Grimms' Fairy Tales: Engraved Illustrations Edition

Author: Brothers Grimm (Germany), translated by Feng Bo Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-01-01
Features: The fairy tales collected and created by the Brothers Grimm are a shining treasure in the treasure trove of world literature. They have spread to all corners of the world, captivating generation after generation of young readers. These fairy tales are simple yet humorous in style, with plots full of twists and turns, and their words are filled with wisdom. This book also includes over a hundred exquisite illustrations from the original edition, making the already wonderful Grimm fairy tales even more captivating for young readers. Opening Grimm's Fairy Tales, one is greeted with a fresh and pure air. There is the azure sky, the vast earth, the dense forests, and the deep oceans. There are the warm sunshine, the clear rivers, the beautiful flowers, and the tender green grass. There are kind and magical fairies and elves, handsome princes and beautiful princesses, poor but hardworking, brave farmers, and beautiful girls with tragic and pitiful tales: The Three Spinners. Once, there was a girl who was very lazy and refused to spin thread. No matter how her mother scolded her, she couldn’t make her work. One day, her mother finally lost her patience and beat her, causing her to cry. Coincidentally, the queen passed by and heard the crying. She stopped her carriage and entered the house, asking the mother why she was beating her daughter so violently that the sound could be heard by passersby on the road. The woman felt embarrassed to openly admit her daughter’s laziness and said, “She always has to spin nonstop, and I can’t make her stop. But I’m poor, and I can’t afford flax.” The queen replied, “I love the sound of spinning, and the noise of the spinning wheel turning is my greatest joy. Let your daughter come to the palace with me. I have plenty of flax, and she can spin as long as she wants.” The mother was overjoyed and had no reason to refuse. The queen took the girl away. At the palace, the queen showed her three rooms, each filled with high-quality flax. “Spin this flax for me!” she said, “Once you finish spinning it, you will marry my eldest son. I don’t care that you’re poor; your tireless hard work will be enough as your dowry.” The girl was secretly astonished because even if she lived to be three hundred years old, sitting from morning to evening, she would never be able to spin flax. She cried alone and sat there for three days without starting. On the third day, the queen came and saw that not a single thread had been spun, feeling very surprised. The girl apologized, saying she was too far from home and heartbroken, which prevented her from starting. The queen was delighted and said on her way out, “You’ll have to work for me tomorrow.” When left alone again, the girl felt very worried. She went to the window and saw three women approaching. One had very wide flat feet, the second had a very large lower lip that drooped over her chin, and the third had a very wide thumb. The three women stood in front of the window, looking up at the girl and asking why she was upset. The girl told them her troubles. They offered to help her, saying, “If you can invite us to the wedding, call us your aunts without feeling embarrassed, and let us sit at the same table with you, we will spin all the flax for you in a short time.” “I’d be very happy to,” the girl said, “Come in, let’s start working right away!” She let the three strange women in and cleared a space in one of the rooms for them. They sat down and began spinning. One woman drew flax fibers while stepping on the wheel, another moistened the fibers with her lips, and the third twisted the fibers while tapping the table with her fingers. With each tap, a spool of thread fell to the ground, spun with great precision. The queen came, and the girl hid the three women so she couldn’t see them, only showing her the large amount of spun flax, which amazed the queen. Once the flax in the first room was spun, they moved on to the second room, and soon, the flax in the third room was also spun. Then the three women bid farewell to the girl, saying, “Don’t forget what we promised you, and it will bring you happiness.” The girl showed the queen the three empty rooms and the large pile of thread, then the wedding was held. The groom was very happy to have such a skillful and hardworking wife and praised her highly. “I have three aunts,” the girl said, “They have been very kind to me, and I don’t want to forget them in my happiness. May I invite them to the wedding and let them sit at our table?” The queen and the groom said, “Of course, why not!” The banquet began, and the three women walked in, dressed in strange clothes. The bride said, “Welcome, dear aunts.” The groom said, “How can your relatives look so ugly?” He walked up to the woman with very wide flat feet and asked, “Why are your feet so wide and flat?” “I’m used to stepping on the spinning wheel,” she replied, “I’m used to stepping on the spinning wheel.” He then walked up to the second woman and asked, “Why is your lower lip so droopy?” “I’m used to licking the flax fibers,” she replied, “I’m used to licking the flax fibers.” He asked the third woman, “Why is your thumb so big?” “I’m used to twisting the flax fibers,” she replied, “I’m used to twisting the flax fibers.” The prince was amazed and said, “From now on, my beautiful bride will never touch the spinning wheel again.” And so, she was freed from the tedious work of spinning flax.