格林童話:Little Brier Rose玫瑰公主

Little Brier-Rose

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

In past times there were a king and a queen, who said every day, "Oh, if only we had a child!" but they never received one.

then it happened one day while the queen was sitting in her bath, that a frog crept out of the water onto the ground and said to her, "Your wish shall be fulfilled, and before a year passes you will bring a daughter into the world."

What the frog said did happen, and the queen gave birth to a girl who was so beautiful that the king could not contain himself for joy, and he ordered a GREat celebration. He invited not only his relatives, friends, and acquaintances, but also the wise women so that they would be kindly disposed toward the child. There were thirteen of them in his kingdom, but because he had only twelve golden plates from which they were to eat, one of them had to remain at home.

the feast was celebrated with GREat splendor, and at its conclusion the wise women presented the child with their magic gifts. The one gave her virtue, the second one beauty, the third one wealth, and so on with everything that one could wish for on earth.

the eleventh one had just pronounced her blessing when the thirteenth one suddenly walked in. She wanted to avenge herself for not having been invited, and without GREeting anyone or even looking at them she cried out with a loud voice, "In the princess's fifteenth year she shall prick herself with a spindle and fall over dead." And without saying another word she turned around and left the hall.

Everyone was horrified, and the twelfth wise woman, who had not yet offered her wish, stepped foreward. Because she was unable to undo the wicked wish, but only to soften it, she said, "It shall not be her death. The princess will only fall into a hundred-year deep sleep."

the king, wanting to rescue his dear child, issued an order that all spindles in the entire kingdom should be burned. The wise women's gifts were all fulfilled on the girl, for she was so beautiful, well behaved, friendly, and intelligent that everyone who saw her had to love her.

Now it happened that on the day when she turned fifteen years of age the king and the queen were not at home, and the girl was all alone in the castle. She walked around from one place to the next, looking into rooms and chambers as her heart desired. Finally she came to an old tower. She climbed up the narrow, winding stairs and arrived at a small door. In the lock there was a rusty key, and when she turned it the door sprang open. There in a small room sat an old woman with a spindle busily spinning her flax.

"Good day, old woman," said the princess. "What are you doing there?"

"I am spinning," said the old woman, nodding her head.

"What is that thing that is so merrily bouncing about?" asked the girl, taking hold of the spindle, for she too wanted to spin.

She had no sooner touched the spindle when the magic curse was fulfilled, and she pricked herself in the finger. The instant that she felt the prick she fell onto a bed that was standing there, and she lay there in a deep sleep. And this sleep spread throughout the entire castle. The king and queen, who had just returned home, walked into the hall and began falling asleep, and all of their attendants as well. The horses fell asleep in their stalls, the dogs in the courtyard, the pigeons on the roof, the flies on the walls, and even the fire on the hearth flickered, stopped moving, and fell asleep. The roast stopped sizzling. The cook, who was about to pull kitchen boy's hair for having done something wrong, let him loose and fell asleep. The wind stopped blowing, and outside the castle not a leaf was stirring in the trees.

Round about the castle a thorn hedge began to grow, and every year it became higher, until it finally surrounded and covered the entire castle. Finally nothing at all could be seen of it, not even the flag on the roof.

A legend circulated throughout the land about the beautiful sleeping Little Brier-Rose, for so the princess was called. Legends also told that from time to time princes came, wanting to force their way through the hedge into the castle. However, they did not succeed, for the thorns held firmly together, as though they had hands, and the young men became stuck in them, could not free themselves, and died miserably.

Many long, long years later, once again a prince came to the country. He heard an old man telling about the thorn hedge. It was said that there was a castle behind it, in which a beautiful princess named Little Brier-Rose had been asleep for a hundred years, and with her the king and the queen and all the royal attendants were sleeping. He also knew from his grandfather that many princes had come and tried to penetrate the thorn hedge, but they had become stuck in it and died a sorrowful death.

then the young man said, "I am not afraid. I will go there and see the beautiful Little Brier-Rose."

