|
Once upon
a time...
There was a king and a queen, who were so sorry that they had
no children; so sorry that it cannot be expressed. They went to all
the waters in the world; vows, pilgrimages, all ways were tried, and
all to no purpose.
At last, however, the Queen had a daughter. There was a very fine
christening; and the Princess had for her god- mothers all the
fairies they could find in the whole kingdom (they found seven),
that every one of them might give her a gift, as was the custom of
fairies in those days. By this means the Princess had all the
perfections imaginable.
After the ceremonies of the christening were over, all the company
returned to the King's palace, where was 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, whom they had not invited, because it was above fifty
years since she had been out of a certain tower, and she was
believed to be either dead or enchanted.
The King ordered her a cover, but could not furnish her with a case
of gold as the others, because they had only seven 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, judging that she might give the
little Princess some unlucky gift, went, as soon as they rose from
table, and hid herself behind the hangings, that she might speak
last, and repair, as much as she could, the evil which the old Fairy
might intend.
In the meanwhile all the fairies began to give their gifts to the
Princess. The youngest gave her for gift that she 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 a wonderful grace
in everything she did; the fourth, that she should dance perfectly
well; the fifth, that she should sing like a nightingale; and the
sixth, that she should play all kinds of music to the utmost
perfection.
The old Fairy's turn coming next, with a head shaking more with
spite than age, 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 spake these words aloud:
"Assure yourselves, O King and Queen, that your daughter shall not
die of this disaster. It is true, I have no power to undo entirely
what my elder has done. The Princess shall indeed pierce her hand
with a spindle; but, instead of dying, she shall only fall into a
profound sleep, which shall last a hundred years, at the expiration
of which a king's son shall come and awake her."
The King, to avoid the misfortune foretold by the old Fairy, caused
immediately proclamation to be made, whereby everybody was
forbidden, on pain of death, to spin with a distaff and spindle, or
to have so much as any spindle in their houses. About fifteen or
sixteen years after, the King and Queen being gone to one of their
houses of pleasure, the young Princess happened one day to divert
herself in running up and down the palace; when going up from one
apartment to another, she came into a little room on the top of the
tower, where a good old woman, alone, 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, who did not
know who she was.
"Ha!" said the Princess, "this is very pretty; how do you do it?
Give it to me, that I may see if I can do so."
She had no sooner taken it into her hand than, whether being very
hasty at it, somewhat unhandy, or that the decree of the Fairy had
so ordained it, it ran into her hand, and she fell down in a swoon.
The good old woman, not knowing very well what to do in this affair,
cried out for help. People came in from every quarter in great
numbers; they threw water upon the Princess's face, unlaced her,
struck her on the palms of her hands, and rubbed her temples with
Hungary- water; but nothing would bring her to herself.
And now the King, who came up at the noise, bethought himself of the
prediction of the fairies, and, judging very well that this must
necessarily come to pass, since the fairies had said it, caused the
Princess to be carried into the finest apartment in his palace, and
to be 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 away had not diminished one bit of her
complexion; her cheeks were carnation, and her lips were coral;
indeed, her eyes were shut, but she was heard to breathe softly,
which satisfied those about her that she was not dead. The King
commanded that they should not disturb her, but let her sleep
quietly till her hour of awaking was come.
The good Fairy who had saved her life by condemning her to sleep a
hundred years was in the kingdom of Matakin, twelve thousand leagues
off, when this accident befell the Princess; but she was instantly
informed of it by a little dwarf, who had boots of seven leagues,
that is, boots with which he could tread over seven leagues of
ground in one stride. The Fairy came away immediately, and she
arrived, about an hour after, in a fiery chariot drawn by dragons.
The King handed her out of the chariot, and she approved everything
he had done, but as she had very great foresight, she thought when
the Princess should awake she might not know what to do with
herself, being all alone in this old palace; and this was what she
did: she touched with her wand everything in the palace (except the
King and Queen)--governesses, maids of honor, ladies of the
bedchamber, gentlemen, officers, stewards, cooks, undercooks,
scullions, guards, with their beefeaters, pages, footmen; she
likewise touched all the horses which were in the stables, pads as
well as others, the great dogs in the outward court and pretty
little Mopsey too, the Princess's little spaniel, which lay by her
on the bed.
Immediately upon her touching them they all fell asleep, that they
might not awake before their mistress and that they might be ready
to wait upon her when she wanted them. The very spits at the fire,
as full as they could hold of partridges and pheasants, did fall
asleep also. All this was done in a moment. Fairies are not long in
doing their business.
And now the King and the Queen, having kissed their dear child
without waking her, went out of the palace and put forth a
proclamation that nobody should dare to come near it.
This, however, was not necessary, for in a quarter of an hour's time
there grew up all round about the park such a vast number of trees,
great and small, bushes and brambles, twining one within another,
that neither man nor beast could pass through; so that nothing could
be seen but the very top of the towers of the palace; and that, too,
not unless it was a good way off. Nobody; doubted but the Fairy gave
herein a very extraordinary sample of her art, that the Princess,
while she continued sleeping, might have nothing to fear from any
curious people.
