Một người cha có một đứa con trai và một đứa gái, đứa con trai thì đẹp mã, còn đứa con gái thì cực kỳ xấu xí. Lúc còn nhỏ, khi đang chơi với nhau, chúng tình cờ nhìn vào một cái gương để trên cái ghế của mẹ. Đứa trai hớn hở khen mình đẹp, đứa gái nổi giận và không chịu nổi cái lối kiêu căng của anh mình. Nghe anh khen anh thì nghĩ là anh cố tình chê mình xấu (nó đâu biết làm gì khác hơn?).
Đứa gái chạy lại mách bố để bố trị tội anh, nó nói rằng anh đã lấy hết cái phần đẹp mà lẽ ra chỉ nên dành cho con gái là nó. Người bố ôm cả hai đứa, hôn và âu yếm cả hai đứa và bảo,”bố muốn là cả hai con mỗi ngày đều phải nhìn vào gương. Con, là con trai, con có thể sẽ bị xấu đi vì những thói hư tật xấu, và con, con gái của bố, con có thể làm cho mình đẹp hơn bằng chính đức hạnh của mình.
Vào một ngày đẹp trời, các bộ phận của cơ thể bỗng nghĩ ra rằng chúng phải làm tất cả mọi việc trong khi cái bụng chẳng làm gi mà lại được ăn hết mọi thứ.
Vì vậy, chúng tổ chức một buổi họp, và sau một hồi bàn luận, liền quyết định đình công cho đến khi nào bụng cũng phải chịu gánh một phần công việc.
Thế là khoảng một hai ngày sau, tay từ chối không lấy thức ăn nữa, miệng không chịu mở ra cho thức ăn vào, và răng chẳng có gì để nhai.
Thế nhưng vài ngày sau nữa, các bộ phận cơ thể bỗng thấy mình không còn mạnh mẽ: Tay không cử động nổi, miệng khô ran, chân không đứng nổi.
Vì thế chúng mới nghĩ ra rằng cái bụng tuy âm thầm nhưng lại làm các việc rất cần thiết cho cả cơ thể và mọi bộ phận đều phải làm việc cùng với nhau không thì cơ thể mới tồn tại khỏe mạnh được.
Một đôi bò ra sức kéo một chiếc xe chất đầy hàng qua một con đường quê lầy lội. Chúng phải lấy hết sức lực mới kéo nổi chiếc xe, nhưng không hề phàn nàn kêu ca.
Cặp Bánh Xe thì lại khác hẳn. Mặc dù nhiệm vụ của chúng phải làm là hết sức nhẹ nhàng so với việc của đôi bò, chúng cứ kẽo kẹt rên rỉ theo mỗi vòng quay. Đôi bò tội nghiệp, mặc dù đã phải hết sức mới kéo được chiếc xe đi trong buồn sâu, lại còn phải ù tai vì những tiếng kêu ca phàn nàn nhức óc của Cặp Bánh Xe. Việc này, ai cũng biết, làm cho công việc của chúng trở nên nặng nề khó chịu đựng hơn.
“Im đi!” Đôi Bò cuối cùng cũng phải la lên, mất hết cả kiên nhẫn. “Bánh Xe chúng mày phải làm những gì mà kêu ca phàn nàn nhức óc thế? Tụi tao phải kéo cả chiếc xe nặng nề, chứ không phải chúng mày, nhưng chúng tao có kêu ca gì đâu.”
Lời bàn: Người sung sướng nhất lại hay kêu ca nhiều nhất! Nguồn: truyencotich.vn
Truyện ngụ ngôn: Chó và thỏ Lần nọ, có một con chó đuổi theo một con thỏ. Vì mới đánh chén một bữa no nê cách đó không lâu nên chó ta không đói lắm, và vì thế nó chưa muốn giết thỏ vội. Có lúc con chó cố táp lấy con mồi của mình, lúc thì lại chơi đùa với nó rồi dùng lưỡi liếm nó. Cuối cùng con thỏ tội nghiệp kêu lên: – Làm ơn hãy nói cho tôi biết, ông là bạn hay là thù: Nếu là bạn, tại sao ông lại cắn tôi như thế? Và nếu là thù, tại sao ông lại âu yếm tôi đến vậy? Lời bàn: Chúng ta không tin những kẻ hai mặt! Nguồn: truyencotich.vn
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. 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.”
