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The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, The King Who Would Have a Beautiful Wife

The King Who Would Have a Beautiful Wife

Fifty years ago there lived a king who was very anxious to get married; but, as he was quite determined that his wife should be as beautiful as the sun, the thing was not so easy as it seemed, for no maiden came up to his standard. Then he commanded a trusty servant to search through the length and breadth of the land till he found a girl fair enough to be queen, and if he had the good luck to discover one he was to bring her back with him.

The servant set out at once on his journey, and sought high and low-in castles and cottages; but though pretty maidens were plentiful as blackberries, he felt sure that none of them would please the king.

One day he had wandered far and wide, and was feeling very tired and thirsty. By the roadside stood a tiny little house, and here he knocked and asked for a cup of water. Now in this house dwelt two sisters, and one was eighty and the other ninety years old. They were very poor, and earned their living by spinning. This had kept their hands very soft and white, like the hands of a girl, and when the water was passed through the lattice, and the servant saw the small, delicate fingers, he said to himself: 'A maiden must indeed be lovely if she has a hand like that.' And he made haste back, and told the king.

'Go back at once,' said his majesty, 'and try to get a sight of her.' The faithful servant departed on his errand without losing any time, and again he knocked at the door of the little house and begged for some water. As before, the old woman did not open the door, but passed the water through the lattice.

'Do you live here alone?' asked the man.

'No,' replied she, 'my sister lives with me. We are poor girls, and have to work for our bread.' 'How old are you?' 'I am fifteen, and she is twenty.' Then the servant went back to the king, and told him all he knew. And his majesty answered: 'I will have the fifteen-year-old one. Go and bring her here.' The servant returned a third time to the little house and knocked at the door. In reply to his knock the lattice window was pushed open, and a voice inquired what it was he wanted.

'The king has desired me to bring back the youngest of you to become his queen,' he replied. 'Tell his majesty I am ready to do his bidding, but since my birth no ray of light has fallen upon my face. If it should ever do so I shall instantly grow black. Therefore beg, I pray you, his most gracious majesty to send this evening a shut carriage, and I will return in it to the castle.

When the king heard this he ordered his great golden carriage to be prepared, and in it to be placed some magnificent robes; and the old woman wrapped herself in a thick veil, and was driven to the castle.

The king was eagerly awaiting her, and when she arrived he begged her politely to raise her veil and let him see her face.

But she answered: 'Here the tapers are too bright and the light too strong. Would you have me turn black under your very eyes?' And the king believed her words, and the marriage took place without the veil being once lifted. Afterwards, when they were alone, he raised the corner, and knew for the first time that he had wedded a wrinkled old woman. And, in a furious burst of anger, he dashed open the window and flung her out. But, luckily for her, her clothes caught on a nail in the wall, and kept her hanging between heaven and earth.

While she was thus suspended, expecting every moment to be dashed to the ground, four fairies happened to pass by.

'Look, sisters,' cried one, 'surely that is the old woman that the king sent for. Shall we wish that her clothes may give way, and that she should be dashed to the ground?' 'Oh no! no!' exclaimed another. 'Let us wish her something good. I myself will wish her youth.' 'And I beauty.' 'And I wisdom.' 'And I a tender heart.' So spake the fairies, and went their way, leaving the most beautiful maiden in the world behind them.

The next morning when the king looked from his window he saw this lovely creature hanging on the nail. 'Ah! what have I done? Surely I must have been blind last night!' And he ordered long ladders to be brought and the maiden to be rescued. Then he fell on his knees before her, and prayed her to forgive him, and a great feast was made in her honour.

Some days after came the ninety-year-old sister to the palace and asked for the queen.

'Who is that hideous old witch?' said the king.

'Oh, an old neighbour of mine, who is half silly,' she replied. But the old woman looked at her steadily, and knew her again, and said: 'How have you managed to grow so young and beautiful? I should like to be young and beautiful too.' This question she repeated the whole day long, till at length the queen lost patience and said: 'I had my old head cut off, and this new head grew in its place.' Then the old woman went to a barber, and spoke to him, saying, 'I will give you all you ask if you will only cut off my head, so that I may become young and lovely.' 'But, my good woman, if I do that you will die!' But the old woman would listen to nothing; and at last the barber took out his knife and struck the first blow at her neck.

'Ah!' she shrieked as she felt the pain.

'Il faut souffrir pour etre belle,' said the barber, who had been in France. And at the second blow her head rolled off, and the old woman was dead for good and all.


