Once upon a time there lived a King who had several beautiful daughters, but the youngest was even more beautiful than the rest.
　　Near the castle of this King was a large and gloomy forest. Just a short walk into the trees was a small clearing. At the far side stood an old lime tree, and beneath its branches splashed a fountain in the middle of a dark, deep pool.
　　Whenever it was very hot, the King's youngest daughter would run of into this wood and sit by the pool, throwing her golden ball into the air. This was her favourite pastime.
　　One afternoon when the Princess threw the ball high up in the air, she didn't catch it! It slipped through her fingers onto the grass. Then it rolled past her into the pool and disappeared beneath the water.
　　The Princess peered into the pool, but her precious ball was gone. Quickly, she plunged her arms into the pool as far as she could reach, but she could feel nothing except weeds and water lilies. Some people said the pool was so deep, it had no bottom. So when the Princess realised her golden ball was gone forever, she began to cry. "Come back to me this minute, golden ball," sobbed the Princess, staring into the water.
　　Now as a rule, Princesses are used to getting their own way. So after her golden ball didn't magically pop up out of the water, she started to howl even louder. Dear, oh dear! First she stamped her feet and then she threw herself down on the grass in temper.
　　The Princess was making so much noise that she didn't notice a big green frog stick his head out of the water and jump onto the grass beside her. "Don't cry, beautiful Princess," croaked the frog. " I saw your golden ball fall into the water, and it will be my pleasure to dive down and get it for you, if you will give me something in return.
　　At this, the Princess cheered up. " I will gladly give you my jewels and pearls, even my golden crown, if you will bring back my golden ball." It is true to say that promises should never be made in a hurry, even by Princesses, because a promise is a thing that must be kept, especially to frogs!"
　　The frog hopped nearer to the Princess. "Pearls and jewels and golden crowns are no use to me," he went on, "but if you'll love me and be my friend, if you'll let me eat from your golden plate, drink from your golden cup, and sleep on your golden bed, I will dive down and fetch your ball."
　　So eager was the Princess to see her golden ball once more, that she didn't listen too carefully to what the frog had to say.
　　"I promise you all you ask, if only you will bring my ball," she said.
　　Quickly as a flash, the frog jumped into the pool then bobbed up again with the ball in his mouth. Straight away the King's daughter snatched her ball and ran back to the castle.
　　"Take me with you," cried the frog. "I cannot run as fast as you and I shall be left behind."
　　But the Princess didn't care about her promise and soon forgot all about the frog. Later that day, when the Princess was sitting at the table, something was heard coming up the marble stairs. Splish, splosh, splish splosh! The sound came nearer and nearer, and a voice cried, "Let me in, youngest daughter of the King."
　　The Princess jumped up to see who had called her. Now when she caught sight of the frog, she turned very pale.
　　"What does a frog want with you?" demanded the King, looking rather surprised.
　　The Princess hung her head. "When I was sitting by the fountain my golden ball fell into the water. This frog fetched it back for me, because I cried so much." The Princess started to cry again. "I promised to love him and let him eat from my golden plate, drink from my golden cup, and sleep on my golden bed."
　　The King looked at the frog and thought for a while before he spoke. "Then you must keep your promise, my daughter."
　　The Princess knew she must obey, so she let the frog to come inside. The frog hopped in after her and jumped up into her chair and straight onto the table. "Now push your golden plate near me." said the frog, "so that we may eat together." As she did so, the frog leapt onto her plate and ate up all her dinner, which was just as well, because the Princess didn't feel much like eating.
　　Next, the frog drank from her little golden cup until it was quite empty. Somehow the Princess didn't feel at all thirsty either! After the frog had finished, he took one great leap and landed on the Princess's knee. "Go away you ugly, cold frog!" she screamed. "I will never let you sleep on my lovely, clean bed!"
　　The made the King very angry. "This frog helped you when you needed it. Now you must keep your promise to him."
　　"I am very tired after that wonderful meal," the frog said, "and you did promise that I could go to sleep on your golden bed."
