Once upon a time there was a woman who was truly a witch. She had two daughters, one ugly and wicked, whom she loved because she was her own daughter, and one beautiful and good, whom she hated, because she was her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter had a beautiful apron, which the other girl wanted so much that she became envious, and she told her mother that she just had to have that apron.

　　"Be still, my child," said the old woman, "and you shall have it. Your stepsister has long deserved to die, and tonight when she is asleep I will come and chop off her head. Just be sure to lie down at the far side of the bed, and push her close to the front."

　　It would have been all over with the poor girl, but just then she was standing in a corner, and she overheard everything. She was not allowed to go outside all day long, and at bedtime her wicked stepsister had her get into bed first, so she would be lying next to the wall. However, after the witch's daughter fell asleep, the stepdaughter gently pushed her to the front side of the bed, and she took her place back against the wall.

　　In the night the old woman crept into the bedroom holding an ax in her right hand while feeling with her left hand for anyone lying at the front of the bed. Then she grasped the axe with both hands and chopped off her own child's head.

　　After the witch had gone away, the girl got up and went to her sweetheart, whose name was Roland, and knocked at his door. When he came out, she said to him, "Listen, dearest Roland, we must flee at once. My stepmother tried to kill me, but she killed her own child instead. When daylight comes, and she sees what she has done, we'll be lost."

　　"You had better take her magic wand," said Roland, "or we will not be able to escape if she comes after us."

　　The girl got the magic wand, then she took the dead girl's head and dropped three drops of blood onto the floor, one in front of the bed, one in the kitchen, and one on the steps. Then she hurried away with her sweetheart.

　　The next morning when the old witch got up, she called her daughter, wanting to give her the apron. But the daughter did not come. So she shouted, "Where are you?"

　　"Here on the steps. I'm sweeping," answered the first drop of blood.

　　The old woman went out, but seeing no one on the steps, she shouted again, "Where are you?"

　　"Here in the kitchen. I'm warming myself," shouted the second drop of blood.

　　She went into the kitchen, but found no one. So she shouted again, "Where are you?"

　　"Here in the bed. I'm sleeping," shouted the third drop of blood.

　　She went into the bedroom and approached the bed. What did she see there? Her own child swimming in blood and whose head she herself had cut off.

　　The witch flew into a rage, jumped to the window, and as she could see far into the world, she saw her stepdaughter hurrying away with her sweetheart Roland. "That won't help you, she shouted. "Even if you've already gone a long way, you won't escape from me."

　　She put on her many-league boots, in which she covered an hour's walk with every step, and it was not long before she overtook them. However, when the girl saw the old woman striding toward them, she used the magic wand to transform her sweetheart Roland into a lake, and herself into a duck swimming in the middle of the lake.

　　The witch stood on the shore and threw in pieces of bread, trying with great effort to lure the duck to her. But the duck did not give in, and the old woman had to return home that night without success. Afterward the girl and her sweetheart Roland returned to their natural shapes, and they walked on through the whole night until daybreak. Then the girl transformed herself into a beautiful flower in the middle of a briar hedge, and her sweetheart Roland into a fiddler.

　　It was not long before the witch came striding up toward them. She said to the musician, "Dear musician, may I pick that beautiful flower for myself?"

　　"Oh, yes," he replied. "And I will play for you while you're doing it."

　　She crawled hastily into the hedge and was just about to pick the flower, knowing perfectly well who it was, when he began to play. She was forced to dance, whether she wanted to or not, for it was magic dance music. The faster he played, the more violently she was forced to jump. The thorns tore the clothes off her body, pricking her until she bled, and as he did not stop, she had to dance until she fell down dead.

　　They were now free, so Roland said, "Now I will go to my father and arrange for our wedding."

　　"I'll stay here and wait for you," said the girl. "And I'll transform myself into a red boundary stone, so that no one will recognize me."

　　So Roland set forth, and the girl, in the shape of a red boundary stone, stood there and waited for her sweetheart. But when Roland arrived home, he was snared by another woman, who caused him to forget the girl. The poor girl waited there a long time, but finally, when he failed to return, she grew sad and transformed herself into a flower, thinking, "Someone will surely come this way and trample me down."

　　However, it happened that a shepherd who was herding his sheep in the field saw the flower. As it was so beautiful, he picked it, took it home with him, and put it away in his chest. From that time forth, strange things happened in the shepherd's house. When he arose in the morning all the work was already done. The room was swept, the table and benches cleaned, the fire on the hearth was lighted, and the water was fetched, and at noon, when he came home, the table was already set, and a good dinner served. He didn't know how this happened, for he never saw anyone in his house, and no one could have hidden himself in it.

