A Aranha

Era uma vez um rapaz cujos pais queriam que ele aprendesse um ofício. Ele não tinha vontade nenhuma, mas como insistiram muito, acabou por aprender a ser sapateiro. Contudo, mal o pai morreu, largou o trabalho e deixou de fazer sapatos. A mãe ficou muito zangada com ele e expulsou-o de casa. O rapaz disse-lhe que havia de voltar um dia homem rico e que tencionava casar com a primeira mulher que encontrasse no caminho. Pegou num cesto com as suas ferramentas de sapateiro e partiu.

Once there was a boy whose parents wanted him to learn a trade. He had no desire to do so, but as they insisted, he ended up learning shoemaking. However, as soon as his father died, he abandoned the work and stopped making shoes. His mother was very angry with him and threw him out of the house. The boy told her he would return one day a rich man and that he intended to marry the first woman he met along the way. He took a basket with his shoemaker's tools and set off.

Caminhou muitas léguas por florestas e caminhos cobertos de mato. Num certo ponto, encontrou uma grande pedra quadrada e sentou-se nela para descansar e comer um pão que trazia no cesto. De debaixo da pedra saiu uma aranha grande, e mal o rapaz a avistou disse-lhe: "Hás de ser a minha mulher." A aranha, ao ouvir isto, entrou no cesto. O rapaz fez um buraco no pão e meteu a aranha lá dentro. Retomou a caminhada e ao longe avistou uma casa velha e abandonada.

He walked many leagues through forests and overgrown paths. At a certain point, he found a large square stone and sat on it to rest and eat a loaf he had in his basket. From beneath the stone emerged a large spider, and no sooner had the boy spotted it than he said: "You shall be my wife." The spider, upon hearing this, climbed into the basket. The boy made a hole in the bread and placed the spider inside. He resumed his walk and in the distance spotted an old abandoned house.