　　Very unwillingly the Princess picked up the frog and carried him upstairs to her room.
　　When the frog hopped into the middle of her golden bed, it was just too much for the Princess. She pushed the frog hard and it fell onto the floor.
　　As he fell he was changed into a handsome Prince. A spell had been cast on him by an evil witch and only the Princess had the power to break it.
　　The Princess was speechless. She felt very sorry indeed that she had been so unkind to the frog.
　　After a while, the handsome Prince and the Princess were married, and lived happily ever after.

 

    在遙遠的古代，人們心中的美好愿望往往能夠變成現(xiàn)實。就在那個令人神往的時代，曾經(jīng)有過一位國王。國王有好幾個女兒，個個都長得非常美麗；尤其是他的小女兒，更是美如天仙，就連見多識廣的太陽，每次照在她臉上時，都對她的美麗感到驚詫不已.
　　國王的宮殿附近，有一片幽暗的大森林。在這片森林中的一棵老椴樹下，有一個水潭，水潭很深。在天熱的時候，小公主常常來到這片森林，坐在清涼的水潭邊上。她坐在那里感到無聊的時候，就取出一只金球，把金球拋向空中，然后再用手接住。這成了她最喜愛的游戲。 　　不巧的是，有一次，小公主伸出兩只小手去接金球，金球卻沒有落進她的手里，而是掉到了地上，而且一下子就滾到了水潭里。小公主兩眼緊緊地盯著金球，可是金球忽地一下子在水潭里就沒影兒了。因為水潭里的水很深，看不見底，小公主就哭了起來，她的哭聲越來越大，哭得傷心極了。哭著哭著，小公主突然聽見有人大聲說：“哎呀，公主，您這是怎么啦？您這樣嚎啕大哭，就連石頭聽了都會心疼的呀。”聽了這話，小公主四處張望，想弄清楚說話聲是從哪兒傳來的，不料卻發(fā)現(xiàn)一只青蛙，從水里伸出他那丑陋不堪的肥嘟嘟的大腦袋。
　　"��！原來是你呀，游泳健將，”小公主對青蛙說道，“我在這兒哭，是因為我的金球掉進水潭里去了。”
　　"好啦，不要難過，別哭了，”青蛙回答說，“我有辦法幫助您。要是我?guī)湍�把您的金球撈出來，您拿什么東西來回報我呢？”
　　"親愛的青蛙，你要什么東西都成呵，”小公主回答說，“我的衣服、我的珍珠和寶石、甚至我頭上戴著的這頂金冠，都可以給你。”
聽了這話，青蛙對小公主說：“您的衣服、您的珍珠、您的寶石，還有您的金冠，我哪樣都不想要。不過，要是您喜歡我，讓我做您的好朋友，我們一起游戲，吃飯的時候讓我和您同坐一張餐桌，用您的小金碟子吃東西，用您的小高腳杯飲酒，晚上還讓我睡在您的小床上；要是您答應(yīng)所有這一切的話，我就潛到水潭里去，把您的金球撈出來。”
　　"好的，太好了，”小公主說，“只要你愿意把我的金球撈出來，你的一切要求我都答應(yīng)。”小公主雖然嘴上這么說，心里卻想：“這只青蛙可真夠傻的，盡胡說八道！他只配蹲在水潭里，和其他青蛙一起呱呱叫，怎么可能做人的好朋友呢？”
