Faith Moore (38:15)
What will you have, child? Nothing, father, she replied, but that you commend me to the dove of the fairies and bid her send me something. And if you forget my request, may you be unable to stir backwards or forwards. So remember what I tell you, for it will fare with you accordingly. Then the prince went his way and did his business in Sardinia and procured all the things that his stepdaughters had asked for. But poor Zazala was quite out of his thoughts and going on board a ship. He set sail to return, but the ship could not get out of the harbor. There it stuck fast, just as if held by a sea lamprey. A sea lamprey is an eel like creature with suckers on its mouth. The captain of the ship, who was almost in despair and fairly tired out, laid himself down to sleep. And in his dream he saw a fairy who said to him, Know you the reason why you cannot work the ship out of port? It is because the prince, who is on board with you has broken his promise to his daughter, remembering every one except his own child. Then the captain awoke and told his dream to the prince. Prince, who in shame and confusion at the breach of his promise, went to the grotto of the fairies, and commending his daughter to them, asked them to send her something. And behold, there stepped forth from the grotto a beautiful maiden, who told him that she thanked his daughter for her kind remembrances and bade him tell her to be merry and of good heart, out of love to her. And thereupon she gave him a date tree, a hoe and a little bucket, all of gold, and a silken napkin chicken, adding that the one was to hoe with and the other to water the plant. The prince, marveling at this present, took leave of the fairy and returned to his own country, and when he had given his stepdaughters all the things they had desired, he at last gave his own daughter the gift which the fairy had sent her. Then Zezolla, out of her wits with joy, took the date tree and planted it in a pretty flower pot, hoed the earth round it, it, watered it, and wiped its leaves morning and evening with the silken napkin. In a few days it had grown as tall as a woman, and out of it came a fairy who said to Zezola, what do you wish for? And Zezola replied that she wished sometimes to leave the house without her sister's knowledge. The fairy answered, whenever you desire this, come to the flower pot and say, my little date tree, my golden tree, with a golden hoe, I have hoed thee With a golden can, I have watered thee with a silken cloth, I have wiped thee dry. Now strip thee and dress me speedily, and when you wish to undress, change the last words and say, strip me and dress thee. When the time for the feast was come and the stepmother's daughters appeared, dressed out so fine, all ribbons and flowers and slippers and shoes, sweet smells and bells and roses and posies, Sessolla ran quickly to the flower pot, and no sooner had she repeated the words as the fairy had told her, then she saw herself arrayed like a queen, seated upon a palfrey. A palfrey is a kind of elegant horse, and attended by 12 smart pages, all in their best clothes. Then she went to the ball and made the sisters envious of this unknown beauty. Even the young king himself was there, and as soon as he saw her, he stood magic bound with amazement and ordered a trusty servant to find out who was that beautiful maiden and where she lived. So the servant followed in her footsteps. But when Zazala noticed the trick, she threw on the ground a handful of crown pieces, meaning a bunch of coins, which she had made the date tree give her for this purpose. Then the servant lighted his lantern and was too busy picking up all the crown pieces that he forgot to follow the palfrey. And Zazala came home quite safely and had changed her clothes as the fairy told her before the wicked sisters arrived, and to vex her and make her envious, told her of all the fine things they had seen. But the king was very angry with the servant and warned him not to miss finding out next time who this beautiful maiden was and where she dwelt. Soon there was another feast, and again the sisters all went to it, it leaving poor Zazala at Home on the kitchen hearth. Then she ran quickly to the date tree and repeated the spell. And instantly there appeared a number of damselsone with a looking glass, another with a bottle of rose water, another with the curling irons, another with combs, another with pins, another with dresses, and another with capes and collars. And they decked her out as glorious as the sun and put her in a coach drawn by six white horses. Horses. And attended by footmen and pages in livery. And no sooner did she appear in the ballroom than the hearts of the sisters were filled with amazement, and the king was overcome with love. When Zazala went home, the servant followed her again. But so that she should not be caught, she threw down a handful of pearls and jewels. And the good fellow, seeing that they were not things to lose, stayed to pick them up. So she had time to slip away and take off her fine dress as before. Meanwhile, the servant had returned slowly to the king, who cried out when he saw him. By the souls of my ancestors, if you do not find out who she is, you shall have such a thrashing as was never before heard of. And as many kicks as you have hairs in your beard. When the next feast was held and the sisters were safely out of the house, Zazala went to the date tree and once again repeated the spell. In an instant she found herself splendidly arrayed and seated in a coach of gold with ever so many servants around her, so that she looked just like a queen. Again the sisters were beside themselves with envy. But this time, when she left the ballroom, the king's servant kept close to the coach. Zezolla, seeing that the man was ever running by her side, cried, coachman, drive on quickly. And in a trice the coach set off at such a rattling pace that she lost one of her slippers, the prettiest thing that ever was seen. The servant, being unable to catch the coach, which flew like a bird, picked up the slipper and carried it to the king and told him all that had happened. Whereupon the king, taking it in his hand, said, if the basement indeed is so beautiful, what must the building be? You, who until now were the prison of a white foot, are now the fetter of an unhappy heart. Then he made a proclamation that all the women in the country should come to a banquet. Banquet for which the most splendid provision was made of pies and pastries and stews and ragouts, macaroni and sweetmeats, enough to feed a whole army. And when all the women were assembled, noble and ignoble, rich and poor, Beautiful and ugly. The king tried the slipper on each one of the guests to see whom it should fit to a hair, and thus be able to discover, by the help of the slipper, the maiden of whom he was in search of, but not one foot could he find to fit it. So he examined them closely whether indeed everyone was there. And the prince confessed that he had left one daughter behind.