The King Who Would Have a Beautiful Wife Král, který chtěl mít krásnou ženu El rey que quiso tener una bella esposa 想要拥有美丽妻子的国王

Fifty years ago there lived a king who was very anxious to get married; but, as he was quite determined that his wife should be as beautiful as the sun, the thing was not so easy as it seemed, for no maiden came up to his standard. Před padesáti lety žil jeden král, který se velmi chtěl oženit, ale protože byl pevně rozhodnutý, že jeho žena musí být krásná jako slunce, nebylo to tak snadné, jak se zdálo, protože žádná dívka nesplňovala jeho představy. Then he commanded a trusty servant to search through the length and breadth of the land till he found a girl fair enough to be queen, and if he had the good luck to discover one he was to bring her back with him. Pak přikázal svému věrnému sluhovi, aby prohledal celou zemi, dokud nenajde dívku, která by byla dostatečně krásná na to, aby se stala královnou, a pokud bude mít štěstí a nějakou objeví, měl ji přivést s sebou.

The servant set out at once on his journey, and sought high and low-in castles and cottages; but though pretty maidens were plentiful as blackberries, he felt sure that none of them would please the king. Sluha se ihned vydal na cestu a hledal vysoko i nízko - na hradech i v chalupách, ale i když bylo krásných dívek jako ostružin, byl si jistý, že žádná z nich se králi nebude líbit.

One day he had wandered far and wide, and was feeling very tired and thirsty. Jednoho dne se toulal široko daleko a cítil se velmi unavený a žíznivý. By the roadside stood a tiny little house, and here he knocked and asked for a cup of water. U cesty stál malý domek, na který zaklepal a požádal o hrnek vody. Now in this house dwelt two sisters, and one was eighty and the other ninety years old. V tomto domě žily dvě sestry, z nichž jedné bylo osmdesát a druhé devadesát let. They were very poor, and earned their living by spinning. Byli velmi chudí a živili se předením. This had kept their hands very soft and white, like the hands of a girl, and when the water was passed through the lattice, and the servant saw the small, delicate fingers, he said to himself: 'A maiden must indeed be lovely if she has a hand like that.' Díky tomu zůstaly jejich ruce velmi jemné a bílé jako ruce dívek, a když voda protekla mřížkou a sluha uviděl drobné, jemné prsty, řekl si: "Dívka musí být opravdu krásná, když má takové ruce. And he made haste back, and told the king. Spěšně se vrátil a oznámil to králi.

'Go back at once,' said his majesty, 'and try to get a sight of her.' "Okamžitě se vraťte," řekl Jeho Veličenstvo, "a pokuste se ji spatřit. The faithful servant departed on his errand without losing any time, and again he knocked at the door of the little house and begged for some water. Věrný sluha se vydal na cestu, aniž by ztrácel čas, a znovu zaklepal na dveře malého domku a poprosil o trochu vody. As before, the old woman did not open the door, but passed the water through the lattice. Stařena stejně jako předtím neotevřela dveře, ale podala vodu skrz mříž.

'Do you live here alone?' "Bydlíte tu sám? asked the man. zeptal se muž.

'No,' replied she, 'my sister lives with me. "Ne," odpověděla, "moje sestra žije se mnou. We are poor girls, and have to work for our bread.' Jsme chudé dívky a musíme si vydělávat na chleba. 'How old are you?' "Kolik je ti let? 'I am fifteen, and she is twenty.' "Mně je patnáct a jí dvacet. Then the servant went back to the king, and told him all he knew. Sluha se vrátil ke králi a vyprávěl mu vše, co věděl. And his majesty answered: 'I will have the fifteen-year-old one. Jeho Veličenstvo odpovědělo: "Vezmu si toho patnáctiletého. Go and bring her here.' Jdi a přiveď ji sem. The servant returned a third time to the little house and knocked at the door. Sluha se potřetí vrátil do domku a zaklepal na dveře. In reply to his knock the lattice window was pushed open, and a voice inquired what it was he wanted. V odpověď na jeho zaklepání se mřížové okno otevřelo a nějaký hlas se zeptal, co chce.

'The king has desired me to bring back the youngest of you to become his queen,' he replied. "Král si přál, abych přivedl nejmladší z vás, aby se stala jeho královnou," odpověděl. 'Tell his majesty I am ready to do his bidding, but since my birth no ray of light has fallen upon my face. "Řekni Jeho Veličenstvu, že jsem připraven splnit jeho rozkazy, ale od mého narození na mou tvář nedopadl ani paprsek světla. If it should ever do so I shall instantly grow black. Kdyby se tak někdy stalo, okamžitě zčernám. Therefore beg, I pray you, his most gracious majesty to send this evening a shut carriage, and I will return in it to the castle. Proto prosím Jeho nejmilostivější Veličenstvo, aby mi dnes večer poslalo uzavřený kočár, ve kterém se vrátím na hrad.

When the king heard this he ordered his great golden carriage to be prepared, and in it to be placed some magnificent robes; and the old woman wrapped herself in a thick veil, and was driven to the castle. Když to král uslyšel, přikázal připravit svůj velký zlatý kočár, do kterého uložil nádherná roucha, a stařena se zahalila do hustého závoje a nechala se odvézt na hrad.

