格林童話：小農(nóng)夫(英)

　　The Little Peasant

　　Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　There was a village where all the peasants were rich except for just one poor one, whom they called the little peasant. He did not own a single cow, and had even less money to buy one with, but he and his wife would have liked to have one ever so much.

　　One day he said to her, "Listen, I have a good idea. Our kinsman the cabinetmaker should make us a calf out of wood and paint it brown so that it looks like any other calf, and with time it is sure to grow big and be a cow."

　　His wife liked this idea, and their kinsman the cabinetmaker skillfully put together the calf and planed it, then painted it just right. He made it with its head hanging down as if it were grazing.

　　When the cows were being driven out the next morning the little peasant called to the herder and said, "Look, I have a little calf here, but it is still small and has to be carried."

　　The herder said, "All right," and taking it in his arms he carried it to the pasture where he set it in the grass.

　　The little calf stood there like one that was grazing, and the herder said, "It will soon be walking by itself. Just look how it is already grazing."

　　That evening when he was about to drive the herd home again, he said to the calf, "If you can stand there and eat your fill, you can also walk on your four legs. I don't want to carry you home again in my arms."

　　When the herder drove the cows through the village the little peasant was standing outside his door waiting for his little calf. It was missing, and he asked where it was.

　　The herder answered, "It is still standing out there grazing. It would not stop and come with us."

　　The little peasant said, "Oh, I must have my animal back again."

　　Then together they went back to the pasture, but someone had stolen the calf, and it was gone.

　　The herder said, "It must have run away."

　　The little peasant said, "Don't tell me that," and he took the herder before the mayor, who condemned him for his carelessness, and required him to give the little peasant a cow for the lost calf.

　　The little peasant and his wife now had the cow that they had long wanted. They were very glad, but they had no feed for it, and could give it nothing to eat, so it soon had to be slaughtered.

　　They salted the meat, and the little peasant went to town to sell the hide, hoping to buy a new calf with the proceeds.

　　On the way he came to a mill, and there sat a raven with broken wings. Out of pity he picked it up and wrapped it in the hide.

　　But then the weather turned very bad with a wind and rain storm. Unable to continue on his way, he returned to the mill and asked for shelter.

　　The miller's wife was alone in the house, and she said to the little peasant, "You can sleep in the straw there," and she gave him a piece of bread and cheese.

　　The little peasant ate and then lay down with his hide at his side. The woman thought, "He is tired and has fallen asleep."

　　In the meantime the priest arrived. The miller's wife received him well, and said, "My husband is out, so we can have a feast."

　　The little peasant listened, and when he heard them talking about feasting he was angry that he had had to make do with a piece of bread and cheese. Then the woman served up four different things: a roast, salad, cake, and wine. They were just about to sit down and eat when someone knocked on the outside door.

　　The woman said, "Oh, God, it's my husband." She quickly hid the roast inside the tile stove, the wine under the pillow, the salad on top of the bed, the cake under the bed, and the priest in the hallway chest.

　　Then opening the door for her husband, she said, "Thank heaven, you are back again. That is such a storm, as if the world were coming to an end."

　　The miller saw the little peasant lying in the straw and asked, "What is that fellow doing there?"

　　"Oh," said his wife, "The poor rascal came in the storm and rain and asked for shelter, so I gave him a piece of bread and cheese, and let him lie in the straw."

　　The man said, "I have nothing against that, but hurry and get me something to eat."

　　His wife said, " I have nothing but bread and cheese."

　　"I'll be satisfied with anything," answered her husband. "Bread and cheese will be good enough for me." Then he looked at the little peasant and said, "Come and eat some more with me."

　　The little peasant did not have to be asked twice, but got up and ate.

　　Afterward the miller saw the hide with the raven in it lying on the ground, and asked, "What do you have there?"

　　The little peasant answered, "I have a fortune-teller inside it."

　　"Can he predict anything for me?" said the miller.

