English Original
Once upon a time, in the immense Russian steppe, lay a little village where nearly all the inhabitants bred horses. In October, a big livestock market was held yearly in the main town. Two brothers, one rich and one poor, set off for the market. The rich man rode a stallion, and the poor brother rode a young mare.
At dusk, they stopped beside an empty hut, tethered their horses outside, and slept on piles of straw. To their surprise, next morning they saw three horses instead of two. The newcomer was a foal, born to the mare during the night. When the brothers first saw it, the foal was standing beside the stallion.
"It belongs to me!" exclaimed Dimitri, the rich brother. "It's my stallion's foal."
Ivan, the poor brother, laughed. "Whoever heard of a stallion having a foal? It was born to my mare!"
"No! It was standing close to the stallion, so it's the stallion's foal. Therefore, it's mine!"
The brothers quarreled and decided to take the matter to the judges in town. Still arguing, they headed for the courtroom. Unbeknownst to them, it was a special day when the Emperor himself administered justice. The brothers were ushered before him and told their story.
The Emperor knew perfectly well who the foal's owner was and was about to rule in favor of Ivan when the poor man developed an unfortunate eye twitch. Annoyed by this perceived familiarity from a humble peasant, the Emperor decided to punish Ivan. He declared it impossible to determine the rightful owner and, in a mood for fun, posed a challenge: "The foal will be awarded to whoever solves these four riddles: What is the fastest thing in the world? What is the fattest? What is the softest? And what is the most precious? Return in one week with your answers."
Dimitri, the rich brother, was puzzled. He sought help from a quick-witted but astute neighbor woman, agreeing to cancel part of her debt in exchange for answers. She demanded the entire debt be wiped out and gave her answers: the fastest was her husband's bay horse, the fattest was their pig, the softest was her goose-feather quilt, and the most precious was her three-month-old nephew. Dimitri was doubtful but had no other solution.
Meanwhile, Ivan, a widower, returned to his humble cottage where he lived with his seven-year-old daughter. The thoughtful and clever little girl, often left alone, listened to her father's problem. After a moment's silence, she said firmly, "Tell the Emperor: the fastest thing is the cold north wind in winter. The fattest is the soil in our fields that feeds all life. The softest is a child's caress. And the most precious is honesty."
A week later, the brothers returned. The Emperor roared with laughter at Dimitri's foolish answers. But when Ivan gave his daughter's wise replies, a frown spread over the Emperor's face, especially at the answer about honesty. Knowing he had been dishonest in denying Ivan justice, the Emperor angrily demanded, "Who gave you these answers?"
Ivan told him it was his small daughter. Still annoyed, the Emperor said, "You shall be rewarded with the foal and a hundred silver ducats for having such a wise daughter... But..." He winked at his counselors. "In seven days, bring your daughter before me. Since she's so clever, she must appear neither naked nor dressed, neither on foot nor on horseback, neither bearing gifts nor empty-handed. If she succeeds, you get your reward. If not, you lose your head for your impudence!"
The onlookers laughed, sure the poor man could never fulfill these impossible conditions. Ivan went home in despair, but his daughter calmly instructed him, "Tomorrow, catch a live hare and a live partridge. Leave it to me."
On the appointed day, the palace was thronged with bystanders. The little girl appeared, draped in a fishing net, riding the hare, and holding the partridge. She was neither naked nor dressed, neither on foot nor on horseback. Scowling, the Emperor said, "I said neither bearing gifts nor empty-handed!"
The little girl held out the partridge. As the Emperor reached for it, the bird fluttered into the air—thus fulfilling the third condition. Despite himself, the Emperor admired her cleverness. In a gentler voice, he asked, "Is your father terribly poor? Does he desperately need the foal?"
"Oh, yes!" replied the little girl. "We live on the hares he catches in the rivers and the fish he picks from the trees!"
"Aha!" cried the Emperor triumphantly. "So you're not so clever! Whoever heard of hares in the river and fish in the trees!"
To which the little girl swiftly replied, "And whoever heard of a stallion having a foal?"
At that, the Emperor and the entire court burst into peals of laughter. Ivan was immediately given the hundred silver ducats and the foal. The Emperor proclaimed, "Only in my kingdom could such a wise little girl be born!"
