English Original
There was once a soldier who had served the King faithfully for many years. When the war ended, he could no longer serve due to his many wounds. The King dismissed him, saying, "You may return home. I need you no longer, and you will receive no more money, for only those who serve me earn wages."
The soldier, troubled and unsure how to earn a living, walked all day until he entered a forest at nightfall. Seeing a light, he approached a house where a witch lived. "Please give me a night's lodging and a little food and drink," he begged, "or I shall starve."
"Who gives anything to a runaway soldier?" she replied. "Yet I will be compassionate and take you in, if you do what I wish." She asked him to dig her entire garden the next day. The soldier agreed and labored hard but could not finish by evening.
The witch then asked him to stay another night and chop wood for her the following day. After he completed that task, she proposed he stay one more night for a "trifling" job: to retrieve her blue light from an old dry well behind her house, which burned with a永不熄灭的蓝光.
The next day, she lowered him into the well in a basket. He found the blue light and signaled to be pulled up. As he neared the top, she tried to snatch the light from him. "No," he said, seeing her evil intent, "I will not give you the light until I stand with both feet on the ground." Enraged, the witch let him fall back into the well and left him there.
The soldier landed unharmed on the moist ground. Despairing, he lit his tobacco pipe from the blue light. As smoke filled the cavern, a little black dwarf appeared and said, "Lord, what are your commands?" Astonished, the soldier learned the dwarf must obey him. His first command was to be helped out of the well.
The dwarf led him through an underground passage, showing him treasures the witch had hidden. The soldier took as much gold as he could carry. Once above ground, he ordered the dwarf to bind the witch and take her before a judge. Soon, she was seen riding away on a wild tom-cat with frightful cries. The dwarf returned, reporting the witch was hanged.
The soldier returned to town, bought fine clothes, and rented a handsome room. Summoning the dwarf, he sought revenge on the King who had abandoned him. He ordered the dwarf to bring the sleeping princess to his room each night to work as a servant. The dwarf warned it was dangerous but obeyed.
At midnight, the princess was brought. The soldier made her sweep his chamber, pull off his boots, and clean them, throwing them in her face. She obeyed silently until the first cock crow, when the dwarf returned her to her bed.
The next morning, the princess told her father of her strange dream of being forced into servitude. The King suspected it was true and advised her to fill her pocket with peas with a hole in it, so they would leave a trail if she were taken again.
The dwarf, overhearing the plan, scattered peas in every street beforehand. That night, when peas fell from the princess's pocket, they created no unique trail, as poor children were found picking them up everywhere the next morning.
The King then advised his daughter to hide one of her shoes at the soldier's place. The dwarf warned the soldier, but the soldier insisted on proceeding. The princess hid her shoe under the bed. The next day, the shoe was found, and the soldier was captured and thrown into prison, having forgotten his blue light and gold in his flight.
From his dungeon window, the soldier saw an old comrade. He paid him a ducat to fetch a small bundle from the inn, which contained his pipe. Alone again, he lit his pipe with the blue light and summoned the dwarf. "Have no fear," said the dwarf. "Take the blue light with you wherever they take you."
The next day, the soldier was unjustly condemned to death. As he was led to his execution, he begged the King for a last wish: to smoke one more pipe. The King granted him three, thinking it would not save him.
The soldier lit his pipe with the blue light. The dwarf appeared instantly. "Strike down the false judge and his constable," commanded the soldier, "and spare not the King who treated me so ill." The dwarf, swift as lightning, struck down all who opposed him with his cudgel.
Terrified, the King begged for mercy. To save his life, he gave the soldier his kingdom and the princess's hand in marriage.
中文翻译
从前，有一位士兵为国王忠实地效力多年。战争结束后，他因身负多处创伤而无法继续服役。国王遣散了他，说道：“你可以回家了。我不再需要你，你也不会再得到任何报酬，因为只有为我效力的人才能领到薪水。”
士兵忧心忡忡，不知如何谋生，走了一整天，直到夜幕降临时进入一片森林。看到一点光亮，他走近一座房子，里面住着一个女巫。“请给我一夜的住宿和一点吃喝吧，”他恳求道，“否则我会饿死的。”
“谁会施舍东西给一个逃兵？”她回答。“不过我会发发善心收留你，如果你按我的要求做。”她要求他第二天为她挖完整个花园。士兵同意了，辛苦劳作，但到晚上也没干完。
女巫于是让他再住一晚，第二天为她劈柴。他完成这个任务后，她又提议他再住一晚，完成一件“微不足道”的工作：从她屋后一口古老的枯井里取回她的蓝光，那蓝光永不熄灭。
第二天，她用篮子把他降到井里。他找到了蓝光，发出信号让她拉他上去。当他快到井口时，她试图夺走蓝光。“不，”他看穿了她的恶意，说道，“等我双脚稳稳站在地上，我才会把光给你。”女巫勃然大怒，把他扔回井底，然后离开了。
士兵掉在潮湿的地面上，没有受伤。绝望中，他用蓝光点燃了他的烟斗。当烟雾弥漫洞穴时，一个黑色的小矮人出现了，说道：“主人，您有何吩咐？”士兵惊讶地得知矮人必须服从他。他的第一个命令是帮他离开这口井。
矮人领着他穿过一条地下通道，给他看了女巫藏匿的财宝。士兵拿了他能携带的所有金子。回到地面后，他命令矮人绑住女巫，把她带到法官面前。很快，有人看见她骑着一只野公猫尖叫着跑掉了。矮人回来报告说女巫已被绞死。
士兵回到镇上，买了华丽的衣服，租了一间漂亮的房间。他召唤出矮人，要向抛弃他的国王复仇。他命令矮人每晚将睡梦中的公主带到他的房间，让她像仆人一样干活。矮人警告说这很危险，但还是服从了。
午夜时分，公主被带来了。士兵让她打扫房间，为他脱靴并擦亮，还把靴子扔到她脸上。她默默地服从，直到第一声鸡鸣，矮人才将她送回她的床上。
第二天早上，公主告诉父亲她做了一个奇怪的梦，梦见自己被强迫去当仆人。国王怀疑这是真的，建议她在口袋里装满豌豆，并在口袋上戳个小洞，这样如果她再被带走，豌豆就会留下痕迹。
矮人偷听到了这个计划，事先在每条街上都撒了豌豆。那天晚上，当豌豆从公主口袋里掉出来时，并没有形成独特的痕迹，因为第二天早上到处都有穷孩子在捡豌豆。
国王于是建议女儿把一只鞋藏在士兵那里。矮人警告了士兵，但士兵坚持继续。公主把鞋藏在了床下。第二天，鞋子被找到了，士兵被捕入狱，他在逃跑时忘记带上他的蓝光和金子。
从地牢的窗户，士兵看到了一位老战友。他付给他一枚金币，让他去客栈取回一个小包裹，里面装着他的烟斗。再次独处时，他用蓝光点燃烟斗，召唤出矮人。“别害怕，”矮人说，“无论他们带你去哪里，都要带上蓝光。”
第二天，士兵被不公正地判处死刑。当他被押赴刑场时，他向国王乞求最后一个愿望：再抽一斗烟。国王准许他抽三斗，认为这救不了他。
士兵用蓝光点燃了烟斗。矮人瞬间出现。“打倒那个昏官和他的法警，”士兵命令道，“也不要放过那个亏待我的国王。”矮人快如闪电，用他的短棍击倒了所有反对者。
国王吓坏了，乞求宽恕。为了活命，他把自己的王国和公主都许配给了士兵。