Text 1

Fool's Paradise

by Isaac Bashevis Singer

    What is paradise like? Would people live happily in paradise? Atzel dreams to live in paradise and becomes ill. To the grief of his parents, he is willing to die. Why does Atzel want to go to paradise so much? Will his illness be cured? Please read the following cautionary tale magically told by the 1978 Nobel Prize winner in literature.

    Somewhere, sometime, there lived a rich man whose name was Kadish. He had an only son who was called Atzel. On the household of Kadish there lived a distant relative, an orphan girl, called Aksah. Atzel was a tall boy with black hair and black eyes. Aksah had blue eyes and golden hair. Both were about the same age. As children, they ate together, studied together, played together. It was taken for granted that when they grew up they would marry.

    But when they had grown up, Atzel suddenly became ill. It was a sickness no one had ever heard of before: Atzel imagined that he was dead.

    How did such an idea come to him? It seems he had had an old nurse who constantly told stories about paradise. She had told him that in paradise it was not necessary to work or to study. In paradise one ate the meat of wild oxen and the flesh of whales; one drank the wine that the Lord reserved for the just; one slept late into the day; and one had no duties.

    Atzel was lazy by nature. He hated to get up early and to study. He knew that one day he would have to take over his father's business and he did not want to.

    Since the only way to get to paradise was to die, he had made up his mind to do just that as quickly as possible. He thought about it so much that soon he began to imagine that he was dead.

    Of course his parents became terribly worried. Aksah cried in secret. The family did everything possible to try to convince Atzel that he was alive, but he refused to believe them. He would say, "Why don't you bury me? You see that I am dead. Because of you I cannot get to paradise."

    Many doctors were called in to examine Atzel, and all tried to convince the boy that he was alive. They pointed out that he was talking and eating. But before long Atzel began to eat less, and he rarely spoke. His family feared that he would die.

    In despair, Kadish went to consult a great specialist, celebrated for his knowledge and wisdom. His name was Dr. Yoetz. After listening to a description of Atzel's illness, he said to Kadish, "I promise to cure your son in eight days, on one condition. You must do whatever I tell you to, no matter how strange it may seem." Kadish agreed, and Dr. Yoetz said he would visit Atzel that same day. Kadish went home and told his wife, Aksah and the servants that all were to follow the doctor's orders without question.

    When Dr. Yoetz arrived, he was taken to Atzel's room. The boy lay on his bed, pale and thin from fasting.

    The doctor took one look at Atzel and called out, "Why do you keep a dead body in the house? Why don't you make a funeral?"

    On hearing these words the parents became terribly frightened, but Atzel's face lit up with a smile and he said, "You see, I was right."

    Although Kadish and his wife were bewildered by the doctor's words, they remembered Kadish's promise, and went immediately to make arrangements for the funeral.

    The doctor requested that a room be prepared to look like paradise. The walls were hung with white satin. The windows were shuttered, and draperies tightly drawn. Candles burned day and night. The servants were dressed in white with wings on their backs and were to play angels.

    Atzel was placed in an open coffin, and a funeral ceremony was held. Atzel was so exhausted with happiness that he slept right through it. When he awoke, he found himself in a room he didn't recognize. "Where am I?" he asked.

    "In paradise, my lord," a winged servant replied. 

    "I'm terribly hungry," Atzel said. "I'd like some whale flesh and sacred wine."

    The chief servant clapped his hands and in came men servants and maids, all with wings on their backs, bearing golden trays laden with meat, fish, pomegranates and persimmons, pineapples and peaches. A tall servant with a long white beard carried a golden goblet full of wine. Atzel ate ravenously. When he had finished, he declared he wanted to rest. Two angels undressed and bathed him, and carried him to a bed with silken sheets and a purple velvet canopy. Atzel immediately fell into a deep and happy sleep.

    When he awoke, it was morning but it could just as well have been night. The shutters were closed, and the candles were burning. As soon as the servants saw that Atzel was awake, they brought in exactly the same meal as the day before.

    Atzel asked, "Don't you have any milk, coffee, fresh rolls and butter?"

    "No, my lord. In paradise one always eats the same food," the servant replied.

    "Is it already day, or is it still night?" Atzel asked.

    "In paradise there is neither day nor night."

    Atzel again ate the fish, meat, fruit, and drank the wine, but his appetite was not as good as it had been. When he had finished, he asked, "What time is it?"

