English Original
A certain tailor, great at boasting but poor at doing, decided to travel the world. He left his workshop and wandered far and wide.
Once, he saw in the distance a steep hill, and behind it, a tower reaching to the clouds from a dark forest. "Thunder and lightning!" cried the tailor. Driven by curiosity, he approached boldly. To his astonishment, the tower had legs! It leaped over the hill and stood before him as a powerful giant.
"What do you want here, you tiny fly's leg?" thundered the giant.
"I wish to look about and see if I can earn my bread in this forest," whimpered the tailor.
"If that is your aim," said the giant, "you may work for me."
"What wages shall I receive?"
"You shall hear. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, and in leap year, one more. Does that suit you?"
"All right," replied the tailor, thinking to himself, "I must adapt to circumstances; I will try to escape as soon as I can."
Then the giant said, "Go, little ragamuffin, and fetch me a jug of water."
"Had I not better bring the well itself, and the spring too?" boasted the tailor, as he went with the pitcher.
"What! The well and the spring too?" growled the giant into his beard. He was rather simple and began to fear. "That knave is no fool; he has a wizard in him. Be on your guard, old Hans, this is no ordinary servant."
When the tailor returned with water, the giant ordered him to cut a couple of blocks of wood.
"Why not the whole forest at once, with one stroke? Young and old, rough and smooth?" asked the little tailor.
"What! The whole forest... and the well and spring too?" muttered the credulous giant, now more terrified. "He can do more than bake apples! Be on your guard, old Hans!"
After the wood was brought, the giant commanded him to shoot two or three wild boars for supper.
"Why not a thousand at one shot?" inquired the ostentatious tailor.
"What!" cried the timid giant in great terror. "Let it be for tonight. Go and rest."
The giant was so alarmed he lay awake all night, plotting how to rid himself of this accursed sorcerer. Time brings counsel. The next morning, they went to a marsh surrounded by willow trees.
"Listen, tailor," said the giant. "Sit on one of these willow branches. I wish to see if you are heavy enough to bend it down."
The tailor sat on the branch, held his breath, and made himself so heavy that the bough bent. But when he had to breathe again (for unfortunately, he had not brought his goose—implying a tool for weighting), the branch sprang back and hurled him so high into the air that he was never seen again, much to the giant's delight. If the tailor hasn't fallen down, he must be hovering about in the air.
中文翻译
一个善于吹嘘却拙于行动的裁缝，决定周游世界。他离开作坊，四处漫游。
一次，他望见远处有座陡峭的山，山后一片幽暗的森林中耸立着一座高塔，直入云霄。"雷公电母啊！"裁缝叫道。在好奇心的强烈驱使下，他大胆地走上前去。令他目瞪口呆的是，那高塔竟然长着腿！它一跃跳过山头，化作一个强大的巨人站在他面前。
"你在这儿想干什么，你这小苍蝇腿？"巨人声如雷鸣。
"我只是想四处看看，能否在这森林里挣口饭吃，"裁缝呜咽着说。
"如果这就是你的目的，"巨人说，"你可以为我工作。"
"我能得到什么报酬呢？"
"你听着。一年三百六十五天，闰年再加一天。你觉得如何？"
"好吧，"裁缝答道，心里却想："我得量力而行；我得尽快想办法逃走。"
接着巨人说："去，小叫花子，给我打壶水来。"
"我何不把水井连同泉眼一起搬来呢？"裁缝吹嘘着，拿着水壶去了。
"什么！井和泉眼一起？"巨人对着胡子咕哝道。他头脑简单，开始害怕起来。"那无赖可不傻；他体内有个巫师。小心点，老汉斯，这可不是普通的仆人。"
裁缝打水回来后，巨人命令他去砍几块木头。
"何不一举砍倒整片森林？新树老树，粗的细的，全砍了？"小裁缝问道。
"什么！整片森林……还有那井和泉眼？"轻信的巨人嘟囔着，更加恐惧了。"他的本事可不止烤苹果！小心点，老汉斯！"
木头搬来后，巨人命令他去射两三头野猪当晚餐。
"何不一箭射死一千头？"爱炫耀的裁缝询问道。
"什么！"胆小的巨人惊恐地叫道。"今晚就算了。去休息吧。"
巨人惊恐万分，整夜未眠，盘算着如何摆脱这个该死的巫师仆人。时间带来办法。第二天早上，他们来到一片被柳树环绕的沼泽地。
"听着，裁缝，"巨人说。"坐到一根柳树枝上。我想看看你是否重得能把它压弯。"
裁缝坐到树枝上，屏住呼吸，让自己变得非常重，树枝果然弯了下去。但当他不得不换气时（因为不幸的是，他没带上他的熨斗——暗示一种压重工具），树枝猛地弹回，把他高高地抛向空中，从此再无踪影，巨人为此欣喜不已。如果裁缝没有掉下来，他一定还在空中飘荡呢。