‘Dear children,’ said a poor man to his four sons, ‘I have nothing to give you; you must go out into the wide world and try your luck. Begin by learning some craft or another, and see how you can get on.’ So the four brothers took their walking-sticks in their hands, and their little bundles on their shoulders, and after bidding their father goodbye, went all out at the gate together. When they had got on some way they came to four crossways, each leading to a different country. Then the eldest said, ‘Here we must part; but this day four years we will come back to this spot, and in the meantime each must try what he can do for himself.’
‘亲爱的孩子们，’一位贫穷的父亲对他的四个儿子说，‘我没有什么可以留给你们；你们必须走进广阔的世界去碰碰运气。先学一门手艺，看看你们能如何谋生。’于是，四兄弟各自拿起手杖，将小包裹背在肩上，向父亲告别后，一同走出了大门。走了不远，他们来到一个十字路口，四条路分别通向不同的国家。大哥说：‘我们在这里必须分开了；但四年后的今天，我们会回到这个地方。在此期间，每个人都要靠自己谋生。’
So each brother went his way; and as the eldest was hastening on a man met him, and asked him where he was going, and what he wanted. ‘I am going to try my luck in the world, and should like to begin by learning some art or trade,’ answered he. ‘Then,’ said the man, ‘go with me, and I will teach you to become the cunningest thief that ever was.’ ‘No,’ said the other, ‘that is not an honest calling, and what can one look to earn by it in the end but the gallows?’ ‘Oh!’ said the man, ‘you need not fear the gallows; for I will only teach you to steal what will be fair game: I meddle with nothing but what no one else can get or care anything about, and where no one can find you out.’ So the young man agreed to follow his trade, and he soon showed himself so clever, that nothing could escape him that he had once set his mind upon.
于是，每个兄弟都各自上路了；当大哥正匆匆赶路时，迎面走来一个人，问他要去哪里、想要做什么。他回答说：‘我要去世上碰碰运气，最好先学一门手艺或行当。’那人说：‘那就跟我来吧，我会教你成为有史以来最狡猾的小偷。’‘不，’另一个人说，‘那不是一条正派的营生，到头来又能换来什么呢？不过是绞刑架罢了！’‘哦！’那人说道，‘你不必担心绞刑架；因为我只教你去偷那些合情合理的东西：我从不染指别人无法获取或根本不在乎的物品，而且绝不会让人发现你的踪迹。’于是这位年轻人答应跟随他学习这门手艺，不久便展现出非凡的灵巧，凡是他一心想要得到的东西，无一能逃过他的手掌。
The second brother also met a man, who, when he found out what he was setting out upon, asked him what craft he meant to follow. ‘I do not know yet,’ said he. ‘Then come with me, and be a star-gazer. It is a noble art, for nothing can be hidden from you, when once you understand the stars.’ The plan pleased him much, and he soon became such a skilful star-gazer, that when he had served out his time, and wanted to leave his master, he gave him a glass, and said, ‘With this you can see all that is passing in the sky and on earth, and nothing can be hidden from you.’
二弟也遇到了一位男子，那人得知他即将踏上旅程后，问他打算从事什么行当。‘我目前还不知道，’二弟答道。‘那便随我来，做一位观星者吧。这是一门高贵的技艺，一旦你通晓星辰，世间万物都将无所遁形。’这个计划让他十分满意，他很快便成为了一位技艺精湛的观星者。当他学成期满，想要离开师父时，师父送给他一只望远镜，并说道：‘有了它，你就能看清天上和地上发生的一切，没有任何事物能对你隐藏。’
The third brother met a huntsman, who took him with him, and taught him so well all that belonged to hunting, that he became very clever in the craft of the woods; and when he left his master he gave him a bow, and said, ‘Whatever you shoot at with this bow you will be sure to hit.’
三兄弟遇到了一位猎人，猎人带他同行，并悉心教导他所有狩猎技艺，使他成为林中高手；当他离开师父时，猎人送给他一张弓，并说：'用这张弓射出的任何东西，你都能百发百中。'
The youngest brother likewise met a man who asked him what he wished to do. ‘Would not you like,’ said he, ‘to be a tailor?’ ‘Oh, no!’ said the young man; ‘sitting cross-legged from morning to night, working backwards and forwards with a needle and goose, will never suit me.’ ‘Oh!’ answered the man, ‘that is not my sort of tailoring; come with me, and you will learn quite another kind of craft from that.’ Not knowing what better to do, he came into the plan, and learnt tailoring from the beginning; and when he left his master, he gave him a needle, and said, ‘You can sew anything with this, be it as soft as an egg or as hard as steel; and the joint will be so fine that no seam will be seen.’
