Lazy Harry Harry, Lazy

xln1120

Harry was so lazy that although he had nothing else to do but drive his goat out to graze every day, he still heaved many a sigh when he got back home in the evening after completing his day's labors. "What a weary job it is," he would say, "what a terrible burden, year after year, driving that goat out into the fields every day till Michaelmas! If I could even lie down and take a nap while she feeds! But no, I've got to keep my eyes open or she'll damage the young trees, or squeeze through a hedge into someone's garden, or even run away altogether. What sort of a life is that? No peace of mind, no relaxation. " He sat down and collected his thoughts and tried to work out some way of getting this burden off his back. For a long time all his ponderings were in vain, then suddenly the scales seemed to fall from his eyes. "I know what I'll do!" he exclaimed. "I'll marry Fat Katie; she's got a goat as well, so she can take mine out with hers and I won't have to go on wearing myself to a shadow like this."

So Harry got up, set his weary limbs in motion and walked right across the street, for it was no further than that to where Fat Katie's parents lived; and there he asked for the hand of their hard-working, virtuous daughter. Her parents didn't stop to think twice, "Like to like makes a good match," they remarked, and gave their consent. So now Fat Katie became Harry's wife and drove both the goats out to graze. Harry spent his days very pleasantly, with nothing more strenuous to recover from than his own idleness. He only went out with her now and then, saying, "I'm just doing this so that I'll enjoy my bit of a rest afterwards all the more; you lose all your appreciation of it otherwise."

But Fat Katie was no less idle than Harry. "Harry dear," she said one day, "Why should we needlessly make our lives a misery like this and spoil the best years of our youth? Those two goats wake us out of our best morning sleep anyway with their bleating: wouldn't it be better to give them both to our neighbor and get a beehive from him in exchange? We'll put up the beehive in a sunny place behind the house and just leave it to look after itself. Bees don't need to be minded and taken out to graze: they'll fly out and find their own way home and make honey, without our having to raise a finger." "You're a very sensible girl," answered Harry, "and we'll do as you suggest right away. What's more, honey's tastier than goat's milk and it does you more good and you can store it for longer."

The neighbor willingly gave them a beehive in exchange for their two goats. The bees flew in and out tirelessly from early in the morning till late in the evening and filled the hive with the finest honey, so that in the autumn Harry was able to collect a whole jar of it.

They stood the jar on a shelf that was fixed to the wall above their bed; and fearing that someone might steal it or the mice mighty get at it, Katie fetched in a sturdy hazel rod and put it at the bedside, so that she wouldn't have to bestir herself unnecessarily but just reach for it and drive away any unwelcome visitors without having to get up.

Lazy Harry didn't like to rise before midday: "Too soon out of bed and you'll soon be dead," he would remark. So there he was one morning, still lolling among the feathers in broad daylight, having a good rest after his long sleep, and he said to his wife: "Women have a sweet tooth, and you've been at that honey again; I think our best plan, before it all gets eaten up by you, would be to give it in exchange for a goose and a young gander." "But not till we have a child to mind them!" replied Fat Katie. "You don't suppose I'd want to be bothered with young goslings, needlessly wearing out my strength?" "And do you suppose," said Harry, "that the boy will look after geese? Nowadays children don't do what they're told any more, they do just as they please, because they think they're cleverer than their parents, just like that farmhand who was sent to fetch a cow and started chasing three blackbirds." "Well then," answered Katie, "this one had better look out if he doesn't do as I tell him. I'll take a stick to him and give his hide a real good tanning. Watch me, Harry!" she exclaimed in her excitement, seizing the stick she kept to drive away the mice, "watch me beat the backside off him!" She lifted the stick, but unfortunately struck the honey jar above the bed. The jar was knocked against the wall and fell to smithereens, and all that fine honey went trickling over the floor. "Well, so much for the goose and the young gander," said Harry, "we shan't have to mind them now. But it's a bit of luck that the jar didn't fall on my head; we've every cause to be content with our lot." And seeing that some honey was still left in one of the fragments, he reached out and picked it up and said cheerfully: "Wife, let's enjoy the little that's left over here, and then take a bit of a rest after the fright we've had. What does it matter if we get up a little later than usual, the day's still long enough." "Oh yes," answered Katie, "better late than never. You know the one about the snail that was invited to the wedding? It set out and got there in time for the christening. And just outside the house it fell from the top of a fence, and said to itself: 'More haste, less speed.'"


