從前，有隻公雞準備和一隻母雞一起出門旅行。公雞做了一輛漂亮的車，裝上四隻紅色的輪子，然後套上四隻小老鼠拉車。母雞和公雞坐上車出發了，不久，它們遇到一隻貓，貓問它們：“你們上哪兒?”公雞回答說：“去海爾家。”“帶上我吧。”貓說。公雞說：“十分願意。從後面上來吧，可別摔下來，小心別弄髒了小紅輪子。小小車輪快快跑，小老鼠兒吱吱叫，我們朝前奔，快到海爾家。”
隨後又來了磨盤、一個雞蛋、一隻鴨子、一個髮夾，最後來的是一根縫衣針，它們全擠到車上，一起朝海爾家趕去。
它們到時海爾不在家。於是小老鼠將車拖進牲口棚。母雞和公雞飛到一根橫杆上歇着了，貓咪蹲伏在竈膛邊，鴨子蹲到了井臺邊，雞蛋用毛巾把自己裹了起來，髮夾一頭扎進座墊上，縫衣針則跳到牀上，藏到了枕頭中央，磨盤也爬到門頂上。海爾回到家中，走到竈膛邊準備生火。蹲在那裏的貓撒了他一臉爐灰;他急忙跑到廚房去洗臉，鴨子又潑了他一臉水;他想用毛巾把水擦乾，雞蛋又滾出來破了，把他的眼睛給粘上了;他想休息一下，於是往坐椅上一坐，髮夾扎得他彈了起來;他勃然大怒，一頭倒到牀上，可是頭一碰枕頭，縫衣針便把他扎得“嗷嗷”亂叫着往外衝;當他走到門口時，磨盤從門上落了下來，一下把他砸死了。看來海爾·柯貝斯準是個大壞蛋!
海爾·柯貝斯的故事點評我們都知道善有善報，惡有惡報。對於邪惡勢力，我們一定要勇於的向他們做鬥爭，絕對不能畏縮，因爲一旦你退縮，那麼他們便會更加囂張。同時我們要記住，團結的力量是無窮的，只有團結才能更好的打敗邪惡，戰勝困難!
Herr Korbes
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Once upon a time there were a rooster and a hen who wanted to take a journey together. So the rooster built a handsome carriage with four red wheels, and hitched1 four mice to it. The hen climbed aboard with the rooster, and they drove away together.
Not long afterward2 they met a cat, who said, "Where are you going?"
The rooster answered, "We're on our way to Herr Korbes's house."
"Take me with you," said the cat.
The rooster answered, "Gladly. Climb on behind, so you won't fall off the front. Be careful not to get my red wheels dirty. Roll, wheels. Whistle, mice. We're on our way to Herr Korbes's house."
Then a millstone came along, then an egg, then a duck, then a pin, and finally a needle. They all climbed aboard the carriage and rode with them.
But when they arrived at Herr Korbes's house, he was not there. The mice pulled the carriage into the barn. The hen and the rooster flew onto a pole. The cat sat down in the fireplace3 and the duck in the water bucket. The egg rolled itself up in a towel. The pin stuck itself into a chair cushion. The needle jumped onto the bed in the middle of the pillow. The millstone lay down above the door.
Then Herr Korbes came home. He went to the fireplace, wanting to make a fire, and the cat threw ashes into his face. He ran quickly into the kitchen to wash himself, and the duck splashed4 water into his face. He wanted to dry himself off with the towel, but the egg rolled against him, broke, and glued his eyes shut. Wanting to rest, he sat down in the chair, and the pin pricked5 him. He fell into a rage and threw himself onto his bed, but when he laid his head on the pillow, the needle pricked him, causing him to scream and run out of the house. As he ran through the front door the millstone jumped down and struck him dead.
海爾·柯貝斯的作者雅各·格林和威廉·格林兄弟是德國童話蒐集家、語言文化研究者。因兩人興趣相近，經歷相似，合作研究語言學、蒐集和整理民間童話與傳說，故稱“格林兄弟”。他們生於哈堖一個多子女的法學家家庭，同在卡塞爾上學，同在馬爾堡學習法律，後又同在卡塞爾圖書館工作，1830年同時擔任格廷根大學教授。1837年因抗議漢諾威國王任意破壞憲法，同其他五位教授一起被免去教授職務。1840年任柏林科學院院士、柏林大學教授，直至他們去世。格林兄弟興趣廣泛，涉獵範圍很廣。1812年到1815年，他們蒐集整理的《兒童與家庭童話集》出版。該書奠定了民間童話中引人入勝的“格林體”敘述方式，對19世紀以來的世界兒童文學產生了深遠的影響。
