A farmer had a faithful and diligent servant, who had worked hard for him three years, without having been paid any wages. At last it came into the man’s head that he would not go on thus without pay any longer; so he went to his master, and said, ‘I have worked hard for you a long time, I will trust to you to give me what I deserve to have for my trouble.’ The farmer was a sad miser, and knew that his man was very simple-hearted; so he took out threepence, and gave him for every year’s service a penny. The poor fellow thought it was a great deal of money to have, and said to himself, ‘Why should I work hard, and live here on bad fare any longer? I can now travel into the wide world, and make myself merry.’ With that he put his money into his purse, and set out, roaming over hill and valley.
一位农夫有一位忠诚勤勉的仆人，为他辛勤工作了三年，却从未领过一分工钱。最后，这仆人忽然想到不能再这样白干活了，于是去找主人说：'我为您辛苦工作很久了，我相信您会按劳付酬。'这位农夫是个吝啬鬼，知道仆人头脑单纯，便掏出三便士，每年只给他一便士作为报酬。可怜的人觉得这笔钱已经不少了，心想：'何必再辛苦劳作、在这里吃粗劣的食物呢？我现在可以远走他乡，去外面寻欢作乐了。'说完，他把钱放进钱袋，启程出发，翻山越岭四处游荡。
As he jogged along over the fields, singing and dancing, a little dwarf met him, and asked him what made him so merry. ‘Why, what should make me down-hearted?’ said he; ‘I am sound in health and rich in purse, what should I care for? I have saved up my three years’ earnings and have it all safe in my pocket.’ ‘How much may it come to?’ said the little man. ‘Full threepence,’ replied the countryman. ‘I wish you would give them to me,’ said the other; ‘I am very poor.’ Then the man pitied him, and gave him all he had; and the little dwarf said in return, ‘As you have such a kind honest heart, I will grant you three wishes--one for every penny; so choose whatever you like.’ Then the countryman rejoiced at his good luck, and said, ‘I like many things better than money: first, I will have a bow that will bring down everything I shoot at; secondly, a fiddle that will set everyone dancing that hears me play upon it; and thirdly, I should like that everyone should grant what I ask.’ The dwarf said he should have his three wishes; so he gave him the bow and fiddle, and went his way.
他一边在田野间慢跑，一边唱歌跳舞，这时一个小矮人遇见了他，问他为何如此快乐。‘我有什么理由不快乐呢？’他说，‘我身体健康，口袋里装满了钱，还有什么可担心的？我把三年的积蓄都存好了，全放在口袋里。’‘那有多少钱呢？’小矮人问。‘整整三便士，’农夫回答。‘请把它们给我吧，’那人说，‘我很穷。’于是农夫心生怜悯，把全部钱财给了他；小矮人则回应道：‘既然你有一颗如此善良诚实的心，我就满足你的三个愿望——每枚硬币一个愿望；你可以随心所欲地选择。’农夫为自己的好运欣喜不已，说道：‘比起金钱，我更喜欢别的东西：第一，我想要一张弓，射出的东西都能命中目标；第二，想要一把小提琴，只要我演奏，所有人都会随之起舞；第三，我希望无论我说什么，人人都能照办。’小矮人说他会满足他的三个愿望，于是把弓和小提琴交给了他，便离开了。
Our honest friend journeyed on his way too; and if he was merry before, he was now ten times more so. He had not gone far before he met an old miser: close by them stood a tree, and on the topmost twig sat a thrush singing away most joyfully. ‘Oh, what a pretty bird!’ said the miser; ‘I would give a great deal of money to have such a one.’ ‘If that’s all,’ said the countryman, ‘I will soon bring it down.’ Then he took up his bow, and down fell the thrush into the bushes at the foot of the tree. The miser crept into the bush to find it; but directly he had got into the middle, his companion took up his fiddle and played away, and the miser began to dance and spring about, capering higher and higher in the air. The thorns soon began to tear his clothes till they all hung in rags about him, and he himself was all scratched and wounded, so that the blood ran down. ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ cried the miser, ‘Master! master! pray let the fiddle alone. What have I done to deserve this?’ ‘Thou hast shaved many a poor soul close enough,’ said the other; ‘thou art only meeting thy reward’: so he played up another tune. Then the miser began to beg and promise, and offered money for his liberty; but he did not come up to the musician’s price for some time, and he danced him along brisker and brisker, and the miser bid higher and higher, till at last he offered a round hundred of florins that he had in his purse, and had just gained by cheating some poor fellow. When the countryman saw so much money, he said, ‘I will agree to your proposal.’ So he took the purse, put up his fiddle, and travelled on very pleased with his bargain.
