Dr Do Diddily and the Dee Dot's
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EUROPE -POLAND
PRINCESS SPRING - MAIDEN
adapted from Glinski's Fairy
Tales
Antoni Józef
Gliński
Shebor, the King of all the Woods, had an only child. Her name was Veosenka
which in Polish meant little Spring Maiden.
The name had been given her at her christening, and perfectly described the beauty of her body and her soul.
Her eyes were as blue as the sky and shone with a gentle tranquillity that nothing could disturb.
Her hair was like spun gold so bright
and shiny that it could have been made from the rays of the sun.
Her lips were like rose petals and her teeth as white as the flowers
of the lily of the valley. The blush on her cheeks came from the kisses of each
dawn.
It was said that the even the nightingale fell silent when Veosenka began to sing; Bees envied her, for the taste of honey on her breath.
Little wonder was it then that the king loved her more deeply than anything else in the world. Or that his one desire in life was to make sure no harm came to his beloved child.
It became law that the princess must be guarded from all dangers or sorrows,
happiness was to be the rule of the years she lived. All these were kept away from her.
And so this it how it was; Princess Spring Maiden lived in a world surrounded by beauty and goodness, happiness and joy with out pain or neglect.
In fact it was forbidden to even tell the princess that she could cry, or that there were people so poor living close by, anything that the king thought would upset her she was never told about.
Why he even ordered that all the fairy tales that were read to her had nothing but goodness in them from beginning to end.
Her life, in fact became one long fairy tale free from all the cares of the outside
world.
However, all was not so easy to hide, like the gardens and the flowers in them that were never allowed to go to seed lest the Princess saw that they lost there beautiful colour and scent, no broken branches, nothing to show that there was cruelty and death in the world.
So we have a beautiful princess who never lost her smile , or her sparkle, her life was one of contentment and joy.
Everything that the king commanded was obeyed throughout the whole
of the kingdom.
But alas not even a princess can be protected from all of life's elements and one day as Veosenka was strolling through the flower beds, looking as beautiful as ever in her pale rose gown, her thoughts full of beautiful music her nose full of the smell of roses and lilies, she failed to notice just how far she had wondered away from the palace close. Each valley passed beneath her feet; the morning was beautiful, bright sunshine kissed the ground, the dew upon the ground glistened like diamonds and the birds twittered in the trees.
All was good . . . . all was silence
save for the song birds . . . . all was quiet.
Suddenly Veosenka's attention was attracted by the rustle of wings. She looked up and there above her flying as fast as it could was a white dove. It was fleeing
from a hawk that seemed to be chasing it.
For a moment the dove hovered hesitantly high above the princess's head as if it was looking for help; but it was then the hawk's cruel beak struck its deadly blow. The bird whimpered faintly and fell to earth, splattering Spring-Maiden's feet
with drops of blood.
Quickly she ran and knelt down by the bird, it lay there shaking, shivering its eyes full of pain began to grow dim, its beak opened one last time then closed forever. Its wings flexed as if he was still trying to escape .... it moved no more.
Veosenka shook her head from side to side. "What was wrong with it, why doesn't it move?
Tears began to fall down the Princesses face, yet she knew not why.
Its tiny head is crushed; its eyelids closed, there was blood everywhere? Death was all around her, yet she couldn't understand why she was wrong . She jumped up and began to run across the valley back to the palace.
But this day was not over, the princess protected from life was only just beginning her adventure into the world. Still running she gasped as she almost trod on a small owl, who was sitting on the side of the path, although frightened by her, he made no attempt to move.
"Dear Owl!" cried the princess, "What is the matter with you ?"
"I am afraid my wings are twisted, a horrid boy caught hold of me and twisted them," cried the owl! "Oh my how they hurts. I was trying to get to the safety of your garden. Please do help me Spring Maiden."
Veosenka bent down and gathered the owl into her chest, in the owl's eyes there was pain and suffering, and yet in Veosenka's eyes there was compassion. She continued walking swiftly towards the Palace.
But she had not gone far when she was stopped again, this time by a Raven, huge and black his small eyes glittering in the sunlight.
He was sat on a branch directly in her path, she noticed that although his eyes were glittering he seemed very gloomy. Veosenka stopped transfixed
She spoke to the bird in her gentle voice . " I do not think I know of you Raven. Yet now you have flown in to sit on a branch in my garden.
You hold me with your glittering stare. What is the matter ?
Where have you come from ?"
The Raven croaked, shook his great head and in his hoarse voice began:-
"I journeyed here from country -
Not lands where scented flowers are.
I come from battle fields of doom
Where Death sets iron guns a boom.
Where thousands newly dead are lying
Beside their brothers, wounded, dying.
Shadowed with smoke the sun o'er-head
Peers down upon the field of dread,
Here on the wind no song is borne;
No gardens here for those who mourn,
But mothers, children, weeping sore
For dear ones whom they'll see no more,
Dead their tattered flag beside,
While the victors' shout rings far and wide-"
"Alas ! Alas !" cried Veosenka, shocked at his words and sorrow.
The raven peered at her intently, and croaked,
"What ! - What ! Are you suffering too. ?"
"Suffering, what do you mean suffering ?" she asked him in a frightened voice. .
"I mean exactly that, are you suffering also !" The raven looked at her in amazement "What I mean is, if you are suffering, then you are at last beginning to live ," croaked the big black bird nodding his head.
"Heed my words." he added then he spread his wings and left the tree and the palace gardens.
Veosenka gazed around the royal gardens, nothing had changed, and yet it did seem like there were fewer colours, fewer smells, maybe even less sunshine.
She turned towards the running fountain, but it sounded more like falling tears.
The nightingale began his song, but now there seemed to be a slight whimper in his song.
For the first time in her life Princess Spring Maiden frowned, a puzzled look
on her brow. She stood there for a long time, taking in the words of the raven, trying to understand there meaning.
"Suffering, to suffer means to live !" she exclaimed "And to live means to have some suffering!"
Then she opened her eyes, only this time they were understanding, once more theywere their normal blue, tranquillity had once more filled her mind.
"There is suffering, yes ! but each one of us can soothe away the pain of those
who suffer and bring comfort where there is sorrow."
A smile crossed her rose lips. "It is therefore important to know how to feel
suffering, as surely as one can bring comfort and help to each other.
She smiled down at the owl, who now sat comfortably in her open hands, the warmth that flowed from her understanding, had cured his cramp to vanish and he lifted himself gently from her hands and he too, took to the sky.
And what of Princess Spring Maiden, her experience of being happier than ever before , which was due to feeling sorrow was now fulfilled, and no longer
would she have to walk in her royal garden from which sadness and sorrow had once been banned.
