A certain father had two sons, the elder of whom
Un père avait deux fils; le premier était réfléchi et
intelligent; il savait se tirer de toute aventure. Le
cadet en revanche était sot, incapable de
comprendre et d'apprendre. Quand les gens le
voyaient, ils disaient: "Avec lui, son père n'a pas
fini d'en voir." Quand il y avait quelque chose à
faire, c'était toujours à l'aîné que revenait la tâche,
et si son père lui demandait d'aller chercher
quelque chose, le soir ou même la nuit, et qu'il
fallait passer par le cimetière ou quelque autre
lieu terrifiant, il répondait: "Oh non! père, je n'irai
pas, j'ai peur." Car il avait effectivement peur.
Quand, à la veillée, on racontait des histoires à
donner la chair de poule, ceux qui les entendaient
disaient parfois: "Ça me donne le frisson!" Le plus
jeune des fils, lui, assis dans son coin, écoutait et
n'arrivait pas à comprendre ce qu'ils voulaient
dire. "Ils disent toujours: "Ça me donne la chair de
poule! ça me fait frissonner! Moi, jamais! Voilà
encore une chose à laquelle je ne comprends rien."
Il arriva qu'un jour son père lui dit: "Écoute voir,
toi, là dans ton coin! Tu deviens grand et fort. Il
est temps que tu apprennes à gagner ton pain. Tu
vois comme ton frère se donne du mal." - "Eh!
père," répondit-il, "j'apprendrais bien volontiers. Si
c'était possible, je voudrais apprendre à
frissonner. C'est une chose que j'ignore
totalement." Lorsqu'il entendit ces mots, l'aîné des
fils songea: "Seigneur Dieu! quel crétin que mon
frère! Il ne fera jamais rien de sa vie." Le père
réfléchit et dit: "Tu apprendras bien un jour à
avoir peur. Mais ce n'est pas comme ça que tu
gagneras ton pain."
Peu de temps après, le bedeau vint en visite à la
maison. Le père lui conta sa peine et lui expliqua
combien son fils était peu doué en toutes choses.
"Pensez voir! Quand je lui ai demandé comment il
ferait pour gagner son pain, il a dit qu'il voulait
apprendre à frissonner!" - "Si ce n'est que ça,"
répondit le bedeau, "je le lui apprendrai. Confiez-
le-moi." Le père était content; il se disait: "On va le
dégourdir un peu." Le bedeau l'amena donc chez
lui et lui confia la tâche de sonner les cloches. Au
was smart and sensible, and could do everything,
but the younger was stupid and could neither
learn nor understand anything, and when people
saw him they said, "There's a fellow who will give
his father some trouble!" When anything had to be
done, it was always the elder who was forced to do
it; but if his father bade him fetch anything when
it was late, or in the night-time, and the way led
through the churchyard, or any other dismal place,
he answered "Oh, no, father, I'll not go there, it
makes me shudder!" for he was afraid. Or when
stories were told by the fire at night which made
the flesh creep, the listeners sometimes said "Oh,
it makes us shudder!" The younger sat in a corner
and listened with the rest of them, and could not
imagine what they could mean. "They are always
saying 'it makes me shudder, it makes me
shudder!' It does not make me shudder," thought
he. "That, too, must be an art of which I
understand nothing."
Now it came to pass that his father said to him one
day "Hearken to me, thou fellow in the corner
there, thou art growing tall and strong, and thou
too must learn something by which thou canst
earn thy living. Look how thy brother works, but
thou dost not even earn thy salt." - "Well, father,"
he replied, "I am quite willing to learn something -
indeed, if it could but be managed, I should like to
learn how to shudder. I don't understand that at
all yet." The elder brother smiled when he heard
that, and thought to himself, "Good God, what a
blockhead that brother of mine is! He will never
be good for anything as long as he lives. He who
wants to be a sickle must bend himself betimes."
The father sighed, and answered him "thou shalt
soon learn what it is to shudder, but thou wilt not
earn thy bread by that."
Soon after this the sexton came to the house on a
visit, and the father bewailed his trouble, and told
him how his younger son was so backward in
every respect that he knew nothing and learnt
nothing. "Just think," said he, "when I asked him
how he was going to earn his bread, he actually
wanted to learn to shudder." - "If that be all,"
replied the sexton, "he can learn that with me.
Send him to me, and I will soon polish him." The
father was glad to do it, for he thought, "It will
train the boy a little." The sexton therefore took
him into his house, and he had to ring the bell.
bout de quelque temps, son maître le réveilla à
minuit et lui demanda de se lever et de monter au
clocher pour carillonner. "Tu vas voir ce que c'est
que d'avoir peur," songeait-il. Il quitta secrètement
la maison et quand le garçon fut arrivé en haut du
clocher, comme il s'apprêtait à saisir les cordes, il
vit dans l'escalier, en dessous de lui, une forme
toute blanche. "Qui va là?" cria-t-il. L'apparition ne
répondit pas, ne bougea pas. "Réponds!" cria le
jeune homme. "Ou bien décampe! Tu n'as rien à
faire ici!" Le bedeau ne bougeait toujours pas. Il
voulait que le jeune homme le prit pour un
fantôme. Pour la deuxième fois, celui-ci cria: "Que
viens-tu faire ici? Parle si tu es honnête homme.
