on his journey. He was very sad and worried, when suddenly he met his friend the fox. The fox said to him, “Do you see now what has happened because you didn’t listen to my advice? I will still, however, tell you how to find the golden horse, but you must do as I tell you. You must go straight until you come to a castle. In the castle the golden horse stands in his stall; by his side there will be a groom, who will be fast asleep and snoring. Take away the golden horse quietly, but be sure to put the old leather saddle on the golden horse. Do not take the golden saddle that is close by it.” Then the youngest son sat down on the fox’s tail, and they travelled a long way as quickly as the wind.
Everything was just as the fox had said it would be. The groom was sleeping with his hand upon the golden saddle. But when the youngest son looked at the horse, he thought it was a great pity to put the leather saddle on it. “I will give him the good one,” he said. “I am sure he deserves it.” As he took up the golden saddle, the groom woke up and cried out so loudly that all the guards ran in and took the youngest son prisoner. And in the morning he was again brought before the court to be judged, and was sentenced to die. But it was agreed, that, if he could find and bring back the beautiful princess, then he could live, and have the bird and the horse given to him for his own.
Then the youngest son went on his way. He was very sad, but the old fox came and said, “Why didn’t you listen to me? If you had listened to me, you would have carried away both the bird and the horse. But yet I will once more give you advice. Go straight on, and in the evening you will arrive at a castle. At twelve o’clock every night the princess goes to the bathing-house. Go up to her and give her a kiss, and she will let you lead her away; but take care not to let her go to say good-bye to her father and mother.” Then the fox stretched out his tail, and away they went travelling a long way as quickly as the wind.
When they came to the castle, everything was exactly as the fox had said it would be, and at twelve o’clock the young man met the princess going to the bath and gave her the kiss, and she agreed to run away with him, but she begged with many tears to go and say good-bye to her father. At first the youngest son refused, but the princess cried still more and more, and she fell at his feet, till at last he agreed. But, as soon as the princess came to her father’s house, the guards woke up and the youngest son was taken prisoner again.
Then the youngest son was brought before the king, and the king said, “You shall never have my daughter unless in eight days you dig away the hill that stops the view from my window.” Now this hill was so big that all the people in the whole world could not take it away; and when the youngest son had worked for seven days, and had done very little, the fox came and said, “Lie down and go to sleep; I will work for you.” And in the morning the youngest son woke up and the hill was gone. So he went happily to the king, and told him that now the hill was gone, and that the king must keep his promise and give him the princess.
Then the king had to keep his promise, and the youngest son and the princess went away. And the fox came and said to him, “We will have all three: the princess, the horse, and the bird.”
“Ah!” said the young man, “that would be a great thing, but how can we do it?”
“If you will only listen,” said the fox, “it can be done. When you come to the king, and he asks for the beautiful princess, you must say, ‘Here she is!’ Then he will be very happy; and you will get on the golden horse that they will give you, and shake hands with them to say goodbye. But shake hands with the princess last. Then lift her quickly onto the horse behind you, and ride away as fast as you can.”
The youngest son did everything the fox had told him to, and everything went perfectly. He was able to ride away with the princess. Then, afterwards the fox told him, “When you come to the castle where the bird is, I will stay with the princess at the door, and you will ride in and speak to the king; and when he sees that it is the golden horse, he will bring out the golden bird; but you must sit still, and say that you want to look at the bird first, to see whether it is the real golden bird; and when you get the bird into your hands, ride away fast.”
This, too, happened as the fox said. They carried off the bird, the princess got on the horse again, and they rode on to a great forest. Then the fox came, and said, “Please, kill me, and cut off my head and my feet.” But the youngest son would not do it. So the fox said, “I will still give you some good advice. You must be careful of two things: do not save any robbers, and do not sit down by the side of any river.” Then the fox went away. “Well,” thought the youngest son, “it should be easy to keep that advice.”
The youngest son rode on with the princess, until at last he came to the village where he had left his two brothers. And there he heard a great noise; and when he asked what was the matter, the people said, “Two robbers are going to be killed.” As he came nearer, he saw that the two men were his brothers, who had become robbers; so he said, “Isn’t there any way to save them?” But the people said that the only way for him to save his brothers was to buy their freedom with all the money he had.
