白雪公主和七个小矮人 Snow White and the seven dwarves

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a king and queen lived in a beautiful castle. They had everything they wanted, except a child of their own. One night, the queen was sitting by her window. She was watching the snow fall outside. She looked up and saw a wishing star（许愿星）. Star light, star bright, wishing star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight. I wish I had a little girl with skin as white as snow, with cheeks（面颊） as red as roses, and with hair as black as night.

The next year, the queen got her wish. She had a lovely little daughter. Her name was Snow White. The king and queen were very happy. Everyone in the kingdom loved Princess Snow White.

What a beautiful little baby girl. Her skin is as white as snow. Her cheeks are as red as roses. Her hair is as black as night, with pretty curls（卷发）. She’s adorable（可爱的）.

Soon after Snow White was born, the good queen died. The king married a new queen. The new queen was very beautiful, but she was also very proud. She wanted to be the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. The queen had a magic mirror that answered any question she asked. Every day, she asked the mirror the same question.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest（最美的） of them all?

You are, my Queen.

Are you sure?

Of course, my queen .You know I always tell the truth.

Thank you, mirror. I’m very happy now.

Many years passed, and Snow White grew to be a beautiful young woman.

Here comes the princess Snow White. Look at her hair. It’s so long and thick.

Yes, and her eyes are always bright and happy. She smiles at everyone she meets.

She is as graceful（优雅的） as a dancer. And she is so kind and gentle.

Everyone loves her.

But the queen did not love Snow White. She was jealous（妒嫉） of the princess’ beauty.

Then one day.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?

Snow White is the fairest, my queen.

What?! Never! I am the fairest!

I’m sorry, but I always tell the truth. You are very beautiful, but Snow White is more beautiful than you are.

What can I do? I know. If I make Snow White work hard, then she will lose her beauty. And I will be the fairest of them all.

The queen called for Snow White.

Snow White, you are growing up（长大）. Your days of playing are over. Now you must work in the kitchen. First, you will carry buckets（水桶） of water from the well（水井）. Then, you will cook all our meals. And then, you will wash all the dishes and scrub（擦洗） all the pots and pans（坛坛罐罐）.

All that work? Every day?

Yes, every day. Now go to the kitchen and get started.

Snow White worked very hard all day long. She did everything the queen told her to do .But the more Snow White worked, the more beautiful she became.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who’s the fairest of them all?

Snow White is the fairest, my queen.

Still? But I make her do all that hard work.

She is still more beautiful than you are.

Then I’ll make her work harder.

The queen called for Snow White again.

No more kitchen work for you.

Hooray! Thank you.

Now you must work in the castle. First you will scrub（擦洗） all the floors in the castle. Then you will wash everyone’s clothes. Then, you will clean all my jewelry（首饰）.

Oh, no!

Snow White worked very hard in the castle. But the more Snow White worked, the more beautiful she became. The queen was very angry. Finally, she had another ides. She called a huntsman（猎人）.

Huntsman, take Snow White into the forest and kill her.

Kill Snow White? But she is so kind and gentle.

If you don’t kill her, then I will kill you. When you are done, bring me her heart. Then I will know that she is dead.

I hate to do it, but I will. I must obey（服从） the queen.

That afternoon, the huntsman took Snow White into the forest. Snow White loved the tall trees and pretty flowers. She chased（追逐） butterflies and sang with the birds in the trees. She looked so happy. The huntsman did not want to kill her.

Princess, the queen told me to kill you today, but I can’t do it.

Why does the queen want to kill me? I don’t understand.

She hates you because of your beauty. Please, princess, run away and never come back.

Then you will be safe.

I don’t know where to go. But I will run away from the castle. Thank you for saving my life. Good bye.

The huntsman killed a wild pig（野猪）. He took its heart to the queen. The queen thought it was Snow White’s heart. Now she thought that she was the most beautiful in the land.

Chapter 2

Snow White ran and ran. She did not know where she was or where she was going. Suddenly, she saw a little house in the middle of a clearing（空地）. It was a pretty house, but it was so small. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She opened the door and went in.

