Guess where I was - a photo on Flickriver

Guess where I was

Bremen, Bötchergasse

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The Bremen town musicians

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.

Es hatte ein Mann einen Esel, der schon lange Jahre die Säcke unverdrossen zur Mühle getragen hatte, dessen Kräfte aber nun zu Ende gingen, so daß er zur Arbeit immer untauglicher ward. Da dachte der Herr daran, ihn aus dem Futter zu schaffen, aber der Esel merkte, daß kein guter Wind wehte, lief fort und machte sich auf den Weg nach Bremen; dort, meinte er, könnte er ja Stadtmusikant werden. Als er ein Weilchen fortgegangen war, fand er einen Jagdhund auf dem Wege liegen, der jappte wie einer, der sich müde gelaufen hat. “Nun, was jappst du so, Packan?” fragte der Esel. “Ach,” sagte der Hund, “weil ich alt bin und jeden Tag schwächer werde, auch auf der Jagd nicht mehr fort kann, hat mich mein Herr wollen totschlagen, da hab ich Reißaus genommen; aber womit soll ich nun mein Brot verdienen?” - “Weißt du was?” sprach der Esel, “ich gehe nach Bremen und werde dort Stadtmusikant, geh mit und laß dich auch bei der Musik annehmen. Ich spiele die Laute und du schlägst die Pauken.” Der Hund war’s zufrieden, und sie gingen weiter. Es dauerte nicht lange, so saß da eine Katze an dem Weg und macht ein Gesicht wie drei Tage Regenwetter. “Nun, was ist dir in die Quere gekommen, alter Bartputzer?” sprach der Esel. “Wer kann da lustig sein, wenn’s einem an den Kragen geht,” antwortete die Katze, “weil ich nun zu Jahren komme, meine Zähne stumpf werden, und ich lieber hinter dem Ofen sitze und spinne, als nach Mäusen herumjagen, hat mich meine Frau ersäufen wollen; ich habe mich zwar noch fortgemacht, aber nun ist guter Rat teuer: wo soll ich hin?” - “Geh mit uns nach Bremen, du verstehst dich doch auf die Nachtmusik, da kannst du ein Stadtmusikant werden.” Die Katze hielt das für gut und ging mit. Darauf kamen die drei Landesflüchtigen an einem Hof vorbei, da saß auf dem Tor der Haushahn und schrie aus Leibeskräften. “Du schreist einem durch Mark und Bein,” sprach der Esel, “was hast du vor?” - “Da hab’ ich gut Wetter prophezeit,” sprach der Hahn, “weil unserer lieben Frauen Tag ist, wo sie dem Christkindlein die Hemdchen gewaschen hat und sie trocknen will; aber weil morgen zum Sonntag Gäste kommen, so hat die Hausfrau doch kein Erbarmen und hat der Köchin gesagt, sie wollte mich morgen in der Suppe essen, und da soll ich mir heut abend den Kopf abschneiden lassen. Nun schrei ich aus vollem Hals, solang ich kann.” - “Ei was, du Rotkopf,” sagte der Esel, “zieh lieber mit uns fort, wir gehen nach Bremen, etwas Besseres als den Tod findest du überall; du hast eine gute Stimme, und wenn wir zusammen musizieren, so muß es eine Art haben.” Der Hahn ließ sich den Vorschlag gefallen, und sie gingen alle vier zusammen fort.

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.

Sie konnten aber die Stadt Bremen in einem Tag nicht erreichen und kamen abends in einen Wald, wo sie übernachten wollten. Der Esel und der Hund legten sich unter einen großen Baum, die Katze und der Hahn machten sich in die Äste, der Hahn aber flog bis an die Spitze, wo es am sichersten für ihn war. Ehe er einschlief, sah er sich noch einmal nach allen vier Winden um, da deuchte ihn, er sähe in der Ferne ein Fünkchen brennen, und rief seinen Gesellen zu, es müßte nicht gar weit ein Haus sein, denn es scheine ein Licht. Sprach der Esel: “So müssen wir uns aufmachen und noch hingehen, denn hier ist die Herberge schlecht.” Der Hund meinte: “Ein paar Knochen und etwas Fleisch dran täten ihm auch gut.” Also machten sie sich auf den Weg nach der Gegend, wo das Licht war, und sahen es bald heller schimmern, und es ward immer größer, bis sie vor ein helles, erleuchtetes Räuberhaus kamen. Der Esel, als der größte, näherte sich dem Fenster und schaute hinein. “Was siehst du, Grauschimmel?” fragte der Hahn. “Was ich sehe?” antwortete der Esel, “einen gedeckten Tisch mit schönem Essen und Trinken, und Räuber sitzen daran und lassen’s sich wohl sein.” - “Das wäre was für uns,” sprach der Hahn. “Ja, ja, ach, wären wir da!” sagte der Esel. Da ratschlagten die Tiere, wie sie es anfangen müßten, um die Räuber hinauszujagen und fanden endlich ein Mittel. Der Esel mußte sich mit den Vorderfüßen auf das Fenster stellen, der Hund auf des Esels Rücken springen, die Katze auf den Hund klettern, und endlich flog der Hahn hinauf, und setzte sich der Katze auf den Kopf. Wie das geschehen war, fingen sie auf ein Zeichen insgesamt an, ihre Musik zu machen: der Esel schrie, der Hund bellte, die Katze miaute und der Hahn krähte. Dann stürzten sie durch das Fenster in die Stube hinein, daß die Scheiben klirrten. Die Räuber fuhren bei dem entsetzlichen Geschrei in die Höhe, meinten nicht anders, als ein Gespenst käme herein, und flohen in größter Furcht in den Wald hinaus. Nun setzten sich die vier Gesellen an den Tisch, nahmen mit dem vorlieb, was übriggeblieben war, und aßen nach Herzenslust.

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.

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Taken on: June 5, 2008

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Camera: Fujifilm FinePix S6500fd, f/3.1, 1/28 sec, 7.6mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Fujifilm FinePix S6500fd
Aperture:	f/3.1
Exposure Time:	0.036 sec (1/28)
Focal Length:	7.6mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Manual
Light Source:	Shade
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Digital Camera FinePix S6500fd Ver1.00
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