English Original
There was once a poor woodcutter who toiled from morning till night. When he had saved some money, he said to his son, "You are my only child. I will spend my hard-earned money on your education. If you learn an honest trade, you can support me in my old age when I can no longer work."
The boy went to school and learned diligently, earning praise from his teachers. He studied for a long time, but after completing two grades, his father's small savings were exhausted, and the boy had to return home. "Alas," said the father sorrowfully, "I can give you no more. In these hard times, I can barely earn enough for our daily bread." "Dear father," replied the son, "do not trouble yourself. If it is God's will, it will turn to my advantage. I shall soon grow accustomed to it."
When the father planned to go into the forest to chop and stack wood for money, the son said, "I will go with you and help." "No, my son," said the father, "the work is too rough for you. You are not used to it and will not bear it. Besides, I have only one axe and no money to buy another." "Just borrow one from the neighbor," answered the son. "He will lend you his axe until I can earn one for myself."
The father borrowed an axe, and at dawn the next day, they went into the forest together. The son helped cheerfully and energetically. At noon, the father said, "Let us rest and have our dinner, then we can work again." The son took his bread and said, "You rest, father. I am not tired. I will walk in the forest a little and look for birds' nests." "Oh, you fool," said the father, "why run about? You'll tire yourself and be unable to work. Stay here and sit beside me."
Nevertheless, the son went into the forest, ate his bread, and happily peered into the green branches, searching for a nest. He wandered until he came upon a great, ancient oak tree, so massive that five men could not span it. He stopped and thought, "Many a bird must have nested here."
Suddenly, he seemed to hear a voice. Listening closely, he heard a muffled cry: "Let me out! Let me out!" He looked around but saw nothing. The voice seemed to come from the ground. "Where are you?" he called. The voice answered, "I am down here among the roots of the oak tree. Let me out! Let me out!"
The scholar began to dig under the tree and search among the roots until he found a glass bottle in a small hollow. He lifted it to the light and saw a frog-like creature jumping inside. "Let me out! Let me out!" it cried again. Suspecting no evil, the scholar drew the cork from the bottle.
Immediately, a spirit ascended from it and began to grow rapidly. In moments, he stood before the scholar—a terrible fellow, half as tall as the tree. "Do you know," he cried in an awful voice, "what your reward is for releasing me?" "No," replied the scholar fearlessly, "how should I know?" "Then I will tell you," cried the spirit. "I must strangle you for it."
"You should have told me that sooner," said the scholar. "I would have left you shut up. But my head shall stand firm despite you. More than one person must be consulted about this." "More persons here, more persons there," said the spirit. "You shall have the reward you've earned. Do you think I was shut up as a favor? No, it was my punishment. I am the mighty Mercurius. Whoever releases me, him I must strangle."
"Softly," answered the scholar. "Not so fast. I must first know that you were truly in that little bottle and that you are the right spirit. If you can get back in, I will believe you, and then you may do as you wish with me."
The spirit said haughtily, "That is a trifling feat." He drew himself together, made himself as small as before, and crept back through the bottle's neck. No sooner was he inside than the scholar thrust the cork back in and threw the bottle among the oak roots, trapping the spirit once more.
As the scholar turned to leave, the spirit cried piteously, "Ah, do let me out! Ah, do let me out!" "No," answered the scholar. "Not a second time! He who has once tried to take my life shall not be set free by me now that I have caught him again."
"If you set me free," said the spirit, "I will give you so much that you will have plenty all your life." "No," answered the boy. "You would cheat me as you did the first time." "You are throwing away your own good luck," said the spirit. "I will do you no harm but will reward you richly."
The scholar thought, "I will venture it. Perhaps he will keep his word, and anyway, he shall not get the better of me." He took out the cork, and the spirit rose as before, stretching into a giant. "Now you shall have your reward," he said, handing the scholar a small bag like a plaster. "If you spread one end of this on a wound, it will heal. If you rub steel or iron with the other end, it will turn to silver."
"I must try that," said the scholar. He went to a tree, tore off some bark with his axe, and rubbed it with one end of the plaster. The wound closed immediately. "Now it is all right," he said to the spirit. "We can part." The spirit thanked him for his release, and the boy thanked the spirit for his gift before returning to his father.
"Where have you been racing about?" said the father. "Why have you forgotten your work? I said you would never get on with anything." "Be easy, father. I will make it up." "Make it up indeed!" said the father angrily. "There's no art in that."
