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Little Hansel and his sister, Grettel1, had no mother or father. They lived with an old woman. They called her “mother”, but she was not like a mother. She was cruel2 to Hansel and Grettel, and she beat3 them every day.
 The children were very, very unhappy. So they ran away4 from their home. They ran and ran and ran. Finally they came to a great forest5. They were very tired, so they lay down6 and went to sleep7 under a large tree.
The next morning, the children woke up early. It8 was a beautiful day. The children were very thirsty9. They looked around, but they saw no one. They thought they were alone. But the cruel old lady was nearby10. She was a witch11. She had followed them. She stood behind a tree and watched them.
“I’m thirsty,” said Hansel. “Let’s get a drink.”
“All right,” answered Grettel, “I’m thirsty, too.”
So the children looked for12 a clean brook13。 Soon they found one14. Hansel wanted to drink. But Grettel heard a voice. The voice said, “If you drink that water, you will become a tiger.”
“Oh, don’t drink that water,” said Grettel. “If you become a tiger, you will eat me.”
“All right,” said Hansel, “I will not drink here15. I will drink at the next brook.” But at the next brook they heard another16 voice. The voice said, “Don’t drink that water. If you drink that water, you will become a wolf.”
“Oh, don’t drink that water,” said Grettel. “If you become a wolf, you will eat me.”
“All right,” said Hansel, “but I must drink at the next brook. I am very, very thirsty.”
At the third brook, they heard the voice again. “If you drink that water, you will become a young deer17,” the voice said.
“Don’t drink the water,” said Grettel. “If you become a young dear, you will run away. I will be all alone18.”
But Hansel was very thirsty. He said, “I must drink,” and he began to drink from the brook. Suddenly he became a young deer.
Grettel cried and cried. “My brother is gone19,” she cried, “I am alone.” But Hansel, the young deer20, did not leave21 his sister. He stayed by her side22. Together, they walked deeper and deeper into the forest23.
After a long time24, they came to a small cottage25. Grettel looked inside. The cottage was empty26.
“We can live here,” she said. And so Hansel, the young deer, and his sister, Grettel lived in the little cottage in the forest. They lived there for a long time27. Hansel became a bigger, stronger deer. Grettel became a beautiful young woman.
One day, a king and his men28 came to the forest. They were hunting for deer. Hansel heard the king’s men29. He heard their hunting horns30. And he heard the barking31 of the hunting dogs. “I must go,” he told his sister. “I must hide32 in the forest. I will come back in the evening. Wait for33 me.” And then he ran off34 into the forest.
That night Hansel returned. He tapped35 on the cottage door and whispered36, “It is me37. I am back38. Please let me in.” Grettel let him in. Then they had a nice dinner and went to sleep. They were safe and happy again.
But the next morning the king and his men came to the forest again. Hansel again ran deep into the forest. But this time, one of the hunters saw him. He shot Hansel in the foot39. Hansel ran to the cottage. The hunter saw the young deer go into the cottage.
The hunter ran to the king. “I shot the young deer in the leg,” he said. “And then the deer went into that small cottage.”
“All right,” answered the king. “Tomorrow we will wait for him. When he comes out, we will catch him. But do not hurt 40 him.”
That night, Grettel washed Hanslel’s bloody41 leg. She put medicine42 on it. The leg got better. The next morning, Hansel again ran out into the forest.
The king’s hunters chased43 Hansel all day44. But they could not catch him. Hansel hid in the forest. So the king and his men went to the cottage. The king knocked on the door.
“Little sister, let me in,” he said.
Grettel thought45 her brother was at the door. She opened it46. It47 was not Hansel. It was the king. She was surprised and frightened48. The king was surprised, too. He looked at Grettel. She was so beautiful49. He thought she was the most beautiful young woman in the world.
“Do not be afraid50,” said the king. He spoke kindly to her. “Will you51 come to my castle? And will you be my wife? Will you become my queen?”
