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The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, The Troll's Daughter

The Troll's Daughter

There was once a lad who went to look for a place. As he went along he met a man, who asked him where he was going. He told him his errand, and the stranger said, 'Then you can serve me; I am just in want of a lad like you, and I will give you good wages—a bushel of money the first year, two the second year, and three the third year, for you must serve me three years, and obey me in everything, however strange it seems to you. You need not be afraid of taking service with me, for there is no danger in it if you only know how to obey.' The bargain was made, and the lad went home with the man to whom he had engaged himself. It was a strange place indeed, for he lived in a bank in the middle of the wild forest, and the lad saw there no other person than his master. The latter was a great troll, and had marvellous power over both men and beasts.

Next day the lad had to begin his service. The first thing that the troll set him to was to feed all the wild animals from the forest. These the troll had tied up, and there were both wolves and bears, deer and hares, which the troll had gathered in the stalls and folds in his stable down beneath the ground, and that stable was a mile long. The boy, however, accomplished all this work on that day, and the troll praised him and said that it was very well done.

Next morning the troll said to him, 'To-day the animals are not to be fed; they don't get the like of that every day. You shall have leave to play about for a little, until they are to be fed again.' Then the troll said some words to him which he did not understand, and with that the lad turned into a hare, and ran out into the wood. He got plenty to run for, too, for all the hunters aimed at him, and tried to shoot him, and the dogs barked and ran after him wherever they got wind of him. He was the only animal that was left in the wood now, for the troll had tied up all the others, and every hunter in the whole country was eager to knock him over. But in this they met with no success; there was no dog that could overtake him, and no marksman that could hit him. They shot and shot at him, and he ran and ran. It was an unquiet life, but in the long run he got used to it, when he saw that there was no danger in it, and it even amused him to befool all the hunters and dogs that were so eager after him.

Thus a whole year passed, and when it was over the troll called him home, for he was now in his power like all the other animals. The troll then said some words to him which he did not understand, and the hare immediately became a human being again. 'Well, how do you like to serve me?' said the troll, 'and how do you like being a hare?' The lad replied that he liked it very well; he had never been able to go over the ground so quickly before. The troll then showed him the bushel of money that he had already earned, and the lad was well pleased to serve him for another year.

The first day of the second year the boy had the same work to do as on the previous one—namely, to feed all the wild animals in the troll's stable. When he had done this the troll again said some words to him, and with that he became a raven, and flew high up into the air. This was delightful, the lad thought; he could go even faster now than when he was a hare, and the dogs could not come after him here. This was a great delight to him, but he soon found out that he was not to be left quite at peace, for all the marksmen and hunters who saw him aimed at him and fired away, for they had no other birds to shoot at than himself, as the troll had tied up all the others.

This, however, he also got used to, when he saw that they could never hit him, and in this way he flew about all that year, until the troll called him home again, said some strange words to him, and gave him his human shape again. 'Well, how did you like being a raven?' said the troll.

'I liked it very well,' said the lad, 'for never in all my days have I been able to rise so high.' The troll then showed him the two bushels of money which he had earned that year, and the lad was well content to remain in his service for another year.

Next day he got his old task of feeding all the wild beasts. When this was done the troll again said some words to him, and at these he turned into a fish, and sprang into the river. He swam up and he swam down, and thought it was pleasant to let himself drive with the stream. In this way he came right out into the sea, and swam further and further out. At last he came to a glass palace, which stood at the bottom of the sea. He could see into all the rooms and halls, where everything was very grand; all the furniture was of white ivory, inlaid with gold and pearl. There were soft rugs and cushions of all the colours of the rainbow, and beautiful carpets that looked like the finest moss, and flowers and trees with curiously crooked branches, both green and yellow, white and red, and there were also little fountains which sprang up from the most beautiful snail-shells, and fell into bright mussel-shells, and at the same time made a most delightful music, which filled the whole palace.

The most beautiful thing of all, however, was a young girl who went about there, all alone. She went about from one room to another, but did not seem to be happy with all the grandeur she had about her. She walked in solitude and melancholy, and never even thought of looking at her own image in the polished glass walls that were on every side of her, although she was the prettiest creature anyone could wish to see. The lad thought so too while he swam round the palace and peeped in from every side.

'Here, indeed, it would be better to be a man than such a poor dumb fish as I am now,' said he to himself; 'if I could only remember the words that the troll says when he changes my shape, then perhaps I could help myself to become a man again.' He swam and he pondered and he thought over this until he remembered the sound of what the troll said, and then he tried to say it himself. In a moment he stood in human form at the bottom of the sea.

He made haste then to enter the glass palace, and went up to the young girl and spoke to her.

At first he nearly frightened the life out of her, but he talked to her so kindly and explained how he had come down there that she soon recovered from her alarm, and was very pleased to have some company to relieve the terrible solitude that she lived in. Time passed so quickly for both of them that the youth (for now he was quite a young man, and no more a lad) forgot altogether how long he had been there.

One day the girl said to him that now it was close on the time when he must become a fish again—the troll would soon call him home, and he would have to go, but before that he must put on the shape of the fish, otherwise he could not pass through the sea alive. Before this, while he was staying down there, she had told him that she was a daughter of the same troll whom the youth served, and he had shut her up there to keep her away from everyone. She had now devised a plan by which they could perhaps succeed in getting to see each other again, and spending the rest of their lives together. But there was much to attend to, and he must give careful heed to all that she told him.

