THE BLACK ROSE

A Kabbalist Fairytale

(Jarkko Pylväs)

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Once upon a time there was a poor young man named Filemon who earned his living as a chimneysweep in the Old Town of
Prague, the capital city of Bohemia. He lived in a small apartment with a kitchen and one bedroom on the third floor of an old
tenement on the outskirts of the Old Town of Prague. There was no stove or fireplace or chimney in the apartment, but neither
was there grave sorrow though it was rather cold there in winter time. Filemon lived there alone. His parents had died several
years before. At the time Filemon had mourned their passing away , but nowadays his mood was mostly cheerful and he loved
being of use as a chimneysweep. While he worked , he was in the habit of singing songs, whose music and lyrics he himself had
composed. The boy’s cheer was infectious and those who heard him sing enjoyed his company and artistic gift.

Filemon was such a proficient chimneysweep that the word of his skills reached the royal palace of the king of Bohemia. One
spring day , when the tulips and narcissus and cherry and apple trees were all blossoming with their lovely scent, Filemon
received an invitation to come sweep the golden and silver chimneys of the royal palace. The letter displayed the official stamp
of the royal palace of the king of Bohemia. That evening at home, after long day of work, Filemon admired the beautiful stamp
by candle light. He wanted to show the stamp to his parents, and remembered again that they had passed away. Then he said:

- I will show this letter to you in heaven, my dear parents, if I myself shall ever one day get in there!

Golden and silver chimneys

Early the next morning, while the Moon and Venus still shone bright in the sky, Filemon left on foot for the royal palace. On
his journey he met his old friend, the baker.

-Where are you headed at this hour, my old friend?, asked the baker.
-I’m going to the royal palace of the king of Bohemia, my dear old buddy. I will be sweeping the golden and silver chimneys,
Filemon answered his voice full of joyful spirit.
-Good heavens! I congratulate you. At the royal palace you will meet the Princess Isabella, who is more beautiful than any
other lady in the world. Her locks are black as ebony and her skin is white as snow and her lips are red as blood. But, added
the baker, mark my words, when I say to beware of the Black Rose in the garden of the royal palace, because the one who sees
it shall face perdition because of love.
-I shall remember your warning, my old friend!, said Filemon as he continued in a rush towards the royal palace.

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In the blue moments of early morning Filemon arrived at the main entrance of the royal palace. The head butler of the court
greeted the chimneysweep in a most friendly. Filemon responded to the butler’s welcoming words with a friendly salute.
Filemon and the butler walked to the courtyard of the royal palace, where the butler defined the chimneysweep’s duties , which
included sweeping the soot from all the chimneys in the royal palace. “What a magnificent task!”, Filemon thought, “This task
will take a month or two - maybe even three months!”

Now it was time to start work and so Filemon climbed up on the roof to begin sweeping the golden and silver chimneys of the
royal palace. Filemon was very skilled and handy and while he worked he began to sing.

Which lady in the land is the most beautiful?, I asked the wind and the rain.
But the wind just soughed and the rain drops just pattered.

Which lady in the land is the prettiest of all?, I asked the moon and the stars.
But the stars just twinkled and the moon just glowed bright.

I even asked the Sun: Which lady in the land is the most pretty?
But the sun only shone with its golden beams.

I asked the clouds and the rainbow, which lady in the land is prettiest?
But the rainbow just showed its colors and the clouds faded away.

I asked the wise , who is the most beautiful lady in the land?
But the wise just answered by asking back: Why do you wish to know?

I asked my friend: Who is the loveliest lady in the land?

My friend answered: “Ask also your heart, my friend.”

Finally I asked my heart, which lady in the land is the loveliest?

My heart answered me: Your bride is the loveliest!

And the wind soughed as an echo: Your Bride, your bride.

The rain sang: Your bride is the most beautiful of all.

The stars twinkled: Your sweetheart, your darling.

The Moon sighed: Your darling is the prettiest.
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The sun smiled: Your sweetheart is the loveliest.
The wise and my friend echoed: Your lady, your lady.

