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The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, The Golden Lion

The Golden Lion

There was once a rich merchant who had three sons, and when they were grown up the eldest said to him, 'Father, I wish to travel and see the world. I pray you let me.' So the father ordered a beautiful ship to be fitted up, and the young man sailed away in it. After some weeks the vessel cast anchor before a large town, and the merchant's son went on shore. The first thing he saw was a large notice written on a board saying that if any man could find the king's daughter within eight days he should have her to wife, but that if he tried and failed his head must be the forfeit. 'Well,' thought the youth as he read this proclamation, 'that ought not to be a very difficult matter;' and he asked an audience of the king, and told him that he wished to seek for the princess. 'Certainly,' replied the king. 'You have the whole palace to search in; but remember, if you fail it will cost you your head.' So saying, he commanded the doors to be thrown open, and food and drink to be set before the young man, who, after he had eaten, began to look for the princess. But though he visited every corner and chest and cupboard, she was not in any of them, and after eight days he gave it up and his head was cut off.

All this time his father and brothers had had no news of him, and were very anxious. At last the second son could bear it no longer, and said, 'Dear father, give me, I pray you, a large ship and some money, and let me go and seek for my brother.' So another ship was fitted out, and the young man sailed away, and was blown by the wind into the same harbour where his brother had landed.

Now when he saw the first ship lying at anchor his heart beat high, and he said to himself, 'My brother cannot surely be far off,' and he ordered a boat and was put on shore. As he jumped on to the pier his eye caught the notice about the princess, and he thought, 'He has undertaken to find her, and has certainly lost his head. I must try myself, and seek him as well as her. It cannot be such a very difficult matter.' But he fared no better than his brother, and in eight days his head was cut off.

So now there was only the youngest at home, and when the other two never came he also begged for a ship that he might go in search of his lost brothers. And when the vessel started a high wind arose, and blew him straight to the harbour where the notice was set.

'Oho!' said he, as he read, 'whoever can find the king's daughter shall have her to wife. It is quite clear now what has befallen my brothers. But in spite of that I think I must try my luck,' and he took the road to the castle. On the way he met an old woman, who stopped and begged.

'Leave me in peace, old woman,' replied he. 'Oh, do not send me away empty,' she said. 'You are such a handsome young man you will surely not refuse an old woman a few pence.' 'I tell you, old woman, leave me alone.' 'You are in some trouble?' she asked. 'Tell me what it is, and perhaps I can help you.' Then he told her how he had set his heart on finding the king's daughter. 'I can easily manage that for you as long as you have enough money.' 'Oh, as to that, I have plenty,' answered he. 'Well, you must take it to a goldsmith and get him to make it into a golden lion, with eyes of crystal; and inside it must have something that will enable it to play tunes. When it is ready bring it to me.' The young man did as he was bid, and when the lion was made the old woman hid the youth in it, and brought it to the king, who was so delighted with it that he wanted to buy it. But she replied, 'It does not belong to me, and my master will not part from it at any price.' 'At any rate, leave it with me for a few days,' said he; 'I should like to show it to my daughter.' 'Yes, I can do that,' answered the old woman; 'but to-morrow I must have it back again. And she went away.

The king watched her till she was quite out of sight, so as to make sure that she was not spying upon him; then he took the golden lion into his room and lifted some loose boards from the floor. Below the floor there was a staircase, which he went down till he reached a door at the foot. This he unlocked, and found himself in a narrow passage closed by another door, which he also opened. The young man, hidden in the golden lion, kept count of everything, and marked that there were in all seven doors. After they had all been unlocked the king entered a lovely hall, where the princess was amusing herself with eleven friends. All twelve girls wore the same clothes, and were as like each other as two peas.

'What bad luck!' thought the youth. 'Even supposing that I managed to find my way here again, I don't see how I could ever tell which was the princess.' And he stared hard at the princess as she clapped her hands with joy and ran up to them, crying, ' Oh, do let us keep that delicious beast for to-night; it will make such a nice plaything.' The king did not stay long, and when he left he handed over the lion to the maidens, who amused themselves with it for some time, till they got sleepy, and thought it was time to go to bed. But the princess took the lion into her own room and laid it on the floor.