"Take care, father. I will soon hew that tree so it splits." He took his plaster, rubbed the axe with it, and struck a mighty blow. But as the iron had turned to silver, the edge bent. "Look, father, what a bad axe you've given me! It has become quite crooked."
The father was shocked. "Ah, what have you done? Now I must pay for it, and I have no means. That is all the good I've gotten from your work." "Don't get angry," said the son. "I will pay for the axe." "Oh, you blockhead!" cried the father. "With what will you pay? You have nothing but what I give you. These are student tricks in your head, but you have no idea of woodcutting."
After a while, the scholar said, "Father, I can work no more. We had better take a holiday." "What!" answered he. "Do you think I will sit with my hands in my lap like you? I must work on, but you may go home." "Father, I am in this wood for the first time. I don't know my way alone. Please go with me."
His anger now abated, the father let himself be persuaded and went home with him. Then he said to the son, "Go and sell your damaged axe. See what you can get for it, and I must earn the difference to pay the neighbor."
The son took the axe to a goldsmith in town. The goldsmith tested it, weighed it, and said, "It is worth four hundred thalers. I do not have that much with me." The son said, "Give me what you have. I will lend you the rest." The goldsmith gave him three hundred thalers and owed him a hundred.
The son went home and said, "Father, I have the money. Go and ask the neighbor what he wants for the axe." "I already know," answered the old man. "One thaler, six groschen." "Then give him two thalers, twelve groschen—that is double and enough. See, I have plenty of money." He gave his father a hundred thalers and said, "You shall never know want. Live as comfortably as you like."
"Good heavens!" said the father. "How have you come by these riches?" The scholar then told him everything that had happened and how, trusting his luck, he had made such a good hit. With the remaining money, he returned to school and continued his studies. As he could heal all wounds with his plaster, he became the most famous doctor in the whole world.
中文翻译
从前，有一个贫穷的樵夫，从早到晚辛勤劳作。当他攒下一些钱后，他对儿子说：“你是我唯一的孩子。我要用我辛苦挣来的钱供你读书。如果你学会一门正当的手艺，等我老了不能干活时，你就能养活我了。”
