The Princess and the Pea

The Princess and the Pea

公主和豌豆

Once upon a time there lived a very unhappy queen. She was unhappy because her son was not married. Since he was a prince, he could only marry a princess. It was so hard to find the perfect princess for her son. Young women from all over the world came to the castle to see if they could marry the prince. The queen wanted to confirm that they were really princesses, so she tested each one. “What is your name, my dear?” asked the queen.

从前，这里有一位非常不快乐的王后。 她不快乐是因为她的儿子没有结婚。 因为他是王子，所以他只能与公主结婚。 对她儿子来说找到完美的公主事很艰难的事。 来自世界各地的年轻女子来到城堡，看她们能否嫁给王子。 女王想确认她们真的是公主，所以她亲自一个个测试。 “亲爱的，你叫什么名字？”女王问道。

“I am Princess Valeria of Sweden, Your Highness,” answered the princess. “Let me see your hands, Valeria,” said the queen. “I . . . I beg your pardon?” Valeria said nervously. “Your hands,” the queen repeated. “Just as I thought! You are not really a princess! No true princess could have such rough hands!” The queen dismissed poor Valeria in a huff.

“我是瑞典的瓦莱丽娅公主，殿下，”公主回答。 “让我看看你的手，瓦莱丽娅，”王后说。 “我……对不起？”瓦莱丽娅紧张地说。 “你的手，”王后重复道。 “正如我所想！你不是真正的公主！没有真正的公主会有如此粗糙的手！”女王怒气冲冲地淘汰了可怜的瓦莱丽娅。

Sometimes the queen inspected the princesses’ teeth . Sometimes she checked their hair. The queen even examined their feet! Finding the perfect princess was very demanding work. One stormy evening there was an unexpected visitor at the castle . The prince was the first person to get up. Outside in the pouring rain stood a beautiful but very wet young lady. The prince had never seen such a lovely woman before in his life.

有时女王会检查公主们的牙齿。 有时她检查他们的头发。 女王甚至检查了他们的脚！ 找到完美的公主是一项非常艰巨的工作。 一个暴风雨的夜晚，城堡里来了一位不速之客。 王子是第一个起床的人。 倾盆大雨的外面站着一位美丽但湿透了的年轻女子。 王子一生中从未见过如此美丽动人的女子。

“What are you doing in the rain?” the prince asked. “Well, can I come in or not?” the lady said irritably. The lady told the prince what had happened. She had been taking a walk when it began to rain very hard. She had been walking all night trying to find a dry place. “May I please stay here tonight?” she asked the prince . The prince wished she could stay forever.

“你在雨中干什么？”王子问。 “嗯，我能不能进来？”这位女子急切地问。 这位女子告诉了王子发生了什么事。 她正在散步，突然下起了大雨。 她为了找一个干燥的地方走了一整夜。 “我今晚可以呆在这里吗？”她问王子。 王子希望她能永远留下来。

While the prince and the young lady were talking, the queen silently entered the room . “What is going on here? Who are you?” demanded the queen. “Forgive me, Your Highness. I am Princess Winnifred,” said the lady. “Princess?” asked the queen. “But my friends call me Winn.” The prince explained to his mother what had happened.

当王子和女子说话时，王后悄悄地走进了房间。 “这是怎么回事？你是谁？”女王问道。 “请原谅我，殿下。我是温妮弗雷德公主，”这位女子说。 “公主？”女王问道。 “但我的朋友叫我温。” 王子向母亲解释了发生的事情。