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格林童话英文版:The Three Little Men in the Wood
添加时间:2014-03-06 14:24:56 浏览次数: 作者:Grimms
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  • There was once a man whose wife died, and a woman whose husband died, and the man had a daughter, and the woman also had a daughter. The girls were acquainted with each other, and went out walking together, and afterwards came to the woman in her house. Then said she to the man's daughter, listen, tell your father that I would like to marry him, and then you shall wash yourself in milk every morning, and drink wine, but my own daughter shall wash herself in water and drink water. The girl went home, and told her father what the woman had said. The man said, what shall I do. Marriage is a joy and also a torment1. At length as he could come to no decision, he pulled off his boot, and said, take this boot, it has a hole in the sole of it. Go with it up to the loft2, hang it on the big nail, and then pour water into it. If it hold the water, then I will again take a wife, but if it run through, I will not. The girl did as she was bid, but the water drew the hole together and the boot became full to the top. She informed her father how it had turned out. Then he himself went up, and when he saw that she was right, he went to the widow and wooed her, and the wedding was celebrated3. The next morning, when the two girls got up, there stood before the man's daughter milk for her to wash in and wine for her to drink, but before the woman's daughter stood water to wash herself with and water for drinking. On the second morning, stood water for washing and water for drinking before the man's daughter as well as before the woman's daughter. And on the third morning stood water for washing and water for drinking before the man's daughter, and milk for washing and wine for drinking, before the woman's daughter, and so it continued. The woman became her step-daughter's bitterest enemy, and day by day did her best to treat her still worse. She was also envious4 because her step-daughter was beautiful and lovable, and her own daughter ugly and repulsive5. Once, in winter, when everything was frozen as hard as a stone, and hill and vale lay covered with snow, the woman made a frock of paper, called her step-daughter, and said, here, put on this dress and go out into the wood, and fetch me a little basketful of strawberries - I have a fancy for some. Good heavens, said the girl, no strawberries grow in winter. The ground is frozen, and besides the snow has covered everything. And why am I to go in this paper frock. It is so cold outside that one's very breath freezes. The wind will blow through the frock, and the thorns tear it off my body. Will you contradict me, said the step-mother. See that you go, and do not show your face again until you have the basketful of strawberries. Then she gave her a little piece of hard bread, and said, this will last you the day, and thought, you will die of cold and hunger outside, and will never be seen again by me. Then the maiden6 was obedient, and put on the paper frock, and went out with the basket. Far and wide there was nothing but snow, and not a green blade to be seen. When she got into the wood she saw a small house out of which peeped three little men. She wished them good day, and knocked modestly at the door. They cried, come in, and she entered the room and seated herself on the bench by the stove, where she began to warm herself and eat her breakfast. The little men said, give us some of it, too. Willingly, she said, and divided her piece of bread in two 'and gave them the half. They asked, what do you here in the forest in the winter time, in your thin dress. Ah, she answered, I am to look for a basketful of strawberries, and am not to go home until I can take them with me. When she had eaten her bread, they gave her a broom and said, sweep away the snow at the back door. But when she was outside, the three little men said to each other, what shall we give her as she is so good, and has shared her bread with us. Then said the first, my gift is, that she shall every day grow more beautiful. The second said, my gift is, that gold pieces shall fall out of her mouth every time she speaks. The third said, my gift is, that a king shall come and take her to wife. The girl, however, did as the little men had bidden her, swept away the snow behind the little house with the broom, and what did she find but real ripe strawberries, which came up quite dark-red out of the snow. In her joy she hastily gathered her basket full, thanked the little men, shook hands with each of them, and ran home to take her step-mother what she had longed for so much. When she went in and said good-evening, a piece of gold at once fell out of her mouth. Thereupon she related what had happened to her in the wood, but with every word she spoke7, gold pieces fell from her mouth, until very soon the whole room was covered with them. Now look at her arrogance8, cried the step-sister, to throw about gold in that way. But she was secretly envious of it, and wanted to go into the forest also to seek strawberries. The mother said, no, my dear little daughter, it is too cold, you might freeze to death. However, as her daughter let her have no peace, the