    "In paradise time does not exist," the servant answered.

    "What shall I do now?" Atzel questioned.

    "In paradise, my lord, one doesn't do anything."

    "Where are the other saints?" Atzel inquired.

    "In paradise each family has a place of its own."

    "Can't one go visiting?"

    "In paradise the dwellings are too far from each other for visiting. It would take thousands of years to go from one to the other."

    "When will my family come?" Atzel asked.

    "Your father still has 20 years to live, your mother 30. And as long as they live they can't come here."

    "What about Aksah?"

    "She has 50 years to live."

    "Do I have to be alone all that time?"

    "Yes, my lord."

    For a while Atzel shook his head, pondering. Then he asked, "What is Aksah going to do?"

    "Right now, she's mourning for you. But sooner or later she will forget you, meet another young man, and marry. That's how it is with the living."

    Atzel got up and began to walk to and fro. For the first time in years he had a desire to do something, but there was nothing to do in his paradise. He missed his father, he longed for his mother, he yearned for Aksah. He wished he had something to study; he dreamed of traveling; he wanted to ride his horse, to talk to friends.

    The time came when he could no longer hide his sadness. He remarked to one of the servants, "I see now that it is not as bad to live as I had thought."

    "To live, my lord, is difficult. One has to study, work, do business. Here everything is easy."

    "I would rather chop wood and carry stones than sit here. And how long will this last?"

    "Forever."

    "Stay here forever?" Atzel began to tear his hair in grief. "I'd rather kill myself."
    "A dead man cannot kill himself."

    On the eighth day, when Atzel had reached the deepest despair, one of the servants, as had been arranged, came to him and said, "My lord, there has been a mistake. You are not dead. You must leave paradise."

    "I'm alive?"

    "Yes, you are alive, and I will bring you back to earth."

    Atzel was beside himself with joy. The servant blindfolded him, and after leading him back and forth through the long corridors of the house, brought him to the room where his family was waiting and uncovered his eyes.

    It was a bright day, and the sun shone through the open windows. In the garden outside, the birds were singing and the bees buzzing. Joyfully, he embraced and kissed his parents and Aksah.

    And to Aksah he said, "Do you still love me?"

    "Yes, I do, Atzel. I could not forget you."

    "If that is so, it is time we got married."

    It was not long before the wedding took place. Dr. Yoetz was the guest of honor. Musicians played; guests came from faraway cities. All brought fine gifts for the bride and groom. The celebration lasted seven days and seven nights.

    Atzel and Aksah were extremely happy, and both lived to an old age. Atzel stopped being lazy and became the most diligent merchant in the whole place.

    It was not until after the wedding that Atzel learned how Dr. Yoetz had cured him, and that he had lived in a fool's paradise. In the years to come, he and Aksah often told the tale of Dr. Yoetz's wonderful cure to their children and grandchildren, always finishing with the words, "But, of course, what paradise is really like, no one can tell.

(1,470 words)              TOP

课文一

愚人的天堂

伊萨克·巴什维斯·辛格

    天堂是什么样的？人们在天堂里生活得快乐吗？阿采尔一直梦想去天堂生活,并且因此病倒了。他愿意死去，这使他的父母感到悲痛。为什么阿采尔如此向往去天堂呢？他的病会被治好吗？1978年诺贝尔文学奖得主以梦幻色彩叙述了以下这则警示性故事，请读读看。

    很久以前，有这么一个地方，住着一个名叫卡迪什的富人。他有一个独生子叫阿采尔。卡迪什家里住着一个远亲，是个孤儿，叫阿克萨。阿采尔个子很高，有一头乌黑的头发和一对乌黑的眼珠。阿克萨则有一对蓝眼睛和一头金发。他们年龄一样大。还是孩子时 ，他们就一同吃饭，一同学习，一同玩耍。人们理所当然地认为，他们长大成人之后就会结婚。

    但是，当他们长大后，阿采尔突然病了。这是一种人们从未听说过的病：阿采尔以为自己死了。

    他怎么会有这种想法呢？似乎他曾经有过一个年老的保姆，她经常给他讲一些关于天堂的故事。她告诉他 ，在天堂里人们不需要工作或学习。在天堂里，人们吃野牛和鲸鱼的肉，喝上帝专门为正直的人准备的酒，白天睡到很晚才起床，也没有什么义务要承担。

