Читать книгу Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs / Белоснежка и семь гномов - Братья Гримм - Страница 2
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ОглавлениеIt was a cold winter’s day. A white sheet of snow lay over the palace grounds and trees and on the roofs and chimneys. The Queen sat by the window, humming a lullaby to herself as she sewed a little dress. She looked out of the window and saw a black raven, and as she looked, she suddenly pricked her finger with the needle. She looked down and saw a drop of blood fall on her gown. It was so red!
“I wish I have a daughter with skin as white and pure as snow, hair as black as a raven, and lips as red as this drop of blood on my gown,” thought the Queen.
Not long afterwards, the Queen’s wish came true. After a few months, a baby girl was born to her. The baby’s skin was really as white and pure as snow, her curly hair as black as the raven and her lips as red as blood.
She was a lovely baby.
“I shall name this beautiful child of mine Snow White,” said the Queen to her husband.
So the Princess was named Snow White. Each day saw her grow more and more beautiful. She was very kind to everyone in the palace, and they all loved her.
Sadly for Snow White, her mother died within a few years and her father married again. The new Queen was a very beautiful lady, but she was vain and proud of her beauty. She wanted to be the most beautiful woman in the world.
She had a magic mirror in her room. She would look into it every morning and ask:
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
Who is the fairest one of all?”
And the mirror would reply:
“O Queen, you are the fairest one of all.”
The Queen would smile and be very happy because she knew that her magic mirror never lied. It also made her vainer. Nobody in the palace loved her; rather, they were afraid of her.
The years passed by as the Queen watched Snow White grow into a beautiful girl. This did not please her. As Snow White grew older, she became more and more beautiful. This made the Queen very jealous, because she feared that the Princess would become prettier than her.
One day, when she asked her mirror:
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
Who is the fairest one of all?”
The mirror answered:
“O Queen, you are fair,
But Snow White is the fairest one of all.”
The Queen was mad with jealousy. She had to do something. Snow White had to die. She could not allow Snow White to become more beautiful than herself!
She decided to get rid of her. She would have Snow White killed!
