Perrault - Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault

English Language Edition

LITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD

O nce upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature that ever was seen. Her mother was very fond of her, and her grandmother loved her still more. This good woman made for her a little red riding-hood, which became the girl so well that everybody called her Little Red Riding-hood.

One day her mother, having made some custards, said to her:

Go, my dear, and see how your grandmother does, for I hear she has been very ill; carry her a custard and this little pot of butter.

Little Red Riding-hood set out immediately to go to her grandmothers, who lived in another village.

As she was going through the wood, she met Gaffer Wolf, who had a very great mind to eat her up; but he dared not, because of some fagot-makers hard by in the forest. He asked her whither she was going. The poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stay and hear a wolf talk, said to him:

I am going to see my grandmother, and carry her a custard and a little pot of butter from my mamma.

Does she live far off? said the Wolf.

Oh, yes, answered Little Red Riding-hood; it is beyond that mill you see there, the first house you come to in the village.

Well, said the Wolf, and Ill go and see her, too. Ill go this way, and you go that, and we shall see who will be there first.

The Wolf began to run as fast as he could, taking the shortest way, and the little girl went by the longest way, amusing herself by gathering nuts, running after butterflies, and making nosegays of such little flowers as she met with. The Wolf was not long before he reached the old womans house. He knocked at the doortap, tap, tap.

Whos there? called the grandmother.

Your grandchild, Little Red Riding-hood, replied the Wolf, imitating her voice, who has brought a custard and a little pot of butter sent to you by mamma.

The good grandmother, who was in bed, because she was somewhat ill, cried out:

Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.

The Wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door opened. He fell upon the good woman and ate her up in no time, for he had not eaten anything for more than three days. He then shut the door, went into the grandmothers bed, and waited for Little Red Riding-hood, who came sometime afterward and knocked at the doortap, tap, tap.

Whos there? called the Wolf.

Little Red Riding-hood, hearing the big voice of the Wolf, was at first afraid; but thinking her grandmother had a cold, answered:

Tis your grandchild, Little Red Riding-hood, who has brought you a custard and a little pot of butter sent to you by mamma.

The Wolf cried out to her, softening his voice a little:

Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.

Little Red Riding-hood pulled the bobbin, and the door opened.

The Wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the bedclothes:

Put the custard and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come and lie down with me.

Little Red Riding-hood undressed herself and went into bed, where she was much surprised to see how her grandmother looked in her night-clothes.

She said to her:

Grandmamma, what great arms you have got!

That is the better to hug thee, my dear.

Grandmamma, what great legs you have got!

That is to run the better, my child.

Grandmamma, what great ears you have got!

That is to hear the better, my child.

Grandmamma, what great eyes you have got!

It is to see the better, my child.

Grandmamma, what great teeth you have got!

That is to eat thee up.

And, saying these words, this wicked Wolf fell upon Little Red Riding-hood, and ate her all up.

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

O nce upon a time there was a king and a queen, who were very sorry that they had no children,so sorry that it cannot be told.

At last, however, the Queen had a daughter. There was a very fine christening; and the Princess had for her godmothers all the fairies they could find in the whole kingdom (there were seven of them), so that every one of them might confer a gift upon her, as was the custom of fairies in those days. By this means the Princess had all the perfections imaginable.

After the christening was over, the company returned to the Kings palace, where was prepared a great feast for the fairies. There was placed before every one of them a magnificent cover with a case of massive gold, wherein were a spoon, and a knife and fork, all of pure gold set with diamonds and rubies. But as they were all sitting down at table they saw a very old fairy come into the hall. She had not been invited, because for more than fifty years she had not been out of a certain tower, and she was believed to be either dead or enchanted.

The King ordered her a cover, but he could not give her a case of gold as the others had, because seven only had been made for the seven fairies. The old fairy fancied she was slighted, and muttered threats between her teeth. One of the young fairies who sat near heard her, and, judging that she might give the little Princess some unlucky gift, hid herself behind the curtains as soon as they left the table. She hoped that she might speak last and undo as much as she could the evil which the old fairy might do.

In the meanwhile all the fairies began to give their gifts to the Princess. The youngest gave her for her gift that she should be the most beautiful person in the world; the next, that she should have the wit of an angel; the third, that she should be able to do everything she did gracefully; the fourth, that she should dance perfectly; the fifth, that she should sing like a nightingale; and the sixth, that she should play all kinds of musical instruments to the fullest perfection.

The old fairys turn coming next, her head shaking more with spite than with age, she said that the Princess should pierce her hand with a spindle and die of the wound. This terrible gift made the whole company tremble, and everybody fell a-crying.

At this very instant the young fairy came from behind the curtains and said these words in a loud voice:

Assure yourselves, O King and Queen, that your daughter shall not die of this disaster. It is true, I have no power to undo entirely what my elder has done. The Princess shall indeed pierce her hand with a spindle; but, instead of dying, she shall only fall into a deep sleep, which shall last a hundred years, at the end of which a kings son shall come and awake her.

The King, to avoid the misfortune foretold by the old fairy, issued orders forbidding any one, on pain of death, to spin with a distaff and spindle, or to have a spindle in his house. About fifteen or sixteen years after, the King and Queen being absent at one of their country villas, the young Princess was one day running up and down the palace; she went from room to room, and at last she came into a little garret on the top of the tower, where a good old woman, alone, was spinning with her spindle. This good woman had never heard of the Kings orders against spindles.