There was once a man who had seven sons, and last of all one daughter. Although the little girl was very pretty, she was so weak and small that they thought she could not live; but they said she should at once be christened.
从前有个男人，他有七个儿子，最后又生了一个女儿。虽然这个小女孩非常漂亮，但她体弱且瘦小，大家都以为她活不成了；不过他们还是决定立刻给她施洗。
So the father sent one of his sons in haste to the spring to get some water, but the other six ran with him. Each wanted to be first at drawing the water, and so they were in such a hurry that all let their pitchers fall into the well, and they stood very foolishly looking at one another, and did not know what to do, for none dared go home. In the meantime the father was uneasy, and could not tell what made the young men stay so long. ‘Surely,’ said he, ‘the whole seven must have forgotten themselves over some game of play’; and when he had waited still longer and they yet did not come, he flew into a rage and wished them all turned into ravens. Scarcely had he spoken these words when he heard a croaking over his head, and looked up and saw seven ravens as black as coal flying round and round. Sorry as he was to see his wish so fulfilled, he did not know how what was done could be undone, and comforted himself as well as he could for the loss of his seven sons with his dear little daughter, who soon became stronger and every day more beautiful.
于是父亲急忙派其中一个儿子去井边打水，其余六个也随他一同跑去。每个人都想第一个打满水，结果因太过匆忙，七只水桶都掉进了井里。他们面面相觑，呆立在那里不知所措，谁也不敢回家。与此同时，父亲心中不安，不知为何年轻人迟迟未归。‘想必是七个孩子都玩疯了，’他说，‘忘了时间。’他等了又等，他们仍不见踪影，便勃然大怒，诅咒他们全部变成乌鸦。话音刚落，头顶便传来一阵呱呱声，他抬头一看，只见七只如煤炭般漆黑的乌鸦在头顶盘旋飞舞。虽然对愿望成真感到痛心，但他不知如何挽回已发生的事，只能尽量安慰自己，用他心爱的小女儿来慰藉失去七个儿子的痛苦；小女儿很快便恢复了健康，且日益美丽动人。
For a long time she did not know that she had ever had any brothers; for her father and mother took care not to speak of them before her: but one day by chance she heard the people about her speak of them. ‘Yes,’ said they, ‘she is beautiful indeed, but still ‘tis a pity that her brothers should have been lost for her sake.’ Then she was much grieved, and went to her father and mother, and asked if she had any brothers, and what had become of them. So they dared no longer hide the truth from her, but said it was the will of Heaven, and that her birth was only the innocent cause of it; but the little girl mourned sadly about it every day, and thought herself bound to do all she could to bring her brothers back; and she had neither rest nor ease, till at length one day she stole away, and set out into the wide world to find her brothers, wherever they might be, and free them, whatever it might cost her.
很长一段时间里，她从未知道自己曾有过兄弟；因为她的父母刻意避免在她面前提起他们。但有一天，她偶然听到周围的人谈论起他们：‘是的，她确实美丽，但遗憾的是，为了她，她的兄弟们却失去了。’于是她深感悲痛，便去找父亲和母亲，询问自己是否有兄弟，以及他们去了哪里。于是他们不再敢对她隐瞒真相，只说是天意，而她的出生只是无辜的起因；小女孩为此每日哀伤，认为自己有责任尽一切努力找回兄弟们；她日夜不得安宁，直到有一天终于偷偷离家，踏上广阔的世界去寻找兄弟们，无论他们在何处，并设法将他们解救出来，无论代价如何。
She took nothing with her but a little ring which her father and mother had given her, a loaf of bread in case she should be hungry, a little pitcher of water in case she should be thirsty, and a little stool to rest upon when she should be weary. Thus she went on and on, and journeyed till she came to the world’s end; then she came to the sun, but the sun looked much too hot and fiery; so she ran away quickly to the moon, but the moon was cold and chilly, and said, ‘I smell flesh and blood this way!’ so she took herself away in a hurry and came to the stars, and the stars were friendly and kind to her, and each star sat upon his own little stool; but the morning star rose up and gave her a little piece of wood, and said, ‘If you have not this little piece of wood, you cannot unlock the castle that stands on the glass-mountain, and there your brothers live.’ The little girl took the piece of wood, rolled it up in a little cloth, and went on again until she came to the glass-mountain, and found the door shut. Then she felt for the little piece of wood; but when she unwrapped the cloth it was not there, and she saw she had lost the gift of the good stars. What was to be done? She wanted to save her brothers, and had no key of the castle of the glass-mountain; so this faithful little sister took a knife out of her pocket and cut off her little finger, that was just the size of the piece of wood she had lost, and put it in the door and opened it.
