The Legend of King Midas

A long, long time ago there was a king of Phrygia who was very greedy and stupid. One day Silenus, the god ofthe woods, who had been a guest of the king, offered, in return for his hospitality, to grant him a wish. After thinking for a long time about how he could become more rich and more powerful, Midas asked for a magic gift that would turn anything he touched to gold.

“So be it,” exclaimed Silenus.

Midas touched the seat he was sitting on and it immediately turned to solid gold. He touched his belt, his clothes, a vase, a statue.... everything turned to gold. He began to run about the palace, and everything he touched became gold: walls, furniture, ornaments....

Midas was delighted, but all the excitement had made him hungry, so he sat down at the table and prepared to eat. Then he realized that every piece of food he brought to his mouth was turning to gold before he could eat it. Thanks to his greed, it looked as though he was going to die of hunger.

Fortunately, Silenus, who had fore­seen what would happen, agreed to relieve Midas of his magic power. And so, for a bunch of grapes, Midas gave up all the gold in the world.

Terjemahan.....

The Owl and the Nightingale

There was once a nightingale, in a cage by a window that was in habit of singing only at night. An owl was puzzled by this and went to the nightingale what the reason was.

“When I was captured,” explained the nightingale, “it was day and I was singing. In this way I learnt to be more prudent and to sing only at night.”

“Are you afraid you might be captured a second time?” asked the baffled owl, “It would have been better if you had been more careful the first time when your freedom was at risk. Now it doesn’t really matter anymore!”

The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep

The little shepherdess with the long floral skirt and the big straw hat was placed on the table beneath the mirror, and found herself beside thechimney sweep. Both of the little statues were of the finest porcelain and looked very attractive and delicate. The moment they saw each other they fell in love, and began to plan for their wedding. However, the old harlequin, with the clockwork head that always nodded “yes”, and who claimed to be the grandfather of the shepherdess, said her hand was promised in marriage to the mask of the Chinese dragon hanging on the wall nearby.

When the little shepherdess heard this, she was afraid that her little ceramic heart was going to break in two. The sad little chimney sweep suggested that she flee with him to escape marriage with the dragon, and she agreed.

So they climbed up the chimney (the sweep did not know any other way out) and found themselves up on the roof. Above them shone the stars and beneath them the lights of the city sparkled. The little shepherdess had never imagined that the world was so big and mysterious. She was so terri­fied that she asked the sweep to take her back at once. The patient and devoted chimney sweep was also frightened and, since he did not know how to say no to his beloved, the two little statues returned to their usual places on the table.

During their absence, the old harle­quin had fallen off the table, when he attempted to pursue the shepherdess and had lost his head. The owners of the house had stuck his head back on with glue and a little iron hook, so now he had a stiff neck, and could no longer nod his consent to the dragon, who wanted to marry his granddaughter. And so the shepherdess and the chimney sweep were now free to marry, and the two little statues lived happily ever after.

The Golden Clog

The Shouts of the shoe-seller, going up and down the street with his donkey, laden with shoes and clogs for sale, had begun to annoy the townspeople. Wishing to be left in peace, they decided to buy all his goods. But once they had agreed a price per pair, the people noticed that the more clogs they bought and piled up In the street, the more full seemed to be the baskets 0f clogs on the wagon. There was no doubt that there was witchcraft at work.  A great argument broke out.

At that very moment, the king passed by in his carriage. The townspeople asked for his judgement, but the shoemaker made a gift of a golden clog to the little prince, who was with his father, and the king decided that no crime had been committed. As he announced this, the mysterious shoe-seller disappeared.

Very soon after It was discovered that the golden clog was bewitched. Not only could nobody get it off, but the clog also grew little by little along with the prince's foot. Therefore it never caused him any pain at all.

Years later, the king chose a girl to be a wife for his son. Hardly had the marriage been celebrated when the golden clog began to hurt the prince. It only ceased to hurt him when his marriage was annulled. The king went to the court magician for advice, and learnt that his son would only be able to make a happy marriage to the girl who was able to take the golden clog from his foot. The princesses of nearby kingdoms were the first to try, followed by all the duchesses, countesses, and common people in the land until there only remained a dirty scullery-maid, dressed in rags. She kissed the clog and removed it with ease. The king was furious: he could not allow his son to marry a scullery-maid! At that moment the shoe-seller's cry was heard from the street and the girl, who was actually his daughter, was changed at once into the most gentle and lovable princess. So, the king was content and the young prince and princess lived happily ever after.