聰明的小裁縫(2)
The princess, hearing the bear growl so loudly that night, assumed that he must be growling with satisfaction, having made an end of the tailor. In the morning she got up feeling very pleased and not worried at all, but when she took a look at the stable there was the young tailor standing outside it cock-a-hoop and safe and sound. So then there was nothing more she could say, because she'd publicly promised to marry him; and the king sent for a carriage to take her and the tailor to church to be married. As they drove off, the other two tailors, who were false-hearted and envied him his good fortune, went into the stable and unscrewed the bear. The bear in a great rage charged off in pursuit of the carriage. The princess heard him growling and snorting and cried out in terror: "Oh, the bear's after us, he's coming to get you!" With great presence of mind the tailor stood on his head, stuck his legs out of the window and shouted: "Do you see this vice? If you don't clear off I'll screw you back into it." When the bear saw that, he turned round and ran away. Our young friend then drove on to the church as calm as you like, and the princess gave him her hand at the altar, and he lived with her as happy as a woodlark. There's a fine of three marks for anyone who doesn't believe this story.
聰明的小裁縫
從前,有一個(gè)非常高傲的公主。求婚的人一來,她就給人家出謎語。要是猜不出來,她就嘲笑人家,把人家趕出去。她還向世人宣告說,只要是能猜中她謎語的,不管是誰,都可以和她結(jié)婚。后來,有三個(gè)裁縫一起來了。兩個(gè)年紀(jì)大的心里想,他們過去曾經(jīng)做過許多精細(xì)的針線活,都獲得了成功,這次猜謎也一定不會(huì)出錯(cuò),準(zhǔn)能猜到。另一個(gè)裁縫是一個(gè)沒什么才干的冒失的小伙子,連自己的手藝都不太熟練??墒撬?,這回一定會(huì)有好運(yùn)氣,不然的話,真不知道到哪里去碰好運(yùn)氣呢。兩個(gè)年紀(jì)大的裁縫對(duì)小伙子說:“最好呆在家里,你的智慧還不夠用,干不了什么了不起的大事。”可是,小裁縫卻不甘心。他說,他算豁出去了,一定要去試試看看。他義無反顧瀟瀟灑灑地走了去,就好象整個(gè)世界都是他的似的。
