王子娶了一只青蛙&意大利童话
从前,有一个国王,他的三个儿子都到了娶妻的年龄了。为了不让三个王子在挑选新娘的时候发生争斗,国王对他们说:“你们用投石器尽力向远处拋石头,石头落在哪里,你们就娶哪里的姑娘为妻。”
三个儿子拿了投石器拋出石头。大儿子把石头拋在了一家面包房的屋顶上,于是他娶了那面包女工。二儿子把石头拋进了一个纺织女工的家里。而小儿子拋的石头则落进了一条水沟里。
投完石头,三个王子赶快带着订婚戒指去找各自的未婚妻。大王子找到的是一个美丽的姑娘,皮肤柔嫩得像刚出炉的蛋糕;二王子找到的是一个脸色苍白的姑娘,身体纤细得像根线;而小王子朝水沟里望啊、望啊,最后只找到一只青蛙。
三个王子回来向国王禀告了自己找到的未婚妻的情况。国王说:“这样吧,谁的妻子最优秀,谁就能继承王位。现在我们就试试她们。”他给每个儿子分了一些麻,让他们的未婚妻在三天内纺出来,比比谁纺得更好。
儿子们找到自己的未婚妻,叮嘱她们仔细地纺。小王子觉得很沮丧,他拿着麻,来到水沟边,喊道:
“青蛙啊,青蛙!”
“谁在喊我呀?”
“不太喜欢你的未婚夫!”
“你现在不喜欢我,当你看到我美丽时,一定会喜欢我。”
青蛙从水中跳出来,落在一片叶子上。小王子把麻交给她,告诉她三天后他会来取纺好的线。
三天过后,两个哥哥急不可耐地跑到面包女工和纺织女工那里取纺好的线,面包女纺得很漂亮,而纺织女就更不必说了,纺线是她最拿手的,纺出来的麻线像丝一样细。小王子怎么样了呢?他来到水沟边:
“青蛙啊,青蛙!”
“谁在喊我呀?”
“不太喜欢你的未婚夫!”
“你现在不喜欢我,当你看到我美丽时,一定会喜欢我!”
青蛙跳到一片叶子上,嘴里衔着一颗核桃。两位哥哥都带来了纺好的线,自己却只带回一颗核桃见父亲,小王子很难为情,他硬着头皮来到父亲面前。国王先是翻来覆去地查看了面包女和纺织女纺出的线,然后才打开小王子带来的核桃,两位哥哥在旁边暗暗地讥笑他。国王打开核桃,从里面取出了一球细线,细得像蜘蛛网一样,国王拽呀拽,拉呀拉,越拉越长,拉出来的线堆满了整个大殿。“这线怎么没有个头啊!”国王话刚一出口,线就拉到头了。国王不甘心就这样让一只青蛙当上王后。正好,他的那只良种猎犬刚生下三只小狗,他就把牠们交给三个王子,说:“把牠们带给你们的未婚妻,一个月后再带回来,谁养得好谁就成为王后。”
一个月后,面包女养的那只狗长成一只肥大的猎犬,因为一个月来牠从没断过面包。纺织女养的那只狗却显得尖瘦,一个月来缺吃少喝的。小王子来的时候带来了一个笼子,国王打开笼子,从里面跳出来的是一只毛光皮亮的鬈毛狗,脖子上束着饰带,浑身散发着香气,不仅会抬起前爪直立起来,还能练武术,懂得数数。国王于是说:“毫无疑问,小儿子将继承王位,而青蛙将成为王后。”
三位兄弟的婚礼定在同一天举行。两个哥哥坐着四匹马拉的车去接新娘,马车上饰满了漂亮的鲜花,两位新娘一身羽毛和珠宝,登上了马车。小王子来到水沟边,青蛙正在一架四只蜗牛拉着的车子上等着他,车子是用无花果的树叶做成的。他们出发了,他在前边走着,而蜗牛拉着树叶上的青蛙在后面跟着。一路上,小王子不得不几次停下来等着青蛙,最后一次他甚至睡着了。他醒过来的时候,发现在他面前停着一辆金子做成的马车,两匹白马在前边拉着,车厢被天鹅绒裹着,里面坐着一位美丽的姑娘,一身碧绿的穿著,光彩照人。
小王子问:“你是谁?”
“我就是青蛙啊,”看见王子半信半疑,姑娘就打开一个珍宝盒,只见里面放着无花果的树叶,一张青蛙的皮和四个蜗牛壳。“我本来是一个公主,被变成了一只青蛙,只有遇到一位从来不知道我的美貌却心甘情愿娶我的王子,我才会重新变回人身。”
国王满心欢喜,看到两个大王子心存嫉妒,就开导他们说,一个人没有能力选好自己的妻子也就不配得到王冠。就这样,小王子和他的新娘当上了国王和王后。
(蒙费拉托地区)
ThePrinceWhoMarriedaFrog
Therewasonceakingwhohadthreesonsofmarriageableage.Inordertoavoidanydisputeovertheirchoiceofthreebrides,hesaid,"Aimasfarasyoucanwiththesling.Therewherethestonefallsyouwillgetyourwife."
Thethreesonspickeduptheirslingsandshot.Theoldestboysenthisstoneflyingallthewaytotheroofofabakery,sohegotthebakergirl.Thesecondboyreleasedhisstone,whichcamedownonthehouseofaweaver.Theyoungestsonsstonelandedinaditch.
