CLEVER ELSIE
聪明的艾尔莎
There was once a man who had a daughter who was called Clever Elsie.
从前有一个男人，他有一个女儿，名叫聪明的艾尔莎。
And when she had grown up her father said: 'We will get her married.'
当她长大后，她的父亲说：“我们该给她找个婆家了。”
'Yes,' said the mother, 'if only someone would come who would have her.'
“是啊，”母亲说，“只要有人来娶她就好了。”
At length a man came from a distance and wooed her, who was called Hans; but he stipulated that Clever Elsie should be really smart.
终于，从远方来了一个叫汉斯的男人向她求婚，但他提出一个条件：聪明的艾尔莎必须真的很聪明。
'Oh,' said the father, 'she has plenty of good sense'; and the mother said: 'Oh, she can see the wind coming up the street, and hear the flies coughing.'
“哦，”父亲说，“她聪明得很呢”；母亲说：“她能看见风从街上吹来，还能听见苍蝇咳嗽。”
'Well,' said Hans, 'if she is not really smart, I won't have her.'
“好吧，”汉斯说，“如果她不是真的聪明，我就不要她。”
When they were sitting at dinner and had eaten, the mother said: 'Elsie, go into the cellar and fetch some beer.'
他们坐在桌边吃饭时，母亲说：“艾尔莎，去地窖拿些啤酒来。”
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.
聪明的艾尔莎从墙上取下酒壶，走向地窖，一边走一边轻快地敲着盖子，好让时间显得不那么漫长。
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.
到了地窖后，她搬来一把椅子放在酒桶前，这样就不用弯腰，既不会伤着背，也不会出什么意外。
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.
接着她把酒壶放在面前，拧开龙头。啤酒流出时，她也不让眼睛闲着，抬头打量墙壁，仔细看了半天，发现正上方有一把泥瓦匠不小心落下的鹤嘴锄。
Then Clever Elsie began to weep and said: '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.'
聪明的艾尔莎突然哭了起来，说：“要是我嫁给汉斯，生了个孩子，孩子长大了，被派到地窖来打啤酒，那把锄头掉下来就会砸在他头上，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，为这即将到来的不幸痛哭流涕，撕心裂肺地尖叫起来。
Those upstairs waited for the drink, but Clever Elsie still did not come.
楼上的人等着喝酒，可聪明的艾尔莎一直没回来。
Then the woman said to the servant: 'Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is.'
女主人便对女仆说：“去地窖看看艾尔莎在干什么。”
The maid went and found her sitting in front of the barrel, screaming loudly.
女仆下去，发现艾尔莎坐在酒桶前，大声哭嚎。
'Elsie why do you weep?' asked the maid.
“艾尔莎，你为什么哭？”女仆问。
'Ah,' she answered, '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 perhaps fall on his head, and kill him.'
“唉，”艾尔莎答道，“我难道不该哭吗？要是我嫁给汉斯，生个孩子，孩子长大了，被派到这儿打啤酒，那把锄头掉下来就会砸在他头上，把他砸死。”
Then said the maid: 'What a clever Elsie we have!' and sat down beside her and began loudly to weep over the misfortune.
女仆说：“我们家的艾尔莎真是太聪明了！”于是坐在她身边，也为这不幸放声大哭。
After a while, as the maid did not come back, and those upstairs were thirsty for the beer, the man said to the boy: 'Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie and the girl are.'
过了一会儿，女仆也没回来，楼上的人又渴得慌，男人便对小男孩说：“下去看看艾尔莎和女仆在地窖里干嘛。”
The boy went down, and there sat Clever Elsie and the girl both weeping together.
小男孩下去，看见聪明的艾尔莎和女仆坐在一起抱头痛哭。
Then he asked: 'Why are you weeping?'
于是小男孩问：“你们哭什么呀？”
'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.'
“唉，”艾尔莎说，“我难道不该哭吗？要是我嫁给汉斯，生个孩子，孩子长大了，被派到这儿打啤酒，那把锄头掉下来就会砸在他头上，把他砸死。”
Then said the boy: 'What a clever Elsie we have!' and sat down by her, and likewise began to howl loudly.
小男孩也说：“我们家的艾尔莎真是太聪明了！”于是坐在她旁边，跟着一起嚎啕大哭。
Upstairs they waited for the boy, but as he still did not return, the man said to the woman: 'Just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is!'
楼上的人又等小男孩，可他也没回来。男人对女人说：“下去看看艾尔莎到底怎么了！”
The woman went down, and found all three in the midst of their lamentations, and inquired what was the cause; 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.
女人下去，发现三个人都在哭天抢地，便问发生了什么事。艾尔莎又把那番话重复了一遍，说她未来的孩子将来长大会被这把掉下来的锄头砸死。
Then said the mother likewise: 'What a clever Elsie we have!' and sat down and wept with them.
母亲也说：“我们家的艾尔莎真是太聪明了！”于是坐下来，跟他们一起哭。
The man upstairs waited a short time, but as his wife did not come back and his thirst grew ever greater, he said: 'I must go into the cellar myself and see where Elsie is.'
