Domestic Servants (Grimm)
Division into sections is editorial.
Meeting and initial agreements: destination and husbands
Two domestic servants encountered each other on a journey, beginning a peculiar conversation that would reveal remarkable coincidences in their lives. The exchange started with a simple question about destination, which led to the discovery that both were traveling to the same place called Walpe. This initial meeting established the pattern for their entire dialogue - a repetitive, cumulative verse structure that would grow with each new revelation about their parallel lives.
When the first servant inquired about the second's destination, the response revealed their shared goal. The conversation immediately took on a rhythmic, almost musical quality as they established their common purpose.
"Whither goest thou?" "To Walpe." "I to Walpe, thou to Walpe, so, so, together we'll go."
Building the family picture: children and cradles
The servants continued their dialogue by discussing their men, both named Cham. This remarkable coincidence prompted them to repeat their growing refrain about traveling together to Walpe, now incorporating their shared connection through their identically named partners. The repetitive structure began to build momentum as each new similarity was added to their cumulative verse.
The conversation progressed to their children, revealing yet another extraordinary parallel - both had children named Wild. The servants incorporated this new information into their growing chant, creating an increasingly complex verbal pattern that celebrated their shared circumstances. The dialogue continued with questions about their cradles, which bore the unusual name Hippodadle for both servants.
"Hast thou a child; how is he styled?" "Wild." "My child Wild, thy child Wild; my man Cham, thy man Cham; I to Walpe, thou to Walpe, so, so, together we'll go."
Each revelation added another layer to their repetitive chant, creating a hypnotic rhythm that emphasized the uncanny similarities between their domestic situations. The cradle named Hippodadle represented another bizarre coincidence that further cemented their bond as traveling companions with mysteriously parallel lives.
"Hast thou a cradle? How callest thou thy cradle?" "Hippodadle." "My cradle Hippodadle, my child Wild, thy child Wild, my man Cham, thy man Cham..."
Completing the household: the drudge
The final element of their household inventories concerned their drudges - servants who performed the most menial tasks. Even in this last detail, the two domestic servants discovered perfect synchronicity. Both possessed a drudge with the remarkably descriptive name From-thy-work-do-not-budge, a name that captured the essence of dedicated, unwavering service expected from such workers.
With this final discovery, the servants completed their comprehensive comparison of domestic arrangements. The cumulative verse reached its full complexity, incorporating every aspect of their parallel households - from their shared destination and identically named men, children, and cradles, to their drudges with the same elaborate name. The tale concluded with their complete recitation, celebrating the perfect symmetry of their lives and their commitment to traveling together to Walpe.