The Old Dame and Her Hen

Once on a time there was an old widow who lived far away from the rest of the world, up under a hillside, with her three daughters. She was so poor that she had no stock but one single hen, which she prized as the apple of her eye; in short, it was always cackling at her heels, and she was always running to look after it. Well! one day, all at once, the hen was missing. The old wife went out, and round and round the cottage, looking and calling for her hen, but it was gone, and there was no getting it back.

从前有个老寡妇，住在远离尘世的地方，住在一处山坡下面，和她的三个女儿一起过活。她穷得家徒四壁，唯一的财产就是一只母鸡，她把这只鸡看得比什么都金贵；总之，那母鸡老是咯咯叫着跟在她脚边，她也老是跑前跑后地照看它。可是有一天，忽然间，那母鸡不见了。老太太走出屋子，绕着屋子转来转去，边找边喊她的母鸡，可母鸡就是不见踪影，怎么也找不回来了。

So the woman said to her eldest daughter, “You must just go out and see if you can find our hen, for have it back we must, even if we have to fetch it out of the hill.”

于是老太太对她的大女儿说：“你得出去找找看，能不能找回咱们的母鸡，因为无论如何都得把它找回来，哪怕要从山里把它找出来也罢。”

Well! the daughter was ready enough to go, so she set off and walked up and down, and looked and called, but no hen could she find. But all at once, just as she was about to give up the hunt, she heard some one calling out in a cleft in the rock:

好吧！大女儿满口答应，便动身出去，走来走去，边找边喊，可怎么也找不到那只母鸡。可就在她正打算放弃寻找的时候，忽然听见岩石的一道裂缝里有人在喊：

Your hen trips inside the hill! Your hen trips inside the hill!

你的母鸡正在山里踱步！ 你的母鸡正在山里踱步！

So she went into the cleft to see what it was, but she had scarce set her foot inside the cleft, before she fell through a trap-door, deep, deep down, into a vault under ground. When she got to the bottom she went through many rooms, each finer than the other; but in the innermost room of all, a great ugly man of the hill-folk came up to her and asked, “Will you be my sweetheart?”

于是她走进那道裂缝去看个究竟，可她刚一脚踏进裂缝，就一下子从一扇活板门跌了下去，深深地、深深地跌进了地底下的一个地窖。等她落到底下，她走过了一间又一间房，一间比一间华丽；可在最里面的那间房里，一个山里人当中长得又高又丑的大汉走上前来问她：“你愿意做我的心上人吗？”

“No! I will not”, she said. She wouldn’t have him at any price! not she; all she wanted was to get above ground again as fast as ever she could, and to look after her hen which was lost. Then the Man o’ the Hill got so angry that he took her up and wrung her head off, and threw both head and trunk down into the cellar.

“不！我不愿意，”她说道。无论如何她都不肯要他！绝不肯；她只想尽快回到地面上去，去找她那走丢的母鸡。这下山里人可发了火，一把抓起她，拧断了她的脖子，把头和身子都扔进了地窖底下。

While this was going on, her mother sat at home waiting and waiting, but no daughter came. So after she had waited a bit longer, and neither heard nor saw anything of her daughter, she said to her midmost daughter, that she must go out and see after her sister, and she added:

正当这一切发生的时候，她的母亲坐在家里左等右等，可女儿始终没有回来。于是又等了一会儿，仍旧不见女儿的踪影，也没听到一点消息，她便对二女儿说，她得出去找找姐姐，还补充道：

“You can just give our hen a call at the same time.”

“你正好也顺便替咱们喊喊母鸡。”

Well! the second sister had to get off, and the very same thing befell her; she went about looking and calling, and all at once she too heard a voice away in the cleft of the rock saying:

好吧！二女儿只得出门去，结果和姐姐一样的遭遇也降临到了她头上；她四处找寻、呼喊，忽然间，她也听见岩石裂缝那边传来一个声音，说道：

Your hen trips inside the hill! Your hen trips inside the hill!

