"Hvor skal du hen, Hans?" siger Hans mor. "Til Grete, mor," svarer Hans. "Bær dig nu fornuftig ad, Hans." - "Det skal jeg nok. Farvel mor." - "Farvel, Hans."
Hans går hen til Grete. "Goddag, Grete," siger Hans. "Goddag, Hans. Har du noget godt med?" - "Ikke en smule, giver du ikke noget?" Grete giver Hans en nål. "Farvel, Grete," siger Hans. "Farvel, Hans."
Hans stikker nålen i et hølæs og går hjem bagefter vognen. "God aften, mor." - "God aften, Hans, hvor har du været henne?" - "Hos Grete." - "Hvad gav du hende?" - "Ingenting. Hun gav mig noget." - "Hvad gav hun dig?" - "En nål." - "Hvor har du den?" - "Den har jeg stukket i et hølæs." - "Det var dumt af dig, Hans, du skulle have stukket den i ærmet." - "Jeg skal gøre den bedre næste gang."
"Hvor skal du hen, Hans?" - "Til Grete, mor." - "Bær dig nu fornuftig ad." - "Det skal jeg nok. Farvel, mor." - "Farvel Hans."
Hans går hen til Grete. "Goddag, Grete." - "Goddag, Hans. Har du noget godt med?" - "Ikke en smule. Giver du noget?" Grete giver Hans en kniv. "Farve], Grete." - "Farvel, Hans."
Hans tager kniven, stikker den ind i ærmet og går hjem. "God aften, mor." - "God aften, Hans. Hvor har du været henne?" - "Hos Grete." - "Hvad har du givet hende?" - "Ingenting, hun har givet mig noget." - "Hvad har hun da givet dig?" - "En kniv." - "Hvor har du den, Hans." - "Den har jeg stukket i ærmet." - "Det var dumt, Hans, du skulle have puttet den i lommen." - "Jeg skal gøre det bedre næste gang."
"Hvorhen Hans?" - "Til Grete, mor." - "Bær dig nu fornuftig ad, Hans." - "Det skal jeg nok. Farvel, mor." - "Farvel, Hans."
Hans går hen til Grete. "Goddag, Grete." - "Goddag, Hans. Har du noget godt med?" - "Ikke en smule. Giver du noget?" Grete giver Hans et gedekid. "Farvel, Grete." - "Farvel, Hans."
Hans binder benene sammen på geden og putter den i lommen. Da han kommer hjem, er den kvalt. "God aften, mor." - "God aften, Hans, hvor har du været henne?" - "Jeg har været hos Grete." - "Hvad har du givet hende?" - "Ingenting. Hun har givet mig noget." - "Hvad har hun givet dig?" - "En ged." - "Hvor har du den, Hans?" - "Jeg har puttet den i lommen." - " Det var dumt af dig, Hans, du skulle have bundet den i et reb." - "Jeg skal nok gøre det bedre næste gang."
"Hvor skal du hen, Hans?" - "Til Grete, mor." - "Bær dig nu fornuftig ad, Hans." - "Det skal jeg nok. Farvel, mor." - "Farvel, Hans."
Hans går hen til Grete. "Goddag, Grete." - "Goddag, Hans, har du noget godt med?" - "Ikke en smule. Giver du ikke noget?" Grete giver Hans et stykke flæsk. "Farvel, Grete." - "Farvel, Hans."
Hans binder flæsket i et tov og trækker af med det. Hundene kommer til og æder det. Han kommer hjem med rebet i hånden og ikke andet. "God aften, mor." - "God aften, Hans, hvor har du været henne?" - "Hos Grete." - "Hvad har du givet hende?" - "Ingenting, hun har givet mig noget." - "Hvad har hun givet dig?" - "Et stykke flæsk." - "Hvor har du det?" - "Jeg bandt det i et tov og trak det hjem, men hundene åd det." - "Det var dumt, Hans, du skulle have taget det på hovedet." - "Jeg skal nok gøre det bedre næste gang." - "Hvor skal du hen, Hans?" - "Til Grete, mor." - "Bær dig nu fornuftig ad, Hans." - "Det skal jeg nok. Farvel, mor." - "Farvel, Hans."
