Early in the morning, when she and Conrad drove out their flock beneath this gateway,
she said in passing,  "Alas, Falada, hanging there!"
Then the head answered,  "Alas, young queen, how ill you fare!
If this your tender mother knew, Her heart would surely break in two."

Then they went still further out of the town, and drove their geese into the country.
And when they had come to the meadow, 
she sat down and unbound her hair which was like pure gold, 
and Conrad saw it and delighted in its brightness, and wanted to pluck out a few hairs. 
Then she said, "Blow, blow, you gentle wind, I say, Blow Conrad's little hat away,
And make him chase it here and there, Till I have braided all my hair, And bound it up again."

And there came such a violent wind,
that it blew Conrad's hat far away across country,
and he was forced to run after it. 
When he came back she had finished combing her hair
and was putting it up again, and he could not get any of it. 

Then Conrad was angry, and would not speak to her,
and thus they watched the geese till the evening, and then they went home.

Next day when they were driving the geese out through the dark gateway, 
the maiden said,  "Alas, Falada, hanging there!"
Falada answered, "Alas, young Queen, how ill you fare!
If this your tender mother knew, Her heart would surely break in two."

And she sat down again in the field and began to comb out her hair,
and Conrad ran and tried to clutch it,
so she said in haste, "Blow, blow, you gentle wind, I say,
Blow Conrad's little hat away, And make him chase it here and there,
Till I have braided all my hair,  And bound it up again."

Then the wind blew, and blew his little hat off his head and far away,
and Conrad was forced to run after it, and when he came back, 
her hair had been put up a long time, and he could get none of it,
and so they looked after their geese till evening came.

But in the evening after they had got home,
Conrad went to the old king, and said, 
"I won't tend the geese with that girl any longer!"

"Why not?" inquired the aged king.
"Oh, because she vexes me the whole day long."

Then the aged king commanded him to relate what it was that she did to him. 
And Conrad said, "In the morning when we pass beneath the dark gateway with the flock,
there is a sorry horse's head on the wall,
and she says to it,  "Alas, Falada, hanging there!"
And the head replies, "Alas, young Queen how ill you fare!
If this your tender mother knew, Her heart would surely break in two."

And Conrad went on to relate what happened on the goose pasture,
and how when there he had to chase his hat.

The aged king commanded him to drive his flock out again next day,
and as soon as morning came, he placed himself behind the dark gateway,
and heard how the maiden spoke to the head of Falada,
and then he too went into the country, 
and hid himself in the thicket in the meadow.

There he soon saw with his own eyes the goose-girl and the goose-boy bringing their flock, 
and how after a while she sat down and unplaited her hair, 
which shone with radiance. And soon she said, "Blow, blow, you gentle wind,
I say, Blow Conrad's little hat away, And make him chase it here and there,
Till I have braided all my hair, And bound it up again."

Then came a blast of wind and carried off Conrad's hat,
so that he had to run far away,
while the maiden quietly went on combing and plaiting her hair,
all of which the king observed. 

Then, quite unseen, he went away.

Part 4 >>