English Original
About a thousand years ago, there were many small kings in the land. One king, who lived on Keuterberg, loved to hunt.
One day, as he rode out with his huntsmen, three girls tending cows on the mountain saw him. The eldest pointed at the King and said to her sisters, "If I do not marry him, I will marry no one."
The second girl, from across the hill, pointed to the man on the King's right and cried, "If I do not get him, I will have no one!" That man was one of the King's ministers.
The King overheard them. Upon returning from the hunt, he summoned the three girls and asked what they had said. They remained silent, so the King asked the eldest if she would truly have him as her husband. She agreed, and they married. The two ministers married her sisters, for all three were beautiful, especially the Queen with her flaxen hair.
The Queen's sisters had no children. Once, when the King was away, he asked them to keep the Queen company, as she was expecting a child. She gave birth to a boy who was born with a bright red star.
Jealous, the sisters plotted to drown the baby. After throwing him into the river Weser, a little bird flew up and sang:
"To thy death art thou sped,
Until God's word be said.
In the white lily bloom,
Brave boy, is thy tomb."
Terrified, the sisters fled. When the King returned, they told him the Queen had given birth to a dog. The King said, "What God does is well done." Meanwhile, a fisherman who lived nearby rescued the baby and, having no children of his own, raised him as his son.
A year later, the King traveled again, and the Queen had a second son. The wicked sisters threw this child into the river as well. Again, a little bird sang the same song. The sisters told the King another lie, and again he accepted it. The fisherman rescued and raised this second boy too.
When the King next journeyed forth, the Queen had a daughter. The sisters threw the infant into the water. A little bird flew up and sang a similar verse for the "bonny girl." This time, they told the King his wife had borne a cat. Enraged, the King had the Queen imprisoned for many years.
Meanwhile, the children grew up. The eldest boy once went fishing with other boys, but they rejected him, calling him a "foundling." Distressed, he asked the old fisherman if this was true. The fisherman confessed he had found him in the water. Determined to find his father, the boy set out on a journey.
After many days, he came to a vast body of water where an old woman was fishing. He greeted her, and she replied, "You will search long before you find your father. How will you cross this water?" "God knows," he answered. The old woman carried him across on her back. He searched for a long time but could not find his father.
A year later, the second boy set out to find his brother. His journey mirrored his brother's: he met the same old woman, was carried across the water, and searched in vain.
Now only the daughter remained at home. Grieving for her brothers, she begged the fisherman to let her search for them. She too came to the great water and greeted the old woman politely, saying, "May God help you with your fishing." Pleased by her kindness, the old woman carried her across, gave her a wand, and gave her instructions:
"Follow this road. You will meet a great black dog. Pass it silently and bravely, without laughing or looking at it. You will then reach a great high castle. Drop the wand on the threshold, walk straight through the castle and out the other side. There, you will see an old fountain with a large tree growing from it. On the tree hangs a bird in a cage; take it down. Also, take a glass of water from the fountain. Return the same way, pick up the wand from the threshold, and when you pass the dog again, strike it in the face with the wand. Then come back to me."
The girl did everything as instructed. On her way back, she found her two brothers. Together, they returned to the black dog. She struck it with the wand, and it transformed into a handsome prince who joined them. The old woman, still waiting by the river, rejoiced to see them. She carried them all back across the water and then departed, finally freed from her own enchantment. The siblings returned to the fisherman's home, overjoyed to be reunited, and hung the caged bird on the wall.
The second son, restless at home, went hunting with his crossbow. Tired, he played his flute. The King, who was also hunting nearby, heard the music and approached. "Who gave you leave to hunt here?" demanded the King.
"No one," replied the youth.
"To whom do you belong, then?"
"I am the fisherman's son."
"But he has no children."
"If you do not believe me, come and see."
The King went with him and questioned the fisherman, who told the whole story. At that moment, the bird on the wall began to sing:
"The mother sits alone
There in the prison small,
O King of royal blood,
These are thy children all.
The sisters twain so false,
They wrought the children woe,
There in the waters deep
Where the fishermen come and go."
Everyone was astonished. The King took the bird, the fisherman, and the three children back to his castle. He ordered the prison opened and released his wife, who had grown ill and weak. Her daughter gave her the water from the fountain to drink, restoring her health and strength. The two false sisters were burned for their treachery, and the daughter married the prince who had been the enchanted dog.