Is anyone home? Please help me. I’m lost. My goodness（我的天啊）! Everything in this house is so small. The chairs are small. The table is small. Even the dinner dishes（餐具） are small. This looks like a house for children. She went to the kitchen. There was a pot of soup（一壶汤） on the stove（火炉）. She was very hungry, so she ate a bowl of soup. Then she went upstairs. There she saw seven little beds in one small bedroom. She was very tired, and the beds looked so soft and warm. She lay down on the beds and fall asleep（睡着）.

That night, the owners of the little house came home from their work. They were seven dwarves. They looked like men, but they were only as tall as young children. They were miners（矿工） who dug for（挖掘） gold and jewels（珠宝） in the hills.

When they got home, they went to the kitchen for dinner.

Hey! Who ate the soup?

I don’t know. We just got back home.

Maybe it was a thief.

Quickly! Search the house! You search the living room. You search the bedroom. We’ll search the back yard（后院）.

I found someone. He’s asleep in the bedroom.

That’s not a “he”. That’s a girl.

Poor child. Was she lost in the forest? Let her sleep. We will talk in the morning.

The next morning, Snow White woke up. She was surprised to see the seven dwarves.

Good morning, young lady.

Who are you?

We are the seven dwarves. This is our house. Who are you, and what are you doing here?

I am Snow White. I’m sorry I let myself in. I was lost in the forest.

What were you doing in the forest?

My stepmother is the queen. She is jealous（妒嫉） of me. She tried to kill me, so I ran away. But I don’t know where to go.

Can she stay with us?

Why do you want her to stay with us?

I like her. I want to help her.

I want to help her too.

Snow White, you can stay here, but you must work for us. What can you do?

I can clean and I can cook and sew（缝纫）, too.

That will be perfect. We need a good housekeeper（主妇）.

Thank you so much. I’m sure I will be safe here.

But Snow White was not safe. A few days later, the queen asked her magic mirror.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?

Snow White is the fairest, my queen. She is alive. She lives in the forest with the seven dwarves.

No! The huntsman lied to me. Now I must think of a new plan to kill Snow White. The queen was also a powerful（强大的） magician. She made a magic potion（药剂） and drank it. Suddenly, she did not look like a beautiful queen any more. She looked like a peasant（乡下人） girl. Then she cast（投） a magic spell（符咒） on a hair comb（发梳）.

This magic comb will kill Snow White. When she is gone, I will be the most beautiful in the land.

Chapter 3

The next morning, the dwarves left for（动身去） work.

Take good care of（好好照看）our house, Snow White.

We will be home at sundown（日落）.

I will cook a roast（烤） with potatoes for dinner.

And your clothes will be all clean. Good bye.

As soon as the dwarves were gone, the queen walked to the door and knocked. Snow White answered the door（应门）. She did not recognize（认出） the queen. She only saw a young girl.

(girl’s voice) Good morning, ma’am. I am selling fine combs for pretty ladies. Do you want to buy one?

I’m sorry, but I don’t need a comb.

Oh please, ma’am. Please try my combs. They are very strong. Your hair is so thick and beautiful. You should have a good comb.

Alright, I’ll try one.

Snow White took the queen’s comb and began to comb her hair. When the comb touched her head, her hair began to move. Her hair wrapped around（卷绕） her neck and began to tighten（变紧）. Snow White couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t even call for help.

Die, Snow White! Now I will be the fairest.

The queen laughed and laughed. Then she went back to the castle.

Luckily, one of the dwarves forgot his lunch. He ran back to the house to get it. When he got there, he saw Snow White with the comb in her hair. Her hair was wrapping tighter and tighter around her neck. The dwarf grabbed（抢） the comb and threw（抛） it to the ground. The comb broke into pieces（破成碎片）.

The spell（符咒） was broken, and Snow White could breathe again.

Snow White! Snow White! What happened?

A girl was selling combs. I tried one, and my hair wrapped around my neck. The girl ran away, but I heard her laugh. It was the queen’s laugh. The girl was the queen in disguise（伪装）.

The queen found you here. You are in great danger, Snow White. From now on（从现在开始）, you must never take anything from a stranger. And never let any strangers into the house. We will keep you safe, but we must be very careful.

The queen returned to the castle, she went to her magic mirror.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?

Snow White is the fairest, my queen. She is still alive in the forest. One of the dwarves saved her life.

No, no, no! I can’t use another comb. Snow White will know that it is a trick（诡计）. I must make her trust me. But how? Ah-ha! I know what to do.

