跳高者的故事主要講述了國王的女兒已到了結婚的年齡。國王向全國通報：跳得最高的人可以娶到我的公主！所有的年輕人都想去碰碰自己的運氣，其中包括了跳蚤、蚱蜢和一隻玩具跳鵝。你猜誰能贏得最後的比賽娶到心愛的公主呢？
跳高者的故事簡介
跳騷、蚱蜢、跳鵝舉行跳高比賽，國王說誰跳的最高就把女兒嫁個他。跳騷跳的最高，以至於人們都認爲他沒跳。蚱蜢跳到國王臉上，讓國王非常生氣。而跳鵝跳到了公主的身上，國王將公主嫁給了他。最終三個跳高者跳騷去當了兵，最後犧牲了。蚱蜢在田溝裏，整天思索身材纔是最重要的。跳鵝憑藉聰明的頭腦娶得了公主。
跳高者的故事
有一次，跳蚤、蚱蜢和跳鵝(注：這是丹麥一種舊式的玩具，它是用一根鵝的胸骨做成的;加上一根木栓和一根線，再擦上一點蠟油，就可以使它跳躍。)想要知道它們之中誰跳得最高。它們把所有的人和任何願意來的人都請來參觀這個偉大的場面。它們這三位著名的
跳高者就在一個房間裏集合起來。
“對啦，誰跳得最高，我就把我的女兒嫁給誰!”國王說，“因爲，假如讓這些朋友白 白跳一陣子，那就未免太不像話了!”
跳蚤第一個出場。它的態度非常可愛：它向四周的人敬禮，因爲它身體中流着年輕小姐的血液，習慣於跟人類混在一起，而這一點是非常重要的。
接着蚱蜢就出場了，它的確很粗笨，但它的身體很好看。它穿着它那套天生的綠制服。
此外，它的整個外表說明它是出身於埃及的一個古老的家庭，因此它在這兒非常受到人們的尊敬。人們把它從田野里弄過來，放在一個用紙牌做的三層樓的房子裏——這些紙牌有畫的一面都朝裏。這房子有門也有窗，而且它們是從“美人”身中剪出來的。
“我唱得非常好，”它說，“甚至16個本地產的蟋蟀從小時候開始唱起，到現在還沒
有獲得一間紙屋哩。它們聽到我的情形就嫉妒得要命，把身體弄得比以前還要瘦了。”
跳蚤和蚱蜢這兩位毫不含糊地說明了它們是怎樣的人物。它們認爲它們有資格和一位公主結婚!!!
跳鵝一句話也不說。不過據說它自己更覺得了不起。宮裏的狗兒把它嗅了一下，很有把握地說，跳鵝是來自一個上等的家庭。那位因爲從來不講話而獲得了三個勳章的老顧問官說，他知道跳鵝有預見的才能：人們只須看看它的背脊骨就能預知冬天是溫和還是寒冷。這一點人們是沒有辦法從寫曆書的人的背脊骨上看出來的。
“好，我什麼也不再講了!”老國王說，“我只須在旁看看，我自己心中有數!”
現在它們要跳了。跳蚤跳得非常高，誰也看不見它，因此大家就說它完全沒有跳。這種說法太不講道理。
蚱蜢跳得沒有跳蚤一半高。不過它是向國王的臉上跳過來，因此國王就說，這簡直是可惡之至。
跳鵝站着沉思了好一會兒;最後大家就認爲它完全不能跳。
“我希望它沒有生病!”宮裏的狗兒說，然後它又在跳鵝身上嗅了一下。
“噓!”它笨拙地一跳，就跳到公主的膝上去了。她坐在一個矮矮的金凳子上。
國王說：“誰跳到我的女兒身上去，誰就要算是跳得最高的了，因爲這就是跳高的目的。不過能想到這一點，倒是需要有點頭腦呢——跳鵝已經顯示出它有頭腦。它的腿長到額上去了!”
