The Frog Prince

Level 1

One beautiful day, a young princess went out to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to a cool spring of water, 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 on the ground, until 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. She began to cry, 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 do not want 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 on 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.

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.'

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 the frog 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.

'You,' said the prince, 'have broken this 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 brightly coloured coach drove up 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, 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.

Original Japanese versions Movie In English With Subtitles

The Frog Prince

Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics - Level 2

In the olden time, when wishing was having, there lived a King, whose daughters were all beautiful; but the youngest was so exceedingly beautiful that the Sun himself, although he saw her very often, was enchanted every time she came out into the sunshine.

Near the castle of this King was a large and gloomy forest, and in the midst stood an old lime-tree, beneath whose branches splashed a little fountain; so, whenever it was very hot, the King’s youngest daughter ran off into this wood, and sat down by the side of this fountain; and, when she felt dull, would often divert herself by throwing a golden ball up in the air and catching it. And this was her favourite amusement.

Now, one day it happened, that this golden ball, when the King’s daughter threw it into the air, did not fall down into her hand, but on the grass; and then it rolled past her into the fountain. The King’s daughter followed the ball with her eyes, but it disappeared beneath the water, which was so deep that no one could see to the bottom.

Then she began to lament, and to cry louder and louder; and, as she cried, a voice called out, “Why weepest thou, O King’s daughter? thy tears would melt even a stone to pity.” And she looked around to the spot whence the voice came, and saw a Frog stretching his thick ugly head out of the water. “Ah! you old water-paddler,” said she, “was it you that spoke? I am weeping for my golden ball, which has slipped away from me into the water.”

“Be quiet, and do not cry,” answered the Frog; “I can give thee good advice.

But what wilt thou give me if I fetch thy plaything up again?”

“What will you have, dear Frog?” said she. “My dresses, my pearls and jewels, or the golden crown which I wear?”

The Frog answered, “Dresses, or jewels, or golden crowns, are not for me; but if thou wilt love me, and let me be thy companion and playfellow, and sit at thy table, and eat from thy little golden plate, and drink out of thy cup, and sleep in thy little bed, — if thou wilt promise me all these, then will I dive down and fetch up thy golden ball.”

“Oh, I will promise you all,” said she, “if you will only get me my ball.”

But she thought to herself, “What is the silly Frog chattering about?

Let him remain in the water with his equals; he cannot mix in society.” But the Frog, as soon as he had received her promise, drew his head under the water and dived down.

Presently he swam up again with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The King’s daughter was full of joy when she again saw her beautiful plaything; and, taking it up, she ran off immediately. “Stop! stop!” cried the Frog; “take me with thee. I cannot run as thou canst.” But all his croaking was useless; although it was loud enough, the King’s daughter did not hear it, but, hastening home, soon forgot the poor Frog, who was obliged to leap back into the fountain.

The next day, when the King’s daughter was sitting at table with her father and all his courtiers, and was eating from her own little golden plate, something was heard coming up the marble stairs, splish-splash, splish-splash; and when it arrived at the top, it knocked at the door, and a voice said, “Open the door, thou youngest daughter of the King!” So she rose and went to see who it was that called her; but when she opened the door and caught sight of the Frog, she shut it again with great vehemence, and sat down at the table, looking very pale. But the King perceived that her heart was beating violently, and asked her whether it were a giant who had come to fetch her away who stood at the door. “Oh, no!” answered she; “it is no giant, but an ugly Frog.”

“What does the Frog want with you?” said the King.
“Oh, dear father, when I was sitting yesterday playing by the fountain, my golden ball fell into the water, and this Frog fetched it up again because I cried so much: but first, I must tell you, he pressed me so much, that I promised him he should be my companion. I never thought that he could come out of the water, but somehow he has jumped out, and now he wants to come in here.”

At that moment there was another knock, and a voice said, —

“King’s daughter, youngest, Open the door. Hast thou forgotten Thy promises made At the fountain so clear ’Neath the lime-tree’s shade? King’s daughter, youngest, Open the door.”

“What does the Frog want with you?” said the King.

“Oh, dear father, when I was sitting yesterday playing by the fountain, my golden ball fell into the water, and this Frog fetched it up again because I cried so much: but first, I must tell you, he pressed me so much, that I promised him he should be my companion. I never thought that he could come out of the water, but somehow he has jumped out, and now he wants to come in here.”

At that moment there was another knock, and a voice said, —

“King’s daughter, youngest, Open the door. Hast thou forgotten Thy promises made At the fountain so clear ’Neath the lime-tree’s shade? King’s daughter, youngest, Open the door.”

Then the King said, “What you have promised, that you must perform; go and let him in.” So the King’s daughter went and opened the door, and the Frog hopped in after her right up to her chair: and as soon as she was seated, the Frog said, “Take me up;” but she hesitated so long that at last the King ordered her to obey. And as soon as the Frog sat on the chair, he jumped on to the table, and said, “Now push thy plate near me, that we may eat together.”

