English Original
Once upon a time, a farmer had a son who was no bigger than a thumb and never grew. One day, when the father went out to plough, the little boy insisted on going along. To quiet him, the father put him in his pocket.
In the field, the father set the boy in a freshly-cut furrow. A giant appeared over the hill. "See that bogeyman?" said the father, trying to scare the boy. "He's coming to get you!"
But the giant strode over, picked up the tiny boy with two fingers, and carried him away without a word. The terrified father could only watch, believing his son was lost forever.
The giant took the boy home, nursed him, and he grew as tall and strong as a giant himself. After two years, the giant tested him in the forest. "Pull up a stick for yourself." The boy tore up a young tree by its roots. "We must do better," said the giant, and nursed him for two more years.
Now the boy could tear up an old tree. Still not satisfied, the giant nursed him another two years. This time, the boy easily uprooted the strongest oak tree. "Now you are perfect," said the giant, and returned him to the field where he was found.
His father was ploughing. The young giant approached. "Father, do you see what a fine man your son has become?"
The farmer was frightened. "No, you are not my son! Go away!"
"I am your son," the giant insisted. "Let me plough. I can do it as well as you, nay, better."
Afraid, the farmer stepped back. The youth took the plough and pressed it so hard it sank deep into the earth. "Don't press so hard!" cried the farmer.
The youth then unharnessed the horses. "Go home, Father. Tell Mother to prepare a large meal. I will finish the field." He ploughed the two-acre field alone, then harrowed it using two harrows at once.
Afterwards, he went to the forest, uprooted two oak trees, and carried them home along with the harrows and horses as if they were a bundle of straw. His mother didn't recognize him. "Who is this horrible tall man?"
"That is our son," said the farmer.
"No, it cannot be! Ours was a tiny thing. Go away!" she cried.
The youth silently stabled the horses, then went inside. "Mother, I am hungry. Is the food ready?"
She brought two immense dishes of food, enough for a week. The youth ate it all and asked for more. She cooked a huge caldron full, which he also devoured, but he was still hungry.
"Father," he said, "I see I will never have enough food here. Get me an iron staff so strong I cannot break it against my knee, and I will go out into the world."
The farmer fetched a massive staff with two horses. The youth broke it like a beanstalk. The father brought a thicker one with four horses. The youth broke that too. Finally, with eight horses, he brought the largest staff possible. The youth broke a piece off the top.
"Father, you cannot get the staff I need. I will stay no longer."
He left, claiming to be a blacksmith's apprentice. He found a greedy blacksmith and offered to work for no wages, except that every fortnight he would give the smith two blows. The miser agreed, thinking he'd save money.
The next day, when the youth struck his first blow on the anvil, the iron shattered and the anvil sank into the ground. The smith angrily dismissed him. "What do you want for the one blow you've earned?"
"Just a small kick," said the youth. He kicked the smith so hard he flew over four loads of hay. Then the youth took the thickest iron bar from the smithy as a walking stick and left.
He came to a farm and asked the bailiff for work as a head servant. Again, he asked for no wages, only the right to give the bailiff three blows each year. The covetous bailiff agreed.
Next morning, the other servants went to the wood, but the head servant slept in. They tried to wake him. "Go ahead," he said roughly. "I'll be back before you."
He slept two more hours, then leisurely cooked and ate two bushels of peas. He harnessed the horses and drove to the wood. Before entering, he built a great barricade of trees across the path.
Inside, he quickly uprooted two of the largest trees, loaded them, and turned back. The other servants were stuck at the barricade. "See? If you had waited, you'd be home by now with an extra hour's sleep," he said.
His horses couldn't pass, so he unharnessed them, laid them on the cart, and pulled it through himself as easily as if it were laden with feathers. He returned home long before the others.
He served the bailiff for a year. When payday came, the bailiff, terrified of the three blows, begged to be released. He even offered to swap positions. The head servant refused.
