《公主和豌豆》，1835 年

the princess and the pea, 1835

---

安徒生聲稱小時候就聽過這個故事，他很可能受到了類似於瑞典的《躺在七顆豌豆上的公主》這個版本的啟發。

Andersen claimed to have heard this story as a child, and it is likely that he was inspired by a version akin to the Swedish “princess who Lay on Seven peas.”

那個故事的女主人公是個孤兒，她帶著寵物貓或狗踏入社會，並且自稱是公主。

the heroine of that tale is an orphaned child who sets out into the world acpanied by a pet cat or dog and who presents herself as a princess.

受到多疑的王后的質疑，女孩的王室血統在夜間接受考驗，當時一個小物件（一粒豆子、一顆豌豆或者一根稻草）被悄悄塞到她的床墊下。

challenged by a suspicious queen, the girl’s royal ancestry is put to the test at night, when a small object (a bean, a pea, or a straw) is slipped under her mattress.

在貓或狗告知她這個物件後，女孩抱怨自己無法入睡，於是被宣告擁有王室血統。

Informed by the cat or the dog about the object, the girl plains about her inability to sleep and is declared to be of royal blood.

民間故事中的女主人公用欺騙手段來提升自己的社會地位，但安徒生筆下的公主是 “真正的” 公主，不必歪曲自己的敏感。

the folktale heroine uses deceit to raise her social rank, but Andersen’s princess is the “real” thing and does not have to misrepresent her sensitivity.

對安徒生來說，一個表明 “真正的” 高貴在於敏感而非出身的故事具有一定的吸引力。

For Andersen, a story demonstrating that “true” nobility resides in sensitivity rather than birth had a certain appeal.

他的許多恩人以及朋友和評論家不斷提醒他低微的社會出身，安徒生透過創作故事來彌補這一點，這些故事表明那些出生在穀倉場院（醜小鴨）或者不知從哪裡出現在王室門口（公主）的人可能是真正的貴族。

constantly reminded of his lowly social origins by his many benefactors as well as