Hans går hen til Grete. "Goddag, Grete." - "Goddag, Hans, har du noget godt med?" - "Ikke en smule, giver du ikke noget?" Grete giver Hans en kalv. "Farvel, Grete." - "Farvel, Hans."
Hans sætter kalven op på hovedet, og den skraber ham i ansigtet med fødderne. "God aften, mor." - "God aften, Hans, hvor har du været?" - "Hos Grete." - "Hvad har du givet hende?" - "Ingenting, hun har givet mig noget." - "Hvad har hun givet dig?" - "En kalv." - "Hvor har du den?" - "Jeg har taget den på hovedet, og den har kradset mig i ansigtet." - "Det var dumt, Hans. Du skulle have trukket den hjem og bundet den ved hækken." - "Jeg skal nok gøre det bedre næste gang."
"Hvor skal du hen, Hans?" - "Til Grete, mor." - "Bær dig nu fornuftig ad, Hans." - "Det skal jeg nok. Farvel, mor."
Hans går hen til Grete. "Goddag, Grete." - "Goddag, Hans. Har du noget godt med?" - "Nej ikke en smule. Giver du ikke noget?" Grete siger til Hans: "Du kan få mig selv med."
Hans binder Grete i et tov og trækker hende hen til hækken og binder hende fast der. Så går han hjem til sin mor. "Godaften, mor." - "God aften Hans. "Hvor har du været henne?" - "Hos Grete." - "Hvad har du givet hende?" - "Ingenting. Jeg har fået hende selv med hjem." - "Hvor har du hende?" - "Jeg har bundet hende til hækken og lagt græs til hende." - "Det var dumt, Hans. Du skulle have kastet øjne til hende." - "Jeg skal nok gøre det bedre næste gang."
Hans går ind i stalden og hakker øjnene ud på alle køerne og fårene og kaster dem i ansigtet på Grete. Grete bliver vred, river sig løs og løber sin vej, og bliver ikke Hans' brud denne gang.
The mother of Hans said, "Whither away, Hans?" Hans answered, "To Grethel." - "Behave well, Hans." - "Oh, I'll behave well. Good-bye, mother." - "Good-bye, Hans." Hans comes to Grethel, "Good day, Grethel." - "Good day, Hans. What dost thou bring that is good?" - "I bring nothing, I want to have something given me." Grethel presents Hans with a needle. Hans says, "Good-bye, Grethel." - "Good-bye, Hans."
Hans takes the needle, sticks it into a hay-cart, and follows the cart home. "Good evening, mother." - "Good evening, Hans. Where hast thou been?" - "With Grethel." - "What didst thou take her?" - "Took nothing; had something given me." - "What did Grethel give thee?" - "Gave me a needle." - "Where is the needle, Hans?" - "Stuck it in the hay-cart." - "That was ill done, Hans. Thou shouldst have stuck the needle in thy sleeve." - "Never mind, I'll do better next time."
Hans takes the needle, sticks it into a hay-cart, and follows the cart home. "Good evening, mother." - "Good evening, Hans. Where hast thou been?" - "With Grethel." - "What didst thou take her?" - "Took nothing; had something given me." - "What did Grethel give thee?" - "Gave me a needle." - "Where is the needle, Hans?" - "Stuck it in the hay-cart." - "That was ill done, Hans. Thou shouldst have stuck the needle in thy sleeve." - "Never mind, I'll do better next time."
"Whither away, Hans?" - "To Grethel, mother." - "Behave well, Hans." - "Oh, I'll behave well. Good-bye, mother." - "Good-bye, Hans."
Hans comes to Grethel. "Good day, Grethel." - "Good day, Hans. What dost thou bring that is good?" - "I bring nothing; I want to have something given to me." Grethel presents Hans with a knife. "Good-bye, Grethel." - "Good-bye Hans." Hans takes the knife, sticks it in his sleeve, and goes home. "Good evening, mother." - "Good evening, Hans. Where hast thou been?" - "With Grethel." - "What didst thou take her?" - "Took her nothing, she gave me something." - "What did Grethel give thee?" - "Gave me a knife." - "Where is the knife, Hans?" - "Stuck in my sleeve." - "That's ill done, Hans, thou shouldst have put the knife in thy pocket." - "Never mind, will do better next time." - "Whither away, Hans?" - "To Grethel, mother. " - "Behave well, Hans." - "Oh, I'll behave well. Good-bye, mother." - "Good-bye, Hans."