　　He was, of course, pleased with this good service, but with time he became so afraid that he went to a wise woman and asked for her advice.

　　The wise woman said, "There is magic behind it. Be on the watch very early some morning, and if anything is moving in the room, if you see anything, no matter what it is, throw a white cloth over it, and then the magic will be stopped."

　　The shepherd did what she told him to do, and the next morning just at dawn, he saw the chest open and the flower come out. He quickly jumped towards it and threw a white cloth over it. Instantly the transformation came to an end, and a beautiful girl stood before him, who admitted to him that she had been the flower, and that she had been doing his housekeeping. She told him her story. He liked her and asked her to marry him, but she answered, "No," for she wanted to remain faithful to her sweetheart Roland, even though he had abandoned her. Nevertheless, she promised not to go away, and to continue keeping house for the shepherd.

　　The time drew near when Roland was to be marred. According to an old custom in that country, it was announced that all the girls were to attend the wedding and sing in honor of the bridal pair. When the faithful girl heard this, she grew so sad that she thought her heart would break, and she did not want to go. But the other girls came and took her. When it was her turn to sing, she declined, until at last she was the only one left, and then she could not refuse. But when she began her song, and it reached Roland's ears, he jumped up and shouted, "I know that voice. That is the true bride. I do not want anyone else." Everything he had forgotten, and which had vanished from his mind, had suddenly come home again to his heart.

　　Thus the faithful girl was married to her sweetheart Roland. Her grief came to an end, and her joy began.



　　从前，有个女人，是个地地道道的巫婆。她养育了两个女儿，一个是她亲生的女儿，长得很丑，人又很坏，可她特别疼爱她；另一个是她的继女，容貌出众，心地善良，她却一点儿也不喜欢。有一次，她的继女买了一条漂亮的裙子，她的亲生女儿见了非常喜欢，很是眼红，於是就对她母亲说，她想要那条裙子，非弄到手不可。「别着急，我的孩子，」老巫婆说，「你会弄到手的。你姐姐早该死啦。今天夜里，等她睡着以后，我就去把她的脑袋砍下来。不过，你得当心才是。你要靠里边睡，把她尽量推到外边来。」要不是这个可怜的女孩当时碰巧站在屋角里，听见了那母女俩说的话，就真的没命啦。一整天，老巫婆的女儿都不敢跨出房门一步，到了睡觉的时候，她抢先上了床，为的是睡在床里边，可是等她睡着了，继女便轻轻地把她推到床外边，而自己睡到了靠墙的地方。夜深了，老巫婆蹑手蹑脚地走了进来，右头提着斧头，用左手摸了摸，看是不是有人睡在外边，随后就双手举起斧头，一斧下去，把自己亲生女儿的脑袋砍了下来。

　　老巫婆走了以后，继女从床上爬起来，去了她爱人的家，她爱人名叫罗兰。她敲了敲房门，罗兰出来了，她对他说：「亲爱的罗兰，你听好了，咱们得赶快逃走。我的继母想杀死我，却错杀了她的亲生女儿。天一亮，一旦她发觉自己干的蠢事，咱们就没命啦。」「不过，」罗兰说，「我劝你先去把她的魔杖偷出来，不然她要是来追赶咱们，咱们还是逃不脱。」姑娘偷到了魔仗，随手拎起砍掉的脑袋，在地上滴了三滴血：床前一滴，厨房一滴，楼梯一滴。然后，她就跟着自己的爱人赶忙离开了。