She told him then that all the kings in the country round about were in debt to her father the troll, and the king of a certain kingdom, the name of which she told him, was the first who had to pay, and if he could not do so at the time appointed he would lose his head. 'And he cannot pay,' said she; 'I know that for certain. Now you must, first of all, give up your service with my father; the three years are past, and you are at liberty to go. You will go off with your six bushels of money, to the kingdom that I have told you of, and there enter the service of the king. When the time comes near for his debt becoming due you will be able to notice by his manner that he is ill at ease. You shall then say to him that you know well enough what it is that is weighing upon him—that it is the debt which he owes to the troll and cannot pay, but that you can lend him the money. The amount is six bushels—just what you have. You shall, however, only lend them to him on condition that you may accompany him when he goes to make the payment, and that you then have permission to run before him as a fool. When you arrive at the troll's abode, you must perform all kinds of foolish tricks, and see that you break a whole lot of his windows, and do all other damage that you can. My father will then get very angry, and as the king must answer for what his fool does he will sentence him, even although he has paid his debt, either to answer three questions or to lose his life. The first question my father will ask will be, "Where is my daughter?" Then you shall step forward and answer "She is at the bottom of the sea." He will then ask you whether you can recognise her, and to this you will answer "Yes." Then he will bring forward a whole troop of women, and cause them to pass before you, in order that you may pick out the one that you take for his daughter. You will not be able to recognise me at all, and therefore I will catch hold of you as I go past, so that you can notice it, and you must then make haste to catch me and hold me fast. You have then answered his first question. His next question will be, "Where is my heart?" You shall then step forward again and answer, "It is in a fish." "Do you know that fish?" he will say, and you will again answer "Yes." He will then cause all kinds of fish to come before you, and you shall choose between them. I shall take good care to keep by your side, and when the right fish comes I will give you a little push, and with that you will seize the fish and cut it up. Then all will be over with the troll; he will ask no more questions, and we shall be free to wed.' When the youth had got all these directions as to what he had to do when he got ashore again the next thing was to remember the words which the troll said when he changed him from a human being to an animal; but these he had forgotten, and the girl did not know them either. He went about all day in despair, and thought and thought, but he could not remember what they sounded like. During the night he could not sleep, until towards morning he fell into a slumber, and all at once it flashed upon him what the troll used to say. He made haste to repeat the words, and at the same moment he became a fish again and slipped out into the sea. Immediately after this he was called upon, and swam through the sea up the river to where the troll stood on the bank and restored him to human shape with the same words as before.

'Well, how do you like to be a fish?' asked the troll.

It was what he had liked best of all, said the youth, and that was no lie, as everybody can guess.

The troll then showed him the three bushels of money which he had earned during the past year; they stood beside the other three, and all the six now belonged to him.

'Perhaps you will serve me for another year yet,' said the troll, 'and you will get six bushels of money for it; that makes twelve in all, and that is a pretty penny.' 'No,' said the youth; he thought he had done enough, and was anxious to go to some other place to serve, and learn other people's ways; but he would, perhaps, come back to the troll some other time. The troll said that he would always be welcome; he had served him faithfully for the three years they had agreed upon, and he could make no objections to his leaving now.

The youth then got his six bushels of money, and with these he betook himself straight to the kingdom which his sweetheart had told him of. He got his money buried in a lonely spot close to the king's palace, and then went in there and asked to be taken into service. He obtained his request, and was taken on as stableman, to tend the king's horses. Some time passed, and he noticed how the king always went about sorrowing and grieving, and was never glad or happy. One day the king came into the stable, where there was no one present except the youth, who said straight out to him that, with his majesty's permission, he wished to ask him why he was so sorrowful. 'It's of no use speaking about that,' said the king; 'you cannot help me, at any rate.' 'You don't know about that,' said the youth; ' I know well enough what it is that lies so heavy on your mind, and I know also of a plan to get the money paid.' This was quite another case, and the king had more talk with the stableman, who said that he could easily lend the king the six bushels of money, but would only do it on condition that he should be allowed to accompany the king when he went to pay the debt, and that he should then be dressed like the king's court fool, and run before him. He would cause some trouble, for which the king would be severely spoken to, but he would answer for it that no harm would befall him.

The king gladly agreed to all that the youth proposed, and it was now high time for them to set out.

When they came to the troll's dwelling it was no longer in the bank, but on the top of this there stood a large castle which the youth had never seen before. The troll could, in fact, make it visible or invisible, just as he pleased, and, knowing as much as he did of the troll's magic arts, the youth was not at all surprised at this. When they came near to this castle, which looked as if it was of pure glass, the youth ran on in front as the king's fool. Heran sometimes facing forwards, sometimes backwards, stood sometimes on his head, and sometimes on his feet, and he dashed in pieces so many of the troll's big glass windows and doors that it was something awful to see, and overturned everything he could, and made a fearful disturbance. The troll came rushing out, and was so angry and furious, and abused the king with all his might for bringing such a wretched fool with him, as he was sure that he could not pay the least bit of all the damage that had been done when he could not even pay off his old debt.

