Cookies&Cream_
05-03-2006, 09:17 PM
This story, my dear young folks, seems to be false, but it really is
True, for my grandfather, from whom I have it, used always, when
Relating it, to say, it must be true, my son, or else no one could tell it
To you. The story is as follows. One Sunday morning about harvest
Time, just as the buckwheat was in bloom, the sun was shining brightly
In heaven, the east wind was blowing warmly over the stubble-fields,
The larks were singing in the air, the bees buzzing among the
Buckwheat, the people in their Sunday clothes were all going to
church,
And all creatures were happy, and the hedgehog was happy too. The
Hedgehog, however, was standing by his door with his arms akimbo,
Enjoying the morning breezes, and slowly trilling a little song to himself,
Which was neither better nor worse than the songs which hedgehogs
Are in the habit of singing on a blessed Sunday morning. Whilst he was
Thus singing half aloud to himself, it suddenly occurred to him that,
While his wife was washing and drying the children, he might very well
take a walk into the field, and see how his turnips were getting on. The
turnips, in fact, were close beside his house, and he and his family
were accustomed to eat them, for which reason he looked upon them
as his own. No sooner said than done. The hedgehog shut the house-
door behind him, and took the path to the field. He had not gone very
far from home, and was just turning round the sloe-bush which stands
there outside the field, to go up into the turnip-field, when he observed
the hare that had gone out on business of the same kind, namely, to
visit his cabbages. When the hedgehog caught sight of the hare, he
bade him a friendly good morning. But the hare, who was in his own
way a distinguished gentleman, and frightfully haughty, did not return
the hedgehog's greeting, but said to him, assuming at the same time a
very contemptuous manner, how do you happen to be running about
here in the field so early in the morning. I am taking a walk, said the
hedgehog. A walk, said the hare, with a smile. It seems to me that you
might use your legs for a better purpose. This answer made the
hedgehog furiously angry, for he can bear anything but a reference too
his legs, just because they are crooked by nature. So now the
hedgehog said to the hare, you seem to imagine that you can do more
with your legs than I with mine. That is just what I do think, said the
hare. That can be put to the test, said the hedgehog. I wager that if
we run a race, I will outstrip you. That is ridiculous. You with your
short legs, said the hare, but for my part I am willing, if you have such
a monstrous fancy for it. What shall we wager? A golden louis-d'or and
a bottle of brandy, said the hedgehog. Done, said the hare. Shake
hands on it, and then we may as well begin at once. Nay, said the
hedgehog, there is no such great hurry. I am still fasting, I will go home
first, and have a little breakfast. In half-an-hour I will be back again at
this place. Hereupon the hedgehog departed, for the hare was quite
satisfied with this. On his way the hedgehog thought to himself, the
hare relies on his long legs, but I will contrive to get the better of him.
He may be a great man, but he is a very silly fellow, and he shall pay
for what he has said. So when the hedgehog reached home, he said to
his wife, wife, dress yourself quickly, you must go out to the field with
me. What is going on, then, said his wife. I have made a wager with
the hare, for a gold louis-d'or and a bottle of brandy. I am to run a
race with him, and you must be present. Good heavens, husband, the
wife now cried, are you not right in your mind, have you completely
lost your wits. What can make you want to run a race with the hare?
Hold your tongue, woman, said the hedgehog that is my affair. Don't
begin to discuss things which are matters for men. Be off, dress
yourself, and come with me. What could the hedgehog's wife do? She
was forced to obey him, whether she liked it or not. So when they had
set out on their way together, the hedgehog said to his wife, now pay
attention to what I am going to say. Look you; I will make the long
field our race-course. The hare shall run in one furrow, and when the
hare arrives at the end of the furrow on the other side of you, you
must cry out to him, I am here already. Then they reached the field,
and the hedgehog showed his wife her place, and then walked up the
field. When he reached the top, the hare was already there. Shall we
start, said the hare. Certainly, said the hedgehog. Then both at once.
