格林童話:the Robber Bridegroom強盜新郎

the Robber Bridegroom

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Once upon a time there was a miller who had a beautiful daughter. When she came of age he wished that she was provided for and well married. He thought, "If a respectable suitor comes and asks for her hand in marriage, I will give her to him."

Not long afterward a suitor came who appeared to be very rich, and because the miller could find no fault with him, he promised his daughter to him.

the girl, however, did not like him as much as a bride should like her bridegroom. She did not trust him, and whenever she saw him or thought about him, she felt within her heart a sense of horror.

One time he said to her, "You are engaged to marry me, but you have never once paid me a visit."

the girl replied, "I don't know where your house is."

then the bridegroom said, "My house is out in the dark woods."

Looking for an excuse, she said that she would not be able to find the way there.

the bridegroom said, "Next Sunday you must come out to me. I have already invited guests. I will make a trail of ashes, so that you can find your way through the woods."

When Sunday came, and it was time for the girl to start on her way, she became frightened, although she herself did not know exactly why. In order to mark the path, she filled both her pockets full of peas and lentils. At the entrance of the forest there was a trail of ashes, which she followed, but at every step she threw a couple of peas to the ground, to the right and to the left. She walked almost the whole day until she came to the middle of the woods, where it was the darkest, and there stood a solitary house. She did not like it, because it looked so dark and sinister. She went Inside, but no one was there. It was totally quiet.

Suddenly a voice called out: Turn back, turn back, you young bride. You are in a murderer's house.

the girl looked up and saw that the voice came from a bird, which was hanging in a cage on the wall. It cried out again: Turn back, turn back, you young bride. You are in a murderer's house.

then the beautiful bride went from one room to another, walking through the whole house, but it was entirely empty, and not a human soul was to be found. Finally she came to the cellar. A very old woman was sitting there shaking her head.

"Could you tell me," said the girl, "if my bridegroom lives here?"

"Oh, you poor child," replied the old woman, "where did you come from? You are in a murderer's den. You think you are a bride soon to be married, but it is death that you will be marrying. Look, they made me put a large kettle of water on the fire. When they have captured you, they will chop you to pieces without mercy, cook you, and eat you, for they are cannibals. If I do not show you compassion and save you, you are doomed."

With this the old woman led her behind a large barrel where she could not be seen.

"Be quiet as a mouse." she said. "Do not make a sound or move, or all will be over with you. Tonight when the robbers are asleep we will escape. I have long waited for an opportunity."

This had scarcely happened when the godless band came home. They were dragging with them another maiden. They were drunk and paid no attention to her screams and sobs.

they gave her wine to drink, three glasses full, one glass of white, one glass of red, and one glass of yellow, which caused her heart to break. Then they ripped off her fine clothes, laid her on a table, chopped her beautiful body in pieces and sprinkled salt on it. The poor bride behind the barrel trembled and shook, for she saw well what fate the robbers had planned for her.

One of them noticed a gold ring on the murdered girl's little finger. Because it did not come off easily, he took an ax and chopped the finger off, but it flew into the air and over the barrel, falling right into the bride's lap. The robber took a light and looked for it, but could not find it.

then another one said, "Did you look behind the large barrel?"

But the old woman cried out, "Come and eat. You can continue looking in the morning. That finger won't run away from you."

then the robbers said, "The old woman is right." They gave up their search and sat down to eat. The old woman poured a sleeping-potion into their wine, so that they soon lay down in the cellar and fell asleep, snoring.

When the bride heard them snoring she came out from behind the barrel, and had to step over the sleepers, for they lay all in rows on the ground. She was afraid that she might awaken one of them, but God helped her, and she got through safely.

the old woman went upstairs with her, opened the door, and they hurried out of the murderer's den as fast as they could.

the wind had blown away the trail of ashes, but the peas and lentils had sprouted and grown up, and showed them the way in the moonlight. They walked all night, arriving at the mill the next morning. Then the girl told her father everything, just as it had happened.

When the wedding day came, the bridegroom appeared. The miller had invited all his relatives and acquaintances. As they sat at the table, each one was asked to tell something. The bride sat still and said nothing.

then the bridegroom said to the bride, "Come, sweetheart, don't you know anything? Tell us something, like the others have done."

