European Tales
歐洲童話

1 The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood (1) (France)

There were formerly a king and a queen, who were sorry they had no children; so sorry that it cannot be expressed. At last, however, the queen had a daughter. There was a very fine christening; and the princess had for her godmothers all the fairies they could find in the whole kingdom—they found seven.

They prepared a great feast for the fairies. There was placed before every one of them a magnificent cover with a case of massive gold, wherein were a spoon, knife and fork,all of pure gold set with diamonds and rubies. But as they were all sitting down at table they saw come into the hall a very old fairy, who had not been invited. The king ordered her a cover, but could not furnish her with a case of gold because seven only had been made for the seven fairies. The old fairy fancied she was slighted and muttered some threats between her teeth. One of the young fairies, who sat by her,overheard how she grumbled, and hid herself behind the hangings, that she might speak last and repair any evil which the old fairy intended.

Meanwhile all the fairies began to give their gifts to the princess. The youngest for her gift said that the princess should be the most beautiful person in the world; the next,that she should have the wit of an angel; the third, that she should have wonderful grace in everything she did; the fourth,that she should dance perfectly; the fifth, that she should sing like a nightingale; and the sixth, that she should play all kinds of music to perfection.

The old fairy’s turn coming next, she said that the princess should have her hand pierced with a spindle and die of the wound. This terrible gift made the whole company tremble, and everybody fell a-crying.

At this very instant the young fairy came out from behind the hangings, and spoke these words aloud: “Assure yourselves, O King and Queen, that your daughter shall not die. The princess shall indeed pierce her hand with a spindle.But she shall only fall into a profound sleep, which shall last a hundred years. After a hundred years a king’s son shall come and wake her.”

The king, to avoid the misfortune, immediately forbade spinning with a distaff and spindle in the house. About fifteen or sixteen years after, one day the young princess was diverting herself by running up and down the palace. She came into a little room at the top of the tower, where a good old woman was spinning with her spindle. This good woman had never heard of the king’s proclamation against spindles.

“What are you doing there, goody?”said the princess.

“I am spinning, my pretty child,”said the old woman.

“Ha,”said the princess, “this is very pretty. How do you do it? Give it to me so I may see.”She had no sooner taken the spindle than it ran into her hand, and she fell down in a swoon.

And now the king who came up at the noise, caused the princess to be carried into the finest apartment in his palace and laid upon a bed all embroidered with gold and silver.One would have taken her for a little angel, she was so very beautiful, for her swooning had not dimmed her complexion:her cheeks were carnation and her lips were coral. The king commanded them not to disturb her, but let her sleep quietly till her hour of awakening was come.

—Charles Perrault