So saying, each placed himself in his own furrow. The hare counted,
once, twice, thrice, and away, and went off like a whirlwind down the
field. The hedgehog, however, only ran about three paces, and then he
crouched down in the furrow, and stayed quietly where he was. When
the hare therefore arrived at full speed at the lower end of the field,
the hedgehog's wife met him with the cry, I am here already. The hare
was shocked and wondered not a little; he thought no other than that
it was the hedgehog himself who was calling to him, for the hedgehog's
wife looked just like her husband. The hare, however, thought to
himself, that has not been done fairly, and cried, it must be run again,
let us have it again. And once more he went off like the wind in a
storm, so that he seemed to fly. But the hedgehog's wife stayed
quietly in her place. So when the hare reached the top of the field, the
hedgehog himself cried out to him, I am here already. The hare,
however, quite beside himself with anger, cried, it must be run again,
we must have it again. All right, answered the hedgehog, for my part
we'll run as often as you choose. So the hare ran seventy-three times
more, and the hedgehog always held out against him, and every time
the hare reached either the top or the bottom, either the hedgehog or
his wife said, I am here already. At the seventy-fourth time, however,
the hare could no longer reach the end. In the middle of the field he fell
to the ground, blood streamed out of his mouth, and he lay dead on
the spot. But the hedgehog took the louis-d'or which he had won and
the bottle of brandy, called his wife out of the furrow, and both went
home together in great delight, and if they are not dead, they are living
there still. This is how it happened that the hedgehog made the hare
run races with him on the heath of Buxtehude - Buxtehude is a village
near Hamburg - till he died, and since that time no hare has ever had
any fancy for running races with a Buxtehude hedgehog. The moral of
this story is, firstly, that no one, however great he may be, should
permit himself to jest at any one beneath him, even if he be only a
hedgehog. And, secondly, it teaches, that when a man marries, he
should take a wife in his own position, who looks just as he himself
looks. So whosoever is a hedgehog let him see to it that his wife is a
hedgehog also, and so forth.
True, for my grandfather, from whom I have it, used always, when
Relating it, to say, it must be true, my son, or else no one could tell it
To you. The story is as follows. One Sunday morning about harvest
Time, just as the buckwheat was in bloom, the sun was shining brightly
In heaven, the east wind was blowing warmly over the stubble-fields,
The larks were singing in the air, the bees buzzing among the
Buckwheat, the people in their Sunday clothes were all going to
church,
And all creatures were happy, and the hedgehog was happy too. The
Hedgehog, however, was standing by his door with his arms akimbo,
Enjoying the morning breezes, and slowly trilling a little song to himself,
Which was neither better nor worse than the songs which hedgehogs
Are in the habit of singing on a blessed Sunday morning. Whilst he was
Thus singing half aloud to himself, it suddenly occurred to him that,
While his wife was washing and drying the children, he might very well
take a walk into the field, and see how his turnips were getting on. The
turnips, in fact, were close beside his house, and he and his family
were accustomed to eat them, for which reason he looked upon them
as his own. No sooner said than done. The hedgehog shut the house-
door behind him, and took the path to the field. He had not gone very
far from home, and was just turning round the sloe-bush which stands
there outside the field, to go up into the turnip-field, when he observed
the hare that had gone out on business of the same kind, namely, to
visit his cabbages. When the hedgehog caught sight of the hare, he
bade him a friendly good morning. But the hare, who was in his own
way a distinguished gentleman, and frightfully haughty, did not return
the hedgehog's greeting, but said to him, assuming at the same time a
very contemptuous manner, how do you happen to be running about
here in the field so early in the morning. I am taking a walk, said the
hedgehog. A walk, said the hare, with a smile. It seems to me that you
might use your legs for a better purpose. This answer made the
hedgehog furiously angry, for he can bear anything but a reference too
his legs, just because they are crooked by nature. So now the
hedgehog said to the hare, you seem to imagine that you can do more
with your legs than I with mine. That is just what I do think, said the
hare. That can be put to the test, said the hedgehog. I wager that if
we run a race, I will outstrip you. That is ridiculous. You with your
short legs, said the hare, but for my part I am willing, if you have such
a monstrous fancy for it. What shall we wager? A golden louis-d'or and
a bottle of brandy, said the hedgehog. Done, said the hare. Shake
hands on it, and then we may as well begin at once. Nay, said the
hedgehog, there is no such great hurry. I am still fasting, I will go home
first, and have a little breakfast. In half-an-hour I will be back again at
this place. Hereupon the hedgehog departed, for the hare was quite
satisfied with this. On his way the hedgehog thought to himself, the
hare relies on his long legs, but I will contrive to get the better of him.
