马利亚代养的孩子
一个樵夫和他的妻子住在一座大森林前面。他们只有一个三岁的独养女儿。但是他们非常贫穷，连每天吃的面包都没有，也不知道怎样养活自己的女儿。一天早晨，樵夫满腹心思，到森林里去做工。他在那里砍柴的时候，忽然有位美丽高大的女人站在他面前，头上戴着一顶星光灿烂的帽子，向他说：“我是圣母马利亚，耶稣基督的母亲。你非常贫苦，你把孩子给我，我要带她去，做她的母亲，照顾她。”樵夫听了她的话，把孩子抱来，交给圣母马利亚，圣母就把女孩带到天国去了。女孩在那里过得很好，吃糖面包，喝甜牛奶，她的衣服都是金制的，小天使们同她游戏。她十四岁的时候，有一次，圣母马利亚叫她到身边来，说：“亲爱的孩子，我要去长途旅行，这是开天国十三道门的钥匙，你拿去保存着。其中十二道门，你可以打开，看里面的好东西，但是不准你用这把小钥匙开第十三道门。你要当心，莫去开它，不然，就有大祸临头。”女孩答应听她的话。圣母马利亚走了以后，女孩开始去看天国的住所，每天打开一道门，十二道都开过了。每间屋里都坐着一个使徒，周身光辉灿烂，女孩喜欢那一切庄严美丽的景象，时常陪着女孩的小天使们也同女孩一样喜欢。现在只剩下那道不准开的门了，因为她很愿意知道门里面藏着什么东西，向小天使们说：“我不要把门完全打开，也不要进去，但是我只要打开一点，从门缝里看一下。”小天使说：“啊，不可以，那是罪过；那是圣母马利亚禁止的，容易叫你得祸。”她不做声，但是她心里的热望并没有停止，思想斗争得很厉害，使她不得安宁。有一次，小天使们都出去了，她想：“现在只有我一个人，我可以向里面瞧瞧，没有人会晓得我做了这件事。”她于是找出那把钥匙，拿在手里，插到锁里面，扭转过来。门开了，她看见火光中坐着“三位一体”。她站了一会儿，惊讶地看着每样东西。然后她用手指摸摸那光，指头就变成金的了。她马上感到一种巨大的恐怖，用力把门关上，跑开了。但是她无论如何总是害怕，心里一直在跳，不得安宁；金子还在手指上，随便怎样擦洗，都去不掉。
没有好久，圣母马利亚旅行回来了。她把女孩叫到跟前，向她要天国的钥匙。她把那串钥匙递过去，圣母看着她的眼睛说：“你也开了第十三道门吗？”她回答说：“没有。”圣母把手放到女孩的心口，觉得心在跳，知道她违犯了她的戒律，开了那道门。圣母她又说：“你当真没有开吗？”女孩第二次说：“没有。”圣母看见她那触着天火变成金子的手指，晓得她犯了罪，第三次说：“你没有开吗？”女孩第三次说：“没有。”圣母马利亚说：“你没有听我的话，还要撒谎，你不配住在天国了。”
于是女孩恍恍惚惚睡着了。她醒来的时候，看到自己躺在地上的荒野之中。她要叫唤，但是喊不出声音。她跳起来要跑，但是她要去的地方，却有密密的荆棘篱笆拦着，走不过去。在她被禁闭着的荒地上，有一棵空心的老树，成了她的住所。夜里她爬进去，在里面睡觉。要是刮风下雨，她就躲在里面。这是一种可怜的生活，每逢她想到在天国那样好的生活，天使们怎样同她游戏，她就悲哀地哭了。草根和野果是她唯一的食物，她尽力到处去找。秋天，她收集落下的胡桃和树叶，搬到洞里。胡桃是她冬天的食物；冰雪一来，她就和可怜的小兽一样，爬到树叶里面，免得受冻。没有多久，她的衣服破了，一块一块地从身上落下来。一到太阳又照得暖和时，她出去坐在树前面，她的头发盖着全身，像件外套。她这样过了一年又一年，才感觉到世界上的痛苦和灾难。
有一天，树又变成新绿色的时候，当地的国王在森林里打猎，追着一只小鹿。小鹿逃到围着森林的灌木丛里去了，国王下马分开灌木，用他的剑砍出一条路。最后他走过去，看见树下坐着一个非常美丽的女孩，她的金黄色头发一直盖到脚上。国王站着不动，十分惊奇地打量她，然后向她说：“你是谁？为什么坐在这荒野里？”但是她不回答，因为她的嘴不能张开。国王又说：“你要同我一路到我王宫里面去吗？”她只是点点头，国王扶她上马，带着她骑马回家。到了王宫以后，他叫人给她穿上漂亮的衣服，又给她许许多多的东西。虽然她不能说话，但是她美丽温柔，他很爱她，没有好久，就同她结婚了。
大约过了一年，王后生了一个儿子。当天夜里她一个人躺在床上的时候，圣母马利亚到她那里来说：“如果你说实话，承认你开了那道门，我就打开你的嘴，让你能够说话；假若你还是情愿犯罪，坚决撒谎，我就把你新生的孩子带走。”这时王后能够说话了，但是她还是执迷不悟，说：“不，我没有开那道禁止的门。”于是圣母马利亚便从她怀里把新生的孩子抱走了。第二天早晨，孩子不见了，人们轻声细语地说，王后是个吃人的人，把自己的孩子吃了。她听到这一切，但是自己不能够说话。不过国王不相信这些话，因为他非常爱她。
一年之后，王后又生了一个儿子。夜里，圣母马利亚又到她身边来说：“如果你承认你开了那道禁止的门，我就把孩子还给你，使你能够说话。假若你还是情愿犯罪、撒谎，那我要把你这个新生的孩子也带走。”王后又说：“不，我没有开那道禁止的门。”于是圣母又从她怀里把孩子抱走，带到天国去了。早晨，孩子又不见了，人们大声地说，王后把孩子吃了。国王的大臣们要求判她的罪。但是国王非常爱她，不相信有这样的事，吩咐大臣们不要再讲那些话，不然就要判处他们死刑。
下一年，王后又生了一个美丽的女孩，圣母马利亚第三次在夜里到她那里对她说：“跟我来。”她牵着她的手，引她到了天堂，把两个大孩子指给她看。他们向她笑，拿着地球仪在游戏。王后见了很欢喜，圣母马利亚说：“你的心还没有软吗？如果你承认开了那道禁止的门，我就把你的两个小孩还给你。”但是王后第三次回答说：“不，我没有开那道禁止的门！”于是圣母又让她落到地下，把她的第三个孩子也抱走了。
第二天早晨，大家晓得孩子没有了，都大声叫起来：“王后是个吃人的人，应当判她的罪。”国王再不能拒绝他的大臣们了，于是审判她。因为她不能回答，不能辩护，就判决把她在柴堆上烧死。柴堆好了，把她绑在一根木桩上，周围开始烧起火来，这时那骄傲的坚冰方才溶化。她很后悔，心里很感动，想道：“但愿我在死以前，还能够承认我开过那道门！”于是她会说话了，她大声叫道：“是的，马利亚，我开过那道门！”天空马上落雨把火熄灭了，她头上现出一道光，圣母马利亚下来，身边带着两个小男孩，怀里抱着新生的女孩。她和颜悦色地向她说：“谁承认了自己的罪过，谁就得到宽恕。”马利亚把三个孩子交给她，让她又能说话，使她一辈子幸福。
Mary's children