    阿采尔生性懒惰。他讨厌早起，不喜欢学习。他知道，总有一天他要接管父亲的生意，但是他不想那样。

    既然升天的唯一方法是去死 ，他便打定主意要尽快死去。他整天考虑这个问题，因此，不久以后他便开始幻想自己已经死了。

    他的父母当然是非常地担心了。阿克萨偷偷地哭。全家人想尽所有的办法来使阿采尔相信他没有死，但是他不愿相信他们。他会说：“你们为什么不把我埋了？你们都看到了 ，我已经死了。就是因为你们，我不能上天堂。”

    许多医生被请来给阿采尔检查身体 ，他们都试图使这个孩子相信他还活着。他们对他说，他仍在说话和吃饭呀。但他不久就吃得少起来，也不怎么说话了。他的家人都害怕他真的会死掉。

    绝望之下，卡迪什去向一位有名的专家请教。他叫犹兹大夫，以他的知识和智慧而闻名。听了对阿采尔病情的一番描述后，他对卡迪什说：“我保证在八天内治好你的儿子，但有一个条件。你必须按照我要求的去做 ，无论我的要求听起来有多么奇怪。”卡迪什答应了，犹兹大夫说他当天就会去探望阿采尔。卡迪什回家后告诉妻子、阿克萨和仆人们，一切都要无可置疑地按照大夫的吩咐来做。

    犹兹大夫来了以后被领到阿采尔的房间。这个孩子躺在床上，由于禁食而脸色苍白，身体消瘦。

    大夫看了阿采尔一眼就叫道：“你们为什么把一具死尸放在家里呢？你们为什么不举行一个葬礼呢?”

    听到这些话，父母俩真是恐惧极了。阿采尔的脸上却闪动着一丝微笑，他说：“你们看，我说对了。”

    尽管卡迪什和妻子对大夫的话感到困惑，但想到自己的承诺，他们立即就去准备葬礼了。

    大夫要求他们准备一间看上去象天堂一样的房间。墙上要悬挂着白色的缎子。窗子要紧闭，窗帘也要紧紧地拉上。蜡烛要整日整夜地燃烧着。仆人们要穿白色衣服，还要在背上插上翅膀扮演天使。

    阿采尔被放进了一个口敞着的棺材里，然后就举行了葬礼。阿采尔快乐得精疲力尽，整个葬礼过程中都沉睡着。醒来时，他发现自己在一个陌生的房间里。“我这是在哪儿？” 他问。　

    “在天堂，阁下，” 背着翅膀的仆人回答道。

    “我非常饿，” 阿采尔说：“我想吃点儿鲸鱼肉，喝点儿圣酒。”

    那个领头的仆人拍了拍手，男女仆人应声而入。他们的背上都带着翅膀，手端镀金盘子，里面装满肉、鱼、石榴、柿子、菠萝和桃子。另有一个蓄着花白长胡子的高个仆人，端着一只盛满了酒的金杯。阿采尔狼吞虎咽地吃着。吃完后，他说他要休息。两个天使替他宽衣洗澡，并扶他到一张铺着丝绸被单和紫色天鹅绒床罩的床上。阿采尔很快就进入了梦乡，睡得又甜又香。

    当他醒来，已是第二天早晨了，但和夜晚也没什么两样。窗关着，蜡烛也燃着。仆人们一见阿采尔醒来就拿来了和前一天同样的饭菜。



    阿采尔问道：“难道你们没有牛奶、咖啡、新鲜卷饼和黄油吗？”

    “没有，阁下。在天堂里，人们总是吃同样的食物。”仆人回答说。

    “现在是白天还是晚上？”阿采尔问道。
    “天堂里不分白昼和黑夜。”

    阿采尔又吃了鱼、肉、水果，喝了酒，但他的胃口已不如先前那么好了。吃完后他又问：“现在几点了？”

    “天堂里没有时间概念，”仆人回答道。
    “那我现在该干什么？”阿采尔问。
    “阁下，人们在天堂里无需做任何事情。”

    “其他的人都在哪儿呢？”阿采尔问道。
    “在天堂，每家人都有自己的住所。”
    “难道不能去拜访吗？”
    “天堂里住所都相隔很远，不便拜访。从一家到另一家要花上好几千年的时间。”

    “我的家人什么时候来？”阿采尔问。
    “你父亲还可以活20年，你母亲还有30年。只要他们活着，他们就不可能到这里来。”

    “那么阿克萨呢？”
    “她还可以活50年。”

