There was a man who had three sons, the youngest of whom was called Dummling,[*] and was despised, mocked, and sneered at on every occasion.
从前有个男人，他有三个儿子，其中最小的叫傻瓜[*]，每逢场合都被人轻视、嘲笑和讥讽。
[*] Simpleton
傻瓜
It happened that the eldest wanted to go into the forest to hew wood, and before he went his mother gave him a beautiful sweet cake and a bottle of wine in order that he might not suffer from hunger or thirst.
碰巧老大想去森林里砍柴，出发前，母亲给了他一块香甜的蛋糕和一瓶酒，以免他挨饿或口渴。
When he entered the forest he met a little grey-haired old man who bade him good day, and said: ‘Do give me a piece of cake out of your pocket, and let me have a draught of your wine; I am so hungry and thirsty.’ But the clever son answered: ‘If I give you my cake and wine, I shall have none for myself; be off with you,’ and he left the little man standing and went on.
当他走进森林时，遇到了一位灰发的小老头。老头向他问好，说：‘请从你口袋里给我一块蛋糕，再让我喝一口你的酒；我饿极了，也渴极了。’但那个聪明的儿子回答说：‘如果我把我的蛋糕和酒都给了你，我自己就没有了；你还是走吧。’说完，他丢下那位小老头，继续前行。
But when he began to hew down a tree, it was not long before he made a false stroke, and the axe cut him in the arm, so that he had to go home and have it bound up. And this was the little grey man’s doing.
但当他开始砍树时，没过多久就挥错了斧头，斧刃砍伤了他的手臂，他只好回家包扎伤口。这都是那个小灰人干的。
After this the second son went into the forest, and his mother gave him, like the eldest, a cake and a bottle of wine. The little old grey man met him likewise, and asked him for a piece of cake and a drink of wine. But the second son, too, said sensibly enough: ‘What I give you will be taken away from myself; be off!’ and he left the little man standing and went on. His punishment, however, was not delayed; when he had made a few blows at the tree he struck himself in the leg, so that he had to be carried home.
此后，第二个儿子走进森林，母亲也给了他一块蛋糕和一瓶酒，就像给长子的那样。那个灰白头发的小老头同样拦住了他，向他讨要一块蛋糕和一口酒喝。但第二个儿子也像哥哥一样明智地说：‘我给你的东西会从我自己这里被拿走；走吧！’于是他把小老头丢下，继续前行。然而他的惩罚并未推迟；当他砍了几斧子树后，却误伤了自己的腿，不得不被人抬回家。
Then Dummling said: ‘Father, do let me go and cut wood.’ The father answered: ‘Your brothers have hurt themselves with it, leave it alone, you do not understand anything about it.’ But Dummling begged so long that at last he said: ‘Just go then, you will get wiser by hurting yourself.’ His mother gave him a cake made with water and baked in the cinders, and with it a bottle of sour beer.
于是小傻瓜说：‘父亲，让我去砍柴吧。’父亲回答：‘你的哥哥们已经为此受伤了，别去了，你什么都不懂。’但小傻瓜苦苦哀求，直到最后父亲才说：‘那就去吧，等你受伤了就会变聪明了。’母亲给了他一个用水和炉灰烤成的饼，还有一瓶酸啤酒。
When he came to the forest the little old grey man met him likewise, and greeting him, said: ‘Give me a piece of your cake and a drink out of your bottle; I am so hungry and thirsty.’ Dummling answered: ‘I have only cinder-cake and sour beer; if that pleases you, we will sit down and eat.’ So they sat down, and when Dummling pulled out his cinder-cake, it was a fine sweet cake, and the sour beer had become good wine. So they ate and drank, and after that the little man said: ‘Since you have a good heart, and are willing to divide what you have, I will give you good luck. There stands an old tree, cut it down, and you will find something at the roots.’ Then the little man took leave of him.
当他来到森林时，那位灰白头发的小老头也遇见了他。小老头向他致意后说道：‘请给我一块你的蛋糕，再让我喝一口你瓶子里的饮料；我实在太饿太渴了。’丹梅林回答说：‘我只有一块焦黑的饼和酸啤酒，如果你不嫌弃，我们就坐下来一起吃吧。’于是他们坐了下来。当丹梅林拿出那块焦饼时，它竟变成了一块香甜可口的蛋糕，而那酸啤酒也变成了美酒。他们吃喝完毕，小老头便说：‘既然你心地善良，愿意与人分享你所拥有的，我就赐你好运。那边有一棵老树，把它砍倒，树根下会有东西。’说完，小老头便与他告别了。
Dummling went and cut down the tree, and when it fell there was a goose sitting in the roots with feathers of pure gold. He lifted her up, and taking her with him, went to an inn where he thought he would stay the night. Now the host had three daughters, who saw the goose and were curious to know what such a wonderful bird might be, and would have liked to have one of its golden feathers.
