A shepherd's dog had a master who took no care of him, but often let him suffer the greatest hunger. At last he could bear it no longer; so he took to his heels, and off he ran in a very sad and sorrowful mood. On the road he met a sparrow that said to him, "Why are you so sad, my friend?" - "Because," said the dog, "I am very very hungry, and have nothing to eat." - "If that be all," answered the sparrow, "come with me into the next town, and I will soon find you plenty of food." So on they went together into the town: and as they passed by a butcher's shop, the sparrow said to the dog, "Stand there a little while till I peck you down a piece of meat." So the sparrow perched upon the shelf: and having first looked carefully about her to see if anyone was watching her, she pecked and scratched at a steak that lay upon the edge of the shelf, till at last down it fell. Then the dog snapped it up, and scrambled away with it into a corner, where he soon ate it all up. "Well," said the sparrow, "you shall have some more if you will; so come with me to the next shop, and I will peck you down another steak." When the dog had eaten this too, the sparrow said to him, "Well, my good friend, have you had enough now?" - "I have had plenty of meat," answered he, "but I should like to have a piece of bread to eat after it." - "Come with me then," said the sparrow, "and you shall soon have that too." So she took him to a baker's shop, and pecked at two rolls that lay in the window, till they fell down: and as the dog still wished for more, she took him to another shop and pecked down some more for him. When that was eaten, the sparrow asked him whether he had had enough now. "Yes," said he; "and now let us take a walk a little way out of the town."
Der var engang en hyrdehund, som havde en herre, der ikke var god imod den, men lod den sulte. Til sidst kunne den ikke længere holde ud at være hos ham, men løb sin vej. På landevejen mødte den en spurv, som spurgte: "Hvorfor er du så bedrøvet, bror hund." - "Jeg er sulten og har ingenting at spise," svarede hunden. "Kom kun med mig ind i byen, så skal jeg hjælpe dig," sagde spurven, og de fulgtes nu ad. Da de kom hen til en slagterbutik sagde spurven: "Bliv stående her, så skal jeg kaste et stykke kød ned til dig." Derpå så den sig om for at være sikker på, at ingen lagde mærke til den, og hakkede og sled så længe i et stykke kød, til det faldt ned af krogen. Hunden greb det nu i en fart, slæbte det hen i en krog og åd det. "Kom så med hen til en anden butik og få et stykke til," sagde fuglen. Da hunden havde spist det, spurgte den: "Er du nu mæt?" - "Ja, kød har jeg fået nok af," svarede den, "men brød har jeg ikke smagt." - "Det skal du også nok få," sagde spurven og fløj hen til en bagerbutik. Der hakkede den et par brød ned til hunden, og da den ville have endnu mere, fløj den til en anden butik. "Er du nu mæt?" spurgte den så. "Ja," svarede hunden, "lad os nu gå lidt udenfor byen."
So they both went out upon the high road; but as the weather was warm, they had not gone far before the dog said, "I am very much tired, I should like to take a nap." - "Very well," answered the sparrow, "do so, and in the meantime I will perch upon that bush." So the dog stretched himself out on the road, and fell fast asleep. Whilst he slept, there came by a carter with a cart drawn by three horses, and loaded with two casks of wine. The sparrow, seeing that the carter did not turn out of the way, but would go on in the track in which the dog lay, so as to drive over him, called out, "Stop! Stop! Mr Carter, or it shall be the worse for you." But the carter, grumbling to himself, "You make it the worse for me, indeed! What can you do?" cracked his whip, and drove his cart over the poor dog, so that the wheels crushed him to death. "There," cried the sparrow, "thou cruel villain, thou hast killed my friend the dog. Now mind what I say. This deed of thine shall cost thee all thou art worth." - "Do your worst, and welcome," said the brute, "what harm can you do me?" and passed on. But the sparrow crept under the tilt of the cart, and pecked at the bung of one of the casks till she loosened it; and than all the wine ran out, without the carter seeing it. At last he looked round, and saw that the cart was dripping, and the cask quite empty. "What an unlucky wretch I am!" cried he. "Not wretch enough yet!" said the sparrow, as she alighted upon the head of one of the horses, and pecked at him till he reared up and kicked. When the carter saw this, he drew out his hatchet and aimed a blow at the sparrow, meaning to kill her; but she flew away, and the blow fell upon the poor horse's head with such force, that he fell down dead. "Unlucky wretch that I am!" cried he. "Not wretch enough yet!" said the sparrow. And as the carter went on with the other two horses, she again crept under the tilt of the cart, and pecked out the bung of the second cask, so that all the wine ran out. When the carter saw this, he again cried out, "Miserable wretch that I am!" But the sparrow answered, "Not wretch enough yet!" and perched on the head of the second horse, and pecked at him too. The carter ran up and struck at her again with his hatchet; but away she flew, and the blow fell upon the second horse and killed him on the spot. "Unlucky wretch that I am!" said he. "Not wretch enough yet!" said the sparrow; and perching upon the third horse, she began to peck him too. The carter was mad with fury; and without looking about him, or caring what he was about, struck again at the sparrow; but killed his third horse as he done the other two. "Alas! miserable wretch that I am!" cried he. "Not wretch enough yet!" answered the sparrow as she flew away; "now will I plague and punish thee at thy own house."
