There was once a wonderful musician, who went quite forlorn
through a forest and thought of all manner of things, and when
nothing was left for him to think about, he said to himself,
time is beginning to pass heavily with me here in the forest,
I will fetch hither a good companion for myself. Then he took his
fiddle from his back, and played so that it echoed through the
trees. It was not long before a wolf came trotting through the
thicket towards him. Ah, here is a wolf coming. I have no desire
for him, said the musician but the wolf came nearer and said to
him, ah, dear musician, how beautifully you play. I should like to
learn that, too. It is soon learnt, the musician replied, you
have only to do all that I bid you. Oh, musician, said the wolf,
I will obey you as a scholar obeys his master. The musician bade
him follow, and when they had gone part of the way together, they
came to an old oak-tree which was hollow inside, and cleft in the
middle. Look, said the musician, if you will learn to fiddle, put
your fore paws into this crevice. The wolf obeyed, but the
musician quickly picked up a stone and with one blow wedged his
two paws so fast that he was forced to stay there like a prisoner.
Wait there until I come back again, said the musician, and went
his way.
After a while he again said to himself, time is beginning to pass
heavily with me here in the forest, I will fetch hither another
companion, and took his fiddle and again played in the forest. It
was not long before a fox came creeping through the trees towards
him. Ah, there's a fox coming, said the musician. I have no
desire for him. The fox came up to him and said, oh, dear
musician, how beautifully you play. I should like to learn that
too. That is soon learnt, said the musician. You have only to
do everything that I bid you. Oh, musician, then said the fox, I
will obey you as a scholar obeys his master. Follow me, said the
musician, and when they had walked a part of the way, they came to
a footpath, with high bushes on both sides of it. There the
musician stood still, and from one side bent a young hazel-bush
down to the ground, and put his foot on the end of it. Then he
bent down a young tree from the other side as well, and said, now
little fox, if you will learn something, give me your left front
paw. The fox obeyed, and the musician fastened his paw to the
left bough. Little fox, said he, now reach me your right paw.
And he tied it to the right bough. When he had examined whether
the knots were firm enough, he let go, and the bushes sprang up
again, and jerked up the little fox, so that it hung struggling
in the air. Wait there till I come back again, said the musician,
and went on his way.
Again he said to himself, time is beginning to pass heavily with
me here in the forest, I will fetch hither another companion.
So he took his fiddle, and the sound echoed through the forest.
Then a little hare came springing towards him. Ah, a hare is
coming, said the musician, I do not want him. Ah, dear
musician, said the hare, how beautifully you fiddle, I too,
should like to learn that. That is soon learnt, said the
musician, you have only to do everything that I bid you.
Oh, musician, replied the little hare, I will obey you as a
scholar obeys his master. They went a part of the way together
until they came to an open space in the forest, where stood an
aspen tree. The musician tied a long string round the little
hare's neck, the other end of which he fastened to the tree.
Now briskly, little hare, run twenty times round the tree, cried the musician,
and the little hare obeyed, and when it had run round twenty times,
it had twisted the string twenty times round the trunk of the tree,
and the little hare was caught, and let it pull and tug as it
liked, it only made the string cut into its tender neck. Wait
there till I come back, said the musician, and went onwards.
The wolf, in the meantime, had pushed and pulled and bitten at
the stone, and had worked so long that he had set his feet at
liberty and had drawn them once more out of the cleft. Full of
anger and rage he hurried after the musician and wanted to tear
him to pieces. When the fox saw him running, he began to lament,
and cried with all his might, brother wolf, come to my help, the
musician has betrayed me. The wolf drew down the little tree,
bit the cord in two, and freed the fox, who went with him to take
revenge on the musician. They found the tied-up hare, whom
likewise they rescued, and then they all sought the enemy
together.
The musician had once more played his fiddle as he went on his
way, and this time he had been more fortunate. The sound
reached the ears of a poor wood-cutter, who instantly, whether
he would or no, gave up his work and came with his hatchet under
his arm to listen to the music. At last comes the right
companion, said the musician, for I was seeking a human being,
and no wild beast. And he began and played so beautifully and
delightfully that the poor man stood there as if bewitched, and
his heart leaped with gladness. And as he thus stood, the wolf,
the fox, and the hare came up, and he saw well that they had some
evil design. So he raised his glittering axe and placed
himself before the musician, as if to say, whoso wishes to touch
him let him beware, for he will have to deal with me. Then the
beasts were terrified and ran back into the forest. The
musician, however, played once more to the man out of
gratitude, and then went onwards.