    “在这一段时间里我都得一个人过了？”
    “是的，阁下。”

    阿采尔摇了一会儿头，沉思着。然后他问：“阿克萨打算做什么？”
    “现在，她正在悼念你，但她迟早会把你忘记，遇上另一个青年，然后和他结婚。活着的人就是那样的。”

    阿采尔站起来，在房间里来回走着。他平生第一次渴望做些什么，但是在天堂里无事可做。他想念父亲，思念母亲，怀念阿克萨。他希望学些什么，他梦想旅行，他想骑马，想和朋友聊天。

    又过了一段时间，他实在无法再隐藏悲伤了。他对一个仆人说：“我现在明白了，活着并不象我想的那么糟糕。”

   “阁下，活着是辛苦的。你要学习，工作，做生意。在这儿一切都很简单。”

    “我宁可伐木和搬运石头，也不愿坐在这里。象这样的生活还要持续多久？”

    “永远。”

    “在这儿永远呆下去？”阿采尔悲痛地扯着他的头发。“我宁愿杀了我自己。”　

    “一个死人不能自杀。”

    到了第八天，阿采尔已陷入了极度的绝望。这时，依照安排，一个仆人来到他面前说：“阁下，这是个误会。你并没有死。你必须离开天堂。”

    “我还活着？”

    “是的，你还活着。我将把你带回人间。”

    阿采尔简直欣喜若狂。仆人蒙住他的眼睛，领着他在长长的走廊里绕来绕去，然后把他带到一个房间里，他的家人正在这里等着他。仆人摘掉了他的眼罩。

    那是个明亮的日子，阳光从敞开的窗户直射进来。户外的花园里，鸟儿正唱着歌，蜜蜂正嗡嗡地叫。阿采尔快乐地拥抱并亲吻了他的父母和阿克萨。

    他问阿克萨：“你还爱我吗？”

    “是的，我爱你，阿采尔。我没办法忘记你。”

    “那么该是我们结婚的时候了。”

    不久以后就举行了婚礼。犹兹大夫是贵宾。音乐家在婚宴上献技，宾客从各个城市远道而来。他们都为新娘和新郎带来了精美的礼物。婚礼持续了七天七夜。

    阿采尔和阿克萨一起度过了美满、长寿的一生。阿采尔不再懒惰，成为当地最勤快的商人。

    直到婚礼之后，阿采尔才知道犹兹大夫是怎样治好他的。他知道，自己曾经生活在愚人的天堂。在以后的岁月里，他和阿克萨经常把犹兹大夫的高明手段讲给子孙听。故事总是以这样的话结束：“不过，天堂究竟是什么样的，当然谁也不知道。”

（蒋蕾 译）          返回

Text 2

Sleeping Ugly

    Princess Miserella was a beautiful princess if you counted her eyes and nose and mouth and all the way down to her toes. But inside, where it was hard to see, she was the meanest, wickedest, and most worthless princess around. She liked stepping on dogs. She kicked kittens. She threw pies in the cook's face. And she never─not even once─said thank you or please. And besides, she told lies.

    In that very same kingdom, in the middle of the woods, lived a poor orphan named Plain Jane. She certainly was. Her hair was short and turned down. Her nose was long and turned up. And even if they had been the other way round, she would not have been a great beauty. But she loved animals, and she was always kind to strange old ladies.

    One day Princess Miserella rode out of the palace in a huff. (A huff is not a kind of carriage. It is a kind of temper tantrum. Her usual kind.) She rode and rode and rode, looking beautiful as always, even with her hair in tangles.

    She rode right into the middle of the woods and was soon lost. She got off her horse and slapped it sharply for losing the way. The horse said nothing, but ran right back home. It had known the way back all the time, but it was not about to tell Miserella. So there was the princess, lost in a dark wood. It made her look even prettier.

    Suddenly, Princess Miserella tripped over a little old lady asleep under a tree. Now little old ladies who sleep under trees deep in a dark wood are almost always fairies in disguise. Miserella guessed who the little old lady was, but she did not care. She kicked the old lady on the bottoms of her feet. "Get up and take me home," said the princess.

    So the old lady got to her feet very slowly─for the bottoms now hurt. She took Miserella by the hand. (She used only her thumb and second finger to hold Miserella's hand. Fairies know quite a bit about that kind of princess.)

