The Pied Piper of Hamelin Story

🎶 The Pied Piper of Hamelin

In the town of Hamelin, a mysterious stranger arrives dressed in colorful clothes, carrying a silver pipe. When the town is overrun by rats, he promises to solve the problem — but what happens when the mayor refuses to honor his payment?

A timeless tale of promises made, promises broken, and the price of betrayal.

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Transcript

Vanessa (00:11.022)
One of the most famous versions of the Pied Piper is Robert Browning's poem. It was first published in 1888 and it's very cleverly done. When you read the Grimm Brothers version, it's very bare bones. It's just a paragraph or two. But this is very colorful and illustrative of the

entirety of the story and it's no longer under copyright so we're gonna read the whole poem in its entirety.

Vanessa (00:51.48)
Hamlin Towns in Brunswick by famous Hanover City. The river, westered deep and wide, washes its wall. Okay, starting over. Hamlin Towns in Brunswick.

Hamelin towns in Brunswick City by famous Hanover City, the River Wester deep and wide, washers its wall on the southern side. A pleasanter spot you never spied, but when begins my ditty? Almost 500 years ago to see the townsfolk suffer, so from vermin was a pity. Rats! They fought the dogs and killed the cats and bit the babies in the cradles and ate the cheeses out of vats.

and licked the soup from the cook's own ladles, split open the kegs of salted sprouts, made nests inside men's Sunday hats, and even spoiled the women's chats. By drowning their speaking with shrieking and squeaking in fifty sharps and flats, at least at last the people in a body to the town hall came flocking. "'Tis clear," cried they, our mayors, a naughty

And as for our corporation, shocking to think we buy gowns lined with ermine for dolts that can't or won't determine what's best to rid us of our vermin. You hope because you're old and obese to find in the fury civic robe ease? Rouse up, sirs, give your brains a wrecking to find the remedy we're lacking or sure as fate, we'll send you packing. At this, the mayor and the corporation quacked with mighty consternation. An hour they set.

They sate in council. At length the mayor broke silence. For a gilder eyed my ermine gown cell. I wish I were a mile hence. It's easy to bid one rack one's brain. I'm sure my poor head aches again. I've scratched it so and all in vain. for a trap, a trap, a trap. And just as he said this, what should happen as the chamber door but a gentle tap? Bless us, cried the mayor. What's that?

Vanessa (02:58.274)
With the corporation as he sat, looking little through wondrous fat, no brighter was his eye, nor moister than a too long opened oyster. Save when at noon his paunch grew mutinous for a plate of turtle green and gluttonous, only a scraping of shoes on the mat, anything like the sound of a rat makes my heart go pit-a-pat. Come in!

The mayor cried, looking bigger, and in did come the strangest figure. His queer long coat, from heel to head, was half of yellow and half of red, and he himself was tall and thin, with sharp blue eyes, each like a pin, and light loose hair, yet swarthy skin. No tuft on cheek nor beard on chin, but lips where smile went out and in. There was no guessing his kith or kin, and nobody

could enough admire the tall man in his quaint attire. Quoth one, it's as my great grandsire, starting up at the trump of doom's tone. He walked this way from his painted tombstone. He advanced to the council table, and please your honors, said he, I'm able by means of a secret charm to draw all creatures living beneath the sun. They creep or swim or fly or run after me, so as you never saw. And I chiefly use my charm on creatures.

that do people harm, the mole and toad and newt and viper, and people call me the pied piper. And here they noticed round his neck a scarf of red and yellow stripe to match his coat of the self-same check, and at the scarf's end hung a pipe, and his fingers, they noticed, were ever straying as if impatient to be playing.

Upon hit this pipe as Loet dangled over his vesture so old-fangled, yet, said he, poor Piper as I am, in tartary I freed the charm. Last June, from his huge swarms of nets, I eased in Asia the nism of a monstrous brood of vampire bats. And as for what your brain bewilders, if I can rid your town of rats, will you give me a thousand guilders?

Vanessa (05:14.99)
150,000 was the exclamation of the astonished mayor and corporation. Into the street the piper stepped, smiling first a little smile, as if he knew what magic slots in his quiet pipe the while. Then like a musical adept to blow the pipe, his lips he wrinkled, and green and blue his sharp eyes twinkled like a candle flame where salt is sprinkled. And ere the three shrill notes the pipe uttered,

You heard as if an army muttered, and the muttering grew to grumbling, and the grumbling grew to a mighty rumbling, and out of the house the rats came tumbling. Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats, brown rats, black rats, gray rats, tawny rats, grave old plutters, gay young friskers, fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins, cocking tails and pricking whiskers, families by tens and thousands and dozens.

Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives follow the piper for their lives from street to street he piped advancing in step for step they followed dancing until they came to the river Wesser wherein all plunged and perished save one Stout as Julius Caesar swam across and lived to carry as he carried many as he the manuscript he cherished to rat land home his commentary

You should have heard the Hamelin people ringing the bells till they rocked the steeple. Go! cried the mayor. And get long poles. Poke out the nests and block up the holes. Consult with carpenters and builders. And leave in our town not even a trace of the rats when suddenly up the face of the piper perked in the market place with a first of you please, my thousand guilders. A thousand guilders? The mayor looked blue. So did the corporation too.

Refusal to pay bargaining scene continues. The Piper anger rises. He threatens another tune. Do your worst, the mayor declares. Once more the Piper plays, but now the music is sweeter than ever. Children pour from every house, rosy cheeks, flocks and curls, sparkling eyes and pearly teeth, laughing, skipping, dancing. They follow. Up.

Vanessa (07:30.51)
Copperburg hill they go, a mountain door opens wide, the piper enters, the children follow, the mountain shuts. All save one lame child. He tells of the land they were promised. Brighter birds, sweeter flowers, horses with eagle wings, and how he was left outside the hill. Hamlin mourns. The date is recorded. The story painted in glass and stone. So Willie, let me and you be wipers. Of Scores, out.

with all men, especially pipers. And whether they pipe us free from rats or from mice, if we promise them ought, let us keep our promise.

Vanessa (08:18.434)
So that is Robert Browning's poem of the Pied Piper. If you're interested in learning more about the history and the context, make sure you tune in to our fairy tale flip episode on my fabric of folklore podcast. Until next time, keep the fairy tales alive.