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Grimm CMU · Grimm's Fairy Tales

The Shepherd Boy

117-the-shepherd-boy

Review Status Pending

Original vs Child Rewrite

Original from body · Child Rewrite from child_friendly_chunks

Original
Child Rewrite
original ¶1

There was once upon a time a shepherd boy whose fame spread far and wide because of the wise answers which he gave to every question. The king of the country heard of it likewise, but did not believe it, and sent for the boy. Then he said to him, if you can give me an answer to three questions which I will ask you, I will look on you as my own child, and you shall dwell with me in my royal palace. The boy said, what are the three questions. The king said, the first is, how many drops of water are there in the ocean. The shepherd boy answered, lord king, if you will have all the rivers on earth dammed up so that not a single drop runs from them into the sea until I have counted it, I will tell you how many drops there are in the sea. The king said, the next question is, how many stars are there in the sky. The shepherd boy said, give me a great sheet of white paper, and then he made so many fine points on it with a pen that they could scarcely be seen, and it was all but impossible to count them, any one who looked at them would have lost his sight. Then he said, there are as many stars in the sky as there are points on the paper. Just count them. But no one was able to do it. The king said, the third question is, how many seconds of time are there in eternity. Then said the shepherd boy, in lower pomerania is the diamond mountain, which is two miles high, two miles wide, and two miles deep. Every hundred years a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on it, and when the whole mountain is worn away by this, then the first second of eternity will be over. The king said, you have answered the three questions like a wise man, and shall henceforth dwell with me in my royal palace, and I will regard you as my own child.

v3 ¶1

Once upon a time, there was a shepherd boy who was very smart. Everyone knew him because he always had the right answer. The King heard about the boy, but he did not believe it. So, the King sent for him. The King said, "If you can answer three questions for me, I will treat you like my own son. You can live in my big palace." The boy asked, "What are the three questions?" The King said, "The first question is: How many drops of water are in the ocean?" The shepherd boy answered, "My Lord King, if you stop all the rivers so no water runs into the sea until I count it, I will tell you exactly how many drops there are.

original

 

v3 ¶2

The king asked, "How many stars are there in the sky?" The shepherd boy said, "Give me a big sheet of white paper." He made tiny dots on it with a pen. The dots were so small that they were hard to see. It was almost impossible to count them. If you looked at them for too long, your eyes would hurt. The boy said, "There are as many stars in the sky as there are dots on the paper. Just count them." But no one could do it. The king asked, "The third question is, how many seconds are there in forever?" Then the shepherd boy said, "In a faraway place called Lower Pomerania, there is a diamond mountain. It is two miles high, two miles wide, and two miles deep.

original

 

v3 ¶3

Every hundred years, a tiny bird comes to sharpen its beak on the stone. When the mountain is worn away by this, the very first moment of forever will be over. The King smiled and said, "You have answered my questions like a very wise man. You will live with me in my big, beautiful palace. I will treat you like my own son.

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