Rapunzel
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
once upon a time there was a man and a woman who had long, but to no avail, wished for a child. Finally the woman came to believe that the good Lord would fulfill1 her wish. Through the small rear window of these people's house they could see into a splendid garden that was filled with the most beautiful flowers and herbs. The garden was surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared enter, because it belonged to a sorceress who possessed2 great power and was feared by everyone.
One day the woman was standing3 at this window, and she saw a bed planted with the most beautiful rapunzel. It looked so fresh and green that she longed for some. It was her greatest desire to eat some of the rapunzel. This desire increased with every day, and not knowing how to get any, she became miserably4 ill.
Her husband was frightened, and asked her, What ails5 you, dear wife?
Oh, she answered, if I do not get some rapunzel from the garden behind our house, I shall die.
The man, who loved her dearly, thought, Before you let your wife die, you must get her some of the rapunzel, whatever the cosplayt.
So just as it was getting dark he climbed over the high wall into the sorceress's garden, hastily dug up a handful of rapunzel, and took it to his wife. She immediately made a salad from it, which she devoured6 eagerly. It tasted so very good to her that by the next day her desire for more had grown threefold. If she were to have any peace, the man would have to climb into the garden once again. Thus he set forth7 once again just as it was getting dark. But no sooner than he had climbed over the wall than, to his horror, he saw the sorceress standing there before him.
How can you dare, she asked with an angry look, to climb into my garden and like a thief to steal my rapunzel? You will pay for this.
Oh, he answered, Let mercy overrule justice. I cam to do this out of necessity. My wife saw your rapunzel from our window, and such a longing8 came over her, that she would die, if she did not get some to eat.
The sorceress's anger abated9 somewhat, and she said, If things are as you say, I will allow you to take as much rapunzel as you want. But under one condition: You must give me the child that your wife will bring to the world. It will do well, and I will take care of it like a mother.
In his fear the man agreed to everything.
When the woman gave birth, the sorceress appeared, named the little girl Rapunzel, and took her away. Rapunzel became the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was twelve years old, the fairy locked her in a tower that stood in a forest and that had neither a door nor a stairway, but only a tiny little window at the very TOP.
When the sorceress wanted to enter, she stood below and called out: Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair to me. Rapunzel had splendid long hair, as fine as spun10 gold. When she heard the sorceress's voice, she untied11 her braids, wound them around a window hook, let her hair fall twenty yards to the ground, and the sorceress climbed up it.
A few years later it happened that a king's son was riding through the forest. As he approached the tower he heard a song so beautiful that he sTOPped to listen. It was Rapunzel, who was passing the time by singing with her sweet voice. The prince wanted to climb up to her, and looked for a door in the tower, but none was to be found.
He rode home, but the song had so touched his heart that he returned to the forest every day and listened to it. One time, as he was thus standing behind a tree, he saw the sorceress approach, and heard her say: Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair. Then Rapunzel let down her strands12 of hair, and the sorceress climbed up them to her.
If that is the ladder into the tower, then sometime I will try my luck.
And the next day, just as it was beginning to get dark, he went to the tower and called out: Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair. The hair fell down, and the prince climbed up.
At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man such as she had never seen before came in to her. However, the prince began talking to her in a very friendly manner, telling her that his heart had been so touched by her singing that he could have no peace until he had seen her in person. Then Rapunzel lost her fear, and when he asked her if she would take him as her husband, she thought, He would rather have me than would old Frau Gothel. She said yes and placed her hand into his. She said, I would go with you gladly, but I do not know how to get down. Every time that you come, bring a strand13 of silk, from which I will weave a ladder. When it is finished I will climb down, and you can take me away on your horse. They arranged that he would come to her every evening, for the old woman came by day.
The sorceress did not notice what was happening until one day Rapunzel said to her, Frau Gothel, tell me why it is that you are more difficult to pull up than is the young prince, who will be arriving any moment now?
You godless child, cried the sorceress. What am I hearing from you? I thought I had removed you from the whole world, but you have deceived me nonetheless.
