Sweetheart Roland

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Once upon a time there was a woman who was truly a witch. She had two daughters, one ugly and wicked, whom she loved because she was her own daughter, and one beautiful and good, whom she hated, because she was her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter had a beautiful apron, which the other girl wanted so much that she became envious, and she told her mother that she just had to have that apron.

"Be still, my child," said the old woman, "and you shall have it. Your stepsister has long deserved to die, and tonight when she is asleep I will come and chop off her head. Just be sure to lie down at the far side of the bed, and push her close to the front."

It would have been all over with the poor girl, but just then she was standing in a corner, and she overheard everything. She was not allowed to go outside all day long, and at bedtime her wicked stepsister had her get into bed first, so she would be lying next to the wall. However, after the witch's daughter fell asleep, the stepdaughter gently pushed her to the front side of the bed, and she took her place back against the wall.

In the night the old woman crept into the bedroom holding an ax in her right hand while feeling with her left hand for anyone lying at the front of the bed. Then she grasped the axe with both hands and chopped off her own child's head.

After the witch had gone away, the girl got up and went to her sweetheart, whose name was Roland, and knocked at his door. When he came out, she said to him, "Listen, dearest Roland, we must flee at once. My stepmother tried to kill me, but she killed her own child instead. When daylight comes, and she sees what she has done, we'll be lost."

"You had better take her magic wand," said Roland, "or we will not be able to escape if she comes after us."

The girl got the magic wand, then she took the dead girl's head and dropped three drops of blood onto the floor, one in front of the bed, one in the kitchen, and one on the steps. Then she hurried away with her sweetheart.

The next morning when the old witch got up, she called her daughter, wanting to give her the apron. But the daughter did not come. So she shouted, "Where are you?"

"Here on the steps. I'm sweeping," answered the first drop of blood.

The old woman went out, but seeing no one on the steps, she shouted again, "Where are you?"

"Here in the kitchen. I'm warming myself," shouted the second drop of blood.

She went into the kitchen, but found no one. So she shouted again, "Where are you?"

"Here in the bed. I'm sleeping," shouted the third drop of blood.

She went into the bedroom and approached the bed. What did she see there? Her own child swimming in blood and whose head she herself had cut off.

The witch flew into a rage, jumped to the window, and as she could see far into the world, she saw her stepdaughter hurrying away with her sweetheart Roland. "That won't help you, she shouted. "Even if you've already gone a long way, you won't escape from me."

She put on her many-league boots, in which she covered an hour's walk with every step, and it was not long before she overtook them. However, when the girl saw the old woman striding toward them, she used the magic wand to transform her sweetheart Roland into a lake, and herself into a duck swimming in the middle of the lake.

The witch stood on the shore and threw in pieces of bread, trying with great effort to lure the duck to her. But the duck did not give in, and the old woman had to return home that night without success. Afterward the girl and her sweetheart Roland returned to their natural shapes, and they walked on through the whole night until daybreak. Then the girl transformed herself into a beautiful flower in the middle of a briar hedge, and her sweetheart Roland into a fiddler.

It was not long before the witch came striding up toward them. She said to the musician, "Dear musician, may I pick that beautiful flower for myself?"

"Oh, yes," he replied. "And I will play for you while you're doing it."

She crawled hastily into the hedge and was just about to pick the flower, knowing perfectly well who it was, when he began to play. She was forced to dance, whether she wanted to or not, for it was magic dance music. The faster he played, the more violently she was forced to jump. The thorns tore the clothes off her body, pricking her until she bled, and as he did not stop, she had to dance until she fell down dead.

They were now free, so Roland said, "Now I will go to my father and arrange for our wedding."

"I'll stay here and wait for you," said the girl. "And I'll transform myself into a red boundary stone, so that no one will recognize me."

So Roland set forth, and the girl, in the shape of a red boundary stone, stood there and waited for her sweetheart. But when Roland arrived home, he was snared by another woman, who caused him to forget the girl. The poor girl waited there a long time, but finally, when he failed to return, she grew sad and transformed herself into a flower, thinking, "Someone will surely come this way and trample me down."

However, it happened that a shepherd who was herding his sheep in the field saw the flower. As it was so beautiful, he picked it, took it home with him, and put it away in his chest. From that time forth, strange things happened in the shepherd's house. When he arose in the morning all the work was already done. The room was swept, the table and benches cleaned, the fire on the hearth was lighted, and the water was fetched, and at noon, when he came home, the table was already set, and a good dinner served. He didn't know how this happened, for he never saw anyone in his house, and no one could have hidden himself in it.

He was, of course, pleased with this good service, but with time he became so afraid that he went to a wise woman and asked for her advice.

The wise woman said, "There is magic behind it. Be on the watch very early some morning, and if anything is moving in the room, if you see anything, no matter what it is, throw a white cloth over it, and then the magic will be stopped."

The shepherd did what she told him to do, and the next morning just at dawn, he saw the chest open and the flower come out. He quickly jumped towards it and threw a white cloth over it. Instantly the transformation came to an end, and a beautiful girl stood before him, who admitted to him that she had been the flower, and that she had been doing his housekeeping. She told him her story. He liked her and asked her to marry him, but she answered, "No," for she wanted to remain faithful to her sweetheart Roland, even though he had abandoned her. Nevertheless, she promised not to go away, and to continue keeping house for the shepherd.

