The Princess on the Pea

 

豌豆公主

 

There was once a prince.

 

从前有位王子。

 

He wanted a princess but it had to be a true princess!

 

他想娶一位公主，不过非得是一位真正的公主！

 

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So he journeyed all around the world to find one,

 

于是他走遍天下寻找，

 

but no matter where he went,something was wrong.

 

可是无论走到哪儿，都是阴差阳错。

 

There was plenty of princesses,

 

公主有许多许多，

 

but whether or not they were true princesses he couldn't find out.

 

是不是真正的公主呢，他就弄不清楚了。

 

There was always something that wasn't quite right.

 

总有一些不如意之处。

 

So he came home again and was very sad,

 

因此他回到家里，非常伤心，

 

for he wanted a true princess very much.

 

因为他朝思暮想的是一位真正的公主。

 

One evening there was a terrible storm.

 

一天晚上下了一场可怕的暴风雨。

 

The lightning flashed,the thunder boomed,and the rain poured down!

 

电闪雷鸣，倾盆大雨直泻而下！

 

It was really frightful!Then somebody knocked at the city gate,

 

真是太可怕了！这时有人敲响了城门，

 

and the old king went out to open it.

 

老国王出去开门。

 

A princess was standing outside, but heavens,

 

一位公主站在外面，可是天哪，

 

how she looked from the rain and bad weather!

 

从如此恶劣的风雨中看去，她一幅狼狈！

 

Water poured off her hair and clothes

 

雨水从头发和衣服上直往下流，

 

and ran in at the toe of her shoe and out at the heel,

 

淌入鞋尖后后又从鞋跟流出来，

 

but she said she was a true princess!

 

可她说自己是一位真正的公主。

 

"Well,we'll soon find out!"thought the old queen,

 

"好吧，我们一会儿就见分晓了！"老王后心里这样想，

 

but she didn't say anything.

 

可是她一声不响。

 

She went into the bedroom,took off all the bedding,

 

她走进卧室，搬开所有的铺盖，

 

and put a pea on the bottom of the bed.

 

在床底放了一粒豌豆。

 

Then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on top of the pea

 

然后她取出二十条床垫铺在豌豆上，

 

and then put twenty eiderdown quilts on top of the mattresses.

 

再往床上铺上二十条羽绒被。

 

There the princess was to sleep that night.

 

当晚公主就得睡在这里

 

In the morning they asked her how she had slept.

 

第二天早上他们问她睡得好吗。

 

"Oh,just miserably!" said the princess."I've hardly closed my eyes all night!

 

"唉，太难受了！"公主说，"我几乎通宵没合眼！

 

Heaven knows what was in my bed!

 

天知道床上有什么东西！

 

I've been lying on something so hard that I'm black and blue all over!

 

我躺在很坚硬的东西上面，所以全身到处发青发紫！

 

It's simply dreadful Then they could tell that this was a true princess,

 

简直太吓人了！"这时我们就能确信这是一位真正的公主了，

 

because through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eiderdown quilts

 

因为隔着二十条床垫和二十条羽绒被

 

she had felt the pea

 

她还是感觉到了豌豆。

 

Only a true princess could have such delicate skin.

 

只有一位真正的公主才会有如此娇嫩的肌肤。

 

So the prince took her for his wife,for now he knew that he had a true princess,

 

于是王子娶她为妻，因为他已经知道有一位真正的公主，

 

and the pea was put into the museum,

 

而那颗豌豆被放入了博物馆，

 

where it can still be seen,if no one has taken it!

 

要是无人拿走的话，还能看见呢！