One fine evening a young princess put on her bonnet and
clogs, and went out to take a walk by herself in a wood;
and when she came to a cool spring of water, that rose in
the midst of it, she sat herself down to rest a while. Now
she had a golden ball in her hand, which was her
favourite plaything; and she was always tossing it up into
the air, and catching it again as it fell. After a time she
threw it up so high that she missed catching it as it fell;
and the ball bounded away, and rolled along upon the
ground, till at last it fell down into the spring. The
princess looked into the spring after her ball, but it was
very deep, so deep that she could not see the bottom of it.
Then she began to bewail her loss, and said, ’Alas! if I
could only get my ball again, I would give all my fine
clothes and jewels, and everything that I have in the
world.’
Whilst she was speaking, a frog put its head out of the
water, and said, ’Princess, why do you weep so bitterly?’ ’
Alas!’ said she, ’what can you do for me, you nasty frog?
My golden ball has fallen into the spring.’ The frog said, ’I
want not your pearls, and jewels, and fine clothes; but if
you will love me, and let me live with you and eat from off
your golden plate, and sleep upon your bed, I will bring
you your ball again.’ ’What nonsense,’ thought the
princess, ’this silly frog is talking! He can never even get
out of the spring to visit me, though he may be able to get
my ball for me, and therefore I will tell him he shall have
what he asks.’ So she said to the frog, ’Well, if you will
bring me my ball, I will do all you ask.’ Then the frog put
his head down, and dived deep under the water; and after
a little while he came up again, with the ball in his
mouth, and threw it on the edge of the spring. As soon as
the young princess saw her ball, she ran to pick it up; and
she was so overjoyed to have it in her hand again, that
she never thought of the frog, but ran home with it as fast
as she could. The frog called after her, ’Stay, princess, and
take me with you as you said,’ But she did not stop to
hear a word.
The next day, just as the princess had sat down to dinner,
she heard a strange noise–tap, tap–plash, plash–as if
something was coming up the marble staircase: and soon
afterwards there was a gentle knock at the door, and a
little voice cried out and said:
’Open the door, my princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here!
And mind the words that thou and I said
By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’
Then the princess ran to the door and opened it, and
there she saw the frog, whom she had quite forgotten. At
this sight she was sadly frightened, and shutting the door
as fast as she could came back to her seat. The king, her
father, seeing that something had frightened her, asked
her what was the matter. ’There is a nasty frog,’ said she, ’
at the door, that lifted my ball for me out of the spring this
morning: I told him that he should live with me here,
thinking that he could never get out of the spring; but
there he is at the door, and he wants to come in.’
While she was speaking the frog knocked again at the
door, and said:
’Open the door, my princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here!
And mind the words that thou and I said
By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’
Then the king said to the young princess, ’As you have
given your word you must keep it; so go and let him in.’
She did so, and the frog hopped into the room, and then
straight on–tap, tap–plash, plash– from the bottom of the
room to the top, till he came up close to the table where
the princess sat. ’Pray lift me upon chair,’ said he to the
princess, ’and let me sit next to you.’ As soon as she had
done this, the frog said, ’Put your plate nearer to me, that
I may eat out of it.’ This she did, and when he had eaten
as much as he could, he said, ’Now I am tired; carry me
upstairs, and put me into your bed.’ And the princess,
though very unwilling, took him up in her hand, and put
him upon the pillow of her own bed, where he slept all
night long. As soon as it was light he jumped up, hopped
downstairs, and went out of the house. ’Now, then,’
thought the princess, ’at last he is gone, and I shall be
troubled with him no more.’
But she was mistaken; for when night came again she
heard the same tapping at the door; and the frog came
once more, and said:
’Open the door, my princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here!
And mind the words that thou and I said
By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’
And when the princess opened the door the frog came in,
and slept upon her pillow as before, till the morning
broke. And the third night he did the same. But when the
princess awoke on the following morning she was
astonished to see, instead of the frog, a handsome prince,
gazing on her with the most beautiful eyes she had ever
seen, and standing at the head of her bed.
He told her that he had been enchanted by a spiteful
fairy, who had changed him into a frog; and that he had
been fated so to abide till some princess should take him
out of the spring, and let him eat from her plate, and sleep
upon her bed for three nights. ’You,’ said the prince, ’have
broken his cruel charm, and now I have nothing to wish
for but that you should go with me into my father’s
kingdom, where I will marry you, and love you as long as
you live.’
The young princess, you may be sure, was not long in
saying ’Yes’ to all this; and as they spoke a gay coach
drove up, with eight beautiful horses, decked with plumes
of feathers and a golden harness; and behind the coach
rode the prince’s servant, faithful Heinrich, who had
bewailed the misfortunes of his dear master during his
enchantment so long and so bitterly, that his heart had
well-nigh burst.