你的母鸡正在山里踱步！ 你的母鸡正在山里踱步！

She thought this strange, and went to see what it could be; and so she too fell through the trap-door, deep, deep down, into the vault. There she went from room to room, and in the innermost one the Man o’ the Hill came to her and asked if she would be his sweetheart? No! that she wouldn’t; all she wanted was to get above ground again, and hunt for her hen which was lost. So the Man o’ the Hill got angry, and took her up and wrung her head off, and threw both head and trunk down into the cellar.

她觉得这事儿蹊跷，便去看看究竟是怎么回事；于是她也从活板门跌了下去，深深地、深深地跌进了地窖。她在里面一间房接一间房地走，走到最里面那间时，山里人走过来问她愿不愿意做他的心上人？不！她才不愿意呢；她只想回到地面上去，去找她那走丢的母鸡。于是山里人又发了火，一把抓起她，拧断了她的脖子，把头和身子都扔进了地窖底下。

Now, when the old dame had sat and waited seven lengths and seven breadths for her second daughter, and could neither see nor hear anything of her, she said to the youngest:

如今，老太太坐着等了七个七、盼了七个七，也不见二女儿的踪影，什么消息也没有，便对最小的女儿说道：

“Now, you really must set off and see after your sisters. ’Twas silly to lose the hen, but ’twill be sillier still if we lose both your sisters; and you can give the hen a call at the same time”—for the old dame’s heart was still set on her hen.

“如今你可真得出去找找你的两个姐姐了。丢了母鸡已经够糊涂的了，可要是连你两个姐姐都丢了，那可就更糊涂了；你顺便也替咱们喊喊母鸡”——因为老太太心里，始终还惦记着她的母鸡。

Yes! the youngest was ready enough to go; so she walked up and down, Wanting for her sisters and calling the hen, but she could neither see nor hear anything of them. So at last she too came up to the cleft in the rock, and heard how something said:

好！小女儿满口答应便出发了；她走来走去，边喊姐姐们，边喊母鸡，可怎么也看不见、听不见她们的一点动静。于是最后她也走到了那道岩石裂缝跟前，听见有个声音说道：

Your hen trips inside the hill! Your hen trips inside the hill!

你的母鸡正在山里踱步！ 你的母鸡正在山里踱步！

She thought this strange, so she too went to see what it was, and fell through the trap-door too, deep, deep down, into a vault. When she reached the bottom she went from one room to another, each grander than the other; but she wasn’t at all afraid, and took good time to look about her. So, as she was peeping into this and that, she cast her eye on the trap-door into the cellar, and looked down it, and what should she see there but her sisters, who lay dead. She had scarce time to slam to the trap-door before the Man o’ the Hill came to her and asked:

她也觉得这事儿蹊跷，便也去看看究竟，于是也从活板门跌了下去，深深地、深深地跌进了地窖。她落到底下之后，也是一间房接一间房地走过去，一间比一间气派；可她一点也不害怕，还从容地四处打量。她正东张西望的时候，眼光落到了通往地窖的活板门上，往下一望，竟看见她的两个姐姐都直挺挺地躺在那儿，已经死了。她刚来得及“砰”地一声把活板门关上，山里人就走了过来问道：

“Will you be my sweetheart?”

“你愿意做我的心上人吗？”

“With all my heart”, answered the girl, for she saw very well how it had gone with her sisters. So, when the Man o’ the Hill heard that, he got her the finest clothes in the world; she had only to ask for them, or for anything else she had a mind to, and she got what she wanted, so glad was the Man o’ the Hill that any one would be his sweetheart.

“我万分乐意，”姑娘答道，因为她已经清楚地看出了两个姐姐的下场是怎么回事。于是山里人一听这话，便给她弄来了世上最漂亮的衣裳；她只需开口要，不论是衣裳还是别的什么，只要她想要，都能如愿以偿，山里人能得到一位心上人，实在是欢喜得不得了。

But when she had been there a little while, she was one day even more doleful and downcast than was her wont. So the Man o’ the Hill asked her what was the matter, and why she was in such dumps.

可她在那儿住了一段日子后，有一天，她比往常任何时候都要愁眉苦脸、垂头丧气。于是山里人问她出了什么事，为何这般闷闷不乐。

“Ah!” said the girl, “it’s because I can’t get home to my mother. She’s hard pinched, I know, for meat and drink, and has no one with her.”

