The pied piper of Hamelin: an old legend

Title

Language

English

Source

Young Citizen, 7 (9) September 1941

Year

1941

Subject

Children’s literature

Legends

Pied Piper of Hamelin (Legendary character)

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

SEPTEMBER, 1941 THE YO·UNG CITIZEN THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN An Old Legtnd THERE is no other story in any country that tells so beautifully of the magic power of music as does the old legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Once, long, long ago, the old European town of Hamelin, which is built on the banks of a big river,· was full of rats. There were so many rats in the town that the people who lived there said that if something was not done to get rid of them,· they' would not live there any longer. So every· one tried every way he knew to dr'ive the rats from the town. But each day there were more rats in the streets "and in the house~ than there had been there the day before. A famous poet wrote about these rats in a fine poem: "Rats! They fought the dogs and killed the cats, And bit the babies in the cradles, And ate the cheeses out of the vats, Made nests inside men's Sunday hats, And even spoiled the women's chats · By drowning their speaking . With shrieking and squeaking In fifty different sharps and flats." About this time a strange Piper came to town. The Piper's coat was one-half yellow and one-half red; that is why he was called a pied piper. He carried a pipe._ or flute, which he played as he walked · the streets of Hamelin Town. The Piper went to the mayor of ihe town, and to the other men who lived in Hamelin. "I know a way to get rid ·of all .those rats," he said to them. The mayor and aU the men were very glad to hear him say this. · "We will give you ·a large sum of money if you will get rid of the rats," they said. This was a very fine offer, for the sum of. money tfiey were going to give the Piper was equal to twenty thousand dollars. The strange ·Piper went ·out into the streets 6f the town. He "began to play sweet music on his flute as he walked along. As soon as the r a t s heard the music, they ran out of their hiding places to follow after him. More a n d m o r e rats kept coming. No one ever before saw ~o many rats! There were thousands and thousands of them. Each rat tried to get ahead of all the ether rats so as to be nearer the player and his sweet music. "And out of the houses the rats came tumbling, Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats, Brown rats, black rats, gray rats, tawny rats, Grave old plodders, gay young friskers, Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins, Cocking tails and pricking whiskers, Families by tens and dozens, 322 THE YOUNG CITIZEN SBPTBMBBR, 1941 Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives-Followed the Piper for their lives.". The Piper walked on, playing his pipe all the while. When he came to the bank of the river on the south side of the town, he did .. not stop bµt walked right on. The rats followed him into the river, and were all drowned. The mayor and the people of Hamelin were very happy because· the rats were gone. They even went to the church and rang all the bells that hung in the steeple. Then the Piper came back into the town, and went to ~ee the mayor. "I have got rid of the rats in Hamelin,'' said the Piper. "Please give me the money you promised." But the mayor and people would not pay the Piper. · "You earned the money too easily," they said to him. "You will be sorry if you are not honest, and do not pay me,'' said the Piper. · But they would not pay him. Then the Piper went into the streets again. This time he played another tune and a much sweeter one than the one he played wh~n the rats followed him. Such magic music had never before been heard in all the land! All the children of Hamelin ran out of the houses when they heard the sweet music, just as the rats had done. The Piper did not speak a single word. But the boys and girls understood the soft sweet tones of the music, which told of a wonderful fairy land. In this fairy land, the music said, were beautifol flowers, and birds that sarig from the trees day and night. All day long children could sail on the rivers and on the lakes in tiny fairy boats. The Piper's music told the children that he would lead them right into that fairy land, and so they followed him. After he liad played for a-short time on his flute and walked in the street, "Small feet were pattering, little shoes clattering, Tiny hands clapping, and happy voices chattering; Out came the children running, All the little boys and girls With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls, And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls, Tripping and skipping, ran merrily after . The wonderful music with shouting and laughter." · Down the street the Piper led the children. .Mothers and fathers called to them, but th~y did not hear or answer. When the Piper reached the river this time, he· turned to the west, to the great mountains that .stood there. Then, "As they reached the mountain-side, A wonderful ·doorway opened wide, As if .a cave were suddenly hollowed; And the Piper advanced and the children followed. And when all were in to the very , last, The door in the mountain-side shut fast." The old legend tells us that there were. one hundred and thirty boys and girls who went into the mountain that day so long ago. Not one of them ever came· back, and they could never be found, although their fathers and mothers tried and tried very hard to find them. All this happened many long years ago. Yet the mothers and fathers ·in Hamelin still tell the story to their children. The street through which the Piper (Please turn to page 334.) 334 THE YOUNG CITIZEN SBPTBMBBR, 1941 GREEDY HERON PIED PIPER JERUSALEM (Continued from page 315) (Continued from page 322) (Continued from page 324) "Get out of my way, and the children went on One of the famous places you!" ordered the Crab. their way to the mountain of J erusalein is known as "No, sir,'' said the Heron is called the "Street of the the Wailing Place ·of the proudly. "I have eaten the Children." In this street Jews. This is a wall o~ very Frog; I have eaten the old there is set up a large stone. ancient stones, once supMudfish, and I have eaten On its side is cut the date posed 10· have been a part the old Snake. 'Yhat is t~ "June 26, A.D. 12 a4." Tha; of the temple erected by stop me from eatmg·you? is the day on which the Solomon but nqw kno~n to But b~fore the Heron P.iper is said to have lead belong ~o later· tllll.es. could finish what he was th b d . 1 Every Friday ] ews gather saying, the Crab raised up U e h oys an t; sf aw:y. at this wall, kiss the ancient his two mighty pinchers, P 1 e.stre.et a itt e art er stones, mourn the loss of and pinched the· Heron's th.ere is a statue of the ] erusalem, and pray. There neck. Piper. are Hebrew carvings on Every year, when · the these ston·es · · these are the twenty-sixth of ] une comes prayers of pilgrims. SOME QUESTONS the around, all the. people who Except for its memories I. Do you think Heron was polite? live in ·Hamelin have a of the past, ] erusalem is l;leron great holiday in memory of not an attractive city today.· the children who followed The streets are narrow and the Piper. dirty, shut in by the high 2. What did the do to the Frog? MOUSIE On that day, the whole ?loomy walls of the build(Gontinued. from page 317) town is full of rats again. mgs, and often ONerarch~d, (They bury _the treasure But these are not live rats. so that they seem almost hke again; cover it with soil and Instead they are little cakes. passages through caves. run toward a clump of trees and co~kies made into the The houses are square and nearby. They climb a tall shape of a rat. And all the ~at-topped, with few outone). . stores in town have for sale side courts .. The streets are MOUSIE: (E:mfedly) r 1 fl 1.k h h crowded with traders, begL k d di Th , 1tt e utes, 1 et e one t e gars and p·1gr· s and oo , a e y v e p· 1 d , 1 1m changed theii course. They iper P aye · . travelers from all o:ve_r the aren't coming here. The. boy~ and girls .of world. M o u s I E'S DAD: Sure Hamelin sull love _music, Old ] erusalem is buried enough, son. I thought they and they sing and play it deep in the ground; modern would land and ·make us all the year round. But no Jerusalem is partly an old prisoners once more-with one is ever allowed to sing Crusaders' town with Mothe treasure we found. or play . any music on the hammedan additions, and MousIE: Let's get down. street through which the par'tly an uninteresting It's safe now. Then we can children followed the travel resort, but to the folget the treasure again and Piper, so long ago. That lowers of.two faiths Jerusasail for home. is to be a silent street for- lem will •ever be a sacred CURTAIN ever. city.

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