English Original
Once upon a time, there was a man with twelve sons. The eleven eldest were big and strong, but the twelfth, Esben, was small and stayed home with his mother, making him an outcast among his brothers.
When the eleven grew up, they decided to seek their fortune. Their father gave them fine white horses and money, and they rode away without a word to Esben. Undeterred, Esben fashioned a white stick from a branch and followed them.
The brothers came to a house in a great forest, where an old, bearded hag offered them shelter and each one of her daughters for the night. Esben, who had followed secretly, warned his brothers to swap nightcaps with the daughters. At midnight, the witch, unable to see in the dark, beheaded the sleepers wearing the men's nightcaps—her own daughters. Esben woke his brothers, and they fled, forgetting to thank him.
They found work as stablemen at a king's palace, while Esben arrived later and was largely ignored. A wicked knight named Sir Red, angered by the brothers, falsely told the king they could procure marvelous treasures: a dove with alternating gold and silver feathers, a boar with alternating gold and silver bristles, a lamp that could shine over seven kingdoms, and finally, a beautiful coverlet that sounded over eight kingdoms when touched. Each time, the king threatened the brothers with death if they failed.
Each time, Esben came to their rescue. Using his magic stick and clever tricks—peas for the dove, malt for the boar, salt to trick the witch's daughter into fetching the lamp, and finally outwitting the witch and her last daughter to steal the coverlet—he obtained each treasure. The witch chased him each time, shouting accusations, to which Esben cheerfully admitted, "Ye--e--s!"
After securing the final treasure, the witch exploded into flint stones in her fury. Esben returned to the palace just in time to save his brothers from execution. He revealed Sir Red's treachery. The knight was hanged, and the brothers were freed, finally thanking Esben. They all returned home rich to their overjoyed father, and Esben was no longer an outcast.
中文翻译
从前，一个人有十二个儿子。十一个年长的儿子高大强壮，但第十二个儿子埃斯本身材矮小，喜欢和母亲待在家里，因此被兄弟们排斥。
十一个兄弟长大后决定外出闯荡。父亲给了他们骏马和钱财，他们骑马离去，甚至没和埃斯本道别。埃斯本不为所动，用树枝做了一根白色的棍子，跟了上去。
兄弟们来到森林深处的一所房子，一个长胡子的丑老太婆收留了他们过夜，并让她的女儿们陪宿。悄悄跟来的埃斯本警告兄弟们和那些女儿互换睡帽。午夜，女巫在黑暗中摸索，砍下了戴着男人睡帽的睡眠者的头——正是她自己的女儿们。埃斯本叫醒兄弟们，他们仓皇逃走，却忘了感谢他。
他们在国王的宫殿里找到了马夫的工作，而稍后抵达的埃斯本则备受冷落。一个名叫红爵士的邪恶骑士对兄弟们怀恨在心，向国王谎称他们能弄到奇珍异宝：一只有着金羽银羽交替的鸽子、一头有着金鬃银鬃交替的野猪、一盏能照亮七个王国的灯，以及最后一条触碰时会响彻八个王国的华丽毯子。每次，国王都威胁兄弟们，若失败便处死他们。
每次，埃斯本都来解救他们。他利用魔法棍和巧计——用豌豆引鸽子，用麦芽引野猪，用盐骗女巫的女儿去取灯，最后智取女巫和她最后一个女儿偷得毯子——成功获得了每件宝物。女巫每次都追赶他，大声责问，埃斯本总是愉快地承认：“是——的！”
拿到最后一件宝物后，女巫暴怒之下炸裂成了燧石。埃斯本及时返回宫殿，将兄弟们从死刑中救出。他揭露了红爵士的奸计。骑士被绞死，兄弟们获释，终于感谢了埃斯本。他们带着财富回到欣喜若狂的父亲身边，埃斯本也不再是被排斥的对象。