A poor wood-cutter lived with his wife and three daughters in a little hut on the edge of a lonely forest. One morning as he was about to go to his work, he said to his wife, "Let my dinner be brought into the forest to me by my eldest¹ daughter, or I shall never get my work done, and in order that she may not miss her way," he added, "I will take a bag of millet² with me and strew³ the seeds on the path." When, therefore, the sun was just above the center of the forest, the girl set out on her way with a bowl of soup, but the field-sparrows, and wood-sparrows, larks⁴ and finches, blackbirds and siskins had picked up the millet long before, and the girl could not find the track. Then trusting to chance, she went on and on, until the sun sank and night began to fall. The trees rustled⁵ in the darkness, the owls⁶ hooted⁷, and she began to be afraid. Then in the distance she perceived a light which glimmered⁸ between the trees. "There ought to be some people living there, who can take me in for the night," thought she, and went up to the light. It was not long before she came to a house the windows of which were all lighted up. She knocked, and a rough voice from inside cried, "Come in." The girl stepped into the dark entrance, and knocked at the door of the room. "Just come in," cried the voice, and when she opened the door, an old gray-haired man was sitting at the table, supporting his face with both hands, and his white beard fell down over the table almost as far as the ground. By the stove lay three animals, a hen, a cock, and a brindled⁹ cow. The girl told her story to the old man, and begged for shelter for the night. The man said,

"Pretty little hen,

Pretty little cock,

And pretty brindled cow,

What say ye to that?"

"Duks," answered the animals, and that must have meant, "We are willing," for the old man said, "Here you shall have shelter and food, go to the fire, and cook us our supper." The girl found in the kitchen abundance of everything, and cooked a good supper, but had no thought of the animals. She carried the full dishes to the table, seated herself by the gray-haired man, ate and satisfied her hunger. When she had had enough, she said, "But now I am tired, where is there a bed in which I can lie down, and sleep?" The animals replied,

"Thou hast eaten with him,

Thou hast drunk with him,

Thou hast had no thought for us,

So find out for thyself where thou canst pass the night."

Then said the old man, "Just go upstairs, and thou wilt¹⁰ find a room with two beds, shake them up, and put white linen¹¹ on them, and then I, too, will come and lie down to sleep." The girl went up, and when she had shaken the beds and put clean sheets on, she lay down in one of them without waiting any longer for the old man. After some time, however, the gray-haired man came, took his candle, looked at the girl and shook his head. When he saw that she had fallen into a sound sleep, he opened a trap-door, and let her down into the cellar.

Late at night the wood-cutter came home, and reproached his wife for leaving him to hunger all day. "It is not my fault," she replied, "the girl went out with your dinner, and must have lost herself, but she is sure to come back to-morrow." The wood-cutter, however, arose before dawn to go into the forest, and requested that the second daughter should take him his dinner that day. "I will take a bag with lentils," said he; "the seeds are larger than millet, the girl will see them better, and can't lose her way." At dinner-time, therefore, the girl took out the food, but the lentils had disappeared. The birds of the forest had picked them up as they had done the day before, and had left none. The girl wandered about in the forest until night, and then she too reached the house of the old man, was told to go in, and begged for food and a bed. The man with the white beard again asked the animals,

"Pretty little hen,

Pretty little cock,

And pretty brindled cow,

What say ye to that?"

The animals again replied "Duks," and everything happened just as it had happened the day before. The girl cooked a good meal, ate and drank with the old man, and did not concern herself about the animals, and when she inquired about her bed they answered,

"Thou hast eaten with him, Thou hast drunk with him,

Thou hast had no thought for us,

To find out for thyself where thou canst pass the night."

When she was asleep the old man came, looked at her, shook his head, and let her down into the cellar.

On the third morning the wood-cutter said to his wife, "Send our youngest child out with my dinner to-day, she has always been good and obedient, and will stay in the right path, and not run about after every wild humble-bee, as her sisters did." The mother did not want to do it, and said, "Am I to lose my dearest child, as well?"

"Have no fear,' he replied, "the girl will not go astray; she is too prudent¹² and sensible; besides I will take some peas with me, and strew them about. They are still larger than lentils, and will show her the way." But when the girl went out with her basket on her arm, the wood-pigeons had already got all the peas in their crops, and she did not know which way she was to turn. She was full of sorrow and never ceased to think how hungry her father would be, and how her good mother would grieve, if she did not go home. At length when it grew dark, she saw the light and came to the house in the forest. She begged quite prettily¹³ to be allowed to spend the night there, and the man with the white beard once more asked his animals,

"Pretty little hen,

Pretty little cock,

And beautiful brindled cow,

What say ye to that?"

