Certa vez, dois filhos de rei saíram em busca de aventuras e se entregaram a uma vida tão desregrada e dissoluta que nem se lembravam de voltar para casa. O mais moço, que era chamado de Bobo, saiu à procura de seus irmãos; quando finalmente os achou, só ouviu caçoadas, porque, sendo tão ingênuo, pensava em vencer na vida, enquanto eles, muito mais espertos, não tinham conseguido.
Two king's sons once started to seek adventures, and fell into a wild, reckless way of living, and gave up all thoughts of going home again. Their third and youngest brother, who was called Witling, and had remained behind, started off to seek them; and when at last he found them, they jeered at his simplicity in thinking that he could make his way in the world, while they who were so much cleverer were unsuccessful.
Os três puseram-se a caminho juntos e chegaram a um formigueiro. Os dois mais velhos quiseram remexer nele para ver as formigas fugirem alvoroçadas carregando os próprios ovos, mas o Bobo lhes disse:
But they all three went on together until they came to an ant-hill, which the two eldest brothers wished to stir up, that they might see the little ants hurry about in their fright and carrying off their eggs, but Witling said, "Leave the little creatures alone, I will not suffer them to be disturbed."
- Deixem os bichinhos em paz, eu não suporto que vocês lhes façam mal.
And they went on farther until they came to a lake, where a number of ducks were swimming about. The two eldest brothers wanted to catch a couple and cook them, but Witling would not allow it, and said, "Leave the creatures alone, I will not suffer them to be killed."
Então eles continuaram andando e chegaram a um lago onde nadavam muitos, muitos patos. Os dois irmãos queriam pegar alguns para assar, mas o Bobo não consentiu e disse:
And then they came to a bee's-nest in a tree, and there was so much honey in it that it overflowed and ran down the trunk. The two eldest brothers then wanted to make a fire beneath the tree, that the bees might be stifled by the smoke, and then they could get at the honey. But Witling prevented them, saying, "Leave the little creatures alone, I will not suffer them to be stifled."
- Deixem os bichinhos em paz, eu não suporto que eles sejam mortos.
At last the three brothers came to a castle where there were in the stables many horses standing, all of stone, and the brothers went through all the rooms until they came to a door at the end secured with three locks, and in the middle of the door a small opening through which they could look into the room. And they saw a little grey-haired man sitting at a table. They called out to him once, twice, and he did not hear, but at the third time he got up, undid the locks, and came out. Without speaking a word he led them to a table loaded with all sorts of good things, and when they had eaten and drunk he showed to each his bed-chamber.
Por fim, chegaram a uma colméia, onde havia tanto mel que escorria pelo tronco da árvore. Os dois quiseram acender fogo embaixo para sufocar as abelhas e poder tirar o mel. O Bobo tornou a impedir, dizendo:
The next morning the little grey man came to the eldest brother, and beckoning him, brought him to a table of stone, on which were written three things directing by what means the castle could be delivered from its enchantment The first thing was, that in the wood under the moss lay the pearls belonging to the princess - a thousand in number - and they were to be sought for and collected, and if he who should undertake the task had not finished it by sunset, if but one pearl were missing, he must be turned to stone. So the eldest brother went out, and searched all day, but at the end of it he had only found one hundred; just as was said on the table of stone came to pass and he was turned into stone. The second brother undertook the adventure next day, but it fared with him no better than with the first; he found two hundred pearls, and was turned into stone. And so at last it was Witling's turn, and he began to search in the moss; but it was a very tedious business to find the pearls, and he grew so out of heart that he sat down on a stone and began to weep. As he was sitting thus, up came the ant-king with five thousand ants, whose lives had been saved through Witling's pity, and it was not very long before the little insects had collected all the pearls and put them in a heap.
- Deixem os bichinhos em paz, eu não suporto que eles sejam queimados.
