格林童話:the Peasant and the Devil農夫與魔鬼

the Peasant and the Devil農夫與魔鬼

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Once upon a time there was a clever, wily peasant, whose tricks could be much talked about. The best story, however, is how he once got the best of the devil and made a fool of him. One day the peasant had been working in his field, and just as it was getting dark he was getting ready to go home when in the middle of his field he saw a pile of burning coals. Filled with amazement he walked toward it, and sitting on the top of the glowing coals there was a little black devil.

"You must be sitting on a treasure," said the peasant.

"Yes indeed," replied the devil, "on a treasure that contains more gold and silver than you have ever seen in your life."

"the treasure is in my field and belongs to me," said the peasant.

"It is yours," answered the devil, "if for two years you will give me one half of everything your field produces. I have enough money, but I have a desire for the fruits of the earth."

the peasant entered into the bargain, saying, "To prevent any dispute from arising about the division, everything above the ground shall belong to you, and everything beneath the ground to me."

the devil was quite satisfied with that, but the cunning peasant had planted turnips.

Now when harvest time came the devil appeared and wanted to take away his crop, but he found nothing except the yellow withered leaves, and the happy peasant dug up his turnips.

"You got the best of me this time," said the devil, "but it won't happen again. Next time what grows above ground shall be yours, and what is under it shall be mine."

"That is all right with me," answered the peasant. When planting time came the peasant did not plant turnips again, but wheat. The crop ripened, and the peasant went into the field and cut the full stalks off at ground level. When the devil came he found nothing but the stubble, and he angrily disappeared into a chasm in a cliff.

"That's the way one has to deal with foxes," said the peasant, then carried away the treasure.

從前有位遠見卓識、機智聰明的農夫，有關他足智多謀的故事至今人們仍廣爲傳頌。其中最精彩的要首推他曾經怎樣捉弄魔鬼的故事。

一天，農夫在田間勞動了一整天，天黑時正準備回家，忽然發現自己的田裏有堆煤在燃燒，他驚訝萬分，於是便走上前去看，發現竟有一個黑色的小魔鬼走在燃燒的煤堆上。“你是坐在財寶上嗎？”農夫問。“正是財寶。”魔鬼答道，“而且比你一生見到的都要多呢！”“財寶在我田裏就得歸我。”農夫說道。“就歸你吧！”魔鬼說，“只要你肯將兩年內一半的收成給我就行了。錢，我有的是，但我更喜歡地上的果實。”農夫答應了這樁交易，並說：“爲了避免在我們分配時出現糾紛，凡泥土上的東西歸你，泥土下的歸我。”魔鬼感到心滿意足，但這位聰明的農夫卻種上了蘿蔔.

現在收穫的季節到了，魔鬼又來了，要求收回屬於他的收成。但除了那些枯黃的敗葉外，他一無所獲；而農夫卻在興高采烈地挖着他的蘿蔔.“這次讓你佔了便宜，”魔鬼說，“下次可不能這樣。地上的歸你，地下的歸我。”“悉聽尊便。”農夫答道。播種的季節又到了，這次他可不播蘿蔔，而是種上了小麥。麥子熟了，他來到田間，把麥稈齊根割倒在地。魔鬼又來了，見到除了殘茬外，他又一無所獲，氣得轉身就走，順着石縫鑽了進去。“我就是這樣騙倒魔鬼的。”農夫說完，趕緊拾起財寶回家去了。