The rainbow arched down to the feet of my sweetheart,

The clouds formed a castle, whose queen was my bride.

Filemon didn’t yet have a bride or girlfriend, but even so this was what he sang. And it happened that a window in the young
princess’ salon was open on that very beautiful day in early spring, when the tulips and apple trees and orchards were on the
verge of their season of bloom. From her open window the princess observed the figure of the chimneysweep while he worked
high up on the roof of the royal palace, and she was much delighted to see such a supple and courageous young man who
moved in such a subtle way on the roof and sang with such a delightful voice. At that moment the princess promised herself
that she would make time in her weekly schedule in order to get acquainted with the young chimneysweep. So, the princess
went straight away to meet her father, the king of Bohemia, who had been widowed some five years before.

-Hear me, my dear old father, the princess began her discussion with the old king.
-Tell me, my dear daughter, answered the old king.
-Oh, my dear father, I have been taught by the best teachers in the Kingdom of Bohemia and I’m very grateful for this. My
teachers have taught me a variety of topics , including for example mathematics like algebra and Pythagoras’ theorem, foreign
languages like German and French, classical languages like Latin and Greek, poetry, art, music and dance like for example,
berquemasques. I have been privileged , and very keen to learn all these subjects, but just lately I have been pondering the
topic of schooling and have come to this conclusion : My schooling in the court is lacking in one very important side of life.
-So tell me , my dear daughter, which side is this?”
-I mean by this the life of ordinary people in the Kingdom of Bohemia. I hope you are not offended by my words, but the fact is
that I have so far learned only through courtly teachers, who have taught me only about topics meaningful in the courtly life
and at the same time I know almost nothing about the world outside the court, by which I mean the life of ordinary people in
our kingdom. Now I wish to learn about this other side of life and learn how ordinary people live.
-And how have you planned to learn about this other side of life from the practical side, my dear daughter?
-My plan is to become one of the cleaning women of the royal palace for some time. I wish to know how floors are scrubbed
and how laundry is washed. Now I’m asking you: Do you accept my plan, my dear old father?
-That’s a fine plan, my dear daughter! I’m so proud of you that this thought crossed your mind. Of course I accept. I believe
that this last lesson might be more useful than anything else you have learned so far through various courtly teachers.
-Thank you, my dear old father, said the princess.
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 Rabbi Löw

One day while sweeping the golden and silver chimneys of the royal palace of the king of Bohemia Filemon came upon the
front of an open skylight. In the other side stood an elderly man with greyish hair and beard who was carefully observing the
activities of the chimneysweep on the roof. Filemon immediately recognized that the person standing next to him was Rabbi
Yehuda Löw himself, the courtly medical doctor of the king of Bohemia. While Filemon strenuously on the golden and silver
chimneys, Rabbi Löw struck up a discussion.

-Hello, sweeperboy! Do you know who I am?, asked Rabbi Löw.

-Of course I know! You are the famous Rabbi Yehuda Löw, the courtly doctor of the king of Bohemia, no more and no less, the
chimneysweep answered.
-So tell me , what do they say about me in the world?, asked the Rabbi.

In response Filemon started to sing a song.

It was
you,

Rabbi Löw,

who wanted
to

became as the likeness

of

the God Almighty

with

the strength of the most secret name of the God Almighty.

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You wrote within the sign of Solomon
written on the sand of ground
the most secret name of the God
the name ‘Emet’,
and with this name
you raised from the ground the fierce
Golem with the word ‘the Truth’
written in Hebrew on his forehead
for the purpose of protecting
you and your people in times uncertain,

when common people scorned

the Holy Bible and the Holy Talmud
and your people were torn out
from their homes to the streets
and the marketplaces to be
humiliated by the common people
which the angel Mikael watched
with tears in his sky blue eyes
and in his right hand
the Sword of the Truth.

Truly you are the reflection and

likeness of the God Almighty,
Rabbi Löw,
you are the defender
of the rights of the weak
and the oppressed, you are
like a reflection
of reflection in a mirror surface,
which
in reflections
reached
the eternity.
You raised the fierce Golem from
the ground just like God raised
the first man, Adam.
From withered branches were made
its bones, from arid grass were made
its locks, and from black stones were
made its eyes
from the dust of earth
its flesh and its
Spirit was made of a blow of wind.