Sinon je te jette au bas de l'escalier." Le bedeau
pensa: "Il n'en fera rien." Il ne répondit pas et
resta sans bouger. Comme s'il était de pierre.
Alors le garçon l'avertit pour la troisième fois et
comme le fantôme ne répondait toujours pas, il
prit son élan et le précipita dans l'escalier.
L'apparition dégringola d'une dizaine de marches
et resta là allongée. Le garçon fit sonner les
cloches, rentra à la maison, se coucha sans
souffler mot et s'endormit. La femme du bedeau
attendit longtemps son mari. Mais il ne revenait
pas. Finalement, elle prit peur, réveilla le jeune
homme et lui demanda: "Sais-tu où est resté mon
mari? Il est monté avant toi au clocher." - "Non,"
répondit-il, "je ne sais pas. Mais il y avait
quelqu'un dans l'escalier et comme cette personne
ne répondait pas à mes questions et ne voulait pas
s'en aller, je l'ai prise pour un coquin et l'ai jetée
au bas du clocher. Allez-y, vous verrez bien si
c'était votre mari. Je le regretterais." La femme
s'en fut en courant et découvrit son mari
gémissant dans un coin, une jambe cassée.
Elle le ramena à la maison, puis se rendit en
poussant de grands cris chez le père du jeune
homme: "Votre garçon a fait des malheurs," lui dit-
elle. "Il a jeté mon mari au bas de l'escalier, où il
s'est cassé une jambe. Débarrassez notre maison
de ce vaurien!" Le père était bien inquiet. Il alla
chercher son fils et lui dit: "Quelles sont ces
façons, mécréant! C'est le diable qui te les
inspire!" - "Écoutez-moi, père," répondit-il. "Je suis
totalement innocent. Il se tenait là, dans la nuit,
comme quelqu'un qui médite un mauvais coup. Je
ne savais pas qui c'était et, par trois fois, je lui ai
After a day or two, the sexton awoke him at
midnight, and bade him arise and go up into the
church tower and ring the bell. "Thou shalt soon
learn what shuddering is," thought he, and
secretly went there before him; and when the boy
was at the top of the tower and turned round, and
was just going to take hold of the bell rope, he saw
a white figure standing on the stairs opposite the
sounding hole. "Who is there?" cried he, but the
figure made no reply, and did not move or stir.
"Give an answer," cried the boy, "or take thy self
off, thou hast no business here at night." The
sexton, however, remained standing motionless
that the boy might think he was a ghost. The boy
cried a second time, "What do you want here? -
speak if thou art an honest fellow, or I will throw
thee down the steps!" The sexton thought, "he
can't intend to be as bad as his words," uttered no
sound and stood as if he were made of stone. Then
the boy called to him for the third time, and as
that was also to no purpose, he ran against him
and pushed the ghost down the stairs, so that it
fell down ten steps and remained lying there in a
corner. Thereupon he rang the bell, went home,
and without saying a word went to bed, and fell
asleep. The sexton's wife waited a long time for
her husband, but he did not come back. At length
she became uneasy, and wakened the boy, and
asked, "Dost thou not know where my husband is?
He climbed up the tower before thou didst." - "No,
I don't know," replied the boy, "but some one was
standing by the sounding hole on the other side of
the steps, and as he would neither give an answer
nor go away, I took him for a scoundrel, and threw
him downstairs, just go there and you will see if it
was he. I should be sorry if it were." The woman
ran away and found her husband, who was lying
moaning in the corner, and had broken his leg.
She carried him down, and then with loud screams
she hastened to the boy's father. "Your boy," cried
she, "has been the cause of a great misfortune! He
has thrown my husband down the steps and made
him break his leg. Take the good-for-nothing
fellow away from our house." The father was
terrified, and ran thither and scolded the boy.
"What wicked tricks are these?" said he, "the devil
must have put this into thy head." - "Father," he
replied, "do listen to me. I am quite innocent. He
was standing there by night like one who is
intending to do some evil. I did not know who it
was, and I entreated him three times either to
speak or to go away." - "Ah," said the father, "I
demandé de répondre ou de partir." - "Ah!" dit le
père, "tu ne me feras que des misères. Disparais!"
- "Volontiers, père. Attendez seulement qu'il fasse
jour. Je voyagerai pour apprendre à frissonner.
Comme ça, je saurai au moins faire quelque chose
pour gagner mon pain." - "Apprends ce que tu
veux," dit le père. "Ça m'est égal! Voici cinquante
talents, va par le monde et surtout ne dis à
personne d'où tu viens et qui est ton père." - "Qu'il
en soit fait selon votre volonté, père. Si c'est là
tout ce que vous exigez, je m'y tiendrai sans
peine."