The youngest son did not stop to think about it, but paid all his money, and his brothers were freed, and they all left the village together and started travelling back towards their home.
And as they came to the forest where the fox had first met them, it was so cool and nice that the two brothers said, “Let us sit down by the side of the river, and rest a while, to eat and drink.”
The youngest son forgot the fox’s advice, and he said, “Yes,” and he sat down on the side of the river. And while the youngest son was relaxing, suspecting nothing, his brothers went behind him, and pushed him off the river bank and into the river. Then they took the princess, the horse, and the bird, and went home to the king, and said, “All of these things we have won by our hard work.” Then there was a big party and everyone celebrated. But the horse would not eat, the bird would not sing, and the princess cried.
Meanwhile, the youngest son fell to the bottom of the river. Luckily, the river was not deep, but his bones were almost broken, and the riverbank was so steep that he could find no way to climb out. Then the old fox came once more, and scolded him for not following his advice. “If you had only listened to me, none of these bad things would have happened,” said the fox. “Yet, I cannot leave you here, so grab hold of my tail and hold tight.” Then the fox pulled him out of the river, and, as he got up upon the bank, the fox said to him, “Your brothers will kill you if they find you in the kingdom.” So the youngest son disguised himself as a poor man, and came secretly to the king’s dinner party. As soon as he came inside the room, the horse began to eat, and the bird to sing, and the princess stopped crying. Then the youngest son went to the king, and told him all about the bad things that his brothers had done. And his brothers were captured and punished. And the youngest son was given the princess again, and moreover, he was named heir to the king, which meant that he would become the future king after the king died.
A long time after that, he went on a walk one day in the forest, and the old fox met him, and the fox asked him to kill him and cut off his head and feet. And at last, he did so, and in a moment the fox was changed into a man, and it turned out that he was really the brother of the princess, who had been missing for many many years.
And they all lived happily ever after.
Vocabulary
able - to have the ability to do something
ex. He'll be able help you.
advice - suggestions about what you think someone should do
afraid - frightened
ex: She's afraid of water.
afterwards - at a later time, after something else has happened
I did my homework and went swimming afterwards.
ahead - in front
The road ahead is very busy.
animal - something that lives and moves but is not a person, bird, fish, or insect
apple - a hard, round fruit with a green or red skin
arrow - a long, thin stick with a sharp point at one end which is fired from a bow
asleep - to be sleeping
ex: The children are asleep.
bath - the container that you sit or lie in to wash your body
beg - to make a very strong and urgent request
ex: She begged him for help.
behind - at or to the back of someone or something
ex: The warehouse is behind store.
business - the jobs or things that you are doing
bone - one of the hard pieces that make the structure inside a person or animal
ex: He broke a bone in his hand.
bottom - the lowest part of something
bow - a piece of curved wood with string fixed to both ends, used for shooting arrows
cage - a container made of wire or metal bars used for keeping birds or animals in
capture - to catch someone and make them your prisoner
ex: Two soldiers were captured by the enemy.
care - If you do something with care, you give a lot of attention to it so that you do not make a mistake or damage anything
ex: She planned the trip with great care.
take care - to give a lot of attention to what you are doing so that you do not have an accident or make a mistake.
Ex: The roads are very icy so take care when you drive home.
careful - giving a lot of attention to what you are doing so that you do not have an accident, make a mistake, or damage something
Be careful, Michael - that knife's very sharp.
castle - a large, strong building with towers and high walls, that was built in the past to protect the people inside from being attacked
celebrate - to do something enjoyable because it is a special day, or because something good has happened:
ex: Do you celebrate Christmas in your country?
certain - used to refer to a particular person or thing without naming or describing them exactly:
ex: The museum is only open at certain times of the day.
climb - to go up something, or onto the top of something
ex: My grandfather finds it difficult to climb stairs now.
cool - slightly cold, but not too cold
count - to see how many people or things there are:
ex: She began to count the students to make sure everyone was there.
country - an area of land that has its own government, army, etc
court - the place where a judge decides whether someone is guilty of a crime:
ex: The suspect appeared in court charged with robbery.
dance - to move your feet and body to the rhythm of music
daughter - your female child
deep - having a long distance from the top to the bottom
deserve - If you deserve something good or bad, it should happen to you because of the way you have behaved.
