A great king of a land far away in the East had a daughter who was very beautiful, but so proud, and haughty, and conceited, that none of the princes who came to ask her in marriage was good enough for her, and she only made sport of them.
东方遥远国度的一位伟大国王有一位女儿，她非常美丽，但极其骄傲、傲慢且自负，以至于所有前来求婚的王子都不够格，她只是拿他们取乐。
Once upon a time the king held a great feast, and asked thither all her suitors; and they all sat in a row, ranged according to their rank--kings, and princes, and dukes, and earls, and counts, and barons, and knights. Then the princess came in, and as she passed by them she had something spiteful to say to every one. The first was too fat: ‘He’s as round as a tub,’ said she. The next was too tall: ‘What a maypole!’ said she. The next was too short: ‘What a dumpling!’ said she. The fourth was too pale, and she called him ‘Wallface.’ The fifth was too red, so she called him ‘Coxcomb.’ The sixth was not straight enough; so she said he was like a green stick, that had been laid to dry over a baker’s oven. And thus she had some joke to crack upon every one: but she laughed more than all at a good king who was there. ‘Look at him,’ said she; ‘his beard is like an old mop; he shall be called Grisly-beard.’ So the king got the nickname of Grisly-beard.
从前，国王举办了一场盛大的宴会，邀请了所有的求婚者。他们按等级依次就座：有国王、王子、公爵、伯爵、男爵和骑士。随后公主走了进来，经过每个人时都要尖刻地讥讽一番。她说第一个太胖了：‘他圆得像只桶！’第二个太高了：‘好一根旗杆！’第三个太矮了：‘好一个肉丸子！’第四个脸色太苍白，她便叫他‘墙脸’。第五个脸色太红，她就称他为‘鸡冠头’。第六个不够挺拔，她说他像根放在面包师炉子上晾干的绿棍子。就这样，她对每个人都取笑了一番，但笑得最厉害的是对一位在场的国王：‘瞧他，胡须像把旧扫帚，就叫他‘灰胡子’吧。’于是这位国王便得了‘灰胡子’的绰号。
But the old king was very angry when he saw how his daughter behaved, and how she ill-treated all his guests; and he vowed that, willing or unwilling, she should marry the first man, be he prince or beggar, that came to the door.
但老国王看到女儿的行为以及她如何虐待所有客人时非常生气，于是发誓说，无论她愿意与否，她都必须嫁给第一个来到门口的人，无论是王子还是乞丐。
Two days after there came by a travelling fiddler, who began to play under the window and beg alms; and when the king heard him, he said, ‘Let him come in.’ So they brought in a dirty-looking fellow; and when he had sung before the king and the princess, he begged a boon. Then the king said, ‘You have sung so well, that I will give you my daughter for your wife.’ The princess begged and prayed; but the king said, ‘I have sworn to give you to the first comer, and I will keep my word.’ So words and tears were of no avail; the parson was sent for, and she was married to the fiddler. When this was over the king said, ‘Now get ready to go--you must not stay here--you must travel on with your husband.’
两天后，一位流浪小提琴手路过，开始在窗下演奏并乞讨施舍；国王听到后说：‘让他进来。’于是他们带进一个看起来脏兮兮的家伙；他在国王和公主面前唱完歌后，请求一个恩赐。国王便说：‘你弹得如此美妙，我愿将女儿嫁给你为妻。’公主苦苦哀求、再三恳请，但国王答道：‘我已发誓将女儿许给第一个到来的人，我必守诺。’于是言语与泪水都无济于事；牧师被请来，她随即与小提琴手成婚。婚礼结束后，国王说：‘现在准备出发吧——你不能留在这里——你必须随丈夫继续旅程。’
Then the fiddler went his way, and took her with him, and they soon came to a great wood. ‘Pray,’ said she, ‘whose is this wood?’ ‘It belongs to King Grisly-beard,’ answered he; ‘hadst thou taken him, all had been thine.’ ‘Ah! unlucky wretch that I am!’ sighed she; ‘would that I had married King Grisly-beard!’ Next they came to some fine meadows. ‘Whose are these beautiful green meadows?’ said she. ‘They belong to King Grisly-beard, hadst thou taken him, they had all been thine.’ ‘Ah! unlucky wretch that I am!’ said she; ‘would that I had married King Grisly-beard!’
