王子娶了一只青蛙&意大利童话
从前，有一个国王，他的三个儿子都到了娶妻的年龄了。为了不让三个王子在挑选新娘的时候发生争斗，国王对他们说：“你们用投石器尽力向远处拋石头，石头落在哪里，你们就娶哪里的姑娘为妻。”
三个儿子拿了投石器拋出石头。大儿子把石头拋在了一家面包房的屋顶上，于是他娶了那面包女工。二儿子把石头拋进了一个纺织女工的家里。而小儿子拋的石头则落进了一条水沟里。
投完石头，三个王子赶快带着订婚戒指去找各自的未婚妻。大王子找到的是一个美丽的姑娘，皮肤柔嫩得像刚出炉的蛋糕；二王子找到的是一个脸色苍白的姑娘，身体纤细得像根线；而小王子朝水沟里望啊、望啊，最后只找到一只青蛙。
三个王子回来向国王禀告了自己找到的未婚妻的情况。国王说：“这样吧，谁的妻子最优秀，谁就能继承王位。现在我们就试试她们。”他给每个儿子分了一些麻，让他们的未婚妻在三天内纺出来，比比谁纺得更好。
儿子们找到自己的未婚妻，叮嘱她们仔细地纺。小王子觉得很沮丧，他拿着麻，来到水沟边，喊道：
“青蛙啊，青蛙！”
“谁在喊我呀？”
“不太喜欢你的未婚夫！”
“你现在不喜欢我，当你看到我美丽时，一定会喜欢我。”
青蛙从水中跳出来，落在一片叶子上。小王子把麻交给她，告诉她三天后他会来取纺好的线。
三天过后，两个哥哥急不可耐地跑到面包女工和纺织女工那里取纺好的线，面包女纺得很漂亮，而纺织女就更不必说了，纺线是她最拿手的，纺出来的麻线像丝一样细。小王子怎么样了呢？他来到水沟边：
“青蛙啊，青蛙！”
“谁在喊我呀？”
“不太喜欢你的未婚夫！”
“你现在不喜欢我，当你看到我美丽时，一定会喜欢我！”
青蛙跳到一片叶子上，嘴里衔着一颗核桃。两位哥哥都带来了纺好的线，自己却只带回一颗核桃见父亲，小王子很难为情，他硬着头皮来到父亲面前。国王先是翻来覆去地查看了面包女和纺织女纺出的线，然后才打开小王子带来的核桃，两位哥哥在旁边暗暗地讥笑他。国王打开核桃，从里面取出了一球细线，细得像蜘蛛网一样，国王拽呀拽，拉呀拉，越拉越长，拉出来的线堆满了整个大殿。“这线怎么没有个头啊！”国王话刚一出口，线就拉到头了。国王不甘心就这样让一只青蛙当上王后。正好，他的那只良种猎犬刚生下三只小狗，他就把牠们交给三个王子，说：“把牠们带给你们的未婚妻，一个月后再带回来，谁养得好谁就成为王后。”
一个月后，面包女养的那只狗长成一只肥大的猎犬，因为一个月来牠从没断过面包。纺织女养的那只狗却显得尖瘦，一个月来缺吃少喝的。小王子来的时候带来了一个笼子，国王打开笼子，从里面跳出来的是一只毛光皮亮的鬈毛狗，脖子上束着饰带，浑身散发着香气，不仅会抬起前爪直立起来，还能练武术，懂得数数。国王于是说：“毫无疑问，小儿子将继承王位，而青蛙将成为王后。”
三位兄弟的婚礼定在同一天举行。两个哥哥坐着四匹马拉的车去接新娘，马车上饰满了漂亮的鲜花，两位新娘一身羽毛和珠宝，登上了马车。小王子来到水沟边，青蛙正在一架四只蜗牛拉着的车子上等着他，车子是用无花果的树叶做成的。他们出发了，他在前边走着，而蜗牛拉着树叶上的青蛙在后面跟着。一路上，小王子不得不几次停下来等着青蛙，最后一次他甚至睡着了。他醒过来的时候，发现在他面前停着一辆金子做成的马车，两匹白马在前边拉着，车厢被天鹅绒裹着，里面坐着一位美丽的姑娘，一身碧绿的穿著，光彩照人。
小王子问：“你是谁？”
“我就是青蛙啊，”看见王子半信半疑，姑娘就打开一个珍宝盒，只见里面放着无花果的树叶，一张青蛙的皮和四个蜗牛壳。“我本来是一个公主，被变成了一只青蛙，只有遇到一位从来不知道我的美貌却心甘情愿娶我的王子，我才会重新变回人身。”
国王满心欢喜，看到两个大王子心存嫉妒，就开导他们说，一个人没有能力选好自己的妻子也就不配得到王冠。就这样，小王子和他的新娘当上了国王和王后。
（蒙费拉托地区）
ThePrinceWhoMarriedaFrog
Therewasonceakingwhohadthreesonsofmarriageableage.Inordertoavoidanydisputeovertheirchoiceofthreebrides,hesaid,"Aimasfarasyoucanwiththesling.Therewherethestonefallsyouwillgetyourwife."
Thethreesonspickeduptheirslingsandshot.Theoldestboysenthisstoneflyingallthewaytotheroofofabakery,sohegotthebakergirl.Thesecondboyreleasedhisstone,whichcamedownonthehouseofaweaver.Theyoungestsonsstonelandedinaditch.
