Spindle, Shuttle, and Needle

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　Once upon a time there was a girl whose father and mother died when she was still a little child. Her godmother lived all alone at the end of the village in a little house, and earned her living with spinning, weaving, and sewing. The old woman took the orphaned¹ child into service and gave her a pious² upbringing.

　　When the girl was fifteen years old the godmother took ill, called the child to her bedside, and said, "My dear daughter, I feel that my end is near. I leave to you this little house, that will protect you from wind and weather; and also a spindle, a shuttle, and a needle, with which you can earn your living."

　　She then laid her hands on the girl's head and blessed her, saying, "Keep God in your heart, and it will go well with you." With that she closed her eyes. When she was laid to rest in the earth, the girl walked behind the coffin³ crying, and paid her last respects.

　　The girl now lived all alone in the little house. She was industrious⁴. She span, wove, and sewed; and everything she did was touched by the good old woman's blessing⁵. It was as though the flax multiplied itself in her kitchen, and whenever she wove a piece of cloth or a carpet, or sewed a shirt, she always immediately found a buyer who paid so well that she was never in need and always had something to share with others.

　　At this time the king's son was traveling throughout the country in search of a bride. He wanted neither a poor one nor a rich one. He said, "My wife shall be the girl who is at the same time the poorest and the richest."

　　When he came to the village where the girl lived he asked, as he had done everywhere, who was the richest girl and the poorest girl. First of all they named for him the richest girl, and then said that the poorest girl was the one who lived in the little house at the end of the village.

　　The rich girl sat in her doorway⁶ in all her finery, and when the prince approached she bowed before him. He looked at her, said not a word, and rode on.

　　When he arrived at the poor girl's house she was not standing⁷ in the doorway, but instead was sitting in her little kitchen. He stopped his horse and looked into the window, through which the bright sun was shining, and saw the girl, sitting at her spinning wheel and diligently⁸ spinning. She looked up, and when she saw the prince looking in she blushed all over, closed her eyes, and continued to spin. I do not know if the thread was entirely⁹ even at this time, but she continued to spin until the prince had ridden away.

　　Then she stepped to the window and opened it, saying, "It is so hot in the kitchen," but she continued to follow him with her eyes as long as she could recognize the white feathers on his hat.

　　The girl sat back down in the kitchen and continued to work at her spinning. Then a saying came to her that the old woman had sometimes said while she was at work, and she sang it thus:

　　Spindle, spindle, go on out,

　　And bring a suitor to my house.

　　What happened? The spindled immediately jumped out of her hand and out the door. Amazed, she stood up and watched it as it danced merrily across the field, pulling along a glistening¹⁰ golden thread behind it. Before long it had disappeared from her eyes.

　　Because the girl no longer had a spindle, she picked up her shuttle, seated herself at her loom¹¹, and began to weave.

　　Now the spindle danced ever onward¹², and just as the thread came to an end it reached the prince.

　　"What do I see?" he cried. "Is this spindle showing me the way?"

　　He turned his horse around and followed the golden thread back.

　　The girl was seated at her work singing:

　　Shuttle, shuttle, weave so fine,

　　Lead a suitor here to me.

　　Just then the shuttle jumped from her hand and out the door. However, it began to weave a carpet before the threshold, a more beautiful one than anyone had ever seen before. At its sides blossomed roses and lilies. In its middle, against a golden background, there were rows of green upon which hares and rabbits were jumping about. In between, stags and deer stuck out their heads. Colorful birds sat above in the branches. The only thing missing was their singing. The shuttle jumped back and forth¹³. It was as though everything was growing by itself.

　　Because her shuttle had run away, the girl now sat down to sew. She held her needle in her hand and sang:

　　Needle, needle, sharp and fine,

　　Clean up the house for the suitor of mine.

　　Then the needle jumped out of her fingers and flew about in the kitchen as quick as lightning. It was as though invisible spirits were at work. The table and benches were soon covered with green cloth, the chairs with velvet¹⁴; and silk curtains hung at the windows.

　　The needle had scarcely made its last stitch when the girl looked through the window and saw the white feathers on the prince's hat. The spindle had brought him here with its golden thread. He dismounted and walked across the carpet into the house. When he stepped into the kitchen she was standing there in her simple dress, but she was glowing in it like a rose in a bush.

　　"You are the poorest, but also the richest," he said to her. "Come with me. You shall be my bride."

　　She said nothing, but reached out her hand to him. Then he gave her a kiss and led her outside, lifted her onto his horse, and took her to the royal palace where their wedding was celebrated¹⁵ with great joy.

