Read "Little Table Set Thyself, Gold-Ass, and Cudgel out of the Sack" by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
There was once upon a time, a tailor, who had three sons and only one goat. But as the goat supported the whole of them with her milk, she was obliged to have good food, and to be taken every day to pasture. The sons, therefore, did this, in turn.
Once, the eldest took her to the churchyard, where the finest herbs were to be found, and let her eat and run about there. At night, when it was time to go home, he asked, "Goat, have you had enough?"
The goat answered:
"_I have eaten so much, / Not a leaf more I'll touch, / Ma! Ma! _"
"Come home, then," said the youth, and took hold of the cord round her neck, led her into the stable and tied her up securely.
"Well," said the old tailor, "has the goat had as much food as she ought?"
"Oh," answered the son, "she has eaten so much, not a leaf more she'll touch."
But the father wished to satisfy himself, and went down to the stable, stroked the dear animal and asked, "Goat, are you satisfied?"
The goat answered:
"_With what should I be satisfied? / Among the graves I leapt about, / And found no food, so went without, / Ma! Ma! _"
"What do I hear? " cried the tailor, and ran up-stairs and said to the youth, "Hollo, you liar; you said the goat had had enough, and have let her go hungry! " and in his anger, he took the yard-measure from the wall, and drove him out with blows.
Next day, it was the turn of the second son, who looked out for a place in the fence of the garden, where nothing but good herbs grew. And the goat cleared them all off.
At night, when he wanted to go home, he asked, "Goat, are you satisfied?"
The goat answered:
"_I have eaten so much, / Not a leaf more I'll touch, / Ma! Ma! _"
"Come home, then," said the youth, and led her home and tied her up in the stable.
"Well," said the old tailor, "has the goat had as much food as she ought?"
"Oh," answered the son, "she has eaten so much, not a leaf more she'll touch."
The tailor would not rely on this, but went down to the stable and said, "Goat, have you had enough?"
The goat answered: