English Original
Once upon a time, a miller had a beautiful daughter. When she came of age, he wished for her to be well married. A suitor who appeared rich and respectable soon came asking for her hand. The miller, finding no fault with him, promised his daughter to him.
However, the girl felt a deep sense of horror whenever she saw or thought of her bridegroom. One day, he asked why she had never visited his house, which he said was in the dark woods. She made excuses, but he insisted she come the following Sunday, promising to mark a trail of ashes through the forest.
Frightened yet determined, the girl set out on Sunday. She filled her pockets with peas and lentils. Following the ash trail into the woods, she dropped peas and lentils along the way. After walking all day, she reached a solitary, sinister house in the darkest part of the forest.
Inside, a voice cried out from a caged bird on the wall: "Turn back, turn back, you young bride. You are in a murderer's house." Ignoring the warning, she explored the empty house until she found an old woman in the cellar.
"Oh, poor child," the old woman said. "You are in a murderer's den. They intend to chop you to pieces, cook you, and eat you. If I don't save you, you are doomed." She hid the girl behind a large barrel.
Soon, the robbers returned, dragging another maiden. They paid no heed to her screams, forced her to drink three glasses of wine (white, red, and yellow), and then killed her. The hidden bride trembled with fear.
One robber noticed a gold ring on the dead girl's finger. He chopped off the finger to get it, and the finger flew through the air, landing in the hidden bride's lap. The robbers searched but could not find it, and the old woman persuaded them to eat their supper instead, secretly drugging their wine.
When the robbers fell into a deep sleep, the girl and the old woman crept out, stepping over the sleepers. The ash trail was gone, but the peas and lentils had sprouted, guiding them by moonlight back to the mill by morning. The girl told her father everything.
On the wedding day, as guests were asked to tell stories, the bridegroom prompted the silent bride. She replied, "I will tell you a dream." She then recounted her entire harrowing experience in the woods as if it were a dream, concluding by producing the severed finger with the ring.
The robber bridegroom, pale as chalk, tried to flee but was seized by the guests. He and his band were turned over to the courts and executed for their shameful deeds.
中文翻译
从前，一位磨坊主有个美丽的女儿。女儿成年后，他希望她能嫁个好人家。不久，一个看似富有、举止得体的求婚者前来提亲。磨坊主对他很满意，便将女儿许配给了他。
然而，这位姑娘每次见到或想到她的新郎，内心都充满恐惧。一天，新郎问她为何从未拜访过他的家，他说他的房子在黑暗的森林里。姑娘找借口推脱，但新郎坚持要她下周日来访，并承诺会在森林里撒一条灰烬小路作为指引。
姑娘虽然害怕，周日还是出发了。她在口袋里装满了豌豆和小扁豆。她沿着灰烬小路走进森林，边走边在路旁撒下豆子。走了一整天，她来到了森林最深处一幢孤零零、阴森森的屋子前。
进屋后，墙上鸟笼里的一只鸟叫道：“转回去，美丽的新娘！你是在一个凶手的屋里。”姑娘没有理会警告，探索了空无一人的房子，最后在地下室找到一位老太婆。
“唉，可怜的孩子，”老太婆说，“你落入了杀人魔窟。他们打算把你剁成碎块，煮熟吃掉。如果我不救你，你就死定了。”她把姑娘藏在一个大木桶后面。
很快，强盗们回来了，还拖着一个少女。他们无视她的哭喊，逼她喝下三杯酒（白的、红的、黄的），然后杀害了她。藏着的姑娘吓得浑身发抖。
一个强盗注意到死者手指上有枚金戒指。他砍下手指取戒指，手指飞过空中，正好落在藏身新娘的裙摆上。强盗们寻找未果，老太婆劝他们先吃晚饭，并悄悄在他们的酒里下了安眠药。
强盗们沉睡后，姑娘和老太婆蹑手蹑脚地跨过他们逃了出来。灰烬小路已被风吹散，但撒下的豌豆和小扁豆已经发芽，在月光下为她们指引方向。第二天早晨，她们回到了磨坊。姑娘把一切告诉了父亲。
婚礼当天，宾客们被要求讲故事。新郎见新娘沉默，便催促她。新娘答道：“我给大家讲一个我做过的梦吧。”接着，她将森林里的恐怖经历当作梦境娓娓道来，最后拿出了那截戴着戒指的手指。
强盗新郎听后脸色惨白，企图逃跑，但被宾客们抓住。他和他的同伙被送交法庭，因其可耻的罪行被处决。