In her anger she grabbed Rapunzel's beautiful hair, wrapped it a few times around her left hand, grasped a pair of scissors with her right hand, and snip14 snap, cut it off. And she was so unmerciful that she took Rapunzel into a wilderness15 where she suffered greatly.
On the evening of the same day that she sent Rapunzel away, the fairy tied the cut-off hair to the hook at the TOP of the tower, and when the prince called out: Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair. she let down the hair.
The prince climbed up, but above, instead of his beloved Rapunzel, he found the sorceress, who peered at him with poisonous and evil looks.
Aha! she cried scornfully. You have come for your Mistress Darling, but that beautiful bird is no longer sitting in her nest, nor is she singing any more. The cat got her, and will scratch your eyes out as well. You have lost Rapunzel. You will never see her again.
The prince was overcome with grief, and in his despair he threw himself from the tower. He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell poked16 out his eyes. Blind, he wandered about in the forest, eating nothing but grass and roots, and doing nothing but weeping and wailing17 over the loss of his beloved wife. Thus he wandered about miserably for some years, finally happening into the wilderness where Rapunzel lived miserably with the twins that she had given birth to.
He heard a voice and thought it was familiar. He advanced toward it, and as he approached, Rapunzel recognized him, and crying, through her arms around his neck. Two of her tears fell into his eyes, and they became clear once again, and he could see as well as before. He led her into his kingdom, where he was received with joy, and for a long time they lived happily and satisfied.