Quand vint le jour, le jeune homme empocha les
cinquante talents et prit la route en se disant: "Si
seulement j'avais peur! si seulement je
frissonnais!"Arrive un homme qui entend les
paroles que le garçon se disait à lui-même. Un peu
plus loin, à un endroit d'où l'on apercevait des
gibets, il lui dit: "Tu vois cet arbre? Il y en a sept
qui s'y sont mariés avec la fille du cordier et qui
maintenant prennent des leçons de vol. Assieds-toi
là et attends que tombe la nuit. Tu sauras ce que
c'est que de frissonner." - "Si c'est aussi facile que
ça," répondit le garçon, "c'est comme si c'était
déjà fait. Si j'apprends si vite à frissonner, je te
donnerai mes cinquante talents. Tu n'as qu'à
revenir ici demain matin." Le jeune homme
s'installa sous la potence et attendit que vînt le
soir. Et comme il avait froid, il alluma du feu. À
minuit le vent était devenu si glacial que, malgré
le feu, il ne parvenait pas à se réchauffer. Et les
pendus s'entrechoquaient en s'agitant de-ci, de-là.
Il pensa: "Moi, ici, près du feu, je gèle. Comme ils
doivent avoir froid et frissonner, ceux qui sont là-
haut!" Et, comme il les prenait en pitié, il appliqua
l'échelle contre le gibet, l'escalada, décrocha les
pendus les uns après les autres et les descendit
tous les sept. Il attisa le feu, souffla sur les braises
et disposa les pendus tout autour pour les
réchauffer. Comme ils ne bougeaient pas et que
les flammes venaient lécher leurs vêtements, il dit:
"Faites donc attention! Sinon je vais vous rependre
là-haut!" Les morts, cependant, n'entendaient rien,
se taisaient et laissaient brûler leurs loques. Le
garçon finit par se mettre en colère. "Si vous ne
faites pas attention," dit-il, "je n'y puis rien! Je n'ai
pas envie de brûler avec vous." Et, l'un après
l'autre, il les raccrocha au gibet. Il se coucha près
du feu et s'endormit. Le lendemain, l'homme s'en
have nothing but unhappiness with you. Go out of
my sight. I will see thee no more." - "Yes, father,
right willingly, wait only until it is day. Then will I
go forth and learn how to shudder, and then I
shall, at any rate, understand one art which will
support me." - "Learn what thou wilt," spake the
father, "it is all the same to me. Here are fifty
thalers for thee. Take these and go into the wide
world, and tell no one from whence thou comest,
and who is thy father, for I have reason to be
ashamed of thee." - "Yes, father, it shall be as you
will. If you desire nothing more than that, I can
easily keep it in mind."
When day dawned, therefore, the boy put his fifty
thalers into his pocket, and went forth on the
great highway, and continually said to himself, "If
I could but shudder! If I could but shudder!" Then
a man approached who heard this conversation
which the youth was holding with himself, and
when they had walked a little farther to where
they could see the gallows, the man said to him,
"Look, there is the tree where seven men have
married the ropemaker's daughter, and are now
learning how to fly. Sit down below it, and wait till
night comes, and you will soon learn how to
shudder." - "If that is all that is wanted," answered
the youth, "it is easily done; but if I learn how to
shudder as fast as that, thou shalt have my fifty
thalers. Just come back to me early in the
morning." Then the youth went to the gallows, sat
down below it, and waited till evening came. And
as he was cold, he lighted himself a fire, but at
midnight the wind blew so sharply that in spite of
his fire, he could not get warm. And as the wind
knocked the hanged men against each other, and
they moved backwards and forwards, he thought
to himself "Thou shiverest below by the fire, but
how those up above must freeze and suffer!" And
as he felt pity for them, he raised the ladder, and
climbed up, unbound one of them after the other,
and brought down all seven. Then he stirred the
fire, blew it, and set them all round it to warm
themselves. But they sat there and did not stir,
and the fire caught their clothes. So he said, "Take
care, or I will hang you up again." The dead men,
however, did not hear, but were quite silent, and
let their rags go on burning. On this he grew
angry, and said, "If you will not take care, I cannot
help you, I will not be burnt with you," and he
hung them up again each in his turn. Then he sat
down by his fire and fell asleep, and the next
vint et lui réclama les cinquante talents: "Alors,
sais-tu maintenant ce que c'est que d'avoir le
frisson?" lui dit-il. "Non," répondit le garçon, "d'où
le saurais-je? Ceux qui sont là-haut n'ont pas
ouvert la bouche, et ils sont si bêtes qu'ils ont
laissé brûler les quelques hardes qu'ils ont sur le
dos." L'homme comprit qu'il n'obtiendrait pas les
cinquante talents ce jour-là et s'en alla en disant:
"Je n'ai jamais vu un être comme celui-là!"
morning the man came to him and wanted to have
the fifty thalers, and said, "Well, dost thou know
how to shudder?" - "No," answered he, "how was I
to get to know? Those fellows up there did not
open their mouths, and were so stupid that they
let the few old rags which they had on their bodies
get burnt." Then the man saw that he would not
get the fifty thalers that day, and went away
saying, "One of this kind has never come my way
before."