But soon you realized that the Golem

grew day after day bigger and bigger
stronger and stronger.
Maybe
then you thought in your mind:
Let the God righteously teach
His chosen nation, His most
dearest child, because too much
of strength for human being only
deteriorating in a spiritual sense,

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because also Job’s faith
was brighter
in the middle of sufferings.
Maybe these were your reasoning
when you dismissed
the fierce exorcisms and let the
Golem became as earth and
dust again. You removed
only one letter
‘Alef ’
from the Golem’s forehead
and then there read
only the word
‘Met’,
which means ‘dead’ in Hebrew.
And there the dead Golem
now lies motionless
staring at the ceiling
with motionless eyes of stone
in the old attic of the geniza
of Altneuschul in Prague,
where it await the severe days,
when it shall be awakened
still one more time.

Rabbi Löw was very pleased with this song. When it ended, he smiled and said:

“Sing me one more song and this time sing about love, O Troubadour !”

And so Filemon sang about love.

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 Love is like a moth of the night
it does not fear the fire
but rushes straight away to
the hottest of all flames.

Love is not a bird or a dog or a fish.

Love can be a bird or a dog or a fish;
It can take as its messenger
any form and speak fluently
any language on earth.
In reality love doesn’t have
a physical body.
It’s like the angel
of Summa Theologia
of Thomas of Aquino.

Love is bilingual: The other tongue speaks

the language of Dreams
and the other one of Death.
- it’s like a Serpent.

Love is the supreme

clockwork created
by the God, which
works always
with deterministic
accuracy.

For the Hebrews love is Ahavaa.

and for the Greeks it’s Agape and Eros.
We have many names for love
but none knows its real name.
Love knows us all completely.

Love has wings

which it uses to fly from Lover
to Beloved and back to the Lover.
It does not ever get lost on its journey.
It is the Cosmic Mystery.
It’s like a Dove.

Love carves to our hearts the most beautiful of all poems,

with mighty strong arms it tattoos within us

the most truthful

of all words

When Rabbi Löw had heard this song, he smiled even more, clapped his hands and shouted “Bravo!”

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 Season of Tulips

Another day that spring the chimneysweep Filemon was up on the roof cleaning the chimneys he came in front of one golden
chimney next to which was a skylight above a large salon in the royal palace. The skylight was open and when the
chimneysweep boy looked inside he saw a modestly dressed and at the same time very pretty young maiden who was scrubbing
the floor of the salon. The locks of the maiden were black as ebony her skin was white as snow, and her lips were red as blood.
Suddenly the maiden raised her eyes and met the gaze of the chimneysweep boy. They both smiled. At that very amorous
glance Filemon fell for the maiden. He thought: “What a beautiful lady! She is as beautiful as a true princess! Or maybe even
more beautiful!” That’s what he thought, because he didn’t have a clue that the lady before him was actually the princess
herself.

That evening , after having earlier that day met the princess for the very first time, Filemon returned delighted and smiling to
his home in the Old Town of the city of Prague . In the moments of the warm spring evening , he wrote a poem for the maiden,
whose locks were black as ebony, skin white as snow and lips red as blood.

This is how the poem went.

O Lovely Maiden,

Tonight, when the sky grow dark , the wind is rising and soughing on the glass of windows and down on the street an
unbroken stream of horses and carriages flows steady with the sounds of clatter and creaks , when by the side of the park’s
springtime blossoming of the tulips and apple trees and orchids and cherry trees, inside the apartment building, on the thrid
floor, where I live. I am alone and I feel: I want, I don’t want to escape this clattering and creaking. I think about your eyes,
like a mystery, which I can not solve and suddenly the night throws its cloak of darkness on to this city.