mother at last yielded, made her a magnificent coat of fur, which she was obliged to put on, and gave her bread-and-butter and cake for her journey. The girl went into the forest and straight up to the little house. The three little men peeped out again, but she did not greet them, and without looking round at them and without speaking to them, she went awkwardly into the room, seated herself by the stove, and began to eat her bread-and-butter and cake. Give us some of it, cried the little men. But she replied, there is not enough for myself, so how can I give it away to other people. When she had finished eating, they said, there is a broom for you, sweep it all clean in front of the back-door. Sweep for yourselves, she answered, I am not your servant. When she saw that they were not going to give her anything, she went out by the door. Then the little men said to each other, what shall we give her as she is so naughty, and has a wicked envious heart, that will never let her do a good turn to any one. The first said, I grant that she may grow uglier every day. The second said, I grant that at every word she says, a toad9 shall spring out of her mouth. The third said, I grant that she may die a miserable10 death. The maiden looked for strawberries outside, but as she found none, she went angrily home. And when she opened her mouth, and was about to tell her mother what had happened to her in the wood, with every word she said, a toad sprang out of her mouth, so that everyone was seized with horror of her. Then the step-mother was still more enraged11, and thought of nothing but how to do every possible injury to the man's daughter, whose beauty, however, grew daily greater. At length she took a cauldron, set it on the fire, and boiled yarn12 in it. When it was boiled, she flung it on the poor girl's shoulder, and gave her an axe13 in order that she might go on the frozen river, cut a hole in the ice, and rinse14 the yarn. She was obedient, went thither15 and cut a hole in the ice. And while she was in the midst of her cutting, a splendid carriage came driving up, in which sat the king. The carriage stopped, and the king asked, my child, who are you, and what are you doing here. I am a poor girl, and I am rinsing16 yarn. Then the king felt compassion17, and when he saw that she was so very beautiful, he said to her, will you go away with me. Ah, yes, with all my heart, she answered, for she was glad to get away from the mother and sister. So she got into the carriage and drove away with the king, and when they arrived at his palace, the wedding was celebrated with great pomp, as the little men had granted to the maiden. When a year was over, the young queen bore a son, and as the step-mother had heard of her great good-fortune, she came with her daughter to the palace and pretended that she wanted to pay her a visit. But, when the king had gone out, and no one else was present, the wicked woman seized the queen by the head, and her daughter seized her by the feet, and they lifted her out of the bed, and threw her out of the window into the stream which flowed by. Then the ugly daughter laid herself in the bed, and the old woman covered her up over her head. When the king came home again and wanted to speak to his wife, the old woman cried, hush18, hush, that can't be now, she is lying in a violent sweat. You must let her rest to-day. The king suspected no evil, and did not come back again till next morning. And as he talked with his wife and she answered him, with every word a toad leaped out, whereas formerly19 a piece of gold had fallen. Then he asked what that could be, but the old woman said that she had got that from the violent sweat, and would soon lose it again. During the night, however, the scullion saw a duck come swimming up the gutter20, and it said - king, what art thou doing now. Sleepest thou, or wakest thou. And as he returned no answer, it said - and my guests, what may they do. The scullion said - they are sleeping soundly, too. Then it asked again - what does little baby mine. He answered - sleepeth in her cradle fine. Then she went upstairs in the form of the queen, nursed the baby, shook up its little bed, covered it over, and then swam away again down the gutter in the shape of a duck. She came thus for two nights. On the third, she said to the scullion, go and tell the king to take his sword and swing it three times over me on the threshold. Then the scullion ran and told this to the king, who came with his sword and swung it thrice over the spirit, and at the third time, his wife stood before him strong, living, and healthy as she had been before. Thereupon the king was full of great joy, but he kept the queen hidden in a chamber21 until the sunday, when the baby was to be christened. And when it was christened he said, what does a person deserve who drags another out of bed and throws him in the water. The wretch22 deserves nothing better, answered the old woman, than to be taken and put in a barrel stuck full of nails, and rolled down hill into the water. Then, said the king, you have pronounced your own sentence. And he ordered such a barrel to be brought, and the old woman to be put into it with her daughter, and then the top was hammered on, and the barrel rolled down hill until it went into the river.



