English Original
Once upon a time, there was a proud princess. She would set a riddle to any man who came to woo her. If he couldn't guess it, he was mocked and sent away. She declared that whoever solved her riddle could marry her, regardless of his status.
Three tailors decided to try their luck. The two eldest were confident in their success, given their fine sewing skills. The third was a young, seemingly careless fellow who barely knew his trade but hoped for luck. The older tailors told him to stay home, but the young tailor was determined and set off confidently.
They presented themselves to the princess. She asked, "I have two kinds of hair on my head. What colors are they?"
The first guessed, "Black and white, like pepper-and-salt cloth." The princess said he was wrong.
The second guessed, "Brown and red, like my father's coat." Again, wrong.
The young tailor stepped forward and said, "Silver and gold." The princess turned pale, for he was correct. She had been sure no one could guess.
Recovering, she said, "This doesn't grant you marriage yet. First, you must spend the night in the stable with a bear. If you're alive in the morning, you may marry me." She intended to be rid of him, as no one had survived the bear. Undaunted, the tailor cheerfully agreed.
That evening, he was taken to the bear's den. The bear advanced, but the tailor calmly took walnuts from his pocket, cracked them with his teeth, and ate the kernels. The bear, wanting some, was given pebbles instead. Try as he might, the bear couldn't crack them.
"Crack these for me!" said the bear. The tailor took the pebbles, deftly substituted a walnut, and cracked it open. The bear, thinking it looked easy, tried again with more pebbles and failed.
Next, the tailor took out a fiddle and played a tune. The bear began to dance and enjoyed it immensely. "Is it hard to play?" asked the bear. "Child's play," said the tailor, demonstrating. "Could you teach me?" "Gladly," said the tailor, "but your claws are too long. Let me trim them." He fetched a vice, screwed the bear's paws into it, and said, "Wait for the scissors." Then he left the bear growling and went to sleep on some straw.
The princess, hearing the growls, assumed the bear had killed the tailor and was pleased. In the morning, she found the tailor safe and sound outside the stable. Bound by her public promise, she had to marry him.
As they rode to church in a carriage, the two jealous older tailors went and unscrewed the bear. Enraged, the bear chased the carriage. The princess cried out in terror. With great presence of mind, the tailor stood on his head, stuck his legs out the window, and shouted, "See this vice? Leave or I'll screw you back in!" The bear saw it, turned, and ran away.
The tailor proceeded calmly to the church, married the princess at the altar, and they lived happily ever after.
中文翻译
从前，有一位高傲的公主。任何前来求婚的人，她都会出一个谜语。如果猜不出，就会遭到嘲笑并被赶走。她宣布，无论身份如何，谁能猜中她的谜语，就可以娶她。
三个裁缝决定试试运气。两个年长的裁缝凭借精湛的缝纫手艺，自信能成功。第三个是个年轻的小伙子，看似马虎，手艺也不精，但指望能交好运。年长的裁缝劝他留在家里，但小裁缝决心已定，自信地出发了。
他们来到公主面前。公主问：“我头上有两种头发，它们是什么颜色？”
第一个猜道：“黑色和白色，像椒盐布。”公主说他错了。
第二个猜道：“棕色和红色，像我父亲的外套。”又错了。
小裁缝走上前说：“银色和金色。”公主脸色煞白，因为他猜对了。她原本确信没人能猜中。
恢复镇定后，她说：“这还不能让你娶我。首先，你必须和熊在兽棚里过一夜。如果明早你还活着，就可以娶我。”她想借此除掉他，因为从未有人从那只熊掌下生还。小裁缝毫不畏惧，欣然同意。
当晚，他被带到熊窝。熊扑了过来，但小裁缝镇定地从口袋里掏出核桃，用牙齿咬开，吃了果仁。熊也想要，小裁缝却给了它鹅卵石。熊怎么咬也咬不开。
“帮我咬开这些！”熊说。小裁缝接过鹅卵石，敏捷地换了一颗核桃，咬开了。熊觉得看起来很容易，又要了一些鹅卵石尝试，还是失败了。
接着，小裁缝拿出一把小提琴，拉了一支曲子。熊不由自主地跳起舞来，非常开心。“拉琴难吗？”熊问。“小菜一碟，”小裁缝一边演示一边说。“你能教我吗？”“乐意效劳，”小裁缝说，“但你的爪子太长了，我得修剪一下。”他拿来一把老虎钳，把熊掌拧进去夹紧，说：“等着，我去拿剪刀。”然后他留下咆哮的熊，自己躺在干草堆上睡着了。
公主听到熊的吼声，以为熊已经杀死了小裁缝，很是高兴。早上，她发现小裁缝安然无恙地站在兽棚外。由于有言在先，她不得不嫁给他。
当他们乘坐马车前往教堂时，那两个嫉妒的年长裁缝去拧开了老虎钳，放出了熊。暴怒的熊追赶马车。公主惊恐地大叫。小裁缝急中生智，倒立起来，把腿伸出窗外喊道：“看见这老虎钳了吗？再不滚开，我就把你再夹回去！”熊一看，转身逃跑了。
小裁缝从容地前往教堂，在圣坛前与公主成婚，从此过上了幸福的生活。