She was just beginning to doze when she heard a voice quite close to her, which made her jump. 'O lovely princess, if you only knew what I have gone through to find you!' The princess jumped out of bed screaming, 'The lion! the lion!' but her friends thought it was a nightmare, and did not trouble themselves to get up.

'O lovely úprincess!' continued the voice, 'fear nothing! I am the son of a rich merchant, and desire above all things to have you for my wife. And in order to get to you I have hidden myself in this golden lion.' 'What use is that?' she asked. 'For if you cannot pick me out from among my companions you will still lose your head.' 'I look to you to help me,' he said. 'I have done so much for you that you might do this one thing for me.' 'Then listen to me. On the eighth day I will tie a white sash round my waist, and by that you will know me.' The next morning the king came very early to fetch the lion, as the old woman was already at the palace asking for it. When they were safe from view she let the young man out, and he returned to the king and told him that he wished to find the princess.

'Very good,' said the king, who by this time was almost tired of repeating the same words; 'but if you fail your head will be the forfeit.' So the youth remained quietly in the castle, eating and looking at all the beautiful things around him, and every now and then pretending to be searching busily in all the closets and corners. On the eighth day he entered the room where the king was sitting. 'Take up the floor in this place,' he said. The king gave a cry, but stopped himself, and asked, 'What do you want the floor up for? There is nothing there.' But as all his courtiers were watching him he did not like to make any more objections, and ordered the floor to be taken up, as the young man desired. The youth then want straight down the staircase till he reached the door; then he turned and demanded that the key should be brought. So the king was forced to unlock the door, and the next and the next and the next, till all seven were open, and they entered into the hall where the twelve maidens were standing all in a row, so like that none might tell them apart. But as he looked one of them silently drew a white sash from her pocket and slipped it round her waist, and the young man sprang to her and said, 'This is the princess, and I claim her for my wife.' And the king owned himself beaten, and commanded that the wedding feast should be held.

After eight days the bridal pair said farewell to the king, and set sail for the youth's own country, taking with them a whole shipload of treasures as the princess's dowry. But they did not forget the old woman who had brought about all their happiness, and they gave her enough money to make her comfortable to the end of her days.


The Golden Lion El León de Oro 金狮奖

There was once a rich merchant who had three sons, and when they were grown up the eldest said to him, 'Father, I wish to travel and see the world. Byl jednou jeden bohatý kupec, který měl tři syny, a když dospěli, nejstarší z nich mu řekl: "Otče, chtěl bych cestovat a poznat svět. I pray you let me.' Prosím, dovolte mi to. So the father ordered a beautiful ship to be fitted up, and the young man sailed away in it. Otec tedy nechal postavit krásnou loď a mladík na ní odplul. After some weeks the vessel cast anchor before a large town, and the merchant's son went on shore. Po několika týdnech loď zakotvila před velkým městem a kupcův syn vystoupil na břeh. The first thing he saw was a large notice written on a board saying that if any man could find the king's daughter within eight days he should have her to wife, but that if he tried and failed his head must be the forfeit. První, co uviděl, bylo velké oznámení napsané na tabuli, že pokud někdo najde královu dceru do osmi dnů, dostane ji za ženu, ale pokud se o to pokusí a neuspěje, bude jeho hlava proplacena. 'Well,' thought the youth as he read this proclamation, 'that ought not to be a very difficult matter;' and he asked an audience of the king, and told him that he wished to seek for the princess. "Nuže," pomyslel si mladík, když si přečetl toto prohlášení, "to by nemělo být příliš obtížné." Požádal tedy krále o audienci a řekl mu, že chce vyhledat princeznu. 'Certainly,' replied the king. "Jistě," odpověděl král. 'You have the whole palace to search in; but remember, if you fail it will cost you your head.' "Můžeš prohledat celý palác, ale pamatuj si, že když se ti to nepodaří, bude tě to stát hlavu. So saying, he commanded the doors to be thrown open, and food and drink to be set before the young man, who, after he had eaten, began to look for the princess. Řekl to a přikázal otevřít dveře, postavit před mladíka jídlo a pití, a když se najedl, začal hledat princeznu. But though he visited every corner and chest and cupboard, she was not in any of them, and after eight days he gave it up and his head was cut off. Ale ačkoli prošel všechny kouty, truhly a skříně, v žádné z nich nebyla, a tak to po osmi dnech vzdal a nechal si uříznout hlavu.

