English Original
Harry was so lazy that although his only daily task was to drive his goat out to graze, he would still sigh heavily upon returning home each evening. "What a weary job," he'd complain. "A terrible burden, year after year! If only I could nap while she feeds. But no, I must keep watch or she'll damage trees, squeeze through a hedge, or run away. What a life! No peace, no relaxation."
He sat down to think of a way to rid himself of this burden. After much pondering, a solution dawned on him. "I know! I'll marry Fat Katie. She has a goat too, so she can take mine out with hers, and I won't have to wear myself out like this."
Harry got up and walked across the street to where Fat Katie's parents lived. He asked for the hand of their hard-working, virtuous daughter. Her parents agreed without hesitation, saying, "Like to like makes a good match." So, Fat Katie became Harry's wife and took both goats out to graze. Harry now spent his days pleasantly, recovering from nothing more strenuous than his own idleness. He only went out with her occasionally, remarking, "I do this just to appreciate my rest more afterwards."
But Fat Katie was no less idle than Harry. "Harry dear," she said one day, "why make our lives miserable and spoil our youth? The goats wake us with their bleating every morning. Why not give them to our neighbor in exchange for a beehive? We can place it behind the house in the sun and leave it alone. Bees don't need minding; they fly out, find their way home, and make honey without us lifting a finger."
"You're very sensible," Harry replied. "Let's do it right away. Honey is tastier and healthier than goat's milk, and it keeps longer."
The neighbor gladly exchanged a beehive for the two goats. The bees worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk, filling the hive with fine honey. By autumn, Harry had collected a whole jar.
They placed the jar on a shelf fixed to the wall above their bed. Fearing theft or mice, Katie fetched a sturdy hazel rod and put it by the bed so she could reach it without getting up to drive away unwelcome visitors.
Lazy Harry never rose before midday. "Too soon out of bed and you'll soon be dead," he'd say. One morning, as he lounged in bed in broad daylight, he said to his wife, "Women have a sweet tooth, and you've been at the honey again. Before you eat it all, let's trade it for a goose and a gander."
"Not until we have a child to mind them!" replied Fat Katie. "I don't want to be bothered with goslings, needlessly wearing myself out."
"And do you think a boy would look after geese?" said Harry. "Children nowadays don't obey; they do as they please, thinking they're cleverer than their parents, like that farmhand sent to fetch a cow who chased three blackbirds instead."
"Well then," Katie answered, "this one had better obey, or I'll take a stick to him and tan his hide! Watch me, Harry!" In her excitement, she seized the stick meant for the mice. "Watch me beat his backside off!"
She lifted the stick but accidentally struck the honey jar above the bed. The jar hit the wall and shattered into smithereens, spilling all the fine honey onto the floor.
"Well, so much for the goose and gander," said Harry. "We won't have to mind them now. It's lucky the jar didn't fall on my head; we have every reason to be content with our lot." Seeing some honey left in a fragment, he picked it up cheerfully. "Wife, let's enjoy what's left and rest after our fright. What does it matter if we get up later? The day is still long enough."
"Oh yes," answered Katie. "Better late than never. You know the snail invited to the wedding? It set out and arrived in time for the christening. Just outside the house, it fell from a fence and said, 'More haste, less speed.'"
中文翻译
哈里非常懒惰，尽管他每天唯一的任务就是把山羊赶出去吃草，但每晚回家时还是会重重地叹气。“这活儿真累人，”他抱怨道，“年复一年，真是个可怕的负担！要是她吃草时我能打个盹就好了。但不行，我必须看着，不然她会损坏小树、挤过树篱跑到别人花园里，甚至彻底跑掉。这是什么日子！不得安宁，不得放松。”
他坐下来，想找个办法卸下这个负担。苦思良久，他终于想到了一个办法。“我知道了！我要娶胖凯蒂。她也有一只山羊，这样她就可以把我的山羊和她的山羊一起赶出去，我就不用再这样把自己累垮了。”
哈里起身，走过街道，来到胖凯蒂父母家。他请求娶他们勤劳、善良的女儿。她的父母毫不犹豫地同意了，说：“物以类聚，好姻缘。”于是，胖凯蒂成了哈里的妻子，负责把两只山羊都赶出去吃草。哈里现在日子过得很惬意，除了自己的懒惰，没什么更费劲的事需要恢复。他只是偶尔和她一起出去，并说：“我这么做只是为了之后更能享受我的休息。”
但胖凯蒂和哈里一样懒惰。“亲爱的哈里，”一天她说，“为什么要这样不必要地让我们的生活痛苦，糟蹋我们最好的青春年华？那两只山羊每天早上咩咩叫，把我们从最好的晨睡中吵醒。不如把它们都给邻居，换一个蜂箱？我们可以把蜂箱放在房子后面阳光充足的地方，然后就不用管了。蜜蜂不需要照看；它们飞出去，自己找到回家的路，酿蜜，我们一根手指都不用动。”
“你很明智，”哈里回答，“我们马上照办。蜂蜜比羊奶更美味、更健康，而且保存时间更长。”
邻居很高兴地用蜂箱换了两只山羊。蜜蜂从早到晚不知疲倦地工作，把蜂巢装满了上好的蜂蜜。到了秋天，哈里收集了整整一罐。
他们把罐子放在固定在床上方墙上的架子上。担心被偷或老鼠光顾，凯蒂拿来一根结实的榛木棍放在床边，这样她不用起床就能伸手拿到它，赶走不速之客。
懒惰的哈里从不在中午前起床。“起床太早，死得也早，”他常说。一天早上，阳光明媚，他还懒洋洋地躺在床上，对妻子说：“女人爱吃甜食，你又偷吃蜂蜜了。在你吃完之前，我们最好用它换一只母鹅和一只公鹅。”
“等我们有了孩子照看它们再说！”胖凯蒂回答，“我可不想被小鹅烦扰，不必要地耗尽我的力气。”
“你以为男孩会照看鹅吗？”哈里说，“现在的孩子不听话；他们随心所欲，以为自己比父母聪明，就像那个被派去牵牛却追起三只画眉的雇工一样。”
“那么，”凯蒂回答，“这个孩子最好听话，不然我就拿棍子揍他，好好教训他一顿！看着，哈里！”她激动地抓起那根用来赶老鼠的棍子。“看我怎么打烂他的屁股！”
她举起棍子，却不小心打到了床上方的蜂蜜罐。罐子撞到墙上，摔得粉碎，所有上好的蜂蜜都洒到了地板上。
“好了，母鹅和公鹅的事就算了，”哈里说，“我们现在不用照看它们了。幸好罐子没砸到我头上；我们完全有理由满足于现状。”看到一块碎片里还剩下一些蜂蜜，他高兴地捡起来。“老婆，我们把剩下的这点享受了吧，受了惊吓后休息一下。晚点起床有什么关系？白天还长着呢。”
“哦，是的，”凯蒂回答，“迟做总比不做好。你知道那个被邀请参加婚礼的蜗牛吗？它出发了，结果及时赶上了洗礼。就在房子外面，它从篱笆顶上掉下来，自言自语说：‘欲速则不达。’”