When a hundred years were gone and passed the son of the King then
reigning, and who was of another family from that of the sleeping
Princess, being gone a-hunting on that side of the country, asked:
What those towers were which he saw in the middle of a great thick
wood?
Everyone answered according as they had heard. Some said:
That it was a ruinous old castle, haunted by spirits.
Others, That all the sorcerers and witches of the country kept there
their Sabbath or night's meeting.
The common opinion was: That an ogre lived there, and that he
carried thither all the little children he could catch, that he
might eat them up at his leisure, without anybody being able to
follow him, as having himself only the power to pass through the
wood.
The Prince was at a stand, not knowing what to believe, when a very
good countryman spake to him thus:
"May it please your royal highness, it is now about fifty years
since I heard from my father, who heard my grandfather say, that
there was then in this castle a princess, the most beautiful was
ever seen; that she must sleep there a hundred years, and should be
waked by a king's son, for whom she was reserved."
The young Prince was all on fire at these words, believing, without
weighing the matter, that he could put an end to this rare
adventure; and, pushed on by love and honor, resolved that moment to
look into it.
Scarce had he advanced toward the wood when all the great trees, the
bushes, and brambles gave way of themselves to let him pass through;
he walked up to the castle which he saw at the end of a large avenue
which he went into; and what a little surprised him was that he saw
none of his people could follow him, because the trees closed again
as soon as he had passed through them. However, he did not cease
from continuing his way; a young and amorous prince is always
valiant.
He came into a spacious outward court, where everything he saw might
have frozen the most fearless person with horror. There reigned all
over a most frightful silence; the image of death everywhere showed
itself, and there was nothing to be seen but stretched-out bodies of
men and animals, all seeming to be dead. He, however, very well
knew, by the ruby faces and pimpled noses of the beefeaters, that
they were only asleep; and their goblets, wherein still remained
some drops of wine, showed plainly that they fell asleep in their
cups.
He then crossed a court paved with marble, went up the stairs and
came into the guard chamber, where guards were standing in their
ranks, with their muskets upon their shoulders, and snoring as loud
as they could. After that he went through several rooms full of
gentlemen and ladies, all asleep, some standing, others sitting. At
last he came into a chamber all gilded with gold, where he saw upon
a bed, the curtains of which were all open, the finest sight was
ever beheld--a princess, who appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen
years of age, and whose bright and, in a manner, resplendent beauty,
had somewhat in it divine. He approached with trembling and
admiration, and fell down before her upon his knees.
And now, as the enchantment was at an end, the Princess awaked, and
looking on him with eyes more tender than the first view might seem
to admit of:
"Is it you, my Prince?" said she to him. "You have waited a long
while."
The Prince, charmed with these words, and much more with the manner
in which they were spoken, knew not how to show his joy and
gratitude; he assured her that he loved her better than he did
himself; their discourse was not well connected, they did weep more
than talk--little eloquence, a great deal of love. He was more at a
loss than she, and we need not wonder at it; she had time to think
on what to say to him; for it is very probable (though history
mentions nothing of it) that the good Fairy, during so long a sleep,
had given her very agreeable dreams. In short, they talked four
hours together, and yet they said not half what they had to say.
In the meanwhile all the palace awaked; everyone thought upon their
particular business, and as all of them were not in love they were
ready to die for hunger. The chief lady of honor, being as sharp set
as other folks, grew very impatient, and told the Princess aloud
that supper was served up. The Prince helped the Princess to rise;
she was entirely dressed, and very magnificently, but his royal
highness took care not to tell her that she was dressed like his
great-grandmother, and had a point band peeping over a high collar;
she looked not a bit less charming and beautiful for all that.
They went into the great hall of looking-glasses, where they supped,
and were served by the Princess's officers, the violins and hautboys
played old tunes, but very excellent, though it was now above a
hundred years since they had played; and after supper, without
losing any time, the lord almoner married them in the chapel of the
castle, and the chief lady of honor drew the curtains. They had but
very little sleep--the Princess had no occasion; and the Prince left
her next morning to return to the city, where his father must needs
have been in pain for him. The Prince told him:
That he lost his way in the forest as he was hunting, and that he
had lain in the cottage of a charcoal-burner, who gave him cheese
and brown bread.
The King, his father, who was a good man, believed him; but his
mother could not be persuaded it was true; and seeing that he went
almost every day a-hunting, and that he always had some excuse ready
for so doing, though he had lain out three or four nights together,
she began to suspect that he was married, for he lived with the
Princess above two whole years, and had by her two children, the
eldest of which, who was a daughter, was named Morning, and the
youngest, who was a son, they called Day, because he was a great
deal handsomer and more beautiful than his sister.
The Queen spoke several times to her son, to inform herself after
what manner he did pass his time, and that in this he ought in duty
to satisfy her. But he never dared to trust her with his secret; he
feared her, though he loved her, for she was of the race of the
Ogres, and the King would never have married her had it not been for
her vast riches; it was even whispered about the Court that she had
Ogreish inclinations, and that, whenever she saw little children
passing by, she had all the difficulty in the world to avoid falling
upon them. And so the Prince would never tell her one word.