以前有一个男性和一个女性，他两个一直想要个孩子，可总也得不到。最后，女性只好期望上帝能赐给她一个孩子。他们家的屋子后面有个小窗户，从那里可以看到一个漂亮的花园，里面长满了奇花异草。可是，花园的周围有一道高墙，哪个也不敢进来，由于那个花园属於一个女巫。这个女巫的法力很大，世界上每人都怕她。一天，老婆站在窗口向花园望去，看到一块菜地上长着很好看的莴苣。这类莴苣绿油油、水灵灵的，立刻就勾起了她的食欲，很想吃它们。这种欲望与日俱增，而当了解自己无论怎么样也吃不到的时候，她变得很憔悴，脸色苍白，痛苦不堪。她老公吓坏了，问她：「亲爱的，你哪儿不舒服呀？」「啊，」她回答，「我如果吃不到大家家后面那个园子里的莴苣，我就会死掉的。」老公由于很爱她，便想：「与其说让老婆去死，不如给她弄些莴苣来，管它会发生甚么事情呢。」黄昏时分，他翻过围墙，溜进了女巫的花园，飞快地拔了一把莴苣，带回来给她老婆吃。老婆立刻把莴苣做成色拉，狼吞虎嚥地吃了下去。这莴苣的味道真是太好了，第二天她想吃的莴苣居然比前一天多了两倍。为了满足老婆，老公只好决定第三翻进女巫的园子。於是，黄昏时分，他偷偷地溜进了园子，可他刚从墙上爬下来，就吓了一跳，由于他看到女巫就站在他的面前。「你很大的胆子，」她怒气沖沖地说，「竟敢溜进我的园子来，像个贼一样偷我的莴苣！」「唉，」他回答，「可怜可怜我，饶了我吧。我是无法才如此做的。我老婆从窗口看到了你园子中的莴苣，想吃得要命，吃不到就会死掉的。」女巫听了之后气慢慢消了一些，对他说：「假如事情真像你说的如此，我可以叫你随意采多少莴苣，但我有一个条件：你需要把你老婆将要生的孩子交给我。我会让她过得非常不错的，而且会像母亲一样对待她。」老公由於害怕，只好答应女巫的所有条件。老婆刚刚生下孩子，女巫就来了，给孩子取了个名字叫「莴苣」，然后就把孩子带走了。
「莴苣」慢慢长成了天底下最美丽的女生。孩子十二岁那年，女巫把她关进了一座高塔。这座高塔在森林里，既没楼梯也没门，只不过在塔顶上有一个小小的窗户。每当女巫想进来，她就站在塔下叫道：
「莴苣，莴苣，
把你的头发垂下来。」
莴苣女孩长着一头金丝般浓密的长发。一听到女巫的叫声，她便松开她的发辫，把顶端绕在一个窗钩上，然后放手来二十公尺。女巫便顺着这长发爬上去。
一两年过去了。有一天，王子骑马路过森林，刚好经过这座塔。这个时候，他忽然听到美妙的歌声，不由得停下来静静地听着。唱歌的正是莴苣女孩，她在寂寞中只好靠唱歌来打发时光。王子想爬到塔顶上去见她，便四处找门，可如何也没找到。他回到了宫中，那歌声已经深深地打动了他，他天天都要骑马去森林里听。一天，他站在一棵树后，看到女巫来了，而且听到她冲着塔顶叫道：
「莴苣，莴苣，
把你的头发垂下来。」
莴苣女孩立刻垂下她的发辫，女巫顺着它爬了上去。王子想：「假如那就是叫人爬上去的梯子，我也可以试一试我的运势。」第二天傍晚，他来到塔下叫道：
「莴苣，莴苣，
把你的头发垂下来。」
头发立刻垂了下来，王子便顺着爬了上去。
莴苣女孩看到爬上来的是一个男性时，真的大吃一惊，由于她还从来没看到过男性。但王子和蔼地跟她说话，说他的心怎么样怎么样被她的歌声打动，一刻也得不到安宁，非要来见她。莴苣女孩慢慢地不再感到害怕，而当他问她愿不想嫁给他时，她见王子又年轻又英俊，便想：「这个人一定会比那教母更喜欢我。」她於是就答应了，并把手伸给王子。她说：「我很想跟你一块走，可我不了解如何下去。你每次来的时候都给我带一根丝线吧，我要用丝线编一个梯子。等到梯子编好了，我就爬下来，你就把我抱到你的马背上。」由于老女巫一直在白天来，所以他两个商定让王子天天傍晚时来。女巫甚么也没发现，直到有一天莴苣女孩问她：「我问你，教母，我拉你的时候如何总感觉你比那个年轻的王子重得多？他可是一下子就上来了。」「啊！你这坏孩子！」女巫嚷道，「你在说甚么？我还以为你与世隔绝了呢，却不想你居然骗了我！」她怒气沖沖地一把抓住莴苣女孩好看的辫子，在左手上缠了两道，又用右手操起一把剪刀，喳喳喳几下，漂亮的辫子便落在了地上。然后，她又狠心地把莴苣女孩送到一片荒野中，让她淒惨痛苦地生活在那里。
莴苣女孩被送走的当天，女巫把剪下来的辫子绑在塔顶的窗钩上。王子走来喊道：
「莴苣，莴苣，
把你的头发垂下来。」
女巫放手头发，王子便顺着爬了上去。然而，他没见到心爱的莴苣女孩，却看到女巫正恶狠狠地瞪着他。「啊哈！」她嘲弄王子说，「你是来接你的心上人的吧？可漂亮的鸟儿不会再在窝里唱歌了。她被猫抓走了，而且猫还要把你的双眼挖出来。你的莴苣女孩完蛋了，你别想再见到她。」王子痛苦极了，绝望地从塔上跳了下去。他掉进了刺丛里，虽然没丧生，眼睛却被刺扎瞎了。他漫无目的地在森林里走着，吃的只不过草根和浆果，天天都为失去爱人而伤心地痛哭。他就如此痛苦地在森林里转了好几年，最后终於来到了莴苣女孩吃苦的荒野。莴苣女孩已经生下了一对双胞胎，一个儿子，一个女儿。王子听到有说话的声音，而且感觉那声音非常耳熟，便朝那里走去。当他走近时，莴苣女孩立刻认出了他，搂着他的脖子哭了起来。她的两滴泪水润湿了他的双眼，使它们重新恢复了光明。他又能像以前一样看东西了。他携带老婆儿女回到我们的王国，遭到了大家热烈的欢迎。他们幸福美满地生活着，直到永远。
