English Original
In a certain mill lived an old miller who had neither wife nor child, and three apprentices served under him. As they had been with him several years, he one day said to them, "I am old, and want to sit in the chimney-corner. Go out, and whichever of you brings me the best horse home, to him will I give the mill, and in return for it he shall take care of me till my death."
The third boy was the drudge, considered foolish by the others. They begrudged him the mill, thinking he would never get it. All three set out together. Upon reaching the village, the two said to Hans, "You might as well stay here, for as long as you live you will never get a horse."
Hans went with them anyway. At night, they found a cave to sleep in. The two cunning ones waited until Hans fell asleep, then left him there, thinking themselves clever.
When the sun rose, Hans awoke in a deep cavern. "Oh, heavens, where am I?" he exclaimed. He climbed out and entered the forest, thinking, "Here I am alone and deserted. How shall I obtain a horse now?"
As he walked, lost in thought, he met a small tabby-cat who kindly asked, "Hans, where are you going?"
"Alas, you cannot help me," Hans replied.
"I know your desire," said the cat. "You wish for a beautiful horse. Come with me, be my faithful servant for seven years, and I will give you one more beautiful than any you have ever seen."
"Well, this is a wonderful cat!" thought Hans. "But I am determined to see if she is telling the truth."
She took him to her enchanted castle, inhabited only by cats who were her servants. They leapt nimbly about, merry and happy. At dinner, three cats made music: one played the bassoon, another the fiddle, and the third blew a trumpet, puffing out his cheeks.
After dinner, the table was carried away. The cat said, "Now, Hans, come and dance with me."
"No," he said, "I won't dance with a pussy cat. I have never done that yet."
"Then take him to bed," she told the cats. One lit his way to the bedroom, one pulled off his shoes, another his stockings, and finally one blew out the candle.
Next morning, they helped him dress: one put on his stockings, one tied his garters, one brought his shoes, one washed him, and one dried his face with her tail.
"That feels very soft!" said Hans.
He served the cat, chopping wood daily with a silver axe, silver wedge and saw, and a copper mallet. He stayed in the house with good food and drink but saw no one but the tabby-cat and her servants.
Once, she told him, "Go and mow my meadow and dry the grass." She gave him a silver scythe and a golden whetstone, instructing him to return them carefully. Hans did as he was told. After finishing, he asked if it was time for his reward.
"No," said the cat. "You must first do something more. There is timber of silver, a carpenter's axe, a square, and all necessary tools, all of silver. Build me a small house with these."
Hans built the small house. He had done everything, yet still had no horse. Nevertheless, the seven years passed as if they were six months. The cat asked if he would like to see her horses.
"Yes," said Hans.
She opened the door of the small house, and there stood twelve horses, so bright and shining that his heart rejoiced.
She gave him food and drink and said, "Go home. I will not give you the horse now, but in three days' time I will follow and bring it." She showed him the way to the mill. She had never given him new clothes, so he wore his old, dirty smock-frock, which had become too small during the seven years.
When he reached home, the other two apprentices were there, each with a horse—one blind, the other lame. They asked Hans where his horse was.
"It will follow me in three days' time," he replied.
They laughed. "Indeed, stupid Hans, where will you get a horse?"
"It will be a fine one!" said Hans.
Hans went into the parlour, but the miller said he could not sit at the table because he was so ragged and torn. They gave him a mouthful of food outside. At night, the others refused him a bed, forcing him to creep into the goose-house and lie on hard straw.
In the morning, the three days had passed. A coach arrived with six shining horses, delightful to see! A servant brought a seventh horse for the poor miller's boy.
A magnificent princess alighted from the coach and entered the mill. She was the little tabby-cat whom Hans had served for seven years. She asked the miller where his boy and drudge was.
The miller said, "We cannot have him here, for he is so ragged. He is lying in the goose-house."
The King's daughter ordered him brought immediately.
They brought him out, clutching his little smock-frock to cover himself. Servants unpacked splendid garments, washed and dressed him. When done, no king could have looked more handsome.
The maiden asked to see the horses the other apprentices had brought—one blind, the other lame. She ordered the servant to bring the seventh horse. The miller said such a horse had never entered his yard.
"And that is for the third miller's boy," she said.
"Then he must have the mill," said the miller.
But the King's daughter said the horse was there, and he was to keep his mill as well. She took her faithful Hans, set him in the coach, and drove away.
They first drove to the little house he had built with the silver tools. Behold, it was a great castle, with everything inside of silver and gold. Then she married him, and he became rich, with enough for the rest of his life.
After this, let no one ever say that anyone who is silly can never become a person of importance.