She answered:

then I will tell about a dream. I was walking alone through the woods, when finally I came to a house. Inside there was not a single human soul, but on the wall there was a bird in a cage. It cried out: Turn back, turn back, you young bride. You are in a murderer's house.

then it cried out the same thing again. Darling, it was only a dream. Then I went through all the rooms. They were all empty, and there was something so eerie in there. Finally I went down into the cellar, and there sat a very old woman, shaking her head. I asked her, "Does my bridegroom live in this house?"

She answered, "Alas poor child, you have gotten into a murderer's den. Your bridegroom does live here, but he intends to chop you to pieces and kill you, and then he intends to cook you and eat you."

Darling, it was only a dream. After that the old woman hid me behind a large barrel. I had scarcely hidden myself there when the robbers came home, dragging a girl with them. They gave her three kinds of wine to drink: white, red, and yellow, which caused her heart to stop beating. Darling, it was only a dream. After that they took off her fine clothes, and chopped her beautiful body to pieces on a table, then sprinkled salt on it. Darling, it was only a dream. Then one of the robbers saw that there was still a ring on her ring finger. Because it was hard to get the ring off, he took an ax and chopped off the finger. The finger flew through the air behind the large barrel, and fell into my lap. And here is the finger with the ring.

With these words she pulled out the finger and showed it to everyone who was there.

the robber, who had during this story become as white as chalk, jumped up and tried to escape, but the guests held him fast, and turned him over to the courts. Then he and his whole band were executed for their shameful deeds.

從前，有一個磨坊老闆，有一個很漂亮的女兒。隨着女兒長大，做父親的心裏開始想：「如果有一個能讓我滿意的人來娶她作妻子，我就把她嫁給他，這樣讓她也有一個好的歸宿。」不久，來了一個求婚者，看起來很富有，舉止也非常得體，磨坊老闆從他身上找不到自己不滿意的地方，就答應把女兒嫁給他。但是，女兒並不像新娘愛新郎一樣愛他，而且過了不久以後，當她看見他或想到他時，心裏總感覺怕得發抖。

有一天，他對她說：「你是我的未婚妻，爲甚麼不來我家看看呢？」姑娘說：「我不知道你家在哪兒呀？」她的未婚夫說：「我家就在那片茂密的森林裏。」姑娘的本意並不想去，又不好直接拒絕，只好找藉口說：「我不知道去你家的路。」未婚夫說道：「這樣吧！下週星期天，你一定要來看我，我邀請了一些客人，他們都想看看你。我沿路撒一些灰，你走進森林可以循着灰跡找到我家。」

到了第二個星期天，姑娘想了想還是出門了，可她總覺得非常不安，就多了一個心眼，在兩個口袋裏裝了滿滿的兩口袋碗豆和蠶豆。她來到森林邊，找到撒了灰燼的路，並循着灰跡走了進去。但她每走一步，就在路的右邊扔下一顆碗豆，在左邊扔下一顆蠶豆。這樣一磨蹭，她用了一整天才走到黑暗森林裏的一幢屋子前。進了屋子，她發現整個屋子裏靜悄悄的，裏面空無一人，她正感到有點恐慌，突然一個聲音傳了過來：

「轉回去，美麗的新娘！

轉回家裏去！

快離開這強盜窩，快離開這兒回到家裏去！」

她轉過頭一看，發現在門的上方掛着一個鳥籠，籠子裏關着一隻小鳥，它拍了拍翅膀，接着又叫道：

「轉回去，美麗的新娘！

轉回家裏去！

快離開這強盜窩，快離開這兒回到家裏去！」

姑娘聽了以後，仍然走了進去，從一間房子走到另一間房子，她看完了所有的房間，發現裏面全是空的。最後來到地下室，纔看見一個老態龍鍾的老太婆坐在裏面。姑娘開口問道：「對不起！老奶奶，您能告訴我，我的未婚夫是住在這裏嗎？」老太婆回答說：「唉——！我可愛的孩子，你現在已經落入他們爲你設的圈套了，你的婚禮就是你的葬禮。因爲那些強盜要奪去你的生命，如果我不救你，你就死定了！」說完，她把姑娘藏在一個大木桶裏面，然後對她說：「千萬不要動彈，否則，你就會大禍臨頭。等強盜們睡着以後，我們再逃走，我早就想離開這兒了。」

