Chapter 12 little girl sold with pears

The Little Girl Sold With the Pear & Italian Fairy Tales Once upon a time, there was a man who had a pear tree, which could harvest four large baskets of pears every year, just enough to give to the king.One year, only three and a half baskets of pears were harvested.He could not fill the fourth basket, so he filled it with his youngest daughter, and covered it with pears and leaves. The four baskets of pears were sent to the food bank of the royal palace. When the pears were poured out, the little girl was poured out together with the pears, but they were not found.So she was left in the warehouse with nothing to eat but pears, which the little girl gnawed on when she was hungry.After a while, the servants in the palace found that there were fewer pears than before, and they found a lot of pear pits, so they said: "There must be something like a mouse eating the pears here, and it needs to be checked carefully." He said, While searching in the pile of pears, he found the little girl.

They asked the little girl, "What are you doing here? Come with us and help us in the palace kitchen." They named the little girl Liwa.Liwa is a smart and clever girl, she quickly learned how to please these servants, plus her handsome and cute appearance, everyone likes her.Even the prince often came to play with her. She was as old as the prince, and they quickly developed a good impression. As Liwa grew up day by day, the servants became more and more jealous of her. At first they ignored her, and then they began to play tricks on her, and spread rumors that Liwa boasted that she was going to get the witch's treasure.The rumor spread to the king's ears, and the king immediately called Liwa and asked her, "Did you really say you were going to get the witch's treasure?"

Li Wa said: "Absolutely not, King Shengming, I don't know anything about the things they say." But the king insisted: "You must have said it, and the promise must be fulfilled after the words have been spoken." After saying this, he drove Liwa out of the palace and asked her to get the treasure before she could come back. Liwa let's go, let's go, it's getting dark.She went to an apple tree without stopping.He walked to another peach tree without stopping.When she came across a pear tree, she climbed up and fell asleep among the branches. When she opened her eyes in the morning, she saw an old woman under a tree.The old woman asked her, "Pretty little girl, what are you doing up there?"

Liwa told the old woman about the troubles she encountered.The old woman said to her, "Take these three pounds of lard, three pounds of bread, and three pounds of sorghum ears, and go straight ahead." Li Wa thanked her and set off again. She came to a place where there was a bread oven.Three bakers were seen tearing out their hair and using it to clean the oven.Liwa gave them the three pounds of sorghum ears.When the three female workers could use the sorghum ears to clean the stove, they let Liwa pass by. Let's go, let's go, Liwa came to a place, and saw three ferocious dogs barking loudly, jumping, and pounced on her, preventing her from passing.Liwa threw three pounds of bread to them.They let her pass.

Let's go, let's go, Liwa came to a big river again, the water in the river was like blood, she didn't know how to get across.She remembered the spell the old woman had told her, and she said: "O brook, beautiful brook, if i'm not in a hurry Will have a drink. " As soon as the words were finished, the river receded, allowing Li Wa to pass by. On the other side of the river, Liwa saw a palace that could be said to be the most majestic and splendid palace in the world.But the gates of the palace opened and closed so quickly that no one could enter.So Li Wa took out the three pounds of lard and poured it on the hinges, and the door began to open and close slowly.

Walking into the palace, Liwa saw a treasure box on a small table.She picked up the treasure box and was about to leave when the treasure box started talking. "The gate kills her, the gate kills her!" said the Treasure Box. But the gate replied, "I can't kill her. I haven't oiled me for a long time. She oiled me." When Liwa returned to the river, the box started talking again: "The river drowned her, the river drowned her!" The river replied, "I cannot drown her, because she said to me: O brook, beautiful brook." When it got to the three dogs, the box said, "The dogs eat her, the dogs eat her!" But the three dogs said, "We can't eat her, she gave us three pounds of bread."

Passing the bread oven, the box said, "The oven burned her, the oven burned her." The baker said: "We can't burn her. She gave us three pounds of sorghum ears so that we don't need our hair when cleaning the stove." When approaching the palace, Liwa wanted to see what was in the box, because she was as curious as all girls.She opened the box, and out of it jumped out a golden hen and a flock of golden chicks.They wobbled and ran away, so fast that they could not catch up.Liwa followed them and chased them, until they got to the apple tree, but couldn't find them, and chased them to the peach tree, but still couldn't find them, and when they got to the pear tree, they saw the old woman holding a small stick in her hand. , driving the golden hen and the flock of golden chicks. "Hush, shush..." The old woman drove the golden roosters back into the box.