However much the good old man tried to dissuade him, the prince would not listen to his words.

the hundred years had just passed, and the day had come when Little Brier-Rose was to awaken. When the prince approached the thorn hedge, it was nothing but large, beautiful flowers that separated by themselves, allowing him to pass through without harm, but then behind him closed back into a hedge.

In the courtyard he saw the horses and spotted hunting dogs lying there asleep, and on the roof the pigeons, perched with their little heads tucked under they wings. When he walked inside the flies were asleep on the wall, the cook in the kitchen was still holding up his hand as if he wanted to grab the boy, and the maid was sitting in front of the black chicken that was supposed to be plucked. He walked further and saw all the attendants lying asleep in the hall, and above them near the throne the king and the queen were lying. He walked on still further, and it was so quiet that he could hear his own breath. Finally he came to the tower and opened the door to the little room where Little Brier-Rose was sleeping.

there she lay and was so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her. He bent over and gave her a kiss. When he touched her with the kiss Little Brier-Rose opened her eyes, awoke, and looked at him kindly.

they went downstairs together, and the king awoke, and the queen, and all the royal attendants, and they looked at one another in amazement. The horses in the courtyard stood up and shook themselves. The hunting dogs jumped and wagged their tails. The pigeons on the roof pulled their little heads out from beneath their wings, looked around, and flew into the field. The flies on the walls crept about again. The fire in the kitchen rose up, broke into flames, and cooked the food. The roast began to sizzle once again. The cook boxed the boy's ears, causing him to cry, and the maid finished plucking the chicken.

And then the prince's marriage to Little Brier-Rose was celebrated with GREat splendor, and they lived happily until they died.

以前，有個國王和王后一直沒有孩子，他們爲此非常傷心苦惱。有一天，王后正在河邊散步，一條小魚把頭浮出水面對她說：「你的願望就會實現了，不久你就會生下一個女兒的。」過了一段時間，那條小魚所預言的情況真的實現了，王后真的生下了一個非常漂亮的女兒。國王高興得時時刻刻愛不釋手，決定舉行一個大型宴會。他不僅邀請了他的親戚、朋友和外賓，而且邀來了幾乎所有的女巫師，讓她們爲他的女兒送來善良美好的祝願。他的王國裏一共有十三個女巫師，而他只有十二個金盤子來招待她們進餐，所以他只邀請了十二個女巫師，留下一個沒有邀請。

盛大的宴會結束後，各位來賓都給這個小公主送上了最好的禮物。女巫師們一個送給她美德，另一個送給她美貌，還有一個送給她富有，她們把世人所希望的，世上所有的優點和期盼都送給了她。當第十一個女巫師剛剛爲她祝福之後，第十三個女巫師，也就是那個沒有被邀請的女巫師走了進來，她對沒有被邀請感到非常憤怒，她要對此進行報復，要獻上她惡毒的咒語。所以她進來後就大聲叫道：「國王的女兒在十五歲時會被一個紡錘弄傷，最後死去。」所有在場的人都大驚失色。可是第十二個女巫師還沒有獻上她的禮物，便走上前來說：「這個兇險的咒語的確會應驗，但公主能夠化險爲夷。她不會死去，而只是昏睡過去，而且一睡就是一百年。」

國王爲了不使他的女兒遭到那種不幸，命令將王國裏的所有紡錘都收上來，又把它們全部銷燬。隨着時間的流逝，女巫師們的所有祝福都在公主身上應驗了：她聰明美麗，性格溫柔，舉止優雅，真是人見人愛。但恰恰在她十五歲的那一天，國王和王后都不在家，公主單獨一個人被留在王宮裏。她在宮裏到處穿來穿去，大小房間都看完了，最後，她來到了一個古老的宮樓。宮樓裏面有一座很狹窄的樓梯，樓梯盡頭有一扇門，門上插着一把金鑰匙。當她轉動金鑰匙時，門一下子就彈開了，一個老太婆坐在裏面在忙着紡紗。公主見了說道：「喂！老媽媽，您好！您這是在幹甚麼呀？」「紡紗。」老太婆回答說，接着又點了點頭。「這小東西轉起來真有意思！」說着，公主上前也想拿起紡錘紡紗，但她剛一碰到它，立即就倒在地上失去了知覺，以前的咒語真的應驗了。

