The Peasant and the Devil

There was once on a time a far-sighted, crafty peasant whose tricks were much talked about. The best story is, however, how he once got hold of the Devil, and made a fool of him.

The peasant had one day been working in his field, and as twilight had set in, was making ready for the journey home, when he saw a heap of burning coals in the middle of his field, and when, full of astonishment, he went up to it, a little black devil was sitting on the live coals.“You do indeed sit upon a treasure!”said the peasant.

“Yes, in truth,”replied the Devil,“on a treasure which contains more gold and silver than you have ever seen in your life!”“The treasure lies in my field and belongs to me,”said the peasant.

“It is yours,”answered the Devil,“if you will for two years give me the half of everything your field produces. Money I have enough of, but I have a desire for the fruits of the earth.”The peasant agreed to the bargain.“In order, however, that no dispute may arise about the division,”said he,“everything that is above ground shall belong to you, and what is under the earth to me.”The Devil was quite satisfied with that, but the cunning peasant had sown turnips. Now when the time for harvest came, the Devil appeared and wanted to take away his crop; but he found nothing but the yellow withered leaves, while the peasant, full of delight, was digging up his turnips.“You have had the best of it for once,”said the Devil,“but the next time that won't do. What grows above ground shall be yours, and what is under it, mine.”

“I am willing,”replied the peasant; but when the time came to sow, he did not again sow turnips, but wheat. The grain became ripe, and the peasant went into the field and cut the full stalks down to the ground. When the Devil came, he found nothing but the stubble, and went away in a fury down into a cleft in the rocks.“That is the way to cheat the Devil,”said the peasant, and went and fetched away the treasure.

农夫和魔鬼

从前有一个聪明狡猾的农夫，关于他的恶作剧广为流传，但最有意思的故事是讲他如何智胜魔鬼、愚弄魔鬼的。

有一天，农夫耕完了地，准备回家时，已经暮色苍茫。他看见就在他的庄稼地当中燃着一堆煤，十分惊奇，走近前去，只见煤火上坐着一个黑色的小鬼。“你是坐在一堆财宝上吧？”农夫说。

“不错，”魔鬼回答说，“这堆财宝里的金银比你一辈子见过的还多。”

“财宝在我的庄稼地里，财宝是我的！”农夫说。

“如果连续两年你把这庄稼地的收成分一半给我，”魔鬼回答说，“财宝就是你的了。钱我有的是，但我想要土地的果实。”农夫同意了这个交易。他说：“为了避免分东西的时候引起争执，地上的东西归你，地下的东西归我。”这种分法魔鬼很高兴，但是诡计多端的农夫却播种萝卜。到了收成的季节，魔鬼来要它的果实，见到的只是枯黄的败叶，农夫高高兴兴地挖他的萝卜。“你占了一回便宜，下次不能再叫你占便宜了。地上长的是你的，地下的是我的。”魔鬼生气地说。

“这样也好。”农夫回答说。播种的季节到了，农夫这一次不再播种萝卜了，他播种小麦。小麦熟了，他去地里把长满麦穗的麦秆贴着地都收割了。魔鬼来了，只看见麦茬，怒气冲冲地跑到岩缝里面去了。“对狐狸就得这么骗它！”农夫说着便去取那批财宝了。