格林童話：侏儒妖(英)

　　Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　Once upon a time there was a woman who was truly a witch. She had two daughters, one ugly and wicked, whom she loved because she was her own daughter, and one beautiful and good, whom she hated, because she was her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter had a beautiful apron, which the other girl wanted so much that she became envious, and she told her mother that she just had to have that apron.

　　"Be still, my child," said the old woman, "and you shall have it. Your stepsister has long deserved to die, and tonight when she is asleep I will come and chop off her head. Just be sure to lie down at the far side of the bed, and push her close to the front."

　　It would have been all over with the poor girl, but just then she was standing in a corner, and she overheard everything. She was not allowed to go outside all day long, and at bedtime her wicked stepsister had her get into bed first, so she would be lying next to the wall. However, after the witch's daughter fell asleep, the stepdaughter gently pushed her to the front side of the bed, and she took her place back against the wall.

　　In the night the old woman crept into the bedroom holding an ax in her right hand while feeling with her left hand for anyone lying at the front of the bed. Then she grasped the axe with both hands and chopped off her own child's head.

　　After the witch had gone away, the girl got up and went to her sweetheart, whose name was Roland, and knocked at his door. When he came out, she said to him, "Listen, dearest Roland, we must flee at once. My stepmother tried to kill me, but she killed her own child instead. When daylight comes, and she sees what she has done, we'll be lost."

　　"You had better take her magic wand," said Roland, "or we will not be able to escape if she comes after us."

　　The girl got the magic wand, then she took the dead girl's head and dropped three drops of blood onto the floor, one in front of the bed, one in the kitchen, and one on the steps. Then she hurried away with her sweetheart.

　　The next morning when the old witch got up, she called her daughter, wanting to give her the apron. But the daughter did not come. So she shouted, "Where are you?"

　　"Here on the steps. I'm sweeping," answered the first drop of blood.

　　The old woman went out, but seeing no one on the steps, she shouted again, "Where are you?"

　　"Here in the kitchen. I'm warming myself," shouted the second drop of blood.

　　She went into the kitchen, but found no one. So she shouted again, "Where are you?"

　　"Here in the bed. I'm sleeping," shouted the third drop of blood.

　　She went into the bedroom and approached the bed. What did she see there? Her own child swimming in blood and whose head she herself had cut off.

　　The witch flew into a rage, jumped to the window, and as she could see far into the world, she saw her stepdaughter hurrying away with her sweetheart Roland. "That won't help you, she shouted. "Even if you've already gone a long way, you won't escape from me."

　　She put on her many-league boots, in which she covered an hour's walk with every step, and it was not long before she overtook them. However, when the girl saw the old woman striding toward them, she used the magic wand to transform her sweetheart Roland into a lake, and herself into a duck swimming in the middle of the lake.

　　The witch stood on the shore and threw in pieces of bread, trying with great effort to lure the duck to her. But the duck did not give in, and the old woman had to return home that night without success. Afterward the girl and her sweetheart Roland returned to their natural shapes, and they walked on through the whole night until daybreak. Then the girl transformed herself into a beautiful flower in the middle of a briar hedge, and her sweetheart Roland into a fiddler.

　　It was not long before the witch came striding up toward them. She said to the musician, "Dear musician, may I pick that beautiful flower for myself?"

　　"Oh, yes," he replied. "And I will play for you while you're doing it."

　　She crawled hastily into the hedge and was just about to pick the flower, knowing perfectly well who it was, when he began to play. She was forced to dance, whether she wanted to or not, for it was magic dance music. The faster he played, the more violently she was forced to jump. The thorns tore the clothes off her body, pricking her until she bled, and as he did not stop, she had to dance until she fell down dead.

　　They were now free, so Roland said, "Now I will go to my father and arrange for our wedding."

　　"I'll stay here and wait for you," said the girl. "And I'll transform myself into a red boundary stone, so that no one will recognize me."