Le jeune homme reprit également sa route et se

The youth likewise went his way, and once more
dit à nouveau, parlant à haute voix: " Ah! si
began to mutter to himself, "Ah, if I could but
seulement j'avais peur! Si seulement je savais
shudder! Ah, if I could but shudder!" A waggoner
frissonner!" Un cocher qui marchait derrière lui
who was striding behind him heard that and
l'entendit et demanda: "Qui es-tu?" - "Je ne sais
asked, "Who are you?" - "I don't know," answered
pas," répondit le garçon. Le cocher reprit: "D'où
the youth. Then the waggoner asked, "From
viens-tu?" - "Je ne sais pas," rétorqua le jeune
whence comest thou?" - "I know not." - "Who is thy
homme. "Qui est ton père?" - "Je n'ai pas le droit
father?" - "That I may not tell thee." - "What is it
de le dire." - "Que marmonnes-tu sans cesse dans
that thou art always muttering between thy teeth."
ta barbe?" - "Eh!" répondit le garçon, "je voudrais
- "Ah," replied the youth, "I do so wish I could
frissonner. Mais personne ne peut me dire
shudder, but no one can teach me how to do it." -
comment j'y arriverai." - "Cesse de dire des
"Give up thy foolish chatter," said the waggoner.
bêtises!" reprit le cocher. "Viens avec moi!" Le
"Come, go with me, I will see about a place for
jeune homme accompagna donc le cocher et, le
thee." The youth went with the waggoner, and in
soir, ils arrivèrent à une auberge avec l'intention
the evening they arrived at an inn where they
d'y passer la nuit. En entrant dans sa chambre, le
wished to pass the night. Then at the entrance of
garçon répéta à haute et intelligible voix: "Si
the room the youth again said quite loudly, "If I
seulement j'avais peur! Si seulement je savais
could but shudder! If I could but shudder!" The
frissonner!" L'aubergiste l'entendit et dit en riant:
host who heard this, laughed and said, "If that is
"Si vraiment ça te fait plaisir, tu en auras
your desire, there ought to be a good opportunity
sûrement l'occasion chez moi." - "Tais-toi donc!"
for you here." - "Ah, be silent," said the hostess,
dit sa femme. "À être curieux, plus d'un a déjà
"so many inquisitive persons have already lost
perdu la vie , et ce serait vraiment dommage pour
their lives, it would be a pity and a shame if such
ses jolis yeux s'ils ne devaient plus jamais voir la
beautiful eyes as these should never see the
lumière du jour." Mais le garçon répondit: "Même
daylight again." But the youth said, "However
s'il fallait en arriver là, je veux apprendre à
difficult it may be, I will learn it and for this
frissonner. C'est d'ailleurs pour ça que je voyage."
purpose indeed have I journeyed forth." He let the
Il ne laissa à l'aubergiste ni trêve ni repos jusqu'à
host have no rest, until the latter told him, that not
ce qu'il lui dévoilât son secret. Non loin de là, se
far from thence stood a haunted castle where any
trouvait un château maudit, dans lequel il pourrait
one could very easily learn what shuddering was,
certainement apprendre ce que c'était que d'avoir
if he would but watch in it for three nights. The
peur, en y passant seulement trois nuits. Le roi
King had promised that he who would venture
avait promis sa fille en mariage à qui tenterait
should have his daughter to wife, and she was the
l'expérience et cette fille était la plus belle qu'on
most beautiful maiden the sun shone on. Great
eût jamais vue sous le soleil. Il y avait aussi au
treasures likewise lay in the castle, which were
château de grands trésors gardés par de mauvais
guarded by evil spirits, and these treasures would
génies dont la libération pourrait rendre un pauvre
then be freed, and would make a poor man rich
très riche. Bien des gens étaient déjà entrés au
enough. Already many men had gone into the
château, mais personne n'en était jamais ressorti.
castle, but as yet none had come out again. Then
Le lendemain, le jeune homme se rendit auprès du
the youth went next morning to the King and said
roi: "Si vous le permettez, je voudrais bien passer
if he were allowed he would watch three nights in
trois nuits dans le château." Le roi l'examina, et
comme il lui plaisait, il répondit: "Tu peux me
demander trois choses. Mais aucune d'elles ne
saurait être animée et tu pourras les emporter
avec toi au château." Le garçon lui dit alors: "Eh
bien! je vous demande du feu, un tour et un banc
de ciseleur avec un couteau."