The bailiff begged for a fortnight's delay and consulted his clerks. They advised him to send the servant to clean the well, then drop a millstone on his head.
The servant agreed to go down the well. When they dropped the largest millstone, he shouted, "Chase those hens away! They're throwing sand in my eyes!"
The bailiff pretended to shoo hens. When the servant climbed out, he wore the millstone around his neck like a necklace. He demanded his reward.
The bailiff begged for another delay. The clerks then advised sending him to grind corn at a haunted mill at night, where no one ever survived.
That evening, the bailiff ordered him to take eight bushels of corn to the mill. The servant loaded the corn into his pockets and a sack and went. The miller warned him of the ghosts, but the servant said, "I will manage."
At midnight in the miller's room, a table laden with food appeared by itself, followed by invisible hands setting the table. The servant joined the feast. When the candles went out, he received a box on the ear. "If that happens again, I'll strike back," he said. All night, he exchanged blows with the unseen beings.
At dawn, all ceased. The miller found him alive. The servant said, "I ate well and traded some blows." The miller rejoiced, saying the mill was freed from the spell, and offered him money, which he refused.
The servant returned to the bailiff to claim his three blows. The bailiff, sweating with fear, paced the room. He opened a window for air. Instantly, the servant kicked him out the window, and he flew away, never to be seen again.
The servant turned to the bailiff's wife. "If he doesn't return, you must take the other blows."
"No, I cannot bear it!" she cried, opening another window. He kicked her out too. Being lighter, she flew higher than her husband.
"Come to me!" he called.
"You come to me! I cannot come to you!" she replied.
And they hovered there in the air, unable to reach each other. Whether they are still hovering, I do not know. But the young giant took up his iron bar and went on his way.
中文翻译