　　"Why not?" answered the little peasant. "But he only says four things, and the fifth he keeps to himself."

　　The miller was curious and said, "Let him predict something."

　　Then the little peasant pressed against the raven's head, so that he cawed and said, "krr, krr."

　　The miller said, "What did he say?"

　　The little peasant answered, "First of all, he says that there is some wine under the pillow."

　　"That would be something!" cried the miller, and went there and found the wine. "Say some more," he said.

　　The little peasant made the raven caw again, then said, "Secondly, he says that there is a roast in the tile stove."

　　"That would be something!" cried the miller, and went there and found the roast.

　　The little peasant made the raven prophesy still more, and said, "Thirdly, he says that there is some salad on top of the bed."

　　"That would be something!" cried the miller, and went there and found the salad.

　　At last the little peasant pressed against the raven once more until he cawed, and said, "Fourthly, he says that there is a cake under the bed."

　　"That would be something!" cried the miller, and looked there and found the cake. Then the two of them sat down at the table together. But the miller's wife was frightened to death and went to bed, taking all the keys with her.

　　The miller would have liked very much to know the fifth thing, but the little peasant said, "First, let us eat the four things in peace, for the fifth thing is something bad."

　　So they ate, after which they bargained as to how much the miller would pay for the fifth prophesy, finally agreeing on three hundred talers. Then the little peasant once more pressed against the raven's head until he cawed loudly.

　　The miller asked, "What did he say?"

　　The little peasant answered, "He says that the devil is hiding out there in the hallway chest."

　　The miller said, "The devil must leave," and opened the outside door.

　　Then the woman had to give up the keys, and the little peasant unlocked the chest. The priest ran out as fast as he could, and the miller said, " I saw the black fellow with my own eyes. It was true."

　　The next morning at dawn the little peasant quickly made off the with the three hundred talers.

　　At home the little peasant gradually began to prosper. He built a nice house, and the peasants said, "The little peasant has certainly been to the place where golden snow falls and people carry money home by the bushel."

　　Then the little peasant was summoned before the mayor and ordered to tell where his wealth came from.

　　He answered, "I sold my cow's hide in the town for three hundred talers."

　　When the peasants heard this, they too wanted to benefit from this favorable exchange. They ran home, slaughtered all their cows, and stripped off their hides in order to sell them in the town at this great profit.

　　The mayor, however, said, "But my maid must go first."

　　When she came to the buyer in the town, he did not give her more than three talers for one hide, and when the others came, he did not give them even that much, saying, "What am I to do with all these hides?"

　　Then the peasants were angry that the little peasant had deceived them. Wanting to take revenge against him, they accused him of fraud before the mayor. The innocent little peasant was unanimously sentenced to death, and he was to be rolled into the water in a barrel pierced with holes. He was led out, and a priest was brought who was to say a mass for his soul. The others had to step back, and when the little peasant looked at the priest he recognized the man who had been with the miller's wife.

　　He said to him, "I freed you from the chest. Free me from the barrel."

　　Just then a shepherd came by with a flock of sheep. It was the very shepherd who, as the little peasant knew, had long wanted to be mayor. Then the little peasant cried out with all his might, "No, I will not do it! Even if the whole world insists on it, I will not do it!"

　　Hearing this, the shepherd came up to him, and asked, "What are you up to? What is it that you will not do?"

　　The little peasant said, "They want to make me mayor, if I will get into the barrel, but I will not do it."

　　The shepherd said, "If that is all that is needed to be mayor, I would get into the barrel at once."

　　The little peasant said, "If you will get in, then you will be mayor."

　　The shepherd agreed and got in, and the little peasant nailed the top down. Then he took the shepherd's flock for himself, and drove it away. The priest went to the people and told them that the mass had been read. Then they came and rolled the barrel towards the water. As the barrel began to roll, the shepherd cried out, "I will gladly be mayor."