他們?nèi)齻€(gè)人來到公主面前,請(qǐng)她給他們出謎語。他們說,公主會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)這回遇上了對(duì)手,因?yàn)樗麄兪琼敿飧呤?,智慧超群思維精細(xì)得簡(jiǎn)直可以用來穿針引線。于是,公主說:“我頭上有兩種頭發(fā),都是什么顏色的?”“這太容易了!”第一個(gè)裁縫說,“是黑色和白色唄!就像人們說的黑白點(diǎn)混成的灰布似的。”公主說:“猜得不對(duì)。第二個(gè)回答吧!”于是,第二個(gè)裁縫回答說:“要不是黑色和白色的,那就是像我可敬的爸爸的那件禮服大衣似的,是棕色和紅色的。”公主說:“猜得不對(duì)。第三個(gè)人回答吧!看樣子,這個(gè)人一定能知道嘍!”于是,小裁縫大膽地走過去說:“公主頭上的頭發(fā)是金色和銀色的,就是這兩種顏色。”公主一聽這話,驚得面如土色,險(xiǎn)些昏厥過去。因?yàn)?,小裁縫猜對(duì)了。過去,她深信不疑世界上沒有人能猜對(duì)。公主恢復(fù)常態(tài)后說道:“這還不行,我還不能和你結(jié)婚。你還得做一件事情。你要在下邊的獸棚里和熊住一夜。明天我醒的時(shí)候,如果你還活著,我就和你結(jié)婚。”公主心里想,這下就能把小裁縫除掉了。因?yàn)?,熊還沒有讓誰從自己腳爪下活著出去的??墒牵〔每p毫不氣餒,還是高高興興地說:“不入虎穴,焉得虎子。”
到了晚上,小裁縫被帶到熊籠里。熊馬上向他猛撲過來要用它那有力的腳掌來好好歡迎它的客人。“慢慢來!慢慢來!”小裁縫說,“我一會(huì)兒就會(huì)叫你安靜下來的!”他好像一點(diǎn)兒也沒有擔(dān)心害怕的樣子,逍遙自在地從衣袋里拿出幾個(gè)核桃,咬開后,吃著核桃仁。熊看見小裁縫吃,被激起了食欲,也想吃。小裁縫把手伸進(jìn)衣袋里,拿出一把交給熊。但是這不是核桃,而是鵝卵石。熊把石頭放進(jìn)嘴里,不論怎樣用力,卻一個(gè)也咬不開。哎呀呀!我真是個(gè)廢物,連個(gè)核桃都咬不動(dòng)了!熊心里想著,就對(duì)小裁縫說:“喂,你幫我把這核桃咬開!”“你看看你,真是個(gè)沒用的家伙!那么大的一張嘴,連一個(gè)小核桃都咬不開!”小裁縫說著,把石頭接過來,敏捷地?fù)Q了個(gè)核桃放進(jìn)嘴里,嘎嘣一下子把核桃咬開。熊說,“看你做得如此輕巧,我一定要再試試!”于是,小裁縫又給熊一些鵝卵石。熊用盡力氣去咬,你可想而知,它是怎么也咬不開的。這件事就這樣過去了。小裁縫從衣裳里拿出一把小提琴,拉了一支曲子。熊聽見音樂聲,情不自禁地跳起舞來。跳了一會(huì)兒,它發(fā)現(xiàn)自己太喜歡這玩意了,于是就對(duì)小裁縫說:“老實(shí)告訴我,拉小提琴難學(xué)嗎?”小裁縫說:“這非常容易。你看,左手指按上琴弦,右手拉著琴弓。就這么一拉,美妙的音樂就出來了!”“就這么拉嗎?”熊說,“那我高興的時(shí)候就可以跳舞了。你看怎么樣?你能教教我嗎?”“我樂意效力!”小裁縫說,“只要你和靈巧的話就可以了。你把腳掌伸出來讓我看看。哎呀,你指甲太長(zhǎng),我得把你的指甲剪下來一點(diǎn)!”于是,小裁縫把老虎鉗子拿出來。熊伸出爪子,小裁縫緊緊地把熊爪擰在老虎鉗子中以后,說:“你等一等,我拿剪刀去!”說完,小裁縫走到角落里的麥捆上睡覺去了,只剩下熊站在那里吼叫。
那天晚上,公主聽見熊吼得很兇,心里想:熊一定把小裁縫干掉了,高興地吼叫呢!第二天早晨,公主放心了,高高興興地起了床,但她到獸棚子一看,只見小裁縫得意洋洋地站在那里,安然無恙。公主再也說不出一句反對(duì)結(jié)婚的話了。因?yàn)槟鞘撬?dāng)眾答應(yīng)了的。國(guó)王派來了馬車,公主和小裁縫坐上去,要一起到教堂舉行婚禮。他們坐上馬車走的時(shí)候,那兩個(gè)陰險(xiǎn)的裁縫,對(duì)小裁縫得到幸福十分嫉妒,就但獸棚里去,擰開老虎鉗子,把熊放了出來。熊氣得火冒三丈,在馬車后面猛追。公主聽見了熊的吼叫,咆哮,害怕地喊起來:“哎呀!熊追來了!熊要把你抓走復(fù)仇啊!”小裁縫說著拿了個(gè)大頂,把兩只腳伸到馬車窗戶外邊去,喊到:“來呀,看見這把老虎鉗子了嗎?你要是不滾開,我還用老虎鉗子夾你!”熊聽了這話,掉過頭去就逃跑了,小裁縫不慌不忙地到了教堂,和公主舉行婚禮典禮。從那以后,他們就像云雀似的過著快樂的生活。誰要是不相信這故事是真的就叫他掏出三塊錢來。