Lille Rødhætte

Little Red Riding Hood

Der var engang en sød lille pige, som blev elsket af alle, der så hende, men allerhøjest af sin bedstemor, og der var ikke den ting, hun ikke ville have givet barnet.

Once upon a time there was a sweet little girl who was loved by everyone who saw her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing she would not have given the child.

Engang gav hun hende en lille hætte af rødt fløjl, som klædte hende så godt, at hun aldrig ville gå med andet; derfor blev hun altid kaldt "Lille Rødhætte".

Once she gave her a little cap of red velvet, which suited her so well that she never wanted to wear anything else; therefore she was always called "Little Red Riding Hood".

En dag sagde hendes mor til hende:

One day her mother said to her:

"Kom, Lille Rødhætte, her er et stykke kage og en flaske vin; bring det ud til din bedstemor, hun er syg og svag, og det vil gøre hende godt. Gå af sted før det bliver varmt, og når du går, så gå pænt og roligt og løb ikke væk fra stien, for så falder du måske og slår flasken i stykker, og så får din bedstemor ingenting; og når du kommer ind i hendes stue, så glem ikke at sige 'godmorgen', og kig ikke rundt i alle hjørner, før du gør det."

"Come, Little Red Riding Hood, here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine; take it to your grandmother, she is sick and weak, and it will do her good. Set out before it gets hot, and when you go, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path, for then you might fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will get nothing; and when you go into her room, do not forget to say 'good morning', and do not look around in every corner before you do so."

"Jeg skal nok passe godt på," sagde Lille Rødhætte til sin mor og gav hende hånden på det.

"I will take good care," said Little Red Riding Hood to her mother, and gave her her hand on it.

Bedstemoren boede ude i skoven, en halv mil fra landsbyen, og lige da Lille Rødhætte gik ind i skoven, mødte hun en ulv.

The grandmother lived out in the woods, half a mile from the village, and just as Little Red Riding Hood entered the woods, she met a wolf.

Rødhætte vidste ikke, hvilket ondt væsen han var, og var slet ikke bange for ham.

Red Riding Hood did not know what an evil creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him.

"Goddag, Lille Rødhætte," sagde han.

"Good day, Little Red Riding Hood," he said.

"Mange tak, ulv."

"Thank you very much, wolf."

"Hvor skal du hen så tidligt, Lille Rødhætte?"

"Where are you going so early, Little Red Riding Hood?"

"Hen til min bedstemor."

"To my grandmother's."

"Hvad har du i dit forklæde?"

"What do you have in your apron?"

"Kage og vin; i går var det bagedag, så den stakkels, syge bedstemor skal have noget godt for at blive stærkere."

"Cake and wine; yesterday was baking day, so my poor, sick grandmother shall have something good to make her stronger."

"Hvor bor din bedstemor, Lille Rødhætte?"

"Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Riding Hood?"

"Et godt fjerdedel mil længere inde i skoven; hendes hus ligger under de tre store egetræer, og nøddebuskene står lige nedenfor; du kender det sikkert nok," svarede Lille Rødhætte.

"A good quarter of a mile further into the woods; her house lies under the three large oak trees, and the nut bushes stand just below; you surely know it," replied Little Red Riding Hood.

Ulven tænkte ved sig selv:

The wolf thought to himself:

"Sikke et sart, ungt væsen! Sikke en lækker, tyk mundfuld – hun bliver bedre at spise end den gamle kone. Jeg må bære mig listigt ad, så jeg fanger dem begge."

"What a tender, young creature! What a delicious, fat mouthful – she will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily so that I catch them both."

Så gik han et lille stykke tid ved siden af Lille Rødhætte, og så sagde han:

Then he walked for a little while beside Little Red Riding Hood, and then he said:

"Se, Lille Rødhætte, hvor smukke blomsterne er her omkring – hvorfor ser du dig ikke om? Jeg tror heller ikke, du hører, hvor sødt de små fugle synger; du går så alvorligt af sted, som om du var på vej til skole, mens alt andet herude i skoven er så lystigt."

"Look, Little Red Riding Hood, how beautiful the flowers are all around here – why don't you look around? I don't think you hear how sweetly the little birds are singing either; you walk along so seriously, as if you were on your way to school, while everything else out here in the woods is so cheerful."

Lille Rødhætte slog øjnene op, og da hun så solstrålerne danse her og der mellem træerne, og de smukke blomster, der groede overalt, tænkte hun:

Little Red Riding Hood opened her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there between the trees, and the beautiful flowers growing everywhere, she thought:

"Hvis jeg nu tager en frisk buket blomster med til bedstemor, vil det også glæde hende. Det er så tidligt på dagen, at jeg nok skal nå derhen i god tid"; og så løb hun væk fra stien og ind i skoven for at lede efter blomster.

