Hello,
It's Mandy here.
Thanks for joining me for this reading of one of the Grimm Brothers folk tales,
And you've probably heard some version of it somewhere before.
So go ahead,
Make yourself really comfortable,
And I'll begin.
One fine evening,
A young princess put on her bonnet and clogs,
And went out to take a walk by herself in a wood.
And when she came to a cool spring of water that rose in the midst of it,
She sat herself down to rest a while.
Now she had a golden ball in her hand,
Which was her favourite plaything,
And she was always tossing it up into the air,
And catching it again as it fell.
After a time,
She threw it up so high that she missed catching it as it fell,
And the ball bounded away and rolled along upon the ground,
Till at last it fell down into the spring.
The princess looked into the spring after her ball,
But it was very deep,
So deep that she could not see the bottom of it.
So she began to bewail her and said,
Alas,
If I could only get my ball back,
I would give all my fine clothes and jewels,
And everything that I have in the world.
While she was speaking,
A frog put its head out of the water and said,
Princess,
Why do you weep so bitterly?
Alas,
Said she,
What can you do for me,
You nasty frog?
My golden ball has fallen into the spring.
The frog said,
I want not your pearls and jewels and fine clothes,
But if you will love me,
And let me live with you,
And eat from off your golden plate,
And sleep upon your bed,
I will bring you your ball again.
What nonsense,
Thought the princess,
This silly frog is talking.
He can never even get out of the spring to visit me,
Though he may be able to get my ball for me,
Therefore I will tell him he shall have what he asks.
So she said to the frog,
Well,
If you will bring me my ball,
I will do all you ask.
Then the frog put his head down and dived deep under the water,
And after a little while he came up again with the ball in his mouth,
And threw it on the edge of the spring.
As soon as the young princess saw the ball,
She ran to pick it up,
And she was so overjoyed to have it in her hand again,
That she never thought of the frog,
But ran home with it as fast as she could.
The frog called after her,
Said princess,
Take me with you as you said,
But she didn't stop to hear a word.
The next day she heard a strange noise,
Tap,
Tap,
Splash,
Splash,
As if something was coming up the marble staircase,
And soon afterwards there was a gentle knock at the door,
And a little voice cried out and said,
Open the door my princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here,
And mind the words that thou and I said by the fountain cool in the greenwood shade.
Then the princess ran to the door and opened it,
And there she saw the frog,
Whom she'd quite forgotten.
At this sight she was sadly frightened,
And shutting the door as fast as she could,
Came back to her seat.
The king,
Her father,
Seeing that something had frightened her,
Asked her what was the matter.
There's a nasty frog,
Said she,
At the door,
That lifted my ball for me out of the spring this morning.
I told him he should live with me here,
Thinking he could never get out of the spring,
But there he is at the door,
And he wants to come in.
While she was speaking,
The frog knocked again at the door,
And said,
Open the door my princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here,
And mind the words that thou and I said by the fountain cool in the greenwood shade.
As you have given your word,
You must keep it,
So go and let him in.
She did so,
And the frog hopped into the room,
And then straight on,
Tap tap,
Splash splash,
From the bottom of the room to the top,
Till he came up close to the table where the princess sat.
Pray lift me upon a chair,
Said he to the princess,
And let me sit next to you.
As soon as she had done this,
The frog said,
Put your plate nearer to me that I may eat out of it.
This she did,
And when he had eaten as much as he could,
He said,
Now I am tired,
Carry me upstairs,
And put me into your bed.
And the princess,
Though very unwilling,
Took him up in her hand,
And put him upon the pillow of her own bed,
Where he slept all night long.
As soon as it was light,
He jumped up,
Hopped down the stairs,
And went out of the house.
Now then,
Thought the princess,
At last he is gone,
And I shall be troubled with him no more.
But she was mistaken,
For when night came again,
She heard the same tapping at the door,
And the frog came once more,
And said,
Open the door,
My princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here,
And mind the words that thou and I said,
By the fountain cool,
In the green wood shade.
And when the princess opened the door,
The frog came in,
And slept upon her pillow as before,
Till the morning broke,
And the third night he did the same.
But when the princess awoke on the following morning,
She was astonished to see,
Instead of the frog,
A handsome prince,
Gazing on her with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen,
And standing at the head of her bed.
He told her he had been enchanted by a spiteful fairy,
Who had changed him into a frog,
And that he had been fated to so abide,
Till some princess should take him out of the spring,
And let him eat from her plate,
And sleep upon her bed for three nights.
You,
Said the prince,
Have broken this cruel charm,
And now I have nothing to wish for,
But that you should go with me into my father's kingdom,
Where I will marry you,
And love you as long as you live.
The young princess,
You may be sure,
Was not long in saying yes to all that,
And as they spoke,
A gay coach drove up,
With eight beautiful horses,
Decked with plumes of feathers and golden harness,
And behind the coach rode the prince's servant,
Who had bewailed the misfortunes of his dear master,
During his enchantment,
So long and so bitterly,
That his heart had well nigh burst.
They took leave of the king,
And got into the coach with eight horses,
And all set out for the prince's kingdom,
Which they reached safely,
And there they lived happily for a great many years.
