The Swineherd

A poor prince sends a princess a real rose and a nightingale, but she wants only clever toys. Disguised as the emperor's swineherd, he makes a magic pot with bells and a rattle, and she pays for them in kisses until the emperor finds out.

Scene 1: A Rose and a Nightingale

The Swineherd. Once there was a poor prince with a very small kingdom. He wished to marry the emperor’s daughter. On his father’s grave grew a rose tree. It bloomed only once in five years, with one single rose. It smelled so sweet that all sorrows were forgotten. The prince also had a nightingale that sang as if all sweet songs lived in her throat. He sent them both to the princess, in big silver caskets.

Scene 2: It Is Natural!

The princess clapped her hands. But out came the rose. She touched it and nearly cried: “Fie, papa! It is not made at all. It is natural!” Then the nightingale sang so sweetly that the old emperor wept like a child. But when the princess heard it was a real bird, she said: “Then let the bird fly!” And she would not see the prince at all.

Scene 3: The Pot with Bells

But the prince did not give up. He stained his face brown and black, and asked for work. The emperor said: “Why, yes! I want someone to take care of the pigs.” So the prince became the imperial swineherd. By the pigsty, he made a little pot with bells all around it. When it boiled, the bells played the old tune “Ach, du lieber Augustin.” And whoever held a finger in the steam could smell what was cooking on every stove in town!

Scene 4: Ten Kisses

The princess heard the tune. It was the only tune she could play, with one finger. She sent a lady to ask the price. The swineherd said: “Ten kisses from the princess.” She called him rude and walked on. But the bells rang again, so sweetly. So her ladies stood in front of her and spread out their dresses. She gave him ten quick kisses on the cheek, and took the pot.

Scene 5: A Hundred Kisses

The ladies danced and clapped: “We know who has soup and pancakes, and who has cutlets and eggs!” Next, the swineherd made a rattle that played every waltz and jig. This time he wanted a hundred kisses. The princess said: “One must encourage art.” So the ladies stood round again and counted every kiss.

Scene 6: The Emperor’s Slipper

The emperor saw the crowd from his balcony. He put on his spectacles and crept down on tiptoe. The ladies were so busy counting, they did not see him. At the eighty-sixth kiss, he waved his slipper and cried: “Be off with you!” The princess and the swineherd were sent out of the city, into the pouring rain.

Scene 7: All Is Gone

The princess wept: “Oh, if only I had married the prince!” The swineherd went behind a tree, washed his face, and stepped out as a prince. He said: “You would not have the rose or the nightingale. But you would kiss a swineherd for a toy!” He went home to his own little kingdom and shut the door. Now she could sing: “Ach, du lieber Augustin, all is gone, gone, gone.” A real rose is worth more than any clever toy.

Moral: A real rose is worth more than any clever toy.

Questions about The Swineherd

More stories to read aloud

• Cinderella — Kind Cinderella works among the cinders for her proud stepmother and stepsisters, until her fairy godmother turns a pumpkin into a golden coach and sends her to the King’s son’s ball in glass slippers.
• Diamonds and Toads — A kind girl gives water to a poor old woman at the fountain, and the woman, who is really a fairy, makes roses, pearls and diamonds fall from her lips at every word.
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears — While the Three Bears take a walk until their porridge cools, a little girl called Goldilocks walks into their house and tries their porridge, chairs and beds.