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Scene 1 · Beginner
Een plan om de kinderen achter te laten
A plan to leave the children
Dutch
Bij een groot bos woonde een arme houthakker met zijn vrouw en zijn twee kinderen, Hans en Grietje. Zijn vrouw was de stiefmoeder van de kinderen. Er was weinig eten in het land. Op een dag had het gezin bijna geen brood meer. Die nacht lag de vader wakker van de zorgen.
English translation
Near a large forest lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. His wife was the children’s stepmother. There was little food in the country. One day, the family had almost no bread left.
That night, the father lay awake worrying.
Dutch
‘Hoe moeten we de kinderen eten geven?’ vroeg hij aan zijn vrouw.
English translation
“How are we supposed to feed the children?” he asked his wife.
Dutch
Zij wilde de kinderen de volgende ochtend diep het bos in brengen. Daar zouden ze een vuur maken en de kinderen een stuk brood geven. Daarna zouden ze hen alleen achterlaten. De kinderen zouden de weg naar huis niet kunnen vinden.
English translation
She wanted to take the children deep into the forest the next morning. There they would make a fire and give the children a piece of bread. After that, they would leave them alone. The children would not be able to find their way home.
Dutch
‘Nee,’ zei de vader. ‘Ik kan mijn kinderen daar niet alleen laten. Wilde dieren kunnen hen doden.’
English translation
“No,” the father said. “I can’t leave my children there alone. Wild animals could kill them.”
Dutch
Maar zijn vrouw bleef zeggen dat ze anders alle vier van de honger zouden sterven. Ten slotte gaf de vader toe, al had hij veel medelijden met zijn kinderen.
English translation
But his wife kept saying that otherwise all four of them would starve to death. At last, the father gave in, although he felt very sorry for his children.
Continue with Hans en Grietje
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