ONCE upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters; —
从前有一位寡妇，她有两个女儿； —

one of them was pretty and clever, and the other ugly and lazy. —
其中一个漂亮聪明，另一个又丑又懒。 —

But as the ugly one was her own daughter, she liked her far the best of the two, and the pretty one had to do all the work of the house, and was in fact the regular maid of all work. —
但由于丑陋的那个是她自己的女儿，所以她更喜欢她，而漂亮的那个却要做家里的一切工作，实际上成了全职女佣。 —

Every day she had to sit by a well on the high road, and spin till her fingers were so sore that they often bled. —
每天她都得坐在大路旁的一口井边纺线，直到手指痛得经常流血。 —

One day some drops of blood fell on her spindle, so she dipped it into the well meaning to wash it, but, as luck would have it, it dropped from her hand and fell right in. —
有一天，有几滴血从她的纺锤上落下来，所以她想把它洗掉，但不巧的是，纺锤从她手中掉进了井里。 —

She ran weeping to her stepmother, and told her what had happened, but she scolded her harshly, and was so merciless in her anger that she said:
她哭着跑去找她的继母，告诉她发生了什么，但她继母严厉地责备她，并且非常残忍地发火说：

‘Well, since you’ve dropped the spindle down, you must just go after it yourself, and don’t let me see your face again until you bring it with you.’
‘既然你把纺锤掉下去了，那你就得亲自去找，我不想再见到你的脸，直到你把它带回来为止。’

Then the poor girl returned to the well, and not knowing what she was about, in the despair and misery of her heart she sprang into the well and sank to the bottom. —
然后这个可怜的女孩回到了井边，由于内心的绝望和痛苦，她不知所措地跳入了井里，沉入了底部。 —

For a time she lost all consciousness, and when she came to herself again she was lying in a lovely meadow, with the sun shining brightly overhead, and a thousand flowers blooming at her feet. —
一段时间过去了，当她重新苏醒时，发现自己躺在一个美丽的草地上，头顶阳光明媚，脚下盛开着无数鲜花。 —

She rose up and wandered through this enchanted place, till she came to a baker’s oven full of bread, and the bread called out to her as she passed:
她起身在这个魔法般的地方漫步，直到来到了一个烘焙师的烤箱前，烤箱里的面包向她喊道：

‘Oh! take me out, take me out, or I shall be burnt to a cinder. I am quite done enough.’
“喔！把我拿出来，把我拿出来，否则我就要被烧焦了。我已经做得够了。”

So she stepped up quickly to the oven and took out all the loaves one after the other. —
于是她迅速走上前，一个接一个地把所有的面包拿了出来。 —

Then she went on a little farther and came to a tree laden with beautiful rosy-cheeked apples, and as she passed by it called out:
然后她再走了一小段路，来到一棵结满了美丽红润苹果的树旁，树喊道：

‘Oh I shake me, shake me, my apples are all quite ripe.’
“喔！摇晃我，摇晃我，我的苹果都已经熟透了。”

She did as she was asked, and shook the tree till the apples fell like rain and none were left hanging. —
她按照要求去摇晃那棵树，苹果像雨点一样落下，没有一个挂在树上。 —

When she had gathered them all up into a heap she went on her way again, and came at length to a little house, at the door of which sat an old woman. —
当她把它们堆积成一团后，她再次上路，最终来到了一个小屋子，门口坐着一个老妇人。 —

The old dame had such large teeth that the girl felt frightened and wanted to run away, but the old woman called after her:
老妇人的牙齿很大，让女孩感到害怕，想要逃跑，但老妇人叫住她：

‘What are you afraid of, dear child? Stay with me and be my little maid, and if you do your work well I will reward you handsomely; —
“亲爱的孩子，你害怕什么？和我在一起做我的小女仆吧，如果你工作做得好，我会慷慨奖励你； —

but you must be very careful how you make my bed — you must shake it well till the feathers fly; —
但你必须非常小心地整理我的床 - 你必须抖动得让羽毛飞起来； —

then people in the world below say it snows, for I am Mother Holle.’
然后地下世界的人们会说下雪了，因为我就是霍尔妈妈。”

She spoke so kindly that the girl took heart and agreed readily to enter her service. —
她说得那么亲切，女孩振作起来，愿意进入她的服务。 —

She did her best to please the old woman, and shook her bed with such a will that the feathers flew about like snow-flakes; —
她尽力取悦老妇人，用心地抖动床铺，羽毛像雪花一样飞舞； —

so she led a very easy life, was never scolded, and lived on the fat of the land. —
于是她过上了轻松的生活，从不被责骂，过上丰衣足食的生活。 —

But after she had been some time with Mother Holle she grew sad and depressed, and at first she hardly knew herself what was the matter. —
但是在她和荷莲娘娘待了一段时间后，她变得忧伤和颓废，一开始她甚至不知道是怎么回事。 —

At last she discovered that she was homesick, so she went to Mother Holle and said:
最后她发现自己是想家了，于是她去找荷莲娘娘说道：

‘I know I am a thousand times better off here than I ever was in my life before, but notwithstanding, I have a great longing to go home, in spite of all your kindness to me. —
「我知道在这里我比以前任何时候都过得好，但是尽管如此，我很想回家，不管您对我多么好。 —

I can remain with you no longer, but must return to my own people.’
我不能再和您待在一起了，我必须回到我的人民身边。