“Well,” said the man, “there’s no need to say more. I can certainly let a fish swim away who knows how to talk.”
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.
“Husband,” said the woman, “didn’t you catch anything today?”
“No,” said the man. “I caught a flounder, but he told me that he was an enchanted prince, so I let him swim away.”
“Didn’t you ask for anything first?” said the woman.
“No,” said the man. “What should I have asked for?”
“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.”
, “you did catch him, and then you let him swim away. He will surely do this for us. Go right now.”
The man did not want to go, but neither did he want to oppose his wife, so he went back to the sea.
When he arrived there it was no longer clear, but yellow and green. He stood there and said:
Mandje! Mandje! Timpe Te! Flounder, flounder, in the sea! My wife, my wife Ilsebill, Wants not, wants not, what I will The flounder swam up and said, “What does she want then?” “Oh,” said the man, “I did catch you, and now my wife says that I really should have asked for something. She doesn’t want to live in a filthy shack any longer. She would like to have a cottage.”
“Go home,” said the flounder. “She already has it.”
The man went home, and his wife was standing in the door of a cottage, and she said to him, “Come in. See, now isn’t this much better?”
There was a little front yard, and a beautiful little parlor, and a bedroom where their bed was standing, and a kitchen, and a dining room. Everything was beautifully furnished and supplied with tin and brass utensils, just as it should be. And outside there was a little yard with chickens and ducks and a garden with vegetables and fruit.
“Yes,” said the man. “This is quite enough. We can live here very well.”
“We will think about that,” said the woman.
Then they ate something and went to bed.
Everything went well for a week or two, and then the woman said, “Listen, husband. This cottage is too small. The yard and the garden are too little. The flounder could have given us a larger house. I would like to live in a large stone palace. Go back to the flounder and tell him to give us a palace.”
“Oh, wife,” said the man, “the cottage is good enough. Why would we want to live in a palace?”
“I know why,” said the woman. “Now you just go. The flounder can do that.”
“Now, wife, the flounder has just given us the cottage. I don’t want to go back so soon. It may make the flounder angry.”
“Just go,” said the woman. “He can do it, and he won’t mind doing it. Just go.”
The man’s heart was heavy, and he did not want to go. He said to himself, “This is not right,” but he went anyway.
When he arrived at the sea the water was purple and dark blue and gray and dense, and no longer green and yellow. He stood there and said:
Mandje! Mandje! Timpe Te! Flounder, flounder, in the sea! My wife, my wife Ilsebill, Wants not, wants not, what I will “What does she want then?” said the flounder. “Oh,” said the man sadly, “my wife wants to live in a stone palace.”
“Go home. She’s already standing before the door,” said the flounder.
Then the man went his way, thinking he was going home, but when he arrived, standing there was a large stone palace. His wife was standing on the stairway, about to enter.
Taking him by the hand, she said, “Come inside.”
He went inside with her. Inside the palace there was a large front hallway with a marble floor. Numerous servants opened up the large doors for them. The walls were all white and covered with beautiful tapestry. In the rooms there were chairs and tables of pure gold. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings. The rooms and chambers all had carpets. Food and the very best wine overloaded the tables until they almost collapsed. Outside the house there was a large courtyard with the very best carriages and stalls for horses and cows. Furthermore there was a magnificent garden with the most beautiful flowers and fine fruit trees and a pleasure forest a good half mile long, with elk and deer and hares and everything that anyone could possibly want.
“Now,” said the woman, “isn’t this nice?”
“Oh, yes” said the man. “This is quite enough. We can live in this beautiful palace and be satisfied.”
“We’ll think about it,” said the woman. “Let’s sleep on it.” And with that they went to bed.
woke up first. It was just daylight, and from her bed she could see the magnificent landscape before her. Her husband was just starting to stir when she poked him in the side with her elbow and said, “Husband, get up and look out the window. Look, couldn’t we be king over all this land?”
“Oh, wife,” said the man, “why would we want to be king? I don’t want to be king.”
“Well,” said the woman, “even if you don’t want to be king, I want to be king.”
“Oh, wife,” said the man, “why do you want to be king? I don’t want to tell him that.”
