English Original
There once lived a man and a woman with their only child, Hans, in a solitary valley. One spring day, the mother took two-year-old Hans into the forest to gather fir branches. Lured by the colorful flowers, they wandered deep into the woods, where two robbers suddenly seized them and carried them far into a remote, dark forest.
The robbers, deaf to the mother's pleas, forced them through thickets for miles until they reached a hidden door in a rock. Inside, a long passage led to a great cavern lit by a hearth fire. The walls were hung with gleaming weapons, and robbers sat gambling at a black table. Their captain assured the frightened woman she would be unharmed if she kept house for them. She and Hans remained there for many years.
Hans grew tall and strong. His mother taught him to read from an old book of knightly tales found in the cave. At nine, Hans made a strong fir club and demanded to know who his father was. His mother, fearing the robbers and his homesickness, remained silent. That night, Hans confronted the robber captain, who merely laughed and knocked him under the table. Hans decided to wait a year and try again.
A year later, with the robbers drunk and heavy-headed, Hans confronted the captain once more. Again, he was struck down, but this time he rose and beat the entire band with his club until they could no longer move. His mother watched in admiration.
Having proven his strength, Hans again asked his mother about his father. She agreed to help him find him. She took the entrance key from the captain, and Hans filled a large sack with treasure from the cave. They escaped into the daylight, which amazed Hans after years in darkness. After a few hours' walk, they safely reached their lonely valley and little house.
Hans's father, who had long thought them dead, wept for joy in the doorway. Hans, though not yet twelve, was a head taller than his father. When Hans placed his heavy sack on a bench, it broke through the floor into the cellar. "Don't worry, Father," said Hans, "there's more than enough in this sack to build a new house." They did just that, bought land and cattle, and Hans proved so strong at ploughing that the oxen barely had to pull.
The next spring, Hans asked for a hundredweight walking stick so he could travel. With his new club, he ventured into a deep, dark forest. There, he met a giant twisting a fir tree like a rope. Impressed by his strength, Hans named him Fir-Twister and invited him to come along. Further on, they found another giant splitting a mighty rock with his fists to build a shelter from wild beasts. Hans named him Rock-Splitter and recruited him too.
The three companions roamed the forest, terrifying wild beasts. They found an old deserted castle to spend the night. The next day, Hans killed a wild boar with his club, and they feasted. They agreed that each day, two would hunt while one stayed to cook.
When Fir-Twister stayed behind to cook, a shriveled old dwarf came begging for meat. Fir-Twister refused and was soundly beaten by the seemingly insignificant creature. He said nothing to the others, hoping they would suffer the same fate. The next day, Rock-Splitter suffered an identical beating when he refused the dwarf meat. Both kept silent, wanting Hans to "taste that soup."
On Hans's turn to cook, the dwarf again demanded meat. Hans, thinking him a poor wretch, kindly gave him a share twice. When the dwarf demanded a third portion, Hans refused. The enraged dwarf attacked, but Hans easily struck him a couple of blows, sending him fleeing down the castle steps. Hans chased him to the forest and saw him slip into a hole in a rock, marking the spot.
When his companions returned, surprised to see him unharmed, Hans scolded them for their greed and cowardice. They confessed their beatings. Hans led them to the hole with a basket and rope, and they lowered him down.
At the bottom, Hans found a door. Behind it sat a maiden of indescribable beauty, chained, with the grinning dwarf beside her. Filled with pity, Hans struck the dwarf dead with his club. The chains fell away, and the maiden revealed she was a princess, imprisoned by a savage count who had set the dwarf as her guard.
Hans placed the maiden in the basket to be hauled up. Suspicious of his companions, he sent up his club instead of himself. His caution saved him, as they dropped the basket halfway. Trapped, Hans discovered a shining ring on the dead dwarf's finger. When he put it on and turned it, spirits of the air appeared, declaring him their master. At his command, they carried him to the surface.
His faithless companions and the princess were gone. Using the ring, Hans learned they were at sea. He raced to the shore, saw their distant boat, and in a rage jumped into the water. His heavy club nearly drowned him, but in time he used the ring. The spirits bore him swiftly to the boat. There, he beat the traitors and cast them into the sea. He then sailed with the rescued princess back to her kingdom, married her, and all rejoiced.
