at will come into the world must be given to
me. It shall go well with the child, and I will care for it like a
mother."

In his distress of mind the man promised everything; and when the time
came when the child was born the witch appeared, and, giving the child
the name of Rapunzel (which is the same as rampion), she took it away
with her.

Rapunzel was the most beautiful child in the world. When she was twelve
years old the witch shut her up in a tower in the midst of a wood, and
it had neither steps nor door, only a small window above. When the witch
wished to be let in, she would stand below and would cry,

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel! let down your hair!"

Rapunzel had beautiful long hair that shone like gold. When she heard
the voice of the witch she would undo the fastening of the upper window,
unbind the plaits of her hair, and let it down twenty ells below, and
the witch would climb up by it.

After they had lived thus a few years it happened that as the King's son
was riding through the wood, he came to the tower; and as he drew near
he heard a voice singing so sweetly that he stood still and listened. It
was Rapunzel in her loneliness trying to pass away the time with sweet
songs. The King's son wished to go in to her, and sought to find a door
in the tower, but there was none. So he rode home, but the song had
entered into his heart, and every day he went into the wood and listened
to it. Once, as he was standing there under a tree, he saw the witch
come up, and listened while she called out,

"O Rapunzel, Rapunzel! let down your hair."

Then he saw how Rapunzel let down her long tresses, and how the witch
climbed up by it and went in to her, and he said to himself,

"Since that is the ladder I will climb it, and seek my fortune." And the
next day, as soon as it began to grow dusk, he went to the tower and
cried,

"O Rapunzel, Rapunzel! let down your hair."

And she let down her hair, and the King's son climbed up by it.

Rapunzel was greatly terrified when she saw that a man had come in to
her, for she had never seen one before; but the King's son began
speaking so kindly to her, and told how her singing had entered into his
heart, so that he could have no peace until he had seen her herself.
Then Rapunzel forgot her terror, and when he asked her to take him for
her husband, and she saw that he was young and beautiful, she thought to
herself,

"I certainly like him much better than old mother Gothel