“Why not?” said the woman, “Go there immediately. I must be king.”
So the man, saddened because his wife wanted to be king, went back.
“This is not right, not right at all,” thought the man. He did not want to go, but he went anyway.
When he arrived at the sea it was dark gray, and the water heaved up from below and had a foul smell. He stood there and said:
Mandje! Mandje! Timpe Te! Flounder, flounder, in the sea! My wife, my wife Ilsebill, Wants not, wants not, what I will “What does she want then,” said the flounder. “Oh,” said the man, “she wants to be king.”
“Go home. She is already king,” said the flounder.
Then the man went home, and when he arrived there, the palace had become much larger, with a tall tower and magnificent decorations. Sentries stood outside the door, and there were so many soldiers, and drums, and trumpets. When he went inside everything was of pure marble and gold with velvet covers and large golden tassels. Then the doors to the great hall opened up, and there was the entire court. His wife was sitting on a high throne of gold and diamonds. She was wearing a large golden crown, and in her hand was a scepter of pure gold and precious stones. On either side of her there stood a line of maids-in-waiting, each one a head shorter than the other.
“Oh, wife, are you now king?”
“Yes,” she said, “now I am king.”
He stood and looked at her, and after thus looking at her for a while he said, “Wife, it is very nice that you are king. Now we don’t have to wish for anything else.”
“No, husband,” she said, becoming restless. “Time is on my hands. I cannot stand it any longer. Go to the flounder. I am king, but now I must become emperor.”
“Oh, wife” said the man, “Why do you want to become emperor?”
“Husband,” she said, “go to the flounder. I want to be emperor.”
“Oh, wife,” said the man, “he cannot make you emperor. I cannot tell the flounder to do that. There is only one emperor in the realm. The flounder cannot make you emperor. He cannot do that.”
“What!” said the woman. “I am king, and you are my husband. Are you going? Go there immediately. If he can make me king then he can make me emperor. I want to be and have to be emperor. Go there immediately.”
So he had to go. As he went on his way the frightened man thought to himself, “This is not going to end well. To ask to be emperor is shameful. The flounder is going to get tired of this.”
With that he arrived at the sea. The water was all black and dense and boiling up from within. A strong wind blew over him that curdled the water. He stood there and said:
Mandje! Mandje! Timpe Te! Flounder, flounder, in the sea! My wife, my wife Ilsebill, Wants not, wants not, what I will “What does she want then?” said the flounder. “Oh, flounder,” he said, “my wife wants to become emperor.”
“Go home,” said the flounder. “She is already emperor.”
Then the man went home, and when he arrived there, the entire palace was made of polished marble with alabaster statues and golden decoration. Soldiers were marching outside the gate, blowing trumpets and beating tympani and drums. Inside the house, barons and counts and dukes were walking around like servants. They opened the doors for him, which were made of pure gold. He went inside where his wife was sitting on a throne made of one piece of gold a good two miles high, and she was wearing a large golden crown that was three yards high, all set with diamonds and carbuncles. In the one hand she had a scepter, and in the other the imperial orb. Bodyguards were standing in two rows at her sides: each one smaller than the other, beginning with the largest giant and ending with the littlest dwarf, who was no larger than my little finger. Many princes and dukes were standing in front of her.
The man went and stood among them and said, “Wife, are you emperor now?”
“Yes,” she said, “I am emperor.”
He stood and looked at her, and after thus looking at her for a while, he said, “Wife, it is very nice that you are emperor.”
“Husband,” she said. “Why are you standing there? Now that I am emperor, and I want to become pope.”
“Oh, wife!” said the man. “What do you not want? There is only one pope in all Christendom. He cannot make you pope.”
“Husband,” she said, “I want to become pope. Go there immediately. I must become pope this very day.”
“No, wife,” he said, “I cannot tell him that. It will come to no good. That is too much. The flounder cannot make you pope.”
, what nonsense!” said the woman. “If he can make me emperor, then he can make me pope as well. Go there immediately. I am emperor, and you are my husband. Are you going?”
