童话：青蛙王子（一）

英文
　　In olden times when wishing still helped one, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, which has seen so much, was astonished whenever it shone in her face. Close by the king’s castle lay a GREat dark forest, and under an old lime-tree in the forest was a well, and when the day was very warm, the king’s child went out into the forest and sat down by the side of the cool fountain, and when she was bored she took a golden ball, and threw it up on high and caught it, and this ball was her favorite play thing.

　　Now it so happened that on one occasion the princess’s golden ball did not fall into the little hand which she was holding up for it, but on to the ground beyond, and rolled straight into the water. The king’s daughter followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and the well was deep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen. At this she began to cry, and cried louder and louder, and could not be comforted. And as she thus lamented someone said to her, "What ails you, king’s daughter? You weep so that even a stone would show pity."

　　She looked round to the side from whence the voice came, and saw a frog stretching forth its big, ugly head from the water. "Ah, old water-splashier, is it you," she said, "I am weeping for my golden ball, which has fallen into the well." "Be quiet, and do not weep," answered the frog, "I can help you, but what will you give me if I bring your play thing up again?" "Whatever you will have, dear frog," said she, "My clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown which I am wearing." The frog answered, "I do not care for your clothes, your pearls and jewels, nor for your golden crown, but if you will love me and let me be your companion and play-fellow, and sit by you at your little table, and eat off your little golden plate, and drink out of your little cup, and sleep in your little bed - if you will promise me this I will go down below, and bring you your golden ball up again."

　　"Oh yes," said she, "I promise you all you wish, if you will but bring me my ball back again." But she thought, "How the silly frog does talk. All he does is to sit in the water with the other frogs, and croak. He can be no companion to any human being."

　　But the frog when he had received this promise, put his head into the water and sank down; and in a short while came swimming up again with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king’s daughter was delighted to see her pretty play thing once more, and picked it up, and ran away with it. "Wait, wait," said the frog. "Take me with you. I can’t run as you can." But what did it avail him to scream his croak, croak, after her, as loudly as he could. She did not listen to it, but ran home and soon forgot the poor frog, who was forced to go back into his well again.

中文

　　在遥远的古代，人们心中的美好愿望往往能够变成现实。就在那个令人神往的时代，曾经有过一位国王。国王有好几个女儿，个个都长得非常美丽；尤其是他的小女儿，更是美如天仙，就连见多识广的太阳，每次照在她脸上时，都对她的美丽感到惊诧不已。

　　国王的宫殿附近，有一片幽暗的大森林。在这片森林中的一棵老椴树下，有一个水潭，水潭很深。在天热的时候，小公主常常来到这片森林，坐在清凉的水潭边上。她坐在那里感到无聊的时候，就取出一只金球，把金球抛向空中，然后再用手接住。这成了她最喜爱的游戏。　

有一次，小公主伸手去接金球，金球却没有落进她的手里，而是掉到了地上，而且一下子就滚到了水潭里。小公主两眼紧紧地盯着金球，可是金球忽地一下子在水潭里就没影儿了。因为水潭里的水很深，看不见底，小公主就哭了起来，她的哭声越来越大，哭得伤心极了。

　　哭着哭着，听见有人说：“哎呀，公主，您这是怎么啦？您哭得这样伤心，就连石头听了都会心疼的呀。”听了这话，小公主四处张望，想弄清楚话是从哪儿传来的，却发现一只青蛙，从水里伸出他那丑陋不堪的大脑袋。“啊！原来是你呀，游泳健将”小公主对青蛙说道，“我在这儿哭，是因为我的金球掉进水潭里去了。”“好啦，不要难过，别哭了，”青蛙回答说，“我有办法帮助您，要是我帮您把金球捞出来，您拿什么东西来回报我呢？”“亲爱的青蛙，你要什么东西都成，”小公主回答说，“我的衣服、我的珍珠和宝石、甚至我头上戴着的这顶金冠，都可以给你。”

　　听了这话，青蛙对小公主说：“您的衣服、您的珍珠、您的宝石，还有您的金冠，我哪样都不想要。不过，要是您喜欢我，让我做您的好朋友，我们一起游戏，吃饭的时候让我和您同坐一张餐桌，用您的小金碟子吃东西，用您的小高脚杯饮酒，晚上还让我睡在您的小床上；要是您答应的话，我就潜到水潭里，把您的金球捞出来。”“好的，太好了，”小公主说，“只要你愿意把我的金球捞出来，你的一切要求我都答应。”小公主虽然嘴上这么说，心里却想：“这只青蛙可真够傻的，尽胡说八道！他只配蹲在水潭里，和其他青蛙一起呱呱叫，怎么可能做人的好朋友呢？”