There was once a cook named Gretel, who wore shoes with red heels, and when she walked out with them on, she turned herself this way and that, was quite happy and thought: —
曾经有一个名叫格雷特尔的厨师，她穿着红高跟鞋，在走路时迎风摇曳，非常开心，心里想着：“你真是个漂亮姑娘！”，当她回到家时，她高兴地喝了一杯酒，因为酒会引起食欲，所以她尝了她所烹制的最好的菜肴，一直到饱了，然后说：“厨师必须知道食物的味道。” —

‘You certainly are a pretty girl! —
有一天主人对她说： —

’ And when she came home she drank, in her gladness of heart, a draught of wine, and as wine excites a desire to eat, she tasted the best of whatever she was cooking until she was satisfied, and said: —
“格雷特尔，今晚有一个客人来；给我准备两只极精美的鸡。” —

‘The cook must know what the food is like.’
“我会办到的，主人，”格雷特尔回答道。她杀了两只鸡，用热水烫过，拔掉羽毛，然后把它们放在烤架上，晚上时分放在火前烤着。

It came to pass that the master one day said to her: —
鸡开始变成棕色，快要熟了， —

‘Gretel, there is a guest coming this evening; —
但客人还没到。 —

prepare me two fowls very daintily. —
于是格雷特尔向主人喊道： —

’ ‘I will see to it, master, ’ answered Gretel. She killed two fowls, scalded them, plucked them, put them on the spit, and towards evening set them before the fire, that they might roast. —
“主人，鸡快要好了，可客人还没来。” —

The fowls began to turn brown, and were nearly ready, but the guest had not yet arrived. —
主人听到后就说：“快拿出来吧，在他来之前再放进去烤一会儿。 —

Then Gretel called out to her master: —
” —

‘If the guest does not come, I must take the fowls away from the fire, but it will be a sin and a shame if they are not eaten the moment they are at their juiciest. —
“如果客人不来，我必须把禽类从火上拿走，但如果它们在最鲜美的时候没有被吃掉，那将是一种罪过和耻辱。” —

’ The master said: ‘I will run myself, and fetch the guest. —
主人说：“我会亲自去，去接客人。” —

’ When the master had turned his back, Gretel laid the spit with the fowls on one side, and thought: —
当主人转身离开时，格雷特尔把禽类和烤肉叉放在一边，心想： —

‘Standing so long by the fire there, makes one sweat and thirsty; —
“在火边待这么久会让人出汗口渴，谁知道他们什么时候会来？ —

who knows when they will come? —
” —

Meanwhile, I will run into the cellar, and take a drink.’ She ran down, set a jug, said: —
与此同时，我会去地下室拿点饮料。”她下楼去，拿了一个壶，说道： —

‘God bless it for you, Gretel, ’ and took a good drink, and thought that wine should flow on, and should not be interrupted, and took yet another hearty draught.
“愿上帝保佑你，格雷特尔。”她喝了一口，觉得酒应该继续流动，不应该被打断，于是再喝了一大口。

Then she went and put the fowls down again to the fire, basted them, and drove the spit merrily round. —
然后，她拿起禽类放回火上，给它们涂油，开心地转动着烤肉叉。 —

But as the roast meat smelt so good, Gretel thought: ‘Something might be wrong, it ought to be tasted! —
但是当烤肉的香味实在是太好闻了，格雷特尔想：“可能有什么问题，应该尝一尝！ —

’ She touched it with her finger, and said: —
”她用手指碰了一下，说道： —

‘Ah! how good fowls are! —
‘啊！鸡肉真好吃！ —

It certainly is a sin and a shame that they are not eaten at the right time! —
不吃在适当的时间真是罪过和耻辱！’ —

’ She ran to the window, to see if the master was not coming with his guest, but she saw no one, and went back to the fowls and thought: —
她跑到窗户前，看看主人是否和客人一起来了，但她没有看到任何人，于是又回到鸡肉面前，想着： —

‘One of the wings is burning! —
‘其中一翅膀烧焦了！ —

I had better take it off and eat it. —
我最好把它剁下来吃掉。 —

’ So she cut it off, ate it, and enjoyed it, and when she had done, she thought: —
’于是她剁下来，吃掉了，非常享受。当她吃完后，她想： —

‘The other must go down too, or else master will observe that something is missing. —
‘另一只也必须下去，否则主人会察觉到有东西不见了。 —

’ When the two wings were eaten, she went and looked for her master, and did not see him. —
’当两只翅膀都被吃掉后，她去找她的主人，但没有看到他。 —

