There was once a man who had a daughter who was called Clever Elsie. And when she had grown up her father said: ‘We will get her married.’ ‘Yes,’ said the mother, ‘if only someone would come who would have her.’ At length a man came from a distance and wooed her, who was called Hans; but he stipulated that Clever Elsie should be really smart. ‘Oh,’ said the father, ‘she has plenty of good sense’; and the mother said: ‘Oh, she can see the wind coming up the street, and hear the flies coughing.’ ‘Well,’ said Hans, ‘if she is not really smart, I won’t have her.’ When they were sitting at dinner and had eaten, the mother said: ‘Elsie, go into the cellar and fetch some beer.’ Then Clever Elsie took the pitcher from the wall, went into the cellar, and tapped the lid briskly as she went, so that the time might not appear long. When she was below she fetched herself a chair, and set it before the barrel so that she had no need to stoop, and did not hurt her back or do herself any unexpected injury. Then she placed the can before her, and turned the tap, and while the beer was running she would not let her eyes be idle, but looked up at the wall, and after much peering here and there, saw a pick-axe exactly above her, which the masons had accidentally left there.
从前有个男人，他有个女儿叫聪明的埃尔西。等她长大后，父亲说：‘我们要把她嫁出去。’母亲说：‘是啊，只要有人愿意娶她就行。’后来，一个从远方来的男子向她求婚，名叫汉斯；但他提出条件，要求聪明的埃尔西必须真的聪明。父亲说：‘哦，她很有见识。’母亲则说：‘哦，她能看见风从街上吹来，还能听见苍蝇咳嗽。’汉斯说：‘好吧，如果她不是真的聪明，我就不娶她。’当他们坐在桌边吃完饭时，母亲说：‘埃尔西，去地窖取些啤酒来。’于是聪明的埃尔西从墙上取下酒壶，走进地窖，边走边轻快地敲击盖子，好让时间显得不那么漫长。到了下面，她搬来一把椅子，放在酒桶前，这样就不必弯腰，既不会伤到背，也不会意外受伤。然后她把酒罐放在面前，打开龙头，啤酒流出来时，她也不让眼睛闲着，而是抬头望着墙壁，仔细四处张望后，发现正上方有一把鹤嘴锄，那是石匠们不小心留下的。
Then Clever Elsie began to weep and said: ‘If I get Hans, and we have a child, and he grows big, and we send him into the cellar here to draw beer, then the pick-axe will fall on his head and kill him.’ Then she sat and wept and screamed with all the strength of her body, over the misfortune which lay before her. Those upstairs waited for the drink, but Clever Elsie still did not come. Then the woman said to the servant: ‘Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is.’ The maid went and found her sitting in front of the barrel, screaming loudly. ‘Elsie why do you weep?’ asked the maid. ‘Ah,’ she answered, ‘have I not reason to weep? If I get Hans, and we have a child, and he grows big, and has to draw beer here, the pick-axe will perhaps fall on his head, and kill him.’ Then said the maid: ‘What a clever Elsie we have!’ and sat down beside her and began loudly to weep over the misfortune. After a while, as the maid did not come back, and those upstairs were thirsty for the beer, the man said to the boy: ‘Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie and the girl are.’ The boy went down, and there sat Clever Elsie and the girl both weeping together. Then he asked: ‘Why are you weeping?’ ‘Ah,’ said Elsie, ‘have I not reason to weep? If I get Hans, and we have a child, and he grows big, and has to draw beer here, the pick-axe will fall on his head and kill him.’ Then said the boy: ‘What a clever Elsie we have!’ and sat down by her, and likewise began to howl loudly. Upstairs they waited for the boy, but as he still did not return, the man said to the woman: ‘Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is!’ The woman went down, and found all three in the midst of their lamentations, and inquired what was the cause; then Elsie told her also that her future child was to be killed by the pick-axe, when it grew big and had to draw beer, and the pick-axe fell down. Then said the mother likewise: ‘What a clever Elsie we have!’ and sat down and wept with them. The man upstairs waited a short time, but as his wife did not come back and his thirst grew ever greater, he said: ‘I must go into the cellar myself and see where Elsie is.’ But when he got into the cellar, and they were all sitting together crying, and he heard the reason, and that Elsie’s child was the cause, and the Elsie might perhaps bring one into the world some day, and that he might be killed by the pick-axe, if he should happen to be sitting beneath it, drawing beer just at the very time when it fell down, he cried: ‘Oh, what a clever Elsie!’ and sat down, and likewise wept with them. The bridegroom stayed upstairs alone for a long time; then as no one would come back he thought: ‘They must be waiting for me below: I too must go there and see what they are about.’ When he got down, the five of them were sitting screaming and lamenting quite piteously, each out-doing the other. ‘What misfortune has happened then?’ asked he. ‘Ah, dear Hans,’ said Elsie, ‘if we marry each other and have a child, and he is big, and we perhaps send him here to draw something to drink, then the pick-axe which has been left up there might dash his brains out if it were to fall down, so have we not reason to weep?’ ‘Come,’ said Hans, ‘more understanding than that is not needed for my household, as you are such a clever Elsie, I will have you,’ and seized her hand, took her upstairs with him, and married her.
