English Original
King Alfred of England once led his army into battle and was defeated. To save his life, he had to flee through woods and swamps.
One evening, he came to a woodcutter's hut. Tired and hungry, he begged the woodcutter's wife for food and shelter. He was ragged and dirty, so she did not recognize him as the king. Taking pity, she invited him in and gave him a seat by the fire.
She was baking cakes. "I must go and milk the cow," she said to Alfred. "Watch the cakes and make sure they don't burn."
The king agreed, but his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his army, and he soon forgot about the cakes. When the woman returned a short while later, she found them burning. Angry, she struck the king with a stick and cried, "You lazy fellow! You want to eat, but you do not want to work!"
中文翻译
英格兰的阿尔弗雷德国王曾率军作战，但遭遇了失败。为了活命，他不得不穿越森林和沼泽逃亡。
一天傍晚，他来到一间樵夫的小屋。他又累又饿，便向樵夫的妻子乞求食物和住处。他衣衫褴褛、满身污垢，因此她没有认出他是国王。出于怜悯，她让他进了屋，并让他在火炉边坐下。
她当时正在烤蛋糕。她对阿尔弗雷德说：“我得去给奶牛挤奶。看着这些蛋糕，别让它们烤焦了。”
国王答应了，但他的心思全在军队上，很快就忘了蛋糕的事。过了一会儿，妇人回来发现蛋糕烤焦了。她非常生气，用棍子打了国王，并喊道：“你这个懒家伙！想吃东西，却不想干活！”