The old mother lamented15 that such innocent blood was to be shed, and in the night she had a doe killed, cut out its tongue and eyes, and had them put aside.

　　Then she said to the queen, "I cannot have you killed as the king has ordered, but you can no longer stay here. Go out into the wide world with your child, and never come back."

　　The old mother tied the queen's child onto her back, and the poor woman went away with weeping eyes. She came to a great, wild forest where she got onto her knees and prayed to God. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to her and led her to a small house. On it was a small sign with the words, "Here anyone can live free."

　　A snow-white virgin16 came from the house and said, "Welcome, Queen," then led her inside. She untied17 the small boy from her back, held him to her breast so he could drink, and then laid him in a beautiful made-up bed.

　　Then the poor woman said, "How did you know that I am a queen?"

　　The white virgin answered, "I am an angel, sent by God to take care of you and your child."

　　She stayed in this house for seven years, and was well taken care of. And through the grace of God and her own piety18 her chopped-off hands grew back.

　　The king finally came back home from the battlefield, and the first thing he wanted to do was to see his wife and their child.

　　Then the old mother began to weep, saying, "You wicked man, why did you write to me that I was to put two innocent souls to death," and she showed him the two letters that the evil one hadcounterfeited19. Then she continued to speak, "I did what you ordered," and showed him as proof the eyes and the tongue.

　　Then the king began to weep even more bitterly for his poor wife and his little son, until the old woman had mercy and said to him, "Be satisfied that she is still alive. I secretly had a doe killed and took the proofs from it. I tied your wife's child onto her back and told her to go out into the wide world, and she had to promise never to come back here, because you were so angry with her."

　　Then the king said, "I will go as far as the sky is blue, and will neither eat nor drink until I have found my dear wife and my child again, provided that in the meantime they have not died or perished from hunger."

　　Then the king traveled about for nearly seven years, searching in all the stone cliffs and caves, but he did not find her, and he thought that she had perished. He neither ate nor drank during the entire time, but God kept him alive. Finally he came to a great forest, where he found a little house with a sign containing the words, " Here anyone can live free."

　　The white virgin came out, took him by the hand, led him inside, and said, "Welcome, King," then asked him where he had come from.

　　He answered, "I have been traveling about for nearly seven years looking for my wife and her child, but I cannot find them."

　　The angel offered him something to eat and drink, but he did not take it, wanting only to rest a little. He lay down to sleep, covering his face with a cloth.

　　Then the angel went into the room where the queen was sitting with her son, whom she normally called "Filled-with-Grief."

　　The angel said to her, "Go into the next room with your child. Your husband has come."

　　She went to where he was lying, and the cloth fell from his face.

　　Then she said, "Filled-with-Grief, pick up the cloth for your father and put it over his face again."

　　The child picked it up and put it over his face again. The king heard this in his sleep and let the cloth fall again.

　　Then the little boy grew impatient and said, "Mother, dear, how can I cover my father's face? I have no father in this world. I have learned to pray, 'Our father which art in heaven,' and you have said that my father is in heaven, and that he is our dear God. How can I know such a wild man? He is not my father."

　　Hearing this, the king arose and asked who she was.

　　She said, "I am your wife, and this is your son Filled-with-Grief."

　　He saw her living hands and said, "My wife had silver hands."

　　She answered, "Our merciful God has caused my natural hands to grow back."

　　The angel went into the other room, brought back the silver hands, and showed them to him. Now he saw for sure that it was his dear wife and his dear child, and he kissed them, and rejoiced, and said, "A heavy stone has fallen from my heart."

　　Then the angel of God gave them all something to eat, and then they went back home to his old mother. There was great joy everywhere, and the king and the queen conducted their wedding ceremony once again, and they lived happily until their blessed end.

　　果園的主人是個(gè)國王。第二天，他來到果園數(shù)梨時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn)少了一個(gè)，而且并沒有落在地上。他問園丁怎么回事，園丁回復(fù)說：「昨晚來了個(gè)幽靈，沒有手，用嘴咬掉了一個(gè)?！埂赣撵`怎么越過水溝的呢?吃完梨之后上哪兒去了呢?」國王問。

　　園丁回答說：「有個(gè)渾身雪白的人從天而降。他筑起一道堤壩攔住了水，讓幽靈走了過來。我想那人準(zhǔn)是個(gè)天使，所以有些懼怕，沒敢出聲。幽靈吃完梨就走了?！?/p>

　　「我今晚和你一起看看是不是真像你說的那樣。」國王說。

　　天黑了，國王帶著牧師來到果園。他要牧師來是為了和幽靈對(duì)話。他們?nèi)俗跇湎碌戎?、看著。半夜時(shí)分，姑娘從灌木叢里爬了出來，走到梨樹下，用嘴咬下一個(gè)梨，身穿白袍的天使仍然陪著她。牧師從樹下走出來對(duì)他們說：「你們是從天上來的，還是從地下來的?是人還是鬼?」姑娘回答說：「我不是鬼，我是個(gè)不幸的人。除了上帝外，人人都拋棄了我?！箛踅涌谡f：「即使世界上所有的人都拋棄了你，我也不會(huì)那么做的?！顾麑⒐媚飵Щ赝鯇m，姑娘的美貌和善良使國王深深地愛上了她。他為姑娘做了一雙銀手，并娶她為妻。

