The Three Spinning Women

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　There was a girl who was lazy and would not spin. Her mother could not make her do so, whatever she said to her. Finally anger and impatience¹ so overcame the mother that she beat her, upon which the girl began to cry loudly.

　　Now the queen was just driving by, and when she heard the crying she ordered her carriage to stop, went into the house, and asked the mother why she was beating her daughter so that her cries could be heard out on the road.

　　The woman was ashamed to reveal² her daughter's laziness and said, "I cannot make her stop spinning. She wants to spin on and on forever, and I am poor, and cannot get the flax."

　　Then the queen answered, "There is nothing that I like better to hear than spinning. I am never happier than when the wheels are humming. Let your daughter come with me to the palace. I have flax enough. There she can spin to her heart's content."

　　The mother was completely satisfied with this, and the queen took the girl with her. Arriving at the palace, she took her upstairs to three rooms which were filled from the bottom to the top with the finest flax.

　　"Now spin this flax for me," she said, "and when you are finished, you shall have my oldest son for a husband. I do not mind if you are poor. Your untiring industry will do for a dowry."

　　The girl was frightened inside, for she would not be able to spin the flax, not even if she had lived until she was three hundred years old, sitting at it every day from morning until evening. When she was alone she began to cry, and just sat there for three days without moving a hand. On the third day the queen came, and when she saw that nothing had been spun³ yet, she was surprised. The girl excused herself by saying that because of her sorrow at being away from her mother's house, she had not yet been able to begin.

　　This satisfied the queen, but as she left she said, "Tomorrow you must begin my work."

　　When the girl was alone again, she did not know what to do, or where to turn for help. In her distress⁴ she went to the window. There she saw three women coming toward⁵ her. The first one had a broad flat foot, the second one had such a large lower lip that it hung down over her chin, and the third one had a broad thumb.

　　They stopped outside the window, looked up, and asked the girl what was wrong with her.

　　She bemoaned⁶ her troubles to them, upon which they offered her their help, saying, "If you will invite us to your wedding, not be ashamed of us, call us your aunts, and let us be seated at your table, we will spin all the flax for you, and in a very short time at that."

　　"With all my heart," she answered. "Come right in and begin the work at once."

　　Then she let the three strange women in, and cleared out a space in the first room where they could sit down and begin their spinning. The one pulled the thread and peddled⁷ the wheel, the second one moistened the thread, the third twisted it, then struck the table with her finger. Each time she struck, a skein of the most finely spun thread fell to the floor.

　　The girl kept the three spinners hidden from the queen, but whenever she came, the girl showed her the great quantity of thread that had been spun. The queen could not praise her enough.

　　When the first room was empty, they went to work on the second one, and on the third one, and it too was quickly cleaned out.

　　The three women now took leave and said to the girl, "Do not forget what you have promised us. It will bring you good luck."

　　When the girl showed the queen the empty rooms and the large pile of thread, the latter made preparations for the wedding. The bridegroom was happy that he was getting such a clever and industrious⁸ wife, and he praised her vigorously⁹.

　　"I have three aunts," said the girl. "Because they have been very kind to me, I do not want to forget them in my good fortune. Allow me to invite them to the wedding, and let them be seated next to us at the table."

　　The queen and the bridegroom said, "Why should we not allow that?"

　　When the feast¹⁰ began, the three women, dressed in strange clothing, entered.

　　The bride said, "Welcome, dear aunts."

　　"Oh," said the bridegroom, "what brought you to this hideous¹¹ friendship?"

　　Then he went to the one with the broad flat foot, and asked, "Where did you get such a broad foot?"

　　"From peddling¹²," she answered. "From peddling."

　　Then the bridegroom went to the second one, and said, "Where did you get this fallen lip?"

　　"From licking¹³," she answered. "From licking."

　　Then he asked the third one, "Where did you get this broad thumb?"

　　"From twisting thread," she answered. "From twisting thread."