The fool, however, spoke up, and said that he could do so quite easily, and the king then came forward with the six bushels of money which the youth had lent him. They were measured and found to be correct. This the troll had not reckoned on, but he could make no objection against it. The old debt was honestly paid, and the king got his bond back again.

But there still remained all the damage that had been done that day, and the king had nothing with which to pay for this. The troll, therefore, sentenced the king, either to answer three questions that he would put to him, or have his head taken off, as was agreed on in the old bond.

There was nothing else to be done than to try to answer the troll's riddles. The fool then stationed himself just by the king's side while the troll came forward with his questions. He first asked, 'Where is my daughter?' The fool spoke up and said, 'She is at the bottom of the sea.' 'How do you know that?' said the troll.

'The little fish saw it,' said the fool. 'Would you know her?' said the troll.

'Yes, bring her forward,' said the fool. The troll made a whole crowd of women go past them, one after the other, but all these were nothing but shadows and deceptions. Amongst the very last was the troll's real daughter, who pinched the fool as she went past him to make him aware of her presence. He thereupon caught her round the waist and held her fast, and the troll had to admit that his first riddle was solved.

Then the troll asked again: 'Where is my heart?' 'It is in a fish,' said the fool. 'Would you know that fish?' said the troll.

'Yes, bring it forward,' said the fool. Then all the fishes came swimming past them, and meanwhile the troll's daughter stood just by the youth's side. When at last the right fish came swimming along she gave him a nudge, and he seized it at once, drove his knife into it, and split it up, took the heart out of it, and cut it through the middle.

At the same moment the troll fell dead and turned into pieces of flint. With that a,ll the bonds that the troll had bound were broken; all the wild beasts and birds which he had caught and hid under the ground were free now, and dispersed themselves in the woods and in the air.

The youth and his sweetheart entered the castle, which was now theirs, and held their wedding; and all the kings roundabout, who had been in the troll's debt, and were now out of it, came to the wedding, and saluted the youth as their emperor, and he ruled over them all, and kept peace between them, and lived in his castle with his beautiful empress in great joy and magnificence. And if they have not died since they are living there to this day.

The Troll's Daughter La hija del trol 巨魔的女儿

There was once a lad who went to look for a place. Byl jednou jeden mladík, který si šel hledat místo. As he went along he met a man, who asked him where he was going. Když šel, potkal muže, který se ho zeptal, kam jde. He told him his errand, and the stranger said, 'Then you can serve me; I am just in want of a lad like you, and I will give you good wages—a bushel of money the first year, two the second year, and three the third year, for you must serve me three years, and obey me in everything, however strange it seems to you. Vyprávěl mu o svém poslání a cizinec řekl: "Pak mi můžeš sloužit; právě potřebuji chlapce, jako jsi ty, a dám ti dobrý plat - první rok bušl peněz, druhý rok dva a třetí rok tři, protože mi musíš sloužit tři roky a poslouchat mě ve všem, i když se ti to zdá divné. You need not be afraid of taking service with me, for there is no danger in it if you only know how to obey.' Nemusíš se bát vzít u mě službu, protože to není nebezpečné, jen když budeš umět poslouchat. The bargain was made, and the lad went home with the man to whom he had engaged himself. Smlouva byla uzavřena a chlapec odešel domů s mužem, kterému se zasnoubil. It was a strange place indeed, for he lived in a bank in the middle of the wild forest, and the lad saw there no other person than his master. Bylo to vskutku zvláštní místo, protože bydlel na břehu uprostřed divokého lesa a chlapec tam neviděl nikoho jiného než svého pána. The latter was a great troll, and had marvellous power over both men and beasts. Ten byl velký troll a měl obdivuhodnou moc nad lidmi i zvířaty.

Next day the lad had to begin his service. Druhý den musel chlapec nastoupit do služby. The first thing that the troll set him to was to feed all the wild animals from the forest. První, co mu troll uložil, bylo nakrmit všechna divoká zvířata z lesa. These the troll had tied up, and there were both wolves and bears, deer and hares, which the troll had gathered in the stalls and folds in his stable down beneath the ground, and that stable was a mile long. Ty troll uvázal, a byli tam i vlci a medvědi, jeleni a zajíci, které troll shromáždil ve stájích a záhybech ve své stáji dole pod zemí, a ta stáj byla míli dlouhá. The boy, however, accomplished all this work on that day, and the troll praised him and said that it was very well done. Chlapec však ještě ten den všechnu práci vykonal a troll ho pochválil a řekl, že je to velmi dobře odvedená práce.

