While she was thus lamenting1 some one called to her: “What is the matter with you, king's daughter? You weep so that you would touch the heart of a stone.”
She looked around to see whence the voice came, and saw a frog stretching his thick ugly head out of the water.
“Ah! it is you, old water-paddler!” said she. “I am crying for my golden ball, which has fallen into the well.”
“Be content,” answered the frog; “I dare say I can give you some good advice; but what will you give me if I bring back your plaything to you?”
“Whatever you like, dear frog,” said she, “my clothes, my pearls and jewels, even the golden crown I wear.”
The frog answered, “Your clothes, your pearls and jewels, even your golden crown, I do not care for; but if you will love me, and let me be your companion and play-fellow, sit near you at your little table, eat from your little golden plate, drink from your little cup, and sleep in your little bed—if you will promise me this, then I will bring you back your golden ball from the bottom of the well.”
“Oh, yes!” said she; “I promise you every-thing, if you will only bring me back my golden ball.”
She thought to herself, meanwhile: “What nonsense the silly frog talks! He sits in the water with the other frogs, and croaks2, and cannot be anybody's playfellow!”
But the frog, as soon as he had received the promise dipped his head under the water and sank down. In a little while up he came again with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king's daughter was overjoyed when she beheld3 her pretty plaything again, picked it up, and ran away with it.
“Wait! wait!” cried the frog; “take me with you. I cannot run as fast as you.”
Alas4! of what use was it that he croaked5 after her as loud as he could. She would not listen to him, but hastened home, and soon forgot the poor frog, who was obliged to plunge6 again to the bottom of his well.
The next day, when she was sitting at dinner with the king and all the courtiers, eating from her little gold plate, there came a sound of something creeping up the marble staircase—splish, splash; and when it had reached the top, it knocked at the door and cried, “Youngest king's daughter, open to me.”
She ran, wishing to see who was outside; but when she opened the door and there sat the frog, she flung it hastily to again and sat down at table, feeling very, very uncomfortable. The king saw that her heart was beating violently, and said, “How, my child, why are you afraid? Is a giant standing7 outside the door to carry you off?”
“Oh, no!” answered she, “it is no giant, but a nasty frog, who yesterday, when I was playing in the wood near the well, fetched my golden ball out of the water. For this I promised him he should be my companion, but I never thought he could come out of his well. Now he is at the door, and wants to come in.”
Again, the second time there was a knock, and a voice cried:
“Youngest king's daughter,
Open to me;
Know you what yesterday
You promised me,
By the cool water?
Youngest king's daughter,
Open to me.”
Then said the king, “What you promised you must perform. Go and open the door.”
She went and opened the door; the frog hopped8 in, always following and following her till he came up to her chair. There he sat and cried out, “Lift me up to you on the table.”
She refused, till the king, her father, commanded her to do it. When the frog was on the table, he said, “Now push your little golden plate nearer to me, that we may eat together.” She did as he desired, but one could easily see that she did it unwillingly9. The frog seemed to enjoy his dinner very much, but every morsel10 she ate stuck in the throat of the poor little princess.
Then said the frog, “I have eaten enough, and am tired; carry me to your little room, and make your little silken bed smooth, and we will lay ourselves down to sleep together.”
At this the daughter of the king began to weep; for she was afraid of the cold frog, who wanted to sleep in her pretty clean bed.
But the king looked angrily at her, and said again: “What you have promised you must perform. The frog is your companion.”
It was no use to complain; whether she liked it or not, she was obliged to take the frog with her up to her little bed. So she picked him up with two fingers, hating him bitterly the while, and carried him upstairs: but when she got into bed, instead of lifting him up to her, she threw him with all her strength against the wall, saying, “Now you nasty frog, there will be an end of you.”
But what fell down from the wall was not a dead frog, but a living young prince, with beautiful and loving eyes, who at once became, by her own promise and her father's will, her dear companion and husband. He told her how he had been cursed by a wicked sorceress, and that no one but the king's youngest daughter could release him from his enchantment11 and take him out of the well.
The next day a carriage drove up to the palace gates with eight white horses, having white feathers on their heads and golden reins12. Behind it stood the servant of the young prince, called the faithful Henry. This faithful Henry had been so grieved when his master was changed into a frog that he had been compelled to have three iron bands fastened round his heart, lest it should break. Now the carriage came to convey the prince to his kingdom, so the faithful Henry lifted in the bride and bridegroom and mounted behind, full of joy at his lord's release. But when they had gone a short distance, the prince heard behind him a noise as if something was breaking. He cried out, “Henry, the carriage is breaking!”
But Henry replied: “No, sir, it is not the carriage but one of the bands from my heart, with which I was forced to bind13 it up, or it would have broken with grief while you sat as a frog at the bottom of the well.”
Twice again this happened, and the prince always thought the carriage was breaking; but it was only the bands breaking off from the heart of the faithful Henry, out of joy that his lord, the frog-prince, was a frog no more.
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1
lamenting
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| adj.悲伤的，悲哀的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的现在分词 ) | |
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2
croaks
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的第三人称单数 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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3
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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4
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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5
croaked
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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6
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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7
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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8
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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9
unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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10
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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11
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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12
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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13
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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