Frau Holle

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　A widow had two daughters, the one was beautiful and industrious¹, the other ugly and lazy. She greatly favored the ugly, lazy girl, because she was her own daughter. And the other one had to do all the work, and be the Cinderella of the house.

　　Every day the poor girl had to sit by a well, next to the highway, and spin so much that her fingers bled. Now it happened that one day the reel was completely bloody², so she dipped it in the well, to wash it off, but it dropped out of her hand and fell in. She cried, ran to her stepmother, and told her of the mishap³. She scolded her so sharply, and was so merciless that she said, "Since you have let the reel fall in, you must fetch it out again."

　　Then the girl went back to the well, and did not know what to do. Terrified, she jumped into the well to get the reel. She lost her senses. And when she awoke and came to herself again, she was in a beautiful meadow where the sun was shining, and there were many thousands of flowers. She walked across this meadow and came to an oven full of bread. The bread called out, "Oh, take me out. Take me out, or I'll burn. I've been thoroughly⁴ baked for a long time." So she stepped up to it, and with a baker's peel took everything out, one loaf after the other.

　　After that she walked further and came to a tree laden⁵ with apples. "Shake me. Shake me. We apples are all ripe." cried the tree. So she shook the tree until the apples fell as though it were raining apples. When none were left in the tree, she gathered them into a pile, and then continued on her way.

　　Finally she came to a small house. An old woman was peering out from inside. She had very large teeth, which frightened the girl, and she wanted to run away. But the old woman called out to her, "Don't be afraid, dear child. Stay here with me, and if you do my housework in an orderly fashion, it will go well with you. Only you must take care to make my bed well and shake it diligently⁶ until the feathers fly, then it will snow in the world.* I am Frau Holle."

　　Because the old woman spoke⁷ so kindly⁸ to her, the girl took heart, agreed, and started in her service. The girl took care of everything to Frau Holle's satisfaction and always shook her featherbed vigorously until the feathers flew about like snowflakes. Therefore she had a good life with her: no angry words, and boiled or roast meat every day.

　　Now after she had been with Frau Holle for a time, she became sad. At first she did not know what was the matter with her, but at last she determined⁹ that it was homesickness. Even though she was many thousands of times better off here than at home, still she had a yearning¹⁰ to return. Finally she said to the old woman, "I have such a longing¹¹ for home, and even though I am very well off here, I cannot stay longer. I must go up again to my own people."

　　Frau Holle said, "I am pleased that you long for your home again, and because you have served me so faithfully, I will take you back myself." With that she took her by the hand and led her to a large gate.

　　The gate was opened, and while the girl was standing¹² under it, an immense rain of gold fell, and all the gold stuck to her, so that she was completely covered with it. "This is yours because you have been so industrious," said Frau Holle, and at the same time she gave her back the reel which had fallen into the well.

　　With that the gate was closed and the girl found herself above on earth, not far from her mother's house. And as she entered the yard the rooster, sitting on the well, cried: Cock-a-doodle-doo, Our golden girl is here anew.

　　Then she went inside to her mother, and as she arrived all covered with gold, she was well received, both by her mother and her sister. The girl told all that had happened to her, and when the mother heard how she had come to the great wealth, she wanted to achieve the same fortune for the other, the ugly and lazy daughter. She made her go and sit by the well and spin. And to make her reel bloody, the lazy girl pricked¹³ her fingers and shoved her hand into a thorn bush. Then she threw the reel into the well, and jumped in herself.

　　Like the other girl, she too came to the beautiful meadow and walked along the same path. When she came to the oven, the bread cried again, "Oh, take me out. Take me out, or else I'll burn. I've been thoroughly baked for a long time."

　　But the lazy girl answered, "As if I would want to get all dirty," and walked away.

　　Soon she came to the apple tree. It cried out, "Oh, shake me. Shake me. We apples are all ripe."

　　But she answered, "Oh yes, one could fall on my head," and with that she walked on.

　　When she came to Frau Holle's house, she was not afraid, because she had already heard about her large teeth, and she immediately began to work for her. On the first day she forced herself, was industrious, and obeyed Frau Holle, when she said something to her, because she was thinking about all the gold that she would give her. But on the second day she already began to be lazy, on the third day even more so, and then she didn't even want to get up in the morning. She did not make the bed for Frau Holle, the way she was supposed to, and she did not shake it until the feathers flew. Frau Holle soon became tired of this and dismissed her of her duties. This was just what the lazy girl wanted, for she thought that she would now get the rain of gold.

　　Frau Holle led her too to the gate. She stood beneath it, but instead of gold, a large kettle full of pitch spilled over her. "That is the reward for your services," said Frau Holle, and closed the gate.

　　Then the lazy girl went home, entirely¹⁴ covered with pitch. As soon as the rooster on the well saw her, he cried out: Cock-a-doodle-doo, Our dirty girl is here anew.

　　And the pitch stuck fast to her, and did not come off as long as she lived.