Now the second thing ordered by the table of stone was to get the key of the princess's sleeping-chamber out of the lake. And when Witling came to the lake, the ducks whose lives he had saved came swimming, and dived below, and brought up the key from the bottom.
Afinal, os três irmãos chegaram a um castelo. Nas cavalariças havia cavalos de pedra, e não aparecia pessoa alguma. Eles passaram por todas as salas até que, no fim, encontraram uma porta com três fechaduras. No meio da porta havia, porém, um buraquinho por onde se podia espiar o aposento. Viram lá dentro um homenzinho grisalho, sentado diante de uma mesa. Eles o chamaram uma, duas vezes, mas o homenzinho não ouviu. Quando o chamaram pela terceira vez, ele se levantou, abriu as fechaduras e saiu. Não disse uma palavra, mas os levou a uma mesa ricamente preparada. Tendo os três comido e bebido, ele conduziu cada um a seu quarto de dormir.
The third thing that had to be done was the most difficult, and that was to choose out the youngest and loveliest of the three princesses, as they lay sleeping. All bore a perfect resemblance each to the other, and only differed in this, that before they went to sleep each one had eaten a different sweetmeat, the eldest a piece of sugar, the second a little syrup, and the third a spoonful of honey. Now the Queen-bee of those bees that Witling had protected from the fire came at this moment, and trying the lips of all three, settled on those of the one that had eaten honey, and so it was that the king's son knew which to choose.
Na manhã seguinte, o homenzinho grisalho chegou-se para o mais velho, acenou chamando-o e o guiou até uma placa, onde estavam escritas três tarefas que poderiam desencantar o castelo. A primeira dizia que no bosque, debaixo do musgo, estavam as pérolas da filha do rei, em número de mil, que precisariam ser catadas; e, ao pôr-do-sol, se ainda faltasse só uma, a pessoa que as procurava se transformaria em pedra. O mais velho foi e procurou o dia inteiro. Como, porém, o dia chegou ao fim e ele tinha achado só cem pérolas, aconteceu o que estava escrito na placa, e ele se transformou em pedra. No outro dia, o segundo irmão assumiu a tarefa, mas não se saiu melhor que o mais velho, pois só achou duzentas pérolas e ficou transformado em pedra. Por fim chegou a vez do Bobo, que procurou no musgo; mas era tão difícil encontrar as pérolas e demorava tanto, que ele se sentou numa pedra e chorou. Nisto, apareceu o rei das formigas, cuja vida ele salvara. Vinha acompanhado de cinco mil formigas. Não demorou muito, e os bichinhos acharam todas as pérolas e as amontoaram ali. Mas a segunda tarefa era ir pegar, no fundo do lago, a chave do quarto da filha do rei. Quando o Bobo chegou ao lago, vieram nadando os patos que ele uma vez salvara, mergulharam e pegaram a chave lá no fundo. A terceira tarefa era a mais difícil, pois das três filhas de rei que estavam dormindo ele devia escolher a melhor. Elas eram, porém, completamente iguais, não tendo nada que as distinguisse uma da outra, a não ser por terem comido, antes de dormir, três doces diferentes: a mais velha, um torrão de açúcar; a segunda, um pouco de melado; a mais moça, uma colherada de mel. Então chegou a rainha das abelhas, que o Bobo havia protegido do fogo, e foi provando da boca de todas três; por fim ficou pousada na boca da que havia comido mel, e assim o Bobo reconheceu qual era a filha de rei certa. Com isso, o feitiço se desfez, tudo no castelo despertou daquele sono, e quem tinha virado pedra retomou sua forma. O Bobo se casou com a mais jovem e melhor filha do rei e, depois que o pai dela morreu, ele ficou sendo o rei; seus irmãos, porém, casaram-se com as outras duas irmãs.
Then the spell was broken; every one awoke from stony sleep, and took their right form again. And Witling married the youngest and loveliest princess, and became king after her father's death. But his two brothers had to put up with the two other sisters.