The queen made another magic potion and drank it. Now she looked like a very old woman. Then she took an apple. Half of the apple was green, and half of the apple was red. She did the red half of the apple into a powerful poison（毒药）.

Snow White will eat this poisoned（有毒的） apple and she will die. Then I will be the fairest in the land.

The next morning, the dwarves left for work.

Remember, Snow White, don’t let any strangers into the house. It might be the queen in disguise（伪装）. And don’t take anything from strangers. It might be another trick.

I will remember. I’ll be very careful.

That afternoon, there was a knock at the door.

Snow White went to the window to see who it was. She saw an old woman with a basket of apples. She did not know it was the queen again.

(old woman’s voice) Hello, young lady. I am selling apples. Do you want to buy some nice fresh apples?

I’m sorry. But I’m not allowed（不允许） to take anything from strangers.

You are a good girl. I’ll give you half an apple for free. I’ll eat the other half. Then you will know it is safe.

The old woman cut the apple in half. She ate the good half and gave the poisoned（有毒的） half to Snow White. Snow White thought it was safe, so she ate her half. After one bite（咬）, she fell down to the floor.

The queen laughed and laughed.

Now I am the fairest. Good bye, Snow White. Good bye forever（永远）.

That night, the seven dwarves came home. They found Snow White and the poisoned apple on the floor.

Oh no! Snow White, wake up! Wake up!

Is she dead?

I don’t know. She is not breathing. But her skin is still warm, and her cheeks are still red.

The queen did this. The apple was poisoned. What will we do?

Let’s make a glass coffin（棺材）for her. We will put it on the hill. There we can watch her.

We can take turns（轮流） watching her each day. If she wakes up, we will see it.

The dwarves built a glass coffin for Snow White, and put it on a hill near their house.

Form that day on, only six of the dwarves went to dig for gold and jewels in the hills. One dwarf stood guard by Snow White’s coffin every day. A long time passed, and Snow White never moved.

Chapter 4

One day, a prince was hunting in the forest. He saw the dwarf guarding Snow White’s coffin on the hill. He rode up to him.

Who is this young woman?

This is the princess Snow White. She was a kind and lovely girl. Her stepmother was very jealous of her beauty. She gave Snow White a poisoned apple. She fell asleep and did not wake up. Now we watch her every day. We hope she will wake up one day.

Her story is so sad. She is so young and beautiful. I have fallen in love with（爱上） her. May I give her a kiss before I go home?

Umm, OK. I allow（允许） you to kiss her.

The dwarf took off the top of the coffin. The prince leaned over（弯下身子） and kissed Snow White. The queen’s poisoned magic was strong. But the magic of love was stronger. When the prince kissed Snow White, her eyes opened, and she woke up.

Snow White! You’re awake!

Where am I? Who are you?

I am prince charming（白马王子）. Your stepmother gave you a poisoned apple. You were asleep for many years. I kissed you, and you woke up.

My castle is on the other side of this forest.

Please come with me. I love you, and I want you to be my queen. Will you marry me?

You saved my life. I love you too. I will be happy to marry you.

Snow White and the prince rode away to the prince’s castle. The prince sent a messenger to Snow White‘s father, the kings.

Your majesty（陛下）, I have great news. Your daughter, Snow White, is alive.

My daughter is alive? Where?

She is in the castle on the other side of the forest. The prince wants to marry her.

That is wonderful news!

I also have bad news. Your wife, the queen, is an evil（邪恶的） magician. She put a spell（符咒） on Snow White. That is why we thought she was dead.

That is terrible. I can’t allow her to put evil spells on people. Guards! Arrest（逮捕） the queen.

The king’s guards ran to arrest the queen. But when they went to her room, it was empty. The queen ran away, and no one saw her ever again.

Snow White and the prince were married that year. The dwarves made wedding rings（结婚戒指） with the gold from their mines（矿）. People from all over the kingdom came to the wedding. Everyone was so happy, and they all wanted to see the little men who helped Snow White.

The dwarves were heroes. Snow White and the prince often visited the dwarves in the forest. And the dwarves often visited Snow White and the prince in their castle. They were best friends for the rest of their lives. And they all lived happily ever after（从此以后一直）.