There was once a forester who went into the forest to hunt, and as he entered it he heard a sound of screaming as if a little child were there. He followed the sound, and at last came to a high tree, and at the top of this a little child was sitting, for the mother had fallen asleep under the tree with the child, and a bird of prey had seen it in her arms, had flown down, snatched it away, and set it on the high tree.
从前有一位猎人进森林去打猎，刚进去就听到一阵哭声，仿佛有个小孩在那里。他循声而去，最后来到一棵高树下，树顶上坐着一个小孩。原来孩子的母亲在树下睡着了，孩子在她怀里，一只猛禽看见了，飞下来把孩子抢走，放在高高的树顶上。
The forester climbed up, brought the child down, and thought to himself: ‘You will take him home with you, and bring him up with your Lina.’ He took it home, therefore, and the two children grew up together. And the one, which he had found on a tree was called Fundevogel, because a bird had carried it away. Fundevogel and Lina loved each other so dearly that when they did not see each other they were sad.
猎人爬上去，把孩子抱了下来，心想：‘我要把他带回家，和我的女儿莉娜一起抚养。’于是他把孩子带回了家，两个孩子便一起长大。那个在树上被找到的孩子名叫芬德沃格尔，因为是一只鸟把他叼走的。芬德沃格尔和莉娜彼此深爱着对方，一旦见不到对方就十分难过。
Now the forester had an old cook, who one evening took two pails and began to fetch water, and did not go once only, but many times, out to the spring. Lina saw this and said, ‘Listen, old Sanna, why are you fetching so much water?’ ‘If you will never repeat it to anyone, I will tell you why.’ So Lina said, no, she would never repeat it to anyone, and then the cook said: ‘Early tomorrow morning, when the forester is out hunting, I will heat the water, and when it is boiling in the kettle, I will throw in Fundevogel, and will boil him in it.’
猎人家里有个老厨娘，一天晚上她提着两只水桶去打水，不是一次，而是去了很多次。莉娜看见了，便问：‘听我说，老珊娜，你为什么打这么多水？’厨娘说：‘如果你答应不把这事告诉任何人，我就告诉你原因。’于是莉娜说绝不告诉任何人，厨娘便说：‘明天一早，猎人出去打猎时，我会把水烧开，等水壶沸腾后，就把芬德沃格尔扔进去煮死他。’
Early next morning the forester got up and went out hunting, and when he was gone the children were still in bed. Then Lina said to Fundevogel: ‘If you will never leave me, I too will never leave you.’ Fundevogel said: ‘Neither now, nor ever will I leave you.’ Then said Lina: ‘Then will I tell you. Last night, old Sanna carried so many buckets of water into the house that I asked her why she was doing that, and she said that if I would promise not to tell anyone, and she said that early tomorrow morning when father was out hunting, she would set the kettle full of water, throw you into it and boil you; but we will get up quickly, dress ourselves, and go away together.’
第二天清晨，猎人起身去打猎，等他走后，两个孩子还在床上。这时莉娜对芬德沃格尔说：‘只要你永远不离开我，我也永远不离开你。’芬德沃格尔回答：‘现在不会，将来也永远不会离开你。’莉娜便说：‘那我告诉你吧。昨晚老珊娜提了那么多桶水进屋，我问她为什么这么做，她说如果我答应不把这事告诉任何人，她就告诉我。她说明天一早父亲出去打猎时，她会烧满一壶水，把你扔进去煮死；但我们要赶紧起床，穿好衣服，一起逃走。’
The two children therefore got up, dressed themselves quickly, and went away. When the water in the kettle was boiling, the cook went into the bedroom to fetch Fundevogel and throw him into it. But when she came in, and went to the beds, both the children were gone. Then she was terribly alarmed, and she said to herself: ‘What shall I say now when the forester comes home and sees that the children are gone? They must be followed instantly to get them back again.’