中文翻译
在一座磨坊里住着一位老磨坊主，他既没有妻子也没有孩子，手下有三个学徒。由于他们已经跟随他好几年了，有一天他对他们说：“我老了，想坐在烟囱角落里养老了。你们出去吧，谁给我带回家最好的马，我就把磨坊给谁，作为回报，他要照顾我直到我死去。”
第三个男孩是个干粗活的，被其他人认为是傻瓜。他们嫉妒他可能得到磨坊，认为他永远也得不到。三人一起出发。到了村子，那两人对汉斯说：“你不如就留在这里吧，因为你一辈子也弄不到一匹马的。”
汉斯还是跟着他们走了。晚上，他们找到一个山洞睡觉。两个狡猾的家伙等汉斯睡着后，就把他留在那里走了，还自以为聪明。
太阳升起时，汉斯在一个深洞里醒来。“哦，天哪，我在哪儿？”他喊道。他爬出山洞，走进森林，心想：“我孤身一人，被抛弃在这里。现在我怎么才能得到一匹马呢？”
他边走边想，遇到一只小虎斑猫，猫和善地问：“汉斯，你去哪儿？”
“唉，你帮不了我，”汉斯回答。
“我知道你的愿望，”猫说。“你想要一匹漂亮的马。跟我来，做我七年的忠实仆人，我就给你一匹比你一生中见过的任何马都漂亮的马。”
“嗯，这真是只神奇的猫！”汉斯想。“但我决心看看她说的是不是真的。”
她带他去了她的魔法城堡，里面住着的全是她的猫仆人。它们敏捷地跳上跳下，快乐又开心。晚餐时，三只猫演奏音乐：一只吹巴松管，一只拉小提琴，第三只吹小号，鼓起了腮帮子。
晚餐后，桌子被撤走了。猫说：“现在，汉斯，来和我跳舞吧。”
“不，”他说，“我不会和一只猫咪跳舞。我从来没做过这种事。”
“那就带他去睡觉吧，”她对猫们说。一只猫为他照亮去卧室的路，一只脱掉他的鞋子，另一只脱掉他的袜子，最后一只吹灭了蜡烛。
第二天早上，它们帮他穿衣：一只给他穿上袜子，一只系上袜带，一只拿来鞋子，一只给他洗脸，还有一只用尾巴擦干他的脸。
“感觉真柔软！”汉斯说。
他侍奉着猫，每天用银斧头、银楔子、银锯子和铜槌劈柴。他住在房子里，有好吃好喝，但除了虎斑猫和她的仆人外，见不到任何人。
有一次，猫对他说：“去割我的草地，把草晒干。”她给了他一把银镰刀和一块金磨刀石，嘱咐他要小心归还。汉斯照做了。干完活后，他问是不是该给他报酬了。
“不，”猫说。“你必须先再做一件事。这里有银木材、木匠的斧头、角尺，以及所有必需的工具，全是银的。用这些给我建一座小房子。”
汉斯建好了小房子。他做完了一切，却仍然没有马。然而，七年过去了，仿佛只有六个月。猫问他是否想看看她的马。
“是的，”汉斯说。
她打开小房子的门，里面站着十二匹马，如此明亮闪耀，让他的心充满了喜悦。
她给他食物和饮料，说：“回家吧。我现在不把马给你，但三天后我会跟着来，把它带来。”她给他指了回磨坊的路。她从未给过他新衣服，所以他穿着他那件又旧又脏的罩衫，这衣服在七年里已经变得太小了。
当他到家时，另外两个学徒也在那里，每人带回一匹马——一匹瞎的，一匹瘸的。他们问汉斯的马在哪里。
“它三天后会跟着我来，”他回答。
他们笑了。“真的吗，傻汉斯，你从哪儿弄到马？”
“它会是一匹好马！”汉斯说。
汉斯走进客厅，但磨坊主说他不能坐在桌边，因为他衣衫褴褛。他们在外面给了他一口吃的。晚上，其他人不给他床睡，逼他爬进鹅棚，躺在硬稻草上。
早上，三天过去了。一辆马车来了，带着六匹闪闪发光的马，看起来令人赏心悦目！一个仆人带来了第七匹马，是给可怜的磨坊小伙的。
一位华丽的公主从马车上下来，走进磨坊。她就是那只小虎斑猫，汉斯侍奉了七年的猫。她问磨坊主他的小伙子和干粗活的在哪里。
磨坊主说：“我们不能让他在这里，因为他太破烂了。他躺在鹅棚里。”
国王的女儿命令立刻把他带来。
他们把他带出来，他不得不抓着他的小罩衫来遮体。仆人们拿出华丽的衣服，给他洗漱穿戴。完成后，没有哪个国王能比他看起来更英俊了。
这位少女要求看看其他学徒带回来的马——一匹瞎的，一匹瘸的。她命令仆人带来第七匹马。磨坊主说这样的马从未进过他的院子。
“那是给第三个磨坊小伙的，”她说。
“那他必须得到磨坊了，”磨坊主说。
但国王的女儿说马在那里，而且他也可以保留他的磨坊。她带着她忠实的汉斯，让他坐上马车，驾车离开了。
他们先驾车来到他用银工具建造的小房子前。看啊，它变成了一座巨大的城堡，里面的一切都是金银制成的。然后她嫁给了他，他变得富有，足够他余生享用。
从此以后，不要让任何人再说愚蠢的人永远成不了重要人物。