Once near a castle which bordered / on woodlands, a beautiful princess,
Fair as a fine summer’s day / liked to toss and play catch all the morning,
With her best shining bright / golden ball; on the lawn near the forest
There was a deep-water well. / where the sunlight would sparkle and glitter.
Early one morning she threw / her ball up in the sky, and it landed
In the deep waters.It sank; / and the princess began to cry loudly.
Suddenly she heard a voice / which appeared like an echoing question,
Sounding from deep in the well / it was asking her why she was crying.
‘Are you in trouble, dear princess?’ / ‘Oh yes, for I’ve lost my best plaything,
‘My golden ball! it has sunk / deepdown under the waters. I’ll never.
‘Find it again!!’. Now just then / a huge frog who was ugly and slimy
Jumped up and out of the well; / and he asked her,
‘Now what would you give me? –
‘If, I could fetch your gold ball / from the depths of the treacherous waters?.’
‘Oh,’ said the princess, ‘I’d give / my best jewels, and even my precious
Bright golden crown or, whatever / you want , if you’ll only retrieve it!’
‘No,’ said the frog, ‘I desire / not one of those things, but I want you
‘To truly love me and promise / to let me sit by you at table;
‘And let me sleep by your side, / in your bed. Then I’d dive to the bottom,
‘Bring up your ball, as you ask, / and restore to you what you desire.’
‘Yes, I will promise you that.’ / (She thought, ‘How could he hope I would do that?’)
Then the huge frog dove right down, / got the ball; in a trice; and he tossed it
Out of the well, where it fell / on the lawn, not too far from the princess.
She gladly picked it right up / and returned to the splendid old castle.
‘Wait!’ said the frog, ‘for you promised / that I should be with you at table.
‘You cannot leave me like this. / Foralas I can’t catch you by hopping.’
Then the sad frog saw he couldn’t / catch up, so he jumped in the water.
As time went by, the fair princess / forgot all about her false promise.
Then one fine day, as she sat / at the table for dinner, a knocking
Came at the door and the princess / then opened it. She was astounded!’
When she looked down, there he was, / the same ugly old creature, to greet her!
She tried to slam the door shut, / but her father asked, ‘Who is that knocking?’
‘No one at all.’ said the princess. / …‘Then why has your visage grown paler?’
Asked the stern father who motioned/ a servant to go to the doorstep.
‘Well, I have already told you. / I looked and indeed, there was no one.
Said the fair princess, distraught / but the King only stared at his daughter.
…‘But… for an ugly old creature! / ‘Twas only a frog who once helped me,
‘Well, he retrieved my gold ball / for me, back fromdown under the waters.
‘For he had asked me to promise / to let him sit here at this table.
‘Then I had said I’d allow him / to sleep next to me in my bedroom.
‘Foolish old frog, how could he / but imagine I’d keep such a promise!’
‘Now, said the King, you have promised. / A princess must never speak falsely.’
Scowling and tearful, the princess / then opened the door and the creature
Hopped right up onto the table / and begged her to let him share dinner,
Eating from her golden plate; / then her father, spoke, saying, ‘You’ll do as you’ve promised.’
‘Terrible!’ answered the princess; / but she let the frog share her own meal.
‘Now you can carry me with you; / to bed I will go with you shortly.’
‘No, I will not.’ said the princess. / ‘Go do as he asks.’ said her father.
–‘Put me in your little bed.’ / The princess said, ‘No.’ and she left him
In a dark corner and fell / on her bed, with loud moaning and weeping.
As she lay there, the cold slimy / old frog, with a leap lay beside her.
‘Tis as you promised.’ said he. / But the princess then screamed full of horror.
Up she jumped, grabbing his legs, / and she hurled him away without thinking.
Such was her rage that he hit / thestone wall of her beautiful bedroom.
As the frog hit the stone wall, / a strange happening, much like a wonder,
Caused the old frog to become / a true prince who was handsome and comely!
He was transformed, and he spoke, / ‘Tisyour father whom we owe this wonder.
‘He made you let mepartake / of your food, andthen carry me up here.
‘You are the one who accomplished / the deed thathas conquered the evil.
‘There was a spell that once made me / transform from a prince to that creature
‘Which you first met at the well: / that old frog disappeared and I’m back now.
‘I am your prince; it was written / in the star-script that we were to meet here.
‘You’d fall in love with the Frog Prince. / We’d marry and live in my kingdom.’
So the fair princess did marry / the prince for whom she had been destined.
After the wedding, a carriage / of golden with prancing white horses
Came to deliverthe couple / to live in a glorious castle,
Where they enjoyed life together; / and lived many years, well and happy