ONCE upon a time there was a young girl who reached the age of thirty-seven without ever having had a lover, for she was so foolish that no one wanted to marry her.
从前有个年轻女孩，到了三十七岁还从未谈过恋爱，因为她太愚蠢了，没有人想娶她。

One day, however, a young man arrived to pay his addresses to her, and her mother, beaming with joy, sent her daughter down to the cellar to draw a jug of beer.
有一天，一个年轻人来向她求婚，她的母亲高兴地发光，让女儿去地窖里倒一罐啤酒。

As the girl never came back the mother went down to see what had become of her, and found her sitting on the stairs, her head in her hands, while by her side the beer was running all over the floor, as she had forgotten to close the tap. —
女孩迟迟没有回来，母亲下去看她，发现她坐在楼梯上，双手托着脑袋，旁边的啤酒洒满了地板，因为她忘记关上龙头。 —

‘What are you doing there?’ asked the mother.
母亲问道：“你在那里做什么？”

‘I was thinking what I shall call my first child after I am married to that young man. —
女孩回答：“我在想我和那个年轻人结婚后，我要给我的第一个孩子取什么名字。日历上的所有名字都已经有人用了。” —

All the names in the calendar are taken already.’
母亲坐在女儿旁边的楼梯上说：“我会和你一起想的，亲爱的。”

The mother sat down on the staircase beside her daughter and said, ‘I will think about it with you, my dear.’

The father who had stayed upstairs with the young man was surprised that neither his wife nor his daughter came back, and in his turn went down to look for them. —
跟那个年轻人一起待在楼上的父亲很惊讶，他的妻子和女儿都没回来，于是他下楼去找他们。 —

He found them both sitting on the stairs, while beside them the beer was running all over the ground from the tap, which was wide open.
他发现两个人都坐在楼梯上，旁边的啤酒从开着的龙头流到了地上。

‘What are you doing there? The beer is running all over the cellar.’
“你们在那里干什么？啤酒都流到地下室了。”

‘We were thinking what we should call the children that our daughter will have when she marries that young man. —
“我们在考虑我们女儿嫁给那个年轻人后给孩子起什么名字。日历上的名字都被用光了。” —

All the names in the calendar are taken already.’
“好吧，”父亲说，“我和你们一起考虑一下。”

‘Well,’ said the father, ‘I will think about it with you.’
由于母亲、女儿和父亲都没有再上楼，那个恋人着急了，于是他下到地下室去看他们在干什么。

As neither mother nor daughter nor father came upstairs again, the lover grew impatient, and went down into the cellar to see what they could all be doing. —
他发现他们三个都坐在楼梯上，旁边的啤酒从开着的龙头流到了地上。 —

He found them all three sitting on the stairs, while beside them the beer was running all over the ground from the tap, which was wide open.

‘What in the world are you all doing that you don’t come upstairs, and that you let the beer run all over the cellar?’
‘你们究竟在做什么，怎么都不上楼，还让啤酒洒满地下室？’

‘Yes, I know, my boy,’ said the father, ‘but if you marry our daughter what shall you call your children? —
‘是的，我知道，我的孩子，’父亲说道，‘但是如果你娶了我们的女儿，你会给你的孩子起什么名字呢？整个日历上的名字都被占用了。’ —

All the names in the calendar are taken.’
听到这个回答，年轻人回答道：

When the young man heard this answer he replied:
‘好！再见，我要走了。等我找到三个比你们更愚蠢的人后，我会回来娶你的女儿。’

‘Well! good-bye, I am going away. When I shall have found three people sillier than you I will come back and marry your daughter.’
于是他继续他的旅程，走了很长一段路，他来到了一个果园。

So he continued his journey, and after walking a long way he reached an orchard. —
然后他看到一些人在摘核桃，然后试图用叉子把核桃扔进马车里。 —

Then he saw some people knocking down walnuts, and trying to throw them into a cart with a fork.
‘你们在那里做什么？’他问道。

‘What are you doing there?’ he asked.
‘我们想把核桃装进马车里，但是我们做不到。’

‘We want to load the cart with our walnuts, but we can’t manage to do it.’
这位恋人建议他们拿一个篮子，并将核桃放进去，然后再倒入马车。

The lover advised them to get a basket and to put the walnuts in it, so as to turn them into the cart.
‘好吧，’他自言自语道，‘我已经找到一个比那三个更愚蠢的人了。’

‘Well,’ he said to himself, ‘I have already found someone more foolish than those three.’
于是他继续他的旅程，走了很长一段路，他来到了一个果园。

So he went on his way, and by-and-by he came to a wood. —
他继续前行，不一会儿来到了一片树林。 —

There he saw a man who wanted to give his pig some acorns to eat, and was trying with all his might to make him climb up the oak-tree.
在那里，他看见一个人想喂他的猪吃橡子，正竭尽全力让它爬上橡树。

‘What are you doing, my good man?’ asked he.
“你在做什么，好心人？” 他问道。

‘I want to make my pig eat some acorns, and I can’t get him to go up the tree.’
“我想让我的猪吃橡子，可是我无法让它爬上树去。”

‘If you were to climb up and shake down the acorns the pig would pick them up.’
“如果你自己爬上去摇下橡子，猪就能够捡到它们。”

‘Oh, I never thought of that.’
“哦，我没想到这一点。”

‘Here is the second idiot,’ said the lover to himself.
“这是第二个傻瓜了，” 恋人自言自语。

Some way farther along the road he came upon a man who had never worn any trousers, and who was trying to put on a pair. —
走了一段路之后，他遇到一个素来从没穿过裤子的人，他正竭力尝试穿上一条裤子。 —

So he had fastened them to a tree and was jumping with all his might up in the air so that he should hit the two legs of the trousers as he came down.
他把裤子绑在一棵树上，然后跃起用尽全力，在下落时希望两条裤腿被他撞到。

‘It would be much better if you held them in your hands,’ said the young man, ‘and then put your legs one after the other in each hole.’
“如果你拿在手里会更好，” 年轻人说道， “然后一条腿接着一条腿地穿进去。”

‘Dear me to be sure! You are sharper than I am, for that never occurred to me.’
“亲爱的我真是够迟钝的！这个我从来没有想到过。”

And having found three people more foolish than his bride, or her father or her mother, the lover went back to marry the young lady.
“在找到比新娘、她的父亲或者她的母亲更愚蠢的三个人后，这位恋人回去与年轻女士结婚了。”

And in course of time they had a great many children.
“随着时间的推移，他们生了很多孩子。”

Story from Hainaut. (M. Lemoine. La Tradition. No, 34,)
“来自海诺省的故事。（M.勒莫瓦恩. 传统。第34期。）”