There was once a man who had a daughter who was called Clever Elsie. And when she had grown up her father said: —
曾经有个男人，他有一个女儿叫聪明的埃尔西。当她长大后，她的父亲说： —

‘We will get her married. —
“我们要给她找一个丈夫。” —

’ ‘Yes,’ said the mother, ‘if only someone would come who would have her. —
“是的，”母亲说，“只要有人愿意接受她。” —

’ At length a man came from a distance and wooed her, who was called Hans; —
终于来了一个叫汉斯的远方男人来求亲，但他提出条件， —

but he stipulated that Clever Elsie should be really smart. —
要求聪明的埃尔西确实聪明。 —

‘Oh,’ said the father, ‘she has plenty of good sense’; —
“哦，”父亲说，“她非常理智。 —

and the mother said: —
”母亲说： —

‘Oh, she can see the wind coming up the street, and hear the flies coughing. —
“噢，她能看到风从街上吹来，听到苍蝇咳嗽。” —

’ ‘Well,’ said Hans, ‘if she is not really smart, I won’t have her.’ When they were sitting at dinner and had eaten, the mother said: —
“嗯，”汉斯说，“如果她不够聪明，我就不要她。”当他们坐在餐桌旁吃饭时，母亲说： —

‘Elsie, go into the cellar and fetch some beer. —
“埃尔西，去地窖里拿点啤酒。 —

’ Then Clever Elsie took the pitcher from the wall, went into the cellar, and tapped the lid briskly as she went, so that the time might not appear long. —
”然后聪明的埃尔西从墙上拿了个瓶子，走进地窖，一边走一边轻快地敲打盖子，以免时间显得太长。 —

When she was below she fetched herself a chair, and set it before the barrel so that she had no need to stoop, and did not hurt her back or do herself any unexpected injury. —
当她下去时，她搬来一把椅子，放在桶前，这样她就不需要弯腰，也不会伤到背或受到意外伤害。 —

Then she placed the can before her, and turned the tap, and while the beer was running she would not let her eyes be idle, but looked up at the wall, and after much peering here and there, saw a pick-axe exactly above her, which the masons had accidentally left there.
然后她把罐子放在面前，打开龙头，当啤酒流出时，她不让自己的眼睛闲着，而是仔细地向上看墙壁，经过多次搜索，她在正上方注意到了一把铁镐，是瓦工们不小心遗留在那里的。

Then Clever Elsie began to weep and said: —
然后聪明的埃尔西开始哭泣并说： —

‘If I get Hans, and we have a child, and he grows big, and we send him into the cellar here to draw beer, then the pick-axe will fall on his head and kill him. —
“如果我找到汉斯，我们有了孩子，他长大后我们让他到地下室里取酒，那把铁镐就会掉在他头上，把他砸死。” —

’ Then she sat and wept and screamed with all the strength of her body, over the misfortune which lay before her. —
于是她坐下来哭泣，用全身的力量尖叫着，对面前的不幸感到极度恐惧。 —

Those upstairs waited for the drink, but Clever Elsie still did not come. —
楼上的人等着喝酒，但聪明的埃尔西还没有回来。 —

Then the woman said to the servant: —
于是那个女人对仆人说： —

‘Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is. —
“就下去地窖看看艾尔西在哪。 —

’ The maid went and found her sitting in front of the barrel, screaming loudly. —
”女仆走去发现她坐在桶前大声尖叫。 —

‘Elsie why do you weep?’ asked the maid. —
“艾尔西，你为什么哭啊？”女仆问道。 —

‘Ah,’ she answered, ‘have I not reason to weep? —
“啊，”她回答，“我有理由哭啊。 —

If I get Hans, and we have a child, and he grows big, and has to draw beer here, the pick-axe will perhaps fall on his head, and kill him. —
如果我嫁给汉斯，我们有了孩子，他长大后就得在这里拉啤酒，这把镐或许会砸到他头上，把他砸死。 —

’ Then said the maid: —
这时女仆说： —

‘What a clever Elsie we have! —
“我们真是个聪明的艾尔西啊！ —

’ and sat down beside her and began loudly to weep over the misfortune. —
”她坐在艾尔西旁边，大声为这个不幸哭泣。 —