于是聪明的埃尔西开始哭泣，说道：‘如果我嫁给汉斯，我们有了孩子，等他长大，派他到这里的酒窖去打啤酒，那么镐头就会砸在他的头上，把他打死。’她坐在那里，用尽全身力气为即将降临的灾祸痛哭尖叫。楼上的人等着喝酒，可埃尔西迟迟不来。于是那女人对女仆说：‘下去酒窖看看埃尔西在哪儿吧。’女仆走下酒窖，发现她正坐在酒桶前大声哭喊。女仆问：‘埃尔西，你为什么哭？’她答道：‘唉，我难道没有理由哭吗？如果我嫁给汉斯，我们有了孩子，等他长大，要在这里打啤酒，镐头说不定会砸在他的头上，把他打死。’女仆说：‘我们有个多么聪明的埃尔西啊！’便在她身边坐下，也大声为那灾祸痛哭起来。过了一会儿，女仆迟迟未归，楼上的人又渴了，男人便对男孩说：‘下去酒窖看看埃尔西和那个姑娘在哪儿吧。’男孩走下酒窖，看见聪明的埃尔西和那姑娘正坐在一起互相哭泣。于是他问道：‘你为何哭泣？’艾尔斯回答：‘啊，难道我没有理由哭泣吗？如果我嫁给汉斯，我们有了孩子，孩子长大成人后必须在这里打啤酒，那时镐头就会掉下来砸中他的脑袋，把他杀死。’男孩听后说：‘我们有个多么聪明的艾尔斯啊！’于是坐在她身边，也开始大声嚎啕大哭。楼上的人等着男孩回来，但他迟迟未归，男人便对女人说：‘你下楼去看看艾尔斯在哪里！’女人走下楼梯，发现三人正沉浸在悲痛之中，便询问缘由；艾尔斯也告诉她，等她将来孩子长大、需要打啤酒时，镐头就会掉下来砸死他。母亲听后也说：‘我们有个多么聪明的艾尔斯啊！’于是坐下与他们一同哭泣。楼上的男人等了一会儿，见妻子仍未回来，口渴也越来越难耐，便说：‘我得亲自下楼去看看艾尔斯在哪里。’可是当他下到地窖里，看到大家围坐在一起哭泣，并得知原委——原来是因为埃尔西的孩子，也许有一天她会生下一个孩子，而那个孩子若恰好坐在那儿打啤酒时，那把斧头掉下来可能会砸死他——他便喊道：‘哦，多聪明的埃尔西啊！’随即坐下，和大家一起哭了起来。新郎独自在上楼待了许久；见无人下来，心想：‘他们一定在下面等我，我也得下去看看他们在做什么。’当他走下楼梯时，五个人正坐在那里号啕大哭，悲痛欲绝，一个比一个哭得更伤心。‘到底出了什么事？’他问道。‘啊，亲爱的汉斯，’埃尔西说，‘如果我们结婚生子，孩子长大后，也许我们会派他来这里打些酒喝，而上面那把斧头若掉下来，可能会砸碎他的脑袋，所以我们难道没有理由哭泣吗？’“来吧，”汉斯说，“对于我的家来说，这样的理解就足够了，既然你如此聪慧的艾尔西，我就娶你了。”说着他握住她的手，带她上楼并娶了她。
After Hans had had her some time, he said: ‘Wife, I am going out to work and earn some money for us; go into the field and cut the corn that we may have some bread.’ ‘Yes, dear Hans, I will do that.’ After Hans had gone away, she cooked herself some good broth and took it into the field with her. When she came to the field she said to herself: ‘What shall I do; shall I cut first, or shall I eat first? Oh, I will eat first.’ Then she drank her cup of broth and when she was fully satisfied, she once more said: ‘What shall I do? Shall I cut first, or shall I sleep first? I will sleep first.’ Then she lay down among the corn and fell asleep. Hans had been at home for a long time, but Elsie did not come; then said he: ‘What a clever Elsie I have; she is so industrious that she does not even come home to eat.’ But when evening came and she still stayed away, Hans went out to see what she had cut, but nothing was cut, and she was lying among the corn asleep. Then Hans hastened home and brought a fowler’s net with little bells and hung it round about her, and she still went on sleeping. Then he ran home, shut the house-door, and sat down in his chair and worked. At length, when it was quite dark, Clever Elsie awoke and when she got up there was a jingling all round about her, and the bells rang at each step which she took. Then she was alarmed, and became uncertain whether she really was Clever Elsie or not, and said: ‘Is it I, or is it not I?’ But she knew not what answer to make to this, and stood for a time in doubt; at length she thought: ‘I will go home and ask if it be I, or if it be not I, they will be sure to know.’ She ran to the door of her own house, but it was shut; then she knocked at the window and cried: ‘Hans, is Elsie within?’ ‘Yes,’ answered Hans, ‘she is within.’ Hereupon she was terrified, and said: ‘Ah, heavens! Then it is not I,’ and went to another door; but when the people heard the jingling of the bells they would not open it, and she could get in nowhere. Then she ran out of the village, and no one has seen her since.
汉斯把妻子养了一段时间后说：‘妻子，我要出去干活挣钱了；你去田里割麦子，这样我们才有面包吃。’‘好的，亲爱的汉斯，我会去做的。’汉斯走后，她为自己煮了一碗好汤，带着它去了田里。到了田里，她自言自语道：‘我该怎么办呢？是先割麦还是先吃饭？哦，我先吃饭吧。’于是她喝完了那碗汤，吃饱后再次说道：‘我该怎么办呢？是先割麦还是先睡觉？我先睡一觉吧。’然后她躺在麦田里睡着了。汉斯在家待了很长时间，但埃尔西还没回来，于是他说：‘我有个多聪明的妻子啊！她如此勤劳，连回家吃饭都不肯。’可是到了傍晚她仍没回来，汉斯便出去看她割了多少麦子，结果发现一点都没割，而她正躺在麦田里睡觉。汉斯急忙跑回家拿来一只带小铃铛的捕鸟网，围在她身边，她依旧睡着。随后他跑回家，关上门，坐在椅子上开始干活。终于，天色完全黑下来时，聪明的艾丽斯醒了。她站起身来，四周叮当作响，每走一步都会发出铃声。于是她惊慌起来，开始怀疑自己是否真的是聪明的艾丽斯，便问道：‘是我吗？还是不是我？’但她不知该如何回答这个问题，一时愣在原地犹豫不决；最后她想道：‘我回家去问问吧，他们一定知道是不是我。’她跑到自家门口，却发现门紧闭着；于是她敲窗喊道：‘汉斯，艾丽斯在里面吗？’‘是的，’汉斯答道，‘她在里面。’听到这话，她吓得魂飞魄散，叫道：‘啊，天哪！那一定不是我。’便又走向另一扇门；但人们听到铃声后不肯开门，她无处可进。于是她跑出村庄，从此再无人见过她。