English Original
There was once a cook named Grethel, who wore shoes with red rosettes. When she walked out, she turned herself this way and that, thinking, "You certainly are a pretty girl!" Upon returning home, in her gladness, she would drink a draught of wine. As wine excites a desire to eat, she tasted the best of whatever she was cooking until satisfied, saying, "The cook must know what the food is like."
One day, her master said, "Grethel, a guest is coming this evening; prepare two fowls very daintily." "I will see to it, master," answered Grethel. She prepared the fowls and set them to roast. As they browned and the guest had not arrived, Grethel called out, "If the guest does not come, I must take the fowls from the fire, but it will be a sin and a shame not to eat them at their juiciest." The master said he would fetch the guest himself.
Once he left, Grethel, feeling hot and thirsty from the fire, decided to take a drink in the cellar. She took a good, hearty draught. Returning, she basted the fowls. The smell was so enticing that she thought she ought to taste it. Finding it delicious, she lamented it going uneaten. Seeing no one coming, she worried a wing was burning and ate it. Then, to avoid suspicion, she ate the other wing.
Still, her master did not return. She thought perhaps the guest wasn't coming. "Hallo, Grethel," she said to herself, "enjoy yourself. One fowl has been cut into; take another drink and eat it entirely." She did so with great glee. Looking at the remaining fowl, she reasoned, "Where one is, the other should be likewise." After another hearty drink, she ate the second fowl as well.
Just as she finished, her master returned, urging, "Haste thee, Grethel, the guest is coming directly after me!" "Yes, sir, I will soon serve up," she answered. The master laid the table and began sharpening a great knife to carve the chickens. The guest arrived and knocked courteously. Grethel ran to the door, put her finger to her lips, and whispered, "Hush! Get away quickly! My master intends to cut off your ears. Listen to him sharpening the knife!"
The guest heard the sharpening and fled in terror. Grethel then ran screaming to her master, "You have invited a fine guest! He has taken the chickens and run away with them!"
"That's a nice trick!" lamented the master. "If he had but left me one to eat." He ran after the guest, knife in hand, crying, "Just one, just one!" meaning the guest should leave one chicken. The guest, however, believed he was to give up one of his ears, and ran as if fire were burning under him to keep both ears safe.
中文翻译
从前有个叫格蕾特尔的厨娘，她穿着一双带红色玫瑰花结的鞋。出门时，她左转右转，心想：“你真是个漂亮姑娘！”回到家心里高兴，她就喝上一口酒。酒能激发食欲，于是她便品尝正在烹煮的最好的部分，直到心满意足，还说：“厨子必须知道食物是什么味道。”
一天，主人对她说：“格蕾特尔，今晚有客人来；给我精心准备两只鸡。”“我会办好的，主人。”格蕾特尔答道。她宰了鸡，烫好、拔毛，串在烤叉上，傍晚时分放在火上烤。鸡开始变成棕色，快烤好了，但客人还没到。格蕾特尔对主人喊道：“如果客人不来，我得把鸡从火上拿开，但不在它们最多汁的时候吃掉，真是罪过和可惜。”主人说他自己去接客人。
主人一转身，格蕾特尔把烤叉和鸡放到一边，心想：“在火边站这么久，又热又渴；谁知道他们什么时候来？趁这功夫，我去地窖喝一口。”她跑下去，拿了个壶，说：“上帝保佑你享用，格蕾特尔，”便美美地喝了一口，接着又痛快地喝了一大口。
然后她回去把鸡重新放到火上，浇上油汁，欢快地转动烤叉。但烤肉的香味太诱人了，格蕾特尔想：“可能哪里不对，得尝尝！”她用手指碰了碰，说：“啊！鸡真好吃！不马上吃掉绝对是罪过和可惜！”她跑到窗边看主人和客人是否来了，但没看到人，便回到鸡旁边想：“一只翅膀快烤焦了！我最好把它弄下来吃掉。”于是她切下翅膀，吃掉了，很是享受。吃完后她想：“另一只也得吃掉，不然主人会发现少了东西。”
两只翅膀都吃完后，她去找主人，没找到。她突然想到：“谁知道呢？他们也许根本不来了，在别处落脚了。”于是她说：“嘿，格蕾特尔，开心点，一只鸡已经动过了，再喝一口，把整只都吃光；吃完了你就安心了，上帝的好礼物为什么要糟蹋掉？”于是她又跑进地窖，大喝一通，兴高采烈地吃光了第一只鸡。
一只鸡下肚，主人还没回来，格蕾特尔看着另一只说：“有其一必有其二，两只是一起的；对这只合适的对那只也合适；我想再喝一口对我没坏处。”于是她又痛快地喝了一口，让第二只鸡去和第一只作伴了。
正当她吃得最欢的时候，主人回来了，催促道：“快点，格蕾特尔，客人紧跟着我就到！”“好的，先生，我马上上菜。”格蕾特尔答道。同时，主人查看餐桌是否摆好，拿起那把用来切鸡的大刀，在台阶上磨了起来。客人很快到了，礼貌谦恭地敲了敲门。格蕾特尔跑去看是谁，一见客人，就把手指放在嘴唇上说：“嘘！嘘！快跑，要是被我主人抓到你就惨了；他确实是请你来吃晚饭，但他的目的是割掉你的两只耳朵。听听他正在磨刀呢！”
客人听到了磨刀声，拼命地冲下台阶逃走了。格蕾特尔也没闲着；她尖叫着跑到主人那里喊道：“您请了个好客人！”“呃，怎么了，格蕾特尔？你什么意思？”“是啊，”她说，“他把我要端上桌的鸡从盘子里拿走了，带着它们跑了！”
“真是好伎俩！”主人说道，为那两只好鸡感到痛惜。“哪怕他给我留一只也好，这样我还能有点吃的。”他喊客人停下，但客人假装没听见。于是他手里仍拿着刀追了上去，喊着：“就一只，就一只！”意思是客人该给他留一只鸡，别两只都拿走。然而，客人却以为是要他交出一只耳朵，于是跑得脚下生风，好把两只耳朵都安全带回家。