After a while, as the maid did not come back, and those upstairs were thirsty for the beer, the man said to the boy: —
一会儿过去了，女仆还没回来，楼上的人渴望喝啤酒，于是男人对男孩说： —

‘Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie and the girl are. —
“就下去地窖看看艾尔西和那个女孩在哪。” —

’ The boy went down, and there sat Clever Elsie and the girl both weeping together. —
男孩下去了，发现聪明的艾尔西和女孩正一起哭泣。于是他问道： —

Then he asked: ‘Why are you weeping? —
“你们为什么在哭呢？” —

’ ‘Ah,’ said Elsie, ‘have I not reason to weep? If I get Hans, and we have a child, and he grows big, and has to draw beer here, the pick-axe will fall on his head and kill him. —
‘啊，’艾尔茜说道，‘我有什么理由不流泪呢？如果我和汉斯结婚，然后我们生一个孩子，他长大后要在这里摇啤酒，镐头会砸在他的头上，把他砸死。’ —

’ Then said the boy: —
然后男孩说： —

‘What a clever Elsie we have! —
‘我们有多聪明的艾尔茜啊！ —

’ and sat down by her, and likewise began to howl loudly. —
’他坐在她旁边，也开始大声哭泣。 —

Upstairs they waited for the boy, but as he still did not return, the man said to the woman: —
楼上的人等着男孩，但他还是没有回来，男人对女人说： —

‘Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is! —
‘下到地下室看看艾尔茜在哪！’ —

’ The woman went down, and found all three in the midst of their lamentations, and inquired what was the cause; —
女人下去后，发现他们三个人正在哭诉之中，便询问原因； —

then Elsie told her also that her future child was to be killed by the pick-axe, when it grew big and had to draw beer, and the pick-axe fell down. —
然后艾尔茜也告诉她，她未来的孩子长大后要被镐头砸死，当它要摇啤酒时，镐头会掉下来。 —

Then said the mother likewise: —
然后母亲也说： —

‘What a clever Elsie we have! —
‘我们有多聪明的艾尔茜啊！ —

’ and sat down and wept with them. —
’她坐下来和他们一起哭泣。 —

The man upstairs waited a short time, but as his wife did not come back and his thirst grew ever greater, he said: —
楼上的人等了一小会，但他的妻子还没有回来，他的口渴变得越来越大，于是他说： —

‘I must go into the cellar myself and see where Elsie is. —
“我必须亲自进地下室看看埃尔齐在哪里。 —

’ But when he got into the cellar, and they were all sitting together crying, and he heard the reason, and that Elsie’s child was the cause, and the Elsie might perhaps bring one into the world some day, and that he might be killed by the pick-axe, if he should happen to be sitting beneath it, drawing beer just at the very time when it fell down, he cried: —
”但是当他走进地下室时，他们都坐在一起哭泣，他听到了原因，以及埃尔齐的孩子是原因，埃尔齐也许有一天会生下一个孩子，如果他恰好在砍斧下面坐着正好在它掉下来的时候，他可能会被砍死，他哭了起来： —

‘Oh, what a clever Elsie!’ and sat down, and likewise wept with them. —
“哦，多么聪明的埃尔齐！”他坐下来，也和他们一起哭泣。 —

The bridegroom stayed upstairs alone for a long time; —
新郎独自待在楼上很长时间。 —

then as no one would come back he thought: —
然后，由于没有人回来，他想： —

‘They must be waiting for me below: —
“他们一定在下面等我： —

I too must go there and see what they are about. —
我也必须去那里看看他们在做什么。” —

’ When he got down, the five of them were sitting screaming and lamenting quite piteously, each out-doing the other. —
他下去时，五个人都坐在那里痛苦地尖叫和哀悼，个个都在竭力超越其他人。 —

‘What misfortune has happened then?’ asked he. —
“那么发生了什么不幸呢？”他问道。 —

‘Ah, dear Hans,’ said Elsie, ‘if we marry each other and have a child, and he is big, and we perhaps send him here to draw something to drink, then the pick-axe which has been left up there might dash his brains out if it were to fall down, so have we not reason to weep? —
“啊，亲爱的汉斯，”埃尔西说，“如果我们结婚了，并且有一个孩子，而且他长大了，也许我们会让他到这里去取些喝的，那么留在上面的镐子就有可能砸碎他的脑袋，所以我们难道没有理由哭泣吗？ —

