The Yellow Fairy Book | Page 9

the top of the tree talking to one another about him. The first bird
said:
'I know that wandering fool under the tree there, who has come so far
without finding what he seeks. He is trying to find King Solomon's lost
ring.'
The other bird answered, 'He will have to seek help from the
Witch-maiden,[3] who will doubtless be able to put him on the right
track. If she has not got the ring herself, she knows well enough who
has it.'
[3] Hollenmadchen.
'But where is he to find the Witch-maiden?' said the first bird. 'She has
no settled dwelling, but is here to-day and gone to-morrow. He might
as well try to catch the wind.'
The other replied, 'I do not know, certainly, where she is at present, but
in three nights from now she will come to the spring to wash her face,
as she does every month when the moon is full, in order that she may
never grow old nor wrinkled, but may always keep the bloom of youth.'
'Well,' said the first bird, 'the spring is not far from here. Shall we go
and see how it is she does it?'
'Willingly, if you like,' said the other.
The youth immediately resolved to follow the birds to the spring, only
two things made him uneasy: first, lest he might be asleep when the
birds went, and secondly, lest he might lose sight of them, since he had

not wings to carry him along so swiftly. He was too tired to keep awake
all night, yet his anxiety prevented him from sleeping soundly, and
when with the earliest dawn he looked up to the tree-top, he was glad to
see his feathered companions still asleep with their heads under their
wings. He ate his breakfast, and waited until the birds should start, but
they did not leave the place all day. They hopped about from one tree to
another looking for food, all day long until the evening, when they
went back to their old perch to sleep. The next day the same thing
happened, but on the third morning one bird said to the other, 'To-day
we must go to the spring to see the Witch-maiden wash her face.' They
remained on the tree till noon; then they flew away and went towards
the south. The young man's heart beat with anxiety lest he should lose
sight of his guides, but he managed to keep the birds in view until they
again perched upon a tree. The young man ran after them until he was
quite exhausted and out of breath, and after three short rests the birds at
length reached a small open space in the forest, on the edge of which
they placed themselves on the top of a high tree. When the youth had
overtaken them, he saw that there was a clear spring in the middle of
the space. He sat down at the foot of the tree upon which the birds were
perched, and listened attentively to what they were saying to each
other.
'The sun is not down yet,' said the first bird; 'we must wait yet awhile
till the moon rises and the maiden comes to the spring. Do you think
she will see that young man sitting under the tree?'
'Nothing is likely to escape her eyes, certainly not a young man, said
the other bird. 'Will the youth have the sense not to let himself be
caught in her toils?'
'We will wait,' said the first bird, 'and see how they get on together.'
The evening light had quite faded, and the full moon was already
shining down upon the forest, when the young man heard a slight
rustling sound. After a few moments there came out of the forest a
maiden, gliding over the grass so lightly that her feet seemed scarcely
to touch the ground, and stood beside the spring. The youth could not
turn away his eyes from the maiden, for he had never in his life seen a

woman so beautiful. Without seeming to notice anything, she went to
the spring, looked up to the full moon, then knelt down and bathed her
face nine times, then looked up to the moon again and walked nine
times round the well, and as she walked she sang this song:
'Full-faced moon with light unshaded, Let my beauty ne'er be faded.
Never let my cheek grow pale! While the moon is waning nightly, May
the maiden bloom more brightly, May her freshness never fail!'
Then she dried her face with her long hair, and was about to go away,
when her eye suddenly fell upon the spot where the young man was
sitting, and she turned towards the tree. The youth rose and stood