Next morning the troll said to him, 'To-day the animals are not to be fed; they don't get the like of that every day. Příštího rána mu troll řekl: "Dnes se zvířata krmit nebudou, taková nedostávají každý den. You shall have leave to play about for a little, until they are to be fed again.' Budete si moci chvíli hrát, dokud nebudou opět nakrmeni. Then the troll said some words to him which he did not understand, and with that the lad turned into a hare, and ran out into the wood. Pak mu troll řekl několik slov, kterým nerozuměl, a chlapec se proměnil v zajíce a utekl do lesa. He got plenty to run for, too, for all the hunters aimed at him, and tried to shoot him, and the dogs barked and ran after him wherever they got wind of him. Měl taky co dělat, aby ho nezastřelil, protože všichni lovci na něj mířili a snažili se ho zastřelit a psi štěkali a běhali za ním, kamkoliv ho zahlédli. He was the only animal that was left in the wood now, for the troll had tied up all the others, and every hunter in the whole country was eager to knock him over. Byl jediným zvířetem, které teď v lese zůstalo, protože troll všechna ostatní svázal a každý lovec v celém kraji ho chtěl srazit na kolena. But in this they met with no success; there was no dog that could overtake him, and no marksman that could hit him. V tom se však nesetkali s úspěchem; nebyl tu žádný pes, který by ho mohl dohonit, ani žádný střelec, který by ho mohl zasáhnout. They shot and shot at him, and he ran and ran. Stříleli po něm a on utíkal a utíkal. It was an unquiet life, but in the long run he got used to it, when he saw that there was no danger in it, and it even amused him to befool all the hunters and dogs that were so eager after him. Byl to neklidný život, ale časem si na něj zvykl, když viděl, že mu nehrozí žádné nebezpečí, a dokonce ho bavilo obelstít všechny lovce a psy, kteří po něm tak toužili.

Thus a whole year passed, and when it was over the troll called him home, for he was now in his power like all the other animals. Tak uplynul celý rok, a když skončil, zavolal ho troll domů, protože teď byl v jeho moci jako všechna ostatní zvířata. The troll then said some words to him which he did not understand, and the hare immediately became a human being again. Troll mu pak řekl několik slov, kterým nerozuměl, a zajíc se okamžitě stal opět člověkem. 'Well, how do you like to serve me?' "Tak jak mě chcete obsloužit? said the troll, 'and how do you like being a hare?' řekl troll, "a jak se ti líbí být zajícem? The lad replied that he liked it very well; he had never been able to go over the ground so quickly before. Chlapec odpověděl, že se mu to velmi líbí; nikdy předtím nedokázal tak rychle přejíždět terén. The troll then showed him the bushel of money that he had already earned, and the lad was well pleased to serve him for another year. Troll mu pak ukázal bušl peněz, který už vydělal, a chlapec mu rád sloužil další rok.

The first day of the second year the boy had the same work to do as on the previous one—namely, to feed all the wild animals in the troll's stable. První den druhého roku měl chlapec stejnou práci jako ten předchozí - nakrmit všechna divoká zvířata v trollí stáji. When he had done this the troll again said some words to him, and with that he became a raven, and flew high up into the air. Když to udělal, troll mu znovu řekl několik slov, načež se proměnil v havrana a vzlétl vysoko do vzduchu. This was delightful, the lad thought; he could go even faster now than when he was a hare, and the dogs could not come after him here. To je úžasné, pomyslel si chlapec; teď může jít ještě rychleji než jako zajíc a psi ho tu nemohou pronásledovat. This was a great delight to him, but he soon found out that he was not to be left quite at peace, for all the marksmen and hunters who saw him aimed at him and fired away, for they had no other birds to shoot at than himself, as the troll had tied up all the others. To mu udělalo velkou radost, ale brzy zjistil, že ho to nenechá úplně v klidu, protože všichni střelci a lovci, kteří ho uviděli, na něj mířili a stříleli, protože neměli jiné ptáky, na které by mohli střílet, než na něj, protože troll všechny ostatní svázal.

This, however, he also got used to, when he saw that they could never hit him, and in this way he flew about all that year, until the troll called him home again, said some strange words to him, and gave him his human shape again. I na to si však zvykl, když viděl, že ho nikdy nemohou zasáhnout, a takhle létal celý ten rok, dokud ho troll opět nezavolal domů, neřekl mu několik podivných slov a nevrátil mu jeho lidskou podobu. 'Well, how did you like being a raven?' "Jak se ti líbilo být havranem? said the troll. řekl troll.

'I liked it very well,' said the lad, 'for never in all my days have I been able to rise so high.' "Moc se mi to líbilo," řekl mladík, "protože jsem se nikdy za celý svůj život nedostal tak vysoko. The troll then showed him the two bushels of money which he had earned that year, and the lad was well content to remain in his service for another year. Troll mu pak ukázal dva bušly peněz, které za ten rok vydělal, a chlapec byl spokojený, že u něj zůstane sloužit ještě rok.

Next day he got his old task of feeding all the wild beasts. Druhý den dostal svůj starý úkol nakrmit všechna divoká zvířata. When this was done the troll again said some words to him, and at these he turned into a fish, and sprang into the river. Když se tak stalo, řekl mu troll opět několik slov, na která se proměnil v rybu a skočil do řeky. He swam up and he swam down, and thought it was pleasant to let himself drive with the stream. Plaval nahoru a plaval dolů a myslel si, že je příjemné nechat se unášet proudem. In this way he came right out into the sea, and swam further and further out. Tak se dostal přímo do moře a plaval dál a dál. At last he came to a glass palace, which stood at the bottom of the sea. Nakonec došel ke skleněnému paláci, který stál na dně moře. He could see into all the rooms and halls, where everything was very grand; all the furniture was of white ivory, inlaid with gold and pearl. Viděl do všech místností a sálů, kde bylo vše velmi honosné; všechen nábytek byl z bílé slonoviny vykládané zlatem a perletí. There were soft rugs and cushions of all the colours of the rainbow, and beautiful carpets that looked like the finest moss, and flowers and trees with curiously crooked branches, both green and yellow, white and red, and there were also little fountains which sprang up from the most beautiful snail-shells, and fell into bright mussel-shells, and at the same time made a most delightful music, which filled the whole palace. Byly tam měkké koberce a polštáře všech barev duhy a nádherné koberce, které vypadaly jako nejjemnější mech, a květiny a stromy s podivuhodně pokřivenými větvemi, zelené i žluté, bílé i červené, a byly tam také malé fontánky, které vyvěraly z nejkrásnějších šnečích ulit a padaly do zářivých mušlí a zároveň vydávaly nejrozkošnější hudbu, která naplňovala celý palác.

