Lean Lisa

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　Lean Lisa was not at all like Lazy Heinz and Fat Trina, who would not allow anything to disturb their rest. She burned herself out from morning until evening and loaded so much work on her husband, Lanky¹ Lenz, that it was harder for him than for a donkey loaded with three sacks. But it was all for naught². They had nothing, and they got nothing.

　　One evening she was lying in bed, too tired to move a muscle but still unable to fall asleep, when she poked³ her husband in the side with her elbow and said, "Lenz, listen to what I just thought of. If I were to find a florin, and you were to give me another one, then I'd borrow yet another one, and you'd give me still another one, and then I would take the four florins and buy a young cow."

　　The man agreed. "I don't know," he said, "where I'm to get that florin I'm supposed to give you, but after you have the money to buy a cow, it will be a good thing." Then he added, "I'm looking forward to the time after the cow calves⁴, so I can have some good refreshing⁵ milk to drink."

　　"The milk is not for you," said the woman. "We will let the calf⁶ suck, so it will grow large and fat, and we can sell it for a good price."

　　"Of course," said the man, "but it won't hurt anything if we take a little milk."

　　"Who taught you about cows?" said the woman. "I won't allow it, whether it will hurt anything or not. You can stand on your head, but you won't get a single drop of milk. Lanky Lenz, just because you are always hungry, you think that you can devour⁷ everything that my hard work brings in."

　　"Woman," said the man, "be quiet, or I'll plant one on the side of your face."

　　"What!" she cried. "Are you threatening me! You glutton⁸! You good-for-nothing! You lazybones!"

　　She was reaching for his hair, but Lanky Lenz raised himself up, took hold of both her skinny arms with one hand, then pushed her head into the pillow with the other one. He held her there and let her scold until she fell asleep from exhaustion⁹.

　　The next morning when she woke up, I do not know whether she continued to quarrel, or whether she went out to look for the florin that she wanted to find.

       懒哈利和胖特丽娜总是为人持重，不为外物所扰。瘦莉莎的想法却完全相反，她总是从早忙到晚，让她的大个子丈夫伦茨干很多的活。可尽管如此，他们还是一无所获，一事无成。一天晚上，莉莎躺在床上，累得无法动弹，却心事重重地无法入睡。她用肘撞旁边的男人说：“伦茨，你听，我想的是甚么？假如我找到一块金币，别人又送我一块，我再去借一块，你也给我一块，那么，我一共就有四块金币，我就要买一头母牛。”男人觉得这很好，他说：“我虽不知道上哪儿去给你弄到送你的那块金币，但是如果你有了这笔钱，你就可以用它买头母牛，如果母牛生头小牛，那我们就可以喝上牛奶，提提神了。”女人说：“牛奶不是你的，我们让小牛吸，让它长得膘肥体壮，才能卖个好价钱。”男人说：“那是当然，不过我们也可以喝一点点，不碍事。”

　　女人说：“谁叫你这样对待母牛？不管碍不碍事，我都不会答应。你要是胡思乱想，休想喝到一滴牛奶！你这傻大个真是个贪得无厌的傢伙，要把我幸苦挣来的东西消耗尽吗？”男人说：“老婆，安静些，否则我要把你的嘴蒙起来。”

　　“甚么？”她喊道，“你要吓唬我，你这馋鬼，你这长桿子，你这懒鬼哈利。”她想揪他的头发，但长子伦茨坐起来，用一只手抓着瘦莉莎的两条细胳膊，用另一只手将她的头发按在枕上，听凭她叫骂，直到她最后累得又睡着了才松开。第二天早上，他们醒来后没有继续吵闹，莉莎后来究竟有没有出去找她想得到的那块金币，那我们就不知道了。