中文翻译
大约一千年前，这片土地上有很多小国王。其中一位住在柯特伯格山上的国王酷爱打猎。
一天，他带着猎手们骑马外出时，三个在山坡上放牛的女孩看见了他。最大的女孩指着国王对妹妹们说：“如果我不能嫁给他，我就谁也不嫁。”
第二个女孩从山对面指着国王右边的人喊道：“如果我得不到他，我就谁也不嫁！”那人是国王的一位大臣。
国王无意中听到了。狩猎归来后，他召来三个女孩，问她们说了什么。她们沉默不语，于是国王问最大的女孩是否真的愿意嫁给他。她同意了，他们便结了婚。两位大臣娶了她的妹妹，因为三姐妹都很美丽，尤其是拥有一头亚麻色头发的王后。
王后的妹妹们没有孩子。一次，国王外出时，请她们去陪伴即将临产的王后。王后生下了一个男孩，出生时带着一颗明亮的红星。
出于嫉妒，姐妹俩密谋淹死这个婴儿。将他扔进威悉河后，一只小鸟飞起来唱道：
“你被推向死亡，
直到上帝之言被宣讲。
在白色的百合花中，
勇敢的男孩，是你的坟冢。”
姐妹俩惊恐万分，逃走了。国王回来后，她们告诉他王后生了一只狗。国王说：“上帝所为，皆为善举。”与此同时，住在附近的一位渔夫救起了婴儿，由于自己没有孩子，便将他抚养成人。
一年后，国王再次出行，王后又生了一个儿子。邪恶的姐妹把这个孩子也扔进了河里。同样，一只小鸟唱起了同样的歌。姐妹俩又对国王撒了谎，国王再次接受了。渔夫也救起并抚养了这第二个男孩。
国王下一次出行时，王后生了一个女儿。姐妹俩将这个女婴也扔进了水里。一只小鸟飞起来，为“漂亮的女孩”唱了类似的诗句。这次，她们告诉国王他的妻子生了一只猫。国王大怒，将王后囚禁了许多年。
与此同时，孩子们长大了。大儿子有一次和其他男孩一起去钓鱼，但他们排斥他，叫他“弃儿”。他很难过，问老渔夫这是不是真的。渔夫承认是在水里发现他的。男孩决心去寻找父亲，于是踏上了旅程。
走了许多天后，他来到一片广阔的水域，一个老妇人正在那里钓鱼。他向她问好，她回答说：“你要找很久才能找到你的父亲。你怎么渡过这片水呢？”“天知道，”他回答。老妇人把他背过了河。他寻找了很久，但没有找到父亲。
一年后，二儿子出发去找哥哥。他的旅程和哥哥一样：遇到了同一个老妇人，被背过河，徒劳地寻找。
现在家里只剩下女儿了。她为哥哥们悲伤，恳求渔夫让她去寻找他们。她也来到了那片大水边，礼貌地向老妇人问好，说：“愿上帝保佑您钓鱼顺利。”老妇人对她的善意感到高兴，把她背过河，给了她一根魔杖，并指示她：
“沿着这条路走。你会遇到一只大黑狗。默默地、勇敢地从它身边走过，不要笑也不要看它。然后你会到达一座高大的城堡。把魔杖丢在门槛上，径直穿过城堡，从另一头出去。在那里，你会看到一口古泉，泉边长着一棵大树。树上挂着一个鸟笼，里面有一只鸟；把它取下来。同时，从泉里取一杯水。原路返回，从门槛上捡起魔杖，当你再次经过那只狗时，用魔杖打它的脸。然后回到我这里来。”
女孩按照指示做了一切。在回来的路上，她找到了她的两个哥哥。他们一起回到黑狗那里。她用魔杖打了它，它变成了一位英俊的王子，加入了他们。老妇人仍在河边等待，见到他们非常高兴。她把他们都背过了河，然后离开了，终于从自己的魔法中解脱了。兄妹们回到了渔夫的家，为团聚而欣喜，并把那只笼中鸟挂在了墙上。
二儿子在家待不住，拿着弩箭出去打猎。累了，他就吹起笛子。国王当时也在附近打猎，听到了音乐声便走了过来。“谁允许你在这里打猎？”国王质问道。
“没人允许，”年轻人回答。
“那你属于谁家？”
“我是渔夫的儿子。”
“但他没有孩子。”
“如果您不相信，就跟我来看看。”
国王跟他去了，并询问了渔夫，渔夫讲述了整个故事。就在这时，墙上的鸟开始歌唱：
“母亲独坐牢房，
在那狭小的地方，
哦，尊贵的国王，
这些都是你的儿郎。
那对虚伪的姐妹，
给孩子们带来悲伤，
在那深深的水底，
渔夫们来来往往。”
所有人都震惊了。国王带着鸟、渔夫和三个孩子回到了城堡。他下令打开牢房，释放了已病弱不堪的妻子。她的女儿给她喝了从泉中取来的水，使她恢复了健康和力气。那两个虚伪的姐妹因她们的奸诈被烧死，女儿则嫁给了那位曾被魔法变成狗的王子。