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Scene 1 · Intermediate
En plan att överge barnen
A plan to leave the children
Swedish
Vid kanten av en stor skog bodde en fattig vedhuggare med sina två barn, Hans och Greta, och deras styvmor. Familjen hade redan ont om mat, och när det blev hungersnöd i landet kunde vedhuggaren till slut inte ens skaffa bröd för dagen. En natt låg han och vände och vred sig i sängen.
English translation
At the edge of a large forest lived a poor woodcutter with his two children, Hansel and Gretel, and their stepmother. The family was already short of food, and when famine struck the land, the woodcutter eventually could not even find enough bread for the day. One night he lay tossing and turning in bed.
Swedish
”Hur ska det gå för oss?” suckade han. ”Hur ska vi kunna ge barnen mat när det knappt finns något kvar åt oss själva?”
English translation
“What will become of us?” he sighed. “How can we feed the children when there is barely anything left for ourselves?”
Swedish
”I morgon bitti tar vi med dem dit där skogen är som tätast”, svarade hans hustru. ”Vi tänder en eld och ger dem en bit bröd var. Sedan går vi därifrån för att arbeta. De hittar aldrig hem på egen hand.”
English translation
“Tomorrow morning we’ll take them to the thickest part of the forest,” his wife replied. “We’ll light a fire and give them each a piece of bread. Then we’ll leave them there and go to work. They’ll never find their way home on their own.”
Swedish
”Hur skulle jag kunna lämna mina barn där?” sa mannen. ”De vilda djuren skulle slita dem i stycken.”
English translation
“How could I leave my children there?” the man said. “The wild animals would tear them to pieces.”
Swedish
”Då svälter vi ihjäl alla fyra”, sa hon. ”Du kan lika gärna börja snickra på våra kistor redan nu.”
English translation
“Then all four of us will starve to death,” she said. “You might as well start building our coffins now.”
Swedish
Hon fortsatte att pressa honom tills han till sist gick med på planen. Ändå kunde han inte sluta tänka på hur synd det var om barnen.
English translation
She kept pressing him until he finally agreed to the plan. Even so, he could not stop thinking about how sorry he felt for the children.
Continue with Hans och Greta
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