从前，一个农夫有个儿子，只有拇指那么大，而且再也不长了。一天，父亲要去犁地，小男孩坚持要跟着去。为了让他安静，父亲把他放进了口袋。
在地里，父亲把男孩放在新犁出的沟里。一个巨人出现在山丘上。"看见那个妖怪了吗？"父亲想吓唬男孩，"他是来抓你的！"
但巨人迈步过来，用两根手指小心地捡起小男孩，一言不发地带走了。吓坏了的父亲只能眼睁睁看着，以为儿子永远失去了。
巨人把男孩带回家，哺育他，他长得和巨人一样高大强壮。两年后，巨人在森林里测试他。"给你自己拔一根棍子。"男孩连根拔起一棵小树。"我们得做得更好，"巨人说，又哺育了他两年。
现在男孩能拔起一棵老树了。巨人还不满意，又哺育了他两年。这次，男孩轻松地连根拔起了最坚固的橡树。"现在你完美了，"巨人说着，把他送回了当初发现他的田地。
他的父亲正在犁地。年轻的巨人走上前。"父亲，你看到你的儿子长成多么英俊的男子汉了吗？"
农夫吓坏了。"不，你不是我儿子！走开！"
"我是你的儿子，"巨人坚持道，"让我来犁地。我能和你犁得一样好，不，更好。"
农夫害怕地退开了。年轻人拿起犁，用力一压，犁就深深陷进了土里。"别压那么重！"农夫喊道。
年轻人然后解下马匹。"回家吧，父亲。告诉母亲准备一顿大餐。我会把地犁完。"他独自犁完了两英亩的地，然后同时用两个耙把整块地都耙了一遍。
之后，他走进森林，拔起两棵橡树，连同耙和马一起扛回家，仿佛它们只是一捆稻草。他的母亲认不出他。"这个可怕的巨人是谁？"
"那是我们的儿子，"农夫说。
"不，不可能！我们的儿子是个小不点。走开！"她喊道。
年轻人默默地安顿好马，然后走进屋里。"母亲，我饿了。食物准备好了吗？"
她端来两大盘食物，足够吃一周。年轻人吃光了，还要更多。她又煮了一大锅食物，他也吃光了，但仍然饿。
"父亲，"他说，"我看在这里我永远也吃不饱。给我找一根铁杖，要结实到我用膝盖都折不断，我就出去闯世界。"
农夫用两匹马拖来一根巨大的铁杖。年轻人像折豆茎一样把它折断了。父亲用四匹马拖来一根更粗的。年轻人又折断了。最后，用八匹马拖来了可能找到的最大的铁杖。年轻人从顶端掰下了一块。
"父亲，你找不到我需要的铁杖。我不再留在这里了。"
他离开了，自称是铁匠的学徒。他找到一个贪婪的铁匠，提出不要工钱，但每半个月要给铁匠两拳。守财奴同意了，心想能省不少钱。
第二天，年轻人在铁砧上打了第一锤，铁块碎裂，铁砧也陷进了地里。铁匠生气地解雇了他。"你已经打了一拳，你想要什么报酬？"
"只是轻轻踢一脚，"年轻人说。他一脚把铁匠踢得飞过了四车干草。然后，年轻人从铁匠铺拿了最粗的铁棒当手杖离开了。
他来到一个农场，向管家求职当领班仆人。 Again，他不要工钱，只要求每年有权打管家三拳。贪婪的管家同意了。
第二天早上，其他仆人去树林干活，但领班仆人还在睡觉。他们试图叫醒他。"你们先去吧，"他粗鲁地说，"我会在你们之前回来的。"
他又睡了两个小时，然后不慌不忙地煮了两蒲式耳豌豆吃了。他套好马，驾车去树林。进去之前，他用树木在必经之路上筑起了一个巨大的路障。
在树林里，他迅速拔起两棵最大的树，装上马车，就掉头返回。其他仆人被堵在路障前。"看到了吗？如果你们等了我，现在早就到家了，还能多睡一小时，"他说。
他的马过不去，于是他解下马，把它们放在马车上，自己拉着车轻松地穿了过去，仿佛车上装的是羽毛。他比其他仆人早很久回到家。
他为管家服务了一年。发薪日到了，管家害怕那三拳，恳求免除。他甚至提出交换职位。领班仆人拒绝了。
管家恳求宽限两周，并咨询了他的文书们。他们建议派仆人去清理水井，然后往他头上扔磨石。
仆人同意下井。当他们扔下最大的磨石时，他喊道："把那些鸡赶走！它们把沙子弄到我眼睛里了！"
管家假装赶鸡。当仆人爬上来时，他把磨石像项链一样戴在脖子上。他要求得到报酬。
管家又恳求宽限。文书们于是建议派他去夜间有鬼的磨坊磨玉米，那里从没有人活到天亮。
那天晚上，管家命令他带八蒲式耳玉米去磨坊。仆人把玉米装进口袋和袋子里就去了。磨坊主警告他有鬼，但仆人说："我能应付。"
午夜，在磨坊主的房间里，一张摆满食物的桌子自行出现，接着是看不见的手在布置餐桌。仆人加入了宴席。蜡烛熄灭时，他挨了一记耳光。"如果再这样，我就还手，"他说。整晚，他和看不见的东西互相殴打。
黎明时分，一切都停止了。磨坊主发现他还活着。仆人说："我吃得很好，也交换了一些耳光。"磨坊主很高兴，说磨坊的诅咒解除了，要给他钱，但他拒绝了。
仆人回去找管家，要他那三拳。管家吓得满头大汗，在房间里踱步。他打开窗户透气。瞬间，仆人一脚把他踢出窗外，他飞走了，再也没有人见过。
仆人转向管家的妻子。"如果他不回来，你就得挨剩下的打。"
"不，我受不了！"她喊道，打开了另一扇窗户。他也把她踢了出去。因为她更轻，飞得比她丈夫还高。
"到我这里来！"他喊道。
"你到我这里来！我过不去！"她回答。
于是他们就在空中飘浮着，无法碰到彼此。他们是否还在飘浮，我不知道。但年轻的巨人拿起他的铁棒，继续上路了。