　　They believed that it was the little peasant who was saying this and answered, "That is what we intend, but first take a look around down there," and they rolled the barrel into the water.

　　After that the peasants went home, and as they were entering the village, the little peasant approached them, happily driving a flock of sheep. The astonished peasants said, "Little peasant, where are you coming from? Did you come out of the water?"

　　"Yes indeed," answered the little peasant. "I sank deep, deep down, until at last I reached the bottom. I pushed the bottom out of the barrel, and crawled out. There were beautiful meadows there, where many lambs were grazing. I brought this flock with me from there."

　　The peasants said, "Are there more there?"

　　"Oh, yes," he said. "More than you could use."

　　Then the peasants decided that they too would get some sheep for themselves, a flock for each one of them, but the mayor said, "I come first."

　　So they went to the water together, and just then in the blue sky there were some of the small fleecy clouds that are called little lambs. They were reflected in the water, and the peasants cried out, "We can already see the sheep down there on the bottom."

　　The mayor pushed his way to the front, saying, "I will go down first, and take a look around. If everything is all right, I shall call you." Then he jumped in.

　　"Plop," went the water. They thought that he was calling them to come, and the whole lot of them hastily plunged in after him.

　　Then the entire village was dead, and the little peasant, as the only heir, became a rich man.

　　從前有個村子，那里的人都很富裕，只有一個人窮得連條牛都沒有，更說不上有錢買了，大家叫他「小農(nóng)夫」。他和妻子都很想有頭自家的牛，於是有一天他對妻子說：「我有個好主意。多嘴的木匠說他愿意給我們做個和真牛一模一樣的小木牛，然后漆成棕色，慢慢地就會變成真正的牛了?！箣D人覺得這主意挺不錯，於是木匠又是砍又是刨，終於做出了一頭正在低頭吃草的木牛犢，然后刷上油漆。

　　第二天一早，牧牛人正趕著牛群要出村，小農(nóng)夫把他拉進屋說：「你瞧，我有頭小牛，還不能自己走，你得抱著它走才行?！鼓寥遂妒前研∧九１У侥翀觯阉旁诓莸刂醒?。小木?？偸悄敲绰耦^吃草的樣子，牧人說：「瞧它那副埋頭吃草的勁頭，用不了多久就會自己跑了。」

　　晚上，牧人打算趕著牛群回村。他對小木牛說：「既然你能吃就吃個夠吧。等你吃飽了準能自己回村的。我可不想再抱著你走了?！箍墒切∞r(nóng)夫站在門口等著，看到牧牛人趕著牛進了村，沒見到小木牛，就問牧人小牛在哪兒?！高€在牧場吃草呢。它不肯跟我回來?！剐∞r(nóng)夫說：「我一定得把小牛找回來?！?/p>

　　他們一起來到牧場，沒見到牛犢，也不知道甚么人把它偷走了。牧人說：「準是它自己跑了?！剐∞r(nóng)夫說：「別跟我來這一套?！估寥司驼益?zhèn)長評理去了。鎮(zhèn)長判牧人粗心，罰他賠一頭小牛給農(nóng)夫。

　　就這樣，小農(nóng)夫和妻子有了一頭自家的牛。他們打心眼里為這盼望已久的事情感到高興?？墒撬麄兲F了，沒東西喂給它吃，所以沒過多久就只得把牛殺了。他們將牛肉醃制起來，把牛皮扒了下來，打算賣掉之后再買頭小牛回來。他路過一家磨坊，看到一只折斷了翅膀的烏鴉。他同情地把它撿了起來，用牛皮裹好。這時天上突然下起了暴雨，他不得不到磨坊躲雨。磨坊主的妻子獨自在家，她對小農(nóng)夫說：「躺在那邊的草垛上吧?！褂纸o了他一片麵包和一小塊干酪。農(nóng)夫吃完就把牛皮放在身邊，自己在草垛上躺下了。磨坊主的妻子以為他累了在那兒睡熟了。這時，教區(qū)牧師來了，磨坊主的妻子熱情地接待他，說：「我丈夫不在家，我們可以好好吃一頓了。」小農(nóng)夫聽到他們大談美食，又想到自己只吃了一塊麵包和一點干酪，心里很不痛快。只見婦人端出四種不同的美食來：烤肉、沙拉、蛋糕和酒。