　　So Roland set forth, and the girl, in the shape of a red boundary stone, stood there and waited for her sweetheart. But when Roland arrived home, he was snared by another woman, who caused him to forget the girl. The poor girl waited there a long time, but finally, when he failed to return, she grew sad and transformed herself into a flower, thinking, "Someone will surely come this way and trample me down."

　　However, it happened that a shepherd who was herding his sheep in the field saw the flower. As it was so beautiful, he picked it, took it home with him, and put it away in his chest. From that time forth, strange things happened in the shepherd's house. When he arose in the morning all the work was already done. The room was swept, the table and benches cleaned, the fire on the hearth was lighted, and the water was fetched, and at noon, when he came home, the table was already set, and a good dinner served. He didn't know how this happened, for he never saw anyone in his house, and no one could have hidden himself in it.

　　He was, of course, pleased with this good service, but with time he became so afraid that he went to a wise woman and asked for her advice.

　　The wise woman said, "There is magic behind it. Be on the watch very early some morning, and if anything is moving in the room, if you see anything, no matter what it is, throw a white cloth over it, and then the magic will be stopped."

　　The shepherd did what she told him to do, and the next morning just at dawn, he saw the chest open and the flower come out. He quickly jumped towards it and threw a white cloth over it. Instantly the transformation came to an end, and a beautiful girl stood before him, who admitted to him that she had been the flower, and that she had been doing his housekeeping. She told him her story. He liked her and asked her to marry him, but she answered, "No," for she wanted to remain faithful to her sweetheart Roland, even though he had abandoned her. Nevertheless, she promised not to go away, and to continue keeping house for the shepherd.

　　The time drew near when Roland was to be marred. According to an old custom in that country, it was announced that all the girls were to attend the wedding and sing in honor of the bridal pair. When the faithful girl heard this, she grew so sad that she thought her heart would break, and she did not want to go. But the other girls came and took her. When it was her turn to sing, she declined, until at last she was the only one left, and then she could not refuse. But when she began her song, and it reached Roland's ears, he jumped up and shouted, "I know that voice. That is the true bride. I do not want anyone else." Everything he had forgotten, and which had vanished from his mind, had suddenly come home again to his heart.

　　Thus the faithful girl was married to her sweetheart Roland. Her grief came to an end, and her joy began.

　　從前，有個磨坊主，他的女兒長得美麗無比，而且聰明伶俐，為人精明，因而她父親總是不厭其煩地吹噓她，把她吹得天花亂墜。

　　有一天，磨坊主應(yīng)召進(jìn)宮，他對國王吹牛說，他女兒能把稻草紡成金子。

　　誰知國王是個見錢眼開的人，一聽磨坊主的話，馬上就吩咐召見姑娘。姑娘進(jìn)宮之后，國王把她領(lǐng)到一間裝滿了稻草的屋子，然后給她一架紡車，吩咐她道：「明天天亮之前，你必須把稻草全給我紡成金子，不然的話，就處死你。」

　　盡管姑娘一再說明她根本沒有這種本領(lǐng)，可是國王聽也不聽，把門一鎖，揚長而去，屋子里就剩下了她一個人。

　　姑娘坐在屋角里，面對自己的厄運，愁腸百結(jié)，於是就放聲大哭起來。正在這時，屋門突然打開了，一瘸一拐地走進(jìn)來一個小矮子，樣子滑稽可笑，他對姑娘說：「晚上好，姑娘。干嘛哭得這樣傷心呢?」

　　「唉，」姑娘回答說，「我必須把這么多的稻草全都紡成金子，可我哪兒會這個呀!」

　　「要是我替你紡，」小矬子說，「你拿甚么酬謝我呢?」

　　「把我漂亮的項煉送給你?！构媚锘卮鸬?。

　　小矮矮相信姑娘說的話，於是就坐到了紡車前。紡車不停地轉(zhuǎn)啊轉(zhuǎn)，發(fā)出歡快的聲音。不大一會兒，活兒就干完了，滿屋稻草全都紡成了金子。