I remember your smile , which you gave to me today almost accidentally. I remember:Your smile was like a sensitive
bird , which hard and heavy daylight had thrown down to the ground , but which you picked up and held in your hands
beautifully, carefully, tenderly. You gave me your smile like a golden bird so that I would return it back to the night, where it
could fly again. I hide myself in this memory, I make it my special secret and feel that there is nothing else in my life than this
memory. It was a strange and beautiful smile , joyous and sorrowful at the same time.

My thoughts: I want, I don’t want to escape this clattering and creaking, this insomniac town , where my only hope is
in you. In you rrosy red smile, in the white valium of your skin, in the wind, which sings the song of distant far-away , in dream
, in the reflections of the silver mirrors of your eyes.

I feel: I don’t want any more of this daylight, hard and heavy, but instead I want to utterly disappear into this night,
where your golden birds fly high, where the stars fall into your arms and loins , your locks and lips and the wind, which
Hums silently all this night the melody of your lips.

After Filemon had written this poem, he fell sleep and dreamed the loveliest dream of all dreams.

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The next day Filemon again saw the maiden with locks as black as ebony, skin white as snow and lips red as blood as he
scrubbed the floor of salon in the palace When he saw her he dropped his poem down the chimney of the salon – smoke
wasn’t rising that time – hoping that the maiden would soon find the poem.

Late that evening, when the the color of the sun was already purple red, Filemon found his way home after a hard and
demanding day of work. At the very instant he entered his home, a carrier pigeon flew inside the bedroom from an open
window. Filemon noticed that the pigeon carried a letter attached to its foot. Filemon removed the note and began to read.
The letter contained a poem.

Before the tulips

fall into hypnosis
of the pale night
the evening is
full of possibilities
and the heart
opens itself
for realizing
everything in
this world is
bound together

The birds sing

in a soft way
in the garden
and even a little
glance of you
makes me smile

And then I’m sure

it’s your chest
where my soulbird
flies tonight
it sings to your dream
the shadowy music
hide it within
your heart
feel its singing
on your skin
and nothing in this
world can ever
break us apart

After reading the letter, Filemon was sure that the note was from the maiden, whose locks were black as ebony and skin white
as snow and lips red as blood. Suddenly it started to rain outside. Filemon sat down at his desk and wrote a poem. This is how
the poem went.

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Secrets

What if
I would write
a poem to you?
Would the doves
carry it through
the rain protecting it
with their wings?

Or what if I would
travel to visit you
when the bright Moon
and Venus were
still seen on the sky?
Would you open
your door for me
in the blue moments
of the early morning?

What if I saw a dream ,

where I kissed you lightly
as a wing of a butterfly
when we were lying together
next to each other on a bed
covered with petals of roses.
If I would tell you this dream,
would you then open to me
the hiding place of your secrets?
Would you give me a key
behind the mirror reflections?

Or are you saying that there is no cure to the crystal tears

of our eyes? Are you telling me that there is a rainbow,
but its colours don’t shine for us?

I asked you before and I’m asking you now:

Look
into the well

of mysteries

because there

I hid

my heart

only

for you
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Filemon attached the poem to the foot of the carrier pigeon and then released it. Late the next night, just before sunrise when
the bright Moon and Venus were still seen in the sky, he left his home and headed towards the royal palace of the king of
Bohemia. Filemon climbed on to the roof of the royal palace in the blue moments of early morning and walked in front of the
window, where he had first seen the maiden with locks black as ebony and skin white as snow and lips red as blood. A few
moments later the window opened from the inside and before him stood this adored maiden.

And what happened next? It’s a secret.

All that summer Filemon and the princess cooed like a pair of doves. Filemon fell deeper and deeper in love with the maiden,
whom he didn’t know to be the one and only princess in the royal palace. The princess too loved Filemon more and more every
day. All that summer he wrote more and more songs and poems for the princess, each more delightful than the last. Finally the
tasks of the chimneysweep boy in the royal palace of the king of Bohemia were drawing close to an end. One evening, Filemon
wrote one more poem. This is how it went.

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Written in stars

She invited me forth

from my naked secrets

With gold entangled with her hair

she girds me up to the clouds

She talks softly into my dreams

She dreams a forest
and a silence
and a mirror surface of a pond
and a whisper

I don’t own her.

