There was once a Prince who wished to marry a Princess;
从前有一位王子，他渴望娶一位公主， —

but then she must be a real Princess.
但她必须是真正的公主。 —

He travelled all over the world in hopes of finding such a lady;
他走遍世界，希望找到这样一位女士， —

but there was always something wrong.
但总是有一些问题。 —

Princesses he found in plenty;
他找到了很多公主； —

but whether they were real Princesses it was impossible for him to decide, for now one thing, now another, seemed to him not quite right about the ladies.
但是他无法确定她们是不是真正的公主，因为每个女士都有或多或少的不对劲。 —

At last he returned to his palace quite cast down, because he wished so much to have a real Princess for his wife.
最后他失望地回到了皇宫，因为他非常希望娶一位真正的公主为妻。

One evening a fearful tempest arose, it thundered and lightened, and the rain poured down from the sky in torrents:
一天晚上，突然来了一场可怕的暴风雨，打雷闪电，雨水倾盆而下， —

besides, it was as dark as pitch.
外面乌漆麻黑。 —

All at once there was heard a violent knocking at the door, and the old King, the Prince’s father, went out himself to open it.
突然间门外传来一阵剧烈的敲门声，这位王子的父亲——老国王亲自去开门。

It was a Princess who was standing outside the door.
外面站着一位公主。 —

What with the rain and the wind, she was in a sad condition;
她被雨水和风弄得很糟糕； —

the water trickled down from her hair, and her clothes clung to her body.
水从她的头发上滴下来，衣服贴在身上。 —

She said she was a real Princess.
她说自己是真正的公主。

“Ah! we shall soon see that!
“啊！我们很快就会看到了！ —

” thought the old Queen-mother; however, she said not a word of what she was going to do;
”老皇太后心想。然而，她没有说出她要做什么； —

but went quietly into the bedroom, took all the bed-clothes off the bed, and put three little peas on the bedstead.
但是她平静地走进卧室，把所有的被褥都从床上拿下来，在床架上放了三颗小豌豆。 —

She then laid twenty mattresses one upon another over the three peas, and put twenty feather beds over the mattresses.
然后她又在三颗小豌豆上面叠放了二十张床垫，并在床垫上放了二十张羽毛床褥。

Upon this bed the Princess was to pass the night.
王妃应该在这张床上过夜。

The next morning she was asked how she had slept. “Oh, very badly indeed!” she replied.
第二天早上她被问到睡得怎么样。“哦，真的非常糟糕！ —

“I have scarcely closed my eyes the whole night through.
”她回答道。“我几乎整晚都没有合眼。 —

I do not know what was in my bed, but I had something hard under me, and am all over black and blue.
我不知道床上有什么东西，但我躺在上面感觉到了硬硬的东西，我浑身都青一块紫一块的。 —

It has hurt me so much!”
它痛得很厉害！”

Now it was plain that the lady must be a real Princess, since she had been able to feel the three little peas through the twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds.
现在明显了，这位女士一定是真正的公主，因为她能够通过二十张床垫和二十张羽毛床褥感受到这三颗小豌豆。 —

None but a real Princess could have had such a delicate sense of feeling.
只有真正的公主才能有如此娇嫩的感觉。

The Prince accordingly made her his wife;
王子便娶她为妻； —

being now convinced that he had found a real Princess.
如今他确信自己找到了一位真正的公主。 —

The three peas were however put into the cabinet of curiosities, where they are still to be seen, provided they are not lost.
然而，这三颗豌豆被放进了珍奇物品展柜中，至今仍能看到，前提是它们没有丢失。

Wasn’t this a lady of real delicacy?
这位女士难道不是一位真正讲究细致的人吗？