    They walked and walked even deeper into the wood. There they found a little house. It was Plain Jane's house. It was dreary. The floors sank. The walls stank. The roof leaked even on sunny days.

    But Jane made the best of it. She planted roses around the door. And little animals and birds made their home with her. (That may be why the floors sank and the walls stank, but no one complained.)

    "This is not my home," said Miserella with a sniff.

    "Nor mine," said the fairy.

    They walked in without knocking, and there was Jane. "It is mine," she said.

    The princess looked at Jane, down and up, up and down. "Take me home," said Miserella, "and as a reward I will make you my maid."

    Plain Jane smiled a thin little smile. It did not improve her looks or the princess's mood. "Some reward," said the fairy to herself. Out loud she said, "If you could take both of us home, I could probably squeeze out a wish or two."

    "Make it three," said Miserella to the fairy, "and I'll get us home."

    Plain Jane smiled again. The birds began to sing. "My home is your home," said Jane.

    "I like your manners," said the fairy. "And for that good thought, I'll give three wishes to you."

    Princess Miserella was not pleased. She stamped her foot. "Do that again," said the fairy, taking a pine wand from her pocket," and I'll turn your foot to stone." Just to be mean, Miserella stamped her foot again. It turned to stone.

  Plain Jane sighed. "My first wish is that you change her foot back."

    The fairy made a face. "I like your manners, but not your taste," she said to Jane. "Still, a wish is a wish." The fairy moved the wand. The princess shook her foot. It was no longer made of stone.

    "Guess my foot fell asleep for a moment," said Miserella. She really liked to lie.     

    "Besides," the princess said, "that was a stupid way to waste a wish."

    The fairy was angry. "Do not call someone stupid unless you have been properly introduced," she said, "or are a member of the family."

    "Stupid, stupid, stupid," said Miserella. She hated to be told what to do.

    "Say stupid again," warned the fairy, holding up her wand, "and I will make toads come out of your mouth."

    "Stupid!" shouted Miserella. As she said it, a great big toad dropped out of her mouth.

    "Cute," said Jane, picking up the toad, "and I do like toads, but..."

    "But?" asked the fairy.

    Miserella did not open her mouth. Toads were among her least favorite animals.

    "But," said Plain Jane, "my second wish is that you get rid of the mouth toads."

    "She's lucky it wasn't mouth elephants," mumbled the fairy. She waved the pine wand. Miserella opened her mouth slowly. Nothing came out but her tongue. She pointed it at the fairy.

    Princess Miserella looked miserable. That made her look beautiful, too. "I definitely have had enough," she said. "I want to go home." She grabbed Plain Jane's arm.

    "Gently, gently," said the old fairy, shaking her head. "If you are not gentle with magic, none of us will go anywhere."

    "You can go where you want," said Miserella, "but here is only one place I want to go."

    "To sleep!" said the fairy, who was now much too mad to remember to be gentle. She waved her wand so hard she hit the wall of Jane's house.

    The wall broke. The wand broke. The spell broke. And before Jane could make her third wish, all three of them were asleep.

    It was one of those famous hundred-year-naps that need a prince and a kiss to end them. So they slept and slept in the cottage in the wood. They slept through three and a half wars, one plague, six new kings, the invention of the sewing machine, and the discovery of a new continent. The cottage was deep in the woods so very few princes passed by. And none of the ones who did even tried the door.

    At the end of one hundred years a prince named Jojo (who was the youngest son of a youngest son and so had no gold or jewels or property to speak of) came into the woods. It began to rain, so he stepped into the cottage over the broken wall.

    He saw three women asleep with spider webs holding them to the floor. One of them was a beautiful princess.

    Being the kind of young man who read fairy tales, Jojo knew just what to do. But because he was the youngest son of a youngest son, with no gold or jewels or property to speak of, he had never kissed anyone before, except his mother, which didn't count, and his father, who had a beard.

    Jojo thought he should practice before he tried kissing the princess. (He also wondered if she would like marrying a prince with no property or gold or jewels to speak of. Jojo knew with princesses that sort of thing really matters.) So he puckered up his lips and kissed the old fairy on the nose. It was quite pleasant. She smelled slightly of cinnamon.

    He moved on to Jane. He puckered up his lips and kissed her on the mouth. It was delightful. She smelled of wild flowers. He moved on to the beautiful princess. Just then the fairy and Plain Jane woke up. Prince Jojo's kisses had worked. The fairy picked up the pieces of her wand.