Except
for her silent mirror reflection
which is
the desire
of the
moment
which is
coming
closer

In the morning of his last work day in the last days of summer the chimneysweep rose up once again to the roof of the royal
palace, but when he came in front of the window of the salon, where he had met the maiden so many times before , there was a
big surprise waiting for him. That morning the maiden had dressed in a glamorous gown with diamonds and rubies and
emeralds, and on her forehead wore a golden crown embellished with pearls. Filemon was shocked by this revelation ,and only
at that moment did he realize that his girlfriend was in truth the one and only princess of this royal palace. The princess noticed
the shock that she had caused with her costume. Without hesitation she asked Filemon to come in and he slipped inside the
salon.

-Don’t be afraid , My Love. Come forth, please, said the princess.

-I’ll come if it pleases you, O Princess, said Filemon
After this they were both silent for a moment.
-Do you love me?, asked the princess finally.
-Yes, O Princess. I can’t deny this, answered Filemon.
-Are you completely certain?, said the princess.
-Yes I am, My Love. My heart belongs to you and none else, Filemon replied.
-Oh, good. If this is the truth, I have a further task for you.
-Tell me, My Love. Which task shall this be?
-All right, I will tell you now. It has happened that the prince of our neighbouring kingdom, Prussia, has fixed his attentions
on me. He has asked my father’s permission to marry me. But I love you and not the prince. Even so, I can not just turn down
his proposal, because this would only lead into a war between the two kingdoms. So, my father demanded me to arrange a
competition, in which the winner shall have my heart as well as my hand in marriage. You will participate in this competition,
won’t you? Because if you do, I’m sure you will win this game and so also my father will accept us, My Love, said the princess.
-Yes, of course I will if this is your wish, said the chimneysweep.

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 Field of stones

Early the next morning Filemon met his rival the prince of Prussia in the courtyard of the royal palace. The prince was dressed
in golden armour and had sharper than sharp golden sword on his belt. The prince struck a conversation.

-You are the poor chimneysweep boy from the Old Town of Prague, aren’t you?, asked the prince.
-Yes, truly I am.
-How is it that you, who live poorly in Old Town of Prague in a small apartment with no stove or fireplace or chimney, think
that you can beat me in competition and win the right to marry the princess?
-Indeed I am poor, but under the ceiling of my apartment there is no great grief to be found, only happiness.
-I will show you grief all right! When I become king of Prussia, I will cut your throat! What do you have to say about that?
Are you afraid?, said the prince in a pompous way.
-No. I am not afraid of you, said Filemon.

Then the princess arrived in the courtyard and put an end to the arguing of the prince and the chimneysweep.
-Come come, boys. Stop your arguing right now. I have three tasks for you. The first is to plough a hundred metres long field
of stones. I expect this to be accomplished before sunrise and rooster’s crow tomorrow morning. The second task is to hit a
single fiber of my hair with a bow and arrow from the distance of two hundred meters. You shall face this second tomorrow. The
third task is to bring me a red rose from the royal garden, whose only door is guarded by the strongest man in Bohemia and
which garden is surrounded by three hundred metres high wall of stones. I shall expect you to accomplish the third task before
sunrise the day after tomorrow. The one who accomplishes all three tasks successfully, shall have my heart for ever more and
also the right to marry me, said the princess, who then walked away and disappeared inside the royal palace.

Both the competitors too left the courtyard and walked away.

The next night the prince arrived at the corner of the field of stones outside the city district. He came there with a group of one
hundred of the strongest men of the Prussian army. It took only a few minutes for the hundred soldiers to plow the hundred
metres long strip of the field of stones. When they finished the prince ordered the soldiers to sow poisonous snakes in the next
hundred meter strip of the field of stones. As they sowed the snakes, the prince shouted: “More! More! Sow even more snakes!
Sow as many as snakes as there are stars in the night sky! Sow more or I will cut your throats when I become king of Prussia!”
That was the way the prince shouted to his own men and he also sowed a few snakes himself. While the prince and his men
worked industriously in the field of stones, Filemon fast asleep in his home in the Old Town of Prague. He was sleeping,
because the prince had ordered his servant to put a special sleep-inducing medicine into the drinking water of Filemon’s
apartment.

