The Bremen town
musicians

Los músicos
de Brema

There was once an ass whose master had made him carry sacks to the mill for many a long year, but whose strength began at last to fail, so that each day as it came found him less capable of work. Then his master began to think of turning him out, but the ass, guessing that something was in the wind that boded him no good, ran away, taking the road to Bremen; for there he thought he might get an engagement as town musician. When he had gone a little way he found a hound lying by the side of the road panting, as if he had run a long way. "Now, Holdfast, what are you so out of breath about?" said the ass. "Oh dear!" said the dog, "now I am old, I get weaker every day, and can do no good in the hunt, so, as my master was going to have me killed, I have made my escape; but now, how am I to gain a living?" - "I will tell you what," said the ass, "I am going to Bremen to become town musician. You may as well go with me, and take up music too. I can play the lute, and you can beat the drum." And the dog consented, and they walked on together. It was not long before they came to a cat sitting in the road, looking as dismal as three wet days. "Now then, what is the matter with you, old shaver?" said the ass. "I should like to know who would be cheerful when his neck is in danger," answered the cat. "Now that I am old my teeth are getting blunt, and I would rather sit by the oven and purr than run about after mice, and my mistress wanted to drown me; so I took myself off; but good advice is scarce, and I do not know what is to become of me." - "Go with us to Bremen," said the ass, "and become town musician. You understand serenading." The cat thought well of the idea, and went with them accordingly. After that the three travellers passed by a yard, and a cock was perched on the gate crowing with all his might. "Your cries are enough to pierce bone and marrow," said the ass; "what is the matter?" - "I have foretold good weather for Lady-day, so that all the shirts may be washed and dried; and now on Sunday morning company is coming, and the mistress has told the cook that I must be made into soup, and this evening my neck is to be wrung, so that I am crowing with all my might while I can." - "You had much better go with us, Chanticleer," said the ass. "We are going to Bremen. At any rate that will be better than dying. You have a powerful voice, and when we are all performing together it will have a very good effect." So the cock consented, and they went on all four together.

Tenía un hombre un asno que durante largos años había transportado incansablemente los sacos al molino; pero al cabo vinieron a faltarle las fuerzas, y cada día se iba haciendo más inútil para el trabajo. El amo pensó en deshacerse de él; pero el burro, dándose cuenta de que soplaban malos vientos, escapó y tomó el camino de la ciudad de Brema, pensando que tal vez podría encontrar trabajo como músico municipal. Después de andar un buen trecho, se encontró con un perro cazador que, echado en el camino, jadeaba, al parecer, cansado de una larga carrera. "Pareces muy fatigado, amigo," le dijo el asno. "¡Ay!" exclamó el perro, "como ya soy viejo y estoy más débil cada día que pasa y ya no sirvo para cazar, mi amo quiso matarme, y yo he puesto tierra por medio. Pero, ¿cómo voy a ganarme el pan?" - "¿Sabes qué?" dijo el asno. "Yo voy a Brema, a ver si puedo encontrar trabajo como músico de la ciudad. Vente conmigo y entra también en la banda. Yo tocaré el laúd, y tú puedes tocar los timbales." Parecióle bien al can la proposición, y prosiguieron juntos la ruta. No había transcurrido mucho rato cuando encontraron un gato con cara de tres días sin pan: "Y, pues, ¿qué contratiempo has sufrido, bigotazos?" preguntóle el asno. "No está uno para poner cara de Pascua cuando le va la piel," respondió el gato. "Porque me hago viejo, se me embotan los dientes y me siento más a gusto al lado del fuego que corriendo tras los ratones, mi ama ha tratado de ahogarme. Cierto que he logrado escapar, pero mi situación es apurada: ¿adónde iré ahora?" - "Vente a Brema con nosotros. Eres un perito en música nocturna y podrás entrar también en la banda." El gato estimó bueno el consejo y se agregó a los otros dos. Más tarde llegaron los tres fugitivos a un cortijo donde, encaramado en lo alto del portal, un gallo gritaba con todos sus pulmones. "Tu voz se nos mete en los sesos," dijo el asno. "¿Qué te pasa?" - "He estado profetizando buen tiempo," respondió el gallo, "porque es el día en que la Virgen María ha lavado la camisita del Niño Jesús y quiere ponerla a secar. Pero como resulta que mañana es domingo y vienen invitados, mi ama, que no tiene compasión, ha mandado a la cocinera que me eche al puchero; y así, esta noche va a cortarme el cuello. Por eso grito ahora con toda la fuerza de mis pulmones, mientras me quedan aún algunas horas." - "¡Bah, cresta roja!" dijo el asno. "Mejor harás viniéndote con nosotros. Mira, nos vamos a Brema; algo mejor que la muerte en cualquier parte lo encontrarás. Tienes buena voz, y si todos juntos armamos una banda, ya saldremos del apuro." El gallo le pareció interesante la oferta, y los cuatro emprendieron el camino de Brema.

