Grimm's Fairy Tales: Mary's Substitute Child (Chinese and English)

Mary's children

A woodcutter and his wife lived in front of a large forest. They have only one three-year-old only adopted daughter. But they are very poor, they don't even have bread to eat every day, and they don't know how to feed their daughters. One morning, the woodcutter went to the forest to work. While he was chopping wood there, suddenly a beautiful tall woman stood in front of him, wearing a star-studded hat on her head, and said to him, "I am the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ." You are very poor, you give me the child, I will take her there, be her mother, take care of her. The woodcutter listened to her, took the child and gave it to the Virgin Mary, who took the girl to heaven. The girl was doing well there, eating sugar bread and drinking sweet milk, her clothes were all made of gold, and the little angels played with her. When she was fourteen years old, the Virgin Mary once called her to her side and said, "Dear child, I am going on a long journey, and this is the key to the thirteen gates of heaven, and you have taken it and kept it." Twelve of the doors, you can open, to see the good things inside, but you are not allowed to use this little key to open the thirteenth door. Be careful not to open it, otherwise there will be great calamity. The girl promised to listen to her. After the Virgin Mary was gone, the girl began to see the dwelling place of heaven, opening a door every day, twelve of which were opened. In each room sat an apostle, surrounded by radiance, and the girl loved all the solemn and beautiful sights, and the little angels who often accompanied the girl also liked the girl as much. Now only the door was not allowed to open, for she was more than willing to know what was hidden inside, and said to the little angels, "I don't want to open the door completely, and don't go in, but I just have to open it a little and look through the crack in the door." The little angel said, "Oh, no, that is a sin; it is forbidden by the Virgin Mary, and it is easy to bring you misfortune." She did not make a sound, but the desire in her heart did not stop, and the struggle of thoughts was very fierce, making her uneasy. Once, when the little angels were all out, she thought, "Now I'm the only one, I can look inside, and no one will know that I've done this." So she took the key, took it in her hand, inserted it into the lock, and twisted it. The door opened, and she saw the "Trinity" sitting in the light of the fire. She stood for a moment, looking at everything in amazement. Then she touched the light with her fingers, and her fingers turned golden. She immediately felt a great horror, slammed the door shut, and ran away. But she was always afraid no matter what, and her heart was always beating, and there was no peace; the gold was still on her fingers, and no matter how she scrubbed it, it could not be removed.

It didn't take long for the Virgin Mary to return from her trip. She called the girl to her and asked her for the keys to heaven. She handed over the string of keys, and the Virgin looked into her eyes and said, "Have you also opened the thirteenth door?" She replied, "No." "The Virgin put her hand on the mouth of the girl's heart, felt her heart beating, knew that she had broken her commandments, and opened the door. The Virgin, she said, "Did you really not open?" The girl said for the second time, "No." The Virgin saw her fingers, which touched the fire of heaven into gold, knew that she had sinned, and said for the third time, "Didn't you open it?" The girl said for the third time, "No." The Virgin Mary said, "You have not listened to me, you have lied, you are not worthy to live in heaven." ”

So the girl fell asleep in a trance. When she woke up, she saw herself lying in the wilderness on the ground. She wanted to call, but she couldn't make a sound. She jumped up and ran, but where she was going, there was a dense hedge of thorns, and she couldn't walk. In the wasteland where she was confined, there was a hollow old tree that became her dwelling. At night she crawled in and slept in it. If it was windy and rainy, she hid inside. It was a pitiful life, and she wept bitterly whenever she thought of such a good life in heaven, how the angels played with her. Grass roots and wild fruits were her only food, and she tried her best to look everywhere. In the autumn, she collected the fallen walnuts and leaves and moved them to the cave. The walnut was her food in winter; as soon as the snow came, she climbed into the leaves like a poor little beast to avoid freezing. It didn't take long for her clothes to rage and fall off her body piece by piece. As soon as the sun was warm again, she went out and sat in front of the tree, her hair covering her whole body like a coat. She went through this year after year before she felt the pain and disaster in the world.

One day, when the tree turned new green again, the local king was hunting in the forest, chasing a fawn. The fawn fled into the bushes surrounding the forest, and the king dismounted and parted the bushes, and with his sword cut a path. Finally he walked over and saw a very beautiful girl sitting under the tree, her blond hair covering her feet. The king stood still, looked at her in amazement, and then said to her, "Who are you?" Why sit in this wilderness? But she didn't answer because her mouth couldn't open. Then the king said, "Will you go with me all the way to my palace?" She just nodded, and the king helped her on his horse and took her home on horseback. When she arrived at the palace, he asked someone to dress her beautifully and gave her many things. Although she could not speak, she was beautiful and gentle, and he loved her very much, and it did not take long for him to marry her.