因此，两个孩子起身迅速穿好衣服便离开了。当水壶里的水烧开时，女仆走进卧室去抓芬德沃格尔并把他扔进沸水中。可是当她走进房间查看床铺时，两个孩子都不见了。她顿时惊慌失措，心想：‘猎人回家发现孩子不见了，我该怎么说呢？必须立刻派人把他们追回来。’
Then the cook sent three servants after them, who were to run and overtake the children. The children, however, were sitting outside the forest, and when they saw from afar the three servants running, Lina said to Fundevogel: ‘Never leave me, and I will never leave you.’ Fundevogel said: ‘Neither now, nor ever.’ Then said Lina: ‘Do you become a rose-tree, and I the rose upon it.’ When the three servants came to the forest, nothing was there but a rose-tree and one rose on it, but the children were nowhere. Then said they: ‘There is nothing to be done here,’ and they went home and told the cook that they had seen nothing in the forest but a little rose-bush with one rose on it. Then the old cook scolded and said: ‘You simpletons, you should have cut the rose-bush in two, and have broken off the rose and brought it home with you; go, and do it at once.’ They had therefore to go out and look for the second time. The children, however, saw them coming from a distance. Then Lina said: ‘Fundevogel, never leave me, and I will never leave you.’ Fundevogel said: ‘Neither now; nor ever.’ Said Lina: ‘Then do you become a church, and I’ll be the chandelier in it.’ So when the three servants came, nothing was there but a church, with a chandelier in it. They said therefore to each other: ‘What can we do here, let us go home.’ When they got home, the cook asked if they had not found them; so they said no, they had found nothing but a church, and there was a chandelier in it. And the cook scolded them and said: ‘You fools! why did you not pull the church to pieces, and bring the chandelier home with you?’ And now the old cook herself got on her legs, and went with the three servants in pursuit of the children. The children, however, saw from afar that the three servants were coming, and the cook waddling after them. Then said Lina: ‘Fundevogel, never leave me, and I will never leave you.’ Then said Fundevogel: ‘Neither now, nor ever.’ Said Lina: ‘Be a fishpond, and I will be the duck upon it.’ The cook, however, came up to them, and when she saw the pond she lay down by it, and was about to drink it up. But the duck swam quickly to her, seized her head in its beak and drew her into the water, and there the old witch had to drown. Then the children went home together, and were heartily delighted, and if they have not died, they are living still.
于是女仆派了三名仆人追赶他们，让他们跑着去追上那两个孩子。然而孩子们正坐在森林外，远远看见三名仆人跑来，莉娜对芬德沃格尔说：‘永远不要离开我，我也永远不会离开你。’芬德沃格尔回答：‘现在不会，将来也绝不会。’莉娜又说：‘你变成一棵玫瑰树，我变成树上的那朵玫瑰吧。’当三名仆人赶到森林时，那里只有一棵玫瑰树和树上的一朵玫瑰，孩子们却无影无踪。于是他们说：‘这里没什么可做的了。’便转身回家，告诉女仆他们在森林里除了看到一株小玫瑰丛和上面一朵玫瑰外，什么也没发现。老女仆便责骂道：‘你们这些傻瓜！本该把那株玫瑰丛砍成两半，摘下那朵玫瑰带回家去；快，立刻再去一次。’他们只好再次出发去寻找。孩子们远远看见他们来了，莉娜便对芬德沃格尔说：‘永远不要离开我，我也永远不会离开你。’芬德沃格尔回答：‘现在不会，将来也绝不会。’莉娜又说：‘那你变成一座教堂，我变成里面的吊灯吧。’当三名仆人赶到时，那里只剩下一座教堂，里面挂着一盏吊灯。他们彼此说道：‘我们在这里能做什么呢？还是回家吧。’回到家后，女仆问他们是否找到了孩子，他们回答说没有，只看到一座教堂，里面还有一盏吊灯。女仆又责骂道：‘你们这些蠢货！为什么不把教堂拆了，把吊灯带回家呢？’这下老女仆自己也站了起来，带着三名仆人一同追赶孩子们。孩子们远远看见三名仆人走来，女仆也摇摇晃晃地跟在后面。莉娜便对芬德沃格尔说：‘永远不要离开我，我也永远不会离开你。’芬德沃格尔回答：‘现在不会，将来也绝不会。’莉娜又说：‘你变成一口池塘，我变成池塘上的鸭子吧。’女仆追了上来，看到池塘后便趴在水边，准备把水喝干。可是鸭子迅速游到她身边，用嘴叼住她的头，把她拖进水里，那老巫婆就这样淹死了。随后两个孩子一起回家，心中无比欢喜；如果他们还没死的话，至今仍然活着。