懒汉海利

海利是个懒汉。他除了每天赶着山羊去吃草外，什么事都不干。就这样，到了傍晚，干完了一天的活计，回家，还总是唉声叹气，说：“这真是累人的活。多么沉重的负担啊.一年又一年，直到米迦勒节都得赶着山羊到野外去。要是山羊吃草时，我能躺下睡个觉该多好啊！可是不行啊,我还得睁大眼睛看着，别让山羊伤着小树，别让山羊钻进树篱笆到别人家的院子去，或者别逃跑了。这是什么生活啊？一刻也不能安静，不能放松。”他坐下，沉思起来，想怎么才能摆脱着沉重的负担呢。他绞尽脑汁想了好久，还是想不出好法子。突然，他好像恍然大悟似的，喊起来：“我知道该怎么办了。我要娶胖子凯迪亚。她也有一只山羊，因此，她可以把我的山羊一起赶出去放。那么，我就用不着这么辛苦了。”

于是，海利起来，活动活动他懒散的身子，横穿马路走过去。胖子凯迪亚的爸妈住的地方离这儿并不太远。他对他们说，他要娶勤苦善良的凯迪亚为妻子。胖子凯迪亚的爸爸没有多想，说：“鱼找鱼，虾找虾。”他们答应了这一要求。这样，胖子凯迪亚成了海利的妻子，赶着两只山羊去放牧。海利每天过着快乐的生活，没什么劳累，只是歇着他那把懒骨头。有时，他也陪妻子出去放羊，他说：“这样我才会感到在休息。要不就连休息的感觉都没有。”

可是，凯迪亚更加懒惰。一天，她说：“亲爱的海利，我们为什么每天不必要地吃这么多苦呢？为什么把我们最好的青春时光白白浪费掉呢？为什么我们不把那每天早上咩咩叫，干扰我们呼呼大睡的两只山羊，和邻居换一箱蜜蜂来呢？我们要是把一箱蜜蜂放在房子后边太阳下，那就用不着照看呀。蜜蜂用不着我们看着，更用不着我们到野外去放养。蜜蜂会自己飞出去，再自己飞回来，酿蜜，用不着我们费事。”海利回答说：“你是个聪明的女人。我们马上按你的说法办。再说蜂蜜比山羊奶更好吃，对身体有好处，也便于长期保存。”

邻居高高兴兴地用一箱蜜蜂，换两只山羊。蜜蜂，从早到晚，飞进飞出，勤勤恳恳。蜂箱里装忙了最好的蜂蜜，因此，到了秋天，海利收获到了一满罐蜜蜂。
他们夫妇把这一罐蜂蜜放在卧室墙头的隔板上。为了防止有人来偷，或老鼠来吃，凯迪亚弄了一根结结实实的榛木棒子，放在床头。这样，他们用不着起床就可以拿到棒子，能把那不请自到的“客人”赶跑了。

懒汉海利不到中午不愿起床。他说：“早起的人，将死得很早。”一天早晨，太阳已经升起很高很高，海利还赖在鹅毛被窝里。长时间的睡眠后，得到了充足的休息，他对妻子说：“女人爱吃甜的。你又去吃蜂蜜了。我看我们得在蜂蜜没让你吃光之前，用它换一只大鹅和一只小雏鹅。”“可是，得等我生了放鹅的孩子以后才能买。难道让我为小鹅去伤神费力吗？”凯迪亚说。海利说：“你以为男孩喜欢放鹅吗？现在的孩子呀，都不听话。他们总以为自己比爸爸妈妈要聪明，总要做自己喜欢做的事。像那个农场工人，他被派去找回母牛来，他却去追赶那三只鸟了。”“不，他要是不听我的话，他可要小心了。”凯迪亚回答说，“我要拿起手杖，狠狠地揍他。看着，海利，”她兴奋地喊着，操起准备赶老鼠的那根木棒子，又说，“看我怎么把他的屁股打烂！”她扬起棒子，真糟糕，正碰着床上的蜂蜜罐子。罐子撞着墙，碎得稀里哗啦往下掉，甜甜的蜂蜜淌在地板上，“好了，再也不要谈论鹅的事了，”海利说，“我们根本不用放鹅了。幸运的是罐子没落在我头上，我们有理由说我们的运气好。”海利看那破罐碎片上还有一些蜂蜜，伸手就去拿，高兴地说：“喂，我们来享受这剩下的一点儿蜂蜜吧。可吓了这么一大跳以后，该稍稍休息休息了。我们比平常晚一点起来，有什么？日子长着呢。”“是呀，”凯迪亚回答说，“迟做总比不做好。你知道，有回，蜗牛别邀请去参加婚礼的故事。蜗牛动身走了，到人家婚后生下的孩子行洗礼的时候才到。蜗牛从房前的篱笆上落下来，还自言自语地说：'欲速则不达。'”