The Bremen Town Musicians

Part One · Four Friends on the Road

Once there was a donkey who had carried heavy sacks of grain for many years. But now he was old and tired, and his master did not want him anymore. "I won't stay where I'm not wanted," said the donkey. "I will go to the town of Bremen and become a musician. I have a very fine voice." And off he trotted down the road.

Before long he found an old dog lying beside the road, panting. "Why are you so tired?" asked the donkey. "I am too old for hunting," said the dog sadly, "and my master doesn't want me anymore." "Then come with me to Bremen," said the donkey. "You can play the drum." The dog wagged his tail and came along.

Soon they met a cat sitting by the road with a face as gloomy as three rainy days. "What is the matter?" asked the donkey. "I am getting old," said the cat. "I would rather purr beside the fire than chase mice, so nobody wants me." "Come with us!" said the donkey. "You sing beautifully at night." So the cat joined them.

Next they passed a farmyard. On the gate sat a rooster, crowing as loud as he could. "Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!" "Goodness, why are you making such a racket?" asked the donkey. "The cook says I would make a fine soup for Sunday!" cried the rooster. "So I am crowing while I still can!"

"Nonsense," said the donkey. "Come with us to Bremen. You can find something better than soup anywhere! You have a strong voice, and when we make music together, it will be wonderful." The rooster flapped down from the gate at once. So the four of them went on together, the donkey, the dog, the cat and the rooster.

Part Two · The Robbers' House

Bremen was far away, and by evening they came to a dark forest. The donkey and the dog lay down under a big tree. The cat climbed up onto a branch, and the rooster flew right to the top. From up there, the rooster saw a light shining through the trees. "There is a house over there!" he called.

"Let's go and look," said the donkey. "This tree is not very comfortable." "And I could use a bone or two," said the dog. So they crept toward the light. The donkey was the tallest, so he peeked in through the window. "What do you see?" asked the rooster.

"I see a table covered with good things to eat," whispered the donkey. "And I see robbers sitting around it, laughing and eating and counting bags of gold." "That is the place for us!" said the rooster. The four friends put their heads together and made a plan to scare the robbers away.

The donkey put his front feet on the windowsill. The dog jumped onto the donkey's back. The cat climbed onto the dog, and the rooster flew up and sat on the cat's head. Then, all at once, they began their music. The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat yowled, and the rooster crowed!

Then they all crashed through the window into the room. CRASH! The robbers jumped up in fright. "A monster!" they screamed. They ran out of the door and into the dark forest as fast as their legs could carry them. The four musicians sat down at the table and ate until they were full.

Part Three · The Robber Comes Back

Then they put out the light and found places to sleep. The donkey lay down on a pile of straw in the yard. The dog lay behind the door. The cat curled up by the warm ashes in the fireplace, and the rooster sat high up on the roof. Soon they were all fast asleep.

In the middle of the night, the robbers noticed that the house was dark and quiet. "We should not have run away so quickly," said their leader, and he sent one robber back to look. The robber crept into the dark kitchen. He saw the cat's shining eyes, and he thought they were glowing coals from the fire.

He held a match close to them, to light it. The cat did not like that one bit! She leaped up, spitting and scratching. The robber ran for the back door, and the dog jumped up and nipped his leg. In the yard, the donkey gave him a kick. And up on the roof, the rooster woke up and crowed, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

The robber raced all the way back to the others. "It is terrible!" he cried. "In the kitchen, a witch scratched me with her long nails. Beside the door, a man poked my leg. In the yard, a monster hit me with a club. And up on the roof, a judge shouted, 'Bring the robber to me!' So I ran!"

The robbers never dared to go back to that house again. And the four musicians liked it so much that they never went to Bremen at all. They stayed there happily together, and they made their music every evening. If you listen carefully, you might still hear them singing.