Le jour même, le roi fit porter tout cela au
château. À la tombée de la nuit, le jeune homme
s'y rendit, alluma un grand feu dans une chambre,
installa le tabouret avec le couteau tout à côté et
s'assit sur le tour. "Ah! si seulement je pouvais
frissonner!" dit-il. "Mais ce n'est pas encore ici que
je saurai ce que c'est." Vers minuit, il entreprit de
ranimer son feu. Et comme il soufflait dessus, une
voix retentit tout à coup dans un coin de la
chambre: "Hou, miaou, comme nous avons froid!" -
"Bande de fous!" s'écria-t-il. "Pourquoi hurlez-vous
comme ça? Si vous avez froid, venez ici, asseyez-
vous près du feu et réchauffez-vous!" À peine eut-il
prononcé ces paroles que deux gros chats noirs,
d'un bond formidable, sautèrent vers lui et
s'installèrent de part et d'autre du garçon en le
regardant d'un air sauvage avec leurs yeux de
braise. Quelque temps après, s'étant réchauffés,
ils dirent: "Si nous jouions aux cartes, camarade?"
- "Pourquoi pas!" répondit-il, "mais montrez-moi
d'abord vos pattes." Les chats sortirent leurs
griffes. "Holà!" dit-il. "Que vos ongles sont longs!
attendez! il faut d'abord que je vous les coupe." Il
les prit par la peau du dos, les posa sur l'étau et
leur y coinça les pattes. "J'ai vu vos doigts," dit-il,
"j'en ai perdu l'envie de jouer aux cartes." Il les tua
et les jeta par la fenêtre dans l'eau d'un étang . À
peine s'en était-il ainsi débarrassé que de tous les
coins et recoins sortirent des chats et des chiens,
tous noirs, tirant des chaînes rougies au feu. Il y
en avait tant et tant qu'il ne pouvait leur échapper.
Ils criaient affreusement, dispersaient les
brandons du foyer, piétinaient le feu, essayaient de
l'éteindre. Tranquillement, le garçon les regarda
faire un moment. Quand il en eut assez, il prit le
couteau de ciseleur et dit: "Déguerpissez,
canailles!" Et il se mit à leur taper dessus. Une
partie des assaillants s'enfuit; il tua les autres et
les jeta dans l'étang. Puis il revint près du feu, le
ranima en soufflant sur les braises et se réchauffa.
Bientôt, il sentit ses yeux se fermer et eut envie de
dormir. Il regarda autour de lui et vit un grand lit,
dans un coin. "Voilà ce qu'il me faut," dit-il. Et il se
coucha. Comme il allait s'endormir, le lit se mit de
lui-même à se déplacer et à le promener par tout
the haunted castle. The King looked at him, and as
the youth pleased him, he said, "Thou mayest ask
for three things to take into the castle with thee,
but they must be things without life." Then he
answered, "Then I ask for a fire, a turning lathe,
and a cutting-board with the knife."
The King had these things carried into the castle
for him during the day. When night was drawing
near, the youth went up and made himself a bright
fire in one of the rooms, placed the cutting-board
and knife beside it, and seated himself by the
turning-lathe. "Ah, if I could but shudder!" said he,
"but I shall not learn it here either." Towards
midnight he was about to poke his fire, and as he
was blowing it, something cried suddenly from one
corner, "Au, miau! how cold we are!" - "You
simpletons!" cried he, "what are you crying about?
If you are cold, come and take a seat by the fire
and warm yourselves." And when he had said that,
two great black cats came with one tremendous
leap and sat down on each side of him, and looked
savagely at him with their fiery eyes. After a short
time, when they had warmed themselves, they
said, "Comrade, shall we have a game at cards?" -
"Why not?" he replied, "but just show me your
paws." Then they stretched out their claws. "Oh,"
said he, "what long nails you have! Wait, I must
first cut them for you." Thereupon he seized them
by the throats, put them on the cutting-board and
screwed their feet fast. "I have looked at your
fingers," said he, "and my fancy for card-playing
has gone," and he struck them dead and threw
them out into the water. But when he had made
away with these two, and was about to sit down
again by his fire, out from every hole and corner
came black cats and black dogs with red-hot
chains, and more and more of them came until he
could no longer stir, and they yelled horribly, and
got on his fire, pulled it to pieces, and tried to put
it out. He watched them for a while quietly, but at
last when they were going too far, he seized his
cutting-knife, and cried, "Away with ye, vermin,"
and began to cut them down. Part of them ran
away, the others he killed, and threw out into the
fish-pond. When he came back he fanned the
embers of his fire again and warmed himself. And
as he thus sat, his eyes would keep open no
longer, and he felt a desire to sleep. Then he
looked round and saw a great bed in the corner.
"That is the very thing for me," said he, and got
into it. When he was just going to shut his eyes,
le château. "Très bien!" dit-il. "Plus vite!" Le lit
partit derechef comme si une demi-douzaine de
chevaux y étaient attelés, passant les portes,
montant et descendant les escaliers. Et tout à
coup, il versa sens dessus dessous hop! et le
garçon se retrouva par terre avec comme une
montagne par-dessus lui.