中文翻译
从前，有一对夫妇和他们唯一的孩子汉斯住在一个偏僻的山谷里。一个春日，母亲带着两岁的汉斯去森林里捡冷杉枝。他们被五彩缤纷的花朵吸引，走进了森林深处，两个强盗突然出现，抓住了他们，并将他们带到了一个遥远、黑暗的森林里。
强盗对母亲的恳求充耳不闻，强迫他们穿过数英里的灌木丛，直到来到一块岩石上的暗门前。里面，一条长长的通道通向一个被壁炉火照亮的巨大洞穴。墙上挂着闪闪发光的武器，强盗们围坐在一张黑桌旁赌博。他们的头目向受惊的女人保证，只要她为他们料理家务，就不会受到伤害。她和汉斯在那里住了很多年。
汉斯长得又高又壮。母亲用洞穴里找到的一本古老的骑士故事书教他识字。九岁时，汉斯用冷杉枝做了一根结实的大棒，要求知道他的父亲是谁。母亲因为害怕强盗，也怕汉斯思乡，没有告诉他。那天晚上，汉斯直面强盗头目，头目只是大笑着把他打倒在桌子底下。汉斯决定再等一年。
一年后，趁着强盗们喝得醉醺醺、头昏脑胀时，汉斯再次面对头目。他再次被打倒，但这次他站了起来，用大棒把整个强盗团伙打得动弹不得。他的母亲钦佩地看着。
证明了自己的力量后，汉斯再次向母亲询问父亲的事。她同意帮他寻找。她从强盗头目那里拿了入口的钥匙，汉斯用一个巨大的袋子装满了洞穴里的财宝。他们逃到了日光下，在黑暗中生活多年后，阳光让汉斯惊叹不已。走了几个小时后，他们安全地回到了自己偏僻的山谷和小屋。
汉斯的父亲早已以为他们死了，在门口喜极而泣。汉斯虽然还不到十二岁，却比父亲高出一个头。当汉斯把他沉重的袋子放在长凳上时，袋子压垮了地板，掉进了地窖。"别担心，父亲，"汉斯说，"这袋子里的东西足够建一座新房子了。"他们真的建了新房子，买了土地和牲畜，汉斯耕地力气极大，牛几乎不用拉犁。
第二年春天，汉斯要了一根百磅重的手杖以便旅行。带着他的新大棒，他冒险进入了一个幽深的黑暗森林。在那里，他遇到了一个能把冷杉树像绳子一样扭起来的巨人。汉斯对他的力量印象深刻，给他起名叫"冷杉扭扭"，并邀请他同行。再往前走，他们发现另一个巨人正用拳头劈开一块巨石，想建个住所躲避野兽。汉斯给他起名叫"岩石劈劈"，也招募了他。
三个伙伴在森林里游荡，吓跑了野兽。他们找到一座废弃的旧城堡过夜。第二天，汉斯用大棒打死了一头野猪，他们美餐了一顿。他们约定，每天两个人出去打猎，一个人留下来做饭。
当"冷杉扭扭"留下来做饭时，一个干瘪的老矮人来讨肉吃。"冷杉扭扭"拒绝了，结果被这个看似弱小的家伙痛打了一顿。他没有告诉其他人，希望他们也遭此厄运。第二天，"岩石劈劈"因为拒绝给矮人肉，也遭到了同样的殴打。两人都保持沉默，想让汉斯也"尝尝那汤"。
轮到汉斯做饭时，矮人又来要肉。汉斯觉得他是个可怜的家伙，好心地分给了他两次。当矮人第三次索要时，汉斯拒绝了。愤怒的矮人发动攻击，但汉斯轻松地打了他几下，把他打得逃下了城堡台阶。汉斯追他到森林里，看到他溜进了一个岩石上的洞，并记下了地点。
当他的同伴们回来，惊讶地看到他安然无恙时，汉斯责备了他们的贪婪和懦弱。他们承认了自己挨打的事。汉斯带着篮子和绳子领他们来到那个洞前，他们把他放了下去。
在洞底，汉斯发现了一扇门。门后坐着一位美丽得无法形容的少女，她被锁链锁着，旁边是那个咧嘴笑的矮人。汉斯满怀怜悯，用大棒打死了矮人。锁链脱落了，少女透露她是一位公主，被一个野蛮的伯爵囚禁于此，伯爵派矮人看守她。
汉斯把少女放进篮子里拉上去。由于不信任同伴，他放上去的是他的大棒而不是他自己。他的谨慎救了他，因为同伴们在半途松了手。被困在洞底，汉斯在死去的矮人手指上发现了一枚闪亮的戒指。他戴上并转动戒指，空中精灵出现了，尊他为主人。遵从他的命令，精灵们把他带到了地面。
他那背信弃义的同伴和公主都不见了。利用戒指，汉斯得知他们在海上。他冲到岸边，看到了远处他们的船，盛怒之下跳进水里。他沉重的大棒差点让他淹死，但他及时使用了戒指。精灵们迅速把他带到了船上。在那里，他痛打了背叛者，把他们扔进了海里。然后，他和被救的公主一起航行回到她的王国，娶了她，大家欢欣不已。