Reineke saw it, the scandalous thief, and what he accom

plish'd

Dare I not say: he came, and alas! overcame her com

pletely.

From this place he shall not go.

The outrage shall

20

cost us, One of the two, this day, as you see us here, his existence. For he shall not talk himself off, for I was a witness Of that deed, when chance had taken me on to a hillock. Loud for help I heard her cry, the wretched deceived

one.

Fast in the ice she was caught, and could not protect herself from him;

25

And I came, and was forced with my own eyes there to behold it.

Truly a marvel it is that my heart was not broken within me.

6

'Reineke,' cried I, what art thou doing?' He heard me, and hasten'd

Off on his way. I betook me there with sorrowful feelings, Forced to wade and freeze in the icy water, and

managed

30

Only after much trouble to break the ice and release her. Badly enough we succeeded, alas! in spite of her efforts, Fully a fourth of her tail was caught in the ice and remain'd there.

Loud and long she wail'd and cried. She was heard by the peasants.

Forth they came and espied us there, and call'd to each other;

35

Hastily over the dam they ran with their pikes and their

axes;

Distaff in hand the womenfolk came too, clamouring

shrilly.

Catch them! Beat them, and knock them down!' they cried to each other.

Never so anxious was I as then, and Gieremund knows it. Barely we managed to save our lives with labour and

running,

40

Till our skins were smoking. And then came running a

fellow

Who was an awkward rogue; he carried a pike for his

weapon.

Light of foot was he, and he stabb'd at and savagely press'd us;

Had not night come on our lives had surely been for

feit.

44

All this time the women kept crying, the witches, declaring That we had eaten their sheep. They did their best to get

at us,

Foully abusing, and calling us names. However, we turn'd back

Into the water again from the bank, and quickly conceal'd

us

Under the rushes, and there the peasants dared not pursue

us,

For it had now grown dark; they returned, and betook themselves homewards.

50

That was a narrow escape! Thus, gracious monarch, you see here

Ravishing, murder, deceit; of such and other transgressions Now is the talk, and these, my king, you will punish severely."

When the king had heard the complaint, he said, “On this matter

Justice shall duly be done; but let us hear Reineke's version.

55 Reineke said: "If the matter stood thus, it would certainly bring me

Little of honour: and God forbid, in His infinite mercy, That you should find it to be as he tells us! I will not deny this,

That I have taught her how to catch fish; and the best way have told her

How to the water to come, and have shown her the road to

the mill-pond.

60

But as soon as she heard of fish, so greedily ran she,
That at once were means, moderation, and teaching for-

gotten.

If in the ice she was frozen, it was because she had sat

there

Far too long. Her tail betimes had she drawn from the

water

Fish enough she had caught to furnish a capital dinner. 65 Too great greediness always is shameful. Whenever the heart is

Prone to discontent, it needs must lose not a little.

He who has the spirit of avarice ever lives anxious;
No one can sate it; and this Frau Gieremund learnt by

experience,

When in the ice she was frozen; she pays me back for my

trouble

70

Scurvily. Yet for myself I can say that I honestly help'd

her,

For I pushed, and tried with all my strength to release her, But she was far too heavy for me; and whilst I was

trying

Isegrim stumbled upon me-along the bank he was walking.

There he stood, and call'd from above, and savagely cursed

me.

75

Verily I was frighten'd at hearing these beautiful blessings; Once, and twice, and thrice he hurl'd the most horrible

curses

At my head, and shrieked, impell'd by his passionate mad

ness,

And I thought to myself, 'You had better not wait any

longer,

Better to run than to rot.' It was just in time that I did

So,

80

For he was ready to tear me pieces. Whenever it happens
That two dogs for a bone are fighting together, 'tis certain
One must lose it, and so I thought I could not do better
Than to avoid his wrath, and flee his unreasoning passion.
Savage he was, and is so still, how can he deny it?
Ask his wife! For how does he, the liar, concern me?
For as soon as he saw that his wife in the ice was befrozen
Savagely cursing and scolding he came and help'd to re-
lease her.

85

If the peasants follow'd them up, it had this advantage: Setting in motion their blood, the cold it kept them from

feeling.

M

90

What more is there to say? No doubt it is very bad

conduct,

One's own wife with such abusive lies to bespatter.

Ask her herself, she is standing there. If truth he had

spoken

Would she herself have fail'd to complain? I ask in the meanwhile

One single week's delay to beg my friends for their

counsel

95

As to the answer 'tis fitting to make to the wolf and his charges."

Gieremund said thereupon: "In all your thoughts and your actions

Roguery only is found, as we know; mere lies and

deception,

Knavery, sham, and impudence. He who your captious

speeches

Trusts in, is sure to be injured at last.

using

You ever are

100

Loose and profligate words; and this I found at the

well once.

In it were hanging two buckets, and you, I cannot say wherefore,

6

Having in one of them placed yourself and gone to the

bottom,

Found you had no means of getting again to the surface. Lustily did you complain. I came to the well in the

morning,

6

105

And I asked: What brought you here?' 'Dear gossip,'

you answer'd,

Just in time do you come! I'll give you ev'ry advan

tage.

Seat yourself in the bucket above, and you will be brought

down

Hither, to eat till you're full of fish.' I had come for misfortune,

For I believed when you swore that so many fish you had

eaten

That your stomach was aching. And thus I allow'd you

to fool me

Fool that I was-and got into the pail, which immediately

went down,

While the other came up, and the pair of us met in the

middle.

Wonderful seem'd it to me, and I asked you, full of

amazement:

Tell me, how is it done?' But you replied to my

question,

115

Up and down, so it goes with the world, so goes it with us

two.

Thus it is all in the usual course: whilst some are

degraded

Others are raised on high, in accord with the merits of each one.'

Out of the bucket you jumped, and ran away in a hurry. Troubled I sat in the well, and the livelong day had to wait

there,

120

And in the evening plenty of blows with the cudgel to suffer

Ere I escaped, for several peasants came to the well side. These observed me there, as, pinched with terrible hunger, Anxious and mourning I sat, and felt a most pitiful object. One to another the peasants said: 'Just look! In the bucket

125

Down below our enemy sits, that our flocks has diminished.' 'Pull him up!' said one of the others, 'I'll hold myself

ready,

Just at the brink to catch him at once; for our lambs he shall pay us!'

How he received me above, why that was a sight to be

pitied

Blow upon blow there fell on my hide. I had had in my

life-time

No more grievous day, and death I hardly avoided."

130

Reineke said thereupon: "The result consider more closely, And you will certainly find that the blows for you have been wholesome.

I, as far as I am concerned, would rather not have them. And as the matter stood, it was clear that one of the two 135

must