她只带了一枚父母送给她的戒指、一块以防饥饿的面包、一壶以防口渴的水，还有一把小凳子以便在疲惫时休息。于是她一路前行，直到走到世界的尽头；接着她来到了太阳那里，但太阳看起来太过炽热灼人，她便急忙跑开去了月亮那儿，可月亮又冷又寒，还说：‘我闻到了血肉的气息！’于是她匆匆离去，来到星星们所在的地方。星星们对她十分友善亲切，每颗星星都坐在自己的小凳子上；而晨星站起身来，递给她一小块木头，并说：‘若没有这块小木片，你就无法打开那座位于玻璃山上的城堡，你的兄弟们就住在那里。’小女孩收好木片，用一块小布包起来，继续前行，直到来到玻璃山前，却发现大门紧闭。她伸手去摸那块小木片，可解开布包后却不见踪影，这才发现自己丢失了星星们赠予的礼物。这可如何是好？她想救回兄弟们，却没有打开玻璃山城堡的钥匙；于是这位忠诚的小妹妹从口袋里掏出一把小刀，切下自己的一根小指——那尺寸恰好与丢失的木片相合——将其插入锁孔，打开了大门。
As she went in, a little dwarf came up to her, and said, ‘What are you seeking for?’ ‘I seek for my brothers, the seven ravens,’ answered she. Then the dwarf said, ‘My masters are not at home; but if you will wait till they come, pray step in.’ Now the little dwarf was getting their dinner ready, and he brought their food upon seven little plates, and their drink in seven little glasses, and set them upon the table, and out of each little plate their sister ate a small piece, and out of each little glass she drank a small drop; but she let the ring that she had brought with her fall into the last glass.
她刚走进门，一个小矮人便迎上来问道：‘你在找什么？’‘我在找我的七个兄弟，那七只乌鸦。’她答道。小矮人说：‘我的主人不在家；不过如果你愿意等他们回来，请进屋吧。’这时小矮人正在准备他们的晚餐，他把食物盛在七只小盘子里，把饮料倒进七只小玻璃杯中，摆上桌子。她从每只小盘里吃了一点，从每只小杯里喝了一小口；最后，她把手带来的戒指掉进了最后一杯里。
On a sudden she heard a fluttering and croaking in the air, and the dwarf said, ‘Here come my masters.’ When they came in, they wanted to eat and drink, and looked for their little plates and glasses. Then said one after the other,
忽然，她听到空中有扑翅和呱呱的叫声，侏儒说：'我的主人来了。'他们进来后想要吃喝，寻找他们的小盘子和杯子。接着，一个接一个地说道：
‘Who has eaten from my little plate? And who has been drinking out of my little glass?’
谁吃了我的小盘子里的东西？谁又喝了我小杯子里的饮料？
‘Caw! Caw! well I ween Mortal lips have this way been.’
“嘎！嘎！我想凡人确实曾这样说过。”
When the seventh came to the bottom of his glass, and found there the ring, he looked at it, and knew that it was his father’s and mother’s, and said, ‘O that our little sister would but come! then we should be free.’ When the little girl heard this (for she stood behind the door all the time and listened), she ran forward, and in an instant all the ravens took their right form again; and all hugged and kissed each other, and went merrily home.
当第七个人喝到杯底，发现里面有一枚戒指时，他看着它，认出那是父母留下的，便说：‘但愿我们的小妹妹能回来！那样我们就自由了。’小妹妹听到这话（因为她一直躲在门后偷听），立刻跑了出来，刹那间所有乌鸦都恢复了人形；大家互相拥抱亲吻，欢欢喜喜地回家了。