　　This alarmed the prince, and he said, "My beautiful bride shall never again touch a spinning wheel."

　　With that she was freed from hateful flax spinning.#p#

        从前有个女孩，非常懒惰，怎么着都不愿意纺纱。

　　终於有一天，母亲感到忍无可忍，就打了她一顿，她於是嚎啕大哭起来。正巧这时王后乘车从门前经过，听见了哭声，吩咐把车停下来，进屋问那位母亲为甚么打女儿。做母亲的怎好意思说自己的女儿如何如何的懒惰，於是就回答说：「我叫她不要再纺了，可她就是不听，在纺车上仍然纺个不停。

　　我穷啊，哪买得起那么多的亚麻呀。」

　　王后听了说道：「我最爱纺纱。让你的女儿随我进宫去吧，我有的是亚麻，她愿意纺多少就纺多少。」

　　母亲听了这话，打心眼儿里高兴，满口答应下来，王后便带着女孩走了。

　　她们到了王宫之后，王后领着女孩上了楼，把三间库房指给她看，只见库房里装满了最好的亚麻。「喏，你就为我纺这些亚麻吧，」王后说道，「你甚么时候纺完了，就嫁给我的长子。」

　　女孩听了心里一阵惊恐——即使她每天从早纺到晚，纺到她三百岁的时候，也休想把那么多的亚麻纺完。剩下女孩独自一人时，她就哭了起来。她就这样哭哭啼啼地坐着，一晃儿三天过去了，还没动手纺纱呢。第三天，女孩不知如何是好，忧心忡忡地来到窗前。恰在这时她看见有三个女人走了过来：第一个女人的一个脚板又宽又平；第二个的下嘴唇很长，耷拉到下巴上；而第三个的一只大拇指非常宽大。这三个女人走到窗下停住了脚，问女孩为甚么忧心忡忡，她就向她们诉说了自己的苦恼。「只要你不嫌我们丢人，」他们对女孩说道，「请我们参加你的婚礼，说我们是你的表姐，并且让我们与你同桌喝喜酒，我们就帮你把这些亚麻纺完。」

　　「我非常乐意。」女孩回答说。

　　说罢，女孩就让这三个长相奇特的女人进屋来。她们进来后刚一坐下就开始纺纱。每次王后来，女孩生怕王后发现，便把那三个纺纱女藏起来，而让王后看已经纺好的纱。王后看了之后，对她讚不绝口。

　　库房里所有的亚麻都纺完了，这三个纺织女便跟女孩告别，临行前对她说道：「你可千万不要忘记了对我们许下的诺言，这关系到你自己的幸福啊。」

　　女孩领着王后看了三间空荡荡的库房和堆得像小山似的纱线，王后於是就安排了婚礼。

　　「我有三位表姐，」女孩说，「她们待我非常好。在我自己幸福如意的时候，怎么也不愿意冷漠了她们。请允许我邀请她们来参加婚礼，并且让她们在婚宴上和我们坐在一起。」

　　王后和王子欣然同意。婚礼那天，三个纺纱女果然来了。她们打扮得怪模怪样的，很令人发笑。新娘马上迎上去说：

　　「欢迎你们，亲爱的表姐们。」

　　「你的几个表姐怎么长得这么丑？」王子问道。随后，他转身走到那个大脚板女人身边，问道：「您的一只脚怎么会这样大呢？」

　　「踏纺车踏的呗。」她回答道。

　　新郎又走到第二个女人身旁，问道：「您的嘴唇怎么会耷拉着呢？」

　　「舔麻线舔的呗。」她回答说。

　　然后他问第三个女人：「您的大拇指怎么会这样宽呢？」

　　「捻麻线捻的呗。」她回答说。

　　王子听罢三人的回答，大惊失色，於是就说：「我美丽的新娘今后绝不再碰纺车一下。」

　　就这样，女孩从此再也用不着干纺纱这个讨厌的活儿了。

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