睡美人(英文原著)

1SLEEPING BEAUTYRevised Narrative 7/13/2006This is the story of Sleeping Beauty which begins “once upon a time” once upon a time long ago. It was so long ago that even the oldest people now alive like grandmothers and grandfathers cannot remember it. In a special kingdom there was a King and Queen who lived in a beautiful palace. The palace had great walls made of white marble that shined in the darkest night. And around the walls were high towers with golden roofs that glowed in the sunlight.And around the walls of the palace, for miles and miles, there were beautiful gardens, and trees that reached straight and tall to the sky. And in those great trees came many birds that would sit and sing their sweet songs all day long. And beneath those trees, deer would stroll and jump and play across the grass and among fields of flowers that seemed to hold all the colors of the world. It was a beautiful place, a magical place. There was everything in the kingdom that the hearts of the King and Queen could wish for except one. And that was the one thing in all the world that the King and Queen needed to make them happy. A child a little child who would fill the palace with smiles and laughter a child who would run and play in the sunny gardens, and pick flowers to give to her mother, the Queen. Without this child in their lives, the King and Queen would often feel very sad.2But then a wonderful thing happened! After many years, the King and Queen got their wish! A beautiful baby daughter was born to them! She had a face as pink as a sunset. Her eyes were as blue as the sky. And her tiny mouth was as red as a rose. “Shes the most beautiful thing in the world,” said the happy Queen.“Shes our little princess,” said the King. “Her name will be Miranda.”Now you might guess how glad the King and Queen were to have the little Princess Miranda in their lives! They decided to have a great party for everyone all across their kingdom. Picnics were held in every town. The bells of all the great churches rang out day and night. And every child in the countryside was given a gift to celebrate the birth of the Princess.But the biggest party of all was in the palace! Everyone was getting ready to honor the King and Queen, and the baby Princess. Colorful banners and ribbons were placed on the walls. Bright flags were raised on the flagpoles in the towers where they flapped and waved in the summer breeze. The Queens maids went up and down the hallways sprinkling the shiny marble floors with sweet-smelling leaves and flower petals.Of the many friends and guests coming to this party, the most important were seven very powerful fairies. Maybe you know a little bit about fairies, hmm? How they are magical creatures that can fly, with bodies that glow brighter than a hundred fireflies! And maybe you know that fairies are very picky about what they eat and drink, because theyre so used to the finest food that the kind of food you and I normally eat seems strange to them. 3So the Queen was very anxious that the fairies would be pleased with everything about this celebration. You see, these seven fairies had been asked to be godmothers to the baby Princess, and the Queen wanted them to be happy and in the best of spirits so they would be kind to little Miranda.It was a summer afternoon when the party began. Up in the sky above the palace, the fairies came into sight, sailing on the air like a flight of bright-winged butterflies. You see, these seven fairies were all very good fairies, and had known the King and Queen all of their lives. So when they arrived, it was like old friends seeing each other again. There were warm hugs and smiles, and much news to catch up on. But no one forgot the real reason the fairies came.“Where is she?,” said the first fairy. “Wheres that darling Princess Miranda?” “Over here, in the nursery,” smiled the Queen.And when the fairies first laid their eyes on the baby Princess, they all gasped and could hardly breathe. Fairies live a very long time, and they all agreed that in their very long lives they had never seen a child as beautiful as this baby. Why, they believed the baby Princess was even more beautiful than a fairy baby.After this, the party began in the great banquet hall. The King and Queen took their place at the grand table, with their special guests, the fairies, sitting closest to them. And as the fairies sat down, each was delighted to see that their plates, cups, knives, spoons and forks were made of gold, silver and shiny jewels. This was going to be a special day.4Just as the grand feast began, and everyone was as happy as happy could be, there was a terrible screaming sound and the flapping of giant wings, and something like a black cloud passed before the tall windows and darkened all the banquet hall so that one person could hardly see the other. Then the great doors of the palace burst open with a horrible bang. The King and Queen