And she did so, but as everyone saw, very unwillingly. The Frog seemed to relish his dinner much, but every bit that the King’s daughter ate nearly choked her, till at last the Frog said, “I have satisfied my hunger and feel very tired; wilt thou carry me upstairs now into thy chamber, and make thy bed ready that we may sleep together?” At this speech the King’s daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold Frog, and dared not touch him; and besides, he actually wanted to sleep in her own beautiful, clean bed.

But her tears only made the King very angry, and he said, “He who helped you in the time of your trouble, must not now be despised!” So she took the Frog up with two fingers, and put him in a corner of her chamber. But as she lay in her bed, he crept up to it, and said, “I am so very tired that I shall sleep well; do take me up or I will tell thy father.” This speech put the King’s daughter in a terrible passion, and catching the Frog up, she threw him with all her strength against the wall, saying, “Now, will you be quiet, you ugly Frog?”

But as he fell he was changed from a frog into a handsome Prince with beautiful eyes, who, after a little while became, with her father’s consent, her dear companion and betrothed. Then he told her how he had been transformed by an evil witch, and that no one but herself could have had the power to take him out of the fountain; and that on the morrow they would go together into his own kingdom.

The next morning, as soon as the sun rose, a carriage drawn by eight white horses, with ostrich feathers on their heads, and golden bridles, drove up to the door of the palace, and behind the carriage stood the trusty Henry, the servant of the young Prince. When his master was changed into a frog, trusty Henry had grieved so much that he had bound three iron bands round his heart, for fear it should break with grief and sorrow.

But now that the carriage was ready to carry the young Prince to his own country, the faithful Henry helped in the bride and bridegroom, and placed himself in the seat behind, full of joy at his master’s release. They had not proceeded far when the Prince heard a crack as if something had broken behind the carriage; so he put his head out of the window and asked Henry what was broken, and Henry answered, “It was not the carriage, my master, but a band which I bound round my heart when it was in such grief because you were changed into a frog.”

Twice afterwards on the journey there was the same noise, and each time the Prince thought that it was some part of the carriage that had given way; but it was only the breaking of the bands which bound the heart of the trusty Henry, who was thenceforward free and happy.

The Frog-Prince - Level 3

By the Grimm Brothers

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.

Žabí král
Bratři Grimmové

a starých časů v dobách, kdy se ještě dbalo na dané slovo, žil jeden král, který měl velmi krásné dcery, z nichž ta nejmladší byla tak krásná, že se samo slunce, které toho vidělo již tolik, nad tou krásou podivovalo vždy, když dívce svítilo do tváře. Blízko královského zámku se rozkládal černočerný hluboký les, ve kterém byla pod jednou stařičkou lípou studna. Když byl horký den, nejmladší princezna vycházela do lesa, posadila se na okraj chladivé studny, a když měla dlouho chvíli, vzala zlatý míč, házela ho do výšky a chytala; a to byla její nejoblíbenější hra. Jednou se ale přihodilo, že se zlatý míč nevrátil do princezniny ručky, nýbrž spadl na zem vedle ní, odrazil se a žbluňkl do vody. Princezna míč sledovala očima, ale on zmizel; studna byla hluboká, člověk na její dno nedohlédnul.

Tu počala plakat a plakala a naříkala čím dál hlasitěji, utišit se nemohla. Když chvíli usedavě naříkala, tu na ni někdo zavolal: „Copak je ti princezno? Naříkáš tu, že by se byl nad tebou kámen ustrnul.“ Dívka se ohlédla, odkud ten hlas přichází a tu uviděla žábu, jak vystrkuje z vody ošklivou tlustou hlavu. „Aha, to jsi ty, stará skřehotalko?“ řekla princezna: „Pláču pro svůj zlatý míč, který mi spadl do vody.“ „Uklidni se,“ odvětila žába: „já ti mohu pomoci. Co mi dáš, když ti přinesu tvoji hračku zpět?“ „Co si budeš přát, nejmilejší žabko,“ řekla princezna: „moje šaty, perly a drahé kameny, k tomu zlatou korunku, kterou nosím.“ Žába odpověděla: „Tvoje šaty, perly a drahokamy ani zlatou korunku nechci; ale jestli ke mně chceš být milá a já se stanu tvoji družkou a přítelkyní, budu sedět vedle tebe u stolu, jíst z tvého zlatého talířku, pít z tvého pohárku a spát v tvé postýlce; když mi tohle všechno slíbíš, tak já ti míč přinesu nahoru.“ „Ano,“ odvětila princezna: „všechno tohle ti slibuji, když mi ho přineseš zpět.“

Ale pomyslela si: „Co ta vrásčitá žába žvaní, ať si sedí ve vodě a kváká, ta přeci nemůže být žádnému člověku družkou.“ Žába, když obdržela slib, ponořila hlavu pod vodu a za malou chvilku se objevila zase nahoře a v tlamě nesla zlatý míč a hodila ho do trávy. Princezna se zaradovala, když zase uviděla svoji krásnou hračku, popadla ji a utíkala s ní pryč. „Počkej! Počkej!“ volala za ní žába: „Vezmi mne sebou, já nemohu utíkat tak rychle jako ty.“Ale co jí bylo platné její úpěnlivé kvákání, princezna ji neposlouchala a pospíchala domů a na ubohou žábu, která musela zůstat v hluboké studni, ihned zapomněla.

