The Swineherd
A prince from a small kingdom wanted to marry the emperor’s daughter, so he sent her a beautiful rose from his father’s grave and a singing nightingale. The princess would have neither as she found artificial things far more beautiful than genuine ones, so she forbade the prince to come to visit.
The prince put on a disguise, smeared his face with brown and black paint and sought a position as swineherd at the palace. On his first day on the job, he created a musical pot that could that could play “Ach, Du lieber Augustin”, while revealing what dishes were being prepared in all of the city’s chimneys, The princess wanted to have the pot, but the swineherd demanded 10 kisses in exchange for it. The ladies-in-waiting formed a ring around the couple, and the swineherd got his payment.
The next day, he made a ratchet that cost 100 kisses. The princess paid the price this time, too. However, the emperor found out about the kissing and threw both the princess and the swineherd out of his kingdom. The princess then wept and regretted having rejected the prince since even a small kingdom was better than none whatsoever. The swineherd threw the disguise, revealed himself and then returned to his kingdom, shutting the door on her. The princess could do nothing other than sing dolefully: “Ach, Du lieber Augustin, Alles ist væk, væk, væk!”.
Made in Denmark
