The beam
by Brothers Grimm
The Trick and the Clover
One day, a tricky man came to town. He had a little cat. "Watch!" he said. "This cat is very strong!" The people looked. The little cat picked up a log. The people clapped. "How strong!" they said.
A clever girl named Lily was there. She had a four-leaf clover. The clover helped her see truth. Lily looked at the big log. But she did not see it. She saw a little stick!
"That is not a big log," Lily said. "It is a little stick!" She told the truth. She was not mean. The people looked at the cat.
And they saw it too! It was a little stick. Not a big log at all. The people were very surprised. The tricky man's face turned red. He walked away fast.
The tricky man was very grumpy. He walked and walked. "She tricked me!" he said. "I will trick her back someday."
Many days later, it was Lily's birthday! She put on her best dress. Her friends came to walk with her. They were so happy. They sang songs on the path.
Then Lily saw dark clouds above. Big, dark rain clouds! "Oh no!" said Lily. "A big storm is coming!" Her friends stopped. The sky looked very dark.
Lily sang a silly rain song. She danced and jumped around. She waved her arms up high. Lily looked very silly! Her friends just watched her. "What is Lily doing?" they said.
Then the tricky man came out. He laughed. "Why are you singing?" he said. "There is no rain!" Lily stopped dancing. She looked up.
The sky was blue and sunny! There were no dark clouds. It was all a trick! Lily did not have her clover. She left it at home. So she could not see truth. Lily felt very silly.
Her friends smiled at her. "It is okay!" said one friend. "We all get tricked sometimes!" Lily laughed. Her friends laughed too. And Lily smiled. Now she knew one small thing. All can be tricked. Even a clever girl.
Original Story
The beam A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm There was once an enchanter who was standing in the midst of a great crowd of people performing his wonders. He had a cock brought in, which lifted a heavy beam and carried it as if it were as light as a feather. But a girl was present who had just found a bit of four-leaved clover, and had thus become so wise that no deception could stand out against her, and she saw that the beam was nothing but a straw. So she cried, "You people, do you not see that it is a straw that the cock is carrying, and no beam?" Immediately the enchantment vanished, and the people saw what it was, and drove the magician away in shame and disgrace. He, however, full of inward anger, said, "I will soon revenge myself?" After some time the girl's wedding-day came, and she was decked out, and went in a great procession over the fields to the place where the church was. All at once she came to a stream which was very much swollen, and there was no bridge and no plank to cross it. Then the bride nimbly took her clothes up, and wanted to wade through it. And just as she was thus standing in the water, a man, and it was the enchanter, cried mockingly close beside her, "Aha! Where are thine eyes that thou takest that for water?" Then her eyes were opened, and she saw that she was standing with her clothes lifted up in the middle of a field that was blue with the flowers of blue flax. Then all the people saw it likewise, and chased her away with ridicule and laughter. * * * * *
Moral of the Story
Even those who expose deception can be deceived themselves, especially when pride or vulnerability cloud judgment.
Characters
The Enchanter ⚔ antagonist
Not described, but implied to be charismatic and deceptive
Attire: Elaborate robes or clothing to enhance his magical persona, possibly with symbols or embellishments
Deceptive, vengeful, prideful
The Girl ★ protagonist
Not described, but implied to be observant and quick-witted
Attire: Wedding dress appropriate for a rural setting, likely simple but elegant, possibly with floral decorations
Perceptive, honest, independent
The Cock ◆ supporting
A strong, healthy rooster
Attire: Natural plumage - bright and colorful
Obedient, unwitting pawn
Locations
Crowded Square
A public gathering place filled with a large crowd of people watching an enchanter perform magic.
Mood: Excited, expectant, easily deceived
The enchanter performs his trick, and the girl exposes it.
Swollen Stream
A stream, suddenly swollen with water, blocking the wedding procession's path. No bridge or plank is available.
Mood: Obstructive, deceptive
The enchanter tricks the bride into believing she is wading through water.
Flax Field
A field covered in blue flax flowers, where the bride is revealed to be standing instead of in the stream.
Mood: Humiliating, exposed
The bride's humiliation is revealed, and the enchantment is complete.
Story DNA
Moral
Even those who expose deception can be deceived themselves, especially when pride or vulnerability cloud judgment.
Plot Summary
An enchanter performs a trick, making a cock lift a 'beam' that a girl, possessing a four-leaved clover, reveals to be a mere straw. The shamed enchanter vows revenge. On the girl's wedding day, he tricks her into believing a field of blue flax is a swollen stream, causing her to lift her clothes to wade through it. The crowd, realizing her humiliation, chases her away with ridicule.
Themes
Emotional Arc
triumph to humiliation
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The Brothers Grimm collected these tales in the 19th century, reflecting older European folk traditions and beliefs.
Plot Beats (11)
- An enchanter performs a trick, making a cock lift a 'heavy beam' for a crowd.
- A girl, having found a four-leaved clover, sees that the 'beam' is actually a straw.
- The girl exposes the enchanter's deception to the crowd.
- The enchantment breaks, and the crowd drives the shamed enchanter away.
- The enchanter, full of anger, vows revenge on the girl.
- Some time later, the girl's wedding day arrives, and she is part of a procession to the church.
- The procession encounters what appears to be a swollen stream with no way to cross.
- The bride lifts her clothes to wade through the 'stream'.
- The enchanter, disguised, mockingly asks her where her eyes are, implying she mistakes something else for water.
- The girl's eyes are opened, and she realizes she is standing in a field of blue flax, having exposed herself unnecessarily.
- The crowd also sees the deception and chases the humiliated girl away with laughter and ridicule.