我们那位诚实的朋友也踏上了旅程；如果他之前已经十分快乐，那么此刻他的快乐更是翻了一番。他还没走多远，就遇到了一位吝啬的老守财奴：旁边有一棵树，树梢的顶端栖息着一只画眉鸟，正欢快地歌唱着。‘啊，多漂亮的鸟儿！’守财奴说，‘我愿意花一大笔钱买下它。’‘如果只是为了这个，’农夫说道，‘我很快就能把它弄下来。’于是他拿起弓箭，画眉便掉进了树下的灌木丛中。守财奴钻进灌木丛去寻找那只鸟；可当他刚走到中间时，他的同伴立刻拿起小提琴拉了起来，守财奴开始跳舞、跳跃，在空中越跳越高。荆棘很快划破了他的衣服，使他浑身挂满了布条，他自己也被刮得伤痕累累，鲜血直流。‘哦，看在上帝的份上！’守财奴喊道，‘先生！先生！求您别再拉琴了。我做了什么要受这样的惩罚？’‘你曾把许多穷人逼到绝境，’对方说道，‘你现在只是得到了应有的报应。’于是他又拉起了另一支曲子。守财奴开始哀求、许诺，并拿出钱来换取自由；但他开出的价码迟迟达不到乐手的期望，乐手便越跳越快，守财奴也不断加价，直到最后他掏出了钱包里的一百枚弗罗林金币——那是他刚刚通过欺骗某个穷人而得来的。农夫看到这么多钱，便说：‘我同意你的提议。’于是他接过钱袋，收起小提琴，心满意足地继续赶路了。
Meanwhile the miser crept out of the bush half-naked and in a piteous plight, and began to ponder how he should take his revenge, and serve his late companion some trick. At last he went to the judge, and complained that a rascal had robbed him of his money, and beaten him into the bargain; and that the fellow who did it carried a bow at his back and a fiddle hung round his neck. Then the judge sent out his officers to bring up the accused wherever they should find him; and he was soon caught and brought up to be tried.
与此同时，那个守财奴半裸着身子从灌木丛中爬出来，处境凄惨，开始盘算如何报复，给刚离世的同伴设个圈套。最后他去找法官，控告一个无赖抢走了他的钱，还把他打了一顿；那家伙背上背着一把弓，脖子上挂着一把小提琴。于是法官派差役去 wherever 他们能找到被告的地方将其抓获；那人很快就被抓住并带上来受审。
The miser began to tell his tale, and said he had been robbed of his money. ‘No, you gave it me for playing a tune to you.’ said the countryman; but the judge told him that was not likely, and cut the matter short by ordering him off to the gallows.
守财奴开始讲述他的遭遇，声称自己的钱被抢了。'不，是你为了听我演奏一曲而付给我的。'农夫说道，但法官认为这不太可能，便直接下令将农夫送上绞刑架，结束了这场争论。
So away he was taken; but as he stood on the steps he said, ‘My Lord Judge, grant me one last request.’ ‘Anything but thy life,’ replied the other. ‘No,’ said he, ‘I do not ask my life; only to let me play upon my fiddle for the last time.’ The miser cried out, ‘Oh, no! no! for heaven’s sake don’t listen to him! don’t listen to him!’ But the judge said, ‘It is only this once, he will soon have done.’ The fact was, he could not refuse the request, on account of the dwarf’s third gift.
于是他被带走了；但当他站在台阶上时，说道：‘尊敬的法官大人，请答应我最后一个请求。’‘除了你的性命，什么都可以，’对方答道。‘不，’他说，‘我不是求我的命，只求让我最后一次拉小提琴。’守财奴喊道：‘哦，不！不！看在老天爷的份上，别听他的！别听他的！’但法官说：‘就这一次，他很快就会结束。’事实上，由于小矮人的第三件礼物，他无法拒绝这个请求。
Then the miser said, ‘Bind me fast, bind me fast, for pity’s sake.’ But the countryman seized his fiddle, and struck up a tune, and at the first note judge, clerks, and jailer were in motion; all began capering, and no one could hold the miser. At the second note the hangman let his prisoner go, and danced also, and by the time he had played the first bar of the tune, all were dancing together--judge, court, and miser, and all the people who had followed to look on. At first the thing was merry and pleasant enough; but when it had gone on a while, and there seemed to be no end of playing or dancing, they began to cry out, and beg him to leave off; but he stopped not a whit the more for their entreaties, till the judge not only gave him his life, but promised to return him the hundred florins.
于是守财奴喊道：'快把我绑紧些，看在老天爷的份上！'但农夫抓起他的提琴，拉起了曲子。第一个音符响起时，法官、书记员和狱卒都动了起来；所有人都开始跳起舞来，没人能再按住那个守财奴。第二个音符响起时，刽子手也松开了囚犯，跟着跳起舞来。等到他拉完第一小节，所有人——法官、法庭里的官员、守财奴，以及所有围观的百姓——全都一起跳起了舞。起初这场景还显得欢乐有趣；但跳了一会儿后，似乎永无止境，他们开始哭喊求饶，请他停下。可无论他们如何恳求，他都不肯停手，直到法官不仅答应放他一命，还承诺归还那一百弗罗林金币。
Then he called to the miser, and said, ‘Tell us now, you vagabond, where you got that gold, or I shall play on for your amusement only,’ ‘I stole it,’ said the miser in the presence of all the people; ‘I acknowledge that I stole it, and that you earned it fairly.’ Then the countryman stopped his fiddle, and left the miser to take his place at the gallows.
随后，他转向那个守财奴，说道：‘现在告诉我们，你这无赖，那笔金子是从哪儿得来的？否则我就只为你取乐而拉琴了。’‘我偷的，’守财奴在众人面前承认道，‘我承认是我偷的，而你们是通过正当手段赢得它的。’于是，农夫停下了手中的小提琴，让守财奴去接受绞刑。