Once upon a time were a little brother and a little sister who loved each other with all their hearts. Their own mother, however, was dead, and they had a stepmother who was not kind to them. She secretly did everything she could to hurt them.
从前有个小弟弟和小妹妹，非常相爱。他们的母亲已谢世，他们又有了一个继母，继母待他们很不好，常常暗地里想方设法虐待他们。
It so happened that the two of them were playing with other children in a meadow in front their house. There was a pond in the meadow that came up to one side of the house. The children ran around it, caught one another, and played a counting out game:
有一次，兄妹俩正在屋前的草坪上和其他的孩子们玩，草地旁有个水池，水池紧挨着屋子。孩子们围着圈儿不停地跑啊，跳啊，做着数数的游戏。
Eenie, meenie, let me live,and to you my bird I'll give.the little bird will bring me straw,the straw I'll give then to the cow.
“内克，贝克，饶了我，我将给你我的小鸟;小鸟儿得帮我寻草，草料我拿来喂母牛;
For which the cow will give me milk,the milk I'll to the baker take.With which he then will bake a cake,the cake I'll then give to the cat.
母牛儿吃草产牛奶，牛奶我送给面包师;面包师给我烤面包，面包我拿来喂小猫;
Little cat will catch some mice for that,the mice I'll hang up in the smoke,and after that I'll cut them up.
小猫得替我逮耗子，耗子要熏在烟囱里，熏好的耗子好细切。”
While playing this game they stood in a circle, and the one to whom they were pointing when they said "cut them up" had to run away, and all the others would run after him and catch him. While they were thus running about so joyfully the stepmother was watching them from the window, and grew angry. Because she understood the art of witchcraft she bewitched them both, transforming the little brother into a fish, and the little sister into a lamb.
他们玩游戏时站成了一圈，这个“细切”落到谁的身上，谁就得马上跑开，其他的人就去追他，逮住他。就在他们玩得正起劲时，继母从窗口看见了，十分恼火。由于她会巫术，便念着咒语，把小弟弟变成了一条鱼，把小妹变成了一只小羊羔。