中文翻译
从前，在广袤的俄罗斯草原上有一个小村庄，几乎所有的居民都以养马为生。十月，主城每年都会举办一场大型牲畜集市。两兄弟，一富一贫，出发前往集市。富人骑着一匹种马，穷弟弟骑着一匹年轻的母马。
黄昏时分，他们在一间空茅屋旁停下，将马拴在外面，自己睡在草堆上。令他们惊讶的是，第二天早上他们看到了三匹马而不是两匹。新来的是一匹小马驹，是母马在夜里生下的。当兄弟俩第一次看到它时，马驹正站在种马旁边。
“它是我的！”富哥哥迪米特里喊道。“它是我种马的马驹。”
穷弟弟伊万笑了。“谁听说过种马会生小马？它是我的母马生的！”
“不！它站在种马旁边，所以它是种马的马驹。因此，它是我的！”
兄弟俩争吵起来，决定将此事告到城里的法官那里。他们一路争吵着走向法庭。他们不知道的是，那天是个特殊的日子，皇帝亲自审理案件。兄弟俩被引见到皇帝面前，讲述了他们的故事。
皇帝非常清楚马驹的主人是谁，正要判给伊万时，这个穷人却不合时宜地眼皮抽动了一下。皇帝被一个卑微农民的这种“熟络”行为惹恼了，决定惩罚伊万。他宣称无法确定马驹的合法主人，并一时兴起提出了一个挑战：“谁能解开这四个谜语，马驹就归谁：世界上最快的东西是什么？最胖的是什么？最软的是什么？最珍贵的是什么？一周后带着答案回来。”
富哥哥迪米特里很困惑。他向一位以机敏（也颇狡猾）闻名的女邻居求助，同意以免除部分债务来换取答案。她要求免除全部债务，并给出了她的答案：最快的是她丈夫的枣红马，最胖的是他们家的猪，最软的是她用自家鹅毛做的被子，最珍贵的是她三个月大的侄子。迪米特里将信将疑，但别无他法。
与此同时，鳏夫伊万回到了他与七岁女儿同住的简陋小屋。这个常常独自在家的女孩心思缜密，非常聪明。她听了父亲的问题，沉默片刻后坚定地说：“告诉皇帝：最快的是冬天寒冷的北风。最胖的是我们田里滋养万物的土壤。最软的是孩子的抚摸。最珍贵的是诚实。”
一周后，兄弟俩回来了。皇帝听了迪米特里愚蠢的答案哈哈大笑。但当伊万给出他女儿的智慧答案时，皇帝皱起了眉头，尤其是听到关于诚实的回答。皇帝知道自己不公地对待了伊万，恼怒地问道：“谁给你这些答案的？”
伊万告诉他是他的小女儿。皇帝仍然不悦，说道：“你有一个如此聪明的女儿，理应得到奖赏。你将得到那匹马驹和一百枚银杜卡特……但是……”他向他的顾问们使了个眼色。“七天后，带着你的女儿来见我。既然她这么聪明，她必须出现在我面前：既不穿衣服也不裸体，既不步行也不骑马，既不携带礼物也不空手。如果她做到了，你就得到奖赏。如果做不到，你就因无礼而被砍头！”
围观者大笑起来，确信这个穷人绝不可能完成这些不可能的条件。伊万绝望地回到家，但他的女儿平静地指示他：“明天去抓一只活的野兔和一只活的鹧鸪。交给我吧。”
在约定的日子，宫殿里挤满了旁观者。小女孩出现了，身披渔网，骑着野兔，手里拿着鹧鸪。她既不穿衣服也不裸体，既不步行也不骑马。皇帝沉着脸说：“我说了既不携带礼物也不空手！”
小女孩递出鹧鸪。当皇帝伸手去抓时，鸟儿振翅飞走了——从而满足了第三个条件。皇帝不由自主地钦佩起这个聪明地通过了考验的小女孩。他用更温和的语气问道：“你父亲非常穷吗？他非常需要那匹马驹吗？”
“哦，是的！”小女孩回答。“我们靠他在河里抓的野兔和从树上摘的鱼为生！”
“啊哈！”皇帝得意地叫道。“看来你也没那么聪明嘛！谁听说过河里有野兔，树上有鱼！”
小女孩迅速反驳道：“那谁又听说过种马会生小马呢？”
听到这话，皇帝和整个宫廷都爆发出阵阵笑声。伊万立刻得到了一百枚银杜卡特和马驹。皇帝宣布：“只有在我的王国，才能诞生如此聪明的小女孩！”