跳破的舞鞋

跳破的舞鞋

从前，有一个国王，他有十二个女儿，一个比一个漂亮。她们一起睡在一个大房子里。每天晚上，等她们睡了之后，国王都要把这个房间的门锁上。

可是，第二天早晨，当国王把门打开的时候，却发现公主们疲惫地躺在床上呼呼大睡，地上是十二双跳破了的舞鞋。仿佛公主们一点儿也没睡，而是在什么地方跳了一夜的舞。

The Tattered Dancing Shoes

Once upon a time, there was a King who had twelve daughters, each as beautiful as the next. They all slept together in one big room. Every evening, after they had gone to sleep, the King would lock the door to this room.

However, one morning, when the King opened the door, he found the princesses fast asleep on their beds, exhausted. On the floor were twelve pairs of tattered dancing shoes. It was as if the princesses had not slept a wink, but had danced the whole night through.

国王问公主是怎么一回事，可是公主们谁也不肯说。于是，国王下令在她们的房门上又加了一道锁。可是，这种状况一点儿也没有改变。

国王没有办法，就宣布说：“谁能够解开这个谜团，谁就可以选一个公主做他的妻子，并且在国王死后继承王位。”

有许多人愿意冒险，每一次，他们都被安排在公主们的隔壁，守在那里，看公主们到哪里去跳舞。可是，这些人都睡着了，结果，到了第二天早上，他们醒来一看，公主全都跳过舞了。

这时，有一个士兵从宫殿旁边走过，他开玩笑地说：“我倒是想弄清公主是在哪里把鞋跳破的，这样我就是未来的国王了。”

The King asked the princesses what had happened. But none of the princesses were willing to say. And so, the King ordered that another lock be added to the door. This, however, did nothing to change the course of events.

The King was at his wits' end. He made an announcement, "Whoever solves this mystery may choose a princess to be his wife, and will inherit the throne after my death."

There were many who were willing to give it a try. Each of them arranged to keep watch in the room next door and see where the princesses went off to dance. However, these people all fell asleep. The next morning, when they woke up, the princesses had all been dancing.

At this time, a soldier passed by the palace. He said, in jest, "I really do want to find out where the princesses are dancing their shoes to pieces. If I found out, I could become the future King."

他的话被身边的一个老婆婆听到了，她告诉他说：“晚上你千万别喝她们给你的酒，还要假装睡着了。”说着，老婆婆送给士兵一件小斗篷，“如果你披上这个斗篷，别人就看不见你了，这样，你就可以悄悄地跟在公主的后面了。”

士兵接过斗篷，谢了老婆婆，就到了王宫里。晚上，和前几个冒险者一样，他也被带到公主房间的隔壁。睡觉的时间到了，最大的公主走过来，端着一杯葡萄酒给他喝。

士兵早就在自己的下巴下系了一块海绵，所以，他喝酒的时候，把酒全倒在海绵上了。然后，他倒在床上，打起呼噜来，假装睡得很香。

公主们被士兵骗了。她们从床上爬起来，穿上漂亮华丽的舞裙，打扮得漂漂亮亮的。然后，大公主走到自己的床前，在床上轻轻地拍了几下。顿时，床就挪开了，露出一个洞口。公主们一个接着一个，从洞口走了下去。

An old woman overheard him saying this. She told him, "In the evening, do not, whatever you do, drink the wine they give you, but pretend to fall asleep." Saying this, the old woman gave the soldier a cloak. "If you wear this cloak, then other people will be unable to see you. With this, you can quietly follow behind the princesses."

The soldier took the cloak, thanked the old woman and went to the palace. That evening, much like the previous contestants, the soldier was taken to the room next door to the princesses'. When it was time to go to sleep, the eldest princess came in with a glass of wine for him to drink.

The soldier had already attached a piece of sponge to his chin, so when he drank the wine, he poured it straight onto the sponge. Then, he collapsed on the bed and, snoring loudly, pretended to be fast asleep.

The princesses were fooled by the soldier. They crept out of their beds, put on their beautiful ball gowns, and smartened themselves up very prettily. The eldest princess then stood by her bed, and lightly tapped the bed several times. Almost at once, the bed moved to one side, revealing a hole. One after another, the princesses descended through the hole.

