German short stories – Learning German through English
Aesop’s Fables – Merkur und der Holzfäller
Once upon a time, there was a poor wood cutter. He used to cut wood in the forests and sell it in the market for some money. He was very happy with his life.
TranslateEs war einmal ein armer Holzfäller. Er schnitt Holz in den Wäldern und verkaufte es auf dem Markt für etwas Geld. Er war sehr glücklich mit seinem Leben.
One day the wood cutter was cutting wood in the forest. It was a hot day and the wood cutter was very tired. His palms were filled with sweat and his axe was slipping. His hand slipped and the Axe flew from his hand straight into a deep pond.
TranslateEines Tages schnitt der Holzfäller Holz im Wald. Es war ein heißer Tag und der Holzfäller war sehr müde. Seine Handflächen waren schweißgebadet und seine Axt rutschte aus. Seine Hand rutschte aus und die Axt flog von seiner Hand direkt in einen tiefen Teich.
The wood cutter began to cry. He was very poor. He could not buy another axe. He needed an axe to cut wood. He sat near the pond in despair.
TranslateDer Holzfäller fing an zu weinen. Er war sehr arm. Er konnte keine weitere Axt kaufen. Er brauchte eine Axt, um Holz zu schneiden. Er saß verzweifelt am Teich.
Suddenly, the God Mercury appeared before him from within the pool.
Mercury asked, “My child, what has happened? Why are you crying?”
The wood cutter said, “My axe has fallen into the deep pool. Without it, I cannot make any more money to eat.”
Mercury said, “Do not worry, I shall fetch your axe for you.”
TranslatePlötzlich erschien der Gott Merkur aus dem Pool vor ihm.
Merkur fragte: „Mein Kind, was ist passiert? Warum weinst du?”
Der Holzfäller sagte: „Meine Axt ist in den tiefen Pool gefallen. Ohne sie kann ich kein Geld mehr verdienen, um zu essen. “
Merkur sagte: „Mach dir keine Sorgen, ich werde deine Axt für dich holen.”
Mercury dived into the pond and when he came out, he had a golden axe in his hand. It was stunning and magnificent.
Mercury asked the wood cutter, “Is this your axe?”
The woodcutter replied, “No. That is not my Axe.”
TranslateMerkur tauchte in den Teich ein und als er herauskam, hatte er eine goldene Axt in der Hand. Es war atemberaubend und großartig.
Merkur fragte den Holzfäller: „Ist das deine Axt?”
Der Holzfäller antwortete: „Nein. Das ist nicht meine Axt. “
Mercury laid the golden axe on the bank and dived inside again. When he came out, he had a gleaming silver ax in his hand.
Mercury asked the wood cutter, “Is this your axe?”
The woodcutter replied, “No. That is not my axe.”
TranslateMerkur legte die goldene Axt auf das Ufer und tauchte wieder hinein. Als er herauskam, hatte er eine glänzend silberne Axt in der Hand.
Merkur fragte den Holzfäller: „Ist das deine Axt?”
Der Holzfäller antwortete: „Nein. Das ist nicht meine Axt. “
Mercury laid the silver axe on the bank and dived inside again. When he came out, he had a wooden ax in his hand.
Mercury asked the wood cutter, “Is this your axe?”
The woodcutter replied, “Yes. That is not my Ax. Thank you so much.”
TranslateMerkur legte die silberne Axt auf das Ufer und tauchte wieder ein. Als er herauskam, hatte er eine Holzaxt in der Hand.
Merkur fragte den Holzfäller: „Ist das deine Axt?”
Der Holzfäller antwortete: „Ja. Das ist nicht meine Axt. Ich danke Ihnen sehr.”
Mercury said, “I admire your honesty. I shall give you all the three axes.”
Saying so, Mercury gave him all the three axes, dived into the pool and disappeared.
TranslateMerkur sagte: „Ich bewundere deine Ehrlichkeit. Ich werde dir alle drei Äxte geben. “
Als Merkur dies sagte, gab er ihm alle drei Äxte, tauchte in den Teich und verschwand.
The happy wood cutter narrated this tale to all the wood cutters in the village. They grew jealous and they wanted the gold and silver axes.
TranslateDer fröhliche Holzfäller erzählte diese Geschichte allen Holzfällern im Dorf. Sie wurden eifersüchtig und wollten die Gold- und Silberäxte.
They threw their axes into the pond and cried. When Mercury appeared and showed them the golden axe, they said, “Yes, it is my Golden Ax”.
Mercury gave them a hard whack over their head and sent them home. They did not get their wooden axe as well.
TranslateSie warfen ihre Äxte in den Teich und weinten. Als Merkur erschien und ihnen die goldene Axt zeigte, sagten sie: „Ja, es ist meine goldene Axt“.
Merkur schlug ihnen hart auf den Kopf und schickte sie nach Hause. Sie haben auch ihre Holzaxt nicht bekommen.
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About: Studying through Dual Language immersion is among the best techniques for learning a new language. The objective of this website is to teach yourself how to read and speak German confidently using English as a base 🙂 These German short stories are super cool to read for beginners and also for entertaining children. Aesop’s Fables are among the best stories that can be studied on a daily basis.
About the Editor
The author of this German dual language short story is a C1 Goethe certified German language expert. He has over 5 years’ experience in teaching German and over 8 years learning.
He has conducted over 1000 plus hours of classes to over 300 students. In simple words (his words as well as his student’s words), he is AWESOME!!! He can be reached out to at deindeutschlehrer24@gmail.com
He also provides German Language courses for A1, A2 and B1 levels. Below are the details for the same:
Fees for A1, A2 and B1 levels are 120€,140€ and 160€ respectively.