小傻瓜去砍倒了那棵树，树倒下的时候，发现树根里坐着一只长着纯金羽毛的鹅。他把它抱起来，带着它前往一家客栈，打算在那里过夜。客栈老板有三个女儿，她们看到这只鹅后十分好奇，想知道这只会是什么神奇的鸟儿，还很想拔下它的一根金羽毛。
The eldest thought: ‘I shall soon find an opportunity of pulling out a feather,’ and as soon as Dummling had gone out she seized the goose by the wing, but her finger and hand remained sticking fast to it.
大女儿心想：‘我很快就能找到机会拔下一根羽毛。’等迪姆林一走，她立刻抓住鹅的翅膀，但她的手指和手却死死粘在了上面。
The second came soon afterwards, thinking only of how she might get a feather for herself, but she had scarcely touched her sister than she was held fast.
第二个很快也来了，心里只想着如何为自己弄一根羽毛，可刚碰到姐姐，就被牢牢抓住了。
At last the third also came with the like intent, and the others screamed out: ‘Keep away; for goodness’ sake keep away!’ But she did not understand why she was to keep away. ‘The others are there,’ she thought, ‘I may as well be there too,’ and ran to them; but as soon as she had touched her sister, she remained sticking fast to her. So they had to spend the night with the goose.
最后，第三个也带着同样的意图来了，其他人尖叫着喊道：‘走开！看在上帝的份上，走开！’但她不明白为什么要她走开。‘她们都在那里，’她想，‘我也最好去那里，’于是跑向她们；但一旦她触碰到她的姐姐，她就粘在她身上动弹不得了。因此，她们不得不和那只鹅一起过夜。
The next morning Dummling took the goose under his arm and set out, without troubling himself about the three girls who were hanging on to it. They were obliged to run after him continually, now left, now right, wherever his legs took him.
第二天早上，小傻瓜把鹅夹在腋下出发了，根本不在乎那三个女孩正拽着它不放。她们不得不不停地跟着他跑，一会儿往左，一会儿往右，无论他走到哪里。
In the middle of the fields the parson met them, and when he saw the procession he said: ‘For shame, you good-for-nothing girls, why are you running across the fields after this young man? Is that seemly?’ At the same time he seized the youngest by the hand in order to pull her away, but as soon as he touched her he likewise stuck fast, and was himself obliged to run behind.
在田野中间，牧师遇见了他们。看到这支队伍后，他说：‘真丢人，你们这些没出息的女孩，为什么要追这个年轻人跑过田野？这像话吗？’同时，他抓住最小的女孩的手想把她拉走，但一碰到她，他自己也动弹不得，只好跟在后面跑。
Before long the sexton came by and saw his master, the parson, running behind three girls. He was astonished at this and called out: ‘Hi! your reverence, whither away so quickly? Do not forget that we have a christening today!’ and running after him he took him by the sleeve, but was also held fast to it.
不久，教堂司事路过，看见他的主人牧师正追赶着三个女孩。他对此大为惊讶，喊道：‘啊！阁下，您这是往哪儿去这么急？别忘了今天还有洗礼呢！’说着便追上去拉住他的袖子，结果自己也被牢牢拽住了。
Whilst the five were trotting thus one behind the other, two labourers came with their hoes from the fields; the parson called out to them and begged that they would set him and the sexton free. But they had scarcely touched the sexton when they were held fast, and now there were seven of them running behind Dummling and the goose.
当他们五人正一个接一个地小跑时，两名农夫扛着锄头从田里走来；牧师向他们呼喊，恳求他们将自己和守墓人释放。可他们刚碰到守墓人，自己就被牢牢困住，于是现在共有七个人跟在迪姆林和那只鹅后面奔跑。
Soon afterwards he came to a city, where a king ruled who had a daughter who was so serious that no one could make her laugh. So he had put forth a decree that whosoever should be able to make her laugh should marry her. When Dummling heard this, he went with his goose and all her train before the king’s daughter, and as soon as she saw the seven people running on and on, one behind the other, she began to laugh quite loudly, and as if she would never stop. Thereupon Dummling asked to have her for his wife; but the king did not like the son-in-law, and made all manner of excuses and said he must first produce a man who could drink a cellarful of wine. Dummling thought of the little grey man, who could certainly help him; so he went into the forest, and in the same place where he had felled the tree, he saw a man sitting, who had a very sorrowful face. Dummling asked him what he was taking to heart so sorely, and he answered: ‘I have such a great thirst and cannot quench it; cold water I cannot stand, a barrel of wine I have just emptied, but that to me is like a drop on a hot stone!’