The most beautiful thing of all, however, was a young girl who went about there, all alone. Nejkrásnější ze všeho však byla mladá dívka, která tam chodila úplně sama. She went about from one room to another, but did not seem to be happy with all the grandeur she had about her. Přecházela z jedné místnosti do druhé, ale nezdálo se, že by byla spokojená se vší tou vznešeností, kterou kolem sebe měla. She walked in solitude and melancholy, and never even thought of looking at her own image in the polished glass walls that were on every side of her, although she was the prettiest creature anyone could wish to see. Procházela se v osamění a melancholii a ani ji nenapadlo podívat se na svůj obraz v leštěných skleněných stěnách, které byly po všech stranách, ačkoli byla tím nejkrásnějším stvořením, jaké si kdo mohl přát vidět. The lad thought so too while he swam round the palace and peeped in from every side. To si myslel i chlapec, když plaval kolem paláce a nahlížel dovnitř ze všech stran.

'Here, indeed, it would be better to be a man than such a poor dumb fish as I am now,' said he to himself; 'if I could only remember the words that the troll says when he changes my shape, then perhaps I could help myself to become a man again.' "Tady by bylo opravdu lepší být člověkem než takovou ubohou hloupou rybou, jakou jsem teď," řekl si, "kdybych si jen pamatoval slova, která říká troll, když mění mou podobu, pak bych si snad mohl pomoci stát se znovu člověkem. He swam and he pondered and he thought over this until he remembered the sound of what the troll said, and then he tried to say it himself. Plaval a přemýšlel a přemýšlel o tom, dokud si nevzpomněl na zvuk toho, co řekl troll, a pak se to pokusil říct sám. In a moment he stood in human form at the bottom of the sea. Za okamžik stál v lidské podobě na dně moře.

He made haste then to enter the glass palace, and went up to the young girl and spoke to her. Spěchal tedy do skleněného paláce, přistoupil k mladé dívce a promluvil na ni.

At first he nearly frightened the life out of her, but he talked to her so kindly and explained how he had come down there that she soon recovered from her alarm, and was very pleased to have some company to relieve the terrible solitude that she lived in. Zpočátku ji málem vyděsil k smrti, ale mluvil na ni tak vlídně a vysvětlil jí, jak se tam dostal, že se brzy vzpamatovala a byla velmi ráda, že má společnost, která ji zbaví té strašné samoty, v níž žila. Time passed so quickly for both of them that the youth (for now he was quite a young man, and no more a lad) forgot altogether how long he had been there. Čas jim oběma uběhl tak rychle, že mladík (protože teď už byl docela mladý muž a ne chlapec) úplně zapomněl, jak dlouho tam byl.

One day the girl said to him that now it was close on the time when he must become a fish again—the troll would soon call him home, and he would have to go, but before that he must put on the shape of the fish, otherwise he could not pass through the sea alive. Jednoho dne mu dívka řekla, že už se blíží čas, kdy se bude muset znovu stát rybou - troll ho brzy zavolá domů a on bude muset jít, ale ještě předtím na sebe musí vzít podobu ryby, jinak by nemohl projít mořem živý. Before this, while he was staying down there, she had told him that she was a daughter of the same troll whom the youth served, and he had shut her up there to keep her away from everyone. Předtím, když tam dole pobýval, mu řekla, že je dcerou trolla, jemuž mladík sloužil, a on ji tam zavřel, aby ji držel od všech dál. She had now devised a plan by which they could perhaps succeed in getting to see each other again, and spending the rest of their lives together. Nyní vymyslela plán, díky němuž by se snad mohli znovu setkat a strávit spolu zbytek života. But there was much to attend to, and he must give careful heed to all that she told him. Musel se však věnovat mnoha věcem a pečlivě dbát na vše, co mu řekla.