They then took leave of the king, and got into the coach
with eight horses, and all set out, full of joy and
merriment, for the prince’s kingdom, which they reached
safely; and there they lived happily a great many years.
clogs, and went out to take a walk by herself in a wood;
and when she came to a cool spring of water, that rose in
the midst of it, she sat herself down to rest a while. Now
she had a golden ball in her hand, which was her
favourite plaything; and she was always tossing it up into
the air, and catching it again as it fell. After a time she
threw it up so high that she missed catching it as it fell;
and the ball bounded away, and rolled along upon the
ground, till at last it fell down into the spring. The
princess looked into the spring after her ball, but it was
very deep, so deep that she could not see the bottom of it.
Then she began to bewail her loss, and said, ’Alas! if I
could only get my ball again, I would give all my fine
clothes and jewels, and everything that I have in the
world.’
Whilst she was speaking, a frog put its head out of the
water, and said, ’Princess, why do you weep so bitterly?’ ’
Alas!’ said she, ’what can you do for me, you nasty frog?
My golden ball has fallen into the spring.’ The frog said, ’I
want not your pearls, and jewels, and fine clothes; but if
you will love me, and let me live with you and eat from off
your golden plate, and sleep upon your bed, I will bring
you your ball again.’ ’What nonsense,’ thought the
princess, ’this silly frog is talking! He can never even get
out of the spring to visit me, though he may be able to get
my ball for me, and therefore I will tell him he shall have
what he asks.’ So she said to the frog, ’Well, if you will
bring me my ball, I will do all you ask.’ Then the frog put
his head down, and dived deep under the water; and after
a little while he came up again, with the ball in his
mouth, and threw it on the edge of the spring. As soon as
the young princess saw her ball, she ran to pick it up; and
she was so overjoyed to have it in her hand again, that
she never thought of the frog, but ran home with it as fast
as she could. The frog called after her, ’Stay, princess, and
take me with you as you said,’ But she did not stop to
hear a word.
The next day, just as the princess had sat down to dinner,
she heard a strange noise–tap, tap–plash, plash–as if
something was coming up the marble staircase: and soon
afterwards there was a gentle knock at the door, and a
little voice cried out and said:
’Open the door, my princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here!
And mind the words that thou and I said
By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’
Then the princess ran to the door and opened it, and
there she saw the frog, whom she had quite forgotten. At
this sight she was sadly frightened, and shutting the door
as fast as she could came back to her seat. The king, her
father, seeing that something had frightened her, asked
her what was the matter. ’There is a nasty frog,’ said she, ’
at the door, that lifted my ball for me out of the spring this
morning: I told him that he should live with me here,
thinking that he could never get out of the spring; but
there he is at the door, and he wants to come in.’
While she was speaking the frog knocked again at the
door, and said:
’Open the door, my princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here!
And mind the words that thou and I said
By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’
Then the king said to the young princess, ’As you have
given your word you must keep it; so go and let him in.’
She did so, and the frog hopped into the room, and then
straight on–tap, tap–plash, plash– from the bottom of the
room to the top, till he came up close to the table where
the princess sat. ’Pray lift me upon chair,’ said he to the
princess, ’and let me sit next to you.’ As soon as she had
done this, the frog said, ’Put your plate nearer to me, that
I may eat out of it.’ This she did, and when he had eaten
as much as he could, he said, ’Now I am tired; carry me
upstairs, and put me into your bed.’ And the princess,
though very unwilling, took him up in her hand, and put
him upon the pillow of her own bed, where he slept all
night long. As soon as it was light he jumped up, hopped
downstairs, and went out of the house. ’Now, then,’
thought the princess, ’at last he is gone, and I shall be
troubled with him no more.’
But she was mistaken; for when night came again she
heard the same tapping at the door; and the frog came
once more, and said:
’Open the door, my princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here!
And mind the words that thou and I said
By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’
And when the princess opened the door the frog came in,
and slept upon her pillow as before, till the morning
broke. And the third night he did the same. But when the
princess awoke on the following morning she was
astonished to see, instead of the frog, a handsome prince,
gazing on her with the most beautiful eyes she had ever
seen, and standing at the head of her bed.
He told her that he had been enchanted by a spiteful
fairy, who had changed him into a frog; and that he had
been fated so to abide till some princess should take him
out of the spring, and let him eat from her plate, and sleep
upon her bed for three nights. ’You,’ said the prince, ’have
broken his cruel charm, and now I have nothing to wish
for but that you should go with me into my father’s
kingdom, where I will marry you, and love you as long as
you live.’
The young princess, you may be sure, was not long in
saying ’Yes’ to all this; and as they spoke a gay coach
drove up, with eight beautiful horses, decked with plumes
of feathers and a golden harness; and behind the coach
rode the prince’s servant, faithful Heinrich, who had
bewailed the misfortunes of his dear master during his
enchantment so long and so bitterly, that his heart had
well-nigh burst.
They then took leave of the king, and got into the coach
with eight horses, and all set out, full of joy and
merriment, for the prince’s kingdom, which they reached
safely; and there they lived happily a great many years.
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