This fairy tale story is collected from the book named, Old-Time Stories told by Master Charles Perrault. This fairy tale story book was translated by A. F. Johnson and published from New York, Dodd Mead and Company, 1921.
Donkey Skin (Part 1)
Once upon a time there was a king who was the most powerful ruler in the whole world. Kind and just in peace and terrifying in war, his enemies feared him while his subjects were happy and content. His wife and faithful companion was both charming and beautiful. From their union a daughter had been born.
Their large and magnificent palace was filled with courtiers, and their stables boasted steeds large and small, of every description. But what surprised everyone on entering these stables was that the place of honor was held by a donkey with two big ears. However, it was quite worthy of this position, for every morning, instead of dung, it dropped a great load of gold coins upon the trash.
Now heaven, which seems to join good with evil, suddenly tolerable a bitter illness to attack the queen. Help was sought on all sides, but neither the learned physicians nor the quacks were able to arrest the fever which increased daily. Finally, her last hour having come, the queen said to her husband: "Promise me that if, when I am gone, you find a woman wiser and more beautiful than I, and you will marry her and so provide an inheritor for throne."
Confident that it would be impossible to find such a woman, the queen thus believed that her husband would never remarry. The king accepted his wife's conditions, and shortly thereafter she died in his arms.
For a time the king was inconsolable in his grief, both day and night. Some months later, however, on the urging of his courtiers, he agreed to marry again, but this was not an easy matter, for he had to keep his promise to his wife and search as he might, he could not find a new wife with all the attractions he wanted. Only his daughter had a charm and beauties which even the queen had not owned.
Thus only by marrying his daughter could the king satisfy the promise he had made to his dying wife. So, the king immediately proposed marriage to her. This shocked and saddened the princess, and she tried to show her father the mistake he was going to making. Deeply troubled at this turn of events, the princess sought out her fairy godmother, who lived in a cave of coral and pearls.
"I know why you have come here," the princess’s fairy godmother said. "In your heart there is a great sadness. But I am here to help you and nothing can harm you if you follow my advice. You must not disobey your father, but first tell him that you must have a dress which has the color of the sky. Certainly he will never be able to meet that request."
Then the young princess went all trembling to her father. But the king heard her request, called for his best tailors and ordered them, without delay, to make a dress the color of the sky, or they could be assured he would hang them all.
The following day the dress was shown to the princess. It was the most beautiful blue of heaven. Filled now with both happiness and fear, she did not know what to do, but her fairy godmother again told her, "Ask for a dress the color of the moon. Surely your father will not be able to give you this."
No sooner had the princess made the request than the king called for his embroiderers and ordered that a dress the color of the moon be completed by the fourth day. On that very day it was ready and the princess was again delighted with its beauty.
But still her fairy godmother urged her once again to make a request of the king, this time for a dress as bright and shining as the sun. This time the king called for a wealthy jeweler and ordered him to make a cloth of gold and diamonds, warning him that if he failed he would die. Within a week the jeweler had finished the dress, so beautiful and glowing that it dazzled the eyes of everyone who saw it.
The princess did not know how to thank the king and what she would do, but once again her fairy godmother whispered in her ear: "Ask him for the skin of the donkey in the royal stable. The king will not consider your request seriously. You will not receive it, or I am badly mistaken." But she did not understand how strange was the king's desire to please his daughter. Almost immediately the donkey's skin was brought to the princess.
Once again the princess was frightened and once again her fairy godmother came to her help. "Play," she said, "to give in to the king. Promise him anything he wishes, but, at the same time, prepare to escape to some far country.
"Here," the fairy godmother continued, "is a chest in which we will put your clothes, your mirror, the things for your toilet, your diamonds and other jewels. I will give you my magic wand. Whenever you have it in your hand, the chest will follow you everywhere, always hidden underground. Whenever you wish to open the chest, as soon as you touch the wand to the ground, the chest will appear.
"To hide you, the donkey's skin will be an admirable disguise, for when you are inside it, no one will believe that anyone so beautiful could be hidden in anything so terrible."