    Jane looked at the prince and remembered the kiss as if it were a dream. "I wish he loved me," she said softly to herself.

    "Good wish!" said the fairy to herself. She waved the two pieces of wand gently. The prince looked at Miserella, who was having a bad dream and enjoying it. Even frowning she was beautiful. But Jojo knew that kind of princess. He had three cousins just like her. Pretty on the outside. Ugly within.

    He remembered the smell of wild flowers and turned back to Jane. "I love you," he said. "What's your name?"

    So they lived happily ever after in Jane's cottage. The prince fixed the roof and the wall and built a house next door for the old fairy.

    They used the sleeping princess as a conversation piece when friends came to visit. Or sometimes they stood her up (still fast asleep) in the hallway and let her hold coats and hats. But they never let anyone kiss her awake, not even their children, who numbered three.

Moral: Let sleeping princesses lie or lying princesses sleep, whichever seems wisest.

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课文二

睡丑人

    如果你看的只是她的眼睛、鼻子、嘴巴，一直看到脚，米萨雷拉都堪称一位美丽的公主。但在她的内心，在那无法看到的地方，却充满了卑鄙与邪恶，可以说她是最差劲的公主。她踩小狗，踢小猫，把馅饼扔在厨师的脸上，而且从来没有说过一次“谢谢”或“请”。除此之外，她还说谎。

     同一个王国里，在树林深处，住着一个贫穷的孤儿叫普莱恩·简。她长得当然很一般：她的头发短，而且耷拉着，长长的鼻子向上翻。不过，就算一切都与目前的状况相反，她也绝不是一个大美人。但是，她喜爱动物，对陌生的老妇人总是非常友善。

    一天，米萨雷拉公主乘着怒气出了皇宫（怒气可不是一种马车的名字。它是一种发脾气，是公主惯有的那种）。她驾着马车跑啊跑 ，虽然头发乱蓬蓬的，她看上去还是一样的美丽。

     她来到树林中，很快便迷了路。她跳下马，狠狠地鞭打它，怪它跑错了路。马什么也不说，径直跑了回去。其实它一直都知道回家的路，只是不告诉米萨雷拉罢了。现在漆黑的树林里只剩下公主孤零零地一个人。她看上更漂亮了。

    突然，米萨雷拉公主被睡在树下的一位年老的矮个妇人绊了一下。在漆黑的树林深处，睡在树底下的年老妇人都是仙女装扮的。米萨雷拉猜到了她是谁，但贵为公主的她才不在乎哩。她踢了踢老妇人的脚底，说道:“起来，送我回去。”

    老妇人半天才站起身来，因为她的脚板还很疼。她拉起公主的手(不过她只用大拇指和食指去拉她的手。对于这样的公主，仙女非常了解)。
　

    他们走啊走，走到了森林的深处。在那儿，发现了一间小屋。那就是普莱恩·简的屋子。屋子阴沉沉的，地板下沉，墙壁发臭。即使在阳光明媚的日子，屋顶也会漏水。
    简却充分地利用了小屋。她在门的周围种上了玫瑰花，小动物和小鸟也和她住在一起。(或许这就是为什么地板下沉，墙壁发臭的原因吧。不过谁也不曾抱怨过。)

    “这不是我的家。”公主轻蔑地说。
“也不是我的。”仙女说。

    她们没敲门便走了进去，看到简在屋里。简说:“这是我的家。”

    公主看着简，上上下下反复打量。她说:“带我回家。作为报酬，我会让你做我的侍女。”

    普莱恩·简淡淡地笑了笑。但这并没有使她变得好看些或让公主的心情好一些。仙女自言自语道：“给一些报酬。”她大声说道:“如果你能把我们两个人都送回家，我或许能实现你的一两个愿望。”
    公主对仙女说:“如果你答应实现三个愿望，我就能让大家回家。”　

    普莱恩·简又笑笑，鸟儿们开始唱歌。简说: “我的家就是你们的家。”

    “我喜欢你待人的态度，”仙女说，“那么我就实现你的三个愿望吧。”


    公主很不高兴。她跺着脚。仙女从口袋中掏出一根松木魔杖，指着公主说:“再跺脚，我就把你的脚变成石头。”只是为了讨人厌，公主又跺了一下脚，结果脚就变成了石头。　

    简叹了口气:“我的第一个愿望就是你把她的脚变回来。”
    仙女扮了个鬼脸:“我喜欢你待人的态度，可不喜欢你的品味。但愿望终究是愿望。”仙女挥动了魔杖。
公主晃晃了脚，脚不再是石头做的了。
　

