English Original
The Elves and the Shoemaker
A shoemaker, through no fault of his own, had become so poor that he had only enough leather left for one pair of shoes. In the evening, he cut out the leather, commended himself to God, and went to bed. The next morning, he found the shoes perfectly finished on his table. Amazed, he sold them for a good price, which allowed him to buy leather for two pairs. This pattern repeated: each night he cut leather, and each morning he found exquisite shoes ready. Soon, he prospered.
One evening before Christmas, curious about the mysterious helper, he and his wife hid. At midnight, two tiny, naked men appeared and expertly crafted the shoes. The next day, the wife suggested making clothes for them to show gratitude. They prepared little shirts, coats, trousers, stockings, and shoes, and left them on the worktable.
That night, the little men arrived, found the clothes instead of leather, and were delighted. They dressed quickly, sang, "Now we are boys so fine to see, Why should we longer cobblers be?" They danced joyfully and never returned. The shoemaker and his wife continued to live happily and prosper.
中文翻译
精灵与鞋匠
一位鞋匠，并非因自身过错，变得一贫如洗，最后只剩下一双鞋的皮革。傍晚，他裁好皮料，将自己托付给上帝，便上床睡觉了。第二天早上，他发现鞋子已经完美地做好放在桌上。他惊讶不已，并以高价卖出，这让他有钱购买两双鞋的皮料。这个模式不断重复：每晚他裁好皮料，次日清晨便发现精美的鞋子已经完工。很快，他富裕了起来。
圣诞节前的一个傍晚，出于对神秘帮手的好奇，他和妻子藏了起来。午夜时分，两个小小的、赤裸的男子出现，熟练地制作了鞋子。第二天，妻子提议为他们制作衣服以表感激。他们准备了小衬衫、外套、裤子、袜子和鞋子，并把它们放在工作台上。
那天晚上，小人们来了，发现是衣服而不是皮料，欣喜若狂。他们迅速穿好衣服，唱道：“如今我们衣冠楚楚，为何还要再做鞋匠？”他们欢快地跳起舞，从此再也没有回来。鞋匠和他的妻子继续过着幸福而富足的生活。