天晚了，魔鬼回到家里。他刚一进门，就发觉气味儿不对。“我闻到了人肉的气味，”他说，“这里所有的都不正常。”他边说边四处瞅，四处找，可是什么也没找着。他的祖母骂他：“刚才打扫过，一切都理得整整齐齐的，这下你又来给我翻得乱七八糟了，”她说，“你鼻子里永远闻到有人肉味儿。快坐下吃你的晚饭吧。”魔鬼吃喝完了，感到疲倦，把脑袋枕在祖母怀里，要她替他捉一捉虱子。没过多久，他就睡着了，呼噜呼噜打起鼾来。祖母于是捏住根金发，一下子拔出来放在旁边。“哎哟！”魔鬼叫起来，“你干什么？”“我做了个噩梦，所以扯了你的头发了。”祖母回答。“你梦见了什么？”魔鬼问。“我梦见市集上有一口井，从前井里涌出葡萄酒，现在却干得连水都不再出，这是什么原因呀。”“嘿，城里的人哪儿会知道，”魔鬼回答，“在井里的一块大石头底下住着只癞蛤蟆，他们只要杀死它，就又会有葡萄酒流出来。”祖母又开始替魔鬼捉虱子，直到他再睡着了，打鼾打得连窗户都颤抖起来。祖母趁机拔下了第二根金发。“嗷！你干什么？”魔鬼生气地叫。“别见怪，”祖母回答，“我做梦来着。”这次“你梦见什么了？”他问。“我梦见在一个王国有一棵树，这棵树本来结金苹果，现在却连树叶都不长了。你认为原因原因是什么？”“嗨，人们哪儿会知道！”魔鬼说，“有只老鼠在啃树根，他们只要杀死它，树又重新会结金苹果。而如果让它继续啃下去，树就会完全枯死掉。可是别再拿你的梦来搅扰我，你要再弄醒我一次，我就给你一耳光。”祖母用好言好语诳他，继续替他捉虱子，直到他又睡着了打起鼾来。这时她捏住他的第三根金发，把它拔出来了。魔鬼一下子跳起老高，怪叫着要找她算账。她呢，又安抚他说：“老做噩梦，真没办法！”“你又梦见什么啦？”魔鬼问，心里到底还是好奇。“我梦见一个船夫，他一直把渡船撑来又撑去，老是没人去接替他。也不知原因是什么？”“嗨，这个傻瓜！”魔鬼回答，“只要有谁来要求渡河，他立即把篙往这人手里一交，以后就得这个人撑船，他不就自由啦！”祖母既已拔下三根金头发，得到了三个问题的答案，也就不再打搅这魔鬼，让他一觉睡到了大天亮。
When the devil had gone out again the old woman took the ant out of the folds of her dress，and gave the child of good fortune his human shape again.“There are the three golden hairs for you.”said she.“What the devil said to your three questions，I suppose you heard.”“Yes，”answered he，“I heard，and will take care to remember.”“You have what you want，”said she，“and now you can go your way.”He thanked the old woman for helping him in his need，and left hell well content that everything had turned out so fortunately.When he came to the ferryman he was expected to give the promised answer.“Ferry me across first，”said the child of good fortune，“and then I will tell you how you can be set freeset (free v.释放(=release)).”And when he reached the opposite shore he gave him the devil"s advice.Next time anyone comes，who wants to be ferried over，just put the oar in his hand.He went on and came to the town wherein stood the unfruitful(unfruitful adj.不结果实的，不生子女的，无效果的，徒然的，空的)tree，and there too the watchman wanted an answer.So he told him what he had heard from the devil.“Kill the mouse which is gnawing at its root，and it will again bear golden apples.”Then the watchman thanked him，and gave him as a reward two asses(ass n.驴，笨人，臀部) laden with gold，which followed him.Finally，he came to the town whose well was dry.He told the watchman what the devil had said，“A toad(toad n.［动］蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆，讨厌的家伙)is in the well beneath a stone，you must find it and kill it，and the well will again give wine in plenty.”The watchman thanked him，and also gave him two asses laden with(laden with载满，充满烦恼)gold.
魔鬼又出门去了，老祖母从衣褶里捉出蚂蚁，让幸运儿恢复了原形。“这儿有三根金头发给你，”她说，“魔鬼对你那三个问题说的话我猜想你也听见啦。”“是的，”他回答，“我听见了，并且会牢牢记住。”“你得到了你想要的，”她说，“现在你可以走自己的路了。”幸运儿感谢老太太在危难中给他帮助。随后他便离开了地狱，心里对事事都这么顺利而充满了喜悦。他见到那个船夫，船夫期盼他实现他的承诺。“先撑我过去，”幸运儿说，“然后我就告诉你怎么能够被释放！”到了彼岸，他把魔鬼的建议转告船夫。如果又有人来要求渡河，你把篙交给他得啦！”他继续往前走，来到树不再结果的那座城市，卫兵们也想知道答案。他于是说了从魔鬼口里听来的话：“杀死啃树根的那只老鼠，这样树又会结金苹果了。”卫兵感激他，送给他两头驮着金子的毛驴，他便牵着它们走了。最后，他到达井干涸了的城市，对卫兵们说了魔鬼说的那些话：“有只癞蛤蟆蹲在井里的一块石头底下，必须找到它，把它杀死，这样井又会流出许多葡萄酒的。”卫兵感激他，同样给了他两头驮着金子的毛驴。
At last the child of good fortune got home to his wife，who was heartily glad to see him again，and to hear how well he had prospered in everything.To the king he took what he had asked for，the devil"s three golden hairs，and when the king saw the four asses laden with gold he was quite content，and said，“Now all the conditions are fulfilled，and you can keep my daughter.But tell me，dear soninlaw，where did all that gold come from—this is tremendous wealth.”“I was rowed across a river，”answered he，“and got it there，it lies on the shore instead of sand.”“Can I too fetch some of it.”said the king，and he was quite eager about it.“As much as you like.”answered he.“There is a ferryman on the river，let him ferry you over，and you can fill your sacks on the other side.”The greedy king set out in all haste，and when he came to the river he beckoned(beckon v.招手，召唤)to the ferryman to put him across.The ferryman came and bade him get in，and when they got to the other shore he put the oar in his hand and sprang over.But from this time forth the king had to ferry，as a punishment for his sins.
幸运儿终于回到家里的妻子身边，重新见到他，听他说一切都圆满成功，她打心眼儿里高兴。他把国王要的东西——魔鬼的三根金头发，呈了上去。国王看见除此而外还有四头驮着金子的毛驴，高兴极了，说：“现在所有的条件都满足了，你可以继续做我女儿的丈夫。不过呢，亲爱的女婿，请告诉我，你这许多金子从哪儿来的？它可是一笔很大的财富啊。”“我过了一条河，”幸运儿回答，“发现河边满是金子，而不是沙，就搬回来了。”“我也可以去搬一些吗？”国王说，一副贪心的样子。“你想搬多少都可以，”女婿回答，“河上有一个船夫，你让他渡你去对岸，你就可以装金子进你口袋了。”贪心的国王急急忙忙上了路，赶到河边，向船夫招手，要船夫渡他过河去。船夫撑过船来，请他上去。当他们到了对岸，船夫便把篙塞进他手中，自己跳上岸跑了。但从这次开始，国五必须撑船，作为对他的罪孽的惩罚。
“Perhaps he is ferrying still.”“If he is，it is because no one has taken the oar from him.”
“也许他还在撑船。”——“怎么会不呢，因为没有人去接过他手里的篙。”