“唉！”姑娘说道，“那是因为我没法回去看我母亲。我知道她日子过得艰难，缺吃少喝，身边又没个人陪着。”

“Well!” said the Man o’ the Hill, “I can’t let you go to see her; but just stuff some meat and drink into a sack, and I’ll carry it to her.”

“这样吧！”山里人说道，“我不能放你去看她；不过你只管把肉食和吃食装进一个袋子里，我替你送去给她。”

Yes! she would do so, she said, with many thanks; but at the bottom of the sack she stuffed a lot of gold and silver, and afterwards she laid a little food on the top of the gold and silver. Then she told the ogre the sack was ready, but he must be sure not to look into it. So he gave his word he wouldn’t, and set off. Now, as the Man o’ the Hill walked off, she peeped out after him through a chink in the trap-door; but when he had gone a bit on the way, he said:

好！她说她愿意这样做，还再三道谢；可她在袋子底下塞满了大量的金子和银子，随后又在金银上面盖了一点点食物。接着她告诉这怪物袋子已经装好了，但他千万不能往里面偷看。他便答应了不看，动身出发。这山里人一走，姑娘便从活板门的一道缝隙里偷偷望着他的背影；可他走了没多远，便自言自语道：

“This sack is so heavy, I’ll just see what there is inside it.”

“这袋子怎么这么重，我得瞧瞧里面到底装了什么。”

And so he was about to untie the mouth of the sack, but the girl called out to him:

正当他要解开袋口的时候，姑娘却对他喊道：

I see what you’re at! I see what you’re at!

我看见你在干什么啦！ 我看见你在干什么啦！

“The deuce you do!” said the Man o’ the Hill; “then you must have plaguy sharp eyes in your head, that’s all!”

“见鬼了！”山里人说道，“那你这双眼睛一定尖得吓人，就这么回事！”

So he threw the sack over his shoulder, and dared not try to look into it again. When he reached the widow’s cottage, he threw the sack in through the cottage door, and said:

于是他把袋子往肩上一甩，再也不敢试着往里瞧了。等他到了寡妇的小屋，便把袋子从门口扔了进去，说道：

“Here you have meat and drink from your daughter; she doesn’t want for anything.”

“这是你女儿捎来的肉食和吃食；她什么都不缺。”

So, when the girl had been in the hill a good bit longer, one day a billy-goat fell down the trap-door.

后来，姑娘在山里又住了一阵子，有一天，一只公山羊掉进了活板门。

“Who sent for you, I should like to know? you long-bearded beast!” said the Man o’ the Hill, who was in an awful rage, and with that he whipped up the goat, and wrung his head off, and threw him down into the cellar.

“谁请你来的，我倒想知道！你这长胡子的畜生！”山里人怒不可遏地说道，说着一把揪起山羊，拧断了它的脖子，把它扔进了地窖。

“Oh!” said the girl, “why did you do that? I might have had the goat to play with down here.”

“哦！”姑娘说道，“你为什么要这样做？我本来还能拿这只山羊在这儿玩玩呢。”

“Well!” said the Man o’ the Hill, “you needn’t be so down in the mouth about it, I should think, for I can soon put life into the billy-goat again.”

“唉！”山里人说道，“你不必为这个垂头丧气，我一想就知道，我很快就能让这公山羊重新活过来。”

So saying, he took a flask which hung up against the wall, put the billy-goat’s head on his body again, and smeared it with some ointment out of the flask, and he was as well and as lively as ever again.

说着，他取下挂在墙上的一只小瓶子，把山羊的头重新安回它的身子上，又用瓶里的一些药膏抹了抹，山羊便又和先前一样活蹦乱跳了。

“Ho! ho!” said the girl to herself; “that flask is worth something—that it is.”