于是提琴手带着她继续前行，不久便来到一片大森林。'请问，这片森林是谁的？'她问道。'这是格利西·比尔德国王的，'他回答说，'如果你当初嫁给了他，这一切就都是你的了。''唉！我真是不幸啊！'她叹息道，'真希望我当初嫁给了格利西·比尔德国王！'接着他们来到一片美丽的草地。'这些翠绿的草地是谁的？'她说。'它们也属于格利西·比尔德国王，如果你当初嫁给了他，这一切就都是你的了。''唉！我真是不幸啊！'她说，'真希望我当初嫁给了格利西·比尔德国王！'
Then they came to a great city. ‘Whose is this noble city?’ said she. ‘It belongs to King Grisly-beard; hadst thou taken him, it had all been thine.’ ‘Ah! wretch that I am!’ sighed she; ‘why did I not marry King Grisly-beard?’ ‘That is no business of mine,’ said the fiddler: ‘why should you wish for another husband? Am not I good enough for you?’
随后他们来到一座宏伟的城市。‘这座庄严的城市属于谁？’她问道。‘它属于格利兹利·比尔德国王；如果你当初嫁给了他，这一切就都是你的了。’‘啊！我这个可怜虫！’她叹息道，‘我当初为何不嫁给格利兹利·比尔德国王呢？’‘那与我无关，’小提琴手说，‘你为何还想要别的丈夫？难道我还不够好吗？’
At last they came to a small cottage. ‘What a paltry place!’ said she; ‘to whom does that little dirty hole belong?’ Then the fiddler said, ‘That is your and my house, where we are to live.’ ‘Where are your servants?’ cried she. ‘What do we want with servants?’ said he; ‘you must do for yourself whatever is to be done. Now make the fire, and put on water and cook my supper, for I am very tired.’ But the princess knew nothing of making fires and cooking, and the fiddler was forced to help her. When they had eaten a very scanty meal they went to bed; but the fiddler called her up very early in the morning to clean the house. Thus they lived for two days: and when they had eaten up all there was in the cottage, the man said, ‘Wife, we can’t go on thus, spending money and earning nothing. You must learn to weave baskets.’ Then he went out and cut willows, and brought them home, and she began to weave; but it made her fingers very sore. ‘I see this work won’t do,’ said he: ‘try and spin; perhaps you will do that better.’ So she sat down and tried to spin; but the threads cut her tender fingers till the blood ran. ‘See now,’ said the fiddler, ‘you are good for nothing; you can do no work: what a bargain I have got! However, I’ll try and set up a trade in pots and pans, and you shall stand in the market and sell them.’ ‘Alas!’ sighed she, ‘if any of my father’s court should pass by and see me standing in the market, how they will laugh at me!’
最后，他们来到了一座小茅屋。‘多么寒酸的地方！’她说，‘这脏兮兮的小洞属于谁？’接着，提琴手说：‘这就是你我的家，我们将在此居住。’‘你的仆人们在哪里？’她喊道。‘我们要仆人做什么？’他说，‘凡是需要做的事，你自己动手做吧。现在去生火，烧水，给我做晚饭，因为我非常累了。’但公主根本不会生火和做饭，提琴手只好帮她。吃完一顿极其简陋的饭后，他们便上床睡觉了；然而提琴手第二天清晨很早便叫醒她打扫屋子。就这样过了两天：当他们把茅屋里所有的东西都吃光后，那男子说：‘妻子，我们不能再这样下去了，只花钱不挣钱。你必须学会编篮子。’于是，他出去砍来柳条带回家，她便开始编织；但这让她的手指非常疼痛。‘我看这活儿不行，’他说，‘试试纺纱吧，也许你更擅长这个。’于是她坐下来尝试纺纱，但细线割伤了她娇嫩的手指，直到鲜血直流。‘瞧，’提琴手说，‘你一无是处，什么活都干不了：我真是做了笔亏本买卖！不过，我还是打算开一家锅碗瓢盆的生意，你到市场上去卖。’‘唉！’她叹息道，‘要是我父亲的宫廷里有人路过，看到我站在市场上，他们该会嘲笑我啊！’
But her husband did not care for that, and said she must work, if she did not wish to die of hunger. At first the trade went well; for many people, seeing such a beautiful woman, went to buy her wares, and paid their money without thinking of taking away the goods. They lived on this as long as it lasted; and then her husband bought a fresh lot of ware, and she sat herself down with it in the corner of the market; but a drunken soldier soon came by, and rode his horse against her stall, and broke all her goods into a thousand pieces. Then she began to cry, and knew not what to do. ‘Ah! what will become of me?’ said she; ‘what will my husband say?’ So she ran home and told him all. ‘Who would have thought you would have been so silly,’ said he, ‘as to put an earthenware stall in the corner of the market, where everybody passes? but let us have no more crying; I see you are not fit for this sort of work, so I have been to the king’s palace, and asked if they did not want a kitchen-maid; and they say they will take you, and there you will have plenty to eat.’
