从前，有个人有一棵梨树，每年都能收四大筐梨子，正好够交给国王。有一年，只收了三筐半梨子。他没法装满第四个筐，就把他最小的女儿装进去，然后盖上了些梨子和树叶。
这四筐梨子被送到了王宫的食品库，倒梨子的时候，小女孩跟梨子一起被倒了出来，没被发现。这样，她就被留在了仓库里，除了梨子，没有别的东西可以吃，小女孩饿了就啃起梨子来。过了不久，宫里的仆人发现梨子比梨子比先前少了，还找到了不少梨核，就说：“这里一定有老鼠之类的东西偷啃梨子，需要好好检查检查。”边说，边在梨堆中搜查，果然发现了小女孩。
他们问小女孩：“你在这里干什么？跟我们走，到王宫的厨房去打下手吧。”
他们给小女孩起了个名字叫梨娃。梨娃是一个聪明机灵的女孩，她很快就学会了怎样讨好这些仆人，加上模样俊秀可爱，惹得大家人人喜欢。连王子也常来和她在一起玩，她和王子年龄一般大，他们很快就产生了好感。
梨娃一天天长大，仆人们却越来越嫉妒她了，他们先是不搭理她，后来就开始给她使坏，还造谣说梨娃自夸要去拿到女巫的珍宝。谣言传到国王的耳朵里，国王马上把梨娃叫来，问她：“你真得说过要去拿到女巫的珍宝吗？”
梨娃说：“绝对没有，圣明的国王，他们传说的那些事我一点也不知道。”
但是国王坚持说：“你一定是说过了，话已出口就要去实现诺言。”说着，就把梨娃赶出了王宫，让她拿到珍宝才可以回来。
梨娃走呀，走呀，天黑了。她走到一棵苹果树前，没有停脚。又走到一棵桃树前，也没有停脚。遇到一棵梨树的时候，她爬了上去，在树枝间睡着了。
早上一睁眼，她看见一个老妇人在树下。老妇人问她：“漂亮的小女孩，你在上面干什么？”
梨娃就把她遇到的麻烦告诉了老妇人。老妇人对她说：“拿着这三磅猪油、三磅面包和三磅高粱穗，一直向前走。”梨娃对她感谢了一番，就又出发了。
她来到一个地方，那里有一座面包炉。只见三位烤面包的女工扯下自己的头发，用头发来打扫炉子。梨娃便把那三磅高粱穗送给了她们。三位女工可以用这些高粱穗清扫炉子了，就放梨娃过去了。
走呀，走呀，梨娃来到一个地方，见到有三只凶猛的狗大声叫着、跳着、还扑向她，阻止她过去。梨娃把三磅面包扔给了它们。它们就让她过去了。
走呀，走呀，梨娃又来到一条大河前，河里的水像血一样，她不知道如何才能过去。她记起老妇人曾经告诉她的咒语，就念道：
“溪水啊，美丽的溪水，
若我没有急事
就会喝上一盆。”
话音刚落，河水退下，让梨娃过去了。
在河的对岸，梨娃看见一座可以说是世界上最雄伟、最辉煌的宫殿。但是宫殿的大门开阖得很快，没有人可以进去。于是，梨娃拿出那三磅猪油，倒在铰链上，大门就开始慢慢地开关了。
走进宫殿，梨娃一眼望见在一张小桌子上放着的珍宝盒。她抱起珍宝盒，刚要离开，珍宝盒开始说话了。
“大门杀死她，大门杀死她！”珍宝盒说。
大门却回答：“我不能杀死她，我很久没上油了，是她给我上了油。”
梨娃回到河水前，盒子又开始说话了：“河淹死她，河淹死她！”
河答道：“我不能淹死她，因为她对我说：溪水啊，美丽的溪水。”
到了三只狗那里，盒子说：“狗吃掉她，狗吃掉她！”可是三只狗说：“我们不能吃她，她给了我们三磅面包呢。”
路过面包炉，盒子说：“炉子烧死她，炉子烧死她。”
烤面包的女工说：“我们不能烧死她，她送给我们三磅高粱穗，这样打扫炉子的时候就不用我们的头发了。”
快到王宫的时候，梨娃想看看盒子里面装的到底是什么，因为她也像所有的女孩子一样好奇心强。她打开盒子，只见从里面跳出一只金母鸡和一群金小鸡。它们摇晃着跑走了，跑得很快，追都追不上。梨娃跟在它们后边追着，追到苹果树下，没找到它们，追到桃树下，还是没找到它们，追到梨树前，只见那个老妇人，手里拿着根小木棍，正赶着那只金母鸡和那群金小鸡呢。“嘘，嘘……”老妇人将这些金鸡赶回到了盒子里面。
回家途中，梨娃看见国王的儿子迎面走过来，“如果我父亲问你想要什么奖赏，你就说要那个放在地下室的装满煤块的箱子。”
在王宫的门口，国王带着仆从和满朝文武，正等着她呢。梨娃把金母鸡和金小鸡交给国王，国王问：“你想要什么，说出来，我就给你。”
梨娃回答说：“我要地下室里的那个装煤的箱子。”国王把煤箱给了她，梨娃打开一看，预先躲在里面的王子跳了出来。就这样，国王满心欢喜地让梨娃嫁给了他的儿子。
（蒙费拉托地区）
The Little Girl Sold with the Pears
Once a man had a pear tree that used to bear four baskets of pears a year. One year, though, it only bore three baskets and a half, while he was supposed to carry four to the king. Seeing no other way out, he put his youngest daughter into the fourth basket and covered her up with pears and leaves.