It was very late at night, when Filemon woke up, with only the moon and Venus, of all the stars of the night sky, visible in the
blue moments of the morning. He left his apartment and headed as quickly as he could to the strip of field of stones outside the
city district, he was supposed to plough before sunrise. When the chimneysweeper boy saw, how big the stones were in this
field, he thought: “How can I ever accomplish this task?” He was just about to start ploughing, when he noticed the poisonous
snakes in the field. “How can I ever accomplish this task???”, shouted Filemon at loud by the side of the field of stones.

Rabbi Löw was aware of the developments over the past night and he showed up at the corner of the field of stones. But he did
not come alone: the fierce Golem , the Man of Rock and Earth stood by his side. Rabbi Löw gave strict orders to the Golem and
the Golem obeyed. First rabbi Löw ordered the Golem: “plough the field!” And the Golem ploughed. It took him only a few
seconds to complete the task. Then Rabbi Löw ordered the Golem: “Sow seeds into the field!” And the Golem sowed. Next
rabbi Löw ordered the Golem: “Wet the seeds of the field!” And the Golem watered the field. Next Rabbi Löw ordered the
Golem: “Warm up the seeds of the field so that they start to grow!” And so the Golem blew hot winds from its lugns and a great
statue of fire appeared from its mouth, which warmed the seeds in the field so that they started to grow.

-There, my friend! Seeds are already germinating in your field, said Rabbi Löw to Filemon.
-Thousands of thanks to you, my friend!, Filemon joyfully replied.
-Thank yourself!, said the Rabbi and smiled.

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 Slicing fiber of hair

By the time of sunrise the rooster of the royal palace crowed. Well before sunrise the prince appeared in the courtyard of the
royal palace, where the princess waited for both the competitors. The prince was amazed to see that the chimneysweep had
managed to show up in time, and even more amazed to see that he was as calm and joyous at the same time.

-Is the first task accomplished?, asked the princess.

-Yes, it is, competitors answered in unison.
-In my field the seeds are already germinating, added Filemon to the great astonishment of the prince. The prince was so angry,
when he heard this comment, that he bit his own lip.
-Well done, boys. Now we shall move on to the second task, which is to hit a target – a single fiber of hair of mine - with a bow
and an arrow. The target shall be placed one hundred of meters away on the other side of this pond in the courtyard. I shall
stand next to you on this side of the pond and judge , and my father the King of Bohemia will judge next to the target on the
other side of the pond. So , let us begin, said the princess.

The prince was given the first turn. The prince had the advantage in this second task, because at the castle of the king of
Prussia, where he lived, he often had very little else to spend his time except to practice archery and other skills of warfare. The
prince lacked other entertainments in life besides practice the skills of warfare. So, now the prince stretched his bow and then
shot his arrow with fierce strength. The arrow flew in a tremendous curve over the pond and finally hit the target, which was
one single fiber of the hair of the princess. The king shouted from the other side of the pond: “Bull’s eye! The arrow sliced the
single fiber of hair!”

Next it was Filemon’s turn. Before he had time to stretch his bow, the prince took two apples from his bag. He started to eat
one and offered the other to the chimneysweep. “Take an apple. It’s a sign of my friendship”, said the prince. But Filemon
foresaw that the apple was poisoned, so he just took the apple and put it into his pocket without taking a bite.

Filemon didn’t have much previous experience in archery and so he pondered again how an earth he would accomplish this
demanding task. He could see his reflection on the mirror surface of the completely calm pond. And next to his own reflection
he saw the reflection of his beloved, the princess. Filemon stretched his bow, and all at once started to feel dizzy. He looked at
his reflection and the reflection of the princess next to it and suddenly it seemed to him that the lengths of these reflections were
increasing. The reflections seemed to reach from the side of the pond, where he, the princess and also the prince stood, to the
other side, where the king was.

