Week 14 Story: The traveling ballad-singer
Original Story
This story is part of the Brothers Grimm (Crane) unit. Story source: Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886).
There once lived a traveling ballad-singer. After taking years of singing lessons, he was left poor and resorted to begging on the streets for spare change. He went from town to town singing his heart out in hopes he could afford a meal and a place to stay for the night. Living on his own, the traveling ballad-singer grew tired from the hardships of traveling. He spent all day from sunrise to sunset singing on the streets and had no time to care for himself.
One day, the traveling singer traveled to King Thrushbeard's kingdom. His hope was that some of the wealthier inhabitants would be more generous with their donations. He entered the kingdom near breakfast time and began singing near the local street vendors while people purchased produce to make a hearty meal. Most people were to busy to pay attention to the traveling ballad-singer, so he packed his bags and continued deeper into the city. This part of town was a little wealthier than the outskirts. The traveling ballad-singer hoped his fortune would turn around. To his luck, many of the local business loved his singing as it drew attention to their stores. They each gave the traveling ballad-singer a small token of their appreciation. This was enough for him to purchase a meal and replenish his starving body. Excited by his good fortune, the traveling ballad-singer continued deeper into the city in hopes of even more rewards. Luckily, his fortune continued to prosper and the traveling ballad-singer was able to make enough money to buy food for the next week. As he was finishing his last song in front of the castle, he saw King Thrushbeard appear from behind the gates. At first glance, the King looked anxious. He walked with great haste and his tone of voice reflected his anger and frustration. The King invited the traveling-ballad singer into the castle to perform an encore. Gratified by the opportunity to sing for the King, the traveling ballad-singer sung his heart out.
This story is part of the Brothers Grimm (Crane) unit. Story source: Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886).
There once lived a traveling ballad-singer. After taking years of singing lessons, he was left poor and resorted to begging on the streets for spare change. He went from town to town singing his heart out in hopes he could afford a meal and a place to stay for the night. Living on his own, the traveling ballad-singer grew tired from the hardships of traveling. He spent all day from sunrise to sunset singing on the streets and had no time to care for himself.
One day, the traveling singer traveled to King Thrushbeard's kingdom. His hope was that some of the wealthier inhabitants would be more generous with their donations. He entered the kingdom near breakfast time and began singing near the local street vendors while people purchased produce to make a hearty meal. Most people were to busy to pay attention to the traveling ballad-singer, so he packed his bags and continued deeper into the city. This part of town was a little wealthier than the outskirts. The traveling ballad-singer hoped his fortune would turn around. To his luck, many of the local business loved his singing as it drew attention to their stores. They each gave the traveling ballad-singer a small token of their appreciation. This was enough for him to purchase a meal and replenish his starving body. Excited by his good fortune, the traveling ballad-singer continued deeper into the city in hopes of even more rewards. Luckily, his fortune continued to prosper and the traveling ballad-singer was able to make enough money to buy food for the next week. As he was finishing his last song in front of the castle, he saw King Thrushbeard appear from behind the gates. At first glance, the King looked anxious. He walked with great haste and his tone of voice reflected his anger and frustration. The King invited the traveling-ballad singer into the castle to perform an encore. Gratified by the opportunity to sing for the King, the traveling ballad-singer sung his heart out.
After he was finished, he turned to the King who was sitting next to his daughter. The King still had a look of frustration in his face and the traveling ballad-singer was worried he had performed poorly. To his surprise, the King announced that the traveling ballad-singer would marry his daughter immediately. Dumbstruck as to what happened, the traveling ballad-singer followed the King's instructions without question and married his daughter. Hopeful that his life would now be one of royalty, the traveling ballad-singer was disappointed to hear the king call him a beggar and king him and his daughter out of the castle.
Author's Note:
In the original story, King Thrushbeard becomes frustrated when his daughter is not satisfied by any of the suitors he proposes for her. Eventually, he vowed that the next beggar that walked through the door would marry his daughter. I took this story structure, but told it from the beggars perspective. I added details on what the beggar did before arriving at the castle and marrying the princess.
Author's Note:
In the original story, King Thrushbeard becomes frustrated when his daughter is not satisfied by any of the suitors he proposes for her. Eventually, he vowed that the next beggar that walked through the door would marry his daughter. I took this story structure, but told it from the beggars perspective. I added details on what the beggar did before arriving at the castle and marrying the princess.
The Traveling Ballad-Singer from Wikipedia
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