Prevod

Once upon a time there was a poor woman who had a son who longed to travel. His mother said, "How can you travel? We haven't any money for you to take along." But her son said, "I'll manage somehow, and I'll keep saying: Not much, not much, not much!"

So off he went, and for a good while he kept saying, "Not much, not much!" He came upon some fishermen and said, "God help you! Not much, not much, not much!" — "What's that you're saying, you fellow? Not much?" And when they hauled in their fishing net, they caught very few fish indeed. So one of the fishermen went at the boy with a stick and said, "Now you'll get a proper thrashing!" And he beat him mercilessly. "What am I supposed to say, then?" asked the boy. "You must say: Catch plenty, catch plenty!"

Then he walked on for a while, saying, "Catch plenty, catch plenty," until he came to a gallows, where a poor sinner was just about to be hanged. "Good morning," he said. "Catch plenty, catch plenty." — "What's that you're saying, you fellow? Catch plenty? Do you want still more wicked people in the world? Aren't there enough already?" And once again he got a beating. "What am I supposed to say, then?" — "You must say: God comfort the poor soul."

The boy walked on for a good while, saying, "God comfort the poor soul." Then he came to a ditch where a knacker, who disposed of dead animals, was skinning a horse. The boy said, "Good morning, God comfort the poor soul!" — "What's that you're saying, you stupid fellow?" said the knacker, and struck him behind the ears with his hook so hard that he could no longer see straight. "What else am I supposed to say, then?" — "You must say: There lies the carrion in the ditch!"

So he went on again, saying all the while, "There lies the carrion in the ditch! There lies the carrion in the ditch!" Then he came upon a wagon full of people and said, "Good morning! There lies the carrion in the ditch!" Just then the wagon tipped over into a ditch, and the driver took up his whip and thrashed the boy so soundly that he had to crawl home to his mother. And never again in all his life did he go travelling.