No. 30.--The Rich and the Poor Brother

Gypsy Folk Tales, by Francis Hindes Groome, [1899], at sacred-texts.com

No. 30.--The Rich and the Poor Brother

There were two brothers, one poor and one rich. And the rich one said to him, 'Come with me, brother, to our father.' And the rich one took bread for himself, and the poor one had none.

And the rich one kept eating bread, and the poor one said, 'Give me, too, a bit of bread.'

'If you will give me an eye, I will give you a bit of bread.' 'I will give it you, brother.'

And he took out an eye, and gave him a bit of bread.

And he went further, and he hungered. 'Give me a bit more bread.'

'Give me one more eye.'

'I will give it you, brother.'

Behold, he was blind now, and his brother took him by the hand and led him under the gallows, and left him there; and his brother departed. At nightfall came the devils, and perched on the gallows.

And the biggest devil asked, 'What hast done in the world? where wert walking?'

'I did--I stopped the water.'

'And thou, what hast thou done?'

'The emperor's daughter neither dies nor lives; she is just in torment.'

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'And thou, what hast thou done?'

'I did--that a brother dug out a brother's eyes.'

'If he knew, there's a brook here, and if he washed himself, he would see.'

'If the townsfolk knew to go to the mountain and remove the stone, the water would flow again.'

And the third said, 'But if the emperor's daughter knew, under her bed there is a toad, and if she takes it out, and gets ready a bath, and puts the toad in the bath, and if they wash her, she would grow strong.'

Then the cocks crowed, and the devils departed.

So the man dragged himself to the brook, and kept feeling with his hand till he found the water. And he washed his face, and his eyes were restored to him. And he went into the city where they had stopped the water. 'What will you give me if I release the water?'

'What you want, we will give you.'

'Well, come with me to the mountain, take to you iron crowbars.'

So they went to the mountain, and raised the stone; and the water flowed plentifully.

'Well, now, what do you want, man, for releasing the water?'

'Give me a carriage and two horses and a carriageful of money.'

They gave them to him. He went to the emperor's daughter. 'What will you give me if I make her strong?'

'What you want, I will give you.'

'Set water on the fire to boil.'

And he went and took out the toad, and threw it into the bath; and they washed the emperor's daughter, and she grew stronger and fairer than ever.

'What do you want for making her strong and fair?'

'Give me two horses and a carriageful of money, and give me a driver home.'

So he went home, and sent the servant to his brother, to borrow a bushel. And his brother asked, 'What to do with the bushel?'

'To measure money with.'

His brother gave him the bushel; and went himself and asked his brother, 'Where did you get it, the money, from, and the horses?'

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'From there where you left me.'

'Lead me, too, thither to that place. I am sorry, brother.'

'Don't be sorry; you've just got to go. Well, come, brother.'

So they both went to the place where he dug out his eyes.

'Give me, brother, a bit of bread.'

'Give me an eye.'

He gave him an eye, and he gave him a bit of bread.

And they went further. 'Give me, brother, a bit more bread.'

'Give me one more eye.'

'I will, brother.'

So he gave him a bit more bread, and took him by the hand, and led him under the gallows, and left him there, and departed. At nightfall came the devils, and perched on the gallows. And the biggest devil asked, 'What have you done? where have you been to in the world?'

One said, 'Don't tell, for there was lately a blind man under the gallows, and he heard what we said. And he made himself eyes, and made the water run, and raised up the emperor's daughter. Stay, while I look under the gallows.'

And they found the blind man. 'There's a blind man here.' And they rent him all in pieces. Then the devils departed; the man was dead.

This story is told as well as story may be. There is a Gypsy variant, longer but not half so good, from the Hungarian Carpathians, in Miklosich's Beiträge, p. 3:--