但她的丈夫并不在意这一点，他说她必须去工作，否则就会饿死。起初生意还不错，因为许多人看到这位美丽的女子，都来买她的货物，付了钱却忘了拿走东西。他们就这样过了一段时间；后来她的丈夫又进了一批新货，她便带着这些货物坐在市场的一个角落里，但一个醉酒的士兵很快路过，骑着马撞向她的摊位，将她的所有货物摔成了碎片。于是她开始哭泣，不知该如何是好。‘唉！我该怎么办？’她说，‘我丈夫会怎么说呢？’于是她跑回家把一切都告诉了他。‘谁曾想到你会这么傻，’他说，‘竟把陶器摊子摆在人来人往的市场角落？不过别再哭了；我看你不适合干这种活，所以我已经去了王宫，问他们是否需要一名厨房女佣；他们说会收你，在那里你会有足够的食物吃。'”
Thus the princess became a kitchen-maid, and helped the cook to do all the dirtiest work; but she was allowed to carry home some of the meat that was left, and on this they lived.
于是公主成了厨房女仆，帮厨子干所有最脏的活；但她被允许把剩下的肉带回家，靠这些肉他们得以维生。
She had not been there long before she heard that the king’s eldest son was passing by, going to be married; and she went to one of the windows and looked out. Everything was ready, and all the pomp and brightness of the court was there. Then she bitterly grieved for the pride and folly which had brought her so low. And the servants gave her some of the rich meats, which she put into her basket to take home.
她在那里待得不久，便听说国王的长子正路过此地，即将举行婚礼；于是她走到一扇窗前向外望去。一切准备就绪，宫廷的奢华与辉煌尽现眼前。她不禁为那曾带她至此般境地的骄傲与愚行而悲痛欲绝。随后，仆人们递给她一些精美的肉食，她将肉放入篮中，打算带回家去。
All on a sudden, as she was going out, in came the king’s son in golden clothes; and when he saw a beautiful woman at the door, he took her by the hand, and said she should be his partner in the dance; but she trembled for fear, for she saw that it was King Grisly-beard, who was making sport of her. However, he kept fast hold, and led her in; and the cover of the basket came off, so that the meats in it fell about. Then everybody laughed and jeered at her; and she was so abashed, that she wished herself a thousand feet deep in the earth. She sprang to the door to run away; but on the steps King Grisly-beard overtook her, and brought her back and said, ‘Fear me not! I am the fiddler who has lived with you in the hut. I brought you there because I really loved you. I am also the soldier that overset your stall. I have done all this only to cure you of your silly pride, and to show you the folly of your ill-treatment of me. Now all is over: you have learnt wisdom, and it is time to hold our marriage feast.’
正巧她正要出门，国王之子身着金衣走了进来；他看见门口有位美丽的女子，便拉住她的手，说要请她共舞。可她因恐惧而颤抖，因为她认出那是格利西·比尔德国王，正在取笑她。然而他紧紧抓住她不放，将她领了进去，篮子的盖子随之掀开，里面的食物散落一地。于是众人哄堂大笑，纷纷讥讽她；她羞愧难当，恨不得自己深埋地下千尺。她冲向门口想要逃跑，但在台阶上格利西·比尔德国王追上了她，把她带回来，说道：‘不必害怕！我就是那个曾与你同住茅屋的琴师。我带你去那里是因为我真心爱你。我也是那个打翻你摊子的士兵。我所做的一切，只为治好你那愚蠢的骄傲，并让你明白自己对我恶待的愚行。如今一切已成过往：你已学会智慧，是时候举行我们的婚礼了。’
Then the chamberlains came and brought her the most beautiful robes; and her father and his whole court were there already, and welcomed her home on her marriage. Joy was in every face and every heart. The feast was grand; they danced and sang; all were merry; and I only wish that you and I had been of the party.
随后，侍从们拿来最华美的礼服；她的父亲和整个宫廷早已在等候，迎接她回家举行婚礼。每个人的脸上和心中都洋溢着喜悦。宴席极为盛大，人们载歌载舞，个个欢欣鼓舞；我只希望当时您和我也能一同参加。