“Yes,” said Grette. “But I cannot leave my brother, the deer. He must come with us.”
“Of course,” said the king. “We will take him with us. And I will take good care of52 him.”
Just then, Hansel, the young deer, jumped into the room. The king and Grettel took him to the palace53 with them. Then they found the wicked54 witch. They punished55 the wicked witch, and then, suddenly, Hansel became a young man again. Hansel and Grettel and the king lived happily all their days.
汉赛尔与妹妹格蕾蒂尔
小汉赛尔与妹妹格蕾蒂尔无父无母，他们和一位老妇人住在一起。他们把她叫“母亲”，可她不像是位母亲。她对汉赛尔和格蕾蒂尔冷酷无情，每天都要打他们。
孩子们十分十分不幸，于是他们就从家里逃了出来。他们跑呀，跑呀，最后来到了一个大森林里。他们非常疲倦，于是就躺下，在一棵大树底下睡着了。
第二天早晨，孩子们早早就醒了。这是一个很美很美的一天。孩子们口很渴，他们四处张望，但是看不见一个人。他们以为自己是孤单的，可是那个无情的老妇人就在附近，她是一个巫婆，她跟着孩子们，站在树后观望着他们。
“我口渴，”汉赛尔说，“让我们弄点喝的吧。”
“好吧，我也渴了，”格蕾蒂尔答道。
于是孩子们寻找一条干净的溪流，很快他们就找到了一条小溪。汉赛尔想要喝水，可是格蕾蒂尔听到了一个声音，这个声音说：“如果你喝了那条河里的水，你将会变成一只老虎。”
“喂，别喝那里的水，”格蕾蒂尔说，“如果你变成了一只老虎，你就会吃掉我的。”
“好吧，”汉赛尔说，“我不喝这里的水，我在下一条河里喝。”可是在另一条河旁他们听到了另一个声音说：“不要喝这条河里的水，如果你喝了这里的水，你就会变成一只狼。”
“喂，不要喝这条河里的水，如果你变成了狼，你会把我吃掉的。”格蕾蒂尔说。
“好吧，”汉赛尔说，“不过在下一条河我可一定得喝，我都渴死了。”
到了第三条河，他们又听到了一个声音。“如果你喝了这里的水，你就会变成一只小鹿，”那个声音说。
“不要喝这里的水，”格蕾蒂尔说，“如果你变成了一只小鹿，你就会跑掉，我就成孤单一人了。”
可是汉赛尔太渴了。他说：“我一定要喝水。”他就开始喝河里的水。突然之间他变成了一只小鹿。
格蕾蒂尔哭呀哭。“我哥哥走了，就留下我一个人了。”她哭喊道。不过，汉赛尔，就是那只小鹿，没有离开他的妹妹，他就守在她的身旁。他们一起走呀走到森林的深处。
过了很久，他们来到了一座小茅屋旁。格蕾蒂尔朝里看看，茅屋是空的。
“我们可以在这里住下来，”她说。于是，汉赛尔（那只小鹿）和他的妹妹格蕾蒂尔就在森林深处的小屋里住了下来。他们在那里住了很长时间。汉赛尔变成了一只又大又壮的鹿，格蕾蒂尔变成了一个漂亮的姑娘。
一天，国王和他的随从来到了这个森林里，他们在打鹿。汉赛尔听到了国王随从们的声音，听到了他们打猎的号声，还听到了猎犬的吠声。“我必须走开，”他告诉他的妹妹说，“我必须躲藏在森林里，晚上我会回来的。要等着我。”说完他就跑到了森林里。
那天晚上汉赛尔又回来了。他轻轻地敲了敲茅屋的门，悄声地说：“是我，我回来了，快让我进去。”格蕾蒂尔让他进来。然后他们吃了一顿很好的晚餐就睡觉了。他们又一次既安全又快乐。
可是第二天国王和他的随从们又到森林来了，汉赛尔又逃到了森林深处。可是这次一个猎人看见了他，他用枪射中了汉赛尔的脚，汉赛尔逃到了茅屋。那位猎手看见这只小鹿进了茅屋。
猎手跑到国王面前说：“我射中了一只小鹿的腿，后来这只小鹿跑进了那座小茅屋。”
“那好，”国王答道。“明天我们等着它，它一出来，我们就捉住它。可是别伤着它呀。”
那天晚上格蕾蒂尔把汉赛尔腿上的血洗净了，给伤口敷上了药。腿好了一些，第二天早上汉赛尔又跑到森林里去了。