‘Your desire to go home pleases me,’ said Mother Holle, ‘and because you have served me so faithfully, I will show you the way back into the world myself.’
「您想回家这一愿望让我很高兴」， 荷莲娘娘说道：「因为你对我一直这么忠诚，我将亲自给你回到世界的路」。

So she took her by the hand and led her to an open door, and as the girl passed through it there fell a heavy shower of gold all over her, till she was covered with it from top to toe.
于是她拉着她的手，带她走到一个敞开的门前，当女孩走过门的时候，一阵金子就像倾盆大雨一样落在她身上，直到她从头到脚都被金子覆盖。

‘That’s a reward for being such a good little maid,’ said Mother Holle, and she gave her the spindle too that had fallen into the well. —
「这是对你做一个好女孩的奖励」， 荷莲娘娘说道，并且她还把那掉进井里的纺锤给了她。 —

Then she shut the door, and the girl found herself back in the world again, not far from her own house; —
接着她关上门，女孩发现自己又回到了现实世界，离她自己的房子不远； —

and when she came to the courtyard the old hen, who sat on the top of the wall, called out:
当她走进院子时，坐在墙顶的老母鸡喊道：

‘Click, clock, clack, Our golden maid’s come back.’
“咔嗒，咔哒，嘭嘭。我们的金发女孩回来了。”

Then she went in to her stepmother, and as she had returned covered with gold she was welcomed home.
然后她走进继母的房间，由于她回来时身上沾满了金子，所以受到了欢迎。

She proceeded to tell all that had happened to her, and when the mother heard how she had come by her riches, she was most anxious to secure the same luck for her own idle, ugly daughter; —
女孩开始向继母讲述所发生的一切，当继母听说她是怎么得到财富时，就非常渴望让自己那懒惰、丑陋的女儿也得到同样的运气； —

so she told her to sit at the well and spin. —
于是她告诉女儿去井边纺纱。 —

In order to make her spindle bloody, she stuck her hand into a hedge of thorns and pricked her finger. —
为了让纺锤沾满鲜血，她将手伸进一片荆棘中扎破了手指。 —

Then she threw the spindle into the well, and jumped in herself after it. —
然后她把纺锤扔进了井里，并跳了下去。 —

Like her sister she came to the beautiful meadow, and followed the same path. —
她和姐姐一样来到了美丽的草地，并沿着同样的路径走去。 —

When she reached the baker’s oven the bread called out as before:
当她到达面包师傅的烤箱时，面包还是像之前一样喊道：

‘Oh! take me out, take me out, or I shall be burnt to a cinder. I am quite done enough.’
‘哦！带我出去，带我出去，否则我就会被烧成灰烬。我已经够受够了。’

But the good-for-nothing girl answered:
但是这个懒惰的女孩回答道：

‘A pretty joke, indeed; just as if I should dirty my hands for you!’
‘真是一个好笑的玩笑，就好像我会为了你弄脏我的手一样！’

And on she went. Soon she came to the apple tree, which cried:
然后她继续走了。很快，她来到了苹果树下，苹果树哭了起来：

‘Oh! shake me, shake me, my apples are all quite ripe.’
‘哦！摇摇我，摇摇我，我的苹果都已经熟透了。’

‘I’ll see myself farther,’ she replied, ‘one of them might fall on my head.’
‘我自己会摇摇的，’她回答说，‘它们中间可能会有一个掉到我头上。’

And so she pursued her way. When she came to Mother Holle’s house she wasn’t the least afraid, for she had been warned about her big teeth, and she readily agreed to become her maid. —
于是她继续前进。当她来到Mother Holle的房子时，她一点都不害怕，因为她已经被告知了Mother Holle的大牙齿，她很愿意成为她的女仆。 —

The first day she worked very hard, and did all her mistress told her, for she thought of the gold she would give her; —
第一天，她非常努力地工作，按照主人的吩咐做了所有事情，因为她想到了主人将给她的金子； —

but on the second day she began to be lazy, and on the third she wouldn’t even get up in the morning. —
但是第二天，她开始懒散起来，第三天甚至不愿意早上起床。 —

She didn’t make Mother Holle’s bed as she ought to have done, and never shook it enough to make the feathers fly. —
她没有像应该做的那样为Mother Holle铺床，也没有摇晃得足够使羽毛飞起来。 —

So her mistress soon grew weary of her, and dismissed her, much to the lazy creature’s delight.
所以她的主人很快厌倦了她，并把她解雇了，这让那个懒惰的家伙非常高兴。

‘For now,’ she thought, ‘the shower of golden rain will come.’
她想，“现在，金色的雨水就要来了。”

Mother Holle led her to the same door as she had done her sister, but when she passed through it, instead of the gold rain a kettle full of pitch came showering over her.
母霍莱把她带到了和她姐姐一样的门口，但当她穿过门时，除了金色的雨水之外，还有一锅满满的沥青倒在了她身上。

‘That’s a reward for your service,’ said Mother Holle, and she closed the door behind her.
“这是对你服务的回报，”母霍莱说，并关上了门。

So the lazy girl came home all covered with pitch, and when the old hen on the top of the wall saw her, it called out:
于是，懒惰的姑娘全身沾满了沥青，当墙上的老母鸡看到她时，它叫道：

‘Click, clock, clack, Our dirty slut’s come back.’
“咔嗒，咔嗒，咔嗒，我们那肮脏的婊子回来了。”

But the pitch remained sticking to her, and never as long as she lived could it be got off.[26]
但是沥青仍然黏在她身上，直到她去世都无法清洗掉。

[26] Grimm.
[26] 格林童话。