English Original
Once, a forester went into the forest to hunt. As he entered, he heard a sound like a child screaming. He followed the sound to a tall tree, where a little child sat at the top. The child's mother had fallen asleep under the tree, and a bird of prey had snatched the baby from her arms and placed it high up in the tree.
The forester climbed the tree, brought the child down, and decided, "I will take him home and raise him with my Lina." He did so, and the two children grew up together. The foundling was named Fundevogel, which means "foundling bird," because a bird had carried him away. Fundevogel and Lina loved each other dearly and were sad when apart.
The forester had an old cook. One evening, Lina saw the cook fetching many pails of water from the spring. "Old Sanna," Lina asked, "why are you fetching so much water?"
"If you promise never to tell anyone, I will tell you," replied the cook.
Lina promised, and the cook revealed her plan: "Early tomorrow, when the forester is hunting, I will boil water in the kettle and throw Fundevogel in to boil him."
The next morning, after the forester left, Lina told Fundevogel everything. "If you never leave me, I will never leave you," she vowed.
"Neither now nor ever will I leave you," Fundevogel promised.
Hearing this, Lina shared the cook's plan. The two children quickly dressed and ran away together.
When the cook went to fetch Fundevogel, she found the beds empty. Alarmed, she sent three servants to chase the children and bring them back.
The children, sitting outside the forest, saw the servants approaching. Lina again said, "Never leave me, and I will never leave you."
Fundevogel replied, "Neither now nor ever."
"Then," said Lina, "become a rose-tree, and I will be the rose upon it."
Instantly, they transformed. The servants found only a rose-tree with a single rose and returned empty-handed. The furious cook scolded them, "You should have cut the bush and brought the rose! Go back and do it!"
The servants went out again. Seeing them approach, the children repeated their vow.
"Become a church," said Lina, "and I'll be the chandelier inside."
They transformed again. The servants found only a church with a chandelier and went home. The cook was angrier still. "Fools! You should have torn down the church and brought the chandelier!" she cried, deciding to join the pursuit herself.
The children saw the three servants and the cook waddling behind. Once more, they pledged their loyalty to each other.
"Be a fishpond," said Lina, "and I will be the duck upon it."
When the cook arrived, she saw the pond and lay down to drink it dry. But the duck swiftly swam to her, seized her head with its beak, and dragged her into the water, where the old woman drowned.
The children returned home together, overjoyed. And if they have not died, they are living still.
中文翻译
从前，一位护林人进入森林打猎。刚进去，他就听到一阵像孩子尖叫的声音。他循声来到一棵高树下，发现一个小孩子正坐在树顶。孩子的母亲在树下睡着了，一只猛禽从她怀中夺走了婴儿，把它放在了高高的树上。
护林人爬上树，把孩子救了下来，并决定：“我要带他回家，让他和我的莉娜一起长大。”他照做了，两个孩子一起长大。这个弃儿被取名为芬德福格尔，意为“弃儿鸟”，因为他曾被一只鸟带走。芬德福格尔和莉娜彼此深爱，分开时便感到悲伤。
护林人有一位老厨娘。一天傍晚，莉娜看见厨娘从泉边打回很多桶水。“老桑娜，”莉娜问，“你为什么打这么多水？”
“如果你保证不告诉任何人，我就告诉你。”厨娘回答。
莉娜答应了，厨娘便说出了她的计划：“明天一早，等护林人出去打猎，我会把水壶里的水烧开，然后把芬德福格尔扔进去煮了。”
第二天早上，护林人离开后，莉娜把一切都告诉了芬德福格尔。“如果你永不离开我，我也永不离开你。”她发誓道。
“无论现在还是将来，我都不会离开你。”芬德福格尔承诺。
听到这里，莉娜说出了厨娘的计划。两个孩子迅速穿好衣服，一起逃走了。
厨娘去抓芬德福格尔时，发现床是空的。她惊慌失措，派了三个仆人去追赶孩子，要把他们带回来。
孩子们坐在森林外，看到仆人追来。莉娜再次说：“永不离开我，我也永不离开你。”
芬德福格尔回答：“无论现在还是将来。”
“那么，”莉娜说，“你变成一棵玫瑰树，我就做树上的那朵玫瑰。”
瞬间，他们完成了变身。仆人们只找到一棵带有一朵玫瑰的玫瑰树，空手而归。愤怒的厨娘责骂他们：“你们应该砍断灌木，把玫瑰带回来！再去，照做！”
仆人们再次出发。看到他们逼近，孩子们重复了他们的誓言。
“变成一座教堂，”莉娜说，“我就做里面的枝形吊灯。”
他们再次变身。仆人们只找到一座里面有吊灯的教堂，只好回家。厨娘更加愤怒了。“蠢货！你们应该拆了教堂，把吊灯带回来！”她喊道，决定亲自加入追捕。
孩子们看到三个仆人和蹒跚跟在后面的厨娘。他们又一次彼此宣誓忠诚。
“变成一个池塘，”莉娜说，“我就做池塘上的鸭子。”
厨娘赶到后，看到池塘便趴下来想喝干它。但鸭子迅速游向她，用喙咬住她的头，把她拖入水中，老厨娘就这样淹死了。
孩子们一起高兴地回家了。如果他们还没有去世，那么至今仍活着。