Early in the morning the princess disappeared as her fairy godmother was advised. They searched everywhere for her, in houses, along the roads, wherever she might have been, but in vain. No one could imagine what had happen with her.
Meanwhile, the princess was continuing her flight. To everyone she met, she extended her hands, begging them to find her some place where she might find work. But she looked so unattractive and indeed so disgusting in her Donkey Skin disguise that no one would have anything to do with such a creature.
Farther she journeyed until finally she came to a farm where they needed a poor loser to wash the dishcloths and clean out the pig channels. They also made her work in a corner of the kitchen where she was exposed to the low jokes and mock of all the other servants.
On Sundays the princess had a little rest for, having completed her morning tasks, she went to her room and closed the door and bathed. Then she opened the chest, took out her toilet jars and set them up, with the mirror, before her. Having made herself beautiful once more, she tried on her moon dress, then that one which shone like the sun and, finally, the lovely blue dress. Her only regret was that she did not have room enough to display their trains. She was happy, however, in seeing herself young again, and this pleasure carried her along from one Sunday to the next.
On this great farm where she worked there was an enclosure for keeping birds in belonging to a powerful king. All sorts of unusual birds with strange habits were kept there. The king's son often stopped at this farm on his return from the hunt in order to rest and enjoy a cool drink with his courtiers.
From a distance Donkey Skin supposed on him with softness and remembered that beneath her dirt and rags she still had the heart of a princess. What a grand manner he has, she thought. How gracious he is! How happy must she be to whom his heart is promised! If he should give me a dress of only the simplest sort, I would feel more magnificent wearing it than any of these which I have.
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| Donkey Skin-Charles Perrault |
Donkey Skin (Part 1)
A Fairy tale story, by-Charles Perrault
Once upon a time there was a king who was the most powerful ruler in the whole world. Kind and just in peace and terrifying in war, his enemies feared him while his subjects were happy and content. His wife and faithful companion was both charming and beautiful. From their union a daughter had been born.
Their large and magnificent palace was filled with courtiers, and their stables boasted steeds large and small, of every description. But what surprised everyone on entering these stables was that the place of honor was held by a donkey with two big ears. However, it was quite worthy of this position, for every morning, instead of dung, it dropped a great load of gold coins upon the trash.
Now heaven, which seems to join good with evil, suddenly tolerable a bitter illness to attack the queen. Help was sought on all sides, but neither the learned physicians nor the quacks were able to arrest the fever which increased daily. Finally, her last hour having come, the queen said to her husband: "Promise me that if, when I am gone, you find a woman wiser and more beautiful than I, and you will marry her and so provide an inheritor for throne."
Confident that it would be impossible to find such a woman, the queen thus believed that her husband would never remarry. The king accepted his wife's conditions, and shortly thereafter she died in his arms.
For a time the king was inconsolable in his grief, both day and night. Some months later, however, on the urging of his courtiers, he agreed to marry again, but this was not an easy matter, for he had to keep his promise to his wife and search as he might, he could not find a new wife with all the attractions he wanted. Only his daughter had a charm and beauties which even the queen had not owned.
Thus only by marrying his daughter could the king satisfy the promise he had made to his dying wife. So, the king immediately proposed marriage to her. This shocked and saddened the princess, and she tried to show her father the mistake he was going to making. Deeply troubled at this turn of events, the princess sought out her fairy godmother, who lived in a cave of coral and pearls.
"I know why you have come here," the princess’s fairy godmother said. "In your heart there is a great sadness. But I am here to help you and nothing can harm you if you follow my advice. You must not disobey your father, but first tell him that you must have a dress which has the color of the sky. Certainly he will never be able to meet that request."
 |
| Donkey Skin-Charles Perrault |
Then the young princess went all trembling to her father. But the king heard her request, called for his best tailors and ordered them, without delay, to make a dress the color of the sky, or they could be assured he would hang them all.