’ ‘Come,’ said Hans, ‘more understanding than that is not needed for my household, as you are such a clever Elsie, I will have you, ’ and seized her hand, took her upstairs with him, and married her.
“来吧，”汉斯说，“我的家里不需要更多的理解，因为你是这么聪明的埃尔西，我要娶你，”他抓住她的手，带她上楼，和她结了婚。

After Hans had had her some time, he said: —
汉斯和她在一起一段时间后，他说： —

‘Wife, I am going out to work and earn some money for us; —
“妻子，我要出去工作，赚些钱给我们用； —

go into the field and cut the corn that we may have some bread. —
去地里割些麦子，这样我们就能有些面包。” “是的， —

’ ‘Yes, dear Hans, I will do that. —
亲爱的汉斯，我会去做的。 —

’ After Hans had gone away, she cooked herself some good broth and took it into the field with her. —
汉斯走后，她给自己煮了一些好汤，带到了地里。当她来到地里时， —

When she came to the field she said to herself: —
她自言自语道： —

‘What shall I do; shall I cut first, or shall I eat first? Oh, I will eat first. —
“我应该先割还是先吃呢？哦，我先吃吧。” —

’ Then she drank her cup of broth and when she was fully satisfied, she once more said: ‘What shall I do? —
她喝完一碗汤，满足了之后，她再次说道：“我该怎么办呢？ —

Shall I cut first, or shall I sleep first? —
我应该先割下来，还是先睡一会儿？ —

I will sleep first.’ Then she lay down among the corn and fell asleep. —
我会先睡一会儿。”然后她躺在谷物中间睡着了。 —

Hans had been at home for a long time, but Elsie did not come; then said he: —
哈恩斯已经回家很久了，但埃尔西没有回来；他说： —

‘What a clever Elsie I have; —
“我真是个聪明的埃尔西； —

she is so industrious that she does not even come home to eat. —
她太勤劳了，甚至都不回家吃饭。 —

’ But when evening came and she still stayed away, Hans went out to see what she had cut, but nothing was cut, and she was lying among the corn asleep. —
但是到了晚上，她还没回来，哈恩斯出去看她割了什么，但什么也没割，她却躺在谷物中间睡着了。 —

Then Hans hastened home and brought a fowler’s net with little bells and hung it round about her, and she still went on sleeping. —
于是哈恩斯急忙回家拿了一个带有小铃铛的捕鸟网，挂在她周围，她还在继续睡觉。 —

Then he ran home, shut the house-door, and sat down in his chair and worked. —
然后他跑回家，关上门，坐在椅子上工作。 —

At length, when it was quite dark, Clever Elsie awoke and when she got up there was a jingling all round about her, and the bells rang at each step which she took. —
最后，当天完全黑了的时候，聪明的埃尔西醒来了，当她起床时，周围响起了叮叮咚咚的声音，每走一步铃铛就响一下。 —

Then she was alarmed, and became uncertain whether she really was Clever Elsie or not, and said: ‘Is it I, or is it not I? —
然后她感到惊慌，开始不确定自己是否真的是聪明的艾尔茜，她说：“是我吗？还是不是我呢？” —

’ But she knew not what answer to make to this, and stood for a time in doubt; —
但她不知道该如何回答，犹豫了一会儿； —

at length she thought: —
最后她想到： —

‘I will go home and ask if it be I, or if it be not I, they will be sure to know. —
“我要回家问问是不是我，他们一定会知道的。 —

’ She ran to the door of her own house, but it was shut; —
”她跑到自己家的门口，但门是关着的。 —

then she knocked at the window and cried: ‘Hans, is Elsie within?’ ‘Yes, ’ answered Hans, ‘she is within. —
于是她敲了敲窗户，喊道：“汉斯，艾尔茜在家吗？” “是的，”汉斯回答说，“她在家。” —

’ Hereupon she was terrified, and said: ‘Ah, heavens! Then it is not I, ’ and went to another door; —
于是她害怕极了，说：“啊，天哪！那就不是我。”然后她去了另一扇门； —

but when the people heard the jingling of the bells they would not open it, and she could get in nowhere. —
但当人们听到铃铛的叮当声时，他们不愿意开门，她找不到任何地方进去。 —

Then she ran out of the village, and no one has seen her since.
于是她跑出了村庄，此后再也没有人见过她。