Then the frightened man went. He felt sick all over, and his knees and legs were shaking, and the wind was blowing over the land, and clouds flew by as the darkness of evening fell. Leaves blew from the trees, and the water roared and boiled as it crashed onto the shore. In the distance he could see ships, shooting distress signals as they tossed and turned on the waves. There was a little blue in the middle of the sky, but on all sides it had turned red, as in a terrible lightning storm. Full of despair he stood there and said:
Mandje! Mandje! Timpe Te! Flounder, flounder, in the sea! My wife, my wife Ilsebill, Wants not, wants not, what I will “What does she want then?” said the flounder. “Oh,” said the man, “she wants to become pope.”
“Go home,” said the flounder. “She is already pope.”
Then he went home, and when he arrived there, there was a large church surrounded by nothing but palaces. He forced his way through the crowd. Inside everything was illuminated with thousands and thousands of lights, and his wife was clothed in pure gold and sitting on a much higher throne. She was wearing three large golden crowns. She was surrounded with church-like splendor, and at her sides there were two banks of candles. The largest was as thick and as tall as the largest tower, down to the smallest kitchen candle. And all the emperors and kings were kneeling before her kissing her slipper.
“Wife,” said the man, giving her a good look, “are you pope now?”
“Yes,” she said, “I am pope.”
Then he stood there looking at her, and it was as if he were looking into the bright sun. After he had looked at her for a while he said, “Wife, It is good that you are pope!”
She stood there as stiff as a tree, neither stirring nor moving.
Then he said, “Wife, be satisfied now that you are pope. There is nothing else that you can become.”
“I have to think about that,” said the woman.
Then they both went to bed, but she was not satisfied. Her desires would not let her sleep. She kept thinking what she wanted to become next.
slept well and soundly, for he had run about a lot during the day, but the woman could not sleep at all, but tossed and turned from one side to the other all night long, always thinking about what she could become, but she could not think of anything.
Then the sun was about to rise, and when she saw the early light of dawn she sat up in bed and watched through the window as the sun came up.
“Aha,” she thought. “Could not I cause the sun and the moon to rise?”
“Husband,” she said, poking him in the ribs with her elbow, “wake up and go back to the flounder. I want to become like God.”
, who was still mostly asleep, was so startled that he fell out of bed. He thought that he had misunderstood her, so, rubbing his eyes, he said, “Wife, what did you say?”
“Husband,” she said, “I cannot stand it when I see the sun and the moon rising, and I cannot cause them to do so. I will not have a single hour of peace until I myself can cause them to rise.”
She looked at him so gruesomely that he shuddered.
“Go there immediately. I want to become like God.”
“Oh, wife,” said the man, falling on his knees before her, “the flounder cannot do that. He can make you emperor and pope, but I beg you, be satisfied and remain pope.”
Anger fell over her. Her hair flew wildly about her head. Tearing open her bodice she kicked him with her foot and shouted, “I cannot stand it! I cannot stand it any longer! Go there immediately!”
Outside such a storm was raging that he could hardly stand on his feet. Houses and trees were blowing over. The mountains were shaking, and boulders were rolling from the cliffs into the sea. The sky was as black as pitch. There was thunder and lightning. In the sea there were great black waves as high as church towers and mountains, all capped with crowns of white foam.
Mandje! Mandje! Timpe Te! Flounder, flounder, in the sea! My wife, my wife Ilsebill, Wants not, wants not, what I will “What does she want then?” said the flounder. “Oh,” he said, “she wants to become like God.”
“Go home. She is sitting in her filthy shack again.”
And they are sitting there even today.
Các bạn có thể tham khảo bản dịch của truyện tại đây:
Once upon a time there lived a poor widow and her son Jack. One day, Jack’s mother told him to sell their only cow. Jack went to the market and on the way he met a man who wanted to buy his cow. Jack asked,
– “What will you give me in return for my cow?”
The man answered, “I will give you five magic beans!”
Jack took the magic beans and gave the man the cow. But when he reached home, Jack’s mother was very angry. She said, “You fool! He took away your cow and gave you some beans!” She threw the beans out of the window. Jack was very sad and went to sleep without dinner.
The next day, when Jack woke up in the morning and looked out of the window, he saw that a huge beanstalk had grown from his magic beans! He climbed up the beanstalk and reached a kingdom in the sky. There lived a giant and his wife. Jack went inside the house and found the giant’s wife in the kitchen. Jack said:
– “Could you please give me something to eat? I am so hungry!” The kind wife gave him bread and some milk.”