About a year later, the queen gave birth to a son. That night when she was lying alone in bed, the Virgin Mary came to her and said, "If you tell the truth and admit that you opened the door, I will open your mouth so that you can speak; if you are still willing to sin and lie resolutely, I will take your newborn child away." At this point the queen was able to speak, but she remained obstinate and said, "No, I did not open the forbidden door." So the Virgin Mary took the newborn child away from her arms. The next morning, the child was gone, and the people whispered that the queen was a man-eater and had eaten his own child. She heard all this, but she couldn't speak herself. But the king did not believe these words, for he loved her very much.

A year later, the queen gave birth to another son. In the night, the Virgin Mary came to her side again and said, "If you admit that you have opened the forbidden door, I will return the child to you so that you can speak." If you are still willing to sin and lie, then I will take you, the newborn child, with me. Then the queen said, "No, I did not open the forbidden door." So our Lady took the child from her arms and took her to heaven. In the morning, the child disappeared again, and the people said loudly that the queen had eaten the child. The king's ministers demanded that she be convicted. But the king loved her so much that he did not believe that there was such a thing, and ordered the ministers not to say those words again, or they would be sentenced to death.

The following year, the queen gave birth to another beautiful girl, and for the third time the Virgin Mary came to her at night and said, "Come with me." She took her hand, led her to heaven, and showed her the two older children. They smiled at her, holding globes in the game. The queen rejoiced at the sight, and the Virgin Mary said, "Has your heart not softened yet?" If you admit to opening the forbidden door, I will return your two little children to you. But the queen replied for the third time, "No, I did not open the forbidden door!" So our Lady let her fall to the ground again and took her third child away.

The next morning, when everyone knew that the child was gone, they all cried out, "The queen is a man-eater, and she should be convicted." The king could no longer refuse his ministers, so he judged her. Because she could not answer, could not defend, she was sentenced to burn on the firewood. The firewood was piled up, tied her to a stake, and a fire began to burn around her, before the proud ice melted. She regretted it, and her heart was very touched, thinking, "I wish I could admit that I opened that door before I died!" So she could speak, and she cried out, "Yes, Mary, I opened that door!" The sky immediately fell and the fire was extinguished, and a light appeared above her head, and the Virgin Mary came down, with two little boys at her side, holding the newborn girl in her arms. She said to her with a pleasant face, "Whoever confesses his sins will be forgiven." Mary gave her three children, so that she could speak again, and made her happy for the rest of her life.

Mary's children

A woodcutter and his wife lived in front of a large forest. They have only one three-year-old only adopted daughter. But they are very poor, they don't even have bread to eat every day, and they don't know how to feed their daughters. One morning, the woodcutter went to the forest to work. While he was chopping wood there, suddenly a beautiful tall woman stood in front of him, wearing a star-studded hat on her head, and said to him, "I am the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ." You are very poor, you give me the child, I will take her there, be her mother, take care of her. The woodcutter listened to her, took the child and gave it to the Virgin Mary, who took the girl to heaven. The girl was doing well there, eating sugar bread and drinking sweet milk, her clothes were all made of gold, and the little angels played with her. When she was fourteen years old, the Virgin Mary once called her to her side and said, "Dear child, I am going on a long journey, and this is the key to the thirteen gates of heaven, and you have taken it and kept it." Twelve of the doors, you can open, to see the good things inside, but you are not allowed to use this little key to open the thirteenth door. Be careful not to open it, otherwise there will be great calamity. The girl promised to listen to her. After the Virgin Mary was gone, the girl began to see the dwelling place of heaven, opening a door every day, twelve of which were opened. In each room sat an apostle, surrounded by radiance, and the girl loved all the solemn and beautiful sights, and the little angels who often accompanied the girl also liked the girl as much. Now only the door was not allowed to open, for she was more than willing to know what was hidden inside, and said to the little angels, "I don't want to open the door completely, and don't go in, but I just have to open it a little and look through the crack in the door." The little angel said, "Oh, no, that is a sin; it is forbidden by the Virgin Mary, and it is easy to bring you misfortune." She did not make a sound, but the desire in her heart did not stop, and the struggle of thoughts was very fierce, making her uneasy. Once, when the little angels were all out, she thought, "Now I'm the only one, I can look inside, and no one will know that I've done this." So she took the key, took it in her hand, inserted it into the lock, and twisted it. The door opened, and she saw the "Trinity" sitting in the light of the fire. She stood for a moment, looking at everything in amazement. Then she touched the light with her fingers, and her fingers turned golden. She immediately felt a great horror, slammed the door shut, and ran away. But she was always afraid no matter what, and her heart was always beating, and there was no peace; the gold was still on her fingers, and no matter how she scrubbed it, it could not be removed.

