English Original
Three army-surgeons, confident in their skill, were traveling the world. They stopped at an inn for the night.
The innkeeper asked about their journey. "We roam the world and practice our art," they replied. "Show me what you can do," challenged the host. The first boasted he could cut off his hand and reattach it by morning. The second claimed he could tear out his heart and replace it. The third said he could remove his eyes and heal them. "If you can do that," said the innkeeper, "you have learned everything."
They possessed a special salve that could join parts together, carried in a small bottle. As promised, they cut off the hand, heart, and eyes, placed them on a plate, and gave it to the innkeeper.
The innkeeper entrusted the plate to a maid, instructing her to lock it safely in a cupboard. The maid, however, had a secret lover—a soldier. That night, after everyone was asleep, the soldier came seeking food. The maid opened the cupboard, fetched him a meal, but in her distraction, forgot to close the door. As they sat chatting contentedly, a cat crept in, stole the surgeons' organs from the open cupboard, and ran off.
When the soldier finished eating and the maid went to clear up, she discovered the empty plate. In panic, she cried to her lover, "Woe is me! The hand, heart, and eyes are gone! What will become of me in the morning?"
"Be calm," said the soldier. "I will help you. A thief hangs on the gallows outside. I will cut off his hand. Which one was it?" "The right one," she said. He took a sharp knife, cut off the thief's right hand, and brought it to her.
Next, he caught the cat and gouged out its eyes. Only the heart remained missing. "Have you not been slaughtering? Are there not dead pigs in the cellar?" he asked. "Yes," she replied. "Good," he said, and fetched a pig's heart. The maid arranged all the replacements on the plate, returned it to the cupboard, and after her lover left, went quietly to bed.
In the morning, the surgeons demanded their plate. The maid brought it, and the first attached the thief's hand with his salve, and it fused instantly. The second inserted the cat's eyes into his sockets. The third placed the pig's heart firmly in his chest. The innkeeper watched in awe, praising their skill and vowing to recommend them. The surgeons paid their bill and continued their journey.
On the road, strange behaviors emerged. The one with the pig's heart kept running to corners, rooting in the dirt like a pig. The others could not restrain him. The one with the cat's eyes rubbed his eyes and complained, "Comrades, what is wrong? I cannot see. Lead me, lest I fall." They struggled on until evening, reaching another inn.
In the bar, a rich man sat counting money. The surgeon with the thief's hand circled him, twitched his arm, and when the man looked away, snatched a handful of coins. A comrade scolded him, "You must not steal!" "Alas," he replied, "my hand twitches, and I am forced to snatch things against my will."
Later that night, in pitch darkness, the one with the cat's eyes awoke the others. "Brothers, look! Do you see the white mice scurrying about?" The other two saw nothing. He concluded, "Things are not right. We did not get back what is ours. The innkeeper deceived us."
The next morning, they returned and confronted the innkeeper. They explained: the first had a thief's hand, the second cat's eyes, and the third a pig's heart. The innkeeper blamed the maid, but she had fled out the back door upon seeing them return. The surgeons demanded a large sum of money as compensation, threatening to burn down the inn. The innkeeper gave them all he had and could gather. It was enough for them to live on for the rest of their lives, but they would have much preferred to have their own proper organs.
中文翻译
三个对自己的医术极为自信的军医周游世界。他们在一家旅店投宿过夜。
店主询问他们的来去。"我们漫游世界，行医济世，"他们回答。"让我见识一下你们的本事，"店主提议。第一个吹嘘他能砍下自己的手，并在清晨接回去。第二个声称他能掏出自己的心脏并替换。第三个说他能挖出眼睛并治愈。"如果你们能做到，"店主说，"那你们就学成出师了。"
他们有一种特殊的药膏，能使分离的肢体接合，装在一个随身携带的小瓶里。正如所言，他们切下了手、心脏和眼睛，放在一个盘子里，交给了店主。
店主将盘子交给一个女仆，吩咐她锁进橱柜妥善保管。然而，女仆有个秘密情人——一个士兵。当晚，众人熟睡后，士兵来找吃的。女仆打开橱柜，给他拿了食物，却因分心忘了关门。他们坐在桌边惬意地聊天时，一只猫溜了进来，从敞开的橱柜里偷走了军医们的器官，跑掉了。
士兵吃完，女仆收拾时，发现盘子空了。她惊慌地对情人哭诉："我真倒霉！手、心脏和眼睛都不见了！早上我可怎么办？"
"别慌，"士兵说，"我来帮你。外面绞架上吊着个贼。我去砍下他的手。是哪只手？""右手，"她说。他拿了把利刀，砍下贼的右手，带了回来。
接着，他抓住猫，挖出了它的眼睛。只剩心脏还缺。"你们不是刚宰过猪吗？地窖里没有死猪吗？"他问。"有，"她答。"很好，"他说着，下去取了一颗猪心。女仆将所有这些替代品摆回盘子，放回橱柜。情人离开后，她便悄悄上床睡了。
早上，军医们索要他们的盘子。女仆端来后，第一个用他的药膏接上了贼手，瞬间就长好了。第二个把猫眼装进了自己的眼眶。第三个将猪心牢牢放入自己胸膛。店主在一旁看得目瞪口呆，盛赞其技艺，并说要向所有人推荐他们。军医们付了账，继续上路。
路上，怪事开始发生。装了猪心的那位根本待不住，一有角落就跑过去，像猪一样用鼻子拱土。其他人拉也拉不住。装了猫眼的那位揉着眼睛抱怨："兄弟们，怎么回事？我完全看不见了。谁来领着我，免得我摔倒。"他们艰难前行直至傍晚，到了另一家旅店。
在酒吧里，一个富人坐在角落数钱。装了贼手的那位军医围着他转，手臂抽搐了两下，趁那人转头时，猛地从钱堆里抓了一把。一个同伴责备他："你不该偷窃！真丢人！""唉，"他回道，"可我怎么控制得住？我的手自己抽动，不管我愿不愿意，都会去抓东西。"
后来夜深人静，一片漆黑中，装了猫眼的那位叫醒了其他人。"兄弟们，快看！你们看见那里跑动的白老鼠了吗？"另外两人什么也没看见。他断定："事情不对劲。我们没拿回属于自己的东西。那个店主骗了我们。"
第二天一早，他们返回旅店质问店主。他们说明：第一个得了贼手，第二个得了猫眼，第三个得了猪心。店主归咎于女仆，但她一看见他们回来，就从后门逃跑了。军医们索要一大笔钱作为赔偿，否则就烧掉旅店。店主倾其所有，又东拼西凑，把钱都给了他们。这笔钱够他们余生享用，但他们宁愿换回自己原来的器官。