Золушка / Cinderella
Шрифт:
Once, there were dancers performing for the prince. Their dance was very beautiful. The little mermaid raised her arms, stood on the tips of her toes, and danced like no one else. Everyone was enchanted, especially the prince.
As the days passed, the mermaid loved the prince more. He loved her as he would love a little child, but it never came into his head [64] to make her his wife.
“You are dear to me,” said the prince; “for you have the best heart, and you are the most devoted to me. You remind me of a young maiden whom I once saw. I was in a ship wreck, and the waves cast me ashore near a holy temple. She found me on the shore, and saved my life. She is the only one in the world whom I could love; but you are like her, and you have almost driven her image out of my mind [65] . She belongs to the holy temple, and my good fortune has sent you to me instead of her; and we will never part.”
64
it never came into his head –
65
you have almost driven her image out of my mind – ты почти совсем вытеснила её образ из моей головы
“Ah, he doesn’t know that I saved him,” thought the little mermaid. “I carried him to the shore; I saw the pretty maiden that he loves.” And the mermaid sighed deeply. “He says the maiden belongs to the holy temple, so she will never return to the world. They will never meet.”
Very soon it was said that the prince must marry, and that the beautiful daughter of a neighboring king would be his wife.
“I must travel,” he said to the mermaid; “I must see this beautiful princess; my parents want it. I cannot love her. If I were forced to choose a bride, I would rather choose you.”
And so they got on a ship and sailed to meet the princess. The next day they got to the harbor of a beautiful town. The church bells were ringing, and from the high towers sounded a flourish of trumpets [66] .
But the princess had not yet appeared. People said that she was being brought up and educated in a religious house. At last she came. She was beautiful: her skin was delicately fair, and her blue eyes shone with truth and purity.
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a flourish of trumpets –
“It was you,” said the prince, “who saved my life when I lay dead on the beach! Oh, I am too happy!”
The little mermaid kissed his hand, and felt as if her heart was already broken. His wedding morning would bring death to her, and she would turn into the foam of the sea.
The wedding happened at once. The little mermaid, dressed in silk and gold, held up the bride’s train; but her ears heard nothing of the festive music, and her eyes saw not the holy ceremony. She thought only of what was going to happen in the morning.
Once everyone on the ship went to sleep, the little mermaid came up to the edge of the ship and looked towards the east. She saw her sisters rise out of the water. They were as pale as herself; but their long beautiful hair had been cut off.
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