　　他們正要坐下享用，聽到外面有人敲門。婦人說：「天哪!是我丈夫!」她趕忙將烤肉藏到烤爐里，把酒塞到枕頭底下，把蛋糕藏到床下面，沙拉藏到床上，最后將牧師藏到門廊上的壁櫥里，然后才去給丈夫開門，說：「謝天謝地，你總算回來了!暴風(fēng)雨那么大，簡直像到了世界末日一樣?！鼓シ恢骺吹教稍诓荻馍系男∞r(nóng)夫，問：「這傢伙在這里干甚么?」「哦，可憐的傢伙趕上暴雨了，來請求躲雨。我給了他一塊麵包和一點干酪，然后把他領(lǐng)到這里來了?！拐煞蛘f：「行了，快點弄些吃的來吧?！箍蓩D人說：「除了麵包和干酪，別的就甚么都沒了?！埂鸽S便甚么都行。」丈夫回答，「我現(xiàn)在能有麵包和干酪就覺得挺不錯的了?！顾粗∞r(nóng)夫，問：「你也來和我一起吃點兒吧?！罐r(nóng)夫毫不客氣，趕緊起來吃。這時，磨坊主看到了地上的牛皮和烏鴉，問：「那是甚么?」「里面是個占卜的?！罐r(nóng)夫回答?！改茴A(yù)言點甚么?」磨坊主問?！冈趺床荒?」農(nóng)夫說，「不過它每次只說四件事，第五件只有它自己知道?！鼓シ恢骱闷娴卣f：「那就讓它說點甚么吧?！鼓シ恢髡f。於是農(nóng)夫捅了捅烏鴉，使它「呀、呀」地叫了幾聲。磨坊主問：「它說啥?」農(nóng)夫說：「它說，首先枕頭下面有一瓶酒?！埂柑炷?」磨坊主喊著沖向枕頭，真的從它下面拿出一瓶酒來?！缸屗又f。」磨坊主說。農(nóng)夫又捅了捅烏鴉，讓它叫出聲來，說：「這次它說烤爐里有烤肉?！埂赴ρ?」磨坊主驚叫著跑向烤爐，果然找到了烤肉。農(nóng)夫再次讓烏鴉預(yù)言，說：「這次它說床上有沙拉?！埂柑袅?」說著磨坊主就走到床邊，在那里找到了沙拉。農(nóng)夫最后一次捅了捅烏鴉，說：「第四件，床底下有蛋糕?！埂高@倒不錯!」磨坊主說著就朝床下看，真的有一盤蛋糕在那里。

　　兩人這時一起吃了起來，磨坊主的妻子則嚇了個半死。她把所有櫥柜門都鎖了起來，把鑰匙拿在手里上床睡了?？赡シ恢鬟€想知道第五件事，農(nóng)夫說：「我還是先快點吃這四樣?xùn)|西吧，第五件可不是甚么好東西?！沟瘸燥柫撕茸懔耍シ恢鬟€是想知道到底是甚么，所以他們就開始講條件，最后談定三百金幣。農(nóng)夫捅了捅烏鴉的腦袋，疼得它「哇、哇」大叫起來。磨坊主問：「它說甚么?」農(nóng)夫說：「它說魔鬼藏在你家門廊上的柜子里了。」「那一定得把它趕走才行。」磨坊主說著打開房門，婦人只好交出鑰匙。農(nóng)夫替她打開了柜子門，牧師撒腿就跑。磨坊主說：「還真是的!我親眼看到那黑黑的惡棍了!」就這樣，農(nóng)夫第二天一早帶著三百金幣離開了磨坊。