While he was eating, the giant came home. The giant was very big and looked very fearsome. Jack was terrified and went and hid inside. The giant cried:
– “Fee-fifo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!”
The wife said, “There is no boy in here!” So, the giant ate his food and then went to his room. He took out his sacks of gold coins, counted them and kept them aside. Then he went to sleep. In the night, Jack crept out of his hiding place, took one sack of gold coins and climbed down the beanstalk.
At home, he gave the coins to his mother. His mother was very happy and they lived well for sometime. Climbed the beanstalk and went to the giant’s house again. Once again, Jack asked the giant’s wife for food, but while he was eating the giant returned. Jack leapt up in fright and went and hid under the bed. The giant cried:
– “Fee-fifo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!”
The wife said, “There is no boy in here!” The giant ate his food and went to his room. There, he took out a hen. He shouted, “Lay!” and the hen laid a golden egg. When the giant fell asleep, Jack took the hen and climbed down the beanstalk. Jack’s mother was very happy with him.
After some days, Jack once again climbed the beanstalk and went to the giant’s castle. For the third time, Jack met the giant’s wife and asked for some food. Once again, the giant’s wife gave him bread and milk. But while Jack was eating, the giant came home. “Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!” cried the giant. “Don’t be silly! There is no boy in here!” said his wife.
The giant had a magical harp that could play beautiful songs. While the giant slept, Jack took the harp and was about to leave. Suddenly, the magic harp cried, “Help master! A boy is stealing me!” The giant woke up and saw Jack with the harp. Furious, he ran after Jack. But Jack was too fast for him. He ran down the beanstalk and reached home. The giant followed him down. Jack quickly ran inside his house and fetched an axe. He began to chop the beanstalk. The giant fell and died.
Jack and his mother were now very rich and they lived happily ever after.
Các bạn có thể tham khảo bản dịch của truyện cổ tích “Jack và hạt đậu thần” tại đây:
Xưa có một anh chàng tiều phu nghèo, cha mẹ anh bệnh nặng nên qua đời sớm, anh phải sống mồ côi cha mẹ từ nhỏ và tài sản của anh chỉ có một chiếc rìu. Hàng ngày anh phải xách
vào rừng để đốn củi bán để lấy tiền kiếm sống qua ngày. Cạnh bìa rừng có một con sông nước chảy rất xiết, ai đó lỡ trượt chân rơi xuống sông thì rất khó bơi vào bờ.
Một hôm, như thường ngày chàng tiều phu vác rìu vào rừng để đốn củi, trong lúc đang chặt củi cạnh bờ sông thì chẳng may chiếc rìu của chàng bị gãy cán và lưỡi rìu văng xuống sông. Vì dòng sông nước chảy quá xiết nên mặc dù biết bơi nhưng anh chàng vẫn không thể xuống sông để tìm lưỡi rìu. Thất vọng anh chàng tiều phu ngồi khóc than thở.
sắt mà bố mẹ cháu trước lúc qua đời để lại. Có chiếc rìu đó cháu còn vào rừng đốn củi kiếm sống qua ngày, giờ đây nó đã bị rơi xuống sông, cháu không biết lấy gì để kiếm sống qua ngày nữa. Vì vậy cháu buồn lắm cụ ạ!
Ông cụ đáp lời chàng tiều phu:
-Ta tưởng chuyện gì lớn, cháu đừng khóc nữa, để ta lặn xuống sông lấy hộ cháu
Dứt lời, ông cụ lao mình xuống dòng sông đang chảy rất xiết. Một lúc sau, ông cụ ngoi lên khỏi mặt nước tay cầm một chiếc rìu bằng bạc sáng loáng và hỏi anh chàng tiều phu nghèo:
– Đây có phải lưỡi rìu mà con đã làm rơi xuống không ?
Anh chàng tiều phu nhìn lưỡi rìu bằng bạc thấy không phải của mình nên anh lắc đầu và bảo ông cụ:
-Con quả là người thật thà và trung thực, không hề ham tiền bạc và lợi lộc. Nay ta tặng thêm cho con hai lưỡi rìu bằng vàng và bạc này. Đây là quà ta tặng con, con cứ vui vẻ nhận.
Nguồn: truyencotich.vn