Prevod

Once upon a time there was a strange musician who walked through a forest all alone, turning one thought after another over in his mind. When he had nothing left to think about, he said to himself, "Time hangs heavy here in the forest. I shall call myself a good companion." So he took the fiddle from his back and played a tune that rang out through the trees. Before long, a wolf came trotting through the thicket. "Ah, here comes a wolf! I have no wish for his company," said the musician. But the wolf stepped closer and said to him, "Oh, dear musician, how beautifully you play! I should like to learn that too." — "That is soon learned," answered the musician. "You need only do everything I tell you." — "Oh, musician," said the wolf, "I shall obey you as a pupil obeys his master." The musician told him to come along, and when they had walked a little way together, they came to an old oak tree that was hollow inside and split down the middle. "Look here," said the musician, "if you want to learn to fiddle, put your forepaws into this crack." The wolf obeyed, but the musician quickly picked up a stone and, with a single blow, wedged both paws so firmly in place that the wolf had to lie there like a prisoner. "Wait there until I come back," said the musician, and went on his way.

After a while he said to himself again, "Time hangs heavy here in the forest. I shall call myself another companion." He took his fiddle and played into the woods once more. Before long, a fox came creeping through the trees. "Ah, here comes a fox," said the musician. "I have no wish for his company." The fox came up to him and said, "Oh, dear musician, how beautifully you play! I should like to learn that too." — "That is soon learned," said the musician. "You need only do everything I tell you." — "Oh, musician," answered the fox, "I shall obey you as a pupil obeys his master." — "Follow me," said the musician, and when they had walked a little way, they came to a footpath with tall bushes on either side. There the musician stopped, bent a young hazel tree down to the ground on one side, and held its tip beneath his foot. Then he bent down another young tree on the other side and said, "Now then, little fox, if you want to learn something, give me your left forepaw." The fox obeyed, and the musician tied his paw to the trunk on the left. "Little fox," he said, "now give me your right." This he tied to the trunk on the right. When he had checked that the knots in the cords were tight enough, he let go, and the young trees sprang upright, flinging the little fox into the air, where he hung kicking and struggling. "Wait there until I come back," said the musician, and went on his way.

Once again he said to himself, "Time hangs heavy here in the forest. I shall call myself another companion." He took his fiddle, and its music rang through the woods. Then a little hare came bounding along. "Ah, here comes a hare!" said the musician. "He is not what I wanted." — "Oh, dear musician," said the little hare, "how beautifully you play! I should like to learn that too." — "That is soon learned," said the musician. "You need only do everything I tell you." — "Oh, musician," answered the little hare, "I shall obey you as a pupil obeys his master." They walked a little way together until they came to a clearing in the forest where an aspen tree stood. The musician tied a long piece of string around the little hare's neck and fastened the other end to the tree. "Come along, little hare, now run twenty times around the tree!" cried the musician, and the little hare obeyed. When he had run around it twenty times, the string had wound itself twenty times around the trunk, and the little hare was caught. He could tug and pull as much as he liked, but all he did was cut the string into his soft neck. "Wait there until I come back," said the musician, and went on.

Meanwhile, the wolf had twisted and pulled and bitten at the stone, and had struggled so long that at last he freed his paws and drew them out of the crack. Filled with fury, he hurried after the musician, meaning to tear him to pieces. When the fox saw him running past, he began to wail and cried at the top of his voice, "Brother Wolf, come and help me! The musician has tricked me!" The wolf pulled the young trees down, bit through the cords, and freed the fox, who went with him, eager to take revenge on the musician. They found the little hare tied to the tree and freed him too, and then all three went in search of their enemy.

As he went along, the musician had once more set his fiddle singing, and this time he had better luck. The notes reached the ears of a poor woodcutter, who at once, whether he wished to or not, left his work and came over with his axe beneath his arm to listen to the music. "At last the right companion has come," said the musician, "for it was a human being I wanted, not wild beasts." And he began to play so sweetly and beautifully that the poor man stood as though enchanted, and his heart swelled with joy. As he stood there, the wolf, the fox, and the little hare came up, and he could plainly see that they were bent on mischief. So he raised his gleaming axe and stood in front of the musician, as if to say, "Whoever means to harm him had better beware, for he will have me to deal with." The animals took fright and ran back into the forest, but the musician played the man one more tune in thanks, and then went on his way.