　　第二天早上，老巫婆起床后去叫自己的女儿，打算把裙子给她，却不见她过来。老巫婆於是放开嗓子喊道；「你在哪儿啊？」「我在这儿，在打扫楼梯呢。」第一滴血回答道。老巫婆出去一看，楼梯上连个人影儿都没有，就再喊道：「你在哪儿啊？」「我在厨房里，在烤火呢。」第二滴血大声回答说。她进了厨房，却不见人影儿，於是她又喊道：「你在哪儿啊？」「唉，我在床上，在睡觉呢。」第三滴血喊叫着回答道，老巫婆走进卧室，来到床前。她看见了甚么呢？她的亲生女儿，躺在血泊之中，是她自己砍掉了亲生女儿的脑袋！老巫婆勃然大怒，一步跳到窗前。老巫婆长着千里眼，一下就看见了她的继女，正跟着自己的爱人罗兰匆匆忙忙地远去。「你们这是枉费心机，」她叫喊着，「你们逃得再远，也逃不出我的手心！」说着她穿上了千里靴。穿上这种靴子，走一步就相当於一个小时的路程，所以，没多久，她就追上了他们。姑娘一见老巫婆大步流星地追来，就用魔仗把爱人罗兰变成了一片湖，自己则变成了一只在湖中央游来游去的鸭子。老巫婆站在湖边上，往湖里扔麵包屑，不遗余力地想引诱鸭子游过来，谁知鸭子对她的这套把戏置之不理。天黑了，老巫婆只好回去了。她一走，姑娘和爱人罗兰又恢复了人形，继续赶路。他们走了整整一个通宵，天亮了才停下脚步。然后姑娘变成了一朵美丽的鲜花，开放在一道荆棘篱笆的中间，她的爱人罗兰则变成了一位小提琴手。不一会儿，老巫婆就朝他们狂奔过来，问小提琴手说：「亲爱的提琴家，我想摘下那朵美丽的鲜花，可以吗？」「呵，当然可以，」他回答道，「我还愿意在您摘花时为您伴奏呢。」老巫婆心里很清楚那朵花儿是谁，於是就急急忙忙爬上篱笆，就在她要摘那朵花儿的节骨眼儿上，罗兰拉响了提琴，於是不论老巫婆愿意不愿意，都得随着音乐跳舞了。这可是一种魔舞，罗兰拉得越快，老巫婆就跳得越狂。篱笆上的刺划破了她的衣服，扎得她遍体鳞伤，鲜血淋淋。罗兰还是一个劲儿地拉，老巫婆只好跟着乐曲不断地一跳啊跳，一直跳到倒地身亡。

　　这样一来，他们就无忧无虑了。於是罗兰说：「现在我去找我父亲，安排咱们的婚礼。」「那我就在这儿等你吧，」姑娘对他说，「为了不让人认出我来，我将变成一个红色的石头路标。」罗兰走了以后，姑娘变成了一个红色的石头路标，站在野地里等待自己心爱的人回来。谁知罗兰到家后，却落入另一个巫婆的圈套：他被巫婆弄得神魂颠倒，结果把姑娘给忘记了。可怜的姑娘站在那里等了很久，始终不见他归来的身影儿，心里特别难过，於是就变成了一朵鲜花，心里想道：

　　「一定会有人路过这儿，就让他把我踩死算啦。」

　　说来也巧，有个牧羊人到野外放牧，发现了这朵鲜花，觉得花儿特别好看，就摘了下来，随身带回家，放进自己的大箱子里。打那以后，牧羊人家里便怪事迭出。他每天早上起身，所有的家务事全都做好啦：房间已打扫过了，桌子凳子都已擦乾净了，炉火已生好了，水也打回来了；到了中午，他一进屋，桌上已摆好刀叉，还有可口的饭菜。他不明白这到底是怎么一回事？压根儿没见屋子里有人哪，而且屋里也没有藏身之处哇。有这么殷勤的伺候，他当然感到很开心。可是日子一久，他却害怕起来，於是就去找一个巫婆给他指点迷津。巫婆对他说：「有一种魔法在暗中作怪。哪天一大清早，你听听屋子里有没有甚么动静。要是你看见甚么，不管是甚么，就扔过去一快白布把它盖起来，这样魔法就破了。」

　　牧羊人依照巫婆的吩咐行动起来：第二天，天刚破晓，他便发现箱子打开了，他摘回的那朵鲜花从里边跳了出来。说时迟，那时快，他几步就跳了过去，扔了一快白布把花儿盖住。眨眼之间，魔法解除了，一位美丽动人的姑娘站在他的面前。姑娘向牧羊人承认，那朵花儿是她变成的，还承认她一直在为他料理家务。她向牧羊人诉说了自己的身世，牧羊人对她一见锺情，就问她愿意不愿意嫁给他，姑娘却回答说：「不愿意。」原来姑娘要对自己的爱人罗兰坚贞不渝，尽管他已抛弃了她。虽说如此，姑娘仍答应不离开牧羊人，继续替他料理家务。

　　就在那几天，罗兰举行婚礼的日子快到了。按照当地的古老风俗，每个年轻的姑娘都要去参加婚礼，唱歌为新婚情侣祝贺。忠心耿耿的姑娘听到这个消息，难过得心都快要碎了，她不想去参加婚礼，可是别的姑娘跑来硬是把她拖走了。轮到她唱歌了，她却往后退，最后只剩下她一个人了，她不得不硬着头皮唱了起来。谁知，她刚唱了一句，罗兰一听到这歌声便一跃而起，大声喊叫道：「这声音我太熟悉啦！那才是我真正的新娘子，我非她不娶！」就在这一瞬间，他所遗忘的一切突然又回到了他的心中。於是，这位坚贞不渝的姑娘和自己的爱人罗兰举行了婚礼。苦去甘来，他们开始了快乐的生活。