The Old Beggar-Woman (Grimm)
Division into chapters is editorial.
The old beggar woman and her ways
In this brief tale from the Brothers Grimm collection, an old woman wandered from door to door seeking charity. She made her living by begging, moving through villages and towns in search of kind souls who might spare her something. The narrator addressed the reader directly, suggesting that surely everyone had seen such an old woman begging before. This particular beggar-woman had developed a habit that set her apart from others - whenever someone gave her anything, no matter how small, she always responded with the same grateful phrase.
There was once an old woman, but thou hast surely seen an old woman go a-begging before now? This woman begged likewise, and when she got anything she said, "May God reward you."
One day, the beggar-woman approached a particular door where she encountered a scene that would lead to an unfortunate incident. By the fire inside, there stood a young boy who was warming himself against the cold. The boy noticed the old woman standing outside in the cold, shivering by the doorway. His heart was moved by her pitiful condition, and he felt compassion for her suffering.
The boy said kindly to the poor old woman as she was standing shivering thus by the door, "Come, old mother, and warm yourself."
The old woman gratefully accepted the boy's invitation and entered the dwelling to warm herself by the fire.
The boys failure to help
However, the old woman's eagerness to get warm led to a dangerous situation. In her desperation to feel the heat, she positioned herself too close to the flames. The fire was strong and hot, and soon her worn clothing began to catch fire. Her old rags, threadbare and dry from years of wear and weather, started to burn. The flames began to spread across her garments, yet remarkably, the old woman remained completely unaware of what was happening to her.
She came in, but stood too near the fire, so that her old rags began to burn, and she was not aware of it.
The boy witnessed this alarming scene unfolding before his eyes. He could clearly see that the old woman's clothes were on fire, yet he failed to take action to help her. The narrator of the tale posed a moral question about the boy's inaction, asking whether he should not have immediately put out the flames that threatened the old woman's safety. The tale suggested that even if the boy had no water readily available to extinguish the fire, he should have been so moved by compassion that he would weep tears sufficient to put out the flames.
And if he had not any water, then should he have wept all the water in his body out of his eyes, and that would have supplied two pretty streams with which to extinguish them.
This moral tale from the Brothers Grimm served as a lesson about the importance of following through on acts of kindness and the responsibility that comes with helping others. The boy's initial compassion in inviting the old woman to warm herself was commendable, but his failure to continue watching over her safety and to act when she was in danger revealed a crucial moral failing. The story emphasized that true kindness requires not just the initial gesture, but ongoing care and attention to ensure that one's good intentions do not inadvertently lead to harm. The tale left readers to contemplate the boy's moral obligation and the tragic consequences of his inaction, serving as a reminder that acts of charity must be accompanied by vigilance and responsibility.
The boy stood and saw that, but he ought to have put the flames out. Is it not true that he ought to have put them out?
The story concluded with this haunting question, leaving readers to judge the boy's actions and consider what they themselves would have done in such a situation. The tale served as both a moral instruction and a call to conscience, typical of the Brothers Grimm's approach to storytelling, where simple narratives carried profound ethical lessons about human behavior and responsibility toward others in need.