Il se débarrassa des couvertures et des oreillers,
se faufila de dessous le lit et dit: "Que ceux qui
veulent se promener se promènent." Et il se
coucha auprès du feu et dormit jusqu'au matin. Le
lendemain, le roi s'en vint au château. Quand il vit
le garçon étendu sur le sol, il pensa que les
fantômes l'avaient tué. Il murmura: "Quel
dommage pour un si bel homme!" Le garçon
l'entendit, se leva, et dit: "Je n'en suis pas encore
là!" Le roi s'étonna, se réjouit et lui demanda
comment les choses s'étaient passées. "Très bien.
Voilà une nuit d'écoulée, les autres se passeront
bien aussi." Quand il arriva chez l'aubergiste,
celui-ci ouvrit de grands yeux. "Je n'aurais jamais
pensé," dit-il, "que je te reverrais vivant. As-tu
enfin appris à frissonner?" - "Non!" répondit-il,
"tout reste sans effet. Si seulement quelqu'un
pouvait me dire comment faire!"
Pour la deuxième nuit, il se rendit à nouveau au
château, s'assit auprès du feu et reprit sa vieille
chanson: "Ah! si seulement je pouvais frissonner."
À minuit on entendit des bruits étranges. D'abord
doucement, puis toujours plus fort, puis après un
court silence, un grand cri. Et la moitié d'un
homme arrivant par la cheminée tomba devant lui.
"Holà!" cria-t-il. "Il en manqua une moitié. Ça ne
suffit pas comme ça!" Le vacarme reprit. On
tempêtait, on criait. Et la seconde moitié tomba à
son tour de la cheminée. "Attends," dit le garçon,
"je vais d'abord ranimer le feu pour toi." Quand il
l'eut fait, il regarda à nouveau autour de lui: les
deux moitiés s'étaient rassemblées et un homme
d'affreuse mine s'était assis à la place qu'occupait
le jeune homme auparavant. "Ce n'est pas ce que
nous avions convenu," dit-il. "Ce tour est à moi!"
L'homme voulut l'empêcher de s'y asseoir mais il
ne s'en laissa pas conter. Il le repoussa avec
violence et reprit sa place. Beaucoup d'autres
hommes se mirent alors à dégringoler de la
cheminée les uns après les autres et ils
apportaient neuf tibias et neuf têtes de mort avec
lesquels ils se mirent à jouer aux quilles. Le
garçon eut envie d'en faire autant. "Dites,
however, the bed began to move of its own accord,
and went over the whole of the castle. "That's
right," said he, "but go faster." Then the bed rolled
on as if six horses were harnessed to it, up and
down, over thresholds and steps, but suddenly
hop, hop, it turned over upside down, and lay on
him like a mountain.
But he threw quilts and pillows up in the air, got
out and said, "Now any one who likes, may drive,"
and lay down by his fire, and slept till it was day.
In the morning the King came, and when he saw
him lying there on the ground, he thought the evil
spirits had killed him and he was dead. Then said
he, "After all it is a pity, he is a handsome man."
The youth heard it, got up, and said, "It has not
come to that yet." Then the King was astonished,
but very glad, and asked how he had fared. "Very
well indeed," answered he; "one night is past, the
two others will get over likewise." Then he went to
the innkeeper, who opened his eyes very wide, and
said, "I never expected to see thee alive again!
Hast thou learnt how to shudder yet?" - "No," said
he, "it is all in vain. If some one would but tell me."
The second night he again went up into the old
castle, sat down by the fire, and once more began
his old song, "If I could but shudder." When
midnight came, an uproar and noise of tumbling
about was heard; at first it was low, but it grew
louder and louder. Then it was quiet for awhile,
and at length with a loud scream, half a man came
down the chimney and fell before him. "Hollo!"
cried he, "another half belongs to this. This is too
little!" Then the uproar began again, there was a
roaring and howling, and the other half fell down
likewise. "Wait," said he, "I will just blow up the
fire a little for thee." When he had done that and
looked round again, the two pieces were joined
together, and a frightful man was sitting in his
place. "That is no part of our bargain," said the
youth, "the bench is mine." The man wanted to
push him away; the youth, however, would not
allow that, but thrust him off with all his strength,
and seated himself again in his own place. Then
still more men fell down, one after the other; they
brought nine dead men's legs and two skulls, and
set them up and played at nine-pins with them.
The youth also wanted to play and said "Hark you,
can I join you?" - "Yes, if thou hast any money." -
"Money enough," replied he, "but your balls are
pourrais-je jouer aussi?" - "Oui, si tu as de
l'argent." - "J'en ai bien assez," répondit-il, "mais
vos boules ne sont pas rondes." Il prit les têtes de
mort, s'installa à son tour et en fit de vraies
boules. "Comme ça elles rouleront mieux," dit-il.