The time drew near when Roland was to be marred. According to an old custom in that country, it was announced that all the girls were to attend the wedding and sing in honor of the bridal pair. When the faithful girl heard this, she grew so sad that she thought her heart would break, and she did not want to go. But the other girls came and took her. When it was her turn to sing, she declined, until at last she was the only one left, and then she could not refuse. But when she began her song, and it reached Roland's ears, he jumped up and shouted, "I know that voice. That is the true bride. I do not want anyone else." Everything he had forgotten, and which had vanished from his mind, had suddenly come home again to his heart.

Thus the faithful girl was married to her sweetheart Roland. Her grief came to an end, and her joy began. #p#

　从前，有个磨坊主，他的女儿长得美丽无比，而且聪明伶俐，为人精明，因而她父亲总是不厌其烦地吹嘘她，把她吹得天花乱坠。

有一天，磨坊主应召进宫，他对国王吹牛说，他女儿能把稻草纺成金子。

谁知国王是个见钱眼开的人，一听磨坊主的话，马上就吩咐召见姑娘。姑娘进宫之后，国王把她领到一间装满了稻草的屋子，然后给她一架纺车，吩咐她道：「明天天亮之前，你必须把稻草全给我纺成金子，不然的话，就处死你。」

尽管姑娘一再说明她根本没有这种本领，可是国王听也不听，把门一锁，扬长而去，屋子里就剩下了她一个人。

姑娘坐在屋角里，面对自己的厄运，愁肠百结，於是就放声大哭起来。正在这时，屋门突然打开了，一瘸一拐地走进来一个小矮子，样子滑稽可笑，他对姑娘说：「晚上好，姑娘。干嘛哭得这样伤心呢？」

「唉，」姑娘回答说，「我必须把这么多的稻草全都纺成金子，可我哪儿会这个呀！」

「要是我替你纺，」小矬子说，「你拿甚么酬谢我呢？」

「把我漂亮的项炼送给你。」姑娘回答道。

小矮矮相信姑娘说的话，於是就坐到了纺车前。纺车不停地转啊转，发出欢快的声音。不大一会儿，活儿就干完了，满屋稻草全都纺成了金子。

国王进屋一看，真是又惊又喜，可他的心却变得更加贪婪。他把磨坊主的女儿关进另一间有更多稻草的屋子，吩咐她再把这间屋子里的稻草纺成金子。可怜的姑娘不知如何是好，坐在那里又哭了起来。谁知正在这时，小矮子打开屋门问道：「要是我帮你纺，你拿甚么酬谢我呢？」

「把这枚钻石戒指送给你。」姑娘回答说。

於是，她的这个矮小的朋友接过了戒指，然后走到纺车前，纺了起来。他不停地纺啊纺，天亮之前，终於把屋里的稻草全都纺成了金子。

国王一见这么多闪闪发光的金子，满心欢喜，可他仍然不满足，就把磨坊主的女儿带到了另一间更大的屋子，并且对她说：「要是你今晚把这里的稻草全都纺成金子，我就娶你做王后。」

国王走了，剩下姑娘一个人的时候，小矮子又来了，问姑娘说：「要是我第三次还替你纺金子，你拿甚么酬谢我呢？」

「我再也没甚么可送给你啦。」她回答说。

「那么，你得答应我，」小矮子接着说道，「等你做了王后，把你生的第一个孩子送给我。」

「那可万万不行。」姑娘心里想，可是她现在已走投无路，就答应了他的要求。小矮子又一次把稻草全都纺成了金子。

次日清晨，国王又来了，发现一切如愿以偿，就娶了磨坊主的女儿做王后。

王后的第一个孩子出生了，她欢天喜地，却把小矮子和她自己的诺言给忘了。谁知有一天，小矮子突然来到她的房间，提醒她不要忘记了自己许下的诺言。对这突如其来的不幸，她悲痛欲绝，只得提出将王国所有的金银财宝都给他，作为交换的条件，可是小矮子说甚么也不答应。王后失声痛哭，哭得像个泪人似的，小矮子见了心也就软了下来，对她说道：「我宽限你三天时间，要是你在这三天之内能说出我的名字，你就把孩子留下。」

於是，王后派遣很多信使去全国各地，打听没有听说过的名字。

次日，小矮子又来了，她就开始把所有记得起来的名字都说了出来，甚么迪姆斯啦，本傑明啦，简罗米啦，等等。可是小矮子每听一个都说：「我不叫这个。」

第二天，她把听到过的滑稽名字都说了出来，甚么罗圈腿啦，小罗锅啦，八字脚啦，诸如此类。可是小矮子每听一个还是说：「我不叫这个。」

第三天，有个信使回来说：「我正在上山的时候，发现森林中有一个小棚子，棚子前燃着一堆篝火，一个滑稽可笑的小矮子用一只脚围着火堆蹦过来，跳过去，一边蹦跳一边唱着：

'今天我酿酒，明天露一手；又唱又跳多快活，明天小孩就归我；王后绞尽脑汁儿却说不准，本人名叫龙佩尔斯迪尔钦！'」

王后听了高兴得跳了起来。过了一会儿，小矮子又来了，进门便问：「王后，我叫甚么名字啊？」王后回答说：「你是不是叫约翰哪？」「不对！」「那你是不是叫汤姆呢？」「也不对！」

「也许你叫龙佩尔斯迪尔钦吧？」

「肯定是巫婆告诉你的！肯定是巫婆告诉你的！」小矮子喊叫着，气得直跺脚，结果右脚深深地陷进了地里。他不得不弯下腰去，用双手紧紧抱住小腿，用尽全身力气才拔了出来。随后，他便急急忙忙溜走了，这场虚惊也就结束了，大伙於是开怀大笑。王后后来再也没有见到过他。