A king and queen once upon a time reigned in a country a great way off, where there were in those days fairies. Now this king and queen had plenty of money, and plenty of fine clothes to wear, and plenty of good things to eat and drink, and a coach to ride out in every day: but though they had been married many years they had no children, and this grieved them very much indeed. But one day as the queen was walking by the side of the river, at the bottom of the garden, she saw a poor little fish, that had thrown itself out of the water, and lay gasping and nearly dead on the bank. Then the queen took pity on the little fish, and threw it back again into the river; and before it swam away it lifted its head out of the water and said, ‘I know what your wish is, and it shall be fulfilled, in return for your kindness to me--you will soon have a daughter.’ What the little fish had foretold soon came to pass; and the queen had a little girl, so very beautiful that the king could not cease looking on it for joy, and said he would hold a great feast and make merry, and show the child to all the land. So he asked his kinsmen, and nobles, and friends, and neighbours. But the queen said, ‘I will have the fairies also, that they might be kind and good to our little daughter.’ Now there were thirteen fairies in the kingdom; but as the king and queen had only twelve golden dishes for them to eat out of, they were forced to leave one of the fairies without asking her. So twelve fairies came, each with a high red cap on her head, and red shoes with high heels on her feet, and a long white wand in her hand: and after the feast was over they gathered round in a ring and gave all their best gifts to the little princess. One gave her goodness, another beauty, another riches, and so on till she had all that was good in the world.
从前，在遥远的国度里，有一位国王和一位王后，那时那里还有仙女。国王和王后拥有无尽的财富、华美的衣饰、丰盛的美食与美酒，每日还乘坐马车出游：然而他们结婚多年却无子嗣，这令他们深感悲痛。一天，王后在花园底部的河边散步时，看见一条可怜的小鱼跃出水面，躺在岸边喘息，奄奄一息。王后心生怜悯，将它重新抛回河中；小鱼游开前抬起头说：‘我知道你的心愿，我将因你的善举而满足它——你很快便会拥有一位女儿。’小鱼的预言果然应验了，王后生下一个美丽非凡的女儿，国王欣喜若狂，目不转睛地凝视着她，并决定举办盛大的宴会，向全国展示这个孩子。于是他邀请了亲戚、贵族、朋友和邻居。但王后说：‘我还要邀请仙女们，让她们对我们的女儿施以善意与祝福。’当时王国里有十三位仙女，但由于国王和王后只有十二只金盘供她们用餐，只好被迫不邀请其中一位。于是十二位仙女前来赴宴，每位头戴高红帽，脚穿高跟红鞋，手持一根长长的白魔杖；宴会结束后，她们围成一圈，纷纷赠予小公主最美好的礼物：一位赐予她善良，一位赐予她美貌，一位赐予她财富，以此类推，直到她拥有世间一切美好。
Just as eleven of them had done blessing her, a great noise was heard in the courtyard, and word was brought that the thirteenth fairy was come, with a black cap on her head, and black shoes on her feet, and a broomstick in her hand: and presently up she came into the dining-hall. Now, as she had not been asked to the feast she was very angry, and scolded the king and queen very much, and set to work to take her revenge. So she cried out, ‘The king’s daughter shall, in her fifteenth year, be wounded by a spindle, and fall down dead.’ Then the twelfth of the friendly fairies, who had not yet given her gift, came forward, and said that the evil wish must be fulfilled, but that she could soften its mischief; so her gift was, that the king’s daughter, when the spindle wounded her, should not really die, but should only fall asleep for a hundred years.
就在其中十一位仙女祝福完毕时，庭院里突然传来一阵喧闹声，有人通报说第十三位仙女来了，她头戴黑帽，脚穿黑鞋，手持一把扫帚；片刻后她便走进宴会厅。由于未被邀请参加宴会，她勃然大怒，严厉斥责国王和王后，并决心报复。于是她高声喊道：‘公主将在十五岁那年被纺锤刺伤，倒地身亡！’这时，尚未赠礼的第十二位善良仙女走上前来说：邪恶的愿望必须应验，但我可以减轻其危害；因此她的礼物是：当公主被纺锤刺伤时，她不会真正死去，而只是陷入沉睡，持续一百年。
However, the king hoped still to save his dear child altogether from the threatened evil; so he ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should be bought up and burnt. But all the gifts of the first eleven fairies were in the meantime fulfilled; for the princess was so beautiful, and well behaved, and good, and wise, that everyone who knew her loved her.