小弟弟也遇到一个人，那人问他打算做什么。‘你不想当个裁缝吗？’那人问道。‘哦，不！’年轻人说，‘从早到晚盘腿坐着，用针和鹅毛反复缝补，这绝不适合我。’‘哦！’那人回答，‘那不是我那种裁缝活儿；跟我来吧，你会学到完全不同的手艺。’不知还能做什么更好，他便答应了，从头开始学习裁缝；离开师傅时，师傅送给他一根针，并说：‘用这根针你可以缝制任何东西，无论是像鸡蛋一样柔软还是像钢铁一样坚硬；接缝会非常精细，完全看不出痕迹。’
After the space of four years, at the time agreed upon, the four brothers met at the four cross-roads; and having welcomed each other, set off towards their father’s home, where they told him all that had happened to them, and how each had learned some craft.
四年之后，在约定的时间，四兄弟在四个十字路口相聚；他们互相问候后，一同前往父亲的家中，向父亲讲述了各自经历的种种，以及每个人所学到的手艺。
Then, one day, as they were sitting before the house under a very high tree, the father said, ‘I should like to try what each of you can do in this way.’ So he looked up, and said to the second son, ‘At the top of this tree there is a chaffinch’s nest; tell me how many eggs there are in it.’ The star-gazer took his glass, looked up, and said, ‘Five.’ ‘Now,’ said the father to the eldest son, ‘take away the eggs without letting the bird that is sitting upon them and hatching them know anything of what you are doing.’ So the cunning thief climbed up the tree, and brought away to his father the five eggs from under the bird; and it never saw or felt what he was doing, but kept sitting on at its ease. Then the father took the eggs, and put one on each corner of the table, and the fifth in the middle, and said to the huntsman, ‘Cut all the eggs in two pieces at one shot.’ The huntsman took up his bow, and at one shot struck all the five eggs as his father wished.
于是有一天，父子三人坐在屋前一棵高大的树下，父亲说：‘我想试试你们各自的本领。’他抬头对次子说：‘树顶有个金翅雀的巢，告诉我里面有几枚蛋。’观星者拿起望远镜向上望去，答道：‘五枚。’接着，父亲对长子说：‘把那些蛋拿走，但要让正在上面孵蛋的鸟丝毫察觉不到你在做什么。’于是那狡黠的小偷爬上树，从鸟身下取走五枚蛋交给父亲；鸟毫无所觉，仍安然端坐。随后，父亲将四枚蛋分别放在桌子的四个角，第五枚放在中央，然后对猎人说道：‘用一箭把五枚蛋同时射成两半。’猎人拿起弓箭，一箭射出，正如父亲所愿，五枚蛋应声而裂。
‘Now comes your turn,’ said he to the young tailor; ‘sew the eggs and the young birds in them together again, so neatly that the shot shall have done them no harm.’ Then the tailor took his needle, and sewed the eggs as he was told; and when he had done, the thief was sent to take them back to the nest, and put them under the bird without its knowing it. Then she went on sitting, and hatched them: and in a few days they crawled out, and had only a little red streak across their necks, where the tailor had sewn them together.
“现在轮到你了，”他对那个年轻裁缝说，“把那些蛋和里面的小鸟重新缝在一起，要缝得如此精巧，让子弹没有伤到它们。”于是裁缝拿起针线，按照吩咐将蛋缝好；缝完后，小偷被派去把它们放回巢中，在母鸟不知情的情况下将它们置于其下。随后母鸟继续孵蛋：几天后，小鸟们破壳而出，只在脖子上留下一道小红痕，那是裁缝缝合的地方。
‘Well done, sons!’ said the old man; ‘you have made good use of your time, and learnt something worth the knowing; but I am sure I do not know which ought to have the prize. Oh, that a time might soon come for you to turn your skill to some account!’
“干得好，孩子们！”老人说，“你们很好地利用了时间，学到了值得知晓的东西；但我确实不知道谁该获得奖励。哦，真希望不久后你们就能将你们的技艺派上用场！
Not long after this there was a great bustle in the country; for the king’s daughter had been carried off by a mighty dragon, and the king mourned over his loss day and night, and made it known that whoever brought her back to him should have her for a wife. Then the four brothers said to each other, ‘Here is a chance for us; let us try what we can do.’ And they agreed to see whether they could not set the princess free. ‘I will soon find out where she is, however,’ said the star-gazer, as he looked through his glass; and he soon cried out, ‘I see her afar off, sitting upon a rock in the sea, and I can spy the dragon close by, guarding her.’ Then he went to the king, and asked for a ship for himself and his brothers; and they sailed together over the sea, till they came to the right place. There they found the princess sitting, as the star-gazer had said, on the rock; and the dragon was lying asleep, with his head upon her lap. ‘I dare not shoot at him,’ said the huntsman, ‘for I should kill the beautiful young lady also.’ ‘Then I will try my skill,’ said the thief, and went and stole her away from under the dragon, so quietly and gently that the beast did not know it, but went on snoring.
