A wood-cutter lived in the forest with his wife and daughters three

He was as happy as he could be.

Sometimes his daughters were overbearing,

But usually they were very caring.

 

Once upon a time a daughter took dinner to her father.

Everyday the eldest daughter took dinner to her father.

One day a wrong turn she took.

She retraced her footsteps,

But no reappearance of the path occurred.

 

She wandered deep into the night,

In the distance there was a light.

On her way she fell in a rut,

But was able to stumble to the lighted hut.

 

She rapped on the door.

An old man opened the entrance.

She begged the old man for shelter.

He turned and said,

 

"Pretty little hen,

Pretty little cock,

And pretty brindled cow,

What say ye to that?"

 

"Duks," they gave as an answer.

"Here you shall have shelter and food;"

Said the old dude,

"Go to the fire, and cook us our supper,"

 

She did as bade,

And soon food for two was made.

When she was well fed,

She asked for a bed.

 

The old man turned to the animals.

"Pretty little hen,

Pretty little cock,

And pretty brindled cow,

What say ye to that?"

 

The animals said,

"Thou hast eaten with him,

Thou hast drunk with him,

Thou hast had no thought for us,

So find out for thyself where thou canst pass the night."

 

The old man said to her as he ate a peach,

"Go upstairs where two rooms rest with a bed in each,

Shake and put on them linen jade."

She did as she was bade.

When the old man next saw her,

She was asleep in the cellar.

 

Twice upon a time a daughter took dinner to her father.

The next day the second daughter was sent to give food to her father.

A wrong turn she took.

She retraced her footsteps,

But no reappearance of the path occurred.

 

She wandered deep into the night,

In the distance there was a light.

On her way she fell in a rut,

But was able to stumble to the lighted hut.

 

She rapped on the door.

An old man opened the entrance.

She begged the old man for shelter.

He turned and said,

 

"Pretty little hen,

Pretty little cock,

And pretty brindled cow,

What say ye to that?"

 

"Duks," they gave as an answer.

"Here you shall have shelter and food;"

Said the old dude,

"Go to the fire, and cook us our supper,"

 

She did as bade,

And soon food for two was made.

When she was well fed,

She asked for a bed.

 

The old man turned to the animals.

"Pretty little hen,

Pretty little cock,

And pretty brindled cow,

What say ye to that?"

 

The animals said,

"Thou hast eaten with him,

Thou hast drunk with him,

Thou hast had no thought for us,

So find out for thyself where thou canst pass the night."

 

The old man said to her as he ate a peach,

"Go upstairs where two rooms rest with a bed in each,

Shake and put on them linen jade."

She did as she was bade.

When the old man next saw her,

She was asleep in the cellar.

 

Thrice upon a time a daughter took dinner to her father.

The next day the youngest daughter took dinner to her father.

A wrong turn she took.

She retraced her footsteps

But no reappearance of the path occurred.

 

She wandered deep into the night,

In the distance there was a light.

On her way she fell in a rut,

But was able to stumble to the lighted hut.

 

She rapped on the door.

An old man opened the entrance.

She begged the old man for shelter.

He turned and said,

 

"Pretty little hen,

Pretty little cock,

And pretty brindled cow,

What say ye to that?"

 

"Duks," they gave as an answer.

"Here you shall have shelter and food;"

Said the old dude,

"Go to the fire, and cook us our supper,"

 

She did as bade,

And soon food for two was made.

Before she sat to sup she realized the animals lacked fodder.

Outside she gathered barley, hay, and water.

 

She gave the animals their meal

And sat down to eat her fill.

When she was well fed,

She asked for a bed.

 

The old man turned to the animals,

"Pretty little hen,

Pretty little cock,

And beautiful brindled cow,

What say ye to that?"

 

The animals answered, "Duks,

Thou has eaten with us,

Thou has drunk with us,

Thou hast had kind thought for all of us,

We wish thee good night."

 

The old man said to her without a peach,

"Go upstairs where two rooms rest with a bed in each,

Shake and put on them linen jade."

She did as she was bade.

 

At midnight the hut did shake,

But the maid did not forsake

Bed, hut, or linen.

 

She woke as if in a dream.

The windows had a bright gleam,

She was in a satin bed,

With all the linen red.

 

She found satin slippers

With pearls for a zipper.

She was in a palace,

Without any malice.

 

Three attendants at her door inquired,

"What would you have us do?"

She replied as she looked out the window at the dew,

"Leave, and I will make soup for the old man,

Feed the pretty little hen, cock, and brindled cow."

 

The attendants left her.

She sought out the kitchen.

There she found the three attendants and a young prince.

 

"A spell was cast upon us by an evil witch,"

Explained the handsome prince while his left eye did twitch.

"She turned me into an old man,

My three attendants into animals before they ran.

 

"The only way to break the curse,

Without involving a hearse,

Is to find a person kind to people and animals alike.

Thank you for coming here on your treacherous hike."

 

She inquired, "Where are my two sisters?"

He replied, "In the cellar with many blisters."

She went to the cellar and freed her sisters.

 

She taught her sisters to be kind to animals and humans alike,

As they had a lot of time on their homeward hike.

The trio came home and reunited with their parents.

The sisters learned to watch their step wherever they were sent.

 

The youngest of the sisters courted the prince.

Three years after a long courtship,

The prince and youngest daughter did wed.

They found their happily ever after.