然而，国王仍希望彻底挽救心爱的女儿免受预言中的灾祸，于是下令将王国中所有的纺锤都收集起来并烧毁。与此同时，前十一位仙女所赠的礼物都已应验：公主美丽动人、举止得体、心地善良且聪慧过人，凡认识她的人都对她喜爱有加。
It happened that, on the very day she was fifteen years old, the king and queen were not at home, and she was left alone in the palace. So she roved about by herself, and looked at all the rooms and chambers, till at last she came to an old tower, to which there was a narrow staircase ending with a little door. In the door there was a golden key, and when she turned it the door sprang open, and there sat an old lady spinning away very busily. ‘Why, how now, good mother,’ said the princess; ‘what are you doing there?’ ‘Spinning,’ said the old lady, and nodded her head, humming a tune, while buzz! went the wheel. ‘How prettily that little thing turns round!’ said the princess, and took the spindle and began to try and spin. But scarcely had she touched it, before the fairy’s prophecy was fulfilled; the spindle wounded her, and she fell down lifeless on the ground.
就在她满十五岁的那一天，国王和王后不在宫中，公主独自留在宫殿里。于是她独自四处游逛，参观各个房间和厅堂，最后来到一座古老的塔楼前，那里有一条狭窄的楼梯通向一扇小门。门上有一把金钥匙，当她转动钥匙时，门自动打开，只见一位老妇人正忙碌地纺纱。‘哎呀，好妈妈，’公主问道，‘您在做什么呢？’‘纺纱，’老妇人回答，一边点头哼着歌谣，纺车发出‘嗡嗡’的声响。‘这小东西转得多漂亮啊！’公主赞叹道，伸手拿起纺锤试着纺纱。可她刚触碰到纺锤，仙女的预言便应验了：纺锤刺伤了她，她随即倒地，失去知觉。
However, she was not dead, but had only fallen into a deep sleep; and the king and the queen, who had just come home, and all their court, fell asleep too; and the horses slept in the stables, and the dogs in the court, the pigeons on the house-top, and the very flies slept upon the walls. Even the fire on the hearth left off blazing, and went to sleep; the jack stopped, and the spit that was turning about with a goose upon it for the king’s dinner stood still; and the cook, who was at that moment pulling the kitchen-boy by the hair to give him a box on the ear for something he had done amiss, let him go, and both fell asleep; the butler, who was slyly tasting the ale, fell asleep with the jug at his lips: and thus everything stood still, and slept soundly.
然而，她并未死去，只是陷入了一场深沉的睡眠；国王和王后刚回到家，连同他们所有的宫廷侍从也都睡着了；马厩里的马匹、庭院中的猎犬、屋顶上的鸽子，甚至连墙上的苍蝇都进入了梦乡。壁炉里的火焰也停止了燃烧，随之睡去；烤架停转，正为国王晚餐而旋转着烤鹅的烤叉也静止不动；厨师此刻正揪着厨房小厮的头发，准备因他做错的事打他耳光，却突然松手，两人一同睡去；酒保正偷偷品尝啤酒，酒杯还贴在唇边便已入睡。于是，一切皆静止，沉入酣眠之中。
A large hedge of thorns soon grew round the palace, and every year it became higher and thicker; till at last the old palace was surrounded and hidden, so that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen. But there went a report through all the land of the beautiful sleeping Briar Rose (for so the king’s daughter was called): so that, from time to time, several kings’ sons came, and tried to break through the thicket into the palace. This, however, none of them could ever do; for the thorns and bushes laid hold of them, as it were with hands; and there they stuck fast, and died wretchedly.