"En avant! On va rire!" Il joua et perdit un peu de
son argent. Quand sonna une heure, tout avait
disparu. Au matin, le roi vint aux renseignements.
"Que t'est-il arrivé cette fois-ci?" demanda-t-il. "J'ai
joué aux quilles," répondit le garçon, "et j'ai perdu
quelques deniers." - "Tu n'as donc pas eu peur?" -
"Eh! non!" dit-il, "je me suis amusé! Si seulement
je savais frissonner!"
not quite round." Then he took the skulls and put
them in the lathe and turned them till they were
round. "There, now, they will roll better!" said he.
"Hurrah! Now it goes merrily!" He played with
them and lost some of his money, but when it
struck twelve, everything vanished from his sight.
He lay down and quietly fell asleep. Next morning
the King came to inquire after him. "How has it
fared with you this time?" asked he. "I have been
playing at nine-pins," he answered, "and have lost
a couple of farthings." - "Hast thou not shuddered
then?" - "Eh, what?" said he, "I have made merry.
If I did but know what it was to shudder!"

La troisième nuit, il s'assit à nouveau sur son tour

et dit tristement: "Si seulement je pouvais
The third night he sat down again on his bench
frissonner!" Quand il commença à se faire tard, six
and said quite sadly, "If I could but shudder."
hommes immenses entrèrent dans la pièce portant
When it grew late, six tall men came in and
un cercueil. "Hi! Hi! Hi!" dit le garçon, "voilà
brought a coffin. Then said he, "Ha, ha, that is
sûrement mon petit cousin qui est mort il y a
certainly my little cousin, who died only a few days
quelques jours seulement." Du doigt, il fit signe au
ago," and he beckoned with his finger, and cried
cercueil et s'écria: "Viens, petit cousin, viens!" Les
"Come, little cousin, come." They placed the coffin
hommes posèrent la bière sur le sol; il s'en
on the ground, but he went to it and took the lid
approcha et souleva le couvercle. Un mort y était
off, and a dead man lay therein. He felt his face,
allongé. Il lui toucha le visage. Il était froid comme
but it was cold as ice. "Stop," said he, "I will warm
de la glace. "Attends," dit-il, "je vais te réchauffer
thee a little," and went to the fire and warmed his
un peu." Il alla près du feu, s'y réchauffa la main et
hand and laid it on the dead man's face, but he
la posa sur la figure du mort. Mais celui-ci restait
remained cold. Then he took him out, and sat
tout froid. Alors il le sortit du cercueil, s'assit près
down by the fire and laid him on his breast and
du feu et l'installa sur ses genoux en lui
rubbed his arms that the blood might circulate
frictionnant les bras pour rétablir la circulation du
again. As this also did no good, he thought to
sang. Comme cela ne servait à rien, il songea tout
himself "When two people lie in bed together, they
à coup qu'il suffit d'être deux dans un lit pour
warm each other," and carried him to the bed,
avoir chaud. Il porta le cadavre sur le lit, le
covered him over and lay down by him. After a
recouvrit et s'allongea à ses côtés. Au bout d'un
short time the dead man became warm too, and
certain temps, le mort se réchauffa et commença à
began to move. Then said the youth, "See, little
bouger. "Tu vois, petit cousin," dit le jeune homme,
cousin, have I not warmed thee?" The dead man,
"ne t'ai-je pas bien réchauffé?" Mais le mort, alors,
however, got up and cried, "Now will I strangle
se leva et s'écria: "Maintenant, je vais t'étrangler!"
thee." - "What!" said he, "is that the way thou
- "De quoi!" dit le garçon, "c'est comme ça que tu
thankest me? Thou shalt at once go into thy coffin
me remercies? Retourne au cercueil!" Il le
again," and he took him up, threw him into it, and
ceintura, et le jeta dans la bière en refermant le
shut the lid. Then came the six men and carried
couvercle. Les six hommes arrivèrent alors et
him away again. "I cannot manage to shudder,"
l'emportèrent. "Je ne réussis pas à frissonner," dit-
said he. "I shall never learn it here as long as I
il. "Ce n'est décidément pas ici que je
live."
l'apprendrai."

À ce moment précis entra un homme plus grand

que tous les autres et qui avait une mine Then a man entered who was taller than all others,
effrayante. Il était vieux et portait une longue and looked terrible. He was old, however, and had
barbe blanche. "Pauvre diable," lui dit-il, "tu ne a long white beard. "Thou wretch," cried he, "thou
tarderas pas à savoir ce que c'est que de shalt soon learn what it is to shudder, for thou
frissonner: tu vas mourir!" - "Pas si vite!" répondit
le garçon. "Pour que je meure, il faudrait d'abord
que vous me teniez." - "Je finirai bien par t'avoir!"