All this time his father and brothers had had no news of him, and were very anxious. Po celou dobu o něm otec a bratři neměli žádné zprávy a byli velmi znepokojeni. At last the second son could bear it no longer, and said, 'Dear father, give me, I pray you, a large ship and some money, and let me go and seek for my brother.' Nakonec to druhý syn nevydržel a řekl: "Milý otče, dej mi, prosím, velkou loď a nějaké peníze a nech mě jít hledat mého bratra. So another ship was fitted out, and the young man sailed away, and was blown by the wind into the same harbour where his brother had landed. Byla tedy připravena další loď, mladík odplul a vítr ho zavál do stejného přístavu, kde přistál jeho bratr.

Now when he saw the first ship lying at anchor his heart beat high, and he said to himself, 'My brother cannot surely be far off,' and he ordered a boat and was put on shore. Když spatřil první zakotvenou loď, srdce se mu rozbušilo a řekl si: "Můj bratr jistě nemůže být daleko." Objednal si člun a nechal se vysadit na břeh. As he jumped on to the pier his eye caught the notice about the princess, and he thought, 'He has undertaken to find her, and has certainly lost his head. Když vyskočil na molo, jeho oko zachytilo oznámení o princezně a pomyslel si: "Zavázal se, že ji najde, a určitě ztratil hlavu. I must try myself, and seek him as well as her. Musím to zkusit sám a hledat ho stejně jako ji. It cannot be such a very difficult matter.' Nemůže to být tak složitá záležitost. But he fared no better than his brother, and in eight days his head was cut off. Nevedlo se mu však o nic lépe než jeho bratrovi a za osm dní mu byla useknuta hlava.

So now there was only the youngest at home, and when the other two never came he also begged for a ship that he might go in search of his lost brothers. Doma tedy zůstal jen nejmladší z nich, a když ostatní dva nepřišli, prosil také o loď, aby se mohl vydat hledat své ztracené bratry. And when the vessel started a high wind arose, and blew him straight to the harbour where the notice was set. Když se loď vydala na cestu, zvedl se silný vítr a zanesl ho přímo do přístavu, kde bylo umístěno oznámení.

'Oho!' said he, as he read, 'whoever can find the king's daughter shall have her to wife. "Kdo najde královu dceru, dostane ji za ženu," řekl, když četl. It is quite clear now what has befallen my brothers. Nyní je již zcela jasné, co mé bratry postihlo. But in spite of that I think I must try my luck,' and he took the road to the castle. Přesto si myslím, že musím zkusit štěstí," a vydal se na cestu k hradu. On the way he met an old woman, who stopped and begged. Cestou potkal stařenku, která se zastavila a prosila.

'Leave me in peace, old woman,' replied he. "Nech mě na pokoji, stařenko," odpověděl. 'Oh, do not send me away empty,' she said. "Ach, neposílejte mě pryč s prázdnou," řekla. 'You are such a handsome young man you will surely not refuse an old woman a few pence.' "Jsi tak hezký mladý muž, že jistě neodmítneš staré ženě pár pencí. 'I tell you, old woman, leave me alone.' "Říkám ti, stařeno, nech mě být. 'You are in some trouble?' "Máš nějaké potíže? she asked. zeptala se. 'Tell me what it is, and perhaps I can help you.' "Řekni mi, co to je, a možná ti pomůžu. Then he told her how he had set his heart on finding the king's daughter. Pak jí vyprávěl, jak se rozhodl najít královu dceru. 'I can easily manage that for you as long as you have enough money.' "To pro vás snadno zařídím, pokud máte dost peněz. 'Oh, as to that, I have plenty,' answered he. "Ach, pokud jde o to, mám toho dost," odpověděl. 'Well, you must take it to a goldsmith and get him to make it into a golden lion, with eyes of crystal; and inside it must have something that will enable it to play tunes. "Dobře, musíš ho vzít ke zlatníkovi a nechat ho udělat zlatého lva s křišťálovýma očima a uvnitř musí být něco, co mu umožní hrát melodie. When it is ready bring it to me.' Až bude hotová, přines mi ji. The young man did as he was bid, and when the lion was made the old woman hid the youth in it, and brought it to the king, who was so delighted with it that he wanted to buy it. Mladík udělal, co mu bylo přikázáno, a když byl lev vyroben, stařena do něj mladíka ukryla a přinesla ho králi, který z něj byl tak nadšený, že ho chtěl koupit. But she replied, 'It does not belong to me, and my master will not part from it at any price.' Ona však odpověděla: "Nepatří mi a můj pán se s ním za žádnou cenu nechce rozloučit. 'At any rate, leave it with me for a few days,' said he; 'I should like to show it to my daughter.' "V každém případě mi ji na pár dní nechte," řekl, "rád bych ji ukázal své dceři. 'Yes, I can do that,' answered the old woman; 'but to-morrow I must have it back again. "Ano, to mohu," odpověděla stařena, "ale zítra ji musím mít zase zpátky. And she went away. A odešla.