A woodcutter and his wife lived in front of a large forest. They have only one three-year-old only adopted daughter. But they are very poor, they don't even have bread to eat every day, and they don't know how to feed their daughters. One morning, the woodcutter went to the forest to work. While he was chopping wood there, suddenly a beautiful tall woman stood in front of him, wearing a star-studded hat on her head, and said to him, "I am the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ." You are very poor, you give me the child, I will take her there, be her mother, take care of her. The woodcutter listened to her, took the child and gave it to the Virgin Mary, who took the girl to heaven. The girl was doing well there, eating sugar bread and drinking sweet milk, her clothes were all made of gold, and the little angels played with her. When she was fourteen years old, the Virgin Mary once called her to her side and said, "Dear child, I am going on a long journey, and this is the key to the thirteen gates of heaven, and you have taken it and kept it." Twelve of the doors, you can open, to see the good things inside, but you are not allowed to use this little key to open the thirteenth door. Be careful not to open it, otherwise there will be great calamity. The girl promised to listen to her. After the Virgin Mary was gone, the girl began to see the dwelling place of heaven, opening a door every day, twelve of which were opened. In each room sat an apostle, surrounded by radiance, and the girl loved all the solemn and beautiful sights, and the little angels who often accompanied the girl also liked the girl as much. Now only the door was not allowed to open, for she was more than willing to know what was hidden inside, and said to the little angels, "I don't want to open the door completely, and don't go in, but I just have to open it a little and look through the crack in the door." The little angel said, "Oh, no, that is a sin; it is forbidden by the Virgin Mary, and it is easy to bring you misfortune." She did not make a sound, but the desire in her heart did not stop, and the struggle of thoughts was very fierce, making her uneasy. Once, when the little angels were all out, she thought, "Now I'm the only one, I can look inside, and no one will know that I've done this." So she took the key, took it in her hand, inserted it into the lock, and twisted it. The door opened, and she saw the "Trinity" sitting in the light of the fire. She stood for a moment, looking at everything in amazement. Then she touched the light with her fingers, and her fingers turned golden. She immediately felt a great horror, slammed the door shut, and ran away. But she was always afraid no matter what, and her heart was always beating, and there was no peace; the gold was still on her fingers, and no matter how she scrubbed it, it could not be removed.