不久，一道由荆棘构成的巨大篱笆迅速在宫殿四周生长起来，每年它都变得更高、更密，直到最后，古老的宫殿被完全环绕并遮蔽，连屋顶和烟囱都再也无法看见。然而，关于美丽睡美人（国王的女儿如此命名）的传说传遍了整个国度：因此，不时有几位王子前来，试图冲破荆棘丛进入宫殿。然而，无人能够成功；那些荆棘与灌木仿佛伸出双手般将他们紧紧抓住，使他们牢牢卡住，最终悲惨地死去。
After many, many years there came a king’s son into that land: and an old man told him the story of the thicket of thorns; and how a beautiful palace stood behind it, and how a wonderful princess, called Briar Rose, lay in it asleep, with all her court. He told, too, how he had heard from his grandfather that many, many princes had come, and had tried to break through the thicket, but that they had all stuck fast in it, and died. Then the young prince said, ‘All this shall not frighten me; I will go and see this Briar Rose.’ The old man tried to hinder him, but he was bent upon going.
许多年过去后，一位王子来到这片土地；一位老人向他讲述了荆棘丛的故事，以及其后矗立着一座美丽的宫殿，还有一位名叫睡美人的非凡公主正沉睡其中，连同她的整个宫廷。老人还说，他从祖父那里听说，许多许多年前曾有众多王子前来，试图冲破荆棘丛，但全都卡在其中，最终死去。于是，年轻的王子说道：‘这一切都不会吓倒我；我要去见这位睡美人。’老人试图劝阻他，但他心意已决，执意前往。
Now that very day the hundred years were ended; and as the prince came to the thicket he saw nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs, through which he went with ease, and they shut in after him as thick as ever. Then he came at last to the palace, and there in the court lay the dogs asleep; and the horses were standing in the stables; and on the roof sat the pigeons fast asleep, with their heads under their wings. And when he came into the palace, the flies were sleeping on the walls; the spit was standing still; the butler had the jug of ale at his lips, going to drink a draught; the maid sat with a fowl in her lap ready to be plucked; and the cook in the kitchen was still holding up her hand, as if she was going to beat the boy.
就在那一天，百年期限已满；当王子来到荆棘丛前时，他只看到一片美丽的开花灌木，他轻松穿过，而它们在他身后又迅速合拢，依旧茂密如初。最终，他抵达了宫殿：庭院中猎犬沉睡，马厩里马匹静立，屋顶上鸽子安睡，头 tucked 在翅膀下。当他走进宫殿时，苍蝇正趴在墙上熟睡；烤叉静止不动；酒保仍举着啤酒杯贴近唇边，正要痛饮一口；侍女怀中抱着一只待拔毛的禽鸟；厨房里的厨师则仍高举着手，仿佛正准备打那个男孩。
Then he went on still farther, and all was so still that he could hear every breath he drew; till at last he came to the old tower, and opened the door of the little room in which Briar Rose was; and there she lay, fast asleep on a couch by the window. She looked so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her, so he stooped down and gave her a kiss. But the moment he kissed her she opened her eyes and awoke, and smiled upon him; and they went out together; and soon the king and queen also awoke, and all the court, and gazed on each other with great wonder. And the horses shook themselves, and the dogs jumped up and barked; the pigeons took their heads from under their wings, and looked about and flew into the fields; the flies on the walls buzzed again; the fire in the kitchen blazed up; round went the jack, and round went the spit, with the goose for the king’s dinner upon it; the butler finished his draught of ale; the maid went on plucking the fowl; and the cook gave the boy the box on his ear.
随后他继续前行，四周寂静得连他自己的呼吸声都清晰可闻；最终他来到那座古老的塔楼，打开了小房间的门，里面正是沉睡的睡美人。她躺在窗边的沙发上，睡得正香，模样如此美丽，令他目不转睛。于是他俯身轻吻了她。就在这一吻之后，她睁开了双眼，苏醒过来，并向他微笑。随后他们一同走出房间；不久，国王和王后也苏醒了，整个宫廷也随之醒来，众人面面相觑，满是惊异。马儿抖了抖身子，狗儿跳起来吠叫；鸽子把头从翅膀下伸出，环顾四周后飞向田野；墙上的苍蝇再次嗡嗡作响；厨房里的炉火重新燃起；烤叉转动起来，烤架上正烤着为国王准备的鹅；管家喝完了他的啤酒；女仆继续拔鸡毛；厨师则给了那个男孩一记耳光。
And then the prince and Briar Rose were married, and the wedding feast was given; and they lived happily together all their lives long.
随后王子与睡美人举行了婚礼，并大摆宴席；他们从此幸福地生活在一起，直至生命尽头。