The king watched her till she was quite out of sight, so as to make sure that she was not spying upon him; then he took the golden lion into his room and lifted some loose boards from the floor. Král ji sledoval, dokud mu nezmizela z dohledu, aby se ujistil, že ho nešpehuje, a pak vzal zlatého lva do svého pokoje a zvedl z podlahy několik uvolněných prken. Below the floor there was a staircase, which he went down till he reached a door at the foot. Pod podlahou se nacházelo schodiště, po kterém sešel až ke dveřím na jeho úpatí. This he unlocked, and found himself in a narrow passage closed by another door, which he also opened. Ty odemkl a ocitl se v úzké chodbě uzavřené dalšími dveřmi, které také otevřel. The young man, hidden in the golden lion, kept count of everything, and marked that there were in all seven doors. Mladík ukrytý ve zlatém lvu vše spočítal a zjistil, že je tam celkem sedm dveří. After they had all been unlocked the king entered a lovely hall, where the princess was amusing herself with eleven friends. Po odemčení všech dveří vstoupil král do krásného sálu, kde se princezna bavila s jedenácti přáteli. All twelve girls wore the same clothes, and were as like each other as two peas. Všech dvanáct dívek mělo stejné oblečení a byly si podobné jako dva hrášky.

'What bad luck!' "Jaká smůla! thought the youth. pomyslel si mladík. 'Even supposing that I managed to find my way here again, I don't see how I could ever tell which was the princess.' "I kdyby se mi podařilo znovu sem najít cestu, nevím, jak bych mohl zjistit, která z nich je princezna. And he stared hard at the princess as she clapped her hands with joy and ran up to them, crying, ' Oh, do let us keep that delicious beast for to-night; it will make such a nice plaything.' A tvrdě se díval na princeznu, která radostně zatleskala a přiběhla k nim s výkřikem: "Ach, nechte nám na dnešní noc to lahodné zvíře; bude to taková pěkná hračka. The king did not stay long, and when he left he handed over the lion to the maidens, who amused themselves with it for some time, till they got sleepy, and thought it was time to go to bed. Král se dlouho nezdržel, a když odešel, předal lva dívkám, které se s ním chvíli bavily, až se jim chtělo spát a usoudily, že je čas jít spát. But the princess took the lion into her own room and laid it on the floor. Princezna však vzala lva do svého pokoje a položila ho na podlahu.

She was just beginning to doze when she heard a voice quite close to her, which made her jump. Zrovna začínala dřímat, když uslyšela hlas docela blízko sebe, což ji přimělo vyskočit. 'O lovely princess, if you only knew what I have gone through to find you!' "Ó krásná princezno, kdybys jen věděla, co jsem musel podstoupit, abych tě našel! The princess jumped out of bed screaming, 'The lion! Princezna vyskočila z postele a křičela: "Lev! the lion!' lva! but her friends thought it was a nightmare, and did not trouble themselves to get up. ale její přátelé si mysleli, že je to noční můra, a neobtěžovali se vstát.