楼上的男人等了一会儿，见妻子也没回，口渴得厉害，便说：“我得亲自下去看看艾尔莎在哪儿。”
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: 'Oh, what a clever Elsie!' and sat down, and likewise wept with them.
结果他一下地窖，看见四个人哭成一片，听完缘由，想到艾尔莎将来可能真的会生个孩子，而孩子又碰巧坐在这把锄头下面打啤酒时被砸死，他也大叫：“哎呀，我们家的艾尔莎真是太聪明了！”于是坐下来，跟大家一起哭。
The bridegroom stayed upstairs alone for a long time; then as no one would come back he thought: 'They must be waiting for me below: I too must go there and see what they are about.'
新郎汉斯独自在楼上等了好久，见没人回来，心想：“他们肯定在下面等我，我也得下去看看怎么回事。”
When he got down, the five of them were sitting screaming and lamenting quite piteously, each out-doing the other.
他一下去，只见五个人排排坐，哭天抢地，一个比一个凄惨。
'What misfortune has happened then?' asked he.
“到底出了什么天大的事？”汉斯问。
'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?'
“哎呀，亲爱的汉斯，”艾尔莎说，“要是咱俩结婚生个孩子，孩子长大了，我们让他来这儿打酒，那把锄头万一掉下来，不就砸开他的脑袋了吗？我们难道不该哭吗？”
'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.
“得了，”汉斯说，“我家也不需要比这更聪明的脑子了。既然你是这么聪明的艾尔莎，我就娶你吧！”于是他抓住她的手，带她上楼，当场就把婚结了。
After Hans had had her some time, he said: 'Wife, I am going out to work and earn some money for us; go into the field and cut the corn that we may have some bread.'
婚后过了一阵子，汉斯对她说：“老婆，我要出门干活挣钱，你去田里割麦子，好让我们有面包吃。”
'Yes, dear Hans, I will do that.'
“好的，亲爱的汉斯，我这就去。”
After Hans had gone away, she cooked herself some good broth and took it into the field with her.
汉斯走后，她先给自己煮了一锅好汤，然后端着汤去了田里。
When she came to the field she said to herself: 'What shall I do; shall I cut first, or shall I eat first? Oh, I will eat first.'
到了田里，她自言自语：“我先干嘛呢？先割麦子还是先喝汤？算了，先喝汤吧。”
Then she drank her cup of broth and when she was fully satisfied, she once more said: 'What shall I do? Shall I cut first, or shall I sleep first? I will sleep first.'
于是她喝光了汤，摸着肚子又想：“接下来干嘛？先割麦子还是先睡一觉？还是先睡吧。”
Then she lay down among the corn and fell asleep.
说完她就往麦丛里一躺，呼呼大睡。
Hans had been at home for a long time, but Elsie did not come; then said he: 'What a clever Elsie I have; she is so industrious that she does not even come home to eat.'
汉斯回家很久了，还不见艾尔莎的影子，便说：“我媳妇真聪明，干活太卖力，连回家吃饭都忘了。”
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.
可等到天黑她还没回来，汉斯只好出去看，结果一垄麦子都没割，她倒好，还在麦地里呼呼大睡。
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.
汉斯赶紧回家，拿来一张挂着小铃铛的捕鸟网，围着艾尔莎罩了一圈，她居然还没醒。
Then he ran home, shut the house-door, and sat down in his chair and worked.
接着他跑回家，把门一关，坐在椅子上自顾自地干活。
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.
天完全黑透后，聪明的艾尔莎才醒，一起身四周叮铃哐啷响，每走一步小铃铛就响个不停。
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?'
她吓了一跳，开始怀疑自己到底是不是聪明的艾尔莎，嘴里嘟囔：“这是我吗？还是不是我？”
But she knew not what answer to make to this, and stood for a time in doubt; at length she thought: 'I will go home and ask if it be I, or if it be not I, they will be sure to know.'
她越想越糊涂，拿不定主意，最后决定：“我还是回家问问，到底是不是我，家里人肯定知道。”
She ran to the door of her own house, but it was shut; then she knocked at the window and cried: 'Hans, is Elsie within?'
她跑到自家门前，却发现门锁着，便敲着窗户喊：“汉斯，艾尔莎在屋里吗？”
'Yes,' answered Hans, 'she is within.'
“在呀，”汉斯回答，“艾尔莎就在屋里。”
Hereupon she was terrified, and said: 'Ah, heavens! Then it is not I,' and went to another door; but when the people heard the jingling of the bells they would not open it, and she could get in nowhere.
她一听吓坏了，惊叫：“天啊！那屋里的是别人，肯定不是我！”转身去敲邻居的门，可大家一听铃铛响，谁也不给她开门，她哪儿也进不去。
Then she ran out of the village, and no one has seen her since.
于是她只好跑出村子，从此再也没有人见过她。