She told him then that all the kings in the country round about were in debt to her father the troll, and the king of a certain kingdom, the name of which she told him, was the first who had to pay, and if he could not do so at the time appointed he would lose his head. Pak mu řekla, že všichni králové v okolí dluží jejímu otci trollovi a král jistého království, jehož jméno mu řekla, je první, kdo musí zaplatit, a pokud tak neučiní ve stanoveném termínu, přijde o hlavu. 'And he cannot pay,' said she; 'I know that for certain. "A nemůže zaplatit," řekla, "to vím jistě. Now you must, first of all, give up your service with my father; the three years are past, and you are at liberty to go. Nyní se musíš především vzdát služby u mého otce; tři roky uplynuly a ty můžeš odejít. You will go off with your six bushels of money, to the kingdom that I have told you of, and there enter the service of the king. Odejdeš se svými šesti balíky peněz do království, o němž jsem ti vyprávěl, a vstoupíš tam do královských služeb. When the time comes near for his debt becoming due you will be able to notice by his manner that he is ill at ease. Až se přiblíží čas splatnosti jeho dluhu, poznáte podle jeho chování, že je špatně naladěn. You shall then say to him that you know well enough what it is that is weighing upon him—that it is the debt which he owes to the troll and cannot pay, but that you can lend him the money. Pak mu řekněte, že víte, co ho tíží - že je to dluh, který má u trolla a který nemůže splatit, ale že mu můžete půjčit peníze. The amount is six bushels—just what you have. Množství je šest bušlů - přesně tolik, kolik máte. You shall, however, only lend them to him on condition that you may accompany him when he goes to make the payment, and that you then have permission to run before him as a fool. Půjčíš mu je však jen pod podmínkou, že ho budeš moci doprovázet, až půjde zaplatit, a že pak budeš mít povolení běžet před ním jako blázen. When you arrive at the troll's abode, you must perform all kinds of foolish tricks, and see that you break a whole lot of his windows, and do all other damage that you can. Až dorazíte do trollova příbytku, musíte provádět nejrůznější hloupé kousky a dohlédnout na to, abyste mu rozbili spoustu oken a napáchali všechny další škody, které můžete. My father will then get very angry, and as the king must answer for what his fool does he will sentence him, even although he has paid his debt, either to answer three questions or to lose his life. Můj otec se pak velmi rozzlobí, a protože král se musí zodpovídat za to, co jeho hlupák dělá, odsoudí ho, i když svůj dluh zaplatil, buď k odpovědi na tři otázky, nebo ke ztrátě života. The first question my father will ask will be, "Where is my daughter?" První otázka mého otce bude: "Kde je moje dcera?" Then you shall step forward and answer "She is at the bottom of the sea." Pak vystoupíte a odpovíte: "Je na dně moře." He will then ask you whether you can recognise her, and to this you will answer "Yes." Pak se vás zeptá, zda ji poznáváte, a vy odpovíte: "Ano." Then he will bring forward a whole troop of women, and cause them to pass before you, in order that you may pick out the one that you take for his daughter. Pak přivede celý oddíl žen a nechá je projít před tebou, aby sis mohl vybrat tu, kterou si vezmeš za svou dceru. You will not be able to recognise me at all, and therefore I will catch hold of you as I go past, so that you can notice it, and you must then make haste to catch me and hold me fast. Vůbec mě nepoznáte, a proto vás chytím, až půjdu kolem, abyste si toho všimli, a pak si musíte pospíšit, abyste mě chytili a drželi. You have then answered his first question. Tím jste odpověděli na jeho první otázku. His next question will be, "Where is my heart?" Jeho další otázka bude: "Kde je mé srdce?" You shall then step forward again and answer, "It is in a fish." Pak znovu předstoupíte a odpovíte: "Je v rybě." "Do you know that fish?" "Znáte tu rybu?" he will say, and you will again answer "Yes." řekne a vy opět odpovíte: "Ano." He will then cause all kinds of fish to come before you, and you shall choose between them. Pak před vás postaví všechny druhy ryb a vy si mezi nimi vyberete. I shall take good care to keep by your side, and when the right fish comes I will give you a little push, and with that you will seize the fish and cut it up. Dám si dobrý pozor, abych se držel po tvém boku, a až přijde ta správná ryba, trochu tě postrčím a ty ji chytíš a naporcuješ. Then all will be over with the troll; he will ask no more questions, and we shall be free to wed.' Pak bude s trollem konec, už se nebude na nic ptát a my se budeme moci vzít. When the youth had got all these directions as to what he had to do when he got ashore again the next thing was to remember the words which the troll said when he changed him from a human being to an animal; but these he had forgotten, and the girl did not know them either. Když mladík dostal všechny tyto pokyny, co má udělat, až se opět dostane na břeh, musel si vzpomenout na slova, která troll řekl, když ho měnil z člověka na zvíře, ale ta zapomněl a dívka je také neznala. He went about all day in despair, and thought and thought, but he could not remember what they sounded like. Celý den chodil zoufalý a přemýšlel a přemýšlel, ale nemohl si vzpomenout, jak zněly. During the night he could not sleep, until towards morning he fell into a slumber, and all at once it flashed upon him what the troll used to say. V noci nemohl usnout, až k ránu upadl do dřímoty a najednou mu blesklo hlavou, co říkával troll. He made haste to repeat the words, and at the same moment he became a fish again and slipped out into the sea. Pospíšil si zopakoval slova a ve stejném okamžiku se opět proměnil v rybu a vyklouzl do moře. Immediately after this he was called upon, and swam through the sea up the river to where the troll stood on the bank and restored him to human shape with the same words as before. Ihned poté byl vyzván, aby se plavil po moři proti proudu řeky až k místu, kde na břehu stál troll, a stejnými slovy jako předtím mu vrátil lidskou podobu.

'Well, how do you like to be a fish?' "Jak se ti líbí být rybou? asked the troll. zeptal se troll.

It was what he had liked best of all, said the youth, and that was no lie, as everybody can guess. To se mu líbilo ze všeho nejvíc, řekl mladík, a to nebyla lež, jak si každý může domyslet.