dit le monstrueux bonhomme. "Tout doux, tout
doux! ne te gonfle pas comme ça! je suis aussi fort
que toi. Et même bien plus fort!" - "C'est ce qu'on
verra," dit le vieux. "Si tu es plus fort que moi, je
te laisserai partir. Viens, essayons!" Il le conduisit
par un sombre passage dans une forge, prit une
hache et d'un seul coup, enfonça une enclume
dans le sol. "Je ferai mieux," dit le jeune homme en
s'approchant d'une autre enclume. Le vieux se
plaça à côté de lui, laissant pendre sa barbe
blanche. Le garçon prit la hache, fendit l'enclume
d'un seul coup et y coinça la barbe du vieux. "Et
voilà! je te tiens!" dit-il, "à toi de mourir
maintenant!" Il saisit une barre de fer et se mit à
rouer de coups le vieux jusqu'à ce que celui-ci
éclatât en lamentations et le suppliât de s'arrêter
en lui promettant mille trésors. Le jeune homme
débloqua la hache et libéra le vieux qui le
reconduisit au château et lui montra, dans une
cave, trois caisses pleines d'or. "Il y en a une pour
les pauvres, une pour le roi et la troisième sera
pour toi," lui dit-il. Sur quoi, une heure sonna et le
méchant esprit disparut. Le garçon se trouvait au
milieu d'une profonde obscurité. "Il faudra bien
que je m'en sorte," dit-il. Il tâtonna autour de lui,
retrouva le chemin de sa chambre et s'endormit
auprès de son feu. Au matin, le roi arriva et dit:
"Alors, as-tu appris à frissonner?" - "Non,"
répondit le garçon, "je ne sais toujours pas. J'ai vu
mon cousin mort et un homme barbu est venu qui
m'a montré beaucoup d'or. Mais personne ne m'a
dit ce que signifie frissonner." Le roi dit alors: "Tu
as libéré le château de ses fantômes et tu
épouseras ma fille." - "Bonne chose!" répondit-il,
"mais je ne sais toujours pas frissonner."
On alla chercher l'or et les noces furent célébrées.
Mais le jeune roi continuait à dire: "Si seulement
j'avais peur, si seulement je pouvais frissonner!"
La reine finit par en être contrariée. Sa camériste
dit: "Je vais l'aider à frissonner! Je vais l'aider à
frissonner!" Elle se rendit sur les bords du
ruisseau qui coulait dans le jardin et se fit donner
un plein seau de goujons. Durant la nuit, alors que
son époux dormait, la princesse retira les
couvertures et versa sur lui l'eau et les goujons, si
bien que les petits poissons frétillaient tout autour
shalt die." - "Not so fast," replied the youth. "If I
am to die, I shall have to have a say in it." - "I will
soon seize thee," said the fiend. "Softly, softly, do
not talk so big. I am as strong as thou art, and
perhaps even stronger." - "We shall see," said the
old man. "If thou art stronger, I will let thee go -
come, we will try." Then he led him by dark
passages to a smith's forge, took an axe, and with
one blow struck an anvil into the ground. "I can do
better than that," said the youth, and went to the
other anvil. The old man placed himself near and
wanted to look on, and his white beard hung
down. Then the youth seized the axe, split the
anvil with one blow, and struck the old man's
beard in with it. "Now I have thee," said the youth.
"Now it is thou who will have to die." Then he
seized an iron bar and beat the old man till he
moaned and entreated him to stop, and he would
give him great riches. The youth drew out the axe
and let him go. The old man led him back into the
castle, and in a cellar showed him three chests full
of gold. "Of these," said he, "one part is for the
poor, the other for the king, the third is thine." In
the meantime it struck twelve, and the spirit
disappeared; the youth, therefore, was left in
darkness. "I shall still be able to find my way out,"
said he, and felt about, found the way into the
room, and slept there by his fire. Next morning the
King came and said "Now thou must have learnt
what shuddering is?" - "No," he answered; "what
can it be? My dead cousin was here, and a
bearded man came and showed me a great deal of
money down below, but no one told me what it
was to shudder." - "Then," said the King, "thou
hast delivered the castle, and shalt marry my
daughter." - "That is all very well," said he, "but
still I do not know what it is to shudder."
Then the gold was brought up and the wedding
celebrated; but howsoever much the young king
loved his wife, and however happy he was, he still
said always "If I could but shudder - if I could but
shudder." And at last she was angry at this. Her
waiting-maid said, "I will find a cure for him; he
shall soon learn what it is to shudder." She went
out to the stream which flowed through the
garden, and had a whole bucketful of gudgeons
brought to her. At night when the young king was
sleeping, his wife was to draw the clothes off him
and empty the bucketful of cold water with the
gudgeons in it over him, so that the little fishes
de lui. Il s'éveilla et cria: "Ah! comme je frissonne, would sprawl about him. When this was done, he
chère femme! Ah! Oui, maintenant je sais ce que woke up and cried "Oh, what makes me shudder
c'est que de frissonner." so? What makes me shudder so, dear wife? Ah!
now I know what it is to shudder!"