不久之后，他来到一座城市，那里有一位国王，国王有个女儿非常严肃，没人能让她笑。于是国王颁布了一道法令：谁能逗她笑，谁就能娶她为妻。当傻瓜听到这个消息后，便带着他的鹅和那群跟随者来到公主面前。公主一看到七个人一个接一个地不停地跑，便放声大笑，仿佛永远不会停止。于是傻瓜请求娶她为妻，但国王不喜欢这个女婿，便找各种借口推脱，说必须先找来一个能喝光一整窖酒的人。傻瓜想起了那个小灰人，他一定能帮上忙；于是他走进森林，在他砍倒树的地方，看到一个人坐在那里，脸上满是悲伤。傻瓜问他为何如此忧心忡忡，那人回答说：'我渴得厉害，却怎么也解不了渴；冷水我喝不下，刚喝完一桶酒，但那对我来说就像热石头上的一滴水！'
‘There, I can help you,’ said Dummling, ‘just come with me and you shall be satisfied.’
“在那儿，我可以帮你，”达姆林说，“跟我来，你一定会满意的。”
He led him into the king’s cellar, and the man bent over the huge barrels, and drank and drank till his loins hurt, and before the day was out he had emptied all the barrels. Then Dummling asked once more for his bride, but the king was vexed that such an ugly fellow, whom everyone called Dummling, should take away his daughter, and he made a new condition; he must first find a man who could eat a whole mountain of bread. Dummling did not think long, but went straight into the forest, where in the same place there sat a man who was tying up his body with a strap, and making an awful face, and saying: ‘I have eaten a whole ovenful of rolls, but what good is that when one has such a hunger as I? My stomach remains empty, and I must tie myself up if I am not to die of hunger.’
他带那人来到国王的酒窖，那人俯身对着巨大的酒桶，喝啊喝啊，直到腰背酸痛，不到一天工夫便饮尽了所有酒桶。随后，迪姆林再次索要他的新娘，但国王因这样一个被众人称为“傻瓜”的丑陋之人要带走自己的女儿而恼怒，于是提出了新的条件：他必须先找到一个人，能吞下一整座山的面包。迪姆林并未多思，径直走进森林，在老地方看见一个人正用皮带捆扎自己的身体，面露痛苦之色，说道：‘我已吃下整整一炉面包卷，可对我这般饥饿又有何用？我的肚子依旧空空如也，若不把自己捆紧，恐怕会活活饿死。’
At this Dummling was glad, and said: ‘Get up and come with me; you shall eat yourself full.’ He led him to the king’s palace where all the flour in the whole Kingdom was collected, and from it he caused a huge mountain of bread to be baked. The man from the forest stood before it, began to eat, and by the end of one day the whole mountain had vanished. Then Dummling for the third time asked for his bride; but the king again sought a way out, and ordered a ship which could sail on land and on water. ‘As soon as you come sailing back in it,’ said he, ‘you shall have my daughter for wife.’
小傻瓜听了很高兴，说：‘起来吧，跟我走，让你吃个饱。’他带那人来到国王的宫殿，那里汇集了全国所有的面粉，于是他们烤出了一座巨大的面包山。森林里的男人站在面包山前开始吃起来，到了一天结束时，整座山已经消失得无影无踪。接着小傻瓜第三次请求娶公主为王后，但国王又想出了脱身之计，下令造一艘既能在水上航行也能在陆地上行驶的船。‘等你坐着它回来时，’国王说，‘你就可以娶我的女儿为妻了。’
Dummling went straight into the forest, and there sat the little grey man to whom he had given his cake. When he heard what Dummling wanted, he said: ‘Since you have given me to eat and to drink, I will give you the ship; and I do all this because you once were kind to me.’ Then he gave him the ship which could sail on land and water, and when the king saw that, he could no longer prevent him from having his daughter. The wedding was celebrated, and after the king’s death, Dummling inherited his kingdom and lived for a long time contentedly with his wife.
小傻瓜径直走进森林，坐在那里的是他曾分给他蛋糕的小灰人。当小灰人听说小傻瓜的来意后说道：‘既然你曾给我食物和饮水，我便将这艘船赠予你；我之所以这样做，是因为你曾经对我施以善意。’随后，他将那艘既能陆行又能航行的船送给了小傻瓜。国王见到此景，再也无法阻止他迎娶自己的女儿了。婚礼如期举行，待国王去世后，小傻瓜继承了王位，与妻子幸福地生活了许久。