Rapunzel—长发公主

Rapunzel

Once upon a time there was aman and his wife who had the bad luck to live next door to a witch. They longedto have a child, and at last their wish was granted.

One day, the wife had acraving for some wild garlic, called rapunzel, growing in the witch’s garden.Her husband picked some for her, and she ate it. The next day he went back formore. And on the third … the witch pounced on him!

“Why are youstealing my wild garlic?” she asked. The man explained that his wife had acraving for the plant. “Well, I won’t harm you, but you must give me the babyshe is going to have,” said the witch. The man, fearing for his life, agreed.

When the time came, the wifegave birth to a lovely baby girl. But the witch came to take the baby away. Shewas called Rapunzel, just like the wild garlic plant.

The witch brought upRapunzel and, when she was twelve, locked her in a high tower that had no dooror stairway. Rapunzel had beautiful, long hair, and when the witch wanted tovisit her, she stood at the foot of the tower and sang, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, thatI may climb without a stair.”

And then she would climb upRapunzel’s hair.

Years later, a prince wasriding by the tower when he heard beautiful singing. He saw a lovely youngwoman at the window. Then he heard the witch’s rusty voice calling, and watchedher climb up the cascade of hair.

The next day, the princecame back and called out, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair,  that I may climb without a stair.” Rapunzellowered her hair as usual, but how surprised she was to see the prince! Afterthat he came to see her every day, and soon they were in love. The princepromised to bring silk so that Rapunzel could weave a ladder and escape fromthe high tower.

But one day, silly Rapunzelsaid to the witch, “I wonder why you are so much heavier than the prince? Itnever hurts my hair so much when he climbs up to visit me.”

Snip, snap! The witch put anend to Rapunzel’s romance by cutting off her lovely, long hair. How sorryRapunzel was for her foolishness!

The witch spirited Rapunzelaway and left her in a desert, where the poor girl wandered around, lost andalone. She had lots of time to feel sorry for letting the witch know she had aprince visiting her.

Meanwhile, the wicked witchhad tied Rapunzel’s hair to the window frame. When she heard the prince call,she let down the golden tresses as usual. Now it was the prince’s turn for asurprise— and a very nasty one!

He tumbled down from the hightower, and the witch made him go blind. He crawled away, unable to see where hewas going.

For years, the princewandered around the world, searching for his lost love, Rapunzel. After a longtime, he found himself in a desert. He was hot, tired, and thirsty. And then heheard a lovely voice singing such a sad song that it made him weep.

“Rapunzel!” hecried. “Rapunzel, can it be you?” It was Rapunzel! She ran over to the princeand threw her arms around him. When she saw that her prince was now blind, shecried. Her tears fell into his eyes, and suddenly he could see again. Rapunzeland her prince were married, and they never saw the witch again. And Rapunzel’shair grew almost as long as before!