“哈！哈！”姑娘暗自想道；“这瓶子倒是件宝贝——的确是件宝贝。”

So when she had been some time longer in the hill, she watched for a day when the Man o’ the Hill was away, took her eldest sister, and putting her head on her shoulders, smeared her with some of the ointment out of the flask, just as she had seen the Man o’ the Hill do with the billy-goat, and in a trice her sister came to life again. Then the girl stuffed her into a sack, laid a little food over her, and as soon as the Man o’ the Hill came home, she said to him:

于是她在山里又住了些日子，一直等到山里人外出的一天，她拿来大姐的尸身，把头安回她的肩上，用瓶里的药膏抹了抹，正如她看见山里人对那公山羊所做的那样，转眼间姐姐便又活了过来。接着姑娘把她塞进一个袋子，上面盖了点食物，等山里人一回家，她便对他说：

“Dear friend! Now do go home to my mother with a morsel of food again; poor thing! she’s both hungry and thirsty, I’ll be bound; and besides that, she’s all alone in the world. But you must mind and not look into the sack.”

“亲爱的朋友！你再替我跑一趟，把这点吃食送去给我母亲吧；可怜的人啊！她一定又饥又渴，我料想得没错；再说了，她孤身一人在这世上过活。不过你可得记住，别往袋子里瞧。”

Well! he said he would carry the sack; and he said, too, that he would not look into it; but when he had gone a little way, he thought the sack got awfully heavy; and when he had gone a bit farther he said to himself:

好！他说他愿意扛这袋子；他还说，绝不会往里面看；可他走了没多远，便觉得这袋子重得吓人；再走远些，他便自言自语道：

“Come what will, I must see what’s inside this sack, for however sharp her eyes may be, she can’t see me all this way off”

“不管怎样，我得瞧瞧这袋子里到底装了什么，反正她眼睛再尖，隔着这么远也瞧不见我。”

But just as he was about to untie the sack, the girl who sat inside the sack called out:

可他正要解开袋子的时候，坐在袋子里的姑娘却喊了出来：

I see what you’re at! I see what you’re at!

我看见你在干什么啦！ 我看见你在干什么啦！

“The deuce you do!” said the ogre; “then you must have plaguey sharp eyes”; for he thought all the while it was the girl inside the hill who was speaking. So he didn’t care so much as to peep into the sack again, but carried it straight to her mother as fast as he could, and when he got to the cottage door he threw it in through the door, and bawled out:

“见鬼了！”那怪物说道，“那你这双眼睛一定尖得厉害”；因为他一直以为，说话的是山里那位姑娘。于是他索性也不再想着往袋子里偷看了，尽快把袋子直接送到了她母亲那儿，一到小屋门口，便把袋子扔了进去，大声喊道：

“Here you have meat and drink from your daughter; she wants for nothing.”

“这是你女儿捎来的肉食和吃食；她什么都不缺。”

Now, when the girl had been in the hill a while longer, she did the very same thing with her other sister. She put her head on her shoulders, smeared her with ointment out of the flask, brought her to life, and stuffed her into the sack; but this time she crammed in also as much gold and silver as the sack would hold, and over all laid a very little food.

后来，姑娘在山里又住了一阵子，她如法炮制，对另一个姐姐也做了同样的事。她把姐姐的头安回肩上，用瓶里的药膏抹了抹，让她活了过来，把她塞进了袋子；可这一回，她还往袋子里塞满了能装多少就装多少的金银，上面只盖了一点点食物。

“Dear friend”, she said to the Man o’ the Hill, “you really must run home to my mother with a little food again; and mind you don’t look into the sack.”

“亲爱的朋友，”她对山里人说道，“你真该再跑一趟，把这点吃食送去给我母亲；记住别往袋子里瞧。”

Yes! the Man o’ the Hill was ready enough to do as she wished, and he gave his word too that he wouldn’t look into the sack; but when he had gone a bit of the way he began to think the sack got awfully heavy, and when he had gone a bit further, he could scarce stagger along under it, so he set it down, and was just about to untie the string and look into it, when the girl inside the sack bawled out:

好！山里人这次也十分乐意照她的意思去做，还答应绝不会往袋子里看；可他走了没多远，便觉得这袋子重得吓人，再往前走一段，他简直都快扛不动，快要摇摇晃晃倒下了，于是他把袋子放下来，正要解开绳子往里瞧，袋子里的姑娘却喊了出来：

I see what you’re at! I see what you’re at!

我看见你在干什么啦！ 我看见你在干什么啦！

“The deuce you do”, said the Man o’ the Hill, “then you must have plaguey sharp eyes of your own.”