国王的猎手追捕汉赛尔追了一整天，可是他们抓不到他。汉赛尔藏在树林里，于是国王和他的随从就来到了小茅屋，国王敲了敲门。
“小妹妹，让我进来吧。”国王说。
格蕾蒂尔以为是哥哥在门口，她就开了门，可是来的不是汉赛尔，是国王。她又惊又怕。国王也感到吃惊。他看了一眼格蕾蒂尔，她是那样漂亮。他觉得她是世界上最漂亮的姑娘。
“不要害怕。”国王说，他对她说话很温和。“你愿意到我的王宫里去吗？你愿意做我的妻子吗？你愿意当我的皇后吗？”
“愿意，”格蕾蒂尔说，“不过，我不能离开我的哥哥，就是那只鹿，它必须和我们在一起。”
“那当然，”国王说，“我们将带它跟我们一起走，我将好好地照料它。”
正在那时，汉赛尔，就是那只小鹿，跳进了房子。国王和格蕾蒂尔带着它和他们一起回到了王宫。后来他们找到了那个邪恶的巫婆。他们惩罚了那个邪恶的巫婆，然后，突然间，汉赛尔又变成了一位少年。汉赛尔，格蕾蒂尔和国王终生幸福地生活在一起。
Notes
1. his sister 和Grettel 同格
2. cruel 残酷的
3. beat 打
4. run away 逃跑；跑走（run-ran-run）
5. forest 森林
6. lie down 躺下（lie-lay-lain）
7. go to sleep 睡觉
8. it 这里指天气
9. thirsty 渴的 n. thirst
10. nearby 附近
11. witch 巫婆
12. look for 找寻
13. brook 小河；小溪
14. one 这里代替 brook
15. I will not drink here. 我不想在这儿喝水。will 表示意愿
16. another 另一个
17. deer 鹿；注意：stag 为雄鹿，calf为小鹿
18. all alone 孤独
19. My brother is gone. 我哥哥走了。
20. Hansel 这里指the young deer
21. leave 离开
22. by her side 在她身旁
23. walked deeper and deeper into the forest 越来越深地走进了树林
24. after a long time 过了好久
25. cottage 茅屋
26. empty 空的
27. for a long time 好久
28. men 这里指国王的随从
29. king’s men 国王的随从
30. hunting horn 打猎的号声（指狗叫）
31. bark 狗叫
32. hide -hid-hidden 藏匿
33. wait for 等待
34. run off 跑掉；跑开
35. tap 拍打；轻敲
36. whisper 低声说
37. It is me. 是我。“Who is it?” “It’s me.”
38. I am back. 我回来了。
39. shot Hansel in the foot 射中了汉赛尔的脚 注意这种用法：（on, by, in+ the +身体的部分 ex. strike him on the head）
40. hurt 伤害 cf. heart 心脏
41. bloody 血污的
42. medicine 药，cf. take medicine 服药
43. chase 追捕
44. all day (long) 整天
45. Grettel thought 格蕾蒂尔想，以为
46. it= the door
47. it 代词
48. frightened 惊吓
49. the most beautiful 最漂亮的
50. be afraid 害怕
51. Will you…? ……好吗？（Won’t you…?）
52. take care of 照料（=look after）
53. palace 皇宫，cf. place 地方
54. wicked 邪恶的（=evil; bad）
55. punish 惩罚 punishment
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