On the way home, Liwa saw the king's son walking towards him, "If my father asks you what reward you want, you should say that you want the box full of coals in the basement." At the gate of the palace, the king was waiting for her with his servants and court officials.Liwa gave the golden hen and golden chick to the king, and the king asked: "What do you want, tell me, and I will give it to you." Liwa replied: "I want the coal box in the basement." The king gave her the coal box, and Liwa opened it, and the prince who had been hiding in it jumped out.In this way, the king let Liwa marry his son with great joy.

(Monferrato area) The Little Girl Sold with the Pears Once a man had a pear tree that used to bear four baskets of pears a year. One year, though, it only bore three baskets and a half, while he was supposed to carry four to the king. Seeing no other way out, he put his youngest daughter into the fourth basket and covered her up with pears and leaves. The baskets were carried into the kings pantry, where the child stayed in hiding underneath the pears. But having nothing to eat, she began nibbling on the pears. After a while the servants noticed the supply of pears dwindling and also saw the cores." There must be a rat or a mole gnawing on the pears," they said. "We shall look inside the baskets." They removed the top and found the little girl.

"What are you doing here?" they asked. "Come with us and work in the kings kitchen." They called her Perina, and she was such a clever little girl that in no time she was doing the housework better than the kings own maidservants. She was so pretty no one could help loving her. The kings son, who was her age exactly, was always with Perina, and they became very fond of each other. As the maiden grew up, the maidservants began to envy her. They held their tongues for a while, then accused Perina of boasting she would go and steal the witches treasure. The king got wind of it and send for the girl. true you boasted you would go and steal the witches treasure?"

"No, Sacred Crown, I made no such boast." "You did so," insisted the king, "and now you have to keep your word." At that, he banished her from the palace until she should return with the treasure. On and on she walked until nightfall. Perina came to an apple tree, but kept on going. She next came to a peach tree, but still didnt stop. Then she came to a pear tree, climbed it, and fell asleep. In the morning there stood a little old woman under the tree. "What are you doing up there, my daughter?" asked the old woman. Perina told her about the difficulty she was in. The old woman said, "Take these three pounds of grease, three pounds of bread, and three pounds of millet and be on your way." Perina thanked her very much and moved on. She came to a bakery where three women were pulling out their hair to sweep out the oven with. Perina gave them the three pounds of millet, which they then used to sweep out the oven and allowed the little girl to continue on her way. On and on she walked and met three mastiffs that barked and rushed at anyone coming their way. Perina threw them the three pounds of bread, and they let her pass. After walking for miles and miles she came to a blood-red river, which she had no idea how to cross. But the old woman had told her to say: "Fine water so red, I must make haste; Else, of you would I taste." At those words, the waters parted and let her through. On the other side of the river, Perina beheld one of the finest and largest palaces in the world. But the door was opening and slamming so rapidly that no one could possibly go in. Perina therefore applied the three pounds of grease to its hinges, and from then on it opened and closed quite gently. Inside, Perina spied the treasure chest sitting on a small table. She picked it up and was about to go off with it, when the chest spoke: "Door, kill her, kill her!" "I wont, either, since she greased my hinges that hadn't been looked after since goodness knows when." Perina reached the river, and the chest said, "River, drown her, drown her!" "I wont, either," replied the river, "since she called me Fine water so red." She came to the dogs, and the chest said, "Dogs, devour her, devour her!" "We won't, either," replied the dogs, "since she gave us three pounds of bread." She came to the bakery oven. "Oven, burn her, burn her!" But the three women replied, "We wont, either, since she gave us three pounds of millet, so that now we can spare our hair." When she was almost home, Perina, who had as much curiosity as the next little girl, decided to peep into the treasure chest. She opened it, and out came a hen and her brood of gold chicks. soul to catch them. Perina struck out after them. She passed the apple tree, but they were nowhere in sight. She passed the peach tree, where there was still no sign of them. little old woman with a wand in her hand and hen and chicks feeding around her. "Shoo, shoo!" went the old woman, and the hen and chicks reentered the treasure chest. Upon her arrival, the kings son came out to meet her. "When my father asked what you want as a reward, tell him that box filled with coal in the cellar." On the doorstep of the royal palace stood the maidservants, the king, and the entire court. Perina handed the king the hen with the brood of gold chicks. "Ask for whatever you want," said the king, "and I will give it to you." "I would like the box of coal in the cellar," replied Perina. They brought her the box of coal, which she opened, and out jumped the kings son, who was hiding inside. The king was then happy for Perina to marry his son. (Monferrato) NOTES: "The Little Girl Sold with the Pears" (La bambina venduta con le pere) from Comparetti, 10, Monferrato, Piedmont. I changed the name Margheritina to Perina (Pearlet), and I invented the motif of the peartree and the little old woman (in the original, the magic props come from the kings son, who is under a spell), to reinforce the pear/ girl link. Copyright: Italian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino, translated by George Martin, Pantheon Books, New York 1980