"Duks," said they. Then the girl went to the stove where the animals were lying, and petted the cock and hen, and stroked their smooth feathers with her hand, and caressed¹⁴ the brindled cow between her horns, and when, in obedience¹⁵ to the old man's orders, she had made ready some good soup, and the bowl was placed upon the table, she said, "Am I to eat as much as I want, and the good animals to have nothing? Outside is food in plenty, I will look after them first." So she went and brought some barley¹⁶ and stewed¹⁷ it for the cock and hen, and a whole armful of sweet- smelling hay for the cow. "I hope you will like it, dear animals," said she, "and you shall have a refreshing¹⁸ draught¹⁹ in case you are thirsty." Then she fetched in a bucketful of water, and the cock and hen jumped on to the edge of it and dipped their beaks²⁰ in, and then held up their heads as the birds do when they drink, and the brindled cow also took a hearty²¹ draught. When the animals were fed, the girl seated herself at the table by the old man, and ate what he had left. It was not long before the cock and the hen began to thrust their heads beneath their wings, and the eyes of the cow likewise began to blink. Then said the girl, "Ought we not to go to bed?"

"Pretty little hen,

Pretty little cock,

And pretty brindled cow,

What say ye to that?"

The animals answered "Duks,"

"Thou hast eaten with us,

Thou hast drunk with us,

Thou hast had kind thought for all of us,

We wish thee good-night."

Then the maiden²² went upstairs, shook the feather-beds, and laid clean sheets on them, and when she had done it the old man came and lay down on one of the beds, and his white beard reached down to his feet. The girl lay down on the other, said her prayers, and fell asleep.

She slept quietly till midnight, and then there was such a noise in the house that she awoke. There was a sound of cracking and splitting in every corner, and the doors sprang open, and beat against the walls. The beams groaned²³ as if they were being torn out of their joints²⁴, it seemed as if the staircase were falling down, and at length there was a crash as if the entire roof had fallen in. As, however, all grew quiet once more, and the girl was not hurt, she stayed quietly lying where she was, and fell asleep again. But when she woke up in the morning with the brilliancy of the sunshine, what did her eyes behold²⁵? She was lying in a vast hall, and everything around her shone with royal splendor²⁶; on the walls, golden flowers grew up on a ground of green silk, the bed was of ivory, and the canopy²⁷ of red velvet²⁸, and on a chair close by, was a pair of shoes embroidered²⁹ with pearls. The girl believed that she was in a dream, but three richly clad attendants came in, and asked what orders she would like to give? "If you will go," she replied, "I will get up at once and make ready some soup for the old man, and then I will feed the pretty little hen, and the cock, and the beautiful brindled cow." She thought the old man was up already, and looked round at his bed; he, however, was not lying in it, but a stranger. And while she was looking at him, and becoming aware that he was young and handsome, he awoke, sat up in bed, and said, "I am a King's son, and was bewitched by a wicked witch, and made to live in this forest, as an old gray-haired man; no one was allowed to be with me but my three attendants in the form of a cock, a hen, and a brindled cow. The spell was not to be broken until a girl came to us whose heart was so good that she showed herself full of love, not only towards mankind, but towards animals - and that thou hast done, and by thee at midnight we were set free, and the old hut in the forest was changed back again into my royal palace." And when they had arisen, the King's son ordered the three attendants to set out and fetch the father and mother of the girl to the marriage feast. "But where are my two sisters?" inquired the maiden. "I have locked them in the cellar, and to-morrow they shall be led into the forest, and shall live as servants to a charcoal-burner, until they have grown kinder, and do not leave poor animals to suffer hunger."