男孩去上学，勤奋学习，得到了老师的赞扬。他学了很长时间，但读完两个年级后，父亲微薄的积蓄花光了，男孩不得不回家。“唉，”父亲悲伤地说，“我不能再给你什么了。在这艰难时期，我挣的钱只够我们糊口。”“亲爱的父亲，”儿子回答，“别为此烦恼。如果这是上帝的旨意，它会对我有利的。我很快就会适应的。”
当父亲打算去森林里砍柴堆柴挣钱时，儿子说：“我和您一起去帮忙。”“不，我的儿子，”父亲说，“这活对你来说太辛苦了。你不习惯，会受不了的。而且，我只有一把斧头，没钱再买一把。”“去向邻居借一把吧，”儿子答道，“他会借给您的，等我挣到钱自己买一把。”
父亲借了一把斧头，第二天黎明，他们一起进了森林。儿子愉快而卖力地帮忙。中午时分，父亲说：“我们休息一下，吃午饭，然后再干活。”儿子拿着面包说：“您休息吧，父亲。我不累。我要在森林里走走，找找鸟窝。”“哦，你这傻瓜，”父亲说，“为什么要跑来跑去？你会累得抬不起胳膊的。待在这儿，坐我旁边。”
然而，儿子还是走进了森林，吃了面包，高兴地窥探着绿枝，寻找鸟巢。他四处走动，直到来到一棵巨大古老的橡树前，这棵树粗壮得五个人都合抱不过来。他停下来想：“肯定有很多鸟在这里筑巢。”
突然，他似乎听到了一个声音。仔细一听，他听到一个沉闷的呼喊：“放我出去！放我出去！”他环顾四周，但什么也没看见。声音似乎来自地下。“你在哪儿？”他喊道。声音回答：“我在橡树根下面。放我出去！放我出去！”
学者开始挖树下的土，在树根间寻找，最后在一个小凹洞里发现了一个玻璃瓶。他举起来对着光，看见一个青蛙模样的小生物在里面跳来跳去。“放我出去！放我出去！”它又喊道。学者没起疑心，拔掉了瓶塞。
立刻，一个精灵从瓶中升起，开始迅速变大。片刻之间，他站在学者面前——一个可怕的家伙，有半棵树那么高。“你知道吗，”他用可怕的声音喊道，“你放我出来的报酬是什么？”“不知道，”学者无畏地回答，“我怎么会知道？”“那我告诉你，”精灵喊道，“我必须为此掐死你。”
“你该早点告诉我，”学者说，“那样我就让你关着了。但我的头会稳稳地长着，你奈何不了我。这事得和不止一个人商量。”“这个那个的，”精灵说，“你该得到你挣的报酬。你以为我是被关在这里受优待的吗？不，那是我的惩罚。我是强大的墨丘利乌斯。谁放我出来，我就必须掐死谁。”
“慢着，”学者回答，“别这么快。我得先确定你确实是从那个小瓶子里出来的，而且你是那个真正的精灵。如果你能再进去，我就相信你，然后随你怎么处置我。”
精灵傲慢地说：“那是小事一桩。”他收缩身体，变得和之前一样小，从瓶口钻了回去。他刚一进去，学者就把瓶塞塞了回去，将瓶子扔回橡树根间，再次困住了精灵。
学者正要离开，精灵可怜地哭喊道：“啊，放我出去吧！啊，放我出去吧！”“不，”学者回答，“不会有第二次了！一个曾想取我性命的人，既然我又抓住了他，我就不会放他自由。”
“如果你放我自由，”精灵说，“我会给你很多财富，让你一生富足。”“不，”男孩回答，“你会像第一次那样骗我。”“你是在抛弃自己的好运，”精灵说，“我不会伤害你，反而会丰厚地奖赏你。”
学者想：“我要冒个险。也许他会信守诺言，反正他占不了我的便宜。”他拔出瓶塞，精灵像之前一样升起，伸展成一个巨人。“现在你将得到你的报酬，”他说着，递给学者一个像膏药的小袋子，“如果你用这一头敷在伤口上，伤口就会愈合。如果你用另一头摩擦钢铁，它就会变成银子。”
“我得试试，”学者说。他走到一棵树前，用斧头刮掉一块树皮，然后用膏药的一头擦了擦。伤口立刻愈合了。“现在好了，”他对精灵说，“我们可以分开了。”精灵感谢他释放了自己，男孩感谢精灵的礼物，然后回到了父亲身边。
“你跑到哪儿去了？”父亲说，“怎么忘了干活？我早说过你什么事都干不成。”“别着急，父亲。我会补上的。”“补上？”父亲生气地说，“那有什么难的。”
“小心，父亲。我马上就把那棵树砍倒，让它裂开。”他拿出膏药，擦了擦斧头，用力砍下去。但由于铁变成了银子，斧刃卷了。“喂，父亲，看看您给我的这把破斧头！它完全弯了。”
父亲震惊了。“啊，你干了什么？现在我得赔这把斧头，可我没钱赔。这就是你干活给我带来的好处。”“别生气，”儿子说，“我会赔斧头的。”“哦，你这笨蛋！”父亲喊道，“你拿什么赔？你什么都没有，只有我给你的东西。你满脑子学生把戏，根本不懂砍柴。”
过了一会儿，学者说：“父亲，我真的干不动了。我们最好休息一天吧。”“什么！”他回答，“你以为我会像你一样两手闲着坐在这儿吗？我得继续干活，但你可以回家。”“父亲，我是第一次来这片森林。我一个人不认识路。请和我一起走吧。”
父亲的怒气消了，他被说服了，和儿子一起回家。然后他对儿子说：“去把你弄坏的斧头卖了。看看能卖多少钱，我得挣够差价赔给邻居。”
儿子把斧头拿到镇上的金匠那里。金匠检验了斧头，称了重量，说：“它值四百塔勒。我手头没那么多钱。”儿子说：“把你有的给我。剩下的我借给你。”金匠给了他三百塔勒，还欠他一百。
儿子回到家说：“父亲，我有钱了。去问问邻居他的斧头要多少钱。”“我已经知道了，”老人回答，“一塔勒六格罗申。”“那就给他两塔勒十二格罗申——双倍，足够了。看，我有很多钱。”他给了父亲一百塔勒，说：“您再也不会缺钱花了。想怎么舒服就怎么过吧。”
“天哪！”父亲说，“你怎么得到这些财富的？”学者于是把发生的一切都告诉了他，以及他如何凭借运气获得了这样的好运。用剩下的钱，他回到学校继续学习。由于他能用他的膏药治愈所有伤口，他成为了全世界最著名的医生。