Immediatelyaftertheshots,eachboyrushedofftohisbetrothedwitharing.Theoldestbrotherwasmetbyalovelymaidenasfreshasanewlybakedcake,themiddlebrotherbyafairgirlwithsilkyhairandskin,whiletheyoungest,afterlookingandlooking,sawnothingbutafroginthatditch.
Theyreturnedtothekingtotellhimabouttheirbetrothed."Now,"saidtheking,"whoeverhasthebestwifewillinheritthekingdom.Herebeginthetests."Hegavethemeachsomehemptobespunandreturnedwithinthreedays,toseewhichbetrothedwasthebestspinner.
Thesonswenttotheirbetrothedandurgedthemtospintheirbest.Highlyembarrassed,theyoungestboytookthehemptotherimoftheditchandcalled:
"Frog,frog!"
"Whocalls?"
"Yourlovewholovesyounot."
"Ifyoulovemenot,nevermind.Lateryoushall,whenafinefigureIcut."
Thefrogjumpedoutofthewaterontoaleaf.Thekingssongaveherthehemp,tellingherhedpickupthespunthreadthreedayslater.
Threedayslatertheolderbrothersanxiouslyhastenedtothebakergirlandtheweavergirltopickuptheirspunhemp.Thebakergirlproducedabeautifulpieceofwork;theweavergirl,whowasanexpertatthissortofthing,hadspunherstolooklikesilk.Buthowdidtheyoungestsonfare?Hewenttotheditchandcalled:
"Frog,frog!"
"Whocalls?"
"Yourlovewholovesyounot."
"Ifyoulovemenot,nevermind.Lateryoushall,whenafinefigureIcut."
Shejumpedontoaleafholdingawalnutinhermouth.Hewassomewhatembarrassedtogivehisfatherawalnutwhilehisbrothersbroughtspunhemp.Heneverthelesstookheartandpresentedthekingwiththewalnut.Theking,whohadalreadyscrutinizedthehandiworkofthebakerandtheweavergirls,crackedopenthewalnutastheolderbrotherslookedon,snickering.Outcameclothasfineasgossamerthatcontinuedtounrolluntilthethroneroomwascoveredwithit."Buttheresnoendtothiscloth!"exclaimedtheking.Nosoonerwerethewordsoutofhismouththantheclothcametoanend.
Butthefatherrefusedtoaccepttheideaofafrogbecomingqueen.Hisfavoritehuntingbitchhadjusthadthreepuppies,whichhegavethethreesons."Takethemtoyourbetrothedandgobackforthemamonthlater.Theonewhostakenthebestcareofherdogwillbecomethequeen."
Amonthlater,thebakergirlsdoghadturnedintoabig,fatmastiff,havinggotallthebreadhecouldeat.Theweaversdog,notnearlysowellsupplied,wasnowahalf-starvedhound.Theyoungestsoncameinwithasmallbox.Thekingopeneditandoutjumpedatiny,beribbonedpoodle,impeccablygroomedandperfumed,thatstoodonitshindlegsandmarchedandcounted.
"Nodoubtaboutit,"saidtheking,"myyoungestsonwillbeking,andthefrogwillbequeen."
Theweddingofallthreebrotherswassetforthesameday.Theolderbrotherswentfortheirbridesingarlandedcarriagesdrawnbyfourhorses,andthebridesclimbedin,deckedwithfeathersandjewels.
Theyoungestboywenttotheditch,wherethefrogawaitedhiminacarriagefashionedoutofafigleafanddrawnbyfoursnails.Theysetout.Hewalkedaheadwhilethesnailsfollowed,pullingthefigleafwiththefroguponit.Everynowandthenhestoppedforthemtocatchupwithhim,andonceheevenfellasleep.Whenheawakened,agoldcarriagehadpulledupbesidehim.Itwasdrawnbytwowhitehorses,andinsideonvelvetupholstery,satamaidenasdazzlingasthesunanddressedinanemarald-greengown.
"Whoareyou?"askedtheyoungestson.
"Iamthefrog."
Hecouldntbelieveit,sothemaidenopenedajewelcasecontainingthefigleaf,thefrogskin,andfoursnailshells."Iwasaprincessturnedintoafrog,andtheonlychanceIhadofgettingmyhumanformbackwasforakingssontoagreetomarrymethewayIwas."
Thekingwasoverjoyedandtoldhistwooldersons,whowereconsumedwithenvy,thatwhoeverpickedthewrongwifewasunworthyofthecrown.Sotheyoungestboyandhisbridebecamekingandqueen.
(Monferrato)
NOTES:
"ThePrinceWhoMarriedaFrog"(Ilprincipechesposòunarana)fromComparetti,4,Monferrato,Piedmont.
ThetaleofthefrogbrideiscommontoallofEurope;scholarshavecounted300versions.Comparingit,forinstance,withGrimm,no.63,orwithAfanasevs"TheFrogPrince,"thisvariantwhichwecanclassifyasdistinctlyItalian(sinceitshowsupuniformlythroughoutthePeninsula,evenifslingingtolocatethebrideisratherrare)standsoutinitsnear-geometricallogicandlinearity.
Copyright:ItalianFolktalesSelectedandRetoldbyItaloCalvino,
translatedbyGeorgeMartin,
PantheonBooks,NewYork1980