从前在一片偏僻的森林边上有个小木屋，里面住着一个贫穷的樵夫和他的女人以及三个女儿。 一天早上，樵夫去砍柴前对女人说："今天叫大女儿到森林中给我送午饭，不然我的活就干不完。为了使她不迷路，我会带一袋小米，沿路洒在地上。"当太阳正照在森林的上空时，大女儿上路了，她端了一碗汤。 但森林里有的是麻雀、云雀、燕雀、画眉和黄雀，它们早就把小米啄得一干二净了，大女儿找不到父亲所留的路径，可还是信步走去，走啊走，一直走到太阳下山。 黑夜中树枝哗哗作响，猫头鹰毛骨悚然地乱叫，大女儿害怕极了。 这时她看到了不远处树丛中有盏灯火在闪动，"那儿一定有人家，他们定会留我过夜的，"大女儿心里想着，便脚步不停地朝灯光走去，不一会儿功夫，她就来到了房子前，见整个窗户被映得通明透亮。 她敲了敲门，里面传来了一声粗鲁的吼声："进来！"大女儿迈进了黑暗的过道，敲了敲屋里的房门。 "进来吧！"那声音嚷道。 大女儿打开了门，看见一个白发苍苍的老人正坐在桌旁，双手托着腮，白花花的胡子几乎拖到了地。 火炉旁还躺着三只动物，一只母鸡、一只公鸡和一头花奶牛。 女孩告诉了老人自己的经历，并请求在此过夜。 老人说：

"漂亮的小母鸡，

威武的小公鸡，

肥壮的花奶牛，

你们意下如何呢？ "

"达克斯。"动物们齐声叫道，那意思准是："我们大伙都乐意。"因为老人也说："你今晚可以在这儿睡觉吃饭。现在到炉边给大伙弄点吃的吧！"女孩到厨房里，发现一切齐全，便做了一顿丰盛的晚餐，可没有想到那些小动物。 她盛了满满的一盆饭端到桌上，在老人的身旁坐下，自顾自地吃了起来。 肚子填饱后，女孩问道："我现在困倦了，哪里可以弄张床让我躺下来美美地睡一觉？"只听动物们答道：

"你已和他吃了饭，

你已和他喝过汤，

可你从未想到过咱，

你自个去找张睡觉的床。 "

老人说："上楼去吧，那儿的房间内有两张床。把铺盖给抖抖，铺上白床单，一会我就来睡。"于是女孩上了楼，她抖了抖床，铺上一张干净的床单，就躺在那床上睡着了，连老人都没等。 过了一会儿，白发老人上来了，他举着蜡烛仔细打量了这个女孩，摇了摇头，看到她已睡熟，老人打开了一道活门，将女孩沉入了地窖中。

那天樵夫很晚才回家，一进门就指责女人让他在林子里饿了一天。 "这可不怪我，"女人说，"大女儿早就提着饭出门了，她准是迷路了，明天肯定会回来的。"第二天樵夫天不亮就起床进森林去伐木，他只好让二女儿给他送饭。 "这次我要带一袋扁豆，豆比米粒要大些，我女儿会看得更清楚，不会迷路。"很快午饭的时间到了，于是二女儿带着父亲的饭上路了，可小扁豆一粒也看不见，森林中的鸟儿像前天一样把扁豆吃得精光，现在路上一粒都不剩了。 二女儿在大森林中转来转去，到晚上她也来到了老人的屋前。 老人同样让她进了屋，她向老人要吃的和一张床。 白胡子老人又问那些小动物：

"漂亮的小母鸡，

威武的小公鸡，

肥壮的花奶牛，

你们意下如何呢？ "

动物们又一次齐声叫"达克斯"。 接下来发生的一切均和前一天一样，二女儿做了顿丰盛的晚餐，同老人一起吃喝，不过也没有理那些小动物。 等她吃完喝好，就要老人给她个睡觉的地方，小动物们齐声答道：

"你已和他吃了饭，

你已和他喝过汤，

可你从未想到过咱，

你自个去找张睡觉的床。 "

白胡子老人进来时，小女孩早就睡熟了，老人看了看她，摇了摇头，也把她放入地窖中。

第三天早上，樵夫对女人说："今天就让小女儿给我送饭吧，她向来乖巧玲俐，不像她姐姐在林子里面黄蜂般地乱转，她会沿着正道走的。"可女人舍不得小女儿，只听她说："难道连我最爱的孩子也要失去吗？""放心吧！"樵夫答道，"我们的女儿不会迷路的，她是那样的聪明玲俐，加之我会沿路洒上些豌豆。豌豆比扁豆大得多，准能给她指路。"可小女儿提着篮子出来时，发现鸽子已啄走了所有的豌豆，她也不知道该向那边拐。 她难过极了，心里总惦记着父亲还饿着，还想到如果自己不能回家，母亲是多么伤心啊！ 最后天黑时，她瞧见了一盏灯，于是她也来到了那座屋子前。 她很有礼貌地请求老人让她留宿过夜。 白胡子老人又一次问他的小动物：