Suddenly the princess whispered : “Shoot!”. And so the chimneysweeper boy shot his arrow. He tried to avoid hitting the
surface of the pond. His arrow too flew in a tremendous curve to the other side of the pond , where from was heard a peculiar
chinking sound. “Bull’s eye twice over! The arrow sliced the previous arrow and at the same time it also sliced the fiber of
hair!”, the king shouted from the other side of the pond.

After this episode the princess was very pleased, Filemon was relieved and the prince was even more angry. “So, let us move
forward to the third and final task,” said the princess.

Season of Roses

-You have til the rooster crows at daybreak to accomplish the last task, which is to bring me a red rose from the garden of the
royal palace. The garden is surrounded by three hundred metres high wall of stone and the only entrance is guarded by the
strongest man in Bohemia. In the garden there are three roses: the first one is white, the second one is red, the third one is
black. The one who brings me the white rose, shall be rejected. The one who brings me the red rose I shall marry. But the one
who sees even a glimpse of the black rose, shall face Death, most appalling and black. So, be extra careful out there,
gentlemen!, said the princess.

That evening the prince showed up at the entry of the garden of the royal palace. The strongest man in Bohemia stopped him.
The prince shouted angrily: “Move away from the entry! If you don’t move away, I will cut your throat when I am king. But if
you do move away, I shall give you a golden ducat.” The strongest man in Bohemia, shocked to hear this, moved away from the
entrance. So, the prince gave the man a golden ducat, which the man put it in his pocket. “But beware of the black rose,
because it might cost you your life! ”, said the strongest man to the prince, when he passed him. “Nonsense! That’s only one
superstition!” , scoffed the prince.

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Inside the walls the prince saw the rose garden. And truly: there were three, no more and no less. One was white as snow, one
was red as blood, and one was black as ebony. The prince cut the stem of the white rose and also of the red one, leaving
behind only the black rose. He thought: “I shall leave the black rose for you, chimneysweep. That shall be the omen of your
fate, because when I become king, I shall cut your throat!”And with that thought teh prince left the rose garden.

That same evening Filemon arrived in front of the three hundred metres high wall of stone, which surrounded the garden of the
royal palace. The boy did not wish to dare challenge the strongest man in Bohemia guarding the doorway into the garden, and
so he concluded that its safer to enter it by climbing over the wall.“This is very a dangerous task”, Filemon thought” It will take
the whole night to climb to the other side of the wall and to climb back over with the rose. ” As chimneysweep Filemon was
experienced in climbing up to high places , so he wasn’t afraid of highs. By midnight he reached the top of the wall and started
back down the other side.

Two hours later Filemon descended safely to the ground of the garden of the royal palace. He blindfolded himself with a scarf
that he’d brought with him so as to avoid seeing the black rose, and walked towards the rose garden. He fumbled about the
roses and at the same time wondered: “ How an earth will I be able to recognize the rose of the right colour without my
eyesight?”

Filemon realized that he could feel with his hands that there was only one rose in the rose garden so he had no other chance but
to take this one. He cut the stem and folded the rose into a bundle of cloth. As he made his leave from the garden, it began to
rain. The rain was very heavy, thunder roared, and lightning struck. In a matter of seconds Filemon and his clothes were
drenched .

When Filemon returned again to the three hundred metres high wall of stone, he decided to take a closer look at his find. He
thought: “Let it not to be the black rose! “ But when he opened the bundle of cloth, at first he didn’t see anything else but black
darkness, because it was night and there was heavy storm. Then in at flash of lightning he believed that he glimpsed the rose in
his hand – it was the most beautiful purple red rose of all time! This vision of a red rose gave Filemon renewed energy. He
folded the rose into the bundle of cloth and started climb back over the wall, which was all wet and slippery and very
dangerous.

The next morning the prince showed up once again very early in the courtyard of the royal palace. He handed his rose to the
princess, the red rose that he had found in the rose garden of the royal palace the previous evening.
-Thank you, said the princess and curtsayed.
A few seconds later Filemon too showed up in the courtyeard. He also had a rose to give to the princess.
-Thank you, said the princess. She curtsayed and added: You knew, my Love!
-But isn’t that the black rose that the chimneysweep handed you?, asked the prince in a very annoyed tone of voice.