“见鬼了，”山里人说道，“那你这双眼睛一定生得尖得很呢。”

Well, he dared not try to look into the sack, but made all the haste he could, and carried the sack straight to the girl’s mother. When he got to the cottage door he threw the sack in through the door, and roared out:

好吧，他再也不敢试着往袋子里瞧了，只是尽快赶路，把袋子一直送到了姑娘母亲那儿。到了小屋门口，他把袋子从门里扔了进去，大声喊道：

“Here you have food from your daughter; she wants for nothing.”

“这是你女儿送来的吃食；她什么都不缺。”

So when the girl had been there a good while longer, the Man o’ the Hill made up his mind to go out for the day; then the girl shammed to be sick and sorry, and pouted and fretted.

后来，姑娘在山里又住了好一阵子，山里人打定主意要出门一整天；于是姑娘便假装生病难受，噘着嘴、烦躁不安起来。

“It’s no use your coming home before twelve o’clock at night”, she said, “for I shan’t be able to have supper ready before—I’m so sick and poorly.”

“你晚上十二点之前回来也没用，”她说道，“因为我病得难受极了，恐怕没法在那之前把晚饭做好。”

But when the Man o’ the Hill was well out of the house, she stuffed some of her clothes with straw, and stuck up this lass of straw in the corner by the chimney, with a besom in her hand, so that it looked just as if she herself were standing there. After that she stole off home, and got a sharp-shooter to stay in the cottage with her mother.

可等山里人一出了门，她便找来些自己的衣裳，塞满了稻草，把这个稻草姑娘立在壁炉角落里，手里还塞了一把扫帚，看上去就跟她本人站在那儿一模一样。做完这些，她便悄悄溜回了家，还找了个神枪手留下来陪着她母亲住在小屋里。

So when the clock struck twelve, or just about it, home came the Man o’ the Hill, and the first thing he said to the straw-girl was, “Give me something to eat.”

于是钟敲响十二点、或差不多这个时候，山里人回了家，他对那稻草姑娘说的第一句话便是：“给我弄点吃的来。”

But she answered him never a word.

可她一句话也没回答他。

“Give me something to eat, I say!” called out the Man o’ the Hill, “for I am almost starved.”

“我说给我弄点吃的来！”山里人喊道，“我都快饿死了。”

No! she hadn’t a word to throw at him.

不！她一个字也没搭理他。

“Give me something to eat!” roared out the ogre the third time.” I think you’d better open your ears and hear what I say, or else I’ll wake you up, that I will!”

“给我弄点吃的来！”那怪物第三次吼道。“我看你最好竖起耳朵听我说话，不然我就把你叫醒，我说到做到！”

No! the girl stood just as still as ever; so he flew into a rage, and gave her such a slap in the face, that the straw flew all about the room; but when he saw that, he knew he had been tricked, and began to hunt everywhere; and at last, when he came to the cellar, and found both the girl’s sisters missing, he soon saw how the cat jumped, and ran off to the cottage, saying, “I’ll soon pay her off!”

不！姑娘还是像先前一样一动不动地站着；于是他勃然大怒，狠狠给了她一记耳光，稻草顿时飞得满屋子都是；可他一见这情形，便知道自己上了当，四处搜寻起来；最后，他来到地窖，发现姑娘的两个姐姐都不见了，顿时明白是怎么回事，便跑向那小屋，说道：“我这就去好好收拾她一顿！”

But when he reached the cottage, the sharp-shooter fired off his piece, and then the Man o’ the Hill dared not go into the house, for he thought it was thunder. So he set off home again as fast as he could lay legs to the ground; but what do you think, just as he got to the trap-door, the sun rose and the Man o’ the Hill burst.

可等他到了小屋，那神枪手朝他开了一枪，山里人便再也不敢进屋，还以为那是打雷。于是他拔腿往家跑，跑得飞快；可你猜怎么着，就在他刚跑到活板门口时，太阳升起来了，山里人便“砰”地一声炸开了。

Oh! if one only knew where the trap-door was, I’ll be bound there’s a whole heap of gold and silver down there still!

哦！要是谁能知道那扇活板门在哪儿就好了，我敢打赌，下面一定还堆着满满一大堆金子和银子呢！