然而，她並沒有死，只是倒在那裏沉沉地睡去了。國王和王后正在這時回來了，他們剛走進大廳也跟着睡着了；馬廄裏的馬，院子裏的狗，屋頂上的鴿子，牆上的蒼蠅，也都跟着睡着了；甚至連火爐裏的火也停止燃燒入睡了；燒烤的肉不炸響了；廚師此刻正抓住一個做錯了事的童工的頭髮，要給他一耳光，讓他滾出去，他們兩個也定在那兒睡過去了。所有的一切都不動了，全都沉沉地睡去。

不久，王宮的四周長出了一道蒺藜組成的大籬笆，年復一年，它們越長越高，越長越茂密，最後竟將整座宮殿遮得嚴嚴實實，甚至連屋頂和煙囪也看不見了。

於是，關於這個王國流傳開了這樣一個傳說，一個漂亮的正在睡覺的玫瑰公主的傳說，人們所說的玫瑰公主其實就是國王的女兒。從那以後，有不少王子來探險，他們披荊斬棘想穿過樹籬到王宮裏去，但都沒有成功，不是被蒺藜纏住就是被樹叢跘倒在裏面，就像是有無數隻手牢牢地抓住他們難以脫身一樣，他們最終都痛苦地死去。

許多許多年過去了，一天，又有一位王子踏上了這塊土地。一位老大爺向他講起了蒺藜樹叢的故事，說樹籬之內有一座漂亮的王宮，王宮裏有一位仙女般的公主，她的名字叫玫瑰公主，她和整座王宮及裏面的人都在沉睡。他還說，他曾聽他的爺爺談起有許許多多的王子來過這兒，他們都想穿過樹籬，但都被纏在裏面死去了。聽了這些，這位王子說：「所有這些都嚇不倒我，我要看玫瑰公主去！」老人勸他不要去試，可他卻堅持要去。

這天，時間正好過去了一百年，所以當王子來到樹籬叢時，他看到的全是盛開着美麗花朵的灌木，他很輕鬆地就穿過了樹籬。隨着他在前面走，身後樹籬又密密地合攏了。最後，他到達了王宮，看見大院內狗躺在那兒沉睡，馬廄裏的馬在沉睡，屋頂上的鴿子將頭埋在翅膀下沉睡。他走進王宮內，看見牆上的蒼蠅在沉睡，廚房裏的廚師向上舉着手，似乎是要打那童工一耳光，一個女僕手裏抓着一隻黑母雞準備拔毛。

他繼續向裏尋去，一切都靜得出奇，連自己的呼吸都清晰可聞。終於，他來到古老的宮樓，推開了玫瑰公主在的那個小房間的門。玫瑰公主睡得正香，她是那麼美麗動人，他瞪大眼睛，連眨也捨不得眨一下，看着看着，禁不住俯下身去吻了她一下。就這一吻，玫瑰小姐一下子甦醒過來，她張開雙眼，微笑着充滿深情地注視着他，王子抱着她一起走出了宮樓。

此刻，國王和王后也醒過來了，王宮裏所有的人都醒過來了。他們懷着極大的好奇心互相凝視着，似乎還不明白到底發生了甚麼事情。馬站了起來，搖擺着身體；狗兒歡跳不止，汪汪吠叫；鴿子由翅膀下擡起了頭，昂首四顧，振翅飛向田野；牆上的蒼蠅嗡嗡地飛了開去；廚房裏的火又竄起了火苗開始燒飯，燒烤的肉又吱吱作響；廚師怒吼着扇了童工一個耳光；女僕繼續給雞拔毛，一切都恢復了往日的模樣。不久，王子和玫瑰公主舉行了盛大的結婚典禮，他們幸福歡樂地生活在一起，一直白頭到老。