The troll then showed him the three bushels of money which he had earned during the past year; they stood beside the other three, and all the six now belonged to him. Troll mu pak ukázal tři bušly peněz, které vydělal za poslední rok; stály vedle ostatních tří a všech šest mu teď patřilo.

'Perhaps you will serve me for another year yet,' said the troll, 'and you will get six bushels of money for it; that makes twelve in all, and that is a pretty penny.' "Možná mi budeš sloužit ještě rok," řekl troll, "a dostaneš za to šest bušlů peněz; to je celkem dvanáct, a to je pěkný peníz. 'No,' said the youth; he thought he had done enough, and was anxious to go to some other place to serve, and learn other people's ways; but he would, perhaps, come back to the troll some other time. "Ne," řekl mladík; myslel si, že už toho udělal dost, a chtěl jít sloužit někam jinam, aby se naučil, jak to chodí u jiných lidí, ale možná se k trollovi vrátí někdy jindy. The troll said that he would always be welcome; he had served him faithfully for the three years they had agreed upon, and he could make no objections to his leaving now. Troll řekl, že bude vždy vítán, že mu věrně sloužil po tři roky, na kterých se dohodli, a že nemůže nic namítat proti jeho odchodu.

The youth then got his six bushels of money, and with these he betook himself straight to the kingdom which his sweetheart had told him of. Mladík tedy dostal svých šest bušlů peněz a s nimi se vydal přímo do království, o němž mu vyprávěla jeho milá. He got his money buried in a lonely spot close to the king's palace, and then went in there and asked to be taken into service. Nechal si zakopat peníze na osamělém místě poblíž královského paláce a pak tam vešel a požádal, aby ho vzali do služby. He obtained his request, and was taken on as stableman, to tend the king's horses. Vyhověl jeho žádosti a byl přijat jako stájník, aby se staral o královy koně. Some time passed, and he noticed how the king always went about sorrowing and grieving, and was never glad or happy. Uplynul nějaký čas a on si všiml, že král chodí stále smutný a zarmoucený a nikdy se neraduje a netěší. One day the king came into the stable, where there was no one present except the youth, who said straight out to him that, with his majesty's permission, he wished to ask him why he was so sorrowful. Jednoho dne přišel král do stáje, kde nebyl nikdo kromě mladíka, a ten mu rovnou řekl, že se ho chce se svolením Jeho Veličenstva zeptat, proč je tak smutný. 'It's of no use speaking about that,' said the king; 'you cannot help me, at any rate.' "O tom nemá smysl mluvit," řekl král, "v každém případě mi nepomůžeš. 'You don't know about that,' said the youth; ' I know well enough what it is that lies so heavy on your mind, and I know also of a plan to get the money paid.' "O tom nic nevíš," řekl mladík, "vím dost dobře, co tě tak tíží, a vím také o plánu, jak ty peníze získat. This was quite another case, and the king had more talk with the stableman, who said that he could easily lend the king the six bushels of money, but would only do it on condition that he should be allowed to accompany the king when he went to pay the debt, and that he should then be dressed like the king's court fool, and run before him. To byl úplně jiný případ a král si ještě promluvil s čeledínem, který řekl, že by králi snadno půjčil těch šest bušlů peněz, ale že to udělá jen pod podmínkou, že mu bude dovoleno doprovázet krále, až půjde zaplatit dluh, a že se pak oblékne jako králův dvorní blázen a bude před ním běhat. He would cause some trouble, for which the king would be severely spoken to, but he would answer for it that no harm would befall him. Způsobil by nějaké potíže, za které by se králi přísně domluvil, ale on by se za to zodpovídal, aby se mu nic nestalo.

The king gladly agreed to all that the youth proposed, and it was now high time for them to set out. Král s radostí souhlasil se vším, co mladík navrhl, a nyní byl nejvyšší čas vyrazit.

When they came to the troll's dwelling it was no longer in the bank, but on the top of this there stood a large castle which the youth had never seen before. Když přišli k trollímu obydlí, nebylo už na břehu, ale na jeho vrcholu stál velký hrad, který mladík nikdy předtím neviděl. The troll could, in fact, make it visible or invisible, just as he pleased, and, knowing as much as he did of the troll's magic arts, the youth was not at all surprised at this. Troll ji totiž mohl zviditelnit nebo zneviditelnit, jak se mu zlíbilo, a protože toho věděl o trollově magickém umění tolik, kolik věděl, mladíka to vůbec nepřekvapilo. When they came near to this castle, which looked as if it was of pure glass, the youth ran on in front as the king's fool. Když se přiblížili k hradu, který vypadal, jako by byl z čistého skla, běžel mladík vpředu jako králův blázen. Heran sometimes facing forwards, sometimes backwards, stood sometimes on his head, and sometimes on his feet, and he dashed in pieces so many of the troll's big glass windows and doors that it was something awful to see, and overturned everything he could, and made a fearful disturbance. Heran se někdy díval dopředu, někdy dozadu, někdy stál na hlavě, někdy na nohou a rozbil na kusy tolik velkých skleněných oken a dveří, že to bylo něco strašného, převrátil všechno, co mohl, a způsobil strašlivý rozruch. The troll came rushing out, and was so angry and furious, and abused the king with all his might for bringing such a wretched fool with him, as he was sure that he could not pay the least bit of all the damage that had been done when he could not even pay off his old debt. Troll vyběhl ven a byl tak rozzlobený a rozzuřený, že králi ze všech sil nadával, že si s sebou přivedl takového ubohého blázna, protože si byl jistý, že nemůže zaplatit ani kousek ze všech škod, které mu byly způsobeny, když nedokázal splatit ani svůj starý dluh.