The baskets were carried into the kings pantry, where the child stayed in hiding underneath the pears. But having nothing to eat, she began nibbling on the pears. After a while the servants noticed the supply of pears dwindling and also saw the cores. "There must be a rat or a mole gnawing on the pears," they said. "We shall look inside the baskets." They removed the top and found the little girl.
"What are you doing here?" they asked. "Come with us and work in the kings kitchen."
They called her Perina, and she was such a clever little girl that in no time she was doing the housework better than the kings own maidservants. She was so pretty no one could help loving her. The kings son, who was her age exactly, was always with Perina, and they became very fond of each other.
As the maiden grew up, the maidservants began to envy her. They held their tongues for a while, then accused Perina of boasting she would go and steal the witches treasure. The king got wind of it and send for the girl. "Is it true you boasted you would go and steal the witches treasure?"
"No, Sacred Crown, I made no such boast."
"You did so," insisted the king, "and now you have to keep your word." At that, he banished her from the palace until she should return with the treasure.
On and on she walked until nightfall. Perina came to an apple tree, but kept on going. She next came to a peach tree, but still didnt stop. Then she came to a pear tree, climbed it, and fell asleep.
In the morning there stood a little old woman under the tree. "What are you doing up there, my daughter?" asked the old woman.
Perina told her about the difficulty she was in. The old woman said, "Take these three pounds of grease, three pounds of bread, and three pounds of millet and be on your way." Perina thanked her very much and moved on.
She came to a bakery where three women were pulling out their hair to sweep out the oven with. Perina gave them the three pounds of millet, which they then used to sweep out the oven and allowed the little girl to continue on her way.
On and on she walked and met three mastiffs that barked and rushed at anyone coming their way. Perina threw them the three pounds of bread, and they let her pass.
After walking for miles and miles she came to a blood-red river, which she had no idea how to cross. But the old woman had told her to say:
"Fine water so red,
I must make haste;
Else, of you would I taste."
At those words, the waters parted and let her through.
On the other side of the river, Perina beheld one of the finest and largest palaces in the world. But the door was opening and slamming so rapidly that no one could possibly go in. Perina therefore applied the three pounds of grease to its hinges, and from then on it opened and closed quite gently.
Inside, Perina spied the treasure chest sitting on a small table. She picked it up and was about to go off with it, when the chest spoke: "Door, kill her, kill her!"
"I wont, either, since she greased my hinges that hadnt been looked after since goodness knows when."
Perina reached the river, and the chest said, "River, drown her, drown her!"
"I wont, either," replied the river, "since she called me Fine water so red."
She came to the dogs, and the chest said, "Dogs, devour her, devour her!"
"We wont, either," replied the dogs, "since she gave us three pounds of bread."
She came to the bakery oven. "Oven, burn her, burn her!"
But the three women replied, "We wont, either, since she gave us three pounds of millet, so that now we can spare our hair."
When she was almost home, Perina, who had as much curiosity as the next little girl, decided to peep into the treasure chest. She opened it, and out came a hen and her brood of gold chicks. They scuttled away too fast for a soul to catch them. Perina struck out after them. She passed the apple tree, but they were nowhere in sight. She passed the peach tree, where there was still no sign of them. She came to the pear tree, and there stood the little old woman with a wand in her hand and hen and chicks feeding around her. "Shoo, shoo!" went the old woman, and the hen and chicks reentered the treasure chest.
Upon her arrival, the kings son came out to meet her. "When my father asked what you want as a reward, tell him that box filled with coal in the cellar."
On the doorstep of the royal palace stood the maidservants, the king, and the entire court. Perina handed the king the hen with the brood of gold chicks. "Ask for whatever you want," said the king, "and I will give it to you."
"I would like the box of coal in the cellar," replied Perina.
They brought her the box of coal, which she opened, and out jumped the kings son, who was hiding inside. The king was then happy for Perina to marry his son.
(Monferrato)
NOTES:
"The Little Girl Sold with the Pears" (La bambina venduta con le pere) from Comparetti, 10, Monferrato, Piedmont.
I changed the name Margheritina to Perina (Pearlet), and I invented the motif of the peartree and the little old woman (in the original, the magic props come from the kings son, who is under a spell), to reinforce the pear/girl link.
Copyright: Italian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino,
translated by George Martin,
Pantheon Books, New York 1980