The princess and the pea
Notes
The princess and the pea (Prinsessen på ærten), by Hans Christian Andersen (1835).
Translation by Chaered, first posted on VL, on 2025-01-18. Reviewed by VL users.
English translation by H.P. Paull (1872), retrieved via http://www.mythfolklore.net/3043mythfolklore/reading/andersen/pages/01.htm on 2025-01-17, also at http://hca.gilead.org.il/. Danish original retrieved from https://tekster.kb.dk/text/adl-texts-hcaeventyr01val-shoot-workid61051 on same date.
Original Danish text is public domain. English translation is public domain, but rendered on page of first link under BY-NC-SA 2.0 license. Translation provided here by Chaered under CC-BY-SA 4.0 license.
Text
| No. | Quenya | Tengwar | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andanéya engë cundo ye mernë vesta aranel, mal maunë hyen ná anwa aranel. | | Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. |
| 2 | Lelendes quana ardassë na tuvë sítë, mal allassë túvë ya mernes. | | He traveled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. |
| 3 | Enger linë araneli, mal ecceþië quima náner anwar nánë urucarin. | | There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. |
| 4 | Vorë engë uma pá te ya lánë yallë möa ná. | | There was always something about them that was not as it should be. |
| 5 | San entulles mar ar nánes naireä, pan lai yestanes ná ó anwa aranel. | | So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess. |
| 6 | |||
| 7 | Andúnessë aica raumo untanë; enger hundo ar menelita, ullë tal, nánë amarúcima! | ; | One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. |
| 8 | Tá hlasser tambië ostova andondessë, ar enwina aran mennë na apanta sa. | | Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it. |
| 9 | |||
| 10 | Nánë aranel tarila sissë pono i andon. | | It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. |
| 11 | Mal, ela! taitë nemesta ya ulo ar vaiwë acáriër sé nemë. | | But, good gracious! what a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. |
| 12 | I nén sirinyë undu findesseryallo ar hamperyallo; sirinyes tal mina tillë hyapatyatwa ar en et rastulceryalto. | ; | The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. |
| 13 | Ananta quentes i nás anwa aranel. | | And yet she said that she was a real princess. |
| 14 | |||
| 15 | “Mára, rongo túvalmë sa” sannë enwina tári. | | "Well, we'll soon find that out," thought the old queen. |
| 16 | Mal quentes munta, mennes caimaþambenna, lempë quanë caima-lanni caima-talamello, ar sestanë erdevainë talda; en hostanes mustalami yuquain ar sestanesset or i erdevainë, ar an quá-finië töaller yuquain orwa pá i mustalami. | ; | But she said nothing, went into the bedroom, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top of the mattresses. |
| 17 | |||
| 18 | Or si maunë aranelen caita ter qua lómë. | | On this the princess had to lie all night. |
| 19 | Amauressë, maquenter sen mallë olóriës. | | In the morning she was asked how she had slept. |
| 20 | |||
| 21 | “A, amahraia!” eques. | | "Oh, very badly!" said she. |
| 22 | “Hraia oholiën hendinyat qua lómessë. Rië Manwë ista má engë caimassë, mal caiteánen sarda natessë, etta nanyë saqua ildomë hrondonyassë. Nás naira!” | | "I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It's horrible!" |
| 23 | |||
| 24 | Sí sinteltë i issë anwa aranel, pan i erdevainë perestiénes se téra ter mustalami yuquain ar quá-finië töaller yuquain. | | Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds. |
| 25 | Ná tandë cityaleä ecë alquenen, hequa anwa aranélen. | | Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that. |
| 26 | |||
| 27 | Etta i cundo vertanë hye, pan sí sintes i nánes ó anwa aranel; ar sestaner i erdevainë autamardenna, yassë tensi ecë a-cenë, cé alquen ipilië sa. | ; | So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it. |
| 28 | |||
| 29 | Mai, ta ná naitë nyarna. | | There, that is a true story. |
Extra
Neologisms:
caima-lanni (n.)(pl.) "bedding" < caima "bed" + lanne "cloth"
caima-talan (n.) "bedstead" < caima + talan/talam- "platform"
quá-finea toalle (n.) "(eider)-down bed" < quá "duck" + finea "downy" + toalle "blanket"
The Danish original text (in original spelling):
Prindsessen paa Ærten
Der var engang en Prinds; han vilde have sig en Prindsesse, men det skulde være en rigtig Prindsesse. Saa reiste han hele Verden rundt, for at finde saadan en, men allevegne var der noget i Veien, Prindsesser vare der nok af, men om det vare rigtige Prindsesser, kunde han ikke ganske komme efter, altid var der noget, som ikke var saa rigtigt. Saa kom han da hjem igjen og var saa bedrøvet, for han vilde saa gjerne have en virkelig Prindsesse.
En Aften blev det da et frygteligt Veir; det lynede og tordnede, Regnen skyllede ned, det var ganske forskrækkeligt! Saa bankede det paa Byens Port, og den gamle Konge gik hen at lukke op.
Det var en Prindsesse, som stod udenfor. Men Gud hvor hun saae ud af Regnen og det onde Veir! Vandet løb ned af hendes Haar og hendes Klæder, og det løb ind af Næsen paa Skoen og ud af Hælen, og saa sagde hun, at hun var en virkelig Prindsesse.
»Ja, det skal vi nok faae at vide!« tænkte den gamle Dronning, men hun sagde ikke noget, gik ind i Sovekammeret, tog alle Sengklæderne af og lagde en Ært paa Bunden af Sengen, derpaa tog hun tyve Matrasser, lagde dem ovenpaa Ærten, og saa endnu tyve Ædderduuns-Dyner oven paa Matrasserne.
Der skulde nu Prindsessen ligge om Natten. Om Morgenen spurgte de hende, hvorledes hun havde sovet.
»O forskrækkeligt slet!« sagde Prindsessen, »Jeg har næsten ikke lukket mine Øine den hele Nat! Gud veed, hvad der har været i Sengen? Jeg har ligget paa noget haardt, saa jeg er ganske bruun og blaa over min hele Krop! Det er ganske forskrækkeligt!«
Saa kunde de see, at det var en rigtig Prindsesse, da hun gjennem de tyve Matrasser og de tyve Ædderduuns Dyner havde mærket Ærten. Saa ømskindet kunde der ingen være, uden en virkelig Prindsesse.
Prindsen tog hende da til Kone, for nu vidste han, at han havde en rigtig Prindsesse, og Ærten kom paa Kunstkammeret, hvor den endnu er at see, dersom ingen har taget den.
See, det var en rigtig Historie!