从前有位姑娘长得很漂亮，但很懒惰又马虎。 如果叫她纺织，她总是心浮意躁，麻里有个小结，她就会扯掉一大堆麻，扔在身边的地上。 有一个勤快的丫头，把摔掉的麻收拢来，洗干净，又精心地纺了一遍，用它织成了一件漂亮的衣服。 一个年轻人向那懒姑娘求婚，他们很快就要举行婚礼了。 在结婚的前一晚，那勤快的丫头穿着她那美丽的衣服，高兴地来他家跳舞，新娘说：
"啊呀，那丫头穿着我不要的东西，
竟来堂而皇之地跳舞！ "
新郎听见了，很是迷惑，问新娘说这话是什么意思。 于是她跟他说，那女孩穿的衣服，是她扔掉的麻织成的。 新郎听到这话 ，晓得她懒，而那穷女孩勤快，就毫不犹豫地撇下了她，走到了那勤快的姑娘跟前，选了她做了自己的妻子。
"啊呀，那丫头穿着我不要的东西，
竟来堂而皇之地跳舞！ "
新郎听见了，很是迷惑，问新娘说这话是什么意思。 于是她跟他说，那女孩穿的衣服，是她扔掉的麻织成的。 新郎听到这话 ，晓得她懒，而那穷女孩勤快，就毫不犹豫地撇下了她，走到了那勤快的姑娘跟前，选了她做了自己的妻子。
There was once on a time a maiden who was pretty, but idle and negligent. When she had to spin she was so out of temper that if there was a little knot in the flax, she at once pulled out a whole heap of it, and strewed it about on the ground beside her. Now she had a servant who was industrious, and gathered together the bits of flax which were thrown away, cleaned them, span them fine, and had a beautiful gown made out of them for herself. A young man had wooed the lazy girl, and the wedding was to take place. On the eve of the wedding, the industrious one was dancing merrily about in her pretty dress, and the bride said,-
"Ah, how that girl does jump about, dressed in my odds and ends."
"Ah, how that girl does jump about, dressed in my odds and ends."
The bridegroom heard that, and asked the bride what she meant by it? Then she told him that the girl was wearing a dress make of the flax which she had thrown away. When the bridegroom heard that, and saw how idle she was, and how industrious the poor girl was, he gave her up and went to the other, and chose her as his wife.