Ex: The school deserves praise for the way it has raised standards.
dig - to break or move the ground with a tool
dinner - the main meal of the day that people usually eat in the evening
dirty - not clean
disguise - clothes and other things that you wear to change the way you look so that people cannot recognize you:
Ex: She usually goes out in disguise to avoid being bothered by the public.
door - the part of a room that you open or close to get inside it or out of it
drop - to let something you are carrying fall to the ground
Ex: She tripped and dropped the vase.
easy - not difficult
Ex: He thought the exam was very easy.
exactly - used when you are giving or asking for information that is completely correct:
Ex: What exactly seems to be the problem?
fall - to move down towards the ground
Ex: Huge drops of rain were falling from the sky.
fall asleep - to start sleeping:
Ex: He will fall asleep in front of the TV.
fast - moving, happening, or doing something quickly
ex: Computers are getting faster all the time.
fast asleep - completely asleep
feather - one of the soft, light things that grow from and cover a bird's skin
fly - When a bird, insect, aircraft, etc flies, it moves through the air
Ex: The plane was flying at 5000 feet.
follow - to move behind someone and go where they go
ex: She followed me into the kitchen.
foot - one of the two flat parts on the ends of your legs that you stand on
forest - a large area of trees growing closely together
fox - a wild animal like a dog with red-brown fur, a pointed nose, and a long, thick tail
free - to allow someone to leave a prison or place where they have been kept
Ex: The last hostages were finally freed yesterday.
freedom - a situation in which someone is no longer a prisoner
front - the side of something that is most important or most often seen because it faces forward:
Ex: You need to write the address clearly on the front of the envelope.
garden - an area of ground belonging to a house, often containing grass, flowers, or trees
gardener - someone who works in a garden, growing plants and making it look attractive
gate - the part of a fence or outside wall that opens and closes like a door
Ex: Please shut the gate.
golden - made of gold
bank - the land along the side of a river
Ex: We found a shady spot on the river bank.
grab - to take hold of something suddenly:
Ex: He grabbed my arm and pulled me away.
groom - someone who cleans and looks after horses
grow - to develop and become bigger or taller as time passes:
Ex: Children grow up very quickly.
guard - someone whose job is to make certain someone does not escape or to protect a place or another person
happily - in a happy way
hear - to be aware of a sound through your ears:
ex: I could hear his voice in the distance.
heir - a person who will have the legal right to someone's money and possessions when they die. Or, the future king:
Ex: He is the heir to a huge fortune.
horse - a large animal with four legs, which people ride or use to pull heavy things
however - used to say that it does not make any difference how cold/difficult/slowly, etc something is or happens:
Ex: We're not going to get there in time, however fast we drive.
hurt - to cause someone pain or to injure them:
Ex: Simon hurt his knee playing football.
inn - a small hotel in the countryside
inside - the part of something that is under its surface:
ex: I cleaned the inside of the oven.
journey - to travel from one place to another
ex: We take games for the children when we go on a long journey.
judge - to decide if someone is guilty of a crime.
Ex: The court will judge him to be guilty.
jump - to push your body up and away from the ground using your feet and legs:
ex: The children were jumping up and down with excitement.
kill - to make someone or something die:
Ex: Sunday's bomb killed 19 people.
king - a male ruler in some countries
kiss - to press your lips against another person's lips or skin to show love or affection:
ex: He kissed her cheek.
leather - the skin of animals that is used to make things such as shoes and bags
lie - to be in a horizontal or flat position on a surface
Ex: to lie in bed
lie down - to move into a position in which your body is flat, usually in order to sleep or rest
ex: I'm not feeling well - I'm going to lie down.