At that moment Filemon realized that in truth he had handed the black rose to the princess. He was extremely shocked and
almost fainted. But next the princess said in a very calm voice: “Let us look closer and see. “

The princess took a jug of water and dipped the red rose of the prince into the water: The rose went in red, but came out white.
Next the princess took the Filemon’s black rose and dipped it into the water: The rose went in black, but came out red. Then
she said to them both:
-Look, boys: Originally there wasn’t such thing as the black rose in the royal rose garden. But there were only two white roses
and one red rose. One of the white roses I painted red with water colours. And on top of the red one I sprinkled some soot so
that it looked black. But there can be only one conclusion from all of this: The red rose was brought to me by Filemon the
chimneysweep and so my heart belongs to him. And the proposal of the prince shall be rejected. That is all.

After hearing these words the prince became furious. “I have been betrayed!”, he shouted angrily. Then he took his golden
sword in his hand and thrust it straight through the heart of the princess, shouting: “You promised your heart, so I shall take it
now!” The princess collapsed dead on the ground.

When Filemon saw this, he thought: “My beloved is dead. I don’t want to live any more.” Then he remembered about the apple
that the prince had given him the previous day. It was still in his pocket. Filemon took the apple from his pocket and took a
bite. Then he collapsed dead on the ground because truly it was poisonous.

A few seconds later Rabbi Löw showed up in the courtyard. The fierce Golem was with him. When Rabbi Löw saw, what had
happened, he instructed the Golem: “Hit him down to the ground.” The Golem instantly took the sword from the hand of the
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prince and cut off his head from the shoulders with one tremendously powerful stroke. The prince collapsed on the ground next
to the others. Next Rabbi Löw crouched down over the princess, took a dose of miracle salve from his bag and rubbed it into
the princess’ wound. A few seconds later the princess arose. But when she saw her beloved Filemon dead on the ground next to
her, she started to cry.

-Can you help my sweetheart, O Rabbi Löw?, asked the princess with tears on her cheeks.
-I’m truly sorry, but my salve doesn’t cure poisons, answered Rabbi Löw.

The princess picked up from the ground the black rose that Filemon had given her , placed it on his chest, crouched down over
him, and gave him a kiss on his lips. Next a miracle happened: Filemon rose up from the dead as he had only been sleeping and
gave a kiss to the princess in return.

The princess and Filemon the chimneysweep kissed each other for a very long time and both were very happy.

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 The Wedding

In the last days of that very summer there was a great wedding, where princess Isabella and Filemon were wedded in holy
matrimony. Both the princess and Filemon said “I do” in front of all the congregation and also to the face of God Almighty.
The people of Bohemia were delighted to see two lovers have each other in love. After the wedding ceremony in the church,
there was the greatest party of all times in Kingdom of Bohemia. During the party Filemon sang an old song. This is how it
went.

There is a black rose hidden in the garden of the old castle

and the story goes that if someone finds this rose
that one shall face perdition because of love
Once in the shadows of the night I walked in the garden
and then I was given to see the black rose
the one which enchants the human mind
and while I sensed its magic powers
I picked up this gift of death
On that night a storm arose and lightning struck with heavy rain
and I was given to see a wonderful dream of a lady
who took my heart
And every night this dream comes to me
and my heart is exhausted with kisses
unwithered this black rose is still on my table
because of my love it stays unwithered
until it takes my young life

The princess and the chimneysweep lived happily ever after and they had many children together. They loved each other for
ever more. And nothing in this world could break them apart: not humans, not angels and not dominions
nor principalities nor powers.

After the wedding Rabbi Löw also raised the prince from the dead with his miracle salve, because he wanted to avoid war
between the two kingdoms, Bohemia and Prussia. The prince returned home to Prussia very angry. When the prince became
king of Prussia, he was still so angry, that he started the war anyway. But that is a whole another story.

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