　　小農(nóng)夫漸漸講究起來，而且修起了新房子。村子里的農(nóng)夫說：「小農(nóng)夫準是到了天上落金子的地方，那里的人準是用鐵鍬鏟了金子扛回家的?！轨妒撬麄儼研∞r(nóng)夫帶到鎮(zhèn)長那兒，逼他說出他的財富是從哪兒來的。他回答說：「我在城里把牛皮賣了，得了三百個金幣。」其他農(nóng)夫一聽牛皮居然能賣那么高的價，紛紛跑回家將牛殺了，扒了皮，希望拿到城里去賣個好價錢。鎮(zhèn)長說：「讓我的仆人先去。」仆人來到城里，收牛皮的商人只出兩個金幣買一張牛皮。等其他農(nóng)夫也趕來時，商人連這個價也不肯出了，說：「我拿這么多牛皮干甚么?」

　　那些農(nóng)夫覺得自己被愚弄了，氣急敗壞地想要報復(fù)。他們以小農(nóng)夫在鎮(zhèn)長面前說謊的罪名控告他，并一致同意判無辜的小農(nóng)夫死刑，要把他裝進滿是洞眼的酒桶沉到河里去。於是小農(nóng)夫被帶到牧師跟前作最后的懺悔。這種時候，其他人是必須走開的。小農(nóng)夫認出牧師就是那晚在磨坊主家的那個，就說：「我把你從柜子里放了出來，你也該把我從桶里放出來才對?！惯@時，有個牧羊人趕著一群羊走來。小農(nóng)夫知道他一直渴望當(dāng)鎮(zhèn)長，於是大喊：「不!我不當(dāng)!即是全世界的人要我當(dāng)我也不當(dāng)!」牧羊人聽了走過來問：「你在喊啥?你不當(dāng)甚么?」農(nóng)夫說：「他們說只要我愿意把自己裝在這桶里就讓我當(dāng)鎮(zhèn)長。我可不愿意!」「如果當(dāng)鎮(zhèn)長只需要這么做，我倒是很愿意。」說著就放出小農(nóng)夫，自己鉆了進去。小農(nóng)夫替他蓋上桶蓋，趕著他的羊群走了。牧師回到大伙那兒說祈禱做完了，他們就過來朝河里推酒桶。桶開始滾動的時候，他們聽到有人在里面說：「我很愿意當(dāng)鎮(zhèn)長?！箍伤麄円詾槭切∞r(nóng)夫在說話，就說：「我們的確打算讓你當(dāng)。不過你得先在下面四處瞧瞧?！拐f完就把桶推下河去了。

　　農(nóng)夫們從村子一頭往家走，小農(nóng)夫趕著羊群從另一頭默默進了村，樣子十分滿足。他們大為驚訝地問：「你從哪兒來?是從水里嗎?」「是的，」小農(nóng)夫說，「我一直往下沉啊沉啊，最后沉到河底，推開桶蓋一看，原來是一片美麗的大草原，無數(shù)只羔羊在那里吃草。所以我就帶了一群回來了?！罐r(nóng)夫們又問：「那里還有嗎?」「有啊!」他回答，「多得我想要都要不完?！罐r(nóng)夫們決定也去趕一群羊回來?？墒擎?zhèn)長說：「我先去?！顾麄円黄饋淼胶舆?，藍天里正好飄過朵朵白云倒映在水中，農(nóng)夫們喊道：「我們已經(jīng)看到下面的羊群了!」鎮(zhèn)長擠到前面說：「我先下去察看一下，如果真的很多我再叫你們?！拐f著就「撲通」一聲跳進水里，那聲音像是在喊岸上的人們下去，於是一群人一齊跳了下去，這下子，全村人都死光了，小農(nóng)夫成了唯一繼承人，一下成為了大富翁。