Immediatelyaftertheshots,eachboyrushedofftohisbetrothedwitharing.Theoldestbrotherwasmetbyalovelymaidenasfreshasanewlybakedcake,themiddlebrotherbyafairgirlwithsilkyhairandskin,whiletheyoungest,afterlookingandlooking,sawnothingbutafroginthatditch.
Theyreturnedtothekingtotellhimabouttheirbetrothed."Now,"saidtheking,"whoeverhasthebestwifewillinheritthekingdom.Herebeginthetests."Hegavethemeachsomehemptobespunandreturnedwithinthreedays,toseewhichbetrothedwasthebestspinner.
Thesonswenttotheirbetrothedandurgedthemtospintheirbest.Highlyembarrassed,theyoungestboytookthehemptotherimoftheditchandcalled:
"Frog,frog!"
"Whocalls?"
"Yourlovewholovesyounot."
"Ifyoulovemenot,nevermind.Lateryoushall,whenafinefigureIcut."
Thefrogjumpedoutofthewaterontoaleaf.Thekingssongaveherthehemp,tellingherhedpickupthespunthreadthreedayslater.
Threedayslatertheolderbrothersanxiouslyhastenedtothebakergirlandtheweavergirltopickuptheirspunhemp.Thebakergirlproducedabeautifulpieceofwork;theweavergirl,whowasanexpertatthissortofthing,hadspunherstolooklikesilk.Buthowdidtheyoungestsonfare?Hewenttotheditchandcalled:
"Frog,frog!"
"Whocalls?"
"Yourlovewholovesyounot."
"Ifyoulovemenot,nevermind.Lateryoushall,whenafinefigureIcut."
Shejumpedontoaleafholdingawalnutinhermouth.Hewassomewhatembarrassedtogivehisfatherawalnutwhilehisbrothersbroughtspunhemp.Heneverthelesstookheartandpresentedthekingwiththewalnut.Theking,whohadalreadyscrutinizedthehandiworkofthebakerandtheweavergirls,crackedopenthewalnutastheolderbrotherslookedon,snickering.Outcameclothasfineasgossamerthatcontinuedtounrolluntilthethroneroomwascoveredwithit."Buttheresnoendtothiscloth!"exclaimedtheking.Nosoonerwerethewordsoutofhismouththantheclothcametoanend.
Butthefatherrefusedtoaccepttheideaofafrogbecomingqueen.Hisfavoritehuntingbitchhadjusthadthreepuppies,whichhegavethethreesons."Takethemtoyourbetrothedandgobackforthemamonthlater.Theonewhostakenthebestcareofherdogwillbecomethequeen."
Amonthlater,thebakergirlsdoghadturnedintoabig,fatmastiff,havinggotallthebreadhecouldeat.Theweaversdog,notnearlysowellsupplied,wasnowahalf-starvedhound.Theyoungestsoncameinwithasmallbox.Thekingopeneditandoutjumpedatiny,beribbonedpoodle,impeccablygroomedandperfumed,thatstoodonitshindlegsandmarchedandcounted.
"Nodoubtaboutit,"saidtheking,"myyoungestsonwillbeking,andthefrogwillbequeen."
Theweddingofallthreebrotherswassetforthesameday.Theolderbrotherswentfortheirbridesingarlandedcarriagesdrawnbyfourhorses,andthebridesclimbedin,deckedwithfeathersandjewels.
Theyoungestboywenttotheditch,wherethefrogawaitedhiminacarriagefashionedoutofafigleafanddrawnbyfoursnails.Theysetout.Hewalkedaheadwhilethesnailsfollowed,pullingthefigleafwiththefroguponit.Everynowandthenhestoppedforthemtocatchupwithhim,andonceheevenfellasleep.Whenheawakened,agoldcarriagehadpulledupbesidehim.Itwasdrawnbytwowhitehorses,andinsideonvelvetupholstery,satamaidenasdazzlingasthesunanddressedinanemarald-greengown.
"Whoareyou?"askedtheyoungestson.
"Iamthefrog."
Hecouldntbelieveit,sothemaidenopenedajewelcasecontainingthefigleaf,thefrogskin,andfoursnailshells."Iwasaprincessturnedintoafrog,andtheonlychanceIhadofgettingmyhumanformbackwasforakingssontoagreetomarrymethewayIwas."
Thekingwasoverjoyedandtoldhistwooldersons,whowereconsumedwithenvy,thatwhoeverpickedthewrongwifewasunworthyofthecrown.Sotheyoungestboyandhisbridebecamekingandqueen.
(Monferrato)
NOTES:
"ThePrinceWhoMarriedaFrog"(Ilprincipechesposòunarana)fromComparetti,4,Monferrato,Piedmont.
ThetaleofthefrogbrideiscommontoallofEurope;scholarshavecounted300versions.Comparingit,forinstance,withGrimm,no.63,orwithAfanasevs"TheFrogPrince,"thisvariantwhichwecanclassifyasdistinctlyItalian(sinceitshowsupuniformlythroughoutthePeninsula,evenifslingingtolocatethebrideisratherrare)standsoutinitsnear-geometricallogicandlinearity.
Copyright:ItalianFolktalesSelectedandRetoldbyItaloCalvino,
translatedbyGeorgeMartin,
PantheonBooks,NewYork1980