The king was eagerly awaiting her, and when she arrived he begged her politely to raise her veil and let him see her face. Král ji netrpělivě očekával, a když dorazila, zdvořile ji požádal, aby si odhrnula závoj a umožnila mu spatřit její tvář.

But she answered: 'Here the tapers are too bright and the light too strong. Ale ona odpověděla: "Tady jsou lampy příliš jasné a světlo příliš silné. Would you have me turn black under your very eyes?' Chceš, abych ti zčernal před očima? And the king believed her words, and the marriage took place without the veil being once lifted. Král jejím slovům uvěřil a svatba se konala, aniž by se závoj jednou zvedl. Afterwards, when they were alone, he raised the corner, and knew for the first time that he had wedded a wrinkled old woman. Když potom osaměli, zvedl koutek a poprvé poznal, že si vzal starou vrásčitou ženu. And, in a furious burst of anger, he dashed open the window and flung her out. V návalu vzteku prudce otevřel okno a vyhodil ji ven. But, luckily for her, her clothes caught on a nail in the wall, and kept her hanging between heaven and earth. Naštěstí pro ni se však její šaty zachytily o hřebík ve zdi a udržely ji viset mezi nebem a zemí.

While she was thus suspended, expecting every moment to be dashed to the ground, four fairies happened to pass by. Zatímco byla takto zavěšená a očekávala, že ji každou chvíli srazí na zem, prošly kolem čtyři víly.

'Look, sisters,' cried one, 'surely that is the old woman that the king sent for. "Podívejte, sestry," zvolala jedna, "to je jistě ta stařena, pro kterou poslal král. Shall we wish that her clothes may give way, and that she should be dashed to the ground?' Máme si přát, aby se její šaty rozpadly a ona byla sražena k zemi? 'Oh no! no!' exclaimed another. vykřikl další. 'Let us wish her something good. "Popřejme jí něco dobrého. I myself will wish her youth.' Sám jí budu přát mládí. 'And I beauty.' 'And I wisdom.' "A já moudrost. 'And I a tender heart.' "A já citlivé srdce. So spake the fairies, and went their way, leaving the most beautiful maiden in the world behind them. Tak promluvily víly a odešly, zanechávajíce za sebou nejkrásnější dívku na světě.

The next morning when the king looked from his window he saw this lovely creature hanging on the nail. Druhý den ráno, když se král podíval z okna, uviděl toto krásné stvoření viset na hřebíku. 'Ah! what have I done? co jsem udělal? Surely I must have been blind last night!' Včera večer jsem musel být slepý! And he ordered long ladders to be brought and the maiden to be rescued. Přikázal přinést dlouhé žebříky a dívku zachránit. Then he fell on his knees before her, and prayed her to forgive him, and a great feast was made in her honour. Pak před ní padl na kolena a prosil ji, aby mu odpustila, a na její počest se konala velká hostina.

Some days after came the ninety-year-old sister to the palace and asked for the queen. Za několik dní přišla do paláce devadesátiletá sestra a požádala o královnu.

'Who is that hideous old witch?' "Kdo je ta odporná stará čarodějnice? said the king. řekl král.

'Oh, an old neighbour of mine, who is half silly,' she replied. "Ach, jeden můj starý soused, který je napůl hloupý," odpověděla. But the old woman looked at her steadily, and knew her again, and said: 'How have you managed to grow so young and beautiful? Ale stařena se na ni pevně zadívala, znovu ji poznala a řekla: "Jak se ti podařilo tak omládnout a zkrásnět? I should like to be young and beautiful too.' Také bych chtěla být mladá a krásná. This question she repeated the whole day long, till at length the queen lost patience and said: 'I had my old head cut off, and this new head grew in its place.' Tuto otázku opakovala celý den, až nakonec královna ztratila trpělivost a řekla: "Nechala jsem si uříznout starou hlavu a na jejím místě vyrostla tato nová. Then the old woman went to a barber, and spoke to him, saying, 'I will give you all you ask if you will only cut off my head, so that I may become young and lovely.' Stařena šla k holiči a promluvila k němu: "Dám ti všechno, co žádáš, jen když mi uřízneš hlavu, abych byla mladá a krásná. 'But, my good woman, if I do that you will die!' "Ale, má dobrá ženo, když to udělám, zemřeš! But the old woman would listen to nothing; and at last the barber took out his knife and struck the first blow at her neck. Stařena však nic neposlouchala, a tak holič nakonec vytáhl nůž a zasadil jí první ránu do krku.

'Ah!' she shrieked as she felt the pain. vykřikla, když ucítila bolest.

'Il faut souffrir pour etre belle,' said the barber, who had been in France. "Il faut souffrir pour etre belle," řekl holič, který byl ve Francii. And at the second blow her head rolled off, and the old woman was dead for good and all. Při druhém úderu se jí zakutálela hlava a stařena byla nadobro mrtvá.