Hungarian Folk Tales: Abeles-Kobeles
Once upon a time in a faraway land there lived a king.
One day the king was out hunting in the forest
and became so very lost that he could not find his way.
I wish someone would lead me out of this frightening forest
and I would give him a sack of gold for his trouble.
Follow me and I will lead the way. And that's what he did.
You should know, king, that I need neither money nor anything else.
But give me that what you have now, but did not have before you left your palace this morning.
The king thought and thought that he must mean, a cat or something simple like that.
When the king arrived home his servants ran out to meet him shouting:
Make haste, your majesty, because you have a beautiful baby daughter,
more radiant than the sun itself.
But to make a long story short the little man had said
that he would only come to fetch the girl on her fifteenth birthday.
When the king saw how pretty the princess was he knew not whether to weep with joy or with sorrow.
The queen said to him: Are you not happy?
Oh yes, I'm happy, very happy – the king said, and he told her the story.
Days became months and months became years and the princess grew.
On her fifteenth birthday the devil appeared because the little man was really the devil.
Send your daughter out, king, for I have come to collect her at last.
Oh dear, oh dear! – the king and the queen wept and wailed.
What can we possibly do?
The gooseherd's daughter was also there,
so they quickly dressed her in golden robes studded with diamonds.
Then they put a crown on her head, opened the door, and sent her out.
The devil had a wheelbarrow that he made the girl sit in and he pushed her away.
He pushed her past water where geese were swimming.
When the geese saw the girl they began to gaggle:
Ga-ga-ga, where are you going goose girl? I'm going to hell and the devil's taking me.
You're not the real princess? – the devil asked.
No, not at all! I'm the gooseherd's daughter.
So the devil grew so angry that he tipped the girl from the barrow and left her there.
The devil marched back to the royal palace.
Listen, king! If you won't give me your daughter, I'll smash your door in.
Oh dear! – wailed the king and queen.
The swineherd's daughter was also there,
so they quickly dressed her in golden robes studded with diamonds.
Then they put a crown on her head, open the door and sent her out.
The pigs soon began to grunt: Where are you going, pig girl?
I am going to hell and the devil's taking me.
You're not the real princess? – the devil asked.
No, not at all! I'm the swineherd's daughter.
Listen, king! Open the door and give me the princess or else I shall set your palace on fire.
The king and the queen were both terrified,
so they dressed their daughter while they wept, and they pushed her out of the door.
The devil was delighted, he put the girl straight into his barrow and wheeled her to hell.
Once there she met a boy called John, who had also been stolen away from somewhere.
They were both forced to work hard.
John toiled all day in a stable
and the princess did the cooking, the baking, the cleaning and she looked after the devil.
Time passed and John and the princess spent all their time together.
One day John said:
Princess, we should both run away from the devil.
But how could we do that?
I know a magic spell, I overheard the devil say it.
I shall cast a spell on the broom and spit on it.
Then the broom will answer for us when the devil tries to find us.
That sounds like a wonderful plan!
So they waited until the devil fell fast asleep
put the broom by the door and John spat on its handle.
Phew, phew, speak for us, when the devil calls us.
Now the devil woke up.
Where are you, princess? Bring me my clothes, I want to get dressed.
Right away! – the broom replied. The devil waited for a while and then called again.
Are you bringing my slippers? What takes you so long?
I'm coming right away!
Wait until I catch you, you naughty child! Where are you naughty girl?
Here I am! Where are you man-servant?
Quickly sit on a shovel and ride off after them into the sky.
Catch them and bring them back to me!
John, my left ear is itching, look back!
Oh dear princess, the devil's servant is after us and he's very close!
Let us quickly do magic, I will be an old priest and you can become a church.
And so that is what they did.
Listen old priest, have you seen young John and a princess passing this way?
The old priest pretended to be praying: Abeles-kobeles, abeles-kobeles.
Old priest, don't chant verse to me, but tell me if you have seen John and the young princess!
Abeles-kobeles, abeles-kobeles.
Then the devil's servent sat back on the shovel and flew back to hell.
The young couple turned quickly back, the church became the princess, and the old priest became John.
And the two of them continued.
Have you seen them? Could you reach them? Did you bring them back?
I saw no one except an old priest and a church.
But the priest was a fool and simply said:
Abeles-kobeles to all of my questions.
Oh, that was them! Where is my other servant?
He should sit on a hot iron and fly away after them!
John, my right ear is a eaching, look back!
So John looked back and saw the devil's servant flying after them on a red-hot iron.
Let us quickly make magic!
You will become a cornfield and I shall become a farmer watching his golden field of corn.
Then the devil's servant flew down from the sky.
Listen old farmer, have you seen young John and a princess passing this way?
Shoo, shoo sparrow, shoo, shoo! Shoo pigeons, shoo, shoo, shoo!
Old farmer, don't say shoo to me, but tell me if you have seen John and the young princess.
Shoo sparrow, shoo, shoo, shoo! Shoo pigeons, shoo, shoo, shoo!
The farmer as mad as the priest – man-servant said, and rode straight back to the devil.
Did you see them?
I saw no one, except a field of corn and a wild farmer who shooed away all the birds.
Oh, that was them, the roughs! I shall have to go myself!
Oh John, both my ears are itching now, look back!
Oh princess, now the devil is hot behind us.
Hurry, and you'll become a golden duck and I'll become a pond.
Now wait, I know who you are. I'll catch you and take you back, I swear I will!
And the devil went into the water to catch the golden duck.
But the duck kept swimming further in.
The devil gave chase and swam further still until he reached the middle of the pond
where the water was the deepest and the devil drowned.
Then they both changed magically back.
The pond became John and the golden duck the princess.
Then they both went back to the princess' home.
The king and the queen were overjoyed, they held a wonderful wedding,
and they all lived happily ever after.