武太白·白话英语2016-2021文章总目录
上图是用Word 2019检测出来的本故事文本适用年级信息，其中Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level=9.5。一般来说，中国学生的英语阅读能力比英美学生落后4-6年。按照中位值，9.5+5=14.5年级，相当于国内使用人教版统编英语教材的大二大三学生。上海地区的高二高三学生可试读本故事。
事实上，如果内容比较熟悉，语言的障碍就不那么严重。目测上海地区初中生应该也能看得差不多。
内容提要：美丽的公主在泉水边玩耍，不小心将金球丢入了水中，水深不见底，她看着金球消失却无能为力。就在她无助的哭泣时，一只丑陋的青蛙露出了水面，它说只要公主满足它的愿望，就可以帮她把金球找回来，那么究竟是什么愿望呢？公主有没有实现它的愿望呢？
In olden times, when if you
made a wish, it would always come true, there lived a king whose daughters were
all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, which has
seen so much, was astonished whenever it shone in her face. Close by the King’s
castle lay a great dark forest, and under an old lime-tree in the forest was a
well, and when the day was very warm, the King’s child went out into the forest
and sat down by the side of the cool fountain, and when she was dull she took a
golden ball, and threw it up on high and caught it, and this ball was her
favorite plaything.
Now
it so happened that on one occasion the princess’s golden ball did not fall
into the little hand which she was holding up for it, but on to the ground beyond, and rolled straight into the water. The King’s
daughter followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and the well was deep, so
deep that the bottom could not be seen. On this she began to cry, and cried louder and louder, and could not be comforted. And as she was complaining someone said to her, “What troubles you, King’s daughter? You weep so that even a
stone would show pity.” She looked round to the side from whence the voice
came, and saw a frog stretching forth its thick, ugly head from the water. “Ah!
old water-splasher, is it you?” said she; “I am weeping for my golden ball, which
has fallen into the well.”
“Be
quiet, and do not weep,” answered the frog, “I can help thee, but what wilt you
give me if I bring thy plaything up again?” “Whatever you will have, dear
frog,” said she, “My clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown
which I am wearing.”
The
frog answered, “I do not care for clothes, thy pearls and jewels, or thy
golden crown, but if you will love me and let me be thy companion and
play-fellow, and sit by thee at thy little table, and eat off thy little golden
plate, and drink out of thy little cup, and sleep in thy little bed - if thou
wilt promise me this I will go down below, and bring thee thy golden ball up
again.”
“Oh yes,” said she, “I promise thee all
you wish, you will but bring me my ball back
again.” She, however, thought, “How the silly frog does talk! He lives in the
water with the other frogs, and croaks, and can be no companion to any human
being!”
But the frog when he had received this
promise, put his head into the water and sank
down, and in a short while came swimmming up again with the
ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The King’s daughter was delighted
to see her pretty plaything once more, and picked it up, and ran away with it.
“Wait, wait,” said the frog. “Take me with thee. I can’t run as thou canst.”
But what did it avail him to scream his croak, croak, after her, as loudly as
he could? She did not listen to it, but ran
home and soon forgot the poor frog, who was forced to go back into his well
again.
The
next day when she had seated herself at table with the King and all the
courtiers, and was eating from her little golden plate, something came creeping
splish splash, splish splash, up the marble staircase, and when it had got to
the top, it knocked at the door and cried, “Princess, youngest princess, open the door for me.”
She ran to see who was outside, but
when she opened the door, there sat the frog in front of it. Then she slammed
the door too, in great haste, sat down to dinner again, and was quite
frightened. The King saw plainly that her heart was beating violently, and
said, “My child, what art thou so afraid of? Is there perchance a giant outside who wants to carry thee away?” “Ah, no,”
replied she. “It is no giant but a
disgusting frog.”
“What
does a frog want with you?” “Ah, dear father, yesterday as I was in the forest
sitting by the well, playing, my golden ball fell into the water. And because I
cried so, the frog brought it out again for me, and because he so insisted, I promised him he should be my
companion, but I never thought he would be able to come out of his water! And
now he is outside there, and wants to come in to me.”
In the meantime it knocked a second time,
and cried, “Princess!
youngest princess! Open the door for me! Dost thou not
know what thou saidst to me Yesterday
by the cool waters of the fountain? Princess, youngest princess! Open the door for me!”
Then
said the King, “That which you have promised, you must do. Go and let him in.”
She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped in and followed her, step by
step, to her chair. There he sat and cried, “Lift me up beside you.” She
delayed, until at last the King commanded her to do it.
When the frog was once on the chair he wanted to be on the table, and when he
was on the table he said, “Now, push your little golden plate nearer to me that
we may eat together.” She did this, but it was easy
to see that she did not do it willingly. The frog enjoyed what he ate, but
almost every mouthful she took choked her. At length he said, “I have eaten and
am satisfied; now I am tired, carry me into thy little room and make thy little
silken bed ready, and we will both lie down and go to sleep.”
The King’s daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog
which she did not like to touch, and which was now to sleep in her pretty,
clean little bed. But the King grew angry and said, “He who helped thee when thou wert in trouble ought not afterwards
to be despised by thee.” So she took hold of the frog with two fingers, carried
him upstairs, and put him in a corner. But when she was in bed he crept to her
and said, “I am tired, I want to sleep as well as thou, lift me up or I will tell thy father.”
Then she was terribly angry, and
took him up and threw him with all her might against the wall. “Now, you will
be quiet, you horrible little frog,” said she.
But when he fell down he was no frog but a
King’s son with beautiful kind eyes. He by her father’s will was now her
dear companion and husband. Then he told her how he had been bewitched
by a wicked witch, and how no one could have delivered him from the well but
herself, and that tomorrow they would go together into his
kingdom. Then they went to sleep, and next morning when the sun awoke them, a carriage came driving up with eight white horses, which had
white ostrich feathers on their heads, and were harnessed with golden chains,
and behind stood the young King’s servant Faithful Henry.
Faithful Henry had
been so unhappy when his master was changed into a frog, that he had caused
three iron bands to be laid round his heart, in case it should burst with grief
and sadness. The carriage was to conduct the young King into his Kingdom.
Faithful Henry helped them both in, and placed himself behind again, and was
full of joy because of this wonderful end to their troubles. And when they had
driven a part of the way the King’s son heard a cracking behind him as if something had broken. So he turned round and cried,
“Henry, the carriage is breaking.”
“No, master, it is not the carriage. It is a band from my heart, which was put there in my great pain
when you were a frog and imprisoned in the well.” Again and once again while they were on their way
something cracked, and each time the King’s son thought the carriage was
breaking; but it was only the bands which were springing from the heart of
Faithful Henry because his master was set free and was happy.
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