I tre sciocchi

C’era una volta un contadino con sua moglie che avevano una figlia, la quale era corteggiata da un gentiluomo.

Once upon a time there was a farmer and his wife who had one daughter, and she was courted by a gentleman.

Ogni sera lui veniva a trovarla e si fermava a cena alla fattoria, e la figlia veniva mandata in cantina a spillare la birra per la cena.

Every evening he used to come and see her, and stop to supper at the farmhouse, and the daughter used to be sent down into the cellar to draw the beer for supper.

Così, una sera, era scesa a spillare la birra e, mentre lo faceva, le capitò di guardare verso il soffitto e vide un maglio incastrato in una delle travi.

So one evening she had gone down to draw the beer, and she happened to look up at the ceiling while she was drawing, and she saw a mallet stuck in one of the beams.

Doveva essere lì da molto, molto tempo, ma per un motivo o per l’altro non l’aveva mai notato prima, e cominciò a riflettere.

It must have been there a long, long time, but somehow or other she had never noticed it before, and she began a-thinking.

E pensò che fosse molto pericoloso tenere quel maglio lì, perché disse a se stessa: “Mettiamo che io e lui ci sposiamo, e che abbiamo un figlio, e che lui cresca fino a diventare uomo e scenda in cantina a spillare la birra, come sto facendo io ora, e che il maglio gli cada in testa e lo uccida, che cosa terribile sarebbe!”

And she thought it was very dangerous to have that mallet there, for she said to herself: “Suppose him and me was to be married, and we was to have a son, and he was to grow up to be a man, and come down into the cellar to draw the beer, like as I’m doing now, and the mallet was to fall on his head and kill him, what a dreadful thing it would be!”

E posò la candela e la brocca, si sedette e cominciò a piangere.

And she put down the candle and the jug, and sat herself down and began a-crying.

Beh, di sopra iniziarono a chiedersi come mai ci mettesse tanto a spillare la birra, e sua madre scese a cercarla, e la trovò seduta sulla panca a piangere, con la birra che scorreva sul pavimento. “Ma che succede?”

Well, they began to wonder upstairs how it was that she was so long drawing the beer, and her mother went down to see after her, and she found her sitting on the settle crying, and the beer running over the floor. “Why, whatever is the matter?”

disse sua madre. “Oh, mamma!” dice lei, “guarda quel terribile maglio!

said her mother. “Oh, mother!” says she, “look at that horrid mallet!

Mettiamo che noi ci sposiamo, e che abbiamo un figlio, e che lui cresca, e che scenda in cantina a spillare la birra, e che il maglio gli cada in testa e lo uccida, che cosa terribile sarebbe!” “Dio mio!

Suppose we was to be married, and was to have a son, and he was to grow up, and was to come down to the cellar to draw the beer, and the mallet was to fall on his head and kill him, what a dreadful thing it would be!” “Dear, dear!

che cosa terribile sarebbe!” disse la madre, e si sedette accanto alla figlia e cominciò a piangere anche lei.

what a dreadful thing it would be!” said the mother, and she sat her down aside of the daughter and started a-crying too.

Poi, dopo un po’, il padre cominciò a meravigliarsi che non tornassero, e scese in cantina a cercarle lui stesso, e lì se ne stavano sedute a piangere, con la birra che scorreva per tutto il pavimento. “Che succede?” dice lui.

Then after a bit the father began to wonder that they didn’t come back, and he went down into the cellar to look after them himself, and there they two sat a-crying, and the beer running all over the floor. “Whatever is the matter?” says he.

“Beh,” dice la madre, “guarda quel terribile maglio.

“Why,” says the mother, “look at that horrid mallet.

Mettiamo che nostra figlia e il suo fidanzato si sposino, e che abbiano un figlio, e che lui cresca, e che scenda in cantina a spillare la birra, e che il maglio gli cada in testa e lo uccida, che cosa terribile sarebbe!”

Just suppose, if our daughter and her sweetheart was to be married, and was to have a son, and he was to grow up, and was to come down into the cellar to draw the beer, and the mallet was to fall on his head and kill him, what a dreadful thing it would be!”

“Dio mio, Dio mio! È vero!” disse il padre, e si sedette accanto alle altre due, e cominciò a piangere.

“Dear, dear, dear! so it would!” said the father, and he sat himself down aside of the other two, and started a-crying.