From Tales and Legends, 1st Part, by H. A. Guerber; New York: American Book Company; 1895; pp. 11-15.
[Translator’s Note — This is a new translation by a novice, any corrections are very welcome. It is designed to be fairly precise, for beginning students, in either language.
For comparison, you can see the French Text page with word by word definitions via tool-tip boxes and the Vocabulary used in this story. For every word, in every form defined for the whole book, as well as the bibliography with full citations, see the final Complete Vocabulary. There is also a page with a line-by-line translation from the French to the English, which might help somebody.
Technically, the bears have no gender assigned to them, as individuals, in the French text. So I have followed the traditional fairy tale, making the big bear male, the medium sized bear female, and the little bear male. “It” could be used intead, or reversing the standard genders; both ways are just as correct in translating this story. In English, her, its and his are much clearer in this situation. — S. R.]
The Three Bears.1
THERE was once upon a time one, two, three bears: a big bear, a bear of medium size, and a little bear.
The three bears dwelled in a little house, in a big forest.
In the house, there were three beds: a big bed for the big bear, a bed of medium size for the bear of medium size, and a little bed for the little bear.
There were also three chairs: a big chair for the big bear, a chair of medium size for the bear of medium size, and a little chair for the little bear.
There were also three plates and three spoons: a big plate and a big spoon for the big bear, a plate of medium size and a spoon of middle size for the bear of medium size, [12] and a little plate and a little spoon for the little bear.
One day the big bear said with his big voice, “I am hungry.”
“Yes,” said the bear of medium size with her voice of medium size, “I am hungry.”
And the little bear said with his little voice, “Yes, yes, I am hungry.”
The three bears made soup. Then they poured the soup into the three plates. They poured a big portion into the big plate for the big bear. They poured a portion of medium size into the plate of medium size for the bear of medium size, and a little portion into the little plate for the little bear.
Then the big bear took his big spoon, and he tasted the soup and he said, “The soup is too hot.” The bear of medium size took the spoon of medium size, she tasted the soup and she said, “Yes, the soup is too hot,” and the little bear took the little spoon, he tasted the soup and he said, “Yes, yes, the soup is too hot.”
Then the big bear said: “Let us go take a walk in the forest. “Yes,” said the bear of medium size, “let us go take a walk in the forest;” and the little bear said, “Yes, yes, let us go take a walk in the forest.”
The three bears left. They left the door to the house open, and the soup on the table. A little girl [13] passed. She saw the little house, she saw the open door, and she saw the soup on the table. She said, “I am hungry,” and she entered into the house.
She took the big spoon, she tasted the soup in the big plate, and she said, “This soup is too hot.” Then she took the spoon of medium size, she tasted the soup in the plate of medium size, and she said, “This soup is too cold.” Then she took the little spoon, she tasted the soup in the little plate, and she said, “This soup is excellent.” The little girl ate all the soup.
Then the little girl said, “I am tired, where is there a chair?” She saw the three chairs. She went to the big chair, she sat down, and she said, “This chair is not comfortable.” She went to the chair of medium size, she sat down, and she said, “This chair is not comfortable.” Then she went to the little chair, she sat down, and she said, “This chair is very comfortable.” Then the little girl jumped with joy and the chair broke!
The little girl said, “I am sleepy, where is there a bed?” She saw the three beds. She went to the big bed, she lay down, and she said, “This bed is not comfortable. She went to the bed of medium size, she lay down, and she said, “This bed is not comfortable.” Then she went to the little bed, she lay down, and she said, “This bed is very comfortable,” and the little girl fell asleep.
A few minutes after the three bears arrived. The big bear looked at his big spoon and his big [14] plate, and he said with his big voice, “Someone has entered and has tasted my soup.” The bear of medium size looked at her spoon of medium size and her plate of medium size, and she said with her voice of medium size, “Yes, someone has entered and has tasted my soup,” and the little bear looked at his little spoon and his little plate, and he said with his little voice, “Yes, yes, someone has entered and has eaten all my soup.”
The big bear looked at his big chair and he said with his big voice, “Someone has entered and has sat down on my chair.” The bear of medium size looked at her chair of medium size, and she said with her voice of medium size, “Yes, someone has entered and has sat down on my chair.” And the little bear looked at his little chair, and he said with his little voice, “Yes, yes, someone has entered and has broken my little chair.”
Then the big bear looked at his big bed and he said with his big voice, “Someone has entered and has lain down on my big bed.” The bear of medium size looked at her bed of medium size, and she said with her voice of medium size, “Yes, someone has entered and has lain down on my big bed. And the little bear looked at his little bed, and he said with his little voice, “Yes, yes, a little girl has lain down on my little bed.”
The three bears drew near, “Oh!” said the big bear, “this little girl is pretty.” The bear of medium [15] size said, “Oh, yes, this little girl is pretty,” and the little bear said, “Oh! Yes, yes, this little girl is very pretty.”
At that instant the little girl woke up. She saw the big bear, the bear of medium size, and the little bear. She said, “Oh! I am afraid,” and she jumped from the bed and departed quickly, quickly! “Oh! said the big bear with his big voice, “The little girl is afraid.” “Yes, said the bear of medium size, “the little girl is afraid.” And the little bear said, “Yes, yes, she is afraid.”
The little girl never more visited the house of the bears.
1 The original of this story is the common English nursery tale, “The Three Bears and Little Silver Hair.”