But when the King was dead, which happened about two years
afterward, and he saw himself lord and master, he openly declared
his marriage; and he went in great ceremony to conduct his Queen to
the palace. They made a magnificent entry into the capital city, she
riding between her two children.
Soon after the King went to make war with the Emperor Contalabutte,
his neighbour. He left the government of the kingdom to the Queen
his mother, and earnestly recommended to her care his wife and
children. He was obliged to continue his expedition all the summer,
and as soon as he departed the Queen-mother sent her daughter-in-law
to a country house among the woods, that she might with the more
ease gratify her horrible longing.
Some few days afterward she went thither herself, and said to her
clerk of the kitchen:
"I have a mind to eat little Morning for my dinner to- morrow."
"Ah! madam," cried the clerk of the kitchen.
"I will have it so," replied the Queen (and this she spoke in the
tone of an Ogress who had a strong desire to eat fresh meat), "and
will eat her with a sauce Robert."
The poor man, knowing very well that he must not play tricks with
Ogresses, took his great knife and went up into little Morning's
chamber. She was then four years old, and came up to him jumping and
laughing, to take him about the neck, and ask him for some
sugar-candy. Upon which he began to weep, the great knife fell out
of his hand, and he went into the back yard, and killed a little
lamb, and dressed it with such good sauce that his mistress assured
him that she had never eaten anything so good in her life. He had at
the same time taken up little Morning, and carried her to his wife,
to conceal her in the lodging he had at the bottom of the courtyard.
About eight days afterward the wicked Queen said to the clerk of the
kitchen, "I will sup on little Day."
He answered not a word, being resolved to cheat her as he had done
before. He went to find out little Day, and saw him with a little
foil in his hand, with which he was fencing with a great monkey, the
child being then only three years of age. He took him up in his arms
and carried him to his wife, that she might conceal him in her
chamber along with his sister, and in the room of little Day cooked
up a young kid, very tender, which the Ogress found to be
wonderfully good.
This was hitherto all mighty well; but one evening this wicked Queen
said to her clerk of the kitchen:
"I will eat the Queen with the same sauce I had with her children."
It was now that the poor clerk of the kitchen despaired of being
able to deceive her. The young Queen was turned of twenty, not
reckoning the hundred years she had been asleep; and how to find in
the yard a beast so firm was what puzzled him. He took then a
resolution, that he might save his own life, to cut the Queen's
throat; and going up into her chamber, with intent to do it at once,
he put himself into as great fury as he could possibly, and came
into the young Queen's room with his dagger in his hand. He would
not, however, surprise her, but told her, with a great deal of
respect, the orders he had received from the Queen-mother.
"Do it; do it" (said she, stretching out her neck). "Execute your
orders, and then I shall go and see my children, my poor children,
whom I so much and so tenderly loved."
For she thought them dead ever since they had been taken away
without her knowledge.
"No, no, madam" (cried the poor clerk of the kitchen, all in tears);
"you shall not die, and yet you shall see your children again; but
then you must go home with me to my lodgings, where I have concealed
them, and I shall deceive the Queen once more, by giving her in your
stead a young hind."
Upon this he forthwith conducted her to his chamber, where, leaving
her to embrace her children, and cry along with them, he went and
dressed a young hind, which the Queen had for her supper, and
devoured it with the same appetite as if it had been the young
Queen. Exceedingly was she delighted with her cruelty, and she had
invented a story to tell the King, at his return, how the mad wolves
had eaten up the Queen his wife and her two children.
One evening, as she was, according to her custom, rambling round
about the courts and yards of the palace to see if she could smell
any fresh meat, she heard, in a ground room, little Day crying, for
his mamma was going to whip him, because he had been naughty; and
she heard, at the same time, little Morning begging pardon for her
brother.
The Ogress presently knew the voice of the Queen and her children,
and being quite mad that she had been thus deceived, she commanded
next morning, by break of day (with a most horrible voice, which
made everybody tremble), that they should bring into the middle of
the great court a large tub, which she caused to be filled with
toads, vipers, snakes, and all sorts of serpents, in order to have
thrown into it the Queen and her children, the clerk of the kitchen,
his wife and maid; all whom she had given orders should be brought
thither with their hands tied behind them.
They were brought out accordingly, and the executioners were just
going to throw them into the tub, when the King (who was not so soon
expected) entered the court on horseback (for he came post) and
asked, with the utmost astonishment, what was the meaning of that
horrible spectacle.
No one dared to tell him, when the Ogress, all enraged to see what
had happened, threw herself head foremost into the tub, and was
instantly devoured by the ugly creatures she had ordered to be
thrown into it for others. The King could not but be very sorry, for
she was his mother; but he soon comforted himself with his beautiful
wife and his pretty children.
Sleeping Beauty in the
Wood Fairy Tale
from the Blue Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