"漂亮的小母鸡，

威武的小公鸡，

肥壮的花奶牛，

你们意下如何呢？ "

"达克斯。"动物们齐声答道。 于是小女孩就走到了动物们躺着的火炉旁，她轻轻地抚摸着公鸡和母鸡，用自己的双手为它们梳理光洁的羽毛，又拍了拍奶牛的双角间。 然后她又按老人的意思做了顿香喷喷的饭，端在桌上摆好，心想："我可不能只顾自己吃，却让这些可爱的小家伙饿肚子，外面可吃的多着呢！我还是先给它们弄点吃的吧！"于是她走了出来，找了些大麦亲自拌好先给公鸡和母鸡吃，然后又给母牛抱了一捆新鲜的草料。 "我希望你们会喜欢这些吃的，可爱的小家伙，"女孩说道，"如果口渴了，就来喝口清甜的水吧。"说完她又提来一桶水。 公鸡和母鸡跳到桶边，把头伸进水里，然后昂起头，像鸟儿喝水一样；花奶牛也喝了一大口。 动物们吃饱后，女孩在老人的身边坐下，用老人吃剩的东西填饱了肚子。 过了一会儿，公鸡和母鸡便将头埋在翅膀下，母牛的眼睛也开始不停眨巴着打瞌睡了。

于是女孩就问："我们不该去睡觉吗？"

"漂亮的小母鸡，

威武的小公鸡，

肥壮的花奶牛，

你们意下如何呢？ "

小动物们回答道："达克斯。

你已和我们吃了饭，

你已和我们喝过汤，

你总好心记得咱，

愿你今晚睡得平安。 "

于是女孩上了楼，抖了抖二张羽毛床，铺好了新床单，这时白胡子老人进来了，在一张床上躺下来，他的胡子一直拖到了床的另一头。 女孩也躺下了，她先做了祷告，这才进入了梦乡。

她睡得沉沉的，到了半夜却被房子里的一阵吵声给弄醒了。 房内各处都在砰砰着响，门已被冲开，碰在了墙壁上；屋梁仿佛脱了接头，吱呀响着，就像楼梯塌下来似的。 最后是一声巨响，好像是整个屋顶塌陷了。 然而很快一切就都平静如初，女孩也未伤一根毫发，她静静地躺在那里，很快又进入了梦乡。 清晨灿烂的阳光普照着大地，她醒了，啊，展现在她眼前的是怎样一副情景呀！ 她正躺在一间大厅里，周围的一切无不闪耀着皇宫的辉煌。 墙壁上挂着一张绿色的丝绸，上面一朵朵金色的花儿开得正艳；床是象牙做的，上面铺着红色天鹅绒；紧挨床边摆着把椅子，上面放着双缀满珍珠的拖鞋。 女孩以为自己在梦中，这时三个衣着考究的仆人走了过来，问她有何吩咐。 "你们只管去吧，我要马上起床为老人做早餐，我还要去喂那可爱的母鸡、公鸡和奶牛。"女孩答道。 她还以为老人已经起床了，就朝他的床望去，可老人没躺在那里，见到的却是位陌生人。 她端详着他，发现他是那样英俊潇洒。 他醒了，说："我是一位王子，中了一位巫师的魔法，变成了一个满头银发的老人，成天住在森林里，谁也不准跟我在一起，除了我那三个仆人，不过他们也变成了公鸡、母鸡和奶牛，直到有位心地善良的姑娘来到我们中间，这样魔法就可消除。这位姑娘不仅要待人仁慈，对动物也要怜惜，只有你才做到了这一切。是你在午夜时分使我们获得了自由，森林中的那座小木屋也变成了我原来的王宫。"说完，他们就起床了。 王子立即命令三个仆人去把女孩的父母接来，参加他们的婚礼。 "可是我那两个姐姐现在何处呢？"女孩问道。 "我把她们关在地窖中，明天她们就会被带到森林中，做一个烧炭翁的使女，直到她们变得更仁慈，不再让动物们饿肚子为止。"