lift - to put something in a higher position
Ex: Could you help me lift this table, please?
lost - no one knows where something is:
Ex: Things tend to get lost when you move house.
loud - making a lot of noise
loudly - loud--adverb form:
Ex: She was speaking very loudly.
luckily - luck--adverb form:
ex: Luckily I had some money with me.
matter - a subject or situation that you need to think about, discuss, or deal with:
Ex: I've been thinking about this matter for a long time.
meanwhile - in the time between two things happening, or while something else is happening:
ex: The mother is ill. The child, meanwhile, is living with foster parents.
midnight - 12 o'clock at night:
Ex: He died shortly after midnight.
miss - to not hit or catch something as you intended:
Ex: It should have been such an easy goal and he missed.
missing - If someone or something is missing, you cannot find them because they are not in their usual place:
Ex: Have you found those missing documents?
moment - a very short period of time:
Ex: I'll be back in a moment.
moreover - also:
Ex: It is a cheap and, moreover, effective way of dealing with the problem.
near - not far away in distance:
Ex: I stood near the window.
nearby - not far away:
Ex: An old friend of mine has just moved nearby.
noise - a sound, often a loud, unpleasant sound
Ex: Stop making so much noise!
none - not any:
Ex: None of them smoke.
notice - to see something and be aware of it:
Ex: If the sign's too small, no one will notice it.
o'clock - used after the numbers one to twelve to mean exactly that hour when you tell the time:
Ex: It was ten o’clock when we got home.
offer - to say that you are willing to do something:
Ex: He offered to get me a cab.
old - having lived or existed for a long time:
Ex: We're all getting older.
once - in the past, but not now:
ex: This house once belonged to my grandfather.
once upon a time - used at the beginning of a children's story to mean that something happened a long time ago
opposite - in a position facing something but on the other side
Ex: I noticed a gate at the opposite end of the courtyard.
pass - If a period of time passes, it happens:
Ex: Four years have passed since that day.
perfectly - in a perfect way:
ex: The jacket fits perfectly, the skirt not so well.
pity - used to say that something is disappointing:
Ex: It's a pity you're not staying longer.
poor - having very little money or few possessions:
Ex: Most of these people are desperately poor.
princess - the daughter of a king or queen
prisoner - someone who is being kept in prison as a punishment, or because they have been caught by an enemy
take prisoner - to catch someone and guard them so that they cannot escape
promise - to say that you will certainly do something or that something will certainly happen:
Ex: She promised to write to me every week.
punish - to make someone suffer because they have done something bad:
Ex: They must be severely punished for these crimes.
pure - A pure substance is not mixed with anything else
push - to move someone or something by pressing them with your hands or body:
ex: She pushed the books aside and sat down on my desk.
quickly - fast or in a short time:
Ex: I quickly shut the door.
quietly - making little or no noise:
Ex: "Don't worry," she said quietly.
reach - to arrive somewhere:
We won't reach Miami till five or six o'clock.
ready - prepared for doing something:
Ex: Give me a call when you're ready.
refuse - to say that you will not do or accept something:
Ex: I asked him to leave but he refused.
relax - to become happy and comfortable because nothing is worrying you
ex: I find it difficult to relax.
resist - to stop yourself from doing something that you want to do:
Ex: I can't resist chocolate.
rest - to relax or sleep because you are tired after doing an activity:
Ex: Pete is resting after his long drive.
ride - to travel by sitting on a horse, bicycle, or motorcycle
ex: I ride my bike to work.
ripe - developed enough and ready to be eaten
robber - someone who steals
rustle - If things such as paper or leaves rustle, they move about and make a soft, dry sound:
Ex: Outside, the trees rustled in the wind.
sad - unhappy:
Ex: I was very sad when our cat died.
saddle - a leather seat that you put on a horse so that you can ride it
save - to stop someone or something from being killed or destroyed:
He was badly injured, but the doctors saved his life.
scold - to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong
scream - to make a loud, high noise with your voice, or to shout something in a loud, high voice because you are afraid, hurt, or angry:
Ex: Someone was screaming in the street.