He may be a great man, but he is a very silly fellow, and he shall pay
for what he has said. So when the hedgehog reached home, he said to
his wife, wife, dress yourself quickly, you must go out to the field with
me. What is going on, then, said his wife. I have made a wager with
the hare, for a gold louis-d'or and a bottle of brandy. I am to run a
race with him, and you must be present. Good heavens, husband, the
wife now cried, are you not right in your mind, have you completely
lost your wits. What can make you want to run a race with the hare?
Hold your tongue, woman, said the hedgehog that is my affair. Don't
begin to discuss things which are matters for men. Be off, dress
yourself, and come with me. What could the hedgehog's wife do? She
was forced to obey him, whether she liked it or not. So when they had
set out on their way together, the hedgehog said to his wife, now pay
attention to what I am going to say. Look you; I will make the long
field our race-course. The hare shall run in one furrow, and when the
hare arrives at the end of the furrow on the other side of you, you
must cry out to him, I am here already. Then they reached the field,
and the hedgehog showed his wife her place, and then walked up the
field. When he reached the top, the hare was already there. Shall we
start, said the hare. Certainly, said the hedgehog. Then both at once.
So saying, each placed himself in his own furrow. The hare counted,
once, twice, thrice, and away, and went off like a whirlwind down the
field. The hedgehog, however, only ran about three paces, and then he
crouched down in the furrow, and stayed quietly where he was. When
the hare therefore arrived at full speed at the lower end of the field,
the hedgehog's wife met him with the cry, I am here already. The hare
was shocked and wondered not a little; he thought no other than that
it was the hedgehog himself who was calling to him, for the hedgehog's
wife looked just like her husband. The hare, however, thought to
himself, that has not been done fairly, and cried, it must be run again,
let us have it again. And once more he went off like the wind in a
storm, so that he seemed to fly. But the hedgehog's wife stayed
quietly in her place. So when the hare reached the top of the field, the
hedgehog himself cried out to him, I am here already. The hare,
however, quite beside himself with anger, cried, it must be run again,
we must have it again. All right, answered the hedgehog, for my part
we'll run as often as you choose. So the hare ran seventy-three times
more, and the hedgehog always held out against him, and every time
the hare reached either the top or the bottom, either the hedgehog or
his wife said, I am here already. At the seventy-fourth time, however,
the hare could no longer reach the end. In the middle of the field he fell
to the ground, blood streamed out of his mouth, and he lay dead on
the spot. But the hedgehog took the louis-d'or which he had won and
the bottle of brandy, called his wife out of the furrow, and both went
home together in great delight, and if they are not dead, they are living
there still. This is how it happened that the hedgehog made the hare
run races with him on the heath of Buxtehude - Buxtehude is a village
near Hamburg - till he died, and since that time no hare has ever had
any fancy for running races with a Buxtehude hedgehog. The moral of
this story is, firstly, that no one, however great he may be, should
permit himself to jest at any one beneath him, even if he be only a
hedgehog. And, secondly, it teaches, that when a man marries, he
should take a wife in his own position, who looks just as he himself
looks. So whosoever is a hedgehog let him see to it that his wife is a
hedgehog also, and so forth.