The Sleeping Beauty

1. The Sleeping Beauty Ruth Ainsworth Sleeping Beauty: a fairy tale classic, the first in the set published in 1697 by Charles Perrault, Sleeping Beauty is a fairy tale which involves a beautiful princess and a handsome prince.

2. Once upon a time, long ago, there lived a King lived a King and a Queen. They loved each other dearly, and would have been perfectly happy except for one thing; they had no child of their own. One day, the Queen was walking beside a river wishing that she had a baby in her arms, when a frog jumped out of the water on to the bank. “Your wish shall be granted([‘grɑ:ntid]接受), ” said the frog. “ Before a year has gone by you shall have a beautiful little daughter.”

3. The Queen hurried into the castle to tell the King the good news. Sure enough, before the year had passed, a little girl was born. Everyone who saw her said they had never seen such a lovely child.

4. The King was very proud of his daughter and planned to have a very grand christening ([‘krisəniŋ] 洗礼仪式) party. Invitations were sent out far and wide to princes and princesses and lords and ladies, and also to the Wise Fairies she lived in the kingdom. There were thirteen Wise Fairies, but as there were only twelve golden plates in the castle the King invited only twelve of them. This was not difficult because the thirteenth fairy was very old and lived alone in a tower. No one had seen her for a long time and some people even thought she might not still be alive.

5. The party was very grand indeed, with delicious things to eat and everyone in their best clothes. The fairies, as was the custom, each gave the baby Princess a magic gift. One gave her the gift of beauty, another good temper, another said she should sing like the nightingale (['naitiŋ.geil] 夜莺), and another that she should dance as lightly as leaf in the wind. Suddenly, when the eleventh Fairy had given her gift, the thirteenth Fairy appeared([ə‘piəd]出现), very angry that she had not received an invitation.

6. She went up to the cradle where the baby lay, shaking her stick in fury ([‘fjuəri]狂怒), and cried out: “When the Princess is fifteen years old she shall prick her finger on a spindle(['spindle] 纺锤) and she shall die!” Then she turned away and stamped out of the castle, leaving the company struck dumb with horror. At once the twelfth Fairy came forward, bent over the cradle, and said: “I cannot completely([kəm'pli:tli] 完全地) break the evil spell (咒语) that has been cast, but I can change it a little. When the Princess pricks her finger she shall which shall last for a hundred years.” The King ordered that every spindle in the kingdom should be destroyed( [dis‘trɔid]破坏) and soon there were few people left who remembered how to spin.

7. The Princess grew up with all the gifts that had been bestowed on her. She was beautiful and good. She sang like a nightingale, and danced as lightly as a leaf in the wind. Everyone loved her.

8. When her fifteenth birthday came, the King and the Queen had to leave the castle for a few hours on state business, and the Princess was alone except for the servants ( [‘sə:vənt] 仆人). She wandered through the castle, looking at the pictures on the wall, and the strange and valuable ornaments ( [‘ɔ:nəmənt]装饰物) of china and silver and gold. She discovered a narrow passage she had never seen before and at the end was a dark, winding staircase ( [’stɛəkeis] 楼梯) . She climbed the stairs, brushing the cobwebs from her face, and at the top she came to a door which she opened. Inside was an old, old woman, spinning.

9. The Princess was fascinated ([‘fæsineit] 被吸引)by the spindle whirling([wə:liŋ]旋转)round and round. “What is that thing which turns round and round?” she asked. “It is a spindle, my dear,” said the old, old woman. “May I try to spin?” asked the Princess. No sooner had she taken the spindle in her hand that she pricked her finger, and a drop of blood came. At once she was overcome by a deep sleep, and fell back upon a bed that was in the room. Everyone in the castle fell asleep too.

10. The birds and animals were under the spell. The doves on the roof tucked their heads under their wings, the horse slept in their stalls. The cat slept beside the saucer of milk she had been lapping. The spell lay on them all.

11. A thick, high hedge([hedʒ] 篱笆) of briars ([‘braiə] 荆棘) sprang up all round the castle, growing taller and taller every year, till the castle was completely hidden, all but the topmost tower where the flag hung, unmoving, on the flagstaff. A story spread through the kingdom that inside the briar hedge was a castle, and that inside the castle a lovely maiden lay in an enchanted ([in'tʃɑ:nt] 施魔法)sleep. They called her the Sleeping Beauty. Princes and heroes from far and wide came to try to force their way through the tangle of prickly briars, but they all failed. They gave up the struggle with their clothes torn and their skin scratched and bleeding.

12. A hundred years passed, and a King’s son from another country heard the tale of the Sleeping Beauty. He determined to try his luck and see if he could get through the thorns. As he drew near the hedge it burst into a thousand blooms and a way opened in front of him, so he could easily pass through. The hundred years were up.

13. He tiptoed ([‘tiptəu] 脚尖) through the great hall, seeing the King and the Queen and the courtiers fast asleep, and he found his way up the winding stair. There was only the echo of his footsteps, and the beating of his heart, to break the silence, as even the clocks had stopped ticking.

14. The Prince stood beside the bed, looking down at the Sleeping Beauty. Never had he seen anyone so lovely, and he stooped down and kissed her. At this moment the spell was broken. The Princess awoke and smiled. Then the King and the Queen woke, and the courtiers. The scullery boy quickly dodged the box on the ears that the cook was about to give him. Horses whinnied, dogs barked, doves took their heads from under their wings and cooed. The cat finished her saucer of milk. The fire began to flicker in the grate.

15. Soon afterwards the Prince and the Sleeping Beauty were married. Their wedding was very grand indeed, and they lived happily ever after.