"If I take a fresh bouquet of flowers to grandmother, it will please her too. It is so early in the day that I shall surely get there in plenty of time"; and so she ran off the path and into the woods to look for flowers.

Og hver gang hun havde plukket én, syntes hun, at hun så en endnu smukkere længere inde, og løb efter den, og kom på den måde dybere og dybere ind i skoven.

And every time she had picked one, she thought she saw an even more beautiful one further in, and ran after it, and in that way got deeper and deeper into the woods.

Imens løb ulven lige hen til bedstemorens hus og bankede på døren.

Meanwhile, the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked on the door.

"Hvem er der?"

"Who is there?"

"Lille Rødhætte," svarede ulven.

"Little Red Riding Hood," replied the wolf.

"Hun kommer med kage og vin; luk døren op."

"She is bringing cake and wine; open the door."

"Tryk på klinken," råbte bedstemoren,

"Press the latch," cried the grandmother,

"jeg er for svag og kan ikke stå op."

"I am too weak and cannot get up."

Ulven trykkede på klinken, døren sprang op, og uden at sige et ord gik han lige hen til bedstemorens seng og opslugte hende.

The wolf pressed the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying a word he went straight to the grandmother's bed and swallowed her up.

Så tog han hendes tøj på, tog hendes kyse på hovedet, lagde sig i sengen og trak gardinerne for.

Then he put on her clothes, put her bonnet on his head, lay down in the bed and drew the curtains.

Lille Rødhætte havde dog løbet rundt og plukket blomster, og da hun havde samlet så mange, at hun ikke kunne bære flere, kom hun i tanker om sin bedstemor og begav sig på vej hen til hende.

Little Red Riding Hood, however, had been running around picking flowers, and when she had gathered so many that she could not carry any more, she remembered her grandmother and set out on her way to her.

Hun blev overrasket over at finde hyttens dør stående åben, og da hun kom ind i stuen, fik hun en så mærkelig fornemmelse, at she sagde til sig selv:

She was surprised to find the cottage door standing open, and when she stepped into the room, she got such a strange feeling that she said to herself:

"Ih du godeste! Hvor føler jeg mig angst i dag, og andre gange holder jeg ellers så meget af at være hos bedstemor."

"Oh dear! How anxious I feel today, and usually I like being at grandmother's so much."

Hun råbte: "Godmorgen," men fik intet svar; så gik hun hen til sengen og trak gardinerne til side.

She called out: "Good morning," but received no answer; then she went up to the bed and drew the curtains aside.

Dér lå bedstemor med kysen trukket langt ned over ansigtet og så meget mærkelig ud.

There lay grandmother with her bonnet pulled far down over her face and looking very strange.

"Nu, bedstemor," sagde hun,

"My, grandmother," she said,

"hvorfor har du så store ører!"

"why do you have such big ears!"

"Det er for at jeg bedre kan høre dig, mit barn," lød svaret.

"That is so I can hear you better, my child," was the answer.

"Men bedstemor, hvorfor har du så store øjne!"

"But grandmother, why do you have such big eyes!"

sagde hun.

she said.

"Det er for at jeg bedre kan se dig, min skat."

"That is so I can see you better, my dear."

"But bedstemor, hvorfor har du så store hænder!"

"But grandmother, why do you have such big hands!"

"Det er for at jeg bedre kan kramme dig."

"That is so I can hug you better."

"Åh, men bedstemor, hvorfor har du dog sådan en frygtelig stor mund!"

"Oh, but grandmother, why do you have such a terribly large mouth!"

"Det er for at jeg bedre kan spise dig!"

"That is so I can eat you better!"

Og næppe havde ulven sagt dette, før han med ét spring var ude af sengen og slugte Rødhætte.

And no sooner had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of bed and swallowed Red Riding Hood.

Da ulven havde stillet sin sult, lagde han sig igen i sengen, faldt i søvn og begyndte at snorke meget højt.

When the wolf had satisfied his hunger, he lay down in bed again, fell asleep and began to snore very loudly.

Jægeren gik netop forbi huset og tænkte ved sig selv:

The huntsman was just passing by the house and thought to himself:

"Hvor den gamle kone dog snorker! Jeg må hellere lige se, om hun mangler noget."

"How the old woman is snoring! I had better just see if she needs anything."

Så gik han ind i stuen, og da han kom hen til sengen, så han, at ulven lå i den.

Then he went into the room, and when he came up to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it.

"Finder jeg dig her, din gamle synder!"

"Do I find you here, you old sinner!"

sagde han.

he said.

"Jeg har længe søgt efter dig!"

"I have been looking for you for a long time!"

Lige som han skulle til at skyde på ham, faldt det ham ind, at ulven måske havde slugt bedstemoren, og at hun måske stadig kunne reddes, så han skød ikke, men tog en saks og begyndte at klippe bugen op på den sovende ulv.