所以它就得到了公主。
“不過我跳得最高!”跳蚤說。“但是這一點用處也沒有!不過儘管她得到一架帶木栓和蠟油的鵝骨，我仍然要算跳得最高。但是在這個世界裏，一個人如果想要使人看見的話，必須有身材才成。”
跳蚤於是便投效一個外國兵團。據說它在當兵時犧牲了。
那隻蚱蜢坐在田溝裏，把這世界上的事情仔細思索了一番，不禁也說：“身材是需要的!身材是需要的!”
於是它便唱起了它自己的哀歌。我們從它的歌中得到了這個故事——這個故事可能不是真的，雖然它已經被印出來了。
跳高者的故事點評
跳高者的故事通過講述三個跳高者跳騷、蚱蜢、跳鵝比賽跳高，最後三個跳高者結局各不同，告訴了我們一些人生的道理。跳騷雖然跳的很高，但是人們卻認爲他像沒跳，沒有人看見他的才華。蚱蜢跳第二，但是卻惹惱國王。跳鵝雖然跳的最低，但是憑藉聰明，跳到公主身上，國王將公主嫁給了他。這告訴我們雖然有的人外在條件不是很好，但是一樣可以憑藉聰明伶俐取得成功。
跳高者的故事英文版
HE Flea, the Grasshopper, and the Skipjack1 once wanted to see which of them could jump highest; and they invited the whole world, and whoever else would come, to see the grand sight. And there the three famous jumpers were met together in the room.
“Yes, I’ll give my daughter to him who jumps highest,” said the King, “for it would be mean to let these people jump for nothing.”
The Flea stepped out first. He had very pretty manners, and bowed in all directions, for he had young ladies’ blood in his veins, and was accustomed to consort only with human beings; and that was of great consequence.
Then came the Grasshopper: he was certainly much heavier, but he had a good figure, and wore the green uniform that was born with him. This person, moreover, maintained that he belonged to a very old family in the land of Egypt, and that he was highly esteemed there. He had just come from the field, he said, and had been put into a card house three stories high, and all made of picture cards with the figures turned inwards. There were doors and windows in the house, cut in the body of the Queen of Hearts.
“I sing so,” he said, “that sixteen native crickets who have chirped from their youth up, and have never yet had a card house of their own, would become thinner than they are with envy if they were to hear me.”
Both of them, the Flea and the Grasshopper, took care to announce who they were, and that they considered themselves entitled to marry a Princess.
The Skipjack said nothing, but it was said of him that he thought all the more; and directly the Yard Dog had smelt at him he was ready to assert that the Skipjack was of good family, and formed from the breastbone of an undoubted goose. The old councillor, who had received three medals for holding his tongue, declared that the Skipjack possessed the gift of prophecy; one could tell by his bones whether there would be a severe winter or a mild one; and that’s more than one can always tell from the breastbone of the man who writes the almanac.
“I shall not say anything more,” said the old King. “I only go on quietly, and always think the best.”
Now they were to take their jump. The Flea sprang so high that no one could see him; and then they asserted that he had not jumped at all. That was very mean. The Grasshopper only sprang half as high, but he sprang straight into the King’s face, and the King declared that was horribly rude. The Skipjack stood a long time considering; at last people thought that he could not jump at all. “I only hope he’s not become unwell,” said the Yard Dog, and then he smelt at him again. “Tap!” he sprang with a little crooked jump just into the lap of the Princess, who sat on a low golden stool.
Then the King said, “The highest leap was taken by him who jumped up to my daughter; for therein lies the point; but it requires head to achieve that, and the Skipjack has shown that he has a head.”
And so he had the Princess.
“I jumped highest, after all,” said the Flea. “But it’s all the same. Let her have the goose-bone with its lump of wax and bit of stick. I jumped to the highest; but in this world a body is required if one wishes to be seen.”
And the Flea went into foreign military service, where it is said he was killed.
The Grasshopper seated himself out in the ditch, and thought and considered how things happened in the world. And he too said, “Body is required! body is required!” And then he sang his own melancholy song, and from that we have gathered this story, which they say is not true, though it’s in print.