    “我的脚好像麻了一会儿。”米萨雷拉真是喜欢撒谎。“而且，”公主又说，“以这种方式浪费一个愿望真是愚蠢。”

    仙女生气了：“不许说别人愚蠢，除非你经过适当的介绍，或者是这个家庭的成员。”

    “愚蠢，愚蠢，愚蠢，”公主讨厌别人教训她。

    仙女举起魔杖警告道:“再说一次愚蠢，我就让你的嘴里跳出蛤蟆。”

    “愚蠢!”米萨雷拉大喊道。当她这么说的时候，一只大蛤蟆从她嘴里蹦了出来。
    “好可爱呦，”简捡起了蛤蟆，“我喜欢蛤蟆，但是……”
    “但是什么?”仙女问道。公主再也不敢张开嘴巴了，因为蛤蟆是她最讨厌的动物。
    简说:“但是我的第二个愿望就是让她摆脱那些蛤蟆。”
    “没吐大象，她已经够幸运的了，”仙女咕哝道。她挥了一下魔杖。公主慢慢地张开了嘴，除了舌头，什么也没有。她朝仙女伸了伸舌头。
　

    公主看上去很不幸，但是她依然很漂亮。“我已经受够了，我要回家去。”她说完，一把拽起简的手臂。

    “轻点，轻点，”仙女边摇头边说，“如果你再不服从魔法，我们哪儿也去不成。” 　

    公主叫道:“你可以去任何地方，但我只想去一个地方。”
    “去睡觉!”仙女说。她气坏了，以至于忘了自己也要轻一点儿。她挥魔杖时太用力，结果碰到了屋子的墙壁。

    墙壁裂开了，魔杖折了，魔力也消失了。简还没来得及许第三个愿望，她们三个人就都睡着了。
　

    这也是一个沉睡百年，需要王子的亲吻才能结束的童话。所以，她们就在木屋里一直睡着。在这期间，发生了三次半战争，一次瘟疫，更换了六个国王，出现了织布机，发现了新大陆。小木屋在森林的深处，所以很少有王子经过。偶尔经过的那几个王子，没有一个敲过门。

    在将近一百年的时候，一位叫乔乔的王子(他是最小的儿子的最小的儿子，所以没有任何金银珠宝。)来到了这片树林。为了避雨，他走进了这座小木屋。

    他看到三个女人睡在地板上，浑身罩着蜘蛛网，其中还有一位漂亮的公主。

    作为读过童话故事的年轻人，乔乔当然知道该怎么做。但是，由于他是最小的儿子的最小的儿子，没有任何的金银珠宝，也就没有吻过任何人。除了他母亲（但那不能算)和他那有着一把胡须的父亲。

    乔乔觉得在吻公主之前他应该先练习一下。(他不知道公主是否会愿意嫁给他这个没有任何金银珠宝的王子。他知道公主都很在意这种事的。)他嘟起嘴巴吻了仙女的鼻子。真是一种愉快的感觉。仙女闻起来有一股淡淡的肉桂花味。　

    王子又移向了简，这回他吻了简的嘴唇。真让人欢喜啊。她闻起来象野花。接下来他转向了公主。正在这时，仙女和简都醒了过来。王子的吻起作用了。仙女捡起了她的魔杖。

    简看着王子，回想着刚才的吻，仿佛身在梦中。她轻声地自语道: “我多么希望他能爱上我啊。”
    “好愿望!”仙女说道。她轻轻地挥动着两截魔杖。王子看着米萨雷拉，她正做着恶梦，并陶醉其中。即使皱着眉头，她也很漂亮。但乔乔却很了解这种公主。他的三个表妹都和她一样:外表漂亮，内心丑陋。

    他想起了野花的味道，便转向了简:“我爱你。你叫什么名字?”
　

    后来，他们就幸福地生活在简的小木屋里。王子修好了屋顶和墙，还在木屋边造了一间房给仙女住。

    朋友来访时，他们就把沉睡的公主当作话题来聊。有时他们还把沉睡的公主立在门厅里当衣帽架。但他们从不让任何人吻醒她，甚至他们的三个孩子也不可以。

寓意: 对付说谎的公主最明智的做法就是让她永远酣睡。

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