　　一年以后，國王不得不遠(yuǎn)行。他將年輕的王后托咐給母親，說：「假如她生了孩子，請(qǐng)好好照顧她，同時(shí)盡快把消息告訴我?！购髞砉媚锕嫔藗€(gè)健康漂亮的男孩，國王年邁的母親立刻將這一令人振奮的消息寫在信上派人給國王送去。但送信人在路上的一條小溪邊歇息的時(shí)候睡著了。再說那個(gè)惡魔一直想傷害好心的王后。這時(shí)，他將另一封信放進(jìn)信使的口袋里，上面說王后生了一個(gè)妖怪。國王收到信后十分震驚，而且百思不得其解。他回信要大家仍悉心照料王后，一切等他回來再說。送信人帶著國王的信往回走，又在來時(shí)歇息的地方打了個(gè)盹。惡魔又把另一封信裝進(jìn)信使的口袋，上面要他們將王后和她生的孩子處死。

　　國王的母親見信后大驚失色，簡直不敢相信。因此又寫了一封信給國王，可是沒有回音。因?yàn)閻耗看味及研艙Q了。最后一封信上要求把王后的舌頭和眼睛挖出來留作服從國王命令的見證。

　　國王的母親哭了，她不愿意看到無辜的人被殺害。於是她趁天黑時(shí)殺了一頭鹿，留下了舌頭和眼睛，然后對(duì)王后說：「我不愿按國王的命令殺你，但是你不能再住在這兒了。帶著孩子走吧，別再回來?！?/p>

　　可憐的婦人把孩子背到背上，含淚離開了王宮。她來到一座大森林里，跪下來向上帝祈禱。天使來到她跟前，把她領(lǐng)到一座小屋前。那里掛著一塊牌子，上面寫著：「一切免費(fèi)?！挂晃谎┌椎氖膛畯奈堇镒叱鰜碚f：「歡迎你，王后。」然后將她引進(jìn)屋里。她將孩子從王后背上解下來，抱到她懷里讓孩子吃奶，隨后將孩子放到一張做得極其精緻的小床上?？蓱z的婦人問：「你怎么知道我是個(gè)王后?！拱资膛卮鹫f：「我是個(gè)天使，上帝派我來照顧你和孩子的。」王后在這里生活了七年，受到很好的照顧。由於她虔誠地信仰上帝，因此上帝讓她被砍斷的雙手又長了出來。

　　國王終於歸來了，他的第一個(gè)愿望就是看看他的妻子和兒子。他年邁的媽媽哭著對(duì)他說：「你這個(gè)壞傢伙，為甚么寫信要我殺那兩個(gè)無辜的人?」她拿出那兩封被惡魔換了的信給國王看，接著說：「我已經(jīng)照辦了。」說著拿出舌頭和眼睛作證。

　　國王為可憐的妻子和兒子痛哭流涕，傷心的程度遠(yuǎn)超過他母親。老母看他哭得實(shí)在可憐，就對(duì)他說：「別哭了，她還活著。我悄悄地殺了一頭鹿，取了那些證物。實(shí)際上我把孩子綁到你妻子的背上，讓她到野外謀生，要她別再回來，因?yàn)槟阈派纤坪鯇?duì)她很惱怒?！箛跽f：「只要我親愛的妻子和兒子沒被殺害或餓死，走遍天崖海角我也一定要找到他們，否則我不吃也不喝?！?/p>

　　於是國王找了七年，不吃也不喝，但是上帝在暗中幫助他支撐著。他找遍了每一個(gè)石縫、每一個(gè)山洞，但還是沒有找到，他想她準(zhǔn)是因?yàn)槿币律偈乘懒恕Ｗ詈笏麃淼搅舜笊?，看到了小屋和上面掛著的「一切免費(fèi)」的牌子。白衣侍女走出來，拉著他的手將他領(lǐng)進(jìn)屋子說：「歡迎光臨，國王陛下?！褂謫査麖暮味鴣?。國王回答說：「我出來尋找我妻子和孩子已經(jīng)七年了，我?guī)缀跽冶榱嗣恳粋€(gè)地方，可就是找不到。」天使請(qǐng)國王吃點(diǎn)肉、喝點(diǎn)酒，國王甚么也沒吃，說只想休息一下。

　　他躺下，將一塊手帕遮在臉上睡了。

　　天使走進(jìn)王后和她兒子「悲傷」住的房間，對(duì)她說：「帶著孩子出去吧，你丈夫找你們來了。」於是王后帶著兒子來到國王睡覺的地方。手帕從國王的臉上滑落到地上，王后對(duì)兒子：「悲傷，去把你父親的手帕撿起來，蓋到他臉上?！购⒆幼哌^去，撿起手帕蓋到國王臉上。國王在睡夢(mèng)中聽到了，便很高興地讓手帕再次滑落到地上。可孩子不耐煩地說：「親愛的母親，我在這世上不是沒父親嗎?你怎么叫我用手帕蓋住父親的臉?我已經(jīng)學(xué)會(huì)祈禱'我們?cè)谔熘?#39;，你不是說我父親在天國嗎，是仁慈的上帝，現(xiàn)在怎么又說這陌生人是我父親?他不是我父親?！箛跻宦牐R上坐了起來，問他們是誰。王后回答說：「我是你的妻子，他是你的兒子'悲傷'?！?/p>

　　國王看到王后那雙自然生長的手，說：「我妻子的手是銀子做的?！雇鹾蠡卮鹫f：「仁慈的上帝讓我又長出了一雙手?！固焓棺哌M(jìn)內(nèi)室，拿出那雙銀手給國王看。這時(shí)國王才確信這就是他親愛的妻子和兒子，他親吻了他們，高興地說：「這下我心中的石頭算是落地了?！?/p>

　　上帝派來的天使和他們一起吃了最后一頓飯。隨后國王帶著妻兒回到王宮，見到了老母親，到處一片歡騰。國王和王后再次舉行了婚禮，從此永遠(yuǎn)幸福滿足地生活在一起。