Hans comes to Grethel. "Good day, Grethel." - "Good day, Hans. What good thing dost thou bring?" - "I bring nothing, I want something given me." Grethel presents Hans with a young goat. "Good-bye, Grethel." - "Good-bye, Hans." Hans takes the goat, ties its legs, and puts it in his pocket. When he gets home it is suffocated. "Good evening, mother." - "Good evening, Hans. Where hast thou been?" - "With Grethel." - "What didst thou take her?" - "Took nothing, she gave me something." - "What did Grethel give thee?" - "She gave me a goat." - "Where is the goat, Hans?" - "Put it in my pocket." - "That was ill done, Hans, thou shouldst have put a rope round the goat's neck." - "Never mind, will do better next time."
"Whither away, Hans,?" - "To Grethel, mother." - "Behave well, Hans." - "Oh, I'll behave well. Good-bye, mother." - "Good-bye, Hans." Hans comes to Grethel. "Good day, Grethel." - "Good day, Hans. What good thing dost thou bring?" - "I bring nothing, I want something given me." Grethel presents Hans with a piece of bacon. "Good-bye, Grethel." - "Good-bye, Hans."
Hans takes the bacon, ties it to a rope, and drags it away behind him. The dogs come and devour the bacon. When he gets home, he has the rope in his hand, and there is no longer anything hanging to it. "Good evening, mother." - "Good evening, Hans." - "Where hast thou been?" - "With Grethel." What didst thou take her?" - "I took her nothing, she gave me something." - "What did Grethel give thee?" - "Gave me a bit of bacon." - "Where is the bacon, Hans?" - "I tied it to a rope, brought it home, dogs took it." - "That was ill done, Hans, thou shouldst have carried the bacon on thy head." - "Never mind, will do better next time." - "Whither away, Hans?" - "To Grethel, mother." - "Behave well, Hans." - "I'll behave well. Good-bye, mother." - "Good-bye, Hans."
Hans comes to Grethel. "Good day, Grethel." - "Good day, Hans." - "What good thing dost thou bring?" - "I bring nothing, but would have something given." Grethel presents Hans with a calf. "Good-bye, Grethel." - "Good-bye, Hans."
Hans takes the calf, puts it on his head, and the calf kicks his face. Good evening, mother." - "Good evening, Hans. Where hast thou been?" - "With Grethel." - "What didst thou take her?" - "I took nothing, but had something given me." - "What did Grethel give thee?" - "A calf." - "Where hast thou the calf, Hans?" - "I set it on my head and it kicked my face." - "That was ill done, Hans, thou shouldst have led the calf, and put it in the stall." - "Never mind, will do better next time."
"Whither away, Hans?" - "To Grethel, mother." - "Behave well, Hans." - "I'll behave well. Good-bye, mother." - "Good-bye, Hans."
Hans comes to Grethel. "Good day, Grethel." - "Good day, Hans. What good thing dost thou bring?" - "I bring nothing, but would have something given." Grethel says to Hans, "I will go with thee."
Hans takes Grethel, ties her to a rope, leads her to the rack and binds her fast. Then Hans goes to his mother. "Good evening, mother." - "Good evening, Hans. Where hast thou been?" - "With Grethel." - "What didst thou take her?" - "I took her nothing." - "What did Grethel give thee?" - "She gave me nothing, she came with me." - "Where hast thou left Grethel?" - "I led her by the rope, tied her to the rack, and scattered some grass for her." - "That was ill done, Hans, thou shouldst have cast friendly eyes on her." - "Never mind, will do better."
Hans went into the stable, cut out all the calves', and sheep's eyes, and threw them in Grethel's face. Then Grethel became angry, tore herself loose and ran away, and became the bride of Hans.