But Bremen was too far off to be reached in one day, and towards evening they came to a wood, where they determined to pass the night. The ass and the dog lay down under a large tree; the cat got up among the branches, and the cock flew up to the top, as that was the safest place for him. Before he went to sleep he looked all round him to the four points of the compass, and perceived in the distance a little light shining, and he called out to his companions that there must be a house not far off, as he could see a light, so the ass said, "We had better get up and go there, for these are uncomfortable quarters." The dog began to fancy a few bones, not quite bare, would do him good. And they all set off in the direction of the light, and it grew larger and brighter, until at last it led them to a robber's house, all lighted up. The ass. being the biggest, went up to the window, and looked in. "Well, what do you see?" asked the dog. "What do I see?" answered the ass; "here is a table set out with splendid eatables and drinkables, and robbers sitting at it and making themselves very comfortable." - "That would just suit us," said the cock. "Yes, indeed, I wish we were there," said the ass. Then they consulted together how it should be managed so as to get the robbers out of the house, and at last they hit on a plan. The ass was to place his forefeet on the window-sill, the dog was to get on the ass's back, the cat on the top of the dog, and lastly the cock was to fly up and perch on the cat's head. When that was done, at a given signal they all began to perform their music. The ass brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock crowed; then they burst through into the room, breaking all the panes of glass. The robbers fled at the dreadful sound; they thought it was some goblin, and fled to the wood in the utmost terror. Then the four companions sat down to table, made free with the remains of the meal, and feasted as if they had been hungry for a month.

And when they had finished they put out the lights, and each sought out a sleeping-place to suit his nature and habits. The ass laid himself down outside on the dunghill, the dog behind the door, the cat on the hearth by the warm ashes, and the cock settled himself in the cockloft, and as they were all tired with their long journey they soon fell fast asleep. When midnight drew near, and the robbers from afar saw that no light was burning, and that everything appeared quiet, their captain said to them that he thought that they had run away without reason, telling one of them to go and reconnoitre. So one of them went, and found everything quite quiet; he went into the kitchen to strike a light, and taking the glowing fiery eyes of the cat for burning coals, he held a match to them in order to kindle it. But the cat, not seeing the joke, flew into his face, spitting and scratching. Then he cried out in terror, and ran to get out at the back door, but the dog, who was lying there, ran at him and bit his leg; and as he was rushing through the yard by the dunghill the ass struck out and gave him a great kick with his hind foot; and the cock, who had been wakened with the noise, and felt quite brisk, cried out, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Then the robber got back as well as he could to his captain, and said, "Oh dear! in that house there is a gruesome witch, and I felt her breath and her long nails in my face; and by the door there stands a man who stabbed me in the leg with a knife; and in the yard there lies a black spectre, who beat me with his wooden club; and above, upon the roof, there sits the justice, who cried, 'Bring that rogue here!' And so I ran away from the place as fast as I could." From that time forward the robbers never ventured to that house, and the four Bremen town musicians found themselves so well off where they were, that there they stayed. And the person who last related this tale is still living, as you see.

Cuando los cuatro músicos hubieron terminado el banquete, apagaron la luz y se buscaron cada uno una yacija apropiada a su naturaleza y gusto. El asno se echó sobre el estiércol; el perro, detrás de la puerta; el gato, sobre las cenizas calientes del hogar, y el gallo se posó en una viga; y como todos estaban rendidos de su larga caminata, no tardaron en dormirse. A media noche, observando desde lejos los ladrones que no había luz en la casa y que todo parecía tranquilo, dijo el capitán: "No debíamos habernos asustado tan fácilmente," y envió a uno de los de la cuadrilla a explorar el terreno. El mensajero lo encontró todo quieto y silencioso, y entró en la cocina para encender luz. Tomando los brillantes ojos del gato por brasas encendidas, aplicó a ellos un fósforo, para que prendiese. Pero el gato no estaba para bromas y, saltándole al rostro, se puso a soplarle y arañarle. Asustado el hombre, echó a correr hacia la puerta trasera; pero el perro, que dormía allí, se levantó de un brinco y le hincó los dientes en la pierna; y cuando el bandolero, en su huida, atravesó la era por encima del estercolero, el asno le propinó una recia coz, mientras el gallo, despertado por todo aquel alboroto y, ya muy animado, gritaba desde su viga: "¡Kikirikí!" El ladrón, corriendo como alma que lleva el diablo, llegó hasta donde estaba el capitán, y le dijo: "¡Uf!, en la casa hay una horrible bruja que me ha soplado y arañado la cara con sus largas uñas. Y en la puerta hay un hombre armado de un cuchillo y me lo ha clavado en la pierna. En la era, un monstruo negro me ha aporreado con un enorme mazo, y en la cima del tejado, el juez venga gritar: '¡Traedme el bribón aquí!' Menos mal que pude escapar." Los bandoleros ya no se atrevieron a volver a la casa, y los músicos de Brema se encontraron en ella tan a gusto, que ya no la abandonaron. Y quien no quiera creerlo, que vaya a verlo.