Druhého dne, když král a jeho dvořané seděli u tabule a jedli ze zlatých talířů, uslyšeli pleskání a čvachtaní na mramorovém schodišti, a když ten někdo dospěl nahoru, zaklepal na dveře a zvolal: „Královská dcero, ty nejmladší, otevři mi!“ Princezna se běžela podívat, kdopak je za dveřmi, a když otevřela, seděla tam žába. Vystrašená dívenka přibouchla dveře a posadila se zpět ke stolu. Král si všimnul, jak jí divoce buší srdce a řekl: „Čehopak se bojíš, stojí snad před těmi dveřmi strašlivý obr a chce tě odnést?“ „Ale ne.“ odvětila: „Není to žádný obr, nýbrž ošklivá žába, která mi včera v lese vytáhla z vody můj míč, s tím, že jsem jí musela slíbit, že se stane mojí družkou.

Ale to jsem si nepomyslila, že se dostane z vody až sem, nyní stojí venku a chce dovnitř.“ Mezitím zaklepala žába podruhé a volala: „Královská dcero, ty nejmladší, otevři mi! Nepamatuješ si snad, co jsi mi včera u studny slíbila? Královská dcero, ty nejmladší, otevři mi!“ Tu pravil král: „Co jsi slíbila, musíš taky splnit, jdi a otevři jí!“ Tak princezna šla a dveře otevřela, tu žába vskákala dovnitř a skákala pak dál až k její stoličce, tam se posadila a zaskřehotala: „Zvedni mě k sobě nahoru!“ To dívka udělat nechtěla, dokud jí král poznovu neporučil. Sotva se žába usadila na stoličce, řekla: „Nyní mi přistrč blíže svůj zlatý talířek, abychom mohly společně jíst“ To princezna sice udělala, ale každý viděl, že velmi nerada. Žába si nechala chutnat, ale jí každé sousto v krku přímo rostlo.

Po chvíli žába pravila: „Nyní jsem se dosyta najedla a jsem unavená, zanes mne do své komůrky, tam se uložíme se k spánku.“ Tu začala princeznička plakat, neboť se té studené žáby bála, ani dotknout se jí neodvážila a ona si chtěla spát v její krásné čisté postýlce. Ale král se na ni rozhněval a pravil: „Co jsi slíbila, musíš taky splnit, ta žába je tvoje družka!“ Tady nic nepomohlo, chtíc nechtíc musela žábu vzít s sebou. Popadla ji s velkým odporem dvěma prsty a nesla nahoru, a když si lehla do postýlky, místo aby žábu vzala k sobě, mrštila s ní vší silou o stěnu a zvolala: „Teď dáš pokoj, ty hnusná ropucho!“ Ale světe div se! Na podlahu nedopadla mrtvá žába, nýbrž živoucí, mladý princ s nádhernýma očima. A ten byl nyní po právu a podle vůle jejího otce její milý druh a manžel.

Pak společně spokojeně usnuli a druhého rána, když je probudilo slunce, přijel kočár, tažený osmi bělouši, kteří měli na hlavách bílé chocholy, a jejich postroje byly zlaté; a stál u nich sloužící mladého krále; byl to věrný Jindřich. Ten se velice rmoutil nad tím, že jeho pán byl proměněn v žábu, své srdce si musel spoutat třemi železnými obručemi, aby se mu samým zármutkem a bolestí nerozskočilo. Kočár měl mladého krále zavézt do jeho říše, věrný Jindřich jim oběma pomohl dovnitř, sám si stoupnul dozadu; byl radosti bez sebe z toho vysvobození. Když ujeli malý kousek cesty, uslyšel královský syn něco venku strašlivě zapraštět. Tu se obrátil dozadu a zavolal: „Jindřichu, kočár se polámal!“ „Ne, můj pane, to byla jen obruč na mém srdci, kterou jsem si nasadil, aby mi nepuklo srdce z toho, že jste byl zakletý.“ Ještě jednou a pak ještě jednou zapraštělo a princ si vždy myslel, že je polámaný kočár, ale byly to jen ty dvě obruče na Jindřichově srdci, protože nyní byl šťastný, že jeho pán je vysvobozený.

P14014_The Frog Prince ..........