　　國王進(jìn)屋一看，真是又驚又喜，可他的心卻變得更加貪婪。他把磨坊主的女兒關(guān)進(jìn)另一間有更多稻草的屋子，吩咐她再把這間屋子里的稻草紡成金子?？蓱z的姑娘不知如何是好，坐在那里又哭了起來。誰知正在這時，小矮子打開屋門問道：「要是我?guī)湍慵?，你拿甚么酬謝我呢?」

　　「把這枚鉆石戒指送給你?！构媚锘卮鹫f。

　　於是，她的這個矮小的朋友接過了戒指，然后走到紡車前，紡了起來。他不停地紡啊紡，天亮之前，終於把屋里的稻草全都紡成了金子。

　　國王一見這么多閃閃發(fā)光的金子，滿心歡喜，可他仍然不滿足，就把磨坊主的女兒帶到了另一間更大的屋子，并且對她說：「要是你今晚把這里的稻草全都紡成金子，我就娶你做王后?！?/p>

　　國王走了，剩下姑娘一個人的時候，小矮子又來了，問姑娘說：「要是我第三次還替你紡金子，你拿甚么酬謝我呢?」

　　「我再也沒甚么可送給你啦?！顾卮鹫f。

　　「那么，你得答應(yīng)我，」小矮子接著說道，「等你做了王后，把你生的第一個孩子送給我。」

　　「那可萬萬不行。」姑娘心里想，可是她現(xiàn)在已走投無路，就答應(yīng)了他的要求。小矮子又一次把稻草全都紡成了金子。

　　次日清晨，國王又來了，發(fā)現(xiàn)一切如愿以償，就娶了磨坊主的女兒做王后。

　　王后的第一個孩子出生了，她歡天喜地，卻把小矮子和她自己的諾言給忘了。誰知有一天，小矮子突然來到她的房間，提醒她不要忘記了自己許下的諾言。對這突如其來的不幸，她悲痛欲絕，只得提出將王國所有的金銀財寶都給他，作為交換的條件，可是小矮子說甚么也不答應(yīng)。王后失聲痛哭，哭得像個淚人似的，小矮子見了心也就軟了下來，對她說道：「我寬限你三天時間，要是你在這三天之內(nèi)能說出我的名字，你就把孩子留下?！?/p>

　　於是，王后派遣很多信使去全國各地，打聽沒有聽說過的名字。

　　次日，小矮子又來了，她就開始把所有記得起來的名字都說了出來，甚么迪姆斯啦，本傑明啦，簡羅米啦，等等?？墒切“用柯犚粋€都說：「我不叫這個?！?/p>

　　第二天，她把聽到過的滑稽名字都說了出來，甚么羅圈腿啦，小羅鍋啦，八字腳啦，諸如此類?？墒切“用柯犚粋€還是說：「我不叫這個。」

　　第三天，有個信使回來說：「我正在上山的時候，發(fā)現(xiàn)森林中有一個小棚子，棚子前燃著一堆篝火，一個滑稽可笑的小矮子用一只腳圍著火堆蹦過來，跳過去，一邊蹦跳一邊唱著：

　　'今天我釀酒，明天露一手;又唱又跳多快活，明天小孩就歸我;王后絞盡腦汁兒卻說不準(zhǔn)，本人名叫龍佩爾斯迪爾欽!'」

　　王后聽了高興得跳了起來。過了一會兒，小矮子又來了，進(jìn)門便問：「王后，我叫甚么名字啊?」王后回答說：「你是不是叫約翰哪?」「不對!」「那你是不是叫湯姆呢?」「也不對!」

　　「也許你叫龍佩爾斯迪爾欽吧?」

　　「肯定是巫婆告訴你的!肯定是巫婆告訴你的!」小矮子喊叫著，氣得直跺腳，結(jié)果右腳深深地陷進(jìn)了地里。他不得不彎下腰去，用雙手緊緊抱住小腿，用盡全身力氣才拔了出來。隨后，他便急急忙忙溜走了，這場虛驚也就結(jié)束了，大伙於是開懷大笑。王后后來再也沒有見到過他。