"美丽的玛杰丽小姑娘，
同情我惨遭魔掌，
把我安放在桧树身旁。"
除了一个伙计之外，其他伙计都停止了手中的活，向树上望去。
"现在我快乐地到处飞翔，
飞过群山峡谷、飞过海洋，
我是一只小鸟，我多么漂亮!"
歌一唱完，最后一名伙计也听到了，他站起来说道："啊!小鸟，你唱得多动听呀，请你再唱一次，让我把整首歌听一遍!"小鸟说："不行，没有报酬我不会唱第二遍，把那块磨石给我，我就再唱一遍。"那人回答说："哎呀!那块磨石不是我的，如果是我的，你拿去我求之不得哩。"其余的伙计都说："来吧，只要你把那歌再唱一遍，我们都同意给你。"小鸟从树上飞下来，二十个伙计拿着一根长杠子，用尽力气"嗨哟!嗨哟!嗨哟!"终于将磨石的一边抬了起来，小鸟把头穿进磨石中间的孔内，在众伙计目瞪口呆的注视下，背着二十个人都没能抬起的磨石，飞上了椴树，他们惊奇得不得了，而小鸟就像没事一般，把那首歌又唱了一遍。
小鸟唱完歌，张开翅膀，一只爪抓着链子，另一只爪子抓着鞋子，脖子上套着磨石，飞回到他父亲的房子上。
现在，他的父亲、母亲和玛杰丽正坐在一起准备吃饭。父亲说："我感觉现在是多么的轻松，多么的愉快啊!"但他的母亲却说："唉!我心情好沉重，真是糟透了。我觉得就像有暴风雨要来似的。"玛杰丽没有说话，她坐下便哭了起来。正在这个时候，小鸟飞来落在了房屋的顶上。父亲说道："上帝保佑!我真快乐，总觉得又要看到一个老朋友一样。"母亲说道："哎哟!我好痛苦，我的牙齿在不停地打战，浑身的血管里的血就像在燃烧一样!"说着，她撕开了身上的长外套想让自己镇静下来。玛杰丽独自坐在一个角落里，她前面的裙摆上放着一只盒子，她哭得非常厉害，眼泪唰唰地淌个不停，把盒子都流满了。
小鸟接着飞到桧树顶上开始唱道：
"我的母亲杀了她的小儿郎，--"
母亲马上用手捂住耳朵，把眼睛闭得紧紧的，她认为这样一来既不会看见，也不会听到了。但歌声就像可怕的暴风雨一样灌进了她的耳朵，她的眼睛像闪电一样在燃烧，在闪光。父亲吃惊地叫道："哎呀!夫人。"
"我的父亲以为我去向远方，--"
"那是一只多么漂亮的小鸟啊，他唱得多么美妙动听啊!
看那羽毛在阳光下就像许多闪烁的宝石一样。"
"美丽的玛杰丽小姑娘，
同情我惨遭魔掌，
把我放在桧树身旁。--"
玛杰丽抬起头，悲伤地哭泣着。父亲说："我要出去，要走近前去看看这只小鸟。"母亲说："啊!别留下我一个人在这里，我感觉这房子就像在燃烧一样。"但父亲还是走出去看那只鸟去了，小鸟继续唱道：
"现在我快乐地到处飞翔，
飞过群山峡谷、飞过海洋，
我是一只小鸟，我多么漂亮!"
小鸟刚一唱完，他就把金链条扔下去，套在了父亲的脖子上。父亲戴着非常适合，他走回房子里说道："你们看，小鸟给了我一条多么漂亮的金项链，看起来多气派呀!"但他妻子非常害怕，吓得瘫在了地板上，帽子也掉了下来，就像死了一样。
这时，小鸟又开始唱了起来，玛杰丽说："我也要出去，看看小鸟是否会给我东西。"她刚一出门，小鸟就把红鞋子扔到她的面前。她把鞋捡起来穿上，觉得自己一下子轻松快乐起来了。跳着跑进屋子里说道："我出去时心情压抑，悲痛，现在我真快乐!你们看小鸟给我的鞋子多么漂亮呀!"母亲说道："哎呀!像是世界的末日来到了一样!我也得出去试一试，说不定我会觉得好一些的。"她刚一出去，小鸟把磨石扔到了她的头上，将她砸得粉碎。
父亲和玛杰丽听到声音，急忙跑了出来，母亲和小鸟都不见了，他们只看见烟雾和火焰在那里升腾燃烧。当烟火散尽消失后，小男孩站在了他们身边，他伸手牵着父亲和玛杰丽的手，走进屋子里，快快乐乐地和他们一起吃起饭来。
桧树英文版：
The almond tree
Long time ago, perhaps as much as two thousand years, there was a rich man, and he had a beautiful and pious wife, and they loved each other very much, and they had no children, though they wished greatly for some, and the wife prayed for one day and night. Now, in the courtyard in front of their house stood an almond tree; and one day in winter the wife was standing beneath it, and paring an apple, and as she pared it she cut her finger, and the blood fell upon the snow. "Ah," said the woman, sighing deeply, and looking down at the blood, "if only I could have a child as red as blood, and as white as snow!" And as she said these words, her heart suddenly grew light, and she felt sure she should have her wish. So she went back to the house, and when a month had passed the snow was gone; in two months everything was green; in three months the flowers sprang out of the earth; in four months the trees were in full leaf, and the branches were thickly entwined; the little birds began to sing, so that the woods echoed, and the blossoms fell from the trees; when the fifth month had passed the wife stood under the almond tree, and it smelt so sweet that her heart leaped within her, and she fell on her knees for joy; and when the sixth month had gone, the fruit was thick and fine, and she remained still; and the seventh month she gathered the almonds, and ate them eagerly, and was sick and sorrowful; and when the eighth month had passed she called to her husband, and said, weeping, "If I die, bury me under the almond tree." Then she was comforted and happy until the ninth month had passed, and then she bore a child as white as snow and as red as blood, and when she saw it her joy was so great that she died.
Her husband buried her under the almond tree, and he wept sore; time passed, and he became less sad; and after he had grieved a little more he left off, and then he took another wife.