The following day the dress was shown to the princess. It was the most beautiful blue of heaven. Filled now with both happiness and fear, she did not know what to do, but her fairy godmother again told her, "Ask for a dress the color of the moon. Surely your father will not be able to give you this."
No sooner had the princess made the request than the king called for his embroiderers and ordered that a dress the color of the moon be completed by the fourth day. On that very day it was ready and the princess was again delighted with its beauty.
But still her fairy godmother urged her once again to make a request of the king, this time for a dress as bright and shining as the sun. This time the king called for a wealthy jeweler and ordered him to make a cloth of gold and diamonds, warning him that if he failed he would die. Within a week the jeweler had finished the dress, so beautiful and glowing that it dazzled the eyes of everyone who saw it.
The princess did not know how to thank the king and what she would do, but once again her fairy godmother whispered in her ear: "Ask him for the skin of the donkey in the royal stable. The king will not consider your request seriously. You will not receive it, or I am badly mistaken." But she did not understand how strange was the king's desire to please his daughter. Almost immediately the donkey's skin was brought to the princess.
Once again the princess was frightened and once again her fairy godmother came to her help. "Play," she said, "to give in to the king. Promise him anything he wishes, but, at the same time, prepare to escape to some far country.
"Here," the fairy godmother continued, "is a chest in which we will put your clothes, your mirror, the things for your toilet, your diamonds and other jewels. I will give you my magic wand. Whenever you have it in your hand, the chest will follow you everywhere, always hidden underground. Whenever you wish to open the chest, as soon as you touch the wand to the ground, the chest will appear.
"To hide you, the donkey's skin will be an admirable disguise, for when you are inside it, no one will believe that anyone so beautiful could be hidden in anything so terrible."
Early in the morning the princess disappeared as her fairy godmother was advised. They searched everywhere for her, in houses, along the roads, wherever she might have been, but in vain. No one could imagine what had happen with her.
Meanwhile, the princess was continuing her flight. To everyone she met, she extended her hands, begging them to find her some place where she might find work. But she looked so unattractive and indeed so disgusting in her Donkey Skin disguise that no one would have anything to do with such a creature.
Farther she journeyed until finally she came to a farm where they needed a poor loser to wash the dishcloths and clean out the pig channels. They also made her work in a corner of the kitchen where she was exposed to the low jokes and mock of all the other servants.
On Sundays the princess had a little rest for, having completed her morning tasks, she went to her room and closed the door and bathed. Then she opened the chest, took out her toilet jars and set them up, with the mirror, before her. Having made herself beautiful once more, she tried on her moon dress, then that one which shone like the sun and, finally, the lovely blue dress. Her only regret was that she did not have room enough to display their trains. She was happy, however, in seeing herself young again, and this pleasure carried her along from one Sunday to the next.
On this great farm where she worked there was an enclosure for keeping birds in belonging to a powerful king. All sorts of unusual birds with strange habits were kept there. The king's son often stopped at this farm on his return from the hunt in order to rest and enjoy a cool drink with his courtiers.
From a distance Donkey Skin supposed on him with softness and remembered that beneath her dirt and rags she still had the heart of a princess. What a grand manner he has, she thought. How gracious he is! How happy must she be to whom his heart is promised! If he should give me a dress of only the simplest sort, I would feel more magnificent wearing it than any of these which I have.
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If you want to read more fairy tale stories... Click Here
Donkey Skin
ReplyDeleteWe are supplier for Agriculture products such as Sisal Fiber, Coffee beans, Charcoal, vanilla beans, Donkey Skin. we would bring our company become a regular supplier for your clients.
If interest in buying our commodities or other agricultural products do send us your products you need or have buyers for commission will be given for any one that brings a buyer.
contact us
We are supplier for Agriculture products such as Sisal Fiber, Coffee beans, Charcoal, vanilla beans, Donkey Skin. we would bring our company become a regular supplier for your clients.
If interest in buying our commodities or other agricultural products do send us your products you need or have buyers for commission will be given for any one that brings a buyer.
Contact us
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