THE TWO GIRLS
“Well, my man, have you lost your daughter?"
"It's done."
"Well, my man, for your trouble, you will eat a plate of corn porridge with us."
While eating the porridge, the man thought of the pretty girl, whom he had abandoned all alone in the woods, and said:
“Ah! If the poor thing were here, she would also eat her portion of porridge."
“I am here, Father,” replied the pretty girl, who had found her way using the flaxseeds, and who was listening at the door.
The father was very happy to see the pretty girl returned, and eating her portion of porridge with a good appetite. But when she had gone to bed with her sister, her stepmother said to him:
“You are really stupid. You haven't taken your daughter far enough yet. Take her back to the woods tomorrow, and make sure she doesn't come back."
The man felt sorry for the pretty girl. But he was afraid of his wife, and he replied:
“Woman, I will do what you want."
But the pretty girl, who had gotten up from her bed and was listening hidden behind the door, had heard everything. Immediately, she ran to tell her godmother.
“Goddaughter,” said the godmother, “fill your pockets with grains of millet, which you will sow along your path. By this means you will return home."
The pretty girl galloped back to her father, filled her pockets with millet seeds, and went back to bed.
The next morning his father came into the room and said:
“Poor girl, let’s go look for mushrooms in the woods."
The two therefore left for the woods. But the father didn't have the heart to look for mushrooms. As she walked, the pretty girl sowed the grains of millet she had in her pockets, as her godmother had told her. Finally, the father threw himself into a thicket, without being seen, left the pretty girl alone, and returned to his house at the onset of night.
But when the pretty girl wanted to find her way back, using the grains of millet, it turned out that they had been eaten by magpies.
The poor thing walked, a long, long, long time through the woods, to a castle as big as the town of Agen.
"Bang! Bang!"
"Who is here?"
"I am a poor girl, who has lost her way, and who asks for supper and lodging."
The lady of the castle sent the pretty girl to supper in the kitchen, with the valets and maids, and ordered that she be given a good bed. The next morning she called her into her room and opened the door to a closet which was full of dresses.
“Pretty girl, take off your clothes and choose the clothes you want."
The pretty girl chooses the ugliest dress. Then the lady of the castle forced her to take the most beautiful one and put it on immediately. Then she opened a large chest, full of gold, silver, and copper coins, and full of jewelry of all kinds.
“Pretty girl, take whatever you want from this chest."
The pretty girl only took two farthings and a copper ring. Then the lady of the castle loaded her with quadruples, rings, chains, and gold pendants, and led her to the stable.
“Pretty girl, take whatever beast you want, with the bridle and the saddle."
But the pretty girl only took a donkey, a rope halter, and a bad blanket. Then the lady of the castle forced her to take the most beautiful horse, the most beautiful bridle, and the most beautiful saddle.
Source: Les Deux Filles, from the French book Contes populaires de la Gascogne, tome 2, published in 1886
Hello, my name is Vincent Celier.
I am writing translations of folk tales that I found in public domain French books, so that people who do not understand French may enjoy them too.
Three times, the father tried to lose his beautiful girl, and he succeeded only the third time.
As she was lost, the beautiful girl asked for help and got it from a wealthy woman. But she tried to not take the best things from what she was offered.
Yesterday, the two children, their parents, and Kati went to a swimming pool for 2 hours, while I stayed at home. I don't like to be in the water for more than 5 minutes, even when the water is warm. It is strange for a retired Navy officer to not like water!
In the afternoon, we all went to the same park again, and the children liked it very much.
The temperature was only 1°C, but the children did not mind. You can see in the picture below that they are enjoying themselves.
When we decided to go back home, the two boys wanted to continue to play!
This afternoon, we will fly back to Vancouver and return to our apartment in Coquitlam that we have left 6 months ago.
-- Vincent Celier