不久之后，国内便闹腾起来：国王的公主被一条巨龙劫走了。国王日夜哀悼他的损失，并宣布，谁能把她带回来，谁就能娶她为妻。于是四兄弟彼此说道：‘这是个机会，让我们试试看能做什么。’他们决定设法救出公主。‘我很快就能知道她在哪儿，’观星者说，他透过望远镜望去，随即喊道：‘我看见她在远处，坐在海中的一块岩石上，还能看见巨龙就在旁边看守着她。’随后他去找国王，请求一艘船供他和兄弟们使用；他们一同乘船出海，直到抵达正确的地点。在那里，他们发现公主正如观星者所说，坐在岩石上；而巨龙正趴在她膝头酣睡。‘我不敢向它射击，’猎人说道，‘因为那样也会伤到那位美丽的年轻女士。’‘那我来试试我的手艺，’小偷说，然后悄悄地把她从巨龙身下偷走，动作轻柔得连野兽都没有察觉，依旧鼾声如雷。
Then away they hastened with her full of joy in their boat towards the ship; but soon came the dragon roaring behind them through the air; for he awoke and missed the princess. But when he got over the boat, and wanted to pounce upon them and carry off the princess, the huntsman took up his bow and shot him straight through the heart so that he fell down dead. They were still not safe; for he was such a great beast that in his fall he overset the boat, and they had to swim in the open sea upon a few planks. So the tailor took his needle, and with a few large stitches put some of the planks together; and he sat down upon these, and sailed about and gathered up all pieces of the boat; and then tacked them together so quickly that the boat was soon ready, and they then reached the ship and got home safe.
于是他们满心欢喜地划船载着她向大船驶去；但很快，一条巨龙在他们身后咆哮着腾空追来，因为它醒来后不见公主。当它飞越小船、准备俯冲抓走公主时，猎人举起弓箭，一箭正中其心脏，巨龙当即坠亡。但他们仍未安全，因为那巨兽体型巨大，坠落时掀翻了小船，众人只得在茫茫大海上抓着几块木板游泳求生。裁缝随即取出针线，用几针粗大的缝合将部分木板连在一起；他坐在上面，一边划行一边收集所有散落的船板碎片，然后迅速将它们重新拼接，很快小船便修复如初，他们终于抵达大船，平安回家。
When they had brought home the princess to her father, there was great rejoicing; and he said to the four brothers, ‘One of you shall marry her, but you must settle amongst yourselves which it is to be.’ Then there arose a quarrel between them; and the star-gazer said, ‘If I had not found the princess out, all your skill would have been of no use; therefore she ought to be mine.’ ‘Your seeing her would have been of no use,’ said the thief, ‘if I had not taken her away from the dragon; therefore she ought to be mine.’ ‘No, she is mine,’ said the huntsman; ‘for if I had not killed the dragon, he would, after all, have torn you and the princess into pieces.’ ‘And if I had not sewn the boat together again,’ said the tailor, ‘you would all have been drowned, therefore she is mine.’ Then the king put in a word, and said, ‘Each of you is right; and as all cannot have the young lady, the best way is for neither of you to have her: for the truth is, there is somebody she likes a great deal better. But to make up for your loss, I will give each of you, as a reward for his skill, half a kingdom.’ So the brothers agreed that this plan would be much better than either quarrelling or marrying a lady who had no mind to have them. And the king then gave to each half a kingdom, as he had said; and they lived very happily the rest of their days, and took good care of their father; and somebody took better care of the young lady, than to let either the dragon or one of the craftsmen have her again.
当他们把公主带回她父亲身边时，大家欣喜若狂；国王对四位兄弟说：‘你们之中有一人将娶她为妻，但你们必须自行商量决定由谁成婚。’于是他们之间爆发了争执；占星者说：‘若不是我找到了公主，你们所有的本领都毫无用处，因此她应当归我。’小偷反驳道：‘若没有我把她从龙口救出，你找到她又何用？所以她应归我。’猎人则说：‘不，她是我的；因为若没有我杀死恶龙，他迟早会将你和公主撕成碎片。’裁缝也争辩道：‘若没有我将船重新缝好，你们全都早已溺亡，因此她应归我。’这时国王插话道：‘你们每人说的都有道理；既然不能人人都娶这位小姐，最好的办法是大家都不要娶她：事实上，她心里另有钟意之人。但为了弥补你们的遗憾，我将把半个王国作为奖赏赐给你们每人，以表彰你们的技艺。’于是兄弟们一致同意，这个方案远比争吵或强娶一位不愿嫁给他们的女子要好得多。国王便如他所言，将半个王国分别赐予每位兄弟；他们从此幸福地度过余生，悉心照料父亲；而那位年轻小姐也得到了更好的照顾，既没有再落入恶龙手中，也没有嫁给那四位工匠中的任何一人。