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    1 torment [ˈtɔ:ment] gJXzd   第7级
    n.折磨;令人痛苦的东西(人);vt.折磨;纠缠
    参考例句:
    • He has never suffered the torment of rejection. 他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。
    • Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other. 没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。
    2 loft [lɒft] VkhyQ   第10级
    n.阁楼,顶楼
    参考例句:
    • We could see up into the loft from bottom of the stairs. 我们能从楼梯脚边望到阁楼的内部。
    • By converting the loft, they were able to have two extra bedrooms. 把阁楼改造一下,他们就可以多出两间卧室。
    3 celebrated [ˈselɪbreɪtɪd] iwLzpz   第8级
    adj.有名的,声誉卓著的
    参考例句:
    • He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England. 不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
    • The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience. 观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。
    4 envious [ˈenviəs] n8SyX   第8级
    adj.嫉妒的,羡慕的
    参考例句:
    • I don't think I'm envious of your success. 我想我并不嫉妒你的成功。
    • She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car. 她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。
    5 repulsive [rɪˈpʌlsɪv] RsNyx   第8级
    adj.排斥的,使人反感的
    参考例句:
    • She found the idea deeply repulsive. 她发现这个想法很恶心。
    • The repulsive force within the nucleus is enormous. 核子内部的斥力是巨大的。
    6 maiden [ˈmeɪdn] yRpz7   第7级
    n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的
    参考例句:
    • The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden. 王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
    • The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow. 这架飞机明天首航。
    7 spoke [spəʊk] XryyC   第11级
    n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
    参考例句:
    • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company. 他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
    • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre. 辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
    8 arrogance [ˈærəgəns] pNpyD   第8级
    n.傲慢,自大
    参考例句:
    • His arrogance comes out in every speech he makes. 他每次讲话都表现得骄傲自大。
    • Arrogance arrested his progress. 骄傲阻碍了他的进步。
    9 toad [təʊd] oJezr   第8级
    n.蟾蜍,癞蛤蟆
    参考例句:
    • Both the toad and frog are amphibian. 蟾蜍和青蛙都是两栖动物。
    • Many kinds of toad hibernate in winter. 许多种蟾蜍在冬天都会冬眠。
    10 miserable [ˈmɪzrəbl] g18yk   第7级
    adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
    参考例句:
    • It was miserable of you to make fun of him. 你取笑他,这是可耻的。
    • Her past life was miserable. 她过去的生活很苦。
    11 enraged [enˈreɪdʒd] 7f01c0138fa015d429c01106e574231c   第10级
    使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 ); 歜; 激愤
    参考例句:
    • I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令,我极为恼火。
    • The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。
    12 yarn [jɑ:n] LMpzM   第9级
    n.纱,纱线,纺线;奇闻漫谈,旅行轶事
    参考例句:
    • I stopped to have a yarn with him. 我停下来跟他聊天。
    • The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber. 纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
    13 axe [æks] 2oVyI   第7级
    n.斧子;vt.用斧头砍,削减
    参考例句:
    • Be careful with that sharp axe. 那把斧子很锋利,你要当心。
    • The edge of this axe has turned. 这把斧子卷了刃了。
    14 rinse [rɪns] BCozs   第8级
    vt. 漱;冲洗掉;漂净 n. 冲洗;漂洗;[轻] 染发剂;染发 vi. 冲洗掉;漂净
    参考例句:
    • Give the cup a rinse. 冲洗一下杯子。
    • Don't just rinse the bottles. Wash them out carefully. 别只涮涮瓶子,要仔细地洗洗里面。
    15 thither [ˈðɪðə(r)] cgRz1o   第12级
    adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的
    参考例句:
    • He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate. 他逛来逛去找玩伴。
    • He tramped hither and thither. 他到处流浪。
    16 rinsing ['rɪnsɪŋ] cc80e70477186de83e96464130c222ba   第8级
    n.清水,残渣v.漂洗( rinse的现在分词 );冲洗;用清水漂洗掉(肥皂泡等);(用清水)冲掉
    参考例句:
    • Pablo made a swishing noise rinsing wine in his mouth. 巴勃罗用酒漱着口,发出咕噜噜噜的声音。 来自辞典例句
    • The absorption of many molecular layers could be reestablished by rinsing the foils with tap water. 多分子层的吸附作用可用自来水淋洗金属箔而重新实现。 来自辞典例句
    17 compassion [kəmˈpæʃn] 3q2zZ   第8级
    n.同情,怜悯
    参考例句:
    • He could not help having compassion for the poor creature. 他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
    • Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children. 她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。
    18 hush [hʌʃ] ecMzv   第8级
    int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静
    参考例句:
    • A hush fell over the onlookers. 旁观者们突然静了下来。
    • Do hush up the scandal! 不要把这丑事声张出去!
    19 formerly [ˈfɔ:məli] ni3x9   第8级
    adv.从前,以前
    参考例句:
    • We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard. 我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
    • This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China. 这船从前航行在中国内河里。
    20 gutter [ˈgʌtə(r)] lexxk   第8级
    n.沟,街沟,水槽,檐槽,贫民窟
    参考例句:
    • There's a cigarette packet thrown into the gutter. 阴沟里有个香烟盒。
    • He picked her out of the gutter and made her a great lady. 他使她脱离贫苦生活,并成为贵妇。
    21 chamber [ˈtʃeɪmbə(r)] wnky9   第7级
    n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
    参考例句:
    • For many, the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber. 对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
    • The chamber was ablaze with light. 会议厅里灯火辉煌。
    22 wretch [retʃ] EIPyl   第12级
    n.可怜的人,不幸的人;卑鄙的人
    参考例句:
    • You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him. 你不但不谢他,还埋怨他,真不知好歹。
    • The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him. 死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。

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