Name: Hungarian Folk Tales: The Star-Eyed Shepherd (S02E08)
Uploaded: 2020-05-10T00:48:18.000Z
Duration: 10 min 14 s

Hungarian Folk Tales: The Starry-Eyed Shepard

Father, I'm going to leave home and seek my fortune.

Son, be sure to take the path where there's no mud.

Then his parents gave the boy a bundle of food and bid him farewell.

He did not stop until he arrived at a lush green meadow

where he saw a flock of sheep grazing unattended.

Those poor sheep have been left all alone  I shall watch over them until their shepherd returned.

The time passed but no shepherd appeared.

The boy stayed with the sheep until he ran out of food.

He thought he would take the sheep down  to the local town,

where he would sell a few of them to buy some food for himself.

The boy walked down into the town and sold a handful of lambs to the local butcher.

He then used the money to purchase all that he needed

and settled down with his sheep at the edge of the town.

A king also lived in this town and he was a very cruel king indeed.

He was so very cruel that he had people executed for not saying bless you,

One Sunday morning the king sneezed unusually loudly,

and so all of his soldiers rode all over the country, toward of the common people to say:

Bless you, your highness, your very good health!

The young shepherd was still out in the meadow watching over his flock

when the soldiers rode up to him and ordered him to bless the king.

But he refused to obey until the king granted him the hand of his beautiful daughter.

So the soldiers caught the shepherd boy  off to the palace and presented him to the king.

The king's beautiful daughter was also there when they arrived

and she liked the young shepherd but said nothing of it to anyone.

Then the king addressed the shepherd saying:

Will you not bless me your king and wish me good health?

I will not, your highness, even if you have me killed.

Though I happily would if you let me marry your beautiful daughter.

A lowly shepherd boy like you will never marry my beautiful daughter!

Then he ordered his soldiers to throw the shepherd boy to the hungry wild pigs.

There the shepherd boy took out his flute and played a merry tune to the fat pigs.

And the pigs liked the music so much that they began to dance.

The shepherd made them dance until the pigs began to sweat.

And were all so tired that they fell fast asleep.

Then the starry-eyed shepherd felt tired too and laid his head down for the night.

In the morning the marshal went to see if the boy was still alive

and when he saw that he was he took him before the king again.

Now, young shepherd, wish that God should bless me and give me good health!

Not until you grant me your daughter's hand, not even if you throw me into the pit.

Guards, throw him into the pit with the scythe blades!

If I am cast down into the pit, the shepherd thought,  the blades will cut me to shreds.

Well, will you now ask that God bless the king and wish him good health?

Wait one minute, my good man! Leave me alone for a moment while I think.

So the soldiers left the starry-eyed shepherd alone.

The young shepherd stuck his crook into the ground, took off his coat

and then put his hat on top of the crook.

Now you can come in, and do with me what you will

for I shall never wish that God bless the king and give him good health.

Then he swiftly hid himself in a dark corner.

The soldiers were sure that the crook, the coat and the hat were the shepherd boy,

and so they thought that the poor shepherd had landed on it and died.

The very next morning the marshal went out to check the pit.

He heard a pretty tune playing on a flute inside.

It's impossible that the shepherd is playing his flute!

and saw the shepherd there merrily blowing his flute.

He locked the door on the shepherd and ran back to the king.

Your royal highness, the starry-eyed shepherd is still alive!

Bring him before me at once! – the king demanded.

The shepherd was again presented and the king again told him:

Ask that God bless me and wish me good health!

I will never do such a thing until I can marry your daughter,

He will soon beg God to bless me and wish me good health

when the hungry owls peck out his starry-eyes.

So they took the shepherd boy to a chamber in the tower.

But as soon as the door was closed, he took out his flute and began to play,

All the animals in the tower began to dance to his merry tune.

The animals screeched and shrieked, and the young shepherd made them dance

Then they all pulled themselves away and fell fast asleep.

Then the shepherd joined them and slept until morning.

The next morning the marshal went up to the tower.

He opened the door to see the boy sitting and laughing to his heart's content.

The king's marshal ran quickly back to his master.

Your highness, the shepherd is laughing as happily as if he owned the whole land!

What a tough boy he is! He cannot be killed, bring him here at once!

It is true that you cannot be killed, now sit in the golden carriage.

So the shepherd boy sat in the golden carriage and they drove deep into the silver forest.

Tell me, shepherd, if I gave you this splendid silver forest,

would you ask that God bless me and wish me good health?