De gik nu ud på landevejen. Det var meget varmt, og da de havde gået lidt, sagde hunden: "Nu kunne jeg nok have lyst til at sove lidt. Jeg er træt." - "Ja, gør kun det," svarede fuglen, "så sætter jeg mig op i et træ så længe." Hunden lagde sig derpå til at sove midt på landevejen, og et øjeblik efter kom en vogn kørende, belæsset med to fade vin og med tre heste for. Da spurven så, at kusken ikke havde i sinde at køre til side for hunden, sagde den: "Hvis du ikke drejer af kusk, gør jeg dig ulykkelig." - "Det vil jeg se, før jeg tror det," brummede kusken, knaldede med pisken og kørte lige over hunden, så den øjeblikkelig døde. "Det skal koste dig hest og vogn," råbte spurven. "Du bilder dig nok noget ind," sagde kusken og kørte videre. Spurven krøb imidlertid ind under vogndækkenet og hakkede så længe på spunshullet til spunsen gik løs og al vinen løb ud, uden at kusken mærkede det. Da han lidt efter vendte sig om, så han, at vognen dryppede, og da han så nøjere til, var det ene fad tomt. "Jeg ulykkelige mand," råbte han, men spurven sagde: "Du har ikke fået nok endnu," og fløj hen og hakkede øjnene ud på den ene hest. Da kusken så det trak han vognkæppen ud og kastede den efter spurven, men fuglen fløj i vejret, og kæppen ramte hesten i hovedet, så den faldt død om. "Jeg ulykkelige mand," råbte han. "Du har ikke fået nok endnu," sagde spurven, og da manden kørte videre med de to heste, krøb den ind under vogndækket og hakkede hul på det andet fad, så vinen flød ud. Da kusken opdagede det, råbte han igen: "Jeg ulykkelige mand." Men spurven fløj hen og hakkede øjnene ud på den anden hest. Rasende slog kusken efter den men ramte hesten, der faldt død om. "Jeg ulykkelige mand," råbte han, men spurven sagde: "Du har ikke fået nok endnu," og hakkede også øjnene ud på den tredie hest. Kusken slog om sig i blindt raseri og ramte hesten i hovedet, så den styrtede død om. "Jeg ulykkelige mand," råbte han. "Du har ikke fået nok endnu," sagde spurven, "nu flyver jeg hjem til dit hus."
The carter was forced at last to leave his cart behind him, and to go home overflowing with rage and vexation. "Alas!" said he to his wife, "what ill luck has befallen me! my wine is all spilt, and my horses all three dead." - "Alas! husband," replied she, "and a wicked bird has come into the house, and has brought with her all the birds in the world, I am sure, and they have fallen upon our corn in the loft, and are eating it up at such a rate!" Away ran the husband upstairs, and saw thousands of birds sitting upon the floor eating up his corn, with the sparrow in the midst of them. "Unlucky wretch that I am!" cried the carter; for he saw that the corn was almost all gone. "Not wretch enough yet!" said the sparrow; "thy cruelty shall cost thee they life yet!" and away she flew.
Kusken måtte lade vognen blive stående og gik hjem. "Du ved ikke, hvor jeg har haft uheld med mig," sagde han til sin kone, "al vinen er løbet ud og alle mine heste er døde." - "Du kan ikke tænke dig, hvad for en skrækkelig fugl, her er kommet," svarede hun, "den har lokket alle mulige fugle herhen, og de har kastet sig over hveden og æder den." - "Jeg ulykkelige mand," råbte kusken. "Du har ikke fået nok endnu," sagde spurven, "det skal komme til at koste dig dit liv."
The carter seeing that he had thus lost all that he had, went down into his kitchen; and was still not sorry for what he had done, but sat himself angrily and sulkily in the chimney corner. But the sparrow sat on the outside of the window, and cried "Carter! Thy cruelty shall cost thee thy life!" With that he jumped up in a rage, seized his hatchet, and threw it at the sparrow; but it missed her, and only broke the window. The sparrow now hopped in, perched upon the window- seat, and cried, "Carter! It shall cost thee thy life!" Then he became mad and blind with rage, and struck the window-seat with such force that he cleft it in two: and as the sparrow flew from place to place, the carter and his wife were so furious, that they broke all their furniture, glasses, chairs, benches, the table, and at last the walls, without touching the bird at all. In the end, however, they caught her: and the wife said, "Shall I kill her at once?" - "No," cried he, "that is letting her off too easily: she shall die a much more cruel death; I will eat her." But the sparrow began to flutter about, and stretch out her neck and cried, "Carter! it shall cost thee thy life yet!" With that he could wait no longer: so he gave his wife the hatchet, and cried, "Wife, strike at the bird and kill her in my hand." And the wife struck; but she missed her aim, and hit her husband on the head so that he fell down dead, and the sparrow flew quietly home to her nest.
Kusken havde nu mistet alt, hvad han ejede og havde, og sad inde ved kakkelovnen og var ude af sig selv af raseri. Spurven sad udenfor vinduet og råbte: "Det skal komme til at koste dig dit liv." Kusken greb en kæp og kastede efter den, men knuste ruderne uden at træffe den. Spurven fløj nu op på kakkelovnen og sad der og skreg: "Det skal komme til at koste dig dit liv." Kusken for op og slog ovnen om, og efterhånden som spurven fløj rundt i stuen, kastede han alt, hvad han kunne få fat på, efter den, spejle, bænke og borde og til sidst rev han væggene ned uden at træffe den. Men endelig fangede han den dog i hånden. "Skal jeg nu dræbe den," tænkte han, "nej, det var for nem en død, jeg vil sluge den levende." Der på puttede han den i munden, men spurven begyndte at flyve om nede i maven på ham og fløj til sidst op og stak hovedet ud af munden. "Det skal komme til at koste dig dit liv," skreg så kusken, rakte sin kone vognstangen og sagde: "Slå den fugl ihjel." Konen slog til, men ramte manden lige i hovedet, så han faldt død om, og spurven fløj nu sin vej.