Just as he was about to shoot him, it occurred to him that the wolf might have swallowed the grandmother, and that she might still be saved, so he did not shoot, but took a pair of scissors and began to cut open the belly of the sleeping wolf.

Da han havde klippet et par snit, så han den lille røde hætte lyse, og da han klippede et par snit mere, sprang den lille pige ud og råbte:

When he had made a few cuts, he saw the little red hood shining, and when he made a few more cuts, the little girl sprang out and cried:

"Åh, hvor har jeg været bange! Hvor var der mørkt inde i ulven"; og bagefter kom den gamle bedstemor også levende ud, men hun kunne næsten ikke trække vejret.

"Oh, how frightened I have been! How dark it was inside the wolf"; and afterwards the old grandmother came out alive as well, but she could scarcely breathe.

Rødhætte hentede dog hurtigt store sten, som de fyldte ulvens mave med, og da han vågnede, ville han løbe væk, men stenene var så tunge, at han faldt om med det samme og døde.

Red Riding Hood, however, quickly fetched large stones, with which they filled the wolf's stomach, and when he woke up, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that he collapsed immediately and died.

Så var de alle tre glade.

Then all three were happy.

Jægeren trak pelsen af ulven og gik hjem med den; bedstemoren spiste kagen og drak vinen, som Rødhætte havde bragt, og kom til hægterne igen, men Rødhætte tænkte ved sig selv:

The huntsman skinned the wolf and went home with it; the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine that Red Riding Hood had brought, and recovered her strength again, but Red Riding Hood thought to herself:

"Så længe jeg lever, vil jeg aldrig mere gå væk fra stien alene og løbe ind i skoven, når min mor har forbudt mig det."

"As long as I live, I will never again leave the path by myself and run into the woods when my mother has forbidden me to do so."

Det fortælles også, at da Rødhætte en anden gang skulle bringe kager til den gamle bedstemor, talte en anden ulv til hende og forsøgte at lokke hende væk fra stien.

It is also told that another time, when Red Riding Hood was bringing cakes to her old grandmother, another wolf spoke to her and tried to entice her off the path.

Rødhætte var dog på vagt og gik lige ud ad sin vej, og hun fortalte sin bedstemor, at hun havde mødt ulven, og at han havde sagt "godmorgen" til hende, men med et så ondt blik i øjnene, at hvis de ikke havde været på den offentlige vej, var hun sikker på, at han havde spist hende.

Red Riding Hood, however, was on her guard and went straight on her way, and she told her grandmother that she had met the wolf, and that he had said "good morning" to her, but with such an evil look in his eyes that if they had not been on the public road, she was certain he would have eaten her.

"Nå," sagde bedstemoren,

"Well," said the grandmother,

"så låser vi døren, så han ikke kan komme ind."

"then we will lock the door so he cannot get in."

Kort efter bankede ulven på og råbte:

Shortly after, the wolf knocked and cried:

"Luk døren op, bedstemor, det er Lille Rødhætte, jeg kommer med kager til dig."

"Open the door, grandmother, it is Little Red Riding Hood, I am bringing cakes to you."

Men de svarede ikke eller lukkede døren op, så gråskægget listede to eller tre gange rundt om huset og hoppede til sidst op på taget, idet han havde i sinde at vente, indtil Rødhætte gik hjem om aftenen, for så at liste efter hende og bide hende ihjel i mørket.

But they did not answer or open the door, so the greybeard slunk around the house two or three times and finally leaped onto the roof, intending to wait until Red Riding Hood went home in the evening, so he could sneak after her and bite her to death in the dark.

Men bedstemoren mærkede, hvad han havde i sinde.

But the grandmother noticed what he had in mind.

Foran huset stod et stort stentrug, så hun sagde til barnet:

In front of the house stood a large stone trough, so she said to the child:

"Tag spanden, Rødhætte; jeg lavede pølser i går, så bær det vand, som jeg kogte dem i, ud i truget."

"Take the bucket, Red Riding Hood; I made sausages yesterday, so carry the water that I boiled them in out to the trough."

Rødhætte bar vand, indtil det store trug var helt fuldt.

Red Riding Hood carried water until the large trough was completely full.

Da nåede pølseduften op til ulven, og han snusede og kiggede ned, og til sidst strakte han sin hals så langt ud, at han ikke længere kunne holde balancen og begyndte at glide, og han gled ned fra taget og lige lukt ned i det store trug og druknede.

Then the smell of the sausages reached the wolf, and he sniffed and looked down, and at last he stretched his neck out so far that he could no longer keep his balance and began to slide, and he slid down from the roof and straight into the large trough and drowned.

Men Rødhætte gik glad og lystig hjem, og der var aldrig nogen, der gjorde hende fortræd igen.

But Red Riding Hood went home happy and cheerful, and no one ever did her any harm again.