search - to try to find someone or something:
Ex: I've searched my bedroom but I can't find my watch.
secretly - secret--adverb:
Ex: He secretly taped their conversation.
sentence - to give a punishment to someone who has committed a crime:
Ex: She was sentenced to six months in prison.
shake - to make quick, short movements from side to side or up and down, or to make something or someone do this:
Ex: We heard a loud bang, and then the house began to shake.
shall - used to say what you are going to do in the future:
I shall be talking to her tomorrow.
shoot - to fire a bullet from a gun, or an arrow from a bow:
Ex: The officer commanded his men to shoot.
should - used to say or ask what is the correct or best thing to do:
He should have gone to the doctor.
sing - to make musical sounds with your voice:
Ex: Let's all sing 'Happy Birthday' to him.
snore - to breathe in a very noisy way while you are sleeping:
Ex: I couldn't sleep because my brother was snoring.
soldier - a member of an army
Ex: The soldiers fought for the honour of their country.
sorry - used to say that you wish something in the past had not happened or had been different:
Ex: I'm sorry that I ever met him.
stall - a place for an animal in a barn
stay - to continue to be in a place, job, etc and not leave:
Ex: The weather was bad so we stayed at home.
steep - A slope, hill, etc that goes up or down very quickly:
Ex: The hill was too steep to cycle up.
still - used to emphasize that you did not expect something to happen because something else makes it surprising:
Ex: He didn't do much work but still came top of the class.
stretch - to make your body or part of your body straighter and longer:
Ex: Stretch your arms above your head.
strike - If a clock strikes, a bell rings to show what the time is.
stupid - silly or not intelligent:
Ex: That was a really stupid thing to do.
suspect - to not trust someone:
Ex: She suspected his motives for offering to help.
tail - the long, narrow part that sticks out at the back of an animal's body:
Ex: The dog's pleased to see you - he's wagging his tail.
tear - a drop of water that comes from your eye when you cry:
Ex: There were tears in her eyes as she watched him go.
temptation - a feeling that you want to do or have something, although you know you should not:
Ex: I resisted the temptation to have another piece of chocolate cake.
thankful - pleased or grateful about something:
Ex: We were thankful that none of the children saw the accident.
tight - firm and difficult to move:
Ex: Make sure the knot is tight.
till - until:
Ex: The supermarket is open till midnight.
towards - in the direction of someone or something:
Ex: She stood up and walked towards him.
tree - a tall plant with a thick stem that has branches coming from it and leaves
uncomfortable - not feeling comfortable and pleasant
Ex: I've eaten so much, I'm really quite uncomfortable.
unless - except if:
Ex: I won't call you unless there are any problems.
upon - on
ex: Her story was seized on by the press.
view - the things that you can see from a place:
Ex: There was a lovely view of the lake from the bedroom window.
village - a place where people live in the countryside that includes buildings such as shops and a school but which is smaller than a town:
Ex: She lives in a small village outside Oxford.
wealth - a large amount of money or valuable possessions that someone has:
Ex: He enjoyed his new wealth and status.
whether - used to talk about a choice between two or more possibilities:
Ex: Someone's got to tell her, whether it’s you or me.
whole - complete, including every part:
Ex: She spent the whole afternoon studying.
wide - measuring a long distance or longer than usual from one side to the other:
Ex: I have very wide feet.
wind - a natural, fast movement of air:
Ex: The weather forecast said there would be strong winds and rain.
wise - A wise person is able to use their knowledge and experience to make good decisions and give good advice.
wake - to stop sleeping or to make someone else stop sleeping:
Ex: Could you wake me up before you go?
wooden - made of wood
worried - anxious because you are thinking about problems or unpleasant things that might happen:
Ex: She's really worried about her son.
worth - to have a particular value, especially in money:
Ex: Our house is worth about 600,000 euros.
young - having lived or existed for only a short time and not old
Ex: We were very young when we met.
( Book Review ) Started : April 3, 2018 Finished : May 9, 2018 Why I Read This Book / General Overview I read this book as part of t...