The fool, however, spoke up, and said that he could do so quite easily, and the king then came forward with the six bushels of money which the youth had lent him. Blázen se však ozval a řekl, že to může udělat docela snadno, a král pak přišel se šesti bušemi peněz, které mu mladík půjčil. They were measured and found to be correct. Byly změřeny a shledány správnými. This the troll had not reckoned on, but he could make no objection against it. S tím troll nepočítal, ale nemohl nic namítat. The old debt was honestly paid, and the king got his bond back again. Starý dluh byl poctivě splacen a král dostal svůj dluhopis zpět.

But there still remained all the damage that had been done that day, and the king had nothing with which to pay for this. Stále však zůstávaly všechny škody, které byly toho dne způsobeny, a král neměl nic, čím by je mohl zaplatit. The troll, therefore, sentenced the king, either to answer three questions that he would put to him, or have his head taken off, as was agreed on in the old bond. Troll tedy krále odsoudil, aby buď odpověděl na tři otázky, které mu položí, nebo aby mu byla sňata hlava, jak bylo dohodnuto ve starém závazku.

There was nothing else to be done than to try to answer the troll's riddles. Nezbývalo nic jiného než se pokusit odpovědět na trollovy hádanky. The fool then stationed himself just by the king's side while the troll came forward with his questions. Blázen se pak postavil těsně vedle krále, zatímco troll přišel se svými otázkami. He first asked, 'Where is my daughter?' Nejprve se zeptal: "Kde je moje dcera? The fool spoke up and said, 'She is at the bottom of the sea.' Blázen se ozval a řekl: "Je na dně moře. 'How do you know that?' "Jak to víte? said the troll. řekl troll.

'The little fish saw it,' said the fool. "Viděla to malá ryba," řekl blázen. 'Would you know her?' "Znáte ji? said the troll. řekl troll.

'Yes, bring her forward,' said the fool. "Ano, přiveďte ji dopředu," řekl blázen. The troll made a whole crowd of women go past them, one after the other, but all these were nothing but shadows and deceptions. Troll přiměl celý zástup žen, aby kolem nich prošly jedna za druhou, ale to všechno byly jen stíny a klamy. Amongst the very last was the troll's real daughter, who pinched the fool as she went past him to make him aware of her presence. Mezi posledními byla i trollova skutečná dcera, která hlupáka štípla, když kolem něj procházela, aby ho upozornila na svou přítomnost. He thereupon caught her round the waist and held her fast, and the troll had to admit that his first riddle was solved. Pak ji chytil kolem pasu, pevně ji držel a troll musel uznat, že jeho první hádanka je vyřešena.

Then the troll asked again: 'Where is my heart?' Pak se troll znovu zeptal: "Kde je mé srdce? 'It is in a fish,' said the fool. "Je v rybě," řekl blázen. 'Would you know that fish?' "Znáte tu rybu? said the troll. řekl troll.

'Yes, bring it forward,' said the fool. "Ano, přines to dopředu," řekl blázen. Then all the fishes came swimming past them, and meanwhile the troll's daughter stood just by the youth's side. Pak kolem nich propluly všechny ryby a trollí dcera zatím stála těsně vedle mladíka. When at last the right fish came swimming along she gave him a nudge, and he seized it at once, drove his knife into it, and split it up, took the heart out of it, and cut it through the middle. Když konečně připlavala ta správná ryba, šťouchla do něj a on ji okamžitě popadl, zabodl do ní nůž, rozpoltil ji, vyňal z ní srdce a rozřízl ji uprostřed.

At the same moment the troll fell dead and turned into pieces of flint. Ve stejném okamžiku troll padl mrtev a proměnil se v kusy křemene. With that a,ll the bonds that the troll had bound were broken; all the wild beasts and birds which he had caught and hid under the ground were free now, and dispersed themselves in the woods and in the air. Tím byla všechna pouta, která troll spoutal, přetržena; všechna divoká zvířata a ptáci, které chytil a ukryl pod zemí, byli nyní volní a rozptýlili se po lesích a ve vzduchu.

The youth and his sweetheart entered the castle, which was now theirs, and held their wedding; and all the kings roundabout, who had been in the troll's debt, and were now out of it, came to the wedding, and saluted the youth as their emperor, and he ruled over them all, and kept peace between them, and lived in his castle with his beautiful empress in great joy and magnificence. Mladík a jeho milá vstoupili do hradu, který byl nyní jejich, a uspořádali svatbu; všichni králové z okolí, kteří byli trolovi zavázáni a nyní se z něj vymanili, přišli na svatbu a pozdravili mladíka jako svého císaře, který jim všem vládl, udržoval mezi nimi mír a žil na svém hradě se svou krásnou císařovnou ve velké radosti a nádheře. And if they have not died since they are living there to this day. A pokud nezemřeli, žijí tam dodnes.