The Milkmaid and Her Pail
A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
A milkmaid daydreams about the riches her milk will bring until her wishful thinking costs her everything.
A farmer's daughter had been out to milk the cows, and was returning to the dairy carrying her pail of milk upon her head. As she walked along, she fell a-musing after this fashion: "The milk in this pail will provide me with cream, which I will make into butter and take to market to sell. With the money I will buy a number of eggs, and these, when hatched, will produce chickens, and by and by I shall have quite a large poultry-yard."
Putri seorang petani baru saja pergi memerah susu sapi, dan sedang kembali ke tempat pengolahan susu sambil membawa ember susunya di atas kepalanya. Sambil berjalan, ia mulai berkhayal begini: "Susu di ember ini akan memberiku krim, yang akan kubuat menjadi mentega dan kubawa ke pasar untuk dijual. Dengan uangnya aku akan membeli beberapa butir telur, dan telur-telur ini, setelah menetas, akan menghasilkan anak ayam, dan lambat laun aku akan memiliki peternakan unggas yang cukup besar."
"Then I shall sell some of my fowls, and with the money which they will bring in I will buy myself a new gown, which I shall wear when I go to the fair; and all the young fellows will admire it, and come and make love to me, but I shall toss my head and have nothing to say to them."
"Lalu aku akan menjual sebagian unggasku, dan dengan uang yang akan mereka hasilkan aku akan membeli gaun baru untukku, yang akan kukenakan saat pergi ke pesta rakyat; dan semua pemuda akan mengaguminya, lalu datang merayuku, tetapi aku akan mengangkat daguku dan tidak mau berkata apa-apa kepada mereka."
Forgetting all about the pail, and suiting the action to the word, she tossed her head. Down went the pail, all the milk was spilled, and all her fine castles in the air vanished in a moment!
Lupa sama sekali akan embernya, dan menyesuaikan tindakannya dengan kata-katanya, ia mengangkat kepalanya dengan sombong. Ember itu pun jatuh, semua susu tumpah, dan semua istana megah dalam khayalannya lenyap seketika!
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
Jangan menghitung anak ayam sebelum telurnya menetas.