　　青蛙得到了小公主的許諾之后，把腦袋往水里一扎，就潛入了水潭。過了不大一會兒，青蛙嘴里銜著金球，浮出了水面，然后把金球吐在草地上。小公主重又見到了自己心愛的玩具，心里別提有多高興了。她把金球揀了起來，撒腿就跑。
　　"別跑！別跑！”青蛙大聲叫道，“帶上我呀！我可跑不了您那么快。”
　　盡管青蛙扯著嗓子拼命叫喊，可是沒有一點兒用。小公主對青蛙的喊叫根本不予理睬，而是徑直跑回了家，并且很快就把可憐的青蛙忘記得一干二凈。青蛙只好蹦蹦跳跳地又回到水潭里去。
　　第二天，小公主跟國王和大臣們剛剛坐上餐桌，才開始用她的小金碟進餐，突然聽見啪啦啪啦的聲音。隨著聲響，有個什么東西順著大理石臺階往上跳，到了門口時，便一邊敲門一邊大聲嚷嚷：“小公主，快開門！”聽到喊聲，小公主急忙跑到門口，想看看是誰在門外喊叫。打開門一看，原來是那只青蛙，正蹲在門前。小公主見是青蛙，猛然把門關(guān)上，轉(zhuǎn)身趕緊回到座位，心里害怕極了。國王發(fā)現(xiàn)小公主一副心慌意亂的樣子，就問她："孩子，你怎么會嚇成這個樣子？該不是門外有個巨人要把你抓走吧？”"啊，不是的，”小公主回答說，“不是什么巨人，而是一只討厭的青蛙。”“青蛙想找你做什么呢？”"唉！我的好爸爸，昨天，我到森林里去了。坐在水潭邊上玩的時候，金球掉到水潭里去了，于是我就哭了。我哭得很傷心，青蛙就替我把金球撈了上來。因為青蛙請求我做他的朋友，我就答應(yīng)了，可是我壓根兒沒有想到，他會從水潭里爬出來，爬這么遠的路到這兒來。現(xiàn)在他就在門外呢，想要上咱這兒來。”正說著話的當(dāng)兒，又聽見了敲門聲，接著是大聲的喊叫："小公主啊我的愛，快點兒把門打開！愛你的人已到來，快點兒把門打開！你不會忘記昨天，老椴樹下水潭邊，潭水深深球不見，是你親口許諾言。”
　　國王聽了之后對小公主說，“你決不能言而無信，快去開門讓他進來。”小公主走過去把門打開，青蛙蹦蹦跳跳地進了門，然后跟著小公主來到座位前，接著大聲叫道，“把我抱到你身旁呀！”小公主聽了嚇得發(fā)抖，國王卻吩咐她照青蛙說的去做。青蛙被放在了椅子上，可心里不太高興，想到桌子上去。上了桌子之后又說，“把您的小金碟子推過來一點兒好嗎？這樣我們就可以一快兒吃啦。”很顯然，小公主很不情愿這么做，可她還是把金碟子推了過去。青蛙吃得津津有味，可小公主卻一點兒胃口都沒有。終于，青蛙開口說，“我已經(jīng)吃飽了。現(xiàn)在我有點累了，請把我抱到您的小臥室去，鋪好您的緞子被蓋，然后我們就寢吧。”
　　小公主害怕這只冷冰冰的青蛙，連碰都不敢碰一下。一聽他要在自己整潔漂亮的小床上睡覺，就哭了起來。
　　國王見小公主這個樣子，就生氣地對她說，“在我們困難的時候幫助過我們的人，不論他是誰，過后都不應(yīng)當(dāng)受到鄙視。”
　　于是，小公主用兩只纖秀的手指把青蛙挾起來，帶著他上了樓，把他放在臥室的一個角落里。可是她剛剛在床上躺下，青蛙就爬到床邊對她說，“我累了，我也想在床上睡覺。請把我抱上來，要不然我就告訴您父親。”
　　一聽這話，小公主勃然大怒，一把抓起青蛙，朝墻上死勁兒摔去。"現(xiàn)在你想睡就去睡吧，你這個丑陋的討厭鬼！”誰知他一落地，已不再是什么青蛙，卻一下子變成了一位王子：一位兩眼炯炯有神、滿面笑容的王子。
　　直到這時候，王子才告訴小公主，原來他被一個狠毒的巫婆施了魔法，除了小公主以外，誰也不能把他從水潭里解救出來。于是，遵照國王的旨意，他成為小公主親密的朋友和伴侶，明天，他們將一道返回他的王國。