姑娘剛藏好身子，強盜們就進屋來了，他們還帶來了另一個姑娘，那姑娘也是被他們騙來的。進來後，他們開始又吃又喝，對那個姑娘的哭叫和呻吟充耳不聞，無動於衷，還給她灌了三杯葡萄酒，一杯白色的，一杯紅色的，一杯黃色的，喝完之後，她就倒下死了。姑娘躲在後面開始恐懼起來，心想下一個死的一定輪到她了。這時，她那個所謂的新郎看見那個被她們害死的姑娘的小手指上有一個金戒指，他走過去想用勁把它拔下來，可用力過猛，戒指一下子飛脫出來，掠過空中掉到了木桶後面，正好落在她這位未婚妻的裙襬上面。他端起一盞燈在房子裏到處尋找，可怎麼也找不到。另一個強盜說：「你到那木桶後面找了嗎？」那老太婆連忙說道：「哼！快坐在這兒吃你的晚飯吧，我保證戒指掉在這兒不會自己跑掉的，明天再找也不遲。」

她這一說，強盜們也就不再找了，繼續大吃大喝起來，老太婆趁機在他們的酒裏面下了安眠藥。不久，他們都躺下睡着了，個個鼾聲如雷。姑娘聽到鼾聲從木桶後走出來，躡手躡腳地從那些橫七豎八的瞌睡蟲身上跨過去，生怕把他們驚醒了。真是上帝保佑，她很快脫離了險境，與老婆走上樓梯，一起逃出了這個殺人魔窟。

此時，沿路所撒的灰燼都已被風吹散，到處找不到灰跡，但姑娘所扔的碗豆和蠶豆都生根發芽了，正好給她們指示了逃走的路徑。藉着月光，她們一步一步地走了整整一晚，纔在第二天早晨回到了磨坊，她傷心欲絕地把她的經歷一古腦兒都告訴了自己的父親。

舉行婚禮的日子很快就到了，新郎來到新娘的家裏，磨坊老闆邀請了他所有的朋友和親戚來參加婚禮。等大家都入席後，有位朋友提議每一個到來的客人都應該講一個故事。當輪到新娘講時，新郎對新娘說：「喂，我親愛的，你不知道嗎？該由你給我們講故事了。」新娘回答說：「好吧，我可以給你們講一個我做過的夢。」接着，她把在森林裏的一切經過細細講了出來：

「有一次，我夢見自己在森林裏走啊，走啊！走了很久纔來到一幢空無一人的屋子裏。我一進門，掛在門上一隻鳥籠裏的小鳥連着兩次喊道：

'轉回去，美麗的新娘！

轉回家裏去！

快離開這強盜窩，快離開這兒回到家裏去！'——我的愛人，我只是夢見這些。接着，我走過了所有房間，它們全是空的，最後我來到一間地下室，裏面坐着一個老太婆。我對她說：'我的新郎住在這兒嗎？ '她回答說：'哎！我可愛的孩子，你落進了他們爲你設計的一個圈套，你的新郎官一定會殺死你。'——我的愛人，我只是夢見這些。但那老太婆卻把我藏在了一個大木桶後面，我剛藏好，強盜們就拖了一個姑娘進來了。他們給她灌了白、紅、黃三種葡萄酒之後，她便倒在地上死去了。——我的愛人，我只是夢見這些。他們幹完這些壞事後，有一個強盜看見那姑娘的小手指上有一個金戒指，就走上前去用勁拔取，結果戒指飛到房頂，正好跳到我躲藏的那個大木桶後面，掉在了我的裙襬上，這就是那個戒指！」她說着，拿出了那個戒指給在坐的客人們看。

那個強盜新郎看到戒指，聽到她說的這些，嚇得面如死灰，站起身來想立即逃走，但客人們很快抓住了他，把他押送到了法庭。他和他那幫作惡多端的強盜最終都受到了應有的懲罰。