English Original
Once upon a time, a soldier was marching home from the wars. On the road, he met an ugly old witch.
'Good evening, Soldier!' she said. 'You ought to have as much money as you could carry. See that great hollow tree? Climb to the top, let yourself down inside, and you will find a hall lit by three hundred lamps. There are three doors. Behind each is a chest guarded by a dog. Use my blue-check apron to subdue them, and you may take all the copper, silver, or gold you desire. For me, just bring back an old tinder-box my grandmother left there.'
The soldier agreed. He climbed down and found everything as the witch described. In the first room, a dog with eyes as large as saucers guarded a chest of copper. The soldier spread the apron, placed the dog on it, and filled his pockets. In the second room, a dog with eyes like mill-wheels guarded silver. He took the silver and discarded the copper. In the third room, a terrifying dog with eyes as large as the Round Tower of Copenhagen guarded a mountain of gold. The soldier took as much gold as he could carry, stuffing his pockets, knapsack, cap, and boots.
He called for the witch to pull him up. She asked for the tinder-box, which he had forgotten. After retrieving it, he was hauled to the surface. When the witch demanded the box, the soldier refused, cut off her head, and kept both the gold and the tinder-box.
He went to town, lived lavishly, and soon spent all his gold, ending up poor in a tiny attic. One dark evening, he struck the tinder-box to make a light. To his astonishment, the dog from the first room appeared, asking, 'What does my lord command?' The soldier asked for money, and the dog instantly brought him a purse full of coins. He discovered that rubbing the box once summoned the copper dog, twice the silver dog, and three times the gold dog.
Now rich again, the soldier heard of a beautiful princess locked in a copper castle because of a prophecy that she would marry a common soldier. Using the tinder-box, he commanded the dog to bring the sleeping princess to him. He kissed her, and the dog returned her. The princess told her parents of a strange dream. The queen set a trap with buckwheat grains, which led the king to the soldier's room. He was captured and sentenced to hang.
On the scaffold, the soldier asked for a last pipe of tobacco. He took out his tinder-box and rubbed it three times. All three giant dogs appeared. At his command, they attacked the council, then the king and queen, throwing them high into the air. The people declared the soldier their new king. He married the princess, and the dogs joined the wedding feast.
中文翻译
从前，一个士兵打完仗正走在回家的路上。他遇到一个丑陋的老巫婆。
“晚上好，士兵！”她说，“你应该拥有多得拿不动的钱。看到那棵空心大树了吗？爬到树顶，钻进树洞，你会看到一个被三百盏灯照亮的大厅。里面有三扇门，每扇门后都有一个箱子，由一只狗看守。用我的蓝格子围裙就能制服它们，你可以拿走里面所有的铜币、银币或金币。我只要你把我祖母落在那里的一个旧打火匣带回来。”
士兵同意了。他爬下树洞，发现一切正如巫婆所说。第一个房间里，一只眼睛大如茶碟的狗看守着一箱铜币。士兵铺开围裙，把狗放上去，装满了口袋。第二个房间里，一只眼睛大如磨盘的狗看守着银币。他拿走了银币，丢掉了铜币。第三个房间里，一只可怕的眼睛大如哥本哈根圆塔的狗看守着堆积如山的金币。士兵拿走了他能拿动的所有金币，塞满了口袋、背包、帽子和靴子。
他叫巫婆把他拉上去。巫婆索要打火匣，他这才想起忘了拿。取回打火匣后，他被拉了上来。当巫婆坚持要打火匣时，士兵拒绝了她，砍下了她的头，带着金币和打火匣离开了。
他来到城里，过着奢华的生活，很快花光了所有金币，变得一贫如洗，住在一个小阁楼里。一个漆黑的夜晚，他敲打火匣想取火。令他惊讶的是，第一个房间里的狗出现了，问道：“主人有何吩咐？”士兵要钱，狗立刻给他叼来一袋金币。他发现，擦一下盒子召唤铜狗，两下召唤银狗，三下召唤金狗。
再次富有的士兵听说，一位美丽的公主被锁在一座铜城堡里，因为预言说她将嫁给一个普通士兵。他用打火匣命令狗把睡着的公主带来。他吻了她，狗又把她送了回去。公主把这场奇异的梦告诉了父母。王后用荞麦粒设下陷阱，国王由此找到了士兵的房间。士兵被抓住并判处绞刑。
在绞刑架上，士兵请求抽最后一斗烟。他拿出打火匣，擦了三次。三只巨狗全部出现。在他的命令下，它们攻击了议会成员，接着是国王和王后，把他们高高抛向空中。人民拥戴士兵为新国王。他娶了公主，三只狗也参加了婚宴。