rain poured down in torrents.

突然，聽到城門處傳來敲門聲，老國王去開門。

Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.

是一位公主站在城門外。

It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate.

但是，天哪！風雨把她弄成了什麼樣子啊。

but, good gracious! what a sight the rain and the wind had made her look.

雨水從她的頭髮和衣服上流淌下來；

the water ran down from her hair and clothes;

流進她鞋子的腳趾部分，又從鞋跟處流出來。

it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels.

然而她說她是一位真正的公主。

And yet she said that she was a real princess.

“嗯，我們很快就會弄清楚的，” 老王后想。

“well, we’ll soon find that out,” thought the old queen.

但她什麼也沒說，走進臥室，把床架上的所有被褥都拿掉，在床板上放了一顆豌豆；

but she said nothing, went into the bed - room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom;

然後她拿了二十個床墊放在豌豆上，又在床墊上放了二十床鴨絨被。

then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider - down beds on top of the mattresses.

公主就得在這上面躺一整晚。

on this the princess had to lie all night.

早晨有人問她睡得怎麼樣。

In the morning she was asked how she had slept.

“哦，糟透了！” 她說。

“oh, very badly!” said she.

“我整晚幾乎都沒閤眼。

“I have scarcely closed my eyes all night.

天知道床上有什麼東西，但我正躺在一個硬東西上，弄得我渾身青一塊紫一塊的。

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.

太可怕了！”

It’s horrible!”