Lean Lisa

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　Lean Lisa was not at all like Lazy Heinz and Fat Trina, who would not allow anything to disturb their rest. She burned herself out from morning until evening and loaded so much work on her husband, Lanky Lenz, that it was harder for him than for a donkey loaded with three sacks. But it was all for naught. They had nothing, and they got nothing.

　　One evening she was lying in bed, too tired to move a muscle but still unable to fall asleep, when she poked her husband in the side with her elbow and said, "Lenz, listen to what I just thought of. If I were to find a florin, and you were to give me another one, then I'd borrow yet another one, and you'd give me still another one, and then I would take the four florins and buy a young cow."

　　the man aGREed. "I don't know," he said, "where I'm to get that florin I'm supposed to give you, but after you have the money to buy a cow, it will be a good thing." Then he added, "I'm looking forward to the time after the cow calves, so I can have some good refreshing milk to drink."

　　"the milk is not for you," said the woman. "We will let the calf suck, so it will grow large and fat, and we can sell it for a good price."

　　"Of course," said the man, "but it won't hurt anything if we take a little milk."

　　"Who taught you about cows?" said the woman. "I won't allow it, whether it will hurt anything or not. You can stand on your head, but you won't get a single drop of milk. Lanky Lenz, just because you are always hungry, you think that you can devour everything that my hard work brings in."

　　"Woman," said the man, "be quiet, or I'll plant one on the side of your face."

　　"What!" she cried. "Are you threatening me! You glutton! You good-for-nothing! You lazybones!"

　　She was reaching for his hair, but Lanky Lenz raised himself up, took hold of both her skinny arms with one hand, then pushed her head into the pillow with the other one. He held her there and let her scold until she fell asleep from exhaustion.

　　the next morning when she woke up, I do not know whether she continued to quarrel, or whether she went out to look for the florin that she wanted to find.

懶哈利和胖特麗娜總是為人持重，不為外物所擾。瘦莉莎的想法卻完全相反，她總是從早忙到晚，讓她的大個子丈夫倫茨干很多的活。可盡管如此，他們還是一無所獲，一事無成。一天晚上，莉莎躺在床上，累得無法動彈，卻心事重重地無法入睡。她用肘撞旁邊的男人說：“倫茨，你聽，我想的是甚么？假如我找到一塊金幣，別人又送我一塊，我再去借一塊，你也給我一塊，那么，我一共就有四塊金幣，我就要買一頭母牛。”男人覺得這很好，他說：“我雖不知道上哪兒去給你弄到送你的那塊金幣，但是如果你有了這筆錢，你就可以用它買頭母牛，如果母牛生頭小牛，那我們就可以喝上牛奶，提提神了。”女人說：“牛奶不是你的，我們讓小牛吸，讓它長得膘肥體壯，才能賣個好價錢。”男人說：“那是當然，不過我們也可以喝一點點，不礙事。”

　　女人說：“誰叫你這樣對待母牛？不管礙不礙事，我都不會答應。你要是胡思亂想，休想喝到一滴牛奶！你這傻大個真是個貪得無厭的傢伙，要把我幸苦掙來的東西消耗盡嗎？”男人說：“老婆，安靜些，否則我要把你的嘴蒙起來。”

　　“甚么？”她喊道，“你要嚇唬我，你這饞鬼，你這長桿子，你這懶鬼哈利。”她想揪他的頭發(fā)，但長子倫茨坐起來，用一只手抓著瘦莉莎的兩條細胳膊，用另一只手將她的頭發(fā)按在枕上，聽憑她叫罵，直到她最后累得又睡著了才松開。第二天早上，他們醒來后沒有繼續(xù)吵鬧，莉莎后來究竟有沒有出去找她想得到的那塊金幣，那我們就不知道了。