　　*Therefore in Hessen whenever it snows they say that Frau Holle is making her bed.#p#副标题#e#

　从前，有一个寡妇，膝下有两个女儿，一个既漂亮又勤劳，而另一个则又丑又懒。寡妇却格外疼爱又丑又懒的那一个，因为是她的亲生女儿；另一个呢，不得不甚么活儿都干，成了家里名副其实的灰姑娘。可怜的姑娘每天必须坐到大路旁的水井边纺线，不停地纺啊纺，一直纺到手指磨破了血。

　　有一天，纺锤全让血给染红了，姑娘打算用井水把它洗乾净，不料纺锤脱了手，掉进井里。姑娘一路哭着跑到继母跟前，对她说了这件不幸的事。继母听了，把姑娘臭骂了一顿，还威逼她说，除非她把纺锤从井里捞出来，不然就饶不了她。姑娘回到井边，不知如何是好。后来，她害怕再遭继母的斥骂，就跳进了井里。在井里，她失去了知觉，等苏醒过来时，发现自己躺在一片美丽的草地上，草地沐浴着灿烂的阳光，四周环绕着万紫千红的花朵，各自争妍斗艳。她站起身来，向草地的前方走去，在一座烤炉旁停下了脚步，发现烤炉里装满了麵包。

　　麵包对她说：「快把我取出来，快把我取出来，不然，我就要被烤焦啦。我在里面已经被烤了很久很久啦。」

　　姑娘走上前去，拿起麵包铲，把麵包一个接一个地全取了出来。随后，她继续往前走，来到一棵果实纍纍的苹果树下，果树沖她大喊大叫：「摇一摇我啊，摇一摇我啊，满树的苹果全都熟透啦。」

　　於是，姑娘用力摇动果树，苹果雨点般纷纷落下，直到树上一个也不剩了，她才停下来；接着她又把苹果一个个捡起来堆放在一起，然后又继续往前走。

　　最后，姑娘来到一幢小房子前，只见一个老太太在窗前望着她。老太太青面獠牙，姑娘一见心惊胆战，打算赶快逃走。谁知老太太大声嚷嚷起来：「亲爱的，你干嘛害怕呢？就留在我这儿吧！要是你愿意在这儿好好干家务活儿，我保你过得舒舒服服的。你千万要当心，一定要整理好我的床铺，使劲儿抖我的床垫，要抖得羽绒四处飘飞，这样世界上就下雪了。我是霍勒大妈。」

　　老太太说这番话时，和颜悦色，姑娘於是鼓起勇气，答应留下来替她做家务事。她尽力做好每件事情，使老太太心满意足。抖床垫时，她使出全身力气，抖得羽绒像雪花儿似的四处飘飞。因此，老太太对她也很好，使她生活得挺舒适，每天盘中有肉，要么是燉的，要么是烧的。

　　就这样过了一段时间之后，姑娘渐渐变得忧心忡忡起来，一开始她自己也不明白是怎么回事，后来终於明白了，原来是想家啦。在霍勒大妈家里的生活比起在继母家里的生活，真是一个天上，一个地下，可尽管这样，她依然归心似箭。最后，她对霍勒大妈吐露了自己的心事：「我现在很想家。在这下面，我事事称心如意，可我再也呆不下去了，我得回到上面的亲人身边。」

　　霍勒大妈听后回答说：「你想回到家人身边，我听了很高兴。你在我这儿做事尽心尽力，我很满意，那么我就亲自送你上去吧。」

　　说罢，霍勒大妈牵着姑娘的手，领着她来到一扇大门前。大门洞开，姑娘刚刚站到门下，一粒粒的金子就像雨点般落在她身上，而且都牢牢地粘附在她衣服上，结果她浑身上下全是金子。

　　「你一直很勤劳，这是你应得的回报。」霍勒大妈对她说，说着又把她掉进井里的纺锤还给了她。

　　忽然，大门砰的一声就关上了，姑娘又回到了上面的世界，她就站在她继母家的附近。她走进院子的时候，蹲在辘轳上的大公鸡咯咯地叫了起来：

　　「咯……咯……咯……咯……，咱们的金姑娘回来啰！」

　　她走进继母的房间，因为浑身上下粘满了金子，继母和妹妹亲热地接待了她。

　　姑娘跟他们讲述了自己惊心动魄的经历。继母听完了她获得这么多金子的过程，就打算让她那个又丑又懒的女儿也享有这么多的金子，於是她把这个女儿打发到井边去纺线。为了使纺锤染上血污，这个姑娘就把手伸进刺篱笆里，将自己的手指扎破。然后，她把纺锤投入井里，自己也随即跳了进去。

　　在井里，她像姐姐一样，先是来到一片美丽的草地，然后顺着同一条小路往前走去。她走到烤炉前时，麵包冲着她大声叫喊：「快把我取出来，快把我取出来，不然我就要被烤焦啦。」可这个懒惰的姑娘听了却回答说：「谢谢，我才不想弄髒我的手。」说完继续往前赶路。

　　不大一会儿，她便来到苹果树下，果树跟上次一样喊叫着：「摇一摇我啊，摇一摇我啊，满树的苹果全都熟透啦。」

　　她回答道：「当然可以呀，可苹果落下来会砸着我的脑袋。」说完继续赶路。

　　来到霍勒大妈的小房子前时，因为她听姐姐说过老太太青面獠牙，所以见了面一点儿也不感到害怕。第一天，丑姑娘心里始终惦记着作为奖赏的金子，所以强打起精神，装成很勤快的样子，而且事事都照着老太太的意愿来做。可到了第二天，她就懒起来了；第三天呢，她懒得更加不像话，早上甚至赖在床上不想起来，连整理好霍勒大妈的床铺这件事也给忘记了，更不用说抖床垫，抖得羽绒四处飘飞了。几天下来，老太太已经受够了，就预先告诉她，她被解雇了。懒姑娘一听，满心欢喜，心里想道：「该下金雨啦！」

　　霍勒大妈领着她来到那扇大门前，可当她站到门下时，非但没有金子落下来，劈头盖脸地泼了她一身的却是一大锅沥青。「这就是你应得的回报。」霍勒大妈对她说，说完便关上了大门。

　　懒姑娘就这样回到了家里，浑身上下糊满了沥青。蹲在辘轳上的大公鸡看见了她就咯咯地叫了起来：

　　「咯……咯……咯……咯……，咱们的髒姑娘回来啰！」

　　懒姑娘身上的沥青粘得很牢，无论怎样沖洗也无济於事，她只好就这样一辈子啦。