It didn't take long for the Virgin Mary to return from her trip. She called the girl to her and asked her for the keys to heaven. She handed over the string of keys, and the Virgin looked into her eyes and said, "Have you also opened the thirteenth door?" She replied, "No." "The Virgin put her hand on the mouth of the girl's heart, felt her heart beating, knew that she had broken her commandments, and opened the door. The Virgin, she said, "Did you really not open?" The girl said for the second time, "No." The Virgin saw her fingers, which touched the fire of heaven into gold, knew that she had sinned, and said for the third time, "Didn't you open it?" The girl said for the third time, "No." The Virgin Mary said, "You have not listened to me, you have lied, you are not worthy to live in heaven." ”
So the girl fell asleep in a trance. When she woke up, she saw herself lying in the wilderness on the ground. She wanted to call, but she couldn't make a sound. She jumped up and ran, but where she was going, there was a dense hedge of thorns, and she couldn't walk. In the wasteland where she was confined, there was a hollow old tree that became her dwelling. At night she crawled in and slept in it. If it was windy and rainy, she hid inside. It was a pitiful life, and she wept bitterly whenever she thought of such a good life in heaven, how the angels played with her. Grass roots and wild fruits were her only food, and she tried her best to look everywhere. In the autumn, she collected the fallen walnuts and leaves and moved them to the cave. The walnut was her food in winter; as soon as the snow came, she climbed into the leaves like a poor little beast to avoid freezing. It didn't take long for her clothes to rage and fall off her body piece by piece. As soon as the sun was warm again, she went out and sat in front of the tree, her hair covering her whole body like a coat. She went through this year after year before she felt the pain and disaster in the world.
One day, when the tree turned new green again, the local king was hunting in the forest, chasing a fawn. The fawn fled into the bushes surrounding the forest, and the king dismounted and parted the bushes, and with his sword cut a path. Finally he walked over and saw a very beautiful girl sitting under the tree, her blond hair covering her feet. The king stood still, looked at her in amazement, and then said to her, "Who are you?" Why sit in this wilderness? But she didn't answer because her mouth couldn't open. Then the king said, "Will you go with me all the way to my palace?" She just nodded, and the king helped her on his horse and took her home on horseback. When she arrived at the palace, he asked someone to dress her beautifully and gave her many things. Although she could not speak, she was beautiful and gentle, and he loved her very much, and it did not take long for him to marry her.
About a year later, the queen gave birth to a son. That night when she was lying alone in bed, the Virgin Mary came to her and said, "If you tell the truth and admit that you opened the door, I will open your mouth so that you can speak; if you are still willing to sin and lie resolutely, I will take your newborn child away." At this point the queen was able to speak, but she remained obstinate and said, "No, I did not open the forbidden door." So the Virgin Mary took the newborn child away from her arms. The next morning, the child was gone, and the people whispered that the queen was a man-eater and had eaten his own child. She heard all this, but she couldn't speak herself. But the king did not believe these words, for he loved her very much.
A year later, the queen gave birth to another son. In the night, the Virgin Mary came to her side again and said, "If you admit that you have opened the forbidden door, I will return the child to you so that you can speak." If you are still willing to sin and lie, then I will take you, the newborn child, with me. Then the queen said, "No, I did not open the forbidden door." So our Lady took the child from her arms and took her to heaven. In the morning, the child disappeared again, and the people said loudly that the queen had eaten the child. The king's ministers demanded that she be convicted. But the king loved her so much that he did not believe that there was such a thing, and ordered the ministers not to say those words again, or they would be sentenced to death.
The following year, the queen gave birth to another beautiful girl, and for the third time the Virgin Mary came to her at night and said, "Come with me." She took her hand, led her to heaven, and showed her the two older children. They smiled at her, holding globes in the game. The queen rejoiced at the sight, and the Virgin Mary said, "Has your heart not softened yet?" If you admit to opening the forbidden door, I will return your two little children to you. But the queen replied for the third time, "No, I did not open the forbidden door!" So our Lady let her fall to the ground again and took her third child away.
The next morning, when everyone knew that the child was gone, they all cried out, "The queen is a man-eater, and she should be convicted." The king could no longer refuse his ministers, so he judged her. Because she could not answer, could not defend, she was sentenced to burn on the firewood. The firewood was piled up, tied her to a stake, and a fire began to burn around her, before the proud ice melted. She regretted it, and her heart was very touched, thinking, "I wish I could admit that I opened that door before I died!" So she could speak, and she cried out, "Yes, Mary, I opened that door!" The sky immediately fell and the fire was extinguished, and a light appeared above her head, and the Virgin Mary came down, with two little boys at her side, holding the newborn girl in her arms. She said to her with a pleasant face, "Whoever confesses his sins will be forgiven." Mary gave her three children, so that she could speak again, and made her happy for the rest of her life.
