the REAL PRINCESS

　　there was once a Prince who wished to marry a Princess； but then she must be a real Princess. He travelled all over the world in hopes of finding such a lady； but there was always something wrong. Princesses he found in plenty； but whether they were real Princesses it was impossible for him to decide， for now one thing， now another， seemed to him not quite right about the ladies. At last he returned to his palace quite cast down， because he wished so much to have a real Princess for his wife.

　　One evening a fearful tempest arose， it thundered and lightened， and the rain poured down from the sky in torrents： besides， it was as dark as pitch. All at once there was heard a violent knocking at the door， and the old King， the Prince's father， went out himself to open it.

　　It was a Princess who was standing outside the door. What with the rain and the wind， she was in a sad condition； the water trickled down from her hair，and her clothes clung to her body. She said she was a real Princess.

　　“Ah！ we shall soon see that！” thought the old Queen-mother； however， she said not a word of what she was going to do； but went quietly into the bedroom，took all the bed-clothes off the bed， and put three little peas on the bedstead. She then laid twenty mattresses one upon another over the three peas， and put twenty feather beds over the mattresses.

　　Upon this bed the Princess was to pass the night.

　　the next morning she was asked how she had slept. “Oh， very badly indeed！” she replied. “I have scarcely closed my eyes the whole night through. I do not know what was in my bed， but I had something hard under me， and am all over black and blue. It has hurt me so much！”

　　Now it was plain that the lady must be a real Princess， since she had been able to feel the three little peas through the twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. None but a real Princess could have had such a delicate sense of feeling.

　　the Prince accordingly made her his wife； being now convinced that he had found a real Princess. The three peas were however put into the cabinet of curiosities， where they are still to be seen， provided they are not lost.

　　Wasn't this a lady of real delicacy？

豌豆公主

從前有一位王子，他想找一位公主結(jié)婚，但她必須是一位真正的公主。

　　他走遍了全世界，想要尋到這樣的一位公主。可是無論他到什么地方，他總是碰到一些障礙。公主倒有的是，不過他沒有辦法斷定她們究竟是不是真正的公主。她們總是有些地方不大對(duì)頭。

　　結(jié)果，他只好回家來，心中很不快活，因?yàn)樗悄敲纯释玫揭晃徽嬲墓鳌?/P>

　　有一天晚上，忽然起了一陣可怕的暴風(fēng)雨。天空在掣電，在打雷，在下著大雨。這真有點(diǎn)使人害怕！

　　這時(shí)，有人在敲門，老國王就走過去開門。

　　站在城外的是一位公主。可是，天哪！經(jīng)過了風(fēng)吹雨打之后，她的樣子是多么難看啊！水沿著她的頭發(fā)和衣服向下面流，流進(jìn)鞋尖，又從腳跟流出來。

　　她說她是一個(gè)真正的公主。

　　“是的，這點(diǎn)我們馬上就可以考查出來。”老皇后心里想，可是她什么也沒說。她走進(jìn)臥房，把所有的被褥都搬開，在床榻上放了一粒豌豆。于是她取出二十床墊子，把它們壓在豌豆上。隨后，她又在這些墊子上放了二十床鴨絨被。

　　這位公主夜里就睡在這些東西上面。

　　早晨大家問她昨晚睡得怎樣。

　　“啊，不舒服極了！”公主說，“我差不多整夜沒合上眼！天曉得我床上有件什么東西？我睡到一塊很硬的東西上面，弄得我全身發(fā)青發(fā)紫，這真怕人！”

　　現(xiàn)在大家就看出來了。她是一位真正的公主，因?yàn)閴涸谶@二十床墊子和二十床鴨絨被下面的一粒豌豆，她居然還能感覺得出來。除了真正的公主以外，任何人都不會(huì)有這么嫩的皮膚的。

　　因此那位王子就選她為妻子了，因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在他知道他得到了一位真正的公主。這粒豌豆因此也就被送進(jìn)了博物館，如果沒有人把它拿走的話，人們現(xiàn)在還可以在那兒看到它呢。

　　請(qǐng)注意，這是一個(gè)真的故事。

　　（1835）

　　這個(gè)作品寫于1835年，收集在《講給孩子們聽的故事》里。它的情節(jié)雖然簡(jiǎn)短，但意義卻很深刻。真正的王子只能與真正的公主結(jié)婚，即所謂的“門當(dāng)戶對(duì)”。但真正的公主的特點(diǎn)是什么呢？她的特點(diǎn)是皮膚嬌嫩，嫩的連“壓在這二十床墊子和二十床鴨絨被下面的一粒豌豆”都能感覺得出來。這粒豌豆證明出公主的真實(shí)，因此，它也成了具有重大歷史意義的東西，被“送進(jìn)了博物館”。封建統(tǒng)治者就是這樣荒唐。這個(gè)小故事是一莫大的諷刺，與《皇帝的新裝》也異曲同工之妙。