The Star Money
thereEs waswar onceeinmal aein littlekleines girlMädchen, whosedem hadwar fatherVater andund motherMutter diedgestorben, andund shees waswar soso poorarm, thatdaß shees nokein little roomKämmerchen anymoremehr hadhatte thereindarin tozu livewohnen andund nokein little bedBettchen anymoremehr thereindarin tozu sleepschlafen andund finallyendlich at allgar nothingnichts moremehr thanals thedie clothesKleider onauf herdem bodyLeib andund aein little pieceStückchen of breadBrot inin herder handHand, whichdas to herihm aein compassionatemitleidiges heartHerz givengeschenkt hadhatte. sheEs waswar thoughaber goodgut andund piousfromm. andUnd becauseweil shees soso byvon all thealler worldWelt forsakenverlassen waswar, wentgieng shees inim trustVertrauen inauf theden dearlieben GodGott outhinaus into theins fieldFeld.
Once upon a time there was a little girl whose father and mother had died, and she was so poor that she no longer had a little room to live in, nor a little bed to sleep in, and at last nothing at all but the clothes on her body and a little piece of bread in her hand that some compassionate heart had given her. But she was good and pious. And because she was so forsaken by all the world, she went out into the fields trusting in dear God.
thereDa metbegegnete herihm aein poorarmer manMann, whoder saidsprach ah„ach, givegib memir somethingetwas tozu eatessen, Iich ambin soso hungryhungerig.“ sheEs handedreichte himihm thedas wholeganze little pieceStückchen of breadBrot andund saidsagte God„Gott blesssegne it for youdirs“ andund wentgieng onweiter. thenDa camekam aein childKind thatdas wailedjammerte andund saidsprach it„es freezesfriert memich soso onan mymeinem headKopfe, giveschenk memir somethingetwas, with whichwomit Iich itihn coverbedecken cankann.“ thenDa tookthat shees herseine capMütze offab andund gavegab itsie to himihm. andUnd whenals shees yetnoch aeine whileWeile walkedgegangen hadwar, camekam againwieder aein childKind andund hadhatte nokein bodiceLeibchen onan andund was freezingfror: thenda gavegab shees himihm hersseins: andund stillnoch furtherweiter, thenda beggedbat oneeins forum aein little skirtRöcklein, thatdas gavegab shees alsoauch fromvon herselfsich awayhin.
There a poor man met her, who said, “Ah, give me something to eat, I am so hungry.” She handed him the whole little piece of bread, said “God bless it for you,” and went on. Then came a child that wailed and said, “My head is so cold — give me something to cover it with.” So she took off her cap and gave it to him. And when she had walked a while longer, another child came who had no bodice on and was freezing: so she gave him hers. And further on, one begged for a little skirt, and she gave that away too.
at lastEndlich camegelangte shees intoin aeinen forestWald, andund ites hadwar alreadyschon darkdunkel becomegeworden, thenda camekam yetnoch anothereins andund beggedbat forum aein little shirtHemdlein, andund thedas piousfromme girlMädchen thoughtdachte it„es isist darkdunkle nightNacht, thenda seessieht youdich nobodyniemand youdu cankannst wellwohl yourdein shirtHemd awayweg givegeben,“ andund tookzog thedas shirtHemd offab andund gavegab ites alsoauch stillnoch awayhin. andUnd aswie shees soso stoodstand andund at allgar nothingnichts moremehr hadhatte, fellfielen all atauf onceeinmal thedie starsSterne from thevom skyHimmel, andund werewaren nothing butlauter hardharte shiningblanke talersThaler: andund althoughob shees justgleich hersein little shirtHemdlein awayweg had givengegeben, yetso hadhatte shees aein new oneneues onan andund itdas waswar of thevom very finestallerfeinsten linenLinnen. thenDa gatheredsammelte shees for herselfsich thedie talersThaler into ithinein andund waswar richreich forfür hersein life’s daysLebtag.
At last she came into a forest, and it had already grown dark, when yet another came and begged for a little shirt; and the pious girl thought, “It is dark night — no one sees you; you may well give your shirt away,” took off the shirt, and gave that away too. And as she stood there with nothing at all left, the stars suddenly fell from the sky, and they were nothing but hard, shining talers; and though she had just given her little shirt away, she had a new one on — of the very finest linen. She gathered the talers into it and was rich for the rest of her days.
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