装睡的士兵一直观察着公主的行动，他立刻把小斗篷披在身上，跟在公主的后面，也下到了洞里。

她们来到了洞底，那里长着许多美丽的银树，士兵伸手折了一根树枝。树枝发出“咔嚓”一声响，最小的公主叫了起来：“你们听到了吗？”

“这是他们在鸣枪欢迎我们呢。”

她们继续往前走，那里长着许多美丽的金树，士兵又折了一根树枝。最后，他看见许多长着钻石的大树，他也折了一根树枝。当他折树枝的时候，都要发出“咔嚓”声，每一次，都被公主们当成了鸣枪的声音。

就这样，公主们来到了一个大湖边上，湖里停着十二艘小船，每一条船上都坐着一位英俊的王子。他们每一个人都领了一位公主到船上，士兵跟着最小的公主，坐到了她的船上。

“真奇怪，今天的船怎么这样沉？”划船的王子说。但他们没有发现士兵。

The soldier, pretending to sleep, observed what the princesses were doing. He immediately put on the cloak, and following the princesses, descended into the hole.

At the bottom of the hole was a grove of beautiful silver trees. The soldier stretched out his hand and broke a branch of a tree. The branch broke with a "snap" and the youngest princess called out, "Did you hear that?"

"That is the sound of rifles being fired to welcome us."

They continued on. Here was a grove of golden trees. The soldier broke off a branch. Last of all, he saw a grove of big diamond trees, and broke off another branch. Each time he broke off a branch, it would make a snapping sound and each time, the princesses thought it was the sound of rifles firing.

And so, the princesses came to the side of a big lake. In the lake floated twelve small boats. On each boat sat a handsome prince. They each took a princess on board. The soldier followed the smallest princess and sat on her boat.

"That's strange, why is the boat so heavy today?" said the prince as he rowed the boat. However, they did not see the soldier.

在湖的对岸，有一座金碧辉煌的宫殿。当王子的船到达的时候，从里面传来阵阵悦耳的音乐，喇叭吹响了，锣鼓也敲了起来。

On the opposite shore of the lake was a magnificent palace. When the princes' boats arrived, harmonious music sounded from within.

王子和公主走进宫殿，开始翩翩起舞。士兵混在人群里，他只要看见哪个公主手里拿着一杯酒，他就过去把酒喝掉。大家都感到奇怪，但还是继续跳舞。

到凌晨三点的时候，王子把公主们送回了家。士兵赶紧跑到公主们的前面，在他的床上躺下。所以，公主回来时，看见正在打呼噜的士兵，都笑了，她们以为骗过了士兵。

第二天晚上、第三天晚上都是这样，士兵悄悄地跟着公主们，到地下宫殿里跳舞，他隐藏得很好，没有被他们发现，不过，第三天的时候，他又拿了一只酒杯。

The princes and princesses entered the palace. They started to dance gracefully. The soldier mingled with the crowd. When he saw that a princess was holding a glass of wine, he would make his way over and drink it up. Everyone thought this was very strange, but they all continued dancing.

At three in the morning, the princes sent the princesses home. The soldier hurriedly ran ahead of the princesses, and lay down on his bed. When the princesses returned, they saw the snoring soldier and laughed. They thought that they had fooled the soldier.

The next evening and the evening following that, the soldier continued to follow behind the princesses in the underground path to the palace. He hid himself well, and was not discovered by them. However, on the third evening, he took another glass of wine.

当国王询问答案的时候，士兵把他看到的事情仔仔细细地说了一遍，还拿出了他从地下洞穴里拿来的银树枝、金树枝、结着钻石的树枝和酒杯，说明他说的都是实情。国王把公主们叫来，问她们士兵说的是不是真话，她们老老实实地承认了。

于是，国王实现了他的承诺，让士兵和大公主举行了婚礼。士兵的愿望终于实现了。

When the King asked him the answer to this mystery, the soldier carefully recounted what had happened. He took out the silver branch, the gold branch, the diamond branch and the wine glass which he had taken from the palace to prove that what he said was the truth. The King called the princesses before him and asked them whether what the soldier had said was true or not. They admitted to it honestly.

And so, the King kept his promise. He held a wedding for the soldier and the eldest princess. The soldier's wish had come true.

in jest 开玩笑地

contestants n.竞争者（contestant的复数形式）

harmonious adj.悦耳的

come true 成为现实