渔夫和他的妻子
Once upon a time there were a fisherman and his wife who lived together in a filthy shack near the sea. Every day the fisherman went out fishing, and he fished, and he fished. Once he was sitting there fishing and looking into the clear water, and he sat, and he sat. Then his hook went to the bottom, deep down, and when he pulled it out, he had caught a large flounder. 从前，有个渔夫，他和妻子住在海边的一所肮髒的小渔舍里。渔夫每天都去钓鱼，他总是钓啊钓的，不愿休息有一天，他拿着钓竿坐在海边，两眼望着清澈的海水，竟就这样望啊望的，坐在那里一直发呆。
Then the flounder said to him, "Listen, fisherman, I beg you to let me live. I am not an ordinary flounder, but an enchanted prince. How will it help you to kill me? I would not taste good to you. Put me back into the water, and let me swim." 忽然，钓钩猛地往下沉，沉得很深很深，都快沉到海底了。等他把钓钩拉上来时，发现钓上来一条很大的比目鱼。谁知比目鱼竟对他说：「听着，渔夫，我恳求你放我一条生路。我并不是甚么比目鱼，我是一位中了魔法的王子，你要是杀死我，对你又有多大好处呢？我的肉不会对你的口味的。请把我放回水里，让我游走吧。」
"Well," said the man, "there's no need to say more. I can certainly let a fish swim away who knows how to talk."
「哎，」渔夫说，「你不必这么费口舌。一条会说话的比目鱼，我怎么会留下呢？」
With that he put it back into the clear water, and the flounder disappeared to the bottom, leaving a long trail of blood behind him. Then the fisherman got up and went home to his wife in the filthy shack.
说着，他就把比目鱼放回清澈的水里。比目鱼立刻就游走了，身后留下一条长长的血痕。随后，渔夫回到他的小屋，走到他妻子的身边。
"Husband," said the woman, "didn't you catch anything today?" 「喂，当家的，」他妻子问道，「今天你甚么也没钓到吗？」
"No," said the man. "I caught a flounder, but he told me that he was an enchanted prince, so I let him swim away." 「钓到了，」他回答说，「怎么说呢，我钓到了一条比目鱼，可他说他是一位中了魔法的王子，我就把他放了。」
"Didn't you ask for anything first?" said the woman.
「难道你没有提甚么愿望吗？」妻子问。
"No," said the man. "What should I have asked for?"
「没有，」丈夫回答说，「我该提甚么愿望呢？」
"Oh," said the woman. "It is terrible living in this shack. It stinks and is filthy. You should have asked for a little cottage for us. Go back and call him. Tell him that we want to have a little cottage. He will surely give it to us." 「唉，」妻子说，「住在我们这样一间肮髒的小房子里，实在是受罪。你该提希望得到一座漂亮的小别墅呀。快去告诉他我们要一幢小别墅，我肯定，他会满足咱们的愿望的。」
"Oh," said the man. "Why should I go back there?"
「可是，」丈夫说，「我怎么好再去哪？」
"Look," said the woman, "you did catch him, and then you let him swim away. He will surely do this for us. Go right now." 「唉，」妻子说，「你捉住了他，又放走了他。他肯定会满足咱们的愿望的，快去吧。」
The man did not want to go, but neither did he want to oppose his wife, so he went back to the sea. 渔夫还是不太愿意去，可又不想惹他妻子生气，於是，就去了海边。
When he arrived there it was no longer clear, but yellow and green. He stood there and said: 他来到海边时，海水绿得泛黄，也不像以往那样平静。他走了过去，站在海岸上说：
Mandje! Mandje! Timpe Te! Flounder, flounder, in the sea! My wife, my wife Ilsebill, Wants not, wants not, what I 「比目鱼啊，你在大海里，恳请你好好听我说仔细，我捉你放你没提愿望，老婆对此却不饶又不依。」