'O lovely úprincess!' "Ó krásná princezno! «О, прекрасная принцесса!» continued the voice, 'fear nothing! pokračoval hlas, "ničeho se nebojte! I am the son of a rich merchant, and desire above all things to have you for my wife. Jsem syn bohatého kupce a ze všeho nejvíc si přeji mít tě za ženu. And in order to get to you I have hidden myself in this golden lion.' A abych se k tobě dostal, ukryl jsem se v tomto zlatém lvu. 'What use is that?' "K čemu to je? she asked. zeptala se. 'For if you cannot pick me out from among my companions you will still lose your head.' "Neboť pokud mě nedokážeš vybrat z mých společníků, stejně přijdeš o hlavu. 'I look to you to help me,' he said. "Čekám, že mi pomůžete," řekl. 'I have done so much for you that you might do this one thing for me.' "Udělal jsem toho pro tebe tolik, abys ty mohla udělat tuto jedinou věc pro mě. 'Then listen to me. "Tak mě poslouchejte. On the eighth day I will tie a white sash round my waist, and by that you will know me.' Osmého dne si uvážu kolem pasu bílou šerpu a podle toho mě poznáte. The next morning the king came very early to fetch the lion, as the old woman was already at the palace asking for it. Příštího rána přišel král pro lva velmi brzy, protože stařena už byla v paláci a žádala o něj. When they were safe from view she let the young man out, and he returned to the king and told him that he wished to find the princess. Když byli v bezpečí, pustila mladíka ven a ten se vrátil ke králi a řekl mu, že chce najít princeznu.

'Very good,' said the king, who by this time was almost tired of repeating the same words; 'but if you fail your head will be the forfeit.' "Výborně," řekl král, kterého už téměř unavovalo opakovat stále stejná slova, "ale pokud selžeš, zaplatíš za to svou hlavou. So the youth remained quietly in the castle, eating and looking at all the beautiful things around him, and every now and then pretending to be searching busily in all the closets and corners. A tak mladík zůstal tiše na hradě, jedl, prohlížel si všechny ty krásné věci kolem sebe a každou chvíli předstíral, že pilně prohledává všechny skříně a kouty. On the eighth day he entered the room where the king was sitting. Osmého dne vstoupil do místnosti, kde seděl král. 'Take up the floor in this place,' he said. "Posaďte se tady," řekl. The king gave a cry, but stopped himself, and asked, 'What do you want the floor up for? Král vykřikl, ale zarazil se a zeptal se: "Proč chceš zvednout podlahu? There is nothing there.' Nic tam není. Там ничего нет.' But as all his courtiers were watching him he did not like to make any more objections, and ordered the floor to be taken up, as the young man desired. Protože ho však všichni jeho dvořané sledovali, nechtěl už nic namítat a nařídil, aby se ujal slova, jak si mladík přál. The youth then want straight down the staircase till he reached the door; then he turned and demanded that the key should be brought. Mladík pak chtěl sejít po schodech rovnou dolů, až došel ke dveřím, pak se otočil a požádal, aby mu přinesli klíč. So the king was forced to unlock the door, and the next and the next and the next, till all seven were open, and they entered into the hall where the twelve maidens were standing all in a row, so like that none might tell them apart. Král tedy musel odemknout dveře, pak další a další a další, až jich bylo otevřeno všech sedm, a vešli do síně, kde stálo dvanáct dívek v řadě, takže je nikdo nemohl rozeznat. But as he looked one of them silently drew a white sash from her pocket and slipped it round her waist, and the young man sprang to her and said, 'This is the princess, and I claim her for my wife.' Ale jak se tak díval, jedna z nich potichu vytáhla z kapsy bílou šerpu, obtočila si ji kolem pasu a mladík k ní přiskočil a řekl: "Tohle je princezna a já si ji přivlastňuji jako svou ženu. And the king owned himself beaten, and commanded that the wedding feast should be held. Král se nechal porazit a nařídil uspořádat svatební hostinu.

After eight days the bridal pair said farewell to the king, and set sail for the youth's own country, taking with them a whole shipload of treasures as the princess's dowry. Po osmi dnech se svatební pár rozloučil s králem a odplul do mladíkovy vlasti, přičemž s sebou vzal celou loď plnou pokladů jako princeznino věno. But they did not forget the old woman who had brought about all their happiness, and they gave her enough money to make her comfortable to the end of her days. Nezapomněli však na starou ženu, která jim přinesla všechno štěstí, a dali jí tolik peněz, aby se měla dobře až do konce svých dnů.