It suddenly occurred to her: —
她突然想到：“谁知道呢？ —

‘Who knows? —
—

They are perhaps not coming at all, and have turned in somewhere. —
他们也许根本就不来，而是去了别的地方。 —

’ Then she said: —
”然后她说： —

‘Well, Gretel, enjoy yourself, one fowl has been cut into, take another drink, and eat it up entirely; —
‘好啦，格雷特尔，尽情享受吧，一只鸡已经剁开了，再喝一口，把它完全吃掉； —

when it is eaten you will have some peace, why should God’s good gifts be spoilt? —
当它被吞下去时，你会得到一些平静，为什么上帝的美好恩赐应该被破坏呢？ —

’ So she ran into the cellar again, took an enormous drink and ate up the one chicken in great glee. —
所以她又跑进了地窖，大口喝了一大口，非常高兴地吃掉了其中一只鸡。 —

When one of the chickens was swallowed down, and still her master did not come, Gretel looked at the other and said: —
当其中一只鸡被吞下去，她的主人还没有回来时，格瑞特尔看着另一只鸡说道： —

‘What one is, the other should be likewise, the two go together; —
左右的应该是一样的，两个一起出现； —

what’s right for the one is right for the other; —
适合一个的对于另一个也是合适的； —

I think if I were to take another draught it would do me no harm. —
我想如果我再喝一口也不会有伤害。 —

’ So she took another hearty drink, and let the second chicken follow the first.
于是她又痛快地喝了一口，让第二只鸡跟着第一只进了肚子。

While she was making the most of it, her master came and cried: ‘Hurry up, Gretel, the guest is coming directly after me! —
就在她尽情享用的时候，她的主人来了，他大声喊道：“快点，格瑞特尔，客人马上就到了！” —

’ ‘Yes, sir, I will soon serve up, ’ answered Gretel. Meantime the master looked to see that the table was properly laid, and took the great knife, wherewith he was going to carve the chickens, and sharpened it on the steps. —
“是的，先生，我马上就上菜，”格瑞特尔回答道。与此同时，主人查看了一下桌子是否摆好，并拿起了可以用来切鸡的大刀，在台阶上磨了磨刀锋利度。 —

Presently the guest came, and knocked politely and courteously at the house-door. —
客人敲了敲门，礼貌并彬彬有礼地。 —

Gretel ran, and looked to see who was there, and when she saw the guest, she put her finger to her lips and said: —
格蕾特尔跑去看是谁，当她看到客人时，她把手指放在嘴唇上说：“嘘！嘘！赶快走开，如果我主人抓到你会很糟糕的；他肯定是邀请你来吃晚饭，但他打算割掉你的两只耳朵， —

‘Hush! hush! —
听，他正在磨刀呢！” —

go away as quickly as you can, if my master catches you it will be the worse for you; —
客人听到刀子的声音，尽快下楼快速离开了。格蕾特尔没闲着； —

he certainly did ask you to supper, but his intention is to cut off your two ears. —
她尖叫着跑去找她的主人，大喊： —

Just listen how he is sharpening the knife for it! —
“你邀请了个大人物！” —

’ The guest heard the sharpening, and hurried down the steps again as fast as he could. —
“为什么，格蕾特尔？你是什么意思？” —

Gretel was not idle; —
—

she ran screaming to her master, and cried: —
“是的，”她说， —

‘You have invited a fine guest!’ ‘Why, Gretel? What do you mean by that? —
“他把我正准备上桌的鸡从盘子上拿走了，然后带着它们跑了！” —

’ ‘Yes,’ said she, ‘he has taken the chickens which I was just going to serve up, off the dish, and has run away with them! —
主人听到后非常生气，他跑出去追赶，但是客人已经跑得没影了。 —

’ ‘That’s a nice trick! —
“师傅说道：‘这是个很棒的把戏！ —

’ said her master, and lamented the fine chickens. —
’然后叹着气惋惜那些美味的鸡。” —

‘If he had but left me one, so that something remained for me to eat. —
“‘如果他能留下一只给我，那我还能有点东西吃。 —

’ He called to him to stop, but the guest pretended not to hear. —
’他叫住客人，但客人装作没听见。” —

Then he ran after him with the knife still in his hand, crying: —
然后他带着手中的刀子追赶着他，大声喊道： —

‘Just one, just one, ’ meaning that the guest should leave him just one chicken, and not take both. —
“就一只，就一只。”他是希望客人留下一只鸡，而不是都带走。 —

The guest, however, thought no otherwise than that he was to give up one of his ears, and ran as if fire were burning under him, in order to take them both with him.
然而客人却误以为他要让自己割掉一只耳朵，急急忙忙地像火烧屁股一样地跑，想要把两只耳朵都带走。