It didn't take long for the Virgin Mary to return from her trip. She called the girl to her and asked her for the keys to heaven. She handed over the string of keys, and the Virgin looked into her eyes and said, "Have you also opened the thirteenth door?" She replied, "No." "The Virgin put her hand on the mouth of the girl's heart, felt her heart beating, knew that she had broken her commandments, and opened the door. The Virgin, she said, "Did you really not open?" The girl said for the second time, "No." The Virgin saw her fingers, which touched the fire of heaven into gold, knew that she had sinned, and said for the third time, "Didn't you open it?" The girl said for the third time, "No." The Virgin Mary said, "You have not listened to me, you have lied, you are not worthy to live in heaven." ”

So the girl fell asleep in a trance. When she woke up, she saw herself lying in the wilderness on the ground. She wanted to call, but she couldn't make a sound. She jumped up and ran, but where she was going, there was a dense hedge of thorns, and she couldn't walk. In the wasteland where she was confined, there was a hollow old tree that became her dwelling. At night she crawled in and slept in it. If it was windy and rainy, she hid inside. It was a pitiful life, and she wept bitterly whenever she thought of such a good life in heaven, how the angels played with her. Grass roots and wild fruits were her only food, and she tried her best to look everywhere. In the autumn, she collected the fallen walnuts and leaves and moved them to the cave. The walnut was her food in winter; as soon as the snow came, she climbed into the leaves like a poor little beast to avoid freezing. It didn't take long for her clothes to rage and fall off her body piece by piece. As soon as the sun was warm again, she went out and sat in front of the tree, her hair covering her whole body like a coat. She went through this year after year before she felt the pain and disaster in the world.

One day, when the tree turned new green again, the local king was hunting in the forest, chasing a fawn. The fawn fled into the bushes surrounding the forest, and the king dismounted and parted the bushes, and with his sword cut a path. Finally he walked over and saw a very beautiful girl sitting under the tree, her blond hair covering her feet. The king stood still, looked at her in amazement, and then said to her, "Who are you?" Why sit in this wilderness? But she didn't answer because her mouth couldn't open. Then the king said, "Will you go with me all the way to my palace?" She just nodded, and the king helped her on his horse and took her home on horseback. When she arrived at the palace, he asked someone to dress her beautifully and gave her many things. Although she could not speak, she was beautiful and gentle, and he loved her very much, and it did not take long for him to marry her.

About a year later, the queen gave birth to a son. That night when she was lying alone in bed, the Virgin Mary came to her and said, "If you tell the truth and admit that you opened the door, I will open your mouth so that you can speak; if you are still willing to sin and lie resolutely, I will take your newborn child away." At this point the queen was able to speak, but she remained obstinate and said, "No, I did not open the forbidden door." So the Virgin Mary took the newborn child away from her arms. The next morning, the child was gone, and the people whispered that the queen was a man-eater and had eaten his own child. She heard all this, but she couldn't speak herself. But the king did not believe these words, for he loved her very much.

A year later, the queen gave birth to another son. In the night, the Virgin Mary came to her side again and said, "If you admit that you have opened the forbidden door, I will return the child to you so that you can speak." If you are still willing to sin and lie, then I will take you, the newborn child, with me. Then the queen said, "No, I did not open the forbidden door." So our Lady took the child from her arms and took her to heaven. In the morning, the child disappeared again, and the people said loudly that the queen had eaten the child. The king's ministers demanded that she be convicted. But the king loved her so much that he did not believe that there was such a thing, and ordered the ministers not to say those words again, or they would be sentenced to death.

The following year, the queen gave birth to another beautiful girl, and for the third time the Virgin Mary came to her at night and said, "Come with me." She took her hand, led her to heaven, and showed her the two older children. They smiled at her, holding globes in the game. The queen rejoiced at the sight, and the Virgin Mary said, "Has your heart not softened yet?" If you admit to opening the forbidden door, I will return your two little children to you. But the queen replied for the third time, "No, I did not open the forbidden door!" So our Lady let her fall to the ground again and took her third child away.

The next morning, when everyone knew that the child was gone, they all cried out, "The queen is a man-eater, and she should be convicted." The king could no longer refuse his ministers, so he judged her. Because she could not answer, could not defend, she was sentenced to burn on the firewood. The firewood was piled up, tied her to a stake, and a fire began to burn around her, before the proud ice melted. She regretted it, and her heart was very touched, thinking, "I wish I could admit that I opened that door before I died!" So she could speak, and she cried out, "Yes, Mary, I opened that door!" The sky immediately fell and the fire was extinguished, and a light appeared above her head, and the Virgin Mary came down, with two little boys at her side, holding the newborn girl in her arms. She said to her with a pleasant face, "Whoever confesses his sins will be forgiven." Mary gave her three children, so that she could speak again, and made her happy for the rest of her life.