　　The spindle, shuttle, and needle were secured in the treasure chamber¹⁶, where they were kept in great honor. #p#副标题#e#

       

　　从前有个女孩，很小的时候父母就相继去世了。她的教母独自一人住在村头的一间小屋里，靠做针线活儿、纺纱和织布来维持生活。这位好心肠的妇人把这个孤儿接到家中，教她做活儿，培养她长大成了一个既孝顺又虔诚的人。

　　女孩十五岁的那年，她的教母突然病倒了。她把女孩叫到床边，对她说：「亲爱的孩子，我感觉我就要去了。我把这间小屋留给你，可以给你挡风遮雨。我把我用过的纺锤、梭子和针也留给你，你可以凭它们来糊口。」

　　说着，她把手放在女孩的头上为她祝福，并且对她说：「心地要纯洁诚实，幸福会降临到你头上的。」说完便合上了眼。在去墓地的路上，可怜的女孩一路走在教母的棺材旁放声大哭。

　　教母去世以后，女孩独自一人生活着，勤劳地纺纱、织布、做针线活儿；而且好心肠的老教母的祝福使她免受了伤害。人们难免会揣测一番：她的亚麻老是用不完，而且她每织完一块布，或缝好一件衬衫，马上就会来个出好价的买主。这样一来，她不但没有受穷，而且还能分给穷人一些东西。

　　这个时候，王子正周游全国各地，打算物色一位王妃。他不能选择穷人家的姑娘，也不喜欢富家小姐。於是他说，他要物色一位最贫穷同时又最富有的姑娘。王子来到女孩居住的村庄，便按照他在其它地方的一惯作法，打听村子里哪个姑娘最贫穷同时又最富有。村民们马上告诉他，村里哪个姑娘最富有；至於最贫穷的姑娘嘛，当然就是独自住在村头小屋里的那个女孩了。

　　那位富家小姐身着节日盛装，坐在门前，看见王子走过来便站起身，迎上前去给他行礼，可是王子看了看她，便一言不发地走了过去。然后王子来到最贫穷的姑娘的屋前；姑娘没有站在门前，而是把自己关在那间小屋子里。王子在窗前停下脚步，透过窗子注视着屋里。阳光射进小屋，屋里一片明亮，姑娘正坐在纺车前纺纱，手脚灵巧，动作娴熟。姑娘暗暗注意到，王子正在看着她，她羞得满脸通红，於是急忙垂下目光，继续纺纱。不过她这回儿纺的纱是否很均匀，我可就说不准喽。她一直纺啊纺啊，直到王子离开了才停下来。王子刚一离开，她急忙跑到窗前，一把推开窗子，说道：「屋里可真热啊！」透过窗口，她两眼紧紧地盯着王子的背影，直到他帽子上的羽毛也在视线中消失了，才作罢。

　　姑娘重新坐到纺车前继续纺纱。无意中她忽然想起了老教母经常哼唱的一句歌词，便唱了起来：

　　「小纺锤啊，快快跑，千万别住脚，一定将我的心上人啊，早早带到！」

　　怎么回事？话音刚落，纺锤突然从她手中滑落，飞也似的跑出门去。她目不转睛地看着纺锤奔跑，惊得目瞪口呆。只见纺锤蹦蹦跳跳地跑过田野，身后拖着闪闪发光的金线。不大一会儿，锤纺就从她的视线里消失了。没了纺锤，姑娘便拿起梭子，开始织布。

　　纺锤不停地跑啊跑，刚好在金线用完了的时候，追上了王子。「我看见甚么啦？」王子大叫起来，「这支纺锤想给我带路呢。」他於是掉转马头，沿着金线飞快地往回赶。姑娘呢，还在织布，一边织一边唱道：

　　「小梭子啊，快快跑，千万迎接好，一定将我的未婚夫啊，早早领到！」

　　话音刚落，梭子突然从她手中滑落，蹦跳着跑到门口。谁知到了门口，它就开始织地毯，织了一块世上最漂亮的地毯。地毯两侧织着盛开的玫瑰和百合花，中间呢，在金色的底子上织着绿油油的籐蔓。在籐蔓间有许多蹦蹦跳跳的小兔子，还有许多探头探脑的小鹿和松鼠；枝头上栖息着五颜六色的小鸟，虽然小鸟不能歌唱，却栩栩如生。梭子不停地跑过来，跳过去，地毯很快就织好了。

　　梭子不在手边，姑娘便拿起针来，一边缝一边唱道：

　　「小针儿啊，你来瞧，他马上就到，一定将我的小屋子啊，快整理好。」

　　话音刚落，针突然从她手指间滑落，在小屋里奔来路去，动作快得和闪电一样。真如同是肉眼看不见的小精灵在做着这一切：转眼之间，桌子和长凳罩上了绿色的织锦，椅子罩上了天鹅绒，墙上挂满了丝绸装饰品。

　　小针儿刚刚整理完小屋，姑娘就透过窗子看见了王子帽子上的羽毛，王子沿着金线回到了这里。他踏过地毯，走进小屋，只见姑娘衣着依然简朴，站在眨眼之间变得富丽堂皇的小屋中，格外刺眼，恰似灌木丛中一朵盛开的玫瑰。

　　「你既是最贫穷也是最富有的姑娘，」王子大声地对她说道，「跟我来，做我的王妃吧。」

　　姑娘默不作答，而是将手伸给了王子。王子吻了她之后，把她抱上马，带着她离开了小村庄，回到了王宫。在宫里，他们举行了盛大的婚宴。

　　那么，纺锤、梭子和针呢？啊！就珍藏在王宫的宝库里了。

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